Vodafone has added a UMTS turbo phone to its range, which makes it the first network operator in Germany to introduce a broadband phone, the Samsung SGH-ZV50, following the official launch of UMTS broadband at this year's CeBIT.

This small, powerful and multitalented silver phone is barely distinguishable from other UMTS models by its external appearance. It nevertheless sets new standards for multimedia services because of the faster transmission rates of up to 1.8 Mbit/s that are possible with UMTS broadband.

There's plenty of data power inside this 105 g clamshell phone. The 2 megapixel camera displays photos in needle-sharp focus on the generously-dimensioned 2 inch QVGA display with 262,144 colours. The Samsung SGH-ZV50 also has external keys for music player operation. It also has plenty of memory to store music files and games. The Samsung SGH-ZV50 has an internal 30 megabyte memory and the option to extend external memory with microSD cards. A 64 MB microSD comes with the phone.

In combination with UMTS broadband, which is gradually being implemented in the existing Vodafone UMTS network in 1800 German towns and cities, there are no limits to high-speed downloads and Web surfing. The phone can also be connected up to a PC or notebook for photo fun on a larger scale. The mobile modem is ready and it guarantees easy Internet surfing. 

Data is transferred by the Samsung SGH-ZV50 either via USB cable or Bluetooth interface. The 900 mAh battery delivers up to 200 hours of stand-by and up to 2.5 hours of talktime in the UMTS network.

The silver clamshell phone with unostentatious design is now available for the price of EUR 229.50 in connection with the Vodafone UMTS Per-Minute Package Plus 200.

Samsung SGH-ZV50: Facts and Figures

• Dimensions (mm): 90 x 45 x 22.8 mm
• Weight: 105 g
• Battery: 900 mAh (Li-Ion)
• Integrated antenna: Yes
• Stand-by: Up to 200 h
• Talktime: Up to 2.5 hours
• HSDPA: Yes
• UMTS: Yes
• GPRS: Yes
• Tri-Band: Yes (900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Colour: Aluminium Silver
• Memory: 30 MB free dynamic internal memory, Extension via 64 MB microSD slot
• Display: 2-inch QVGA display with 262,000 colours;
• Integrated digital camera: Photo resolution up to 1600 x 1200 pixels, Video resolution up to 320 x 240 pixels, Digital 4 x zoom
• Sub-camera: For video telephony
• Interfaces: USB, Bluetooth
• Integrated MP3 player: Yes
• VideoMMS-capable: Yes
• Vibrating alert: Yes
• Polyphone ring tones: Yes
• Real tones: Yes

In December 2005, Samsung introduced the first HSDPA phone (model: ZV50) with Vodafone and Qualcomm. In January 2006, Samsung demonstrated the world’s fastest 3.6 Mbps HSDPA technology and showcased the first commercial HSDPA phone (model: ZX20) for US market at the Consumer Electronics Show in the US . In February 2006, Samsung introduced new HSDPA phone (model: Z560) for European market. In May 2006, Samsung launches the first commercially available HSDPA phone (model: W200) in Korean market.