Samsung I7500 has iPhone-like keyboard, Android software

May 25, 2009 | Paul Boutin | Comments |

An Android phone without a hardware keyboard, Samsung’s I75500 also sports a five megapixel camera. Yet its winning feature may not be the keyboard, but Android’s live folders, which let phone apps fill your phone with data in the background so you can access it later, even without a connection. Yes, this is a Twitter phone.

Samsung’s design isn’t just plain, it’s boring. Powered off, it has none of the sexiness of a Blackberry or iPhone. Boot it up, though, and it sprouts an onscreen keyboard much like the iPhone’s.

The keyboard is slightly smaller, and not as pretty as Apple’s star handheld. Like the iPhone, it can be flipped from vertical to horizontal layout.

Gadget testers at GSMArena.com were disappointed by their test unit’s unfinished camera software. But it seems Samsung is going after iPhone photo-snappers with a 5 megapixel sensor that, at least on spec, offers more photo detail than the current iPhone’s 2 megapixel eye.

More intriguing to VentureBeat testers is the concept of live folders. A live folder — part of the Android 1.5 software — can be populated with your email, playlists, an RSS feed, bookmarks or anything else that can be saved as data. For programmers, there’s a simple API to provide content .

In non-programmer speak, it’s easy to write programs that stay in the background and fill the various live folders with custom content while the phone naps in your purse or pocket. But when you hit Twitter, your direct messages list won’t empty. We think this is a great way to deliver dynamic content from Twitter or even Netlflix. No icons cluttering the home screens. Run download-crazy apps in the background. Hurray for multitasking!

Updated Samsung’s phone isn’t the first Android phone without a keyboard, and not the first with Live Folders. The HTC Magic has these already. Thanks to the commenters who caught our error.

[Image from GSMArena.com]

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About the Author, Paul Boutin

Paul (paul@venturebeat.com) covers Apple & the iPhone, social networks & social media, digital music & video, and any crazy Internet story. Paul wrote and edited for Valleywag from 2006-2008, after several years with Wired magazine and Slate. He writes regularly for The New York Times' technology section and sometimes for Wired and The Wall Street Journal. He studied computer science at MIT in the early 1980s, and worked as a software developer and network administrator for 15 years before becoming a professional writer. Follow him on Twitter at @paulboutin, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.

  • HereAndNow
    The I7500 looks nice, but I would prefer a larger display with a smaller button area (similar to the Samsung Omnia).
  • The HTC Magic is the first Android device without a physical keyboard. The I7500 hasn't even been released yet, while the Magic has been available since earlier this month.

    Also, that keyboard you're seeing is the default Android touch keyboard. It's what the Magic has, what the G1 has, what the Android SDK emulator has, etc. That isn't to say Samsung won't create their own, as anyone (OEM, carrier, guy in his basement, etc.) can create their own touch keyboard that can replace this one 100% and can distribute it through the Market or elsewhere -- but that is a different topic.

    Finally, Live Folders is something that is standard in Android 1.5. It's most certainly not unique to the I7500 or even to Samsung. Again, the G1 has it, the HTC Magic has it and the core Android code base has it. However I completely agree that if developers begin taking advantage of Live Folders and the other things made possible through Cupcake's home screen widget support, there could be some very innovative things coming out soon.
  • PaulBoutin
    Thanks, Ben. I mis-typed from another time zone. Sorry.

    Yours,
    Paul
  • Rob-
    5 gigapixel?! That is a massive leap in technology!

    I saw a link on twitter about this being the first android device with a virtual keyboard that brought me here, but Ben beat me to that.

    (check your work before posting)
  • Hannes
    Thanks Ben - indeed most features that have been mentioned here aren't special properties of the I7500. But I expect it to be a nice alternative to the G2.
  • Mack
    To the Author: In case it's not clear enough, Rob is sarcastically bringing to your attention the '5 giga-pixel' Samsung camera and '2 giga-pixel' iPhone camera should actually be '5 megapixel' and '2 megapixel' respectively. If you want to see gigapixel photography, click this link: http://gigapixelphotography.com/vancouver-yalet...

    I think camera phones are a little way off that kind of ablity
  • snogglethorpe
    Hmm, a bit dorkier-looking that the iphone though -- the big area at the bottom with all the weirdly shaped buttons at the bottom (with tacky fake-chrome trim?!) looks kinda clunky...
  • Apple should not under estimate Samsung:
    Samsung has worldwide retail distribution.
  • prepaid
    virtual keyboards are the way to go, it allows sleeker devices, and saves on hardware costs. The G1 is so clunky looking, like one of those old apple IIe computers from the 80's.