Samsung Omnia rivals iPhone

Korea-based handset maker Samsung has chosen an opportune time to launch its iPhone rival, the Omnia i900.

Samsung could be accused of jumping on the bandwagon of the publicity currently surround the launch of iPhone 2.0 as it plans to unveil its iPhone clone next week in Singapore.

Omnia means ‘wish’ in Arabic and ‘everything’ in Latin, and the handset really is packed with every feature you can wish for.

The handset incorporates a 3.2 inch touch screen, quad band operation and HDSPA 7.2 Mbps internet access.

It also has a 5 megapixel built-in camera with autofocus, and face and smile detection. This is a feature that completely trumps the new iPhone.

Available in 8G byte and 16G byte models, additional features include GPS navigation, an FM radio, and bluetooth connectivity.

The Omnia runs Windows Mobile 6.1 with Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint, meaning that it will be aimed largely at business users.

It will be available in South-East Asia from next week, and will come to Europe by July, price unknown.