In the run up to the launch of Windows Mobile 6.5, manufacturers and carriers are trying to tantalize fan bases with new and exciting products. Unfortunately there really hasn’t been anything we would deem “wow worthy” up to this point (announced officially, that is), though Samsung seems to think its short-term strategy is all that. First off, Sammy finally got around to announcing the OmniaPRO B7330, a low-end full-QWERTY number with a 320×320 display, 3 megapixel camera, FM tuner and 7.2Mbps HSDPA/2Mbps HSUPA connectivity. Second, it announced that the OmniaLITE B7300 will ship with WinMo 6.5 as with all Omnia models shipped after 6.5 goes live. Third and lastly, Samsung announced that later on in the year at a time not specified, Samsung will release WinMo 6.5 upgrades for the Omnia II i800, OmniaPRO B7320, and OmniaPRO B7610 alongside “a set of customized strategies to differentiate and expand sales of each model by appealing to a broad spectrum of user groups.” We haven’t a clue what Samsung has in mind in terms of customization, but we do have this nagging feeling that it won’t exactly knock anyone’s socks off.

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Samsung is just unstoppable today, having announced more new phones in just the past few hours than some companies announce in a year. Two Omnia Pros, a Jet for good measure and now we’re introduced to the Omnia II (I8000) and Omnia LITE (B7300). Starting with the more exciting of the two handsets, the Omnia II will be Sammy’s successor to the popular to the Omnia as we’re sure you guessed. Specs are as follows:

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional (upgradable to 6.5)
• Massive 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen display
• TouchWiz 2.0 UI
• Advanced R Touch (Resistive Touch) that “enables faster, more accurate touch response”
• 480p video recording and playback
• HSUPA 5.76Mbps, HSDPA 7.2Mbps
• Wi-Fi
• Up to 48GB of storage

Wow. Ok, now let’s have a look at the scaled down Omnia LITE:

• Full touchscreen form factor
• TouchWiz 2.0
• 3 megapixel camera
• Push email support
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Full HTML Opera Web browser
• HSDPA
• Wi-Fi
• A-GPS

Samsung obviously wanted to focus on the more capable Omnia II so as you can see, not much substance was offered as far as the Omnia LITE is concerned. Both handsets appear to be very solid offerings however, and will certainly likely be well received be their respective target demographics. Release timing and pricing are not yet available, though the Omnia II will be offered by Verizon Wireless some time this year.

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