And just like that, every major Canadian wireless carrier offers at least one Android smartphone as Bell has launched the Samsung Galaxy. Currently going for $99.95 on a 3-year contract and $449.95 without, the Galaxy might prove to be a bit of a tough sell for Bell considering all three of Android handsets offered by Rogers — the HTC Dream, Magic and LG Eve — are $79.99 and under while TELUS has the ever popular HTC Hero at $99.99 with the Motorola MILESTONE all set for an early 2010 debut. Having said all of that, the Galaxy does appear to have a trump card — order now and you’ll get a free Vancouver 2010 decal. We can just hear the flood of calls to telesales now.

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As it currently stands, Bell is the only major Canadian wireless carrier that doesn’t have at least one Android handset in its line-up, but if the latest rumors are to be believed, this will only be the case for another couple days as Bell is said to be getting the Samsung Galaxy i7500 on December 10th. Because it’s received little attention Statesi… er Province-side, we think it’s worth quickly running over the specs: 3.2″ HVGA AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash, Wi-Fi, GPS, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 528MHz processor, 8GB internal memory and it’s running Android 1.5 “Cupcake”. Pricing is still a mystery, but hey — Bell users have had plenty of time to save up.

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If a report from the hit or miss Register Hardware blog pan out, Samsung’s highly anticipated freshman Android offering could make its debut as soon as next week. According to the post, various O2 retail staff have confirmed that the Galaxy i7500 is now listed in their inventory system and shipments will arrive next week. That’s not to say the phone will launch next week but if retail locations actually do receive these alleged shipments, we can certainly expect a launch shortly thereafter. O2 would not confirm the Register’s report, saying only that the handset would launch “in the next few weeks”. We’ve been waiting for the i7500 ever since we first confirmed it to be Samsung’s virgin venture into Android back in April so we’re definitely excited by the possibility of seeing it finally launch — albeit outside the US. 528MHz processor, 3.2-inch capacitive OLED display, 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, 8GB of internal memory… Importers, start your engines.

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Apparently the only way to stop people from continuously sending this tip in is to run it, so here we go: Eric Schmidt was caught rocking a BlackBerry. Oooooooo. Sure Google’s CEO can have his pick from the current stock of Android-powered handsets and likely from amongst a handful of unannounced devices as well. It would appear as though Schmidt knows what everyone else in the free world knows, however — if you want to get stuff done, use a BlackBerry. We imagine Schmidt has a handful of Android devices he uses as well of course, but it’s always fun to point and laugh. So people… Point and laugh.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

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Sure, we might be a bit more anxious for the Hero, G1 v2 or the Morrison at this point, but let’s not forget Samsung’s first Android-powered handset — the Galaxy i7500 — has yet to see the light of day. Though it might not be the most exciting handset in the world, the i7500 certainly will be the best-spec’d Android handset when it launches. While we know it will be hitting T-Mobile at some point here in the US, it looks like our friends across the pond will be first to enjoy this sweet smartphone with an O2 release coming some time this month. Big bright touchscreen, 8GB of internal storage, 5 megapixel camera with flash, 3.5mm audio jack and Android 1.5 all wrapped in a 12mm-thin case… Fair enough. So what say you — disappointed that our Euro pals get first crack at another sweet phone or did you start day dreaming as soon as we mentioned the Hero?

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It looks like Samsung’s Android-powered i7500 has taken one small step in its long march towards an official US launch. The i7500, known to have support for T-Mobile’s 1700MHz 3G band, has made its way though the FCC with tri-band UMTS/HSPA intact. T-Mobile customers may have a long wait for this hot new handset however, as rumors place its arrival in November — just in time for the holiday season. It may seem a bit crazy considering we’ve already eyed a few more upcoming Android handsets from Sammy but hey, T-Mobile customers, you’ve got plenty to be excited about in the coming months.

[Via PhoneScoop]

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Samsung’s first Android-powered offering just got some pretty thorough hands on treatment in Singapore. The folks at Tech65 give us a nice 7 minute look at the design of the i7500 in all of its Android-powered glory. With its bezel and brushed metal buttons, the i7500 has a design that seems to to appear on most Samsung touchscreen phones since the Omnia. The i7500 makes up for its predictable looks however, with its fast and responsive performance. With the exception of a possibly overly-sensitive accelerometer, the Android 1.5 OS on the i7500 looks pretty slick. HTC better watch out for this offering as it will likely give the Magic a run for its money when it launches next month on O2 Germany and possibly T-Mobile US later this year. Hit the jump for the video.

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Hot on the heels of its official announcement, live images of the Samsung I7500 have surfaced courtesy of everyone’s favorite Russian insiders. Though uncharacteristic of Mobile-review, the blurrycam shots we all know and love hate have been trumped by smudge-laden blurrycam shots… But at least we can get an idea of size. There is also an image of the device powered onto behold, displaying the Android home screen in all of its glory. Sure, we would have liked to see a physical keyboard on Samsung’s first Google OS offering, but beggars can’t be choosers — at this point we just want to see more Android handsets roll out to get some variety out there. Hit the jump for more images of the I7500 and keep one eye closed if you’re prone to motion sickness.

Thanks, Horatio!

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It’s kind of funny how a phone can phone can appear out of nowhere as a solid rumor and then become official within 24 hours, but that’s exactly what has happened with Samsung’s first Android-powered smartphone, the I7500. Samsung and O2 Germany have both officially announced the device slated for a June release. The specs were also spot on:

• Android 1.5 OS
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, tri-band UMTS/HSPA
• 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7200A CPU
• 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive OLED touchscreen display
• 5 megapixel camera with LED flash
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• GPS
• 8GB internal flash memory
• microSD slot
• 3.5 mm stereo jack
• Metal case, 11.9 mm thick

Official pricing was not made public, but we have no reason to doubt yesterday’s rumored price of €300 ($397 US) considering that the rumor was bang on about everything else. Anyone else dying for the I7500 to make an appearance Stateside?

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According to a new report, Samsung’s first Android handset will not be the S8000 as had been rumored. Instead, word on the street now suggests Sammy is prepping yet another full touchscreen handset dubbed I7500 for a June release. The Android-powered I7500 most definitely touts the best spec sheet of any Android handset we’ve seen thus far — released or upcoming — so we must admit we’re a bit excited. Here’s how it’s shaping up:

• Android 1.5 OS
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, dual-band UMTS/HSPA
• 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7200A CPU
• 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive OLED touchscreen display
• 5 megapixel camera with LED flash
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• GPS
• 8GB internal flash memory
• microSD slot
• 3.5 mm stereo jack
• Metal case, 11.9 mm thick

Assuming the blurry mock up and the 3.2-inch display are both accurate, the I7500 is going to be a pretty sizable handset. With specs like that however, we’re sure we can look past the moderate bulk and give it a go. According to the source, O2 Germany will be releasing the I7500 in June for about €300 ($397 US), which hopefully means we can expect it elsewhere in June as well.

Thanks, Fab!

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