Samsung Omnia II upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.5


Microsoft couldn't help themselves but brag that the Samsung Omnia II running Windows Mobile 6.5 will be available through Mobilkom Austria exclusively starting late September. They will be the first Austrian mobile operator to get the new OS.

It's yet unclear if the other countries will be as lucky as Austria and get the Omnia II running WinMo 6.5 straight out of the box. The official announcement stated that the phone will be available with Windows Mobile 6.1, which could be subsequently upgraded to 6.5. At least now we know for sure that this upgrade will come no later than September.

They official press release of Mobikom also states that the Omnia II sports the "biggest OLED display on a mobile device". And it does, the Omnia II just manages to outdo its sibling - the Omnia HD, which also has a 3.7" OLED display. The different aspect ratios lead to slightly different surface area but only just.

Still, it's an impressive display as we saw in our preview. And with 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 HSUPA plus Wi-Fi make the big touchscreen with WVGA resolution a fast portal to the Internet. The camera is no wimp either - 5MP with autofocus and D1 video recording is top of the line for Windows Mobile handsets.

Now might be a good time to clear out that the 8MP-sporting Omnia II units that appeared on some hands-on videos online are only prototypes and Samsung do not currently plan an 8MP version of the handset.

The Omnia II powered by an 800MHz CPU with dedicated graphics chip, which makes it one of the speediest WinMo devices. It is also a champ at storage with up to 16GB of internal storage and support for up to 32GB microSD cards.

GPS, DivX/XviD support out of the box, not to mention the 3D games and fancy 3D interface round of the Samsung Omnia II to be a geek's dream. The 3.5 mm audio jack and microUSB, which was recently picked as Europe's standard charger plug, are also greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately, there isn't any info about pricing in the press release. Anyway, we respectfully envy the geeks of Austria and hope carriers in other countries will pick up the Samsung Omnia II soon.