$300

Sprint's new Samsung M300

Samsung and Sprint today introduced its second new cell phone of the week with the Samsung SPH-M300. Available in red and silver, the M300 offers a mostly low-end feature set, but it manages to throw in a couple of extras. Inside you'll find a VGA camera, Bluetooth, voice dialing, and a speakerphone. The flip phone design is very basic with a flat keypad and a small, color external display. And in keeping with Samsung's thin phone obsession, the M300 has a slim 0.7-inch profile. It's $29.99 with service.

A COMAND you can master

We have spent a good deal of time over the past few months complaining about the navigation systems in Mercedes-Benz models. As we found in the 2007 Mercedes E550, the E320 BlueTec, and the SL550 models, the Benz COMAND solution for onboard tech fails to live up to its cars' world-renowned performance credentials. With its small, poorly rendered navigation screen buried at knee-level in the center stack and fidgety controls, the existing system leads had us tearing our hair out more than once.

Well, today at the 2007 New York auto show we saw the next generation of Mercedes' cabin … Read more

Update: New Sony Blu-ray player--the full details

Earlier today we reported the major details on Sony's new Blu-ray player ($600, comes out this summer), and now we've received the full press release for the BDP-S300 which will be announced tomorrow at Sony's line show. As we mentioned before, the BDP-S300 is similar to the BDP-S1, including features such as support for DVD upconversion up to 1080p and 24 frames per second output on Blu-ray discs. There are also a few new features, such as support for standard audio CDs (a major omission on the BDP-S1) and Bravia Theater Sync, which enables the BDP-S300 to … Read more

Samsung floats new phone designs at 3GSM

Samsung joined Motorola in making a big splash at the 3GSM in Barcelona. The company introduced a selection of high-end phones that feature new designs and improved interfaces.

The F520 has a unique dual-slider design that performs much like the dual-hinged Samsung SCH-u740. The F520 slides vertically to reveal the number keypad and horizontally to show the QWERTY keyboard. The new Flash-based menu interface utilizes a touch screen along with the normal navigation controls. There's a 3-megapixel camera and all the usual high-end refinements, but with support for the 900/800/1900 GSM bands and the 2100 UMTS band … Read more

Samsung's new credit card phone: spiffy!

When we reviewed the Samsung SGH-P300 last year, we thought it had a perverse appeal. Though it looked like a grade school calculator, its credit card-like dimensions were unique and frankly, pretty cool. Also, its feature set was generous for the phone's size. Now, at CES this year, Samsung is showing the P300's successor that was introduced in the fall, the Samsung SGH-P310.

Fortunately, Samsung managed to make the design a bit more attractive with a black color scheme and a redesigned keypad. We also like the circular-shaped navigation toggle, which beats the square control on the P300 … Read more

Samsung's new Ultra Music for Sprint?

Samsung is no slouch when it comes to music phones, but at CES 2007, the company is doing everything it can to top its efforts of previous years. Instead of offering new music features, however, the Samsung Ultra Music brings an innovative music phone design. And if our hunch is correct, we should see it from Sprint by March.

While most music phones barely give a thought to music functionality in their designs, the Ultra Music takes a more Jekyll-and-Hyde approach by combining elements of both devices. Yes, dedicated music controls are here but you'll find dual displays and … Read more

A phone that just makes calls (!)

Along with the LG VX8600 Chocolate flip phone, today Verizon Wireless also released the PN-300, the rebranding of the Pantech PN-300. There's nothing too special about the PN-300, but that is precisely the purpose of this basic, entry-level phone.

It's a pared-down, no-frills phone that delivers simple features such as text messaging, a speakerphone, voice dialing, and not much else. Sure, it's not as fancy as the LG VX8600, but at the low price of $29.99, it could be a good phone for those that just want a phone to make calls.