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It’s not all about big touchscreen phones for Samsung, who just announced the BlackBerry-rivalling Galaxy Chat Smartphone. Akin to the BlackBerry, it features a full QWERTY keyboard, but it also features the latest version of Android – Ice Cream Sandwich.
Designed for those who want the latest in Android phones but would prefer a more tactile keyboard, the Galaxy Chat is a social networking and chat machine. Combining Samsung’s previous budget ‘Ch@t’ smartphones and the latest Galaxy SIII, the Galaxy Chat combines Android 4.0 with the latest social features and a QWERTY keyboard.
The screen itself is a 3-inch touchscreen, and below that you have three touch buttons for the Home, Back, and Menu functions in ICS, before you get to the keyboard. Pre-loaded on the phone is Samsung’s answer to Whatsapp; ChatOn. Get your iPhone, Android and BlackBerry using mates to install this and you can chat endlessly using your data connection, rather than texting.
You’ve also got the Social Hub for Twitter, Facebook and Email, and the Gaming Hub for keeping you entertained. For productivity, Samsung offers Quick Office for viewing and editing documents on the go, which should be a breeze thanks to that QWERTY keyboard.
Those hoping for high specs won’t be blown away by the Galaxy Chat; it has an 800MHz single-core processor, 2-megapixel rear camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, 4GB of internal storage, an accelerometer, digital compass and a micro SD card slot. A 1,200 mAh battery has been squeezed into a frame measuring 11.7mm thick, which Samsung says will give you some 380 hours of standby time.
There’s currently no price tag on Samsung’s BlackBerry basher, but we’d expect it to fall into the sub-£150 bracket. Spain will be the first to get it this month, with a rollout across Europe taking place from there.
Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.
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