Samsung I7500 preview: First look

For today's show and tell, Samsung's first Android phone is serving Cupcake. The Samsung I7500 a.k.a. Galaxy is the first Google-powered device to come with a 5 megapixel camera and that's just the tip of much improved multimedia skill.

This is just a preview and it should serve to whet your appetite as the I7500 prepares to launch. As soon as we get our hands on a final version, we'll grab our tool bag and make an out-and-out review. For now, we'll just share our first impressions of the device.

  
Samsung I7500 official photos
Samsung I7500 Galaxy at a glance:
General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, HSDPA 7.2Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps 
OS and CPU: 528MHz CPU with 128MB RAM running latest Android OS v1.5 
Form factor: Touchscreen bar, no keypad 
Dimensions: 115.0 x 56.0 x 11.9 mm, 119 g. 
Display: 3.2" capacitive OLED touchscreen, HVGA resolution (320 x 480 pixels) 
Storage: 8GB, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB) 
Camera: 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and geotagging 
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, microUSB v.2.0, 3.5mm audio jack 
Misc: Accelerometer sensor, FM radio with RDS, Gesture lock 
Battery: 1440 mAh battery 

   
The I7500 is Samsung's Google phone

Version 1.5 of the Android OS brings some very welcome refinements. The on-screen keyboard is obviously one of them, now that Android powers a full touch handset with no keyboard at all. Video recording and playback have also been included - both strangely missing in version 1. Stereo Bluetooth is aboard as well.

There's also some UI polish and plenty of work done under the hood. Extensive bug fixes and improved performance should make the OS even more enjoyable. 

Before we begin, it would be fair play to note that in this preview we're using quite an early version of the device and it's not all shipshape. The most noticeable absentees are the camera samples, but the obviously undercooked Camera app does the handset no justice. A good 5 megapixel snapper is a valuable feature and we have every reason to believe Samsung will get it right before launch.