For example, the Omnia II will be able to directly connect to the Samsung Widget Store, where users will be able to download hundreds of free handset widgets, including shortcut widgets that provide one-click access to Facebook, MySpace and YouTube. The online store also will deliver downloads of handset-personalization elements -- such as birthday reminders that users can simply "drag and drop" onto their home screens.

With TouchWiz, the goal is "to provide our consumers with a more rewarding and engaging user interface; one that's more fun, easier to use and more personal," noted Geesung Choi, president of Samsung's telecommunication business.

Virtual Keyboard

The new smartphone's 3.7-inch touch-sensitive screen integrates a virtual QWERTY keyboard featuring Swype input technology, which will enable users to input text by moving a finger or a stylus from letter to letter, lifting between words. Utilizing error-correcting algorithms in order to guess the word typed, Swype also incorporates a tapping predictive text system in the same interface. According to Swype's creators, users can achieve input speeds of more than 50 words per minute.

Samsung says the device's active-matrix organic light-emitting diode display ranks among the brightest and clearest ever to be offered on a mobile phone in the United States. The Omnia II also integrates a wide video graphics array screen, which means that the handset's Opera 9.5 browser will be able to render web sites designed for an 800-pixel-wide window in full page width.

The new smartphone is equipped with a 5.0-megapixel camera with flash and autofocus, which also doubles as a camcorder as well as a video decoder with support for Divx and Xvid movie files. Also on tap are on-device photo- and video-editing capabilities, together with support for Verizon's V CAST video-on-demand and visual voice-mail services.

Surround Sound

On the audio side, the Omnia II integrates Samsung's latest digital natural sound engine (DNSe) technology. In addition to delivering multiple optimization modes such as Rock, Classic and so on, DNSe offers four different surround-sound modes called 3D-Studio, 3D-Stage, 3D-Club and 3D-User. Support is also provided for Verizon's V CAST Music with Rhapsody and Song ID services. (continued...)

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