Samsung SPH-i550
The Samsung SPH-i550 smartphone is the Palm OS-based planned successor to the clamshell style SPH-i500. The SPH-i550 has a high-res 320x320 internal screen and an external OLED display. The camera takes 1 MP stills and can record video. A built-in MP3 player is controlled by external buttons without having to open the phone.
| Manufacturer | Samsung Electronics |
|---|---|
| Compatible networks | CDMA |
| Availability by region | N/A |
| Predecessor | SPH-i500 |
| Form factor | Clamshell |
| Mass | 147 g |
| Operating system | Palm OS 5.4 |
| CPU | MX1 |
| Memory | 96 MB |
| Removable storage | Secure Digital |
| Battery | Li-Ion 830 mAh |
| Display | 320 X 320 px, 65,536 color |
| External display | 128 x 96 px OLED |
| Rear camera | 3.15 MP |
Features
- Palm OS Garnet (5.4)
- MX1 CPU with 64 MB ROM / 32 MB RAM
- CDMA1x
- Clamshell form factor with dual displays, supports handwriting recognition
- 320 x 320 pixel, 2.3 inch, 65,536 color display (internal)
- OLED 128 x 96 pixel display (external)
- 3.15-megapixel digital camera with a LED flash
- Supports streaming media (VOD)
- MP3/MPEG4 player, controlled by external buttons without having to open the phone
- Web browser
- Infrared remote transmit
- Secure Digital (SD) memory expansion slot
A unique feature of the i550 is that all programs and data are stored in non-volatile flash memory so that a hard reset of the Palm device will not cause information loss.
As of April 2005, Sprint Corporation has cancelled plans for the SPH-i550. The i550 is offered by any carrier in the United States. Just weeks after Sprint canceled the phone, it was announced that the SCH-i539, a Palm OS-based smartphone by Samsung that is very similar to the i550, was available in China. The i539 is nearly identical to the i550, except that it uses a CDMA Removable User Identity Module (R-UIM), which is similar in function to a GSM SIM card.
Evidence on the Samsung Website indicates that a carrier in Mexico is in trials with the i550. The devices being tested all have the Sprint logo.
A petition asking Sprint to release the i550 was created, but there has been no response from Sprint yet.