Samsung announced today plans to release of the Omnia W, it’s first handset based on Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5 operating system, which commonly goes by the name “Mango.” The device will be available at the end of October outside the US, the company said.
In addition to running the Mango OS, the Omnia W will sport a 3.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with an 800 x 480 resolution, and come loaded with at 1.4GHz processor and 8 GB of internal storage. A 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, capable of shooting 720p high-definition video, also comes standard.
The “Omnia W” will not be available to US customers – but the a device with exactly the same specs will. According to a press release from AT&T issued earlier this month, a Samsung handset called the “Focus Flash” will soon be available on that network. Not coincidentally, the Focus Flash has exactly the same spec list as the Omnia W (as well as an equally awkward-sounding name, if you ask us). We do not have confirmation that the two devices are, in fact, one in the same. But it’s highly doubtful that there’s any difference between the two, save the name.
Like all non-Apple devices, the Omnia W/Focus Flash will have its sights set on the upcoming fifth-generation iPhone, which is expected to be announced on October 4. It is not yet clear when AT&T will make the Focus Flash available to its US customers. That said, the device that most resembles the Omnia W/Focus Flash is the recently unveiled HTC Radar, which also runs on Windows Phone Mango, but has a slightly slower (1GHz) processor.
With Android and Apple’s iOS currently dominating the smartphone market, it will be interesting to see whether Microsoft can gain a few market share points with the release of Mango.
