Will Android 2.1 Limit Samsung's Fascinate?
The Fascinate will ship with version 2.1 of Google Android and feature Super AMOLED screen technology (at 800 x 480 resolution), a Samsung 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird application processor and a virtual QWERTY keyboard using Swype touch-screen typing technology.
According to Verizon, it'll also come preloaded with Amazon's Kindle for Android App and various other accessories, including a charging cradle ($29.99), car dock ($39.99) and 1,500 mAH battery and battery charger system (39.99).
For Samsung, the Fascinate means yet another Android-based option for smartphone-craving consumers, as well as the latest piece of the company's flood-the-zone strategy for Android.
It'll join the other three major members of the Samsung Galaxy S family, including AT&T's Samsung Captivate, Sprint's Samsung Epic 4G and T-Mobile's Samsung Vibrant, as well as Samsung's forthcoming Galaxy Tab. A phone released with Android 2.1 is already a phone behind -- Android 2.2, dubbed Froyo, is arriving for most units and promises much better performance than 2.1 -- but it hasn't seemed to bother Samsung, which reported selling more than 1 million Galaxy S smartphones in the U.S. during their first month of availability.
For Verizon, it also means one more Android arrow in the quiver, although it's through Verizon where consumers can already find the Motorola Droid, Droid 2 and Droid X -- three of the best-reviewed and most feature-loaded Android smartphones released to date.
The Android platform continues its offensive and is now the OS of choice for a small galaxy of snazzy mobile devices, smartphone and other. According to researcher Quantcast, Android accounted for 25 percent of all mobile Web activity in the U.S. That's still less than half of the 56 percent Apple iOS devices commanded, but Quantcast noted that iOS dominance is steadily eroding, with iOS having declined 11 percent since the same time frame a year ago, and Android having gained 17 percent.