Armani Offers a Phone to Go With Its Suits

By Geoff Duncan Published October 9, 2009

As some Macintosh users (or rhythm gamers) might attest, price isn’t always the driving factor in a technology purchase: sometimes it helps if the thing you’re buying actually looks cool. With that premise in mind, fashion icon Giorgio Armani is once again venturing into the mobile phone market, teaming with Samsung to offer the Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone. The latest Armani phone offering runs Windows Mobile 6.5, features both a touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard, along with a 3.5-inch AMOLED display and a 5 megapixel camera.

Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone — Image used with permission by copyright holder

“People want more than just a useful device-they want a phone that offers design qualities that match their personality and lifestyle,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Baller, of the new Armani phone. “The Giorgio Armani-Samsung phone we’re announcing today with Giorgio Armani and Samsung combines technology innovation and fashion to deliver a great mobile phone that also fulfills the desire for style and elegance.”

The Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone features a two-step 30-degree tilt hinge, so users can slide out the keypad and have the display tilted up a bit for better readability; it also helps with setting the phone on a flat surface like a table. The phone features HSDPA/HSUPA/EDGE mobile broadband, integrated Wi-Fi, plus Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, 8 GB of onboard memory (supplemented by a microSD card slot), assisted GPS, TV output, and (curiously enough) the Opera 9.5 browser. Users can also connect to the Web-based My Phone password-protected service for synchronizing and backing up phone data.

Plus, the bronze coloring is a great complement to your collection of Armani suits.

The Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone will be available in Italy, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Russia, China, and UAE (Dubai), with a retail price of €700—a little over $1,000 USD. But customers who have to ask about the price probably aren’t in the target demographic.

Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone — Image used with permission by copyright holder

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Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

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