ATLANTA—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. are betting on faster download speeds and music functionality with the launch of the “Synch” handset, an HSDPA phone with music and multimedia capabilities.
The Cingular exclusive device will be available “soon” for $50 with a $100 mail-in rebate and two-year service contract, the two companies announced. (The Synch is model number SGH-a707, for the few who prefer numbers to names.)
For their 50 smackers, consumers will get a slim, clamshell-style, quad-band GSM phone with access to Cingular’s music and video offerings, an MP3 player, two megapixel camera, Bluetooth with stereo headset support, 3D gaming a microSD memory card slot. The phone will come in a metallic grey finish with black accents.
Presumably the phone will hit Cingular’s retail shelves and online store in plenty of time for holiday shoppers intent on obtaining or giving an affordable music-centric phone, two elements mentioned by analysts as likely to drive fourth-quarter sales in developed markets this year.
