Samsung Innov8 coming soon to AT&T

The Samsung i8510 (innov8) is a slider, packing an 8 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, and those special camera features that I am wanting - digital image stabilization, facial recognition, etc. It also sports WiFi, a built-in GPS receiver, microSD card slot, and S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2, for the full package.

This is especially cool because of Samsung's carrier relationships in the United States. Whereas Nokia struggles with AT&T and T-Mobile lately, Samsung has built a reputation with the U.S. carriers as the manufacturer who will help launch new products. With AT&T, Samsung was one of the launch phones for PTT, 3G, music phones (at least in marketing), and is a popular brand, if you look at AT&T's current lineup.

Having a Samsung with S60 inside such as the i8510 hit the U.S. market is also sure to spur Nokia on, as the company continuously pays lip service to the U.S. market. I'm extremely excited to see another of the S60 licensees using their license to its fullest, and give Nokia some healthy competition in the smartphone arena. Perhaps we'll even see a NAM 3G version of the Samsung i7110, with its solid build and OLED display!