Samsung Galaxy Portal

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung has launched a new handset running under Google's Android operating system in the UK, namely the Galaxy Portal, which is now available for purchase in the country via wireless carrier T-Mobile. The handheld has already been launched on the market, and is available outside the UK as the Samsung Galaxy Spica i5700. The phone comes with Android 1.5 on board, but will soon receive updates to newer flavors of the OS.

Those of you who may not have encountered the device up until now might want to know that it comes with a body 13.2mm thick, that in boasts a 3.2-inch touchscreen display and that it also includes a great deal of connectivity options. Among these capabilities, we can count the presence of quad-band GSM, HSDPA options, as well as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.

At the same time, the Galaxy Portal i5700 comes with a built-in GPS receiver, with 180MB of internal memory, and with a MicroSD memory card slot for additional storage space (a 1GB microSD card is included in the box). A 3.5mm headphone jack is present with the phone, as well as a media player with video support for MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV, and DivX.

The Samsung Galaxy Portal i5700 sports a 3.2-megapixel photo snapper, a battery that can provide up to five hours of talk time, and other great features, such as the built-in augmented-reality browser Layar. Those who are not familiar with this solution might want to learn that it offers user the possibility to point their device at the world around and receive information overlaid on the image on the handset.

"The launch of this stunning device clearly underlines our commitment to smartphone products and forms part of our strategy to deliver a wide range of handsets designed to suit a multitude of users. The Samsung Galaxy Portal gives consumers the benefit of the Android platform – including an extensive range of innovative apps to download, multi-tasking with apps running in parallel and pre-installed Google services - at an affordable price," said Samsung UK and Ireland vice president Mark Mitchinson.

T-Mobile UK will have the new Android-based mobile phone from Samsung available exclusively for the next month, and it seems that the black Galaxy Portal model will be a T-Mobile exclusive for three months. The handset is available for free with a £18 monthly plan, which also includes 200 minutes and texts, and can be purchased for £70 on a combi plan from the carrier as well.