Samsung Mondi To Have WiMax Modem

By Marin Perez

Samsung will be releasing a touch-screen mobile Internet device in August that can take advantage of Sprint Nextel's expanding WiMax networks.

The Mondi has a 4.3-inch touch screen with an 800 by 480 resolution and a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. To stay connected, the device has Wi-Fi and a 4G modem that could provide twice the download speeds of 3G networks.

While it has no cellular connections, the Mondi supports VoIP services like Fring for making calls, and it can also send text messages and multimedia messages over the Internet. Additionally, it has support for instant messaging programs, as well as push-to-talk capabilities.

The device comes preloaded with Opera 9.5, which should give it desktop-like browsing capabilities. Users can also customize the display with widgets that provide information like the weather, stocks, sports scores, and more. The Mondi also comes packed with Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)'s Office mobile, which could enable mobile professionals to get work done on the go.

"The Mondi is a perfect example of the powerful and stylish innovation that Samsung is bringing to the U.S. mobile market," said Omar Khan, Samsung Mobile's senior VP of strategy, in a statement. "The Mondi packs productivity tools, entertainment options, and content management applications into a compact device that is flexible and intuitive."

The Mondi comes as Sprint and Clearwire are making a bigger push to expand their WiMax networks before rivals begin rolling out 4G networks based on Long-Term Evolution technology. Clearwire expects to have live networks in about 10 major markets before the end of the year, and these should offer peak downlink speeds of more than 10 Mbps.

The Mondi can be ordered now from Samsung's Web site, and it will be in Clearwire and Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) retail outlets beginning August 1.

LTE Vs. WiMax won't be the typical winner-take-all showdown. InformationWeek analyzed what each brings to the race, and the report can be downloaded here (registration required).

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