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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - The Samsung Jet is one of the few mobile phones in the market with a fast processor, while not being a smartphone. Its target audience is clearly the multimedia-centric users.

The device features a 3.1" AMOLED touchscreen display, a 5 megapixel camera, 2GB or 8GB of internal memory (two variations), HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth, a 3.5mm audio jack, and DNSe technology which enables virtual 5.1 sound. The Jet will run on Samsung's proprietary software platform with the widgetable TouchWIZ user interface.

In South Korea, Samsung retails the handset in two different colours: pink and white; with DMB (mobile TV) support, and with a larger 3.5" touchscreen.

With the TouchWIZ user interface, Samsung promotes an improved touchscreen experience with easily moveable widgets. The same strategy should be applied to the rest of the manufacturer's touchscreen phones; this way, the brand itself is promoted.

Market Placement

The Samsung S8000 Jet faces competition from the mid to high-end segments of the market, even though its offering may be seen as unique - Samsung is known to cover every consumer angle possible. This particular handset will be rivalled by the LG KM900 Arena, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic/Navigator, Nokia 5530 XpressMusic, Apple iPhone 3GS, and the upcoming Sony Ericsson Aino.

The LG Arena has specs quite similar to the Jet: a 5 megapixel camera, a 3" touchscreen, full connectivity options, and 8GB of internal memory. Unlike the Jet, the LG handset has an FM transmitter, which may give it the upper hand.

Although released much earlier than the Jet, the Nokia 5800 is still selling well in the market. The latter has a 3.2 megapixel camera, a 3.2" touchscreen, and an included 8GB memory card. This handset also comes bundled with the Comes With Music solution, which allows users to download free music for a year, and keep it forever.

The iPhone 3G S, undoubtedly the most attractive smartphone of all times, is also in direct competition with the Jet. The device has a 3.2 megapixel camera, a 3.5" touchscreen, 16GB or 32GB of internal memory (two variations), and full connectivity options.

The Sony Ericsson Aino is mostly a gaming phone, but can also be considered appealing to general multimedia-phone consumers. The handset has a 3" touchscreen, an 8.1 megapixel camera, full connectivity options, but no large internal memory, unlike the Jet.

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