Serene (phone)

Infobox Mobile phone
name = Serene


imagesize =
slogan =
manufacturer = Samsung Electronics and Bang & Olufsen
carrier =
available = 2005
screen = 320 X 240 px TFT LCD, 256K colors
ext_screen =
camera = 0.3 megapixel
2nd_camera =
os =
input = circular keypad
cpu =
ringtone = Polyphonic
memory = 31 MB
memory_card =
storage =
networks = GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz, GPRS
connectivity = Bluetooth
battery = Lithium Ion 800 mAh
size = 64.7 X 69.7 X 23.9 mm
weight = 115 g
form = Clamshell
music =
series =
predecessor =
successor = Serenata
related =
other =

Serene is a mobile phone produced as a joint venture between Samsung Electronics and Bang & Olufsen. It was released in the last quarter of 2005 in Europe. It is available in select stores throughout the world and costs $1275 (~€1000).

Bang and Olufsen and Samsung have created a sucessor to the Serene, dubbed the Serenata. It features a slide out speaker and has a heavy focus on the music functions of the handset.

The joint venture

Bang & Olufsen and Samsung formed the joint venture with the aim of competing in the high end mobile phone market, primarily competing with several handsets from Nokia. The partnership has drawn on the design strengths of Bang & Olufsen and Samsung's mobile phone technology enabling Bang & Olufsen to re-enter the mobile phone market after an absence of several years and Samsung to expand into premium mobile phones.

It is not the first time that Bang & Olufsen has worked with other companies to produce mobile phones. Notably the BeoCom 9800 was produced with Philips [cite web |url=http://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=793 |title=BeoCom 9800 GSM Cellular Mobile Telephone |accessdate=2008-06-18 |date=2007-02-10 |publisher=BeoWorld] and the BeoCom 9500 was produced in partnership with Ericsson [cite web |url=http://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=791 |title=BeoCom 9500 GSM Cellular Mobile Telephone |accessdate=2008-06-18 |date=2007-02-10 |publisher=BeoWorld] .

Handset Aims

Like most Bang & Olufsen products, the phone is industrially simplistic. The concept of the phone was brought down to pure communication and, although the phone can facilitate voice calls, text messages, multimedia messages and take pictures, its camera is only 0.3 megapixels and common, often expected, features of many common phones, such as games are not present.

Handset Design

The phone consists of two halves on an aluminium hinge. The hinges have a internal power assist motor to help open the phone completely. One half features a circular keypad with an iPod-style scroll wheel, and the other features a liquid crystal display. The handset was designed so that for standard use the screen is at the bottom of the phone, and the keypad is on the half that flips out. This was for two reasons: It stops the phone from getting greasy when you talk, and it also improves the weight balance while holding the phone. The handset also inverts so you can hold the phone up the other way if you so wished.

There are some major design flaws in the Serene. The camera is located on the side of the phone on one of the hinges which makes taking photos hard. In addition, you must use a special screwdriver to access the battery compartment [cite web |url=http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2007/tc20070122_083574.htm |title=Making the Serene Scene With B&O |accessdate=2008-06-18 |last=Edwards |first=Cliff |date=2007-01-22 |publisher=BusinessWeek] .

Technical Specifications

References

External links

* [http://www.serenemobile.com The Official Serene Website]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/26/technology/26pogue.html?ex=1162962000&en=fc0fea4c0d4a8afa&ei=5070 New York Times Article (Requires a free subscription)]
* [http://www.mobile-review.com/review/samsung-e910-serene-en.shtml detailed review of the handset]
* [http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_serene-1314.php Technical Specifications]