This is the new Serenata phone from Bang & Olufsen and Samsung – complete with built-in stereo speakers to make the most of music stored in its 4GB memory. The new model draws on the Danish company’s experience in acoustics and product design, and Samsung’s expertise in the mobile phone field, to create what the two call ‘a unique music and mobile phone experience’.
The Serenata can be listened to via the onboard speaker system or the dedicated EarSET 3 earphone supplied with it, or can be connected through a home hi-fi system. And it’s been designed to make the most of WMA Lossless music storage, although it can also handle AAC, MP3 and conventional WMA.
It has a 240×240-pixel 2.26in TFT-LCD display, and as well as the music it can handle SMS and MMS messaging, as well as e-mail, with control via a click-wheel. It’s a 3.5G phone for maximum flexibility and speed of downloading, and offers up to 280 hours of standby time, three hours of talk-time, five hours of music playback via the speakers and 13hours using headphones.
There’s also a flight mode to enable music to be played with the phone functions switched off, and the phone comes complete with travel and 12V ‘cigarette lighter’ adaptors, a car holder and those earphones.
It was designed by David Lewis, who has been responsible for some of Bang & Olufsen’s most striking products. He explains the rounded design by saying ‘I often take long walks by the sea where I live and the shape of the nicely rounded stones that are washed to shore have always fascinated me.
‘These stones have been carefully shaped and rounded by rolling in the water for millions of years, and they are so wonderful to hold in your hand. This was what I was looking for.’
