Talk about tattooing your mobile phone, MetroPCS and Samsung unleashed the Samsung Messager r450 designed with SA Studios Global, a multicultural marketing agency, and artist Mark Machado a.k.a. Mister Cartoon. The Mexican-American tattoo and graffitti artist, based in Los Angeles, has worked with numerous celebrities such as Justin Timberlake, Beyonce and Eminem. This time, he will have his artwork featured on both the case of the r450 as well as the handset's preloaded content in the form of exclusive wallpapers, animations, ringtones and if those are not enough downloadable content from MetroPCS' website. This is not merely putting art on a phone - the first ten units will be auctioned off for charity in August, and a portion of the series' sales revenue will fund community art centers, outreach programmes for at-risk youth and also provide art supplies to local Los Angeles schools.

Pictures of the Samsung Omnia Pro got briefly published recently, and it is reportedly the rumored B7610 Louvre back in April. Running Windows Mobile 6.1, this smart handset's impressive specs appears to have what it takes to appeal to business professionals and texters alike: wide 3.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, 2 user interfaces (Pro and Media), Wi-Fi with DLNA support, Bluetooth, HSDPA/HSUPA, GPS, 5.1 MP camera with autofocus and LED flash, 800 MHz CPU, FM Radio, MicroUSB, 1GB internal memory expandable to 32GB via microSDHC. For video lovers, it also comes with a TV out and 3.5mm headset jack and Divx/WMV/H.264 accelerations. One cannot help but wonder how does its 1500 mAh battery contain all that. Release date is currently unconfirmed due to some ROM issues, but we should be able to see it September or October this year.

Samsung surprised the world with the launch of the affordable E1107 Crest Solar Phone in India. Appropriately called the Guru, the dual-band GSM handset features a large solar cell on its back cover that when exposed to the sun, can keep its 800mAh battery charged. Apart from its cutting-edge solar feature, it also includes built-in FM radio, MP3 ringers, flash light, 1.52-inch 65K CSTN screen, Mobile Tracker and Fake Call (for getting users out of unwanted social situations). Going for Rs. 2799 ($59), the Guru will also be launched in Europe, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia and Latin America in June. Finally, a phone that recharges its own batteries.

Samsung is scheduled to release the Infinity - a good-looking, full-touchscreen budget phone - this July 20th. Targeting the mid to low-range phone lineup, it will feature a 3-inch 240x400 pixels touchscreen display, 2MP camera, quad-band GSM/EDGE and dual-band UMTS, along with Bluetooth, microSD expansion and aGPS. It is good looking, which should help it overcome its lower specs compared to its predecessor, the Eternity. And this time, let's hope it will last longer than its name sounds.

It looks like budget phones might be the popular thing during these uncertain economic times. AT&T is offering the Samsung a177 for its bargain GoPhone service. While the device might be budget-oriented, it still manages to fit in a QWERTY keyboard, camera, and EDGE connectivity. For a budget phone, you have to admit that it does look rather nice.

Pictures of a few Samsung phones that will be available on T-Mobile this year have surfaced, and if you’re the curious type, take a peek at the picture above. The Samsung Gravity 2, with its dual-keypads and side-sliding form factor are pictured, not to mention the Samsung T349. The Gravity 2 will supposedly be available in pink/red and orange/graphite colors and will be released before Q4.

Samsung has a few more handsets that are available to the general public, which are the Preston and Star. But models are quite similar to each other, with the Preston being able to be set up for HSDPA, which allows for faster connectivity. The bad news is that both models lack Wi-Fi. Both devices will have integrated FM radio, 3.2-megapixel camera, and Bluetooth. The Samsung Preston will feature a 2.8-inch display, while the Samsung Star will sport a 3-inch display. Are you looking forward to this phone?

Folks who are fond of Samsung’s Alias and are looking for an upgrade will certainly welcome the news that the Samsung Alias 2 will be released this May 11th on Verizon. The device will feature a brand new dynamic electronic ink keyboard, dubbed the “Magic Keypad”. You’ll be able to pick up this phone for $79.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate, bundled with the customary 2-year contract. Features of the Samsung Alias 2 include:

• Unique 2-way flip form factor
• Magic Keypad with electronic ink technology (keypad changes from a traditional keypad to QWERTY)
• 2.6" display, 240×320, 262K TFT Color capable of 8 lines of text in portrait, 5 in landscape
• 2.0 Megapixel Digital Camera/Camcorder with Night Shot
• V CAST Music with Rhapsody, V CAST Video capable
• Voicemail & visual voicemail capable
• Mobile Web, Mobile Email, Mobile Web Mail, Mobile IM, Chat, VZ Navigator & Chaperone Parent/Child capable
• microSDHC memory card slot
• Bluetooth connectivity
• GPS Enabled/ E911
• Speakerphone
• 2.5mm headset jack
• EVDO digital only

Folks who have been eagerly awaiting the Samsung Vice will welcome the launch dates for the device. The blue colored Samsung Vice will be launched on the May 8th, while the white Samsung Vice will be available via Bell stores on the May 20th. In case it slipped your mind, the Samsung Vice sports:

• Full QWERTY slider keyboard
• 2-megapixel camera
• GPS
• Expandable memory (up to 8GB)
• Video Messaging

Samsung, which is certainly a strong competitor of Nokia, will be using Navteq maps on a couple of its devices that should be available in no less than 76 markets worldwide. Why do we mention Nokia? Well, that’s because Navteq was acquired by Nokia in 2008 for about $8.1 billion. The company currently provides Geographic Information Systems data and digital navigation maps for companies like Garmin, Yahoo and BMW. One of the first Samsung devices to use Navteq maps will reportedly be the Omnia HD i8910, which should be available come May.

Updates are good right? Well, that may not always be the case, as evidenced by a recent update that was pushed by AT&T. The update was meant to fix the “Slog Dump” problem that occurred with the phone, and it does, but folks who applied the hotfix started having quite a few issues with the radio after the hotfix was applied. Kill one bug, and 10 more created, eh?

Folks looking for a simple but stylish clamshell device will certainly welcome the news that Samsung Mobile USA has announced the release of a new phone for MetroPCS, which is the Samsung Tint-r420. One of the more attractive features of the phone is its ability to change its faceplate (available in grey, pink, red, and purple or yellow). The Samsung Tint also features Bluetooth, SMS, MMS, Instant Messaging, email, voice recognition and a camera. While there hasn’t been any official pricing information just yet, you can expect the device to retail below $200.