Samsung Electronics plans to offer a LiMo-based smartphone, model name SCH-M510, for the local market through SK Telecom by end of this year.

The SCH-M510 is the first LiMo-compliant handset for the Korean market, and the 45th LiMo-compliant device overall, said the LiMo Foundation in a statement. SK Telecom is the latest global operator to deliver a LiMo handset to mobile subscribers, following earlier deployments from NTT DoCoMo and Vodafone.

The SCH-M510 features a 3.5-inch WVGA AMOLED screen and a 5-megapixel autofocus camera. It offers features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and includes support for proximity, an accelerometer and ambient-light sensors.

The SCH-M510 is reportedly the first device to support a satellite-based DMB 2.0, which enables interactive broadcasting services based on mobile Internet networks. Using the DMB 2.0 function, mobile phone users are able to use diverse data-based services such as e-commerce, stock updates and personal video recording (PVR). Furthermore, mobile users are able to watch television and browse the Internet on their handsets at the same time.

Recently, Samsung introduced two LiMo-based smartphones, the Vodafone 360 H1 and Vodafone 360 M1 through Vodafone in the European market. LiMo Release 2 adopted phones integrate support for OMTP’s BONDI v1.0 specification, which standardizes a set of device interfaces for web applications and widgets, according to the LiMo Foundation. “Samsung has now released three LiMo compliant handsets, which demonstrate Samsung’s deep commitment to the LiMo Foundation and also to the flexibility of the LiMo Platform,” said Jong-In Kim VP of the product planning team at Samsung.

In the meantime, the LiMo Foundation announced today that Korean mobile companies have signed an MOU to establish a Korean LiMo Ecosystem Association in order to catalyze and empower innovation based upon the LiMo platform within the Korean mobile industry. Initial members of the Association will include LG Electronics, Samsung and SK Telecom, KT, LG Telecom and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI).

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