Samsung Wave 2 Bada phone out in Germany, sloshing over to UK?

The Samsung Wave 2 has been released in Germany, and it has some tasty looking specs, including a a 1GHz processor and 5-megapixel camera. Its 3.7-inch touchscreen uses Super LCD technology, in contrast to the original Wave's Super AMOLED screen.

The Samsung Wave 2 has a couple of unusual features which make it stand out from other smart phones. First, it's carrying Samsung's own-brand Bada OS. Bada still has questions to answer -- it can handle many of the features exclusive to high-end smart phones, but we've found it difficult to set up and use. The Bada apps store looks like it's growing though, and Samsung certainly isn't ignoring it.

The other selling point is the Wave 2's text input method, a system called Trace, which seems to be very similar to Swype in that you type (or trace) on a virtual keyboard with your finger without removing it from the display. We look forward to trying it, as we found Swype very easy to use and incredibly fast.

As far as availability goes, we're not certain. We called Samsung up to find out whether there was any UK release date, but a spokesperson wasn't sure if and when the phone would get here. It may be that Bada is more popular in Germany, and Samsung certainly has enough to be going on with here, with the massively popular Samsung Galaxy S, and Windows Phone 7 on the horizon.

If we the Wave 2 does reach these shores, it's being priced at €429, which works out at around £370. Considering Bada was a platform to enable Samsung to bring smart phone features to less expensive phones, this seems a little steep. The Samsung Wave 723 will come to the UK at some point, and with less expensive hardware this will be available more cheaply.