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Samsung Cetus uses Windows Phone 7 app to open garage doors

A Samsung Windows Phone 7 device has been spotted on video running an app able to control functions in your home, including turning on lights and opening garage doors.

Asavin Wattanajantra
2 min read

The Samsung Cetus SGH-i917, a potential launch device for Windows Phone 7, has been caught on video messing around with some guy's house. WMpoweruser got hold of an internal video showing Windows Phone 7 program manager Charlie Kindel having a play with the phone, using a home control system which would allow him to switch the lights on and open garage doors using a Web service.

The app he uses is a non-working prototype, but it gives an idea of the kind of "smart home" technology Microsoft is looking to enable with Windows Phone 7. Gaming and music have already been revealed as major elements of the mobile OS, with Xbox Live integration and a Zune streaming service.

We first glimpsed the smart phone at the beginning of August, carrying a capacitive 4-inch AMOLED touchscreen as well as a 5-megapixel camera on the back and a VGA one on the front. But we know that as a Windows Phone 7 device it will have as a minimum an FM radio, 802.11n Wi-Fi and at least 8GB of built-in storage.

It's not the first Samsung Windows Phone 7 phone that's been leaked. Earlier this month we saw photos of the Samsung GT-i8700, which has 8GB of storage and a camera with an LED flash.

11 October has been tagged as a rumoured launch date for Windows Phone 7, and slowly but surely we've seen a trickle of prospective devices from various manufacturers running with the new Microsoft smart phone OS.

Samsung's Korean rivals LG have been making noises about bringing out new smart phones with powerful Nvidia chips, and at the beginning of the month we saw the LG Optimus 7 at Berlin's IFA trade show. As the name implies, it will be running Windows Phone 7, and pack a Tegra 2 processor. The LG C900 is another device we've spotted.

The new Desires aren't the only thing on HTC's mind, with the HTC T8788 running Windows Phone 7, while Asus could soon have a device out too.

Last week's debut of new Nokia Symbian 3 devices and Android HTC phones stoked plenty of buzz. It's going to take a storming performance from Microsoft to make any impact on the smart phone race, but with its vast finance and compelling connected services, we're definitely not counting it out.

Image credit: Engadget