Orange is set to launch the first ever phone aimed primarily at Welsh speakers. The network provider ad announced plans to release a modified version of the highly successful Samsung S5600 that will operate with the Welsh language. This will include Welsh predictive messaging for both North and South Wales dialects. The revamped phone will be the first available to use the Welsh language as up until now Welsh speakers have had to make do with English.
The Vice President of Samsung UK & Ireland stated that this was another first for Samsung, having been the first phone manufacturer to offer an Irish language phone back in 2008. The highly successful Irish phone saw Samsung employing three highly trained translators to translate over 44,000 words into Irish. In a similar move, the new S5600 will feature over 44,000 Welsh words. While Samsung have stated that Welsh and Irish will not be available on every Samsung phone just yet they will try to make them an option for most key launches.
The Samsung S5600 is already on sale in the UK and has proven to be quite a popular phone. The mid-range touchscreen comes equipped with 3G and HSDPA as well as having a built-in GPS receiver. These features and an improved 3 megapixel camera make this phone an upgraded Tocco Lite, another very popular phone released from Samsung. The S5600 comes with many features that are becoming more common place in the touchscreen market today including an accelerometer that, combined with the innovative TouchWiz interface, allows some interesting applications.
Although only available on one phone now, many Welsh speakers are hoping that the rerelease of the S5600 will start a trend among mobile phone manufacturers to cater for other languages, rather than assuming that everyone wishes to use their phones in English. The Welsh language Samsung S5600 will be available on Orange for both contract and prepay.
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