The blogosphere was all abuzz with news this past week about the Samsung Innov8 (aka i8510). This little guy had some rather impressive stuff on it -- so impressive, in fact, that it is my phone of the week.

In light of my recent post on innovation in cell phones, I will begin honoring new phones that are doing their best to be in that category. The edgier the phone, the better. Any phone that pushes buttons (not just keypad buttons) or gets people to think will be a phone worth focusing on.

Laptop Mag just did a hands-on review of the device, slated for release in Europe this week, on its blog. They also have a video showing some of the unique features it has.

Here are some specs:

• 8 MP Camera with automatic shutter and video recording (will do slow-mo)
  
• 16 GB internal memory with MicroSDHC port (allowing up to another 16 GB memory)
  
• Quad-band GSM/EDGE with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps 900/2100
• Wi-Fi
  
• Optical sensor, which allows you to move around the menu simply by moving your finger above the pad. No touching necessary
• a-GPS
• FM Radio with RDS
• Accelerometer
  

These are a few of the impressive features I really like a phone to have.

The reason I want to focus on this phone is because, while not wholly "innovative", it has brought everything to the table. It's upsetting to get excited about a hyped-up new phone only to find out that one or two crucial features were left out. With the Innov8 Samsung has made everything in the phone state of the art.

You can't find many phones with 8 MP cameras; name a phone other than the iPhone that offers 16 GB of internal memory; simply bringing GPS and Wi-Fi together is a rare event; and I have not seen an optical mouse or sensor in a phone before this point.

What this phone is doing is raising the bar for other manufacturers. Samsung is challenging its competition to come out with phones that can do as much as the Innov8. The best thing that could happen for the wireless industry is for this phone to become a huge hit in Europe. It will then spread to other parts of the world and inspire other brands to make exciting new phones that push the boundaries of what we're capable of!