Samsung Unveils Galaxy S Android Smartphone

Samsung unveiled a Google Android smartphone, the Galaxy S, at the CTIA Wireless conference on 23 March. In keeping with the trend of multimedia-capable smartphones, Samsung also revealed that it had partnered with companies such as Skiff and Paramount Pictures to bring content such as ebooks and movies to the Galaxy S at an unannounced later date, possibly when the device itself rolls out in summer 2010.

During a presentation at the Las Vegas Convention Center, images of the Galaxy S flashed on a massive screen as Samsung executives discussed the capabilities of the slim touch-screen device, which has a form factor reminiscent of the Apple iPhone or HTC Droid Eris. Social networking for consumers was emphasised, including Samsung’s Social Hub, which integrates the user’s various social networks into a single interface.

The Galaxy S has Super AMOLED technology, which the company says makes its 4-inch screen 20 percent brighter, with 80 percent less sunlight reflection and 20 percent more battery life. The smartphone runs Android 2.1 and is powered by a 1GHz processor.

During the presentation, a partnership was announced with Skiff, a company dedicated to optimizing e-reader content for smartphones. A project developed by Hearst, which also unveiled a Skiff Reader device at January’s Consumer Electronics Show, Skiff’s lineup of e-periodicals apparently includes Hearst publications such as Esquire along with outside properties such as The New York Times.

Paramount and Samsung are also apparently preparing movie-related content for the Galaxy S and other phones in the upcoming S Series.

Samsung’s global share of the mobile device market was 20.1 percent in 2009, up from 16.7 percent in 2008. In 2009, it shipped more than 200 million devices. “Touchphone models were the key to Samsung’s high-end growth in 2009, but we expect the vendor to switch some of its focus to Bada/Android smartphones and the Samsung Apps initiative in 2010,” Neil Mawston, a Strategy Analytics analyst, wrote in a 29 Jan. report.

That report placed Samsung behind worldwide market leader Nokia, but ahead of LG and other handset makers.

Samsung’s mobile-device lineup also includes its upcoming E60 e-reader, which will access Barnes & Noble’s ebook store and utilise the bookseller’s ebook lending feature. The 5-inch Samsung device will use either a PC connection or built-in WiFi for book downloading, as opposed to the 3G connection utilised by other popular e-readers such as Amazon.com’s Kindle or Barnes & Noble’s Nook. The E60 will sell for $299 (£199)