A person tests the Samsung Galaxy camera during the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event in Berlin. Photo: Reuters
Samsung has overwhelmed the tech world and taken the wraps off numerous Windows 8 devices â€" including desktop PCs, smartphones and tablets â€" as well as unveiling a nifty voice-controlled camera at the IFA trade show in Berlin.
In unveiling the new Windows 8 phone, Samsung became the first handset maker to announce a smartphone using Microsoft's latest mobile software, its announcement coming days before the highly anticipated launch of Nokia's version.
Smartphone makers are expected to turn increasingly to Windows devices after a US jury decided many of Samsung's Google Android-based phones infringed Apple patents.
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"It looks like a good phone, and seems like a pre-emptive announcement ahead of Nokia," said Sid Parakh, an analyst at the investment firm McAdams Wright Ragen.
"Microsoft or Windows never got their best teams, never got their best designs, just because Android was doing so well. With the change in the legal environment, there's a case to be made that Samsung will likely shift some of those resources to broaden out or diversify their own exposure."
First mover ... Samsung unveils the new ATIV S, a Windows 8 smartphone, at a Berlin trade show. Photo: AP
Nokia, the ailing Finnish mobile firm now struggling to reverse losses, is due to unveil its new Lumia line of smartphones using Windows Phone 8 in New York on September 5.
Samsung's new Windows 8 phone, called ATIV S, may elevate expectations for the Lumia. The new smartphone sports a high-end 4.8-inch display, Corning "Gorilla" glass, and an 8-megapixel rear camera and 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera, Microsoft posted on its official blog.
Samsung said the ATIV would hit stores in the fourth quarter but did not give an exact start date.
Jean-Daniel Ayme, vice president European Telecom Operations at Samsung, holds a new Galaxy Note II at the Samsung event in Berlin. Photo: AP
"Expectations for a 40 megapixel or possibly 20 megapixel camera model are running high. If Nokia does not unveil a monster camera handset next week, many will be disappointed," said Tero Kuittinen, analyst at the mobile analytics firm Alekstra.
Samsung's ATIV marks the first in a "big lineup of new hardware" from the South Korean company based on Microsoft's software, Microsoft executive Ben Rudolph said in a blog posting.
Microsoft gave a preview of its Windows Phone 8 software in June, and promised the first phones would be on the market between September and December.
Windows Phone 8 looks similar to, and is built on the same core code as Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system, but is not the same product. Windows 8, which will run on tablets and PCs, is scheduled to launch on October 26.
Samsung unveils voice-controlled camera
A voice-controlled camera was one of the many other products Samsung unveiled as part of a lineup of gadgets aimed at setting itself apart from Apple.
The 16-megapixel Galaxy Camera runs Google's popular Android operating system, giving it features previously restricted to smartphones or tablet computers such as photo organising, photo sharing and voice-control.
Samsung says the camera will be available in many countries from the end of October.
Samsung unveils Windows tablets, PCs and Galaxy Note phablet
On Wednesday, the Korean corporation also showed off a slew of tablets and desktop PCs using Windows 8 software and the second generation of its popular Google Android-based Galaxy Note phone-cum-tablet "phablet".
Samsung will offer three different choices to people interested in buying a desktop computer equipped with a redesigned version of Windows.
The personal computers previewed by Samsung provided one of the first glimpses of the Windows 8 machines scheduled to hit the market on October 26.
Windows 8's release has been widely anticipated because it's Microsoft's most dramatic overhaul of the operating system in at least 17 years.
Microsoft reprogrammed Windows 8 so it looks and works more like the touch-based systems on mobile devices. The three new Windows 8 desktops from Samsung will come with a high-definition touch display.
Several other major PC makers are expected to unveil their Windows 8 product lines in coming weeks.
Samsung's Windows 8 computers for the desktop will have suggested prices of $US749, $US1099 and $US1699 â€" depending on the size of the storage drive, the amount of system memory and the size of the display screen.
All three models will run on Intel processors.
Windows 8 can be controlled by swiping the applications on the display screen or by using a keyboard or computer mouse.
The touch controls will be available through a mosaic of tiles to show applications and services that can be continuously connected to the internet.
In an effort to minimise the potential frustration caused by Windows 8's new look, Samsung built its own optional start button that can be used to pull up a menu of applications.
Samsung is expected to introduce its Windows 8 line of laptop computers later this week.
Galaxy Note tablet phone
Samsung also unveiled an updated version of its Google Android-based Galaxy Note phablet. It said it had sold some 10 million of its original Galaxy Note devices, creating a new product category which has a smaller screen than tablets, but bigger than smartphones.
Samsung hopes the new device will take the focus away from its loss of the court case.
The new version of the Note features a thinner and slightly bigger 5.5-inch screen, quad-core processor, the latest version of the Android operating system called Jellybean, and improved stylus function.
It's the latest product to illustrate Samsung's attempts to make bold design changes as it comes increasingly under pressure to differentiate its line-up from the iPhone, whose simple and large touchscreen-based design revolutionised the mobile industry and is still considered the gold standard of design.
Apple did not include the Note and other newly unveiled Samsung products in its original lawsuit. But the company and its lawyers are expected by many legal experts to try and use last week's legal victory to go after future gadgets, especially because the jury found infringing features in Samsung phones such as pinch-and-zoom and bounce-back â€" common in Android.
Flexi-screen
Samsung is also working to introduce smartphones with bendable screens later this year as it seeks to cement its lead in the $200 billion plus global smartphone market and challenge Apple, which is expected to launch its new iPhone on September 12.
AP, Reuters and Fairfax Media
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