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 A Galaxy awaits
By Theo Boshoff
Samsung has released their latest smartphone globally, the new Galaxy S which, according to Samsung, more than 100 mobile operators across the world are choosing as their key smartphone market driver.
South Africans will only see the Galaxy later this year, but as a sneak preview, we can tell you that it looks very much like the iPhone, with a slim and sleek design, rounded corners and a full touchscreen sporting the indented single iPhone-like button at the bottom, as well as two flush to the surface touch-sensitive keys on either side, which is hidden when the phone is not in operation.
The Galaxy S is an Android phone and the interface also mimics that of the iPhone, with some applications we have seen sporting similar looks and functions, such as the integrated eBook reader.
With applications and functions in mind, Samsung says that the Galaxy S will also offer enhanced opportunities for developers and new revenue streams for operators.
Says JK Shin, president and head of the Mobile Communications Business at Samsung: “Everyone is going to benefit from this revolutionary new device: from the consumer with the phone in their hand, to application developers and the many global operators who have signed up to support the Galaxy S, this truly is a phone for the whole ecosystem.”
 The Galaxy S features a bright, fout-inch Super AMOLED screen and a 1 GHz application processor. It also boasts Samsung’s TouchWiz 3.0 user-interface (UI), sport intuitive, integrative features, including the Swype text input service, the rich augmented reality browser, Layar, and advanced Location Based Service (LBS) capabilities.
According to the company, users will have access to more than 50 000 applications from Android Market and Samsung Apps, as well as access to Google mobile services, such as Google Search, Gmail, and Google Maps.
From our preview experience of this handset, we can’t wait for it to hit local shores. It really is a new era for Samsung.
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