Samsung launch three new Wave series smartphones

Global handset maker Samsung Electronics Co Ltd today announced the launch of three new smartphones- Wave 3, Wave M and Wave Y.

All three devices are powered by Samsung’s own new bada 2.0 platform, said an official press release from the company. In pictures: Samsung Tab 10.1 released in India

Samsung Wave 3 comes with a 4” Super AMOLED display, a 1.4GHz processor and HSPA + connectivity packed into a 9.9mm brushed-metal case. The phone has a slim unibody design and is constructed of anodized aluminium.

The phone includes Samsung’s integrated Social Hub and Music Hub, which allows the purchase and download of tracks and albums over-the-air.

Samsung Wave M has a 3.65” HVGA screen made from tempered glass and a metallic body.

The phone allows streamlined messaging feeds, enhanced on-the-go web browsing and Wi-Fi applications. Read: Cheaper iPhone 4 to be released within weeks

Samsung Wave Y, touted as the smartphone for beginners, has a metallic hairline body, a 3.2” and an HVGA screen. It comes with Music Hub, a portable music manager, which gives ‘users a jukebox in their pocket’.

Both Wave M and Wave Y allow mobile social networking with Social Hub and ChatON.
(ChatON is Samsung’s global cross-platform communication service that instantly links users with all friends and contacts, and allows setting up of micro-communities through group chat and sharing of content and conversations between mobile and PC.)

All three phones allow multi-tasking, Wi-Fi Direct, voice recognition and Near Field Communication (optional). They also offer advanced services such as photo and file sharing without internet networking, mobile payment and transport pass-card recharge.

 JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications business said,“Smartphones are gaining popularity by the day. The new additions to the Wave portfolio are the first to benefit from the power of our bada 2.0 platform; the full extent of our commitment is clear to see in each device. We’ve produced easy-to-use smartphones that will inspire the market.”

Samsung halts tablet sales in Australia over Apple lawsuit

Apple and Samsung continue to battle back and forth over several patent disputes, and it looks like one country is becoming a casualty.

Samsung and Apple came to an agreement in their patent dispute in Australia, under which Samsung has agreed not to advertise the Galaxy Tab 10.1 or to sell it in the country until the suit between the two companies is resolved, according to a story from TechCrunch. Samsung needs either court approval to sell its device, or for the lawsuit to come to a close under the agreement.

The agreement holds up the launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, which Apple says violates 10 iPad patents, according to Bloomberg. Apple is fighting Samsung in lots of different venues, including the U.S., where it is working to convince the International Trade Commission to ban imports of the South Korean company’s tab for infringing on Apple’s patents. Those patents concern both hardware internally and the external design of the tablet, which Apple has claimed in an injunction request to the ITC are evidence of Samsung copying Apple’s device.

Samsung has said the Australian Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be different from the U.S. version, the one Apple has sued over. It’s possible, perhaps likely, that Samsung has made changes in the design to dodge Apple’s legal strafing in order to be able to sell the device with impunity. For Samsung though, an Australian judge will still need to take a look at the device before the company is free to sell it in Australia right now.

Samsung’s legal team has also said that Apple will be able to review three of the Australian Galaxy Tabs at least a week before they’re set to go on sale in the country to verify that they are as different as Samsung has claimed.

But the legal battle remains a mess in other places, where Apple has sued Samsung  and has countersued. And the battle is a big deal, with a lot of money at stake – Samsung and Apple currently lead the smartphone markets, and Samsung’s tab is certainly capable of taking the lead on the Android side of the market.

Unfortunately, the Australian developments in the case don’t shed any additional light on how things will shake out in any other part of the world. Apple and Samsung remain in a death grip awaiting the rulings of judges – and those rulings will undoubtedly have a big impact on both companies’ businesses.

Nokia drops to third in smartphone sales

With Samsung's quarterly results arriving, it's clear that Nokia has now dropped to third place in terms of smartphone sales.

While all has not been rosy for the Korean tech giant, the company managed to sell 19.2 million units in comparison to Nokia's 16.7 million units.

Apple still holds on to the top spot with 20.3 million iPhones shipped, making Samsung the second largest seller of smartphones in the world.

Previously the leading smartphone manufacturer in the world for over a decade, Nokia was recently usurped by Apple's iPhone which sold more than 20 million units in the 2nd quarter of 2011.

For the last couple of years, the Finnish cellular giant has been grappling with dwindling sales thanks to their dated Symbian OS and the transition to Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform.

Many believe that Nokia will soon see a resurgence in its fortunes once it starts shipping Microsoft Windows based smartphones which could eventually lead to  Windows Phone becoming the second most popular smartphone platform by 2015.