It's raining Samsung at IFA 2012; Company unveils 5.5 inch Galaxy Note II, 16 MP android camera & first Windows Phone 8 device

The disappointing verdict of the Apple-Samsung patent case has not dampened the latter's spirits, as the company literally bombarded IFA 2012, an ongoing consumer electronics show in Berlin, with a number of exciting product launches. These include the successor to Samsung's highly successful Galaxy Note (we had earlier written about its possible launch), a 16 mega pixel android camera called Galaxy Camera and the first Windows Phone 8 (sorry, Nokia).

Here's a quick look at all the three devices.

Galaxy Note II

The successor to the original Galaxy Note (it was also unveiled at the same event last year), Galaxy Note II comes with a 5.5 inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display (720x1280 pixel resolution) and runs on the latest android 4.1 Jelly bean operating system (with Samsung's TouchWiz user interface). Similar to the original Note, the company has also provided an S-Pen (an advanced stylus) with this device.

The new S-Pen is longer, thicker and ergonomically designed for better gripping. An 'Easy Clip' feature allows users to outline and crop any content on the screen in any shape to save, share or paste. Users can also personalise photos by leaving handwritten notes on the backside of a photo using the S-Pen (handwritten 'Photo Notes' can be shared with others in JPG format). Additionally, 'Air View' allows users to hover with the S-Pen over an e-mail message, S-Planner, image gallery or video to preview the content without having to open it. Users can also write e-mail messages with hand-writing integration.

Galaxy Note II is powered by a 1.6 GHz quad-core processor and has 2 GB of RAM (basically it's a power bomb). Users can choose from 16, 32 and 64 GB of internal memory that can be expanded to 64 GB with the help of a microSD card.

The new device also features an 8 mega pixel auto-focus rear camera (with features like Buddy Photo Share, Burst Shot and Best Photo, which were introduced on Galaxy S III earlier in the year) with LED flash that can record full high definition videos (1080p) at 30 frames per second and a 1.9 MP front-facing camera for video calling. On the connectivity front, the device comes with Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi (with Wi-Fi Direct) and 3G, and it has a microUSB port and a microSD card slot.

The device measures 151.1 mm x 80.5 mm x 9.4 mm and weighs 180 gm. It has a 7,500 mAh battery that should provide a decent battery life. It also comes with a suite of Google apps, has A-GPS and Near Field Communication (NFC). The device will be available in marble white and titanium grey, and will be launched in major Asian (including India), European and Middle East markets starting October this year.

Other features include Popup Note, which lets users open an S Note instantly as a pop-up window anywhere on the screen; Quick Command for activating frequently used apps with the S Pen and Screen Recorder that allows users to record a whole sequence of actions taken on their screen.

Compared to its predecessor, the new Phablet is slimmer and has a slightly bigger screen (Galaxy Note has a 5.3 inch screen). Additionally, it has double the RAM, offers a 1.6 GHz quad-core processor instead of a 1.4 GHz dual-core one. The company has also introduced a 64 GB variant of the Phablet, which was missing in the original Note.

The device will primarily compete with Apple's upcoming iPhone, Sony's Xperia Ion (Rs 35,999), HTC One X (Rs 35,599) and Samsung's own Galaxy S III (Rs 37,990) and the original Galaxy Note (Rs 32,700).

Samsung ATIV S

The smartphone has a 4.8 inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display (720×1280 pixel resolution) and according to the company, it is the first smartphone to run on Windows Phone 8 operating system. The device is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and has 1 GB of RAM. It comes with 16 and 32 GB of internal storage, further expandable by 32 GB with a microSD card.

The new device features an 8 mega pixel auto-focus rear camera with LED flash that can record full high definition videos (1080p) at 30 frames per second and a 1.9 MP front-facing camera for video calling. On the connectivity front, the device comes with Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi (with Wi-Fi Direct) and 3G and it also has a microUSB port and a microSD card slot.

The device measures 137.2 mm x 70.5 mm x 8.7 mm and weighs 135 gm. It has a 2,300 mAh battery and will come with A-GPS, Near Field Communication (NFC) and Samsung ChatOn, the company's mobile communication service. The price and launch date are not available yet, but it should be announced once Microsoft releases the Windows Phone 8 operating system.

Competitor Nokia is also scheduled to announce its first Windows Phone 8 device in the coming days. But whether Samsung's announcement will steal the limelight away from that much-touted event is something we will have to wait and see.

Galaxy Camera

Rumours about the same were doing the rounds for quite some time now and Samsung has finally launched its first android camera called Galaxy Camera. But why an android camera, you may wonder. According to the company, with the Galaxy Camera, users won't have to sacrifice picture quality if they want to edit and share their photos instantly.

The camera has the latest android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system and is powered by a quad-core processor. It also comes with two connectivity options – a 3G+Wi-Fi version and a 4G+Wi-Fi version. While the device has a 4.8 inch HD Super Clear LCD touchscreen, users also have an alternate 'Voice Control' option that allows them to control a number of functions such as 'Zoom in' and 'Shoot', via voice command.

The device boasts a super-bright 16 MP 1/2.3" BSI CMOS sensor and 21x super long zoom that easily outmatch any smartphone camera. It also features 'Smart Pro' technology, a series of modes that make professional-looking photography easy for anyone.

The camera includes a set of 35 photo-editing features (through the 'Photo Wizard'), allowing users to make professional quality edits on the go. The 'Movie Wizard' allows users to create and edit expert-quality videos while the device also features 'Smart Content Manager', an on-device organisation tool that creates folders, tags faces on its own and even suggests which pictures to delete if/when they don't come out as desired.

An 'Auto Cloud Backup' feature automatically save photos on Cloud the instant they are taken and users can also share photos at the same time they shoot them with the 'Share Shot' feature. Finally, in addition to the pre-installed applications from Samsung, users can download apps from the Google Play store.

Again, the price and availability of the device is not known at this time. But we request you to keep track of this space for more.

(Edited by Sanghamitra Mandal)

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