Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.0 player gives iPod touch some Android competition
Want a Galaxy S Android device but not that fussed about actually using it as a phone? Samsung has just the thing: the new Galaxy S WiFi 4.0, which will go head to head with Apple's iPod touch.
Samsung's Galaxy S II smart phone and Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet have been hogging the headlines this week at Mobile World Congress, and for good reason. With somewhat less fanfare, however, the company has also taken the wrappers off another Android-based device, the Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.0 Smart Player.
It's a direct competitor to Apple's iPod touch, with a 4-inch 480x800-pixel touchscreen, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and the Android 2.2 Froyo software. It's essentially a non-cellular counterpart to the existing Galaxy S smart phone.
Access to Android Market means you'll be able to choose from the full range of Google-powered apps, including Skype and other VoIP apps for making voice and video calls when you're hooked up to a Wi-Fi network.
For video, the new device can play DivX HD files, along with the MPEG4, H264, DivX, XviD and WMV codecs for streamable Web video. There are also built-in speakers and Samsung's SoundAlive tech for beefing up music and other audio. There's a 3.2-megapixel rear camera for snapping photos, and a VGA front-cam for video calls.
The Galaxy S WiFi 4.0 will come in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models, and measures a svelte 124 by 64 by 10mm. Best of all, it's launching in the UK first, although for now Samsung will only say it's coming in the first half of this year.
Can it topple the all-conquering iPod touch? By the summer we'll have a better idea.