The IT Nerd

Tonight I attended a launch party for several new Samsung products. I got a chance to see the Galaxy Tab which is their 7″ Android OS based tablet. I have to admit that it is an impressive device. Samsung seems to have built apps that specifically to take advantage of the screen size and resolution. The calendar app for example is very attractive and the email app goes in to this dual pane view when you rotate the device into landscape mode (which I’m pretty sure that is something the iPad does as well). The key thing in my mind is the screen which is in a word, stunning. It’s uses AMOLED technology and looks to my middle aged eyes to be better than the screen that the iPad has.

Now let me move on to the Galaxy S Captivate. Like the Tab, it runs the Android OS but it’s a smartphone rather than a tablet and it has a similar AMOLED screen that simply makes the screen “pop” out at you. But the thing you notice about this phone is that it is thin and light. It is also fast. I don’t have benchmarks or anything to back up my “seat of the pants” testing, but it honestly felt faster than the iPhone 4 that I borrowed specifically for comparison purposes. Not to mention it was thinner than the iPhone as well.

The phone that really got my attention is the Focus [Warning: Silverlight Is Required]. This phone runs Windows Phone 7 which seems to run well on the phone. Now it has been years since I have used a Windows phone of any sort, but Microsoft has put together a really nice smartphone OS here. It was easy to navigate and I was comfortable using the phone in under a minute. The longer term questions about Windows Phone 7 revolve around support from developers and the like. But that is best covered at another time. The phone hardware itself much like the Galaxy S Captivate is light, thin, and has a stunning AMOLED screen.

So you’re likely wondering, why does Samsung have phones from the Android camp and the Microsoft camp and how does that strategy help them fight the juggernaut known as Apple? David Racicot of Samsung Canada (pictured below) expressed to me that phones are not a one size fits all thing. Not only that, they noted that when Apple launched the iPhone 4 in Canada and Apple restricted the phone to their Apple Stores (which I’ve noted previously), they were able to pick up sales because dealers were able to direct customers to the Samsung product that fits them. Plus, he related to me that a lot of iPhone 4 customers were wanting to buy an iPhone because of Apple’s marketing as opposed to them actually choosing the best phone for their needs. If all of that is true, then if I would be very scared if I were Apple. These devices are simply impressive, and I think that they can really make an impact in the smartphone market. I’d say take a serious look at them if you’re in the market for a smartphone.