Samsung, LG roll out flagship smartphones

Samsung’s Galaxy S III to battle with upcoming Apple’s iPhone 5


Samsung Electronics on Friday rolled out the new Galaxy S III in London, staging another battle with its rival Apple Inc., which is getting ready to unveil its new iPhone 5.

In a “Mobile Unpack” event in London, the world’s IT behemoth introduced its 4.8-inch new flagship model which showcases innovative features like eye tracking and direct calling.

“The Galaxy S III is a totally new smartphone that presents the best technology, human-friendly applications and a design that fits the whole concept,” said the firm’s mobile chief Shin Jong-kyun.

“The gadget will give you a special ‘emotional’ experience that focuses on the user and is streamless.”

To name a few of the unique features, the device is equipped with the “smart stay” function that enables the phone to track the person’s eyes so that the display does not dim or turn off while it is being looked at. The “smart alert” feature has the notifications center tell the user what has happened since the handset was last looked at in order of importance.

The user could also simply put the smartphone on the ear to call the person after receiving a text message through the “direct call” feature, company officials said.

The “S-Voice” function, similar to Apple’s voice recognition Siri, enables its owners to control the mobile phone through voice such as when turning up the volume or asking questions.

Running on the latest Google’s Android Ice Cream Sandwich platform, the device is offered in pebble blue or marble white.

The new gadget will go on sale beginning in Europe late May and be launched globally at a later date.

LG Electronics, on the other hand, also unveiled its flagship smartphone Optimus LTE2, stating that it will roll out the device in mid May in Korea.

Equipped with Qualcomm’s one-chip solution that integrates the telecommunications chip and mobile application processor, the 4.7-inch handset also is powered by the latest Android mobile platform.

It is told to have increased more than 40 percent of battery life compared to the previous Optimus LTE model and also showcases the “quick memo” feature, which was shown for the firm’s Optimus Vu.

With the camera capturing the moments with the sound of the word “kimchi,” the gadget also includes the “time machine” function that could take up to five photos within a second, its officials said.

“Optimus LTE2 is our flagship smartphone which was solidify the equation that LTE is LG,” said LG’s mobile chief Park Jong-seok. “It will play the leading role in reviving the handset division.”

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)