MWC 2009: Samsung makes its intentions clear with launch of Touch mobile devices

Samsung launched a new range of Touch phones at its press conference at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today. All three devices in the Touch series are large touch-screen smartphones with multimedia functions, targeted at specific user segments. JS Shin of Samsung, also announced the new green policies of Samsung.

The phones

Three phones were launched at the press conference: the Ultra-touch, the Omnia, and the Beat. They all feature touchscreens and internet connectivity.

The Ultra-Touch is the flagship of the series, and is mainly aimed at the web-browsing market. It features a slide-out qwerty keyboard, tabbed web- and phone-browsing and an extremely slick 3D UI.

The Omnia is the Touch series video and camera device. Featuring a massive res camera, video recording, editing and publishing features, this phone is aimed squarely at video and photo enthusiasts. It also has the largest screen of all three devices.

The Beat is the music device of the Touch series. It’s design features a semi-circular touch dial which can be used to quickly scan backwards and forwards through tracks. It  has built-in access to music sharing and downloading services, and its extremely high-quality speakers allow good audio with or without headphones.

What we think?

Samsung made a serious song and dance out of smartphones at the presentation, and made it clear that this is the direction it is taking its devices. Internet and social connectivity were pushed as priorities, and JS Shin went so far as to call 2009 the “Year of Smartphones“. Who’s going to disagree with him?