On Wednesday, Samsung Electronics became the first smartphone manufacturer to announce phones featuring the Windows Phone 8 platform. Its hurried announcement means that it beat Nokia to the milestone which was the company everyone had their eyes on regarding the new platform. The announcement came in at a Berlin electronics show and is in tune with the expectation that manufacturers are expected to turn towards the Windows Phone platform after a jury awarded the verdict in favor of Apple in its trial against Samsung. On the other hand, Nokia is all set to unveil its new line of phones on the 5th of September and it is looking at the devices running the new platform to turnaround its fortunes as it fell from being the most revered and dominating mobile phone manufacturers in the world.
The new phone from Samsung is called ATIV S and was announced towards the end of the conference after the Korean giant unveiled several new Android devices. The announcement of this device increases pressure on the Lumia to perform well and stack up to expectations as the new Samsung phone packs some impressive features. The ATIV S is going to come with a 4.8” screen layered with Gorilla Glass and has a 8 megapixel camera on the rear with a 1.9 megapixel secondary camera. Analysts believe that if Nokia is not going to unveil a handset with a high resolution camera, it will lead to disappointment.
The early announcement of the devices from Samsung has triggered different reactions from various analysts. Some believe that this is Microsoft’s way of showing other manufacturers that it is not exclusive to Nokia and nor does it support the Finnish manufacturer despite rumors of a takeover. On the other hand, others say that this just shows Samsung’s commitment to the platform for a little time period while Nokia continues to be the major partner. Nokia’s CEO, Stephen Elop has virtually staked the company’s future on the success of the Windows 8 devices and the company better hope it has some pleasant surprises.
The verdict between Apple and Samsung which went against Samsung might have triggered this announcement as Samsung phones continue to see trade ins. This could be Samsung’s way of salvaging its future until it appeals and gets back in the courtroom to battle it out with Apple once again.
