Samsung strikes back with Omnia W

The worm that turned

While not prejudging the rights and wrongs of the legal war between Apple and Samsung over mobile devices, it's nice to see the latter show a bit of fight.

Samsung has combined a public resolution to return Apple's litigious favours with interest with the launch of a bunch of new handsets in advance of the anticipated launch of a new iPhone early next month.

The key Samsung handset launch is the Omnia W - its first one to launch with the latest version of Windows 7, Mango. The phone looks, perhaps deliberately, quite unlike the iPhone. Its screen is relatively small by modern smartphone standards, at 3.7 inches, and the front is almost entirely glass, but this is clearly a phone in its own right and, hopefully, will not draw Apple's legal ire. No sign of NFC though, and its will launch first in Italy, for some reason, at the end of October.

"We are excited about the potential for Windows Phone and the possibilities it opens for Samsung customers. Mobile consumers increasingly expect to be socially networked through their phones anytime, anywhere, and instantly. They are looking for high-performance devices that are easy and intuitive to use, look great, and enable them to create and share rich multimedia content with ease. The Samsung Omnia W delivers on every count," said JK Shin, head of Samsung's mobile business.

We've provided the pix ‘n' spex below, but this isn't today's only launch. In Korea Samsung launched the Galaxy S II LTE and the Galaxy S HD LTE, a couple of phones designed to use the latest wireless technology, which may well make their way over here once we get our LTE act together. Apart from the wireless tech, the most notable feature is the HD version's 4.65-inch HD (1280x720) Super AMOLED screen - a serious upgrade.

Talking of the Galaxy S II, Samsung has taken a leaf out of Apple's PR book by announcing sales figures. Since its launch back in late April Samsung has sold ten million if its flagship smartphone, with half of those sales coming in the past eight weeks. "In just five months the GALAXY S II has seen tremendous growth, reflecting its tremendous popularity with customers around the world, who in selecting the GALAXY S II as their device of choice have driven the device's strong market position globally," said Shin.

Lastly, with a heavy heart, we offer a litigation update. FOSS Patents reports that, in the US, giant operator Verizon, which recently started selling the iPhone, has implored the court to deny Apple's request for an injunction on some Samsung mobile products on the grounds that it will be against the public interest. This could set a very damaging precedent for Apple if its legal activities are deemed to be harming competition, innovation and the overall economy - especially in these austere times.

The Telegraph says Samsung is escalating its attack on the new phone Apple has yet to launch by seeking a ban on its sale in Europe. "We are preparing aggressive legal suits against Apple, shifting away from our defensive strategy," said a Samsung spokesperson in the piece. "We stand a good chance of winning the cases if we use our patents related to wireless communications standards."

This renewed offensive comes just after HTC proxies S3 and Via simultaneously announced new actions at the US district court in Delaware that cover graphics and CPU technologies, respectively. Apple has been spoiling for a fight and it has unquestionably got one. Well done.

Samsung Omnia W Product Specifications