Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Launched

1. Business week – Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) expects sales of its new Galaxy Note 2 smartphone to get off to a stronger start than its predecessor even after Apple Inc. (AAPL) sold a record number of the latest iPhone in its debut weekend.

The model will probably sell three times faster than the previous Note did in the first three months, as more carriers are set to offer the product, J.K. Shin, head of the mobile business, said at a briefing in Seoul, without giving a projection. The device goes on sale in 128 markets through 260 operators, starting with South Korea today, the Suwon, South Korea-based company said in a statement.

Samsung is marketing the pen-equipped Note devices alongside its best-selling Galaxy S smartphones after the first model sold more than 10 million units and helped Samsung regain the lead in global smartphone sales from Apple this year.

Samsung first unveiled the Galaxy Note 2 at the IFA consumer-electronics fair in Berlin last month. The model has a 5.5-inch screen, larger than its predecessor, and runs the latest version of Android. The device is loaded with software that recognizes handwriting from a digital pen.

2. Mobilenapps – LG is on track to launch its Optimus Vu 2 soon. Meanwhile, Samsung will reveal the much-awaited Galaxy Note 2 in the U.S. in November of this year.

Optimus Vu 2 will have 16GB of memory, but the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 will have opposed to 16/32/64GB internal storage capacities.

The Optimus Vu 2 will have a more square like 5 inch screen versus the 5.5 inch screen of the Note 2.

The Samsung Note 2 will have 50% more battery life.

Processors, cameras and other features are similar.

3. IT World – Samsung aims to solidify new device category with Galaxy Note 2 release.

The device is about 5.9 by 3.2 inches, slightly taller and slimmer than the previous version, and weighs about 6.5 ounces. It sports a 5.5-inch, super AMOLED display with a 1280-by-720 pixel resolution, and it runs on a 1.6GHz, quad-core Exynos processor.

The device includes a 3100 mAh battery that can power 16 hours of talk time. The supersized smartphone comes in 32GB and 64GB versions, priced at 1,090,000 won and 1,150,000 won, respectively (about US$970 and $1,026). This makes it the most expensive smartphone in Korea. The company did not reveal pricing for the rest of the world.

The device, somewhat disparagingly called a “phablet” by some market watchers, will likely compete with the latest smartphones with 5-inch screens, including LG’s Optimus G as well as mini tablets such as Google’s Nexus 7.

“Samsung’s 20 million sales target is an aggressive marketing strategy and it’s to be seen whether it will increase the subsidy to lower the price,” Lee said.

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