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Getting away from Android for a moment, Samsung has also used IFA to show off its first Windows Phone 8 smartphone in the ATIV S.
The phone’s specifications from the Windows Phone Team Blog read like the expected jump from Windows Phone 7 to 8 in terms of hardware with a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 8.0 megapixel rear main camera with LED flashand 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera and a 2300mAh battery, 1GB RAM, Gorilla Glass 2 glass front for the display and will ship in both 16 and 32GB versions. The bodyshell is made of brushed aluminum and comes with a microSD slot that can be used for memory expansion up to 32GB. More specific details will be revealed, including pricing and availability closer to the phone’s launch later this year.
If the Samsung ATIV S is an indicator of what Windows Phone 8 devices can do and be, the rest of the lineup expected this year from other manufacturers may just redeem the platform, provided Microsoft and Samsung don’t screw up the marketing or pricing for the devices, as Microsoft needs Windows Phone 8 to be a hit out of the gate or it risks getting swallowed up by the combined juggernaut of Android and iOS, especially this holiday season with next month’s launch of the new iPhone and this Fall’s expected launch of the next Google Nexus smartphone respectively.
