Samsung's newest smartphone, the Galaxy 3, hit the European market yesterday. Several stores in the UK are already reporting that they're out of stock of phones they received only yesterday morning. A spokesman for Vodafone, the second largest telecommunications company, said that the Galaxy was the most pre-ordered device in its line-up. Ever. This should help Samsung in its aim to not only outsell its previous model, but throw some hefty competition Apple's way.
The Galaxy S 3 hit stores in 28 European and Middle Eastern countries. However, some problems have arisen since the launch. Some customers will have to wait a couple of weeks to get their phone because of delays in making it in a newly-invented "Pebble Blue" color, which now are not expected to reach store shelves for another two to three weeks. And some Paris stores didn't have the S 3, nor did they know when they would get it.
But that hasn't stopped people from lining up around the block to get their hands on the newest gadget. Both Frankfurt and Berlin have reported anywhere from 50 to 100 people outside of phone shops the morning of the Galaxy's release.
The smartphone sports a 4.8-inch screen, dwarfing the 3.5-inch display on the iPhone 4S, and the rumored 4 inch screen of the iPhone 5. It also features a more rounded outline, has voice recognition, dubbed S Voice, and image recognition software that is able to tag and share photographs. The Galaxy tracks the user's eye movements to keep the almost 5 inch screen from dimming or turning off while in use.
IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo says "The Galaxy S 3 is a real challenger to the upcoming iPhone. This (will) likely be one of the most sold smartphones this year, though the real test will come when the next iPhone is launched."
Samsung hopes to have released the S 3 in over 140 countries by July.
