Samsung Unveils First Windows Phone 8 Device

Samsung's first Windows Phone 8 device will have a gigantic 4.8-inch screen and a MicroSD storage expansion slot.

"This is just the first in a big lineup of new hardware that's coming with Windows Phone 8," Microsoft's Ben Rudolph wrote on the Windows Phone Blog about the Samsung ATIV S.

The Samsung ATIV S. Source: Microsoft

The South Korean phonemaker, hard hit on Aug. 24 when a jury found Samsung had infringed six of Apple's patents, announced the new Windows Phone device on Wednesday at IFA in Berlin. The Apple case primarily involved Samsung's phones running the Google Android OS, and the court case is widely viewed as yet another opportunity for Windows Phone to start to gain some market share.

In a loving description of the ATIV S, Rudolph detailed some of the features:

• Super AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 2
• 8.7mm-thick brushed aluminum chassis
• 1.5 GHz dual-core processor
• 1 GB of onboard RAM
• A choice of storage -- either 16 GB or 32 GB (both models have MicroSD expansion slots)
• A 2300mAh battery
• 8MP autofocus rear camera and 1.9MP front-facing camera

Microsoft's closest partner for Windows Phone, Nokia, is expected to announce its Windows Phone 8 lineup next week at an event in New York.

Posted by Scott Bekker on August 29, 2012 at 11:58 AM