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Samsung has beat Nokia at its own game by launching the first smartphone running Windows Phone 8, and in their pursuit they may have pissed off Sony too.To mark the beginning of a new Windows experience, Samsung has ditched the Omnia moniker for something a little more Sony. Their new W8 range is called ATIV, which according to Samsung’s press release “is the reverse order of the word VITA, meaning “Life” in Latin.”
Sony has famously called its portable PlayStation console ‘Vita’ so for the same reason.
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Apart from this illusion of grandeur, the Ativ S looks credible. It’s the first smartphone to run Windows Phone 8 and the new operating system tends to the deficiencies that crippled the older versions.
For starters the crappy 480 x 800 resolution screens have been ditched for a 4.8 inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 720 by 1,280. The single core processors of yesteryear are gone too with a new dual core arrangement clocked at 1.5GHz, and for the first time since WP7, expandable memory is an option. These are all good things.
It’s an easy sight on the eyes too, with Samsung crediting a “hairline finish” for its classy look. It measures 8.7mm thin and stands 137.2mm tall, packs a 2,300mAh battery and hosts a slew of connectivity options, including WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC.
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Other notable inclusions are an 8MP rear camera, a 1.9MP snapper at the front, 16/32GB of internal memory and a custom Samsung video player that is versed in a multitude of formats.
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Samsung hasn’t released pricing or availability yet for the Ativ S, but there’s a good chance its availability could coincide with the launch of Windows 8 on October 26th.
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