Among all smartphone manufacturers, South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is increasing by leaps and bounds with its trailblazing innovations. Studies conducted separately by international information technology research and advisory companies International Data Corp. (IDC) and Gartner unanimously recognized the global supremacy of Samsung over all competitors. IDC survey showed that Samsung earned the top spot with a record 23.6 million shipments in the third quarter of this year, surpassing the 20 million mark for the first time in its history and showing a huge gain from the 7.3 million units shipped a year ago. Gartner added that Samsung became the biggest smartphone vendor in the world during the third quarter, and Android's market share has surpassed 50 percent for the first time, selling 24 million smartphones, three times as many as it sold during the third quarter last year. Record shipments helped Samsung score a global smartphone market share of 20 percent. With this solid track record, Samsung again surprised the market with the launch of its new Galaxy Note - a hybrid between a smartphone and a tablet. First launched in UK and Dubai last November, the new breakthrough from Samsung is taking the market by storm, barely a few days since its launch in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 14. The revolutionary Galaxy Note has a 5.3” display which is the largest screen size with smartphone portability. It features the world's first and the largest HD Super Amoled display, an expansive high-resolution screen that provides an immersive viewing experience. The WXGA 1,280x800-pixel resolution once only available with a full-size laptop (or in the Galaxy Tab 10.1) makes for a sharp image. The Amoled technology which serves up beautifully rich colors and near-bottomless black levels, can now fit comfortably into the front pocket. Its jumbo display makes it the perfect candidate for a notepad replacement. It is equipped with S Pen stylus, which makes jotting notes, marking up screenshots or signing documents electronically easy. Besides, artistic creativity can be expressed on screen using the S Pen with the powerful performance of smartphone technology and services. Weighing only 178 gram and 9.65 mm thin, the one-of-its-kind Samsung Note exudes sophistication and functionality. Galaxy Note is the ultimate do-in-one device, a unique mobile device category that removes the need to carry multiple devices by integrating the core strength of a diversity of devices to create a whole new on-the-go user experience. “Unveiling this cross-breed between smartphone and tablet will be Samsung's way of showing its customers that their opinions are valued by us, and that we are always setting new standards and breaking records in order to meet their expectations,” said Dr. Ayman Manaa, Marketing Manager at Samsung Electronics KSA. Kyungtae Bae, President of Samsung Middle East and North Africa, said “with this product, Samsung will not only create a new category in the mobile industry, but will also lead efforts to continuously fulfill the needs of the consumers.” He added that “by combining the core benefits of a smartphone and a tablet in a device that can fit the palm of your hand, we are confident that the Samsung Galaxy Note will add value to our consumers' lives, allowing them to enjoy and fully take advantage of the device's many innovative features – simply users can do more on the go.” Moreover, Galaxy Note's apps are also another great selling point. Social Hub puts emails, texts and social network updates (limited currently to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) in a single app: the latter in a Feeds tab and the rest in a Messages tab. S Planner, for instance, is a tidy planner and calendar app which looks the part on the Note's large screen. It can be synced with Google Calendar, Microsoft Exchange and Facebook (for events). On the other hand, the S Memo allows the user to create memos using text (typed or handwritten), sketches, sound recordings, maps and pictures. These can then be shared in various ways, including on Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Evernote, MMS or email. Another noteworthy app, in light of the recent excitement over the iPhone 4S and its Siri voice-activated personal assistant, is Voice Talk. Open it and intone the key phrase - “Hi Galaxy” by default, but fully customizable - and you'll be able to open apps, send texts or update your Twitter status through the power of your voice alone. With the impressive array of apps, Galaxy Note will definitely sell like hotcakes in just a short while. Samsung targets 20 million units of Galaxy Notes to be sold globally in one year. Yet with a very positive market response, the goal could be reached in just a matter of months. IDC survey showed that record shipments helped Samsung score a global smartphone market share of 20 percent, a leap from just 8.8 percent in last year's third quarter. Samsung's strong lineup of Android phones drove overall demand, though the company's Bada-powered smartphones also gained traction. “Samsung's ascendancy to the leadership position is the direct result of its broad and deep product portfolio,” Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobile Phone Technology and Trends team, said in a statement. “Ever since the first Galaxy device launched last year, the company has aggressively expanded and refreshed its selection to include the latest innovations and most popular features.” Apple slipped to second place with third-quarter iPhone shipments of 17.1 percent and a market share of 14.5 percent. Though shipments rose from 14.1 million a year ago, the company's slice of the market dropped from 17 percent.
