Samsung Galaxy Player With 5-Inch Touchscreen Unveiled

The Samsung Galaxy Player debuted in Asia this winter, and now a slightly larger version of this gaming-oriented handheld has been announced. Both the 4-inch and 5-inch models are headed for release in the U.S.

This isn't a phone, but will have quite a bit in common with Samsung's smartphones, including running Google's mobile operating system.

The Galaxy Player is intended for the same audience that buys the Apple iPod touch -- those who want a handheld device that can play games, music and video, but without the monthly wireless service fees that smartphones require.

Details of the Samsung Galaxy Player
Even though there will be 4-inch and 5-inch versions, the specifications for this device will remain nearly the same.

Whatever the size, this model's touchscreen will have a WVGA (800 x 480) resolution. However, the 4-inch version will be a Super Clear LCD, while the larger model will have a standard LCD..

The Galaxy Player is going to debut with Google's Android OS 2.2 (Froyo), with an upgrade to OS 2.3 (Gingerbread) in development.

As this device will run Google's operating system, it will come with this company's suite of apps, like Gmail and Google Calendar. It will also include a video player with support for DivX, Xvid, WMV, MPEG4 and H.264 formats, as well as an audio player with support for MP3, WMA, AAC, Ogg, and Flac. It's powerful web browser will offer Adobe Flash Player 10.1.

The Samsung model will be based on a 1GHz processor, and have 8GB of on-board storage plus a microSD memory card slot with support for up to 32GB cards. This will give users a potential 40GB of capacity.

To connect to the Internet, the Galaxy Player will include Wi-Fi b/g/n. It is also going to include Bluetooth 3.0, and DLNA.

Although it won't be a phone, this handheld will include a VGA front-facing camera for video chatting, as well as a 3.2 megapixel rear-facing camera. The 5-inch version will include an LCD flash.

Debuting Soon?
Although Samsung has officially announced its plan to release both versions of the Galaxy Player in the United States, it hasn't yet said when it is going to do so.

The company is also keeping quiet about the price for these.