(MWC 2010) Samsung unveils first Bada smartphone

By Lee Youkyung
BARCELONA, Feb. 14 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co., the world's
second-largest handset maker, unveiled its first phone based on the Bada
operating system on Sunday, as the company aims to enhance its competitiveness in
the lucrative smartphone market with the new flagship model.

Samsung's new smartphone "Wave" is the first of its kind backed by the mobile
operating system also created by Samsung, the company announced at the launching
event in Barcelona, on the eve of the opening of this year's Mobile World
Congress.
Revealing the product to the press and telecom carriers ahead of the industry's
largest trade show, J. K. Shin, Samsung's head of mobile communications business,
said, "We will make the smartphone available to everyone, regardless of cost,
lifestyle, or geographic location."
The Wave adopts an improved screen technology with enhanced visibility and
clarity. It runs on a 1 gigahertz processor, with full touchscreen functions that
are more responsive and sensitive than Samsung's previous smartphone models.
Samsung, which increased its annual handset shipments by 16 percent last year,
trails only Finland's Nokia Corp. in global handset sales. But as its smartphone
sales recently lost ground to Apple Inc.'s iPhone and the BlackBerry by Research
In Motion Ltd., Samsung pledged to develop its own mobile operating system, Bada,
to better respond to rapidly changing consumer needs.
The price of Samsung's new device was not disclosed. The model will first be
rolled out in Europe as early as late March, Samsung said.
ylee@yna.co.kr
(END)

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