Samsung has further expanded its Galaxy brand of Android devices this week with the introduction of three new handhelds, each running various forms of the Android operating system. It's added the Galaxy S II, the Galaxy Mini and the Galaxy S WiFi as an iPod touch competitor. But will Samsung be able to maintain line cohesion as the Android OS evolves and fragments?Last year, Samsung put its production of Android devices into full gear and delivered its newly minted Galaxy line.
Originally just used for its highest-end Android phones, the Galaxy name has branched off to a new tablet product, and now to lower-end smartphones as well as a rival to the iPod touch.
Android, Android, and more Android
Samsung's products on display at this week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona have one thing in common: Android.Lots of mobile manufacturers are finding a comfortable home with Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) open source mobile platform, but as the world's second most prolific maker of phones, Samsung's devotion is especially noteworthy.
At MWC, the Galaxy S II certainly got its share of visitors hoping to get a look at the best smartphone Samsung has to offer.
Galaxy S II
As smartphone screens go, the Galaxy S II's is rather large at 4.27 inches, with 800 by 480 resolution and Super AMLOED technology.
There's also an 8-megapixel camera with the ability to record 1080p HD video.
It's one of the few to support Android's newest smartphone OS, version 2.3 (also known as "Gingerbread"), and an incredibly slim profile of just 8.49mm thick. It's also one of the first phones in the world to have a dual-core chip, and should run apps at a very fast pace.
Galaxy Mini
The Samsung Galaxy S II
Samsung's also expanded the Galaxy brand to a smaller, less powerful smartphone, the Galaxy Mini.
With a 3.14-inch display and just 160 MB of onboard memory, the Mini is designed for users who want a smartphone but don't intend to use its data abilities heavily and don't want to spend as much to purchase the actual handset.
However, the Mini will have an older version of Android installed -- version 2.2 -- and there's no guarantee of getting upgraded.
Meanwhile, the more curious device is the Galaxy S WiFi, which can best be described as a competitor to the iPod touch.
Just like the latter is basically an iPhone without the phone, the Galaxy S WiFi is a top-end Samsung smartphone without a mobile radio.
It can run Android apps, has Samsung's interface and support, and features a large touchscreen.
It's also a way for Samsung TV and Blu-ray player owners to interact with special Android apps without needing a Samsung phone.
The Samsung Galaxy Mini
Samsung already plans to launch two different versions of the Galaxy S WiFi -- a 4-inch model and a 5-inch model. With the Galaxy Tab rivaling the iPad, and this new media player as a direct competitor to the iPod touch, Samsung is clearly targeting Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) in the mobile space.
The Galactic Battle
That, said Travis Hodges, Drum Marketing account executive and social media adviser, is the right approach to take.
"Apple knows what it's doing, and it never hurts to mimic the success from other companies," Hodges told LinuxInsider. "By creating brand awareness for the 'Galaxy' name, consumers will begin to look at Samsung's products as devices that are connected to one another. It's important to have that connection on top of just recognizing the manufacturer's name."
One uphill battle is it will never be able to have the same cohesion as all of Apple's products, thanks to the evolving nature of Android. Because Samsung is targeting a wide range of prices with its products, it has to deal with the issue of fragmentation, which has an ugly ring to it. But does it have to?
The Samsung Galaxy S WiFi
"Android fragmentation is never going to go away, but what can change is the reaction to it," Yankee Group analyst Daniel Taylor told LinuxInsider.
"Just look at the PC market," he added. "You would never expect all computers to be running the same version of Windows. Smartphone owners and developers just need to begin look at the Android platform in that same way."
From this week's new products alone, there's already a discrepancy. The Galaxy Mini will have Android 2.2, while the Galaxy S II will have Android 2.3. It's currently unknown when the next smartphone-targeted version of Android will come out and which phones will continue to be upgradeable.
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