Play-with-Korea

Late this February, Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI) gave a briefing on smartphones to President Lee Myung-bak and his aides as the Apple iPhone fad was enveloping the country.

After the presentation a SERI economist was asked whether Samsung Electronics, the world's No. 2 cell phone maker and a sister firm of the research institute, was ready to take on Apple and its iPhone. His answer was ``100 percent yes.''

What gave him such confidence? Many observers point out that it's due to the Galaxy S smartphone, which Samsung plans to launch across the world this month as their ultimate iPhone killer.

``We launched the Galaxy S in Singapore and Switzerland and it will be introduced in Korea next week. It is the culmination of Samsung's 20-years of handset technologies,'' a Samsung spokesman said.

``Armed with the capabilities for fast processing of high-definition video clips and a super-clean display, it is expected to make a splash. In addition, it is ultra slim at a mere 9.9 millimeters in thickness compared to other thicker smartphones.''

The Galaxy S is powered by the Android 2.1 operating system and features a 1GHz processor, which is strong enough to run high-definition videos or three-dimensional games on its upgraded active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AM OLED) display.