Samsung Reveals Its First Wp8 Phone And Windows Rt Tablet

The smart money might have been on Nokia introducing the first Windows Phone 8 handset, but Microsoft’s closest mobile partner has been upstaged by Samsung. The Korean company took the wraps off the ATIV S at Samsung Unpacked in Berlin, and it’s a bit like a Verizon Galaxy S3 in WP8 clothing.
It’s .1mm thicker, and the back is wrapped in brushed aluminum. On the front side is a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display that pumps out a native resolution of 1280 x 720, and it’s topped off with a chunk of Corning Gorilla Glass 2 for durability. Inside lurks a 1.5GHz dual-core Krait paired with 1GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, and a microSD slot for expansion. The rear-facing camera features an 8MP sensor and LED flash, and there’s a 1.9MP unit on the front to help you get the most out of WP8′s slick Skype integration.

On the connectivity front, the ATIV S supports 802.11 a/b/g/n and WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 3.0, NFC, HSPA+, and EDGE/GPRS networks. Its 2300mAh battery should provide even better endurance than its GS3 cousin. This isn’t the only ATIV Samsung unveiled, either. There’s also the ATIV Tab, a 10.1-inch Microsoft Surface RT challenger.
A dual-core 1.5GHz chip again kicks off the ATIV Tab spec sheet, but this time there’s 2GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage coming along for the ride. A 10.1-inch 1366 x 768 LCD panel provides the visuals (and input, of course), and a generous 8200mAh battery powers the Tab for up to 13 hours. Samsung has included a 5MP camera on the back and a 1.9MP one on the front, as well as 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, and both GPS and GLONASS support.

Since the ATIV Tab is a Windows RT device, you’ll be getting a complimentary copy of Office pre-installed, and Samsung has included its own suite of apps including Music Hub, Media Hub, and ChatOn.

 Pricing and availability have yet to be announced for either the ATIV Tab or ATIV S, but the October launch dates for both Windows 8 and WP8 are looming — so it shouldn’t be long until Samsung fills in the blanks for us.