Samsung reveals new Galaxy Note II

Reuters

BOLDLY GO: A man presents the new Samsung Galaxy Note II smartphone during the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event in Berlin.

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Fresh off a legal battle with Apple, Samsung is announcing a new version of the Galaxy Note, an offbeat, oversized smartphone that's become a surprise hit.

Samsung, the world's largest maker of phones, is revealing the Galaxy Note II at a trade show in Berlin. The 5.5-inch (14-centimetre) screen is narrower but longer than on the first version. The processor is faster, and the software has been further adapted for the included stylus - the phone's signature feature.

While Apple has been releasing a new smartphone model each year, Samsung makes several to target different types of customers. That includes low-end phones for price-conscious customers. As a result, Samsung has been selling more smartphones than Apple this year.

The Note runs on Google's Android operating system but isn't among the phones that Apple is asking a judge to ban from the US, after a jury in California ruled last week that some of Samsung's Android phones violated Apple patents. The jury awarded Apple US$1 billion in damages in a high-profile case that could force Samsung and other Android phone makers to rethink their designs.

The Note is designed to work well with a stylus for jotting notes and drawing on a screen, while styluses for other devices tend to be an afterthought. The Note's large screen also makes the phone more like a tablet and more suitable for playing games and consuming content. Samsung started selling a tablet version of the Note this month.

Samsung says it has shipped 10 million first-generation Galaxy Note smartphone in one year.

Samsung says the new phone will go on sale in Europe and Asia in October.

- AP

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