Samsung said Monday that AT&T and T-Mobile collectively shipped one million Galaxy S smartphones during the device’s first 45 days in the United States. The world’s number-two handset maker also said Sprint Nextel will launch the new Android-powered device on Aug. 31, followed by Verizon Wireless, U.S. Cellular, and Cellular South later this year.
Considering that just under five million Android phones shipped in the U.S. during this year’s second quarter, the Galaxy S currently appears to be the hottest Android alternative to Apple’s iPhone, which sold 3.2 million units in the three months through June. “Bringing Galaxy S devices to multiple carriers has given Samsung Mobile the opportunity to reach millions of consumers,” said Samsung Mobile President Dale Sohn.
Attractive Features
The Galaxy S sports a brilliant four-inch AMOLED display and a one-gigahertz Hummingbird processor that supports 3-D graphics and HD-like multimedia content. What’s more, the device’s accelerometer and geomagnetic sensors provide a smooth, fluid gaming experience whenever users tilt the device up or down or pan to the left or right.
The Galaxy S user interface supports advanced touchscreen gestures such as long tap and zoom, multi-touch pinch, and vertical and horizontal swiping. The goal is to provide users with easier and quicker access to location-based services, web browsing, digital photos, and other apps, Samsung said.
Samsung has been aggressively promoting the device’s multitude of entertainment, messaging and social-networking capabilities through daily updates on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. And given the tough economic times, it also helps that the Galaxy S connects to a wealth of free apps at the Android Market, whereas Apple’s Apps Store is dominated by offerings for which users must pay a fee.
In the handset market overall, Samsung sold 65.32 million devices in the year’s second quarter for a 20.1 percent market share –…