Apparently Samsung's marketers have been working as hard as its legal team.
Samsung has announced a new naming scheme for its Galaxy family of cell phones and tablets, in an effort to differentiate (or dumb down) the onslaught of upcoming devices for consumers. According to Pocket Lint, Samsung will demo phones from each category at the IFA show in Berlin in the first week of September:
S is for "Super Smart" — as CNET reports, Galaxy S phones will feature flagship, best-in-class features as illustrated in the Samsung Galaxy S smartphone launched last summer. The Galaxy S II (pictured left), which sold over three million units overseas and is only available unlocked in the U.S., is expected to launch through major carriers this fall. See the slideshow below for more angles.
W is for "Wonder" — high-quality, strategic models, intended for those seeking a balance between style and performance.
M is for "Magical" — you could read this as "mid-tier:" expect practical, business- and wallet-friendly devices.
Y for "Young" — a range of entry-level smartphones catered towards the youth.
In addition, each category is sub-divided into "Plus," "Pro," and "LTE" devices. A Plus phone implies a minor upgrade to an existing device; Pro simply adds a QWERTY keyboard; LTE implies the device will support super-fast LTE 4G speeds. For more on LTE speeds, see PCMag's analysis of "The Fastest Mobile Networks 2011."
Of course, the new naming scheme is fairly irrelevant in the U.S., where carriers tend to re-name phones to differentiate from each other. But it's a handy marketing exercise to keep in mind when doing research on which Samsung Galaxy phone to buy.
The news comes as Samsung was dealt a blow in its battle with Apple. A Dutch court today imposed an EU-wide preliminary injunction against Samsung Galaxy smartphones. Samsung, meanwhile, cites Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" in its defense against Apple here in the states.