Samsung Launching iPod Touch Rival

Samsung Galaxy S

Samsung is planning to debut next month at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) a portable media player to rival Apple's iPod Touch, according to reports.

The device, dubbed Galaxy Player, will be 9.9 mm thick, powered by Android 2.2 Froyo, have a 4-inch LCD screen with up to WVGA resolution (800 x 400), a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, and Wi-Fi connectivity, according to the Samsung hub blog, which is not affiliated with the company. It will reportedly be available in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB storage capacities and come with a front-facing camera for video conferencing as well as a 3.2-megapixel rear-facing camera.

Just as the iPod Touch was built upon the iPhone minus the phone functions, the Samsung device will reportedly be modeled after its wildly successful Galaxy S smartphone.

The Samsung Galaxy Player will reportedly also feature SoundAlive audio enhancing technology, GPS and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, high-definition video playback, a microSD card slot, a 1200mAh removable battery, and access to Android Market and Samsung Apps.

Also at CES, Samsung may show off other Android-based media players, including the YP-G50 and the YP-GB70, according to Samsung Hub.

While it has adopted Apple's iPod Touch strategy, Samsung appears to have plans to continue growing the Galaxy line. Although it hasn't been able to keep up with the iPad, the 7-inch Galaxy Tab has been a worthy competitor. Earlier this year rumors surfaced that a 10-inch version of the tablet was coming. And Samsung announced earlier this month that shipments of the Galaxy S handset had reached 9.3 million, just three months after it hit the one million mark for sales in the United States. More than one million Galaxy Tab tablets have also shipped, Samsung said.

Other competitors include Microsoft's Zune HD player, which received good reviews but lukewarm sales, despite cutting the prices of some of its models.

In related news, Samsung is also planning to introduce at CES the world's thinnest Blu-ray 3D disc player, which will be 23mm thick and be able to mount to a wall, the company said. The player can connect to the Internet and display content from social media sites on a TV screen. Pricing and other information were not provided.