Samsung Galaxy 3
In every galaxy, there is a world. And in our world, at least, there are buildings and sites. With Samsung's new Galaxy 3 smartphone, you can find out all about those sites by pointing the built-in digital camera at them and clicking on the Layar Reality Browser.
The application doesn't work with just any building or site - you need to be looking at 'Point of Interest' sites such as a major landmark, or speciality sites such as cinemas.
By pointing at these and clicking the application, Google Maps will calibrate where you are and what you are pointing at.
It will then give you the information that you want, such as the history of the landmark or screening times for your movie.
As you might have guessed, the Samsung Galaxy 3 is powered by Google's Android platform, which comes with a host of Google apps, including Search, Gmail, YouTube and Google Talk.
Samsung has also put a big emphasis on social networking, and Twitter, Facebook and Picasa can all be found in a section the company calls the Social Hub. You can also download a lot more applications from Android Market.
On the hardware side, the Galaxy 3 comes with quad-band GSM and 3G support, high-speed data connectivity at 7.2Mbps, a 3.2-inch touch display, a 3-megapixel digital camera, and all the multimedia capabilities you can expect from a smartphone.
The Samsung Galaxy 3 is scheduled for launch next month. Pricing has yet to be set.
Pros: Layar Reality Browser augments reality with data, Social Hub for managing social networking apps.
Cons: low-resolution camera, poor-quality video (320x240@15fps).
