Samsung takes the wraps off new Galaxy S III

MANILA, Philippines - It’s a phone that understands you, knows when you fall asleep, sees your best side, lets you do two things at once, and shares what’s in your heart.

It’s the new and highly anticipated third-generation Samsung Galaxy smartphone, the Galaxy S III.

Case in point: when your alarm goes off but you need that extra five minutes of sleep, the phone’s personalized S Voice feature enables you to tell the Galaxy S III to “snooze.”

An advanced natural language user interface listens and responds to your words, endowing the phone with powerful functions with regard to device control and commands.

The S Voice feature can also be used to play your favorite songs, send text messages, organize your schedules, browse the Web or automatically launch an application.

In addition to recognizing your voice, the Galaxy S III, which runs on the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, understands your motions to offer maximized functionality. If you are messaging someone but decide to call them instead, just lift your phone to your ear and “Direct Call” will dial their number automatically.

“The phone is designed to be both effortlessly smart and intuitively simple. The Galaxy S III has been created with our human needs and capabilities in mind,” said KC Park, president of Samsung Electronics Philippines Corp. “It enables its user to enjoy a seamless, natural and human-centric mobile experience.”

In essence the Galaxy S III’s intelligent functions enhance the interaction experience between the device and the user.

With the innovative ‘Smart Stay’ feature, the Galaxy S III recognizes how you are using your phone — reading an e-book or browsing the Web, for instance — by having the front 1.9MP camera identify your eyes; the phone maintains a bright display for continued viewing pleasure.

And if you start dozing off, the phone will detect that you have closed your eyes and seconds later, will go into idle mode.

More than a personal device that can be enjoyed by the user, the Galaxy S III encourages you to share and experience the benefits of the phone with family and friends, regardless of where you are.

Actress Rhian Ramos takes a shot of herself using the Samsung Galaxy S III’s 8MP camera.

With the new “S Beam,” the Near Field Communications (NFC)-enabled Galaxy S III expands upon Android Beam, allowing a 1GB video file to be shared within three minutes and a 10MB audio file within two seconds by simply putting two Galaxy S III phones back to back, even without a Wi-Fi or cellular signal.

“AllShare Play” can also be used to instantly share any forms of files between Galaxy S III and your tablet, computer or television regardless of the distance between the devices.

“Pop up play,” on the other hand, allows you to play a video anywhere on your screen while simultaneously running other tasks, eliminating the need to close and restart videos when checking new e-mails, surfing the Web, texting, and chatting with friends.

Plus with a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED (1280 x 720) display, the Galaxy S III offers a large and vivid viewing experience in HD.

Its 8MP main camera features a zero-lag shutter speed that lets you capture moving objects easily without delay — the image you see is the picture you take. The “Burst Shot” function instantly captures 20 continuous shots (3.3 frames per second), and goes a step further by selecting the best of eight photographs for you when you recreate the best photo feature.

The Galaxy S III provides an ergonomic and comfortable experience through its human-centric design which features a comfortable grip, gentle curves, and an organic form.

Its design concept is inspired by the flow and movement of nature. The elements of wind, water and light are all evoked in the physical construct of the Galaxy S III. In its essence, the minimal organic design identity is reflected in the smooth and non-linear lines of the device.

And being an Android device, it boasts a full complement of Google Mobile Services lie Search, Maps, Play Store, Play Books, Play Movies, YouTube, Google Talk, Navigation, and Downloads, among others.

The Galaxy S III comes in 16GB and 32GB models with a 64GB version following soon, all with expandable memory via microSD card up to 64GB.

It comes with an upgraded 2,100 mAh battery, measures 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm, and weighs 133 grams.

The Samsung Galaxy S III comes in pebble blue and marble white.