@ CES: Samsung showcases suite of new smart phones

LAS VEGAS — To hear Omar Khan say it, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is going to take mobile to the “next level in 2011.”
The de facto head of mobile, which carries the title of chief strategy officer and SVP of products and services at Samsung Telecommunications, touted some of the company’s recent achievements in mobile and teased a few products that are coming down the pipeline at an overflow press event this afternoon.
Early on he announced the company’s plans to release a Wi-Fi only version of the Galaxy Tab later this quarter, but declined to offer any details on price. The move will give consumers a new tablet option from Samsung that doesn’t require a monthly data fee, which is something Apple Inc. (AAPL) did right out of the gates with its iPad.
Samsung also showcased its Android-powered answer to Apple’s iPod Touch. The previously announced Galaxy Player features a 4-inch touch screen, 1 GHz processor and a 3.2-megapixel camera and a front-facing camera for video calling all running on Android 2.2.
“We’re the number one Android provider in the United States,” Khan said as he moved on to the Infuse 4G, which got its debut earlier in the day at AT&T Mobility’s developer conference.
Khan called it “the thinnest phone available on the AT&T portfolio,” which is a distinction currently held by Apple’s iPhone 4. The new smart phone features a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, an 8-megapixel camera and and a front-facing camera.
Finally, Samsung announced its new mobile print app which will connect any iOS or Android device to Samsung printers without the need for cables. Khan said there will be more news to come later this week. Perhaps that will come as early as tomorrow when Verizon Wireless (VZ) announces its suite of forthcoming LTE devices.