Samsung could be building Windows Phone 8 devices

Think of Samsung and Android comes to mind. The Korean tech giant may be synonymous with its Galaxy S smartphones, but it could be building two devices for Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 platform.

The information surfaced in court documents revealed during ongoing the Apple-Samsung trial, displaying Windows Phone 8 devices. "Odyssey" is a codename for a phone, featuring a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor and 4G LTE. There's also a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display, along with an 8-megapixel camera. Samsung describes the devices as "iconic".

The second device is dubbed "Marco" and has a 4-inch Super AMOLED display and 4G LTE support. Samsung omitted the "iconic" branding adjective for this device. It's not the Omnia M, launched August 1 in the UK. The device does feature a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, but runs Windows Phone 7.5 Mango and doesn't offer 4G LTE. The UK, currently, only widely offers 3G.

It's going to be interesting to see if Google continues to warmly support Samsung. Microsoft undoubtedly wants high-end devices from the company, especially considering the success of the Galaxy S3. Nokia sold 4 million Lumia devices, a fraction of the 10 million S3's that Samsung has sold in just over two months.

Forbes suggested that Samsung's development for the platform could encourage skeptical manufacturers. Samsung launched the Omnia 7 smartphone during the launch of the mobile OS, but Windows Phone has struggled to gain momentum. A high-end device, along with Nokia's next phone for Windows Phone 8, could be the catalyst.

Samsung may simply want to broaden its smartphone portfolio. It may feel that its devices can hit a market (high-end) which Nokia hasn't dominated.

Also interesting is how Microsoft approaches its relationship with Samsung. Nokia and the software giant have a close relationship, so will Samsung's devices be as striking as the Lumia 900?

Forbes predicted that the market could shift from Android to Windows Phone 8. Considering Android's dominance alongside iOS, Google isn't going away soon. Samsung may be a stepping stone, but the catalyst could be the cross-platform development between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. The success of Windows 8, and Metro - the UI used across the desktop and mobile OSs, will impact Microsoft's mobile operating system.

From: mobilenapps