Samsung’s highly anticipated Galaxy S III smartphone is now finally available in the United States — sort of. Samsung announced on Thursday morning that its new flagship smartphone is available on T-Mobile’s website starting today, and in select T-Mobile retails stores as well. Though Sprint announced earlier this month that it would launch the Galaxy S III on June 21st, supply constraints have delayed the carrier’s plans. Samsung notes that the phone will come to AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular in the “next several weeks.” The company also said that it intends to donate $1.5 million to the World Wildlife Fund to celebrate the launch of the Galaxy S III, which it pitches as having a design inspired by nature. Samsung’s press release follows below.
UPDATE: A note from AT&T: “Manufacturer supply constraints of the 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy S III have caused a delay to expected pre-order shipments. Customers who were previously quoted a delivery date of June 21st should now expect their device to arrive no later than Monday, June 25th. We currently estimate future pre-orders to arrive within 10 business days based on available supply. Impacted customers will receive both an SMS and email notifying them of this change.”
Samsung Galaxy S® III Available Starting Today
Samsung celebrates launch of “The Next Big Thing” in smartphones with expansive marketing campaign, consumer experiential event, and
$1.5 million donation to World Wildlife Fund
New York City — June 21, 2012 —The Samsung Galaxy S® III has officially launched in the U.S. The premium content sharing smartphone is available online starting today on T-Mobile’s Web site and in select retail stores. AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular will have the Galaxy S III in-store and online within the next several weeks.
The Galaxy S III celebration kicked off in New York City last night with a star-studded event hosted by actress Ashley Greene. Five hundred Samsung fans were granted access to an experiential event held at Skylight Studios in the trendy SoHo district to test drive the sharing capabilities of the Galaxy S III, get their picture taken with NBA stars Steve Nash, Kevin Love and Stephen Curry and share those once-in-a-lifetime experiences thanks to the Galaxy S III. Capping the night off was a special surprise performance by Skrillex.
Taking its inspiration from nature, Samsung Mobile designed the Galaxy S III features to respond intuitively and naturally to human use and interaction. It balances ergonomics with intuitive use so that the device becomes an extension of the user. To celebrate the launch of the Galaxy S III, Samsung Telecommunications America will donate $1.5 million to benefit the World Wildlife Fund (www.wwf.org), which strives to build a future in which people live in harmony with nature. Samsung fans can share with the world which animal species they love by voting at http://www.facebook.com/samsungmobileusa and at the various launch events being hosted June 20-22. Samsung will announce the donation on its Facebook page and tap into its community of nearly 7 million fans on Facebook.com/samsungmobileusa to help raise awareness of the WWF initiatives with posts throughout the week.
The launch of the Galaxy S III is being supported by the largest and most innovative marketing and advertising campaign ever conducted in the U.S. by Samsung Mobile. The campaign leverages technology to engage consumers in new and interactive ways and reward Galaxy S III owners.
· With sharing as a key feature of the Galaxy S III, Samsung is rewarding new owners with premium content via Samsung Share-to-Go Stations across the nation at no cost. Leveraging the NFC technology incorporated into the Galaxy S III, Samsung customers are able to download content directly to their device with a simple tap of their phone to the smart board or kiosk. Content is stored on the device so it can be viewed at any time.
· This summer, Samsung is launching an interactive cinema 3D game experience at theaters across the country. The Samsung Galaxy SIII Cinema Game allows the audience to uniquely interact with a 3D phone on-screen and move the images with hand motions to score points.
· This weekend, the Times Square Share will give consumers on the streets of New York, the first opportunity to share photos and video with the Galaxy S III. Consumers that perform actions such as playing air guitar or showing off dance moves can watch their video on the Samsung Big Board in Times Square and on Samsung’s social media channels.
· Samsung presents Beacon, a mobile-only magazine and content hub with the latest news, tips, information and entertainment designed for people who’ve left the desktop behind. Beacon will offer daily news and features curated from more than 1,000 sources across the Web, as well as exclusive stories and downloadable content in the form of music, video, and e-books and magazines.
“Once again, we are putting the ‘Next Big Thing’ in consumers’ hands. The Galaxy S III introduces a completely new way of sharing and socializing that no other mobile phone can,” said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Telecommunications.
About The Galaxy S III
SHARING & SIMPLICITY
The sharing services and capabilities of the Galaxy S III connect people to the experiences and content that influence their daily lives. This smartphone harnesses the potential of Samsung’s diverse ecosystem of consumer electronics by enabling sharing of content with multiple devices, among large groups or with another device. The process of pairing the Galaxy S III for these sharing services takes little to no set up.
· AllShare Play – Galaxy S III automatically locates Samsung HDTVs, laptops and other devices on the same WiFi network that are ready to receive video files. Users remotely access files from devices on other networks.
· Group Cast – Share and collaborate on documents, presentations or images without loading the file separately
· Share Shot – Send still images from Galaxy S III’s 8 megapixel camera to other phones up to 200 feet away
· S-Beam – One touch transfer of large video or document files without using Wi-Fi cell signal or data service
· S-Voice™ – Control commonly used services (music player, camera, alarm) with words instead of touch
· Smart Stay – Tracks eye movement to keep device screen lit anytime the user is looking at the display
· Burst Shot – Rapid-fire image capture (three images per second) with zero shutter lag
· Pop Up Play – Watch any side-loaded video content while operating any application in full-screen at the same time
NEW SMARTPHONE STANDARD
The Galaxy S III creates a true industry first by delivering the same design and user experience across the carrier variants while also offering the customized services of each of the five U.S. carriers. Design highlights include:
- Lightweight and Sleek: weighs 4.7 ounces and measures an ultra-thin 8.6 mm
- HD Super AMOLED™ Touchscreen: 4.8-inch display with minimal bezel maximizes viewing area
- Dual-core 1.5 Ghz CPU & 2GB internal RAM: high-speed performance and seamless multi-tasking
- 2100 mAh Battery: get more video, music and Web on a single charge
- Impressive Expandable Memory: store and swap out microSD cards as large as 64GB
ACCESSORIES PORTFOLIO
A host of premium Galaxy S III accessories, including convenient docking options, convergence solutions and an array of colorful cases and covers, will be available for all Galaxy S III smartphones.
Available now:
· Universal Multimedia Desktop Dock
· Spare Battery Charging System
· Universal Vehicle Navigation Mount
· Protective Flip Cover in Pebble Blue, Marble White, Light Blue, Green & Pink
· Protective Cover in Transparent Blue, Transparent Pink, Opaque Blue & Opaque Green
· Ultra Slim Cover in Transparent Blue, Clear
· C-Pen
· HDTV Smart Adapter with 11 Pin Adapter Tip
Available in the coming weeks:
- AllShare Cast Hub
- Premium Audio Dock
For more information on Samsung Galaxy S III, visit http://www.facebook.com/samsungmobileusa
