Samsung Electronics today unveiled 11 of its latest handsets at the Samsung Mobile Roadshow 2008. Based on the company's new consumer segmentation model, the all-encompassing line-up offers a mobile for every lifestyle, as the company seeks to double regional handset sales to capture more than 25% of market share in 2008.

"Building on our strong performance in the region and here in Singapore last year, Samsung continues to complement our technology and design leadership with indepth research into the evolving consumer needs. We will embed ourselves into the latest consumer trends and preferences to deliver innovative products tailored for different segments, as we strive to further increase our market share and strengthen our industry position," said Mr. Yoon Ki-Heung, Managing Director, Samsung Asia Pte Ltd.

Samsung rose to second position in the global handset market in 2007, selling more than 161 million units, up 42 per cent year on year and more than three times the industry growth rate. The company aims to cross the 200 million mark this year. Adopting an integrated approach, the company will leverage on multiple platforms to engage consumers, which includes forging external partnerships to deliver new mobile experiences to consumers through new content creation relevant to their lifestyles. Building on its 'Live Loud' integrated music campaign that creates a larger than life music platform for the new generation, the company will transform the Samsung Fun Club to offer user friendly communication applications and compelling lifestyle content. In particular, it is exploring partnerships with local music labels to leverage the entity to launch co-branded customized music lifestyle portals targeted at local music communities.

Samsung's new consumer segmentation model comprises six categories – Infotainment, Business, Style, Multimedia, Connected and Essential – and is devised based on extensive research into the attitudes, lifestyles and design preferences of 20,000 end-users across five continents and 25 countries. Its latest mobile phones tailored to each category are as follows:

* Samsung Soul (Style): 'The Spirit of Ultra' and the latest addition to Samsung's premium Ultra Edition line-up, the Samsung Soul represents the perfect blend of design and features, boasting HSDPA connectivity and a 5-mega pixel camera in a 12.9mm thin body. The Samsung Soul will be introduced in Singapore in May 2008.

* F400 Live Loud Music Edition (Multimedia): Samsung's SGH-F400 music phone offers superior sound quality with ICEpower® digital power amplifier technology by Bang & Olufsen, as well as impressive hi-fi loud speakers below its unique dual-slider. It will be introduced in Singapore in July 2008.

* SGH-G810 (Infotainment): Incorporating the best of performance and entertainment features, the 5-mega pixel SGH-G810 with Symbian v9.2 operating system features WiFi connectivity and comes pre-loaded with GPS navigation, geotagging, Google search, Map and Gmail software. It will be introduced in Singapore in July 2008.

* The Ultra Messaging i780 (Business): Samsung's SGH-i780 smartphone features a full QWERTY keyboard and full touch screen, and is a Window Mobile 6.0 pocket PC device with push email and GPS capabilities, an optical joystick, 2 mega-pixel camera and HSDPA technology. The i780 is now available at an RRP of S$828.

* SGH-M620 (Connected): Featuring a large 1.9 inch TFT LCD screen, Samsung's SGH-M620 offers camera and video recording, FM radio and music player functions. It also supports up to 2GB Micro SD. The model will be introduced in Singapore in July 2008.

* SGH-B200 (Essential): Samsung's SGH-B200 provides FM radio recording capability where users can set recordings as ringtones. The model also features a unique mobile tracker function that enables users to track down their phones in the event that they are lost or stolen. It will be introduced in Singapore in May 2008.

Beyond these models, Samsung is also looking to enhance its product offering in the touchscreen category with a range of touchscreen phones featuring cutting edge functionalities. This is led by the SGH-F480, which incorporates a 2.8 inch Full Touch LCD, 5 mega-pixel camera, FM radio as well as HSDPA and mobile blogging capabilities.