Samsung Launches Galaxy S3 in Europe

Samsung Electronics Co. launches its latest Galaxy S smartphone in Europe on May 29, 2012 with the third generation model expected to be even more successful than its predecessor, which helped the South Korean company topple Apple Inc. as the world's top smartphone maker.

The S3, which tracks the user's eye movements to keep the screen from dimming or turning off while in use, hits stores in 28 European and Middle East countries, including Germany and Britain, as Samsung aims to widen the gap with Apple months ahead of its rival's new iPhone, expected in the third quarter.

The Galaxy S3, running on Google's Android operating system, boasts a 4.8-inch (12.2 cm) screen, bigger than the 3.5-inch display on the iPhone 4S and the 4.7-inch screen on HTC's (2498.TW) One X model.

Samsung introduced its first Galaxy in 2010, three years after the iPhone's debut, to counter Apple's roaring success in smartphones at a time when other rivals such as Nokia were struggling to make much impact.

Samsung sold 44.5 million smartphones in January-March — equal to nearly 21,000 every hour — giving it 30.6 percent market share. Apple sold 35.1 million iPhones, taking 24.1 percent market share.