S3 Mini means business (and competition for iPhone 5)

Samsung UK just announced the Galaxy S III Mini.  The specs pose the device as direct competition to iPhone 5.  Both devices have a 4″ display, and this is perhaps Samsung’s way of telling Apple and the world that if you want the “mini” experience, the choice you have is iPhone 5 and S3 Mini.  If you want an upgraded experience from “mini”, Samsung offers a slew of devices like the S3, Nexus, and others.

S3 Mini ships with Jelly Bean (Android 4.1), a dual-core CPU, and the TouchWiz interface.  It also includes all the great features people have come to enjoy with Samsung – S Voice, Smart Stay, Direct Call, and S Beam.

A lot of business users will be enticed by the smaller, more compact form factor of the S3 Mini.  It’s small enough to put in your shirt pocket or operate with one hand.  For big travelers, this could be key.

CompanionLink will support USB and Cloud sync to S3 Mini with Outlook, ACT!, Palm Desktop, Lotus Notes, GroupWise, Highrise, Salesforce CRM, Zoho CRM, and SugarCRM.

Update: Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple) in a recent interview said Apple became arrogant with the assumption that one size fits all.  Wozniak said people have different needs, and the iPhone 5 doesn’t offer people options by shipping with only one screen size.  This favorably positions Samsung’s Galaxy devices because they come in different sizes for different people.  The S3 Mini has the same 4″ screen size as the iPhone 5, allowing people to operate their device with one hand.  The Galaxy S3 device has a 4.8″ screen, which gives people more real estate on their screen.  The Galaxy Note 2 has a 5.5″ screen size for those wanting even more.