Samsung today announced the commercial availability of its flagship 4" Wave 3 smartphone. Initially launching in France, it will be rolled out to Germany, Italy, Russia and other global markets within this year.

The Samsung Wave 3 smartphone contained within a 9.9mm anodized brushed aluminum. It is powered by a 1.4GHz processor and HSPA 14.4 Mbps connectivity and runs on Samsung's bada 2.0 OS. The Live Panel home screen can be customized with instant shortcuts to the content and applications that matter most. Management of on-screen folders is supported by 3D visual access, multi-touch features and tab-and-drag previews. Meanwhile, the device's integrated WiFi Direct feature saves users the trouble of tracking down a wireless hotspot by directly connecting to other WiFi devices.

The Wave 3 enables access to localized applications through Samsung's dedicated application store, Samsung Apps. A newly enhanced Social Hub 2.0 service helps users stay on top of their busy, active social lives, integrating messaging, SNS and emails with phonebook and calendar information for instant social networking; and displaying all social interactions in a single portal. An integrated Store & Player, Music Hub offers access to over 12 million tracks and ability to fully personalize users? own music catalogues.

The Wave 3 also includes ChatON, Samsung?s cross-platform communication service that connects all mobile users into a single community.

With the launch of the Wave 3, Samsung has introduced a range of new 3D Game and LBS related apps that take full advantage of the updated bada 2.0 OS and new hardware features such as Wi-Fi Direct and voice recognition.

Additionally, Samsung is hosting a global app contest, the 'bada 2.0 Power App Race'. The competition is designed to encourage the bada developer community by rewarding the best bada 2.0 apps with a $1,000,000 cash prize. 'bada 2.0 Power App Race' winner will be decided by the public, with the top 10 best-selling applications in Samsung Apps determining the result. Developers can participate via the bada developer site (developer.bada.com/) after registering for the contest by Dec. 31.

Samsung also launched its latest Android-powered Galaxy device - the Galaxy Note - to South Korea, and said it hopes to sell as many as two million.

The Note, with a 5.3-inch (13.5 centimeters) screen, is positioned between the firm?s flagship Android-equipped Galaxy smartphone and its Galaxy Tab.

At the same even in Korea, the firm also launched the Galaxy Nexus, the first smartphone to run on Google's newest Android operating system dubbed the "Ice Cream Sandwich."

Samsung expects to beat its 2011 smartphone sales target thanks to brisk sales of its Galaxy smartphones.