It's so refreshing to see such interest in an unreleased phone that's not created by Apple – and shows why Android deserves to be the world's top OS.
The fact the Samsung Galaxy S3 is launching is no surprise – I mean, what else was going to follow the Galaxy S2? – but nobody expected it to gain this level of fervour.
- Now unveiled - check out our hands on: Samsung Galaxy S3 review for all the latest information and pics on the handset.
And I think it's brilliant. I don't mind the level of hype around any Apple launch – it's always great to write articles that people without much interest in technology might read – but the level of excitement some people get to is a little bit over the top (MUST we scream when a phone is announced?).
Which is why the fact Samsung has managed to generate the secrecy, hype and passion around the Galaxy S3 (or 'Next Galaxy', if we're being cryptic) is so great – having something without an 'i' prefix to focus on intently is a new sensation.
It began in Barcelona
It all started with Samsung eschewing an MWC press conference… and in doing so, effectively stated it had something worth hiding and showed it was better than mixing with the other brands at a trade show.
It also makes sense commercially – it's always been a confusing move for manufacturers to release a phone in Barcelona in February then have to wait months until the peak time to launch it. With a May 3 Samsung Galaxy S3 launch, it seems very likely the phone will be on the shelves within weeks.
But above all of this – above the Samsung vs Apple debate, even above the excitement of the forthcoming specs of the S3 – is the point that an Android handset is desirable enough to get the same attention as an iPhone.
Previously, the strength of Google's Android OS was the sheer volume of manufacturers that developed using the platform… but Apple could compete with one model alone.
Times a-changin' and all that
Now that tide seems to be changing – Android is seen as simple enough to be considered by the non-geeks (that's the mainstream user to you and I) and Samsung should be saluted for pushing it there with the success of the likes of the S2.
Of course, the popularity of the HTC Desire and budget phones like the Orange San Francisco have been pivotal in that push as well, but neither of those sequels saw the same level of interest that we're seeing for the Galaxy S3.
So I'll be there with two hats on tonight (not literally. I don't wear hats to press launches, I'm not a heathen). One of them will be the journalist in me: does the phone have the specs necessary to match the market? Is it enough of an update from the S2? Where are the weaknesses in the new phone?
But the other hat is the more fun one (or funner, if we're Nokia's marketing department): the phone geek. I've been waiting months to see this new handset – I unashamedly love the S2 and that, but better, is enough to make me think about wetting the bed to demonstrate just how excited I am.
Of course, I could be horrendously disappointed now… come on Samsung, if you want to be considered as a top brand in the mobile space, don't let the S3 launch be worthy of a collective, uninspired sigh.
But please, for the love of all that is pure, nobody scream when it's announced.
