Samsung has announced an 8 MP CMOS camera module that it claims to be the thinnest of its kind, measuring a tiny 8.5 mm thin.

Notable features of the new module include anti-shake, a 1 cm macro, face tracking technology, and a smile shutter feature that knows to snap a picture when it detects people smiling.

The company expects the new module to replace the 5 MP cameras found in today’s high-end camera phones by the end of the year.

Cell phone cameras are quickly catching up to today’s digital cameras, which will probably become extinct in a matter of years. It seems that putting all sorts of gadgets in one box is the way to go these days, so if you are thinking of buying a new camera hold off for a few months and buy one of the 8 MP cell phones when they are released.

Samsung has announced that it is shipping a 2.5-inch 500GB hard drive and a fast 22X DVD burner.

The Spinpoint M6, the world’s smallet 500GB HD, is 9.5mm tall, meaning that it will fit into most laptop hard drive bays. The drive boasts a 5400rpm spindle speed, 8MB cache, and a 3.0Gbps SATA interface. Fairly average specs, but if you’re having issues fitting all of your music and movies onto your laptop HD, then this is the drive for you.

Samsung’s other offering is the SH-S223 DVD burner capable of burning data at high speeds, even on low-speed discs. The drive is capable of 22X DVD±R recording, 16X DVD+R Dual Layer recording, 12X DVD-R Dual Layer recording, 12X DVD-RAM recording, 8X DVD+RW recording, and 6X DVD-RW recording. Those speeds mean that a regular DVD±R disc can be burned in about 4.5 minutes, with all of the other formats taking a shorter amount of time than average as well.

If you absolutely have to have the latest and greatest, then both of these drives are for you (assuming you have both a desktop and laptop). Otherwise, it will probably be a good idea to hold off for a while as the drives will be fairly expensive. The Spinpoint M6 will retail for $299, with no price set for the SH-S223.

Samsung has introduced a new member of their Ultra Edition family, the Soul. The phone will have a 7.2Mpbs HSDPA connection, a 5 megapixel camera, and a 2.2″ full-color display.

The most innovative feature of this phone, though, is a touchpad display that sits just under the main screen. This display will morph the user interface by showing appropriate icons depending on which application is being used. As an example, music controls will appear while listening to music and editing functions will show up while writing a text message.

The Soul will also feature a microSD card for music with support for just about any format imaginable. Samsung claims 15 hours of music listening time, which is a pretty hefty figure.

Although not as stylish as an iPhone, it looks like this handset will get the job done with its beefed up specs and the innovative touchpad display. Looks to us like this might be a keeper. Another picture after the jump. Read more »