By Claire Reilly
Gone are the days of announcing a new product with a TV advertisement or an in-store appearance. Ever the teaser, Samsung has unveiled the details of what is rumoured to be the new Galaxy S III smartphone with an online treasure hunt of intergalactic proportions.
It all began with a short teaser video that went online overnight:
At the end of the video, viewers are directed to a seemingly bizarre web address to solve a word-scramble puzzle.
Hint, the answer is most likely 2 parts tantalising and 3 parts marketing jargon.
Once the puzzle is solved, amateur sleuths are then sent to another website (with a more obvious URL this time) where they are given details of the launch and treated to a longer video.
According to Samsung, the Galaxy SIII is set to be launched on 3 May in London, at 7pm.
“Join Samsung Mobile at Unpacked 2012, where the dawn of the next GALAXY will soon be revealed before the world,” the website says. “Don't want to miss out on this momentous event? Register today to ensure that you'll be there to witness it all, live and direct from London.”
On the day of the actual event, those who are not lucky enough to get a free trip to London will be able to view the launch at the dedicated Samsung Mobile microsite, www.TheNextGalaxy.com.
In the meantime, you can watch the longer teaser video here:
Those who are familiar with Will Smith’s body of work will note a startling similarity with the end of Men in Black. Perhaps the launch will not be in London after all – this reporter is placing bets that the Galaxy will be on Orion’s Belt.