Galaxy S III launches in 28 countries, plans to reach 145 by July

If you think Apple moves quickly to "spread the wealth" of a new device to other countries you'd be right, but its biggest single rival among device OEMs, Samsung, is no slouch either. On Tuesday, the Korean giant claimed that it had launched the Galaxy S III, its new flagship smartphone, in 28 countries, adding that it expects to offer the device on 296 carriers in 145 countries by July.

It's unclear where exact North America fits into that timeline. The latest rumored release date for a Canadian launch is June 20, however.

Even if the device trails Europe in terms of reaching the U.S., if Samsung can even come close to that date, American consumers would be happy. After all, this device's predecessor, the Galaxy S II, did not reach the U.S. until months after it first launched.

While some are applauding the fact that the Galaxy S III is launching, months ahead of an expected Sept. / Oct. iPhone 5 launch, others are not so sure.  While that gives the device a "head start" on the iPhone 5, it also means that by the time the iPhone 5 launches, the Galaxy S III will be five months or so old, close to what some rapid adopters consider to be EOL.  These are, of course, those who are extreme in their desire to be cutting edge.

That said, those wanting the Pebble Blue edition as opposed to white may be waiting longer than they had hoped. Samsung has confirmed that the Pebble Blue version of the Galaxy S III will be in short supply for the next few weeks. The company said:

"Samsung's GALAXY S III Pebble Blue version comes with a newly invented blue color and special hyperglaze material. In order to meet the highest internal quality standards and to provide the best quality GALAXY S III to customers, a short supply of Pebble Blue version is expected in some regions in the next 2-3 weeks. Samsung is working hard to ensure that customers will get the Pebble Blue colored devices as soon as possible."

If it sounds like the initial issues with the white iPhone 4, let's hope not. That device didn't make it to the hands of consumers until 10 months after the black model launched.

While Samsung didn't elaborate on the problem, Mobile Bulgaria has a Pebble Blue review unit that displays an issue which might be the problem: it exhibits a splotchy appearance just under the surface of the back cover which can be seen from certain angles.