Samsung previews Windows Phone 8 devices

Samsung likes to play all sides of the field, and it is already pledging support for the next iteration of Windows Phone.

The manufacturer has teased two new handsets – the Samsung Odyssey and the Samsung Macro – which are the first Windows Phone 8 devices to be officially announced.

The Odyssey will have a 4.76-inch display, high-definition resolution, an 8-megapixel camera, a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, and an NFC chip.

The Macro featured the same kind of processor, but a smaller 4-inch Super AMOLED display and a less powerful 5-megapixel camera.

Samsung was one of the strongest supporters of Windows Phone 7, behind Nokia, and it looks like it still has eyes for Microsoft.

Nokia was eager to boast about sales of its first Windows Phone device, the Lumia 710, which marked the company’s return to the US market.

Nokia quickly vaulted to the status of being the top Windows Phone manufacturer, although that’s kind of like being the best player in Little League – you’ll still have a tough time competing in the MLB.

In other words, Android and iOS are still dominating the market, and Nokia has a long way to go if it wants to legitimately compete in that field.

In the beginning, Nokia has made quite an impression, and there was the possibility that it could almost single-handedly help bring Windows Phone within striking distance of the two larger smartphone OS players. But over the last several months, it has failed to capture the same momentum that it did out of the gate.

We’ll see if it can strike that fire again with Windows Phone 8.