Samsung has announced the release of two new touchscreen handsets in its smartphone catalogue, scheduled to hit European stores in Q2 this year. The S5600 and S5230 are mid-range smartphones, both of which come with Gesture Lock - a feature that lets users simultaneously unlock the screen and launch an application simply by drawing a letter of the alphabet onto its surface.

Essentially, the S5600 and S5230 lets users programme 26 letter-swipe functions - from A to Z - onto their handset of choice. For example, tracing the letter T on to the touchscreen could bring up its text message function, while M could activate the music player. Both handsets have been developed using the Touchwiz interface and are less likely to compete with high end smartphones like the iPhone and the T-Mobile G1.

Instead, it is more likely to contend with the LG Cookie and the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music, both mid-range touchscreen handsets. Reports suggest that the Samsung S5600 will include HSDPA at 7.2Mbps connectivity and a 2.8-inch colour display. The Samsung S5230, on the other hand, will have a three-inch touchscreen display and no HSDPA connectivity. Both handsets come with a three megapixel camera, Bluetooth and microSD memory card slots for up to 8GB.

So far, Samsung has achieved success in the touchscreen market with the Samsung Pixon and the F480 Tocco. With reports suggesting the touchscreen smartphone market looks set to weather the current economic downturn, it looks as though the manufacturer is hoping to gain a firm foothold in the industry in 2009.