Samsung ST5500 P&S compact leaked

CES 2010 is literally just around the corner (first week of January), which means we are going to be hit by a big wave of shiny-silver clones. One of them has "escaped" its secret prison and is now out in the open, the Samsung ST5500.

Olympus fans will be thrilled because this camera will take microSD cards, just like their two dual-screen models (TL225, and TL220). Samsung and Olympus should be looking for reasons for people to buy their cameras, not putting up roadblocks. But I digress...

Other features include 14mp sensor (I cringe at the thought of a 14mp 1/2.3" ????), 7X lens(e), 3.5-inch LCD screen, 720p video, wifi, and such. Samsung contacted Gimzodo+Engadget (see below) to let them know that these may not be the final specs of the camera *cough* *cough*

This reads like the credit line of a Top 40 song: via dpreview forums, via CNet Asia via Gizmodo via Engadget via Wireless Goodness, featuring Justin Timberlake, featuring Mary J. Blige, with Phil Collins on drums...

Speaking of Samsung, one of the regular Korean-speaking contributors in the dpreview Samsung forum points out that the Samsung Board Directors approved the integration of their camera unit with Samsung Electronics. One could ask the naive question, why were they separate in the first place, but who are we to question the Bored Directors? ;)