After the court ruling against Samsung in the dispute against Apple, Samsung was quick enough to show off the first Windows Phone 8....it must have been the realization that Google's Android might not be sufficient....

In making this announcement, Samsung is beating even Nokia, Microsoft’s official partner for making Windows phones, in unveiling the first Windows Phone 8 device.

The new phone, dubbed the Ativ S, has a 4.8-inch touch screen. It includes support for near-field communication, a technology for wirelessly exchanging information, which can be used for swapping files between phones. NFC capability is one of the key new features introduced by Windows Phone 8.

Samsung in the past has been quiet about its support for Windows Phone, but perhaps now it will be more enthusiastic about working with Microsoft in the aftermath of its patent battle with Apple, in which Samsung was found guilty of infringing a series of Apple patents. That could make it more difficult to sell phones using Google’s Android operating system.

Along with the Ativ S, Samsung also introduced two computers and a tablet with the Ativ branding, all running Microsoft’s Windows 8 software. Samsung said Ativ is “vita,” the Latin word for “life,” spelled backwards. These products are “a pledge by Samsung to make everyone’s life easier,” the company said in a press statement. Selling phones with Windows Phone 8 could make Samsung’s life easier as well.

Samsung did not disclose pricing or release dates for the Ativ products.