Samsung finally announced that its Wi-Fi Galaxy Player is hitting the US shores on October 16. Galaxy Player is the iPod Touch rival from the Korean mobile giant to compete head to head with Apple.  When the company showcased the device for the first time during the CTIA trade show in Orlando last March, they originally expected the launch to materialize in May.

Several months behind schedule, the Galaxy Player comes in two versions: one with a 5-inch screen weighing 6 ounces, and the other with a 4-inch screen weighing 4.27 ounces. The devices will sell for $269 and $229 respectively.  Both boast a 3.2 megapixel rear camera, a VGA front camera and an 8GB memory expandable with a microSD card. Another significant feature that differentiates the two Galaxy Players is the battery life. The former is significantly longer-lasting than the other.

The device is a good smartphone alternative, should you want a taste of the Android experience without buying an Android phone that will commit you to a 2-year contract. However, it’s unclear how the Galaxy Player is going to compete in the market alongside the iPod Touch, as Apple has had a pretty tough grip on this demographic.

Samsung has big plans for its widening array of devices, but as an ongoing threat to Apple, Samsung keeps getting into trouble.  It’s no shocker that Samsung and Apple have been at each other’s throats for quite some time now, despite Apple being Samsung’s largest customer as a chip manufacturer. Since Apple managed to block Samsung from selling tablets in Germany and delayed its tablets from hitting Australia, Samsung sued Apple as well in order to foil the flow of its upcoming iPhone 5 in the Australian shores.

Samsung is currently on the edge of losing its biggest client, and if this brawl continues, Apple is likely to set its sights on other manufacturers for chips.  Moreover, Verizon also stepped in to help Samsung fight off the two OEM giants, requesting the court to not block Samsung’s Galaxy S 4G, Infuse 4G and Droid Charge smartphones, as well as its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet from selling in the US.

On the bright side, Samsung Galaxy S II has hit 10 million channel sales in just a few months since launch. It has recently expanded to AT&T as well.