Samsung Galaxy Player= iPod Touch Rival. And It Only Took Three Years

Samsung appears to have a New Year’s resolution that revolves around giving Apple some competition. The Galaxy Tab is popularly considered the iPad’s first real rival. Samsung is the power behind Android’s next top-dog smartphone. And now Samsung appears ready to compete against another popular Apple product: the iPod Touch.

According to reports around the tech blogosphere, Samsung is preparing to launch the Galaxy Player, a portable media player in the vein of the iPod touch. It’s likely to introduce the player at CES next month.

Based on the Galaxy S phone, the Galaxy Player will run on Android Froyo 2.2 and will have a 1-gig processor, 4-inch screen, GPS, HD video playback, Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi. It will come in 8-, 16- and 32-GB models, and will also get the now-industry-standard front- and rear-facing cameras. The device will be compatible with Samsung and Android Market apps.

It looks like a nice iPod touch alternative, but one has to wonder: why’d it take more than three years to compete? [Samsung Hub via CNET]