Super-slim Samsung TL100 announced

Samsung didn't take the lid off of any new developments in its highly regarded NV series of ultracompacts today, but the Korean manufacturer did whet our ultracompact appetite with a brand new and very slender TL model.

The TL100 brings 12.2 megapixel capture to a camera that's a mere 16.6 millimeters (about 0.65 inches) thick. The 3x zoom TL100 comes wrapped in attractive brushed metal and wears a 2.7, 230,000 dot LCD out back.

A pure, pocket-friendly point-and-shoot, the TL100 is billed as a fuss free model for on the go snapshooting. Samsung, the latest manufacturer to get on board with evaluative auto modes, is heavily touting the ability of the TL100's Smart Auto system to seamlessly adjust to just about any shooting situation.

The rest of the TL100's list of techno-wizardry includes ubiquitous point-and-shoot "detection" modes – face detection, smile detection, blink detection – and a Beauty Shot technology that claims to add vibrancy and punch to portraits.

While the TL100 doesn't offer HD video capture, it does do better than the standard 640x480 in this regard. Video is available at up to 800x592, albeit at 20 fps rather than the standard 30.

On balance, the TL100 is a smart, stylish little camera that offers a level of specification that – the absence of optical/mechanical image stabilization excepted – matches up well with most competitors in this class. Then again, while the camera seems to be targeted against other mid-level ultracompacts, exactly what class the TL100 falls into isn't completely clear: its price is still TBD.

In any event, the camera should be ready for retail release sometime this spring.