Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer teased the Samsung ATIV Odyssey Windows Phone 8 device last month, and now an image of the press render has surfaced.

During the windows Phone 8 (WP8) launch event, Ballmer teased the new Samsung WP8 device coming to Verizon this holiday season, but revealed no specs or images of the handset.

Notorious Twitter user @evleaks, however, has now posted an image of the press render of the Samsung ATIV Odyssey Windows Phone 8 device. @evleaks also helped spoil Verizon's HTC Droid DNA surprise over the weekend, and it now seems that the Verizon-bound Odyssey is no longer shrouded in mystery either.

FCC documents show that the Samsung ATIV Odyssey (SCH-i930) was recently approved. Based on court documents in the Apple vs. Samsung case, the Odyssey WP8 handset is expected to sport a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8960 chipset. The smartphone is also rumored to support Near Field Communication (NFC) and Long Term Evolution (LTE).

Aside from the display, the specifications seem to fall in line with Samsung's ATIV S, the handset Microsoft flaunted at the Windows Phone 8 launch event. Verizon's version, however, will strengthen the carrier's position in the Windows Phone market. After the launch of Windows Phone 7, Verizon has not left much of a footprint in this area. The first WP8 devices went on sale last week, with the Nokia Lumia 920 Windows Phone 8 reaching AT&T, but Verizon is bound to get its share as well.

The leaked image of the press render of the Samsung ATIV Odyssey pictures a neat device with a large screen, rounded corners, and the familiar Verizon branding adorning the front and back of the device.

ATIV is Samsung's new brand for its Windows-based devices. The moniker comes from the word VITA (ATIV spelt backwards), which means "Life" in Latin. With this new brand, Samsung pledged to create an entire range of devices and offer more choices based on the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 platforms for consumers. The early leaked render of the Samsung ATIV Odyssey does not offer very much to go by, but it does add an image to the previously leaked, rumored, and speculated specifications.