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Samsung Confirms Galaxy S III for the First Half of 2012

2012-02-01T17:37:00.001-08:00

Samsung Confirms Galaxy S III for the First Half of 2012

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Samsung will not bring the successor of its highly popular Galaxy S II smartphone to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month.

The company said so last week, when announcing the financial results for the last quarter of 2011, and has confirmed it once again.

Moreover, the vendor also announced that it planned on hosting its own separate event for the launch of this mobile phone.

According to Techradar, the South Korean mobile phone maker is still on track to launch the mobile phone in the first half of the year, and will officially unveil it closer to its market availability.

"Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012," the leading handset vendor reportedly stated.

The company also noted that it was working on the release of a successor for the Galaxy S II. Even if no specific name for the device was mentioned, Galaxy S III appears to be a good guess.

"The successor to the Galaxy S2 smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product," the South Korean vendor said.

"Samsung stays committed to providing the best possible mobile experiences for customers around the world."

Some of the previous reports on the matter suggested that Samsung was actually considering the release of a new variant of Galaxy S II, which should feature a "Plus" moniker.

Moreover, the company is expected to bring to the market a successor to the Galaxy Note smartphone-tablet hybrid, one that would be called Note S.

While nothing was officially confirmed on these devices, we know for sure that a successor to Galaxy S II will arrive in the coming months. Hopefully, the handset's availability will kick off in the first half of the year as well.

Samsung Confirms Galaxy S III for the First Half of 2012

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Samsung Confirms Galaxy S III for the First Half of 2012

Samsung Galaxy S3 Expected to Hit Markets in April

2012-01-24T22:32:00.001-08:00

Samsung Galaxy S3 Expected to Hit Markets in April

The Samsung Galaxy S3, supposedly the next flagship smartphone from the South Korean electronics giant, is expected to hit the market this April, according to the latest report.

As per Eldar Murtazin, the Russian blogger and chief editor of Mobile-review, it is expected that Samsung will announce the Galaxy S3 at Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona in February after which the Android smartphone will make its way to the shelves sometime in April.

Murtazin and his series of tweets also mentioned Samsung Galaxy S3 specs. Murtazin claims that the third-generation Samsung Galaxy Android smartphone will ship with the latest Android version, the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and the device will feature an HD screen. The rumor's source also added that Samsung will introduce a new camera for the Galaxy S3, a 12-megapixel back facing camera which is technically more powerful than the last year's phone. Murtazin tweeted, "HD resolution, 12 mpx camera, sw tweaks, android 4 – i like my new phone. Eager to see official announcement in Barcelona."

Samsung Galaxy S III fervor begin already, realistic press images leak

2011-12-27T05:29:00.000-08:00

Samsung Galaxy S III fervor begin already, realistic press images leak

When it comes to Android device releases, nothing is more exciting than a Nexus smartphone or tablet, except when it comes to the Samsung line of Galaxy S devices of course – and today we’ve got what very well may be the next generation: the Samsung Galaxy S III in leaked press images and details. The story goes like this: Concept Phones, a blog that specializes in conceptual renderings of devices, has intercepted a couple of images and some details sent in from a fellow by the name of Ivan Ilchenko who reported them appearing on Samsung’s “official” page on a Russian social network by the name of Vkontakte. If you’ve got all that, good, because here’s the confusing part: the device may well be the first smartphone to be dual-booting Android and Bada OS right out of the box.

This device is being called the Samsung GT-I9500 Universal, and its details are rather incredulous. While the renderings appear really quite crisp and certainly in line with what we’ve seen from Samsung lately, specifically with the Galaxy Note and the Galaxy Players, the magic inside might be too far-fetched to be realistic. Behind a 5-inch HD Super AMOLED 1280 x 720 pixel resolution display you’ll find a 9mm thick body and a 12 megapixel camera on the back with both LED flash AND Xenon flash. Weird stuff to be sure!
Then there’s a front-facing 2 megapixel camera, availability of 32 or 64 GB internal memory, and a microSDXC slot for memory expansion. This device is said to come with a stylus like the Galaxy Note, but doesn’t appear to have the same onboard slot for carrying said pen like its big cousin does, USB 3.0 capability, and 4G LTE connectivity in its first iteration. Also onboard is a quad-core Samsung Exynos 4412 1.5GHz processor, and the whole thing works with TouchWiz 5.0.

And it all works with both Android and Bada OS. That’s just too strange to be realistic – why on earth would anyone want such a thing? Also we’ve never seen a display like this outside of conceptual renderings as a bezel allows for the display to have some overlap around the edges – how this will work is outside my understanding. Finally, before you cut up the idea of this device because of the buttons at the bottom of the display running against what’s recommended for Ice Cream Sandwich, know that Android 4.0 does have the ability to easily run with these buttons still in-tact.
We’ll either find this device to be real relatively soon or the name Galaxy S III wont pop up again until early 2012. The possibility also exists that this device is close to what we’ll see in the USA release of the Galaxy Note. We’ll see! Thanks for the tip, Alex!
UPDATE: Per Concept Phones:
“Samsung Russia just contacted us and said this is not a real phone. Here’s what they said: “The mock-ups, published in the article on Concept-Phones.com, were posted in the “Imagined Phones” section of “Samsung Phones Owners’ Club” group on VKontakte.ru. This section contains unofficial artworks and designs, created by group members, and are products of pure imagination, sometime even a joke”.” – Concept Phones

Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs Nokia Lumia 800

2011-12-24T05:26:00.000-08:00

Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs Nokia Lumia 800

We see how Samsung's Galaxy Nexus stands up to the Nokia Lumia 800

Published on Dec 22, 2011

We compare Samsung's flagship Android Ice Cream Sandwich phone, the Galaxy Nexus, against Nokia's premier Windows Phone 'Mango' handset, the Lumia 800.

Form Samsung Galaxy Nexus - 135.5x67.9x8.9mm,135g
Nokia Lumia 800 - 116.5x61.2x12.1mm,142g

Visually both devices are very impressive with some distinctive and unique design features which help them stand out from the competition.

The Nokia Lumia 800 is a very sharp and angular handset being bluntly rectangular in shape and topped by a gently curved glass screen.

Build quality feels very impressive indeed, the phone uses an aluminium unibody and it’s probably one of the most well put-together handsets we’ve seen this year.

Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus is the polar opposite in terms of aesthetics, it’s all curves but it isn’t over-the-top – being a larger phone overall the longer lines compliment the slight curvature at either end of the device quite nicely.

Sadly, the Galaxy Nexus doesn’t feel quite so solid construction-wise as its opponent.
We have to give this round to the Nokia Lumia 800.

Winner – Nokia Lumia 800

Display
Nokia’s Lumia 800 has a relatively small display at 3.7-inches but it makes up for this with incredibly sharp picture quality thanks to the use of a Samsung AMOLED screen and Nokia’s own ClearBlack technology.

It features multi-touch support and reinforced Gorilla Glass, while the 480x800 pixel resolution grants a pixel density clocking in at 252 pixels-per-inch (ppi).

It’s one of the best displays on a Windows Phone we’ve seen to date, the screen is bright and crystal clear with vivid colours which really pop out at you.

The Galaxy Nexus uses Samsung’s own Super AMOLED technology, which is slightly better than the Nokia’s ‘vanilla’ AMOLED and it’s a pretty big slate of glass at 4.65-inches.
Despite its large size, Samsung has managed to keep the pixel density very high indeed, a 720x1280 pixel resolution results in 316ppi.

Multi-touch is again supported and an oleophobic coating protects the screen from oily fingerprints.

Both displays are pretty amazing to behold and each manufacturer has clearly lavished a lot of effort and attention on these screens.

At the end of the day, however, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus goes that extra mile, not only is it a substantially sized display, making media easier and more satisfying to view, but it achieves this without compromising on picture quality and goes so far as to offer some of the best available. It’s very impressive stuff indeed.

Winner – Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Storage
Samsung’s flagship Android Ice Cream Sandwich phone has two options for storage, with choices of either 16GB or 32GB onboard. Processing power is supplemented by 1GB of RAM.

The Nokia Lumia 800 only has the 16GB option for internal capacity which, while ample, is half the top-end offered by Samsung’s device. It’s also slightly behind on the RAM side of things with around half the memory of the Galaxy Nexus at 512MB.

Neither smartphone is fitted with a card slot, meaning there’s no option to expand storage space with microSD.

Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus wins this round by doubling up on the Lumia 800’s offerings.

Winner – Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Processor
Discussing the processors between Android and Windows Phones is a tricky thing, because you invariably run up against the issue of how the two platforms work in relation to optimisation.

However, the Galaxy Nexus is a little different from most other Android phones.

The problem with Android normally is it’s a one size fits all system which isn’t optimised very well, but this isn’t an issue on the Galaxy Nexus because, as it’s the Android Ice Cream Sandwich flagship device Samsung has worked closely with Google to get everything as finely tuned as possible.

The Galaxy Nexus uses a dual core ARM Cortex-A9 processor clocked at 1.2GHz and running the Texas Instruments OMAP 4460 chipset alongside a PowerVR SGX540 graphics processing unit (GPU).

Performance on this setup is going to be something pretty special, especially with the extra optimisation and tuning.

Nokia’s Lumia 800 runs on single core hardware but again it’s been well optimised and offers really good performance from its 1.4GHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor running the MSM8255 Snapdragon chipset and an Adreno 205 GPU.

Both offer excellent performance in terms of typical smartphone tasks and navigating their respective interfaces.

However, the Galaxy Nexus will handle high-end apps and games with demanding graphics much more capably and will remain the more competitive option looking ahead to the future.

Winner – Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Samsung Galaxy S, Tab: No Android 4.0 for you

2011-12-24T05:22:00.000-08:00

Samsung Galaxy S, Tab: No Android 4.0 for you

Owners of Samsung's Galaxy S smartphone and the 7-inch Galaxy Tab won't be getting the latest and greatest version ofAndroid.

In a blog posting on a Korean promotional site run by Samsung, the company noted that the two devices would not receive the update to Android 4.0, the most up to date version of Google's mobile operating system.

The reason for that, as The Verge explains, centers around Samsung's use of additional software features on those phones, including TouchWiz, widgets, video calling and carrier software pack-ins. These suck up hardware resources to the point of giving users a less than desirable Android experience, Samsung says.
Sure to make things a bit complicated is that the Galaxy S is a close sibling of Samsung's recently-released Galaxy Nexus--at least on paper. That phone ships with Android 4.0, known more readily as Ice Cream Sandwich.

Announced in October, Ice Cream Sandwich adds a number of new features to devices on the platform, the main one being the unification of the OS for bothtablets and smartphones, as well as the addition of software-based buttons that replace the ones that have been physical buttons. As with other major releases of Android, it carries with it particular hardware requirements, leaving a number of older devices stuck on certain versions indefinitely.

Samsung Galaxy S2 vs Samsung Galaxy Note vs Samsung Galaxy Nexus

2011-11-25T01:32:00.001-08:00

Samsung Galaxy S2 vs Samsung Galaxy Note vs Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Mobile Phones

Samsung's built some incredibly good mobiles recently, making its Galaxy range of smart phones a massive player in the tech world. But of the Samsung Galaxy S2, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Samsung Galaxy Note, which Galaxy is deserving of your cash? Let's meet the mobiles that will be vying for our adoration.

Samsung Galaxy S2

The Samsung Galaxy S2 is an absolute beast, and when it came out earlier this year it proved itself to be the best Android phone in the universe. While other phones have grown bigger since, at the time we were blown away by the 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, and dazzled by its 1.2GHz dual-core processor. But that was months ago! Does the S2 still look so fresh today?

Samsung Galaxy Note

On the off-chance you didn't think the Galaxy S2 was big enough, the Note will certainly sort you out. The display on this monster mobile measures a mammoth 5.3 inches, and it's something of an animal on the inside too, with a 1.4GHz dual-core processor running the show.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus has a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and a 5-megapixel camera, alongside a 4.65-inch display. That's fine, but what really sets this phone apart is that it's running Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich, the newest version of Android. Does that make it worth picking up? Or will a meddlesome volume bug prevent it from finding glory?

Design

The Galaxy Nexus boasts a rounded display, adorned with black gloss and kept looking minimal by a lack of physical buttons. Instead you control the Nexus using three on-screen buttons. It's reasonably slim at 8.9mm thick and it's impressively light at 135g, but we're not blown away by the back plate, which is grey with a textured finished. The bulging spot where the camera pokes out is a little funny-looking too.

The Note is a tad classier, with a curved back and a camera that's flush to the casing. It's 9.7mm slim and 178g, which makes it portable on paper, but you'll likely struggle to fit the Note in your hands, let alone your pocket. There's a serious design no-no going on here too -- Samsung's hidden a cheeky stylus in the bottom of the Note, which is useful for jotting down notes or sketching bowls of fruit, but will almost certainly get lost.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 looks as good as it did when we first snatched it out of its box earlier in the year. It's under 9mm thin and weighs 115g, making it lighter than its Galaxy rivals. The 4.3-inch screen still makes a striking impression, and while some have complained that the case feels rather plasticky, we think the phone itself feels sturdy. It looks and feels fantastic -- we're throwing this one the S2's way.

Design winner: Samsung Galaxy S2

Hardware

The Galaxy S2 blew our tiny minds when it first arrived on the scene, thanks to a dual-core 1.2GHz processor that proved brilliant for apps, games and playing video. The screen was similarly amazing, liquifying our ocular bulbs with the brightness pumped out by its 4.3-inch Super Amoled Plus display.

Almost impossibly, Samsung also squeezed an 8-megapixel camera into the S2's slender chassis, making it an all-around hardware powerhouse.

For a month or so, anyway -- then other smart phones equalled the S2's hardware chops. The Galaxy Nexus goes further than the S2, with a 4.65-inch display that as well as being bigger, boasts a stonkingly high 1,280x720 pixel resolution.

Everything on this panel comes out looking crystal clear, so get ready to be impressed when you fire up a video or web page, and a 1.2GHz dual-core processor keeps everything running smoothly.

But the Galaxy Nexus has a slight hardware downside -- its camera has a meagre 5-megapixel resolution. We were impressed by the stills and video it managed to produce though, so it's not worth writing the Nexus off completely on that front. The Nexus has a 16GB capacity, and you can't expand that using a microSD card.

The Galaxy Note is an absolute hardware monster. Around the back you'll find an 8-megapixel camera, and underneath the bonnet hums an alarmingly potent 1.4GHz dual-core processor that outpaced the Galaxy S2 in our benchmark tests. Using the phone is like sailing through a sea of silk, with apps opening at lightning speed.

The display on offer here is absolutely ginormous at 5.4 inches. In fact, we wouldn't blame you at all if you dismissed the Galaxy Note for being simply too massive. The screen resolution is a touch higher than the Galaxy Nexus' at 1,280x800 pixels, but because the screen is so much bigger it has a lower dpi (dots per inch). It still looks crisp, clear and really colourful though.

Brimming with speedy components and with a screen big enough to eat your dinner off of, the Galaxy Note dominates when it comes to hardware.

Hardware winner: Samsung Galaxy Note

Software

While all three of these phones are running Android, one of them is different. For while the S2 and the Note are powered by version 2.3 of Google's mobile operating system (also known as Gingerbread), the Galaxy Nexus is more advanced, and arrives running Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich.

That improved operating system brings visual refinements, and navigating through the phone is handled by three on-screen buttons, rather than any physical keys. Tapping one of those virtual buttons brings up a new multi-tasking menu, which stacks all the apps you've got running up the screen. Also new are folder refinements, and the ability to unlock your phone with your face.

The other major strength of the Galaxy Nexus is that it's running a vanilla version of Android, whereas the Note and S2 are both running a Samsung-tweaked edition of Android. The benefit of using a version that Samsung hasn't fiddled with is that when updates for Android arrive, you'll get them quicker because you don't have to wait for Samsung to squeeze its custom skin over that new version.

That's not to mention the fact that both the S2 and the Note come with loads of Samsung-installed bloatware apps you almost certainly won't want, and would rather delete as soon as possible.

But right now there's a serious problem with the Galaxy Nexus. A bug means that the phone spontaneously drops volume, meaning you miss speech during phone calls, and can miss texts or other notifications in the meantime.

We've been thoroughly testing the Nexus, and it seems that the bug rears its ugly head when you're connected over a 900MHz 2G connection. Networks in the UK that operate on that frequency include Vodafone and O2, as well as Tesco Mobile, giffgaff, Asda Mobile and BT Mobile.

For an analysis of the bug, read our tests. Google has told us a fix is incoming, so hopefully the issue will be resolved soon, at which point the Galaxy Nexus will definitely be winning in the software category. In the meantime though, we're going to call this one a draw between the Galaxy S2 and the Note.

Software winner: Samsung Galaxy S2 and Samsung Galaxy Note (draw)

Tiebreak

It's a tie! So we're going to have to decide between the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Note.

We weren't impressed by the Note's battery life -- that massive screen appears to guzzle juice, and we got less than 12 hours of use from a full charge, even with moderate use. The S2, meanwhile, is decent when it comes to battery life. No smart phone is great when it comes to surviving away from the mains, but based on our tests the S2 should at least last you a full day's use.

The other issue is that the enormous dimensions won't suit everyone. Most people will probably prefer a smart phone that will fit easily into your pockets or handbag. Size isn't everything, y'know.

Overall winner: Samsung Galaxy S2

Samsung claims Android 4.0 to hit Galaxy Note, Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab next year

2011-11-09T07:16:00.001-08:00

Samsung claims Android 4.0 to hit Galaxy Note, Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab next year

Samsung Italy put an end to doubts after revealing its plans to upgrade the higher-end devices to Android 4.0. Consequently, the Galaxy Note, Galaxy S II, and the Android 3-based tablets from the Tab 7.0 Plus through the Tab 10.1 would be upgraded by the spring of next year. HDBlog.it says that the original Galaxy S as well as other models represented lower priorities. Samsung considered the highest priority as getting the operating system on devices that would support it and only then evaluating its lower-end devices.

Samsung may have revealed a real hardware baseline for the new Android 4.0 operating system when saying that any device had to have at least WVGA at 400×800 to receive an upgrade.

Android 4.0 will help most the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S II, both of them getting major phone interface changes. The changes are subtler on a tablet and mainly include updated core applications and face unlock, as well as others that are not dependent on the size of the screen.

While showing Samsung decided to support its older hardware, it is still clear that the Galaxy Nexus is the only device of Samsung to carry Android 4.0 in the near future. Other devices are likely to appear at the CES expo in January and in February at Mobile World Congress.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus Already Rooted, Phone Not Even In Stores Yet

2011-11-05T07:48:00.001-07:00

Samsung Galaxy Nexus Already Rooted, Phone Not Even In Stores Yet

It's not even in stores yet, but modders have already rooted Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Nexus smartphone. The crack comesthanks to Paul O'Brien, founder of the online Android communityMoDaCo. O'Brien managed to get his hands on Samsung's new Ice Cream Sandwich device ahead of the official launch thanks to a few seemingly well-connected friends.

Details of the custom boot were first posted on the MoDaCo forums, complete with instructions on how to apply the 'Superboot' fix to the upcoming smartphone.

Upon downloading and extracting the 'Superboot' image file, the Galaxy Nexus needs to be in bootloader mode. Once you do this and run the Superboot file,you'll be granted adminstrator rights to the Galaxy Nexus--simple!

O'Brien's quick work is good news for the moding community, proving that Ice Cream Sandwich, the next version of Android, is not any more difficult to tinker with than previous versions of Google's mobile OS.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

2011-10-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

In the last few years Android has gone from strength to strength, adding features and new tricks that keep it a favourite among geeky gadgeteers who love to tinker with their tech.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be the first phone running Android version 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich, the very latest edition of Google's robot-riddled operating system. Due out in November, this massive mobile is the follow-up to the brilliant Google Nexus S. Can it keep Android on the cutting edge?

We're still waiting to get hands-on time with the Galaxy Nexus. In the meantime, this preview will round up everything you need to know in terms of the phone's specs, and tell you what we'd expect to see from such a high-profile phone.

Design

In terms of its actual shape, Samsung hasn't strayed far from what it knows with the Galaxy Nexus. Rounded edges and a gently curved frame are the order of the day, and there's a grey-ish patterned coating across the back.

The camera bulges out of the frame slightly, in a way we're not too keen on. But it's a minor quibble, and one we'll forget if the camera itself proves to be a good one.

There are no buttons on the Galaxy Nexus, not even touch-sensitive ones. Now everything happens on-screen, but more on that later.

With a 4.65-inch display, the Galaxy Nexus is a really big mobile. It's nearly as big as the HTC Sensation XL, and that phone feels huge. We wouldn't be surprised if those with shorter fingers find it hard to stretch their digits across this vast touchscreen.

The Galaxy Nexus has a curved chassis that's just 7mm thick at its thinnest point.

Despite being so massive you could land a Boeing 747 on it, the Galaxy Nexus is reasonably thin, at just under 9mm thick. We suspect you'll have no trouble fitting it inside your jeans pocket or handbag.

It's light too. The Galaxy Nexus weighs just 135g, which is 5g lighter than the smaller iPhone 4S. That means the size of the screen is the only issue in terms of portability, and as we mentioned already, we suspect most pockets are up to the challenge of housing this beast.

Ice Cream Sandwich

The most exciting thing about the Galaxy Nexus is that it's going to be the first phone to run Ice Cream Sandwich, the very latest edition of Google's Android operating system, following on from Gingerbread.

Ice Cream Sandwich is designed to be the operating system that unifies the smart phone and tablet versions of Android, tying the whole lot together in a whirl of Tron-style glowing blue boxes. With Ice Cream Sandwich you get on-screen buttons, 'back', 'home' and a multi-tasking button borrowed from Honeycomb.

When you tap that button all the apps you have running will appear, stacked on top of each other in little boxes. Scroll through this tower of apps and tap on the one you want to switch to.

The unlock screen in Ice Cream Sandwich can be opened by the camera recognising your face. Cool!

It looks like a neat method of handling multi-tasking, and with any luck it'll make Android a bit easier to use. This rather geeky OS can sometimes feel a bit baffling if you're not used to its quirky behaviour.

Other treats include the ability to unlock your phone by letting your mobile recognise your face, and responding to incoming calls with pre-programmed texts, such as, "Not now, I'm in a meeting." Clever stuff.

The fact that the Galaxy Nexus is running raw Ice Cream Sandwich with no Samsung apps or skin is also appealing -- this is Android for purists, and means the Galaxy Nexus will likely get updates faster than other phones.

Screen

One part of hardware the Galaxy Nexus does boast that outdoes its rivals is its display. This is a 720x1,280 pixel screen, making the Galaxy Nexus a proper HD phone. With a 100,000:1 contrast ratio, we're really eager to get a look at this panel, and see how it handles our movies and hundreds of photos of cats.

We can't wait to see how the hi-def screen handles movies and photos.

The Galaxy Nexus will come in 16 and 32GB flavours -- which size you opt for will depend on whether you're planning on filling the phone with apps and video. It also comes with NFC tech, for making mobile payments (though Google hasn't brought this to the UK yet) or trading info with other NFC-enabled phones.

Camera

The Galaxy Nexus has a 5-megapixel camera, which is troubling because that's a much lower resolution than the snappers you'd find on rival phones. The iPhone 4S has an 8-megapixel model nestled inside its smooth glass frame, as does the upcoming Motorola Razr. Even the Samsung Galaxy S2, which has been out for ages, has an 8-megapixel camera.

Decent photography is not all about the megapixels -- this much we know. But a low resolution camera isn't a particularly good omen, especially from a phone that's going to be the Google flagship. Fingers crossed the Galaxy Nexus can muster up some decent snaps when we give it the full review treatment.

Outlook

In some respects, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus looks like a blisteringly cool phone -- the screen is of a much higher resolution than we're used to, and it's going to be the first mobile to run Ice Cream Sandwich gives it definite kudos. But there are some things we're concerned about, like the disappointing camera resolution, and the design, which doesn't look too striking.

Other phones will be snarfing the Ice Cream Sandwich, though currently it's anyone's guess as to when that'll be. As such, the Galaxy Nexus needs to prove itself a great piece of kit in its own right if it's to ensure long-term success. Stay tuned for the full review.

New Samsung tablet bundled with social TV app

2011-10-24T18:58:00.001-07:00

New Samsung tablet bundled with social TV app

Samsung has just opened up pre-orders for its new Galaxy Tab 7 Plus tablet. You can pick one up for $399.99 for the 16 GB version and $499.99 for the 32 GB device beginning November 13th.

These new tablets will come bundled with Peel, the universal remote and social TV app (also available for iOs and Android devices). In a slick user interface, Peel suggests TV shows based on what you watch and like, and until now, it required you have the “Peel Fruit” device to control your entire entertainment system with the app. The fruit converts WiFi commands from your iPhone or iPad to IR signals.

The new Samsung tablet doesn’t require the Peel Fruit to interface with your home entertainment system. This is possible, “with its built in IR remote functionality,” which Greg Lindley, chief experience officer for Peel explains. This opens up a new audience for Peel’s app that hasn’t wanted to buy a separate device.

“The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus optimized with the innovative Peel application will enable users to connect seamlessly to view their favorite TV shows,” said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Mobile. “Our partnership with Peel further builds on Samsung’s convergence strategy to create enhanced user experiences.”

Samsung is already a major player in the Connected TV world and bringing their tablets one step closer to their “Apps Built for your TV” world is a smart idea.

Samsung Smart TV App Store Reaches 1000 Apps & 10m Downloads

2011-10-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

Samsung Smart TV App Store Reaches 1000 Apps & 10m Downloads

Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung Electronics this week celebrated two major milestones for its HDTV-based app store, Samsung Apps. The application store for Samsung’s internet-connected Smart TV displays has now reached the first landmark of having one thousand registered apps, and a second even more impressive achievement of smashing through the ten million download barrier.

Samsung Smart TV app store reaches 1000 apps

The figures showed that the Samsung Apps store is growing both in terms of size and popularity among tech-hungry consumers. Topping the list of most downloaded apps were online video applications, which took the top spot both on a regional and an international basis. YouTube was the most popular Smart TV app in both South Korea and the United States according to the data.

In February of last year, Samsung became the first TV manufacturer in the world to launch a television-based app store. Since then the app store has gone from strength to strength, reaching five million downloads in May 2011, and growing by more than 100 percent in the space of just a few months to break the ten million barrier today. This has come about due to the number of downloads per day doubling compared to May of this year, having increased to an average of 50,000 downloads per day.

The data not only reflected the popularity of the Samsung Apps TV store, but also demonstrated how the number of active users of Smart TVs has grown. The Seoul-based conglomerate has been striving to create an ecosystem that provides a huge range of top quality content through collaborations with leading content providers, and it seems that users are lapping up the huge amount of choice and great content on offer.

Kang-hyun Kwon, Samsung’s senior vice president of media solutions centre, said that the company will continue to build on its success by seeking partnerships with more content providers who are also interested in bringing high quality apps to market.

Apple-Samsung Patent Battle: Apple's Totally Winning

2011-10-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

Apple-Samsung Patent Battle: Apple's Totally Winning

Samsung's not getting much love from the courts as it tries to defend against Apple's patent infringement claims.

In the United States, District Judge Lucy Koh repeatedly mentioned the visual similarities between Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Apple's iPad. In one instance, reported by Reuters, she held up both tablets side-by-side, and challenged Samsung's attorneys to tell them apart. One Samsung attorney, standing 10 feet away, said she couldn't tell the difference at that distance. Another Samsung lawyer picked the correct answer a moment later.

Koh is now considering whether to ban Samsung's tablets from the U.S. market for the duration of the patent infringement trial. Fortunately for Samsung, Koh made a "tentative" decision not to ban the Tab based on Apple's "utility" patents, but she may still allow an injunction based on the similar designs. Apple will have to establish the validity of its design patents if it wants the Galaxy Tab 10.1 removed from store shelves.

Overseas, Samsung's luck has been worse. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has already been banned in Australia and Germany. In the Netherlands, Samsung's attempt to strike back and gain leverage with an infringement claim on the 3G patents used in the iPhone and 3G iPad was denied. The ruling could, in turn, affect similar claims that Samsung has made in France and Italy. Samsung has been talking about launching a stronger offensive against Apple's newest iPhone, but so far the company's not getting much traction.

My non-legal mind continues to think that if Samsung's getting busted for making a tablet that looks like the iPad, then all non-iPad tablet makers should be under scrutiny. But I also think the competition is healthy and good for consumers. So whatever happens to the Galaxy Tab 10.1, I hope Samsung can move on and keep making tablets. Some of them look pretty cool.

Samsung Galaxy S Stratosphere Takes iPhone 4S Head-on Tomorrow Read more: http://www.itproportal.com/2011/10/12/galaxy-s-stratosphere-takes-iphone-4s-head-on-tomorrow/#ixzz1ae1U2W9j

2011-10-13T00:27:00.000-07:00

Samsung Galaxy S Stratosphere Takes iPhone 4S Head-on Tomorrow

Just a day before Apple's flagship iPhone 4S becomes available, Samsung's 4G LTE Galaxy S Stratosphere will go on sale.
Verizon was the only major US carrier that didn't include the Galaxy S2 (newly crowned T3 'phone of the year') in its line-up, and now the Galaxy S Stratosphere promises to take advantage of the pent-up demand. In addition, the Stratosphere is the first smartphone with a physical Qwerty keyboard supporting the 4G LTE network available on Verizon.
In order to get the Galaxy S Stratosphere Verizon subscribers will have to sign a two-year contract and pay a subsidized price of $149.99 and additional $70 monthly fees for voice plan and 2GB data plan.

However, both companies hope that the features integrated in Stratosphere make the price worth. The distinctive characteristic is the five-row physical keyboard, important for business users as well as 4-inch AMOLED touchscreen. The two cameras, one in front with 1.3 MP for video chatting and one in the rear with 5 MP are also meant to impress the users. Additional business features as Cisco AnyConnect 2.1 SSL VPN security, support for Exchange ActiveSync and Sybase Afaria Mobile Device Management should attract business users that are currently more loyal to RIM devices. Verizon's LETE network with data speeds up to 12 Mbps is also perceived as a convincing selling motivation.

Meanwhile Stratosphere' s great rival iPhone 4S already breaks the selling records as pre-orders figures show.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 review

2011-10-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 review

Anorexic is in…amongst tablets and the first Samsung tablet that we reviewed – the Galaxy Tab – didn't exactly fit that profile. But Samsung did make an impression with its debutante's quality and prowess.

The second in the series was released almost a year later. Samsung missed out on some opportunities because in the interim, a lot of companies had entered the foray, each of them bringing in more innovation targeted at outdoing competition. Samsung is now striking back with the new Galaxy Tab 750 and Galaxy Tab 730. Both tablets are similar as far as the tech specs are concerned, differing only in the screen sizes they come in. I spent some time with the 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab 750 figuring out how well it fares as my primary media consumption device.

Music and movies

The Samsung tabs have shed the original's girth and gained some tech weight instead. In fact they are marginally thinner than the iPad. The Samsung review unit's 10.1-inch screen with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels reproduced images and videos beautifully. I watched a long-pending BBC documentary ‘The Life and Death of a Mobile Phone' on the tablet. The speaker grilles placed on either side of the bezel tended to get covered when I was holding the tablet by the sides, muffling the output. However, the audio quality on the tablet was definitely above average. It did not match the loud volumes on the Motorola Xoom, but dialogues and music were pretty clear. The display on the tablet too, turned out to be quite brilliant.

Checking out the clicker

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 is endowed with a 3MP camera at the rear, surprisingly no better than the original Galaxy Tab. The results were as anticipated – decent shots under sunlight and slightly grainy pics indoors even with most lights on. This camera also lets you capture high-definition videos (in 720p). The video-conferencing camera at the front has been upgraded to a 2MP clicker and the results were marginally better.

One of the best uses I could put the Galaxy Tab 750 to was using it as an e-reader. On the massive screen, books were not only perfectly legible by default (no pinching and zooming to get it to the right size) but it also felt like an original book in my hands owing to the tablet's dimensions.

Power specs

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 runs on a 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra-2 processor – the same as LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Atrix and Asus EeePad Transformer. The tab never froze during use but there were a handful of times when there was a visible lag during functions. At times, the homescreen's orientation stuttered while I was changing it from landscape to portrait. I also noticed the same problem while swiping through homepages once in a while.

The tablet supports Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity letting you transfer media at a speed ten times faster than on a USB 2.0. The tablet has a mini-HDMI port so you can hook it up to a larger display to watch high definition videos. The 7000mAh battery keeps the Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 powered on for almost 8-9 hours with the Wi-fi connected, occasional downloads, gaming, and streaming music videos on YouTube. You have the option of choosing between 16GB and 32GB of internal storage on this tablet.

App talk

The apps bundled with the tablet include Polaris – to create and edit power-point presentations, Word documents and spreadsheets. Social Hub lets you have your entire list of contacts, emails and status updates integrated from various platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Gmail etc., in one screen. You can choose from more than 15 social networking sites that are available within the Social Hub.

The 3G SIM card slot is at the top ridge of the tab, where the 3.5mm headphone jack, volume rocker and the power button are also lodged. With a glass fascia and pristine white rear panel, the Galaxy Tab 750 looks really elegant. Weighing in at about 565 grams, the device is probably one of the lightest in the genre, as of now.

The verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 has a couple of factors that tip the scales in its favour. The lightweight construction, elegant design, high-res screen make for a device that takes care of most of your multimedia needs. As far as claims of this being an iPad killer are concerned, I'll have to say this tablet has its moments but in its entirety doesn't really give you the kind of experience that the iPad 2 delivers. Nevertheless, Galaxy Tab 750 turns out to be a nice sequel to the original Galaxy Tab and remains one of the top buys in the market. How long it'll be able to retain that position is something that remains to be seen.

Samsung ambushes Apple's iPhone 4S launch in Sydney

2011-10-11T23:47:00.000-07:00

Samsung ambushes Apple's iPhone 4S launch in Sydney

iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy high street battle

Apple fans queue outside Sydney's Apple store for Friday's delivery of the new iPhone 4S as bargain-hunters queue for the $2 Samsung Galaxy S II, just one shop away.

Samsung has ambushed the launch of the iPhone 4S by offering $2 smartphones in a temporary shop just metres away from the official Sydney Apple store.

A queue - longer than that outside Apple's store - was seen outside the Samsung "pop up" store at 8am today, with those in line hoping to get their hands on a new Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone for the nominal price of $2.

Some waiting in line had been there since Monday, with the store only letting the first 10 in line each day receive the $2 phone. Those waiting since Monday were those wanting the next day's batch of phones.

It comes just days after Samsung said it halted the unveiling of a new Google Android phone as a sign of respect for those mourning the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs.

The South Korean company this week rented a store just two doors down from the Sydney Apple store to promote the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone and its new online music subscription service, Music Hub.

Samsung's temporary "pop up" store on George Street. Photo: Samsung

The iPhone 4S, Apple's latest revision of its smartphone, goes on sale at 8am on Friday.

Samsung is one of Apple's strongest competitors, with its Galaxy S II smartphone making inroads against the iPhone 4.

Samsung's tablets are also receiving favourable reviews despite attempts by Apple to use the courts to prevent the tablets from going to market.

Inside Samsung's "pop up" store. Photo: Ben Grubb

Samsung has also filed suit in both France and Italy in an attempt to block the iPhone 4S from launching but has not filed a similar suit in Australia.

It's not the first time the smartphone wars have extended into guerilla marketing tactics. At an HTC event last year Nokia representatives were outside HTC's launch venue in London and the Finnish phone maker even handed out HTC press conference "survival kits" to journalists.

Nokia also purchased advertising on high-profile sites such as Fairfax Media's smh.com.au on the day the iPhone 4S was unveiled last week, which advertised its N9 smartphone.

John Kim, 19, and Russell Lee, 20. John plans to sell his $2 Galaxy S II and Russell plans to keep his. Photo: Ben Grubb

An embargoed version of Samsung's Music Hub release that went out to select media on September 30 did not include the fact that Samsung would rent the "pop up" store on George Street.

A general media release sent on the night of the Music Hub launch last Thursday - the day Jobs died and just one day after the announcement of the iPhone 4S - did, however, include the fact.

Fife Capital's Gareth Sneade, who manages the $24 million building Samsung has used part of for the week, told Fairfax that Samsung approached it within the last three months to rent the bottom floor store front of the building.

People waiting outside Samsung's store on Monday. Photo: Samsung

Mr Sneade wouldn't disclose how much Fife was leasing the property to Samsung for but said it was providing short-term month-to-month leases to anyone who wanted one. He was ''unaware'' of Samsung's future intentions with the property after Friday and said Samsung ''was a good fit'' to have renting its property. Samsung said it had "no plans" to continue renting the property beyond Friday.

The building is yet to be renovated and had a development application approved by the City of Sydney in May. Clothing store Fletcher Jones previously rented the store front, according to land title records.

Apple line

How Fife Capital envisages the store Samsung is currently in temporarily to look like after it is developed. Photo: City of Sydney/Fife Capital

Sydney school students Tom Mosca, of West Hoxton, and Wil Batterham, of Chatswood, both 15, have lined up outside Apple's George Street store before Friday's iPhone 4S launch. They arrived at 10.30am yesterday.

The two boys - who are good friends and first met in line waiting for the iPad 2 earlier this year - said many people had approached them trying to convince them to stand in the Samsung line instead of the Apple line.

"There's this guy who has come up to us trying to convince us to buy the Samsung Galaxy S II two days in a row now," said Tom. "And he's an idiot.

Russell Lee will be using his $2 Galaxy S II to replace his old Nokia 100 phone. Photo: Ben Grubb

"The amount of people asking what we are lining up for is absolutely astonishing," said Wil.

Wil said the iPhone 4S was "so much simpler, it's better, it's classier, it's sexier" than the iPhone 4.

Both boys said their parents knew they were camping at Apple's store. Tom's parents told him that if he wanted to camp out he could, he said.

Caroline and Jessica Kim waiting in the Samsung line. Photo: Ben Grubb

The last time the two lined up - which lasted 50 hours - was at the same Apple store for the iPad 2. Tom was third in line then, he said, as two others beat him to being first. "The reason I was third was because the other two guys were tourists and they didn't have any place to stay."

Tom recently sold his iPhone but is keeping it until he gets the 4S on Friday. He said he laughed when he saw the Samsung store and people waiting in line there. "I mean we're no better than them but at least we're getting an iPhone." Wil interjected with a laugh, saying the two were better.

Wil said he wasn't lining up at the Chatswood Apple store that was closer to him as the experience was not as good. "Lining up at the Chatswood store you have to wait outside a mall and you don't get the experience that you would here."

Tom Mosa and Wil Batterham, both 15. Photo: Ben Grubb

Samsung line

Two people Fairfax spoke to in Samsung's line - brother and sister John, 19, and Jessica Kim, 20, from Lidcombe and Burwood respectively - said they would sell their $2 Samsung Galaxy S II smartphones to go on a trip to India. John used an iPhone and would be sticking with it, and Jessica an Optus MyTab, which she used as a phone and tablet. They said the were planning on using the funds to finance some of their India trip.

A cousin of theirs, Caroline Kim, 21 and from Strathfield, said she would keep the Galaxy S II. Her boyfriend, Russell Lee, 20 and from Lidcombe, would also keep his. He's using it to replace his old Nokia 100 mobile.

Both Jessica and Caroline were sleeping in a bright orange tent while John and Russell kept each other company on camping chairs.

Jessica couldn't believe why the two boys at the Apple store were lining up so early. "I can't believe people are lining up for three days just to get it earlier."

"They're waiting three days to pay the full price of the iPhone," said John, suggesting they could've waited in Samsung's line and paid $2 for the Galaxy S II and sold it and used the funds to purchase an iPhone 4S.

This reporter is on Facebook: /bengrubb

Nexus Prime or Samsung Galaxy delay: Quick Recap

2011-10-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

Nexus Prime or Samsung Galaxy delay: Quick Recap

so-called Nexus Prime? Or Galaxy Nexus?

Nexus Prime or Galaxy Prime launch delayed

Google and Samsung Mobile have decided to delay the launch of the next Nexus device, or the smartphone that will also unveil the next version of the popular operating system Android.

The Google Nexus S, the 2010 Nexus phone made by Samsung Mobile. This device was the first to use the Android Gingerbread operating system.

In a statement, Samsung said that it is “not the right time to announce a new product.” Many believe that the decision is due to untimely death of Apple’s former CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs, the leader behind the popular iOS mobile operating system — Android’s biggest rival.

Rumors say Google and Samsung will still announce the 2011 Android Nexus device this month, and the phone and operating system update will arrive before Thanksgiving.

Nexus Prime, Galaxy Prime “leaked” in YouTube

“A nicely done fake,” cries one commenter in the video of the alleged Nexus Prime that appeared in Google’s own YouTube site. One Android fan added, “Android 2.4/4.0 aka Ice Cream Sandwich = Pure Awesomeness,” praising Android’s next update that will arrive alongside the new Samsung device.

The leak appeared on Friday after Samsung’s low-key announcement that the October 11 “Google Episode” event was axed. A very interesting timing. “It’s fake,” another viewer said.

According to the Nexus Prime rumor mill, the device will include HD screen, 5-megapixel camera, 2-megapixel additional camera for video chat, a Texas Instruments dual-core processor, a full 1GB of RAM and the new Android operating system.

Android update

The next Android update is very significant especially for Nokia, the company that joined the underdog Windows Phone instead of the more popular platform that gave Samsung and HTC the market share boost.

In one archive interview of Stephen Elop, Nokia’s CEO and former Microsoft executive, he blamed Apple for making the Android a success, yes Apple, Android’s biggest rival. “Apple created Android, or at least it created the conditions necessary to create Android,” blaming Cupertino for being the catalyst of Google’s popular operating system.

“People decided they could not play in the Apple way, and they had to do something else. Then Google stepped in there and created Android… and others jumped on the Android train.”

Samsung

Samsung Electronics is one of the “others” that jumped on the Android train.. Or one of the companies that generated revenue by using Android. Samsung’s most popular smartphone to date is the Samsung Galaxy S II, an Android 2.3-based smartphone. Apparently, Samsung is also a Windows Phone smartphone manufacturer, but it looks like the company’s success is not with Microsoft.

If the Nexus Prime or Galaxy Nexus is true, then this year will be the second Nexus year for the South Korea-based company. Last year, Samsung released the second Google phone, the Nexus S.

Samsung honors Steve Jobs amid ongoing Apple patent battle

2011-10-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

Samsung honors Steve Jobs amid ongoing Apple patent battle

Samsung Electronics issued a statement honoring Steve Jobs, the co-founder, former chief executive and chairman of Apple Inc.

The short statement paying tribute to Jobs followed similar actions from other part-time rivals and part-time business partners of Apple such as Adobe, Google and Microsoft.

In Samsung's brief statement, which was widely reported Thursday, company CEO Choi Gee-sung said, "Steve Jobs introduced numerous revolutionary changes to the information technology industry and was a great entrepreneur. His innovative spirit and remarkable accomplishments will forever be remembered by people around the world."

For months, Apple and Samsung have been in an international patent battle: Suits and countersuits have been filed across Europe and in the U.S., Japan and Australia.

On Wednesday, before the news of Jobs' death, Samsung said it planned to file paperwork with courts in France and Italy to request a preliminary sales ban on Apple's iPhone 4S in those countries.

On Tuesday, Apple rejected an offer from Samsung to end its patent suits in Australia -- a step that could have possibly moved the two companies toward reconciliation in other countries as well.

In Australia, Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet is under a temporary sales freeze. Samsung's Galaxy S, Galaxy S II and Ace smartphones are under a similar preliminary sales injunction in 30 European countries, as are the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 7.7 in Germany. The reason behind all the injunctions is the patent suits between the two tech giants in those respective nations.

But the two firms have a different kind of relationship as well: Samsung is one of Apple's suppliers for key parts found in the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and iPod Touch.

Samsung, Apple relations to enter new chapter

2011-10-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

Samsung, Apple relations to enter new chapter

By Kim Ji-hyun and Cynthia J. Kim

The tumultuous relationship between Samsung and Apple may be headed for a new chapter following the recent death of co-founder Steve Jobs, who had waged a fierce patent war with the South Korean electronics bellwether.

While Samsung declined to comment on the business implications of Jobs' death out of respect for the deceased, industry watchers were quick to note that Samsung has been granted an extraordinary opportunity to fill the void Jobs has left.

"If Samsung can come up with a mind-blowing product with the right leadership, this is the time to do it," said Martin Lindstrom, one of the world's leading brand consultants.

He also advised Samsung to immediately move away from "copycat" designs and start producing more innovative gadgets.

"Samsung will take more and more market share from Apple only if it throws away Galaxy Tab which I really think is a copy of Apple's iPad," Lindstrom said.

Other market experts also have noted Apple may have to switch gears to a more accommodating stance now as Samsung makes more headway in both software development and smart devices to transform into tougher competition.

Relations between the world's leading IT companies -- despite being heavily interdependent for parts and related infrastructure -- started to sour in recent years over a protracted patent lawsuit -- a suit prompted by the California-based company that accused Samsung of ripping off its designs.

As early as August, some industry watchers had suggested Apple, under the helm of the new CEO Tim Cook, may assume a softer approach toward Samsung, including regarding the patent suit.

However, it is still early to predict a significant change in Apple's policies, especially those that were personally molded by Jobs.

Samsung sources also had shown caution in predicting a sanguine future, saying they did not believe it would see any significant changes from Apple under the new leadership.

For now, the South Korean company is avidly taking measures of its own to try and get ahead of Apple in the software race; the electronics maker recently forged several alliances with companies such as Intel and Microsoft involving cross-licensing deals and an agreement to jointly develop an open-platform operating system.

The move was widely interpreted to reduce Samsung's reliance on external software-makers and cut down unnecessary legal costs.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 Review

2011-10-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 Review
Reviewed by: William Harrel
Review Date: October 2011
Uncle! We certainly can’t complain about a lack of selection in the tablet market anymore. In the year and a half since the introduction of the original Apple iPad, handheld slates—an ever-increasing assortment of them—have popped up like digital daffodils. Every week, it seems, we see slicker, faster, and lighter machines that cost less and do more. We’ve gone from slim pickings to, quite frankly, too many tough choices.
Samsung has made more than its share of impressive contributions to this market. Its 10-inch Galaxy Tab 10.1 ranks among our favorite tablets. Hence, we weren’t surprised by how much we liked the company’s newest, and slightly smaller, offering, the $469 Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9.
The Galaxy Tab 8.9 comes in two configurations: a $469 model with 16GB of RAM (that's one we reviewed), and a 32GB version for $100 more. This new slate doesn’t offer any groundbreaking new features versus the 10.1-inch model. Instead, it combines several proven options and brings them together in a small, light, thin, and stylish device.
Nothing is perfect, though, and we weren’t thrilled with all of Samsung’s configuration choices. For example, rather than providing an HDMI port for viewing the tablet’s media content on a high-definition (HD) monitor or television, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 relies on Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) to achieve that. Relying solely on DLNA significantly limits users' viewing options. (We'll talk more about DLNA later in this review.)
In addition, the Galaxy Tab 8.9’s only data port is a proprietary USB 2.0 jack, which doubles as the power connection for charging the battery. It has no onboard SD-card slot or other flash-card readers. Instead, it relies on adapters that, as you'll see, are clumsy and far from an ideal solution.
Overall, though, we liked the Galaxy Tab 8.9's ultra-slim and light design. We found it very responsive and comfortable to hold and use, and as with its predecessors, the screen is nothing short of gorgeous...

Design
Taking the Galaxy Tab 8.9 out of its box, we were surprised and delighted by its ultra-thin (0.34-inch) and light (1-pound) chassis. In addition, the unconventional 8.9-inch screen makes for a slightly smaller tablet than the biggest ones on the market, without compromising much on the overall screen size.
At 9.1 inches wide and 6.2 inches high, this model is easier to hold for long periods than the full-size 10-inch tablets. As comfortable as the Galaxy Tab 8.9 is to hold, though, the 9.4-inch Sony Tablet S, with its wedge design, feels even better in the hand. Still, the Galaxy Tab 8.9's narrower width makes typing in landscape orientation easier, since you don't have to stretch your thumbs so far to reach the center keys. This slate feels light in your hands, while at the same time exuding sturdy, durable construction.
The simplicity of its design—the lack of buttons on the front, an understated front camera lens, and an otherwise empty, uncluttered bezel—gives it an overall appearance of modest elegance. In fact, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 has very few buttons and ports anywhere on the body. Across the top (if you're holding it in landscape orientation), you'll find only a power button, the volume controls, an audio jack, and the pinhole microphone inlet...

On the bottom are the combination USB 2.0/power port (it's a proprietary design) and the openings for the tablet's two speakers...


That's all there is around the edges.
You’ll find a 2-megapixel camera on the front face, centered in the top bezel. There is also a 3-megapixel camera, equipped with an autofocus feature and its own flash, on the back...


We tried the front camera in a couple of Voice over IP (VoIP) and video calls, and we were impressed with the smooth frame rate and overall picture clarity. The rear camera, though, is the one that's loaded with options. Similar to a good digital camera, it tries to find the face of the subject in the shot, centers on it, and automatically focuses itself. You can set the flash to Auto Flash so that the camera decides when to use it, or you can tell it to flash on every shot. In addition, a host of of settings control picture quality (such as Scene Mode, White Balance, and Metering), and you can even apply a few special effects to your shots (Sepia, Grayscale, and Negative).
The pictures and short movie clips we shot with the rear camera were quite good, at least compared with the ho-hum results we've seen from most tablet and smartphone cameras. The pictures and videos were clear, and the color reproduction was accurate. Granted, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 is not an 8-megapixel high-definition powerhouse, but it more than gets the job done for a tablet.
While the cameras are overachievers, the physical connectivity is not quite as adept. The Galaxy Tab 8.9 lacks a few ports and slots that are important (perhaps even critical) to some users, such a flash-card reader, a miniature or standard USB port, and HDMI ports. To compensate, Samsung offers several accessories. To expand storage, for instance, you can purchase a $29.99 SD-card adapter or a $19.99 USB flash-memory adapter. A drawback to this approach is that these devices plug into the charging port, which means you have to disconnect them to charge the tablet. We can envision several inconvenient situations that would result from this, such as the inability to play movies from the adapters while the Galaxy Tab 8.9 is charging. You might find yourself juggling content on and off of the memory adapters—not exactly the seamless experience we were hoping for.
We consider the lack of an HDMI port on the device a semi-serious exclusion. Relying on DLNA to push and pull content from TVs and other devices assumes that the user has the latest networkable, DLNA-ready electronics. (If you're one to always have the latest and greatest gizmos, this is a non-issue for you, but many folks don't keep up.) For those who don't have a networkable TV, Samsung offers a $34.99 dock for the Galaxy Tab 8.9 that has an HDMI pass-through on it. Using this dock allows you to connect the Galaxy Tab 8.9 to your TV, but it would have been nicer to have the port right on the tablet, say, for use when you're away from home.
Features
In touch interfaces, we're seeing a fairly new trend, started by Microsoft on smartphones with Windows Phone 7, and continuing, it appears, in the upcoming Windows 8. (See our impressions of the Windows 8 Developer Preview edition.) Rather than providing just the icons for specific apps, these interfaces display live content in "tiles." In other words, your weather-app tile displays up-to-date weather information, your Twitter-app tile displays the most current tweets, your Facebook tile displays recent newsfeed data, and so on. As long as your tablet is connected to the Internet, these tiles update regularly, displaying the most current information associated with a particular app.
Samsung has adopted these in the Galaxy Tab 8.9, calling them "Live Panels." You can create Live Panels for nearly all of your apps, and you can create multiple pages of panels. You can also mix-and-match Live Panels with the usual, static app icons and widgets. When you use Live Panels in conjunction with Samsung's TouchWiz (a user interface that allows you to resize, drag, and drop icons, widgets, and Live Panels with your fingers), you can create highly customized home screens. These screens not only provide quick access to your apps and data, but they also keep you informed without having to open specific apps to get the most current information...


As we mentioned, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 supports DLNA, which allows you to push and pull content to and from other networked DLNA devices (such as Windows PCs, Macs, TVs, and DVD and Blu-ray players) through Samsung's AllShare app and platform. Although AllShare works with any DLNA-compliant device, the AllShare platform provides additional functionality when used with Samsung appliances that also support AllShare. (These include certain Samsung networkable Smart TVs.) For example, you can stream just about anything on the tablet, including a Web browser, straight to a Samsung Smart TV. We didn't have such a Samsung TV (or any other DLNA-capable HDTV, for that matter) to test this. But in this screenshot of the interface, you can see the TV icon above the photo, allowing you to output the content to another display...


If you don't have a Samsung Smart TV, AllShare works just like any other DLNA client, allowing you to share content to and from other networked DLNA-compliant devices. When we fired up AllShare, it automatically found all of the DLNA devices on our wireless network, including the PCs, Macs, and several other tablets and smartphones. Within a few seconds, we were playing media from these devices on the Galaxy Tab 8.9, as well as streaming content to them from the tablet. DLNA is not new technology, but Samsung's AllShare app sure makes it a lot easier to use.
Speaking of easy, the Galaxy Tab 8.9's Social Hub app brings your e-mail and social-media accounts together in one app, providing a list of all new activity in one easy-to-use screen. It supports e-mail, including Microsoft Exchange servers, as well as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Once you've got it configured, you can put the Social Hub widget, which displays a current list of all new e-mails, Facebook updates, tweets and LinkedIn comments, on your home screen...


Using Social Hub, you can view activity in all these locations without having to open their respective apps—unless, of course, you see something you want to respond to or examine more closely. Then, you simply touch the item in question and fire off your response.
The ability to sync with Exchange servers is just one of enterprise-level functions supported by the Galaxy Tab 8.9. The tablet can encrypt Exchange data during the sync operation, keeping it secure. The tablet also comes with Cisco's WebEx conferencing app, allowing you to attend electronic meetings right from your tablet. In addition, if you lose your Galaxy Tab 8.9, the FindMyMobile app tracks it and displays its whereabouts on a map. You can also use FindMyMobile to lock the device from afar, which will prevent unauthorized access while your tablet is out of your possession. You can also delete information stored on the tablet remotely—yet another way to keep critical personal or business information safe from prying eyes.
Several other apps on the tablet are worth mentioning. One, Samsung's Media Hub, provides access to thousands of popular movies, while the parallel Music Hub lets you download music from a catalog consisting of millions of songs. Likewise, the Readers Hub lets you purchase and read electronic books, newspapers, and magazines from Samsung's online library. You can share this content with other devices without paying additional download fees, so long as the other device is made by Samsung.
On the getting-things-done side, Samsung pre-installs Polaris Office on the Galaxy Tab 8.9. This "app suite" allows you to view, edit, and create Microsoft Office Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations in Office 97, 2003, or 2007 formats. This is a full version—you don't have to pay to make it fully functional. Samsung also includes many other apps and utilities to get you started, such as an Amazon Kindle reader, a YouTube app, and a nifty Photo Editor app. The last comes in very handy in concert with the good onboard cameras. It lets you make image corrections, such as adjusting color saturation, brightness, and contrast, as well as crop and resize images. You can also apply special-effect filters, such as Blur, Motion, and Frames. Photo Editor is no Photoshop, but we think the ability to make these kinds of edits to images right from your tablet is a handy feature.
If you need additional apps, you can always download them from Google's Android Market, which contains hundreds of thousands of free and low-cost ones. You can also find apps at the Samsung Apps market site. According to Samsung, Samsung Apps is “a marketplace designed to provide a variety of mobile applications especially developed and carefully selected for Samsung mobile devices." As of this writing (early October 2011), this service was fairly new and not yet fully developed. All the apps were free when we looked, but Samsung says it will be adding paid apps soon.
Performance
The Galaxy Tab 8.9 runs version 3.1 of the Android operating system (a.k.a. Honeycomb) on a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor (a dual-core ARM Cortex chip). Graphics are handled by an 8.9-inch capacitive-touch screen, with a native resolution of 1,280x800. Our test unit performed on a par with other Android devices we've tested with similar configurations. Interestingly, it outperformed the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (which has the same resolution) on many of our tests.
For example, on our An3DBench test, which measures 3D-graphics capabilities, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 scored 7,740, while the Galaxy Tab 10.1 scored slightly lower (7,585). Both tablets beat the Android-tablet average on this test (7,120) handily.
The Galaxy Tab 8.9's score of 31.3 on the CPU-intensive single-thread Linpack for Android test was also above the Android average of 28.3, but well behind the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101's score of 42.8, and the Acer Iconia Tab A500's 42.6. Both of those tablets use the same processor that the Galaxy Tab 8.9 does. On the other hand, we often see tablets with this processor drop below 30, as well, such as the Sony Tablet S, which scored 29.4. On the multi-threaded version of the Linpack for Android test, which taxes multiple cores of a processor, our test unit scored 54.6—again, middle of the road.
The Galaxy Tab 8.9 also ran with the pack on our SunSpider JavaScript benchmark, which measures JavaScript processing speed inside the tablet's native browser. Its score of 2,039 was slightly ahead of most other Android tablets, but not by much. (On this test, a lower score is better.) By comparison, the Sony Tablet S scored 2,202 on this test.
We also ran our game-simulation test, GUIMark 2. Here, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 scored 32 frames per second (fps), which was 2fps to 5fps faster than most Android tablets running the same processor and OS. (Among all of the tablets we've tested, only the Acer Iconia Tab A500 and its score of 39.1fps was faster.) Our test unit also performed well on our SpeedTest.net test, which measures Wi-Fi download and upload speeds. It consistently downloaded at over 20,000Kbps and uploaded at over 5,000Kbps. Very few tablets we've tested performed this well, especially Android-based ones.
We then ran our Boot Time Test, which measures the time from when we push the power button to when the tablet becomes usable. Our test unit's score of 31 seconds placed it roughly smack-dab in the middle of the tablets-we've-tested pack. TheToshiba Thrive 10 Tablet's 24-second time was the best we've seen on this test. The Galaxy Tab 8.9's score was indeed better than the Android-tablet average (36 seconds), but most Android tablets we've tested haven't come close to the Apple iPad 2's field-leading boot time of 22 seconds.
The iPad 2 also consistently lasts nearly twice as long (14 hours and 22 minutes) as Android slates do on our Battery Rundown Test. (In this test, we play a movie on repeat until the tablet dies.) The Galaxy Tab 8.9 lasted 7:32 on this trial, a quarter-hour longer than the Android-tablet average (7:17). Interestingly, Android tablets based on the same processor and OS score all over the board on this test. The Galaxy Tab 10.1's 9:26 beat out its smaller sibling by nearly two hours, and Motorola's Xoom lasted 9:40.
All of these numbers aside, the bottom line is that the Galaxy Tab 8.9 performs as expected for a tablet running its hardware and operating system. More important than small differences in benchmark-test scores is the overall user experience, such as how fast pages load and how responsive the screen is to touch gestures—the things that make a tablet pleasant to use. From that perspective, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 is winner on all accounts. We liked using this slate.
Conclusion
As we noted at the start of this review, we're drowning in a sea of new Android tablets, with new models often topping each other in features in rapid succession. Plus, Amazon's upcoming tablet, the Kindle Fire, could be a market disruptor at the low end when it debuts later this fall. (See our preview of the Amazon Kindle Fire.) The fact that the Galaxy Tab 8.9 still manages to stand out is to Samsung's credit.
This tablet is attractive, powerful, and portable, and its slightly smaller form makes it easier to carry around and more comfortable to use than most 10-inch tablets. Since it has the same 1,200x800 native resolution as the larger slates, you don’t really give up much by going with its slightly smaller screen.
We're not thrilled with some of Samsung's connectivity compromises, however. Leaving out the HDMI port, for example, prohibits many users from displaying content on HDTVs (without the optional multimedia dock, that is). And the lack of a flash-card slot makes getting high-quality images onto the tablet a bit cumbersome. However, without these design choices, this tablet might not have been as thin, attractive, or comfortable to use as it is.
On the flip side, you get plenty of versatility with this device, thanks to its support for both the Android Market and Samsung’s App Store, not to mention the very useful apps that Samsung includes for free. Overall, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 is another tablet winner from Samsung, delivering a fine balance of size, aesthetics, features, and performance.

T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II Initial Impressions

2011-10-08T19:59:00.001-07:00

T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II Initial Impressions

The FedEx man brought me a lovely little gift yesterday: The T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II. This is the last stateside arrival of the Galaxy S II family. The review will take a bit to get out the door, so until then I figured I'd whet your appetite with some initial impressions.

First of all, this thing is big. Really big. I have to say though, I love the design of it. It feels sturdy and very well made. Like Samsung really knows what they're doing. The plastic back has a wonderful texture to it that almost makes it feel like leather. I think I like it better than cold, slippery aluminum. The 4.52 inch screen is bright and beautiful, but the extremely low pixel density means everything is gigantic.

The T-Mobile variant (codenamed "Hercules") is the odd man out in the SGSII family. T-Mobile saw fit to swap out the 1.2GHz Samsung Exynos processor for a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon, which has moar gigahertz but a crappier GPU. The two gigahertz numbers aren't directly comparable, so I'll have to play attention to performance in the review. Expect benchmarks.

This beauty is also equipped with NFC (unlike the Sprint variant), so hopefully, someday, it'll have Google Wallet support. Right now only Nexus S 4G owners get to live in the future. Speaking of software, this thing is packed with garbage. It comes with 3 and a half pages of apps; I've got my work cut out for me.

The full review will be coming in a few days. I'm going to go get to work. In the mean time, enjoy the photos and feel free to ask any questions you would like addressed in the write-up.

Samsung Nexus Prime: Alleged Final Specs Unveiled

2011-10-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

Samsung Nexus Prime: Alleged Final Specs Unveiled

The expected launch event announcing the arrival of the new Samsung Nexus Prime smartphone might be postponed until some future date, but that hasn't stopped new reports from coming forward that detail what's alleged to be the final specifications of the new Android 4.0 device.

Boy Genius Report's Jonathan Geller has the phone's alleged load out, with the list of information being provided by an unattributed source. That's slightly less trustworthy than an official confirmation from Samsung or Google, but the phone's alleged features do line up with a number of the rumors that we've culled together from various sources.

Or, in other words, it's more likely than not that the list of specs – especially being delivered so close to the original alleged public unveiling of the phone – is more true than false.

So what's in the Nexus Prime? According to Geller, the Ice Cream Sandwich-based phone (that's the aforementioned Android 4.0 mobile OS) is going to sport a Texas Instruments OMAP4460 processor – a dual-core, Cortex A9 chip that's expected to run at 1.2 GHz. A full gigabyte of RAM supplements the chip, and all the device's electronics – including its built-in 32 gigabytes of internal storage – fit within a nine-millimeter-thin frame.

The Nexus Prime's AMOLED HD screen is expected to hit a total of 4.65 inches in width and run at a 720P resolution, or 1280-by-720 pixels. A 1.3-megapixel camera joins this screen on the smartphone's front, but its more noteworthy sibling, a 5-megapixel camera capable of recording 1080P video, sits on the smartphone's rear.

The Nexus Prime's internal wireless connectivity runs all the way up to Wireless-N, and a built-in 1,750 mAh battery should give enthusiasts plenty of time for futzing around with all the new features of Ice Cream Sandwich – multitasking tool included!

That said, there's been no word (official or otherwise) as to what the phone's actual standby time, talk time, or heavy-use time would be. And since the phone is expected to deploy exclusively to Verizon in the U.S., and fully support the carrier's LTE network, get ready to trade high-speed connectivity for a high-speed battery drain. Such is the price of performance.

So when will consumers actually be able to check out the real Nexus Prime? Samsung and Google's postponed launch event for the device – or, at least the alleged launch – was first rumored to be happening on October 27 in London, although a Samsung spokesperson has since denied the existence of the alleged event.

Samsung Nexus Prime set to dwarf iPhone 4/5?

2011-08-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

Samsung Nexus Prime set to dwarf iPhone 4/5?

Yesterday the news broke that Samsung accidentally announced itself as partner for the next flagship “pure Android” device. The Nexus Prime – if rumors are to be believed – will play host to an incredible array of specs. With a 4.5″ Super AMOLED display and processing power supplied by a 1.5GHz core chip, this robot is going to be a beast. (That is, of course, if the speculation is correct.)
With a screen that size and a processor that powerful it is set to dwarf the current iPhone and possibly the iPhone 5 in almost every way conceivable. (Unless Apple files a lawsuit and gets a block on sales in place.) We know that the next iPhone will have the A5 processor, which is dual-core, that’s a given. We don’t know how powerful it is – since Apple keeps it secret – but it’s almost certainly not 1.5GHz. What about display size? The current iPhone’s 3.5″ screen is already looking a tad small compared to its biggest rivals. If the Prime does have a 4.5″ display, that’s an entire inch of difference. Even if the next Apple handset sports a 4″ screen, it’s still tiny compared to the Prime’s purported specs. Granted, a 4.5″ display is certainly pushing in to the realm of too big, but, who wants to carry a device that looks puny and weak against the top Google-dog?

What do you guys think? Will the iPhone 5 be a pace setter? Or will it be blown away by the Prime? (Talking performance here, not sales.) A lot will come down to how will Ice Cream Sandwich holds up in the real world. iOS 5 is going to be tough to beat (since it’s stolen the best parts of all the other major phone OSes.)

Samsung Galaxy S2 to be Unveiled in U.S. August 29

2011-08-15T23:18:00.001-07:00

Samsung Galaxy S2 to be Unveiled in U.S. August 29

Zoom

While the world worries about the Galaxy R, a cheaper alternative to the Galaxy S2, and the countries it will launch in first, we in the U.S. are still looking for the Galaxy S2. It launched elsewhere in the world months ago (even our neighbors up north have it) and Samsung has shipped millions of them in the few months it's been available. So, when is USA going to get some Galaxy S2 action? August 29, apparently!

Samsung today sent out invites for a 'major product launch' in New York City on August 29. Considering the monster specs that the Galaxy S2 is packing, we can only assume that the big fuss is for the U.S. launch of the S2. The invitation also features a telltale 'II' emblazoned on the front. Subtle, Sammy, real subtle. The event itself is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, so mark your calendars and we'll bring you the latest on pricing, carrier and release dates when the day comes.

For those of you that need reminding, the Galaxy S2 boasts a dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 1GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera (1080p@30fps), a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, up to 32GB of storage, and Gingerbread (AKA Android 2.3).

Galaxy Tab 10.1 Review: The best Android has to offer

2011-06-17T19:16:00.001-07:00

Galaxy Tab 10.1 Review: The best Android has to offer

The Samsung Galaxy Tab tops the list of Android tablets, but still falls short of the iPad 2. (Courtesy of Samsung)The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is available in stores across the country today, and it seems the company has offered the best Android tablet on the market.

The hardware on the tablet is great; it’s sleek and light with a great screen and is easily the best Android tablet I’ve played with so far. But what I — and non-Apple manufacturers, apparently — keep running up against is the iPad question. With the number of applications designed for tablets on Android, there’s just no comparison.

Through no fault of Samsung’s, head-to-head, this tablet isn’t the iPad 2’s equal — though it comes closer than anything else I’ve seen out there.

Price: The 32 GB version of the WiFi tablet will be $599; the 16 GB version will be $499. Samsung provided a 16GB version for this review. Verizon is already taking pre-orders for a 3G version of the tablet, due out sometime this summer. The LTE version will be $529.99 for 16GB and $629.99 for 32GB.

Specs: The Galaxy Tab has a 10.1 inch-screen, an NVDIA Tegra 2 dual-core 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, weighs 1.3 pounds and is .33 inches thick. It has a 2MP front-facing camera, a 3MP rear-facing camera with an LED flash. The tablet runs Honeycomb, Google’s Android 3.1 tablet-optimized OS with more Samsung TouchWiz features planned in the future.

Speed: No complaints here. The boot-up time on the tablet is great, The dual-core processor does its job, loading Web pages, playing video, and I never had a problem running multiple apps at once. Even graphics-intensive games ran well and looked great with no noticeable lag.

Ease of Use: The Honeycomb interface has fixed a ton of bugs with its latest update, making the Galaxy Tab 10.1 more stable than its nearest competitor, the Motorola Xoom. Samsung is going to add some more elements of its TouchWiz user interface to the tablet at a later date, but right now the Tab is running a pretty pure version of Honeycomb.

The speakers on the Galaxy Tab were fine, if a bit tinny. I wouldn’t make it my primary way to listen to music, but it at least managed to keep from being annoying when watching YouTube videos. And the tablet has a great screen that, while a tad oversaturated at times, makes it a very watchable device.

Video did seem to give the battery life a hit — I got about 6 hours of battery life out of the tablet when I watched a lot of video, compared to about 8 hours when I used it for lighter fare.

I tend to like smaller tablets that fit well in a purse or pocket, but even with the larger screen size, the tablet was light enough that I almost forgot that I was carrying it around in my briefcase. Its slim profile made it easy to slip into larger bags and it survived some quality time thrown in with my keys without a scratch.

Versatility: As with every Android tablet, this is the weak point for the Galaxy Tab. There just simply aren’t enough apps that look great on the tablet in the ever-growing Android Market. Until the Android Market catches up to the Apple App Store, Android tablets just aren’t competitive with the iPad.

The Tab does have pretty good cameras, however, setting it apart from most tablets I’ve tried. Your pictures still aren’t going to be stellar, but at least they won’t be grainy. As for the camera software, the Tab offers some good editing options. The video is nothing to write home about and suffers from the lack of a zoom option.

The Galaxy Tab also has a problem when it comes to ports — it just doesn’t have any. Okay, that’s not entirely true, since the tablet comes with its own proprietary 30-pin dock connector and a headphone jack, but that’s all it’s got to offer. No USB, no HDMI and no SD card slot, as Ipointed out in my first impressions, means that Samsung missed an opportunity to get one over on the iPad.

Bottom Line: If you’re looking for the best Android tablet, this is the device for you. But if you’re looking for the best overall tablet, the iPad 2 is still king.

Samsung's Galaxy Phone Wins U.S. Award

2011-03-24T22:39:00.001-07:00

Samsung's Galaxy Phone Wins U.S. Award

Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S 4G smartphone won the Best in Show award at the 2011 Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association Wireless Show, North America's largest information technology and telecommunications fair in Orlando, Florida, the CTIA said Wednesday.
The Galaxy S 4G was launched last month through T-Mobile in the U.S. It has same basic specifications as the original Galaxy S, operating on Android OS 2.2 Froyo, and sporting a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen and 5 megapixel camera, but it distinguishes itself by supporting T-Mobile's HSPA+ 4G network, which is supposedly capable of download speeds of up to 21Mbps.

Samsung bada Apps Store Crosses 100 Million Downloads

2011-03-24T22:37:00.001-07:00

Samsung has announced that its bada Apps store has crossed 100 million downloads yesterday. This is within 10 months of the bada Apps store going live in June 2010. While this is far from Apple s App Store or Google s Market, it is still quite an achievement, certainly a lot better than Nokia s Ovi store.

Samsung currently offers 13,000 applications for its smartphones with bada OS and of all the countries, France, Germany and Spain account for 40% of the downloads made from the apps store. To celebrate the 100 million download milestone, Samsung has started a weekly prize draw for Wave owners. Any person downloading an application from the store is automatically entered to win different prizes including Samsung Galaxy Tab, Samsung Galaxy Player or USB sticks.
On a side note, if you are wondering how Apple continues to ignore that Samsung is using the name Apps store for its applications market, while it chose to sue Amazon for doing the same, the answer is that Samsung does not call it the Apps store, but rather chose to call it A-Store initially and now calls it the Applications Store.

Speed Bump: Samsung’s Galaxy Phone Gets Upped to 4G

2011-03-18T01:05:00.001-07:00

Speed Bump: Samsung’s Galaxy Phone Gets Upped to 4G

It’s official: 2011 is the year of incremental progress. Mobile handsets have settled into a groove featurewise and are now gently nudging their way upward in speed, power and capabilities.

If we’re going to be stuck in a climate of baby steps, at least Samsung’s Galaxy S 4G is an example of baby steps done right.

From the moment I got my mitts on the S 4G, something felt eerily familiar. I’d seen many of its elements before — the unsettlingly light chassis, the glass and faux-chrome accents, and even the flashless 5-MP camera. As it turns out, the feeling of déjà vu was completely warranted.

The S 4G is essentially a mildly tweaked Samsung Vibrant with a couple of extra goodies. For those keeping score, a lot of the Vibrant’s perfectly serviceable features (1-GHz processor, 4-inch 800 x 480 AMOLED screen, 720p video recording) are back.

So, what’s new? Android 2.2, for starters. Also, as the phone’s awkward moniker boasts, this handset brings T-Mobile’s particular brand of 4G (HSPA+) to the fold.

I honestly wasn’t expecting too much given the piecemeal rollout of this next-gen data network, but the difference was noticeable immediately. Heavy hitting image-rich sites like (ahem) Wired.com loaded with virtually no hesitation, and raining down large file downloads from Dropbox produced nary a stutter.

Converting the phone into a hot spot was also one of the more useful data-centric features, though the option is strangely buried within the menu tree. Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface has never been especially appealing, and this is another nail in that coffin.

Yet another addition is the S 4G’s front-facing VGA camera. Though it’s perfectly poised for video conferencing, I was a little underwhelmed by the options on the app side. Getting the service up and running is simple enough thanks to a preloaded Qik app, but the occasional stutter and noticeable lag left a lot to be desired.

Lack of polish aside, I can’t really fault the VGA camera in terms of functionality. I was able to make and receive video calls just fine. They just resembled fireside chats with Max Headroom.

Other goodies include a copy of Inception offered from Samsung’s Media Hub storefront. Normally I’m prone to ignore extras like this entirely, but watching the film on the S 4G uncovered some interesting tidbits. Due to the smart combination of a workhorse battery and a power-sipping display, the film’s hefty 2-hour-28-minute run time only slightly dented the Galaxy’s gas tank.

As the movie finished I noticed that only 20 percent of the battery had been depleted. It’s doubtful that I would ever force myself into a back-to-back four-peat viewing of Inception, but it’s good to know that Samsung realistically views the S 4G as an entertainment device.

If we’ve learned anything over the past year, it’s that incremental improvements are incredibly easy to flub. Even with our lingering gripes with the S 4G, we can’t give the phone too much guff.

Samsung managed to transform an already well-appointed blueprint into an even stronger contender. Sure, it’s not the overwhelmingly overhauled quad-core beast of our dreams. But even incremental progress still counts as progress.

WIRED Stronger iteration of a solid design. Mostly smooth navigation thanks to a humming 1-GHz processor. Great call quality. Awesome battery life and power management. Gorgeous high-def 720p video (in well-lit environments). Ready for downloads and app-tion thanks to an included 16-GB memory card (expandable to 32 GB).

TIRED Accessing the movie storefront requires a tedious login process. Bloatware aplenty. Where’s my HDMI out? HSPA+ service is fantastically fast (where available). 4G to 3G to EDGE handoffs are often slow. White backgrounds often produce the dreaded “screen-door effect.” Froyo is already old hat — give us Gingerbread!

Say hello to the Android smartphone of the year so far: The Samsung Galaxy S2.

2011-03-18T00:54:00.001-07:00

Say hello to the Android smartphone of the year so far: The Samsung Galaxy S2.

Android based phones are coming thick and fast this year. So much so, that it is going to make actually choosing one a bit of a minefield. At least that's the case if you haven’t clapped eyes on Samsung’s flagship phone for 2011, the Galaxy S2.

Anyone who is looking for a super-powered mobile phone is going to get it here with the Galaxy S2, which features a beastly 1.2 GHz dual-core processor running of a generous 1GB of RAM. That’s theoretically faster than the super speedy iPad 2 and should give users all the power they are ever going to need.

Obviously a higher spec CPU makes for a power-hungry phone, especially when you consider that the Galaxy S2 screen size has jumped from the original 4-inches to 4.3-inches. Thankfully there is no need to worry about charging in the middle of the day thanks to the display technology which is a Super AMOLED Plus screen that uses a fraction of the power used by a conventional LCD screen and will ensure a least a day’s worth of heavy smartphone use.

To top it all off, there is a monster 8-megapixel camera with LED flash on the back and a 2-megapixel shooter on the front.

All of this will be housed in a ridiculously thin casing that, at just 8.49 millimetres, makes the Galaxy S2 the thinnest phone in its class, even eclipsing the iPhone 4.

The phone will also be running Android Gingerbread, the latest version of the operating system for smartphones and this will provide a silky smooth user interface as well as allowing for the Galaxy’s newest feature called Near Field Communication (NFC).

NFC is an innovative new communications protocol that functions as a data exchange between devices and NFC tags once they are within four feet of each other. This might not seem like a big deal but it will, in the future, facilitate for instant transactions (just wave your phone at the counter and walk out) or even a full medical history that updates itself after every doctors visit or treatment.

It’s heady stuff and is unlikely to become a part of everyday life for another couple of years but if electronics giants like Samsung, Nokia, Sony and Apple are including it in their future plans, expect to see this one fly.

For our money, the Samsung Galaxy S2 is the must-have Android phone of the year so far. As to when Samsung actually get around to releasing it is anyone’s guess and but we reckon that Samsung is going to drop this Apple-baiting bomb very near to the summer launch of the iPhone 5.

Samsung Fabricates New Apple A5 Chip

2011-03-17T18:54:00.001-07:00

iPad 2 by adamjackson1984 / Flickr (CC BY-ND)

Despite reports that Apple might have tapped Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to make Apple’s new A5 processor, Samsung fabricated the A5 processors currently powering the recently-released Apple iPad 2, a recent teardown by United Business Media’s (UBM) TechInsights reveals.

The conclusion was drawn by the firm after comparing the results of their teardown of the Apple A5 chip with previous results from when they studied Apple’s A4 processor.

Allan Yogasingam, a technical marketing manager for TechInsights, told UBM’s EE Times that TechInsight can “say with 100 percent certainty that this is a Samsung-made chip.”

According to TechInsights, which analyzed an A5 chip which came with an iPad 2 using optical die and SEM cross-section images, the A5 chip is able to use low power DDR2 DRAM memory and used the 45-nanometer fabrication process of Samsung.

According to the report by EE Times, a study done by IO Snoops revealed that the clock speeds for the A5 chip is also varied at about 890 MHz to 1 GHz.

In light of this, the iPad 2 is said to be utilizing advanced power management to regulate clock speeds of the A5 processor depending on how resource-demanding running applications are.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 details leak

2011-01-24T02:37:00.001-08:00

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 details leak

A video purporting to be a teaser trailer for Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Tab 2 has leaked out, offering a glimpse at what the company may be planning for its follow up Android tablet.

The original Galaxy Tab was well-received, if somewhat expensive, offering a powerful alternative to Apple's popular iPad in a 7in form factor. Its successor keeps the same size, but looks to improve on the original in almost every way.

Although Samsung has yet to confirm details of the device, it is rumoured to feature a high-resolution display - with claims that it will feature the Super AMOLED promised for the original Galaxy Tab but swapped out for a more readily available LCD panel at the last moment - along with a dual-core ARM-based processor, thought to be either one of Samsung's own models or the increasingly popular Tegra 2 platform from graphics specialist Nvidia.

The display will be protected by Corning's tough Gorilla Glass, and the device is also thought to include integrated 3G connectivity alongside 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and the latest version of the Bluetooth standard. 1GB of RAM, up to 64GB of storage, and a raft of sensors - including accelerometer, gyroscope, electronic compass, and even a barometer.

The leaked details include the claim that the rear camera will feature an 8 megapixel sensor with dual LED flash and feature 1080p high-definition video recording capabilities, along with a front-mounted 3 megapixel camera for video calls.

Samsung Star II details leak

2011-01-24T02:34:00.001-08:00

Samsung Star II details leak

Details of Samsung’s upcoming S5260/Star II have surfaced online, giving us some idea of what to expect from this phone. While there isn’t any official word on the operating system, the user interface looks very much like Samsung’s bada OS and it should feature specifications such as a 3-inch 240 x 400 pixel capacitive display, 3.2-megapixel camera, EDGE support, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, Office document support, 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD card support. The phone is expected to land sometime this quarter and should be aimed at budget-oriented consumers.

Report: Samsung's Bada To Offer In-App Advertising Capabilities

2011-01-24T02:32:00.001-08:00

Report: Samsung's Bada To Offer In-App Advertising Capabilities

Bada, Samsung's own mobile operating system, on track to power around 5 million phones by year-end, has just updated its software development kit (SDK) to version 1.2.1. The update reportedly includes an important new feature: in-app advertising capabilities. The feature, which will allow bada developers to monetize their apps, will go live beginning January 1st, 2011. At least, that's the news coming out of Samsung Hub, an unofficial source that typically publishes reliable content and scoops.

This news has not been officially published anywhere as far as we can tell, not on Samsung's blogs, Twitter accounts, Facebook pages or in its news rooms. But the updated SDK is available for download now. Samsung Hub, as noted above, is an unofficial, but often accurate, source for Samsung-related information, so we're betting on this news being credible while awaiting official confirmation.

According to the blog post, developers implementing in-app advertising capabilities into their apps will retain all the revenue generated - they will not have to split that revenue with Samsung.

In looking through the release notes for the Samsung bada 1.2.1 SDK, we don't see any mention of "advertising," "ads," "revenue," or anything else that hints at this new feature, though. (Let us know if you spot it, maybe we just missed it.)

It makes sense that Samsung would launch this capability, though - bada-powered phones are selling well...very well, in fact. Considering that the first bada phone, the Samsung Wave, didn't ship until June, and the Wave was the only bada phone available until October, the platform is off to a decent start. Samsung has also noted that it has seen over 50 million downloads of apps from its own app store, too, mostly thanks to bada's popularity.

In addition, with the upcoming bada 2.0 OS, Samsung will add more features to the platform, including a better user interface, Near Field Communication (NFC), a smarter homescreen, SDK support for Linux and Mac, SNS integration and more.

Although bada's numbers are promising, analysts recommend developers consider their options carefully before jumping on board this train. Samsung has not fully committed to the OS, Strategy Analytics analyst Alex Spektor reminded us recently - it also supports Android and Windows Phone 7, for example. However, Samsung is ending support for Symbian as of January 1st, it should be noted, giving the company more time to focus on bada going forward into the new year.

Samsung Introduces Bada Smartphones

2011-01-24T02:30:00.001-08:00

Samsung Introduces Bada Smartphones

Samsung today introduced the Wave 2, Wave 723 and the Wave 525, three new smartphones based on its open-source Bada operating system, designed for social networking and gaming.

Top News

The South Korea-based company said the more sophisticated Wave 2 features a 1-gigahertz processor, 3.7-inch "Super-Clear" touch screen display and a 5.0-megapixel auto-focus camera for video recording. The mid-range Wave 723, meanwhile, comes with a 3.2-inch screen, 5.0-megapixel camera for video recording and video calling. The entry-level Wave 525 integrates a 3.2-inch display and a 3.2-megapixel camera.

All three devices run on Samsung's Bada 1.2 software, and include "Social Hub," an application that combines email, messaging and social networking into one inbox, giving users an easier way to see everything, as well as "Widgets," or smartphone apps, for gaming, music and video and even e-books.

Several third-party companies, such as Twitter, Capcom, EA Mobile and Gameloft are developing Bada apps. Both free and pay apps are available for download but Samsung has yet to provide accessibility on its website. The company said the new Bada phones will hit Europe first in the coming months, with other markets following throughout the first quarter.

"The new Wave family is testament to Samsung's continuing commitment to deliver a smartphone for every lifestyle," said Stephen Jun, head of Samsung's mobile division. "These three new devices in the Samsung Wave family represent Samsung's commitment to delivering choice for smartphone users and ultimately democratizing the smartphone market."

Samsung released its first Bada smartphone -- the Wave S8500 -- in June last year, which went on to sell more than one million units in the first month. Unlike Google's Android operating system and Microsoft Window Phone 7, Bada, the Korean word for "ocean," was created in an attempt to improve networking and gaming of other platforms. The company had said it plans to introduce Bada into all levels of its mobile line, including the low-end feature phones.

Samsung Galaxy S2 to Feature Super AMOLED Plus, to Be Unveiled at MWC 2011?

2011-01-11T19:48:00.001-08:00

Samsung Galaxy S2 to Feature Super AMOLED Plus, to Be Unveiled at MWC 2011?

The only reason we might have questioned the presence of Samsung’s latest display technology, Super AMOLED Plus, from showing up in the next version of the Galaxy S is that there is a chance the manufacturer will have once again moved on to an even newer screen. It looks like that won’t be the case, and the latest whisperings indicate the even more brilliant version of the original Super AMOLED will be on board for the Galaxy S2. The S2 will also receive NFC support and most likely Android 2.3.

While very little is known at the current moment, word is we may not have to wait too long to get some first impressions of the follow-up to one of last year’s biggest phones. MWC 2011 in February should be the place where Samsung initially unveils their next generation of Galaxy Androids
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Samsung Galaxy S: A carrier-by-carrier guide

2010-07-15T01:07:00.001-07:00

Samsung Galaxy S: A carrier-by-carrier guide

Samsung's long-anticipated Galaxy S smartphone is now officially headed to AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and U.S. Cellular. Yes, a desirable handset actually available on multiple carriers -- a novel concept, eh?

While you'll be able to get the Samsung Galaxy S in plenty of places, though, each network is putting its own twist on the offering. Here's a breakdown of what you can expect from one carrier to another.

[This story is from the new Android Power blog at Computerworld. Follow@AndroidPower on Twitter or subscribe via RSS to make sure you don't miss a beat.]

Samsung Galaxy S: What's Consistent

Regardless of which carrier you go to or what name the phone is given, all of the upcoming U.S. editions of the Samsung Galaxy S have a few things in common.

The Galaxy S has a 4-inch, 800-by-480 Super AMOLED display and runs on Samsung's 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor. The phone has a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with 720p HD video capture. It'll ship with Android 2.1 and is on-track to get the Android 2.2 upgrade, though no specific time frames have been announced by any of the carriers thus far. All of the Galaxy S models also feature Samsung's Social Hub, the company's equivalent of Motorola's Motoblur or HTC's Sense user interface.

The Samsung Galaxy S has both an accelerometer and a gyroscope (or a gyroscope thingie, if you want to use the technical term). Driven by a six-axis sensor, the tools are said to provide a smoother response to your tilting and panning, particularly during game play.

Those are the basics; from there, you'll have to look to each carrier's model to see what you'll get.

Samsung Galaxy S on AT&T: The Samsung Captivate

Branded as the Samsung Captivate, AT&T's version of the Galaxy S comes with 16GB of internal storage and supports microSD cards up to 16GB. AT&T has not yet indicated, however, what (if any) SD card it'll actually include with the phone by default.

AT&T's Samsung Captivate will have a handful of AT&T-specific apps such as its AT&T Address Book, AT&T Navigator, and AT&T Family Map. And, if past AT&T Android handsets are any indication, the Captivate will likely be locked down by the carrier, meaning the ability to install non-Market apps and have complete control of your phone will be stripped away.

• Available: Sometime "in the coming months"
• Price: Not yet announced

• Register for updates from AT&T here

Samsung Galaxy S on Sprint: The Samsung Epic 4G

Sprint's edition of the Galaxy S, the Samsung Epic 4G, is perhaps the most distinguished of all the Galaxy S devices. The Epic 4G has a slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard and a front-facing camera. It's capable of utilizing Sprint's 4G network and also comes with a mobile hotspot option (presumably for an added fee, like with the EVO 4G -- though you can always accomplish single-device Android tethering for free, if you know how).

Sprint will include a 16GB microSD card with the Epic 4G. It's not immediately clear what kind of internal storage the device will have.

• Available: Date not yet announced
• Price: Not yet announced
• Register for updates from Sprint here

Samsung Galaxy S on T-Mobile: The Samsung Vibrant

The Galaxy S ships as the Samsung Vibrant on T-Mobile. The Vibrant stands out mainly for the added software T-Mobile is including with the device: The phone comes preloaded with Amazon's Kindle for Android app, a 30-day subscription to MobiTV, and a month of free in-flight Wi-Fi access via Gogo Inflight Internet. It also includes a 2GB microSD card with a copy of Avatar as well as an "exclusive collector's edition of a popular game" (vague enough for you?).

The Vibrant will have some options for color customization, too: You can pick between a dark blue or lavender battery cover upon buying the device.

Aside from the included 2GB SD card, T-Mobile hasn't yet disclosed what kind of storage the phone will have. The carrier does say, however, that the devicesupports up to 32GB of external memory.

• Available: July 21; preorders begin July 1 at all U.S. RadioShack locations
• Price: $199.99, with two-year contract
• Register for updates from T-Mobile here

Samsung Galaxy S on Verizon: The Samsung Fascinate

Our final major-carrier contender is Verizon's Galaxy S, the Samsung Fascinate. The Fascinate will have 2GB of internal storage with a 16GB microSD card included. The phone, like Verizon's Droid X, will feature optional mobile hotspot functionality. Verizon hasn't yet released an image of the Fascinate, so it's not entirely clear whether the device will have any unique aesthetical elements.

One odd thing that caught my eye with the Fascinate: The phone will come preloaded with Bing Maps and Bing Search, a curious and rather atypical move by Verizon. The Fascinate will also have Verizon's standard suite of software, including its V CAST Music with Rhapsody, V CAST Video on Demand, and VZ Navigator applications.

• Available: Date not yet announced
• Price: Not yet announced

Samsung Galaxy S on U.S. Cellular

Small-fry carrier U.S. Cellular is hopping on the Galaxy S bandwagon, too. Aside from the standard basics, U.S. Cellular has yet to release any specifics about its device -- including what name it'll use -- so it's tough to say much about how its offering might compare to the major carriers' editions.

• Available: Sometime in the fall
• Price: Not yet announced

Samsung's Galaxy S scores in benchmarks

2010-07-15T00:58:00.001-07:00

Samsung's Galaxy S scores in benchmarks

Samsung announced its flagship Android device, the Galaxy S (I9000), last week for Asia. The company is wasting no time to getting it to the hands of users. In fact, those in Singapore will be able to purchase one at the end of this week. We've just received an evaluation unit and will be doing a full review soon.

The new Hummingbird processor in the Galaxy S. (Credit: Samsung)

One of the most interesting things about the I9000 is its Samsung S5PC110 or Hummingbird processor. This chip is clocked at 1GHz and based on the Cortex A8 architecture. Announced late last year, the Hummingbird's full specifications are still not available on Samsung's semiconductor Web site. But at CTIA in the US early this year, Samsung revealed that the chip is capable of processing 90 million triangles per second, thanks to the PowerVR SGX 3D graphics engine. In comparison, the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor used in devices such as theHTC Desire and Google Nexus One does up to 22 million triangles per second.
With the Galaxy S in our labs, we decided to run a few quick benchmarks to see how it stacks up against the HTC Desire and Nexus One smartphones. The apps used were Linpack for Android, Benchmark from developer Softweg Studio and Neocore from Qualcomm.
These applications are freely available from the Android market. In the case of Benchmark, we focused on CPU performance and 2D graphics performance. Neocore measured 3D performance as it rendered a videogame-like sequence, reporting the resulting frames per second (fps) achieved. PC gamers will recognize this process as being similar to using 3DMark on a computer.
Here are the results.

Linpack for Android
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Samsung Galaxy S (1GHz Samsung S5PC110 processor, 512MB RAM)

8.419

Google Nexus One (1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250 processor, 512MB RAM)

6.940

HTC Desire (1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250 processor, 576MB RAM)

7.003

Benchmark by Softweg CPU performance
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Samsung Galaxy S (1GHz Samsung S5PC110 processor, 512MB RAM)

783

Google Nexus One (1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250 processor, 512MB RAM)

704

HTC Desire (1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250 processor, 576MB RAM)

695

Benchmark by Softweg 2D graphics performance
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Samsung Galaxy S (1GHz Samsung S5PC110 processor, 512MB RAM)

31.68

Google Nexus One (1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250 processor, 512MB RAM)

28.42

HTC Desire (1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250 processor, 576MB RAM)

28.46

Neocore 3D graphics in fps
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Samsung Galaxy S (1GHz Samsung S5PC110 processor, 512MB RAM)

55.7

Google Nexus One (1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250 processor, 512MB RAM)

26.5

HTC Desire (1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250 processor, 576MB RAM)

26.5

As shown by the charts above, the Galaxy S beat the two HTC-made devices by a bit for CPU and 2D graphics performance. But when it came to 3D graphics performance, the I9000 trumped the Qualcomm-equipped smartphones, achieving more than twice the frame rates of both the Nexus One and Desire (see video below).

These tests were performed on devices running Android 2.1. As some other reports have shown, the Nexus One is even faster with Android 2.2 (Froyo), improving upon its Eclair benchmarks, especially in terms of CPU performance. Given what the Galaxy S is capable of now, it's mouthwatering to imagine what it can do with a Froyo update. Samsung has said this will come eventually but hasn't committed to a release date.
Does this mean the Samsung Galaxy S is the Android phone to get? Well, there are other factors to consider, most of which we will explore in full in a thorough review. Watch out for that in the next few days.

Samsung Galaxy Q is Going to be a Blackberry Style QWERTY Phone

2010-06-19T05:33:00.001-07:00

Samsung Galaxy Q is Going to be a Blackberry Style QWERTY Phone

Android is changing the fate of many near-to-death smartphone manufacturers. First Motorola got back to life with Android, then Sony Ericsson and now Samsung is rocking with cool Android phones. Samsung’s Galaxy S has already made gadget lovers drool with its amazing AMOLED

screen. Unfortunately it is not out yet but from the videos and pictures posted on the web, Galaxy S’ screen looks ever sharper than iPhone 4’s retina display.

Samsung is calling Galaxy S as their iPhone killer. I am sure it is not, but it has really provided a nice display. With Froyo it could have another feature competing head to head with the iPhone. We’d know the release date of Galaxy S soon but for now we haveSamsung’s another ‘killer’.

This time it is not the iPhone killer, it is being marketed as the ‘Backberry Killer’. Come on Samsung, why are you guys bent on killing the world? This new phone is going to be called ‘Samsung Galaxy Q’ and will feature a QWERTY keyboard in a one-unit form factor. Got it? Yep, just like traditional Backberrys having an on board keyboard instead of a virtual or a slide-out one.

Galaxy Q will have Android on board and the screen will be a touch sensitive one. It is not yet clear if it’d be an AMOLED or not. Since we have no further details available yet – no specs, no pricing and no renderings – and it is coming out by the end of next year, we can have Froyo.

What it’d look like by the way? Like this:?

Well, we’d see.

News: SAMSUNG OWN RECORD PERCENTAGE OF GLOBAL MOBILE PHONE MARKET

2010-02-03T19:52:00.001-08:00

Samsung owned a record-breaking 21.2 percent of the global mobile phone market in the fourth quarter of 2009 and have gained the largest share of the market owned by a Korean company.

The handset market across the world increased 10 percent from October to December and totalled sales of 3.24 million mobile phones, said marketing researcher,Strategy Analytics.

Samsung’s market share, in 2009, rose from 3.4 percent to 20.1 percent and became the largest firm to grow among the five major mobile phone manufacturers.

LG’s market share climbed only 1.8 percent over the same period in 2000 whilst Nokia slid 1.7 percent.

Strategy Analytics said:
“While Motorola and Ericsson were struggling to enhance their profitability, Samsung and LG posted record sales again.”

“Samsung also achieved a record yearly sales volume of 200 million units.”

News: Samsung's bada Phone to be Shown at MWC

2010-02-03T19:51:00.001-08:00

Samsung has confirmed that it will showcase its upcoming smartphone OS, the bada at the upcoming MWC later this month.

In a blog post on its bada blog, Samsung has revealed that the bada OS will feature the latest version of TouchWiz and that it would be very simple to use. We will also be seeing the first phones based on the bada OS at work at the MWC. The first device based on the bada OS would be the bada S8200, which is set to sport a 3.7 AMOLED screen, HSPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, and a 5MP autofocus camera. It will also be powered by the now popular Qualcomm Snapdragon processor that powers the likes of the Nexus One and the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10.

As of now, we know that the bada-based S8200 will be priced at around $575 (Rs. 27,000 approx). What we do not know is whether the S8200 will be amongst the device shown at the MWC.
As for the bada OS, from the early screenshots of it at work, it does look contemporary and quite usable. The big question is how Samsung plans to position it amidst the likes of the Androids, the Windows Mobiles and the Symbians of the smartphone arena.

UPDATE: Samsung Aims To Triple 2010 Smart Phone Sales To 18 Million

2010-02-03T19:49:00.001-08:00

SEOUL (Dow Jones)--South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. (005930.SE) said Thursday it aims to triple its global sales of smart phones this year as it seeks to gain market share in a lucrative, but increasingly competitive, part of the telecoms industry.

"We aim to sell more than 18 million smart phones this year compared to 6 million units sold (globally) last year," J.K. Shin, president of Samsung's telecommunications Division, said in a press briefing.

At that level, Samsung's smart phone sales would represent a small proportion of the 260 million - 270 million handsets it aims to sell this year. However, the sector's growth potential is seen as significant, and Samsung is aggressively increasing its smart phone lineup as competition has intensified in recent months.

Particularly significant for Samsung will be the domestic smart phone market, which it said it expects to grow to sales of 4 million-4.5 million units this year from 750,000 units last year, even as the country's total handset market is expected to remain broadly static in 2010 with sales of 23 million units.

To exploit that pent-up demand domestically, the company plans to launch its first Android-powered smart phone in South Korea market in late February or early March, Shin said.

The Android smart phone has already been available in overseas markets since July last year. Android is a mobile operating system which offers a number of enhanced services to users.

"The year of 2010 will be a challenging year for Samsung as handset companies, smart phone manufacturers and even PC makers are rushing to roll out smart phones to attract customers," Shin said.

To improve its chances of gaining market share, the electronics giant said it will roll out smart phones based on various operating systems, including its own operating software 'bada', Google Inc.'s (GOOG) Android and Microsoft's Windows Mobile.

Samsung Electronics sold a total 227 million handsets, including smart phones in 2009, to achieve a market share of 20% and a double-digit growth in operating profit margin, the company said in a statement.

Midnight Bowling Game for Windows Mobile

2009-07-28T20:35:00.001-07:00

Midnight Bowling Game for Windows Mobile

Whether or not you’re familiar with the first game, prepare for ultra fun gaming thanks to a new physics engine that lets you control your throws with more spectacular special effects and realistically simulates the impact of your ball on pins. Whatever your level, train in practice mode and travel the world to confront opponents of all levels in the most glamorous cities. Bring your A game and stack strikes to the hit tune “Call on Me” to electrify the audience and become the star of Midnight Bowling 2!

Features:

The sequel to Midnight Bowling full of innovations that completely reinvent the gaming experience.
An easy-to-learn throwing system and advanced spin effects for bowling pros.
New Career Mode full of challenging opponents at all skill levels.
New Practice Mode allows you to improve your precision, your speed, your effects, etc.
6 trendy locations that will immerse of you in the ultra fashionable universe of Midnight Bowling.

Official site: http://www.gameloft.com
Application version: 1.0

http://rapidshare.com/files/258391903/MNB2_i900.jar
http://www.ziddu.com/download/5711646/MNB2_i900.zip.html

Golden Balls Game for Your Windows Mobile

2009-07-28T20:32:00.001-07:00

Golden Balls Game for Windows Mobile

Welcome to Golden Balls! Immerse yourself into the set of the popular TV show and meet famous host Jasper Carrott just by downloading the official mobile game of the hit series onto your phone. Gather the biggest possible amount of pounds by kicking out the killer balls and saving the cash. Guess who’s lying while you decide whether to tell the truth or to lie…and in the end, choose to split or steal the final jackpot! You’ll have to trust your instincts and pay special attention to the hints that you can acquire from your opponent’s dialog.

Features:

Play the mobile game of the hit TV show with all the official rules!
Relive the tension of the original game: 3 different rounds, dismissals, bin or win, split or steal, etc.
Choose to be a barefaced liar or a truthful person and find out who is bluffing to stay in the game!
Faithfully rendered set for a total immersion into the show’s specific atmosphere.
Features the popular host of the TV show: Jasper Carrott as along with his famous, humorous quotes!
An infinite lifespan, as every game is different and depends on you and your opponents’ attitudes.

Official site: http://www.gameloft.co.uk
Application version: 1.0

http://rapidshare.com/files/259397101/Golbi900.zip
http://www.ziddu.com/download/5748714/Golbi900.zip.html

FIRST TAKE: Samsung Omnia Pro

2009-07-26T18:51:00.001-07:00

FIRST TAKE: Samsung Omnia Pro

Samsung slaps a keyboard onto the Windows Mobile Omnia and sends it to work. Check out our hands on look at the Samsung Omnia Pro.

At Samsung Mobile headquarters, we recently had the opportunity to get a hands-on look at some of the manufacturers newest high-end, touchscreen phones, including the Samsung Jet and the Samsung Omnia 2. Rounding out the bunch was the Samsung Omnia Pro, a phone we reported on last month when it was originally launched. In following with current smartphone naming traditions (a la HTC's Touch Pro), the Omnia Pro takes the basic Omnia design and adds a keyboard to it. But in our hands-on time with the Omnia Pro, we found changes far deeper than the simple full QWERTY keyboard.

The Samsung Omnia Pro uses an interface that is dramatically different from the fun and widget-happy TouchWIZ 2.0 interface on the Samsung Jet. The Pro's interface is all business. Underneath, the Samsung Omnia Pro is running Windows Mobile 6.1, and the company says buyers will be able to upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5 when it becomes available, probably this September, if Microsoft hits their release target.

In our time with the Samsung Omnia Pro, we found the interface to be useful for business users. It sacrificed flash and fun for useful information, bringing new messages, appointments and more to the top level for easy viewing. In landscape mode, the phone starts by offering up a simple shortcut menu to key business applications. Samsung is still using a multi-page interface for a main menu, but these were more static than on the Samsung Jet, with less customization and more solid productivity options.

The star of the show will obviously be the slide-out keyboard. In our time with the Samsung Omnia Pro, we found the keyboard to be large and comfortable. The phone uses an ample 3.5-inch, AMOLED screen, at a WVGA resolution of 800 by 480 pixels, and that gives a large keyboard plenty of room to hide when it's not needed. Keys on the Samsung Omnia Pro were flat, contiguous squares, more reminiscent of older HTC Touch Pro designs than the discrete keys on other side-sliding Samsung phones like the ill-fated <>Samsung Glyde. Like the Nokia E71, the Samsung Omnia Pro has a dedicated switch for 'business' or 'pleasure' modes. Press the button and the phone will switch to a personal mode, giving more attention to apps, shortcuts and sound profiles befitting a day off, rather than a day's work. For serious business users, it's a nice feature, and it acknowledges that more business users are using their smartphones for multimedia and other fun capabilities, and not just scheduling appointments and editing Word documents.

To that end, the Samsung Omnia Pro comes with a 5-megapixel camera with auto focus and an LED flash. The phone will ship with 1GB of internal memory, which seems like just enough for saving attachments in business mode, so music lovers will probably want to spring for an external card. The Omnia Pro can handle microSD cards up to 32GB. The phone will be able to integrate with a DLNA living room, and will have TV output capabilities for showing movies and pictures on a larger screen.

Pricing and availability for the Samsung Omnia Pro has yet to be determined. Rumors suggest the phone will be available late this summer for about 500 Euros. American versions of this phone haven't been announced, which is too bad, since Samsung has already made official the Samsung Omnia 2 on Verizon Wireless. Of course, like the HTC Touch Diamond and HTC Touch Pro, the Omnia and Omnia Pro would make a logical pair, but we're not ones to divine the will of the U.S. carriers.

FIRST TAKE: Samsung JET

2009-07-26T18:38:00.001-07:00

FIRST TAKE: Samsung JET

Samsung fires the first shot in the mobile processor wars with their new 800Mhz feature phone. Check out our hands-on impressions of the Samsung Jet.

At Samsung Mobile headquarters, company reps gave us a hands-on look at their newest flagship feature phone, the Samsung Jet. The Jet is not a smartphone. It runs a proprietary OS instead of Windows Mobile, like the Samsung Omnia 2. Still, with its 800 MHz processor and advanced capabilities, this has got to be the smartest 'dumbphone' on the market. With companies beefing up their mobile processor offerings, we expect to see a new MHz war open up in the mobile phone world soon.

The Samsung Jet is a bit smaller than the Samsung Omnia 2, thanks mostly to the smaller display. The Omnia 2 uses an AMOLED touchscreen that is 3.7-inches diagonal. The Samsung Jet uses the same AMOLED technology, but the screen comes in more than a half inch smaller, at a still-respectable 3.1-inches. The AMOLED screen on the Jet looks fantastic, and users are going to enjoy the new technology as it trickles down into more and more phones. Colors look bright and fresh, and the phone is capable of much deeper blacks, lending a deeper contrast to the display. Also, the AMOLED technology uses 40% less energy than a comparably sized TFT LCD screen, according to Samsung. In our hands-on time, we took a look at the 180-degree viewing angle, and there was hardly a point where the screen didn't look crisp and legible.

Meet the new TouchWIZ, same as the old TouchWIZ?
The Samsung Jet uses an updated version of the Samsung TouchWIZ interface (to read about more TouchWIZ phones, click here). We were never big fans of TouchWIZ. The widgets seemed to require more screen real estate than the phone would allow. The same is true for the new TouchWIZ interface, at least what we saw in our hands-on look. On the new TouchWIZ 2.0, widgets can update live over the Internet, which should add more functionality to the phone, and to make up for the lack of screen space Samsung has endowed the interface with 3 separate homescreens, much like the Apple iPhone and T-Mobile G1 use multiple home screens. Just flick your finger to see more widgets, along with a separate wallpaper and other customizable options. This was a nice compromise for the UI, so we're curious to take a longer look at a new TouchWIZ phone and see if this solves the problem.

In addition to the new TouchWIZ screens, the Samsung Jet gets the new Samsung cube menu, a six-sided multimedia interface where each side is a shortcut. Samsung has a thing for cubes, and we remember the touchable cube from the ill-fated Samsung Glyde home screen. On the Samsung Jet, if you want to access the music side of the cube, you can either move the 3D model with your finger, or you can set the phone to recognize gestures. Flick the phone in the right direction and the cube will move, revealing the shortcut you need.

In our hands-on time with the Samsung Jet, we weren't very impressed by the cube design. While it was a cool idea, for sure, it didn't seem to add any real feature advantage, and it wasn't easier to use than a simple homescreen shortcut. We could see ourselves showing off the cube to jealous onlookers, but never really using it on a daily basis.

With great power comes great responsiveness

With its high-end processor, Samsung is promising that using the Samsung Jet will be a much more responsive experience. The company even claims an instant response from a 3D interface that will match the speed of touch. In our hands-on with the Samsung Jet, the phone certainly seemed plenty responsive, but we're still skeptical of these broad claims. The phone had the trademark feel of a resistive touchscreen, a technology that works very well with a stylus, but not so much with fingers. We'd like to see Samsung try their hand at a capacitive screen, like the screen on the Apple iPhone or the new Palm Pre. Capacitive screens work much better with fingers, and the Samsung TouchWIZ UI is definitely built for finger control.

Besides the interface, Samsung is putting that power behind the multimedia features on the Samsung Jet. The phone will be able to play DivX videos and a range of codecs, like the Samsung Omnia, but Samsung claims the phone will have no trouble adapting and resizing videos to the WVGA, 800 by 480 pixel screen. To store all those videos, along with music and photos, the Jet will come in 3 storage configurations, ranging from 2GB up to 16GB of internal memory. All models will expandable with a microSD card slot capable of holding a 16GB card, for up to 32GB total capacity.

If you build it . . .

For the Samsung Jet, the company built their own proprietary mobile browser, called the Dolfin browser. Though Dolfin is a strictly Samsung design, the browser is based on WebKit technology, which means it should render pages similar to other high-end Web browsing phones, like the iPhone and Nokia's Nseries devices, all of which use a WebKit browser. Instead of multi-touch, the Web browser, along with the photo gallery app, will use a one finger zoom. We've seen similar controls on HTC TouchFLO devices, and it works nicely as a compromise for a resistive screen. In addition to the one-handed zooming, the Jet's Dolfin browser will also use an ad-blocker, and will be capable of multiple downloads in the background.
The Samsung Jet will also be among the rare feature phones (non-smartphones) to have built-in Exchange ActiveSync access. Instead of using a separate app for e-mail and contacts synchronization, the Samsung Jet will have Exchange built-in at its core, so even without a smartphone OS the Jet will still be useful for business customers who use an Exchange account.

The 5-megapixel camera on the Samsung Jet will feature plenty of advanced options for picture taking, many of which we've seen on compact cameras, and are now seeing on cameraphones. The Jet will use auto focus and two LED flash lights to help keep shots sharp. The phone will also get face detection, smile detection and even blink detection to make sure the shutter snaps at just the right moment. Of course, with onboard aGPS, the phone will also be able to geo-tag photos.

Samsung has yet to announce an official release date for the Samsung Jet. The company was fairly certain the Jet would not be sold in the U.S., and pointed us instead to the Samsung Omnia 2, which has already been confirmed for a Verizon Wireless launch some time in the future. Pricing and availability have also yet to be determined.

TouchPal for Windows Mobile

2009-06-28T20:11:00.001-07:00

TouchPal for Windows Mobile

TouchPal is an innovative software keyboard powered by T+ input technology, which significantly improves the inputting experience on touchscreen handheld devices. Check out the video below for a quick tour.

Video Tour:

Key Features:

Cool and Easy!

Up to 450 chars/min, faster than your hard keyboard!
3 layouts with finger geature switching!
Resizing your keyboard anytime!

Simple and Smart!

Big buttons. Finger friendly.
Context-based mistyping correction and prediction
Word association. Input -ing/-ed/-s rapidly.
Predict next word.

Multilanguage and platforms!

Support 20+ languages
Support Windows Mobile and Android
Linux, Symbian support are coming soon

Official site: http://www.cootek.com
Application version: 4.0

http://rapidshare.com/files/247330873/CTTP_4.zip
http://www.ziddu.com/download/5295833/CTTP_4.zip.html

hdWobble for Your Windows Mobile Device

2009-06-28T20:08:00.001-07:00

hdWobble for Your Windows Mobile Device

This app was brought by Yoan with all credits go to its developer, elAlem. Plz give them thanks!

If your remember the app IBoob. Then you will absolutely adore this app. IBoob let you shake a pair of digital boobs around on the screen of your iphone, What hdWobble does is let you shake a pair of REAL Boobs around on your PPC. All you have to do is place a point on where the women’s breasts are, then press ok, then shake your phone around and the woman’s breasts wobble. Let’s see how it works on the following demo video!

Features:

supports VGA, QVGA, WQVGA and WVGA displays
custom image loading (tested so far: jpeg, png, bmp)
adding any number of round wobbling objects
deleting wobbling objects
resizing wobbling objects
vibration feedback when wobbling objects are pressed or dragged
start wobbling using g-sensor, stylus, fingers…

Requirement:

.NET Compact Framework 3.5

Developer’s site: http://forum.xda-developers.com
Application version: 0.5.3446.26966

Download here

http://www.1800pocketpc.com/shared_files/hdWobbleSetup.CAB

WunderRadio for Windows Mobile

2009-06-22T20:25:00.001-07:00

WunderRadio for Windows Mobile

Winner of MacWorld’s 2008 Best Radio App, terrestrial division. Now available on Windows Mobile!

Over 36,000 radio stations on your Phone!

Wunder Radio provides a quick and easy way to listen to thousands of streaming Internet radio stations and other audio streams on your Windows Mobile phone. Download the application to your phone today and browse the enormous directory of stations provided by RadioTime, searching by location and over 400 different genre such as music, talk, sports, and entertainment.

Some Features:

Huge directory of stations
Currently playing information displays current song and artist
Listen to your local hometown radio station from anywhere in the world
Find specific stations using the extensive search function
Use GPS capabilities to generate a list of all local stations
Keep up-to-date with international news and current affairs
Listen to live commentary and sports talk
Build a list of your favorite stations and shows
Play back popular shows at your own leisure if you missed the live broadcast
Check emergency scanner streams from ScanAmerica.us
Check weather conditions on local NOAA weather radio streams
Get local railroad information from RailRoad.net

Official site: http://www.wunderradio.com
Application version: 1.5.1.321

http://rapidshare.com/files/247346339/WDRD_141321.zip
http://www.ziddu.com/download/5296297/WDRD_141321.zip.html

wmTorrent for Windows Mobile

2009-06-14T20:38:00.001-07:00

wmTorrent for Windows Mobile

WinMobile Torrent (wmTorrent) v.3, the world’s first torrent client for Windows Mobile, has evolved far beyond its previous version. It now provides advanced features on par with other desktop torrent clients. wmTorrent now supports DHT (trackerless torrent); PEX (Peer Exchange); plain text and RC4 Protocol Encryption; HTTP Seeding; torrent extensions and many more. Join us in the wild, torrential, virtual world with our state-of-the-art software, wmTorrent v.3.

Official site: http://www.wmtorrent.com
Application version: 3.2.0.1

http://rapidshare.com/files/244500217/wmtrnt_3201.zip
http://www.ziddu.com/download/5188834/wmtrnt_3201.zip.html

12-Megapixel Camera Phone War Beginning

2009-06-05T09:22:00.001-07:00

12-Megapixel Camera Phone War Beginning

When Sony Ericsson first unveiled its 12-megapixel camera phone at the Mobile World Congress in February, Samsung Electronics switched on the ignition of the competition surrounding the 12-megapixel camera phone. Samsung announced that it will release the world's first 12-megapixel camera phone with full-touch screen, named "Pixon12" (model M8910) this month in European countries.

The company said that the camera phone's "dedicated camera power key" gives users fast, one-touch access to the camera function, which allows them to simply aim and snap, capturing images as fast as an advanced digital camera,. With improved image saving time, users can move to the next shot within about 2 seconds. To enable users to take snapshots that yield perfect images, the camera phone, equipped with a 28mm wide-angle lens, includes new functions, such as "Touch Auto-Focus" and "Smart Auto."

The Pixon12 has a 3.1-inch AMOLED display with a contrast ratio of 10,000:1, and it offers power-saving features that increase battery life. The phone enables users to easily organize and manage photos as well as upload images and videos to popular social networking sites, such as Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, and MySpace.

Sony Ericsson has announced its 12.1-megapixel camera equipped smartphone named "Satio" (known previously as "Idou"), which will be made available commercially in the fourth quarter. The Satio features an "intuitive" touch focus and a 3.5-inch touch screen in the 16:9 widescreen format, which is capable of displaying 640x360 pixels. Other features of the Symbian OS-based smartphone include Wi-Fi, GPS, Google Maps, Bluetooth.

The company said that connecting to "PlayNow" enables users to download music, movies, and games to both a PC and the mobile phone, which includes specially developed ring tones and music tones as well as DRM-free music tracks and TrackID charts from around the world.

Meanwhile, LG Electronics also reportedly plans to launch a 12-megapixel camera phone in the fourth quarter of this year.

2nd 12 Megapixel Samsung Phone Unveiled

2009-06-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

2nd 12 Megapixel Samsung Phone Unveiled

I have barely cooled down from my rant about the pointlessness of 12 megapixel cameraphones than Samsung has followed up the Pixon12 with yet another unnecessary double digiter...

The Samsung 'M8920' shows that underpowered over resolution-ed handsets are just the tip of the iceberg as it proves the desire for high file size/disproportionately low quality photography which cannot possibly be done justice by its underpowered lens is alive and well.

Little is known about the M8920 - other than its completely unnecessary megapixel rating - with this rear view image all we have seen and 3x optical zoom, Xenon flash, HSDPA, WiFi and GPS the other notable (if expected) highlights. Shots of the front remain unavailable at present but we hear a touchscreen display has made the line-up while onboard memory is said to be minimal with microSD providing the heavy hitting. Global network deals are set to bring the M8920 to a variety of networks around the globe within the next few months.
Is 12 megapixel the new eight? Sadly it seems so. Personally give me 3.2/5MP any day and decent image processing. The public at large will wise up eventually...

Facebook Application for Windows Mobile

2009-06-01T02:12:00.001-07:00

Facebook Application for Windows Mobile

New from Windows Mobile: a Facebook application for your phone! Download the new Facebook application for Windows Mobile and:

Send messages to any of the people in your Friends list.
Take pictures and videos on your phone, then upload them right to Facebook.
Send messages or call people in your Friends list.
Manage your profile and post anytime, anywhere.

Keep up with the latest news and posts with Facebook on your phone. Now your status updates can be up-to-the moment accounts of what you’re doing. Photos and videos are about as close to live-action as you can get. Show your friends what you’re up to, while you’re out and about.

Connecting and sharing on Facebook just got a lot livelier!

** Thanks Danny for telling me the source!

Official site: http://www.microsoft.com
Application version: 1.0.0.7

http://rapidshare.com/files/233373200/facebook_1007.zip
http://www.ziddu.com/download/4764893/facebook_1007.zip.html

Puzzle Quest : Warlords Game for Your Windows Mobile Phone

2009-05-26T03:37:00.001-07:00

Puzzle Quest : Warlords Game for Your Windows Mobile Phone

Play the epic warlord adventure based on the popular handheld game. The award-winning blend of puzzle, strategy, and RPG is now on mobile - Puzzle Quest!

Play the epic warlord adventure with an addicting combat system based on the popular handheld game. Engage in puzzle battles, complete mini-quests, and collect gems for skill upgrades and spells. Your victories open up new levels as you move closer to the final battle with Lord Bane. The award-winning blend of puzzle, strategy, and RPG that is Puzzle Quest is now on mobile!

Official site: http://www.magmic.com
Application version: 1.0

http://rapidshare.com/files/235166880/PQW_1.zip
http://www.ziddu.com/download/4828593/PQW_1.zip.html

516 Omnia Wallapapers (240×400)

2009-05-26T03:36:00.001-07:00

516 Omnia Wallapapers (240×400)

This great wallpaper pack was brought & share by Demieg. Plz give him thanks!

A huge collection of mobile wallpapers for omnia (240×400 and 400×400 screen size).

Click on preview thumbnails to enlarge:

Enjoy the download!

Main Download Link
Mirror 1 (Ziddu)
Mirror 2 (Rapidshare)

Uno Game for Omnia

2009-05-12T02:51:00.001-07:00

Uno Game for Omnia

Uno by GameLoft

Play the #1 classic card game for fun with friends and family on your mobile phone! Compete against the AI or friends all over the world in online thrilling games. Relive all the crazy fun of UNO™: match colors or numbers with all your favorite cards or challenge yourself with increasingly difficult games in Tournament Mode. Choose your favorite way to play, use your Action Cards wisely and don’t forget to call “UNO!” when you have only one card left!

Features:

UNO™ on mobile reproduces the classic card game: Easy-to-understand rules offer challenge and excitement to all
Use your Action Cards wisely and don’t forget to call “UNO™!” when you have only one card left
All your favourite Action Cards are here: Wild, Reverse, Draw 2, and more
Customize your game with 9 different rule sets to play your way including 7-0 and Jump-in
Progress through the increasingly difficult challenges in Tournament Mode to collect prizes
Play against the AI or your friends on one device in Multiplayer Mode.

Official site: http://www.gameloft.com
Application version: 1.0

http://rapidshare.com/files/210786806/UNO_i900.zip
http://www.ziddu.com/download/3914907/UNO_i900.zip.html

Soul of Darkness Game for Your Windows Mobile Phone

2009-05-12T02:48:00.001-07:00

Soul of Darkness Game for Your Windows Mobile Phone

Soul of Darkness by GameLoft

Use your sharp blade and your transformation powers to save your beloved’s life… and yours

Features:

Enter an absorbing gothic environment thanks to impressive music and a 3D-like graphic background;
11 levels to explore, from huge castles and cathedrals to dark woods and caves;
Great replay value: play through levels you’ve already finished to discover additional secrets;
Challenging gameplay: use your transformation ability to reach hidden inaccessible spots;
Upgrade your fire sword and ice spear to perform more powerful attacks and magic;
Legions of dark creatures to fight (werewolves, gargoyles, zombies, etc.) in fabulous decors.

Official site: http://www.gameloft.com
Application version: 1.0

http://rapidshare.com/files/220473050/SOD_i900.zip
http://www.ziddu.com/download/4263767/SOD_i900.zip.html

Third HTC Android Smartphone Leaks

2009-05-07T01:36:00.001-07:00

Third HTC Android Smartphone Leaks

After what in hindsight I think many will agree has been something of a slow start, it seems Android is finally beginning to take off. The long solo T-Mobile G1 has recently been bolstered by the HTC Magic, Samsung I7500, imminent Cupcake arrival and now this...

Images have leaked of HTC's third entry into Googlesphere with the so-called 'Hero', a heavily chinned (even for HTC standards) handset that has a similar form factor to the G1.

Central to this comparison is a physical sliding Qwerty keyboard though the screen itself has been much enlarged and while we don't have any specific specifications, looks to have a much higher resolution. The trackball also disappears which might annoy some, though they should be appeased by the appearance of a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.

Other HTC fundamentals like HSDPA, WiFi, aGPS, Bluetooth, a microSD slot, yada yada should also make it through to the final spec.

Naturally some scepticism remains over the validity of these shots, but given HTC's glass door security I fully expect this model to pan out. Besides, if you were going to fake the next Android handset would you really spend your time conjuring the love child of a G1 and Diamond2?

Hmmmn, maybe...

Samsung's I7500 Android phone powers up

2009-05-07T01:34:00.001-07:00

Samsung's I7500 Android phone powers up

Samsung has taken the wraps off of its forthcoming I7500, the first Samsung phone to be powered by the Android operating system. As well as coming with the full roster of Google features, including Maps and YouTube, the Samsung I7500 features a rich, battery-friendly 3.2-inch AMOLED touch display, a 5 megapixel camera with a LED flash and support for a wide range of music and video file formats.

Similar to the T-Mobile G1 and HTC Magic, the I7500 features a GPS receiver, allowing you to make better use of Google Maps along with Street View and Latitude. The I7500 also promises fast HSPDA internet speeds of up to 7.2Mbps, so those apps should come thick and fast.
Perhaps the most exciting feature of the I7500 though, is the fact that its memory can be upgraded to a rather nice 40GB. It comes with 8GB of internal memory, and can take microSD cards of up to 32GB in size, which means you'll be able to download a whole load of apps from Android Marketplace without having to worry about where to store them.
No words on price or what networks the I7500 will be available on just yet, although it is expected that it will arrive here in the UK from June this year.