Samsung

Oct

Samsung Releases Source Code For The Stratosphere, Transfix, And Galaxy Y Pro

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy Y Pro, News, Stratosphere, Transfix

Last Updated: November 23rd, 2011

Are you ready for some Friday morning source code? Even if you're not, Samsung thinks you should be -- it just released the source for three new phones to its Open Source Developer Center. The three phones in question are the Stratosphere on Verizon, the Transfix on Cricket Wireless, and the still-unreleased Galaxy Y Pro.

Sure, these three phones aren't powerhouses by any stretch of the imagination, but at least this source can be used to pull every last drop of capability out of them. Hit the respective links below for download.

Samsung Stratosphere kernel source

Samsung Transfix kernel source

Samsung Galaxy Y Pro kernel source

Oct

Exclusive: Details Of The Verizon Galaxy Nexus Ice Cream Sandwich Phone (Sorry, "Prime" Is Not Likely)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Galaxy Nexus / Nexus Prime, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

At this point, it's pretty clear that we've all been knee deep in Ice Cream Sandwich goodies all week long. We've already given you the Music 4.0.1, Google+ 2.0, and ICS Clock widget APKs, but that's not all - now we have some details regarding the CDMA Verizon Nexus Prime. At least that's what we thought it was called before Google and Samsung decided on the Galaxy Nexus as the final name, according to our reliable source who goes by Geek Vundotra (remember the leaked apps above?).

A few days ago, we heard two variations of very different specs for the Prime: one from BGR, which stated that it should have a 1.2Ghz OMAP processor, LTE, and be exclusive to Verizon; the other came from GSMarena, which stated that the next Nexus (should we call it "Nextus" as one of our readers suggested?) would be packing a monstrous 1.5GHz Exynos and a Power PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU.

Oct

Samsung/Google's Nexus/Ice Cream Sandwich Event May Be Back On, This Time In Hong Kong

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Galaxy Nexus / Nexus Prime, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Rumors, Samsung

Since Google and Samsung called off their event (which was set to announce Ice Cream Sandwich and the next Nexus device), the rumor mill has been going at full tilt. Today, however, a more positive rumor has spun out: Engadget reports that "an inside source" has indicated October 19th as the new date for the Unpacked event.

The source also tells Engadget that the event will be held in Hong Kong, and is timed to line up with AsiaD: All Things Digital, taking place next week. This tip, of course, has not been confirmed, but with time ticking away until the alleged date, we're sure to hear something soon either way.

Oct

[Review] The T-Mobile Galaxy S II: Beauty Is Only Skin Deep, But The Bloatware Goes On Forever

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Galaxy S II, Reviews, T-Mobile

Finally it's T-Mobile's turn to take a swing at the Samsung Galaxy S II, almost six months after the rest of the world. No adjective soup for this variant; its official name is, plainly, the "T-Mobile Galaxy S II." Formerly known as the "Hercules," this is the misfit in the GSII family. In its heart pumps a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, instead of the normal Samsung Exynos. So it's not just a carbon copy of all those other GSIIs. My initial impressions were posted a few days ago, and since then I've had some time to see if this thing was really worth the wait.

Oct

iPhone 4S VS. Android Benchmarks Posted: Even The Galaxy S II Is Getting Smoked (For Now, At Least)

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Galaxy S II, News

Last Updated: January 16th, 2012

The folks over at the always impartial, numerically obsessed hardware review and benchmarking site Anandtech have gotten their hands on some results comparing the iPhone 4S to a slew of Android devices in browser and GPU performance. The results are, well, interesting. Take a look at these graphics comparing browser JavaScript performance:

The closest competitor to Apple's iPhone 4S? The testers decided to make the Galaxy Tab 8.9 the Android Honeycomb representative, and even with its aging Tegra 2 chipset the Tab pretty much matched Apple's iPhone 4S inch for inch. But we think we have an explanation for the Tab 8.9's extreme browser performance figures: Honeycomb.

Oct

AT&T Announces Samsung DoubleTime, Pantech Pocket, Motorola Atrix 2, And More - The Fall Lineup Seems To Have Something For Everyone

Posted by Liam Spradlin in AT&T, Atrix 2, Avail, Captivate Glide, DoubleTime, News, Pocket, Samsung

Last Updated: December 23rd, 2011

AT&T has just given customers a handful of devices to look forward to, announcing earlier this evening the addition of five new Android devices to their fall lineup. The new line is largely populated by Android devices aimed at budget-conscious users, but those looking for higher-end devices will have plenty of options as well.

Motorola Atrix 2

First up is the Motorola Atrix 2. Following up on the original Atrix, it's compatible with a special 'Lapdock' to increase productivity. In keeping with the Atrix name, the phone is packing some rather nice specs under its sleek frame:

UMTS 850/1900/2100
GSM 850/900/1800/1900
4G HSPA+ 21 Mbps (Category 14)
1 GHz dual-core processor
Internal memory: 8 GB ROM, 1 GB RAM, 2 GB microSD™ card (expandable to 32GB)
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
4.3-inch qHD screen 960x540TFT, with more than 500,000 pixels for sharper, clearer display
8 MP camera and LED flash
Front-facing camera
1080p HD video capture, 30 frames per second playback
On Device Encryption (ODE) and Enhanced Exchange ActiveSync® (EAS)
IPsec VPN
Lapdock 100 Accessory

Samsung DoubleTime

Samsung's DoubleTime is no doubt a lower-end Android phone, putting an emphasis on its compact, portable design and full flip keyboard, and running Android 2.2 (which seems a bit odd considering the impending release of Ice Cream Sandwich, which will make Froyo 2 steps behind current technology).

Oct

Samsung Stratosphere Officially Launches On Verizon On October 13th For $149

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in News, Stratosphere, Verizon Wireless, Videos

Early rumours indicated that the Samsung Stratosphere would be released in September, and there were even leaked press shots of the device. However, here we are in October, and Verizon has just now taken the wraps off of the Stratosphere.

Billed as the "first 4G LTE smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard," the Samsung Stratosphere packs a hefty package, including:

Android 2.3 Gingerbread
1 GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor
4-inch (800x480) WVGA Super AMOLED display
4G LTE
5-row slide-out QWERTY keyboard
512MB RAM
4GB on-board memory
4GB pre-installed microSD card (up to 32GB supported)
5MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera (720p HD playback and 480p recording)
Bluetooth 3.0
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n

The Stratosphere is clearly targeted towards the business user as alongside the QWERTY keyboard, the device will also have "enhanced B2B-enabled connectivity services from Cisco, the most comprehensive mobile implementation of Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) and support for secure remote device management from Sybase Afaria." Additionally, the device will support "Samsung’s Enterprise Platform enhancements such as VPN, encryption and Mobile Device Management (MDM)." This is a powerful phone that looks to attack RIM's enterprise stronghold and take-away market share from the BlackBerry by offering support for features corporate users find essential.

Oct

[Weekend Poll] Are You Waiting For The Galaxy Nexus/Nexus Prime To Upgrade Your Phone?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Galaxy Nexus / Nexus Prime, Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Will The Amazon Kindle Fire Light Up The Tablet World?

The next Nexus device, at least unofficially dubbed the Prime, has been very highly anticipated, especially as the scheduled reveal (originally October 11th) neared. Unfortunately, the announcement has been postponed due to the passing of Steve Jobs, and is now reportedly scheduled for October 27.

The Prime is rumored to pack some serious power, packing anything from a 1.2 - 1.5 GHz dual-core CPU, a high-end 5MP-8MP camera, 1GB of RAM, a fairly large (4.3" - 4.65") screen packing a 1280x720 resolution, and perhaps most notably, will usher in the next iteration of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS).

Oct

T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II Initial Impressions

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Galaxy S II, Hercules, Samsung, T-Mobile

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.

Oct

[Updated] Samsung And Google Postpone Nexus Prime And Ice Cream Sandwich Announcements

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Galaxy Nexus / Nexus Prime, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Samsung

We've been hearing about the Nexus Prime for months now, but things have really been heating up in the past week or so: first, Samsung released an official teaser trailer about the event and gave us a glimpse of the device's side profile. And yesterday, we had two conflicting sets of specs "leak out" (though obviously neither was confirmed). Finally, the official AndroidDevelopers YouTube account put up a video called "Android ICS Launch," set to stream during the Samsung Unpacked event in which the Prime and ICS were set to be revealed.

Update: Samsung's own blog confirms the delay.