03
Apr
image

Samsung's Nexus S, the first Gingerbread device, was a T-Mobile exclusive in the U.S. until last month, when Sprint announced the Nexus S 4G - a CDMA (and WiMAX) counterpart of this sleek stock Android device. Can Samsung pull the same trick it did with the Galaxy S phones that came to all U.S. carriers? It sure looks like it.

We've already seen a Nexus S with model GT-I9020A (as opposed to T-Mobile GT-I9020T) hit the FCC with AT&T bands, and now the same exact model has shown up on Samsung's own site, citing AT&T as the carrier. Whether Ma Bell will subsidize it or not (they didn't offer subsidies for the Nexus One) remains to be seen, but now the AT&T Nexus S is all but officially confirmed.

01
Apr
T-Mobile Samsung Sidekick 4G

While T-Mobile still remains quiet about the Sidekick 4G's release date, it looks like RadioShack just couldn't keep the news any longer. Thanks to a tweet from the official RadioShack Twitter account, we now know that the Sidekick 4G will be available on April 20th. That's pretty exciting news for those looking to grab the newest version of the ever-so-popular texting machine, especially when combined with the $99 (with a two year contract) price tag.

radioshacktweet

The Sidekick 4G, manufactured by Samsung this go around, includes a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, a VGA front facing camera, a 3MP (ugh) rear camera, 512MB RAM, a full 5-row QWERTY keyboard, and Android 2.2.

30
Mar
cyanogen

CyanogenMod 7 has earned its reputation as the most reliable Gingerbread ROM, even though it hasn't yet entered stable mode. And tonight, the fun goes on - RC4 RC3.14159265358979323846264338327, as the CM team so lovingly refers to it, has just been launched for all supported CM devices.

While RC4 doesn't contain any ground-breaking new features, it does bring a number of bug fixes - for example, hardware acceleration has been added to the Nook Color, and EGL has seen a big fix. It isn't perfect yet - kmobs notes that there may be some "lingering GPS issues on the EVO and the N1 call audio bug hasn't been fully fixed" - but it's still worth the update.

30
Mar
galaxy-s-plus

We just caught wind of a new Samsung Galaxy S phone that might just trump all of its predecessors. Dubbed the Galaxy S Plus, it touts a 4-inch screen, a blazing fast 1.4GHz processor, 8GB of internal storage, and Android 2.3 to boot.

galaxy-s-plus

It will have the same familiar form factor as the Galaxy SL and is rumored to hit the streets of Russia around the end of April for somewhere in the realm of 24,000 Rubles (about $850 USD).

Source: Samsung Hub, thanks @wiineeth

30
Mar
vzlogo

If there is one question that I get asked nearly everyday, it’s “When is [insert device here] coming out?” Fortunately, that question is now a little bit easier to answer because our friends over at Phandroid have gotten wind of what’s coming down the pike for Verizon this Spring and, if this leak is legitimate, it’s going to be Android-filled. Here is a breakdown of what to expect:

  • April 7, 2011 – Casio Commando, Samsung [DROID] Charge
  • April 14, 2011 – Sony Xperia Play
  • April 28, 2011 – HTC Incredible 2
  • May 5, 2011 – LG Revolution
  • Later in May – Motorola Droid Bionic, Motorola Droid X2, Samsung Galaxy 2 (is this what they're calling the S2?)

It is noted that the Bionic, the Droid X2, and the Galaxy 2 are all going to be 4G devices, with the Incredible 2 simply tagged “Global.”

From the looks of things, this year's "Summer of Droid" will arrive to Verizon early.

27
Mar
SGS_gbread

You might want to take a seat for this one: an early Gingerbread build has leaked for the Samsung Galaxy S I9000, and is now available for download. The file first landed in the hands of one Tricky103, and shortly thereafter was downloaded from Samsung's internal database and uploaded to a public mirror courtesy of iammodo.

Installation instructions are virtually non-existent in the post, so you should probably know your way around modding already before attempting this (update) turns out installation instructions aren't there because it's super simple: just use the three button combo to flash the new ROM.

26
Mar
sgs2
Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Ever since its unveiling at MWC, the Samsung Galaxy S II has generated plenty of hype. But with no release date in sight, there's no telling how long it will be before we can get our hands on the device. Fortunately, Ukrainian site gagadget managed to get a preliminary version of the phone, and while it isn't clear how much is finalized, it does give us a good idea of what to expect from Samsung's next flagship handset.

The review starts off by listing the all-important specs, though most have been already been made official:

  • Dual-core 1GHz Exynos processor
  • 4.3" 800x480 Super AMOLED Plus display
  • Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
  • TouchWiz 4.0
  • 1GB RAM
  • 116 grams
  • 8 megapixel camera with LED Flash and 1080p video capture
  • 2MP front-facing camera
  • 1650mAH battery

The device's build quality is a huge improvement over the original.

23
Mar

Yesterday at CTIA, Samsung unveiled its revamped Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the all-new Galaxy Tab 8.9 (check out our live coverage of the event). Unfortunately, that's about all Samsung did with them - neither was ever powered on. Samsung's CTIA exhibit housed the new devices in glass security cases (as you can see below), while early "prototypes" of the 8.9 and 10.1 running Honeycomb with Samsung's TouchWiz 4.0 overlay were available for hands-on time, in order to demonstrate some of the software the company plans to include when the devices are released.

Why no demonstrations of the thinner, lighter, sexier Tabs?

22
Mar
ponsonbys-charge
Last Updated: March 23rd, 2011

Today it has been apparently confirmed that the name will be Droid Charge (not that we ever doubted the original sources). Engadget has obtained the following image, which clearly shows the name of the phone from what appears to be an unknown retailer's internal system:

samsungdroidcharge92848201-1300802144

Have you been itching to get onto Verizon's speedy LTE network but just aren't sure that the HTC Thunderbolt is the right phone for you? New options are likely just around the corner, as more details are surfacing for what will be the second or third LTE smartphone on Big Red. The Samsung handset formerly referred to as the Droid Stealth will be released as the Droid Charge - and, if a leaked internal document from Costco is correct, it will be launching on April 7.

22
Mar
phpBL7HkTwm_IMG_0088
Last Updated: June 7th, 2011

It looks like at least one Android tablet manufacturer has finally realized that $700-800 slates just won't cut it against the (starting at) $500 iPad 2 in the eyes of most customers. In case you missed our Live Blog, Samsung has finally announced its upcoming Galaxy Tab 8.9 and Galaxy Tab 10.1, both of which will launch with Wi-Fi-only versions - and we finally have an Android tablet that can compete with Apple's slate in one of the most important categories: price. Fear not though, for these tabs are no slouches in the specs department either.

phpIsIstnwm_IMG_0093

At 8.6mm thick, these two slates (which sport dual-core processors) beat out the 8.8mm iPad 2 in the thinness department by what will likely be an indiscernible .2mm.