Rumors - 14/24 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Feb

[Rumor] Samsung's Galaxy S III To Be Launched In Over 50 Markets Simultaneously, Bringing A 4.8" Display, Quad-Core Processor With It

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Rumors, Samsung

While the much-talked-about Galaxy S III will be conspicuously absent from MWC this year, BGR has received an exclusive tip relaying some of the handset's juicy details. To start with, BGR reports that Samsung is holding off the S III's big reveal in order to "shorten the gap" between announcement and official release. Samsung is evidently planning to release the S III in over 50 global markets simultaneously.

The S III is also rumored (according to BGR's "trusted source") to be packing a 4.8" display (thought to be Super AMOLED Plus HD), a quad-core processor, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, 4G LTE connectivity, and a stylish back piece made entirely of a ceramic material.

Feb

Leaked Doc Suggests Two New Devices Coming To Verizon: The DROID Fighter And LG Cayman

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Leaks, LG, News, Rumors, Verizon Wireless

The folks over at Droid-life have unearthed an internal Verizon document pointing to some device workshops for two as-of-yet unknown devices. The LG Cayman (like the islands, but way smaller), and the DROID Fighter. No word yet on which manufacturer is producing the latter.

We're not sure whether the "device workshops" are public or employee training. We also don't know if they take place before or after the release of the devices. The document suggests that several other workshops have occurred this year, most of them after their respective devices release dates. Then again, for unreleased devices, we can't be sure.

Feb

[Rumor] San Francisco Bay Area Lands On Sprint's LTE Rollout List For 2012

Posted by Cameron Summerson in 4G, News, Rumors, Sprint

Talk of Sprint's upcoming LTE network has been on the rise over the last several weeks, with Dan Hesse himself announcing the first four cities (Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio) to gain the ultra-fast network, and Kansas and Baltimore being added to the list shortly after.

We're now hearing word that the San Francisco Bay Area is likely to gain Sprint LTE before the end of 2012, with construction of the network already underway. The Bay area rollout will cover nearly 900 sites and take approximately six months to complete, putting the estimated launch date for the finished product sometimes in October or November.

Feb

[Updated] Leak: Official Sprint Nexus S 4G Ice Cream Sandwich Update Could Start Rolling Out Tomorrow, February 16th

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Nexus S 4G (Crespo4g), Rumors, Sprint

Last Updated: February 17th, 2012

At the end of January, a leaked Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4 build IMM26 for the Sprint Nexus S 4G ended up online, indicating that a possible official release wasn't too far off. We heard this leak caused quite a bit of commotion within the companies involved, which may have had something to do with the XDA post getting wiped clean shortly after (although the poster did state he would only keep it going for a few days).

Two weeks passed without any news, but the situation changed just a few minutes ago when we received a screenshot of one of Sprint's internal systems which clearly shows that this highly desired upgrade should finally be available February 16th.

Feb

Rumor: HTC Phones Will Get PlayStation Certification Later This Year

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Games, HTC, News, Rumors, Sony

According to Pocket-lint, Sony is planning to bestow PlayStation Certification onto upcoming HTC Android smartphones by the middle of the year. What does said certification entail?

Basically, the PlayStation Suite project (of which PlayStation Certified hardware is a part) currently consists of a dozen or so ported PSX titles from Sony's back catalog - like Crash Bandicoot, or Syphon Filter. They work on PS Certified Android phones as well as the PlayStation Vita.

Retro gaming has certainly experienced a second-wind on smartphones thanks to emulation, and Sony is trying to capitalize on that interest through more legitimate (and profitable) channels.

Feb

Rumor: Samsung Galaxy S III To Be Better Than Galaxy S II In Numerous And Suspiciously Predictable Ways

Posted by David Ruddock in Galaxy S III, News, Rumors, Samsung

I don't like talking about "industry insider" rumors. They are inevitably wrong about one detail or another, end up being total speculation, or are just downright trolls. Those that are true tend to be the ones that are very detailed and often leak their way out days, or hours, before a device's launch. Rumors that circulate months beforehand? Not so much.

But the Galaxy S III (if it will even be called that) is likely going to be the most anticipated Android device of the year, especially after the worldwide success of the Galaxy S II. As a result, we feel obligated to participate in some of the ritualized rumor-mongering that happens every time a new and exciting Android thing is on the horizon.

Feb

Google Employees Testing New 'Entertainment Device' - The First Steps Of Android@Home?

Posted by Nate Kimmey in News, Rumors

If you go all the way back to Google I/O 2011, you may remember the announcement of the Android@Home project, a system that would allow you to use an Android device to control lights, appliances, and other devices in your home. Since that announcement we haven't seen anything materialize, but a recent FCC filing by Google may give us a reason to renew hope for the project.

The filing calls for testing of an "entertainment device" between January 17 and July 17 of this year, to be distributed to 252 Google employees. But it's what the device apparently does that is so interesting - it will allow users to "connect their device to home WiFi networks and use Bluetooth to connect to other home electronics equipment." Sounds an awful lot like Android@Home, but it's hard to be sure.

Feb

[Updated] Rumor Analysis: Is A New Galaxy Nexus With A TI OMAP4470 CPU Really In The Works?

Posted by Nawoa Lanor in Editorials, Galaxy Nexus, Rumors

A rumor has begun circulating over the past week about the possible existence of an upgraded version of the just-released Galaxy Nexus. At CES, ASUS announced the TF700T, a beefier version of the Transformer Prime (well before the first Transformer Prime has even been released in many countries), leaving a lot of people who bought the first iteration a bit upset. Are Google and Samsung following ASUS's lead and planning on releasing an incremental upgrade to the Galaxy Nexus so soon?

The Story So Far

Normally, our policy is to avoid reporting on stories for which we can’t find good corroborating evidence.

Jan

[Rumor] Samsung May Not Announce Galaxy S III At Mobile World Congress

Posted by Nate Kimmey in News, Rumors, Samsung

Multiple sources - including The Verge and BestBoyZ - are reporting that Samsung will not be announcing the Galaxy S III at this year's Mobile World Congress. This goes against what many have speculated, as its predecessor, the Galaxy S II, was announced at last year's MWC.

Apparently, Samsung is planning to announce the device at a special event some time "before summer," in order to avoid the long delay between releases internationally and in the US. They'll still have some "interesting stuff" to announce, but if you're holding out for a new Samsung superphone in Barcelona this year, you may be disappointed.

Jan

[Update: Rumor Denied] Is Samsung Thinking About Buying Research In Motion?

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Rumors, Samsung

Update: This was just an unsubstantiated rumor according to a Samsung spokesman: "We haven't considered acquiring the firm and are not interested in (buying RIM)" - Reuters.

It's no secret that RIM (Research in Motion) has seen better days; in fact, its stock dropped a whopping 75 percent last year alone. Considering the downward spiral, the company's CEOs are looking for a way out, be it a sale or licensing its Blackberry software.

The latest word on the street is that RIM has a potential buyer: Samsung. According to BGR, RIM is "going hard after Samsung," but Sammy isn't biting just yet because the price is too [damn] high.