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Dec

Confirmed: Google Nexus S Does Not Have A MicroSD Card Slot

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Google, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Samsung

As we've all been following the Nexus S over the last few months, inhaling every bit of news regarding its specs, nobody could have foreseen or even considered the fact that the next Nexus, announced earlier today by Google, will be lacking the microSD card slot. The absence of HSPA+, a dual-core processor, HDMI, an 8MP camera, or Bluetooth 3.0 - sure, these are unfortunate, but understandable.

However, not being able to change out one SD card for another, faster one, is beyond mind boggling. Given that the Nexus S comes with 16GB of built-in storage, I personally probably won't suffer too much from this, but I imagine there are some of you who would want to upgrade to a larger card (to store more music) or to swap out your existing cards between multiple phones.

Dec

[Updated] Google Finally Unveils Nexus S: Coming To USA On December 16th, Four Days Later In UK

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Devices By Manufacturer, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Samsung

Last Updated: December 30th, 2011

After weeks of anticipation, leaked photos, snooped videos and widespread rumors, the next pure-Google device is official, and it's pretty much just what you expected. Bearing the title of the flagship device for the the freshly-baked Gingerbread (Android 2.3), the Samsung-made Nexus S includes:

4.0" WVGA "Contour Display" SAMOLED screen
1 GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird CPU
Android 2.3 Pre-installed
16 GB internal storage (no microSD)
Quad-Band GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Tri-Band 3G (900, 2100, 1700 MHz)
HSDPA (7.2Mbps) connectivity (no HSPA+)
Near Field Communication (NFC)
Anti-fingerprint display coating
Three-axis gyroscope
1500 mAH Lithum Ion Battery
5 MP rear camera w/ flash and 480P rec.

Dec

[Updated] Froyo For Samsung Epic 4G Now Available To Download [Hands-On] [Instructions]

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Development, Epic 4G, Froyo 2.2, News, Samsung, Sprint

Last Updated: July 2nd, 2011

Update: A Sprint official has just posted on the Samsung Epic forums saying that this is not the final version of Froyo for the Epic. What's more, he gave one commenter an ETA of about three weeks. Ridiculous, isn't it?

Below is a statement from the Epic Product Manager regarding the leaked release (DK28):

Sprint is working on a software package for the Samsung Epic4G that will upgrade it to the Froyo version of Android. Over the weekend, some users were able to access and download a test build (DK28) for the Samsung Epic from some 3^rd party developer sites. Unfortunately, this is not approved software for Sprint production devices and we strongly recommend that users refrain from loading it.

Dec

Video Shot By Samsung Nexus S Hits YouTube, Photos Hit Picasa

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Samsung

Last Updated: July 2nd, 2011

The Samsung Nexus S has already shown off its camera once, but up until now, we haven't seen what that 5MP shooter's capable of when it comes to video recording. Well the wait is over, as a (portrait) video shot by none other than the GT-i9020 has hit YouTube:

The quality is more or less what we've come to expect from 720p video taken by a cameraphone, though it certainly won't blow any minds. What may blow some minds is the fact that Google apparently has a (pretty nifty) bus of its own, as shown in this photo, which was also captured by the Nexus S:

Hopefully that bus is taking employees to the D: Dive Into Mobile conference, where Google is rumored to be unveiling Gingerbread.

Dec

Samsung Sells Three Million Galaxy S Devices In The States Alone, Becomes #1 Android Manufacturer In The US

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in AT&T, Captivate, Continuum, Epic 4G, Fascinate, Mesmerize, News, Samsung, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon Wireless, Vibrant

If you thought the news that Samsung shifted more than a million Galaxy Tabs was impressive, just wait 'til you hear this one: the company today announced that over three million of its Galaxy S smartphones have been sold in the US alone. This not only means that Sammy now owns 32.1% of the Android market in the US; it also makes Samsung the #1 supplier of Android devices in the US. Unfortunately, it's clear that the rollout of Froyo hasn't been able to keep up with the devices' sales.

via Engadget

Samsung Mobile Named #1 Android Smartphone Provider Based on Retail Sales in U.S.

Dec

Samsung Breaks 1 Million Galaxy Tabs Sold, Shooting For 1.5M By End Of Year

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Galaxy Tab, News

Last Updated: July 2nd, 2011

Holy crap, that was fast. Less than a month after being released in the US (and a bit longer in some parts of the world), Samsung has managed to move over 1 million Galaxy Tabs - which may or may not be surprising, given the range of opinions on the device (although I just thought it was super). Despite the Tab being available in 64 countries, roughly 100,000 of the sales are in Samsung's homeland of South Korea. (Minor note: it's not clear whether this is units sold by Samsung to stores, or units sold by stores to consumers.)

_{Yes, this is a Galaxy S, not a Galaxy Tab.}

Dec

T-Mobile UK Delays Android 2.2 Update For Samsung Galaxy S Devices Yet Again After Announcing It Was Ready

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Froyo 2.2, Galaxy S, News, Samsung, T-Mobile

T-Mobile UK is certainly digging itself into a ditch on this one, and seriously pissing customers off in the process. You can't really blame people for being upset: after promising the Froyo update for Samsung Galaxy S owners by November 30 via FOTA, then reiterating just two days ago that the update was ready to roll out, they've now pushed it back at least a week. Turns out they're also not going to be able to do it over-the-air, either - rather, it's going to be installed with Samsung KIES instead. The official post on T-Mobile UK's support forum:

Hi folks

I've been talking to the handset team and the Samsung people today and the latest news is as follows.

Dec

T-Mobile UK's Samsung Galaxy S Now Receiving Froyo Update Over The Air, T-Mobile US Still Sleeping At The Wheel

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Froyo 2.2, Galaxy S, News, Samsung, T-Mobile

While Galaxy S owners here in the States are still (im)patiently awaiting the update to Android 2.2, it looks like users on T-Mobile UK's network are already enjoying the wonders of Froyo. Yes, the update that was initially scheduled for September is only now rolling out.

Luckily, T-Mobile's European brother has (slightly) sweetened the deal with a nice twist - although the update was originally supposed to be made available exclusively through Samsung's Kies software for Windows-based PCs, the carrier has seen fit to add an OTA version into the mix. That doesn't mean Kies has been completely left out of the fun, though - if "reasons out of our [T-Mobile's] control" interfere with the OTA update, users can still hook their phones up to their (Windows-based) computers, start up Kies, and download the update in the same manner most other European carriers are having users do.

Nov

Samsung Captivate And Vibrant Finally Get GPS "Fix" Via GPSSamsungRestore App

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Apps/Games, AT&T, Captivate, News, Samsung

The Galaxy S phones are, without a doubt, among the best Android phones out there, but for some time now, the handsets have been plagued by one potential showstopper - malfunctioning GPS capabilities. Worry not, though - in addition to an update that rolled out a few months ago, Samsung has developed an app called GPSSamsungRestore which is now available from the Android Market for all users of AT&T's Captivate and T-Mobile's Vibrant. So what does it do? It undoes any modifications to the GPS and basically reverts it to its original state. While it remains to be seen how reverting the GPS to its original, broken state fixes it, I suppose it can't hurt to give it a shot if you're a Captivate or Vibrant owner.

Nov

Samsung Galaxy Tab Review: Getting A Handle On The Tab

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Galaxy Tab, News, Reviews, Samsung, Tablet Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Last week, Samsung was awesome enough to send us the T-Mobile variant of their Galaxy Tab for review. As of this writing, I've spent a full 9 days using the 7" tablet - more than enough time to get an intimate feel for it. Without giving too much away off the bat, I have to say that I'm fairly impressed with it, despite having a few minor niggles.

So what does the Tab do right, and where does it come up short? Read on to find out.