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Apr

Sprint's Galaxy S4 Pre-Orders Already Sold Out, But Amazon Wireless Comes To The Rescue

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy S4, News, Sprint

If you've finally decided that pre-ordering Sprint's variant of the Galaxy S4 is the right move for your mobile life, you're in for a less-than-ideal surprise: it's already sold out directly from The Now Network. Sadface.

But before you get too sad, we've some good news: it's now available for pre-order from Amazon Wireless! Happyface. You'll find that AW has the same pricing structure as Sprint, so it'll set you back $150 if you're switching networks, and $250 if you're simply upgrading. Alternatively, you can grab it contract-free for $700, which really isn't a bad price in itself.

The device is expected to hit Sprint's shelves on April 27th, which is the same day Amazon should begin shipping pre-order units.

Apr

[Update: LG Optimus L9, Too] T-Mobile's Galaxy S Relay 4G Getting Its Bump To Jelly Bean (Build T699UVBMC5) Starting Today

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Device Updates, Galaxy S Relay 4G, News, T-Mobile

Last Updated: April 26th, 2013

Another day, another Jelly Bean update to a Samsung Galaxy device. Today's target: T-Mobile's Galaxy S Relay 4G (I still hate that name). Unlike many of the other Jelly Bean updates rolling out to Galaxy phones, this one's only available through Kies and OTA.

Apr

[Update: It's Gone] Unlocked International Galaxy S4 (I9500) Shows Up On eBay Daily Deals For $700

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Deals, Galaxy S4, News

Last Updated: April 23rd, 2013

Update: Well, that was fast – looks like they only had 200 to sell, and they're already gone. Stick a fork in this one – it's done!

If you've been waiting for the day when you can grab the Exynos Octa-powered version of the Galaxy S4, today's it. The Galaxy S4 I9500 just showed up on eBay's Daily Deals site for the smoking hot price of $700 – that's $100 less than any other retailer is letting this monster go for.

Here's what you get for that shiny new seven-hundred dollar bill:

5" 1080p Super AMOLED HD display (441 PPI)
1.6GHz octa-core Exynos processor
2GB DDR3 RAM
13 MP Rear shooter, 2MP front camera
16GB/32GB/64GB Storage, microSD card slot with support up to 64GB
Android 4.2.2 with a "totally new and upgraded user experience" Bluetooth 4.0
802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
IR Blaster
MHL 2.0
Temperature and humidity sensors
2,600mAH battery
136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm, 130g
Two colors: Black Mist, White Frost

Of course, there are a few restrictions here, mostly in shipping.

Apr

Deal Alert: Get A 16GB Unlocked Galaxy Note II For Just $499.99 From eBay

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Deals, Galaxy Note II, Samsung

With the Note III nowhere on the horizon (yet), there are undoubtedly those who are still tempted to give Samsung's second phablet marvel a try. For those looking to make the jump to an ample 5.5" screen, eBay has turned up today's second deal alert, with a gray 16GB Note II going for just $499.99 with free standard shipping.

If you're looking for a deal on the device, you likely don't need us to recount the virtues of the Note II. We could go on about the 5.5" screen, S-Pen, 2GB RAM, 8MP camera, and 1.6GHz quad-core processor, but in the interest of word economy, we won't.

Apr

[Deal Alert Redux] Unlocked 16GB Samsung Galaxy S III (GT-I9300) For $380 From eBay Daily Deals

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Deals, Galaxy S III, News

If you happened to miss out on the chance to get last year's flagship for $380 when it hit eBay's Daily Deals site earlier this month, it's back again. While the GSIII may not be the hottest phone money can buy any more, it's still a very capable handset that will likely continue to be well supported by Samsung over the coming months (and then some).

The only "downside" of today's deal is that it's for the blue and black variants only – white and red are already sold out. Still, if you don't mind the limited color selection, $380 is a great deal for this handset.

Apr

More Source Code Goodness: Samsung's Drops The Kernel Code For The T-Mobile Galaxy S III LTE

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Development, Galaxy S III, News, Samsung

If you've been feeling sad because of the lack of posts about source code lately, today should be making up for it. This morning, Samsung released the first bath of kernel source for the Galaxy S4, and just a bit ago HTC offered up the code for five different variants of the One.

Looks like Samsung wasn't quite finished after the S4 code this morning, however, as the company just pushed the T-Mobile Galaxy S III LTE's code to its download server. This may indicate that the phone is due up for release soon, we've heard nary a word since the last rumored date of late March/early April – a time which has clearly come and gone.

Apr

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Available Today In Canada

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy Note 8.0, News

It's a big day for our neighbors to the north! The HTC One hit store shelves this morning, which is a fairly big deal in itself. If you're not in the market for a new phone (or just aren't into the One for whatever reason), but happen to be looking for a new tablet instead, another outstanding device hit Canadian retailers today as well: the Galaxy Note 8.0.

The Note 8.0 is Sammy's newest entry into the eight inch slate market, which also brings most of the best features from the Note 10.1 and Note II along for the ride. I've actually been playing with the Note 8.0 for the last day, and I can say this: it's one of the best tablets I've ever used.

Apr

Samsung Begins Dropping Galaxy S4 Kernel Source - GT-I9500 And GT-I9505 (Unlocked), SGH-I337M (Virgin Mobile Canada)

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, Galaxy S4, News

Developers, get ready - Samsung has begun unleashing a barrage of Galaxy S4 kernel source on its open source repository, starting with unlocked editions of the phone and a variant bound for Virgin Mobile Canada.

The distinction between the GT-I9500 and the 9505, in case you're not aware, is one of chipset. The 9500 is the Exynos Octa-powered edition of the Galaxy S4, which has not yet had any official release date attached to it. The 9505 is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 variant that will be going on sale in many major markets at the end of this month. The SGH-I337M is the Virgin Mobile Canada version.

Apr

[For Developers] Samsung Bluetooth Low Energy SDK Opens To The Public

Posted by Cody Toombs in Development, News, Samsung

For quite some time, we've been hearing about the potential advantages of the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) spec, and a seemingly endless list of gadgets that could benefit from it. Unfortunately, while many modern flagship devices are equipped with the necessary hardware, Google has allowed the Android OS to languish without official support for the standard. Most of the top OEMs have built their own proprietary versions for the energy efficient protocol, but until now, only Motorola has freely shared access to its API. However, that changes today: Samsung is taking its BLE SDK public.

Since building their own custom frameworks, both HTC and Samsung have required developers to submit applications for access to the SDKs.

Apr

Sprint's Note II Getting A Small OTA Update To Build L900VPAMC2, Brings A Home Screen Security Update, Other Stuff

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy Note II, News, Sprint

Howdy, Sprintsters! If you're a Note II owner, it's time to head into Settings > About Phone > System updates again, as The Now Network is pushing another OTA to the massive handset. It's a small one, with only a couple of fixes in tow:

Build: L900VPAMC2

- Waking a device with the home key incorrectly brings up the Recently Use applications screen

- Home Screen security updates

Exciting, no? At least you'll have a safer home screen and won't have to deal with seeing recent apps when you turn the device on with the home button post-update, though. So that's something.