Vibrant - 2/6 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jan

Are Samsung Galaxy S Froyo Updates Being Held Back Because Of Cost?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Captivate, Epic 4G, Fascinate, Froyo 2.2, News, Samsung, Vibrant

Last Updated: August 13th, 2011

A few weeks ago, Samsung USA tweeted that Froyo updates for the Galaxy S phones are being delayed due to further testing. Then, just 4 days ago, AndroidSPIN reported that the Vibrant update (if not others) wasn't rolling out so that the Vibrant wouldn't steal the Vibrant 4G+'s thunder. And now the saga continues, as a new anonymous source has stepped forth to clarify the issue.

Reportedly an insider who has stepped "... across the NDAs [to] explain the issues behind the Android Froyo update to the Samsung Galaxy S phones in the United States," he/she says:

To explain the political situation, first, a primer on how phone firmware upgrades work for carriers.

Jan

Samsung Vibrant 4G Is Coming To T-Mobile With A Front-Facing Camera, Full 21Mbps HSPA+, And Froyo

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Galaxy S, Galaxy S 4G, News, T-Mobile, Vibrant

Last Updated: January 20th, 2011

Well, if there was any lesson against being an early adopter, let it be this: TmoNews has gotten ahold of some official T-Mobile slides that give details on the Samsung Vibrant 4G, an update to T-Mobile's version of the Galaxy S that will make any current VIbrant owner cringe:

Full HSPA+ connectivity
Front-facing camera with Qik (not Skype) pre-loaded and still no flash on the rear camera
Android 2.2 Froyo

By full HSPA+ connectivity, I mean that the Vibrant 4G is able to reach download speeds of 21 Mbps (2.6 MB/s) and above, while T-Mobile's current 4G phones, the MyTouch 4G and G2, are limited to 14.4 Mbps, or just under 2 MB/s.

Jan

[Giveaway] 6 Excellent Trident Cases Are Up For Grabs - Samsung Vibrant (2), HTC Droid Incredible (2), Motorola Droid X (2)

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Contests / Giveaways, Droid X (Shadow), HTC, Incredible, Motorola, Samsung, Vibrant

Last Updated: January 18th, 2011

Introduction

This contest is now over. We have selected the winners - see if you are one of them towards the bottom of the page.

Remember Trident Case, the company that produced the excellent Cyclops case for the EVO 4G? Well, it turns out that very manufacturer has a whole lot more cases in its inventory, including the following beauties:

^{From left to right: the Cyclops case for the Samsung Vibrant, the Kraken case for the HTC Droid Incredible, and the Kraken case for the Motorola Droid X}

As good as they are, however, there will be those of you reluctant to hand over $34.95 for a case to protect your phone, which is understandable in these tough economic times.

Jan

Samsung USA's Official Update On The Galaxy S Froyo Situation: "We Are Still Running Tests"

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Captivate, Epic 4G, Fascinate, Froyo 2.2, News, Samsung, Vibrant

If you've been waiting for Android 2.2 "Froyo" to officially hit your Samsung Galaxy S device, be it Fascinate, Vibrant, Epic 4G, or Captivate, prepare to be disappointed, as Samsung is still stuck doing complicated testing required for the upgrade to go live. Countless over-promises and delays have upset many Galaxy S owners over the last months, but after releasing and pulling back Froyo upgrades in Canada, Samsung wants to really do things the right way this time. Back to the waiting room we go.

Source: @samsungtweets

Dec

[Updated] Samsung Product Pages Hint At Android 2.2 For (Some) U.S. Galaxy S Devices

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Captivate, Continuum, Epic 4G, Fascinate, Froyo 2.2, News, Samsung, Vibrant

Update: Samsung has since updated the product pages in question to reflect the fact that the Galaxy S phones are still stuck on Éclair. And the wait goes on.

A number of Android Central tipsters have noticed something rather interesting while looking at the product pages for the US Galaxy S devices: the Epic 4G, Vibrant, and Fascinate all show as rocking Android 2.2 (Froyo). The funny thing is, the actual update is nowhere to be found. Could this be a hint that the update is imminent? It would certainly make sense.

Unfortunately, the Captivate and Continuum are still listed as running Android 2.1 - either their pages have yet to be updated, or (more likely) the update isn't quite ready for prime time.

Dec

Miffed Over The Lack Of Notification LED On Your Samsung Galaxy S? Check Out BLN (BackLight Notification)

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Applications, Apps/Games, Captivate, Development, Fascinate, Galaxy S, News, Samsung, Vibrant

Take a look around Google and you can see that people are seriously peeved by the lack of notification LED in the Samsung Galaxy S line of devices (excluding the Epic 4G). Developer and i9000 owner Michael R. - better known as neldar on the XDA forums - was annoyed enough by the glaring omission that he decided to come up with a solution. The result: BLN (BackLight Notification).

The basic idea behind the app is quite simple: as there's no LED on the devices, the logical decision is to light up the soft-touch keys. Doing so isn't quite so simple as the layman might initially think, requiring a modified kernel to be flashed in conjunction with the BLN app.

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.

Nov

Samsung Canada Announces Galaxy S Froyo Upgrade Timelines

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Bell, Captivate, Fascinate, Galaxy S, News, Rogers, Samsung, TELUS, Vibrant

Samsung, which has been under fire from consumers for repeatedly delaying Android 2.2. updates on their Galaxy S line of phones, recently posted an announcement for its Canadian customers on Bell, TELUS, and Rogers. In the announcement, Samsung apologized for delaying the long-awaited update and cited rigorous testing as the current stage of the rollout process.

Now, keeping in mind that these are just estimates, have a look at the upgrade timelines for your Canadian Galaxy S device:

Vibrant from Bell and Captivate from Rogers will be up first in the middle of December
Fascinate from TELUS will not get upgraded until all the way to the beginning of 2011

It's quite sad that Gingerbread, the Android version following Froyo, will be released long before Froyo itself makes it to the biggest flagship device series Samsung offers and long after their European and Korean counterparts.

Nov

[ROM] Team Whiskey Releases Obsidian, Their First Froyo ROM For The T-Mobile Vibrant

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Development, News, T-Mobile, Vibrant

If you're a Vibrant owner interested in custom ROMs, then today is your lucky day. With their Éclair ROM amassing a 400-page thread in under a month, it's safe to say that Team Whiskey's new Obsidian release is going to draw the crowds. Posted on XDA-Developers just moments ago, let's take a look at just what this ROM has to offer:

Obsidian is the first release of Android 2.2, Froyo, from Team Whiskey. Obsidian is a build that follows closely to its sibling releases. A fast, efficient, dark themed power house that's sure to please the daily driver and power user alike.

Oct

Deal Alert: T-Mobile's Samsung Vibrant $0.01 Again On Amazon, This Time Including Upgrades For Existing Customers

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in News, Samsung, T-Mobile, Vibrant

T-Mobile's Samsung Vibrant is still a pretty hot phone, but with the release of the G2 and the upcoming myTouch 4G, Amazon decided to throw a blowout sale for only 1 penny again, just like it did back in August.

This time, however, existing customers upgrading their handsets and extending their contracts are no longer left in the dust. As always, no taxes or shipping fees are involved. But you already knew that, didn't you - it's Amazon after all.

And I still remember the time when $150 was considered a good deal...