Category Archives: Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Gets Reviewed, Found Skinny and a Bit Buggy (Video)

Posted by on September 16, 2011 1 comment

The time has come to review the world’s most controversial tablet and it’s not even a HP model I’m talking about. Coming after a couple of months of legal trouble from Apple, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 started off as a potentially doomed slate, since it was banned in a few countries, but the ban was eventually lifted. What we have right here is a Honeycomb unit and the one that I tested lacked TouchWiz sadly.

Considering what I’ve been hearing recently, that the TouchWiz update cripples the Galaxy Tab 10.1 rather than enhance it, I’m lucky I didn’t get it. Supposedly, TouchWiz and the update bricked a number of units and really dug into the battery life. Back to our device on the testing table, this slate is thinner and lighter than the iPad, at 8.6mm and 565 grams respectively… and that’s felt the moment you grab the gadget with two hands.

The only time when I felt that Samsung was copying Apple was when I found out that this tablet lacks any kind of useful port. No trace of SD or microSD card slot, micro USB, full USB, HDMI or anything like that. We’ll have to do with an audio jack and the 30 pin port provided by Samsung. The display is top notch quality, with a 10.1 inch diagonal, widescreen view and 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, superior to the one on the iPad 2.

Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes with a 1GB of RAM, up to 64GB of internal memory and the usual dual core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor at 1GHz. HSPA+ connectivity of up to 21Mbps is available, as well as WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0. Don’t expect too much from the 3MP camera at the back, although on paper it promises HD 720p video recording. At least it has an LED flash and autofocus.. and it’s paired with a front 2 megapixel camera for videocalls.

The experience with this model didn’t give me any specific thrills in comparison with other Honeycomb models. The only difference here is the Samsung dedicated App Store and the Music Hub, that gives you the latest hits in the music industry for a certain price. In the Samsung application store there are a few nifty apps, like the Benny e-book for kids or the Star Chart for astronomy buffs. All in all I had a pleasant experience with this very light and thin tablet… but in the end the software spoiled it for me.

The tablet froze to bricked status for a day or two and that was a complete turn off for me. I may have been unlucky enough to get a buggy device, but that’s not the case. The bugs I saw here are the same as the ones on any other Honeycomb tablet: force closes especially in the YouTube app and lots of lag and blocks when the tablet runs multiple apps. Maybe with Android 4.0 this slate will perform better…


Radio Shack Leak Outs New Release Date for HTC Vigor (Incredible HD) and Samsung Stratosphere

Posted by on September 16, 2011 No comments

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Looks like Radio Shack may be expecting a nice little shipment of HTC Vigors in their stores come October 20th. This leaked document also shows the Samsung Stratosphere (Epic 4G) arriving on October 6th. Last we heard, the HTC Vigor could launch as the Droid Incredible HD and early leaks were showing it for an October 13th launch. So either Radio Shack has a more up-to-date launch date, or they’ll get it a little later than everyone else. Either way, the battle for best 720p Android device is on this holiday season!

[Via Droid-Life]

Anonymous 4Chan User Also Talks About The Samsung Galaxy S III

Posted by on September 16, 2011 No comments

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Once again people, I’m not taking this information as true, I just love juicy gossip. Even still, I’d be lying to say it didn’t give me goosebumps. It’s the weekend! Loosen up a bit. Okay, so first off, we know Samsung has been hard at work on the Galaxy S III and they’ve even semi-announced that it will be dropping sometime in 2012. But just how much better could a device get than the Galaxy S II? I mean, you can’t go above 1080p video recording, right? Well, according to anonymous 4chan user, things can get a lot better.

The specifications for the SGSIII are of course subject to change, but are Samsung-developed 2.0GHz quad-core CPU (no codename given), 1.5gb RAM, 32gb internal memory (with sd card slot), and a 4.65 inch screen. A new display called Super AMOLED III is being developed specifically for the phone (SGS had Super AMOLED, SGS II had Super AMOLED Plus, SGS III has Super AMOLED III) with 1280×1024 resolution, giving the phone a ppi of 352, which they emphasized that a 352ppi will make it the highest ppi mobile phone.

It also has a 2250 mAh battery, 10 megapixel camera and is capable of shooting 1080p video at 60 frames per second, and will come with an inbuilt NFC chip. The device is 9mm thick, has a metal and glass body (a really clean, shiny look to it in the pictures), has a 2250mAh battery, 10 megapixel camera and is capable of shooting 1080p video at 60 frames per second.

The reason for no demo phone was that the screen technology was still in the final stages of design and production of them have not started.

The phone will have Androids latest Ice Cream Sandwich software and an all new TouchWiz 5 which has been in co-development with Google during the development of the Galaxy Nexus, so according to the Samsung representatives, it isn’t as "intrusive to Android" as previous TouchWiz versions were. It seems TouchWiz will play a minor role and only have little improvements to ICS. It won’t control the user experience.

One of the reasons why they’re not going with a full TouchWiz experience is for a few reasons, one being that the ICS experience is very user friendly already and also it will also Samsung to update software on their phones at a faster rate than they have in the past.

Okay, this is where things go a little bit into la-la land for me. If there’s anything that questions this “source’s” credibility, it would be this Galaxy S III leak. Let’s pretend what he’s saying is in fact true. With these kind of specs, there would be almost little-to-no room for improvement in say, the Galaxy S IV. And companies are always planning ahead whether that means “leaving room for improvement” or planned obsolescence. Whatever you want to call it. Don’t even get me started on the quad-core processor or the fact that the phone will have a 2250mAh battery, yet still remain 9mm thick. Oh — and this is all going off of his memory which he uses as his excuse for some “inconsistencies.” But what IF everything he said panned out to be true? Time to boomark this post and revisit it in a few months.

[Via 4chan]

Perfect Timing: Samsung Epic 4G Touch Source Code Now Available

Posted by on September 16, 2011 No comments

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Well, that was a lot quicker than what we were expecting (but trust us, we aren’t complaining). The Samsung Epic 4G Touch is now out in stores and online and Samsung has made the source code available at their developer portal for all to download. With this, the hardworking Android development community will be able to get started on all the custom ROMs you could want. Root’s still not here yet (Motorola’s after-market community has that on lock) but we can’t imagine it won’t be worked on ASAP. If you yourself want the source code in the meantime, head to Samsung’s portal and do a search for D710. [Pocketnow]

[Poll] Buying the Epic 4G Touch Today?

Posted by on September 16, 2011 No comments

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So today marks the release of the first Galaxy S II smartphone in America – Sprint’s Samsung Epic 4G Touch Having used the phone myself for a few days now, I can tell you that it’s everything it’s cracked up to be and 10 times more. While my official review has yet to come out (it will be out very soon, but read my initial hands-on impressions here), I can certainly tell you that I’ll have a ton of praise and very little reproach.

With that said, if you were to take a walk into a Sprint store right now to play with it and found yourself liking it, would you buy it? Sure, it’s been out for several months in the world over, but the funny thing is that this is still one of the most powerful smartphones over there and over here.

Will you let your indecisiveness or need to get the absolute latest technology hold you back from buying or will you just settle and accept the fact the phone may be “outdated” within a few weeks’ time? Sound off in the poll below and be sure to leave a comment explaining your choice!

Samsung Illusion For Verizon Is Revealed Via Flickr

Posted by on September 16, 2011 No comments

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Samsung let the cat out the bag today when they posted an image of their upcoming Illusion handset coming soon to Verizon Wireless. The image of the device was posted on their Flickr account along with some information confirming the model number (SCH-I110) and showing off their “green” award for the Illusion. Although no other specs were revealed for the Samsung Illusion we can expect this to be a 3G only device (judging by the pic) and rumored specs are placing it with a budget friendly 800MHz processor, 3MP camera and more than likely featuring a 480×320 display. Oh yeah — and it’s “green.”

[Via Electronista]

Samsung Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch Is Now Available From Sprint

Posted by on September 16, 2011 No comments

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Rejoice! The time is finally here, folks. It’s a little past midnight on the east coast and Sprint’s website has finally made available the uber fast, uber amazing, uber sexy, Samsung Epic 4G Touch for sale! With it’s 4.52-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 1.2GHz dual-core Exynos processor, 16GB of internal storage, 8MP rear/2MP front facing cameras, 1080p video recording, running Android 2.3.4… Who’s getting one!?

Oh, and don’t forget to hit up the Samsung Epic 4G Touch Forum for anything and everything on this device from deals, rooting and general praise. Cheers.

[Via Sprint]

Logitech Keyboard Case for Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Now Available for $100

Posted by on September 15, 2011 No comments

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It wasn’t but Mid-August that we learned about and were able to preorder Logitech’s keyboard case for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The keyboard case is enabled via Bluetooth and essentially turns your tablet into a netbook either in portrait or landscape mode.

I’m sure this will be a hot commodity for many. It’s recently been taken out of preorder status and seems to be in shipping mode, according to their site. Throw down your $100 for one and see if they really are shipping them. Let us know if you are able to report the mission to be accomplished. [Logitech, Thanks Greg!]

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 Up for Pre-Order at Best Buy

Posted by on September 15, 2011 No comments

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If 10.1-inches of Galaxy goodness was just a bit too much, the Samsung’s smaller (but not smallest) Honeycomb slate is coming to offer an alternative. Best Buy has launched pre-orders for the 16GB and 32GB Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 on their website, though specific shipping dates are not mentioned. The 16GB model is priced at $469.99, while the 32GB version is priced at $569.99. Both versions are WiFi-only and feature a dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM, and 8.9-inch display (as suggested by the name).

Samsung recently unveiled a beefed-up LTE version of the Galaxy Tab 8.9, but from the Best Buy product listing this appears to be the older version of the slate revealed at last year’s Mobile World Congress.

[via LapToping]

Samsung Transform Ultra Announced for Boost Mobile, Coming October

Posted by on September 15, 2011 No comments

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Boost Mobile is adding another handset to their Android ranks with the Samsung Transform Ultra. The Transform Ultra joins the Galaxy Prevail, Boost’s best-selling Android smartphone, and features a 1GHz processor, 3MP rear camera, and front-facing VGA camera. The slide-out QWERTY Android 2.3 device will be available October 7th at a price of $229.99 in conjunction with Boost’s Android Monthly Unlimited plan, which will see an increase in price of $5 for unlimited data and messaging. Boost’s generous shrinking payments model is still in tact, however, so the longer you use the carrier’s services the lower your bill will drop, eventually bottoming out at $40. Not a bad price at all for an unlimited plan.

"Transform" Your Communications with the new Android-Powered Slide-Out QWERTY Phone from Boost Mobile and Samsung
The new Samsung Transform Ultra marks another industry first with Boost Mobile as the first no-contract smartphone to include the innovative Mobile ID platform

IRVINE, Calif. (BUSINESS WIRE), September 15, 2011 – Boost Mobile, ranked Highest in Customer Service Performance and Purchase Experience among Non-Contract Wireless Providers by J.D. Power and Associates1, once again enhances its smartphone lineup of Android™ devices with the launch of the Samsung Transform™ Ultra. The Transform Ultra complements the existing Samsung Galaxy Prevail™, which in four months has become the best-selling no-contract smartphone in Samsung’s history. The Transform Ultra is the perfect device for the consumer who desires an Android touchscreen along with a text-friendly full QWERTY keypad.

"If you have been sitting on the sidelines considering no-contract plans or Android smartphones, it’s time to upgrade with the latest Samsung Android devices paired with the award-winning Boost Mobile plans and customer experience," said Andre Smith, vice president-Boost Mobile. "The Transform Ultra device includes the innovative Mobile ID platform, allowing customers to get a running start in exploring Android applications and widgets based on their personal interest."

The Transform Ultra, powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread, features access to Google Mobile™ services and more than 250,000 applications through Android Market. The device has a 1GHz processor, a 3MP rear-facing camera, and VGA front-facing camera for video chat while on the go.

Mobile ID

The Transform Ultra is Boost’s first Android-powered smartphone to come preloaded with Mobile ID, an exclusive service from Boost that allows customers to download and install "ID packs." The packs deliver a complete mobile experience, including applications, widgets, ringtones and wallpapers, in a couple simple clicks. ID packs are designed to meet a customer’s individual lifestyle or interests, such as sports, entertainment, fitness and music.

As only one example, the MTV Music pack is a complete music experience, bringing together the best music and pop culture apps, widgets and content on your Boost smartphone. The MTV Music pack gives customers access to the biggest stars and newest artists around the clock. Plus MTV has selected the best music apps to stream, download, identify, search and discover all your favorite music.

Other ID packs that can be loaded on the device include: E!, Socially Connected, Professional, Entertainment, Lo2Yo Latino, Lo2Yo Mujer and Lo2Yo Futbol.

Other Transform Ultra features include:

  • Android 2.3 with Access to Android Market™
  • Touchscreen
  • Full QWERTY Keypad
  • 3MP camera with video
  • Wi-Fi®, GPS and Wireless Web enabled
  • Front-facing VGA camera
  • Easy access to Gmail™ and Google Talk™
  • Bluetooth® capable
  • Speakerphone with voice-activated dialing
  • Supports microSD® cards up to 32GB (2GB card included)
  • Voice mail, caller ID, call waiting and three-way calling

Samsung Transform Ultra will be available Oct. 7 for $229.99 (excluding taxes) at Boost Mobile’s exclusive retail stores, select independent wireless dealer locations across the country and at www.boostmobile.com with free shipping. The Transform will be rolling out in select retails nationwide later this year.

Android Monthly Unlimited with Shrinkage Offer Coming Oct. 6

Effective Oct. 6, Boost Mobile will add an additional $5 monthly charge for unlimited data and messaging services offered on Android-powered devices. Like the existing Monthly Unlimited plan, the new Android plan includes unlimited nationwide talk, text, Web, email and calls to 411. In addition, the new Android Monthly Unlimited plan will still come with shrinking payments where the longer you stay, the less you pay. For every six on-time payments, the cost of a new customer’s Android Monthly Unlimited plan will shrink by $5, eventually getting down to as low as $40 a month, only $5 more than the current Monthly Unlimited with Shrinkage. Payments do not need to be consecutive to qualify for the next savings milestone.

For our current Monthly Unlimited customers, we hear you! Existing $50 Monthly Unlimited customers with Android devices as of Oct. 6 can keep their current price plan as long as they don’t let their account expire. Existing Monthly Unlimited customers upgrading to a CDMA Android-powered device on or after Oct. 6, will add a $5 monthly charge on their current monthly payment without losing any of their accrued Shrinkage savings.