Samsung Galaxy Mega touching down at MetroPCS
MetroPCS on Thursday announced that the Samsung Galaxy Mega will be available online and in stores starting from November 25. The Galaxy Mega features a massive 6.3-inch display and will run on T-Mobile’s HSPA+/LTE network. Retail pricing is expected to be $499 however the carrier will…
Xbox One teardown reveals replaceable hard drive, off-the-shelf parts
The chip-obsessed gadget archaeologists at iFixit already have an Xbox One, and they’re already ripping it apart. Those monsters! While they’re not done dissecting and analyzing every single piece just yet, they’ve already found some interesting t…
Samsung and HTC phones go head-to-head in an ‘uncheatable’ benchmark test
Remember the allegation that Samsung cheats at benchmarks? Despite the manufacturer’s semi-denials, there’s growing evidence to suggest that not only Samsung, but also a number of other Android phone makers engage in some level of chicanery. Usual…
Samsung Galaxy Tab 11.6 release tipped for MWC 2012
Samsung looks set to expand its already varied array of tablet devices with an oversized Samsung Galaxy Tab 11.6 to land in February with a near 12-inch display, new reports have revealed.
Tipped for MWC 2012 arrival at the end of February, the 11.6-inch Samsung tablet is claimed to sport a form factor little bigger than that of its injunction hit 10.1-inch sibling with a much smaller bezel offing increased real-estate for the expansive display.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 11.6 Features
Quoting a “reliable source” the new reports, which come courtesy of BGR, have suggested that the mooted Galaxy Tab 11.6 will boast Google’s recently released Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich mobile operating system with Apple’s seemingly iPad 3 bound Retina Display to be trumped by the inclusion of a hefty 2560 x 1600p Full HD offering.
Driving the leaked tablet to true powerhouse status, a 2GHz dual-core Exynos processor is said to be on the Tab 11.6’s impressive specs list with Android Beam inclusion seeing the users able to sync the upcoming tablet with their Galaxy Nexus handsets.
Is 11.6-inches too big for a tablet device, should manufacturers simply stick a functional keyboard on the bottom and call it a laptop? Let us know what you think via the comments box below.
via Samsung Galaxy Tab 11.6 release tipped for MWC 2012 | T3.
T-Mobile to bleach Samsung Galaxy S II in white, arriving ‘in time for the holidays’
What’s that gorgeous device doing in a pearly white on this side of the pond? T-Mobile will be offering a second color option for its flagship TouchWiz device, the Samsung Galaxy S II, “in the coming weeks.” Though its exact launch date is uncertain, the two companies assured us that it would land in time for the holidays. We’re just hoping they’re not referring to Valentine’s Day.
via T-Mobile to bleach Samsung Galaxy S II in white, arriving ‘in time for the holidays’ — Engadget.
Samsung Galaxy S II Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade confirmed
Hardly the most unpredictable news in the world, but Samsung has now officially confirmed that the Galaxy S II will be receiving an upgrade to the next big version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich. That word comes from the company’s UK Twitter feed, though specific dates aren’t yet being provided. Samsung’s UK strategy has generally been consistent with the rest of Europe, meaning that an update to British Galaxy S II phones will likely be happening simultaneously with those in neighboring countries. US owners of the various carrier-branded GSII models should be a little more wary, however, as the history of Samsung Android upgrades in that market has been one of patchy, inconsistent updates that typically come quite a bit later than the global version. For now, let’s just add another highly prized handset to the growing list of confirmed ICS upgrades.
If you were hoping for similarly good news with respect to Samsung’s earlier top model, the Galaxy S, the company’s saying it has nothing to announce yet. An update to Ice Cream Sandwich isn’t being ruled out, but clearly Samsung doesn’t want to make any promises it won’t be able to keep.
via Samsung Galaxy S II Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade confirmed | The Verge.
AT&T to expand 4G coverage and launch first LTE smartphones November 6th: HTC Vivid, Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket
AT&T’s starting to catch the LTE fever, as the carrier’s announced that its first two devices with the true 4G will be ready to grab as of this upcoming Sunday. First we have the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket: the long-rumored device can be yours for $250 with a two-year commitment and will offer a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, Android 2.3.5, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 8MP rear camera with a 2MP front-facing cam and 16GB of internal storage space. Next up is the HTC Vivid (Holiday), which will be offered in both black and white for $200 and appears to match the specs leaked to us a couple months ago: it uses a 4.5-inch qHD (960 x 540) display, 1.2GHz CPU, 8MP rear camera with f/2.2 28mm wide angle lens and 1080p HD video recording. What about the “4G” branding? Contrary to the carrier’s HSPA+ devices, neither device will have LTE or 4G as part of their official name. Both phones will be reverse compatible with AT&T’s HSPA+ network, in case you’re not using the phone in an LTE-capable area; speaking of which, AT&T also announced that the November 6th launch will also bring four additional markets live, including Boston, Washington DC, Baltimore and Athens GA. Data plans for AT&T’s LTE smartphones will remain the same, with $15 getting you 200MB per month, 2GB going for $25 and 4GB with mobile hotspot connectivity for $45. Check below for a press gallery and the full press release.
HTC Sensation XL vs Samsung Galaxy S II
The HTC Sensation XL now makes that three flagship Android handsets from the Taiwanese mobile makers. Peter Chou and his team have also once again team up with Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine to bring Beats Audio software and headphones to an HTC smartphone and that gives this package one hell of an extra shine, but is it quite shiny enough?
Lurking in the wings, as ever, is the current King of the Androids in the shape of the Samsung Galaxy S II begging the big question for any wouldbe buyer – just which one is the better phone? So, we’ve lined up these two smartphones’ spec sheets and worked it out on paper at least. It’s the HTC Sensation XL vs Samsung Galaxy S II.
Form Factor
- TIE: GALAXY S2 : 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.49mm, 117g
- TIE: SENSATION XL :132.5 x 70.7 x 9.9 mm, 163g
In terms of pure measurements, it’s the first round to the Samsung Galaxy S II. As ever, it’s all about how thin and how light a mobile phone is when it comes to something that’s going to be sitting in your pocket, weighing you down and interrupting the carefully tailored lines of your clothing. The SGS2 is a touch thinner and considerably lighter. The other possible disadvantage to the Sensation XL is that it’s physically bigger on the other dimensions as well, but that has its plus points later on, as we’ll see.
However, that said, we’re going to call the round a tie because, as far physical design goes, it’ll be the machined aluminium block of the Sensation XL that has the edge over the more plastic look and feel of the Galaxy S II for aesthetics and ergonomic pleasure. To be fair to the Samsung, though, that doesn’t mean that it comes across as low rent. It’s still a nice piece of kit to own. Just not as satisfying as all-metal handsets. Read more 
Samsung Galaxy Note announced: 5.3-inch display, built-in-stylus, custom ‘S Pen’ apps
Until a few days ago we’d heard surprisingly little about the Galaxy Note, a handset rumored to be launching alongside the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Wave 3 at IFA. It’s ironic, really, because of all the phones to have kept a low profile, this is a memorable one. Behold, a 5.3-inch handset with a stowaway pen for note-taking, drawing and grabbing screen captures. In other words, a Dell Streak-esque hunk of a device that blurs the lines between phone and tablet. You’re looking at a Gingerbread-running HSPA+ handset with a 1280 x 800 Super AMOLED display, dual 8MP and 2MP cameras, a removable 2,500mAh battery and the same Samsung-made dual-core 1.4GHz processor you’ll find in the just-announced Galaxy Tab 7.7. For a phone this gargantuan, it’s actually quite thin at light, at 9.65mm (0.38 inches) thick and a reasonable 178 grams (6.3 ounces). We had a few minutes to handle the phone in advance of today’s press conference, and found it surprisingly easy to grip, even in our small hands. As with the Infuse 4G –whose own 4.5-inch screen once seemed impossibly sprawling — the thin shape makes it tenable, as does the lightweight, textured plastic lining the back.
As you’d expect, Android 2.3 comes layered with TouchWiz on top and, in this case, seven home screens and a touch-optimized interface dubbed “S Pen” designed to take advantage of that pen. These include S Planner, a native calendar and to-do list app, from which you can drag and drop appointments, changing time slots without having to open an entry. S Memo for note-taking, meanwhile, accepts voice, photo, text and handwritten input. We also got a quick glimpse of Virtual Whiteboard, a more collaborative form of note-taking. On top of that, Samsung says it’s releasing the S Pen SDK to third-party developers, and the company’s banking on more apps for organizing photos and drawing, among other things. For now, this is merely a global launch: Samsung says it’s still in discussions with carriers worldwide, so depending on your neck of the woods it might be awhile before you hear anything definitive about pricing or availabilit
via Samsung Galaxy Note announced: 5.3-inch display, built-in-stylus, custom ‘S Pen’ apps — Engadget.
White Samsung Galaxy S II official: Coming 1 September
If you want your Samsung Galaxy S II to stand out from the crowd, but don’t fancy adding a physical QWERTY as per the AT&T variant, then how about a white version of the massively popular handset?
That dream (yes, dream) is now a reality as web rumours and leaked pics have led to official confirmation from Samsung. The Galaxy S II white edition exists and what’s more it’s going on sale in just over a month.
Simon Stanford, MD of mobile at Samsung UK and Ireland said: “Sales of the Galaxy S II have surpassed all expectations since its release in May this year. The arrival of the Samsung Galaxy S II white brings to market an incredibly stylish addition to our latest multi-award winning handset.
“The Galaxy S II is our slimmest, lightest, fastest and now whitest smartphone, the first device to offer Super AMOLED Plus screen technology, alongside the most advanced technical specifications including the latest Android OS and a dual core processor.”
via White Samsung Galaxy S II official: Coming 1 September – Pocket-lint.
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