Mobile and communication news » Samsung

Galaxy S II breaks Samsung’s records, sells 3 million in 55 days

admin — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 11:23:08 +0000

Unless you were hanging out with the sherpas in the Himalayas you probably must have heard a lot about the Samsung Galaxy S II. To say it was well-received would be an understatement as almost everyone we knew had already got one or was planning on getting one. But now we have the official figures from Samsung and we know just how well they did. Unsurprisingly, they did very well.

The Galaxy S II went on to break Samsung’s own record and sold over three million units in the 55 days since launch. That’s approximately 50,000 phones a day. According to Samsung, most of these phones were consumed within the European markets.

If you think these figures aren’t all that impressive, you should know that the Galaxy S II is yet to go on sale in the US. Had it been an international launch, the figures would have been much higher. But even at the rate at which it is currently going, it won’t take long for it to break the 10 million record set by Galaxy S.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 comes to the office, makes calls

admin — Mon, 30 May 2011 09:59:40 +0000

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 has just arrived in our office and, boy, do we have some news for you. It turns out that the Honeycomb slate takes on from where its 7” predecessor left off, and brings native telephony capabilities to an even larger form factor.

Yeap, we are talking regular GSM network phone calls and even some video-calls if you wish. There’s no dialer on board, but you can either get a 3rd party app from the market (as we did), or use your contacts list for initiating calls.

Samsung Galaxy Tab makes calls too

Much like with the 7” Galaxy Tab, you can either use the built-in microphone and speakerphones, a handsfree plugged into the 3.5mm audio jack, or a Bluetooth handsfree for calling. Pretty cool, eh?

But of course telephony is not why people would go for the Galaxy Tab 8.9. The reason why people would probably choose the ultra-slim tablet is the great mix of portability and functionality that it offers. Despite being as powerful as its larger competitors, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 comes in a shell that’s way more portable and easier to handle (due to the reduced weight and unbelievably slim waistline).

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 live shots

Anyway we shouldn’t be getting ahead of ourselves here. We’ll see if the Galaxy Tab 8.9 will manage to live up to the high expectations when the preview is created. In the meantime, feel free to check out how it compares to its larger brother and the iPad 2 on paper.

Samsung S3850 Corby II goes on sale

admin — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:31:47 +0000

Samsung reminded us that there is more than smartphones out there. The company quietly released its Corby II feature phone this week in Europe. The phone is a successor to the popular Corby handset and offers some minor improvements on an already successful package.

The retail price of the Corby II will be €189. For this amount of money you will get, well, not much. The screen is 3.2″ capacitive TFT with QVGA resolution (240 x 320 pixels). There is 26MB of internal storage and a microSD card slot. Photos can be taken with a fixed-focus 2MP camera.

The device runs on the latest TouchWiz UI with multitasking capabilities. Connectivity is covered with Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 (A2DP), standard microUSB port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Amazon.de currently has the Corby II listed at €135. You should keep in mind that for the same price, you can find a lower-end Android or Symbian device. Both the LG GT540 Optimus and the Sony Ericsson X8 run for about the same price point.

Check out our preview of the Corby II and tell us what do you think in the comments section.

T-Mobile-bound Samsung T759 Exhibit 4G leaks

admin — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:35:22 +0000

Live photos of a new Samsung Android smartphone just surfaced. The Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread-running Samsung T759 Exhibit 4G got its FCC approval on its way to hitting the T-Mobile USA shelves.

The Samsung Exhibit 4G sports a 3.7″ SuperAMOLED display of WVGA (400×800) resolution and runs the previous version of TouchWiz, 3.0. According to the source the smartphone packs an ARM11 (now that seems unlikely) CPU clocked at 1.4 GHz, 5 megapixel camera, which also does 720p video capture and a front-facing VGA camera for video-calling.

Samsung T759 Exhibit 4G

As you could expect from a T-Mobile smartphone the 4G stands for HSPA+ (either 14.4 or 21 Mbps download speeds), not the actual LTE stuff.

There’s no word on pricing or availability just yet.

Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II dual-core CPU will run at 1.2 GHz

admin — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:14:57 +0000

The Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II is a pretty powerful beast as it is with its Exynos chipset featuring a dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU and Mali 400 GPU. However Samsung obviously decided 1GHz is not good enough for their flagship so they are adding even more oomph to it.

The company’s Estonian office has just confirmed through their Facebook page that the two CPU cores will be running at 1.2 GHz, rather than the previously announced 1GHz. That update brings the Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II to the top of the Cortex-A9 class, in pure computing power, at least.

It’s a surprising move, we admit. We’ve never seen processor specs jump midway from announcement to release but that’s obviously the case, The Galaxy S II official microsite no longer lists the exact technical specs of the CPU, so we can only assume something’s cooking there for real.

Update: We just got a further confirmation from an internal source that the Galaxy S II CPU has indeed been updated to 1.2GHz.

What we don’t know yet is how this new chip compares to the new Qualcomm Snapdragons, featuring 1.4 GHz dual-core Scorpion CPUs. We guess we’ll see about that in a couple of months time when the Galaxy S II and the HTC EVO 3D will both be finalized.

It should be pretty obvious by now that 2011 is going to be as good a year for Android fans as 2010.

Samsung Galaxy Neo announced, headed to Korea

admin — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 09:39:47 +0000

Samsung just announced another member of the Galaxy Android-running lineup. The Galaxy Neo will be a Korea-only smartphone that belongs to the upper midrange segment.

The Samsung Galaxy Neo exterior is identical to the Galaxy Ace, but for the back panel, which is reminiscent of its larger Galaxy Tab sibling.

The feature set however has been altered, with the most notable changes being the screen resolution upgrade to WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) and the introduction of T-DMB support. Bluetooth has also been promoted to version 3.0. The camera however has been downgraded to 3 megapixel resolution and has lost its autofocus capabilities.

The Galaxy Neo features an 800MHz processor and 512MB of RAM and runs on Android 2.2 Froyo. The highlights list continues with Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) support, a 3.5mm audio jack and a 1,500 mAh battery.

Judging by those specs the Samsung Galaxy Neo should fit somewhere between the I9001 Galaxy Galaxy S Plus and the Galaxy Ace.

The Samsung Galaxy Neo is a CDMA version so it won’t work on any GSM networks.

So far there’s no information about pricing or possible release of a global version of the Galaxy Neo

1.4 GHz Samsung I9001 Galaxy S Plus with Gingerbread surfaces

admin — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:34:17 +0000

We just got word that Samsung are working on a new hot Android smartphone called Samsung I9001 Galaxy S Plus. Packing a 1.4 GHz single-core Snapdragon processor and running on the latest phone-friendly 2.3 Gingerbread version of the Google OS, this Galaxy S smartphone should fill the gap between the Galaxy S II and the Galaxy Ace in the company’s 2011 portfolio.

Samsung is just about to release arguably the hottest Android smartphone of all times, but that’s not enough for a company that aims to become the world’s top cell phone manufacturer. To achieve that they should be have a device for everyone on offer and that’s why the Samsung I9001 Galaxy S Plus comes into play.

We were able to find a picture with the Galaxy S 1.4GHz specs. Here it goes.

Image courtesy of Dmitriy Ryabinin

Unlike the original Galaxy S, the I9001 Galaxy S Plus will come with a metal backplate.

We are not quite sure if this is the Galaxy S II Mini, which we met a while ago, but the specs resemblance suggests that it might very well be. Just like the S II Mini, which leaked through the O2 roadmap, the Samsung I9001 Galaxy S Plus packs a SuperAMOLED screen, a 5 megapixel camera capable of recording HD video and a 1650 mAh battery. Best of all, it comes with an all-metal back.

On the other hand the Galaxy S Plus screen is said to measure 4″, while the Galaxy S II Mini was supposed to pack a 3.7″ unit. Anyway both rumors point at a launch in April so we should find out pretty soon if Samsung has one or two new smartphones in store for us.

Both the HTC Desire HD and the Sony Ericsson XPERIA PLAY use the latest Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon chipset platform. The Qualcomm MSM8255T used in the Samsung Galaxy S Plus is not only the first mobile single-core solution to reach 1.4GHz but according to Qualcomm, it also consumes the same power as the current 1GHZ CPUs. The chipset however makes use of the older-gen Adreno 205 GPU.

The estimated retail price of the Samsung Galaxy S Plus (which will be called Samsung Galaxy S 2011 Edition in Russia) is said to be 24 000 RUB, which converts to $840. This seems pretty unlikely though, considering that the pre-orders for the Galaxy S II start at $700.

Samsung announces Galaxy Tab 8.9, thinner Galaxy Tab 10.1

admin — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 09:22:01 +0000

Surprise, surprise! Samsung announced not one, but two tablets during their CTIA event. The Galaxy Tab 8.9 was joined by a reworked version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Both tablets run Android 3.0 Honeycomb with TouchWiz 4.0 user interface.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 has a 8.9″ screen (no surprise here) of WXGA resolution. It measures 230.9 x 157.8 x 8.6mm(!) and weighs just 470g with a 6000mAh battery. The rest of the features are very much like the ones on its bigger brother.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been revised – how Samsung managed to do it so quick we can’t tell but the Tab 10.1 now measures 256.6 x 172.9 x 8.6 mm. It used to be 10.9mm thick and a bit lighter – now both the Tab 10.1 and Tab 8.9 are thinner and lighter than the iPad 2. You can check how those three compare in our blog.

The reworked Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is thinner than the iPad

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 uses a PLS display, which should offer even better image quality than IPS displays. The battery on the 10.1 is 6800mAh.

Both tablets feature 1GHz dual-core CPUs. On the software side they run Android Honeycomb with some new TouchWiz 4.0 modifications. Flash Player 10.2 and Quickoffice HD editor come preinstalled.

The Galaxy Tab 8.9 and Tab 10.1 feature 3MP autofocus primary cameras with 720p video recording and 2MP front-facing cameras. Wi-Fi a/b/g/n (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and Bluetooth handle local wireless connectivity (v2.1 for Tab 8.9 and v3.0 for Tab 10.1).

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 looks pretty much the same

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be available on 8 June for $499 (16GB version) or $599 (32GB version). The old, thicker version of the Tab 10.1 is still on course to hitting Vodafone stores outside the US so it hasn’t been canceled. We are yet to learn more about the availability of the two devices, but we can confirm that the thicker version won’t be coming to the US.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 specs also mention a 64GB version, but there’s no pricing information for that one yet.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 should launch early this summer for $469 (16GB version) or $569 (32GB). You can always get a microSD card to expand the memory, so getting the bigger version isn’t necessary.

Those prices are for Wi-Fi only versions of the tablets – there will be versions with mobile Internet too (quad-band GPRS/EDGE and quad-band 3G with 21Mbps HSPA+).

Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 and Galaxy Suit S5670 pop up

admin — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 16:01:10 +0000

Official photos of a couple of Samsung Android smartphones just appeared. The Galaxy Ace S5830 makes its second public appearance, while the Galaxy Suit S5670 is only now taking its first trip through Rumorland.

Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 was initially known as Galaxy Mini, when it leaked a couple of days ago. Apart from the new name, the newly leaked low-resolution shot doesn’t reveal any new information about the handset’s specs sheet. So far we have Android 2.2 Froyo, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and an HVGA screen. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 are also confirmed, while GPS and microUSB seem like a pretty reasonable guess.

Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830

The Samsung Suit S5670 on the other hand, remains a complete enigma to us. Its model number and looks suggest mid-range functionality, so it might be the I5500 Galaxy 5 successor. Judging by the icons on the screen, the Samsung Suite S5670 is running Android 2.2 Froyo too.

Samsung Galaxy Suit S5670

It appears that Samsung will be quite busy at the MWC this year. We’ve already seen four Android smartphones, including the Galaxy S 2. Undoubtedly the Koreans will also have some Bada devices to show us and we might even see a new WP7 handset or two.

Samsung I9020 a.k.a. Nexus S is the next Google phone?

admin — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:53:38 +0000

The rumors on the upcoming Samsung-made Nexus 2 a.k.a. Nexus S have just been reborn. The first hands-on shots of the smartphone have just surfaced and so have some details on it, thanks to the FCC website.

The next-gen Nexus phone was first expected to show up on 8 November 2010, but Samsung announced the Continuum instead and we almost lost hope that we will ever see a second Nexus phone.

Yet over the past 24 hours the Samsung-made Google Nexus S popped up on a bunch of websites (of the FCC, Wi-Fi Alliance and Best Buy Mobile) and, most excitingly, we finally got to enjoy some live shots of the smartphone.

Samsung Google Nexus S

And while the I9020 Nexus S doesn’t look much like the Samsung I9000 Galaxy S on the outside, those are said to be identical on the inside, save for the Android 2.3 a.k.a. Gingerbread that the Nexus S should be powered by.

We can expect a 5MP AF camera with HD video recording, Bluetooth 3.0 and 802.11n Wi-Fi connectivity and maybe the gorgeous 4″ Super AMOLED touchscreen found on the Galaxy S.

There is still no word on the Nexus S launch date and price tag but keeping in mind that the Gingerbread should come any moment now, we shouldn’t wait for too long to get all our questions answered.