“Android continues to fire on all cylinders,” notes IDC senior research analyst Ramon Llamas in IDC’s just released report on smartphone operating system market share for the second quarter of 2012. The report reveals Android powered smartphones accounted for 68.1% of all smartphones shipped during the second quarter. Year-over-year numbers reveal the number of Android smartphones shipped in the second quarter doubled from 2011 to 2012, with more than 100 million units shipped this year during the second quarter.
Leading the way for Android powered devices was Samsung which accounted for 44.0% of Android smartphones shipped during the second quarter. Meanwhile, Apple’s share cooled to 16.9% of the market on shipments of 26 million iOS powered units. Although the growth in Apple’s numbers compared to a year ago would normally seem strong, iOS shipments are not keeping pace with the explosive expansion for Android smartphones. This probably explains why Apple is fighting so hard in litigation against Android’s current flagship manufacturer, Samsung.
Meanwhile, stalwarts Blackberry and Symbian both saw their market share slip below the 5.0% level at 4.8% and 4.4% respectively. Market share for Windows based phones crept up slightly and Microsoft may not be far off from taking over third spot in the near future. It would be a distant third though as Android and iOS now command 85.0% of market.
It took long enough, but it Samsung has finally launched the Galaxy Note 10.1 for those looking for some stylus action in their tablets. The Galaxy Note 10.1 will initially arrive in a WiFi-only flavor and be available immediately in the U.K., Korea, Germany and of course, here in the States. Those of you looking for some cellular action will be able to score the 3G/HSPA+ and LTE variants of the tablet later on in the year. In case you’ve forgotten, the Galaxy Note 10.1 was scheduled to be released earlier in the year, but was pulled for “minor tweaks” and will now come fully loaded too as it will feature: a 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos processor, a whopping 2GB of RAM, 16/32/64GB storage configurations, an expandable microSD slot and a display capable of 1200 x 800.
While the Galaxy Note 10.1 sure does sound tantalizing— there’s no word on the exact pricing just yet. Oh but don’t worry— we’ll find out soon enough at Samsung’s event next week… which we will be there by the way giving you up-to-date news and details. While you wait for our coverage, why not go ahead and check out the full presser and the cool tablet in action once you hit past the break?
Samsung Inspires a Culture of Active Content Creation, Productivity, and Learning
August 6, 2012
Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1 becomes available globally starting in August SEOUL, August 6, 2012 - Samsung announced today the launch of GALAXY Note 10.1, an extension of the GALAXY Note category. GALAXY Note 10.1 is outfitted with the functionality and precision of a pen and paper on a 10.1-inch large display, providing endless possibilities to elevate a user’s creativity, productivity and learning abilities. Featuring an intuitive user experience and armed with a 1.4GHz quad-core processor and 2GB RAM for enhanced performance, GALAXY Note 10.1 is designed to simplify idea capture, information access, and multi-tasking, making each easier and faster. GALAXY Note 10.1 allows users to express their ideas naturally and efficiently.
“GALAXY Note 10.1 further demonstrates Samsung’s dedication to delivering products that offer a complete mobile experience for creating personalized and expressive content,” said JK Shin, President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. “History has shown that taking notes, capturing ideas immediately, and sketching to realize them is the most personal and natural way to be more productive and creative. The advanced technology and features included in GALAXY Note 10.1 give users the power to produce, create and customize communications.”
GALAXY Note 10.1 incorporates key intuitive features and capabilities such as side-by-side multitasking with the device’s Multiscreen feature on a 10.1-inch large screen; Samsung’s unique S Pen experiences including a variety of S Note templates and productive tools (Shape Match and Formula Match); Learning Hub for accessing educational curricula (Learning Hub is currently available in Korea, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, China and Singapore, and will gradually roll-out to other global markets) and Adobe’s premium creative application Photoshop® Touch.
True Multi-Tasking with Multiscreen Feature
With GALAXY Note 10.1’s Multiscreen feature, users can effortlessly utilize two different applications side-by-side simultaneously for true and easy multitasking. Users can view Web pages or videos, or launch other applications while writing or sketching ideas with the S Pen on the other half of the screen. Furthermore, users can freely capture and crop images, and paste them onto the other screen to make personal notes and enhance their creativity, productivity and learning abilities. The Multiscreen feature increases productivity and efficiency while users are enjoying multimedia content. GALAXY Note 10.1 brings a new culture of creation through the user’s own notes, and enables an entirely new experience to improve productivity and enjoyment.
S Pen & S Note for Personalized and Organized Note-taking
Featuring its advanced 6.5mm S Pen, GALAXY Note 10.1 is optimized for the creation of personalized and expressive content in the most natural and intuitive way. The S Pen’s feel and functionality are specifically designed for an optimal experience on the 10.1-inch screen. The S Pen is embedded directly in the device and, when removed, automatically launches specially-optimized applications, including S Note, S Planner, Crayon physics, Adobe® Photoshop® Touch, and Polaris Office. Alternatively, users can easily set their preferred application to be launched instantly. For example, S Note can be launched instantly when a user takes the S Pen out from the device. Users can also tap the screen twice while pressing the S Pen button for quick S Note access via the S Note-dedicated widget, which can be easily moved anywhere on the display, never hindering or obstructing creativity or productivity.
The S Note is a unique tool that gives users the ability to combine notes and sketches with other digital content in ready-to-use templates. The Shape Match and Formula Match features help correct and digitize geometric shapes and solve numeric formulas hand-written with the S Pen. The S Note is also integrated with knowledge search engines so that users can search for content, obtain information, and easily drag and drop content onto S Notes without having to switch between screens. Exclusively pre-loaded on GALAXY Note 10.1, the Adobe® Photoshop® Touch application allows users to professionally edit photos with the ease and precision of the S Pen.
Active Learning Experience
GALAXY Note 10.1 is an ideal learning tool that allows users to take notes directly on an eTextbook while watching lectures, or research the Web while writing an essay at the same time. Samsung’s Learning Hub service is optimized for GALAXY Note 10.1, allowing users to access extensive multimedia educational content for all ages. The content includes eTextbooks, video lectures, interactive coaching and much more, and can be shared with multiple Samsung devices. Furthermore, Learning Hub features a learning management system that provides schedule and performance management tools for users of all age-groups to enjoy learning at their own pace.
In Korea, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, China and Singapore, Learning Hub service is available at the time of the launch of GALAXY Note 10.1. Learning Hub will be downloadable via Samsung Apps in more than 20 countries by the end of 2012.
Superior Hardware Performance
GALAXY Note 10.1 is designed with advanced hardware technology, including a 1.4GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of internal RAM. Seamless multi-tasking, high-standard graphics, and blazing-fast performance without any lag are essential features of GALAXY Note 10.1. The device also includes a 5-megapixel main camera and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera.
Several other features have been added to GALAXY Note 10.1 including Smart Stay, which tracks the user’s eyes to ensure that the screen is always on while being looked at, and Pop Up Play, which allows the user to watch a video anywhere on their screen while simultaneously running other tasks. With AllShare® Play, users can share content with a large group in real-time by connecting GALAXY Note 10.1 to Samsung HD TVs, mobile tablets, laptops, and other consumer electronic devices on the same network. With AllShare Group Cast, users can also share and collaborate on documents, presentations, or images without loading the files separately.
GALAXY Note 10.1 comes in three connectivity options: a WiFi-only version, a WiFi-and-3G HSPA-Plus connectivity version at launch, and a WiFi-and-LTE version later this year. GALAXY Note 10.1 is available in Korea, Germany, the US and the UK while it will gradually roll-out to other global markets starting in August.
As Apple and Samsung continue to go back and forth in their respectful disagreements with one another, Apple was dealt an irrelevant small setback. If you recall, Apple and Judge Lucy Koh
weren’t too pleased that Sammy released confidential court information to the media and both wouldn’t allow Sammy to use clever movie clips either. As a result, Apple requested Judge Koh lay the smackdown on Sammy— which Judge Koh seriously considered. However, after some deliberations and interviewing jury members to see if they were affected by the leaked information, Judge Koh decided to abstain from any further action regarding this. Apparently four jurors saw the leaked info and claimed it wasn’t a problem at all with themselves. Still, Judge Koh expressed her desire for all the jurors to not read any further information about the leaks and she is quoted as saying this for her reasoning:
“Those remedies are not warranted by the current record. I will not let any theatrics or sideshow distract us from what we are here to do.”
Despite all that, Apple still claims that the leaked information as well as the subsequent Samsung devices has affected the company as a whole. Apple’s marketing lead Phil Schiller
claims Samsung’s design thefts has hurt Apple’s overall profits:
“I was pretty shocked at the appearance of the Galaxy S phone and the extent to which it copied (Apple products,)… I absolutely believe it’s had an impact on our sales.”
Not sure of what to make of this latest development, but just when you all think it can’t get any messier— it gets a little messier folks.
If you are interested in getting your hands on a new Samsung Galaxy device, like the Samsung Galaxy S III or Samsung Galaxy Note, and could use some funds to help with the purchase, Samsung may have just what you need. Samsung recently announced a new buyback program via their Facebook page. You just provide information on the type of phone you are trading in, purchase a new Samsung device, send in your old phone, and Samsung promises you’ll receive a check within 30 days. It does appear the offer will apply retroactively to at least some purchases as Samsung indicates you only need to have your receipt ready.
A quick check of what Samsung is offering looks like they may be offering about two-thirds what you can get by selling your device yourself on eBay. That may be enough for some people who don’t want to deal with the hassle of selling their old phone. There are other buyback programs one can use to trade in their old phone, so it may be worth shopping around.
For those of you high on the fumes of the Samsung S3's explosive release, here’s an even bigger dose for you: Hollywood-esque shorts shot entirely on the Sammy S3! That’s right, the chutzpah of T-mobile’s marketing unit, came up with the brilliant idea to shoot a quick action flick to promote the device.
They chose none other than veteran YouTube director/special effects coordinator, Freddie Wong, to do the work for them. The videos show a real workmanship, not only behind the design of the film, but also in showcasing the world-class build and technological essence of Samsung’s flagship phone. The flick is called ‘Sandcastle Sensei’ and the whole thing looks to be put out on a shoestring budget, including consumer-level editing software.
For those of you who are Samsung S3 aficionados, you already know the 8MP optical lens in the device is an industry standard. What you may not know is that it doesn’t take a Carl Zeiss lens (Sorry, Nokia!) to produce a well put together movie, with smooth transitions and crisp image quality. Watch the whole thing below and then follow up with the behind-the-scenes which was also shot on the same phone.
I’m no lawyer, but what’s the deal with Judge Lucy Koh? First she rules that Samsung is unable to use evidence that clearly shows they were working on designs that resembled the iPhone back in 2006, and now she ruled that Samsung can’t use footage from the movie, “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
As you know “2001: A Space Odyssey” features a tablet well before the iPad was even thought of let alone designed. I assume the reason why Koh keeps refusing these exhibits is because this case isn’t about refuting Apple’s patents. It’s on whether Samsung infringed on them or not. The fact that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office should have or shouldn’t have granted these patents is not on the table.
Seems as if Samsung has been testing LTE Broadcast technology for TV over 4G using a standard known as eMBMS (evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service). While mobile TV has been popular over in Japan, it hasn’t quite made the leap to any other market or country. The large amount of bandwidth that LTE offers could help persuade other carriers to consider this technology and could very well be a hit to consumers in this on-the-go society that we currently live in. While it’s certainly still unclear what Samsung’s goal ultimately is with this technology, I’m sure it has a good chance to be successful considering Samsung is one of the worlds most successful smartphone manufacturer.
You can head over to the official press release after the break.
Samsung Demonstrates Broadcast Services Over LTE Using Anritsu’s Rapid Test Designer (RTD) and MD8430A
RICHARDSON, Texas, Aug. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, has successfully demonstrated clear reception capabilities of LTE Broadcast services using evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) technology using Anritsu’s (www.anritsu.com) Rapid Test Designer (RTD) and MD8430A to simulate the LTE network environment.
eMBMS technology allows the LTE network infrastructure to be used for the delivery of broadcast services, such as TV. It enables carriers to adjust coverage and capacity as needed, allowing for more efficient use of network resources. Samsung Electronics and Anritsu (two long-time leaders in new mobile technologies) have collaborated to bring this new technology to market.
Anritsu’s RTD delivers a rich set of test features using its fast and flexible flowcharting user interface. The Samsung engineers were able to create the eMBMS demonstration using RTD’s graphical script design to drive the execution of the test simulation on an Anritsu MD8430A LTE signaling tester.
“Anritsu is delighted that Samsung, the world’s largest cell phone maker, has selected the technology-leading capabilities of the RTD and MD8430A to verify the implementation of eMBMS capability in its devices,” stated Kenji Tanaka, Executive Vice President at Anritsu. “Samsung’s demonstration shows how Anritsu’s RTD helps LTE device makers prove their leading-edge technology in an intensely competitive market where reducing the product launch cycle time is critical to success.”
“We have used Anritsu test equipment from the very beginning of our LTE development programs,” said Inyup Kang, Executive Vice President at Samsung Electronics. “Anritsu’s RTD and MD8430A have made a significant contribution to our leading position in the LTE device market.”
Ting, a MVNO (Mobile Vitural Network Operator) running on Sprint’s network, is now offering the Samsung Galaxy S III for pre-order. You will have a choice of either Marble White or Pebble Blue and as this is prepaid, (no discounted handsets) the device will cost $529 (16GB) or $579 (32GB).
One drawback: you have to wait 3-6 weeks for your shiny new phone to ship. The good news is, for those who live in a Sprint LTE market, you’ll be able to browse the web at stunning LTE speeds! We have yet to confirm the official specs; Ting says their version will have only 1GB of RAM Vs. 2GB on other variants. Either this is a method to cut costs, or there was an error–hopefully the latter.
The Samsung Galaxy S III has been available for quite some time and is selling at record numbers, leading to Samsung destroying their shipment record in quarter two of this year. Widespread ability, and specs that leave nothing to desire are likely the main cause of its popularity. I know if I wasn’t packing a Galaxy Nexus, I would definitely pick one up! Are you on the Ting network? Let us know if you plan on picking up this powerful beast! Hit the break for the full press release.
Ting Offers Samsung Galaxy SIII on Sprint’s 4G LTE Network
TORONTO, August 2, 2012 – Tucows Inc. (NYSE AMEX:TCX, TSX:TC), a global provider of domain names and other Internet services, today announced that its mobile phone service, Ting, has made the Samsung Galaxy SIII available for pre-order on its website at ting.com.
Devices will ship in three to six weeks. The 16GB Samsung Galaxy SIII is at $529, the 32GB at $579. These will be the first Ting devices to use Sprint’s 4G LTE network. Both the 16GB and 32GB are available in Pebble Blue and Marble White.
“It’s a killer device,” said Scott Allan, Director of Ting. “We have a lot of potential customers who have been waiting for this. They won’t have to wait much longer.”
To thank customers for waiting the three to six weeks, Ting will pick two of the first two hundred pre-orders and waive the cost of the device entirely.
Samsung Galaxy SIII shoppers are strongly encouraged to go to the savings calculator at ting.com/calculator to determine how quickly their monthly savings on service will cover the upfront cost of the device.
After that, pre-orders can be placed at ting.com/devices.
About Tucows
Tucows is a global Internet services company. OpenSRS (http://opensrs.com) manages over 11 million domain names and millions of email boxes through a reseller network of over 12,000 web hosts and ISPs. Hover (http://hover.com) is the easiest way for individuals and small businesses to manage their domain names and email addresses. Ting (http://ting.com) is a mobile phone service provider dedicated to bringing clarity and control to U.S. mobile phone users. YummyNames (http://yummynames.com) owns premium domain names that generate revenue through advertising or resale. More information can be found on Tucows’ corporate website (http://tucows.com).
The International Data Corporation (IDC)
has confirmed many of the things we already know about the Android platform. According to its latest report, Samsung as expected had the most number of smartphone shipments in Q2 2012 out of all major manufacturers— despite smartphone shipments falling as a whole. The IDC reiterated Sammy’s claim of 50 million over the last 3 months, compared to 26 million from Apple. Nokia finished a distant third and accounted for only 10 million phone shipments, while “others” (which presumably includes RIM) accounted for 50.7 million smartphones in total.
The report also provides a good indication of the overall growth of smartphones. Smartphones grew at a year-over-year rate of 42.1% in Q2 2012. In addition, the total number of smartphone shipments across all smartphone manufacturers grew to a whopping 153.9 million for Q2 2012, compared to 108 million in Q2 2011. And one shocking stat: Samsung has nearly doubled its market share (from 17 percent in Q2 2011 to 32.6 percent in Q2 2012), while Nokia is continuing its painful slide to the bottom of the totem pole (from 15.4 percent in Q2 2011 to 6.6 percent in Q2 2012).
Additional details can be found once you hit past the break.
Strong Demand for Smartphones in Second Quarter Continues to Drive the Worldwide Mobile Phone Market, According to IDC
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. July 26, 2012 – The worldwide mobile phone market grew 1% year over year in the second quarter of 2012 (2Q12), as Samsung and Apple shipped almost half of the world’s smartphones. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors shipped 406.0 million units in 2Q12 compared to 401.8 million units in the second quarter of 2011.
Samsung and Apple have more than doubled their combined market share over the past two years, which has created more distance between the companies and the competition. “Samsung and Apple have quickly become the global smartphone heavyweights though both employ somewhat different approaches to the market,” said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. “Samsung employs a ‘shotgun’ strategy wherein many models are created that cover a wide range of market segments. Apple, in contrast, offers a small number of high-profile models. While both companies have expanded their geographic presence in pursuit of market share, the two companies will inevitably come into greater conflict as both try to generate additional gains.”
Market share gains will be harder to generate, however, if the worldwide smartphone market grows at rates similar to the 42.1% year-over-year rate at which the market increased in 2Q12. This was the lowest growth rate since the fourth quarter of 2009. Vendors shipped 153.9 million smartphones in 2Q12 compared to 108.3 million units in 2Q11. The 42.1% year-over-year growth was one percentage point lower than IDC’s forecast of 43.1% for the quarter.
The spectre of further economic woes puts growth prospects for the mobile phone market at risk. “With half of 2012 behind us, vendors are looking ahead to 2013 and how key markets – particularly Europe and emerging markets – will play out,” said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Phone Technology and Trends team. “Despite recent maneuvers to shore up several countries within the Eurozone, the effectiveness of these efforts remains to be seen. Meanwhile, emerging markets will continue to be strong contributors due to their sheer size and growth trajectory, but how much they can offset potential declines in other countries is unclear.”
Nonetheless, IDC expects long-term mobile phone and smartphone shipment demand to grow steadily in 2012 and through the years ahead due to the central role mobile phones play in people’s lives. “For many users, the mobile phone has become the essential communications link to others and to the world,” noted Llamas.
Smartphone Vendor Highlights
Samsung extended its lead over Apple during the second quarter, taking advantage of Apple’s release schedule and launching its flagship Galaxy S III. In addition, Samsung experienced continued success of its smartphone/tablet hybrid device, the Galaxy Note. As a result, Samsung topped the 50 million unit mark and reached a new quarterly smartphone shipment record in a single quarter. What remains to be seen is how the company’s smartphones will fare against Apple’s next-generation iPhone expected later this year.
Apple posted an expected sequential decline last quarter, similar to years past. The quarter-over-quarter shipment decline came six months after it unveiled its latest iPhone. The decline is not unusual as iPhone shipment volume is highest in the first two quarters after its release. The company’s once-a-year release cycle usually results in two quarters of lower volumes leading up to the next-generation model introduction. Nonetheless, Apple made significant inroads into new markets and segments, including smaller regional carriers and prepaid service providers.
Nokia smartphone business underwent another quarter of transition. Demand for Symbian and MeeGo units declined, reaching levels not seen since 2005 though the company almost doubled its Windows Phone shipments from the previous quarter. Nokia’s Lumia sales were not terribly affected by Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 announcement, which will prevent current Lumia owners from upgrading to the new mobile operating system. However, Lumia sales have remained steady and key enhancements available on the new platform will eventually become available to current Lumia owners. Nokia, however, has a long path to travel before it can reclaim previous volume levels and challenge Apple and Samsung for smartphone supremacy.
HTC rebounded from its struggles in the two previous quarters to reclaim the number 4 spot in the smartphone vendor rankings. Its relatively strong performance in the Asia/Pacific region allowed it to climb back up the rank order as did the correction of its channel inventory issues. The company’s streamlined portfolio means future share gains will be predicated upon the success of its One products.
ZTE climbed into the smartphone Top 5 for the first time thanks primarily to shipments of its lower-cost entry-level smartphones in China, where it’s based. However, the vendor has also grown its international smartphone sales, particularly in the U.S. where its smartphones can be found under other brands. Latin America is another source of significant smartphone growth for the vendor. Despite impressive gains last quarter, brand equity may prove to be an issue for ZTE in future. Strong brand recognition is a necessity if high-growth smartphone sales abroad are a priority for the company.
As we expected, Samsung is holding an Unpacked Event on August 29th during the IFA Conference in Berlin. Germany. It’s been rumored that it will be the Galaxy Note 2 and I think those rumors will hold. The original Galaxy Note was pretty successful for such a big device (5.3-inch display) and the Note 2 promises to be even more successful. The Note 2 will most likely sport the same design as the Galaxy S III and incorporate a 5.5-inch display, while not increasing the size of the body of the original Note. We are seriously looking forward to this bad boy and we can only hope that it hits the U.S. a lot sooner than the Note did.
According to the FCC, the Samsung SCH-R940 Galaxy S Lightray 4G (yet another mouthful of a name) will be heading to MetroPCS. According to the FCC filings the device will offer a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash on its back, a 1.3MP FFC, a 16GB microSD expandable memory slot, 4G LTE connectivity and will likely include a single-core 1.3 GHz processor (likely the first-gen Hummingbird).
This device looks eerily similar to the Verizon Samsung Droid Charge that came out over a year ago. It’s easy to assume that it’s the same device with a re-brand considering the specs are identical and looks almost exactly the same.
Sadly, this will ship with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and not Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean. This device is slated for a release sometime in the middle of August.
As reported earlier today, Sprint began rolling out an update for the Galaxy Nexus phone. Likely requiring a few days to reach all devices, the update modifies the received signal strength indicator (RSSI), adds support for Sprint TV, and adjusts LTE settings to default to “on.” The update does a little more than that though – it removes local search capability.
For those jumping into the saga at this point, the local search capability refers to the ability to search contacts or files on the phone using the same search box one would use to do a search of the web. This capability has become the focus of a legal battle involving Apple, who obtained a preliminary injunction blocking sales of the Galaxy Nexus. The solution for carriers and the manufacturer, Samsung, has been to disable local search until the litigation is resolved.
Followers of the lawsuit are probably not surprised by this move by Sprint. They may be surprised that Sprint did not disclose this part of the update.
The Sprint Galaxy Nexus smartphone is looking to get just a little bit better with an incoming software version L700.FG01 update that’s set to roll out starting today. Before you ask—- no the update doesn’t include Android 4.1 just yet, but does include the ability to modify the device’s received signal strength indicator (RSSI), add support for Sprint TV and Wi-Fi and LTE settings will now default to being turned on.
While the update will roll out starting today, it may take several additional days before it reaches all Sprint Galaxy Nexus owners, so sit tight and relax if you don’t see it right away.
Over at the XDA Developers’ forum, member Noxious Ninja has come up with a new method to root a Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III. This new method was based on a desire to get around some issues users were having after using a previously developed root method. He also hoped to be able to produce something that didn’t require flashing ROMs. In the end, Noxious Ninja was able to modify a root method for an Asus TF300T to work on the Galaxy S III. Going a step further, he has even created a tool for users that don’t want to follow the manual steps. Users are warned that the tool is considered beta. The usual disclaimers about rooting devices apply, so proceed at your own risk if you are interested in giving it a try. Just follow the source link for the files and instructions. Let us know how it goes if you attempt this root.
Hot off the heels of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus fiasco, it seems as if Apple has indirectly had its way again, this time seen in a recent OTA update for the international version of the Samsung Galaxy S III (I9300 model). Following suit of the Stateside models from carriers like AT&T and Sprint, reports are coming in that Samsung is pushing out an update which includes the new software version is known as XXBLG6, while the baseband included is identified as XXLG6 for the international model. In addition, OTA on the smartphone identifies itself as a “stability update”, but reports indicate the update also removes local (on device) search functions within the phone’s built-in Google Search app. It’s a bummer, I know.
While the update seems to have removed one of the most underrated functions seen in the Galaxy S III, there is no doubt the dev community will be working on a mod or hack to bring the feature back. Still, it is a major, major disappointment for the few people who did take advantage of the cool feature.
The 27MB update is available now through OTA or Kies Desktop software so I9300 users can grab it anytime now. Or of course— you can just hold off on it and you know, keep the local search feature for a little while longer.
If you are a Verizon subscriber and own a Samsung Galaxy S III, you may be receiving an update soon. This is meant to update the kernel and to dumb down the search capabilities of the device. As we have already seen, Samsung has been pushing the same update to both the Sprint and AT&T Galaxy S III.
When we talk about “dumbing down search capabilities” this is what you should expect. Currently, when you search via the search bar, it returns results from the web, apps, contacts, etc. all in a unified manner. However, with the current Apple Vs. Samsung debacle, search results will be limited to the web with no localized results.
If you are having any issues with your S III and get a replacement, your new device will already have been updated to I535VRLG1. The same is expected for those who go out and purchase one today. However, for those of you who jumped on the sale during launch week, we haven’t heard any news of the OTA hitting, but will update you as soon as we know!
What exactly is the Samsung GT-N7100? I’ll tell you what we know. We know that it has a Exynos 4412 processor with Mali 400 graphics, we also know that the screen resolution is 1280 x 720 with a 16:9 aspect ratio and finally we know that the device is currently running Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. The reason we know all of this is that a device labelled GT-N7100 has appeared on GLBenchmark listing the aforementioned specifications.
So why do we think the GT-N7100 could be the Galaxy Note II? The first reason is that the GT-N7000 is the original Galaxy Note so following typical Samsung numbering, the GT7100 would suggest the follow up device. Still not convinced? The new aspect ratio points to a screen size greater than 5.5″. Perhaps we’ve taken 2 + 2 and come out with 5 however I believe the GT-N7100 will indeed turn out to be the Galaxy Note II.
Keep tuned in to TalkAndroid as we bring you updates on the Galaxy Note II as they break.
The Sprint-bound Samsung SPH-L300 was first whispered about in May, and now it’s finally clearing the FCC. The specs we know about place this handset in the budget to mid-range, and frankly the specs are pretty good for folks looking for something decent that won’t cost an arm and a leg.
4G LTE
WVGA display
Dual-core Snapdragon S4 MSM8960
1GB RAM
4GB storage
Sure, it’s no Galaxy S III or HTC One X, but it’ll get things done. No word on when it will launch on Sprint, but it can’t be too far off now.
In yet another twist involving Verizon’s version of the Samsung Galaxy S III, contrary to our earlier report, Verizon will not provide a software update to unlock the encrypted bootloader. Several users obtained information from Verizon and Samsung customer service reps indicating the Galaxy S III would be unlocked “soon.” The misunderstanding appears to stem from information regarding an update from Verizon to unlock GSM roaming on the S III, not an update to unlock the bootloader.
For now, users interested in a Verizon Galaxy S III are back to looking at the Developer Edition to be made available through Samsung if they want to avoid the locked bootloader. The other option is to wait to see whether the bootloader bounty produces any results.
Sure Verizon committed an epic party foul by locking the bootloader of the Galaxy S III smartphone, but at least Samsung has come through the make everything good again. Hot on the heels of its recent announcement of a special-edition Developer Edition of the Verizon Galaxy S III, Sammy has gone ahead and flipped the switch of the device listing on its website.
