LG Optimus G Pro official for Japan: 5-inch 1080p LCD, 1.7GHz S4 Pro and Jelly Bean

LG Optimus G Pro official 5inch 1080p LCD, 17GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro and an NTT DoCoMo launch

Remember how the LG Optimus G Pro saw its biggest leak in Japan? We might just know why. Local carrier NTT DoCoMo has confirmed the new flagship’s existence as part of a spring device lineup, and it’s everything that was rumored just days ago. LG is adding to the rapidly burgeoning crowd of 5-inch, 1080p phones while freshening the formula we’d seen in the regular Optimus G: there’s now a quicker, 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro chip, a heftier 3,000mAh battery and Jelly Bean (albeit Android 4.1, not 4.2) out of the box. Other elements are familiar carryovers, such as the 2GB of RAM, 13-megapixel camera, 32GB of built-in storage, a microSDXC slot and LTE. Japanese buyers will have to wait until early April to pick up an Optimus G Pro for themselves; as LG hasn’t confirmed the phone separately, other countries’ launches are still up in the air.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: NTT DoCoMo (1), (2)

Samsung posts Jelly Bean update for Galaxy Note 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 2 in the US

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Jelly Bean with Premium Suite

Americans who picked up a Samsung tablet in 2012 may have a surprise this weekend: the company has confirmed that it’s rolling out its promised Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update to US, Wi-Fi only versions of the Galaxy Note 10.1 and both Galaxy Tab 2 sizes. As we know by now, Note 10.1 owners squeeze the most out of the software revamp with S Pen features borrowed from the Galaxy Note II, such as Air View’s hover-to-peek functionality, Quick Command shortcuts and the ability to clip content. There’s also a tablet-specific Cascade View to see more than two apps at once. Galaxy Tab 2 users don’t get much as much in the bargain, although we wouldn’t knock the promised speed improvements inherent to Google’s OS refresh. Either upgrade should be available both through Kies and over the air, with more details at the source link. We haven’t yet heard when cellular tablets get a matching upgrade, although those who spring for the Galaxy Note 10.1 on Verizon will already have Jelly Bean from the outset.

Show full PR text

Samsung Releases Android Jelly Bean Upgrades for Galaxy Note 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 2

Premium Suite Upgrade for Galaxy Note 10.1 Delivers Improved Performance, Enhanced S Pen Functionality and Fully Resizable Apps

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., January 16, 2013- Samsung Electronics America Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today announced the availability of updates to Android 4.1[TM], Jelly Bean for both its award-winning Galaxy Note[TM] 10.1 and its popular Galaxy Tab 2 devices for the Wi-Fi versions.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 upgrade includes all the performance benefits of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean as well as Premium Suite, a collection of new features that further upgrades multi-tasking and productivity, while enhancing personalization and offering new levels of creativity. Users will enjoy improved S Pen support and the ability to easily open and resize multiple apps, then view them across the screen layered on top of each other.

“Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 created a new category by delivering content creation capabilities in addition to content consumption,” said Mike Abary, senior vice president of consumer IT product marketing, Samsung Electronics America. “However, we always strive to deliver unexpected value to our customers. By providing not just Jelly Bean, but dramatic improvements to the multitasking and S Pen features on the devices, we’re ensuring that the Galaxy Note 10.1 remains at the forefront of innovation.”

A range of features have been introduced which aim to further boost the capabilities of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 including:

Multi-tasking & Productivity:

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 pioneered the innovative Multi Window feature which lets consumers experience a dual view, running two apps side-by-side on the screen. The new, updated Galaxy Note 10.1 enhances the experience further in a variety of ways:

Cascade View: The feature allows users to freely resize, move and pin selected applications in multiple views, running them simultaneously or while operating the home-screen. This PC-like feature will help users to be more productive, and actually do multiple tasks at one time.

Air View: Allows users to use S Pen to conveniently and quickly preview content without having to open it. This feature allows user to preview video while scrubbing, preview email attachments without opening, preview photos without opening the album, and more.

Quick Command: With Quick Command, the S Pen quickly activates applications and services that are used most often by allowing you to write command shortcuts using customized and preset S Pen strokes.

Enhanced Personalization:

Enhanced handwriting: Users can quickly and easily send personalized handwritten notes and memos to friends and family via email, as well as hand-write directly into their S Planner
Enhanced S Note: S Note now features additional ready-to-use templates; allows users to add effects to their digital content with Idea Sketch; and enables the insertion of video directly into not only Note templates but also other templates. Users can also launch S Note directly from their home-screen for added convenience.

Easy Clip: Allows users to select and clip content to save, paste or share in seconds.

Photo Note: Add personalized handwritten notes on the back of your photos to help capture the moment.

Creativity:

Paper Artist: Besides enabling users to enliven sketches or content with different color or pencil styles, Paper Artist enables over 30 artistic effects that can be applied to images or media. Users can also draw or write onto the content and share it with others.

A smarter S Pen: The S Pen now allows users to select writing or color modes at the touch of a button, or unlock the home-screen simply by removing the S Pen.

Both the Wi-Fi versions of Galaxy Note 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1 and 7.0) will benefit from the core improvements of Android 4.1 which features a more intuitive user interface, faster performance and response times across applications, and an overall smoother user experience. This is also complemented by an enhanced user interface optimized for the 10.1-inch screen.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: Samsung

Huawei’s dual-SIM Ascend D2 for China Telecom priced at $640, available online tomorrow

Huawei's Ascend D2 gets a price and a date for China,

It’s only been about a week since the Ascend D2’s official debut at CES, but according to Huawei’s latest announcement on Sina Weibo, the manufacturer will already be offering its unsubsidized 5-inch 1080p flagship at its online store right after 5pm local time tomorrow. Specifically, this will be a China Telecom (CDMA2000) variant with dual-SIM support, so Huawei fans outside China may want to wait for the WCDMA flavor (there’s always the Oppo Find 5 as well). If you happen to be in China and don’t mind using China Telecom, then feel free to fork out ¥3,990 or about $640 to be one of the first handful of owners of this 32GB, 1.5GHz quad-core device. That is, if you manage to get your order through “while stocks last.”

Filed under:

Comments

Via: Sina Weibo

Source: Vmall

Samsung Galaxy S II Plus revealed with dual-core 1.2GHz CPU and Jelly Bean

Samsung Galaxy S II Plus revealed with dualcore 12GHz CPU and Jelly Bean

Samsung just unleashed a new phone into the world, but you’ve probably heard of it before: it’s the Galaxy S II Plus. The handset serves as a modest update to the original Galaxy S II, which contains a 4.3-inch WVGA (800 x 480) Super AMOLED Plus display, a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM and Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean). Naturally, you’ll find an 8-megapixel camera on the rear, which is complimented by a 2-megapixel front-facing shooter. The Galaxy S II Plus will include 8GB of built-in storage, in addition to support for microSD cards up to 64GB in size. Expect to find HSPA+ (21Mbps) support across the 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100MHz bands, which will be augmented by GSM support for the 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz bands. Pricing and availability have yet to be announced for this refresh, but we’ll be sure to let you know once we have additional details.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: Samsung

ZTE Grand S unveiled: at 6.9mm, it’s the ‘world’s thinnest’ 5-inch, 1080p phone

ZTE Grand S official with a 5inch screen, it's the world's thinnest 1080p smartphone

There’s no point in feigning surprise. We knew this one was coming. Still, it’s hard to deny the importance surrounding the Grand S, which ZTE just made official. Just as quickly, the Chinese outfit secured its title as manufacturer of the world’s thinnest full HD smartphone — a ballsy move for a company that’s historically associated with the bargain bin, at least in the US. The Grand S now stands as ZTE’s flagship handset, and there’s little doubt that the company’s looking to stake its claim in the high end market. As you’d expect, the phone carries a spec sheet that’s designed to grab a lot of attention.

For starters, yes, we’re looking at a 5-inch HD (1,920 x 1,080) display. The Grand S is powered by a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro and will debut this quarter in China with Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). It’s accompanied by a 13-megapixel auto-focus camera on the rear and a 2-megapixel camera on the front. Both shooters are capable of recording video in 1080p. The Grand S boasts 2GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage, and despite its super thin 6.9mm enclosure, it features a microSD card slot — something the Droid DNA can’t match.

If anything, it appears that ZTE sacrificed battery capacity to meet the size constraints of the Grand S, as a somewhat meager 1,780mAh cell is sealed within the phone’s unibody enclosure. As for connectivity, ZTE has revealed that its svelte beast includes LTE, but the company has yet to disclose which bands are supported. To learn more, be sure to check our hands-on.

Continue reading ZTE Grand S unveiled: at 6.9mm, it’s the ‘world’s thinnest’ 5-inch, 1080p phone

Filed under: ,

Comments

ZTE Grand S hands-on (video)

ZTE Grand S handson

ZTE didn’t wait for its official press event to take the official wraps off its latest flagship release, the Grand S: the company is previewing it in its booth. And in a rare match of marketing garble and specs, this grandiose moniker actually befits the hardware to which it’s attached. For starters, the handset’s decked out with a 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, 13MP rear-facing camera and 2MP front-facing cam, 2GB RAM and Android Jelly Bean 4.1 pre-installed. But, its signature claim to mobile fame is its 6.9mm thickness — a slim silhouette the company’s billing as a “world’s first.” If you find that last bit hard to swallow, take note, that self-appointed distinction refers to its place in the 1080p smartphone space. We had a chance to spend some quality time with the device, so follow along after the break for our initial impressions, and check out some photos of the new phone below.

Continue reading ZTE Grand S hands-on (video)

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Samsung Korea posts Galaxy S II Jelly Bean update details, but not the release date

Samsung Korea posts Galaxy S II Android 41 Jelly Bean update details

Samsung Galaxy S II owners waiting for an update that adds features (instead of taking them away) may not have long to wait, now that support pages for the official Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update — announced months ago — have been found on the company’s Korean website. Listing details for all three local carriers, the update will arrive via KIES and change the amount of available internal memory from 12GB to 11GB. Other than the usual list of Android 4.1 features, it will also preload the Google+ and some additional Play apps while adding Samsung features like Smart Stay. There’s no word yet on exactly when the official update will arrive (or a schedule for rollout on US carrier editions), but once it’s out in Korea it shouldn’t take much for owners of the GT-I9100 international version to try it out as well.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: Samsung Korea, XDA-Developers

eFun unveils Nextbook 7GP for $130: 7-inch screen, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.1

eFun unveils Nextbook 7GP for $130 7inch screen, 15GHz dualcore processor, Android 41 on offer

Not to miss out on the CES action, eFun has announced it will be bringing a new slate to the show. The 7-inch Nextbook 7GP is part of the cheekily-named Google Play Series and runs Android 4.1 with help of a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and a gig of RAM — all yours for $130 when it ships next month. The 1,024 x 600 display resolution can’t really be labeled “high-definition”, and most other specs are plain Jane too — 8GB storage (expandable), dual snappers, WiFi and HDMI-out. While we aren’t sure whether that moniker will jerk Mountain View’s chain or not, penny-pinching shoppers can look forward to some more deets when the budget tablet graces the CES floor next week.

Continue reading eFun unveils Nextbook 7GP for $130: 7-inch screen, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.1

Filed under:

Comments

Via: Ubergizmo

Refresh Roundup: week of December 24th, 2012

Refresh Roundup week of December 24th, 2012

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it’s easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don’t escape without notice, we’ve gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of December 24th, 2012

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Mobile Miscellany: week of December 24th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany week of December 24th, 2012

If you didn’t get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we’ve opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, we stumbled upon a sneak peek of Sony’s promised Jelly Bean update and XDA University opened its doors to educate others about the curious world of Android customization. Not to stop there, Nokia unleashed a new entry-level handset for those in mainland China. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the “best of the rest” for this week of December 24th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of December 24th, 2012

Filed under: , , ,

Comments