Hasta La Gadget!

Samsung’s new full-fat smartphone has hinted at appearances on both Verizon and AT&T, and now an update spotted at SAM Mobile suggests that — just under two months since the original appeared — there will be a Magenta-branded version of the Galaxy Note II… too. Going under the SGH-T889 model number, firmware from September 15th is now available to try — if you have a phone that’s not yet out on any official channels. The site’s sources have said that the device runs closer to a global iteration, lacking any true LTE capabilities, but it’s more than happy to substitute that for HSPA+ support. If you’re part of Samsung’s secretive cabal of handset testers you can seek out the new build at the source below.

T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II firmware update appears, points to Jelly Bean and HSPA+ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 03:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung pegged its new Note for an October launch in Europe and Asia, in typical FCC fashion, it’s passed through those wireless testing labs ahead of its arrival in stores around the world. For US readers, there’s a severe lack of compatible US LTE bands on this Galaxy Note II, which suggests this is a global model we’re dealing with, likely to connect with other 4G networks — there’s a whole lot of them out there. Aside from that, there’s a typical selection of 850/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE and 850 WCDMA/HSPA radios inside this GT-N7105 model. However, we’re expecting another Note II iteration — packing friendlier LTE frequencies — will make an appearance at the FCC pretty soon.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Galaxy Note II makes first FCC appearance, variant lacks US-friendly LTE bands originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 05:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re still recovering from the onslaught of goodies shown off at IFA 2012, but there’s one thing we didn’t notice while perusing Samsung’s gadgetry. The team at German site BestBoyZ discovered S Cloud in the settings menu of the Note II, which included the option to sync user data with Dropbox. Apparently, Samsung reps didn’t have much to say on the matter, and BestBoyZ believe that’s because it’s not quite working yet (we’re willing to agree, given the various delays). It’s looking like the feature might be ready in time for the Note II’s launch, which ties in nicely with the 50GB of free Dropbox storage you’ll snag if you pick one up. Owners of other Samsung gear needn’t be disappointed though, as it’s suggested that S Cloud integration will be part of the Jelly Bean upgrades expected soon. We’ve embedded the reveal vid below, and don’t worry if you can’t speak German — you’ll still get the gist.

Continue reading S Cloud spotted on Galaxy Note II, reveals Dropbox integration (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Storage, Software, Mobile

S Cloud spotted on Galaxy Note II, reveals Dropbox integration (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here at IFA, the Galaxy Note II‘s glossy plastic build is practically fading under the ambush of cameras snapping away at Samsung’s booth, but clearly this phone is more than just a (super sized) pretty face, and it’s time to take a look at what’s under the hood. As mentioned in our hands-on, Samsung upgraded the original Note’s dual-core 1.4GHz chipset to a quad-core 1.6GHz Exynos processor. We put the device to the test today to see how those amped-up insides reflect in the Note II’s benchmark scores. As you’ll see below, Sammy’s latest handset fares significantly better than the original Note and the Galaxy S III.

Oh, what a difference a processor makes. Clearly the step up to a quad-core CPU is to thank for the large performance delta between the Note II and the last-gen Note, though the international version of the Galaxy S III, with a quad-core 1.4Ghz Exynos processor, also falls behind in Quadrant and other tests. The Note II also trumped its Samsung siblings on the browser-focused Vellamo benchmark, which hints at snappier performance on this phone. The phone’s graphics chops look pretty good, too, if the GL Benchmark score is any indication. Our testing got cut short before we could run SunSpider, but we’ll add that figure shortly.

Update: We’ve added SunSpider as well — the device clocked in at 1,330ms, which is a hair faster than the Galaxy S III.

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Galaxy Note II gets early benchmark treatment at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 07:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Good news, storage junkies: Dropbox and Samsung have renewed their vows with a deal that’ll provide 50GB of free storage for two years to owners of the new Galaxy Note II and Galaxy Camera. As you’d expect, this means the Dropbox app will be pre-installed, and it also ensures that users will have easier access to their media files. Before you get too excited, however, there’s no guarantee that this well-intentioned promotion will pass muster with US carriers — we’ve certainly seen a few hopes dashed in the past.

Continue reading 50GB free Dropbox service confirmed for Samsung Galaxy Note II and Galaxy Camera

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Software, Mobile

50GB free Dropbox service confirmed for Samsung Galaxy Note II and Galaxy Camera originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 23:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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