Hasta La Gadget!

AT&T was one of the first US carriers to announce the pre-order date for the Samsung GALAXY S 4, and customers on Ma Bell can now pre-order the new device directly from their website. As for when the carrier will begin shipping the smartphone, they list a date of April 30, which seems to be when the phone will become available in stores as well.

The 16GB model of the GALAXY S 4 will cost $199, which is quite lower than what AT&T previously mentioned last month, but we’ll certainly take it. If you’re wanting to get the phone off contract, you’ll have to pony up $639 for the privilege. However, it seems AT&T hasn’t yet listed the 32GB model on its website yet, but we should be seeing it soon, most likely at a price of $249 on contract.

The launch of the new phone will come just a couple weeks after the HTC One in the US on AT&T, which gives HTC the advantage in this case, allowing them to put more handsets in the set of buyers before Samsung can. However, we can only assume that the GALAXY S 4 will still be a big hit among avid Galaxy users.

The GALAXY S 4 sports a 5-inch display with a resolution of 1920×1080. The US version of the phone runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor clocked at an impressive 1.9GHz with 2GB of RAM. On the back there’s a 13MP camera with a 2600mAh battery right beneath that, which should be enough to keep you going all day. Check out our hands-on with the device to learn more.

AT&T Samsung GALAXY S 4 open for pre-orders, arriving April 30 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Samsung’s GALAXY S 4 is quickly approaching, and it’s expected to launch at the beginning of next month, with pre-orders starting later this month. In the meantime, Samsung is prepping to launch a television ad campaign for the new phone. Several television commercials have popped up on Samsung Netherlands’ YouTube channel, showing off some of the device’s new features.

There’s three ad spots in the total, all of which are roughly just over 30 seconds long. The first one we see shows off the GALAXY S 4′s “Sound Shot” feature, which allows users to take a picture as well as record surrounding noise in order to give the photo more life and energy. Plus, it makes it feel like you’re actually there.

The second features shown off in the series of commercials is “Group Play,” which allows GALAXY S 4 users to share a song with other GALAXY S 4 users over a wireless connection. However, this method involves turning multiple phones into more speakers, allowing for louder playback of a song, since a single phone can’t output loud volumes all too well.

Lastly, Samsung shows off its S Translater app, which lets users who travel abroad communicate with the locals in the area without needing to know the native language. The feature lets users talk into the phone, and it will repeat the phrase back in a different language. It should definitely come in handy for all the globe trotters out there.

Android Central also got a hold of a one-minute-long GALAXY S 4 commercial that’s a bit different than the three ads above. This one guides you through some of the features of the phone, as well as showing off the exterior and the vivid colors that the display can produce. This ad spot hasn’t been uploaded by Samsung yet, but we should be seeing it show up fairly soon.

[via Android Beat]

Samsung launches GALAXY S 4 TV ads showcasing features is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Samsung‘s much-touted GALAXY S 4 flagship handset, which was launched with quite the fanfare early last month, isn’t available to the public yet, only going up for pre-order in certain markets. That hasn’t stopped the handset from being rooted, however. Specifically, the folks over at XDA have rooted the Exynos 5 Octa 8-core variety of the smartphone.

This news was first reported by Android Authority, which spotted a rooting guide for the handset on the popular XDA developer forums by a long-time and trusted poster. While this is good news for those who have already pre-ordered the handset and want to root it without delay, the sticking issue is that the rooting guide is only for the Exynos 5 (GT-I9500) model.

While this is certainly good news for those destined for that particular version of the handset, it’s not for those who receive the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 model, which is the majority of the United States and the United Kingdom. That means those of use located in either location – or others slated for the Qualcomm variety – will have to wait a tad longer until a guide rolls out for the non-Exynos 5 model.

And, of course, if you decide to give the guide a go when your Exynos-version GALAXY S 4 shows up, keep in mind that you’re taking on a bit of risk. We’ll be keeping an eye out for the Qualcomm rooting method whenever it becomes available, so stay tuned. For now, you can check out the guide in its full glory over at XDA here.

[via Android Community]

Samsung GALAXY S 4 rooted before hitting shelves is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

When Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa was announced, it was believed to be compatible with 3G networks only. As such, the HSPA+ (global) version of the Galaxy S 4 was the only handset to feature the company’s eight-core SoC — the LTE model shipping with Qualcomm’s 4G-capable, quad-core Snapdragon 600 instead. That’s apparently changed, with the Korean giant tweeting that the Exynos 5 Octa now supports LTE on 20 bands. So why even make a Snapdragon 600 version of the Galaxy S 4, then? Perhaps Samsung can’t produce as many chips as Qualcomm to meet the upcoming worldwide demand for its new flagship. This appears likely, with inews24 and new-samsunggalaxys4 reporting that the Exynos 5 Octa with LTE is currently reserved for Korean models only (SHV-E300S, SHV-E300K and SHV-E300L, to be exact). So, anyone fancy a trip to Seoul in the near future?

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Via: GSMArena

Source: SamsungExynos (Twitter)

We’re all waiting eagerly for Samsung’s new flagship smartphone to release into the ether, but it’s still a month away from its April 26 debut in the UK. However, Brits are now able to pre-order the GALAXY S 4 starting today at several wireless carriers and online retailers, including Amazon and Carphone Warehouse.

At Carphone Warehouse, you can pre-order the GALAXY S 4 off-contract for a steep £630. However, you can also grab the new phone from the retailer with a contract from either Orange, T-Mobile, or O2, which will obviously offset the cost of the device significantly, but you’ll have to sign away for a two-year contract in order to make that happen.

As for Amazon, you have your pick at a either a black or white version (same with Carphone Warehouse), both of which will cost the same £630 if you want to get it without a contract. With the pre-order, you’ll get £1 MP3 credit to use in Amazon’s MP3 Music Store. As for Unlocked Mobiles, you can grab a GALAXY S 4 for just £530, which is £100 cheaper than Amazon and Carphone Warehouse.

As for availability on other wireless carriers not mentioned, the GALAXY S 4 is available on EE, Vodafone, Three, and Virgin Mobile. EE seems like your best bet right now, as they’re the only carrier in the UK with a 4G LTE network. Of course, more wireless carriers in the UK will launch their own LTE network, but if you want LTE as soon as possible, EE is your only option right now.

[via The Next Web]

Samsung GALAXY S 4 pre-orders now live in the UK is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.