Samsung isn’t taking the iPhone 5 launch lying down, and it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that nobody else is taking anything lying down either, ever. Not long after Samsung released its hackle-raising iPhone-basher, the ad was being flipped on its head by ardent Apple knights in iPhone armor. More »
If you’ve ever thought it was impossible to score an excellent smartphone alongside a prepaid plan, it’s time to reconsider the assumption. Just like the Galaxy S II will soon arrive at Boost Mobile for $360, those willing to brave the crowds at Walmart will save some cash with T-Mobile’s version of the handset, which now sells for $299 — in comparison, T-Mobile currently sells the Galaxy S II for $550 outright. As one caveat, the phone must be sold with a no-contract plan of at least $30, but one can discontinue service whenever they desire. If your wallet is now tingling, you’ll find the full PR after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Samsung Galaxy S II for T-Mobile now available for $299 without contract from Walmart originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 21:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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As you may or may not know, there’s been an issue related to the universal search feature inside a region-specific batch of Samsung Galaxy S IIIs; with the Korean company going as far as “inadvertently” removing it from some Euro handsets a while back, before eventually bringing it back to life. Now, thanks to great, thorough inspecting by the folks from Android Police, it appears T-Mobile’s S II flavor is the latest galactic slab to have such searching trait completely wiped out from the device. Apparently, this took place during the T989UVLH1 update from T-Mo a couple of days ago, but much to everyone’s surprise, mentions of any “universal search” tweaks were nowhere to be found on the changelog. More importantly, how’s it looking on your end? Do let us know in the comments below.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile
T-Mobile’s latest Galaxy S II update silently removed ‘universal search’ feature originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 18:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Mobile payments, those made from a phone and typically via NFC, haven’t exactly had a huge impact on the average American consumer just yet, but look past that and you’ll see a battle is brewing. Google had been making the most noise, with its Google Wallet, but today the competing service Isis just launched its first proper salvo. The T-Mobile version of the Galaxy S II is currently receiving an OTA update (T989UVLH1) that, among a few other tweaks, enables support for Isis NFC payments, making it the first such device on the market. Many more are inbound from AT&T and Verizon as well, setting the stage for an epic virtual currency battle that only the peaceniks at the Mobile Payments Committee stand a chance of mitigating.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Mild-mannered Samsung Galaxy S II update brings Isis mobile payment support originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 13:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Favorable infringement findings in hand, we knew Apple would seek injunctions to ban Samsung devices from being sold in the US. And now we know that Tim Cook and company are following up on that billion dollar verdict and are seeking to enjoin eight handsets from being sold. As you can see in the chart above, the Galaxy S 4G, four Galaxy S II variants, the Galaxy S Showcase, Droid Charge, and Galaxy Prevail are all on the chopping block. Why is Apple only going after eight of the twenty-something devices found to be infringing its IP? Well, most of them are no longer being sold, and we all know how Judge Koh just hates having her time wasted.
Filed under: Cellphones
Apple asks that eight Samsung devices be banned from US store shelves originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2012 14:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Square gets most of the media hype, but without an international presence, would-be competitors have had a chance to carve out their own niches in the mobile commerce market. Sweden’s iZettle has managed to make quite a splash in its homeland, and it’s expanding its mini empire by finally bringing its wares to Android — albeit in an extremely limited form. Unless you’ve got a Galaxy S III, S II or a Note then iZettle still isn’t for you and with availability in a single Nordic country, it might seem more accurate to describe Android support as being in beta, but the company has ditched the testing tag regardless. Rest assured, however, it is actively working to add more handsets and export the app beyond its particle board-loving borders.
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Software
iZettle comes to Android for a few lucky Swedish Samsung owners originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 16:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It’s been a long, long time since we first saw the unannounced Galaxy S II Plus show up in some leaked benchmarks. Today, however, Sammy’s souped-up flavor of that famed S2 is making the rounds on the interwebs once more, and better yet, we’ve got an idea of what it could look like physically come its official revelation. According to Chilean carrier VTR, Samsung’s Galaxy S II Plus will be sporting a 4.5-inch AMOLED display, which is said to be paired alongside a dual-core, 1.5GHz Exynos CPU, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage and an 8-megapixel rear camera — notably, the site’s also listing it as an Ice Cream Sandwich device, making it slightly different than what we’d seen previously in earlier benchmark scores. Either way, all signs point toward the Korean outfit being close to legitimately introducing its S II Plus sooner rather than later; while we wait for that to happen, though, the angled shots after the break will have to suffice.
Continue reading Rumored Samsung Galaxy S II Plus resurfaces: adds purported specs and pictures
Filed under: Cellphones
Rumored Samsung Galaxy S II Plus resurfaces: adds purported specs and pictures originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Like Jelly Beans, custom Android ROMs tend to have different flavors — and CyanogenMod happens to be a fan favorite. Good thing then, that the CM10 team is now serving nightly builds of its Jelly Bean-based custom ROM update. According to the CyanogenMod Google+ page, CM10 nightlies are now available for the US Samsung Galaxy S III variants, the original Galaxy S and the Galaxy S II (i9100g), the Galaxy Nexus, the Nexus S and Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (P3), Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 (P5), Nexus 7, Transformer and Transformer Prime tablets. The list will fill out with more devices when they are ready, the team says, and will continue to have CM9 updates (now weekly, rather then nightly) at their disposal.
CM10 nightly builds now rolling out to select devices originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Aug 2012 04:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple rested its side of the case in its main lawsuit against Samsung on Monday, and with the switch of focus came a small sacrifice. While Samsung failed in a Hail Mary bid to have the suit dismissed, it successfully argued that a few devices should escape the clutches of a full-fledged ban. Don’t get too excited, though: the exclusion list mostly touches on phones that only reach US shores through unofficial importers, including the Galaxy Ace as well as international editions of the Galaxy S and Galaxy S II. The decision still leaves the American variants of phones under scrutiny, and it doesn’t change Apple’s hopes of a large licensing fee for all the alleged transgressions. We’d still say the exemption provides some small amount of relief for Samsung, however. Most of Apple’s early, less-than-flattering accusations of trade dress violations focused on the more familiar-looking foreign Galaxy models and lose some of their thunder when leveled against the conspicuously altered designs that eventually set foot in the US.
Filed under: Cellphones
Judge cuts international Galaxy S and S II, Galaxy Ace from Apple lawsuit against Samsung originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Despite the sweltering heat waves, our spirits are high at Engadget, and for good reason: it’s time for our summer edition of the smartphone buyer’s guide. Here, you’ll find our top recommendations for the best smartphones across several US carriers, along with the best QWERTY and budget alternatives. In many ways, it’s now easier than ever to find a world-class smartphone, but unless you’ve developed a strong brand preference, choosing one is likely more difficult than ever before. It’s no secret that the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III have firmly cemented themselves as the premier smartphones of the day, but if you’re torn between the two, we’ll reveal our preference in this latest installment.
Summertime also brought a bit of a shock, as Microsoft revealed that Windows Phone 8 apps won’t be compatible with the current generation of Windows Phone hardware. For this reason, we’ve excluded all Windows Phone handsets from consideration in the latest buyer’s guide. While the future of Microsoft’s mobile platform looks incredibly bright, a purchase now would guarantee obsolescence in the short-term. Instead, all prospective Windows Phone purchasers must wait for the next generation of handsets to become available — you’ll regret it otherwise.
Naturally, there is no shortage of rumors surrounding the next Apple iPhone, and given the handset’s current lack of LTE connectivity, the iPhone 4S is certainly showing its age. While cautious purchasers may choose to bide their time, the iPhone remains top-notch in many other respects, and its arrival at a number of prepaid carriers brought a breath of fresh air to an otherwise stagnant environment.
If you’re curious to see how it all unfolded — and we know you are — join us after the break, where we round up the very best smartphones of the season.
Continue reading Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: summer 2012 edition
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Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: summer 2012 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 12:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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