Hasta La Gadget!

We all know that the Google Nexus 4 smartphone which was manufactured by LG will more or less be the first smartphone to ship with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on board, but what about the rest of the smartphones in the market? Sure, the LTE version of the Galaxy S3 recently received its Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update, and here we are with whispers that Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy S3, too, is on the verge of receiving the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update, considering how a Jelly Bean beta ROM has already been leaked out onto the Internet, sporting a build date that shows off October 8th as the fateful day.

No idea on how long will it take before an official introduction happens, but if you are curious and are willing to risk your smartphone turning into some sort of NFC-enabled brick, then you might want to download this unofficial ROM and give it a go. For folks who decided to take the more adventurous path, just how did you find the installation process, and is everything running just fine now?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update arriving on Sprint this October 24th, Samsung Galaxy S3 available for $100 on contract from Sprint and Verizon,

You cannot deny that the Samsung Galaxy S3 is one high end smartphone that has done extremely well in the markets where it has appeared in, and there is the proverb which goes like this – imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The Nova N3 pays homage to the Galaxy S3 by looking more or less exactly like it, although it costs just a fraction of the price. Spotted on a Malaysian Facebook page, it retails for a mere RM599 (that would be $200 tops after conversion) for an unlocked device, accompanied by a free case as well as a screen protector. Heck, even the model number of the Nova N3 itself is misleading, carrying the i9300 number while the Galaxy S3 also shares that model number – at least for its international model.

Other hardware specifications of the Nova N3 (i9300) include a 4.7” touchscreen WVGA resolution display, sporting the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system while running on a clearly inferior 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor. The back carries an 8-megapixel camera, with a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera. You will not find LTE connectivity here, as it maxes out at just 3G. Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi and USB 2.0 connectivity rounds off the list of features in terms of connectivity.

Clearly, this is a far inferior model, carrying just 512MB RAM instead of the minimum 1GB RAM that the Galaxy S3 carries (with variants of 2GB RAM also available). Do bear in mind that the Nova N3 also lacks NFC connectivity, and you will not be able to take advantage of other cool Samsung features such as Beam.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: A Mophie Juice Pack For The Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE model gets Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update,

So, the latest version of the Jelly Bean update right now stands at Android 4.2, but this does not mean that the slew of Android-powered devices out there are already running on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. No sir, a large percentage of them are still powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and it will take some time before everyone gets bumped up to Jelly Bean, never mind the fact that some mobile carriers have already stepped forward to say that select devices will remain stuck on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and for older devices, the situation is more pitiful – you will just have to settle for Gingerbread as your dessert of choice.

Well, the Samsung Galaxy S3 with LTE capability in South Korea has just received the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update, so if you happen to reside in that part of the world while rocking to this particular handset, good for you. The update can be applied via KIES, where you will be able to enjoy features such as Google Now, better performance, expandable and actionable notifications, and auto resize of widgets amongst others.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.1 Jelly Bean confirmed for “the coming months”, Samsung UK confirms Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update for Galaxy S3,

So you have decided to get yourself a spanking new smartphone, and have made up your mind to roll with Samsung and their Galaxy S3 this time around after being stuck on Apple’s ecosystem for a fair number of years already. Well, to make sure that you are able to eke out the most from the Samsung Galaxy S3, accessorizing it might be a good idea – and getting a decent protective case for the Galaxy S3 makes perfect sense. The Seidio OBEX case for the Galaxy S3 does seem to be a pretty decent, although some say that it is rather high end, case for the handset. The thing is, the Seidio OBEX case was specially designed to be far tougher than your average phone case, so it makes perfect sense to give a premium handset the best protection you can possibly afford.

The Seidio OBEX case has started to ship, where it is said to deliver the “ultimate protection” against unforeseen circumstances such as drops from butterfingers like me, as well as external elements like water snow, mud, dust and sand. There must be a reason why this puppy was named OBEX, where it is actually Latin for “Barrier” – how fitting, considering it does its best to ensure the safety of your spanking new Galaxy S3.

David Chang, CEO of Seidio, said, “We’ve [Seidio] spent months carefully designing the OBEX, and putting it through a series of rigorous tests. Combining the finest materials, advanced protection technology, and a meticulous design- we are confident that the OBEX will completely safeguard the Galaxy S III anytime, anywhere.”

The Seidio OBEX is said to be waterproof, where it not only meets but exceeds the IP68 rating, literally allowing you to immerse the Samsung Galaxy S3 in water up to 2 meters deep for half an hour, without having your flagship device short circuiting or experiencing anything untoward. After all, water and electronics have never been the best of friends. The waterproof membranes are said to guarantee external matter will be unable to penetrate the phone’s speakers or microphone, affecting sound quality.

The asking price for the Seidio OBEX case for the Galaxy S3 is $79.95 – rather pricey, but at least it is cheaper than buying a new phone when you accidentally let your Galaxy S3 sleep with the fishes.

Press Release
[ Seidio OBEX case for the Galaxy S3 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is considered to be one of the higher-end smartphones available in the market today. Unfortunately due to its high-end status, it is not a phone that many can afford. However given that the holidays are around the corner, we guess discounts and deals are commonplace and if the Galaxy S3 is a phone you’ve been eyeing, here’s a deal you might be interested in. It seems that both Sprint and Verizon are offering the Samsung Galaxy S3 for a very affordable $100, saving customers $100 on its original price.

Oddly enough this deal is only available via Amazon Wireless, as navigating to the carrier’s website still shows the original price of $200 on contract. It seems like a pretty good deal, although given how the next-gen Nexus could be announced soon and considering some of the rumored specs the handset (or handsets) is packing, perhaps you might want to hold off until the details have been revealed. Then again we don’t expect this $100 deal to go on forever, so we guess you will have to take your chances!

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Samsung Galaxy S3 arrives at the FCC for Verizon and Sprint versions, Samsung Galaxy S3 will be headed to five carriers in June,