Hasta La Gadget!

Samsung has just announced some excellent news folks. We had a feeling this was coming but this morning Samsung’s confirmed their new and impressive Galaxy Note II smartphone phablet will be arriving on all major US carriers, starting in November. The Galaxy Note II will launch nationwide on all carriers just like the smaller Galaxy S III.

Possibly even bigger news is the fact that the Samsung’s own Exynos quad-core processor will be included. Samsung won’t be switching to the dual-core Qualcomm S4 like the Galaxy S III, and all Note II’s will launch in the US with the quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and 4G LTE/HSPA+ speeds. We had a feeling Samsung would be taking this route, and now that they’ve confirmed it I’m sure there’s plenty of happy customers.

We’ve seen the Note II leak for Verizon, and some recent screenshots seemingly confirmed it was headed to T-Mobile too. Many that wanted the original Note couldn’t simply because it launched exclusively to AT&T here in the US, but this time around almost everyone will get a chance to own this massive 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED packing phablet.

Samsung has confirmed the Galaxy Note II will be arriving for Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, The Now Network, and US Cellular all by mid November. They say the devices will launch by mid November, so that means we very well could see it arrive in October for some if the carriers get them ready to rock in time. Just like the original Galaxy Note II announced last month at IFA 2012, the US models will come with the exact same specs. Those include that vibrant 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display (1280x720p), Samsung’s 1.6 GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 8 megapixel rear and 1.9 MP front cameras, 16GB storage, the awesome S-Pen stylus and a massive 3,100 mAh battery.

The Galaxy Note II will be Samsung’s first smartphone to ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the gate, and they stated carriers will be announcing exact dates and pricing details soon, so stay tuned! Oh and since they’ll be the same hardware wise, take a peek at our international model hands-on video below.

Samsung Galaxy Note II announced for all major US carriers is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you were deciding between the Samsung Galaxy Note II and the Nokia Lumia 920 (and/or Lumia 820, for that matter), but didn’t know if they’d all be working on your favorite carrier AT&T, today’s you’re lucky day! A tip has been dropped today about the Galaxy Note II on how it not only appears to be hitting AT&T as its predecessor the original Note did, but will be appearing on October 21st, the same day as the new Nokia Lumia lineup.

The Samsung Galaxy Note II is a massive 5.5-inch display-having phablet device that’s smaller than a tablet but bigger than a smartphone, complete with a Samsung-made S-Pen for writing on the display and taking notes. This S-Pen works with technology unique to Samsung and fits neatly inside the casing of the mobile device for easy transport. Have a peek at a hand-on video with some of the most recently revealed features in this next-generation device.

A source trusted by BGR has made it clear that the 21st of October will be the launch date for the AT&T version of the Note II, and just like it’s predecessor we can expect no less than 4G LTE connectivity all day long. This device has also been tipped recently as coming to Verizon this Autumn, but no updates have been made on that front. Should this device come to Verizon, it will be going head to head with the LG Intuition (see our full review here).

The Nokia Lumia lineup has been slated for Fall release with both October 21st and November 2nd tipped as release dates. It would make more sense, one would think, to have the release dates for two large releases such as these to be separated by days at least. We’ll know soon enough!

[via Android Community]

Samsung Galaxy Note II may hit AT&T the same day as Nokia is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The next-generation Samsung Galaxy Note II is bringing on some new powerful features in its international version in the form of Airview, a brand new user interface that appears when you pop your S-Pen from its slot! Though we’ve still got no confirmation on when, if, or how this device will be appearing in the Untied States on US carriers, we can see here that Samsung does, once again, intend on bringing the device stateside soon enough. This device is next in line in Samsung’s Note branded family of devices with a 5.5-inch display and a brand new bit of S-Pen hardware as well.

This device once again has a slot inside it where your S-Pen can rest while it’s in your pocket. As an added bonus, it’s got a special alert that notifies you if you’re leaving the area without your pen in its dock, this a great feature for those that are forgetful. This S-Pen and the technology that surrounds it is able to detect interaction between the pen and the display even before they physically touch, shown here in the hands-on video at right about the 1 minute mark.

The Airview user interface shows a new homepage which you can customize for special S-Pen friendly apps. You’re able to work with preview video with picture-in-picture as you were with the Galaxy S III, here called Pop Up Play with full resizability available as well. With the S-Pen you’re able to highlight items in the web browser and scroll through webpages too. Essentially there’s a whole lot of hovering going on.

Have a peek at our full Samsung Galaxy Note II coverage in the timeline below and be sure to check out all of our hands-on experiences, too. We’ve also got reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and the original Galaxy Note for your perusal. While we wait for this device to pop up on the shores of the USA in carrier iterations, we’ll be rolling hard with the Samsung Galaxy S III and debating whether or not it makes sense to join the LG team for their competing phablet device, the LG Intuition – stay tuned!

Samsung Galaxy Note II shows off hovering S-Pen hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Welcome back to Monday, folks. We’re in the final stretch before Apple’s big event kicks off, and with just a couple of days left before everything goes down, the iPhone 5 is making a splash in a big way. The (hopefully) incoming handset was given the title of “biggest upgrade in consumer electronics history” by one enthusiastic analyst today. T-Mobile is offering an “Unlocked and Unlimited” deal for the iPhone even though it doesn’t carry the device itself, and we got word today that Apple suppliers have started shipping new 13.3-inch MacBook Pros with Retina Display and a new line of all-in-one iMacs.

In other news, it turns out that AntiSec may not have stolen all of those Apple UDIDs from the FBI like the group originally claimed, and the LG Escape was leaked shortly before being confirmed by the company. Toys R Us has a new tablet on offer, and it’s aimed directly at your children, while TTP is looking to give Google Glass a run for its money with some new specs of its own. Speaking of Google Glass, the headsets made an appearance at Fashion Week, with designer Diane von Furstenberg sending her models onto the runway while wearing them.

The FBI has rolled out a $1 billion facial tracking initiative, and it seems that GoDaddy’s network of hosted websites has been taken down by a lone hacker associated with Anonymous. Google says that 180 “fiberhoods” qualify for Google Fiber service after a lengthy preliminary sign-up period, and a new Samsung Galaxy Note II leak suggests that the new phablet will be launching at Verizon. The founder of The Pirate Bay has been deported to Cambodia, while Samsung’s hopes for a 13-megapixel camera in the Galaxy Note II were dashed when LG bought up most of the stock from suppliers.

Sony is launching the first installment in its new Wonderbook series in November, and today is the day that the Steam Big Picture Beta comes to televisions everywhere. Bethesda’s Pete Hines doesn’t see the need for a new generation of consoles just yet, some scientists are now thinking that Mars was too hot to support life in the past, and Nielsen has discovered that the number of teenagers who own a smartphone is on the rise, climbing faster than any other age group.

Finally tonight, we have a few original articles for you to check out. Chris Davies examines the LTE situation with the incoming iPhone 5, while Chris Burns makes the distinction between tablets and laptops when it comes to work and play. Finally tonight, we have a hands-on with the upcoming LG Intuition, so if you want a phablet-like device that isn’t the Galaxy Note II, you might want to take a look at that. Enjoy the rest of your evening, everyone!

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: September 10, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Samsung’s initial plans to equip the Galaxy Note II with a 13-megapixel camera were scuppered by supplier shortages, insiders claim, with LG snapping up the bulk of the high-res sensors for its new flagship. The new stylus-enabled 5.5-inch “phablet” that Samsung announced at IFA has an 8-megapixel camera, like its predecessor, but the company had hoped to step up to 13-megapixels, DDaily reports. However, supplier Sony proved unable to meet Samsung’s demand.

That’s because LG had already called dibs on Sony’s supplies, with a deal inked earlier this year meaning the bulk of the 13-megapixel CMOS were headed to LG’s production lines and the Optimus G. That handset is expected to be officially released to the market later in September.

Camera resolution was one blip on the Galaxy Note II’s spec sheet, with the rest of the smartphone representing a useful step up from its predecessor. The new “phablet” has a larger display and a more usable stylus – thicker and longer than the first-gen version, as well as having a new, rubberized tip – together with an upgraded 1.6GHz quadcore processor and 2GB of RAM.

As we’ve undoubtedly seen in recent months, the number of megapixels in a phone’s camera isn’t the be-all and end-all of final image quality; instead, it’s about how a camera uses those megapixels that really counts. Still, if the reports are true, Samsung’s compromise is unlikely to warm it to LG. More on the Galaxy Note II in our full hands-on.

[via GottaBeMobile; via Unwired View]

Samsung’s 13MP Note II plans reportedly killed by LG’s Optimus G is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.