Hasta La Gadget!

By all accounts, Samsung’s Galaxy Note II has been a massive success. The oversized smartphone has now made its way into the hands of more than one million consumers in South Korea, just a month after Samsung announced that global sales had exceeded five million units. At that pace, the smartphone maker is reportedly on track to move 10 million Note IIs within four to five months of its late-September launch, compared to the nearly 10 months that it took to meet that milestone with the device’s predecessor. LG is also reporting similar domestic sales for its aging 5-inch Optimus Vu, so if you’ve taken the plunge on either 5+ inch behemoth, it looks like you’re in good company.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Via: Unwired View

Source: MK News

Last year, the UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU) told us there were five billion mobile subscriptions worldwide at the close of 2010, and now it’s reporting that at the end of 2011, that figure hit a staggering six billion. China and India account for one billion a piece, and it brings us ever closer to having the equivalent of one subscription for every person on the planet. (According to the CTIA, there are already more cellular plans in the US — around 322 million — than there are inhabitants.) In a stat-heavy release from the ITU, it also ranked the most advanced telecoms countries, with South Korea placing first, Japan eighth and countries in Europe filling the remaining spots.

Interestingly, the number of global mobile broadband subscriptions now outnumbers fixed ones by two to one, and mobile internet services showed the biggest growth rates in 2011: 40% worldwide and 78% in developing markets. The ITU attributes the latter figure to the relatively high price of fixed access in these countries, and the increasing availability of mobile alternatives. The CTIA also commented on mobile broadband use, reporting that from July 2011 to June this year, Americans consumed 104 percent more data — no doubt due, in part, to people taking advantage of expanding 4G coverage. As usual, we’ve given you the cheat sheet, so if you’d like the full reports and have got a thing for statistics, there’s plenty more in the source links below.

[Image credit: Chris Jordan]

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Wireless, Internet, Mobile

International Telecommunication Union: worldwide mobile subscriptions hit six billion in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Ars Technica  |  ITU, CTIA  | Email this | Comments

It was pretty much inevitable, and true to its promise, Samsung has announced the availability of Android 4.1 for the Galaxy S III. Now before you get too excited, it appears that the upgrade applies only to the SHW-M440S variant, which is specific to Samsung’s home turf in South Korea. Nonetheless, if the translation is correct, the new Jelly Bean release is said to bring usability improvements to the home screen, along with the ability to pause movies during recording and a smart rotation feature to the camera. Samsung’s Kies software is specifically mentioned in the announcement post, although it looks as if an over-the-air install may be possible as well. Hopefully this news is a sign that certification for the global model and its domestic counterparts is just around the corner.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Samsung

Samsung announces Android 4.1 availability for Galaxy S III in South Korea originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 22:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Samsung Tomorrow (1) (translated), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Looking for Samsung’s latest big phone? Get yourself over to Korea, where the Galaxy Note II has kicked off its launch “world tour” with a party in the center of Seoul. The 5.5-inch Jelly Bean superphone will be available across SKT, KT and LG U+ carriers, supporting LTE connectivity on all three, available in 32GB and 64GB storage offerings. The Galaxy Note II will eventually arrive in 128 countries — and we’re expecting a US arrival date sometime in November, on even more carriers than its Korean debut.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Samsung Galaxy Note II launches on three carriers in Korea originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 07:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Sammyhub  |  Samsung (Flickr), Samsung Tomorrow  | Email this | Comments

Now we’re intrigued. It’s a common (if unconfirmed) belief that the next iPhone will support LTE-based 4G, but the Wall Street Journal now understands through the ever-present “people familiar with the matter” that Apple is taking 4G worldwide. Where the current iPad only supports two LTE frequencies and drops to HSPA+ outside of the US and Canada, the new iPhone will supposedly cover parts of Asia and Europe as well. The exact countries haven’t been outlined, although it’s easy to imagine Apple going for those countries where 4G speeds matter the most: there’s been rumblings of talks with KT and SK Telecom in South Korea, but we could also see France, Germany, Japan and Scandiavian countries in the mix. The rumor hasn’t been confirmed, of course. That said, the iPhone was already purported to be using a new cellular chipset — and a number of carriers, most often in the US, have long said they won’t carry new smartphones unless LTE is part of the package. We’ll know the full scoop on Wednesday.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

WSJ: 2012 iPhone to support global 4G LTE originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 18:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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