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Continue reading Samsung Transform Ultra hitting Boost Mobile in October, we go hands-on

Samsung Transform Ultra hitting Boost Mobile in October, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 09:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s sequel to the highly popular Galaxy series of smartphones has arrived stateside after being available in Europe for months. We got our hands on Sprint’s version — the Epic 4G Touch — for a test drive before its official release.

First things first: This thing’s a beast. The 4.52-inch display is Samsung’s biggest Android smartphone screen yet, edging out Samsung’s other mammoth offering, the Infuse 4G by 0.2 inches.

Taking on this much phone was intimidating. The Epic feels like a mini-tablet, much like the failed five-inch Dell Streak of last year.

If you’re buying this class of phone, however, you aren’t using it only to make calls. The huge display and powerful 1.2 GHz dual core processor make it clear Samsung is aiming this at media consumption.

Based upon our first impressions, Samsung has hit the mark.

The brilliant Super AMOLED screen was made for watching Netflix, browsing pics and reading e-books. It all worked, and well, but I couldn’t help wishing Samsung included a tiny metal kickstand like we saw at the HTC Thunderbolt launch.

One quibble: While the screen is great, the unlocking mechanism to reach the main menu is weird. Essentially, you have to drag a static screen-saver offscreen to access your home screen, a task as simple in concept as it is frustrating in practice. My screen felt jerky and awkward when I tried to drag it open, often requiring multiple attempts. I much prefer the stock Android swiping bar mechanism — or even HTC’s funky lock-screen ring — to Samsung’s design.

The 8-megapixel rear-facing camera is par for what you’ll find on today’s high-end smartphones. Pictures were crisp and 1080p video playback was smooth. The digital zoom sucks, but digital zoom always sucks.

Thankfully, the Epic 4G Touch runs the latest version of Android (2.3.4, or Gingerbread), though it is skinned with Samsung’s proprietary TouchWiz user interface. It isn’t a bad UI, but as an Android purist, I could go without the extra layer. Samsung ships the phone with some bloatware (Really &mdash is anyone playing NASCAR smartphone apps?), but not enough to be obnoxious.

The Galaxy S2 is being released by three out of the four major U.S. carriers (Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T), with little variation more than aesthetics differentiating the hardware. That’s much nicer for the contractually-bound customer keen on a specific piece of hardware.

The Epic 4G Touch (and its brethren on other carriers) has very big shoes to fill. Samsung sold more than 10 million of the first series of Galaxy S phones. But the second generation has a promising start; more than five million S2 handsets have been sold since the device launched in Europe.

Our first impression is the S2 is a solid phone that won’t disappoint Galaxy S fans. Look for our full review soon.

Qualcomm may be facing some new competition in the mobile chip space, now that NTT DoCoMo and three other Japanese firms are looking to join forces with Samsung. According to Japan’s Nikkei business daily, the quartet of firms (which includes Fujitsu, NEC and Panasonic’s mobile unit) is currently finalizing negotiations with Samsung over a proposed joint venture that would design, develop and market smartphone chips. The partners are reportedly planning to incorporate the new chips into their own devices, while selling them to other handset manufacturers, as well. DoCoMo would hold a majority stake in the ¥30 billion (about $390 million) partnership, which could help lower procurement costs, while reducing the partners’ dependency upon industry-leading Qualcomm. A DoCoMo spokesman acknowledged that the provider is exploring a variety of collaborations, but was quick to point out that nothing’s been finalized. Samsung and Fujitsu, meanwhile, have yet to comment.

Samsung, NTT DoCoMo to develop smartphone chips in proposed joint venture originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 07:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Samsung Galaxy Y recently appeared on Vodafone’s “Coming Soon” page, where Sammy’s youth-oriented smartphone will look to carve a niche among the UK carrier’s value options. While the handset compares favorably to the current bottom-of-the-line Galaxy Mini (free on all contracts over £13 per month), the low-res QVGA display makes it a timid competitor to better-equipped options such as the Wildfire S and Xperia Mini Pro (both free on all contracts over £20.50 per month). Along with a Gingerbread OS and an 832MHz CPU, you’ll find a 2 megapixel camera and the usual assortment of 802.11n, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS. Neither pricing nor a release date have been announced, which will certainly determine much of the Galaxy Y’s fate. So, Vodafone, how low can you go?

Samsung Galaxy Y coming soon to Vodafone UK’s budget lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 22:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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