Hasta La Gadget!

Many of us were holding out hopes that the Function, Verizon’s rumored variant of the Samsung Galaxy S II, would be the latest addition to its LTE lineup, but now we’re hearing that it may not be coming to the carrier at all. According to the Wall Street Journal, it appears quite likely that Big Red won’t be involved in Samsung’s anticipated launch event this coming Monday. The publication cites people familiar with the plans, who also mentioned that we should still expect to see the Galaxy S II make its way to Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T at the very least. Now here’s some possible relief to the sting you may have just felt: BGR is now reporting that while this is all true, Verizon has a Samsung phone in the works that will have “nearly identical specs” to that of the GSII. We’re still awaiting official confirmation from Verizon on the matter and will update when we receive word.

Update: We just heard from a Verizon spokesperson who confirmed the carrier will not be carrying the device, and offered the following quote: “We have a robust portfolio of devices that offer customers exciting options including the Droid Charge by Samsung which runs on Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network.”

Samsung Galaxy S II not coming to Verizon after all? (update: confirmed) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Samsung Comment is available for $90 with service provided by Cricket. Photo courtesy of Samsung

Samsung debuted the Comment on Wednesday, a middle-of-the-road smartphone with an emphasis on texting and cheap calling plans.

The BlackBerry-esque design has a full qwerty keyboard and a center joypad for navigation around the plain-vanilla Cricket operating system. There’s also Bluetooth connectivity, the obligatory back-facing camera (1.3 megapixels), and Cricket’s proprietary app storefront. Other than the expected niceties, the phone has little going on inside.

Though the Comment’s $90 price tag feels a tad high for a phone with relatively few features, Cricket’s monthly plans are a cheap alternative to a pricier Android or iOS phone and plan. Picking up an Android or iPhone 4 handset will set you back around 200 bones, not to mention around $90 a month for services. Cricket’s monthly plans float around the $40 range, which is just about right for the cellular company’s target audience; most Cricket customers fall in the 35-and-under category, with an income of less than $50,000 a year.

If recent buying trends continue in the United States, phones like the Comment may end up a relic of times past. According to a recent Nielsen survey, a majority of cellular phones bought in the United States right now are smartphones despite the availability of cheaper alternatives. Compare that to just three years ago when less than 20 percent of all phones sold were smartphones.

It seems that mobile customers are getting used to having the world inside a glowing glass rectangle. The single-function phone of yore, for which SMS and basic web browsing are the apex of these models’ ability, seems to be waning in popularity.

If the Comment has one thing going for it, it’s the appeal of a solid, middle-of-the-road plan with anytime minutes, long distance calling, picture messaging, and mobile web access.

A judge in The Hague just issued a ruling in Apple’s patent infringement case against Samsung, prohibiting “the marketing of Samsung smartphones Galaxy S, S II and Ace for violation of Apple Inc. EP 2,059,868.” In an official press release, the court explains that The Hague judge ruled to “ban trading of Samsung smartphones Galaxy S, S II and Ace,” adding that Samsung also violated other did not violate Apple patents with its Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 10.1v. The judge determined that Samsung violated patent 2,059,868, which deals with “method of scrolling,” but did not infringe 2,098,948 for “recording a flag in connection with multiple screen taps,” or 1,964,022, which relates to dragging a slider to unlock the phone. We haven’t been able to confirm, but from an online translation it appears that The ban will remain in effect through begin on October 13th. Hit up the source link for the full 65-page verdict (in Dutch).

Update: A dutch IP attorney has pointed out that the judge has ruled patent 1,964,022 to be null and void, meaning Apple can no longer make claims in the Netherlands based on this patent. The judge also found that Samsung did not infringe on patent 2,098,948. The infringement of 2,059,868 does not affect the Galaxy Tab 10.1. (Correction: the main patent in question is 2,059,868 not 2,058,868.)

Update 2: According to Tweakers.net, Samsung says that it will replace the software that infringes on Apple’s patent (the Gallery application, specifically), which should allow it to continue to sell the phones. Notably, that Gallery application is the standard Android one used in Android 2.3, which also explains why the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is not affected by this ruling. Less clear is what the ruling means for other Android phones that use the same application.

Update 3: Samsung Mobile’s Kim Titus released the following statement:

Today’s ruling is an affirmation that the GALAXY range of products is innovative and distinctive. With regard to the single infringement cited in the ruling, we will take all possible measures including legal action to ensure that there is no disruption in the availability of our GALAXY smartphones to Dutch consumers. This ruling is not expected to affect sales in other European markets. Samsung has a proud history of innovation in the mobile industry. We will continue our plans to introduce new products and technologies that meet and exceed consumer expectations. And we will defend our intellectual property rights through the ongoing legal proceedings around the world.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Netherlands judge rules that Samsung Galaxy S, S II violate Apple patents, bans sales (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Samsung debuts new Galaxy lineup, refines naming strategy along the way

Samsung debuts new Galaxy lineup, refines naming strategy along the way originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 02:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Samsung cites ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ in Apple case

Samsung cites ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ in Apple case originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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