Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 hits Best Buy’s site, decorative Androids fall off in the process

Remember the Android tablet we said might be the first real competitor to the iPad 2 earlier this month? Well, it just made its debut on the Best Buy site, and while the big “Coming Soon” button has crushed our dreams of pre-ordering one today, the site is offering up a few more details on the thing — or at least some confirmation of what we already knew. For one thing, it looks like the system will indeed pack Android 3.1, unlike the version we tested, which was rocking the 3.0.1. Also, on a more disappointing note, the adorable Android army on the model we picked up at Google I/O is gone, with a plain white back or metallic gray in its place, unlike the black one we were expecting — perhaps Samsung will offer up both color options when the device actually ships. In the meantime, we’ll see if we can find the number of a good laser engraver.

Update: If you had any doubt that this would be shipping with 3.1, this should put that to rest. Enchante wrote in to let us know the Amazon Germany pages for the 10.1 and 8.9 Galaxy Tab, which previously indicated 3.0, have been updated to state Android 3.1.

[Thanks, Jeff]

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 hits Best Buy’s site, decorative Androids fall off in the process originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 May 2011 16:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung teases 4G tablet for 2011, Galaxy S III in first half of 2012

Don’t expect a lawsuit or two to keep a good chaebol down. Not if J.K. Shin has his way. The president of Samsung’s mobile communication division is telling us to expect an “enhanced” LTE Galaxy Tab (without providing any detail) sometime later this year, following the launch of the company’s 8.9-inch Tab this summer and 10.1-inch Tab next month — the latter priced between $499 and $599. Shin said that Samsung is already in talks with US and South Korean carriers to launch the 4G tablet. He also teased a third version of the wildly popular Galaxy S handset series for the first half of 2012. A proclamation arriving on news that the delectable Galaxy S II has just set a record for the fastest selling smartphone in Korea after unloading one million handsets in the first month of domestic sales.

Naturally, Shin also had a bit to say about Samsung’s ongoing legal battle with Apple. “We didn’t copy Apple’s design,” he said bluntly, adding that Apple’s allegations “will not be legally problematic.” Sure Sammy, tell it to the judge.

Update: The Wall Street Journal updated its story calling for the 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab to launch this summer, not in June as originally stated.

Samsung teases 4G tablet for 2011, Galaxy S III in first half of 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 May 2011 01:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Linaro and Samsung roll out Exynos 4210-based Origen development board for $199

You may recall a little group of Linux-loving chums called Linaro, which was formed almost a year ago in the hopes of speeding up Linux development. Today at Computex, the company’s taking one step further with the announcement of the Origen development board. Based on Samsung’s beefy Exynos 4210 dual core chipset, the kit packs all the essential ports — including HDMI, USB 2.0 host, SD slot, etc. — for keen developers to get their hands dirty on, and its base board is also removable to accommodate future chipsets. Potential buyers are told to keep an eye on Insignal, which will soon be offering the basic Origen package for $199, along with optional parts at an extra cost.

Continue reading Linaro and Samsung roll out Exynos 4210-based Origen development board for $199

Linaro and Samsung roll out Exynos 4210-based Origen development board for $199 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 May 2011 23:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visualized: Samsung wants to see the iPhone 5 and iPad 3

Samsung lawyers recently asked the court to make Apple show them the as-yet-unannounced iPhone 5 and iPad 3, claiming that they need to know what Apple’s products will look like ahead of time to avoid future lawsuits and uncanny similarities.

If only it were this easy.

Visualized: Samsung wants to see the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 May 2011 20:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab: Human Outside, Android Inside

If you’re not a nerd, you shouldn’t buy an Android tablet. Not yet. This one is just like those, except it’s first the one to at least feel like a tablet for real people. More »

Engadget Investigates: Samsung Nexus S 4G WiMAX performance issues

In Engadget Investigates, we explore major issues, working with tech manufacturers and service providers to improve your experience with the gadgets we’ve all come to depend on. If you’d like us to look into an issue, please send us a tip, including “Investigate” in the subject line.

Samsung’s highly-anticipated Nexus S 4G joined the WiMAX family this month, pairing Google’s popular Nexus handset with Sprint’s 4G network. But with the honeymoon over, customers have noticed that the Gingerbread device isn’t living up to Sprint’s former flagship mates, such as the Epic 4G, with last year’s model besting the new guy on both speed and network reception tests. Customers also noticed issues with battery life, though so far we’ve found it to be consistent with other WiMAX smartphones. We took both out for a stroll around New York City, and on a quick weekend getaway to Miami Beach, and we’re sorry to report that we’ve confirmed your fears about performance. Sprint and Google have confirmed that they’re looking into the performance issues, and we hope they can patch things up with some over-the-air update therapy, but in the meantime, jump past the break to see what we found.

Continue reading Engadget Investigates: Samsung Nexus S 4G WiMAX performance issues

Engadget Investigates: Samsung Nexus S 4G WiMAX performance issues originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another Samsung WiFi Galaxy Tab 10.1 hits the FCC, this time dubbed GT-P7310

This week brought news that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 would be released into the wild in just a few days. Today, a WiFi tablet from the Korean company made its way through the FCC bearing model number GT-P7310. Which, you see, is slightly different from the GT-P7510 moniker we saw in another FCC filing earlier this month, and this ended up being the limited edition 10.1 passed out at Google I/O. While some may think that this could well be the 8.9-inch version of Sammy’s Android tablet, the above drawing is actually identical to the previous one bar the extra text at the bottom, so our money’s on 10.1 again — maybe this variant is destined for other countries? We shall see.

Update: A bit more digging found a pair of 10.1-inchers demonstrated in Monaco with models listed as the GT-P7300 (a WiFi plus 3G Galaxy Tab 10.1) and GT-P7310, which, you guessed it, is a WiFi-only version.

Another Samsung WiFi Galaxy Tab 10.1 hits the FCC, this time dubbed GT-P7310 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 05:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fast, Big and Light: Hands-On With Verizon’s Droid Charge

Verizon's second 4G phone, the Charge, is Samsung's first offering to use the "Droid" brand. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

A new handset maker is joining Verizon’s Droid party: Samsung’s Droid Charge recently appeared on Verizon’s network, and we got a chance to take one for a test drive.

Android phone manufacturers in 2011 seem to regard bigger as better. The Charge sports a 4.3-inch screen, a size more common than ever in smartphone releases. This may be a welcome change for you, but only if you’re into big phones. A 4-inch screen suits most of my needs, so the extra space felt a bit unwieldy to me at first. But after tapping away on the very responsive capacitive-touch keyboard, the extra screen space grew on me.

I appreciated the size when I used Amazon’s Kindle e-reading app, which comes bundled with the phone. It’s difficult enough reading Jane Austen in any form, so more screen meant more space for my eyes to relax and focus on each “page.”

Despite such large dimensions, the Charge is surprisingly airy. At about 5 ounces, the phone feels lighter than you’d expect. Samsung uses mostly lightweight plastics in its Android phones — for instance, the Galaxy series of handsets all have a chintzy feel to them (my only major qualm with the Nexus S was its lack of sturdiness). I’ve always found the lightness strangely off-putting, and the lightweight Charge is no exception.

As the second 4G device on Verizon’s network, I had high expectations for the Charge’s download and upload speeds. Verizon’s flagship 4G device, the HTC Thunderbolt, blew us out of the water. Luckily, the Charge didn’t disappoint: Results on our speed tests averaged between 7.5 to 8.6 Mbps on download speed, and 5.6 to 6.3 Mbps up. That’s a far cry from the theoretical peak speeds Verizon’s site boasts, but still faster than most phones we’ve seen.

It almost goes with out saying that the Charge comes with two cameras — a 1.3-megapixel front-facing one for video chat and face pics and an 8-megapixel back-facing camera for everything else. Fairly straightforward stuff, though the test shots we took were better than what we’re used to. In the handful of photos we took, pictures came out crisp and properly exposed.

An interesting tidbit for smartphone modders: Blockbuster’s recent app comes bundled with the Charge and lets you stream movies directly to your phone (the more-popular Netflix is only available on a handful of Android phones at the moment). But if you’ve rooted your device (obtained superuser access and have full permissions to install any types of programs you want on your phone ), you’ll be blocked from using the Blockbuster app.

The app uses Widevine’s Digital Rights Management (DRM) software to restrict rooted phones from access. It’s not a huge surprise — the Android Market’s recently released movie-rental service is also restricted to those using rooted devices — but it’s still annoying to those who want to modify their phones.

Unfortunately, Samsung isn’t deviating from the trend of shipping phones that aren’t running the latest version of Android (Gingerbread, 2.3.4). The Charge comes with version 2.2 (Froyo), cluttered with a host of pre-installed apps that clog up the home screens. Most of those are related to Verizon, which come with the company’s “Droid” branding. Many users may find apps that let you check your monthly minutes or direct you to Verizon’s “V-Cast” proprietary app store helpful. I consider them bloatware.

And not to pour more fuel on the Apple vs. Samsung fire, but Samsung’s Android skin makes the app icons look a bit too iPhone-esque for my taste.

All in all, it’s a decent phone if you’re a Samsung loyalist. If not, HTC’s Thunderbolt or LG’s Revolution may sate your thirst for Verizon’s 4G network speeds.


Samsung’s AF315 All-in-One 3D PC targets the sophisticated woman and those who aspire to be one

Say what you will about Samsung’s questionable chaebol business practices and KIRFy ways, at least the company’s got the stones to openly target a specific demographic with its marketing pitches. This time Sammy’s new AF315 All-in-One PC is targeting stylish and sophisticated women who’ve moved on from their pink peddle pusher ways. The most notable features are that big 23-inch LCD coupled with Samsung’s switchable active shutter 2D / 3D technology and narrow 11-mm bezel. Otherwise, we’re looking at a Core i5 CPU, 1TB 7200RPM hard disk, USB 3.0, TV receiver, Blu-ray player, remote control, 3D glasses, and a wireless keyboard and mouse combo in the box when this thing ships in South Korea starting tomorrow for 2.19 million won or just a tad less than $2,000.

Samsung’s AF315 All-in-One 3D PC targets the sophisticated woman and those who aspire to be one originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 07:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will ship with Android 3.1 on board, said to be ‘a few days away’

Do you like Android 3.1? Do you like tablets slimmer than the iPad 2? You might want to talk to Samsung in that case, because the Galaxy creator has put those two features together on its Galaxy Tab 10.1 product page and has compounded the excitement with a tweet saying the tablet is mere days away. Now, there’s a bit of conflicting information here, because Samsung’s tweet actually promises Android 3.0, but the Tab 10.1 page clearly lists the harder, better, faster, stronger Android version as the one that comes with the slate. Additionally, our conversations with Samsung at Google I/O earlier this month indicated that the June 8th launch date that we’ve been taking as gospel until recently is a little shakier now, with a slight delay possibly being caused by the desire to install the latest Honeycomb on board. So maybe the tweet’s accurate in saying the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is coming in just a few days, it just depends on your definition of “few.”

Update: Another tweet from Samsung’s US account has reaffirmed that Android 3.1 will be the OS.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will ship with Android 3.1 on board, said to be ‘a few days away’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 04:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink thegadgets.net  |  sourceSamsung, @SamsungMobileUS (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments