Mercury has just launched the new mTab Neo in India at an impressive price, but the specs are a bit weary. The tablet is a 7 inch Android Tab with dual cameras and Wifi and 3G capabilities.
The product combines functionality of two devices and makes the experience and usage more convenient and friendly. At Mercury, we strive to bring products with new ideas and make technology simpler and affordable for all. SIM calling, Bluetooth, in-built 3G, dual camera and overall a strong processor and battery pack up – it’s a complete package needed in the growing market of tablets”
-said Sushmita Das, Country Manager – India
The Tablet features interesting connectivity option such as Micro USB 2.0 and HDMI out. It also has Stereo Speakers and Dual Cameras, Android version is 2.2, the Battery is a large 4000 mAh pack which should be sufficient for the Tab.
Motorola has tied up with power machine maker JCB to release the UK variant of the Defy +. The limited-edition handset comes pre-loaded with branded-applications for the construction site including a spirit-level, theodolite, decibel meter and a DIY store locator. The remaining specs are the same as we saw on the Indian version of the Defy + including 1GHz processor, 2GB internal storage and a 3.7-inch Gorilla Glass display along with a 5MP camera. In the UK its priced at a high £260, compared to the 18 K in India. You can check out our review here.
[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Motorola Mobility and JCB Announce Limited Edition Motorola DEFY™+ – Life Proof just became Work Proof
Jan. 17, 2012
BASINGTOKE, UK – January 17, 2012 – Motorola Mobility today launches a limited edition Motorola DEFY™+ handset which transforms the UK’s favourite life proof handset into a ‘work proof’ model.
The exclusive Motorola DEFY+ JCB Edition features exceptional work-orientated protection for anyone operating the demanding construction and engineering sectors, or who work in the rugged outdoors and in extremely demanding conditions thanks to its patented visco-elastic protective sleeve from JCB with re-entrant geometry.
Taking ‘work proof’ functionality one step further, the Motorola DEFY+ JCB Edition handset also offers construction site users and outdoor enthusiasts who routinely work with core technical and measuring materials a range of built-in options. It comes pre-loaded with bespoke JCB applications including: a spirit level, theodolite, decibel meter and recorder, torch, unit converter, calculator and DIY store locator. This saves the user time and effort of lugging around a boot load of individual work components, and also serves to speed up their productivity and output at the touch of a button.
For those users who will also need to communicate remotely, between multiple venues, or even on-the-go with a range of associates the handset will feature Push To Talk functionality which will allow them to operate the device as a walkie-talkie (via the cellular network) with group call and messaging functionality.
Victoria McManus, UK marketing director, Motorola Mobility said: “We’re thrilled to be working with JCB on this bespoke Motorola DEFY+ device. The unique protective sleeve will pull on JCB’s years of expertise in the construction industry to help us reach a new audience who we know are in need of a life and work proof handset.”
Motorola Mobility launched the standard Motorola DEFY+ handset in September 2011. The limited edition JCB version will also feature existing Motorola DEFY+ handset functionality such as a 1GHz processor that runs 25 percent faster. Users can make the Motorola DEFY+ JCB edition meet their own personal needs by organising and personalising their Application trays for easy and quick access to their most used tools, games and content.
It also features the Android™ 2.3 (Gingerbread) which delivers a more intuitive user interface and improvements on the features users choose most – including enhanced calendar and email features, home screen options and better battery life.
Jason Kemp, Marketing Director at Data Select, said: “The Motorola DEFY+ JCB Edition is the perfect extension of an already robust handset. Smartphone use is on the rise amongst construction audiences and this handset perfectly addresses their workday needs.”
The Motorola DEFY+ JCB Edition also includes a car charger with an extra long curly cable. It is available to purchase in all good UK retail stockists from RRP £259.99.
Motorola DEFY+
Key features and specifications of Motorola DEFY+ include:
Powered by Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and features more than 300,000 apps from Android Market™ 1 GHz processor that runs 25 percent faster for efficient Web browsing and multitasking Water resistant, scratch resistant and dust proof to withstand all that life throws users way Features scratch resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3.7-inch high-resolution touch screen display MOTOBLUR™ lets users stay in touch with friends, providing quick access to social media accounts and live widgets directly from the homescreen Motorola Media Link allows users to sync their media content from their desktops at home or work Loaded with the ability to create group emails and communication Adobe® Flash® Player 10 for uncompromised viewing of applications, content and videos 5MP camera with auto focus, flash and digital zoom 2GB internal; 2GB microSD card in box, expandable up to 32GB1 Access to Google Mobile™ Services (Google Maps™ with Navigation, Google Talk™, browsing) 1700 mAH battery for 7.1 hours of talk time and 16 days in standby2
About JCB
JCB is the world’s third largest manufacturer of construction equipment with 22 factories around the world including 11 in the UK, six in India and others in Brazil, the USA, China and Germany. The company employs more than 10,000 people worldwide and is privately owned by the Bamford family. In 2010 JCB’s earnings on an EBITDA basis were £235 million (2009 – £95 million) on sales of £2 billion.[/toggle]
The buggy build of ICS on the Touchpad we saw earlier has been let out to public. Among the things that currently don’t work are Market access, hardware accelerated video and the camera. The project is developing fast so fixes should be expected really soon.
The source code for the release has also been outed so if you want to play around with your own version of the build you can do that quite easily. Triple boot of webOS / CM7 / CM9 is possible but the developers are currently recommending against it.
Developer Brandon Bennet (aka Nemith) has managed to get an early version of the Android 4.0-based CyanogenMod 9 up and running on the device, thanks to the previously broken bootloader.Other devs are able to boot the tablet off -a microSD card and some are even working on Ubuntu builds for it. Xda-Devolopers is very active in the android development portion of the Nook Tablet with such activities .
2011 was a year of Samsung, the company has taken the consumer electronics market by storm, grabbing attention one way or another. Samsung also led as India’s number one manufacturer for mobile phones in all categories. From basic feature phones to high end Smart phones, the company has managed to challenge all odds and gain the market respect.
But all this does not come cheap, Samsung employs a huge amount of its annual earning into marketing. In 2011 alone Samsung is estimated to have spent over US $ 2 Billion in advertising their products. Out of which a major 40% is targeted towards mobile devices and 6-7 % towards new phones. Samsung also deploys twice that amount into market research and development, so that its teams know what the next big thing from the company is going to be.
Galaxy S2
In 2011 Samsung took a huge stab at Apple’s dominant spot as the world leader in smartphone sales. By quarter 3 2011 Samsung had replaced Apple as the world most selling smartphone manufacturer ( if you consider number of handsets and not just one model of handset). Samsung Galaxy S2 was the phone that changed everything for Samsung, the new innovations in the field of mobility that challenged design and construction, and innovative softwares threw huge limelight on Samsung’s potential in this market space. Android loyalists were drawn by Samsung’s willingness to answer to their demands and stuffing their handsets with all features requested (and more) by the users.
Who ever imagined a device like the Galaxy Note, a fully capacitive screen that had massive scribbling promise, a handwriting recognizing monster with the capabilities of real time editing and project handling. Live annotations and screen captures were there in previous Samsung handsets, but the precision with with the Note is able to do these tasks is excellent. People want change and innovation and that what Samsung has started to give to its users.
The South Korean company is earning high praise for the design of its new line of OLED television sets, its oversized Galaxy Note smartphone and its
Galaxy Tab 750
new line of laptops, dubbed Series 9. Samsung has held the title of the top TV maker for the past six years, and recently surpassed Apple Inc. to become the world’s top smartphone manufacturer. Samsung posted a US$4.5-billion profit in the most recent quarter, one of the best in the company’s history.
The Company now has set its sights on the personal computer and tablet markets, hoping to replicate the success the company has had in its smartphone and television businesses. Targeting their efforts at Apple, Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc, companies which are current leaders in the domain. This won’t be easy for Samsung either especially because globally they don’t even fall in the top 5 PC manufacturers category.
nx System Camera
One of Samsung’s biggest strengths is its component manufacturing facilities. Samsung itself manufactures 75% of the components used in its TVs, PCs and smartphones, enabling the company to innovate and test new products quickly. Samsung is also emerging big in a category seldom seen with asian companies, Cameras. With a exciting range of digital point and shoot cameras from the company, including innovative flip lcd type cameras. The company also has pioneered the professional SLR segment with their range of NX cameras, that are getting appreciation from professional Photographers.
The future of the brand also seems bright, as people have less and less faith in Apple’s ability to give what the users want. The next revision of the iPad and the iPhone 5 no longer seem as exciting as the Samsung Galaxy S3 or the Galaxy Tab 3 headed our way in 2012.
Its been a long time since our last edit, this one was long over due. The smartphone industry is ever changing, with constant evolutions in a battlefield of major companies and small startups. In a world where companies become large in a matter of months and fall even faster, we can only guess what the future holds in the massive divide.
The developers who initially bought Android to the touchpad have a glimpse of what is to come. The CM9 build for HP Touchpad is almost ready and the developer has released a video showing it off. There are still a few bugs in the system, like camera and video playback not working. But the dev assures everything else works smoothly. The video goes on to demonstrate that Angry Birds plays great on the Touchpad on ICS.
The Time for a change, in the way we look at smartphones, has come to India, funnily enough technology has started to come to our shores than faster the time it takes to penetrate the Western Hemisphere.
The Samsung Galaxy Note is a device that is being targeted as a Hybrid device and trust us, its doing wonders for Samsung aswell. So why does the Samsung Galaxy Note spin a different note? We’ll tell you why!
Build Quality
The Galaxy Note is simply well built, with an awesome bezel that looks like metal – feels like metal – is strong like metal, but is actually a plastic composite. The back cover is a larger version of the flimsy plastic we saw on the S2 Review, somehow it seems a bit more durable on the Note. The front of the Note features a gorilla glass-type reinforced display, which is a very tough, scratch and impact resistant glass. But, its not invincible and the glass is raised above the bezel, which makes it a point of worry for us considering the large size of the Note (5.3 Inch Display).
Hardware
In terms of specs, the Note is really top notch. check out the full list below.
Manufacturer
Samsung
Phone Style
Touchscreen + Hybrid Pen Input
OS
Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread + Touchwiz
Thickness
9.7 mm
Length
146.9mm
Width
83mm
Weight
178g
Built-in Memory
16/32GB, 1 GB RAM
Additional Memory
Up to 32GB, 2 GB included
High-speed Data
GPRS, HSDPA,Wi-Fi,
Connectivity
Bluetooth, USB
Screen Size
5.3-inch screen Super-Amoled Display
Processor
Dual-core 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor
Screen Colours
16M colors
Camera
8 megapixels + LED flash + HD Video 1080p
Radio
Yes
Speaker
Yes
Internet
Yes
Browser
HTML
Games
Yes
Battery
Li-Ion 2500 mAh
Display, Camera and Multimedia
One of the most beautiful displays to cross our paths the Note has a gorgeous 5.3 inch Super AMOLED display which has a resolution of 1280x 800 px. The display replicates black on the screen and the depth of color actually shows on the screen. Pioneers in the AMOLED display industry, Samsung has really proved their point. Watch movies or play games, the end resultant is stunning Visuals. The MultiTouch capacitive display has 10 point input system, which makes for a brilliant touch experience. Fruit Ninja anyone?
The camera has an 8MP sensor that does wide angle imaging and a stunning video at full hd 1080p. The endless list of settings in the Note allow for users to really tweak their cameras before they go about snapping the world or themselves using the 2MP front camera.
Sound quality from the device is good, the speaker is loud enough and media is simply amazing considering the large AMOLED monster of a display. The movies playback really smooth and its actually an experience to watch on this device. Brilliance in all multimedia aspects, including the most unused feature of an FM radio.
Tablet-Phone and S PEN.
The device is not quite a tablet and is definitely much more than a simple phone, hence a hybrid title. The device has the most impressive form factor to deal with both aspects. Although it runs Android 2.3 GB, it going to be one of the first devices to get ICS by Samsung. The TouchWIz user interface cleans up the Note to a much deeper level than ever possible on Android. The custom editing and look of the device when you power it on is very clean and therefore is preferred by users.
From Editing documents , to making presentations, the Note has the screen real estate and the juice to do what the work demands. Combined with the realistic and lifelike S Pen the Note actually hands you a Magic Wand to play around with. We detailed the S Pen in a video you will find in the links below, but to sum it up, you can crop, edit, scribble, write and draw, convert writing to text and even sign documents with the SPen, great job Samsung!
Phone Calling and Messaging
The Samsung Galaxy Note is a brilliant phone, considering it comes with a loud earpiece and a very good quality mic. The network reception on the Note is also very solid. With no dropped calls and excellent network connections including HSPA and 3G , we were impressed with the network handling of the chipset within the Note.
The screen is large enough to accommodate the largest of fingers, and with a 10 point input, its practically impossible to miss the keys while typing. The standard keyboard includes swype for the drag and type – types. The Samsung keyboard can also be replaced with a host of others available in the Android Marketplace for free as well as a minor premium.
Internet and Battery Life
We found the performance of the Galaxy Note great in all aspects especially the internet and data transfer access. The Note handles all apps in a wonderful fashion so allows the full use of the World wide web and its applications. The device is a great bit of joy to read your books on , or even get the latest news, get updates on your stock purchases all with the flick of your wrist.
Battery life was bit of a shocker initially, especially when we got really low run times with a massive 2500 mAh battery pack. The culprit was data usage, and the OS is not optimized in the best possible fashion to handle media. A few tweaks of the background data usage setting and we got the following usage life :
2G Usage
3G Usage
Wifi Usage
Calling
7 Hours
4.8 hours
– NA-
Standby Time
3 Days
2 Days
7 Days
Internet
7 Hours
4 Hours
11 Hours
Gameplay Multiplayer
4 Hours
3.75 Hours
5 Hours
Conclusion
The Galaxy Note is an amazing device, the best possible device, but only if you plan to use it intensively the way its meant to handle the usage. The S-Pen adds functionality we only dreamt of on devices during the time of i-mate and O2 XDA phones. Its definitely a great device for a business user, also for a person looking to make a consolidated investment b/w phone and Tablet. The screen is beautiful the performance great and the experience difficult to replicate with any other device available today. The device is slim enough to fit a pocket, yet large enough to feel awkward when you hold it to your face.
Just like that Motorola announces new phones for their upcoming lineup, two handsets for the Greater Chinese, European, and Latin American markets. The first one called the MOTOLUXE will feature a 4-inch display, 8 megapixel camera with flash. The front of the LUXE has a Lanyard hook slot which is lit to notify for incoming mail, messages etc.
The second phone which will pick up steam is the Defy Mini, which is a dust proof, water resistant, gorilla glass equipped mini version of the Defy +. Which has a 3 megapixel cam, 3.2-inch display, and a relatively beefy 1650 mAh battery that touts 10 hours talk and 21 days standby time. (Original Defy anyone?).
Motorola India has confirmed that the phones (both) will hit India mid-March for “Very Competitive Prices”.
[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Motorola Mobility Introduces Two Stylish Smartphones That Break Boundaries, but Won’t Break the Bank
LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – Jan. 5, 2012 – This spring, Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) is helping you flaunt your individuality by adding two stylish and unique Android™ 2.3 (Gingerbread) powered smartphones to its growing budget-friendly portfolio. MOTOLUXE is a hip, slim touchscreen device and Motorola DEFY MINI is dustproof and water-resistant, making it the ideal “life proof” phone for active users. And they come in different shapes, sizes and colors – so you can choose a phone that best reflects your personality.
No matter what device you choose, Motorola’s MotoSwitch user interface changes the way you manage your life. With MotoSwitch, your smartphone learns who you talk to and which apps you use and keeps all of that information front and center. The Social Graph feature gives you easy and fast access to the people who really matter. It learns who’s most important to you and uses that information to populate the home screen. The more frequently you communicate with someone, the bigger their icon becomes. The Activity Graph gives you quick and easy access to your favorite apps, automatically changing to reflect the apps you use the most. With Music Now you can easily play your favorite music while the Smart Gallery displays your favorite pictures as collections.
With Google Mobile™ services you’ll be able to search for anything with Google Search™, chat with your friends using Google Talk™, or find your way anywhere you want to go with Google Maps™ with navigation.
Strike While the Iron Is Hot
The ultra-vogue, very-slim, MOTOLUXE sets the bar high in terms of style with a 4-inch edge-to- edge touchscreen display. This hip device is perfect for writing emails, surfing the Web and watching movies. And, for the amateur photographers out there, the 8-megapixel autofocus camera with flash lets you shoot like a pro and capture life clearly and fully.
MOTOLUXE also sets itself apart with a lanyard slot that has a lighting effect. So you can see when you’ve missed a call, received a text or have an email waiting for you.
Other cool stuff includes:
* Front-facing VGA camera for video chatting with friends and family * Available in licorice or white * 1400 mAh battery for up to 6.5 hours of talk time, 19 days of standby time
Strong and Sturdy
Water-resistant, dust-proof and with a scratch resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass display, Motorola DEFY MINI is the ideal smartphone for active users who need a device as resilient as they are. With a 3.2-inch touchscreen good for emailing, texting and browsing the Web, and a long battery-life, you can keep this phone on and by your side all day long no matter where you go, so you’ll never miss a beat.
But wait… there’s more:
* 3MP rear-facing camera with flash * Front-facing VGA camera for video chatting with friends and family * Easy access to all your favorite outdoor apps with the “Instrument Dashboard” * 1650 mAh battery for up to 10 hours of talk time, 21 days of standby time
You can get your hands on MOTOLUXE and Motorola DEFY MINI at Motorola’s booth (LVCC, Central Hall, Booth NO. 8644) at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, January 10 – 13, 2012.
Pricing and Availability Both devices are expected to be available in Greater China, Europe and Latin America starting this spring. MOTOLUXE is already available in China under the name Motorola XT615 and is expected to be available in Greater China, Europe and Latin America starting in February. Motorola DEFY MINI is expected to be available in China under the name Motorola XT320 and in select countries in Europe and Latin America starting in February.
About Motorola Mobility Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE:MMI) fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people’s lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit motorola.com/mobility.[/toggle]
Always Innovating, the folks behind the Smart Book tablet have done it again at CES 2012. The new gadget is called “HDMI Dongle” and is an entire system on the dongle that can be plugged into your television to give you, hold your breath, Android running on your Tele. The tiny little device has awesome specs too, a Cortex-A9, between 256MB and 1GB of RAM, inbuilt WiFi / Bluetooth, an NFC module and even an accelerometer for when you decide to hold your TV and play Asphalt.
The device dongle is priced starting US $ 79 and should be available soon , if you believe the company, and it bundles a RF remote. Either way whenever it comes we are ordering at least enough to cover all HDMI equipped TVs and Monitors.
ALWAYS INNOVATING INNOVATES AGAIN WITH THE HDMI DONGLE.
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, January, 2012
Always Innovating is pleased to announce the HDMI Dongle, a revolutionary new portable set-top box. The HDMI Dongle is a device of the size of a stick that can be plugged into any HDMI port to transform a dumb TV into a smart Internet-connected screen. The HDMI Dongle enables Internet browsing, movie watching and games.
The HDMI Dongle can run Android Ice Cream Sandwich and is compatible with GoogleTV. The device provides a full-compatible Android experience and any application for this operating system can run on the dongle. The HDMI Dongle can stream and decode from the Internet 1080p H.264 video. The device is compatible with popular services such as Netflix, Hulu or Amazon video-on-demand. The user interface is controlled with a 9-button remote control for easy navigation, and voice recognition for text input. The accelerometer located in the remote control enables a set of gravity-based games. The remote control also features a NFC chip to offer a tap-to-share experience.
The HDMI Dongle is based on the Texas Instruments Cortex-A9 OMAP 4 which can run from 1GHz to 1.8GHz depending of the configuration. It offers 1GB of RAM and a micro SD card for local storage. The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module enables the device to connect to the Internet and to any Bluetooth-enabled accessories.
Always Innovating does not intend to produce the HDMI Dongle but offers it on a licensing basis. The HDMI Dongle is expected to hit the selves with a first licensee during the summer 2012. The HDMI Dongle can also be used as the heart of a tablet or MID device. An expansion slot features interfaces to camera and LVDS screen which allows to plug a 1920×1080 LCD. The PCB provides all the features of a tablet including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, battery management, camera and NFC connectivity.
Like all other Always Innovating products, the HDMI Dongle is fully Open Source.
About the Company Founded by serial entrepreneur Grégoire Gentil, Always Innovating leverages the latest developments in open source technologies worldwide to create innovative products that solve real problems for consumers. The company is based in San Francisco, California.
The HTC Sensation XL has been touted as a slow mover, yet its a and hot powered smart phone. We unbox this massive metal device and take a look at the interface. The giant features a 1GHz scorpion processor along with 16GB storage. a 4.7 inch 480 x 800 px resolution on a SLCD display. The resolution is much lower than the HTC Sensation / XE , both of which have a qHD display.
The XL also comes with a Beats by Dre audio engine and in-ear earphones. Which surely are the lime-light features of this device. The device is superbly built and powered by a 1600mah battery. Surprising the phone is priced at a massive Rs. 37500/-
In front of the Note the Sensation XL seems dwarfed, the screen size, specs everything seems lower, except build quality.
Check out the video below and stay tuned for the full review and complete comparison b/w the Note and XL.
According to reports the total downloads of Apps was at an all time high in the last week of December ( also considered holiday season) . Apps downloaded on the iTunes and Android Market crossed a massive 1.2 billion downloads. This could also be considering the millions of activations received during the previous christmas week.
HTC Rhyme was announced a while back and it promised a lot of hope, especially because initial pricing pointed towards a Rs. 15000 launch. When the device was finally launched at Rs. 25000 , it seemed like a bit of a disappointment. The functionality and specs of the device prove otherwise.
Bundled are really nice quality in ear earphones with remote and mic, also in the box is the wonderful light charm which will effectively signal women that their phone is ringing somewhere in the depths of their handbags. Simply targeted at the younger Gen. buyers and more so at the smartphone buying ladies. Specs include 480 x 800 pixels, 3.7 inches SLCD display along with a 1 GHz Scorpion + Adreno 205 GPU. For media and apps there is 4 GB storage plus 768 MB RAM.
Samsung has announced the sequel to their highly successful Galaxy Ace, the new one is dubbed aptly the “Galaxy Ace Plus”. the specs include a 1GHz processor, five megapixel camera, 3GB internal memory, HSDPA and a 3.65-inch HVGA (320 x 480) screen. Apart from really resolutions the device is expected to be launched somewhere in the Rupees 18000 price mark. The device is running Android 2.3 with TouchWiz and will most probably get the ICS update, no official word on it though.
The screen is much larger than the previous version and retains the same pixel density, therefore reducing the pixels per inch to . The device will go on sale in January for a price somewhere in the region mentioned earlier, unless Samsung pulls a Omnia w/ Galaxy R on the consumers and announces the device for somewhere in the 12000 price region ( too hopeful?)
Full specs :
1GHz processor with 512MB of RAM,
3GB of internal memory, microSD card slot
3G speeds at up to 7.2Mbps on the downlink
5-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash capable of recording 480p videos at 30fps,
1300mAh battery,
Samsung TouchWiz on top of Gingerbread,
Wi-Fi b/g/n, A-GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0.
[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Play and Share Faster and Smarter with the GALAXY Ace Plus January 3, 2012
New addition to Android-powered GALAXY portfolio delivers style, power and versatility
SEOUL, Korea – January 3, 2012 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced the introduction of the Samsung GALAXY Ace Plus. As an enhanced version of the widely popular GALAXY Ace, the GALAXY Ace Plus is the smartphone for trendy and sociable young professionals. The GALAXY Ace Plus will be available in Russia starting from January 2012, and will be gradually rolled out to Europe, CIS, Latin America, Southeast and Southwest Asia, the Middle East, Africa and China.
“Samsung Mobile is opening 2012 with the introduction of the Samsung GALAXY Ace Plus, which will help enhance the GALAXY brand following the huge success of the GALAXY S, GALAXY SII, GALAXY Ace and GALAXY mini. The GALAXY Ace Plus benefits from the Android™ Gingerbread platform and Samsung services, which provide a better mobile experience for more consumers,” said JK Shin, President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. “In 2012, we will continue to make every effort to create an easy and fun mobile experience by expanding our incredibly popular GALAXY smartphone range, which is now one of the most recognized and successful mobile brands in the world.”
Style and power with expanded features
Building on the previous GALAXY Ace style heritage, the GALAXY Ace Plus is a stylishly designed smartphone contained in a modern and minimalist casing with rounded edges, featuring an affordably-sized 3.65” HVGA display. The phone has been designed to be simple yet elegant.
The GALAXY Ace Plus is backed by an impressive 1GHz processor and HSDPA 7.2 Mbps connectivity, providing all the versatility and browsing performance that today’s busy and sociable young professionals need. WiFi 802.11 functionality offers lightning-fast speeds for browsing, downloading and video streaming. Application startups are faster with virtually no lag time, even while multitasking. Additionally, an impressive 2GB of shared storage capacity for multimedia content and up to 1GB of direct storage for applications-more than any smartphone in its category-allow users greater content freedom and usability.
Running on Android Gingerbread and featuring Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface, the GALAXY Ace Plus allows users to handle mobile tasks faster and more efficiently. New music playback functionality features a play progress bar and the ability to view music tracks in folders. Call features allow users to reject calls with text messages or add unwanted callers to a black list log. For added productivity, users also have the option of using ThinkFree, a tool that enables viewing and editing of Office documents, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDFs, while on the move.
The GALAXY Ace Plus enables users to stay connected through Samsung’s Social Hub, Music Hub and ChatON services. ChatON, connecting all phone users-across any phone platform-into a single community using phone numbers instead of usernames and passwords, provides an easy instant messaging, group chatting and sharing of content in multiple formats-images, video, voice, contacts, calendar-to make messaging simpler and more intuitive than ever.[/toggle]
Proud owner of the Samsung Galaxy Note? This should interest your anxious thought process. A new rom based on CM9 will give your Note the most anticipated ICS update well ahead of schedule. The Rom will not retain full pen functionality and all of the S-Pen input is currently not available. This build is also lacking a working camera app and Bluetooth radio functionality. Either way a ROM with more stabler features can be expected soon.
The one thing to note is that Samsung will soon release their updates for ICS to their own Android device arsenal, this will also include an update for the Galaxy Note, which will retain the Samsung Touch Wiz user Interface. So ensure you know what you are getting into, before you try out experimental roms on your precious 5.3 inch device!
Various builds of ICS on the Samsung Galaxy S2 have started to leak out, indicating that they are meant to be upgraded through Kies. They consist of an early Android 4.0.1 build made on December 20th and version 4.0.3 crafted soon after. These builds are much more improved than the builds released earlier, included cosmetic changes and less neon looking notification. The builds also seem to have better integration with Samsung Apps.
