Samsung has today launched the new Galaxy Tabs for the Indian Market. The Galaxy 750 and 730 are renamed Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Tab 8.9 . Indians can get the Tab 730 at INR 33,990 and Galaxy Tab 750 at INR 36,200 for 16GB 3G+WiFi version.
Samsung has also tied up with Vodafone to offer 3G data.
2GB/month for six months at Rs 3,000 for GALAXY Tab 750/730 owners.
The company also said that the Tablets will be available at the end of the Month, But we already Know that the Tablets are coming August 18th.
Apple has won a preliminary injunction to stop the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in the whole of the European Union except for the Netherlands. A new ruling by a regional court in Dusseldorf, Germany has granted Cupertino a preliminary injunction, blocking the sale and advertising of the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Apple has a similar ongoing lawsuit in the Netherlands. Should Samsung continue to sell the tablet, the company could face fines of up to $350,000 for each violation. Apple also won the injection in Australia blocking the sale of the said tablet.
Samsung plans to appeal the injunctions, but the likely appeal will take about a month to be heard by the judge who granted the injunction.
Look what we know and want to tell you, the simply brilliant Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with Honeycomb OS is coming for you officially by Samsung this month on August 25.
We got this information directly from our own little birdie at Samsung’s office. According to our source the company is planning a massive advertising campaign for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and may also launch combo offers that will include discounts on purchase of both the Tab and the S2.
Pricing information is still blurry, but according to our source the tablet may be pegged upwards of 35k during launch. Although the company is expected to bring about multiple combo offers, like free case and screen protector, dock , etc.
Either way you can expect us to be on top of the information chain, and expect a full fledged unboxing – review cycle as soon as we get our hands dirty with it.
We also had a chance to get our hands on with the earlier 10.1 inch model (thick), check out the video below.
Now thats a way to make the students happy, University of Southern Mississippi handed out Galaxy Tab 10.1 devices to Honor students for the year 2011-2012. The devices are also preloaded with text and syllabus for the academic year, including the ability to purchase books and check grades.
Initially only a 1000 tabs were given away to students in the Honors College, McNair Scholars, Southern Style, and Gulf Coast programs.
Now thats a way to motivate the students, maybe the Indian universities should take some inspiration from this. Although it appears that the devices were sponsored by Samsung , look at the video below.
One of the most successful smartphones of the year, the Samsung Galaxy S2, will now be available in White starting August 15 in the UK. The device is expected to hit India around the same time. The Samsung Galaxy S2 has been the most sought after cellphone in India, right after the iPhone 4 and above the LG Optimus 2X and HTC Sensation.
Samsung hopes to continue to sell the device through december, when a newer Galaxy with a 2Ghz dual core processor is supposed to be announced for 2012.
One of the Smartest Smart Phones to hit our country, The Samsung Galaxy S2 has gathered a lot of public attention. But, does it stand up to the challenge put out by Day-to-Day Smart-Phone use? Lets Find Out!
BUILD QUALITY, HARDWARE & DESIGN
The Galaxy S2 has a nice design, a sleek body and extra tough glass. But the build quality of the phone may not be up to the mark. The device features a total plastic construction that defies all laws of mobile phone existence. At just 8.5mm thick the device boasts an extremely slim profile. The back panel/cover is a flimsy piece of plastic that is fidgety to remove and put back on and also rattles when the phone is shaken.
The screen on the other hand is extremely tough, it also resists scratches and impacts without a question in mind. Overall, the build is solid, the plastics don’t bend easily and are not cheap to look at either. But are not nearly enough when you compare it with what you pay for the device.
In terms of hardware the two major things working for the Indian version of the Samsung Galaxy S2 are
Super Amoled Plus Screen – 480 x 800 px – 4.3 inches
1.2 GHZ dual core processor
The performances of these two major hardware components can be seen from the get go, and are attracting people towards the GS2. There is also 1 GB of RAM, giving an effective 853MB for usage (we really don’t know why only 853 is there totally). There is no NFC on the Indian Samsung Galaxy S2, and why would you need it anyway? The 8 MP rear camera with full HD video recording, a 2 MP front camera, 1650mah battery. You can also check out the full Spec Sheet Here
CAMERA AND MULTIMEDIA
The Camera on the S2 is brilliant; the screen viewfinder makes it even better. The colors are projected to the screen as-is, and are captured beautifully with the 8MP lens. The camera is fast to focus and has great exposure values. Tap to focus lets you select you subject and one click capture brings you an experience that’s hard to replicate. The camera app is also packed with a long list of settings and effects you can tweak and play around with. Shooting modes, scene modes, effects, image size, exposure values, white balance, noise reduction and anti shake to name a few.
Macro mode is exceptionally great as it can capture close-ups with great detail. There is also a timer, ISO settings, Metering selection, blink detection and geo-tagging. The S2 has a fully loaded camera app and a great camera lens to go with it. Overall performance of the camera is easily notable and can replace your point and shoot camera for day-to-day use. The flash is bright and has a great field of coverage.
Video capture at 1080p is smooth and without frame drops, although you can notice the autofocus on the camera struggle during the video recording output. Videos are clean and the microphone picks up sound just great. Video is so good in fact we actually shot an unboxing video on full HD with the Samsung Galaxy S2 – Check it HERE
Sounds from the speaker are actually louder than we expected. Audio quality is clear and speech notions can be understood easily. Why we emphasize on speech is because you will be watching a lot of videos and movies on the STUNNING AMOLED PLUS display. It is the best possible display from Samsung to date. With amazing depths of color and a great resolution (480 x 800) the display is very vivid. Colors are bold and there is no washout even at greater viewing angles. Some may argue that the colors on the screen are not what they appear to be, and the AMOLED screen gives a heightened look to a normal display/video.
The included earphones are not a great match with the S2, the bass on the earphones is poor, watching movies or listening to music. If you enjoy good depth, you wont enjoy the included earphones. The placement of the main speaker can also be bothersome, especially when you hold the device in landscape to watch videos or play games. You will find your fingers covering up the main speaker for a total loss of sound.
PHONE AND MESSAGING
Nice large dialer, good speaker, strong mic and excellent network performance make the Galaxy S2 a great phone aswell. We tested the phone capability over extended periods of use and failed to get one reason to complain about the device. It was pure performance for the phone through out.
The Keyboard on the GS2 is well spaced out in portrait and is very responsive during those long messaging sessions. You also have a huge list of settings that you can modify to make the keyboard a complete unit for you. From auto text to auto replace, modifiers and word learning, the keyboard is simply intelligent. You can also switch to the included Swype keyboard for a faster input experience. In Landscape, typing is fast and efficient and the keys are wide enough to compile long emails without breaking a sweat.
DATA & INTERNET
Getting a smartphone like this? Expect to get a 3G data plan if you don’t already have one. This phone turns you into an “on the go data monster”. With the constant need to feed information into the device the unit comes ready to handle all sorts of online activity, from social feeds directly on your homescreen to business mails in a secret box. You get the latest news, weather information and stock prices without ever needing to install an app or setup the device. 3G / HSDPA performance is somewhat good, we found that the device would drop the connection to the server and would require a restart of the data service from the settings app. We have never faced a similar issue with any other Android device an it appears to be a glitch in the software somewhere. Another thing to note, is that when the device is in this suspended data connection mode, the back of the phone starts to heat up incredibly fast which leads to an equally fast battery drain.
Wi-Fi Hotspot, also acts up (due to the network error we presume) and you will find your self constantly struggling with the error messages on the portable hotspot window.
BATTERY LIFE
If you haven’t read the section above we suggest you go ahead and read it. The battery life is largely affected by data mismanagement.
Values
2G
3G
3G with Error
Talk Time
upto 7 Hours
4.5 hours
1 hour
Standby time
36 Hours
24 hours
6 Hours
Web Browsing
8-9 hours
4-5 hours
–
Video Streaming
4 Hours
2 Hours
–
Music Streaming
14 hours
6 hours
–
Wi-Fi Values stand more or less the same with 2G data
GAMING
We though we would include this section just to clarify a lot of questions. While the device is perfectly capable of running high graphic games, you will not find us showing you videos of any such games for one simple reason. They don’t work on the device. Most games like Fast 5, NFS shift Asphalt, Assassins creed, Settlers crash on start up and some don’t show visuals. This is possibly a software -hardware integration glitch and perhaps the games are not designed to run on dual core smart phones. Other games like Angry Birds -All, Gun Brothers and our new favorite Age of the Zombies work perfect and without any issues.
DUAL CORE
The Samsung Galaxy S2 is India’s second phone to boast a dual core processor, and after our previous let down, we a happy to say that Samsung has managed to utilize the dual core- Android combo perfectly and has made it possible for the end user to enjoy the total experience. The phone is not only fast and responsive it is a super performer. All visuals play smooth, graphics and renders are fast all of this with tons of ram to spare. The Galaxy S2 also uses Android suspend multitasking which enables you to pause your ongoing app in real time and switch to another app, and then come back to the previous app without loosing data, or in our case lives.
There is the heating issue that is causing battery loss but we believe its due to the data glitch and can be resolved by switching data modes, or turning on data as and when required (which can be troublesome, but is a quick fix until Samsung can fix it). If you haven’t already seen the benchmarks, check them out here.
CONCLUSION
The Samsung Galaxy S2 is highest spec’d phone available in India through official channels, its thin and light, its got a beautifully vivid display and a dual core processor that’s on steroids. The Galaxy S2 is ready to perform from the get-go and looks good doing it. Yes its got a flimsy looking build and some overheating issues. But why do we feel okay looking past those? Possibly because poor build usually leads to a damaged display, but in this case the gorilla glass wont let that happen. As far as the battery drain- data error issue, Samsung is already working on pushing an update that will fix these issues.
[xrr rating=4.25/5 label=”We Rate The Galaxy S 2 : ” imageset=shiny_yellow_star display_as=fraction_stars]
According to Korean Times, Apple is testing 2048 x 1536 displays for the iPad next.
Apple’s upcoming iPad 3 will feature an improved display to support quad extended graphics (QXGA), a display resolution of 2048×1536 pixels with a 4:3 aspect ratio to provide full high definition (HD) viewing experience,
According to their source the iPad 3 is the actual name of the device and not iPad HD. Apple did change its supplier of its primary chipset from Samsung to TSMC earlier this year. This happened due to the series of legal actions b/w Apple and Samsung. Apple however may not find a better manufacturer than Samsung or LG for the display.
Tim Gushue, an engineer and designer, has created an accessory that he calls the Infinite Loop. It is basically an extensible, multipurpose stand for tablets and smart-phones, which can be bent into any shape and holds onto a device via suction cups. He plans to develop a series of accessories for the Infinite Loop including clip on speakers, a USB module and a camera screw thread adaptor.
The device is composed of co-molded metal and plastic and comes in two flavours. There is the two foot long ‘mini-loop’ and the standard four foot long ‘Infinite Loop’. The flexibility and adjustability of the Infinite Loop makes it compatible with virtually all tablets on the market today including the iPad, Playbook, and Galaxy Tab as well as most e-book readers like the Kindle and the Nook. The Mini Loop is compatible with all of Apple’s ‘touch’ products including the iPod and the iPhone as well as virtually any smart-phone that you can stick a suction cup to.
The device as a whole has been designed for a vast number of uses and its flexible nature means that it can be bent into a variety of shapes. The design is also modular, so multiple Infinite Loops can be joined together to create a larger stand/holder. When not in use, the Loop can be rolled up into a compact circle.
In the case of Apple vs Samsung, Samsung was earlier denied the motion to put a stop on sale of Apple products in the US which broke the patents held by Samsung. Apple went on to countersue and asked for a ban on sale of Samsung Products like the Galaxy Tab and Galaxy S2 / S among others. Apple has also asked to see upcoming products from the company to ensure that none of them violate trademark and copyright laws.
Whats more Apple had also asked for the Judge to speed up the hearing and briefing process. The court put Apple down by denying its request to compress the briefing schedule. The reson for denial is stated as “Apple’s knowledge of Samsung’s alleged infringement for more than a year and the fact it engaged in license negotiations with the Korean company during that time.”
Samsung has released a Solar powered netbook that will be available in the US and Russia. The rear side of the display houses a solar panel that can generate an hours worth of power for every two hours of exposure to direct sunlight.
The netbook’s 10.1 inch 1024x600px display is specially designed for extra brightness and is also layered with an anti reflective coating for use outdoors. The netbook features either a dual-core N570 or single-core N455 Intel Atom processor, with a choice of a 250 or 320 GB harddrive. A sleep mode called ‘Samsung Fast Start’ combines the stability of hibernation with the fast reloading of sleep, while ‘sleep-and-charge’ enables the charging of external USB devices even when the computer is off. A full charge of the six-cell battery is reported to provide up to 14 hours of use. The Samsung NC215S is expected to be released in the United States in early July at a cost of 400 USD, and in Russia in early august, for 13,999 rubles (500 USD).
Samsung has sold 3 million of its super Amoled Plus monsters in 55 days and are proud to tell you about it. The original Galaxy S took 85 days to reach that target.
[toggle title_open=”COLLAPSE” title_closed=”READ THE 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”]Samsung GALAXY S II reaches 3 Million global sales
SEOUL, KOREA–(Korea Newswire) — Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced that the Samsung GALAXY S II(Model: GT-I9100), has reached global channel sales of 3 million units.
The GALAXY S II is Samsung’s flagship smartphone device; a beautifully thin (8.49mm) and lightweight, dual-core smartphone that combines an unmatched Super AMOLED Plus viewing experience with incredible performance, all on Android, the world’s fastest-growing mobile operating system. The next generation smartphone also includes exclusive access to Samsung’s four new content and entertainment hubs, seamlessly integrated to provide instant access to music, games, e-reading and social networking services.
“Announced at Mobile World Congress 2011, the GALAXY S II represents our most advanced smartphone to date and demonstrates Samsung’s commitment to deliver premium, market-defining devices,”and “This milestone reflects the continued strong support from our carrier partners around the world who have chosen the GALAXY S II as their flagship Android device.” said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business.[/toggle]
A new Android smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Z has appeared on the Three mobile network in Sweden, although there is no official word from Samsung as yet.
The Samsung Galaxy Z seems to be a downgraded version of the Samsung Galaxy S II, it features
4.2inch inch touchscreen Super Clear LCD
800 x 480 pixels
dual core 1GHz processor.
5 megapixel camera on the back
Android 2.3 Gingerbread
WiFi
GPS
8GB of built in storage
microSD card slot
We are trying to get more information on the availability and launch prospects of this device in India, Price is set at 3995 Sweden Kr = INR. 28,000/-
Looks like Google’s dropout with HTC will continue for the coming up proprietary Google Smartphone, Usually dubbed as a developer phone, these devices get the latest versions of Android OS first and also run Stock un modded-roms. This time around the device may be dubbed the ‘Nexus Prime’ and will be manufactured by Samsung, just Like the Nexus S.
According to BGR, the new Nexus Prime will have a “Super AMOLED HD” resolution display which will have a 720p size. There are also reports of the OMAP4460 being used as the main processor in the device.
There are also reports that this time around Google may have a multi device launch for the Ice Cream Sandwich (seriously!) that could include flagship devices from everyone including HTC, Samsung, Motorola and even LG.
Apple inc. has filed a suit for the second time, against Samsung for copying the iPhone’s design. The suit claims that the Samsung Galaxy S copies the third-generation iPhone.
“It is no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging,” an Apple spokesperson said regarding case
The suing war started back in April when Apple sued Samsung claiming it copied “Apple’s technology, user interface and innovative style in these infringing products.” Samsung responded just one week later by filing countersuits.
The interesting aspect behind all of this is that Apple is currently Samsung’s largest buyer of LCD components. Go figure !
Apple has added a bunch of other Samsung Smartphones to their already existing Lawsuit, that claims that Samsung Infringes copyrights that belong to Apple. The new additions to the suit include
[quote]Before Apple’s introduction of the first iPhone product, no other company was offering a phone with these features. Prior mobile phones were often bulkier and contained physical keypads. Some had a rocker-style navigation button and sets of buttons for numbers and calling features. Others had a front panel with a partial or full QWERTY keyboard and a screen. None had the clean lines of the iPhone, which immediately caused it to stand apart from the competition.[/quote]
Apple has added a bunch of other Samsung Smartphones to their