Category: Samsung

Rumoured Samsung Galaxy S4 Press Picture Leaked

The Samsung Galaxy S4 will the company’s direct competition to Apple’s iPhone 5 and iPhone 6 so if this image is anything to go by then Samsung believes bigger is better. SamMobile claims it comes from a huge tip from a “Samsung insider”. SamMobile also goes on to say that, while it can’t be 100 per cent certain it’s genuine, the fact that it looks so much like the Samsung Galaxy S III adds credibility to its authenticity.

The official Samsung Lebanon Facebook page answered a question about the pending release of the GS IV, stating “The Galaxy SIV won’t be released before May 2013.”

Another rumour doing the rounds indicates that Samsung’s Vice Chairman Jay Le will be showing off a prototype of the Galaxy S IV to select executive and partners at CES next week. It’ll happen behind closed doors.

Considering the amount of caution Samsung went to protect the design and features of the Samsung Galaxy S III, it’s possible that the above pic is an early prototype. Samsung made several variations and employees led a “double life” to protect to final GS III product. Everything with unfold itself over the next few months.

The rumoured specs so far reveal :

– Exynos 5450 Quad-Core CPU clocked at 2.0GHz
– Mali-T658 GPU
– 2GB of RAM
– 4.99” SuperAMOLED FULL HD resolution (1080×1920) Display
– 13 Megapixel Rear Facing Camera
– 2 Megapixel Front Facing Camera
– Android 4.2.1 (Out of the box)

January 4, 2013
Leaked : Samsung Galaxy M Pro II GT-B7810

The Samsung Galaxy M Pro was Samsung’s answer to a possible end of time for Blackberry, for those who were shifting over to Android anyway. The Galaxy M Pro II sequel to the original should expect a bunch of changes. As apparent from the image, the phone will have a completely new trackpad and keyboard design. The Samsung Galaxy M Pro II will also feature a new shell, or mostly an upgraded color with a metal-effect design.

Rumors are pegging the display back to the original version with a 4×3 grid and a 480 x 360 capacitive touchscreen. It is also know that the phone will now be running Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, juiced from a 1,200mAh battery, HSPA 3G and has a micro-SIM slot.

The device has been in schedule for the past 6 months offering a more keyboard and trackpad controlled design and UI, but it is known if the GT-B7810 will make it to the market or not.

[Blog of Mobile]

January 3, 2013
Samsung Rolling Out Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean Firmware For Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 P3100
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 P3100 received the first Jelly Bean (Android 4.1.1) update to two weeks ago. While the previous update started rolling out from India, this time the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 P3100 users that have been chosen by Samsung to be blessed with the first Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean firmware update are French. The new update has already started rolling out and you can get it via Samsung Kies and on-device software update feature. You can check for the OTA update from Setting> About> Software Update.

In case you are not from France, or if you are unable to get the OTA update to Android 4.1.2 on your Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 P3100 because you have rooted it or for some other reason, you can still update your device to the latest version of Samsung’s Jelly Bean update version 4.1.2. In fact the firmware released for France is an Unbranded one, therefore it can be flashed on any Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (model number GT-P3100) across the globe that is not locked to a mobile operator/carrier.

Firmware Build P3100XXCLL2 Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean

Device: Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 GT-P3100
Region: Europe
Country: France
Android version: 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
PDA: P3100XXCLL2
CSC: P3100XEFCLK1
Baseband/Modem: P3100XXCLJ3
Build Date: Dec.12 2012

Samsung has added a lot of new features for Galaxy devices with the Android 4.1.2 update, most of these features are found from the Galaxy Note II. Here are some few features on 4.1.2 :
- Multi-Window (Multi-View allows users to run two apps splitting on the screen at the same time)
- New Gallery App
- Notification Panel
- Brightness Slider in Notification Panel
- Continues Input in Samsung Keyboard
- Paper Artist App
- Group Cast App
- Page Buddy
- Smart Rotation
[Droid Views]
December 30, 2012
Rumour : Samsung Galaxy Note II To Be Released In Matte Black

Even though black is considered as standard color for smart phones, Samsung always tries different colors in smart phones. It generally releases the smart phones with Titanium Grey and Pebble Blue colors. Such colors are seen in the case of Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3 mobiles.

Rumours say Samsung may be about to release a stunning matte black version of the venerable phablet. According to Android Slash, the new colour will be introduced to markets in early 2013.

A hi-resolution press rendering was discovered showing off the Samsung GALAXY Note II in black. With CES 2013 just weeks away in Las Vegas, and MWC 2013 coming the following month to Barcelona, we could see a whole new color range for the device introduced at either show. Last month, an anonymous tipster passed along the information that the Samsung GALAXY Note II was fitted for three new colors, Amber Brown, Topaz Blue and Ruby Wine. The new colors are supposed to be available and the end of this year or during Q1 of 2013, but this tip did not mention black as one of the new colors.

What do you think?

December 29, 2012
LG Wants Ban On Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Tablet Sales in Korea

The war between Korea’s two biggest mobile makers continues after LG Display moved to ban the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet on the grounds that it infringes three of its display patents, according to a Dow Jones report.

A statement made to the news agency confirmed that LG has made the request for a sales injunction and is seeking compensation of 1 billion won ($933,000) for each day of the “continued non-compliance”.

The two companies have been in a patent row since September when LG Display one of the world’s top flat-screen TV makers filed suits against Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display for allegedly infringing patents on seven organic light-emitting diode (OLED)-related technologies.

LG said that five of Samsung’s products, including its global hit Galaxy S-series smartphones and tablet computer Galaxy Tab, infringed its patents.

Later the same month, Samsung filed a court complaint accusing LG of luring away senior Samsung OLED researchers even though they had signed contracts preventing them working for a rival. LG’s new suit comes just over a month after Samsung moved to have seven of its rival’s patents annulled by Korean courts.

Samsung has also been battling Apple’s patent infringement allegations for a while now. Recently, in a rather interesting turn of events, Samsung affirmed that it would drop its lawsuits seeking a sales ban on Apple’s products in Europe. The company said it will not make attempts to stop the sale of some Apple products in Germany, Britain, France, Italy and the Netherlands. Interestingly though, Samsung has made no mention of whether it would put an end to its court battle for compensation.

December 28, 2012
Samsung To Ship Half A Billion Phones In 2013

Samsung expects to sell 510 million phones in 2013, the company announced on Wednesday. Samsung says most of those devices will be smart phones, cementing the company’s status as the world’s biggest phone manufacturer.

Apple sold 26.9 million iPhones in its fiscal Q4 2012 (or calendar year Q3 2012). The street consensus for the current quarter is somewhere between 46 and 48 million iPhones, based on strong demand for the new iPhone 5.

Samsung says three out of four devices it is on course to sell in the next twelve months will be smartphones and predicts an overall 20 per cent jump in phone sales on 2012.
Research firm Gartner, however, reckons Samsung might be just a little over optimistic in its forecasts. It has predicted the company’s phone sales in 2013 are likely to fall somewhere between 250 million and 300 million, though that’s still a quantum leap on the mere 23.9 million it sold just two years ago in 2010.

[quote]”Samsung’s proven ability to quickly produce and replace a wide range of handsets aimed at several different markets contrasts with Nokia’s struggles and Apple’s difficulties that are mainly related to parts sourcing problems,” said Hwang Min-seong, an analyst at Samsung Securities.[/quote]

As it gears up for further expansion Samsung, meanwhile, is expanding its manufacturing base beyond its own shores and into Vietnam, China and India where the lion’s share of new phones will be made.

December 27, 2012
Samsung : Windows Phone 7.8 Updates For All WP 7.5 Handsets

WindowsPhoneItaly reports that Samsung has just confirmed that all its Windows Phone 7.5 handsets, including the Omnia W, would receive the hotly-anticipated Windows Phone 7.8 update.

As we’ve discovered in recent weeks, however, not all devices will be getting the 7.8 update. Last month, LG confirmed that its Optimus 7 won’t be updated, and with Dell now well and truly out of the smartphone business, it’s unlikely that the Venue Pro will be updated either.

All first- and second-generation Windows Phones were eligible for update to 7.5, so as Samsung says, this guarantees that all Windows Phone 7 handsets will qualify for the 7.8 update. However, the last part of that statement is critical; while each model will be offered the update, the responsibility for pushing the software to devices lies with Microsoft, which will need to work with carriers to test and finalise the update before it’s deployed.

Microsoft has just started the rollout of PR1.1 update for Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820, but the upgrade is only available in the United States and Canada. Nokia announced the rest of the countries would get it in early February, 2013.

Anyone excited for Windows Phone 7.8, or have you already set your sights on WP8?

December 22, 2012
Samsung Promises Software Update As Quickly As Possible For Exynos Vulnerability

Samsung has confirmed recent reports of a security vulnerability that affects Exynos-equipped handsets, such as the Galaxy S II, Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II. In a statement issued to AndroidCentral, the company acknowledged the “potential security issue” relating to the Exynos processor and promises to release a software patch, however a release timeframe has yet to be announced.

[quote]Samsung is aware of the potential security issue related to the Exynos processor and plans to provide a software update to address it as quickly as possible. The issue may arise only when a malicious application is operated on the affected devices; however, this does not affect most devices operating credible and authenticated applications. Samsung will continue to closely monitor the situation until the software fix has been made available to all affected mobile devices.[/quote]

The flaw, discovered by developers on the XDA Developers forum, left certain Exynos-powered devices vulnerable to malicious apps that could steal personal data, wipe data, and even brick handsets. It affected a number of Samsung’s own devices — including the hugely popular Samsung Galaxy S III, and the Samsung Galaxy Note II — plus some third-party handsets as well.

One of the developers at XDA forum, named Chainfire has already released an app based on the kernel exploit. “ExynosAbuse,” the newly released 1-click APK, uses the exploit in question to root a device with just a single click of a button.

On the flip side, alephzain pointed out that RAM dump, kernel code injection and other possible harms could be possible via app installation from the Play Store. Although there are many ways to inflict harm, Samsung has just provided yet another easy way to exploit, making the security hole more dangerous and exposing the phone to malicious apps

We will be looking out for more news on Samsung’s fix for its top Galaxy handsets – stay with us.

December 20, 2012
Millennial : Samsung Android 2012 Market Share Doubled Last Year

For the second day, Samsung has been named the new leader. After Tuesday unseating Nokia as the top cellphone maker in 2012, the Galaxy vendor today topped HTC as the Android maker which gets most used to access mobile ads. According to ad firm Millennial, Samsung had 46 percent of Android app use, double the 26 percent of 2011.

Meanwhile, HTC plummeted from 32% to 16%, while Moto dropped from 22% to 11%. This is a massive change.

Samsung has been producing hit after hit with its Galaxy line of handsets, with the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II at the forefront. Not only is it making great devices, the company has also marketed its products like there’s no tomorrow.

With virtually a phone of every size and price available, Samsung has saturated the smartphone market with multiple choices, which has certainly helped the company in the past year.

Can competitors like HTC rally and make a comeback in the new year? Samsung is likely to introduce strong successors to all of its current top-performers, including a Galaxy S IV and Galaxy Note III, but we’ll have to wait and see if an upset is in the cards.

December 20, 2012
Samsung to Showcase Flexible Screens 1280×720 Resolutions At CES

Samsung Display’s spokespeople have confirmed that they will be unveiling two flexible screens at CES 2013, one of which will be a 5.5″ display (same size as the Galaxy Note 2), the other 55″, which sounds just about right for a TV.

During previous Consumer Electronic Shows (CES) Samsung demoed flexible displays and their capabilities. Two years later Samsung Mobile Display has teased the masses once again and stated they’ll be showcasing a 5.5-inch flexible display with a resolution of 1280×720, and a 267ppi (pixels per inch) at CES 2013.

Some of the previous reports on Samsung’s plans for the smartphone market suggested that Samsung was planning on including a flexible touchscreen in its next flagship Android smartphone, dubbed Galaxy S IV and expected to become official before the end of the first quarter of 2013.

It’ll be interesting to see the progress 2-years has brought.

December 20, 2012
Samsung Launches Galaxy Grand 5 inch WVGA Single / Dual Sim Jelly Bean Smartphone

Samsung has just announced that it will unveil the new Samsung Galaxy Grand at CES 2013 in Las Vegas. The Galaxy Grand will be available in Single and Dual Sim variants and boasts of a 5 inch WVGA display with a native 800 x480 px display (read: pixellated). The Galaxy Grand will also run Jelly Bean 4.1.2 out of the Box and will also feature a dual-core 1.2GHz processor. The new Phablet style phone will also have a host of the premium suite apps from Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, including Multi Window and Pop Up Play.

The Galaxy Grand has a 8 Megapixel Main camera and a 2 MP front faces with 720p video calling. On the inside you will find a 2,100mAh battery, 8GB of built-in storage and a microSD slot for expansion up to 64GB. Famous for various connectivity options Samsung includes HSPA+, Bluetooth, DLNA and WiFi.

The Galaxy Grand is expected to hit Asian markets including India early 2013.

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Samsung GALAXY Grand runs Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), Google’s latest operating system. Its vivid 5.0’’ display provides an expansive viewing experience, presenting messaging, multimedia and Web content in brilliant color and clarity. Even with the large screen, the phone is still slim, ergonomic and comfortable to hold. You can also enjoy true multitasking running multiple apps simultaneously and without switching screens using Multi Window feature.

GALAXY Grand with an impressive 1.2 GHz Dual Core processor supports seamless multitasking, faster web browsing, lightning-fast screen transitions and superior graphics for some of the most demanding apps and games.

The GALAXY Grand sports a powerful camera with zero shutter-lag and ultra-quick camera start-up. It includes a backside illumination sensor to ensure clear shots even in dark conditions, as well as Full HD video recording.

Samsung GALAXY Grand also includes intuitive features that make the phone easy to use. For example, Direct Callenables users to automatically dial a call by raising the device up to the ear; while users can also shake the phone to trigger status updates, or pan it to zoom into a screen. Smart Alert shows missed events such as missed calls and new messages just by picking up the phone. Popup Video, for example, lets users watch video in a pop-up window anywhere on the screen while running other tasks; S Voice lets you control the phone using your voice; and AllShare Play lets you share content across Samsung devices using a single account.

The phone is pre-loaded with the latest versions of Samsung Hubs to deliver the most popular games, movies and music direct to the user on demand.

The GALAXY Grand will be available in two versions – The Dual SIM version (GT-I9082) will launch first and the single SIM version (GT-I9080) will follow. For the dual SIM version, its innovative dual SIM feature provides total communication flexibility, allowing users to manage two phone numbers from a single phone. It is possible to receive calls on one SIM number while taking a call from the other, ensuring efficient management of personal and work commitments without ever missing a call. Dual SIM also offers the flexibility of selecting different billing plans for either SIM, switching between them to make the most of cheaper call and data plans.

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December 18, 2012
Samsung Releases New Ad, Promises ‘Something New’ at CES 2013

Samsung, the world’s largest maker of both cellphones and smartphones by volume, is gearing up for CES 2013, which runs January 8-11 in Las Vegas and has put together a nice teaser suggesting “something new is coming”.

Could it be the release of the Samsung Galaxy S IV?

Reuters speculated the Galaxy S IV may come with “a breakthrough unbreakable screen” which can be folded. Other rumors have pointed to a 13-megapixel camera, a quad-core chip and a five-inch display likely sporting full HD 1,920-by-1,080 pixel resolution at 441 pixels per inch, a big improvement in pixel density from both the Galaxy S III’s 306 ppi and the iPhone 5?s 326 ppi screen. But we think Samsung might want to release the S IV at one of it’s own events.

Although the show isn’t traditionally a mobile exhibition, major mobile brands have been a growing presence over the last few years, so a new smartphone isn’t out of the question. The timing seems better for a tablet, however, since its last major release in the category was August’s Galaxy Note 10.1.

But considering Samsung’s long CES heritage, the new product is more likely to be from the audio-visual side of the business. And, considering that CES 2012’s big product launch was centred around the ES8000 TV and its face recognition, motion control and upgradability, we wouldn’t be surprised if it was a new television. A commercially available Samsung ultra high-definition TV, anyone?

What do you think Samsung will bring to CES? Let us know!

December 11, 2012
Developer Finds Loophole In Jelly Bean To SIM Unlock Galaxy S3 And Note 2!

In case you happen to own one of Samsung’s 2012 flagship smartphone, either the Galaxy S3 or the Galaxy Note 2, you’ll be happy to hear that you can unlock them from the shackles of your carrier free of charge. And you can do all that by yourself, as long as your handset runs a Jelly Bean version.

An enterprising XDA Developer named owl74 has discovered a loophole inside the Jelly Bean software on Galaxy Note II and Galaxy S III devices that unlocks the SIM slot for free.

The hack is quite simple to pull off and doesn’t require the phone to be rooted or running custom software. It does, however, involve some precise timing and a bit of luck — not all users are finding success with the process, and it won’t work if your Galaxy S III is still running Android 4.0.4, only Jelly Bean.

While we can’t guarantee the safety of this little hack, nor can we verify the efficacy of its claims, but several reports online suggest that the hack is legitimate.

(Note : We do not encourage hacking!)

December 9, 2012
Galaxy SIII Premium Suite Update 4.1.2 gets Detailed on Video by Samsung

Samsung had started pusing out Jelly Bean 4.1.2 to some phones yesterday, but has now made an official video highlighting the features and calls it a Premium Suite. The Galaxy SIII Premium Suite brings a lot to the already popular SIII, including most of the features that are shared by big brother the NOTE II. A customizable notification panel, smart rotation, Page Buddy, Multi Window, new multitasking, NFC and reader features, plus contextual awareness tweaks that adjust the phone around your actions.

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Contextual Awareness

(1) Page Buddy: Galaxy SIII Premium Suite will smartly predict what you intend to do according to your actions. For example, when you plug in your earphones, the device automatically opens up a page with the music player.

(2) Galaxy SIII Premium Suite Contextual Menu:  When you list up apps, you can now choose to see the most frequently used ones first. Especially convenient when you’re looking through apps  to find files to attach.

(3) Contextual Tag:  When you take a picture on the Galaxy SIII Premium Suite, you can tag the weather, date, and place immediately.



Enhanced Features

(1) Multi Window: You can open two different apps at the same time into two different windows on the mobile screen.

(2) Auto Share Shot Pairing using NFC: By setting the camera to ‘Auto Share Shot’ mode, you can quickly share your photos and videos by simply tapping their Galaxy SIII Premium Suite with other NFC and S-Beam enabled devices

(3) Reader Mode: You can easily control the size of the text on your browser! Also, you can just click the webpage to share it!

(4) Facebook Lock Ticker: The easiest way to see your Facebook News Feeds – set your Galaxy SIII Premium Suite to show it on your lock screen.

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December 7, 2012
Latest : Galaxy S IV To Launch In April With Breakthrough Unbreakable Screen?

Although the display of Samsung’s Galaxy S II uses Gorilla Glass, it’s certainly not unbreakable – as various videos on the web are demonstrating, and as some users have seen for themselves.

According to Reuters, the next flagship smartphone from Samsung may rock a cutting-edge OLED panel that resists cracks and scratches more easily, and would be “unbreakable”.

Unofficially dubbed the Galaxy S4, Samsung’s Next Big Thing could benefit from major advances in screen technology whereby the glass substrate protecting the display can be replaced with a more shatter-resistant plastic material. It would also be lighter, thus further reducing the chance of breaking the screen.

Samsung is already one of the pioneers of OLED technology and is hotly tipped to be the first to introduce it to mobile devices, as it was previously too expensive and experimental to do so. Naturally, the Galaxy S4 or at least its successor, would be a very likely to debut it.

Reuters also jumped on board the rumour train and sourced unnamed “analysts and tech blogs” stating that Samsung will unveil their new flagship Galaxy smartphone, internally called ‘Project J’ after head of its mobile division JK Shin, as early as April 2013. That is one month ahead of when the GS III was announced.

Rumoured specs of the GS IV have it running Android (potentially Key Lime Pie), larger display at 5-inches with a 441 pixels per inch (ppi), a quad-core processor and a 13-megapixel camera.

Of course, all this is a rumour until Samsung comes out with an official announcement.

December 6, 2012