The Galaxy S III is touted to have a Super AMOLED HD display. It will be run by the latest Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) while being partnered with a superb processor in the form of a quad-core chip. As for camera, they’re saying that it will sport a 12-megapixel cam. It is also likely to have HDMI and LTE embedded on it. Apart from these features, it’s said to be 7mm thick due to the reduction (roughly 10 – 20 percent) of its PCB, connector and chip.

It seems that everyone is looking forward to the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Spain as Samsung is sure to make announcements. The only downside though is that the Galaxy S3 smartphone will be a no show as the company is reserving this for a special event. The company was also said to send out invites for a press Event in France which may be connected to the Galaxy S III’s release.

There was also a mention that Samsung is eyeing a before June release of the unit (a May release did pop up but it might by March 22 according to rumors). We’ll update you ASAP.

An3DBenchXL, a benchmark app for Android devices, listed the Galaxy S2 Plus in its database, causing the rumor to spread. The listing also says that the phone would be carrying a WVGA screen and a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU, a step up from the original S2′s 1GHz processor. Admittedly, it wouldn’t be the first Samsung phone to have a “plus” on it, but should the rumor prove to be true, those who are waiting for the S3 may be miffed.

Why? Because Samsung was boasting about the Exynos 4412, a dual-core ARM9 chipset that’s supposed to be faster than the S2 – and the S2 is pretty fast already. There’s also the mentions of the quad-core 1.5GHz Exynos 4412 for phones, and the new Exynos 5250, which boasts up to 2GHz of processing power, and any of these three may be chosen to power the Galaxy S3. As the S2’s resolution wasn’t something to write home about, the S3 is expected to have a 4.6-inch 1280 x 720px screen of flexible OLED material, aka FOLED.

If you’re wondering why Samsung is going through all those motions just to make a new Galaxy S phone, that’s because topping what has been accomplished with the original S2 would be difficult, so the company is pulling out all the stops. Definitely, it will make more sense to create an entirely new phone rather than upgrade an old one and give it an updated name.

The phone/tablet hybrid will be available at Best Buy in Canada with contract terms to Rogers, Bell and Telus. Rogers was the one who first confirmed that the device will complement its LTE line-up; including HTC Jetstream and LTE Rocket mobile hotspot. As a hybrid device, would-be owners will be treated to a larger 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED touchscreen panel, Gorilla Glass display, 4G LTE and HSPA+ connectivity, Android Gingerbread (no news yet for ICS update), dual-core 1.5GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, 8MP rear camera that can record 1080p videos, 2MP front-facing camera and a Stylus pen accessory called “S Pen” to easily take notes while on the go.

Of course, the main highlight of this device is its 4G LTE features allowing users to stream music and videos in seconds. And with Rogers and other carriers in Canada already established 4G-capable networks, you don’t have to worry about sudden loss of signal.

As always the most important part is to know how much it will cost you on Valentine’s Day, right? The Samsung Galaxy Note sets you back $250 and comes with a 3 year contract with either Telus or Bell; Rogers has yet to list its price point but it’s probably be similar with the 2 carriers. Meanwhile, customers who opt to get the phone off-contract may need to shell out at least $600.

The AT&T Galaxy Note will be featuring the following specs:

• sports a 5.3-inch (1280×800) HD Super AMOLED display
• powered by 1.5GHz dual-core CPU
• runs with a Android 2.3.6 (Gingerbread) OS
• 1GB of RAM
• 16GB of built-in storage
• micro SD card support (up to 32GB)
• equipped 8 megapixel 1080p AF camera with flash and two megapixel front-facing camera
• comes with an S Pen
• comes with a 2,500mAh battery unit

Aside from enjoying AT&T’s LTE speedy network, the device also includes UMTS/HSPA+ (21Mbps) and GSM/EDGE world radios as well. In addition to all these features, it has also been confirmed that the US version of this phone will come up with a number of accessories like flip cover cases, desktop dock and a lot more.

Well, based on these specs it seems that we have one great mini tablet here, but performance wise some have observed that it is as snappy as its predecessor in spite of the fact that a different processor was used. Additionally, the possibility of NFC is also very low. However, in spite of these things we can say that the Galaxy Note is still one of the best gadgets that will ever be released in the market and offers a solution for users out there who demands for a more creative tool for their computing needs.

As of present, pricing and release date has not been released yet, so watch out for more details. Would you be interested to try this new mini tablet?

Since the update is the “unofficial” version from the company some issues might be experienced by the end user and not all will have access. There are 2 Android beta ROMs released namely: I9100XXKP4 and I9100XXKP8. The former is based on Android 4.0.1 with build date on December 20, 2011 while the latter is based on Android 4.0.3 with build date last December 30th.

As mentioned, the ROM updates can be installed via Samsung Kies and still not avilable via OTA (Over-The-Air). FYI, the latest Kies software version is 2.1.0.11112_41, released last December 1st, and is primarily used by today’s Samsung mobile devices for data backup, firmware updates (including platform), data transfer and multimedia management.

You can download the beta ROMs via Sammobile’s site. Once there, you need to select “Firmwares” > “Smartphones” > “Android” > “I9100″ > “Europe” and click download for either the KP4 or Kp8 ROM version (password is samfirmware.com). Noticeable changes can be seen on its User Interface, new icons and new on/off toggle to mix.

An online YouTube video was posted showing both ROM versions installed on Samsung GS2. Check them out.

More details to learn in this site.

As it was said on Sprintfeed, the company will indeed cater the albino phone by the first quarter of the New Year. Aside from its new color code, there’s no difference from the original Samsung Galaxy S II except that it boasts an elegant white finish that will definitely make heads turn with oohhh’s and aahhh’s all over with its 4.27 inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 8megapixel primary camera with 1080p video capture capability, TouchWiz 4.0, Gingerbread and 1GB of RAM.

After all the whispers and rumors, it’ll all boil down to preference as far as black GS II owners are concerned. Let’s face the fact that white is not for everyone and with no pun intended to say the least. May it be black or may it be white, the Samsung Galaxy S II is still one of the meanest Android phones in the market today. No need to cringe, black owners: you still have something to be proud of. As for everybody else, the white Epic 4G Touch is a must have for 2012. It’ll be available in Sprint stores and get this: the white beauty will not be exclusive to any of those wanting retailers.

The upcoming Galaxy Note is expected to be a color variant of the popular model with its 5.3-inch display in 1280 x 800 resolution and the dual-core 1.5Ghz MSM8660. SGH-I716 is distinguished from the international version GT-N7000 in two ways, the 4G LTE connectivity – allowing users to experience faster data transmission rates – and the Qualcomm chipsets found in T-Mobile’s GS2 and Skyrocket. Added features include a 700Mhz/ 1700Mhz radios and an operator tramp stamp. The 4G LTE functionality has gained common ground among U.S. carriers such as Verizon and AT&T involving high-end phones.

The Qualcomm chipset will be in lieu of the local Exynos chip which has raised eyebrows about the replacement. Others reasoned out the LTE non-compatibility of the chip which moved Samsung to take in Qualcomm. In contrast, Verizon’s version of Galaxy Nexus LTE uses a Texas Instruments-made processor. Samsung Galaxy Note 4G LTE will be unveiled at the CES in January 2012 and may feature the four-button layout, the Gingerbread functionalities, and a rebadged design.

Samsung, however, haven’t confirmed the foregoing facts which presuppose that everything is yet hearsay, and price detail is nil for now. Stay tuned.

(via)

Those who have their Galaxy Nexus fresh out of the box and are using it for the first time will be receiving a message for an update. As mentioned earlier, the update will make the Nexus run on Android 4.0.2. Apart from being on a higher Android OS, the build ICL53F also comes with it. This is responsible for optimizing mobile hotspot when used with VPN.

Optimization for both 3G and 4G can also be noticed. There are also a few notification fixes as well as improvements to the lock screen. Moreover, visual effects when using the camera have also been enhanced. WiFi connection has also been improved (connection to WiFi access points are automatic) and the issues with email attachment have been resolved.

There’s a bit of a downside though as there’s no more support for DivX. It was promised however that this will be fixed in the future upgrade. The update isn’t that heavy as the file comes at 10.7MB. Download and update time is both at one (1) to five (5) minutes max. Check your handset now!

Basically, one of the reasons why Samsung decided to come up with the Galaxy Player 4.0 is to give Android fans out there their own version of the Apple iPod touch. So basically the Galaxy Player 4.0 offers most of the capabilities offered by popular Samsung smartphones, but without the phone and monthly fees. In other words, it is a smartphone minus the phone. This is Samsung’s answer to the iPod Touch and a less expensive option for those people who would like to have an iPad.

Let us check its specs and features:

• equipped with a 4-inch multi-touch panel with a resolution of 800×480 pixels
• powered by a single-core 1GHz processor
• with onboard storage of 8GB
• equipped with a front-facing VGA camera and a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera at the back
• WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS
• USB 2.0 and supports MTP/UMS
• Samsung Kies, FM Radio
• comes with a 1200 mAh removable battery that offers 5 hours video playback and 36 hours audio playback

These specs and features are not really impressive at all and very ordinary. In fact, if we are going to summarize the good and bad points of this device, it can be summarized as follows:

Pros:

• Sleek and lightweight (weighs 4.27 oz.)
• multi-tasking
• storage is expandable
• customizable just like any Android device
• access to Android Market

Cons

• camera is not so good
• sound quality is not impressive
• cheap-feeling hardware

Well, overall we can say that the Samsung Galaxy Player 4.0 will find it hard to match the capabilities of the iPod Touch with its specs and features. So would you be willing to buy this kind of device at a price of $ 230?

According to Silly22, his friend had the experience of a burning Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket in his pocket. There was a burning sensation, a sound and smoke came out both from the pocket and the phone. The smartphone is quite new as his friend has had it for only two weeks. It hadn’t been used for a while though as Silly22’s friend said that the phone was idling in his pocket.

Such incident may also be correlated to what happened into an iPhone 4 just last week wherein said smartphone burned into flames. The iPhone incident was experienced by an Australian airline passenger. When the passenger’s plane had landed, there was also smoke emerging from his pants pocket. In addition, the smartphone’s back was also glowing due to internal heat.

The iPhone incident can be explained by a well-known problem associated with lithium-ion batteries wherein an overheat leads to catching a fire. The GS2 Skyrocket’s predicament may also be the same. Both incidents show that the phones were on fire during normal use and were exposed to high altitudes prior to overheat. We’re expecting a recall announcement from AT&T. Stay tuned.

(source)