Samsung is expected to officially reveal the Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet at IFA 2010. The firmware that will run on the European version has been released and is numbered P1000XXJH3.
Opening up the firmware has revealed a few details about the smartphone including the camera resolution, screen resolution, CPU and other details as listed below.
The details also show that when it launches, it will run Google Android 2.2 which is good news. However, the processor is revealed as being 1GHz rather than the 1.2GHz we have previously seen. [click to continue…]
Another document has leaked that shows the upcoming Motorola Droid 2 along with five details of what is included in the new smartphone rumoured to launch next week.
The first detail on the list confirms that Android 2.2 will be installed on the Droid 2 at launch. In that announcement we also see that up to 8 apps can multitask which is two above what the original Droid can handle.
The 1GHz processor and Android 2.2 combination is capable of loading webpages 40% faster than the original Droid and thanks to the latest OS, the Droid 2 can be used as a portable Wireless Hotspot. [click to continue…]
AT&T has now launched the Samsung Captivate. The Captivate is a Samsung Galaxy S Class smartphone that runs a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird CPU. One of the main features of the Captivate is the Super AMOLED 4 inch screen that is used. The contrast is just amazing when looking at the screen and is one of the best screens available on a smartphone.
On the back of the Captivate is a 5 megapixel camera that is capable of capturing HD video. The Swype keyboard is included as standard on the device allowing for fast text input on the virtual keyboard. [click to continue…]
by James on July 15, 2010
Samsung Galaxy S a Smart Move
True iPhone Competitor
Samsung have a great phone here, and an even greater opportunity to take a bigger chunk of the prosperous smartphone market, especially with current issues the iPhone 4 users are experiencing.
Straight out of the box the first thing we notice is the phone is lightweight and slim with more than decent build quality, I have read others compare it to the iPhone 3GS in feel and look but I'd have to disagree and say that's like comparing the design of a wood encased Atari to the all black plastic design of an Atari 2600, they're not as close in looks as they are in function, and while the original Atari was new, sleek, and modern at its release, the 2600 was clearly a better design and very up to date.
Turning on the Galaxy S is easy, there are really only two options, a small control button on the right side of the phone which would have been better placed on top beside the sliding USB port door, or what appeared and eventually turned out to be, the rocker type volume control on the left. Once the initial wallpaper appears there's a moment similar to the recent Staples commercials advertising low prices, 'Whoa! That's a crisp image!, while the iPhone 4 may cram in the most pixels per square inch of screen realty it does not match the vivid quality of the Samsung AMOLED equipped Galaxy S. [click to continue…]
SwiftKey is a new app for Android based smartphones that allows users to type faster on a virtual keyboard.
The application improves on the standard Google [GOOG] keyboard that you see on Android based smartphones. It comes with a predictive text feature that is described as being impressively accurate (we'll need to test to confirm that).
The application is available now to download direct from the Android Market. [click to continue…]
Swype is an alternate text entry system for mobile phones. The system works by you sliding your finger across a virtual keyboard to spell words. The company claim it is far quicker to do text entry with Swype than it is with a standard virtual keyboard.
We now hear that the company expect to see Swype on 50 smartphones by the end of 2010 with about 90% of those being powered by the Google [GOOG] operating system called Android.
Earlier reports today indicated that Swype was on it's way to the Apple [AAPL] iPhone although this isn't happening just yet and it isn't clear if Apple would approve such software as it replaces one of the main features of the device. [click to continue…]
Swype has announced that the Swype keyboard is available to download as a beta version from the companies site. The Swype beta download will be available for a few days only it seems and as it's beta, there are a few limits on what you can do with the keyboard.
We tested the Swype keyboard on a T-Mobile G1 a few months back when the keyboard was previously available as a beta and from what we saw, it worked very well and was actually quite impressive how accurate it was. [click to continue…]
On Tuesday we heard rumours that the Samsung Galaxy S was launching simultaneously around the globe. This rumour has now been squashed in that the US wont get it till later this year and neither will the rest of the world. However, for those in Europe it is expected that the Samsung Galaxy S will happen any day now.
The press release mentions that 100 operators across the globe have selected the smartphone due to it being a key device.
"The Android-powered Samsung Galaxy S will set a new standard for smartphones, and the excitement we've seen from operators and retailers for this device is testament to that," said JK Shin, president and head of mobile communications business. "The Samsung Galaxy S is the perfect device for people in all corners of the world who want that extra edge; to be more effective, productive, better connected, and in tune with their smart life both personal and professional all in a very easy and simple way. We're extremely confident that this device is going to be very successful in every market."
[click to continue…]
T-Mobile in the US is launching the myTouch 3G Slide on June 2, a few days before the HTC EVO 4G. The myTouch 3G Slide is an Android OS based smartphone that when launched, will cost $180 after a $50 rebate.
Hardware wise, the phone has a 3.4 inch screen along with a slide out QWERTY keyboard. For times when you prefer to use a virtual keyboard, the myTouch 3G Slide has the Swype keyboard preloaded.
On the back of the 3G Slide is a 5 megapixel camera and with the 3G Slide being Android based, full access to the Android Market is possible. [click to continue…]
Three new Dell Android phones have been unveiled called the Dell Flash, Dell Smoke and Dell Thunder.
Dell Flash Android Smartphone
The first phone to be unveiled is the Dell Flash (pictured above) that measures just 11mm thick. This phone has a 3.5 inch WVGA screen, connects up to HSPA networks on 850 / 1900 and 2100MHz networks with 14.4Mbps being the download speed limit. On the back is a 5 megapixel camera that has autofocus and image stabilisation along with features such as smile and blick detection. Inside is 512MB of RAM and ROM and the phone accepts microSD cards up to 64GB in capacity. That obviously indicates the phone is not due out for a while yet, perhaps late this year with memory cards that size.
For connectivity it has WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and the CPU is clocked at 800MHz provided by Qualcomm (the MSM7230 to be precise). This particular CPU is part of Qualcomm's next generation of CPU's that aims to bring the performance of the Snapdragon 1GHz CPUs to the phone along with HD video capabilities.
When launched it is expected to run Android 2.2. More details at Engadget. [click to continue…]
Nuance have launched an application called T9 Trace. The application works in a similar way to Swype where you trace your finger around letters on a keyboard to spell out a word. By using XT9 the system can predict the letters you meant to glide over if you slightly miss them to create words more quickly. The software is potentially compatible with all mobile phone platforms according to Nuance who will be launching it soon on a number of devices.
Due to using the XT9 predictive text system it potentially is going to be a fantastic application that will speed up text entry on a virtual keyboard although some real world tests will need to be done first to see if that holds up to be true.
The system also lets you switch between T9 Trace mode and tap mode should you want to enter a word in the more traditional touch screen way. [click to continue…]
The Samsung Galaxy i9000 has been announced. The new smartphone when launched will run the Android 2.1 operating system, feature Samsung's own Super AMOLED screen in a WVGA resolution of 800 x 480 pixels that measures 4 inches. The Samsung Galaxy will also run a 1GHz processor to keep things running smoothly.
The new Galaxy is what Samsung are aiming to be their flagship smartphone to tackle the likes of the Google [GOOG] Nexus One and the Motorola DROID in terms of features and an almost matching operating system (still waiting for that DROID 2.1 update).
Feature include assisted GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0 as well as wireless connectivity that sees the phone connecting to wireless 802.11b/g and n networks. Storage capacity can be increased by utilising the built in microSD card slot. Standard storage is optional at 8GB or 16GB with the microSD card slot allowing a further 32GB of data to be stored which provides quite a bit of space for music, photos and video to be stored. [click to continue…]