Vibrant
Latest
Visa clears DeviceFidelity's In2Pay mobile payment microSD card for use in smartphones
No iPhone? No problem. If you'll recall, we heard back in May that Visa was in cahoots with DeviceFidelity, with the two trumpeting a not-exactly-svelte In2Pay case that would add contactless payment support to Apple's darling. Today, the rest of the world is finally being taken into consideration. The aforementioned firms have just cleared a new In2Pay microSD solution for use in the real world, with the BlackBerry Bold 9650 and the Samsung Vibrant in particular named as compatible. In theory, it seems that nearly any smartphone with a microSD slot could be ushered into the arena, and Visa itself expects to add additional phone models for use with this technology, "including phones based on the Symbian and Windows operating systems." This unveiling is happening after a solid 18 months of testing around the globe, but there's no definitive word on which banks will be offering this to customers. Between this and the sudden interest in NFC, America seems more poised than ever before to slip ever further into an endless pool of debt, and with way less friction than before! We kid, we kid... kind of.
Canada's Galaxy S Froyo updates start rolling out this month
Samsung's probably wishing it could just forget its claim that it'd have Froyo rolled out to all carriers last month, but at least it's providing a little bit of updated guidance to its Canadian users. Turns out Bell's Vibrant and Rogers' Captivate are on track for the middle of this month, while owners of Telus' Fascinate will need to wait a little longer: "early 2011," to be exact, which really isn't exact at all since it could easily mean anywhere between January and, say, April or so. Of course, Gingerbread will be all over the place by then -- and we might even be seeing our first glimpses of Honeycomb -- so be prepared for your version envy to continue unabated. [Thanks, Seb]
Samsung ships 3M Galaxy S devices in the US, becomes top Android supplier in the country
You know what happens when you manage to launch essentially the same high-end smartphone on every national carrier in the US plus the top regional? Well, this happens: Samsung has just proudly announced that it's pushed some three million Galaxy S models in the US -- sold as the Fascinate, Captivate, Epic 4G, Vibrant, and Mesmerize on Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and US Cellular, respectively -- which gave it 32.1 percent of the US Android market in the third quarter according to Gartner, enough to vault it to the number one position. When your competitors are HTC and Motorola -- both of whom have knocked some Android phones out of the park this year -- that's pretty impressive. Follow the break for the full press release.
MeeGo-based Intel Atom phone and tablet spotted from Russia with love
First the 2018 World Cup and now this. An Intel press event in Moscow was reportedly the site of some new MeeGo device reveals. Mail.ru's Anton Spiridonov was on hand and managed to spot Intel Atom-based phone the Hi/Lo Vibrant (we haven't heard of the company, either) and a tablet of some sort, both equipped with the Linux-based OS. Not much else is known save for what appears to be a 5 megapixel camera labeled as such on the back. More pics below. [Thanks, Chris] %Gallery-108694%
Samsung releases 'GPS Restore' app for Captivate and other Galaxy S models
Seems Samsung still hasn't solved the GPS woes on many of its Galaxy S models to the satisfaction of every user -- complaints of inordinately long (or impossible) lock times continue to trickle into our inbox to this very day. To that end, folks might be interested in the news that Samsung Mobile is tweeting about a "GPS Restore Application" that it's thrown together for wiping the GPS subsystem and making it factory-fresh. Now, we'll be the first to admit -- we don't quite understand how "restoring" a screwed-up GPS to its original screwed-up state is doing any good, but we'll leave it to Sammy's confusing verbiage: "During online surveillance, there is an abundance of GPS tweaks that impair GPS performance. Often times, no backup is performed to restore values prior to modifications. Samsung has released an application that restores GPS settings to recommended factory defaults for optinum [sic] performance." Right, then. It's only compatible with the Captivate and Vibrant at the moment -- no word on others like the Epic 4G, Mesmerize, or Fascinate, but folks on AT&T and T-Mobile should be able to nab it from the Market.
Samsung rolls out JI6 update to fix Vibrant GPS issues
It's a tad later than initially promised, but it looks like Vibrant users frustrated by those serious GPS issues will soon have a fix -- Samsung has just announced that it's begun rolling out the JI6 over-the-air update to remedy the problem and finally bring it in line with the Captivate. No word on what else the update might include and, as with all OTA updates, there's also no guarantee as to exactly when you'll get it, with Samsung only saying that it will be distributed randomly over the next "several weeks." [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Samsung Galaxy S sporting Gorilla Glass to protect that precious AMOLED
Remember this horribly painful video? The Gorilla Glass protection on the Dell Streak is undoubtedly a selling point, and now Corning, the maker of said glass, has announced that the Samsung Galaxy S (which includes the Vibrant, Captivate, Fascinate, and Epic 4G in its brood) employs the same alkali-aluminosilicate glass shield. The glass is similar to the "helicopter windshield" stuff Apple uses on the iPhone 4, which was rumored to be Gorilla Glass at one point, and while neither tech is impervious to shattering, they certainly can take a beating -- but just try and do that pen stab torture test while we're not looking, alright? We don't have the stomach to witness another beautiful Android handset so roughly handled. PR is after the break.
Confirmed: Galaxy S unlock codes are stored in your phone, Vibrant capable of AT&T 3G
Sure, the Samsung Vibrant's a T-Mobile device and the Samsung Captivate belongs to AT&T, but there's no longer any reason you can't swap them around -- all you need is a simple script and a USB cable to completely unlock your phone. A cracker-jack team at XDA-Developers discovered that Galaxy S unlock codes aren't kept in a secure remote server, but merely stored in a .BAK file on the device itself, which you find with a hex editor and key right in when inserting a new SIM card of your choice. We tested it out on both Vibrant and Captivate and were up and running in less than five minutes each time, and wonder of wonders, the Vibrant gave us a 3G data connection (with 2Mbps down) using an AT&T SIM. Sadly, we can't say the inverse for the Captivate, which pulled down standard EDGE speeds on T-Mobile, but this is already far more than the hacking community could have hoped for. The best part? None of this requires you to actually root the phone, and if you're worried about warranty you can re-lock the handset with the very same code. [Thanks, Brad] Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
T-Mobile tells reps the Vibrant GPS update is 'coming soon'
No word on what AT&T is communicating to its peeps regarding the similarly-afflicted Captivate, but it looks like T-Mobile fired off a communique to its sales reps in the past few hours letting them know that the Vibrant's update to solve its GPS woes is expected in September, echoing earlier an statement from Samsung. Interestingly, the reps are being told not to refer to the September guidance, but to instead rattle off a variant of Samsung's statement that says "the next few weeks" instead, presumably to give these guys some wiggle room in case it hits in August or -- perish the thought -- later than September. Keep your fingers crossed, folks. [Thanks, anonymous tipster]
T-Mobile offering Vibrant for $99, if you're quick about it (update: one cent at Amazon)
If the Vibrant's $200 price tag on contract was the only thing keeping you planted on the fence, you might want to head over to T-Mobile's interwebs right this second seeing how they're offering a one-day special -- $99, online only -- which makes it $100 cheaper than AT&T's Captivate and $150 less than Sprint's Epic 4G. Any way you slice it, that's a killer carrier-direct price for a high-end Android phone with a 1GHz core and one of the best phone displays we've ever seen... and remember, it includes Avatar, which means you're getting this for the price of a few Avatar Blu-rays. Yeah, that's the way to look at it. Update: Don't want to drop even a single Benjamin on T-Mobile's foremost Android? How's a penny sound? We're seeing the Vibrant for $0.01 (and two years of your life) right now at Amazon. [Thanks, Aaron and Kevin L.]
Samsung Galaxy S GPS-gate: two problems, not one (and what to do about it)
You may have noticed the update on our Epic 4G review from yesterday where we lauded the fact that Samsung seemed to have fixed the GPS problem plaguing every other Galaxy S flavor released thus far, but it turns out there are actually two distinct issues. One has a fix -- sort of -- while the other is hopefully what we're going to get next month. Here are the two failure modes, based on what we know so far: "Use wireless networks" is now turned off by default, but even with it on, the phone may be slow or unable to determine even a rough location. Originally, we'd believed this was the only problem. Samsung tells us that it's a new Google mandate that Android devices be shipped with the "use wireless networks" option disabled, which means you're relying on traditional GPS alone to determine your location -- a lost cause indoors, in urban canyons, or under dense tree cover. Indeed, we discovered it was turned off on our Captivate, Vibrant, and Epic 4G after fresh hard resets, and there's no indication to the user that it's probably in their best interest to enable it; we're accustomed to being presented with the option during account setup on other Android devices, but it doesn't happen here. After enabling it from settings, we found that both the Captivate and Epic 4G were able to get our location with 1,000 to 1,500-meter accuracy practically immediately in Google Maps, though the Vibrant still never came through; it had the weakest signal of the three, which may have accounted for that (though it never dropped the signal altogether). The regular GPS circuitry and software aren't doing their job. Cell tower triangulation and WiFi location database services like Skyhook only take you so far -- at the end of the day, you still need to tune in to the birds a few thousand miles up to figure out precisely where you are. All Galaxy S models seem to be having trouble turning GPS reception into coordinates, even when the phone is able to see four or more satellites in view (four is the minimum you normally need for a precise, three-dimensional lock). In some cases, resetting the phone apparently helps, but it ceases to work again after a day or two of use. To our knowledge, none of the homebrew fixes out there have been able to solve this part of the problem perfectly and permanently. The Captivate and Vibrant are both affected by this one; we're not sure on the Epic, but we're working to nail it down. What this means for you: for now, simply make sure you have "Use wireless networks" checked in your Galaxy S's settings under the "Location & security" menu. It won't get you the most reliable, precise location you should be entitled to, but it's a start -- and next month's round of firmware updates should hopefully take us the rest of the way. [Thanks, Carl]
Samsung commits to September updates for Galaxy S GPS woes
AGPS capability on various versions of the Galaxy S -- including the Captivate and Vibrant released here in the US -- has been deeply hosed since launch, the apparent result of a bunk positioning server being used to associate towers to geographical locations. In practical terms, that's made apps like Google Maps nearly useless indoors and in urban canyons where line of sight to the birds up in orbit is dicey or impossible, and for European users where the phone's been out even longer, the wait's been an especially excruciating one. Fortunately, Samsung's finally come out with some concrete details on Twitter today, saying that updates are expected next month with "details and download to follow." No word for Euros specifically, but we imagine (er, make that "hope") they'll all be fixed around the same time.
Where's the GPS fix for the Samsung Vibrant and Captivate?
Though we admittedly missed it in our initial review -- this is the kind of thing you just expect to work -- we circled back and amended our look at Samsung's Captivate and Vibrant when we discovered that AGPS is completely busted. Not "sort of working," not "flawed," just utterly broken and non-functional; we waited minutes upon minutes without a location lock in our follow-up testing. AGPS is the kind of thing you don't miss until you don't have it, at which point you realize how woefully inadequate straight-up GPS alone is for mobile use when you're frequently (for some of us, nearly always) trying to locate yourself indoors, under a tree, or in the heart of an urban canyon. This isn't a low- or medium-priority fix -- this is something that Samsung, T-Mobile, and AT&T should've been working to get out immediately. Actually, let's step back a bit: this is a problem for which there's no reasonable explanation why it made it all the way to retail devices, and it raises concerns over just how well these products were tested (you might remember from our review just how many egregious examples of weird English we found, for instance). Put simply, all three of these companies should have these phones pulled from shelves until the problem's fixed, should be communicating tirelessly with customers and the press to make sure that everyone knows the status of the issue, and should have a fix available right this second. Android's ecosystem has proven just how important frequent, reliable firmware updates are, and Sammy's already working from a damaged reputation thanks to the Behold II debacle. Let's make this right, guys. [Thanks, Steve] Update: We've just received an official statement from Samsung on the matter: "Samsung Mobile is aware that under certain conditions, the GPS on our U.S. Galaxy S devices may not be meeting performance expectations. We are diligently evaluating the situation and will provide an update as soon as possible." Update 2: Several readers have pointed out that there are workarounds for the problem available -- we've got one linked in the More Coverage section below which points to an Android Central article. It's a good start, but not one that's practical for the average phone buyer, bearing in mind that most folks aren't power users (and, sadly, don't read Engadget Mobile). That still leaves the impetus on Samsung to get an official firmware update pushed out on the double.
Bell's Galaxy S gets front-facing camera, rumored August 6 launch date
It's a crying shame that the American flavors of Samsung's otherwise stunning Galaxy S lack a front facing camera, but even those camped out in the Great White North should know that the European versions (i9000) do have such a feature. Lucky for them, Bell's Galaxy S Vibrant will also have a camera mounted on the front, enabling video chats with a lot less hassle. Oh, and if you're wondering exactly when you'll be able to grab hold of one and brag to your friends down south, a contest from Bell is providing reason to believe that August 6th is the day to watch. Furthermore, the fine print makes mention of a CAD$599 retail value, so we're guessing that you may be able to pick up an off-contract Vibrant for that very price. Fingers crossed, right? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Samsung Galaxy S review shootout: Captivate for AT&T and Vibrant for T-Mobile
We've got to hand it to Samsung with its Galaxy S line. Coordinating the launch of a single family of devices across all four national US carriers (plus a regional or two) is a feat very rarely accomplished, and usually reserved for really unique handsets that those carriers wouldn't be able to effectively source from anyone else; HTC's Touch Pro2 is a prime example of that. Add to that the murky issue of exclusivity periods... and, well, yeah, Samsung definitely has reason to be proud here -- on the business end of things, anyway. Never mind the awesome contractual maneuvering that undoubtedly took place to make this all happen, though -- we all know that it's the hardware (and software) that really counts. Today we're looking at the first two models of the American run, the Captivate for AT&T and the Vibrant for T-Mobile; Verizon's Fascinate and Sprint's QWERTY- and WiMAX-equipped Epic 4G are still forthcoming, though we expect the Fascinate to be largely similar to these first two. Beyond their simple appeal as sexy, high-end Android phones, what makes the Captivate and Vibrant especially interesting is that they are actually their respective carriers' only high-end Android phones at the moment. In other words: if 1GHz processors and high-res AMOLED displays are how you roll, these are basically the only game in town if you're on AT&T or T-Mobile -- particularly now that Nexus One sales are winding down. Do they rise to the challenge? Let's have a look.%Gallery-98007%
Samsung Vibrant launching today, awaits new owners in T-Mobile's online store
A tiny bit of uncertainty has been cleared away thanks to good old Twitter, where T-Mobile has made July 15 (aka, today!) the official launch date for its Galaxy S derivative, the Vibrant. The original Tweet seems to have disappeared into the ether apart from that screenshot above, but T-Mo has reiterated the statement in subsequent missives, telling its followers that the Vibrant will be on sale today. We imagine the typical $199.99 price point will remain unaltered, so all you'll really need to do now is decide whether this is the Super AMOLED handset for you, or whether you can wait the extra few days until Sprint et al intro their offerings. Decisions, decisions. [Thanks, Alex] Update: And it's now available to buy directly from T-Mobile's online store [Thanks, Volaris].
Root already working on Samsung Captivate, other US Galaxy S models
Normally, you've got to wait... you know, at least a few hours after a new Android phone's released for a root technique to pop up -- but thanks to the Captivate's lineage, hackers have already been able to get the ball rolling. Indeed, it turns out that the root method already employed on the European version of the Galaxy S works just fine on the Captivate and Vibrant, and presumably, it'll work just the same on Fascinate and Epic 4G with a minimum of modification. Reports are already trickling in that Market apps requiring root are working like champs, so we're feeling good about this one. [Thanks, Andrew]
Samsung Vibrant launching on July 15 instead of 21?
We've just been tipped with a document claiming that the Samsung Vibrant -- T-Mobile USA's flavor of the Galaxy S -- is now slated for a July 15 launch (with devices actually shipping to stores on the 7th) versus the July 21 date that had been pegged at the official announcement. Interestingly, this lines up with a completely different document that's been slipped to TmoNews today, so we tend to believe it; question is, why the change? Is T-Mobile looking to get a Super AMOLED jump on the competition, seeing how all four US nationals are launching a version of the phone? On the outset, seems like it wouldn't be a dumb move, though we can't imagine many folks jumping ship and heading to T-Mobile to pick it up when they know they can wait a few days and get a virtually identical phone (or in the case of Sprint, an arguably even better phone) on their own provider.
Samsung T-Mobile Vibrant and Verizon Fascinate preview
You'd think we'd be totally sick of Samsung's Galaxy S phones after seeing AT&T's Captivate and Sprint's Epic 4G, but we're just not done lovin' the 4-inch Super AMOLED, Android devices. Verizon's Fascinate and T-Mobile's Vibrant happen to be the last two Sammy phones to jump into our hands-on, but coincidentally, they're also the most alike. Design-wise, both remind us of the iPhone 3G / 3GS -- they're all screen on the front, strikingly thin, and have black shiny backs. And just like the Captivate and Epic 4G, they've got four touch sensitive buttons along the bottom edge. The Super AMOLED screens continue to impress, and watching a clip of Avatar on both versions was pretty breathtaking. (No, we didn't have an iPhone 4 on hand for comparisons, but make sure to check out the post where we put them head-to-head). We didn't get to put the 1GHz Hummingbird CPU to the test in our short hands-on time, though both Android 2.1-running phones seemed to perform briskly when opening videos and pulling up the browser. Beyond Samsung's TouchWiz skin, both are preloaded with Swype and other carrier apps -- Verizon's version had Skype Mobile as well as a number of VCAST applications. Oh, and unlike most of the other Galaxy S phones, the Fascinate had a flash on its backside. We don't have much more on these bad boys for now -- we're still waiting on pricing and availability -- but the pictures and videos after the break should hold you over. %Gallery-96589% %Gallery-96590% Note: Pay no attention to the background -- there isn't any intended symbolism to draw here, it was just the best lighting arrangement we could muster.
Samsung's American Galaxy S phones pose for family portrait
Samsung's US team held a swanky event in NYC this evening to launch all four of its new US-spec Galaxy S phones in style. If you haven't been brought up to speed on Samsung's stateside Android invasion, the Captivate is headed to AT&T, the Fascinate to Verizon, the Epic 4G to Sprint and the Vibrant to T-Mobile. Each of the phones have 4-inch Super AMOLED screens, 1GHz Hummingbird Cortex A8 CPUs, and cams that can capture 720p video. We've already got detailed hands on impressions of the Captivate and Epic 4G, but stay tuned for Fascinate and Vibrant previews tonight. In the meantime, check out the family all together in the pictures in the gallery below. %Gallery-96583%
