Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, we learned of another possible prepaid destination for the iPhone (hint: it's a subsidiary of Sprint), and Samsung announced a combined sales total of 50 million Galaxy S and Galaxy S II smartphones. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of May 28th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of May 28th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of May 28th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Jun 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you've been waiting... and waiting... and waiting some more for Ice Cream Sandwich to show up on the US variants of the Galaxy S II, it looks like the upgrade is ready to begin trickling in. T-Mobile is the first to announce an official date for its flavor of last year's flagship device, with its version of the GSII rolling out on June 11th. Unfortunately, it's not an OTA refresh as we'd prefer -- you'll have to surrender yourself to the will of Kies, but at least it's going to be available. AT&T and Sprint, the move is now yours to make.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II getting ICS June 11th originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of May 21st, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of May 21st, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 May 2012 20:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Some call it diversity, some call it fragmentation. However you slice it, there's a lot of Android devices out there. OpenSignalMaps has tracked a staggering 3,997 unique phones, tablets and other Google-powered gadgets, and has put them into a chart weighted by popularity. Not surprisingly, it's powerhouses like Samsung's Galaxy S II and HTC's Desire line that dictate the platform, while that Concorde Tab you bought in Hungary sadly doesn't have much traction. The normally signal mapping-oriented crew is careful to warn that the actual variety might be less: there's 1,363 one-timers in the group, and some of those may be custom ROMs and the endless carrier-specific variants that OEMs are sometimes eager to make. There's even more to look at through the source, including Android 2.3's continuing dominance and the mind-boggling number of Android screen resolutions, so click ahead for an even fuller picture.

Visualized: Android's device diversity cut up into 3,997 little pieces originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The slow rollout of Android 4.0 to Samsung's recent Galaxy devices continues, and the latest variation to receive Ice Cream Sandwich is the Galaxy S II LTE. We should all be familiar with the ICS feature set by now, as well as Samsung's TouchWiz alterations. The news was spotted on Samsung's Korean site, but we wouldn't be surprised to see the new software popping up on devices elsewhere shortly (AT&T's Skyrocket already saw a leaked update in March). According to a tweet from the company, it's still working on an update for the LTE's 720p-screened HD cousin (although we hear Tizen already works great), but you can hit the source link for more information.

Samsung Galaxy S II LTE Ice Cream Sandwich update finally arrives, GSII HD LTE keeps waiting originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 05:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of April 30th, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of April 30th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 May 2012 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

So, it's time to take down the decorations, remove that party hat and sweep up the confetti (you can clear the unfinished drinks in the morning). As Earl's Court in London echoes with the hollow sound of empty plastic champagne flutes and half-eaten canapes, the rest of the tech world gives a sigh of relief. The Samsung Galaxy S III is here. Was it what you expected? If you haven't yet decided, don't worry, we've got you covered. After all the months of anticipation, cryptic clues and teasing it's understandable that you might be feel a little bit spent. That's why we're going to carry you over the finish line, by providing you with a fireman's lift of all things GS3. We've collected together all the links to tonight's main stories, along with a little reminder of the route we took to get here. So forget about the post-party hangover for now, and do the walk of shame past the break for the round-up.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S III wrap-up

Samsung Galaxy S III wrap-up originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you don't know where you came from, you won't know where you're going. That's why we're stacking up Samsung's Galaxy S III against the S II and the Galaxy S to see how the range has come on in the three years it's existed. If you fancy a trip down memory lane to the heady days of 2010, then join us after the break.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S III vs Galaxy S II and Galaxy S: meet the family

Samsung Galaxy S III vs Galaxy S II and Galaxy S: meet the family originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

By now you should already know that the brand-spanking-new Samsung Galaxy S III sports a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display. That's right: no "plus" here, which means this 720p panel is featuring the same old PenTile RBGB pixel arrangement -- just like the 4.65-inch version on the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S II HD LTE. Needless to say, this is again pure ammunition for the folks over at LG; but as we've mentioned before, HD Super AMOLED's superb contrast and higher-than-before pixel density outweigh its shortcomings in most cases.

For now though, let's examine these sub-pixels with a 230x zoom USB microscope and compare them with other phones that we have in hand. Starting off with the HTC One X's 720p SLCD 2 above, you can see how its denser sub-pixels produce a finer picture, but ultimately it's still behind HD Super AMOLED when it comes to contrast, especially with black. Read on for more comparisons.

Gallery: Under the microscope: Samsung Galaxy S III's HD Super AMOLED display

Continue reading Under the microscope: Samsung Galaxy S III's HD Super AMOLED display

Under the microscope: Samsung Galaxy S III's HD Super AMOLED display originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We're here live at Samsung's unveiling of the Galaxy S III and while it was going on, we furiously built this chart to see how the biggest phone of the year stacks up against its two progenitors. Here's some trivia: that 4.8-inch display is 22 percent bigger than the Galaxy S II's, but its overall dimensions only grew by 16 percent. If you're interested in those sort of details, then after the break is where you need to be.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy S III vs. Galaxy Nexus

Continue reading Galaxy S III vs. Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy S II: what's changed?

Galaxy S III vs. Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy S II: what's changed? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ready to cut through that packing tape and see which smartphone Samsung has in store for 2012? The next Galaxy will make its debut on this very page, so click on through to our liveblog for the play-by-play at Earls Court in London. The fun gets started at 2PM ET on Thursday, May 3rd, listed in your local time zone just below.

Samsung Mobile Unpacked liveblog! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Is that Galaxy S II feeling a bit stale? It's just about time for Samsung to name a successor to the massively popular smartphone, live at the company's Mobile Unpacked event at the Earls Court Olympic venue. We'll surely see a brand new mainstream handset make its debut, but what's not quite as clear is what other gadgets Samsung plans to show off in London. With defined divisions, the Korean device maker's "Mobile Unpacked" event title implies that Android phones will steal the show, so it's unlikely that we'll see an updated Tab or two. We have 24 hours and change to find out for sure, however, so bookmark this page to stay abreast of the news as it happens in our liveblog. The show kicks off at 2PM ET tomorrow (7PM local time in London) -- you'll find your local time translation just below.

Continue reading Samsung unpacks the Galaxy tomorrow, we'll be liveblogging the London event right here!

Samsung unpacks the Galaxy tomorrow, we'll be liveblogging the London event right here! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of April 23rd, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of April 23rd, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Looks like our friends over at TMoNews have unearthed a roadmap with some tasty morsels of info about what's coming down the pipe from T-Mobile USA in the next few months. Of course, none of this is set in stone or even confirmed, so take it with a grain of salt.

Most interesting is a pair of dates for Ice Cream sandwich updates, with Magenta's Galaxy S II slated to receive Android 4.0 on May 14th, followed by the Sensation 4G and Amaze 4G getting ICS (with Sense 3.6, presumably) on June 16th.

A bunch of device launches from Samsung and Huawei round up the list of dates, with no sign of HTC's One X, Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S III, or T-Mobile's rumored Galaxy Note variant. Sadness. Check out the entire bounty below.

• May 9th: Huawei Astor (low-end phone for 7-Eleven)
• July 11th: Huawei Buddy and Phoenix (myTouch QWERTY and slate, respectively)
• July 11th: Samsung Gravity TXT (new color)
• Aug 1st: Samsung T159 Cacao (low-end handset)
• Aug 15th: Samsung Apex Q (mystery device)

Leaked T-Mobile roadmap outlines Ice Cream Sandwich updates, new myTouch devices originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Samsung has published a list detailing which carrier variants of its phones and tablets will be blessed with Android Ice Cream Sandwich. While Sprint's Nexus S 4G is already enjoying the latest Android OS, the update will also arrive on the Now Network's Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch. From Verizon, both the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 7.7 will get the upgrade, accompanied by the WiFi variants of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and the Galaxy Tab 8.9.

On AT&T, ICS is confirmed for its Galaxy S II, the Galaxy S II Skyrocket, Galaxy Note, Captivate Glide, Nexus S and Galaxy Tab 8.9. T-Mobile customers, however, lack a similarly breathless list of upgradable hardware, instead Samsung says it will aim to upgrade "eligible devices" in the coming months and will "provide updates as we have additional details to share." Which all sounds like those updates aren't coming to Big Magenta any time soon. Samsung vows to update the list with more details as they arrive, which is available at the source below.

Samsung details Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades for American carriers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The countdown is over and Samsung's not offering much to whet our appetite. A medley of opaque angles of galactic travel are meant to represent next week's big news story, alongside some brief claims of technology that fits easily in your hand. It finishes all too soon on those glossy enamel puddles shown above. The second trailer reveals more of the same, with Samsung promising the device will become "a natural side of life", throwing in a quick jibe at those rival smartphone-carrying "sheep". While we reckon we broadly know what to expect when it comes to internal hardware, we're still itching see how Samsung's looking to reinvigorate its phone design following HTC's stylish smartphone salvo. Well, at least it's just over a week left to wait.

Gallery: Samsung's Next Galaxy Trailer: frame-by-frame

Continue reading Samsung's new Galaxy Phone gets official teaser (video)

Samsung's new Galaxy Phone gets official teaser (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of April 16th, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of April 16th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sammy's latest marketing ploy kicked off with a string of nonsense that could just as easily have come from the Sunday morning jumble: "Destination: tgeltaayehxnx," declared the Samsung Mobile Twitter account. Anagram wizards will read that as, "the next Galaxy," and wouldn't you know it, it's also the URL for an auspicious countdown clock. Sammy promises to let visitors take "the next step" in about 17 hours and counting. Bonafide internet sleuths can find an extra carrot strung up in the site's source, reading, "discover how Samsung is about to challenge the way you view the Galaxy once more." Is Samsung about to break its own May 3rd unveiling? We'll let you know in 16 hours and change.

Update: It seems like that ticker just might be counting down to some sort of anagram guessing game, according to an Engadget tipster who partook in some directory diving. Among a series of assets of different colored lettered tiles he found images with instructions warnings, reading "Click on the letters in the correct order to reveal your real destination," and "Following technology blindly often gets you nowhere." Ominous.

Update 2: And there it is. Samsung's revealed two (well, one and a half) teaser videos -- but they don't reveal much.

[Thanks, Naor]

Samsung countdown teases next Galaxy phone with anagram originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 14:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

See that? That's the sign that awoke yours truly this morning. And that just happens to be confirmation that the long-awaited Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) update is finally coming to unlocked (read: global, non-carrier branded) Galaxy S II smartphones situated in the United States. If you'll recall, said update started flowing to units in South Korea (among other locales) eons ago, but owners located in the US of A haven't been treated equally... until today. Head on into Settings and check for an update -- seeing anything intriguing?

Continue reading Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) now hitting unlocked Galaxy S II in America

Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) now hitting unlocked Galaxy S II in America originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Samsung will unveil the next Galaxy phone May 3rd in London originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of April 9th, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of April 9th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Apr 2012 20:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of April 2nd, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of April 2nd, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 19:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Samsung stalls UK Ice Cream Sandwich roll out for unlocked Galaxy S II originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: spring 2012 edition

Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: spring 2012 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of March 26th, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of March 26th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Samsung launches store inside Oxford Street Phones 4u

Apple has Apple Stores, Samsung has... this! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 07:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sometimes, you have to go all-in. Why not sue all the leading smartphone makers at once? That's what Graphics Properties Holdings is doing, channeling the ghost (and intellectual back-catalogue) of Silicon Graphics. Filing six cases against Apple, Samsung, RIM, HTC, Sony and LG, the lawsuits reference floating point calculations for rendering graphics, something that the company received patent approval for only yesterday. GPH claims that several phones, including the iPhone, Galaxy S II and BlackBerry Torch, infringe on its intellectual property. Layman legal types can sniff around the patent in question at the source below.

Apple, Samsung, HTC and Sony sued over graphics rendering patents originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ICS upgrade leaks for AT&T's Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of March 19th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of March 19th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Samsung heralds European arrival of Ice Cream Sandwich for Galaxy S II (updated)

Samsung heralds European arrival of Ice Cream Sandwich for Galaxy S II (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 21:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of March 5th, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of March 5th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Samsung Galaxy S II (GT-I9100) to get ICS on March 10th (update: recalled) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"We promised that we are working about that. You have waited patiently. And it's coming in March 15th: Android version 4, ICS, for tens of thousands of the Galaxy S2 owners that purchased it from the cellular company in Israel or directly from us. We are very excited in here towards the launch, hope that you too :)"

Samsung Galaxy S II getting ICS upgrade March 15th, says Israeli Facebook page originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 07:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Galaxy S II does work and personal phone duties at once with Telefonica's Dual Persona service

Galaxy S II does work and personal phone duties at once with Telefonica's Dual Persona service originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Mar 2012 04:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of February 20th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of February 20th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Samsung's Galaxy S II celebrates 20 million sold, just in time for MWC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S II announced for US Cellular: 'coming soon' for $230

Samsung Galaxy S II announced for US Cellular: 'coming soon' for $230 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Samsung's GT-i9300 is probably not the Galaxy S III, as revealed by its low-res screen originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple v. Samsung: Cupertino's latest complaint alleges 17 devices infringe 8 of its patents originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Some phones are just too big for Mobile World Congress. That's Samsung's thinking, given the triumphant launch of its Galaxy S II -- in all its guises. While specifications for Sammy's next flagship are spinning rumor windmills across the web, there's nothing particularly concrete on what we'll be seeing just yet. However, in an official statement received by Techradar, the manufacturer revealed that the phone will be treated to its very own launch -- something it's also plotting for its new Google TV sets. In its own words:

"Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012. The successor to the Galaxy S2 smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product."

At least it sounds like there will still plenty to test out later this month -- and probably a whole new raft of confusing naming conventions.

Samsung Galaxy S III to get separate launch event 'in the first half of 2012' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.