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Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000 caught on video looking like a giant cellphone
Ready to see Samsung's 7-inch Tab tablet do its thing on video? Sure you are. However, this isn't the same Galaxy Tab that we saw in the picture teased by Samsung. First of all, it has a different collection of Android-friendly "buttons" along the bottom and seems to be void of Samsung's TouchWiz UI skin. It's also carrying a P1000 model number. Well, at least the 7-inch Super AMOLED remains the same. See the quick action go by in a blur after the break. P.S. The dialer pictured above seems to confirm that the Tab can be used like a giant phone. No, really. We've heard this previously as rumor but didn't believe it until now. The second video perfectly illustrates the reason for our concern. [Thanks, Saad]
Samsung Galaxy Beam: world's first Android projector phone on sale in July
Ah, here we go, Samsung's other cellphone with an integrated projector just got an official launch date. The Galaxy Beam (codename: Halo) with its 3.7-inch Super AMOLED display is now slated to hit Singapore in July. That means that the European and broader launch across Asia should be just around the corner if Samsung's claims from Feburary hold true. At launch, the world's first Android phone with a built-in DLP pico projector will be served version 2.1 of Google's confectionary delight. Specwise, we're talking 7.2Mbps HSPA data on 900/1900/2100MHz and quad-band GSM/EDGE, Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11n WiFi, an 8 megapixel autofocus camera with flash (front-facing VGA) and HD video recording, A-GPS, FM Radio, and an 1,800mAH battery. Memory is confusingly listed as "4Gb + 2Gb + 1Gb + 16Gb MoviNAND" made worse by no mention of microSD though it was definitely there when we went hands-on with Beam at Mobile World Congress. Specs after the break.
Samsung Galaxy S gets torn down, looks equally beautiful on the inside (video)
You'll be hard pressed to find a sane individual who'd argue that Samsung's Galaxy S isn't a lust-worthy piece of kit on the outside, and after watching the video past the break, we doubt you'll get too many takers on proving things unsightly within. Equipped with a Super AMOLED display and a bit of that Hummingbird goodness within, there weren't too many bits and pieces to tear apart. What was found, however, leaves a new appreciation for steady hands. Go on, give it a look-see -- the real deal will be out and about before you know it.
Samsung: iPhone 4's retina display is nice, but it's no AMOLED
Samsung seems to have taken exception to a little sidenote made by Steve Jobs during his iPhone 4 announcement at WWDC10 this Monday. While waxing poetic on the virtues of IPS, Jobs let us know that he considers it an entirely superior display technology to OLED, and now the world's biggest display maker has a few words to say about it. According to a Samsung spokesperson, the high-res retina display on the iPhone 4 offers only a 3 to 5 percent advantage in sharpness over its own Galaxy S Super AMOLED screen, but sucks down a wasteful 30 percent more power. Moreover, Samsung believes its screens offer better viewing angles and contrast, and concludes by saying that "structurally, IPS LCD technology cannot catch up with AM-OLED display technology." And here we thought Samsung and Apple were getting along so well.
Sony's new 11.7-inch OLED panel boasts better colors, longer lifespan
Sony may have killed production of its groundbreaking XEL-1 OLED TV, but that doesn't mean it isn't necessarily working on a followup -- it's just unveiled a new and improved, and similarly sized OLED panel at SID 2010 last week. Apparently, the big advance with this display comes courtesy of the oxide semiconductor TFT (also known as IGZO) used for the OLED panel, which Sony was able to tweak enough to deliver a ten year lifespan -- with average use, we presume. What's more, while the panel still packs the same 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 960 x 540 resolution as the XEL-1, it does increase the brightness to 600 cd/m2 (up from 200 before), and Sony says it has a significantly improved color gamut as well. Of course, it is still just a prototype, and it's not 3D, so any eventual products using it might not be Sony's top priority at the moment.
Droid Incredible confirmed to be suffering from AMOLED shortage
Being completely unable to keep a popular device in stock is a great problem to have, we suppose -- but considering that Verizon Wireless' Lowell McAdam believes he could sell "twice" the number of Droid Incredibles that he has available, that's got to be a bit of a bummer if you're one of the company's bean counters (or a would-be buyer, for that matter). In a talk at a Barclays Capital conference today, McAdam made it clear that component shortages were to blame for the high-end Android handset's general unavailability -- specifically the Samsung-sourced AMOLED display, which is seeing duty in more phones all the time and will likely be in short supply for a while yet. At the present, new buyers need to wait until at least mid-June to get their Droid Incredible if they order online, and the Nexus One's brief inventory situation is very likely related; since Samsung is using a ton of AMOLED displays in its own devices, doesn't this all seem like a conflict of interest?
Viliv's AMOLED Prime P3 media player sports both Android and Windows CE
We've never been comfortable with the fact that Viliv's many fun and fashionable PMPs have yet to gain a real foothold in the states. Maybe this will change with the Prime P3 media player. As near as we can tell (our Korean is a little rusty) this bad boy sports a 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen, has both Android 2.1 and Windows CE 6.0 partitions, and supports 720p video. But that ain't all! Connectivity is via microUSB, and additional storage comes courtesy of microSDHC. Rounding things off are an 800 MHz ARM Cortex CPU, accelerometer, and WiFi -- all in a pretty classy little package. Available in flavors up to 32GB, we have no idea when this will see release, or for what price. We'll let you know as soon as we get a heads up. For reals.
Samsung demos 19-inch transparent AMOLED display
We don't know what kind of display-making genii Samsung has locked away in its R&D labs, but the Korean giant is once again demonstrating a world's first. This time we're looking at a 19-inch transparent AMOLED display, taking the technology up from the 14-inch model we saw live at CES in January. The company has now achieved a 30 percent transparency on its designs, and its ideas for how they may be used are fittingly futuristic. Samsung envisions storefront advertising, à la your favorite sci-fi movie, as well as HUDs for helmets and car windshields -- maybe if TomTom can secure a supply of these screens, the dedicated GPS device can find a way to live on after all.
Samsung's AMOLED division is now profitable, expects major smartphone growth in 2010
If you want the dish on what's happening with mobile displays, Lee Woo-Jong, VP for marketing at Samsung Mobile Display, is as good a person to ask as any. The chap has been telling the Reuters Global Technology Summit that his company has finally gone into the black with its AMOLED production line, and that its research projects a 50 percent jump in smartphone shipments in 2010 relative to 2009. This is expected to boost demand, which is already exceeding supply, for high-quality displays. Samsung says shortages might be experienced all the way until next year, but has reiterated its belief that AMOLED is the future with a $2.15 billion investment into expanding its production lines, while also predicting a 30-fold growth in shipments of such displays by 2015. Every handset out there looking like the Wave? We could learn to live with that.
Samsung's EX1 / TL500 flagship compact articulates 'release' in Korean
It's out, Samsung's 10 megapixel EX1 (aka, TL500) with 3-inch articulating AMOLED display was just pushed out for retail in its Korean homeland. For 599,000KRW or about $400, you get a F1.8 24mm ultra-wide lens, 1/1.7-inch CCD, refined DRIMeIII imaging processor, dual image stabilization, and ISO 3200 max sensitivity (at full resolution) that should combine to deliver decent shots (for a compact) in low-light conditions without using a flash. As Samsung's flagship compact it also supports RAW with shutter‑priority, aperture‑priority and full-manual shooting modes. Unfortunately, H.264 video is limited to 640x480 pixels at 30fps. Fortunately, an optional optical viewfinder can be fitted to the hot shoe in case the AMOLED display fails to hold up under direct sunlight -- a very real possibility since there's no mention of Samsung's "Super AMOLED" anywhere in the press release. Can't wait to see the reviews on this pup.
Samsung preparing for 42-inch OLED TV trials in 2011?
It's approaching mid 2010 and you know what's missing. Jetpacks. Jetpacks and those 30-inch and larger OLED TVs we were promised. Hell, the largest OLED TV available for retail currently is only 15-inches... if you can both find and afford it. Now OLEDNet claims that Samsung Mobile Display -- you know, the cellphone AMOLED guys -- is purchasing equipment in preparation for bringing its 5.5 generation facility on-line in the first half of 2011. That should give Samsung the ability make 42-inch AMOLED TVs on a trial basis by the end of the twenty-eleven. But with relatively cheap LCDs steadily closing the gap on OLEDs size, contrast, and power savings advantages, well, we'll believe it when we see the first big screen OLED TVs in our living rooms. And with 3D LCDs (and plasmas) all the rage amongst distracted and financially-vested television manufacturers, we don't see that happening anytime soon.
Lenovo LePhone unboxed, exhaustively reviewed ahead of launch in China
We're not sure how we missed this one, but it's better late than never -- turns out some lucky jerks in China were given a Lenovo LePhone to play with back in mid-April, and the guys at Sooyuu have just finished the fifth and final part of their lengthy review, just in time for the May launch. We weren't expecting any changes since our last encounter at CES, but apparently the 3.7-inch screen's now been upgraded from LCD to AMOLED, and like the Palm Pre, the LePhone also sports a gesture area below the screen. Of course, there's also the never-before-seen packaging that we totally dig, not to mention the bundled goodies such as a leather case, a noise-isolation handsfree kit (but sans music and volume control), plus a magnetic dock adapter. As for software, the reviewer praises Lenovo's snappy, heavily customized Android with its vast Chinese social networking service integration, music store, video apps, and an impressive Chinese turn-by-turn navigation suite. We almost want to adopt this baby, only to be let down by its 3.2-megapixel camera's mediocre quality, lack of flash, and inability to autofocus. Anyhow, you can be the final judge -- head over to Sooyuu for plenty more pictures.
Samsung's Android-powered S-Pad tablet with 7-inch Super AMOLED in August?
Know what's hot like 2001? Tablet computers. Just like that a product category has been reborn and proven viable as a money making machine. Now the scramble is on to fill the void by companies big and small. Samsung, a big name in the UMPC debacle (that's the Q1 to the right) with its own confirmed tablet ambitions, looks prepped to deliver product this summer if Korean pub Etnews is to be believed. First up, the OS: Android. Samsung's so-called "S-Pad" (the tentative name spawned under its S-Project initiative) will display Google's smartphone OS on a supposed 7-inch Super AMOLED display with WiFi and 3G data connectivity -- the latter supplied by SK Telecom who will supposedly help distribute the device. It'll also bring an iPad-esque USB dock and content from Kyobo books (Korea's largest bookstore) and Samsung's own Samsung Apps application store. If true, we should expect to see Samsung's S-Pad launch in August. While no price has been given you can expect the cost to be exorbitant thanks to that extra large Super AMOLED display unless SK Telecom can push it down through ample subsidies. [Thanks, JH Yee]
Cowon's award-winning J3 PMP spotted in the wilds of France, available there next month
The gang at Le Journal du Geek have got their hands (or someone's hands) on that Red Dot design award-winning Cowon J3 PMP, and we must say that the 3.3-inch AMOLED wonder looks pretty, pretty good. And with its TV output, Bluetooth audio support, and support for any number of standards (from the typical MP3, WMA, and WAV to the less-than-typical, but much-appreciated OGG, FLAC, APE, Div-X and Xvid) we're sure that the iAudio 9 is mighty proud of his big brother. Journal reports that this will see the light of day in France next month, look to spend about €249 (about $335) for the 16GB version.
Samsung AMOLED Beam SPH-W9600 projector phone is not what we've been waiting for
Remember Samsung's impressive 3.7-inch Super AMOLED Beam projector phone running Andriod? This isn't it. Instead, Samsung is launching its far less impressive 3.3-inch AMOLED (what, no Super?) Beam SPH-W9600 we previewed back in January into its South Korean home. So yeah, it's the same 5 megapixeler with T-DMB TV, Microsoft Office and DivX codec support, and improved DLP pico projector that replaces last year's W7900. But if it's all the same to you Sammy, we'll be waiting for the true projector phone successor -- your Beam i8520, codenamed Halo -- said to be launching this summer.%Gallery-90467%
HTC Desire review
Following the Legend, HTC continues its Android 2.1 lineup with the Desire -- a gorgeous cousin of the renowned Nexus One. We can trace our drool all the way back to the Desire's leak in December, but there have been some changes since then that made it slightly less desirable -- DivX support and 720p video capture never made it to the final build, but it's not like the company laid down any official promise on them, right? Anyhow, there's still plenty to be loved here, namely the speedy 1GHz Snapdragon, the large AMOLED screen, and HTC's latest revision of Sense UI that we've already seen on the Legend. Now, there are probably two questions floating in the minds of our readers: is the Desire worth the extra moola over the Legend? And is it any better than the Nexus One? Let's all find out together. Update: commenter NigelL pointed out that HTC will push out DivX support in a future update. Thanks!%Gallery-89291%
Toshiba K01 goes official as IS02 in Japan
Talk about a globetrotter. Toshiba's K01 has made the journey from the American FCC to a Japanese carrier in the space of just one day. AU, part of the KDDI group and one of Japan's big three network operators, has picked up the phone and promptly renamed it the IS02. Coming with a 1GHz Snapdragon core, a 4.1-inch capacitive touchscreen of the AMOLED variety, and that indispensable (for some) QWERTY keyboard, this WinMo 6.5 handset will be available to our Japanese comrades in the latter part of June this year. Given the long waiting times both for this and its brandmate, the IS01, we have to wonder what's up with Japanese carriers. Have they developed an aversion to the cutting edge or what?
Cowon's all-metal J3 PMP gets official
We'd already gotten a early look at Cowon's new all-metal J3 PMP earlier this month courtesy of the red dot design awards, but the company has just now gotten fully official with it, and detailed its complete specs. As expected, this one packs a 3.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen, along with 4GB, 8GB or 16GB of storage, a microSD card slot for further expansion, a built-in DMB TV tuner and FM radio, Bluetooth support, a built-in speaker and, of course, that brushed metal case -- not to mention a few familiar UI elements. Unfortunately, there's still no indication of a price, nor is there any word of a release over here. Update: At least one website has listed prices of between 189,000 and 359,000 South Korean won, or roughly $166 to $316. [Thanks, David K]
Toshiba's QWERTY-equipped K01 slides through the FCC
If you've yet to lose faith in Windows Mobile 6.5, or if you're holding out hope for community-made Windows Phone 7 patches magically upgrading your OS, here's another handset for your consideration. Toshiba's K01 comes with a 1GHz Snapdragon inside and a QWERTY keyboard plus 4.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen (capacitive) on the outside. Its stroll through the FCC today revealed support for 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/EDGE frequencies, meaning you may get a choice between AT&T and T-Mobile's networks. So now that we've narrowed down the carriers a little bit and certified this WiFi- and Bluetooth-equipped beastie, all that remains is to wait and see if the pricing is sufficiently alluring to entice all those starry-eyed T-Mobile subscribers who keep giving the HD2 lusty looks. Not long to go now. FCC label pictured after the break. Update: Looks like this one is headed to Europe and Asia with test reports indicating support for UMTS Bands I and VIII and some expensive 1900MHz data while roaming North America.
Samsung's Super AMOLED-packin' Wave S8500 priced in Germany: €429
Samsung's world-beater -- you know, that Wave S8500 that debuted back at Mobile World Congress -- was revealed without one of the most vital statistics, but that's being remedied today courtesy of a product listing over at Amazon's German portal. The Bada-equipped device, complete with a Super AMOLED display that's supposedly viewable in broad daylight, has found a €429 MSRP across the pond, which equates to around $579 using today's highly volatile exchange rates. Granted, that's a contract-free (read: unsubsidized) price, but we're still going to hold out for a late-night session with the new OS before pinging our importer. Plus, those funky European AC adapters do nothing at all for us. Sorry.Update: Looks like some other German outlets have it priced even lower. Huzzah!