BeholdIi
Latest
Samsung Behold II finally gets Android 1.6 update
Yes, yes, we know you'd rather get Eclair or Froyo -- but sometimes you've got to be happy with what you've got, and this is one of those times. As far as we can tell, Samsung hasn't budged on its commitment to sunset the Behold II's upgrade path with Donut, but at least 1.6 is finally trickling into the hands of owners this week via a rolling over-the-air update that should wrap up on the 25th. There are a few bug fixes in the mix, too -- so unless you've got a rooted Behold II running 2.2 already, you probably want in on this action. Or... you know, dump this inadequately-supported piece for something running 2.1 out of the box. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Samsung planning Android 1.6 update for Behold II -- but that's it
Remember the good ol' days when companies were honest to their customers? Aw, who are we kidding -- those days never actually existed, so it's good to see Samsung carrying on the time-honored tradition of playing the CYA game by belting out a bald-faced lie or two. So the Behold II for T-Mobile USA has been the subject of some serious buzz the past few days as buyers have grown weary of the lack of new builds, all while the Android world has passed them by with not one, not two, not three, but four major updates. Samsung Mobile finally broke the silence today on a forum -- good on them -- saying that there's a Donut update in the works featuring "Swype, an improved Media Player, updated core Android applications and improved Bluetooth capabilities." That's all well and good, but Samsung goes on to say that "the Behold II is not upgradeable beyond Android 1.6" -- and we've got a serious problem with that wording. We know (and Samsung knows) damn well that they could upgrade the Behold II beyond Android 1.6, considering that the community has managed to shoehorn even Froyo onto prehistoric devices like the Dream; rather, Samsung chooses not to upgrade it beyond Android 1.6. That's a business decision that Samsung has to make, and far be it from us to try to push Sammy into continuing to sink cash into a phone that didn't sell very well -- but the least these guys could do is be honest, face the music, and tell us that's what's going on rather than insulting our collective intelligence and insisting that there's some cosmic force preventing Eclair or Froyo from loading onto a phone that was just released a few months ago. Seriously though, Sammy -- thanks for the Donut, we guess. Update: We've now received Samsung's official response independently and have it for you after the break.
Samsung Behold II fails to fulfill Android 2.0 promise, jilted users contemplating lawsuit (video)
When Samsung launched its Behold II with Android 1.5 on board, it made something of a big deal about the fact the handset will be upgradeable to version 2.0 when that software became available. Such a big deal that it even put the promise of an OTA update into a promo video -- a video that subsequently got yanked as the company realized it wasn't going to be able to stick to its word. Well, that evidence has now been tracked down (see it after the break), and all those buyers who were left with a Cupcake in lieu of a promised Eclair have hardly forgotten about it either. Samsung's position varies between the boilerplate "we don't have a future release date," to a stone cold "the SGH-T939 will never qualify for the Android 2X update," depending on which rep you speak to. The disappointed users have therefore resorted to putting a petition together, which asks that either a refund, replacement Android 2.x handset, or a real update be provided to them, and concludes that "legal action will be taken" if Samsung fails them. That's not exactly unreasonable , given the unfulfilled expectation -- Samsung, what say you? [Thanks, Yitzhak]
Samsung Behold II review
It was but a year ago that Samsung graced us with the original Behold. At the time it was more or less positioned to win the hearts of folks who wanted a luscious touchscreen but had no real truck with smartphones. So what do we have here? With the Behold II, the company has switched things up a bit: instead of a respectable feature phone, you not only get Android 1.5, but a 3.5mm headphone jack and WiFi as well. At least this shows that Sammy has been paying attention! Still, a couple questions come to mind: how does this one compare to the original? And how does it stack up as a Google Android device? Engadget has put her through the paces and our findings are sure to shock or surprise you (or maybe not). Continue reading below.
Samsung Behold II hits T-Mobile on November 18th, unboxed today (now with video!)
Dubbing itself the "multimedia powerhouse" for T-Mobile's expansive Android lineup, the Samsung Behold II has just been confirmed for that rumored November 18th launch on T-Mobile (still no word on price, though we're hearing a predictable $200). The slate-style touchscreen handset has a 3.2-inch AMOLED display, and puts it to good use with a hearty skinning job on the part of Samsung, porting in most (but not all) of its TouchWiz UI -- unfortunately for us, that silly cube menu made the cut. Underneath is Android 1.5, and what seems to be a pretty standard processor. Hardware-wise there's really nothing to complain about on this phone. It's heavy, relatively thin (not iPhone-thin, but just fine), with solid materials and wonderfully tactile face buttons. The screen is everything you'd expect out of an AMOLED display, though high-resolution phones like the Droid dampen that enthusiasm somewhat. One wonderful Samsung addition to the traditional Android experience is a "real" camera button on the side, which can even register half-presses for focus. For someone who doesn't want a physical keyboard, but doesn't want their handset to feel like a toy (sorry, myTouch) there's plenty to love. However, we're more concerned about the software side of things. We're not morally opposed to Samsung adding in TouchWiz, but we are afraid of anything that has the potential to slow down the OS, and on first glance we'd say it's notably less responsive than stock Android. We'll of course be going further in-depth to see just how usable this iteration is, but let us just put this out on the table: a virtual 3D cube to launch media apps is no way "intuitive," "helpful" or "cool." OK, maybe it's kind of cool, but seriously Samsung, stop it. Check out our unboxing below. Update: We added some video after the break. Behold the cube!
T-Mobile Tap coming November 11, Samsung Behold II on November 18?
The CLIQ might be getting the lion's share of the Android spotlight on T-Mobile at the moment, but it's not the only Google-equipped gear in the carrier's pipeline -- the other big news there would be the Behold II from Samsung, a logical successor to the myTouch 3G with an AMOLED display and 5 megapixel cam. Seems like there's a little bit of a wait left, because TmoNews has scored some launch documentation suggesting that they're planning on a November 18 to get it pushed out to the public (and let's be honest, we'd all rather have that positively sick nasty myTouch Fender Limited Edition anyhow). Moving our attention downmarket, there's apparently a self-branded (read: a manufacturer you've never heard of) full touch device called the "Tap" that'll be hitting on the 11th of next month, likely slotting in below the Highlight in the carrier's range. No offense, there, Tap, but we're going to have to take a Behold II over ya.
Samsung Behold II handled with less battery than we'd like
Yesterday we showed you this bad boy behind a thick, hand-stopping sheet of glass, and today, we're taking you just a little closer to the action. The emphasis has to be on "just a little," unfortunately, because neither T-Mobile nor Samsung were willing to slip a battery in the phone and let us play around with it, a surefire indication that the firmware isn't baked to a golden brown yet -- and when you consider that they're promising the Behold II in time for the holidays, the clock's definitely ticking. Would we pick this over a myTouch 3G? Probably, yeah -- especially with the better cam -- but let's be real, the Fender Limited Edition is another story altogether. %Gallery-75107%
Samsung Behold II caught behind glass
Whoa, Android overload! Moment isn't the only Google-rife device out of Samsung that's on display at the show -- to get the whole picture you've got to turn your attention over to the Behold II, which is more or less a Galaxy done up in T-Mobile-specific clothes and makeup, right down to the all-important AMOLED display. Unfortunately, Sammy's been stingy with access to this one so far -- and it's apparently a non-working model, which might explain it -- but at least we can get a pretty good sense of the size of the device here. It looks plenty thin, and at a glance, it's got a higher-end appeal to it than the Moment; suffice it to say, the myTouch 3G's reign atop T-Mobile's full-touch Android lineup isn't long for this world. Check out a few shots below. %Gallery-74983%
Samsung Behold II marries Android, TouchWiz for T-Mobile
The Behold is all grow'd up with its second rendition, moving up in the world from a mere featurephone to an authentic Android-powered contender. T-Mobile's latest Android set is a full-touch model backed by a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, flash, and video recording, a 3.2-inch AMOLED display, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and microSD expansion up to 16GB. Like virtually all Samsung smartphones (and many of its featurephones), the Behold II features an adaptation of the company's TouchWiz UI and has a 3D "cube menu" for rotating among common features like web browsing and YouTube access. Neither pricing nor availability are being announced right now, but we're being promised it'll be around "in time for the holidays."
