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Samsung Galaxy S II headed to Bell on July 14
We've already heard an earful about which US carriers will likely score the Samsung Galaxy S II (and its rumored cousin), and now we're also getting some fuller details about its availability in Canada. Just days after SaskTel confirmed it'll sell the skinny, Gingerbread-packing phone next month, Tech F.I.B.E. is reporting that handset is headed to Bell's 21Mbps-capable network on July 14. If you remember, the dual-core phone won us over in our review with its svelte chassis, vibrant Super AMOLED Plus display, zippy performance, and impressive 8 megapixel camera. No word yet on how much Bell will charge for that superb chunk of hardware, but it looks like we'll find out in a matter of weeks.
Galaxy S II coming to SaskTel next month, we embark on northward migration
The Samsung Galaxy S II has yet to make its US debut, but it looks like our neighbors to the north will be getting it as early as next month. Yesterday, Canada's SaskTel announced via Twitter that it would launch the phone "within the next month," making it the first North American carrier to confirm the S II. Earlier this month, it looked as if Verizon would be the first to bring the device to the New World, but our hopes were crushed when the carrier debunked rumors of a July launch. It remains to be seen whether Sasktel's announcement will pave the way for a wider North American release, but we'll let you know as soon as we hear more.
Samsung Galaxy S II for AT&T ratted out by its own HDMI dock
Oh, we've been fairly certain for a while now that we'd see the sexy Samsung Galaxy S II saunter on over to AT&T, but now we've attained what appears to be the first official photo of the handset. Samsung's Singapore division has a series of professional shots of planned accessories, including this "Samsung Galaxy S II Desktop Dock," a handsome pyramid stand sporting HDMI and 3.5mm stereo-out jacks -- and of course, an AT&T logo on its comfortably cradled smartphone. We're still not quite sure when Samsung's flagship will hit the US, but it had better get a move on -- we're slated to see a Galaxy S III by this time next year, after all. Update: We should probably note it looks like the Galaxy S II's seen a bit of a makeover for AT&T, gaining the four familiar capacitive touch buttons and generally appearing more like the Infuse 4G. [Thanks, Solomon T.]
Samsung Galaxy S II said to be Verizon-bound in July (update: just a miscommunication)
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so when it comes to the Samsung Galaxy S II, our tiny American hearts are getting rather sick of all the love we've been experiencing lately. Computerworld's latest rumor may be just what we need to stay sane for another month, though; it cites an unnamed Verizon spokesperson who mentioned this Fascinate follow-up, which will likely be known as the Function, will be coming in for a soft landing sometime in July, though no specifics were offered. The Galaxy S II is already being sold in Europe and Asia and blends a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, Gingerbread, dual-core 1.2GHz CPU, and many more top-of-the-line specs into one sleek and gorgeous package. If the July window is accurate, it means Verizon could be one of the first US carriers out of the gate with the phone. This is great news for the carrier that was, of the four national powers, dead last in getting its model of the Galaxy S to market. We're anxiously awaiting word from a Verizon spokesperson for additional comment and will keep you posted -- if our heart hasn't popped out of our chest by then. Update: We just received word from a Verizon spokesperson that the reference to a July release was just a miscommunication and was actually in reference to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Yeah, we're bummed out, too.
Samsung shows affection to CyanogenMod, gives its devs a free Galaxy S II (update)
Let's see if we're grokking this: Samsung is not only telling the dev community it's okay to place custom ROMs on its flagship device, it's actually encouraging the practice by handing out free phones? Atinm, the developer responsible for prepping CyanogenMod on the Captivate and Vibrant, took to Twitter to praise the manufacturer for sending him a free Galaxy S II. From the looks of it, Samsung sent the phone to a select number of devs intent on building an official release of CM7 for the GSII. Unlocking bootloaders has already become the new fancy with manufacturers like HTC, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson jumping on the bandwagon, but this is the first time we've heard of a company doling out free devices to the custom ROM community. Does this mean that, instead of enforcing TouchWiz with an iron fist, Samsung is looking at how this practice could actually benefit consumers? We doubt this will be the case for all of the company's future Android phones, but wouldn't you love to live in a world where it was? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: As it turns out, this was not the first time a free device has been handed out to the CyanogenMod community. It's been done at least once before, when T-Mobile gave out a G-Slate in April.
Samsung Smart View shrinks Smart TV down for your Galaxy S II
We're not sure how many of you happen to own both a Galaxy S II and a Samsung Smart TV but, if you do, you'll probably want to download Smart View from the Android market. Like now -- don't worry, we'll wait. This handy app lets you stream content from your set to your smartphone over WiFi, and can even be used as a controller for games from the Samsung app store. Unfortunately, you're limited to either mirroring the content shown on the TV or watching an optional second stream from a Sammy-branded Blu-ray player but, hey, at least you won't have to miss a single second of Game of Thrones just because that box of Cheez-Its keeps whispering your name. Like any good TV-connected app, Smart View can also act as a remote with a program guide and the ability to change channels, and even more functionality is promised for the future. Eventually, it will make its way to Galaxy Player, Galaxy S, and Galaxy Tab owners but, while you wait, check out the gallery and PR below. %Gallery-125150%
Is your Galaxy S II's display yellow on the left?
We're inclined to think this may just be a case of fresh glue settling, but a thread started on May 14th by Erethnor at the xda-developer forums has been been growing, with keen eyed Galaxy S II owners posting about a display issue on their beloved new phones. Affected users are reporting that the left side of their Super AMOLED Plus displays have a yellow discoloration, viewable mainly with low brightness -- especially on white and grey backgrounds. The example above, from user NitroOnTheRocks, is comparatively harder to notice than the old mustard stain on our jeans from last year's Engadget Memorial Day BBQ, but we've included another photo, from user stijnr, after the break for all you skeptics. Also, if you have a Galaxy S II, let us know about whether you're experiencing this anomaly in our poll below. [Thanks, Eric] %Poll-64578%
Samsung teases 4G tablet for 2011, Galaxy S III in first half of 2012
Don't expect a lawsuit or two to keep a good chaebol down. Not if J.K. Shin has his way. The president of Samsung's mobile communication division is telling us to expect an "enhanced" LTE Galaxy Tab (without providing any detail) sometime later this year, following the launch of the company's 8.9-inch Tab this summer and 10.1-inch Tab next month -- the latter priced between $499 and $599. Shin said that Samsung is already in talks with US and South Korean carriers to launch the 4G tablet. He also teased a third version of the wildly popular Galaxy S handset series for the first half of 2012. A proclamation arriving on news that the delectable Galaxy S II has just set a record for the fastest selling smartphone in Korea after unloading one million handsets in the first month of domestic sales.Naturally, Shin also had a bit to say about Samsung's ongoing legal battle with Apple. "We didn't copy Apple's design," he said bluntly, adding that Apple's allegations "will not be legally problematic." Sure Sammy, tell it to the judge.Update: The Wall Street Journal updated its story calling for the 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab to launch this summer, not in June as originally stated.
Galaxy S II KE7 update brings better battery life, fixes "pink spot" camera bug
Galaxy S II owners, now is the time to load up Kies or to start impatiently tapping "system updates" -- Samsung is rolling out a new firmware for its flagship handsets dubbed KE7. Not everyone is seeing it yet but, according to users, you can expect better battery life, more accurate GPS readings, improved performance, a few upgraded apps, and a fix for the "pink spot" bug in the camera app. We appreciate Samsung making sure everything is just right and pushing a second update before bringing the Galaxy S II to America, but we think it's ready now -- hurry, before we change our minds about owning something called the Attain, Function, or Within.
NTT DoCoMo introduces Palette UI for Android, breathes life into your app tray
If you blinked for even a second during the announcement of NTT DoCoMo's summer lineup, you may have missed the mention of an exclusive Android skin dubbed "docomo Palette UI." At the time, all we knew about this international-interface-of-mystery was that it had a heavy emphasis on app management. After gazing upon a recently-published YouTube video and doing a little digging, we can now wrap our minds visually around what to expect. The demo you'll witness below shows off an app tray that's sorted by categories, rather than one buffet that bundles every app you own. It's a welcome idea that will likely be an added value for consumers, but there's one small concern: we've seen this before, most recently in the latest version of MotoBlur, so we would hardly call it innovative. We should expect to see the Palette UI on at least four Android devices coming out this summer, most notably the superthin Medias WP N-06C and powerful Galaxy S II --though we're curious to see what happens to TouchWiz 4.0 on the latter. [Thanks, Derek]
NTT DoCoMo announces 24 new mobile wonders (yes, really) to flood its network
So, Japan... want a new mobile device? How about 24? This grandiose announcement comes straight from NTT DoCoMo, which commonly lays its cards on the table for the delight of consumers. Among the selection you'll find eight new Gingerbread phones, six incredibly high-res shooters (ranging between 12.2 and 16.3 megapixels), eight waterproof handsets, and one embedded with Swarovski crystals. We're particularly thrilled to see the mighty Galaxy S II, 3D-capturing Aquos SH-12C, 700-nit Optimus Bright (contrastingly-named but nearly identical to the Optimus Black), ultra-slim MEDIAS WP N-06C, and mobile payment-enabled Xperia Acro. Oh, and don't forget about the LOOX F-07C -- a multi-talented handset that's running Symbian and Windows 7 Home Premium -- while two LTE-enabled WiFi routers are sneaking into DoCoMo's party, too. That's a lot to absorb, so check out the source for individual release timeframes, which begin now and continue through August -- or just check out the PR after the break.
Galaxy S II and Galaxy S screens compared at the subpixel level (video)
One Galaxy S II review not enough for you? Hey, we understand, a dual-core phone deserves at least two goes through the Engadget test chambers. Today marks the publication of our Engadget Spanish analysis, which, among other things, compares the GSII against its forebear, the Galaxy S, at the subpixel level. Yes, we've got video capturing the improvement Samsung has made in its new Real-Stripe (RGB) pixel arrangement on the Galaxy S II's Super AMOLED Plus display over the older, less awesome PenTile RGBG layout of the Plus-deprived Super AMOLED panel. You can see it after the break or dive into the source link for a more comprehensive comparison. Non-Spanish speakers will want to jump to the 1:40 mark in the vid for all the microscopic action. %Gallery-124010%
Samsung Galaxy S II US carrier names revealed: AT&T Attain, Verizon Function, and Sprint Within
Anticipation, thy name is Galaxy S II. Or is it Galaxy S 2 Attain? Perhaps it's Galaxy S 2 Function or Within, it all depends on what carrier you prefer, really. You see, the sleuths at Pocketnow have unearthed a silicone case for sale that lists those three names as the particular branding Samsung's new flagship smartphone will enjoy with AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, respectively. That, combined with earlier trademark filings by Sammy asking for Galaxy Attain, Function and Within registrations, would lead us to believe that we are indeed looking at the final product monikers. T-Mobile is notably missing from the list, but we suspect that may be because its variant of the Galaxy S II is materially different in design to the original GSII. The good news for everyone else is that the same silicone case will be interchangeable among AT&T, Verizon and Sprint devices, leaving very little room for those guys to screw things up.
Samsung updates Galaxy S II, speeds up Swype and fixes auto-brightness issue
Samsung's Galaxy S II superphone didn't have many issues to begin with, and we're hearing there's one fewer annoying quirk today -- Android Community reports that a new firmware update (available via Kies) addresses the overzealous auto-brightness setting that continually irked us during testing. The i9100XWKE2 revision also apparently increases the responsiveness of the Swype software keyboard -- which is always a plus -- so unless this update also fries handsets or something, it sounds like a desirable one. [Thanks, Fayez]
Samsung Galaxy S II overclocked to 1.5GHz, used to obliterate benchmarks (video)
What do you do after you've bought the most powerful smartphone to yet grace the Android universe? Some timid folks would urge you to just enjoy it, but if you're like us, you'll probably want to know just how high that dual-core Exynos 4210 birdie could fly. The processor inside the Galaxy S II started off life at 1GHz, then got sped up by Samsung to 1.2GHz just before release, and has now been taken all the way to 1.5GHz thanks to coolbho3000 over on the xda-developers forum. He's been nice enough to provide the source code and instructions necessary to reproduce this stable overclock on your Galaxy S II, but don't rush off just yet -- there's video of the GSII romping through Quadrant and Linpack after the break. [Thanks, Mike and Sam]
Caption Contest: Samsung hires David Beckham as a global brand ambassador
David Beckham is a man that needs no introduction. Indeed, Samsung hopes he'll be the one making the introductions, as it's just signed up the English footballer to act as its global brand ambassador. Mr. Becks will be responsible for disseminating the news that Samsung is one of the major sponsors of the London 2012 Olympics, and we can see he's already received the first tranche of his remuneration in the form of a Galaxy S II. Lucky him. Thomas: "I'm sorry, I got the Spanish version, this one says 'Sii' on it." Vlad: "At 8.49mm, this phone's almost as thin as my wife!" Tim: "I don't know who you are or what this is, but I'm sure Victoria will love it." Amar: "Finally, a Galaxy that won't bench me!" Darren: "Man, this thing crushes my Aura." Richard Lai: "As part of the deal, Samsung will also be announcing the Galaxy S Beckham. OK, it's just a golden dual-core." Myriam: "So you want me to drop-kick this in front of the cameras, right?" Zach Honig: "Maybe in this Galaxy I can win a World Cup."
LG Optimus Black vs. Galaxy S II and Xperia Arc... fight!
It's time for us to welcome yet another contender in the battle for world's slimmest Android phone: the LG Optimus Black. This 9.2mm-thick handset made its debut to oohs and aahs of admiration at CES earlier in the year, and is now on the very precipice of a global release. Admittedly, it's not quite slender enough to knock the 7.7mm-thick NEC MEDIAS N-04C off its perch as the absolute thinnest, but it is sufficiently slender to give Samsung's Galaxy S II and Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc a good fright. That pair of smartphones offer thinner proportions on the spec sheet, but when rested on a flat surface they sit ever so slightly higher than the Optimus Black. This is because, unlike its tricky contemporaries, the Optimus Black keeps to the same thickness along its full length (don't laugh), which, technically speaking, makes it the thinnest Android handset on the European market. Check it out in the gallery below or video after the break -- and hold tight, we'll have a full review for you in the coming days! %Gallery-122723%
Samsung Galaxy S II GPS -- it works, it really works! (video)
The biggest problem facing mankind? No, not really. But when the alien robot sentinels do eventually descend upon our puny green planet, you'll be happy to know that your Galaxy S II smartphone will be able to get a GPS lock reliably and accurately. Samsung's brand new flagship phone has unsurprisingly fixed whatever ailed the original Galaxy S in the satellite communications department and we've got the evidence for you just after the break. So click your clicking device on the clickable bit to see it.
Samsung Galaxy S II nets two additional carriers on South Korea's official launch day
Today marks South Korea's official launch of the Galaxy S II, with Samsung ensuring its home country gets plenty of superphone love before turning its attention abroad. Rival carriers SK Telecom and LG Uplus have added this Super AMOLED Plus beauty to their repertoire, joining KT, who's already begun taking pre-orders for the device which retails for approximately $790 (before subsidies, of course). Though we're left wishing this amazing slab of engineering was available everywhere and all at once, we must remind ourselves that patience is a virtue, and -- oh, forget it -- who's flying to South Korea with us? [Thanks, Amjath]
Samsung Galaxy S II review
If you don't already know all about the Samsung Galaxy S II, where have you been the past two months? The successor to one of the most popular Android handsets to date carries a burden of expectation almost as sizable as its 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen. It promises to be thinner, lighter, and faster than the Galaxy S that preceded it, while garnishing Android 2.3.3 with a set of TouchWiz customizations that might actually enhance, rather than hinder, the user experience. As such, the Galaxy S II earns Samsung full marks for ambition, but does this slinky new smartphone live up to its interstellar hype? The answer, as always, can be found after the break. %Gallery-122444%
