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Mobile Miscellany: week of February 20th, 2012
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 week, we greet a new version of BlackBerry Bridge, and we've also come across an interesting new launcher for users of Ice Cream Sandwich. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride. Let's explore the "best of the rest" for this week of February 20th, 2012.
Samsung's Galaxy S II celebrates 20 million sold, just in time for MWC
After crossing the 10 million units moved threshold back in September, Samsung has joyously announced ahead of MWC 2012 that its Galaxy S II family of phones has sold 20 million since launching in April. According to Samsung, taking just ten months to hit the mark puts it ahead of the original Galaxy S (hovering around 22 million sold) by seven months. The hallmarks of this model -- in its many forms as seen above for AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint -- has been the Super AMOLED Plus screen, slim design and dual core CPUs, all of which made it a record breaker right out of the gate. Samsung's been pretty quiet as Mobile World Congress 2012 approaches, but whenever we see the Galaxy S III, it will certainly have a lot to live up to.
Samsung Galaxy S II announced for US Cellular: 'coming soon' for $230
We already had a strong hunch that it was coming to US Cellular, thanks to the FCC, but now it's official: Samsung's iconic Galaxy S II is finally making its way to the regional carrier in the coming weeks for $230 on a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. This version of the GSII offers the same 1.2GHz dual-core Exynos CPU found in the original version, as well as a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display. Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), an eight megapixel rear camera and 16GB internal storage are also confirmed, though we think it's highly likely this unit will feature the same specs as the rest of the series. Sadly, the device lacks support on USCC's brand new LTE network, so brace yourself for 3G speeds if you plan to pick one of these up. Check out the full press release below for all the details released so far, and we'll keep you posted as soon as we hear an official release date or any other deep dark secrets.
Samsung's GT-i9300 is probably not the Galaxy S III, as revealed by its low-res screen
Straight from the Dana Scully school of debunking, Android Community has poured cold water on the notion that the GT-i9300 is the quasi-mythical Galaxy S III. Having happened upon the user agent profile of the device bearing that codename, the stats reveal a lackluster 1024 x 600 resolution display that's easily beaten by the Galaxies Nexus and Note. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled at Mobile World Congress and hope that Samsung isn't planning to ruin the pedigree of the handsets that have previously born that code: the i9200 i9100 was the Galaxy S II and the i9250 was the Galaxy Nexus, after all.
Apple v. Samsung: Cupertino's latest complaint alleges 17 devices infringe 8 of its patents
We were waiting for the details of Apple's new lawsuit in its global battle against Samsung, and now that the court has posted the complaint, we have them. These fresh allegations claim Sammy has... you guessed it, infringed upon Apple's intellectual property. Turns out, there are eight patents at issue, with four of the patents in question having been granted since the last time Apple filed suit against the Korean firm. Among these are patents for missed call management, slide-to-unlock and data-syncing technology. Apple isn't just targeting the Galaxy Nexus with this suit as previously thought, either. In fact, at least 17 devices are alleged to have infringed, including all the US Galaxy S II variants, both the Galaxy Player 4.0 and 5.0, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and Galaxy Tab 8.9. So, should the Northern District of California decide to grant Apple's request for a preliminary injunction, a hefty chunk of Samsung's mobile products will be barred from store shelves here in the States. It'll be a bit before we hear Sammy's side of the story, but for now, you can see all of Apple's latest legal arguments below.
Samsung Galaxy S III to get separate launch event 'in the first half of 2012'
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.
Refresh Roundup: week of January 23, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. 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!
Potential Samsung Galaxy SII-sibling heads to China via the FCC
A mysteriously packaged Samsung device departed the FCC's secure zone with a few question marks over its character. We know it's got GSM/EDGE 850 - 1900 radios and can access WCDMA Bands II and V, plus the usual WiFi and Bluetooth gear, but that's about it. The folks at Wireless Goodness are staking the GT-i9070 as a China-bound variation of the Galaxy SII (assessed for roaming safety), which would seem logical, since we've clearly got enough models over here.
Pink Samsung Galaxy S II makes UK bow on cupid's bow, is the new Godiva
Pretty in pink, isn't it?! Sammy's already slapped a bit of rouge on the casing of its über-popular Galaxy S II for denizens of South Korea, making that special edition available for coloristas last November. But in an effort to share the "love," synchronize with a certain money-milking, greeting card holiday and maximize profits, the company's releasing this precious-hued wünderphone to our cousins across the pond on Phones4u and Very. Arriving just in time for you Brits to tell that special someone in your life, "I spent a few hundred pounds on this silly phone and I'm made of money, so let's seal this deal," the GS II packs the same boatload of specs that made it the undisputed smartphone king of 2011. So, come Valentine's Day, you can either give the gift of roses and chocolates or a blush-colored mobile. Or, you can stay at home, drink a bottle of red, watch Love, Actually on repeat, buy one for yourself and pretend you didn't. Go ahead, we won't tell.
Apple files German lawsuit against Samsung, targets Galaxy S II, nine other smartphones
With patent infringement accusations going every which way in recent months, we're certainly familiar with Apple/Samsung banter in the international arena. Now Apple has thrown yet another punch at the Korean smartphone maker, targeting its Galaxy S II, Galaxy S Plus and eight other handsets, claiming -- yes, you've got it -- patent infringement. The suit was filed in Dusseldorf Regional Court -- the same venue that the company used to target the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, which was created specifically to sidestep a September injunction, also in Germany. It's becoming rather difficult to keep track of all the IP hubbub across the pond, but we'll surely be back with more as soon as the German court has a ruling to share.
Samsung Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab get security nod, certified for government agencies
We didn't have much to complain about when it came to Samsung's flagship phone and tablet, so we're glad to see that both the Galaxy S II and Tab 10.1 have managed to jump through the requisite hoops for FIPS certification. The business-centric feature means that both Samsung devices have been given the thumbs up for use in governmental agencies and other similarly stickler-for-the-rule industries. While the Tab 10.1 certainly isn't the first tablet to receive the certification, it's perhaps the most pervasive. Does this lay the ghost of underwhelming business phones to rest? We hope so.
Samsung Galaxy S II for US Cellular clears FCC, lacks LTE
The Samsung R760 has been tossed around as the likely model number of US Cellular's upcoming Galaxy S II, and it's just cleared one more hurdle: the FCC. While this doesn't guarantee that the carrier will indeed get its own flavor of the GSII anytime soon, it's just another piece of evidence to consider. For anyone hopeful that this could've become the Skyrocket or Galaxy S II LTE, we're shooting down your dream -- the FCC docs don't indicate the presence of LTE, which means this will not be the mysterious smartphone slated to launch in April.
Epic Touch 4G comes out of the dark and into the white, hits Sprint January 8th
It's Epic, it's white, it has WiMax 4G and it's hurtling out of Samsung's Galaxy and headed straight for your pocket. Sprint's rebranded variant of Sammy's highly praised SGS II is getting the ol' bleaching treatment, showing off its Frosted White tips in stores this January 8th. The same $199 on two-year contract pricing applies, so if you haven't gone all in on this wünderphone, now might be the time.
Samsung Galaxy S II gets new ICS ROM, offers Kies to the kingdom (video)
New year, new you ROMs. Yep, the Galaxy S II is getting even more attention, with a duo of Ice Cream Sandwich versions landing on that capacious 4.3-inch screen. They consist of an early Android 4.0.1 build made on December 20th and version 4.0.3 crafted just ten days later. The interesting part is that, according to YouMobile, both of these will arrive through Kies, Samsung's Android connectivity software. The mobile news site also suspects that these are close (but still buggy) approximations of what we'll see on our as-yet un-tinkered Galaxy S IIs in the very near future. These Kies-capable builds also have a few cosmetic differences to the build leaked earlier, like a distinct lack of Tron hues adorning the notification bar at the top. While we await a release through the official channels, you can check out a swift run-through right after the break.
Holga brings its retro, rotary, filter phone case to the Galaxy S II
We get it. Really, we do -- photo filters fun. We also get that sometimes an app just isn't gonna cut it. You want quick access to double, triple or even quadruple image lenses as well as colored overlays. Well, iPhone 4 and 4S owners had their prayers answered in mid November a $25 Holga case, now Android fans have their own version -- provided those Android fans own a Galaxy S II. If you don't mind adding some bulk to your super-svelte super-phone head on over to the source link to get your own rotary-style lens case for the somewhat reasonable price of $28.
White Epic 4G Touch to grace Sprint come January, proves your wildest dreams can come true
If you thought Sprint was going to let T-Mobile and AT&T be the only US carriers to offer white Galaxy S IIs, think again. Per Sprintfeed is a supposed internal memo pegging the carrier's bleached variant of the GSII for January 8th, 2012. For those keeping score at home, that'll be nearly a month after T-Mo, and a good six months after we first caught wind of the unicorn. Frothing at the sentiment? Better think long and hard, as there's bound to be something equally lust worthy at an upcoming trade show.
GTA III goes on sale for the holidays, brings violence and cheer to Galaxy Nexus owners
A classic title like Grand Theft Auto III isn't exactly at hard sell at $5 on your smartphone or tablet -- at $3 you're almost a fool not to snatch it up. Perhaps more importantly though, Rockstar has expanded support for the crime adventure to a trio of Android handsets -- the Droid Bionic, Galaxy S II and, the phone of the moment, the Galaxy Nexus. While the white list only gains three new devices right now, there's potential to add more handsets down the line. The game is finally optimized for use with PowerVR GPUs, which are found in any phone running an OMAP or Exynos processor. So, what are you waiting for? Hit up the market now to get your dose of violence, mayhem and hall of fame gaming.
Samsung's in a gifting mood, is giving away up to 16 free games for select Galaxy devices
Well, it seems as if the holiday freebies won't stop coming. Chances are, if you own a smartphone you're an app collectionista (sorry, guys), and if you've got a certain Samsung Galaxy device in particular you're about to get a major boost to your application arsenal. In the spirit of the holidays, or maybe its 100 million downloads, Sammy's going to hook you up with some free virtual treats from its Apps store. The selection of up to 16 games won't be available for the entire line of galactic phones -- and may vary by region -- but if you own a Galaxy WiFi 5.0, Galaxy S II, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Ace or Galaxy Gio, then you are amongst the lucky ones. Included in the deal are games such as: Air Penguin, Air Attack HD, Bubble Fish, Samurai 2 and a few others (full list after the break). There's no word on when the bargain ends, so hop into the store before you miss out.
T-Mobile, Motorola respond to Senator Franken's Carrier IQ questions
The deadline has passed for T-Mobile and Motorola to respond to Senator Al Franken's Carrier IQ questionnaire, and both companies' reports are in. We'll first tackle T-Mobile's letter: the carrier stated that it began installing CIQ last August, and nearly 450,000 Android and BlackBerry devices are infested with the IQ Agent software, which is used for individual troubleshooting cases and marketing purposes. This is a more moderate use than Sprint or AT&T, which both mentioned that it was actively pinging their CIQ-enabled phones to collect data on service and wireless performance on their networks. Nine T-Mobile devices in total contain the IQ Agent: the HTC Amaze 4G, Samsung Galaxy S II and Exhibit II 4G, LG MyTouch and MyTouchQ, LG DoublePlay and the BlackBerry 9900, 9810 and 9360. Motorola, meanwhile, admitted that CIQ is installed on four of its devices: the Admiral, Titanium, Bravo and Atrix 2. While this rounds up all of the companies that were asked by Senator Franken to respond, we're still anxious to see what kind of effect this will have. We've already witnessed one major change, as Sprint's agreed to disable the software on its phones, but who's next? Where do we go from here?
Engadget's Holiday Blues-buster 2011: win a Samsung Galaxy S II, courtesy of Broadcom!
We continue into Day 3 of our week-long Holiday Blues-buster giveaway, in which we're handing out a top-of-the-line gadget to a lucky reader every single day! Today Broadcom is hoping to "connect everything" by hooking you up with an unlocked GT-I9100 Samsung Galaxy S II. That's right -- the original and international version. So if you've been following along in our contest, you know what to do. All of our newcomers, head below to the peek at the rules before entering. Good luck!
