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Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 hitting Verizon on March 1st for $500 on contract
The Galaxy Note 10.1 may be the flavor of the week at Mobile World Congress, but those waiting to get their hands on the well-reviewed (and considerably smaller) Galaxy Tab 7.7 on contract here in the States will get their wish in the very near future. Verizon let it be known today that the "world's thinnest 4G LTE tablet" will be hitting its network on March 1st. Such superlatives don't come cheap, however -- Samsung's 7.7-inch Honeycomb slate is going to run you $499.99 plus a two-year contract. Start saving those pennies and peep the press info after the break.
Samsung / Blockbuster reportedly sign streaming deal in Oz, US and Europe next?
We know Samsung's been ramping up its home entertainment arsenal. Now, recent intel acquired by the folks at SmartHouse suggests that the Korean outfit's about to dive into deeper waters, after reportedly striking a deal in Australia. The pact, that's yet to become official, would give the manufacturer access to the plethora of films available from your favorite blue-and-yellow video store, which could then be streamed to your beloved Galaxy handset or Tab, as well as Sammy-branded Smart TVs, Blu-ray players and laptops. Furthermore, the report claims Samsung's got a friendly billing system in the works that'd allow easy access to the content on your devices. It's expected to hit US and Euro shores "as early as September." Until then you'll have to stick with the good ol' Redbox kiosks.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 probably gets a thumbs-up from the FCC
Unless Samsung's produced yet another 7-inch tablet that's unannounced, we can be reasonably sure that the slate seen departing the FCC's underground bunker is the Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0). Eagle-eyed viewers will notice the back plate in the image above resembles the Tab 7.0 Plus -- but don't write in just yet, as the documents confirm the GT-P310 (Plus) schematic was used to disguise this new GT-P3113. The usual multimeter-and-ruler prodding revealed there's a Broadcom radio module with 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 tucked inside. It jibes with what we've heard about an initial UK release for the device in March, but perhaps the company is ensuring it has worldwide approval, or that the USA can start getting excited about the budget ICS device a little sooner than expected.
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.
LTE-equipped Galaxy Tab 8.9 gets European approval
LTE isn't quite as wide spread in the Old World as it is over here in the western hemisphere but, as many European countries race to get their 4G deployed, top notch devices are already starting to roll in. The GT-P7320, better known as the Galaxy Tab 8.9, just passed through the Global Certification Forum, bound for unspecified EU nation. This particular model supports both HSPA on the 900MHz and 2100MHz bands, and LTE over 800MHz and 2.6GHz. Carrier, release date, price -- pretty much everything about the device's debut is a mystery at this point. But, with Mobile World Congress just a couple of weeks away, we're sure it won't hold on to its secrets for long.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 review (global edition)
Within an 11-day period last fall, Engadget published reviews of two different Samsung Galaxy tablets. At the time, we felt the company was turning into a caricature of itself, with slates in every conceivable size, including 10.1, 8.9 and 7 inches. Mostly, though, if we sounded exasperated with Sammy's "see what sticks" strategy, it was because the outfit unveiled not one, but two 7-inchers over the course of a month. One of these, the 7.0 Plus, went on sale in the US back in November, with mid-range specs and a mid-range price to match its in-between size. But that tablet always felt like a consolation prize next to our second contender, the Galaxy Tab 7.7, which brings a brushed metal back, 10-hour battery and Super AMOLED Plus, 1280 x 800 display. Even on paper, it always seemed promising. Special.Maddeningly, though, those of us here in the states still can't buy one through the likes of Best Buy and Amazon, and though Verizon Wireless plans to sell an LTE-enabled version, we know scant few details about when it will arrive, how much it will cost or whether there will be an off-contract option. Luckily for us, our friends over at Negri Electronics hooked us up with an international model, one with 16GB of internal storage and WiFi, HSPA+ and EDGE / GPRS radios -- a doozy of a tablet that would cost you $668.50 if you were to import it to the US. (You can buy it domestically if you live in select markets like the UK.) So is the product novel enough to warrant that novelty price? Find the answer to that question and more after the break.
Apple expands Australian lawsuit against Samsung with 278 new claims
Apple stepped up its legal campaign against Samsung by expanding its Australian lawsuit to include 278 new claims which cover 22 patents and ten devices. The original suit, filed last year, targeted only the Galaxy Tab 10.1, which Apple claimed violated less than five of its patents. Samsung lead barrister Neil Young spoke to The Australian, and said Apple "enormously" expanded its legal claim against Samsung. He confirmed the Korean company was given "days notice" of this expanded claim and may need until mid-May to prepare properly for its defense. Last December 2011, the case took a turn in favor of Samsung when a judge overturned Apple's injunction banning the sale of the Galaxy 10.1 tablet. Samsung was able to obtain this reversal just in time to catch the end of the holiday shopping season. [Via The Next Web]
BLU Studio 5.3 and Touch Book 7.0 hands-on
You know handset vendors like Samsung, LG, HTC and Motorola. You've probably even heard that manufacturers such as Pantech, Sharp and Acer produce phones as well. But have you ever heard of BLU? If you haven't, don't worry -- you'd be in the ranks of the 99 percent. Calling itself the "leader of the Latin America market with vision to expand worldwide," the outfit is nothing if not confident about its stature in developing countries. In the US, however, it's a completely different story: here, BLU is a virtual unknown: a low-profile brand, selling unlocked phones and tablets via e-tailers at bargain-basement prices.Our friends at Negri Electronics hooked us up with the BLU Studio 5.3 ($260) and BLU Touch Book 7.0 ($230) for a short time, giving us the chance to play around with them for a little bit. Rather than doing a full review on both items, we felt it was more appropriate to first give the product lineup a formal introduction to the site. BLU, meet Engadget. Engadget, BLU. Let's dive in.
German court denies Apple request for preliminary ban on Galaxy Tab 10.1N and Galaxy Nexus sales
You win some, and you lose some, right, Apple? Hot on the heels of its latest victory in Dusseldorf keeping the Galaxy Tab 10.1 out of Deutschland, Apple was denied similar satisfaction in Munich today. Bloomberg's reporting that the Munich Regional Court denied Cupertino's motion to exclude Sammy's 10.1N and Galaxy Nexus from store shelves due to infringement of a touchscreen patent granted last year. While details of the ruling itself are scarce, the judge apparently rejected Apple's overtures because the patent in question is likely invalid due to the market presence of the same technology before the patent was granted. Of course, the 10.1N's not out of the woods yet, as next week the aforementioned court in Dusseldorf will pass judgment on Sammy's reworked slate. So, pop some popcorn folks, these legal fireworks are far from over.
US Cellular intros first LTE devices: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G and Galaxy S Aviator 4G
US Cellular's had its LTE network in the oven for quite some time, and we knew it was going to be showing up sometime next month. The missing part of the equation, however, was which devices would ring in the celebration. The carrier finally answered the mystery question: the first tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G, will be the inaugural device and is expected to arrive in March, while the Galaxy S Aviator 4G should be gracing store shelves sometime in April. We don't expect to see any surprises with the Galaxy Tab, but the Aviator definitely has us curious. At first glance, it appears to be the same design as the Droid Charge, and will offer a 4.3-inch WVGA Super AMOLED Plus display, run on Android 2.3.6 and come with a 8MP rear camera, front-facing cam and HDMI port. We're hoping to get more specs for your enjoyment, but enjoy the press release in the meantime.
Apple denied new appeal for Galaxy Tab 10.1 ban by Dutch court
A Dutch appeals court has dismissed Apple's appeal to have the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 banned in the Netherlands on Tuesday. The move confirmed the Dutch lower court's ruling from last year which stated that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 were not a copy of Apple's popular iPad. This legal back-and-forth between Apple and Samsung has been going on for a long time, and there's no sign of either corporation backing down. At one point, Samsung even credited Apple with the Galaxy Tab's popularity, billing it as "The tablet Apple tried to stop."
Dutch court rejects Apple appeal, says Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is legal
A court in the Hague has just cleared the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 for sale in the Netherlands, rejecting Apple's requests for a nationwide ban. As NU.nl reports, a different Dutch court had already issued a similar ruling in October, which Cupertino promptly appealed, claiming that Sammy's slate was too similar to its own iPad 2. Today, though, the Court of the Hague shot down Apple's arguments, determining that there are enough differences between the two products to legally justify their coexistence. Granted, this is only one of many patent battles that the two companies are currently waging, but for today, at least, it looks like Samsung has come out on top. [Thanks, Rolfski]
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 to release newly-designed Galaxy Tab 7.0N in Germany
Samsung may be bold when it comes to its Apple fanboy commercials, but the handset maker is starting to back down on some of its products. According to BestBoyz.de, the tablet manufacturer is releasing a newly-designed Galaxy Tab 7.0N in Germany that does not infringe on Apple's patents or trademarks. The tablet includes a 7-inch Plane Switching LCD panel, 16 GB of internal storage, 3.2-megapixel rear camera with 720P recording, 1.2-megapixel front camera, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, and Android 3.0.2 Honeycomb. This model is slated for a German only release. It'll be available in white and metallic grey and will retail for €600 (about $770). [Via Engadget]
Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 7.0 Plus get bleached, on sojourn in Vietnam
Release a device in black to much furor, and then follow it up a white variant later. That's a game Samsung's been playing all too well lately, and its latest are all-white versions of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 7.0 Plus. Otherwise identical to their existing counterparts, the duo spotted by Tran Quoc Huy in Vietnam extend the alabaster luster all the way to the bezel. Catch them in a cornucopia of photographic evidence at the source.[Thanks, Sahil]
Samsung to release Galaxy Tab 7.0N in Germany, with new form factor
Samsung has yet to receive a verdict on its lawsuit-circumventing Galaxy Tab 10.1N, but the manufacturer apparently feels pretty confident about its chances. Today, Samsung announced a new, Germany-specific version of its Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, with the launch of the Galaxy Tab 7.0N. Slated to hit the market later this month, this seven-inch slate features many of the same specs you'll find on its Honeycomb-coated predecessor, save for a front-facing speaker upgrade and, of course, a redesigned form factor. For now, it's only slated to launch in Germany, where it'll retail for about €600 (about $770).
Live from Samsung's CES 2012 press event!
What kind of magesty does Samsung have for us at this year's CES? Smaller tablets? Bigger phones? Tabletphones of an average size? Kids named Zoll who come complete with their own dancing team? We're expecting the former, hoping for the latter, and ready to roll which ever way this turns out. Join us for the fun.
Samsung: No room for ICS on Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab, TouchWiz to blame
We already knew that Samsung's Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab wouldn't be packing Ice Cream Sandwich, as both were omitted from the roadmap the company released earlier this week. Now we know why: an official blog post explains that, thanks to TouchWiz, Samsung Widgets and Video Calls, there isn't enough space left on the devices' ROM to hold the fourth generation of Google's OS. Depending on your interpretation, there also seems to be an issue with unsatisfactory performance, which makes us raise an eyebrow in Sammy's general direction. We're sure that we won't have to wait too long before some users take matters into their own hands and boot TouchWiz from the face of their phones in a quest for some delicious ice-creamy goodness.
Galaxy Tab 8.9 gets a taste of homemade Ice Cream Sandwich (video)
So we know that Google's latest and greatest OS is headed to the Galaxy Tab 8.9 at some undefined point in 2012. But Samsung's promise of a future update just isn't enough to sate the appetites of a certain enterprising subset of Android users. With their hunger for Ice Cream Sandwich guiding their hands, a trio of XDA members decided to whip up a homebrew version of 4.03 for their Sammy tabs. While the bootable builds, of which there are now three, are far from complete, an update over on the site's dedicated forum notes that Bluetooth, GPS, hardware acceleration and the accelerometer are now functioning, with efforts continuing to enable WiFi. If you were hoping to sample a slice of these early ROMs, you're out of luck -- the group's decided to refrain from offering downloads until the ports are complete. Think you can hold out for the unofficial goods? Then check out the source below to keep up with the project's progress and, while you're at it, skip on past the break for a brief video demo.
German court's preliminary ruling says Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1N isn't aping the iPad
Round a few corners, a bit of nip-tuck and a tossed-on N. Oh, and probably just being sick and tired of the whole ordeal. We're assuming that's the recipe for getting the Cupertino-sourced gorilla off of Samsung's back, as a judge at the district court in Düsseldorf, Germany just issued a preliminary ruling that effectively clears the Galaxy Tab 10.1N from claims that it too mimics the iconic iPad. If you'll recall, the court blocked German sales of the original Tab 10.1 back in September, following Apple's arguments that Sammy's tab just looked too much like the iPad. Not surprisingly, the subtly-redesigned Tab 10.1N still drew fire from Apple's lawyers, but it's looking like they'll be riding home on the losing train this go 'round. A final verdict is expected on February 9th, of which we're sure you'll be resting uneasily on the edge of your seat to hear the result of. Courtroom fever -- catch it!
