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T-Mobile's latest Galaxy S II update silently removed 'universal search' feature
As you may or may not know, there's been an issue related to the universal search feature inside a region-specific batch of Samsung Galaxy S IIIs; with the Korean company going as far as "inadvertently" removing it from some Euro handsets a while back, before eventually bringing it back to life. Now, thanks to great, thorough inspecting by the folks from Android Police, it appears T-Mobile's S II flavor is the latest galactic slab to have such searching trait completely wiped out from the device. Apparently, this took place during the T989UVLH1 update from T-Mo a couple of days ago, but much to everyone's surprise, mentions of any "universal search" tweaks were nowhere to be found on the changelog. More importantly, how's it looking on your end? Do let us know in the comments below.
Samsung Galaxy S II getting ICS upgrade March 15th, says Israeli Facebook page
It may come slightly too late for Caesar, but a post has appeared on Samsung Mobile IL's Facebook page saying that the long-awaited Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) update will reach GSII owners on March 15th. We're not fluent in Hebrew, and apparently neither is Google Translate, but it does suggest that the update will land on "tens of thousands of Galaxy SII devices" purchased in that country, either from "cellular companies in the country or directly from [Samsung]." Mazel tov and mabrouk. Let's just hope it signals the start of the global roll-out.Update: Amir, one of our readers from Tel Aviv has offered us a direct translation of the post: "We promised that we are working about that. You have waited patiently. And it's coming in March 15th: Android version 4, ICS, for tens of thousands of the Galaxy S2 owners that purchased it from the cellular company in Israel or directly from us. We are very excited in here towards the launch, hope that you too :)"[Thanks, Amir]
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 Epic 4G Touch gets torn down, confirms its epic crendentials
The Samsung Epic 4G Touch is a triumph of engineering, jamming oh-so-very-much into an oh-so-little frame. What better way to celebrate its wonderous design, than to tear it all down to its constituent parts, and then reassemble it? Thank the guys at iFixit, because they've already done it -- again. Interesting points include just a single EMI shield -- unlike some competitors -- which is great news for those looking to emulate a tear-down of their own Sprint-specific GSII. It could still prove to be a challenge, with both the glass panel and LCD apparently fused to the middle of the phone, meaning a replacement for that sumptuous 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen could prove costly. Click below for a pictorial blow-by-blow of the teardown, let's keep the drooling to a minimum, shall we?
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.
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]
