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Samsung wants to block iPhone 4S sales in France, Italy
There's nothing like major corporations acting like a bunch of kids on a playground. As you remember, Samsung and Apple have been locked in a patent infringement lawsuit for quite some time. Apple is trying (quite successfully, I may add) to block the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10 tablet in several countries, so now Samsung is playing tit-for-tat and wants to block sales of the brand new iPhone 4S in France and Italy. Samsung said in a statement that they'll file a pair of preliminary injunction requests in Paris and Milan, stating that the iPhone 4S infringes on two patents related to WCDMA standards for 3G-enabled devices. The South Korean manufacturer plans to make a major assault on the 4S, stating that it will pursue injunctions in other countries as well. Samsung wasted no time in sending out marketing materials panning the 4S while touting the Galaxy S II Android phone. The statement from Samsung states "Apple has continued to flagrantly violate our intellectual property rights and free ride on our technology. We believe it is now necessary to take legal action to protect our innovation." Apple has already successfully blocked (for now) the Galaxy tablets in Germany, as well as some Samsung smartphone models in the Netherlands. Samsung says that Apple hasn't paid licensing fees for some of its patents relating to wireless technology, while Apple says that Samsung never demanded a license fee until last year, being mum before that time because Apple is a huge Samsung customer. In addition to the iPhone 4S, Samsung is claiming that the iPhone 3G, 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPad 2 all infringe on its wireless-technology patents. Stay tuned to TUAW as we keep track of the latest shots fired in what is becoming a full-fledged war between the two companies.
Samsung takes a swipe at iPhone 4S already
Samsung didn't waste any time comparing its flagship Samsung Galaxy S II handset to Apple's recently announced iPhone 4S. The South Korean manufacturer sent out a note to the press detailing why its Android handset is superior to Apple's latest offering. According to Samsung, the Galaxy S II display has 42% more screen area than the iPhone 4. It notes that "screen size benefits scale by AREA (length x width), not just diagonal." The Galaxy S II is also the thinnest handset on the market and has faster HSPA+ network speeds than the iPhone 4S. Not surprisingly, Samsung couldn't help but point out Android is supposedly an "open ecosystem" while iOS is limited to single manufacturer's storefront or app store. Of course, the Korean manufacturer failed to mention all those Trojan horses and other malware that are lurking in this open system of apps.
iPhone 4S vs. the smartphone elite: Galaxy S II, Bionic and Titan
Now that we know how the iPhone 4S stacks up against the iPhone 4, let's take a look at how Apple's latest smartphone compares to its mightiest competitors on the other major platforms -- Android and Windows Phone. In Google's camp we chose the superlative Samsung Galaxy S II models (focusing on the announced US variants) along with the Motorola Droid Bionic for its qHD and LTE chops. We then picked the upcoming HTC Titan to bat for Microsoft's team. RIM's not included here since it's still stuck in the junior leagues. We left out the intriguing Nokia N9 because it's a niche player. Check out the fancy table after the break -- the results are pretty clear cut!
Samsung's Media Hub Beta program for Galaxy S II owners adds some points to your Smart TV's IQ
Media Hub is nothing new to those toting Galaxy Tabs or Galaxy S phones. However, bigger screens are always better whether you're watching 30 Rock or MacGruber, right? Good thing Sammy's launched a beta program for its video service that lets those who are selected see all their favorite shows and movies on their Smart TVs. Just register at the source link below, and Samsung will send those it selects an email invitation to download the Media Hub Beta application. The catch (there's always a catch) -- it's only available to Galaxy S II owners, and your Smart TV must be a 2011 model. But, if you do hit the Media Hub Beta lotto, the company's handing out $25 voucher to use with the service. As if you needed another reason to go get Samsung's superphone.
White Galaxy S II gets not-so-festive October launch in Canada
Smartphone obsessives in Canada will be getting their hands on some snowy Galaxy S II goodness sooner rather than later. Yes, Samsung's dual-core bestseller has been leaked with an October 7th launch date on Bell, with prices matching the dark original: CAD$599.95 off-contract or CAD$149.95 for three years. And we know all phones look better in white, right?
Refresh Roundup: week of September 26, 2011
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 from 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! Official Android updates The top story this week revolves around the HTC Thunderbolt's long-awaited Gingerbread OTA update. It was finally rolling out, which was exciting news for owners of the device -- until it had to be pulled because of some rather significant bugs. The largest of them all was that voicemail notifications no longer worked properly; video chatting through Google Talk was also slightly messed up as well. No word on when we can expect to see it come back with those bugs fixed. [Droid-Life] Unfortunately, the Thunderbolt isn't the only phone falling victim to pulled revamps; the LG Optimus S on Sprint had its Gingerbread update kiboshed, though users have had two weeks to get it -- plenty of time for anyone to experience some of the bugs, which included the phone not charging, the SD card not being recognized when the phone's connected to the computer, no access to data services, and predictive text on the virtual keyboard stopped working. It's disappointing to see this happen so soon after the Kyocera Echo update went through a similar debacle. [SprintFeed] LG Optimus 3D: V10K firmware update, enables phone to convert OpenGL-capable 2D games into stereoscopic 3D. Note: this still runs Android 2.2.2, so we're still waiting for Gingerbread. [AndroidCentral] Motorola Xoom WiFi: Android 3.2.1 is beginning to roll out. [AndroidCentral] Dell Streak 7: Honeycomb update rolling out now to unspecified regions [AndroidCentral] Asus Eee Pad Transformer: Revamped to Android 3.2.1, adds other bug fixes [AndroidCommunity] Casio G'Zone Commando: Gingerbread rolling out now [Droid-Life] Motorola Droid 3: Minor maintenance refresh; enhances Google Talk with video chat support, several other fixes. [PhoneDog] T-Mobile Samsung Nexus S: OTA install (with option to manually install) to Android 2.3.6; doesn't appear to break tethering. [AndroidCentral] Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery The Android 2.3.5 ROM for the global Samsung Galaxy S II leaked early this week. [Pocketnow, SamFirmware] You can now download the Android 2.3.4 SBF for the Motorola Droid X2, courtesy of XDA. [Droid-Life] If you have a Sony Ericsson Xperia-branded device from 2010 or 2011, CyanogenMod7 support will most likely come included as part of an upcoming update. Ten Xperia devices will be added, though a timeframe for release wasn't announced. Check here to see if your device made the list. [XperiaBlog] Other platforms Check here to see if your phone is ready to receive Windows Phone Mango. The ultra-rare AT&T HP Pre 3 just received an OTA update to 2.2.3.2207, right after a new webOS Doctor became available for the same refresh. [PreCentral] Refreshes we covered this week Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update now rolling out How to force Mango to your phone right away Samsung Taylor receiving Mango?
Samsung Galaxy S II now available on AT&T for $200
October 2nd. Boy, the date sure creeped up on us, but it's here regardless -- the Samsung Galaxy S II has finally debuted on AT&T. Many of you who've been waiting several months for a subsidized GSM model in the US may find it hard to believe that you're able to head on over to the carrier's site and purchase one for a couple C-notes. Rest assured, we've checked it out ourselves and it's really, really there, waiting for you to click that "add to cart" button. So if the style and carrier fit your fancy, friends, carpe diem. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II review
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus now shipping from Amazon Google confirms Android security issue, server-side fix rolling out today Engadget's holiday gift guide 2011: smartphones Here comes the second episode of a thrilling three-part saga. Not content with simply selling ten million units of the GT-I9100 -- its flagship device -- in the course of the last five months, Samsung's ready to flood the good ol' US of A with a healthy dose of the Galaxy S II, and it has three carriers -- Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile -- already signed up on the dotted line. The Epic 4G Touch has already made its way into stores (not to mention the hearts of customers), and Ma Bell's next in line to appease the masses. This time, things are a smidge different. Whereas Sprint opted to enlarge the screen and add in a few other select design tweaks, it appears that AT&T wanted to keep its variant -- appropriately named the Galaxy S II -- as close to the international smash hit as possible, opting for the same display size, squared corners and battery (albeit, with a twist). As it turns out, the tweaks are much more subtle than they were on last year's Samsung Captivate, which arguably looked almost nothing like the original Galaxy S. So does AT&T's model fit in with its two close compadres? Was its design choice the right decision for this go-round? Follow us below to get the full scoop. %Gallery-135231%
Samsung's Galaxy S II for T-Mobile proves that unicorns do exist (hands-on video)
After eluding our grubby little paws at its launch in New York and again this morning at Mobilize 2011, we're happy to report that we've finally caught up with T-Mobile's Galaxy S II. To recap, the carrier's permutation rocks the same WVGA 4.52-inch Super AMOLED Plus display as Sprint's Epic 4G Touch, but replaces Samsung's in-house 1.2GHz Exynos CPU with Qualcomm's dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S3 processor. T-Mobile tells us the brain swap was necessary as it wanted its variant to support 42Mbps HSPA+ on the network's AWS band (just like its cousin the Amaze 4G). Oh, and like AT&T's variant it comes with a little NFC glitter sprinkled on top. So is it the same delectable Galaxy S II as its European and Sprint counterparts? From our brief time with the handset, the transplant doesn't appear to have impacted performance at all -- it's just as snappy as ever. In terms of appearance, the phone sports a soft-touch matte black finish in back and its bezel is a lighter shade of chrome than used on its siblings. Check out our gallery below, and peek after the break for our hands-on video.Myriam Joire contributed to this report.%Gallery-134940%
T-Mobile makes Galaxy S II official at Mobilize: ships on October 12th for $230
Samsung might have already announced T-Mobile's variant of the Galaxy S II, but here at Mobilize the carrier's gone and revealed all the nitty-gritty details. We can now confirm that the 4.52-inch smartphone wields a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor clocked at 1.5GHz, eschewing Sammy's 1.2GHz Exynos found on its other stateside brethren. And much like the just announced Amaze 4G, it'll be one of the first phones to take advantage of the carrier's 42Mbps HSPA+ and T-Mobile TV functionality. The TouchWiz-covered, Gingerbread 2.3.5-sportin' superphone can be yours on October 10th for $229.99 (after a $50 mail in rebate) from Deutsche Telekom's website, or in stores and select dealers on the 12th. Stay tuned for an impending hands-on -- you can bide time by eying the PR after the break, or having a look at the gallery below. Keep up with our Mobilize 2011 coverage here! %Gallery-134906%
Samsung announces Galaxy S II LTE and Galaxy S II HD LTE handsets for Korean market
There's some pretty big news coming out of South Korea today, where Samsung has just announced the Galaxy S II LTE handset, along with its even more alluring cousin, the Galaxy S II HD LTE -- the first member of the Galaxy S family to rock an HD display. The new device, pictured on the right, boasts a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED screen with 1280 x 720 resolution, which translates to about 316 pixels per inch. Other than that, its specs are identical to those of the Gingerbread-laced S II LTE, which is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and features 16GB of internal memory, an eight megapixel camera that supports 1080p HD video and the usual collection of WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC capabilities. No word yet on pricing or availability, but the Galaxy S II LTE will be available exclusively on SK Telecom, while the HD variant will be available on all three Korean carriers -- SK Telecom, LG U+ and KT. Full PR after the break.
Samsung moves ten million Galaxy S II smartphones, pats itself on the back
Since its debut in April, Samsung claims to have moved 10 million Galaxy S IIs -- not quite iPhone numbers (which sold 20 million units in Q2 alone), but still quite impressive. It's especially noteworthy since, at the end of July, only five million had passed into customers' hands. In just eight weeks the number of Galaxy S IIs sold has doubled, and Sammy's flagship device has yet to even make a dent here in the US. At this rate the S II is set to far eclipse its ubiquitous predecessor's sales figures, which took over seven months to hit the same milestone. Check out the self-congratulatory PR after the break.
Samsung releases AT&T Galaxy S II kernel source far in advance of the phone's release
Whoever's cranking out the kernel source in Samsung's headquarters has some serious aspirations. Cooking it up for the Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch the day it was released was a rather snappy process, but the manufacturer's managed to one-up even itself by pushing out AT&T's version a full week and a half early. Talk about an exciting deal for developers, who now have a sizable head start ahead of the Galaxy S II's October 2nd launch. Not too shabby, right? Let's see exactly what those with the know-how can build in the meantime -- we predict customization options aplenty by the time the phone's officially stocked on store shelves. How early can we expect to see the kernel for T-Mobile's Galaxy S II? Hard to say, but for now you can grab the kernel source at... well, the source below.
Samsung Galaxy S II makes its AT&T debut October 2nd for $199 on contract
You've endured almost a year's worth of Galaxy S II teasing, so what's a few more weeks? AT&T's swiftly sped past its "coming soon" announcement for Sammy's heralded handset, now giving us a firm release date of October 2nd for its NFC-enabled variant. You can snag the 4.3-incher when it hits the carrier for $199.99 on a two-year contract, and choose from the usual array of data packages -- with $15/mo being the minimum required. Make sure to enter your deets at the source link below so you'll be first in line for this sure-fire, sell-out device.
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?
Touchstone mod blesses Samsung Epic 4G Touch with inductive charging powers
The Touchstone's future is just as unclear as any other webOS product at the moment, but it's sure getting a fair share of love from the mod community. Not only did we witness the inductive-charging unit work on a modded Samsung Galaxy S Plus, a bold and daring AndroidCentral Forums member also accomplished the feat on his three-day-old Epic 4G Touch in a process that's definitely not for the faint of heart. The modder (who goes by the name of "darrenf" on the forum) offers a full step-by-step guide on exactly how to do it, but advises that it's "a pretty delicate mod" and attempting it will likely void any warranties or return policies that were attached to the phone when purchased. It also doesn't result in the most aesthetically pleasing look since the charging coil had to be attached to the outside of the phone, but it's gotta give you some massive street cred if you pull it off, right?
Samsung countersues Apple in Australia, claims iPhone / iPad 2 violate its patents
Man. Exciting stuff, here. Stuff like lawyers yelling at each other in varied continents because "your stuff looks too much like my theoretical stuff." The long, winding and increasingly mind-numbing battle between Samsung and Apple has taken yet another turn in Australia, with the former slapping the latter with a bold countersuit. According to The Wall Street Journal, Sammy feels that the iPhone and iPad 2 both "violate a number of wireless technology patents held by Samsung." Spokesman Nam Ki-yung stated the following: "To defend our intellectual property, Samsung filed a cross claim for Apple's violation of Samsung's wireless technology patents." The suit is being filed just days / weeks before a ruling will decide on whether the Galaxy Tab 10.1 can be legally sold Down Under, and in related news, Samsung is also appealing a recent ruling back in Germany. If ever the world needed an out-of-court settlement...
Refresh Roundup: week of September 12, 2011
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 from 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! Official Android updates The HTC Merge on US Cellular can now be bumped up to Android 2.3.4. It appears to be a manual install, so visit here to download the file and learn exactly how to update your device. [via UnwiredView] HTC has added another device to its growing list of phones and tablets that now support the HTCDev bootloader unlock tool. [via PocketDroid] The LG Optimus S on Sprint is now on the receiving end of an OTA Gingerbread rollout. [via UnwiredView] Great news, Samsung Infuse 4G users: you're getting an update. The bad news: it's a maintenance fix, rather than a full-out Gingerbread upgrade. Still, it may be worth the download if you have the time or opportunity. [via AndroidCentral] Samsung has released the kernel source for the Epic 4G Touch. [via PocketNow] Sprint's certainly getting a lot of love this week, and we're not done yet: the Motorola Photon 4G is beginning to push out another smallish bug fix meant to curb WiFi issues experienced by a few users, and appears to be a gradual rollout. [via SprintFeed] The original Motorola Droid X is expected to receive a maintenance refresh as early as tomorrow, which is intended to resolve a widespread issue with the keyboard. If you're in this category, definitely keep a close eye out on this space. [via Droid-Life] We're hearing that the Droid 2 R2-D2 update to Gingerbread, which we originally reported on last week, is officially rolling out to eager fanboys and fangirls countrywide. [via AndroidCentral] Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery Those CyanogenMod7 builds for the HTC Sensation and EVO 3D we were talking about last week? They're now available. As extremely early builds, download and flash at your own risk. [via AndroidCentral] Since we're talking so much about HTC, here's one more thing: you can now grab a ROM for your HTC Desire HD that enables the beats audio technology. [via GSMArena and Android Community] A dev has been hard at work pulling various Motorola Atrix ROMs and porting them over to the Droid X2. The first one available is plain vanilla Android 2.3.4, if you're just not feeling up to using MotoBlur (aka the now-nameless Moto UI). [via Droid-Life] The initial build of the Motorola Droid Bionic bootstrap is available for install, which essentially will enable you to bootstrap your recovery and create backups on your device. Custom ROMs still aren't around for the Bionic yet (although early builds of CM7 began showing up this week), but the bootstrap is a big step toward achieving that goal. [via Droid-Life] Other platforms Symbian's Anna update is continuing to expand support to more countries, including Italy, Switzerland, Taiwan and Turkey. The refreshes for the US, Canada and Australia -- according to an email from Nokia -- is expected to arrive within the next two weeks. [via MyNokiaBlog] Refreshes we covered this week AT&T Windows Phone 7 devices to receive Mango this fall BlackBerry PlayBook to get OTA update next month that will offer native email, calendar
4G Samsung Galaxy S II X coming to Telus, still as Herculean as ever
It looks like the Samsung Hercules name won't live on in mobile infamy, after all. Canadian carrier Telus is now the second (and last) company to shed the Greek God title in favor of the more traditional Galaxy S II moniker -- albeit with its own unique twist, of course. The company's got an official page up for its forthcoming flagship, dubbed the "4G Samsung Galaxy S II X." Talk about a mouthful, right? The device mirrors T-Mobile's version rather closely, improving upon the original model with a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, HSPA+ download speeds of up to 42Mbps and -- here's where it gets interesting -- a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU. We're still unsure of the chipmaker responsible for supporting the AWS 4G radio, but our money's on the Qualcomm APQ8060. The ever-frustrating "coming soon" is attached to the page, which seems to be fairly common practice with new phones lately; regardless, we imagine enough people will be willing to forgive and forget once their future toy decides to show up.
Samsung Epic 4G Touch now available to all on Sprint.com
Just can't wait to get your Epic 4G Touch order in? You're in luck, as the Sprint version of Samsung's powerhouse Galaxy S II is finally available on its website. It'll cost you a cool $199 with a new two-year contract (and after $300 instant savings), but we're sure the long wait for this dual core beauty to cross the ocean has left plenty of time to get one's financials in order. If you're somehow still not sure if this is for you there's always our review for an extra bit of convincing. Otherwise, just punch the source link, sit back, and wait for all the 4G WiMAX goodness Sprint can stuff into that 4.5-inch plastic shell. [Thanks, tiwey]