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Mobile Miscellany: week of February 4th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought the arrival of Cricket's first waterproof smartphone and Three introduced an updated Galaxy S III known as the Ultrafast. Not to stop there, we'll take a trip to India to highlight the latest value-oriented smartphone. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of February 4th, 2013.
Leaked T-Mobile doc pins BlackBerry Z10, Galaxy S III LTE for March 27th launch
Hankering for some fresh T-Mobile devices with LTE connectivity? According to a leaked roadmap courtesy of Mr. Blurrycam and TmoNews, Magenta will satisfy that craving on March 27th with the BlackBerry Z10, Samsung Galaxy Exhibit (in both pre-paid and monthly plan varieties) and the Sonic 2.0 LTE mobile hotspot. An LTE flavor of the Galaxy S III is also penciled in for March 27th, but the roadmap notes it could be available starting April 3rd instead. February's only just begun, but T-Mobile seems to have its springtime planned out pretty well ahead of time.
Refresh Roundup: week of January 28th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. 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!
NPD: Apple tops Q4 US smartphone sales, Samsung a strong second place
Nothing super-shocking in this latest report from NPD -- not after seeing fairly similar numbers from Strategy Analytics not all that long ago, that is. According to the research group, Apple's leading the pack at 39-percent of US smartphone sales in the final quarter of last year -- that number's down from 41-percent this time last year. Bigger changes are afoot over at Samsung, however. The handset maker jumped from 21- to 30-percent from the same time last year, thanks in no small part to demand for the Galaxy S III. Go figure, NPD's top five list is dominated entirely by iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S iterations -- in fact, combined, the two manufacturers make up some 70-percent of sales. Motorola is in at a distant third, with seven-percent of sales, followed by HTC and LG, each at six-percent.
Which T-Mobile smartphones will support LTE?
It's no secret that T-Mobile is on the cusp of lighting up its first LTE network in Las Vegas, but with Kansas City soon to follow -- and ambitions of extending LTE coverage to 100 million Americans by mid-year -- it's time to start factoring this consideration into your next smartphone purchase. While the carrier's HSPA+ 42 network is certainly speedy, there's no point in saddling yourself with a device that's rooted in the past. Want to make sure you're ready for what comes next? Read on for everything you need to know.
CyanogenMod 10.1 Milestone 1 hits Nexus and Samsung devices
Despite all the nightly builds of CyanogenMod 10.1, there hasn't been much of anything definitive to hang our hats on. There's at last some sense of reliability now that Milestone 1 versions have hit the servers. Most Nexus devices, as well as swaths of Samsung's Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab 2 ranges, can get the unofficial Android 4.2 build for themselves. The M1 code is deemed "mostly stable" and good enough for daily use, although that's relative -- it's not yet to the level of a fully stable build, let alone factory firmware. If you only needed fewer risks than before, though, the downloads and details await at the source links. [Thanks, Rashid]
Refresh Roundup: week of January 14th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. 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!
AT&T to begin pushing OTA Jelly Bean update to Galaxy S III users today
Owners of the Samsung Galaxy S III on AT&T have had the opportunity to download and install Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) since early December, but the rollout was kept rather quiet and the ROM was limited to ambitious souls willing to install and use Kies -- Samsung's proprietary desktop software -- to get it. Finally, AT&T has told us that an OTA (over-the-air) update will be available beginning today to anyone who is still using Ice Cream Sandwich, though it'll require a WiFi connection. Still, this is a much better situation for the vast majority of GS3 users who may not have even realized that an update was even offered to them in the first place.
Samsung Galaxy S series: over 100 million served
The Galaxy S III's 30 million sales landmark? Impressive, but still just part of a larger equation -- according to Samsung, its entire line of Galaxy S phones has now sold over 100 million units collectively. According to the firm's Flickr page, the line of popular smartphones passed the nine-digit mark two years and 7 months after the original Galaxy S hit the market. Since then, the Galaxy S II has sold over 40 million units, doubling its sales since February. New iterations old hardware and up and comers like the Galaxy S III mini contribute to the big number too, but Sammy puts the focus on old number three, citing 190,000 as the Galaxy S III's average daily sales. So, that's what it takes to sell 500 phones a minute.
Refresh Roundup: week of January 7th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. 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!
T-Mobile claims to be first US carrier with HD Voice calling nationwide
T-Mobile has an extra surprise in store: it's rolling out HD Voice calling nationwide, and claims to be the first US carrier with the achievement. Those who have a smartphone capable of the feat, such as the HTC One S, Nokia Astound or Samsung Galaxy S III, can get both higher quality calls and fewer noticeable distractions in the background. Upgraded quality is available as of today, which should help us get some extra mileage out of that new unlimited plan.
Fitbit Flex hands-on at CES 2013 (video)
Fitbit's been in the fitness-tracking game for a while now, but today marks its first official entry into the wearable band space. Shown off here at CES 2013, the Flex is a wireless band much in the vein of Nike's Fuelband and Jawbone's rebooted Up. But while it shares many similarities with those existing products, there are a few very notable areas where it breaks apart from the pack-- namely, the inclusion of Bluetooth 4.0. Now, health nuts can wirelessly update their stats to an iPhone or limited selection of Android (!) devices via that standard without having to manually sync. While it doesn't boast the Yves Behar design that Jawbone fancies, the Flex should prove to be a welcome accessory for fashion conscious consumers. To that end, it comes in five different colors -- navy, black, tangerine, slate and teal -- and features a thin strip of LEDs that can be activated by a simple tap. Those lights, five in total, each represent 20-percent towards a user's assigned goal, so current progress can be easily monitored. And, as you might expect, there's a vibration motor within the band to alert users based on settings made from the companion app. The Flex is indeed a waterproof product and can be worn in the shower or even the swimming pool, though we wouldn't advise you take it diving. Despite this H20 resistance, the Flex won't track your butterfly strokes (or doggie paddles), but it will keep count of your steps, calories burned, sleep and distance walked. Perhaps one of the most welcome innovations of this particular wearable is its ability to play friendly with Android -- specifically, the Samsung Galaxy Note II and Galaxy S III. Users who purchase this band will be able to download that app from Google Play at the end of January. Further, there's one additional perk for Android users: the ability to tap-to-pair with NFC. In theory, this functionality should provide users with easy access to their stats, but we (in addition to the company's many reps) had significant trouble triggering the action on repeated occasions. If you've been monitoring the fitness-tracking space, but have been holding out for a band that offers just a little extra, then it's worth considering the Flex. You can look for it to hit this spring for $100. Stay tuned for a video demo of the Flex in action. Sarah Silbert contributed to this report.
Samsung estimates $8.3 billion in profits for Q4, brags about phone sales
What's the lion's share look like in sales numbers? About 500 handsets a minute, according to Samsung. The Korean hardware giant flaunted the sales estimate in its Q4 investors guidance, where it says it expects to see $8.3 billion in profits when the official earnings report drops later this month. That's just shy of double what it reported over the same period in 2011. Sammy contributes the growth to a plentiful supply of regional variants of handsets like the Galaxy S III and Note II, as well as high demand for its display technology. The streak may not keep forever though, according to Reuters, analysts are predicting a first quarter slump without a new Galaxy S phone for the spring. We'll have to wait for the full earnings release to see how things pan out, but it doesn't look like the firm will be hurting for cash any time soon.
Samsung working on fix for 'sudden death' bug affecting some Galaxy S III owners
If you own a Galaxy S III that appears to have suffered some form of cardiac arrest, failing suddenly for no apparent reason, Samsung is aware of the problem, and is working on a fix. The issue, being referred to in the forums as "sudden death," seems to be relatively rare: a Samsung spokesperson told Tweakers that the problem affects "only a very limited number" of devices. So far, we know the problem applies to users running the stock software, as well as custom ROMs. For whatever reason, too, these defective models are all 16GB variants, according to Samsung. In any case, Sammy says it will push out a firmware update to correct the problem, though the company hasn't said when that patch will be ready. [Thanks, Zhewei]
Samsung rolling out Exynos security patch to UK Galaxy S III owners
A few weeks back a security exploit was discovered that left owners of select Exynos-powered Samsung devices feeling uneasy. While an independent developer quickly cooked up a fix, Samsung soon acknowledged the issue and pledged that an official patch was in the works. UK Galaxy S III owners can now breathe a sigh of relief, as Sammy has made good on its word and is now issuing an over-the-air update that addresses this potential security flaw. While we're happy to see Samsung actively working on this issue, there's still no word of when the company will release this fix to other devices and additional regions. Hopefully the software's ongoing European tour is a sign of things to come globally.
Vodafone's Nearly New program entices penny-pinchers with pre-owned smartphones
If you cherish saving coin and don't mind owning secondhand devices, Vodafone's Nearly New program is angling to hook you up with previously-loved smartphones. The UK firm's new effort takes handsets returned by users in "very good condition," repackages them with the appropriate accessories and doles them out at cheaper prices with pay-as-you-go or contract plans. According to Vodafone, the offering is particularly aimed at bringing pay-as-you-go users into the smartphone fold without breaking the bank. Available devices will vary each month based on return inventory, but the outfit already has iOS and Android choices on tap. Customers happy with off-contract service can choose between an iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4, with an 8GB flavor of the latter ringing up at £250. Folks who have their eye on a contract plan can pick between a Samsung Galaxy S III, which is free with a £33 subscription, or an HTC One X. On-contract Nearly New devices are already available online and in select stores, while commitment-free phones are up for grabs in-store and will find their way online next week.
Samsung offers free flip covers and TecTiles for GS III and Note II device registrations
If you just received a Galaxy S III or a Note II this holiday season, you could do yourself a favor and register it on Samsung's Facebook page to get even more goodies from Santa Sammy. What do you get in exchange for handing over some personal details and giving the Korean company access to your timeline? Why, a free flip cover and six TecTiles, which usually go for about $15 for a pack of five. We haven't heard much about wide adoption of these programmable NFC tags, but maybe it'll gain some traction after a recent 3.0 app update and this promotional giveaway. We're not sure why the offer doesn't extend to other Samsung phones, but maybe they just don't have enough of those pastel covers to go around.
Samsung Galaxy S III 'Premium Suite' upgrade arrives in the UK today
Pining for the multi-window app skills of the Galaxy S III's bigger brother? Well it looks like the UK iteration is belatedly getting its own premium suite. Already heavily trailed by Samsung itself, you'll get 'best face', low light mode camera feature, stereo sound balancing, alongside a now customizable notification panel, smart rotation and several more software improvements. Better still, Samsung tells us that the upgrade is rolling out across devices in the British Isles now.
This is the Modem World: You Use THAT?
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. That's what she said to me. "You use THAT?!" she repeated, pointing at my humble iPhone 4. "Is that even a 4S?" she stepped back as she glanced for backup. "Aren't you some techie?" her friend joined in. I felt like I had been caught with my pants down. I had to prove my tech worthiness to these girls. I had a reputation to protect.
Samsung acknowledges Exynos security issue, promises update 'as quickly as possible'
It may have taken longer than we would have liked, but Samsung has finally confirmed that it's aware of the Exynos security exploit discovered this weekend. The smartphone maker hasn't issued a timeline for plugging the hole, but it is indeed on the case, stating "Samsung is aware of the potential security issue related to the Exynos processor and plans to provide a software update to address it as quickly as possible." Project Voodoo's François Simond (Supercurio) released his own root-free fix just hours after the vulnerability was discovered on Sunday, so you're welcome to use that simple solution in the meantime (at the source link below). You can also head over to Android Central for the full statement from Samsung.
