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Samsung's Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro slider join the bada OS party
Samsung's bada, heard of it? Samsung sure hopes so as it's betting heavily on the OS in its battle with Nokia to make cheap smartphones globally accessible. Today Samsung is introducing the Wave 2 (S5250) and Wave 2 Pro (S5330) QWERTY slider at CommunicAsia 2010. Both handsets are quad-band GPRS/EDGE (yup, no 3G) with 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1, a 3.2-inch TFT LCD, 3 megapixel camera with video recorder, A-GPS, and 80MB of memory with up to 16GB of microSD expansion. The all important user experience is handled by the TouchWiz 3.0 UI and bada's "social hub" that tightly knits together all your communications with contacts, be that over email, IM, or social networking sites. Both phones will be available in Russia and South East Asia starting in August.%Gallery-95202%
Google Maps, Facebook come to Samsung TVs & Blu-ray players
We still don't know if Samsung will put Google's Android into its TVs, but it has recently launched Google Maps and Facebook as a part of its existing Samsung Apps platform. There aren't a lot of details in the press release (included after the break) but buyers of most of the 2010 line HDTVs, Blu-ray players and HTIB systems should have access to them. We've seen demos of how Samsung Apps can tie phones and TVs together easily, but can a mere Google Maps app match the Google TVs ability to push info back and forth from device to device? The Facebook app on Xbox 360 is moderately useful if only as a way to browse photo albums on the HDTV, so we'll also be waiting to find out if it will at least match that functionality.
Google TV: Who is the competition and what are they saying about it?
The Google TV has landed and is already sending ripples through the marketplace, but what about all the companies already blending internet and TV? Whether they are already planning to work with the new initiative (Rovi), even more firmly staking a claim on their existing technology and vision for the connected TV (Microsoft, Yahoo), sounding like it's an option for the future (Samsung, VIZIO, Boxee) or already working on their own Android on TV projects (People of Lava, MIPS) each one should tell a little bit about where this market is headed in the coming months and years. Read on for their statements -- and a quick breakdown of what each is bringing to the table in case you weren't already running a network cable to your HDTV years ago. Update: Now with reactions from Roku and PlayOn!
Samsung's Android-powered S-Pad tablet with 7-inch Super AMOLED in August?
Know what's hot like 2001? Tablet computers. Just like that a product category has been reborn and proven viable as a money making machine. Now the scramble is on to fill the void by companies big and small. Samsung, a big name in the UMPC debacle (that's the Q1 to the right) with its own confirmed tablet ambitions, looks prepped to deliver product this summer if Korean pub Etnews is to be believed. First up, the OS: Android. Samsung's so-called "S-Pad" (the tentative name spawned under its S-Project initiative) will display Google's smartphone OS on a supposed 7-inch Super AMOLED display with WiFi and 3G data connectivity -- the latter supplied by SK Telecom who will supposedly help distribute the device. It'll also bring an iPad-esque USB dock and content from Kyobo books (Korea's largest bookstore) and Samsung's own Samsung Apps application store. If true, we should expect to see Samsung's S-Pad launch in August. While no price has been given you can expect the cost to be exorbitant thanks to that extra large Super AMOLED display unless SK Telecom can push it down through ample subsidies. [Thanks, JH Yee]
Samsung still thinking over Google TV?
By some reports Panasonic and Samsung were going to easily pass on Sony / Google / Intel's Google TV initiative, but a report today from the Korea Herald indicates that may not be the case. While LG has stated it "has not considered" making a Google TV, the newspaper states an executive from Samsung says they are looking into making Android-powered TVs. We'll see if the company is too worried about losing control over its Samsung Apps marketplace to jump in --or just turned off by the high price Panasonic claimed as a deterrent -- but we'd estimate three or four more completely bogus rumors of unknown provenance before we hear anything official from the parties involved.
Who doesn't want Android and Intel in their HDTV? Panasonic & Samsung
Sure, selling $150~ 3D glasses and $80~ WiFi adapters for their HDTVs is no problem, but according to Bloomberg Samsung and Panasonic have drawn the line at the rumored Google TV initiative. Panasonic VP Bob Perry said in an interview that the Intel hardware to run Android "adds too much to the cost of the set," while Samsung similarly declined to join, looking towards a future built on its own apps platform. The widget experience at CES 2010 did appear to be much improved, but so far the sometimes slow and clunky interfaces have left us with CE4100 dreams and open Market wishes. Judging by our last poll on the subject, opinions on the future of such displays are split, but without anything in the way of an official announcement from the Google / Intel / Sony / Logitech cabal we'll hold off on deciding who has made the right choice.
Samsung makes Skype for new LED lit HDTVs official
Panasonic and LG won't be the only ones with Skype-enabled HDTVs, though we peeped it in the specs earlier, Samsung has officially announced its new 7000 and 8000 series televisions will also include access. Accessible through the embedded Samsung Apps service, it appears it will work with the new HD video processing webcams just like the others, so users can log in to or create an account with the remote then make video or voice calls away from the PC. We heard at CES those cameras could run as high as $200, check out the CES 2010 demo from Panasonic to see if couch videoconferencing is worth the additional expense.
Samsung's U.K. show reveals Monsters vs. Aliens 3D Blu-ray due in March plus LoveFilm, iPlayer TV apps
When Avatar will make its Blu-ray 3D debut is still officially up in the air, but thanks to Samsung's European line show, TechRadar says we can expect Monsters vs. Aliens in March (at least in the U.K.) It will initially be available only to purchasers of new Samsung 3D HDTVs (called the U7000, U8000 or U9000 series of LCDs and PDP7000 plasmas over there) or Blu-ray players, an interesting choice that has us wondering when wider 3D releases will hit, or if we'll need to wait for the summer's PS3 firmware update before that happens. Still, that wasn't all Samsung had to say, also mentioning plans to add movie rentals from LoveFilm and access to BBC's iPlayer to its Apps service for U.K. buyers in April. [Thanks, @JoeCise]
Samsung BD-C6500 & BD-C5500 Blu-ray players now shipping
Can't wait to get your hands on some of Samsung's 2010 lineup of Blu-ray players? The BD-C5500 and BD-C6500 are both currently available and shipping on Amazon for $199 and $299, respectively. Both share a slim 39mm profile, although only the BD-C6500 has a promised 15-second boot time and access to the updated version Internet@TV including Samsung Apps. Our wait for the sunroof sporting BD-C6900 3D capable model continues. Update: We checked with Samsung and confirmed all models in the 2010 lineup feature Internet@TV and Samsung Apps access, though if you're impatient and hate waiting you'll have to get in the BD-C6500 (above) and not the BD-C5500 (pictured after the break.)
Samsung's 3D Blu-ray player available for preorder on Amazon: $399 - Update: Not anymore
It feels like we just left our shutter glasses behind at CES, but already a few of Samsung's new 2010 Blu-ray players (all featuring Internet@TV and Samsung Apps features) have popped up for preorders on Amazon, including the 3D playing BD-C6900. The company just announced 240HZ 3D LCDs have begun mass production and isn't waiting for the competition before diving in, issuing the first price we've seen for one of the new players at a penny shy of $400. Moving down the line the super slim and woodgrain textured, but 2D only, BD-C7500 is also $399.99, while the speedy BD-C6500 and its promised 15 second bootup time is set for $299. The entry level and eco-focused BD-C5500 is still unpriced but instead of asking whether you can afford the price of a 3D Blu-ray player, ask yourself if you can afford not to own a Blu-ray player with a hole in the top. The answer should be obvious. Update: Whoops, and now they're gone, disappearing from Amazon as quickly as they came. Will that pricing information stick? We'll wait for an official announcement, but they all seem probable from here. %Gallery-82060%
Samsung Apps coming to four more countries
The mobile component of Samsung's app download portal, Samsung Apps, is taking a bold leap this month into four more territories: Singapore, Germany, Brazil, and China. Users of the Omnia II and Omnia Lite in those parts can download the Apps installer from Sammy's site, setting up a one-stop shop on the phone for game downloads (well, not just games, but there are a lot of games in there) over 3G and WiFi connections -- heck, even 2G connections will apparently work, which probably explains why they're going to effectively be able to take it to China right now. And even if you're too lazy to download it (or -- perish the thought -- you don't want it), don't worry: starting the middle of next month, phones shipped to those regions will have Samsung Apps preinstalled.
Samsung Apps demo ties phone & TV together in Wiimote-like bliss
Wondering what kind of apps are enabled by the "world's first HDTV-based application store"? Check out this CES show floor demo of a cross platform game tying together a Samsung flat-screen TV and cellphone to experience the magic of virtual fishing. We'll probably keep our dedicated systems for gaming, but for a slight hint of what a crossplatform app store has to offer, by all means take a look.
Samsung Apps opens home theater devices to software developers
Congratulations, you're now living in the world of Samsung Apps, which the company calls the "world's first HDTV-based application store" allowing for apps that work across multiple home theater devices and even a few cellphones. This extension of the Internet@TV platform will launch in the spring with a bundle of free apps, with paid ones to follow later. They're saying how much more fun it will be building apps for a 55-inch screen than one that's just 3-inches, but we'll have to wait for a floor hands on experience with a few to consider the possibilities. Check the PR after the break, confirmed participants include: Accedo Broadband, AccuWeather.com, The Associated Press, Blockbuster, Fashion TV, Netflix, Picasa, Pandora, Rovi, Travel Channel, Twitter, USA TODAY, and Vudu.
