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Samsung i5700 Galaxy Spica hacked for multitouch support
Historically, Samsung has worked up a pretty spotty record for properly supporting its Android devices with updates to newer versions of the platform -- just look at the Behold 2 debacle for evidence of that -- but that doesn't mean some enterprising folks out in the field can't make up for that, now, does it? The Galaxy Spica (also known as the i5700) has been blessed with multitouch support in some homebrew drivers that are making their way into homebrew kernels for homebrew ROMs, despite the official line that said phone doesn't support more than one finger at a time. Really drives home the point that "support" can refer both to the hardware's capability and the manufacturer's willingness to maximize it, doesn't it? Follow the break for the hack on video. [Thanks, OKK77]
Samsung Galaxy Spica grows up to Android 2.1
Also known as the Galaxy Portal in the UK, Samsung's i5700 is today officially entering the Eclair portion of its Android existence. We got a nice leak of the 2.1 ROM in February, whose small glitches will no doubt have been ironed out in this official release. You'll need to either hook up to the Samsung neural network using their proprietary PC Studio 7 software to leech the upgrade or just buy a new handset -- it all depends on the ratio between your disposable time and income. Guess this will make the Spica that little bit more seductive to Rogers customers, who only just got the option to own the handset last week. Full PR after the break.
Samsung i5700 Galaxy Lite renamed Spica, spied and specced in Italy
At long last, some apparently definitive details on Samsung's i5700, the handset formerly known as Galaxy Lite and now reportedly called the Spica. Italian site Cellularmania has a pretty exhaustive hands-on gallery and a much-coveted list of specs for the lime green HSDPA Android vessel. We're looking at a 3-inch AMOLED screen with 384 x 240 resolution, a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, 1500 mAh battery, accelerometer, GPS, FM radio... and yes, sad but unsurprising, it's soft-rocking a 528MHz Qualcomm processor. Unlike our last glimpse, there now seems to be that requisite Android home bottom on the right side of the lower panel, but no such luck for any trackball. We're also lacking price or release date details for any region, but at least for US enthusiasts, we're pretty confident that you shouldn't get your hopes up, given how the i7500 has been relegated stateside. [Via Slashgear]
Hold the phone: T-Mobile G1 v2 to really be the Samsung Bigfoot?
Well well -- it looks like whatever Android handset Motorola's cooking up might not be the T-Mobile G1 v2 after all. Mobile-review just published this shot of a Samsung Bigfoot with a slider QWERTY keyboard, and we've got to say, it looks a hell of a lot more like the device in that leaked T-Mobile roadmap than that rendered Moto unit. (It also looks a lot like the Samsung Beat DJ, but that's neither here nor there.) Not only that, but there's also an early spec sheet and another image of a candybar set called the Spica -- apart from the slider, Bigfoot and Spica are nearly identical lower-end versions of the I7500, with three-inch screens, three megapixel cameras, and Android 2.0 "Donut" preloaded. That certainly throws a monkey wrench into what we had thought was a neatly-tied little bow, but we've got to say we're stoked to see so many Android sets appearing all at once. Now if someone could just tell us when and where these would ship, we'd be all set. Spec sheet after the break.[Via Unwired View]
AMD Phenom FX, X4, X2 Stars to shine in Q3 / Q4
When it's been nearly six months since we've seen an elusive PowerPoint slide pointing to future AMD processors, it's been far too long, but it looks like the forecasting can begin again thanks to information about AMD's star-packed Q3. According to a roadmap slide charting out the future of AMD's "Stars" family of processors, a number of dual- and quad-core processor options will be headed to the desktop market sometime in the third and fourth quarters, and while the firm's "value" Athlon 64 X2 and Sempron chips will also see minor overhauls headed into Q1 of 2008, the focus seems to be on the Phenoms in the crew. The flagship quad-core Phenom FX (dubbed Agena FX) will clock in from 2.2GHz to 2.6GHz, sport 4 x 512KB of L2 cache, 2MB of L3 cache, and sport bus speeds of 3,200MHz or 3,600MHz. The X4 chips ratchet down in speed a bit, and only handle the AM2+ socket while the top-end FX plays nice with the 1207+. The X2 CPUs go the dual-core route, top out at 2.8GHz, but won't be ready for ordering until Q4 of this year. Be sure to hit the read link for a (larger) peek at the chart -- unless you just completed an order for a current-generation chip, that is.[Via RegHardware]
