Samsung Galaxy Note II available for pre-order with Verizon logo on home button
The Samsung Galaxy Note II launched barely two months ago at IFA and local US carriers such as Sprint and T-Mobile already make it available for purchase. Verizon is now in the same boat and is accepting pre-orders for the 5.5-inch "phablet."
The Samsung Galaxy Note II will arrive at the big red sporting 4G LTE connectivity and similar specs to the international model. That means the same 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display with a 1280 by 720 resolution, 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos processor with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable internal storage and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz running on top of it. On a two-year contract it will cost $299.99 at Verizon Wireless, and is currently available for pre-order in both Marble White and Titanium Gray.
New Samsung ads claim Galaxy S III makes you cool
Rather than beat a dead horse by continuing "The Next Best Thing is Already Here" campaign Samsung is playing the cool card in three new commercials for the Galaxy S III smartphone.
If the idea is to deliver memorable video ads, Samsung probably is on the right track by highlighting various functionality in different contexts that actual customers can relate to (or at least wish they do). Let's take the working dad that is about to leave on a "Work Trip". The family walks him to the car, but just before leaving the kids say they made a video for him to watch on the airplane, which is shared afterwards using S Beam. Then the wife steps in and tells her husband that she also made a video that he "probably shouldn't watch on the plane," then yet again uses S Beam. Pretty cool without overdoing it.
ITC judge says Samsung infringes Apple patents
Another day, another patent story. After a spot of bad news for Apple, comes something good for the Cupertino, Calif.-based corporation. A United States International Trade Commission judge has decided in a preliminary ruling that Samsung infringed four of Apple's intellectual property patents.
The ruling will be considered by the full commission, with a result expected in February, but it’s an important, albeit early, victory for Apple as the ITC has the ability to block the import of infringing products into the US.
Samsung Galaxy Note available at T-Mobile for a whopping price
US wireless carrier T-Mobile announced two weeks ago that the 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note II will come its way "this fall," and surprise, surprise -- it's available starting today.
Unlike AT&T, that announced the "phablet" alongiside the LG Optimus G a week ago and priced the Galaxy Note II at $299.99 on a two-year contract, T-Mobile will sell the Samsung-made quad-core smartphone in Marble White and Titanium Gray for a marginally higher $369.99 on a new two-year contract, basically $70 more than what the former charges for it.
Good news for Samsung: Apple trial patents ruled invalid
Uh-oh. While Apple was launching all its new and improved products yesterday, bad news brewed in the background. I just hope the company hasn’t pre-emptively spent any of the $1.05 billion it was awarded from Samsung recently, because the US Patent and Trademark Office has just ruled that 20 patents relating to overscroll technology (the bounce effect that happens when you scroll beyond the edge of an image or document) are invalid, and that could spell problems for the Cupertino, Calif.-based corporation.
According to Groklaw, "the notorious rubber-band patent [Apple's] been going after Android with, has just been tentatively rejected by the USPTO on re-examination. Apple has two months, until December 15, 2012, to respond and try to save it".
Samsung Chromebook 3G is available for $329.99
Bad news for some people who pre-ordered the new Samsung Chromebook yesterday. Shortly after the announcement, the South Korean manufacturer introduced a 3G model.
Chromebook 3G comes with an 11.6-inch display sporting a 1366 by 768 resolution, 1.7GHz Samsung Exynos 5 dual-core processor based on the Cortex A15 architecture, 2GB RAM, 16GB SSD for storage, runs Chrome OS and, on top of the Wi-Fi model from yesterday has a Verizon Wireless 3G WWAN with up to 100MB of free cellular data per month for a period of two years. The price for getting a Samsung Chrombook with cellular connectivity is $329.99. Worth it?
More bad news for Apple as it loses appeal in Samsung case
Apple today lost an appeal against the UK ruling that found rival Samsung's Galaxy Tab did not infringe its design rights. The original case, in which Judge Colin Birss declared Samsung’s tablets were not cool enough to be confused with the iPad, found in favor of the South Korean company and ordered Apple to publish a notice on its website and in various print titles (for a minimum of six months), informing visitors and readers that Samsung did not copy the design of Apple’s tablet.
The Court of Appeal’s review of the case upheld this ruling, meaning that Apple must comply with the original order. And just for a little additional salt/wound rubbing, one of the three appeals judges, Lord Justice Kitchin, stated that the typeface used in the notices must be no smaller than 14 point Ariel.
LG Optimus G and Samsung Galaxy Note II coming soon to Sprint
Yesterday my colleague Joe Wilcox wrote "AT&T starts LG Optimus G preorders Oct. 16, sales Nov. 2," but today Sprint announced that the LG-made quad-core power-house is coming its way, just like the controversial Samsung Galaxy Note II "phablet".
Unlike the AT&T variant the LG Optimus G will come with a 13MP camera, instead of the 8MP shooter announced yesterday, and it will be available for pre-order from November 1, with sales to start on November 11. On a two-year contract the Qualcomm-powered smartphone will cost $199. Also announced is the Samsung Galaxy Note II, that will be available for purchase on October 25 for $299.99 with a two-year contract.
Samsung Galaxy S III Mini could easily have been called Galaxy S2 Mini
It's no iPad Mini, but it is a mini alternative to one of the more popular smartphones on the market today, Samsung's Galaxy S III. The Galaxy S III Mini is smaller in size and specs than its older brother, and is clearly gunning for the entry-level smartphone consumer. Unfortunately, because of its modest bag of tricks, putting it next to the Galaxy S III is kind of an unrealistic comparison and this device could easily fall behind last year's Galaxy S2.
The Galaxy S III Mini has a 4" WVGA Super AMOLED touchscreen, which is more than three quarters of an inch smaller than the screen on the full-sized Galaxy S III. This reduced screen size helps shrink the overall footprint of the device by two tenths of a square inch (.6" smaller length x .3" smaller width.) It's not a tremendous reduction in size, but it defies the general trend of smartphones going bigger.
Samsung Galaxy Note II coming soon to T-Mobile
U.S. wireless carrier T-Mobile on Wednesday announced that it will bring the Samsung Galaxy Note II to its product lineup, but unlike the previous model this one does not have to make due with underpowered hardware compared to its international sibling.
Just like the international model, the T-Mobile variant of the Samsung Galaxy Note II comes with a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display sporting a 1280 by 720 resolution, and is powered by the same 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos processor and 3100mAh battery with a quoted talk time of up to 15 hours. It will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz, and it will be available in two color options, Titanium Gray and Marble White.
Samsung brand perception rises, as Apple falls
They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. But it does.
Samsung's brand has recovered from a disastrous low, demonstrating the benefits of aggressive, compelling marketing and the pitfalls of a competitor's public product problems. Make no mistake: Samsung's snarky attack ads, which make fun of iPhone idolators, are as effective today as they were when first aired in November 2011. The perception change, which puts Apple's brand lower, also shows the damage done by iOS 6 Maps and dissatisfaction with the company's response.
Samsung Galaxy Note II open-source code is now available
Samsung announced Galaxy Note II at IFA little more than a month ago, and the handset was among the first smartphones to come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box. Acknowledging the popularity the previous model has among modders, the South Korean electronics giant has released the open-source code for its latest phablet.
The source code is available to download from the Open Source Release Center and covers the international model, as well as what appears to be three regional devices (codenamed SEA, MEA and SWA). By using the source code, modders can customize the stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz to create custom images that include various tweaks, but can just as well take a number of elements to use in custom Android distributions such as CyanogenMod 10.
AT&T might confuse shoppers with Windows 8 tablets this holiday season
The official launch of Windows 8 is just around the corner, and so is the holiday shopping season, the high point in consumer spending for the year. What better way for AT&T to capitalize on both events than to offer two exclusive Windows 8-based tablets?
AT&T looks to be covering both important Windows bases (RT and Pro) with its selections: the Windows RT-based ASUS VivoTab RT, and the Windows 8 Pro-based Samsung ATIV Smart PC. Both devices will have mobile connectivity via AT&T's 4G network.
Everything Everywhere launches 4G LTE on October 30
Six weeks ago, United Kingdom communications regulator Ofcom granted Everything Everywhere the right to roll out 4G LTE over its existent 1800MHz wireless spectrum. Starting October 30, the new brand along with its 4G LTE services will launch in the UK market.
The carrier will deploy 4G LTE in 10 cities, a number increasing by six before the end of the year, which equates to one-third of the UK population. Everything Everywhere also revealed a longer-term plan to reach 98 percent coverage by 2014.
Nokia takes a weak stab at iPhone 5 with latest Lumia 920 ad
Is the iPhone 5 a victim of its own success? After Samsung posted a new video ad from its "The Next Big Thing is Already Here" campaign, the former largest smartphone manufacturer, Nokia tries to pull the same trick with its latest video, marketing the company's first Windows Phone 8 smartphone, the Lumia 920.
Named "Nokia Lumia 920 - Time to #switch," the cartoon-like ad portrays iPhone 5 future owners queuing to purchase the latest smartphone bearing the fruit company logo, which is similar to the Korean manufacturer's approach, yet unlike Samsung, who played the better featured/already have it card, Nokia uses colors trying to market its own product against the iPhone 5. Is color differentiation going to have an impact on Windows Phone and Nokia's fate in a market that has consolidated around Apple and Android smartphones?
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