Samsung Galaxy Note II Review advantages and disadvantages

The Samsung Galaxy Note II comes with a Super AMOLED touch screen size measures 5.5 inches with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, and is powered by four Quad Exynos chipset with a 1.6GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM.

Samsung Galaxy Note II is equipped with 8 megapixel camera and 1.9 megapixel front behind, and has a battery with a capacity of 3100mAh. Samsung Galaxy Note II is thinner than its predecessor, with only 9.4mm thick and weighs 180 grams.

Samsung Galaxy Note II is also equipped with S-Pen that comes with new features. Some of the latest features including Air View, which allows users to preview email content, S-Planner, Image Gallery, or video without the need to open the application. There is also a Quick Command, which allows users to open applications that are opened quickly.

Samsung Galaxy Note II is available in three internal memory options of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB plus a microSD slot support up to 32GB. This device will be available in Europe and the United States in October 2012, and following other region thereafter.

Samsung Galaxy Note II Main Features and Advantages

Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G with 21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support

Optional LTE connectivity

5.5" 16M-color Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of HD (720 x 1280 pixel) resolution; Corning Gorilla Glass 2

Android OS v4.1 with TouchWiz launcher

1.6 GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 CPU, Mali-400MP GPU, 2GB of RAM, Exynos 4412 Quad chipset

S Pen active stylus with deep system integration

8 MP wide-angle lens autofocus camera with LED flash, face, smile and blink detection

1080p HD video recording at 30fps

16/32/64GB internal storage, microSD slot

Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n support

GPS with A-GPS connectivity; GLONASS support, Digital compass

NFC support

Stereo Bluetooth v4.0

FM radio with RDS

microUSB port with USB host and TV-out (1080p) support, MHL, charging

Accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor

Standard 3.5 mm audio jack

Great audio quality

Very slim at only 9.4mm

1.9MP secondary video-call camera

Document editor and file manager comes preinstalled

Extremely rich video and audio codec support

Huge 3100 mAh battery

Samsung Galaxy Note II Main disadvantages

Large size makes single-hand operation problematic

No dedicated camera key

All plastic construction (would have probably weighed a ton otherwise, though)

S Pen not as good as on the Note 10.1

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Galaxy Note™ II Smart Dock Avilable

Overview

The Samsung Galaxy Smart Dock makes it easy to take advantage your phone’s high-speed internet connectivity and super-fast processor. Connect an HD monitor, external storage device, and USB keyboard and mouse to turn your smartphone into a productivity powerhouse. Make messaging, editing documents and accessing media files a breeze. Plug in your 3.5mm stereo audio components or speakers and you have the ultimate pocket-sized home theater and computer in one.


 With its 5.5-inch screen, the Galaxy Note II terminal is already the most productivity-oriented product, but Samsung goes further by revealing the "Smart Dock" docking station.

While Motorola has recently announced the abandonment of the solution Webtop inaugurated on the Atrix, Samsung takes more or less the same estate.

The "Galaxy Note II Smart Dock" is actually similar to the "HD Multimedia Dock". It allows to connect the monitor, keyboard, mouse and other peripherals to the smartphone. The Android is displayed in full and it is not a Linux environment. It's less embarrassing than the time of the Atrix, since Android 4.1 Jelly Bean adapts well to high definition.

features

3.5mm Stereo Out
Stream stereo sound to your speakers or stereo components.
HDMI™ Out
Work, play or view media on large monitors and HD TVs Standard USB Out (X3) Connect compatible keyboards, mice, external storage and other input devices.
Versatility
Functions whether or not a Flip Cover and most slim case options are installed.
Fully Functional
Your phone is fully functional while charging in the Smart Dock. Watch your handset stream news, local weather, or just play with your apps…all while charging!




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galaxy s4

Fresh rumours have hit the internet suggesting that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will launch with a full HD 1080p display and a powerful quad-core A15 processor.

 These include the suggestion that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be including a 5-inch (or 4.99-inch, to be precise) Super AMOLED display with a 1080p resolution.

With rival HTC launching its own 1080p smartphone in several countries - the HTC DNA in the US, the HTC J Butterfly in Japan - this seems highly likely to us.

According to a new Korean source, Samsung will be showing its 1080p Super AMOLED displays off at CES in January. And yes, the lack of a + sign at the end of Super AMOLED would suggest that Samsung is sticking with those PenTile displays, but let's not read too much into rumours, eh?

Moving on to those processor rumours, it's being suggested that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will run on a 2GHz quad-core variant of Samsung's own Exynos 5450 CPU.

The Exynos 5450 is built using next generation ARM Coretex-A15 architecture, which provides an estimated 40 per cent power boost over equivalent A9 chips (which is what the Samsung Galaxy S3's processor is built on).

Elsewhere, the rumours suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be getting a 13-megapixel camera.

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SAMSUNG GALAXY S IV RUMORED TO DEBUT AT CES IN JANUARY, MAY FEATURE A 5-INCH 1080P DISPLAY

The latest trend in the mobile industry seems to be the move towards 5-inch full HD displays. Companies such as HTC (2498) Sony (SNE) and LG (066570) have already added, or are planning to include, higher resolution displays on their products. Not to be left behind, Asia Economics reported on Friday that Samsung (005930) is planning to introduce a smartphone with a large 1920 x 1080 resolution display at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in January. The handset is said to be the company’s next flagship device, known as the Galaxy S IV, and will be equipped with a 5-inch full HD AMOLED display that includes a pixel density of 441 pixels-per-inch.

The report follows an earlier rumor that claimed the South Korean vendor was planning to release the Galaxy S IV this coming March. The previous report claimed the company was going to unveil the device at Mobile World Congress in February, however, rather than at CES. The Galaxy S IV is also said to include a quad-core Exynos processor and 4G LTE capabilities.

Samsung has repeatedly denied any and all Galaxy S IV rumors.


We’ve just had the release of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with the new Nexus 4 phone and by the time the Galaxy S4 arrives it seems likely that it will run the next major OS upgrade, Key Lime Pie, although it’s too early to tell whether this might be 4.3 or possibly Android 5.0. Other inclusions that seem more than plausible are LTE and NFC and possibly enhanced versions of S Voice and Nature UX. As far as processor, a step up to a 2GHz quad-core Exynos processor doesn’t sound impossible and while ever-increasing screen sizes are very much the trend we feel the 4.8-inches of the Galaxy S3 is still plenty big enough.

Talking about displays, we’ve spoken before about the new flexible Youm displays that Samsung is developing for 2013 and so it also looks feasible that a flexible display may feature on either the Galaxy S4 or the Galaxy Note 3. On top of all this with the anticipated spec upgrades we are hoping for we’d like to see a much larger battery capacity to cope with it all. You may also be interested in our previous look at a video concept design for the Galaxy S4.


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Music Hub: All The Music You Want, All In One Place

Samsung Music Hub™ makes enjoying music easier than ever. Upload your music collection to the cloud, stream and purchase songs from an extensive catalog, and listen to personal radio—all in one app. Use these tips and tricks to learn more about how to use Music Hub’s features.

With Music Hub, you can access millions of songs from our catalog whenever and wherever you are. Simply tap Catalog and either browse by music genre or search using the magnifying glass icon. When you find a song or album you like, either tap the title to play or tap the icon to the right to add to My Music or to a specific playlist.

Listen Offline

Music Hub allows you to store your favorite music on your device for offline listening. There is nothing worse than remembering to store music offline minutes before the flight, and spend the entire flight listening to only two or three songs. Music Hub offers the simplest way to make music available offline in just two easy steps:

Step 1: Go to My Music and select the icon to the right of the song or playlist you like.

Step 2: Tap “Download Now.” This will default to Wi-Fi® only, but you can simply adjust the settings to enable this feature over your cellular network. Once you listen to a song, it is temporarily stored on your device and displayed in a bold font to indicate offline availability.

Share a Playlist

Music Hub allows you to beam songs and playlists with another Music Hub subscriber on a Samsung Galaxy NFC-enabled device. Follow these steps to share your playlist:
Step 1: Access the playlist you’d like to share from My Music.

Step 2: Open the playlist to view the tracks.

Step 3: Hold your phone against another Music Hub subscriber’s Galaxy device (remember to turn on NFC). The playlist image will shrink.

Step 4: Tap the center of the image to beam. The playlist will instantly appear in the other subscriber’s My Music.

Upload Your Music to the Cloud Locker & PC Listening

We understand that over the years you’ve accumulated a lot of digital music that you most likely manage in iTunes® and Windows® Media Player. With the Music Hub Uploader, it is easy to move your entire music library to the cloud. Music Hub subscribers are given 100 GB of cloud storage, and employs Scan & Match functionality to transfer your music, cutting down on upload time and offering you higher quality files where available.

Follow these steps to upload your music from your PC to the cloud:

Step 1: From your PC, go to Music Hub.

Step 2: Run the Uploader, and select your music folder—iTunes or Windows Media Player. A notification will appear when the upload process is complete. The next time you visit Music Hub on your mobile device, your music will instantly be available in My Music.

You can also listen to your music and music from our catalog on your PC from musichub.com. Simply sign in with your Samsung Account, and enjoy hours of music listening.

Enjoy Personal Radio

Sometimes it’s nice to sit back and enjoy music programmed for you. With personal radio, you can enjoy personalized radio stations based on your favorite artists or songs. Follow these two easy steps and start enjoying personal radio:

Step 1: From the home screen, select the radio icon and then select Personal.

Step 2: Type an artist or song, select from one of the generated stations, and enjoy ad-free listening. Feel free to skip ahead as often as you like.

At any point, tap the circled “i” icon and view all the songs you’ve just enjoyed. You can add any of them to your own collection by clicking the “tag” icon. These songs can be found in the Tagged section later and mixed into any of your playlists.


Get Intelligent Recommendations

One of the best elements of Music Hub is that it actually gets smarter the more you listen. There are two ways to take advantage of this great feature:

1. Simply double tap the album art on the player page to see options. Select the Lightbulb icon to find similar music to what you are listening to. A list of recommended songs, albums, artists and radio stations will be generated for you.

2. From the home screen, tap the Lightbulb icon for Recommended songs. A list of songs will be generated based on the songs you’ve been listening to.

Content such as DRM content or encrypted files may not transfer to your Samsung device.

Samsung, Galaxy S and Media Hub are trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Other company names, product names and marks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners and may be trademarks or registered trademarks. Screen images simulated. Appearance of device may vary.

The above content is provided for information purposes only. All information included herein is subject to change without notice. Samsung is not responsible for any direct or indirect damages, arising from or related to use or reliance of the above content.


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Samsung Galaxy Note II Review: Big, Powerful, Productive

Powerful processor, swift performance
S Pen great for navigating device

Excellent camera
Feature rich

Cons
Can be unwieldy, particularly for phone calls
S Note not so useful

Missing multi-window feature for US launch on some carriers

Quick Take:

The Galaxy Note 2 is big and powerful, and a perfect match for power users. Heavy talkers and casual users might want to look elsewhere, however.

The original Galaxy Note was large, odd, and it featured outmoded tech, as pen input had been relegated to the dustbin along with PDAs and dedicated GPS devices. So even Samsung had to be surprised it managed to sell 10 million Galaxy Notes worldwide in 2011 and 2012, perhaps proving that power users crave more productivity features than standard Android and iPhone handsets offer.

At least that's what it appears Samsung learned, as they have cranked the productivity features up to 11 on its successor, the aptly named Samsung Galaxy Note II. The screen is bigger, up from 5.3-inches to 5.55; it's more powerful, complete with a quad-core 1.6GHZ Samsung Exynos processor; the S Pen now supports 1024 points of pressure sensitivity, up from 256 on the previous stick; and there are a ton of Galaxy Note II software features, not to mention Android Jelly Bean 4.1.

The Galaxy Note II is certainly "more" than the Galaxy Note, but is it better? One knock on Samsung is that while its devices are feature-rich, those features often either lack polish or are implemented poorly (see the Samsung Galaxy S III and S Voice). Let's find out in this full Samsung Galaxy Note II review.

Build and Design

The Samsung Galaxy Note II is big, and probably the biggest mainstream smartphone release ever, at least judging by corner-to-corner screen size. It's a phablet, for lack of a better term, that straddles the line between smartphone and tablet -- though it's more the former than the latter.

The device measures 5.95 x 3.17 x .37 inches (HWD), and weighs 6.35 ounces. It's taller than the original Galaxy Note to account for the 0.2-inches of added display, but thinner and lighter too.

As with other recent Galaxy devices, the Note II is heavy on the glossy plastic, which lends itself to the relatively light build, but isn't especially grip friendly. The back plate is removable, allowing users access to the battery, SIM card and SD card slots, and Samsung offers a variety of colorful flip-cover accessories that work well with the design.

In use, the Note II's large size presents a few issues. It's large, thin, and the glossy plastic makes it somewhat hard to grasp effectively for extended phone calls. The flip cover works very well to alleviate that, however, providing added grip. It's surprisingly pocket friendly, though -- at least compared to any other high-end smartphone not named the iPhone or Droid RAZR M, which are both around four inches.

Consider that the Samsung Galaxy S III has a 4.8-inch display, and the benefits of the added screen real estate from the extra .7 inches outweigh any issues from the overall added size, in the pocketability regard at least. Still, I suspect many users will find the Note II unwieldy as a smartphone, particularly those moving up from 3.5- and 4.3-inch devices.

Display

The 5.5-inch display features approximately 267 pixels per inch (1,280 x 720), which is well short of the approximately 320-plus PPI counts featured on many other, smaller, smartphones, and slightly more than the 264 pixels-per-inch found on the 9.7-inch third-generation iPad. It's more than enough, however, and users will be hard pressed to complain about image and video fidelity.

Nor will users complain about contrast and colors, both being Super AMOLED specialties. The Galaxy Note II has very deep blacks and vibrant colors, almost to the point of oversaturation. To that end, Samsung offers color presets in the settings menu, which tone things down a bit.

The display falls short in regards to brightness and the gray/green hue of the whites, which often appear drab, especially when compared to warmer displays that tend to red and orange tones.

Still, its size alone makes it an excellent smartphone for consuming media, principally video, thanks to its cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio. Also, the large display lends itself to excellent onscreen keyboard options, complete with included number rows that otherwise need to be toggled with smaller screens.

Other Buttons and Ports

The large HD Super AMOLED display dominates the front, of course, with a relatively thin bezel, and familiar oblong home button on the bottom edge, in between both "menu" and "back" softkeys

The Samsung S Pen securely docks into the bottom of the device and sits next to the microUSB charging input. There is a headphone jack at the top, the power button on one long side, and a volume rocker on the other.
There is no HDMI input, and users will have the use an MHL-enabled Samsung Smart Adapter to stream content to an HDTV via and HDMI input



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HTC Droid DNA vs. iPhone 5 (And Everyone Else): Who’s Got the Best Display?

We just got our hands on the HTC Droid DNA this morning, and our first impressions were very promising. The screen is really, really gorgeous. But, how gorgeous is it when you put it next to the other best smartphones?
We decided to pit the Droid DNA against the iPhone 5, Nexus 4, HTC One X, and Samsung Galaxy S III. All screens were turned up to maximum brightness, as can be seen in the photo above. The first thing you'll note is that the Droid DNA isn't the brightest by a long shot; that title still belongs to the HTC One X, followed by the iPhone 5. Disappointing? Yes, though it's still plenty bright enough to be visible in daylight.

But what about color? The Super LCD 2 on the One X has been our previous favorite for color accuracy, so why the is the Super LCD 3 on the Droid DNA so blue? It's definitely a step behind the One X and the iPhone 5, though it's still a little better than Nexus 4—which is slightly greenish—and the Galaxy S III, which is really, really blue. But yeah, skin tones ain't what they should be here.

But a macro shot shows where the Droid DNA really shines: pixel density. The 440 PPI on the Droid DNA packs them in more tightly than anyone else, as the macro lens on our camera can see clearly. Our eyes, on the other hand, couldn't tell much of a difference at all. If you look very, very closely you can kinda of see a little more detail compared to the other "retina" displays, but we're talking almost unnoticeably slight.


So what's the verdict? Sadly, from what we can tell, the Super LCD 3 on the Droid DNA is not an improvement over the Super LCD 2 on the HTC One X. The tiny hair of perceptible added sharpness doesn't make up for the poor color calibration or the dimmer screen.

The HTC Droid DNA isn't a bad screen by any means. But it's the banner feature on this phone, and it's a step backward; it still lags behind the HTC One X and iPhone 5. Which seems like a wasted opportunity in a major way.

Smartphone Display Rankings

1st Place: HTC One X

2nd Place: Apple iPhone 5

3rd Place: HTC Droid DNA

4th Place: Google Nexus 4

5th Place: Samsung Galaxy S III

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Samsung Galaxy Premier

Introduction

Spreading the Galaxy S III magic to as many market segments as possible is what Samsung is actively trying to achieve these days. After the power users were treated to the Note II and those looking for a premium experience in a compact shell got the mini, it's now time for the mid-range market to get some attention.

The Samsung Galaxy Premier specs sheet is familiar with the 4.65-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen and the dual-core TI OMAP chipset immediately bringing the Galaxy Nexus to mind. However, calling the Premier a Nexus refresh is wildly inaccurate - the Nature UX adds so much character that you'll hardly be able to tell there's so much in common between the two smartphones.
Let's take a look at what the Galaxy Premier is all about.

Key features

Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G support
21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
4.65" 16M-color Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of HD (720 x 1280 pixels) resolution; Corning Gorilla Glass 2
Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz launcher
1.5 GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU, PowerVR SGX544 GPU, TI OMAP 4470 chipset, 1GB of RAM
8 MP wide-angle lens autofocus camera with LED flash, face, smile and blink detection
1080p HD video recording at 30fps
Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n
GPS with A-GPS connectivity; GLONASS support, Digital compass
16/32 internal storage, microSD slot
Accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
microUSB port with USB host and TV-out (1080p) support, MHL, charging
Stereo Bluetooth v4.0
FM radio with RDS
Great audio quality
1.9MP secondary video-call camera
NFC support
Document editor
File manager comes preinstalled
Extremely rich video and audio codec support
Relatively large 2100 mAh battery
Main disadvantages
No dedicated camera key
Dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU usually belongs to a lower market segment
All plastic body
PenTile matrix screen of relatively low brightness
Sure, the Samsung Galaxy Premier doesn't have the most exciting specs sheet around, but it takes a formula that was already proven to work and improves on it in a number of key areas. Building on the most popular Nexus smartphone so far, the Premier addresses just about every complaints users had about it.
The mediocre camera is replaced by a more capable 8MP shooter, the chipset got a speed update and a more powerful GPU, while the uninspiring styling got spiced up with a dash of Galaxy S III. There is also an ampler battery to take care of the relatively short endurance and a microSD card slot for cheap memory expansion.

And yes, the stock Android looks are gone, but they are replaced by the Nature UX, which is not only way more functional, but also the best looking TouchWiz version so far.
Let's see if all those tweaks actually look as promised - the hardware inspection starts right after the break.



Source:http://www.gsmarena.com

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Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro Review

Earlier this year, we saw the Samsung Rugby Smart come to AT&T, which set it apart from other smartphones with the carrier, as it was designed to be a rugged Android device.
Now eight months later comes the follow-up, the Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro – it has a larger 4” display, 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, and is running Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. If that wasn’t enough, 4G LTE is also on-board, so you can get faster data connection while in an AT&T LTE coverage area. Add all of that together, and you have a smartphone that has a nice appeal to it with only a $100 on-contract price.


Included in the retail box is the Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro SGH-I547 smartphone, 1850mAh battery, wall charger with detachable microUSB cable, and user guides.

Design:

The overall design of the Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro hasn’t changed too much from the Rugby Smart. It still exhibits all the qualities of a rugged device, with thick rubber gripping on the sides, and a textured locking battery cover. This does make the device feel a bit chunky in the hand, but no more so than a standard smartphone with an add-on case installed.



Since the Galaxy Rugby Pro meets military standard 810F, it is resilient to blowing rain and sand, high humidity, thermal shock, and is waterproof up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. The display and front keys also have an anti-scratch coating on them. We were able to drop the phone several times (on tile) from a height of 5 feet, and there were no visible signs of damage to the device.





Below the display are three physical buttons for menu, home, and back, and around the sides of the device are the volume rocker, power/lock key, and customizable key, all of which are easily found by touch alone, as they have a nice texture on them. Up on top is the 3.5mm headset jack, and on the bottom is the microUSB port, both of which are protected by a plastic cover with water seal.

Display:

Even though the Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro is built to withstand the elements, it remains a mid-range smartphone, but we're glad to see that the display size has increased from 3.7” to 4”, though the resolution remains WVGA 480x800 pixels. This means that small text appears slightly jagged at times. But since it is Super AMOLED, it provides eye-grabbing colors and excellent contrast when viewing images or watching videos. One feature missing is any type of automatic backlight brightness setting, which means that you have to manually set the screen brightness yourself. This can be annoying when going from a dark environment to outside in the sun, as you’ll have to keep adjusting the backlight. The only work around is to set it near the middle, so it wouldn’t need readjusting too often.





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How do I Beam playlists and songs in Music Hub?Samsung Galaxy NFC

You can only beam musicthat is located in the Music Hub catalog. If you uploaded your own music to the Music Hub cloud locker, you may only beam music located in the Music Hub catalog.

Note: NFC needs to be turned ON to enable beaming. To access the NFC options for your device open the Notification Panel by swiping your finger from the top of the screen to the bottom and touch Settings > More settings. Touch the Off/On slider to turn it on.

1. From the Music Hub app, touch My Music to access your playlists.
2. Select a playlist or song that you wish to share.If beaming a playlist, go to the My Music folder, and open the playlist. If beaming a song, click on a song and open the player page.
    
3. When you put the devices together, the playlist image will shrink. Touch teh image to begin the transfer of the playlist.
4. The Playlist will appear in other subscriber’s My Music folder. If beaming an individual song, the song will immediately begin playing on the other subscriber's device.

Note: This feature does not work on the native music player and is limited to Samsung Music Hub.

Samsung, Galaxy S and Media Hub are trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Other company names, product names and marks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners and may be trademarks or registered trademarks. Screen images simulated.

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Nexus 4

Due to the hurricane Sandy, Google had to put off its Android event scheduled in the East Cost of the USA. However, the company went ahead to announce the Samsung Nexus 10 along with the LG Nexus 4. The former is the 10inch tablet that will try and pose a threat to iPad, while the latter is a smartphone.
The Nexus 10 runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and runs on a 1.7GHz A15 dual-core processor with 2GB RAM. The tablet has a 2560x1600 resolution display with 300 ppi, a 5 MP rear and 1.9MP front camera. It will have a set of Google services including Google Chrome, Gmail, Google Talk, Google Maps for Android, Google Search, Voice Search, Google Now Google+, Gmail, YouTube, Google Currents, Google Play Store, Google Play Books, Google Play Movies and Google Play Magazines. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi, micro USB, micro HDMI, dual side NFC  and GPS+ Glonass. Weighting 603 grams, the tablet will have a 9000mAh battery onboard that is likely to offer up to 9 hours of video playback and up to 500 hours of standby time.
For the flagship smartphone that Google unveils every year, the company has worked closely with LG. The LG Nexus 4 has a 4.7inch capacitive touch display and looks similar to its predecessor. It is powered by 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 pro processor and 2GB RAM. The Nexus 4 will have an 8MP rear camera and a 1.3MP front facing camera. Android Beam, Google Wallet are the other features along with new Photo Sphere camera ( a new feature of the Android 4.2).
Until now, the Google Nexus devices have not been officially launched in India. But in the past, Samsung brought the Nexus S to India. There are rumours about Asus bringing the Nexus 7. But for these two new devices, there isn’t any communication about the launch date or price for India.



Source:http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/google-announces-samsung-nexus-10-lg-nexus-4-on-android-4.2/1/226806.html:

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Galaxy S4 due in February 2013?

With the Samsung Galaxy S3 but four months old, rumours have already started to do the rounds about a sequel to the South Korean phone-maker’s flagship Android kit.

Citing unnamed supply chain sources, as well as what we’re guessing are some better informed sorts within Samsung, the Korea Times claims that the phone will land in February at the Mobile World Congress.

The handset is apparently set to hit retailers shortly after in March – just nine months after the release of its predecessor.

In news that’s unlikely to surprise anyone on nodding terms with prevailing trends in smartphone upgrades, Samsung’s new kit will purportedly pack a larger five-inch OLED screen – up from the S3’s 4.8-inches - and international 4G LTE support.

An unnamed deepthroat said: “Samsung wants to keep its one-year product schedule and the Galaxy S4 will be the first to match that strategy.

“The S4 will see some external changes but retain its popular rectangular shape with rounded corner concept.”

News of Samsung’s plans comes as it recently announced that the S3 has now sold some 20 million units, making it the company’s fastest-selling phone ever.

Samsung Electronics plans to unveil the latest in its Galaxy line, the S4, at a European technology exhibition in February, according to company officials and local parts suppliers for the technology giant.

The timetable was released just three days after rival Apple introduced the iPhone 5, which has received a mixed response from industry experts and consumers as it is seemingly lacking in innovative features.

``Samsung is ready to unveil the next Galaxy smartphone _ the Galaxy S4 _ at early next year’s mobile world congress (MWC) in the Spanish city of Barcelona,’’ said an official from the firm asking not to be identified, Sunday. The new device is expected to hit shelves globally in March at the latest.

MWC is the biggest exhibition in the world for telecom companies and Samsung, will exhibit the new Galaxy at its booth.

The new Galaxy, expected to be the firm’s most powerful handset yet in terms of hardware specifications and software advancement, will help the Suwon-based outfit further cement its leadership in the global smartphone market.

The official said that the smartphone, due out nine months after the May debut of the Galaxy S3, will be more than enough to curb Apple’s latest iPhone, compatible with long-term evolution (LTE) networks.

In Europe, Samsung is gaining a bigger share of the smartphone market. The Korean company was involved in patent disputes with Apple in Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. A recent ruling in the U.K. said Samsung didn’t infringe on Apple’s design patents.

Executives from Samsung’s local parts suppliers said the company’s new flagship smartphone will ``definitely use’’ LTE networks. It will also sport its in-house Exynos-branded application processors and quad-core chips. The S3 is using both Samsung’s Exynos and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors depending on the country.

``Samsung is asking Apple to pay more to use its mobile application processors produced at its plant in Austin, Texas. The release of the S4 means more market share for Samsung as it is the only firm that can guarantee on-time delivery, output commitment and better pricing for mobile application processors,’’ said one executive.

The screen size of the S4 is expected to reach 5-inch from the the current 4.8 screen size of the S3, while it will use Google’s Android software and sport an OLED display, said the officials.

But Samsung has yet to decide whether it will use flexible display technology for the upcoming Galaxy due to production problems encountered by Samsung Display.

Samsung Display officials declined to comment on the new Samsung smartphone project.

``Samsung wants to keep its one-year product schedule and the Galaxy S4 will be the first to match that strategy. The S4 will see some external changes but retain its popular rectangular shape with rounded corner concept,’’ said an official from one of Samsung’s local partners.

Samsung is currently in talks with major American carriers to apply modified phone designs.

Market analysts and experts view the S4 as a ``clear message’’ to Apple. ``Samsung’s edges in manufacturing will further shine after the patent disputes go further on. In markets, Samsung is confident to widen its lead over Apple, though the legal fight is a totally separate issue,’’ said an industry executive who is familiar with the matter.

Samsung expects sales of the S3 to pass 30 million by the end of the year. It has already sold 20 million in just over three months.

The S4 will help Samsung take on Apple in the United States, according to officials. Market research firm IDC shows Samsung has a 30 percent share, globally, while Apple has 16 percent. But NPD’s recent data shows Apple controls 31 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, followed by Samsung on 24 percent.

The S4 plans come amid escalating patent disputes between the two technology giants in 50 different cases on four continents. Apple won a victory last month after a United States jury found the Korean firm copied key features of the iPhone and awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages.

Last week, the International Trade Commission (ITC) of the United States backed the verdict, ruling Apple didn’t violate patents owned by Samsung Electronics in making the iPod touch, iPhone and iPad.

U.S. Federal Judge Lucy Koh is scheduled to hold a hearing on Dec. 6 to consider Apple’s request for a permanent U.S. sales ban of eight Samsung smartphone models and the firm’s tablet following the jury’s verdict. Seven of the eight smartphones that Apple is seeking to ban are part of the Galaxy line.

Source :
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2012/09/182_120024.html

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Samsung Galaxy Note II review: Is bigger really bette

Samsung took a big risk with its first Galaxy Note device. At 5.3-in., the device's screen was almost comically large for a smartphone. That, combined with the Note's retro-sounding stylus, led to plenty of skepticism and outright ridicule.

Galaxy Note II

In the end, of course, Samsung had the last laugh by selling 10 million units by August, 2012 -- and now, the manufacturer's back with an even bigger model. The Galaxy Note II launches in the U.S. this week, with Sprint kicking things off on Thursday. The carrier will sell the Note II for $300 with a new two-year contract. AT&T, meanwhile, will offer the phone starting November 9 for the same price. T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular are all expected to follow suit in the coming weeks, though none has announced specific launch dates or prices as of this writing.

Samsung's Galaxy Note II keeps the same basic concept as the original Note but adds higher-quality components and new software twists. So how does it all stack up? I spent several days using the Note II to find out.

Body and display

When you hold the Galaxy Note II, one thing is immediately clear: This is a Samsung-made phone. The new Note follows Samsung's design aesthetic and in many ways looks like a supersized Galaxy S III. The device is very plasticky; it has a removable silver-colored rear panel that feels thin and flimsy when pulled off. That said, the Note II certainly doesn't look cheap; it has a sleek and contemporary appearance with shiny, reflective surfaces and visually pleasing curves.


Of course, the size is the real eye-catching thing about the Note II: The phone is a whopping 3.2 x 5.9 x 0.4 in., longer but slightly narrower than the first-gen Note's 3.3 x 5.8 x 0.4 in. frame.

At 6.3 oz., it isn't unbearably heavy -- but for better or for worse, it's definitely a bulky device. Personally, I found the Note II a bit awkward and unnatural to hold; it's too big to use with a single hand, like a typical smartphone, and too small to use like a traditional tablet (even a relatively small one like the Nexus 7).

I also found the Note II rather uncomfortable to carry around. While it did fit into the pocket of my jeans, it was always either in my way or on the verge of falling out. Sitting down was particularly challenging.

If you can get used to the size, though, the Note II's 5.5-in. HD Super AMOLED screen is a beaut. The 1280 x 720 display gives you ample room for Web browsing, video-watching or whatever your tech-loving heart desires. It's crisp, clear and bright (although you may have to deactivate Samsung's often-wonky auto-brightness setting to get the best results). Smartphone enthusiasts will be happy to know it doesn't utilize Pentile technology, which is frequently criticized for causing jagged edges and lower-quality views.

Samsung's Galaxy Note II has a volume rocker on its left side, a headphone jack on its top, and a power button about a third of the way down its right edge. On the bottom of the phone sits a standard micro-USB port that -- with the use of a special adapter, priced at $40 on Samsung's website -- can double as an HDMI out port to let you hook the phone up to your TV and watch your videos on a large display. The bottom of the device also houses a slot where the S Pen stylus resides (more on that in a bit).

Following the example of its Galaxy S III smartphone, Samsung has opted to use an odd mix of physical and capacitive navigation buttons in place of the virtual on-screen buttons Google recommends for modern Android devices. The Note II has a physical home button flanked by capacitive menu and back buttons, the latter two of which light up for just a couple of seconds when you touch the screen and remain invisible otherwise.


The Note II has a single small speaker on its back. The speaker is surprisingly good: Audio is loud, clear and relatively full-sounding. There is one design-related disappointment: The grill covering the speaker protrudes awkwardly from the phone's back plate, creating a rough and rather sharp spot in an otherwise smooth and consistent surface. (As a result, when you set the phone down on its back, it actually rocks back and forth very slightly.

Under the hood

Samsung's Galaxy Note II runs on a 1.6GHz quad-core processor along with a full 2GB of RAM. The result is a blazingly fast smartphone experience with no noticeable slowdowns or stutters; from app loading to Web browsing and even multitasking, the Note II's performance is consistently impressive.

Also impressive is the device's stamina: While it's no Droid Razr Maxx HD, the Galaxy Note II packs a removable 3100mAh battery that provides more than enough juice to get you from morning to night. Even with the massive power-sucking screen, I found myself making it through full days of moderate usage with room to spare.

(It's worth noting that the Note II model I tested was connected to T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ network. Models utilizing 4G LTE networks will likely utilize more power and may have different results.)

The Note II comes with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. (The U.S. carriers have not yet specified which version or versions they'll offer.) The Note II has a slot for a microSD card, too, located under the phone's rear panel; it allows you to add up to 64GB of additional storage.

The smartphone has an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing lens. The main camera is quite good and on a par with the setup used in Samsung's Galaxy S III phone. While I might give the HTC One X and One S a slight edge in terms of both camera interface and image quality, Samsung's setup is certainly no slouch; photos taken on the Note II looked crisp and sharp with vibrant, true-to-life colors and superb detail.

Finally, there's the actual phone connectivity: While things will obviously vary from one carrier to the next, on the T-Mobile device I used, calls sounded loud and clear, and people on the other end reported being able to hear me fine. (I did, however, feel slightly ridiculous holding a giant slate up to my face to talk.) Data over T-Mobile's HSPA+ network was pleasantly zippy and consistent with typical T-Mobile 4G speeds.

One concern: On a few occasions, my Note II unit stopped connecting to T-Mobile's network, making it impossible for me to make calls or utilize data. Powering the phone off and back on fixed the problem. My own personal device, meanwhile -- which also utilizes T-Mobile's network -- continued to work fine during these occasions.

Source

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samsung galaxy NOTE II

Network

    3G: HSPA+21Mbps
    (HSDPA 21Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps)
    4G LTE: 100Mbps / 50Mbps

Processor

    1.6 GHz quad-core processor

OS

    Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
S Pen Optimized Features

    S Pen Experience
    - S Note, S Planner, Email with hand-writing
      integration
    - S Pen Keeper
    - Quick Command, Easy Clip, Photo Note,
      Paper Artist
    - Shape Match, Formula Match
 
Display

    140.9 mm (5.5") HD Super AMOLED (1,280 x 720)

Dimension

    80.5 x 151.1 x 9.4 mm, 180g

Battery

    Standard battery, Li-ion 3,100mAh

Memory

    16/32/64GB User memory + 2GB (RAM)
    microSD slot (up to 64GB)


Connectivity / Sharing Features

    Bluetooth® v 4.0 (Apt-X Codec support) LE
    USB 2.0 Host
    WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 & 5 GHz), Wi-Fi HT40
    Wi-Fi Direct
    NFC
    S Beam
    Samsung AllShare Play & Control
    Samsung AllShare Cast (WiFi Display)
    - Mirroring & Extention
    Samsung AllShare Framework

Camera

    Main (Rear) : 8 Megapixel Auto Focus Camera with LED Flash, BSI
    Sub (Front) : 1.9 Megapixel VT Camera, BSI
    Best Photo, Best Face, Low light shot

Video

    Codec: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, VC-1, DivX, WMV7, WMV8, WMV9, VP8
    Format: 3GP(MP4), WMV(ASF), AVI, FLV, MKV, WebM
    Full HD(1080p) Playback & Recording

Audio

    Codec: MP3, OGG, WMA, AAC, ACC+, eAAC+, AMR(NB,WB), MIDI, WAV, AC-3, Flac
    Music Player with SoundAlive
    3.5mm Ear Jack

Content / Services
    Samsung Apps
    Samsung Hub
    - Game Hub
    - Media Hub (US only)
    - Learning Hub / Music Hub / Video Hub
    ※ The availability of each Samsung Hubs may
        differ by country

Sensor

    Accelerometer, RGB Light, Digital Compass, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer

GPS

    A-GPS
    Glonass

Enterprise Solutions

    On Device Encryption (H/W)
    Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
    VPN(F5, Cisco, Juniper)
    MDM(Sybase Afaria, MobileIron, SOTI, Good)
    CCX
    VMware MVP


Other

    Samsung TouchWiz / Samsung L!ve Panel
    Samsung Kies /Samsung Kies Air
    Samsung ChatOn mobile communication service
    Smart Stay, Direct claa, Screen Recorder,
    Quick Glance
    Samsung ChatOn mobile communication service
    Samsung S Suggest

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iPhone Vs Galaxy S3

Apple's iPhone 5 has been available for only a few weeks, but already it's generating more Web traffic volume than the Samsung Galaxy S3.

On line advertising network Chitika today released results of a study it conducted on Web traffic volume between the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S3. The company found that of "millions of mobile ad impressions" it recorded on the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3, more than half -- 56 percent -- originated from Apple's handset. Samsung's smart phone nabbed 44 percent of the total impressions.

"Only 18 days since the public release of the iPhone 5, the newest Apple device has overtaken the Galaxy S III in terms of Web traffic volume," Chitika wrote today in a blog post. "Record-breaking sales numbers, along with new 4G browsing speeds which encourage data usage, are the most likely explanation for this tremendous growth."

A bitter battle has erupted between Apple and Samsung over their flagship smart phones. Apple claims that the iPhone 5 is the best smart phone on the market, thanks to, among other things, its 4-inch Retina display, 8-megapixel camera, and design.

Samsung, meanwhile, has argued quite the opposite, pointing to the Galaxy S3's larger, 4.8-inch screen and near-field communication support, among other features. After Apple unveiled the iPhone 5, Samsung wasted no time launching an advertising campaign detailing what it believes are Apple's handset's shortcomings. The company has even taken to mocking Apple fans who stand in lines to buy the company's latest device.

Those efforts seem to have paid off. Earlier this month, mobile-app analytics firm revealed that Galaxy S3 sales are growing. When the iPhone 5 was announced last month, Galaxy S3 sales grew by 15 percent. At the end of September, sales growth was at 9 percent.

Chitika's data is based on mobile ad impressions it collected across its network between October 3 and October 9. The company didn't say how the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3 fared against other smart phones.


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Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini is just mutton dressed as lamb

After a flurry of leaks and rumors over the past week Samsung have finally unveiled their latest Android handset: the Galaxy SIII Mini. Sporting a 4 inch Super AMOLED display, it’s hardly a ‘mini’ phone, but compared to its older brothers – the 4.8 inch Galaxy S III and the 5.5 inch Galaxy Note 2 – it’s the smallest of the bunch.

The SIII Mini is obviously aimed at the budget conscious buyer looking for a new handset, the kind that might find the original Galaxy SIII a little on the pricey side, but this is far from a mini version of Samsung’s flagship phone. The mid-range Mini’s internals reflect this, with hardware more akin to the flagship Android phones from 18 months ago. The problem is, in today’s fast-paced mobile market, 18 months might as well be 18 years.

Considering the Mini is being placed alongside Samsung’s best mobile hardware to date, it does seem to dilute the quality of the lineup somewhat. The Mini is a lacklustre device not worthy of the Galaxy SIII name. The SIII Mini is basically just a re-packaged Galaxy S Advance with a software upgrade.

Inside you’ll find a dual-core 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM, five megapixel camera, 8/16 GB memory and an external SD card slot for expandability. Software wise, the Mini is running the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, wrapped in Samsung’s own TouchWiz skin. This is about the only feature worth getting excited about, and even that will be short lived. With hardware as dated as this, it’s unlikely that Jelly Bean will run smoothly. And as for future OS updates? You might as well forget it, this hardware will struggle – a lot.

If you’re currently on the market for a mid-range Android handset, then in my opinion you’re better off looking elsewhere. Samsung have made too many compromises this time around, which is disappointing because their latest line of Galaxy phones really have raised the bar in recent months. Even compared to the recently released iPhone 5 while HTC were forced to upgrade their  flagship One X just to keep up.

Samsung need to strip their mobile product lines down and concentrate on a few great devices, rather than dozens of handset variations that just confuse customers. They should stick with the previous generation Galaxy SII and use that as a mid-range alternative, rather than offering up this mutton dressed as lamb they’re calling the Galaxy SIII Mini.


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