Zoë Fielding
Samsung Electronics Australia will open its first local flagship store in August, just a block away from rival Apple’s multi-storey concept shop on Sydney’s George Street.
The Samsung brand store will occupy 213 square metres of space vacated last weekend by fashion brand French Connection at 432-450 George Street, by the Myer entrance.
The store will be the technology company’s first permanent retail outlet in Australia. It previously relied on other retailers to sell its products to people who wanted to buy from physical shops.
The company has been battling for its share of the smartphone market with Apple, which opened its first Australian concept shop at 367 George Street in 2008.
Last October, Samsung launched a temporary shop on George Street two doors from the Apple store to ambush its rival’s launch of the iPhone 4S.
From the pop-up shop, which was open for just one week, Samsung offered its Galaxy SII smartphones for sale for $2 to the first 10 people in line each day. People queued for days to buy the phones.
Samsung has lodged a development application with the City of Sydney council to spend $120,000 on a shopfront display and signage for the store, which is part of Westfield Sydney, although separated from the main shopping mall.
A spokesman for Samsung declined to comment on the company’s plans for Australia, but it is understood to be finalising its retail strategy and deciding which products to offer through the shop.
Sydney’s George Street and neighbouring Pitt and King streets have been attracting luxury and international fashion brands, while local retailers struggle with weak sales.
British brands Topshop and Topman are preparing to open in the old Gowings building, across Market Street from the Samsung store.
Six global retailers opened shops in central Sydney last year, including Zara, Burberry and Louis Vuitton. Others, such as Point Zero, H&M and Uniqlo, are expected to follow.
Apple aims to reopen patent fight against Google's Motorola - The Guardian
Apple will try to salvage a high-profile lawsuit against Google's Motorola Mobility unit on Wednesday at a crucial hearing in the smartphone patent wars between the two technology companies.
Sitting in Chicago, federal judge Richard Posner will hear Apple argue that it should be able to seek an order barring the sale of some Motorola phones. Posner's decision could affect the iPhone maker's ability to negotiate favourable licensing agreements in its legal fights against Motorola and other competitors including Samsung and HTC.
Apple has waged an international patent war since spring 2010, part of its attempt to either limit the growth of Google's Android or to restrict the number of iPhone-like features that it offers. So far it has had little effect; Android has gone in that time from around 100,000 phones being activated every day to more than 900,000 a day, and from less than 8m devices in use worldwide to more than 390m. Opponents of Apple, meanwhile, say it is using patents too aggressively in its bid to stamp out competition.
Motorola was first to move, suing Apple in October 2010, a move widely seen as a pre-emptive strike. Apple filed its own claims against Motorola the same month. Among the patents being asserted are some originally filed by NeXT Computer, the company set up by the late Steve Jobs which was then bought by Apple in 1996.
Posner issued a series of pretrial rulings that eliminated nearly all of Motorola's patent claims against Apple, while maintaining more of Apple's claims against Motorola. That meant Apple had more to gain at the trial, which had been set to start last week.
But earlier this month Posner cancelled the trial, saying in a tentative ruling that neither side could prove damages. An injunction would be "contrary to the public interest," he wrote.
Last week however Posner granted Apple's request for a hearing on a possible injunction, and ordered both sides to submit legal arguments in advance. Those documents were filed under seal on Monday.
Motorola may also ask for an injunction on the one patent in the case that it can still assert against Apple.
A clear victory in one of the US legal cases could strengthen Apple's hand in negotiating cross-licensing deals, where companies agree to let each other use their patented technologies, or to apply for bans on sales or changes to how devices which infringe its patents function.
So far, though, Apple has shown little inclination to license its patents to Android device makers, although it signed a Apple cross-licensing deal with Finland's Nokia in June 2011 in an out-of-court settlement after a protracted battle between the two over patents.
By contrast Microsoft has persuaded a number of Android handset manufacturers to sign cross-licensing deals which in effect mean that it gets paid a stipend every time one of the handsets is shipped.
Apple and Samsung are scheduled for trial on 30 July in federal court in San Jose, California.
Draw Something: which apps should be turned into TV shows? - The Guardian
You may know Draw Something as the Pictionary-style iPhone app that you downloaded, became obsessed with, grew tired of and bitterly deleted over the space of a single weekend back in March. But now Draw Something is so much more than that. Now it's on its way to becoming a TV programme.
Earlier this week it was revealed that CBS has won a bidding war to produce a pilot for a Draw Something gameshow. No details have been confirmed, but according to Variety, the series is expected to include "teams of celebrities and everyday users, [and] viewers can also play along at home for a chance to win prizes".
While it'll be interesting to see if Draw Something can become more than a mere Win, Lose or Draw clone – not to mention whether it can effectively replicate the app's never-ending, wearying oppressiveness, as contestants spend every microsecond of their precious free time joylessly scratching 70 different pictures of a giraffe or Barack Obama or a hat onto a screen again and again at the cost of their most important personal relationships – it might just be the tip of the iceberg. If Draw Something is a success, the app spinoff might look increasing attractive to TV companies.
So there's only one thing to do: get in on the act. Television commissioners must be straining at the leash for pitches based on phone apps, so here are a few for them to chew over. If anyone needs me, I'll be buying a mansion on hire purchase.
Angry Birds
Already Angry Birds, perhaps the best-known phone app of all time, has moved from app to animation, with 52 weekly short animations to be released later this year, and a feature film on the way. Which is all very well, but what about a TV entertainment show? Picture the scene: Joe Swash, Dean Gaffney and someone out of Hollyoaks all dressed up as birds, being fired from giant catapults into the side of several buildings. It'd be just like The Golden Shot, but with an exponentially higher insurance premium.
Temple Run
In Temple Run, you control a man as he recreates the boulder scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark by sprinting through a never-ending obstacle-littered ruin, chased by a pack of furious monsters. So it goes without saying that the Temple Run TV show should be exactly this. Part Total Wipeout, part Crystal Maze, we'd pick a member of the public to pelt through a real-life recreation of the Temple Run course. Forever. The show only ends once the contestant, broken and exhausted, relents and is eaten by the monsters in a harrowing bloodthirsty orgy of violence. Richard Hammond to commentate.
Song Pop
Song Pop is a simple Name That Tune-style app, where users compete with each other to guess the name and performer of a song based on a short snippet. This obviously has tons of potential for television. We could introduce a karaoke element to it, to see if contestants can remember the words. And we could get Shane Richie to host it. And it could be on Sky2 all the bloody time. Oh, no, hang on, I've just invented Don't Forget the Lyrics, haven't I? Sorry, disregard.
Fruit Ninja
David Cameron karate-chops hundreds of watermelons into pieces over and over and over for half an hour. Then he pulls a funny face and the end credits roll. This, I believe, will be the all-time pinnacle of the televised app spinoff genre.
So that's how I will make my fortune, but what about you? Which apps would you like to see turned into TV shows? Leave your thoughts below.
Samsung brings ticketless technology to festivals and gigs - first up, Red Hot Chili Peppers - Pocket-lint.com
Paper tickets could soon be a thing of the past, after Samsung announced it is to use ticketless technology at live music events across the UK.
The scheme will start with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ gig at Knebworth on 23 June, with attendees each receiving a wristband instead of a ticket. Each will use radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.
The wristbands themselves can be synched with social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, while hosts can also correlate competitions surrounding their events through them.
Samsung has also announced that it will begin implementing NFC technology via smartphones as an additional method for people to gain access to gigs and festivals.
Those attending The Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ gig on 23 June should head to the Samsung Galaxy Note experiential stand where they will be able to collect their RFID wristband that will gain them entry to the gig.
RFID wristbands will also be used by Samsung at the music and wakeboarding festival, Wakestock in Cardigan Bay, Wales on 6 to 8 July.
Do you think RFID and NFC are the future? Let us know in the comments below...
Pic: Brennan Schnell/Eastscene.com
iPhone 4S vs Galaxy S3: Clash of the Smartphone Titans - ibtimes.co.uk
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- Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
- S-Voice
- 4.8in Super AMOLED screen, 1280 x 720, 306ppi
- 8-megapixel camera with LED flash and HD video
- Quad-core 1.4GHz processor
iPhone 4S vs Galaxy S3: Design and Build Quality
The iPhone 4S's Gorilla Glass and aluminium construction means that it weighs slightly more than the larger Galaxy S3 (140g compared with 133g), but it does add a premium feel of quality that we think the Galaxy S3 misses out on.
We speak more about the lack of quality in our in-depth Galaxy S3 review, but can't help saying again that the use of a metal-look plastic band around the edge and flimsy plastic rear cover are a real disappointment for a phone costing more than £500.
Since its launch in 2007 the iPhone has come under fire for being fragile, with the Gorilla Glass cracking when dropped, so it's hard for us to say that one choice - plastic or glass - is distinctly better than the other.
Away from the argument of glass vs plastic, the Galaxy S3 is surprisingly thin for its enormous screen size, measuring in at 8.6mm compared to the iPhone at 9.3mm. That may not sound a lot, but it does help to make the S3 more pocket-friendly than it looks, and the tapered bezel helps to make the phone look even thinner than it is.
Typing with one hand does become a little uncomfortable, but this phone and the supersize HTC One X and One S show that a larger screen isn't too cumbersome after all.
As for layout, the two phones are remarkably similar and both offer a front-facing camera and two sensors for ambient light and proximity above the screen, and a central, physical Home button below.
The S3's Home button is flanked by a touch sensitive button on either side, while the iPhone makes do with just a single button.
Both smartphones provide volume buttons on the left edge, with the iPhone 4S offering a more industrial design with its individual buttons, compared to the Galaxy S3's single rocker.
The iPhone's physical mute switch is something the S3 misses out on - muting the Samsung requires either holding the volume down button or holding the screen lock button then tapping the silent option.
Most smartphones locate the screen lock/power button on the top right edge, but Samsung has placed the S3's on the right about a quarter the way down - this makes sense given the phone's size, as stretching to the top edge can be difficult for those with small hands, but remembering where the button is took some getting used to.
Despite our disappointment with the S3's plastic construction, Samsung has made the back cover removable, giving access to the battery, SIM card slot and microSD card slot - something the iPhone is sorely missing.
Apple has never allowed users to open the iPhone themselves - and has even gone to the extent of securing the rear glass with less commonly used screws to put owners off looking inside.
We all know smartphones struggle to last more than a day before needing a recharge and there is a market for larger capacity spare batteries, so it's a shame that Apple still refuses to allow the battery to be accessed.
Lack of expandable storage for the iPhone through a microSD card slot is also a shame, given that the Galaxy S3 can be upgraded by up to 64GB.
Around the back, both phones have an 8-megapixel camera with full 1080p HD video recording and LED flash. More than eight megapixels from the Galaxy S3 would have been welcome, as the S2 which it replaces also had an 8-megapixel sensor.
Overall, the iPhone wins in the design and build quality department, but this doesn't take into account either phone's screen.
iPhone 4S vs Galaxy S3: Screen
In our eyes, the Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC One X have proved that larger screens are the way forward and, while we might not all be comfortable with the gigantic 5.3in screen of the Samsung Galaxy Note, the 3.5in iPhone is just too small.
Size isn't everything, however, and the iPhone's pin-sharp 326ppi pixel density goes some way to make up for this, but after just a day with the S3 going back to an iPhone feels cramped and a step backwards.
In testing we found both screens to be equally responsive and accurate, with both offering a neutral colour balance and even brightness, although the iPhone 4S goes slightly brighter than the S3, so is easier to read in bright sunlight.
Rather than using the Super AMOLED Plus technology seen in the Galaxy S2, the Galaxy S3 uses a Super AMOLED panel which uses a PenTile subpixel structure. This means that rather than each pixel having three subpixels (red, blue, green) they have two (alternating between red and blue, and blue and green).
In previous PenTile screens this has led to problems such as a distinct colour fringe between black and white text, and a blue hue coming from the screen.
Thankfully, due to the high pixel density and whatever tinkering Samsung has done under the hood, most of these problems have been eliminated - though there is still a slight blue hue when viewing the screen from an angle.
Although the iPhone 4S offers more pixels per inch, it's all but impossible to spot the difference in pixel density between the two phones, and as image quality is also indistinguishable the only difference worth considering is the size, and for this the Galaxy S3 wins by a landslide.
This isn't just because a bigger screen is better, but what a week with the S3 did was make us realise that the iPhone isn't big enough, and while the Galaxy Note isn't for everyone, the S3 strikes a good balance between the two.
iPhone 4S vs Galaxy S3: Camera
Both smartphones use an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording and an LED flash and offer similar image quality, but where the iPhone offers no more than HDR (high dynamic range), a grid overlay and control of the flash, Android Ice Cream Sandwich on the Galaxy S3 has a huge range of features and settings.
You can shoot photos in HDR to capture scenes with high and low lighting in the same frame, burst mode - which shoots eight photos in around three seconds, then picks the best - and the usual range of monochrome and sepia effects.
White balance, metering and ISO can all be adjusted manually, or left to work things out automatically, and there's 13 different scenes to choose from, ranging from sports and portraits, to shooting by candlelight or capturing fireworks.
The Galaxy S3 has a large range of settings in the camera app
Although there's a minimum of 16GB of storage on tap depending on which S3 you buy, the resolution of photos taken can be lowered from 8-megapixels to six, 3.2, 2.4, 0.9 or just 0.3-megapixel if you so wish.
As for video, the Galaxy S3 shoots in full 1080p HD, although that can be trimmed down to 720p or lower if you need to save space, while the white balance and exposure can be adjusted and photos can be taken while you shoot video.
The iPhone offers very little in the way of camera settings and features.
Both phones can use the LED flash to illuminate the scene while shooting video and both camera apps have a shortcut on the lock screens.
The S3 can take photos while shooting video at the same time, and zoom while taking video, neither of which the iPhone can do.
Capturing a photo by tapping the screen can be difficult, and thankfully the iPhone 4S lets you press the volume up button, allowing you to hold the phone like a traditional camera - but this wasn't always the case, and is a fix that means the lens is easily obscured by your hand while reaching for the button.
On the Galaxy S3 the volume rocker is used to zoom in and out, but you have to tap the on-screen icon to take a photo.
As you can see from our sample photos at the end of this comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S3 produces sharper images with more contrast than the iPhone, which took photos that seems washed out and lacking in definition. Photos taken with the iPhone are warmer, while the Samsung's are on the cool side, but the added temperature of the iPhone looks most unnatural.
The quality of photos and large range of settings and features available makes the Galaxy S3's camera the winner in our eyes, although the iPhone does zoom in further, albeit with reduced quality.
iPhone 4S vs Galaxy S3: Connectivity and Hardware
Both smartphones get Wi-Fi in all a/b/g and n variants, along with Bluetooth with A2DP for streaming music to wireless headphone and speakers, but the Galaxy S3 edges ahead due to having NFC for contactless payments and the universal microUSB port.
Apple's reliance on the bespoke 30-pin dock connector port has served it well since first introduced withe the second generation iPod back in 2002, but now most of the phone industry has moved from all offering different ports, to (mostly) unifying with microUSB, and we feel that Apple should now do the same.
Having said that, sticking with the 30-pin connector for so many years means that there's a huge number of accessories available for the iPhone and iOS range as a whole
While the iPhone misses out on NFC for now, we're confident that Apple will include the technology with the next iPhone, as the new Passbook app in iOS 6 claims to offer a one-stop-shop solution to carrying tickets, coupons and store cards.
As mentioned previously, the S3 has an microSD card slot under the rear cover, unlike the iPhone that has to make do with the 16, 32 or 64GB or internal storage that it comes supplied with.
To make it stand out from the smartphone crowd Samsung has given the Galaxy S3 a range of features aimed at making your life easier. These include Smart Stay, which keeps the screen on when you're looking at it, but turns it off when you turn away.
The S3 also uses face recognition to unlock the phone, although as we have found, this can be tricked with a photograph of whoever it's set up for.
iPhone 4S vs Galaxy S3: Performance and Operating System
Apple is reluctant to reveal much about its dual-core A5 processor, as used in the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, so while we know of the two cores, the speed that it runs at is unknown, although the clever money says around 1GHz.
Samsung is much more open about the performance of its Galaxy S3, which has a quad-core 1.4GHz processor with 1GB of RAM (the US model gets a massive 2GB, but the processor is a 1.5GHz dual-core unit).
Although beaten comprehensively on paper, the iPhone 4S holds up well against the more powerful S3 in the real world, with both phones able to keep up with whatever we throw at them.
A neat way to show off the Galaxy S3's power is Pop Up Play, which lets you take the video you're watching and move it around the entire operating system in its own small window - useful when you want to play a game or answer an email while watching a video.
Pop Up Play lets you watch a video while doing something else, like playing a game.
Apple recently announced iOS 6 and said that it will be available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch in the autumn.
We've got our hands on the beta of iOS and will bring an in-depth comparison between it and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich at a later date; for now though, it's iOS 5 that will be Apple's answer to Android 4.
Battery life is, as with most smartphones with the performance of the iPhone and Galaxy S3, limited to not much more than a day of average use.
Samsung claims that the S3's 2,100mAh battery is good for more than 200 hours of standby time and ten hours of talk time over 3G, but in the real world of calls, texts, Facebook and iPlayer, we'd suggest you charge it every night like any other smartphone.
Apple also claims 200 hours of standby time for the iPhone 4S, with a slightly less 3G talk time of eight hours. Again, you'll be lucky to see two fulls days out of the iPhone, so nightly charging is a must.
As for comparing Ice Cream Sandwich with iOS 5, it will always come down to personal preference; they both offer just about everything you could want from a smartphone.
The old story of Android being more open and accessible than iOS still rings true, and the counter argument that Apple's offering appeals to those who want all their tech under the same umbrella and to work together with minimal fuss is also true.
Both operating systems share some features - such as the drop down notification bar - and the number of apps available on Android is, while still behind Apple's App Store, ever increasing, with apps from major developers usually appearing on both platforms.
iPhone 4S vs Galaxy S3: S-Voice and Siri
Apple caused quite a stir when Siri was announced along with the iPhone 4S in October 2011, with some praising the 'humble personal assistant' for its understanding of informal language, while others criticised Apple for wasting time in loading Siri up with jokes and film references.
Despite some glaring omissions - like being unable to take a photo, launch an application or, worst of all, perform any location-based queries outside of the US - Siri is a tool that does just about everything you could ask of it.
Whether you want to issue spoken commands to your phone or not is something else, the point is that it works.
With the Galaxy S3 Samsung introduced its Siri competitor, S-Voice, and has taken a different approach; by sidelining the iPhone-lost-in-a-tequila-bar jokes and suggestions of where to hide a body, Samsung may have created an app that is more function than gimmick.
Sadly though, in our time with the Galaxy S3 we found S-Voice to be lacking and not a real rival for Siri; while the catalogue of what it can do is good enough, in the real world S-Voice had a hard time understanding what we were saying.
S-Voice is noticeably slower than Siri to come up with an answer, but does provide answers to location-based questions in the UK, which Siri will not be able to do until iOS 6 comes out in the autumn.
One trick S-Voice does have is the ability to be activated by voice and with no need to press a button, but a warning to the self conscious - this does involve saying "Hi Galaxy" to your phone.
Despite ditching the gimmicks, S-Voice doesn't understand the wide range of phrases that Siri does and feels like a less complete product.
No doubt Samsung will improve on S-Voice for future phones and through software updates, but with Siri getting a major update with iOS 6 in the autumn, we have to give this point to the iPhone.
iPhone 4S vs Galaxy S3: Value
Being at the top of the smartphone food chain doesn't come cheap, as both the iPhone 4S and Galaxy S3 start at around £500 for a SIM-free 16GB model, rising to £699 for a 64GB iPhone, while the 32GB Galaxy S3 is exclusive to Vodafone and can be had for free on contracts starting at £46 per month.
For more information on pricing, check out our buyers' guides for the iPhone 4S here and Galaxy S3 here.
Verdict
Picking a winner between these two smartphones is tough. Customers happy to get into the iOS and Mac ecosystem will love how everything on the iPhone 4S syncs with their Mac and other Apple devices, and iOS is very easy to use.
But on the other hand, the Galaxy S3 proves beyond doubt that a larger screen is better and that the iPhone is now too small.
On paper, the S3 is more powerful and the iPhone offers a better quality screen, but in the real world neither victory is noticeable.
Choosing between these two is tough and will always fall down to each buyer's personal opinion - and we doubt they'd be disappointed with either - but for us it's the Galaxy S3 that claims victory, thanks to that hugely impressive screen and Ice Cream Sandwich, which is starting to make iOS look dated.
With iOS 6 and a new iPhone due in the autumn, the pressure is back on Apple to produce something that will reclaim the top step of the smartphone podium.
Scores
Samsung Galaxy S3:
- Screen 10/10
- Camera 8/10
- Operating system 9/10
- Design 8/10
- Build quality 7/10
- Overall 9/10
Apple iPhone 4S:
- Screen 9/10
- Camera 7/10
- Operating system 9/10
- Design 9/10
- Build quality 8/10
- Overall 9/10
Sample Shots
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Samsung Galaxy S III delivers a top-notch Android handset - USA Today
The highly anticipated successors to Samsung's popular smartphones are sleek, attractive and, though you can make a compelling case for the recent HTC One devices, the finest Android handsets I've come across.
Not that Samsung has achieved perfection. The S Voice feature that lets you tell the phone out loud what to do is a poor alternative to Siri on the iPhone 4S, which invites inevitable comparisons. S Voice was sometimes slow to respond and not always able to understand what I was asking. (Not that Siri is flawless.) It does let you set alarms and get a weather forecast and, like Siri, will tell a lame joke. You can also use your voice to wake up a locked phone. But I had mixed results.
Galaxy S III has a beautiful 4.8-inch mammoth high-definition display that's not quite the behemoth that is the 5.3-inch display on the Samsung Galaxy Note "phablet" phone tablet. Galaxy S III weighs 4.7 ounces, but doesn't feel heavy, and is a mere third of an inch thick.
The phone has a slippery plastic feel that may bother some but didn't bother me. While I generally appreciate the aesthetics, I did accidentally press the back button just below the screen.
With the customary contract, it will sell for about $200-$230 for versions with 16 gigabytes of storage, rising to about $250-$280 for 32 GB. Models are coming from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular.
Samsung supplied two units for testing, a white model from Sprint and a "pebble blue" model from AT&T. The phones have a microSD slot for extra storage concealed under the back cover and near the removable battery. On the battery, I got through a full day of mixed usage.
The phones have zippy dual-core Qualcomm processors and run Android 4.0, known as Ice Cream Sandwich. You don't feel strained when a bunch of programs run at once. The units, however, did run a little hot. When Wi-Fi was out of reach, the 4G LTE network on the AT&T phone outperformed the poky 3G network on the Sprint.
Galaxy S III is an excellent camera phone. The rear 8-megapixel camera has an LED flash and can capture full 1080p HD video. The front camera can handle lower-quality HD. A "burst shot" option lets you capture up to 20 photos in a burst at around three photos per second. You can capture stills from the same screen while shooting video.
If the phone recognizes faces of people you have previously tagged — it worked with my mug — you can easily send photos directly to them .
Another feature, called Share Shot, lets you instantly share pictures with other Galaxy owners who have turned on a function called Wi-Fi Direct. You can transmit pix to up to five devices — up to a football field away, Samsung says — potentially handy for friends attending the same gathering. The feature worked in my tests, but I'm not sure how useful it will be in practice. Each person you are sharing images with must turn on Share Shot and turn on Wi-Fi Direct. And you're probably not going to want to share everything, so you'll have to remember to turn them off.
Yet another sharing feature is called S Beam. You place two Galaxy S III's back-to-back to transfer pictures, videos, documents and music files, even when you don't have a Wi-Fi or cellphone connection. The idea is that you can share whatever is on the screen — a movie, say, that you are watching on the video player. The process wasn't always seamless. S Beam works in conjunction with a similar Android Beam feature that is also on hand to allow you to share contacts, Web pages, YouTube videos, directions and apps by placing devices back-to-back.
Samsung is touting a Smart Stay feature that detects when your eyes are fixed on the screen to prevent it from dimming or locking. Another feature: If you're in the middle of a text conversation and decide to call, you can simply lift the phone to your ear to make the call.
Most human beings will like the Galaxy S III, as I did. After all, it's a phone designed for us.
The bottom line
Samsung Galaxy S III
$200 on up, from all major U.S. carriers
Pro: Attractive Ice Cream Sandwich phone has sleek design and large, lovely display. Excellent camera phone. Various sharing options.
Con: S Voice is imperfect.
E-mail: ebaig@usatoday.com. Follow @EdBaig on Twitter.
Samsung Galaxy Tabs getting Android 4.0 in coming weeks - Gigaom.com
Google introduced Android 4.0 in October, choosing the Galaxy Nexus smartphone to demonstrate the improved user experience and new feature set. Relatively few devices have seen the software upgrade since then, however, and new devices have only recently begun to ship with the software in the past few months. The eight models of the Galaxy Tab slated for the update include both the Wi-Fi and 3G versions of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, Tab 7.7, Tab 8.9 and Tab 10.1.
If history is a good predictor, all of the upgraded tablets will still rely on Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface; other upgraded devices from Samsung have hidden Android 4.0 with TouchWiz. That’s to be expected, but I’m wondering what, if any, of Samsung’s new features found on the Galaxy S III might be included as well. The company’s newest smartphone is packed with software and sharing features that could greatly improve the Galaxy Tab experience.
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Samsung wins patent dispute against Apple, will seek compensation - techspot.com
The Netherlands' District Court of The Hague has ruled in favor of Samsung in a patent dispute with Apple. Samsung claimed that Apple infringed upon patent EP1188269 which relates to a 3G technology used in the iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4 and iPad 1 and 2.
In a statement to CNET, Samsung said they were pleased with the court’s ruling that reaffirms the fact that Apple has been “free-riding” their technological innovation. The company will seek adequate compensation for damages, although an exact monetary figure hasn’t been released yet.
This isn’t the first time Samsung has sued Apple over patent disputes in the region. Earlier this year they attempted to ban the iPhone and iPad from being sold based on alleged infringement of four patents but because Samsung is governed by FRAND (fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory) licensing rules, they must first try to negotiate a licensing deal with Apple for use of the patents.
This latest ruling confirms infringement on one of the four patents from the previous case; Apple was cleared of infringement charges on the other three patents.
FOSS Patents described the ruling as having some symbolic significance because it’s the first offensive case that Samsung has won after more than a year of litigation. They say the impact is very minimal and it’s extremely likely that Samsung won’t bring in enough money from the ruling to offset what they owe Apple in legal fees for losing the three other disputes.
Motorola Mobility extends RAZR family in South Asia with RAZR MAXX, RAZR V - Nation - Thailand
The long-lasting Motorola RAZR MAXX and the all-new Motorola RAZR V come to India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand
Motorola Mobility is bringing the longest-lasting smartphone on the market today, Motorola RAZRTM MAXX, and the sexy yet affordable Motorola RAZRTM V to India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Motorola RAZR MAXX will be available with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), and will receive an over-the-air upgrade to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) soon after. Motorola RAZR V will be available with Android 4.0 during the third quarter of the year. Specific availability information for both devices will be announced closer to the retail launch dates.
Both smartphones sport the iconic RAZR design, with the same sculpted face, diamond-cut aluminum accents Not only are they gorgeous, they're also made to last, with KEVLAR® fibre for strength and scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass. Caught in the rain? Spill your coffee? Fear not. Motorola RAZR MAXX and Motorola RAZR V have a splash-guard coating that keeps everything safe - including the electrical boards inside.
Motorola RAZR MAXX - the longest lasting smartphone on the block
With the longest battery life of any smartphone today, this device has enough juice for 17.6 hours of talk-time - on a single charge. And because it's in the Motorola RAZR family, it has the same incredibly thin, fast and light pedigree as the groundbreaking original Motorola RAZR smartphone. It has a vibrant 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced display that features a wider range of colours than most LCD HDTVs. Plus at just 8.99 mm, Motorola RAZR MAXX is still impossibly thin.
For aspiring filmmakers, forget about buying expensive, clunky equipment to shoot your first masterpiece. Instead, take advantage of Motorola RAZR MAXX's 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with 1080p video capture for crisp, clear, cinematic-quality images. Or, simply use it to chat with a friend using the front-facing HD video camera.
The Motorola RAZR MAXX is also "Business Ready," featuring government-grade encryption that protects your email, contacts and calendar. Even the strictest IT manager will be impressed.
Motorola RAZR V - iconic styling and mind-blowing thinness for your budget
At an amazing 8.35mm thin, the Motorola RAZR V makes the iconic RAZR family styling and quality available to everyone. This big-screen beauty is surprisingly compact and light, and feels great even in smaller hands. Thanks to ColorBoostTM display technology, the Motorola RAZR V boastsextremely vibrant colours for better clarity and sharper images.With Charcoal, Glacier White and Rebel Pink options, subject to market availability, you can choose the colour that reflects your own personality and style. And while the Motorola RAZR V comes at a surprisingly affordable price, it gives away nothing in performance, thanks to its dual-core 1.2GHz processor.
Unique to Motorola Mobility smartphones, including Motorola RAZR MAXX and Motorola RAZR V is Smart Actions - a tool that lets you automate your phone's settings throughout the day. For example, you can set your phone to automatically turn off its ringer when you get home from work, set it to turn off emails while you sleep, or dim the screen when battery life gets below 30 percent. Essentially, Smart Actions manages all of the little things that add up to make all the difference in the world - all while extending your phone's already long battery life.
"RAZR is synonymous with design excellence and both Motorola RAZR MAXX and Motorola RAZR V reflect that," said Robert van Tilburg, senior regional sales director, South Asia, Motorola Mobility. "With its fantastic battery, Motorola RAZR MAXX is in a class of its own. Not only do you get everything you love about the Motorola RAZR, but now you get the power to last through marathon calls, hours of surfing the Web, or streaming movies. You'll drop long before this phone ever does. With Motorola RAZR V, we've created the perfect smartphone for stylish, smart and tech-savvy consumers who want great looks, great performance and great value."
Price and Availabily
Motorola RAZR MAXX will start shipping in end-June with the exact availability and prices in each market to be announced closer to the retail launch. Motorola RAZR V will be made available in Q3 of 2012.
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