The Samsung Focus S is the top dog in the Korean company’s Windows Phone lineup. It is the bigger brother of the Samsung Focus Flash in AT&T’s smartphone lineup.

The term “bigger” is almost entirely related to size here. Due to Microsoft’s tight hardware restrictions for their Windows Phone platform, the line between a flagship and a budget device is quite thin. Thus, the Focus S and Focus Flash share chipsets and CPUs. The differences between the two are in the screen size, built-in memory, and the camera units – here the Focus S is better equipped.

The Samsung Focus S, despite being a new release, should look quite familiar to you. In a rather clever fashion, Samsung’s designers have decided to shape the device as a twin to the highly successful I9100 Galaxy S II – not a bad idea given the fact that the Android powered handset is still selling like hotcakes.
As always, we’ll kick the review off with the key features of the Samsung Focus S, followed by its main disadvantages.

Key Features
4.3" 16M-color Super AMOLED Plus screen with WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels)
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
3G with HSDPA (14.4 Mbps) and HSUPA (5.76Mbps)
Windows Phone 7.5 operating system
Ability to uninstall wireless provider’s proprietary apps out of the box
1.4 GHz Scorpion CPU, 512MB RAM, Snapdragon chipset
8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and geo-tagging; 1.3MP front unit
720p video recording (the OS does not allow higher resolution yet)
A number of Samsung proprietary apps, including a capable photo editor
Bing Maps with free navigation
16GB of built-in storage
Standard 3.5mm audio jack
Standard microUSB port (charging)
Wi-Fi b/g/n; DLNA support; Wi-Fi hotspot capable
Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
Accelerometer for screen auto rotation
FM radio with RDS
Office document editor
Built-in A-GPS receiver
Voice-to-text functionality

Main disadvantages
No system-wide file manager
Non-expandable memory
No Bluetooth file transfers
No USB mass storage mode
Limited third-party apps availability
No Flash (nor Silverlight) support in the browser
Too dependent on Zune software for file management and syncing
No DivX/XviD video support (automatic transcoding provided by Zune software, but lowers quality)

We’ve already encountered Windows Phone 7.5 Mango on several occasions. The OS has significantly matured with the latest update – it is now a viable alternative for those, who don’t want to go down the iOS or Android road.

Sadly however, Microsoft’s creation leaves no room for customization. You get the same experience, regarding of the device you’re using it on. This means that it is up to the hardware of the respective devices to win the potential consumer over – a welcome news for the Samsung Focus S, given its Galaxy S II pedigree.


source: gsmarena.com

READ MORE - Samsung Focus S review: Different kind of flagship

Samsung has introduced a new Android smartphones in China namely the Samsung SCH-W999. In contrast to most other Android smartphone Samsung W999 comes with a flip design.

Samsung SCH-W999 comes with dual-core processor 1.2 GHz from Qualcomm as well as having two identical 3.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with WVGA resolution, the phone also comes with Dual SIM card slots that can be connected with GSM and CDMA networks.

Samsung SCH-W999 is present using Android 2.3 Gingerbread with the beautifull TouchWiz user interface created by the Korean vendors.

This phone will be officially launched next year for China market, but the price has not been confirmed by the Samsung.


source: samsung-sch-w999-clamsell-android-dual-screen-dual-sim-dual-core

READ MORE - Samsung SCH-W999: Clamsell Android Dual Screen, Dual SIM, and Dual-Core

Today Samsung announced that its new Bada flagship, the S8600 Wave 3 is hitting the shelves around the world. The smartphone, which was announced at the end of August is making its market debut just in time for the holiday shopping spree.

Samsung didn't quote the price of the Wave 3, but a quick search around online shops did the trick. The Samsung S8600 Wave 3 is currently going for about €280 after taxes in Europe, which seems like quite a decent bargain considering the package you are getting.

The Samsung S8600 Wave 3 is built around a 4" Super AMOLED of WVGA resolution and runs Bada OS 2.0 on a 1.4GHz Scorpion processor. A 5-megapixels auto-focus camera with LED flash and 720p video recording @30fps should cater for your photography needs, while a VGA front-facing snapper enables video-chatting.


source: http://www.samsungmobilepress.com/2011/11/28/Samsung-Launches-Wave-3-in-Global-Markets

READ MORE - Samsung S8600 Wave 3 launches globally today, live pics inside

The hit smartphone Galaxy S II has surpassed the 10 million landmark in global sales. It managed to achieve this in just five months of going on sale.


The previous record holder in Samsung's fleet was the Samsung Star S5230, which managed to cross the 10 million mark in six months. The hot selling Galaxy S managed to achieve the same in about seven months. Being significantly more expensive than both, the fact that the Galaxy S II managed to reach the sales figure in a shorter period of time is quite an achievement.

Then again, this is not surprising. The Galaxy S II has struck a chord with the smartphone buyers thanks to its awesome features and performance and people are shoveling their money at Samsung just to get their hands on the best smartphone on the market right now. Now that the phone has started selling in the US as well, the next landmark will probably take even less time.


Source : http://sammyhub.com/2011/09/25/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-global-sales-surpasses-10m-units/

READ MORE - Galaxy S II global sales pass the 10 million mark

Samsung Galaxy SL – 4-inch Super Clear LCD Display Android SmartPhone

The Samsung I9003 Galaxy SL has similiar specifications with Galaxy S i9000, the difference is Samsung Galaxy i9003 runs on Android 2.2 with TouchWiz UI. Samsung Galaxy SL i9003 smartphone comes with a large 4 inch Super Clear LCD display with Gorilla Glass. It is the Super Clear LCD display version of the popular Samsung Galaxy S mobile phone. This Samsung phone includes 1 GHz processor and 5 megpixel camera with autofocus and HD (720p) video recording.

Samsung Galaxy SL features TouchWiz 3.0 UI, 480 x 800 pixels resolution and it is 16 million coloured WVGA touch screen, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 3G Connectivity, and more.

Other features incude a 3.5 mm headset jack, DLNA connectivity, 478 MB RAM, 4 GB internal memory, 32 GB expandable memory, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, microUSB 2.0, GPS, Android Market, FM Radio with RDS, Adobe Flash 10.1 support, up to 15 hours talktime, up to 610 hours stand-by time and a 1650 mAh Li-Ion battery.


Samsung Galaxy SL comes with a price tag of Rs.19,499.

Samsung Galaxy SL Specifications
Network
• GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900
• HSDPA 900, 1900, 2100
Screen
• SC-LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16 million colors
• 240 x 400 pixels, 3.2 inches
• 480 x 800 pixels, 4.0 inches
• Gorilla Glass display
• TouchWiz 3.0 UI
• Multi-touch input method
• Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate
• Touch-sensitive controls
• Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
• Swype text input
Weight & Dimension
• 131 g (including battery)
• (123.7 x 64.2 x 10.6 ) mm
Memory & Processor
• Unlimited entries: with multiple contact storage entries
• Internal memory: 16 GB
• RAM: 478 MB
• Expansion slot: microSD up to 32 GB
• 1GHz Cortex A8 CPU, PowerVR SGX530 GPU, TI OMAP 3630 chipset
Data Service & Connectivity
• GPRS Class 12
• EDGE Class 12
• HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
• HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
• WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA
• Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP
• microUSB v2.0
Ringtones
• MP3, Polyphonic
• Vibration
Camera
• 5 megapixel, 2592 x 1944 pixels
• Auto-focus, LED flash
• Geo-tagging, Face & motion detection
• Video recording: 720p@30fps
• Second camera: VGA for video call
Battery
• Standard battery: Li-Ion 1650 mAh
• Stand by time up to: 610 h (GSM), 550 h (HSDPA)
• Talk time up to: 15 h (GSM), 7 h 30 min (HSDPA)
Others
• Android OS, v2.2 (Froyo)
• SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM
• HTML
• GPS with A-GPS support
• Google Maps
• Google app
• Social networks integration
• Organizer
• Document editor (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF)
• Voice command/dial
• Predictive text input
• Digital compass
• Adobe Flash 10.1 support
• Image/video editor
• TV-out
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Music player: MP4, DivX, WMV, H.264, H.263, MP3, WAV, eAAC+

source : http://www.hotmobilenews.com/samsung-galaxy-sl-4-inch-super-clear-lcd-display-android-smartphone

READ MORE - Samsung Galaxy SL – 4-inch Super Clear LCD Display Android SmartPhone

The Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II is having a magnificent debut on the smartphone scene, winning plenty of users for the Android and Samsung causes. Well it appears that not all is rosy with the Korean flagship as a watchful user has noticed an issue with that gorgeous 4.3” Super AMOLED Plus display.

The problem reported by numerous forum users concerns the leftmost quarter of the lower half of the screen and is most visible at the lowest brightness settings.

Some even say, it's not that those units are faulty, it's like that on all Galaxy SII phones. Well, we rolled out our sleeves and went to check ours and report back.

And indeed, upon a really, really close inspection, we noticed that the part of the display in question is slightly darker than the rest of the screen and has a slight yellow tint to it.
To make the effect more prominent in the photo on the left we have flipped the lower half of the screen so the darker and lighter parts are closer by. It's really the best we can do to demonstrate an effect that is pretty hard to see otherwise.

Now uneven backlighting is something that we are used to seeing on LCD screens, but we can’t quite explain how it appeared on the Galaxy S II. Granted the effect is pretty subtle and we didn’t notice it until told what to look for, but it’s there and it seems probable that all early units of the smartphone have it.

Last time we saw a similar problem it was with the iPhone 4 and it turned out to be a temporary effect caused by the glue used in assembly that disappeared by itself with time. We guess, it won't be the case here as quite a lot of time passed since those phones came out of the factory.
We’d be glad if Samsung stepped up and cleared this out for everyone and we are sure their customers agree with us.

Anyway we wouldn’t call the display issue a deal-breaker and we don’t even think most people will notice it, but still – knowing that there’s a problem with that gorgeous screen of your smartphone can leave somewhat of a bad taste in your mouth.

You can check out if your handset has the display issue by looking at a neutral gray background (you can open this page, helpfully prepared by Erethnor of XDA-developers, in the browser). You might want to choose darker environment and reduce the brightness of the display to make it easier to see.

Source : forum.xda-developers.com

READ MORE - Galaxy S II display reportedly has yellow spots, we test

The much awaited Samsung Galaxy S II has finally got a launch date in India. According to Samsung India, the phone will be on sale starting June 9. However, thanks to a special deal with Vodafone India, their customers will be able to get their hands on the Galaxy S II from June 3.

Now for the big question and that is what will be the cost of this monster of a device. The Galaxy S II will set you back by Rs. 32,890 (US$723), which shouldn't come as a big surprise considering the spec sheet of this phone.

Vodafone customers will be able to pre-book the device from tomorrow by paying Rs. 1,000.


Source : samsunghub.com

READ MORE - Samsung Galaxy S II announced in India, will hit shelves by June 9

Well it's good news for all Galaxy S owners and an incentive for future Galaxy S II owners as Samsung has kept its promise to give the Gingerbread treatment to the Galaxy S at any cost. And it seems that the update is rolling out anew for the ex-flagship.

Samsung kept the promise it made just days ago and that's deserving of an approving nod.
We remind you that the official update first started rolling out through the Samsung Kies software in March, but was later withdrawn due to issues with it that weren't mentioned. Rumors had it that the delay was due to bugs.

The update is currently available to some Galaxy S users in the UK, but Samsung has confirmed that it might take a while longer to appear with some carriers.

The Gingerbread update should bring several key improvements to the first Galaxy S smartphone - improved performance, less battery drain as well as some usability tweaks.
We hope this time everything will go smooth and everyone will be able to enjoy the latest Android build on their Galaxy S.

Thanks Mike, for sending this in!

source:gsmarena.com

READ MORE - Samsung resumes I9000 Galaxy S Gingerbread update

T-Mobile might be coming a bit late to the Galaxy S II party, but it seems that it will make a remarkable entrance. We just got word of the upcoming Samsung Hercules, which looks like the most powerful droid the company has ever built, combing the best of both the Infuse 4G and the international Galaxy S II worlds.

We are talking a 4.5” Super AMOLED Plus display and a dual-core CPU clocked at 1.2 GHz. However the chipset will be built by Qualcomm, which means that the processor will be using the Scorpion, rather than the Cortex-A9 architecture. We are yet to see if that’s a change for the better or for the worse.

Samsung Hercules is said to support the 1700 MHz AWS 3G band and if the T-Mobile and AT&T merger goes through it will also come with 850 and 1900 MHz 3G. The great news is that the smartphone will sport HSPA for up to 42Mbps on the downlink and up to 5.76 Mbps on the uplink. The LTE-packing HTC Thunderbolt aside, this is the fastest network data transfers rates we have seen so far.

The impressive specs sheet of the Samsung Hercules continues with 1GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot and NFC support. The 8 megapixel camera should be able to capture 1080p videos, which hopefully will be as good as those of the I9100 Galaxy S II (or in the best case scenario, even better).

The USB port will still come with MHL support, which means you are one adapter away from plugging in your regular HDMI cable and using it for TV-out. All this goodness is squeezed in a package with a profile of just 9.4mm.

The rumored price tag of over $350 will hardly surprise anyone given the feature set. Unfortunately it will take at least until August for the handset to materialize in T-Mobile stores.


source : thisismynext.com

READ MORE - Samsung Hercules for T-Mobile is the stuff from your dreams

I don’t mean to sound condescending toward the folks at Nordic Hardware with my title. First, the story: the Samsung Galaxy S II’s GPU doesn’t allow users to run anything at refresh rates greater than 60 frames per second. Boohoo. Since when was 60 frames per second a bad thing? Any graphically demanding game running at 60 frames per second is great, and the overall feel of the OS benefits from it too. But do folks really want or need more?

The argument against 30 frames per second was justified. I experienced the limitation first hand on several HTC devices of yesteryear, including the HTC EVO 4G Developers eventually got around that and delivered 60 frames of goodness per second to all. I was very pleased, impressed, and satisfied with how much snappier it made devices feel (even if actual device performance wasn’t getting a boost). To this day, I remain satisfied. Many others do, too.

What is the point of going further? In 2D and 3D graphics – especially for phone UIs – there is no real world advantage to pushing out as much as you can at the highest framerate. Overall performance can suffer the higher you try to go because your GPU and CPU have to work harder to display a moving image just a bit smoother than what is recognized as the industry standard. Yes, folks, the Mali 400 has a locked frame rate, but you’re likely still going to buy this phone the moment you get a chance.


source : phandroid.com

READ MORE - Samsung Galaxy S II Graphics Performance Locked at 60FPS, But Who Cares?

Seven new Android smartphones are now humbly waiting on the T-Mobile UK coming soon page for their release dates to arrive. The LG Optimus Black, Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo, Samsung Galaxy S II, LG Optimus 3D, HTC ChaCha, Motorola ATRIX and HTC Sensation are all due to hit the UK in the upcoming months.

The super sexy dual-core Samsung Galaxy S II is due to launch in June, but if you don't think its worth the wait, you can the get the LG Optimus Black as soon as next month. Also for June are planned the LG Optimus 3D, Facebook-oriented HTC ChaCha, and the Motorola ATRIX.

Understandably, pricing and plan details are not yet available, but be sure we'll update you as soon as those hit T-Mobile UK's site.


source : unwiredview.com

READ MORE - Optimus 3D, XPERIA Neo, Galaxy S II and more to hit T-Mobile UK

Ah, the power of dual-core processors – it lets you do cool stuff like buttery-smooth multitasking, exciting 3D portable gaming or Full HD videos. The latest Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II packs the new Exynos chipset, which pairs a couple of Cortex-A9 cores with a Mali-400MP GPU. Sounds like a potent mix – at least on paper, so we’re eager to pit it against one of the first phones to offer Nvidia’s Tegra 2 platform - the LG Optimus 2X.

What we have in our hands is a pre-release test unit of the Galaxy S II, successor to one of the best selling Android phones. Ours runs its two CPU cores at 1GHz but Samsung announced that the speed will be bumped up to 1.2GHz.

Once that’s done, the I9100 Galaxy S II would be the most powerful droid – until the competition catches up, which won’t take long judging by our rumor mill. Anyway, we’re going to use the chance to put Samsung’s Exynos chipset head to head with NVIDIA’s Tegra 2. We’ll be using the LG Optimus 2X for the benchmarks, which runs at the same clock speed as our Galaxy S II – 1GHz.

We’re already working on our Galaxy S II preview but until that’s done, we just couldn’t resist testing some of the most interesting new features of Samsung’s latest flagship. Here’s what this comparison will be about.

First off, this is our first encounter with the Super AMOLED Plus technology, which improves on an already excellent screen. We’ll run the new display through several tests to determine how it stacks up against the old one and other leading displays on the market.

Next, we’ll get to the camera department – the Galaxy S II comes with an 8MP still shooter that can capture 1080p FullHD videos. That’s our second encounter with such a beast and we’ll be pitting it against the LG Optimus 2X camera, that’s for sure. A surprising guest star in the camera test is the Sony Ericsson Arc, which we recently reviewed as well.

After that comes the test of what makes the Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II tick – the new dual-core Exynos chipset. Just keep in mind the Galaxy S II retail version will have 20% more clock speed for each of the two CPU cores.

Finally, we’ll wrap things up with a real-life performance test – how does the Galaxy S II stack up in real world tasks (we’ll be testing the user interface, web browser and games) against a phone with a Tegra 2 chipset (which is quite popular among new smartphones and even tablets).


source : gsmarena.com

READ MORE - Samsung Galaxy S II vs LG Optimus 2X: Head to head

Yesterday we got indications that the Samsung Galaxy S II launch will be delayed by as much as a month. But now Samsung stepped up and announced (via Twitter) that the Samsung Galaxy S II flagship will still arrive on time in April to scheduled markets.

Unfortunately, there's no concrete information about which markets will be getting the Galaxy S II first.

The company also said that the device will be "gradually rolled out in each market according to the local launch timetable". It sounds laconic enough. It may mean that the Galaxy S II will hit everywhere, just gradually, not in huge numbers. Or that key European markets will be getting it first. We can only guess.

We're yet to see what's what with the Galaxy S II. As you know it already came in for a preview and we're currently working with it.


source : gsmarena.com

READ MORE - Samsung: The Galaxy S II is still set for April launch

Samsung had a slow start in Android but they are making up for it with some impressive high-tech devices. But the All-star team is certainly not leaving anyone behind and the Galaxy Spica just got its update to the latest Android 2.1. Now it's as ready as ever to hit the competition. And it hits hard.

Devices like the I9000 Galaxy S and the I8520 Beam certainly have the lead but it's down to the foot soldiers to clean up the mess when super AMOLEDs, Snapdragon and WVGA projectors leave the scene.

Speaking of those - you'll know that when it's Samsung and a Galaxy, the middle name is Android. It holds true for the I5700 Galaxy Spica much as it did for the first-born Samsung droid – the I7500 Galaxy.

The Spica goes by the name of Galaxy Lite in some markets, but this has nothing to do with processing power. It packs a faster CPU than the original Galaxy and, as a matter of fact, 800 MHz is better than most droids get.

The phone we’re reviewing is no news really, but Android 2.1 certainly is. Given the OS upgrade, the Samsung I5700 Galaxy Spica is obviously planning to stick around and turn the brightest star in this galaxy. Let’s see what it’s got under the belt.
Key features

* Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
* 3G with HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps
* Android OS v2.1 Eclair, upgraded from v1.5 Cupcake
* 3.2" capacitive touchscreen of HVGA resolution
* 800 MHz CPU
* 3.15 megapixel autofocus camera
* Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and GPS receiver
* Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
* Standard microUSB port for charging and data
* Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP)
* microSD card slot, up to 32GB support
* Standard 3.5mm audio jack
* Great DivX/XviD video player
* Limited smart dialing
* Voice dialing
* Equalizer presets are a first in the Android realm

Main disadvantages

* Inadequate sunlight legibility
* No ambient light and proximity sensors
* Erratic performance under Android 2.1 (noticeable lag in some apps)
* No Live Wallpapers
* No 3D view in the gallery
* No preloaded document viewer
* No multi-touch support
* CIF video recording is below par
* No Flash support for the web browser
* No two-position camera shutter key, slow autofocus
* Average loudspeaker performance

The Samsung I5700 Galaxy Spica normally comes with the Android Cupcake (v1.5) but you can upgrade it to the new Éclair (v2.1). That’s exactly what we did. Anyway, the Spica is still a first-gen droid on the outside: plenty of buttons and an average touchscreen – in both size and resolution.

A thing to definitely note is TouchWIZ. In their first go at Android, Samsung were not too keen perhaps on customization. Under Android 2.1 the Galaxy Spica is a different story. It has the company’s custom touch interface on top of Android and although it’s not a complete overhaul, the first impressions are quite positive.

The rest of the package is standard Android with some of the improvements ver. 2.1 implies. The Spica offers a wide range of connectivity options, including HSDPA support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. You can transfer files over Bluetooth as well. Another Éclair goodie is not there however – the Spica’s 3.2” capacitive screen does not support multi touch. The Live wallpapers feature is also not present.

Media have always been a Samsung forte and the 3.5mm audio jack and 3MP autofocus camera is the least the Spica can offer to assert this claim. What users will certainly cheer is the DivX/XviD video support right out of the box.

Now, joins us on the next page for the Galaxy Spica unboxing and hardware check up.


(Source : GSM Arena)

READ MORE - Samsung I5700 Galaxy Spica Review