galaxy

Ten-inch Galaxy Tab to get TouchWiz, other updates

Owners of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1-inch tablet are in line to receive a host of updates, including the company's TouchWiz interface.

Promising that the updates are "coming soon," Samsung touted a list of the new features and enhancements on its Web site late last week.

One of the most significant updates will be the TouchWiz UX user interface for tablets. Initially designed for the company's mobile phones, TouchWiz offers a Live Panel, which gives people quick and customizable access to virtually any feature, including news, weather, and e-mail. A mini apps tray also provides … Read more

At retailers, iPad faces new foes

The tablet era has arrived at big-box retailers, which are now setting aside large swaths of floor space previously devoted to traditional PCs.

Best Buy is probably the highest-profile example of this trend. At U.S. stores, it has overhauled--or is in the process of overhauling--display areas. Tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Motorola Xoom, and Hewlett-Packard TouchPad now get prominent placement at stores, rendering the iPad just one among equals.

This is all part of Best Buy's "Tablet Central" strategy. Here's how Bill Seymour, vice president of investor relations at Best Buy, explained … Read more

Android Atlas Weekly 55: Over 4.5 billion served (Podcast)

How is the Android Market like McDonalds? What's up with all of the missing Gingerbread updates? and What does Google Plus mean for ye Android faithful?

News

Rumor: Samsung Nexus Prime to be first Ice Cream Sandwich phone http://cnet.co/mfqF1M

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G up for preorder http://phandroid.com/2011/06/29/samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-4g-now-on-pre-order-at-verizon-starting-at-529/

Yet another Facebook phone http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-20075421-251/htc-status-announced-for-at-t-and-facebook-fanatics/

T-Mobile MyTouch 4G Slide is all about the camera http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-20074689-251/new-t-mobile-mytouch-4g-slide-ready-for-close-up/… Read more

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G now up for preorder

The 4G-capable Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is now available for preorder.

Customers interested in buying the device can head to Verizon's Web site and preorder the 16GB or 32GB models for $529.99 and $629.99, respectively. To buy the device at those prices, however, consumers must enter into a two-year contract with Verizon.

Samsung's Android Honeycomb-based Galaxy Tab features a 10.1-inch display and a dual-core 1GHz processor. The device includes both a front- and rear-facing camera so users can snap photos and have video chats. Samsung currently offers a Wi-Fi-only version of the tablet for $499.99 and $599.99 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively.

Verizon's preorder offer is a little late. Earlier this month, Verizon announced that it would start offering preorders on the 4G-capable Galaxy Tab 10.1 on June 8.

According to Verizon, the 4G Galaxy Tab 10.1 will start shipping in four to six weeks.… Read more

Samsung Galaxy S II is an Android astronaut

We're gonna send it to outer space, to find another bar of mobile-phone signal. The Samsung Galaxy S II is going on a space odyssey, released into the heavens on a space balloon.

The phone will be borne aloft by a tiny astronaut, and reach about 1.9 miles from the Earth. Why? No idea.

Read more of "Samsung Galaxy S II is an Android astronaut on a space balloon" on Crave UK. … Read more

DisplayMate puts tablet screens in their place

I love conducting in-depth analysis of technology; however, the problem with such analytic endeavors is that the deeper you go, the more time it takes to reach your goal.

This is why I'm always impressed with the abyssal depths of analysis DisplayMate's Ray Soneira travels when he covers display quality. In his latest article, the man gets downright subterranean.

Soneira takes the iPad 2, Xoom, and Asus Transformer and completely scrutinizes their screens on the basis of brightness, contrast, color quality, screen reflectiveness, viewing angle, and backlight power consumption. That's pretty much anything and everything important when … Read more

After Apple, Samsung, Acer vie for No. 2 tablet spot

After undisputed tablet market leader Apple, Samsung and Acer are vying for the No. 2 tablet slot worldwide, according to market researcher DisplaySearch.

While Apple shipped about 4.7 million 10-inch class tablets last quarter, Samsung is shaping up to be the closest competitor at about 850,000 units shipped worldwide in the same quarter, according to Richard Shim of DisplaySearch, which pegs its numbers to vendors' public statements.

Close on Samsung's heels is Acer. The new kid on the block, Acer appears to be making gains with its 10.1-inch Iconia Tab A500 tablet. Acer has shipped 800,… Read more

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 accessories, hands-on

For those of you considering a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Honeycomb tablet over an Apple iPad 2, we have some good news and bad news.

The good news is that Samsung is offering accessories for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 that match Apple's offerings. There are cases that convert into stands, tactile keyboard, and even a charging dock with multimedia connections.

The bad news is that--just like Apple--Samsung's tablet includes just one universal dock connection that requires pricey adapters for the privilege of connecting to a TV or loading images from SD cards.

If you're curious … Read more

The iPad is the tablet market, for now

Confusion continues to be the rule rather than the exception for the Android tablet buying experience at stores in the U.S. That will keep Apple in control of the tablet market for the foreseeable future.

That lede may rankle Android enthusiasts. But let me begin with a vignette that illustrates the confusion that prevails with tablets other than the iPad.

A few tech blogs posted headlines on Thursday and Friday proclaiming that the Motorola Xoom had dropped to $500 at Costco.

I decided to swing by my local Costco in suburban Los Angeles Friday night to verify this, since … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1492: The streaming movie crack cycle (Podcast)

We are back online today and explain exactly what happened to the show yesterday when it blew up. We discuss Rims demise and the Senate passing a law making it a felony to stream copyright protected material on the interwebs while at the same time day dream about Spotify coming to the US in all of its music streaming glory.