Pre-paid carriers are getting more and more high-end phones every day, and StraightTalk is no different now that they offer the Samsung Galaxy S III. A user on HowardForums posted a photo of the Galaxy S III’s StraightTalk retail packaging, and as of now you can purchase it directly from StraighTalk’s website. The phone is unbranded and comes at the very reasonable price of $439.99. Aside from StraightTalk’s website, the S III should be available at Wal-Mart soon. » Read the rest
We told you last night about the possibility of this happening, and today at the I/O keynote, Google made it official that they will be releasing an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S 4 running stock Android. The LTE compatible, completely unlocked phone will come with an unlocked bootloader and will work on AT&T and T-Mobile. Storage will be 16GB and the device will arrive on June 26 for $649. The crowd at I/O went silent, with a few boos audible when they heard about the high price tag.
This is the first non-Nexus device to get this kind of Google treatment. It’s a little surprising Samsung is on board with this, considering how much they market their TouchWiz UI’s additions to the Android experience. » Read the rest
Japanese telecom giant NTT DoCoMo has revealed their portfolio of devices for the summer months which includes a new Sony Xperia A device. The Japanese version seems to be a bit different from the device carrying the same name that recently slid through the FCC on its way to U.S. carriers. The Japanese version sports a 4.6-inch screen, 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro chip, and runs Android 4.1. This seems to put it as more of a mid-tier device whereas the U.S. version mirrors the top-tier Sony Xperia Z, only with a removable battery.
In addition to the Xperia A, NTT DoCoMo is also adding Sharp’s Aquos Phone Zeta and Aquos Pad, two devices that incorporate new, thinner displays. The Zeta device comes with a 4.8-inch full HD screen while the Aquos Pad is a 7-inch tablet that is approaching a full HD display resolution. Other manufacturers got their devices added to the portfolio, like the Panasonic Eluga and the 5.2-inch Fujitsu Arrows NX. All of these devices from Sharp, Panasonic and Fujitsu will come with Android 4.2.
source: NTT DoCoMo
via: phoneArena
Some rumors earlier this week pointed to Japanese carrier Docomo getting a blue variant of Samsung’s Galaxy S4. Samsung released several different colors of its Galaxy S III, so it’s not much of a surprise to see new colors already popping up, especially as carrier exclusives. Today, the blue version of the device, dubbed Arctic Blue, was made official, and Android Beat did an excellent hands on video comparing the black and blue variants of the device. I used to think the black S4 looked a bit blue in the right light, but putting it side by side with an actual blue phone definitely changed my mind.
No word on if the color will make its way to other shores, or if there’s any other colors in the works, but knowing Samsung, we’ll probably see it elsewhere with a few new colors before long. Hit the source below to check out the hands on video. Anyone want an Arctic Blue S4, or would you rather hold out for another color?
source: Android Beat
Samsung have begun rolling out a Jellybean 4.1.2 update to Galaxy Ace 2 users in Germany, with other markets on the way. The update breathes new life into Samsung’s entry-level device, completely updating their Touch-Wiz UX interface. Samsung also says the device should feel faster and bring improvements to battery life as well. If you are in Germany, feel free to get the update through KIES/OTA. If you prefer to flash manually (or aren’t in Germany) hit the source for downloads. » Read the rest
Former Nokia consultant Heikki Sarajarvi loves everything about being out at sea. Unfortunately, four of his smartphones didn’t share the enthusiasm and all fell apart from sea-spray alone. Sarajarvi, fed up by wimpy smartphones, enlisted the help of sixteen others (including eight former Nokia employees) to form Adaia. Adaia’s sole purpose is to build a sea-ready Android phone that still looks slick and performs well. » Read the rest
A quiet software update has surfaced for you Sony Xperia Z smartphone owners out there. The firmware update keeps the Android software version at 4.1.2, but brings the device to version firmware number 10.1.1.A.1.253 and brings performance tweaks, along with the display calibration tool, new software key and navigational bar colors going from grey to black and the ability to disable the pesky notification light. For now, it’s looking like devices in the French markets are getting the update first, but devices in other markets should follow sooner than later.
source: Xperia Blog
via: Phone Arena
It doesn’t appear that any of the recent court problems that plague Samsung across the globe, have slowed it down any. Chosun Ilbo is announcing that Samsung has eclipsed their own record held by the Galaxy S III of 3 million units shipped worldwide in 21 days. The new record holder is their Galaxy S 4 which shipped 4 million units in 26 days. When asked for comment by Chosun Ilbo, Samsung had this to say:
“As of Friday, we have sold more than 6 million units, and we predict that we could break the 10-million mark by as early as the end of this month.”
Those are some pretty impressive numbers, and it doesn’t seem Samsung is phased by Apple’s recent addition of the S 4 to the pending 2014 trial of infringing devices. Like always we will keep an eye on this and let you know as soon as Samsung crosses the 10 million mark, which as it sounds shouldn’t be too far away.
Source: Chosun Ilbo
One of the coolest new features in Android 4.2 was multi-user supports. The feature is only available for tablets, although a bit of modding will enable it for phones as well. The new easiest way to get multiple user accounts enabled is the Modaco Toolkit, at least on rooted phones running Android 4.2.
First, you’ll need to download and install the Xposed Framework, which is a fairly new tool for Android developers to add tweaks to system framework. The Modaco Toolkit is a module for the Xposed Framework. Installing the Toolkit will enable all of the multi-user options after a reboot. This mod definitely works on AOSP 4.2 ROMs,but no word on if it’ll work on skinned versions of Android. Hit the links below to test it out on your rooted device, after making a backup, of course.
source: XDA
If the Nexus program is any indication, there is a group of people out there that prefer vanilla (stock, AOSP, whatever you feel like calling the pure Google Experience) Android over those skinned versions that manufacturers bloat their devices with. Some have even gone on to wish and hope that there was an ability to turn these user interfaces off and just run pure Google software. Well if current rumors ring true, we’ll see that very thing tomorrow.
The newest rumor is that Google will be showing off a Galaxy S 4 with vanilla Android. You’ve read that right. The newest flagship from Samsung could very well run a pure version of Google’s OS. It’s rumored to be released on T-Mobile’s network in June with no love for any other carrier at the moment. Either way it brings up the question of whether or not this will be a Google Play Store exclusive or be sold in stores.
I love rumors as much as the next person and sincerely hope that this one becomes a reality. This wouldn’t be the first time that Google and Samsung have debuted a product variant running pure Android. Remember the special edition Galaxy Tab 10.1 given out to folks at I/O? Although it would be the first time that such a product would make its way to the general public. We’ll know soon enough.
source: Geek