T-Mobile could get its own Galaxy Note as T879 leaks

Samsung has been intensely promoting its Galaxy Note phoneblet ever since its announcement, and it looks like it might finally make its way to T-Mobile.

   

While the T879 model number may be a far cry from the SGH-i717 of the original Galaxy Note, there's a few key bits of information that point to it being a T-Mobile branded Note:

…the leaked ICS build for the AT&T Galaxy Note has the build number IML74K.144, indicating the build date and it is the 144th custom build. The SGH-T879 has the same build number because it was built from the same sources at the same time, meaning that it is indeed a brother to the AT&T Galaxy Note. The build servers and time stamp match up with Samsung’s official build information. We know that this build is intended to be an official build because the build number is suffixed with the baseband version instead of a decimal number indicating a custom build that voids the warranty.

Obviously, all of this is still highly speculative. Be sure to check back with us for more as this story develops.

Read More

Pink Samsung Galaxy Note goes on sale in South Korea

Pink Samsung Galaxy Note goes on sale in South Korea

We got a whiff of this pink Galaxy Note back in February but did not have any concrete launch dates back then. We do now.



Samsung has officially launched the pink Galaxy Note in the South Korean market, although according to The Verge, the phone is not yet on sale anywhere.

Along with the phone you get a matching pink S-Pen and a folding case. Interestingly, though, the phone is running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, as can be seen by the look of that Google Search widget. The current Galaxy Note devices, as we know, are slated to get the update sometime this quarter with a special Premium Suite of apps.

The phone is otherwise identical to the black and white versions and hence should sell at the same prices.

Read More

Samsung Galaxy Note shipments exceed 5 million

The failure of the Dell Streak may have told us otherwise but it seems there is a demand for gigantic smartphones/tiny tablets after all and that people have no problem stretching their hands and pockets as long as the device in question is good (which the Streak clearly wasn't).

This is being proved by the strong demand for the Samsung Galaxy Note of which 5 million handsets have been shipped till now. It's still not as good as some of the other popular handsets out there, including Samsung's own Galaxy S II but considering the phone's rather odd dimensions we think the phone is doing rather well.

The phone will be going on sale in Japan shortly, which is sure to further bolster its sales. The phone will be offered on NTT DoCoMo's LTE network and will be sold under the name 'Docomo Next Series Galaxy Note SC-05D' (because Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch wasn't a ridiculous enough name).

Anyway, if you think humans are the only ones who seem to have taken a liking for the Galaxy Note, here is a video of an elephant clearly in love with the phoneblet.

Read More

UK Samsung Galaxy Note and Tabs get £115 of free multimedia

If you live in Great Britain and plan on purchasing a Galaxy Note phoneblet or some of the Galaxy Tab tablets, you might want to hear about the latest offer by the Korean company. You are eligible to receive free multimedia worth up to £115 and a free antivirus application.

Here's how it goes - you purchase your Galaxy device from an O2, Phones4U, Carphone Warehouse, Dixons or Orange (Everything Everywhere) store and access the Samsung Hub app to redeem your "Galaxy Package".

You have to click on Exclusives and submit your IMEI number. Once the number has been verified you should click on the voucher button to download your voucher code for use at Samsung Movies and 7Digital.

The voucher entitles you to rental movies from Samsung Movies (available as a free download from the Samsung Hub) up to the value of £65 and tracks worth up to £50 from 7digital music store (available within the Samsung hub itself).

Finally, you can download the AVG pro security application from the Exclusives section of the Samsung Hub, by clicking the AVG icon. You have four days to get all the free stuff so don't waste any time.

You can find the complete terms and conditions of the offer by following this link. Happy downloading!

Read More

The new iPad hits 25 additional countries today

As promised Apple unleashed the new iPad today into 25 more countries around the world. The first wave began on March 16 with Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Switzerland, UK, United States and the US Virgin Island.

Today the iPad officially makes a debut in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Even more countries are expected to join this list in the next couple of months. Meanwhile our review is already live – you can check how cool is the new Retina display and the 5MP camera, as well as how hot could the iPad becomes because of the new quad-core GPU.

In case you are going to buy the 4G version of the new iPad, we strongly suggest you educate yourself about the supported carriers, bands and hotspots. It’s a bit tricky there.

Read More

Tegra 3 packing Acer Iconia Tab A510 goes on pre-order in North America

The Acer Iconia Tab A510 that we saw at CES this year just went on pre-order in North America. The A510 is a 10.1″ tablet running Android 4.0 ICS on a Tegra 3 chipset. Acer has decided to go ahead and sell the Olympic Edition of the tablet.

They also unveiled the remaining features and specs to fill in the blanks (Acer announced only preliminary specs at CES). They include a list of productivity apps that come preinstalled with the tablet and other cool stuff.

Here are a bit more details on the Iconia Tab A510. Its screen measures 10.1″ and has 1280×800 pixels resolution and 85-degree viewing angle. The audio system is backed by Dolby Mobile 3.

The main camera is a 5MP unit with HD video recording and it’s accompanied by a 1MP front-facing cameras for video conferencing.

The Ice Cream Sandwich UI has been enhanced with the Acer Ring interface, which is a radial menu for quick access to the most used apps and websites.

The Iconia Tab A510 features Polaris Office 3.5 pre-installed for handling Office documents and will print wirelessly with Acer Print (compatible with 87% of brand-name printer according to Acer).

The A510 will last a whopping 12 hours of video playback thanks to its equally impressive 9800mAh battery and the power-efficient Tegra 3 chipset. The tablet has a microHDMI port for connection with HDTVs but can also use an HDMI to VGA converter to hook up to projectors.

There’s plenty of room for movies and other files too – the Iconia Tab A510 comes with 32GB of built-in memory and a microSD card slot should you run out of space.

The Acer Iconia Tab A510 measures 259.1 x 175.3 x 10.2 mm and weighs 680g. The tablet’s body has a soft touch finish and the back features the logos of Acer and the Olympic games.

The A510 is available for pre-sale in the US and Canada for $450, silver and black colors are available. You can also grab a snazzy protective case for an extra $40.

Read More

Android 4.0 update for the Sony Tablet P and S to arrive in April

Sony may not have had much success in the tablet market but that doesn’t mean it still can’t treat the few people who bought its tablets to the latest version of Android. According to the latest update, Sony will be releasing the Android 4.0.3 update to the Sony Tablet S and Tablet P by the end of April.

Along with the usual Ice Cream Sandwich goodness, users will also be treated so a couple of new features. There will be a Blu-ray recorder app, that will let you watch programs recorded on a compatible Sony Blu-ray recorders. You can also start the camera now from the lockscreen, edit your pictures and take Sweep Panorama shots from the camera.

Other feature is the presence of what Sony calls Small Apps. Basically you will be able to run a second app in a small window on top of the currently running app. You can have a small windows of the browser open to quickly search something or the calculator for a quick calculation, all without leaving the main app, which remains visible in the background.

In other news, Sony will also be selling a cheaper Wi-Fi only version of the Tablet P, which will go on sale on April 21. The current 3G model costs $549.99, so I’m assuming the Wi-Fi-only model will at least be a $100 less.

Read More

Apple talks about the new iPad heating complaints

A few hours ago we told you that some users are complaining that their new iPad is hotter than the iPad 2. The test shows it is indeed warmer than its predecessor when put on stress with just over 5°C.

Apple quickly issued a statement on the matter. Here it is:

“The new iPad delivers a stunning Retina display, A5X chip, support for 4G LTE plus 10 hours of battery life, all while operating well within our thermal specifications. If customers have any concerns they should contact AppleCare.”

So, everything is fine.

Honestly, what did you expect? The new iPad has four graphic cores and four times the pixel count (along with a new technology, which seems to require more powerful backlighting). Of course this one will be warmer than the previous one. And the difference is 5°C, not 50°C.

Really, why everyone is so surprised? I get that every Apple product is surrounded by at least one drama (most of them righteous) , but this is the phoniest of all I’ve ever heard. Did you by any chance hold a PS Vita? It’s hot, hotter than the PSP or this iPad. But no one is complaining or boiling eggs on it. Dear new iPad users, 33°C won’t hurt you fingers.

I’m just asking people to be reasonable. That’s it.

Read More

New iPad runs 5 degrees Celsius hotter than the iPad 2

The new iPad has double the GPU cores count of the iPad 2 model and Apple had to increase the battery to handle the increased power usage. However, the increased power consumption isn’t the only problem that the extra GPU power creates – it also produces more heat and causes the new iPad to run hotter than its predecessor.

Many users reported that the new iPad feels hotter, but Tweakers.net brought out a thermal camera to get exact numbers.

They ran GLBenchmark – a 3D benchmark – for five minutes and took a measurement of the hottest point on the tablet. The bright spot in the thermal image is easy to see – that’s where the Apple A5X chipset is located.

The hottest point on the new iPad measured 33.6°C (92.5°F), while the iPad 2 kept things cooler at 28.3°C (82.9°F). That’s a difference of just over 5°C and is noticeable but not burning hot.

Also, GLBenchmark is about the worst case scenario for the new iPad – it stresses the powerful but hungry SGX543MP4 GPU. Under normal operation (that is anything other than 3D gaming), the new iPad should run about as cool as its predecessor.

Read More

First Windows 8 tablets coming in October, to be fewer than five

We are about six months away from seeing the first Windows 8 tablets and personal computers hit the shelves now. Sources close to the matter were quoted by Bloomberg as saying that the next edition of the Windows 8 platform development will be complete by this summer and the first devices carrying it will hit the market in October.

Microsoft’s goal is to ship the x86 and the ARM versions of Windows 8 simultaneously and the company already confirmed there will be devices running both at launch day. Of course personal computers running on the Intel silicone will be much more numerous – over 40 versus “less than five” ARM-powered slates.

Microsoft plans on holding an event with its Windows 8 partners in April, where it will spell out its release strategy for Windows 8, giving more details on timing and marketing. It should help coordinate efforts and make Windows 8 more competitive, especially in the tablet market.

Read More

Apple sells 3 million new iPads since launch

Yesterday, during the conference call, CEO Tim Cook mentioned that the new iPad had a record-breaking opening weekend, but did not provide any actual figures. Well, that information has arrived, as usual, with its own press release. Apple has sold over 3 million new iPads since launch.

When I say ‘launch’ I mean March 16, which is when the device officially went on sale. So basically Apple sold a million new iPad every day since then. And as AppleInsider explains, this number does not include the pre-orders, which were made before the device went on sale.

This makes the number even more staggering. To put it into context, the iPad 2 was estimated to have sold around 1 million units on its opening weekend, which in itself is quite impressive. And here’s some more context: as Phone Scoop’s Eric Zeman pointed out, the sales of the new iPad over three days outnumber the sales of the BlackBerry PlayBook and the Motorola Xoom, combined, over a period of year. And in total, this figure is 1/5th of the total sales of the iPad in the fiscal 2012 quarter. You can imagine how big that figure is going to be in the coming quarters. And let’s not forget, the iPad 2 is still on sale, at a lower price, so it must have sold quite a bit, too.

Read More

New iPad having trouble working with some of the older Smart Covers

It seems there is trouble in paradise for owners of the new iPad who wanted to use it with the Smart Cover that they bought for their iPad 2. The problem is that with some users the Smart Cover does not work well with the new iPad, i.e., the display does not switch on and off as it should. This is not only a problem with Apple’s Smart Cover but also with some of the third party ones.

So what could be the reason for this? The answer lies in the polarity of the magnets, as Mark Booth has explained fantastically on his blog.

It’s like this. The iPad 2 uses magnetic sensors around the right side of the display that get triggered with the magnets inside the Smart Cover. Now these sensors aren’t polarity specific, which means they could be triggered by the North or the South side of a magnet. Because of this, the original smart covers for the iPad 2 did not contain magnets aligned in a specific manner because it did not matter.

But by not being polarity specific led to a problem. When the Smart Cover was folded behind the iPad 2, the sensor would sometimes get triggered and the display would shut down. So to take care of this situation, Apple used polarity specific magnets in the new iPad, so they would only get triggered by one side of the magnet within the Smart Cover and so when the other side was near the iPad when the cover was flipped around, the sensors in the iPad would not get triggered.

But by fixing one problem, Apple ran into another. As mentioned earlier, Smart Cover manufacturers, including Apple, did not align the magnets in their older covers in a particular way because it simply did not matter with the iPad 2. But with the new iPad, it has to be in one particular way to trigger the sensor, or else it won’t work. The magnets in these covers were apparently installed at random, so only those which have the right side facing the iPad now work with the new iPad whereas the other ones don’t.

Now it seems Apple realized this problem some time last year and started shipping their new Smart Covers with properly aligned magnets in anticipation of the new iPad. These Smart Covers also have a different model number and work perfectly with both the new iPad as well as the iPad 2. Apple is even reportedly replacing your Smart Cover for free with a new one that works with the new iPad. However, if you are one of the unlucky ones who got a third party smart cover, then you have no choice but to get a new one. Unless, of course, you are ready to strip out the magnet and reverse it, in which case it will work perfectly.

Read More

The new iPad browser benchmarks are here

Lots of people are using the iPads just for web browsing so naturally the browser benchmarks matter a lot. We’ve put all the three iPads and the Transformer Prime through SunSpider and Browser Benchmark and the results are now out.

Long story short – the new iPad seems to offer the same browsing performance as the iPad 2.

Shocker? Don’t think so. Both the new iPad and the iPad 2 use same CPUs – the major player responsible for most of those scores. Surely the bigger screen offers a lot more viewing estate, but this is where the new GPU kicks in, so no game changer in the scores here either.

The new iPad 3 scores equal if not marginally lower results than the iPad 2 on both test. See for yourselves.

Browsermark scores

Higher is better

• Apple iPad 167787
• Apple iPad 2103052
• Apple iPad 3100527
•      Asus Transformer Prime110978

Sunspider 0.9.1 scores

Lower is better

• Apple iPad 12887 ms
• Apple iPad 21788 ms
• Apple iPad 31817 ms
•      Asus Transformer Prime2085.2 ms

Read More

Untethered jailbreak for the new iPad is on the way

Stefen Esser a.k.a. i0n1c needed less than a day to do untethered jailbreak on the new iPad. Quite expectedly, the new Apple tablet was jailbroken a few hours after release, but this is the first working untethered solution.

Here is the video proof:

There is no information on when this jailbreak will become public, but nevertheless those iPad owners waiting for Cydia treatment at least know it is coming.

Read More