Mobile Phone News

We can finally put the Galaxy Tab rumors to sleep.  Samsung has officially unveiled the Galaxy Tab earlier today at the IFA conference in Berlin, Germany.  Looking very much like a giant Galaxy S phone, the Tab features a 7-inch TFT-LCD, WSVGA (1024 x 600) display, Cortex A8 1.0GHz processor, 3-megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash and a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera for video telephony. The tablet runs Android 2.2 and offers full Flash 10.1 support, which should like great on a device this size. Other hardware details include 3G HSPA connectivity, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 3.0 support. Look for the Galaxy Tab to start rolling out in Europe later this month while U.S., Asian, Koreans markets are expected to see theirs in the coming months. (Full press release and additional pictures after the break).

*****PRESS RELEASE*****

Samsung GALAXY Tab Opens a New Chapter in Mobile Industry

A New Smart Media Device, surpasses mobile boundaries, allowing you to enjoy more possibilities on the go

Berlin, Germany, September 2^nd, 2010 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in mobile technology, today announced the launch of the Samsung GALAXY Tab (Model: GT-P1000). Powered by Android Operating System 2.2, the Samsung GALAXY Tab is the first of the company’s tablet devices, representing a new category of mobile products for Samsung.

The Samsung GALAXY Tab brings together all of Samsung’s leading innovations to provide users with more capabilities while on the move. Consumers are able to experience PC-like web-browsing and enjoy all forms of multimedia content on the perfectly sized 7-inch display, wherever they go. Moreover, users can continuously communicate via e-mail, voice and video call, SMS/MMS or social network with the optimized user interface.

“Samsung recognizes the tremendous growth potential in this newly created market and we believe that the Samsung GALAXY Tab brings a unique and open proposition to market. There is a new and emerging consumer demand that Samsung can satisfy since mobile is in our DNA. This demand continues to grow and develop as users tap its limitless potential,” said JK Shin, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics. “The Samsung GALAXY Tab has been designed to enable consumers to maximize their online experience wherever that may be. The Samsung GALAXY Tab is pushing the market in new directions and Samsung believes this is only the beginning of its innovations as pioneers in smart media devices.”

A new concept of mobility for media

As a new category of device, the Samsung GALAXY Tab brings a wealth of mobile experiences. Its striking 7” TFT-LCD display delivers exciting mobile experience for watching films, viewing pictures, e-reading or sharing documents. In design, its light (380g) build provides perfect portability, with its svelte dimensions making it easy to grip and use. Supporting the latest Adobe Flash Player 10.1, the Samsung GALAXY Tab fully supports swift, seamless viewing of every single page of the web.

The ‘Readers Hub,’ Samsung’s unique e-reading application, provides easy access to a vast digital library – from classical literature to the latest bestsellers and reference materials. At the same time, Samsung unveils ‘Media Hub,’ a gateway to a world of films and videos, and ‘Music Hub,’ an application giving access to a wide range of music tunes.

The Samsung GALAXY Tab has made rich communication truly mobile; it presents a level of converged technology that moves beyond mobile or PC to an entirely new category. Users have new powers to consume, create and communicate from wherever they are.

Powerful, always-on communication

With 3G HSPA connectivity, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth® 3.0, the Samsung GALAXY Tab enhances users’ mobile communication on a whole new level. Video conferencing and push email on the large 7-inch display make communication more smooth and efficient. For voice telephony, the Samsung GALAXY Tab turns out to be a perfect speakerphone on the desk, or a mobile phone on the move via Bluetooth® headset.

Powered by a Cortex A8 1.0GHz application processor, the Samsung GALAXY Tab is designed to deliver high performance whenever and wherever you are. At the same time, HD video contents are supported by a wide range of multimedia formats (DivX, XviD, MPEG4, H.263, H.264 and more), which maximizes the joy of entertainment.

While the front-facing camera allows face-to-face video telephony over 3G, the rear-facing camera captures still images and video that you can edit, upload and share, all without any hassle. As online content explodes, the Samsung GALAXY Tab is the best portable solution for every lifestyle that needs a constant connection.

The Samsung GALAXY Tab will be launched in Europe in mid September, and in other markets including Korea, the US and Asia in coming months.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You’ve probably already seen the Samsung commercials for the Captivate, Vibrant, and Epic 4G, but we must not forget about the Fascinate!  While it is someways similar, it still thrills and chills in it’s own way. Lights, camera, action folks!

Let us know what you think!

Source: Samsung YouTube Page

We have seen renders, heard release dates, seen hands-on photos, and now we have a price.  That’s right folks, thanks to the team over at TmoNews, we now know how much the G2 will cost on contract and off contract.  Take a look at the image above, it clearly shows, the T-Mobile G2 being sold for $200 dollars on contract, and $499 without. Obviously, this might change, but the price seems right.

Overall, I can’t say I am surprised, but it is nice to finally have an idea of how much the handset will cost. Pretty good deal. Anyone out there plan on buying this handset?

While looking at the leaked G2 pictures from yesterday, our eagle-eyed Chuck Falzone noticed something hiding in plain sight.  One of the icons listed on the home screen for the handset shows a shortcut for an app called Quick Keys.  Blowing things up a bit, he also found three hard keys on the keyboard which look much like the icon.  We’re going to Ocam’s razor approach and figure these are programmable buttons designed to give one-touch access to your favorite or most-used apps.  Anyone care to throw another idea at us?

Remember that post from a while back where we told you to sign up for the Angry Birds Beta game?  Forget it.  Don’t bother waiting on some secret email or download link.  You’re no longer part of an exclusive club.  Instead of rolling out a limited beta version of the popular time-waster, Rovio has opted to drop the game in the Android Market.  That means everyone has access to it, providing they are running the right platform build.  You’ll find an excerpt from the Rovio blog listed below.

The live streaming and broadcasting space gets a little more crowded today with the addition of the Justin.tv application.  Designed for phones running Android 1.6 and above, the free app lets users provide live video anytime, anywhere.  The title works over both 3G as well as WiFi connections and allows for sharing via Facebook and Twitter.

Although the arrival of the Justin.tv app comes after comptetors Qik and Ustream, it does offer a few goodies. For instance the hardware video encoding puts less strain on the batter while the bitrate gets tweaked based on your data connection.  Videos can be recorded in both portrait and landscape modes  and are automatically saved upon completion.  Click here to read more and to download and install Justin.tv today!

Bloomberg is reporting a short blurb today about Sony Ericsson and their lofty aspirations. According to Chief Executive Officer Bert Nordberg, SE has their sights set on becoming the number one Android phone supplier in the world. Currently, they sit at second with a 17 percent share, whereas the top seat occupies 23 percent. There was no timeline given as to when they plan to accomplish their goal, but we welcome the competition. Any guess as to who number one might be? said at a briefing in Beijing today, without identifying the rival. Nordberg didn’t give a timeframe for achieving the top spot.

Archos made good on their promise/our expectations yesterday when they unveiled five new media players and tablets.  Each running a tailored build of Android, they range in size from 2.8-inches to 10.1-inches and have a focus on games, internet, ebooks, and general media consumption.  The devices start dropping later this month (September) and will come with various features. Hit the jump for a quick breakdown on each new Archos unit.

• ARCHOS 28  – Features a 2.8-inch screen, 800MHz processor, and WiFi support.  The 4GB model launches September 2010 with suggested $99.99 retail price.
• ARCHOS 32 – Slightly bigger with a 3.2-inch screen, camcorder capabilities, and 8GB storage.  Should run $149.99 when it drops.
• ARCHOS 43 – 1GHz processor, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), Android 2.2,  Adobe Flash 10.1 support.  The screen size is 4.3-inches and features 8GB storage and 2-megapixel HD camcorder.  Recommended retail price of $199.99 when it arrives in fall.
• ARCHOS 70 – 1GHz processor, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), Android 2.2,  Adobe Flash 10.1 support.  Screen size of 7.0-inches, supports phone tethering, and offers mini-HDMI and USB ports.  Also features a webcam for VGA video calls.  Comes in options: $274.99 (8GB), $349.99 (250GB)
• ARCHOS 101 – 1GHz processor, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), Android 2.2,  Adobe Flash 10.1 support.  Massive 10.1-inch screen, HMDI-output, 720p HD video playback, and webcam for video calls.  Supports USB tethering to phone  via Bluetooth and/or USB.  Two flavors: $299.99 (8GB) and $349.99 (16GB)

Archos 101

Motorola has added to their Android portfolio today as they unveiled their new, ruggedized Defy handset for European carriers. While it may look like an average touch-only phone, it has what it takes where it counts. Taking its queue from the i1 released earlier this year, the Defy is considered a rugged handset. Essentially, this means the phone can withstand all types of abuse, including water, drops, dust, and scratches.

The hardware is pretty solid on the inside with an 800 MHz OMAP 3610 processor, 1.25GB onboard memory, and 5-megapixel camera. The 3.7-inch screen is protected with Gorilla Glass and has an 480×854 resolution. The Defy comes with Android 2.1 and MOTOBLUR 1.5, with Froyo listed as “being investigated”. Look for this guy later in the fourth quarter of the year (Q4 2010).