Samsung Sells Over 300 Million Handsets in 2011

Samsung Electronics says that this year it has achieved annual mobile handset sales of 300 million units for the first time in its history.

The company's flagship Galaxy S range of products, most notably the Galaxy S and Galaxy S II, contributed significantly to the success.

Setting the fastest sales record in Samsung's history with over 10 million units sold, the Galaxy S II Galaxy S II Galaxy S II continues to sell well in world-wide markets.

Click on images to enlarge

Infographic

Galaxy Nexus Galore: Hits Costco December 15th, on sale at Newegg, more

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus news just keeps flowing in from all angles this week and we have a few to report on. First off, the Verizon 4G LTE enabled Galaxy Nexus is still on track for December 15th, or so we think. Now Costco has helped confirm that rumor and minor detail with an ad spot confirming it will be on sale from December 15th to the 20th for just $289, according to Engadget. That isn’t all the Nexi news either so stay tuned for more details.


Now for those in the states that are still very patiently waiting for the Galaxy Nexus (or impatiently) if you are fed up with the Verizon mind games and torture tests and would like to just enjoy this new flagship Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich phone already then Newegg has you covered. They’ve imported tons of the GSM model, dropped the import price, and it can be yours for just $699 by clicking here.
Last but not least even Australia will be able to enjoy Android 4.0 ICS and the Galaxy Nexus before us here in the states. Telstra is set to start shipping the Nexus to buyers starting tomorrow and you can buy it now right from their website. Add them to the long list of Canadians and all across Europe and even Japan that have all already launched this device. Verizon needs to get with the game here or everyone might just pick one up from Newegg instead.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : GALAXY Nexus

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : October 18, 2011

Release Date : December 15, 2011

Also Known As : Nexus Prime

Display

• Screen Size : 4.65 Inch
• Resolution : 1280x720
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.33 Inch
• Width : 2.67 Inch
• Depth : 0.35 Inch
• Weight : 135 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1750 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 4.0.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : OMAP 4460

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : 32 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Samsung Planning to Opensource Bada OS, Could Rival Android

In a move apparently intended to lessen its dependence on Google’s Android platform, Samsung Electronics is planning to bring out its homegrown Bada operating system into the open for the whole world to tinker with and improve on, industry sources told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) this week.
According to WSJ sources, Samsung plans to release Bada as an opensource platform next year. Sources also said that opensourcing the Bada platform will allow Samsung to expand the platform’s reach beyond smartphones and tablets. Samsung plans to use the Bada platform more widely especially for smart TVs, which are TV sets with computer-like functionality.
Releasing the Bada operating system under opensource licenses will enable programmers from all over the world to contribute code and improvements to the Bada platform and will allow other manufacturers to modify the operating system for their own devices.
After Google announced last August its plans to scoop up Motorola Holdings, device manufacturers such as Samsung have started feeling uncomfortable about possible repercussions of the marriage between Android’s creator and a handset manufacturer. Analysts have speculated that Google’s acquisition of Motorola may place the latter’s handsets higher on Google’s priority list for Android updates and support.
Some analysts, however, remain skeptical about Samsung’s plan. Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston, for instance, notes that hardware-vendor-controlled software platforms previously proprietary and later on released as opensource platforms historically did not earn much traction. He cites Symbian as a good example.
If Samsung goes ahead with opensourcing Bada and slowly switching over from Android for its future devices, it could place itself in front of Google, Android, and Motorola as a direct competitor.
The South Korean government also plans to launch a collaborative project that brings South Korean manufacturers (e.g., Samsung and LG) together to produce an opensource mobile operating system and a Web-based operating system. The project is expected to launch before end of the year and is intended by the South Korean government to help ensure that South Korean device manufacturers could keep their competitiveness against other international device makers.

Could the Galaxy S II Become the Most Popular High-end Smartphone in USA?

Samsung have just announced their 3 Galaxy S II variants for AT&T, Sprint and T-mobile. The devices are a little different because the carriers wanted them like that to “differentiate” between each other, but they are basically the same Galaxy S II we all know and love. Samsung managed to sell 5 million of them in Europe and Asia in 85 days, or one every 1.5 seconds. Could they repeat this success in USA? I think they will.

The Android Competition

Because the Galaxy S II came out in May in Europe and Asia, which is 4 months ago, this means that the Galaxy S II won’t be the most powerful Android smartphone on the market. It will have competition such as Google’s Nexus Prime and HTC Vigor, both which are rumored to have dual core 1.5 Ghz processors, and both with a higher resolution than the GS II, 1280×720 and 960×540. The Galaxy S II won’t be sold on Verizon, but it will still have competition there in the form of Motorola’s Droid Bionic, which is a little less impressive with only a dual core 1 Ghz OMAP 4430 processor, although rumors point to a very impressive battery life, which is always a strong “feature” of any phone.
But all of that might not matter. The Samsung Galaxy S II has been getting rave reviews and free publicity ever since it launched in May this year, and it has been getting a big following of users who swear by it. The popularity of the smartphone abroad has made a lot of people in USA excited about it, too. Even if the Nexus Prime will turn out to be a significantly better phone overall, I don’t think it will manage to over-shadow Galaxy S II’s popularity by the end of the year.

The iPhone 5 Competition

The iPhone 5 is rumored to appear sometime around early October. It will have a dual core A5 chip, possibly slightly upgraded, a slightly bigger screen (latest rumor says only 3.7″), a metal body (smarter choice compared to the glass body in iPhone 4, in my opinion), and a 8 MP camera. It would be a pretty strong competition to the Galaxy S II on the spec level, too.
So could the Galaxy S II outsell the iPhone 5? Normally, I’d say no. So far the iPhone has been just one device and Apple puts all its marketing weight behind it when it’s launched, and also throughout the year. Plus, it benefits from the years of successful track record and branding. It would be too soon for the Galaxy S II to beat the iPhone one-on-one in number of units.
But, this time there may be an exception to that. The “iPhone” sales are predicted to be 22 million in the next quarter, which is 1 million more than last quarter. But this prediction also says that 80% of those sales will be the cheaper iPhone 4S version, which leaves only about 5 million iPhone 5′s to be sold in Q4. Now that’s a number that the Galaxy S II could much more easily beat, as it has already achieved that number in less than a quarter when being sold in Europe and some Asian countries.
So this would give the Galaxy S II a much better chance of becoming the #1 most popular high-end smartphone in USA, and for the first time in the past few years, the iPhone 5 might not be the most popular global smartphone.

Samsung Sells 5 Million Galaxy S2 Over the Past 2 Months. Reaches 10 Million Units Since Launch

Samsung has just announced that they’ve reached 10 million Galaxy S2 units sold since launch, with 5 million being sold only over the past 2 months, before it was even fully available in USA. We can’t say we’re really surprised by this, considering the Galaxy S2 is currently the best and most powerful smartphone in the world, significantly more than its closest competition.
Going by the last 2 months, and seeing how it’s just launching in USA now, a huge potential market, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Galaxy S2 reaches another 10 million units sold by the end of the year, which means the Galaxy S2 could be the most popular Android smartphone by the end of the year in USA, even with phones such as Nexus Prime launching, simply because it has too much momentum behind it, and it’s a great all-around phone with almost no flaws.
If we take into account the iPhone 5, I suppose it won’t beat that one in sales, because if you want an iOS phone there’s only one choice. On the other hand there are many more choices if you want an Android phone. So the Galaxy S2 manages to sell half as many units as the iPhone 5 in the next 2 quarters, that’s still a very impressive feat. Add to that all the other Android smartphones being sold out there, and it’s no surprise that the Android phones are selling 2:1 compared to the iPhone.
Here’s Samsung’s full PR about this important milestone for the Galaxy S2:
Samsung GALAXY S2 continues success reaching 10 Million in global sales
Global popularity with customers drives momentum for Samsung’s flagship smartphone
SEOUL, Korea – September 25th, 2011 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced that the Samsung GALAXY S2 (Model: GT-I9100) has achieved 10 million global channel sales, doubling from five million in just eight weeks.
The GALAXY S2 is Samsung’s flagship smartphone device – a beautifully thin (8.49mm) and lightweight dual-core smartphone that combines an unmatched Super AMOLED Plus viewing experience with powerful performance, all on Android, the world’s fastest-growing mobile operating system. The next generation smartphone also includes Samsung’s four content and entertainment hubs, seamlessly integrated to provide instant access to music, games, e-reading and social networking services.
“Since its launch in late April 2011, the GALAXY S II has seen continued sales success, demonstrating Samsung’s industry-leading capabilities in – and commitment to – the smartphone market” said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business.
“In just five months the GALAXY S II has seen tremendous growth, reflecting its tremendous popularity with customers around the world, who in selecting the GALAXY S II as their device of choice have driven the device’s strong market position globally.”
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Mobile Sales Reaches A New High In 2011

Samsung shipped the most number of smartphones in Q3 of 2011. Now, they’ve achieved a record breaking high in handset sales globally a fact proved by their 300 million sales; which is not a small number. This figure is a testament of Samsung’s effort with Android and how they have gone the distance in the mobile and tablet category.
The climb will be tougher for Samsung, as other manufacturers turn on the heat. Until then, Samsung can enjoy the fruit of their labour and continue producing cutting-edge Android devices that has exceeded in both form and function requests.

SAMSUNG CELEBRATES 300 MILLION GLOBAL HANDSET SALES IN 2011

Samsung Seeking Mobile Leadership through Innovative and Diverse Lineup 

SEOUL, Korea – 12 December 2011 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a leading mobile handset provider, today announced that it has this year achieved annual mobile handset sales of 300 million units for the first time in Samsung’s history.
“We are incredibly proud of this record-breaking sales milestone and have exceeded the annual target announced early this year, which is testament to the enduring appeal of Samsung phones with consumers around the world,” said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business. “Our performance in the mobile industry remains unrivalled. Samsung is the only manufacturer bringing such an exceptional choice of handsets to customers across a broad range of platforms including Android, Windows Phone and Samsung’s own bada platform — and on a truly global scale. We look forward to extending this success going into 2012.”
Samsung’s 2011 sales results cap a hugely successful year for Samsung across its entire handset portfolio. The company’s flagship GALAXY S range of products – GALAXY S and GALAXY S II – contributed significantly to the success, as the products have continued to gain popularity among consumers and propelled the GALAXY brand to one of the most recognized mobile brands in the world. The GALAXY S II, launched in 2011, set a new sales record for Samsung, generating 10 million sales quicker than any mobile device in the company’s history.
Meanwhile, Samsung’s portfolio of bada smartphones continues to gain sales momentum around the world, further boosted in 2011 with the launch of the newly upgraded bada 2.0. This year Samsung announced exciting new additions to the bada-powered Wave smartphone portfolio, including the flagship Wave 3 which is now available in Europe and continues to gain sales traction in all its launch markets.
In 2011, Samsung also pushed the boundaries of the mobile device category with product innovations such as GALAXY Note, a smart mobile device featuring the world’s first 5.3’’ HD Super AMOLED display that retains all the portability of a smartphone while introducing a unique user-interface that combines touch-screen and pen-input technologies. GALAXY Note continues to excite consumers around the world since its introduction in Europe in October.

Verizon Galaxy Nexus Accessories: 2100mAh extended battery

Although over in the USA the Android faithful still haven’t a clue as to when the Big Red will finally deliver the first Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone to the public, something Verizon seems to love doing. However just to keep your interest in the Samsung Galaxy Nexus we have a little video for your viewing consideration below.

The Verizon Galaxy Nexus comes sporting a 1850mAh battery, and it’s no secret that there is an extended battery to the flavour of 2100mAh, but some worry that an extended battery will add to the bulkiness of a device, but according to the guys over at Droid-life this isn’t the case with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus 2100mAh battery.
The guys have posted a video from a reader of there that shows the Samsung Galaxy Nexus with the 2100mAh extended battery aboard and proves that an extended battery doesn’t have to make your device bulky as the Galaxy Nexus in the video looks just as slim as ever.
So if you are a tad worried that adding an extended battery to your Android 4.0 Verizon Galaxy Nexus, if you ever managed to get it from Verizon that is, will add extra bulk, then head on down and mash that play button to check out the footage…enjoy.
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CyanogenMod removes Samsung Vibrant support, 911 problems

Although the Samsung Vibrant mobile phone handset has been out for some time and received plenty of community development support for example from CyanogenMod, times are about to change and not for the better we have to add.

Today, multiple sources including rootzwiki.com, have spoken about how CyanogenMod have decided to stop supporting the device and it’s not because they’ve wanted to, more that they have had to. The problem lies with a 911 issue, in which when the Vibrant dials the number, the operator cannot hear the caller at the other end, we have to point out that the problem only seems to lie with T-Mobile’s network. With a source code needed from Samsung themselves, CyanogenMod have decided to step down with their support.
In an official statement from CM, they said, “We are no longer supporting the Vibrant due to the inability to dial 911. We consider the issues related to this unresolvable without source code from Samsung related to the Radio interface layer and its interactions with the Audio layers and have taken the decision to no longer support this. We apologize for the inconvenience and strongly suggest that Vibrant users use a Samsung ROM due to the 911 issues with any ROMs based on open source code.”