Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 kernel source released ahead of device

This seems a bit odd. It appears that Samsung has now released the kernel source code for their highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 with the first Super AMOLED Plus HD display. First announced and debuted back at IFA in September we haven’t seen or heard anything about this impressive slate from Samsung since, especially in the US. Does this mean we could be seeing it launched and officially announced at CES 2012 next week?


After everyone gazed at this tablet at IFA it was quickly removed from the showroom floor and has been for the most part been out of sight and out of mind. We’ve been keeping track here at Android Community and it has recently been up for pre-order at a few sites so hopefully it does in fact launch next week — or get unveiled again heading to some US stores and carriers.
For those that might have forgotten it features a 7.7″ 1280 x 800 display rocking a first for tablets — Samsungs Super AMOLED Plus HD display. It also comes equipped with a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and a pair of cameras as usual. Announced with Android 3.2 Honeycomb and a Samsung 1.4 GHz chip we could see an Ice Cream Sandwich version rocking a Qualcomm or even an NVIDIA Tegra 3 as a lot can change in the few months its been missing.
The kernel source code is important for developers and modders to do what is necessary for tweaking, overclocking and all those other things we thoroughly enjoy about Android. The links to the code is available below for those interested. The entire story of this slate gone missing is in the timeline below too.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Galaxy Tab 7.7

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier :

Announced Date : September 01, 2011

Release Date : TBA

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 7.70 Inch
• Resolution : 1280x800
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED Plus

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 7.74 Inch
• Width : 5.24 Inch
• Depth : 0.31 Inch
• Weight : 335 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Polymer

• Battery Capacity : 5100 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 3.2.x

Hardware

CPU :

CPU Clock Speed : 1400 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1024 MB

Internal Storage : 65.536 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Kogeto iCONIC 360-degree panoramic lens announced for the Galaxy Nexus

You know those little plastic lenses all your iPhone-slinging friends associates are using? Prepare for a few similar options on the android side of life. Kogeto, maker of the Kickstarter-turned-product line Dot lens, is expanding its entrepreneurial efforts to the Galaxy Nexus with a panoramic lens titled iCONIC. Like its current Dot for the iphon,e the iCONIC will capture 360 degrees if video, then stitch it back together with a custom app. The attachment will be available sometime in the first half of the year, with an MSRP of $79.

Don’t have a Galaxy Nexus? Don’t worry, Kogeto intends to expand its product line for more phones capable of 1080p video recording. While specific models weren’t mentioned, and every 1080p phone won’t be supported - the company hopes to offer its technology and expertise to other OEMs, who can customize and build new lenses for the Android superphone masses. As a business model goes, it’s intriguing - there would need to be a lot of positive interest from both Android photo buffs and manufacturers.
The market for model-specific Android accessories (beyond the basic case/battery/screen protector area) is about to explode, as we’ve said before. In the years since the iPhone has become the single most popular phone model, Android has surpassed it in both technical capability and total sales. Now that Android phones are reaching the 50% market share point in dozens of markets, expect all the startups based an iPhone-exclusive idea to stand up and take notice.

Samsung Galaxy Note for AT&T press images leak, possibly launching February 14th

While we’ve heard a few reports and seen some FCC filings suggesting AT&T was in the final stages of their Galaxy Note launch nothing has been made official other than a few leaked renderings of the device. After yesterdays leak by Anymode (that was quickly denied) we now have full press images showing the AT&T branded Galaxy Note in all its glory.


With all the CES announcements flying around we received the accessory maker known as Anymode’s full list for CES including the official accessories for AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy Note — coming “early 2012″ but early this morning they isued this statement.

“The information was not provided by Anymode, AT&T or Samsung , nor did Anymode, AT&T or Samsung approve it … The issuing party apologizes for the publishing of the inaccurate information and any inconvenience it may have caused”

After seeing that response our friends from PocketNow were able to secure the full press images you see above. Obviously Anymode seems to be backtracking here to protect themselves but if we weren’t sure the Galaxy Note was headed to the US on AT&T before — we are pretty sure now. Most likely all of the official details and information will be released at CES this coming week and we’ll be there live to get it all.
If you thought the Galaxy Nexus and its 4.65″ screen was too big, or have been waiting for it to hit AT&T then you might just want to take a second look at the Samsung Galaxy Note. All the details on the Note including our hands-on pictures and video is available below. Stay tuned for all the CES coverage from Android Community.
Note: The image shows 2/14 on the weather widget — this could be a sign we’ll be seeing the Galaxy Note launch for AT&T mid February.

Samsung up, HTC down in fourth quarter

Samsung is on top of the world right now, and standing on HTC’s shoulders to the get there. In the last quarter of 2012, Sammy turned in a record profit of $4.5 billion dollars, a 75% increase over the same time period the previous year. By comparison, HTC’s total income dropped by a whopping 26%. Both companies have more than just Android smartphones and tablets filling out their consumer electronics lineups, but the #1 and #2 Android manufacturers, it’s a statistic worth knowing.

Samsung has become the clear leader in consumer electronics as a whole over the last year, with just over 40.5 billion dollars in total sales in the last three months. That gives them an operating profit of slightly less than 10%, an enviable statistic for any company, and downright amazing for the hardware sector. Strong sales in the smartphone sector helped power Samsung through, even as its business-to-business sales of memory chips suffered. In total phones (not just Android) Samsung sold more than 300 million units – about one for every man, woman and child in the United states.
By contrast, HTC’s predicted flat quarter turned out to be anything but. Profit slumped by 2.5% amid the large net income drop, the first time that the smartphone maker has lost profit in two years. HTC is well behind Samsung in the global smartphone market (the smaller Taiwanese company doesn’t make “dumb” phones) but has been basically neck-and-neck with Samsung in the US, at times ever surpassing its regional market share for Android devices. HTC cited increased competition and a slumped world economy as the reasons for the downturn.

Google’s latest Nexus commercial shows the beauty of Panorama mode

Google is at it again and have just released their latest commercial of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. I for one am glad to see Google finally going big with these types of videos to demonstrate some of the awesome capabilities Android has to offer. Their latest Nexus ad shows the impressive panoramic mode with the camera in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.


Panoramic photos are always fun to do, especially if you are in NYC or Vegas and with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Google has made it easier than ever. I remember trying to align the pictures with my old Sony Ericsson to get a good panoramic picture but those days are long gone. The simple and elegant video demonstration below shows just how awesome it really is — not to mention gives you a look at the equally beautiful Galaxy Nexus.
Not only does the camera and ICS have this, but they’ve also incorporated a stock time-lapse feature into the camera that is equally impressive and works amazingly well. Just go into the camera, choose video, hit menu and find the time-lapse feature to get started.
I’ll be sure and take a few awesome panoramic pictures with my Galaxy Nexus during CES next week and share a few with our readers. Stay tuned for all the news you can handle over the next week.

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 Galaxy Note hitting AT&T early 2012, Anymode spills the details

Ever since we first laid our eyes on the Samsung Galaxy Note we were impressed. Users from around the world and especially the US have been importing the 5.3″ AMOLED HD packing smartphone for their own personal use. Accessory vender Anymode has apparently partnered with AT&T and will be their OEM for accessories on the AT&T US version Galaxy Note — coming “early 2012″ according to their CES press release.


The Galaxy Note has been available in some parts of the world but hasn’t crossed the ocean to land in the US. While recently we’ve seen some news regarding the Note and even a press image leaked complete with the AT&T logo up top — we still haven’t heard anything official from either party.
The 5.3″ Super AMOLED HD phone/tablet hybrid comes complete with a dual-core processor, 8 megapixel camera, S-pen (stylus) and a huge 2,500 mAh battery. Along with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and tons of Note specific apps by Samsung. We’ve seen it recently in the FCC with AT&T bands so this wasn’t a huge surprise, not to mention the leak mentioned above — but this information from Anymode seems to confirm it. According to them AT&T will have the Galaxy Note in early 2012 here in the USA. I’m hoping for the LTE edition myself.
We’ll probably hear and see more at CES so stay tuned. We will be there taking all the photos and video one can handle.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Galaxy Note

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier :

Announced Date : September 01, 2011

Release Date : TBA

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 5.30 Inch
• Resolution : 800x1280
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.78 Inch
• Width : 3.27 Inch
• Depth : 0.38 Inch
• Weight : 178 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 2500 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 390 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

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

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

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU :

CPU Clock Speed : 1400 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1024 MB

Internal Storage : 32.768 GB

Front Facing Camera :

LG, Samsung and Vizio will all release Google TV hardware this year

We’ve been saying that Google TV needs a lot more partners if it’s going to make it and boy howdy, Google’s come through. In a post on the official Google TV blog, they’ve announced a series of new hardware partners including some very familiar names, like LG, Samsung and Vizio, all of whom will release Google TV powered devices sometime in 2012. Chipset makers Marvell and MediaTek were also announced, as well as the sole returning Google TV manufacturer, Sony.

Only LG is confirmed to release new TVs powered by Google TV, as previously rumored. Samsung, Sony and Vizio will be releasing “Google TV-powered devices” which could be all-in-one televisions, set-top boxes or a mixture of both. LG and Vizio will show their latest wares at CES 2012 next week, while Samsung and Sony’s plans are more nebulous. We know what Marvell is up to: they’re providing at least some of the hardware for the new Google TV products, switch from Intel x86-based systems to an ARM design more familiar to Android manufacturers and developers.
Google TV has had a hard time over the last year, losing its primary hardware partner in Logitech and catching a lot of grief over a protracted and bungled Android 3.2 update. But if Google has this many companies lining up to take part, the odds are excellent that they’ve got something up their sleeve. Perhaps Eric Schmidt wasn’t just whistlin’ Dixie when he claimed that the majority of TVs will be running Google TV by this summer. We await presentations at CES with great expectations.

White Galaxy Nexus press photos appear

Just in time to make your holidays… no, wait, that doesn’t work any more. In any case, the white version of Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus that ws announced at UK retailers yesterday now has some pretty pictures to go with it. The new hue will be available for sale in early February at Clove and other phone sellers in its standard unlocked configuration, at the same ~499 GBP total price that the original is currently sold at. There are no current plans for carrier-subsidized versions, though that’s certainly possible in the future.

Other than a spiffy new coat of paint, there isn’t any difference between the white Galaxy Nexus and the original grey one: the same 4.65-inch 720p Super AMOLED screen, the same curved, button-free design, the same 16GB capacity, and of course unlocked Ice Cream Sandwich for your operating system pleasure. The white version still lacks a MicroSD card slot, which will concern some, since that limits the phone to its internal memory.
On that note, a double-capacity 32GB model will be coming out just after the new white version, at least in the UK. (In the United States, Verizon only offers a 32GB model of the CDMA Galaxy Nexus.) That’s a big boon to those who want to carry every photo, song and video they’ve ever owned in their pocket. At present, there’s no information on when or if the white and/or 32GB Galaxy Nexus models will make their way to other worldwide markets, but it’s a pretty strong possibility. So, does the new color scheme tip the scales for any of our UK readers?

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 Audio Dock brings valve amp sound to iOS and Galaxy S mobiles

Samsung has announced a new audio dock, which brings with it Samsung's hybrid vacuum tube amplifier tech, aiming to blend the efficiency of solid state digital amplifiers with the natural sound drawn from traditional vacuum tubes.
Along with the valve-amp sporting DA-E750 there is the DA-E670 which lacks the tech, but along with its bigger brother they are the first docks on the market that support both Apple and Galaxy S devices; both will be shown off at CES 2012 in a few days.
Russell Owens, head of AV, Samsung UK, said, "Listening to music, individually or in a group setting, is one of the most personal and valued forms of entertainment. As the most awarded AV brand in 2011, we wanted to create a new audio product that is unique, highly-functional and beautifully designed that puts audio quality to the top of people’s expectations of convenient music regardless of the type of portable device they store it on."
Apart from the dual format of the docks the other big selling point is the hybrid vacuum tube tech, which will only be available on the DA-E750. This packs in the 100W hybrid amp and connects to a 2.1 speaker system with subwoofer.
It's a nice idea, however as the attributes of sound produced by valves over modern transistors is somewhat subjective it may prove tricky to see, or rather hear, a clear difference. As the DA-E670 only gets a 40W amp a side-by-side comparison won't be on the cards either.
The two units also have some nice connectivity included, both getting wireless audio file playback through AllShare for Samsung Galaxy devices and Airplay for Apple devices, or via Bluetooth.