Samsung loses Galaxy Tab German Apple ban appeal

Samsung‘s bad luck in German courts continues, with the company’s attempts to have Apple’s sales ban against the Galaxy Tab 10.1 overturned rejected this week. The Korean firm had protested the Android tablet’s injunction at the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court, which found in favor of the injunction instigated by the lower court – initially impacting the majority of Europe, but later limited to just Germany - though for different reasons.


Whereas the original injunction was granted because of claims Apple made regarding design infringement, the higher court decided to maintain the sales ban because it deemed Samsung had infringed fair competition law in Germany. Nonetheless, the ban has also been left in place against the Galaxy Tab 8.9.
Nonetheless, Apple’s design patents are looking increasingly weak. A Dutch court ruled last week that Samsung had not infringed on the designs Apple registered with its Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1N which the company prepared specifically to work around the German injunction has not been blocked from sale. A court will reach a decision on whether the 10.1N is a sufficient alternative in early February.
In the past two weeks, Samsung saw two lawsuits against Apple dismissed, both over alleged infringement of 3G/UMTS standard patents. No reason was given by the judge in each case for either the first or second rejection, though Samsung still has a number of outstanding suits the company is readying.

Samsung under EC antitrust investigation over 3G patents

Samsung is the subject of a new antitrust investigation, with the European Commission confirming that it is formally looking into whether the Korean company misused essential 3G/UMTS patents it holds. Tipped back in November, the investigation will look for evidence that Samsung has refused to license its wireless telecoms patents – deemed “essential” to European standards – under “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory” (FRAND) terms. Samsung has cited the patents in recent lawsuits against Apple, among other rivals.


“The European Commission has opened a formal investigation” the EC said today in a statement, “to assess whether Samsung Electronics has abusively, and in contravention of a commitment it gave to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), used certain of its standard essential patent rights to distort competition in European mobile device markets, in breach of EU antitrust rules.”
Samsung, among other companies, agreed to FRAND terms back when 3G standards were settled upon in Europe. As part of that agreement, Samsung is obligated to license out the wireless technology it filed patents for to other manufacturers, and to do so at rates that are not extortionate.
However, Samsung has cited the patents in claims against Apple in 2011, arguing that although it has licensed the technology to radio chipset manufacturer Qualcomm, Apple is not covered by that agreement. Apple argues differently, though neither it nor Qualcomm will release details of their contracts for Samsung to look into.

“In 2011, Samsung sought injunctive relief in various Member States’ courts against competing mobile device makers based on alleged infringements of certain of its patent rights which it has declared essential to implement European mobile telephony standards. The Commission will investigate, in particular, whether in doing so Samsung has failed to honour its irrevocable commitment given in 1998 to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to license any standard essential patents relating to European mobile telephony standards on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. The Commission will examine whether such behaviour amounts to an abuse of a dominant position prohibited by Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)” European Commission

However, two recent attempts to use 3G patents against Apple have been rejected in German courts, though specific reasons for the failure of the cases have not been given. No estimate for the length of time that the EC investigation will take has been given.

Samsung sucker-punched by Euro set-backs

Samsung‘s short run of legal success against Apple has been quickly curtailed, with the past two weeks punctuated by court rejections and news that the European Commission has singled out the firm for potentially misusing patents. The Korean company’s prospects had been buoyed by a Dutch court finding against Apple in an attempt to have the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 banned from sale, with vital design patents dismissed as less powerful than Apple had previously assumed. However, while Samsung had been arguing matters of style, Apple and the EU had focused on cellular-substance, dragging Samsung up short for its potentially dubious use of 3G technology IP.


Warning bells had rung in 2011, when Samsung attempted to use its 3G/UMTS patent portfolio to attack Apple over the iPhone and other 3G-enabled devices such as the iPad. Apple argued it was covered to use the technology by its agreement with Qualcomm, which supplied the wireless hardware used in the iOS smartphone; Samsung countered that its own licensing agreement with Qualcomm didn’t in fact cover Apple’s use of the modems.
That caught the attention of the European Commission, which began to question whether Samsung’s use of 3G patents in the case met with previously agreed standardization policy. The patented technology itself isn’t in question – in fact the patents have already been deemed vital to 3G standards – but Samsung may have inadvertently revealed that it refused to license them to Apple under so-called “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory” (FRAND) terms agreed in 1998.
Whether or not that’s the case will be questioned during the EU’s investigation, announced earlier today, with Samsung facing allegations of potential antitrust behavior. However, two rejected cases Samsung had hoped to bring against Apple in German courts – each around use of patented 3G tech – suggest there’s more afoot than has been publicly discussed so far.
If found guilty by the EU, Samsung could be fined up to 10-percent of the annual revenue it makes deemed related to the topic of the investigation. With record smartphone revenues in 2011, that’s something the company would undoubtedly like to avoid. The EU has been keen to point out that an investigation is not necessarily an indication of guilt, and told the Washington Post that the decision to undertake an enquiry was of its own choosing, not prompted by complaints from Samsung’s rivals. For the moment, Samsung looks free to sell its own products in most markets, but the choices the company made to fight back against Apple and others could end up coming back to haunt it.

LG scolded by NAD, Samsung, Sony for false advertising

Both Sony and Samsung have come to the National Advertising Division to raise claims that LG’s current line of advertising for their 3D televisions is based on unfair claims and should be ended immediately. The decision came down on the 26th of January from NAD that they recommend that because the advertising does not hold up to their standards, the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus would have LG discontinue advertising claims made for their Cinema 3D Television and 3D glasses. In both cases, it seemed that not only did LG not perform fair tests to attain these claims, they were not entirely truthful in their final write-ups of what they found.


Of course Sony and Samsung complained just as quick as the advertisements were released, finding in both situations that NAD both took their case and challenged LG separately, finding essentially the same thing: LG’s findings were simply unfair. One of the most telling examples is listed by NAD here, siting the actual units used to do the tests:

“NAD, in considering the advertiser’s evidence, noted that LG’s “broad line claims are premised upon a single test of the parties’ entry-level model 3D televisions” although the record was clear that all three parties make several models of 3D televisions within their respective lines – from entry-level models to high-end technological 3D sets – each configured with any number of combinations of features and attributes. … NAD also recommended that the advertiser discontinue its characterization of the tested Samsung 6420 model as Samsung’s “leading model.”

Claims ranging from LG’s largest advertising point, that “4 out of 5″ consumers preferred LG 3D televisions, to the quite similar claim that consumers preferred LG 3D technology “3 to 1″ over Samsung 3D technology, have all been recommended by NAD to be permanently discontinued. LG prepared separate statements for both cases and outright disagreed with the findings, saying they still respect NAD, but wouldn’t be agreeing to this situation:

“LG supported its claims with an innovative national consumer preference study that was designed and administered by a leading ISO 9001:2008 certified survey research firm. LG believes that the study firmly established consumers’ overwhelming preference for the LG 3D television over the challenger’s comparable 3D television. …
“The advertising claims at issue in this challenge have run their planned course; nevertheless, LG respects the NAD self-regulatory process and will take the NAD’s views into consideration in its advertising going forward.” – LG

Some of the statements brought up in both cases that Samsung and Sony felt should be removed from advertising on the part of LG were as follows. And don’t forget that NAD actually did find in favor of LG for one of these: “[LG Cinema 3D provides] Picture Perfect 3D. From Any Angle,” saying it’s monadic. These are the statements in question:

• “FOUR OUT OF FIVE CONSUMERS PREFER LG CINEMA 3D OVER SONY AND SAMSUNG ACTIVE
3D IN HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON”
• “In 3D TV Tests, 4 out of 5 People Choose LG over Sony and Samsung for Overall 3D
Experience”
• “4 out of 5 People Choose LG Cinema 3D over Sony and Samsung for Overall 3D Experience”
• “4 out of 5 People Choose LG Cinema 3D over Sony and Samsung for Brightness”
• “4 out of 5 People Choose LG Cinema 3D over Sony and Samsung for Color”
• “4 out of 5 People Choose LG Cinema 3D over Sony and Samsung for Picture Quality”
• “4 out of 5 People Choose LG Cinema 3D over Sony and Samsung for Glasses”
• “[LG Cinema 3D provides] Picture Perfect 3D. From Any Angle”;
• “Consumers favor passive 3D technology, like LG Cinema 3D, because they prefer every
aspect of the passive 3D TV experience”
• “Consumers’ clear preference for passive 3D” has been demonstrated by “independent,
unbiased research”

Again the most notable case here is the fact that Samsung’s Model 46” 6420 was the only one used in consumer tests. This model, as Samsung notes, is not only just one of 43 Samsung televisions currently out there with 3D capability, it’s not even a general distribution model. Samsung has two different screen types on the market now with televisions with 3D capabilities ranging between 40 to 65-inches and prices between $1,000 to $5,000. Because LG was in no way clear on this point (or even that it used that one TV) in its advertising, “the advertiser’s broad claims convey the unsubstantiated message that the test results show that 4 out of 5 people prefer all televisions in the LG Cinema 3D line to all Samsung 3D televisions when that was not the case.”
It appears to this editor that LG has acted in very bad taste in this situation, and the full report has one whole heck of a lot more issues to burn through than this. Advertising can be a wicked world to be a part of, and it’s no small deal when you’re found to be doing the false brand of it. We’re expecting this case to move on past this set of reports without a doubt.

Samsung Galaxy S III pre-June reveal confirmed but MWC no-show

Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S III will not make its debut at Mobile World Congress 2012 later this month, with Galaxy S II follow-up expected to launch at an independent event sometime in the first half of the year. The later reveal will be “closer to commercial availability of the product” Samsung told TechRadar, fitting in with earlier rumors that despite the company’s intention to bring the smartphone to MWC, that launch had been delayed.

“Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012. The successor to the Galaxy S2 smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product. Samsung stays committed to providing the best possible mobile experiences for customers around the world” Samsung statement

Samsung has been coy with reasons as to why the Galaxy S III won’t be revealed at the show this month, though there are several possibilities. Most obvious is some sort of manufacturing delay, with Samsung’s envelope-pushing flagship encountering production issues. Alternatively, however, the company could be hoping to avoid the mad rush of new devices launched at the Barcelona show, with a standalone event giving the Galaxy S III more of a chance to shine.
That could mean a launch shortly after MWC 2012 – Samsung’s stated window is anything between now and the end of June, after all – in which case the Galaxy S III could still reach the market before the second half of the year. Alternatively, with sales of the Galaxy S II breaking records, Samsung could be holding back on its new flagship until demand for the current model abates.
Of course, there’s also the expected iPhone 5 in June or July, which Samsung could be hoping to go head-to-head with. The company hasn’t been shy in targeting potential iPhone buyers in its advertising campaigns lately, with the Koreans coining the term “Samsunged” in their newest sniping short.
As for specs, we’re expecting a big Super AMOLED display, likely running at 1280 x 720 HD resolution, with Ice Cream Sandwich and some TouchWiz modifications

Google’s Android platform is a favorite among bathroom phone users

Do you occasionally use your phone while you’re doing your business? If you said “yes,” then statistically you are more likely to own an Android phone than a Blackberry or iPhone. That is, at least, if you believe a new report that was just released from marketing agency 11mark. The results are anything but a wash. Oh, so many puns, so little time.


The, shall we say unique, survey asked respondents whether or not they have tended to take their handsets out of the pocket while on the john. Surprisingly, there was no real gender gap. 74% of men and 76% of women said they had. But when the results were broken into smartphone brand, the data were a bit more conclusive. Android was the clear “winner.”
87% of survey takers with an Android phone admitted to using their phone while on the can, compared to 84% of Blackberry users. And as for the ever classy iPhone users, only 77% admitted to the same habit. As far as what they’re doing on the phone during that time, 75% of Blackberry users said they’ve taken a call while taking a…well, you get the idea. Only 67% of Android users and 60% of iPhone users talked on the phone from the bathroom. The rest were probably just texting or playing Words With Friends. Or checking the SlashGear app, of course. Let’s just hope they all washed their hands.

Official Ice Cream Sandwich build leaks for Samsung Nexus S 4G

Nexus S owners were among the first to get an official update to Ice Cream Sandwich, direct from the source at Google – at least, those with the GSM model were. Owners of the CDMA-equipped Nexus S 4G have had to be content with community ROMs and other unofficial fare ever since December (and boy, haven’t they let us know). Good news, Nexus faithful: a leaked ROM of Android 4.0 made its way to XDA in the wee hours of the morning. It appears to be the real McCoy, even sporting Android 4.04 – which isn’t even part of the official source code yet.

Adventurous ROM flashers can download the package now to try it out on their CDMA phones, either via the Odin application or the mod-friendly Clockworkmod Recovery method. It goes without saying (but we’ll say it anyway) that the risk is entirely yours – make a backup first! All the standard features and user interface enhancements seem to be in place in Ice Cream Sandwich, though it’s hard to tell what’s changed in version 4.04 as compared to previous builds. That being the case, you can expect carriers to start the over-the-air update for the new software any day now.
Counting the Nexus S 4G as a separate phone from its GSM counterpart, that gives us three devices that have seen over-the-air ICS updates directly from Google: two Nexus S models and the Motorola XOOM. A further two have gotten official updates from their manufacturers already, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime and the Huawei Honor. Various early official builds have been leaked (notably the Samsung Galaxy S II with TouchWiz) and of course dozens of devices have community-authored ROMs built from open-source Android code.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Nexus S 4G

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier : Unknown

Announced Date : March 21, 2011

Release Date : May 08, 2011

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.00 Inch
• Resolution : 480x800
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 4.88 Inch
• Width : 2.48 Inch
• Depth : 0.44 Inch
• Weight : 130 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1500 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 713 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MP3

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

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : Cortex A8 Hummingbird

CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz

Core : 1

Ram : 512 MB

Internal Storage : 16.384 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Samsung’s Galaxy Note will star in company’s first-ever Super Bowl ad

Don’t believe all the hype you hear on TV – next Sunday isn’t about Eli Manning or a rematch of 2008′s big game or even about football at all. The real excitement will be when Samsung makes its debut in the biggest commercial time slot of the year. The game itself will be boring – we all know the Giants are gonna win anyway. Did I mention I’m a New Yorker?


Seriously, though, Samsung will air a Super Bowl ad for the first time in the company’s history. And the product that will mark this flagship occasion – the Galaxy Note. The Android-powered jumbo phone has gained a lot of attention for its 5.3-inch display and a stylus, making it look more like a tablet than a phone. The ad was directed by Bobby Farrelly, whose credits include Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary.
That’s all we know about the actual commercial, though given those referenced film titles we can probably assume it’ll be a very humorous ad. The spot was also reportedly filmed with the Galaxy Note’s 1080p HD camera. The phone, which has a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of memory, will be available through AT&T on February 19. Its after-contract price is $300

Samsung Galaxy Nexus headed to WIND February 3rd

For our readers in Canada, you’ll be happy to know the Galaxy Nexus is coming to mobile carrier WIND February 3rd. That’s just 3 days away, and you can finally get your hands on some Android 4.0! Prices for the device vary depending on what program you decide on.


The WINDtab+ program will be the cheapest way to score a Galaxy Nexus, costing $249.99. The specifics for it are here. The normal WINDtab program will set you back $499.99, and then you could always buy the phone without any strings attached for $599.99. They also offer an extremely affordable Unlimited Everything plan for just $40/mo – perfect for your new Galaxy Nexus.
At the bottom of their advertisement, it states “they’ll be gone before you know it”. They could just want to get you in the door, or their Galaxy Nexus stock could be low – analyze it however you would like. Those that have been anxiously waiting for Google’s flagship device to hit the carrier will probably be there day of release anyways!

Samsung preparing two Android 4.0 tablets, GT-P3100 gets WiFi certification

Samsung had a pretty weak showing at this years CES show and latest reports suggest they wont be announcing much for phones at the upcoming Mobile World Congress event in a few weeks either. What we do have though is the possibility of two impressive Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablets from Samsung. New reports are claiming that Samsung has two quad-core tablets they are preparing and now we are seeing some new Tabs clear WiFi certification too.


While we haven’t heard anything regarding model numbers or naming some recent rumors claim Samsung is preparing an 11.6″ tablet with an amazing 2560×1600 resolution for this February — lining right up with Mobile World Congress. Anything other than Android 4.0 ICS wouldn’t make sense, especially from an Android tablet leader like Samsung. The chances we see some incredible tablets for their MWC announcements this year are quite high.

Shown above is a recent WiFi certification clearing a Samsung device codenamed GT-P3100. The P stands for tablet and for an example the GT-P7510 was their 10″ model and the P1010 was the original 7″ Galaxy Tab. According to some recent rumors from Androinica Samsung is actually preparing two tablets to debut at Mobile World Congress in the P3100 and the better P5100. The latter of the two could be the rumored “retina-display killing” model with that huge bloated resolution. Although I have a feeling something along the lines of the Prime 700 series or the Acer A700 is more realistic. Coming in around 1920×1200 for the resolution.
We have a feeling Samsung will be announcing two completely different models. One with a huge resolution and impressive specs being 10.1″ or even the rumored 11.6 — then another to compete with the likes of the Kindle Fire and the ASUS MeMO 7″ ICS tablet with a budget-friendly price. Stay tuned as we’ll have all the details live from Mobile World Congress.

Samsung offers personal engraving service for your Galaxy Note till March 31

If the Samsung Galaxy Note wasn’t already the coolest phone in the world, it is now. Samsung is offering a personal Galaxy Note Engraving service until March 31. This service is available at Samsung Digital Plaza locations across South Korea, and it will engrave whatever letters you wish with laser beams. As you can see in the above picture, they will not only do your initials, but your full name. Not bad for yourself, but also not bad as a gift idea.
I see only one issue with this and that’s resale value. When you go to sell it, how many people want to buy a phone with someone else’s name on it? Either way, this is a cool idea and one that I’m sure will be very popular with the lucky Galaxy Note owners.

Samsung Galaxy Note S, Galaxy S II Plus and Galaxy S III Make Headlines

It would seem as though Samsung has no plans whatsoever to slow down when it comes to being successful and launching the right combination of awesome software and hardware.  They continue their incredible streak with the introduction of a few tipped devices hitting the Interwebs.  With yet again more rumors and tips of the Galaxy S III being released sometime this Spring (MWC?), we’ll just have to be patient.  And then there’s the Galaxy S II Plus, expected to be a nice bump up from the original Galaxy S II touting a 1.4 GHz Exynos SoC dual-core CPU and 1 GB of RAM.  Not a bad upgrade at all.  And lets not forget about the recently leaked Galaxy S Advance as well.  The Galaxy S Advance is to the original Galaxy S as the Galaxy S II Plus is to the original GSII, a nice bump in specs.  Samsung continues to breed smartphones like rabbits and the masses are flocking to stores by the boatloads to get their hands on them.  We can’t blame them given Sammy’s track record for innovation.

These step-up devices, in addition to a nice bump in the CPU, could also see a nice upgrade to Samsung’s popular TouchWiz interface.  It’s possible it could be their “Ice Cream Sandwich-esque” UI accompanying the hardware.  We’ll take what we can get and what we can’t get, the dev community can fill in the gaps.  And last but not least, the Galaxy Note S, possibly the device we could see leaked during the Super Bowl.  Among much speculation, could this be a version of the Note running Ice Cream Sandwich?  Damn, lets hope so.  Anything in the ICS or quad-core category will certainly be welcomed.  Stay tuned to Talk Android as we continue to dig a little deeper.

Jays Announces Partnership With Samsung to Bring Better Audio and Bundled Headphones to Samsung Phones

As more people are starting to use their phones as their main media devices manufacturers are looking to pair up with big name audio companies to bring a better audio experience to smartphones everywhere. HTC went the Beats by Dre route by buying stock in the company and putting it in their phones but Samsung is going a different route. They will be partnering with the Swedish company Jays who announced on their web site today that they will be partnering up with the Korean company.

While some of you may have not heard of this company others will recognize their ability to put out quality headphones. Heck you can read a review by Robert Nazarian on a pair of these headphones right here. I even went out and bought a pair after reading the review. While I did enjoy the iBeats headphones that come with the Rezound I found that the Jay’s headphones put out a better sound for a decent amount less, but I digress.

Jays’ announcement about the partnering with Samsung to bring some amazing audio to their smartphones and devices states that the promotions will start in Korea in February 2012. Rather than pair phones with headphones right out of the gate they will be running multiple promotions and deals when you purchase Samsung smartphones. Rune Torbjörnsen, CEO of Jays, had this to say: 

“The agreement with Samsung is a great boost for our profile in a key target market. It’s also an incredible endorsement of Jays’ unrivaled quality and our continued success. Coming from the world’s largest manufacturer of smartphones it’s a great compliment.”

So look for these promotions to start in South Korea in the coming month. They should make their way over to our end of the ocean sometime after that. While Jays may not be as well known now, pairing up with Samsung should certainly change that. Here’s looking forward better audio experiences with our smartphones from here on out.

Samsung Galaxy Note Super Bowl commercial to be 90-seconds and was directed by Bobby Farrelly

Yesterday Samsung announced on Twitter they would run a commercial on the upcoming AT&T Galaxy Note during the 4th quarter of this Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVI, and that it would be “one of the longest in the game.”
Samsung PR just told us it will actually be a 90-second spot and it was directed by Bobby Farrelly, who along with his brother Peter, created some of the funniest movies of all time: There’s Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin and Fever Pitch.
“During the past six months we’ve launched the Galaxy S II, Galaxy Nexus and now the Galaxy Note super phone in North America bringing unparalleled innovation to the marketplace,” said Todd Pendleton, Chief Marketing Officer for Samsung Telecommunications America.  “The Galaxy Note ushers in the era of truly personalized communications, allowing people to capture, share and create like never before.”
This is one commercial I’m looking forward to.
Full press release after the break

Samsung Launching Revolutionary Galaxy Note Super Phone with 90-second Super Bowl Commercial
DALLAS – January 31, 2012 – Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S.¹, is launching a revolutionary super phone, the Galaxy Note™ in the first-ever Super Bowl ad in the technology giant’s 71-year history.
“During the past six months we’ve launched the Galaxy S II, Galaxy Nexus and now the Galaxy Note super phone in North America bringing unparalleled innovation to the marketplace,” said Todd Pendleton, Chief Marketing Officer for Samsung Telecommunications America.  “The Galaxy Note ushers in the era of truly personalized communications, allowing people to capture, share and create like never before.”
The game changing Galaxy Note required a launch platform just as significant which is why Samsung chose the largest event in North America to unveil this product – Super Bowl XLVI.
Samsung handpicked  Bobby Farrelly to direct his first ever TV commercial.  Farrelly, along with his brother, Peter, created the famous comedy films There’s Something About Mary,Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin and Fever Pitch.
Another Super Bowl commercial first is Samsung using footage shot by the Galaxy Note’s HD-quality video camera in the ad.  Samsung is also one of the advertisers in the inaugural livestream of the Super Bowl broadcast.
The Galaxy Note ad will air during the 4^th quarter of Super Bowl XLVI on February 5^th.
An extensive digital and social campaign will accompany the ad release with Samsung Mobile US Facebook and Twitter followers gaining exclusive access to content and giveaways.
The Samsung Galaxy Note will be available for pre-order starting February 5^th and go on sale at AT&T and Best Buy Stores nationwide on February 19^th.
Key Product Features of the Samsung Galaxy Note include:

• ·         Integrated S Pen™ Solution
• ·         5.3″ HD Super AMOLED™ Screen (1280×800)
• ·         Smartphone Portability with the Power of a Tablet
• ·         Samsung Approved for Enterprise (SAFE™)
• ·         1.5GHz Dual-core Processor
• ·         Android™ 2.3, Gingerbread + TouchWiz^®
• ·         Kies Air
• ·         AllShare™
• ·         Social Hub
• ·         Media Hub HD
• ·         Enabled for 4G LTE
• ·         8.0 Megapixel Rear-facing Camera with LED Flash
• ·         2.0 Megapixel Front-facing Camera
• ·         1080p HD (30fps) Video Recording
• ·         2500mAh Battery
• ·         eReader Capabilities
• ·         Enabled For Video Chat
• ·         16GB Internal Memory
• ·         Expandable Memory up to 32GB
• ·         Swype™
• ·         AT&T Navigator^®
• ·         Bluetooth^® Technology

[1] Number one mobile phone provider in the U.S. claim for Samsung Mobile based upon reported shipment data, according to Strategy Analytics, Q3 2011 U.S. Market Share Handset Shipments Reports.

About Samsung Telecommunications America
Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., researches, develops and markets wireless handsets and telecommunications products throughout North America. For more information, please visitwww.samsungwireless.com.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2010 consolidated sales of US$135.8 billion. Employing approximately 190,500 people in 206 offices across 68 countries, the company operates two separate organizations to coordinate its nine independent business units: Digital Media & Communications, comprising Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, and Digital Imaging; and Device Solutions, consisting of Memory, System LSI and LCD. Recognized for its industry-leading performance across a range of economic, environmental and social criteria, Samsung Electronics was named the world’s most sustainable technology company in the 2011 Dow Jones Sustainability Index. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

Samsung GT-i9300 Galaxy S III Receives Wi-Fi Certification?

Last week we told you about the believed Galaxy S III appearing on Samsung’s official UAE site as model number GT-i9300. The device has since been pulled from the sites listings but the model number has recently appeared elsewhere on the interweb in the form of a Wi-Fi certification. Unfortunately there is no additional information to be had from the certification document but I imagine we should start to see more details the closer we get to its announcement. Speaking of announcement, we are still unsure when we will get official word surrounding the GSIII, lets just hope Samsung’s launch “review” yields a MWC unveiling.

German Appeals Court Sticking To Galaxy Tab 10.1 Injunction But For A Different Reason Than Apple’s Claim

And the Apple and Samsung news just continues to flow like water.  In recent news the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court (an appeals court) is sticking to a preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and also states that the Galaxy Tab 8.9 may be in jeopardy of violating similar patents.  However, unlike the original file claim, the appeals court is basing this conclusion on a violation of a German unfair competition law, Gesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb, UWG (you’re going to have rely on Google Translate for that one folks).  And the lower court’s ruling was based on a “Community Design” which is equivocation to a U.S. design patent.  We initially saw the injunction issued in early August of last year where in the following September it was upheld and quickly appealed by Samsung to the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court.  

Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents summarises todays decision by the court and offers his unique perspective:

1. Apple can’t replicate the German decision in other countries since German unfair competition law is pretty unique. A win based on an EU-wide design right would have been strategically more valuable to Apple. Even though Samsung formally lost its appeal because the preliminary injunction remains in force, it succeeded in defeating Apple’s design right.
2. A couple of months ago, Samsung launched a modified version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, named 10.1N, in Germany. In late November 2011, Apple requested a preliminary injunction against the 10.1N. For now, the 10.1N is still on sale. The Düsseldorf Regional Court held a hearing the week before Christmas and will announce a decision on February 9, 2012. The fact that Apple won today doesn’t necessarily mean that it will succeed against the 10.1N. If Samsung is allowed to continue to sell the 10.1N, the commercial relevance of today’s appellate decision is next to nil.
3. While today’s decision was made by an appeals court, we are still talking about fast-track proceedings triggered by a request for a preliminary injunction (and an appeal against one). All those decisions are preliminary, and what matters most is the full-blown main proceeding in which Apple’s design-related claims against a total of 15 Samsung products are at issue. It’s too early to tell what the outcome of that case will be.
4. In my opinion, the strategic value of those design-related lawsuits is relatively low. Preliminary injunctions based on such claims can have a temporary disruptive effect, but the world-spanning dispute between Apple and Samsung primarily hinges on the outcome of the parties’ technical patent infringement claims against each other. The first two patent infringement lawsuits Samsung brought against Apple in Germany have been dismissed. Decisions on Apple’s related claims will come down in the coming months.

I don’t know about you but I’m getting a little annoyed with these proceedings.  It’s getting more and more difficult on a daily basis for manufacturers to stay out of Apple’s cross-hairs. Feel free to leave your thoughts or rants in the comments below.
If you’ve missed any of our previous coverage regarding Samsung and Apple’s battles as well as Apple vs everyone else, check out our coverage below.

Dutch Court Denies Apple’s Appeal and Allows Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Sales To Flourish

Galaxy Nexus Infringes on Apple Patents, Or So Apple Says

Samsung suffers a setback in German court, Legal costs now at $60 million

Apple Files Another Lawsuit Against Samsung, This Time Targets Galaxy S II and Nine Handsets In German Court

Apple Patent Dispute Ruled in Motorola’s Favor

Apple Applies For Facial Recognition Patent, Sticks Tongue Out At Google’s Attempt Of Facial Unlock Feature

ITC Rules In Favor Of Apple; Bans Some HTC Devices, But HTC Feels “Gratified” In New Statement

Another blow for Apple, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales ban in Australia is no more

Patent Wars: Even With Victories, Samsung Prepares For More Battles By Setting Aside $200 Million

Apple suffers defeat in attempt to block Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets in the U.S.

Patent Wars: Australian Court Overturns Samsung Tablet Ban, Apple Wants to Ban Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N in Germany

Ice Cream Sandwich build (4.0.4) leaked for the Nexus S 4G, looks to be release quality

An internal testing Ice Cream Sandwich ROM for the Samsung Nexus S 4G has been leaked out of Sprint, containing a new software modem, bootloader, and a 4.0.4 build.  Some are reporting this is the final version and we'll soon see an OTA for the NS4G, but that's speculation at this point.  We do know that this seems to run smoothly, with everything working including the Wimax radio.  It's build number IMM26, with a final kernel build and the ROM is signed with release keys which makes it pretty likely.

Of course the OTA for the Nexus S 4G can't come soon enough for many users, who have seen the 3G version of the Nexus S and the Motorola Xoom get their ICS builds pushed to them.  We have to remember that Sprint not only has more network testing involved in their version, but the addition of Google Voice integration and Google Wallet means their release cycle will be longer.  I'll go out on a limb and say Nexus S 4G users will see ICS released long before any other handset gets it, even if it's not imminent.  We've seen extremely stable builds of Android 4.0 for the NS4G for a while now, and you know the developers already have their hands dirty (trust me, they are all over it) using tonight's leaked files to make things even better.  If you're not the type who follows the manufacturers update path, hit your favorite ROM developer in a day or two.

If you're not the waiting type, visit the links below and try it on for size.  Heed the warnings, and if you hit any snags visit the forums and holler!

Sky Go headed to some HTC and Samsung phones in February

UK satellite broadcaster Sky has announced that it'll be bringing its Sky Go service to selected HTC and Samsung smartphones from February. Sky Go, which has been available on iOS for some time, allows subscribers to view live TV and archived content from certain channels on the on mobile devices.
Initially, Sky will be limiting its roll-out to a handful of (fairly) recent HTC and Samsung smartphones "based on sales volumes", though it's promising a wider roll-out "in time". The first wave of supported devices includes the Desire, Desire S, Desire HD, Incredible S, Sensation, Galaxy S and Galaxy S II.
Android users will have access to 22 live TV channels through the Sky Go app right out of the door, with Sky Movies on Demand due to arrive at a later date. You'll find a full breakdown of exactly what Sky customers can expect from this new app over at the source link.

Samsung Galaxy Note commercial to debut during the Super Bowl

Samsung has been pretty vocal with their commercials these days and come Super Bowl Sunday we'll be seeing one for the Samsung Galaxy Note hit the airwaves, as noted by Samsung USA:

We're telling fans first: Next Sunday we launch a device so revolutionary only an ad in America's biggest game can do it justice.

To make our first ever SB ad as noteworthy as the #GalaxyNote itself, it will be one of the longest in the game. Look for it in Q4!

Sunday is our 1st ever SB... So we tapped legendary director Bobby Farrelly or his first ever commercial. Excited?

With the flurry of Samsung Galaxy Note announcements letting folks know it will be coming to AT&T, Rogers and TELUS we'll be tuned into the Super Bowl to see just what Samsung has lined up for everyone.

Android A to Z: What is a QR code?

What is a QR code? These things are everywhere nowadays. Little square barcode-looking things. They're on website, they're on pictures, they're on advertisements -- they're everywhere. So what's a QR code and what do you do with it?

In a nutshell, a Quick Response Code is used to tell your phone to do something. Invented by Toyota in the mid-1990s, they "store" more information than traditional UPC barcodes and work better with languages more complicated than English. (Which is to say, most of them, especially in Asia.)

The way it works is this: Using a scanning app (there's Google's own Goggles app, or plenty of others in the Android Market), your phone's camera scans the code and then interprets it. There are different versions of QR codes, which can contain different amounts of information. 

Most often, QR codes are used to link to a website or video or some other online content. Your scanning app should preview the link for you as a safety feature so that you can't be automatically redirected to a malicious (or otherwise untoward) website or video.

Here at Android Central, you'll regularly find QR codes to quickly link to applications in the Android Market.

Samsung Galaxy S Advance coming to Three UK

Yesterday Samsung took the wraps off the Galaxy S Advance, a new mid-range device that fits somewhere between the Galaxy S and Galaxy S II in terms of hardware muscle. Now British network Three is the first to confirm that it'll be carrying the phone, though no firm release date is on offer just yet. For its part, Samsung has indicated that the Galaxy S Advance will be coming to Russia in February, with Europe and other territories following later in the year.
Head on over to yesterday's announcement post for more Galaxy S Advance details. Three has also published a sneak peek video of the Galaxy S Advance, which you'll find embedded after the break.

Source: Three UK

For Video:

           YouTube link for mobile viewing

Samsung Galaxy Note headed to Bell Mobility in Canada

We already know that the 4G LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy Note will be headed to TELUS and Rogers next month, but now we have confirmation that it's landing on Bell Mobility Canada too. The 5.3-inch monster phone, already released internationally and coming to AT&T in the U.S. in February, appears alongside a "coming soon" message on the carrier's official website.
In case anyone's keeping score, Bell's Galaxy Note is the same four-buttoned version that's coming to other Canadian networks, as opposed to the three-buttoned international version. This version is also rumored to sport a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon chip instead of the 1.4GHz Exynos CPU in the international Note.
If you're after more Galaxy Note goodness, you can check out our first impressions of the North American version, or our full review of the international model.

Galaxy Nexus tips and tricks

So you got a shiny new Samsung Galaxy Nexus in your hands and you are left wondering exactly just what it can do, and how to do it. It's the first device to launch with the newest Android operating platform, Ice Cream Sandwich, and while the core functionality is the same as older versions, a lot has changed, too. From the on-screen buttons to the new menu locations, there's a good chance you're stumbling around a bit while using your new phone.
We have the best forum community in the Android world, and great folks just like you and I are always working hard to bring nothing shy of the best for everyone. Forums member milominderbinder has taken some time to create an extremely comprehensive guide of tips and tricks to make your experience with your new Galaxy Nexus even better. From things as simple as the new navigation methods to fixes for Facebook sync and much more, this guide is a must read. A few tidbits:

• How to get Facebook Sync working
• Change the notification LED
• No microSD card? No problem
• Low speaker volume
• Camera focus
• Messaging fixes

The list goes on and on. And that's one of the great things about having a Nexus device. While it's better than many straight out of the box, you also can apply more tweaks than you have time for in any given day and make the phone just as good as it can be. And because it's a Nexus device, you also can start from scratch anytime you want, or back up your phone with a custom recovery. Whether you think you have a pretty good feel of the device or you just grabbed one, you can definitely learn something from milo's guide

Samsung: No Galaxy S II successor at Mobile World Congress

Galaxy S III unveiling due at Samsung event in first half of the year

We've heard rumors, and gone over the possibility in an editorial, but now we have it straight from the horse's mouth -- the Samsung Galaxy S III will not be making its debut at Mobile World Congress. Speaking to technology blog TechRadar, the Korean manufacturer clarified its plans for next month's show, saying --

"Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012.

"The successor to the Galaxy S2 smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product.
"Samsung stays committed to providing the best possible mobile experiences for customers around the world."

So that's that -- no Galaxy S III at MWC. We're sure we'll still have plenty of cool stuff to play with, though -- HTC, LG and Sony Ericsson are likely to be out in force at MWC, and we'll also have those "exciting new mobile products" from Sammy to look forward to. As for the Galaxy S III, it's now on track to appear by end of June, and we're just fine with that.