Samsung Super Bowl ad skewers Apple with a stylus

Samsung took its current brand of Apple slapping to the Super Bowl this weekend, calling in the stars – some better known than others – to show how the Galaxy Note can help iPhone-addicts find cellular freedom. The 90 second spot, which you can see after the cut, is Samsung’s first Super Bowl ad but revives some of the Korean company’s common themes: that Apple’s brand of queuing, brainwashed automatons can rediscover life if only they grab the stylus or stroke the touchscreen of a Galaxy-series device.


Samsung first started its overt anti-Apple strategy with a Galaxy S II advert back in November, portraying iPhone queuers realizing that the new handset they were waiting for had been bested by an Android smartphone already available. The company followed up with a second spot, highlighting the aesthetic similarities between the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S.
For its Super Bowl ad, Samsung didn’t depart too much from its existing script. Set to “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by The Darkness, it features band lead Justin Hawkins in a candy-cane catsuit, Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr, football star Brian Urlacher and pro skateboarder Paul Rodriguez.
What’s perhaps more interesting than the “celebrities” is the fact that Samsung actually used some of the 1080p Full HD video content shot by the Galaxy Note itself in with its pro-filmed footage. The whole thing was directed by Bobby Farrelly, best known for directing There’s Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber and Kingpin.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus White official: On sale Feb 13

Samsung has officially confirmed the Galaxy Nexus White, the pale color variant of its Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone collaboration with Google. Functionally identical to the existing Galaxy Nexus – the GSM model, in this case, rather than the 4G LTE version – the new Nexus will go on sale in the UK from February 13 2012.


Pre-order listings for the Galaxy Nexus White were spotted early last month, with official images cropping up shortly after. Like previous white Samsung phones, the fascia itself is still black, with the edge and rear of the handset the new color.
“After much speculation, we are pleased to announce the availability of the Galaxy Nexus White which follows the great reception the phone has received since it was launched back in November” Samsung UK telecoms exec Simon Stanford said this morning. ”One of the things we at Samsung pride ourselves on is the choice we offer customers, and we’ve enjoyed huge success to date by introducing white variants of our most popular models to our product portfolio.”
Samsung has confirmed that both 16GB and 32GB versions of the white Galaxy Nexus will be offered; the smartphone will have the same 4.65-inch 720p Super AMOLED HD display, 5-megapixel 1080p-capable camera and HSPA+ connectivity as its black sibling. No word from the company on pricing, but online listing suggest around £500 ($789) unlocked for the 16GB model.

AT&T Galaxy Note LTE up for pre-order

AT&T has put the Samsung Galaxy Note LTE up for pre-order, ahead of the 5.3-inch smartphone-tablet hybrid’s release on February 19. Priced at $299.99 with a new, two-year agreement, the stylus-equipped handset is available to order in either carbon blue or, as shown below, ceramic white.


The smartphone has a 1280 x 800 display and uses an active digitizer to work with the digital pen. That can capture and annotate screenshots, be used to write and draw on photos and even video clips, or simply to navigate the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS with Samsung’s own TouchWiz interface. There’s also an 8-megapixel camera and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera.
Opinion is split as to whether the Galaxy Note counts as a phone or a mini-tablet, though you could argue it offers the best of both worlds. Samsung made it the centerpiece of its Apple-skewering advert for the Super Bowl this weekend.
More details on the AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note LTE in our full hands-on with the smartphone, and you can find more on the tablet functionality in our review of the European version.

Enter to win a Galaxy Nexus by Samsung and 6 months free service courtesy of Mobilicity and Android Central!

To mark Mobilicity’s recent launch of the Galaxy Nexus by Samsung, and with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, Mobilicity wants to give one lucky person a small token of affection: a Galaxy Nexus by Samsung and 6 months of free unlimited talk, text, and data service on Mobilicity’s $40 Super Savings plan (a $55/month value)!

We want to make this contest interesting, so we want you to declare your love for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. And it might not hurt if you threw in some Android Central and Mobilicity affection as well. In the forum linked below, write a poem, a love letter, a limerick -- whatever suits your fancy -- showing us just how much love you have. Heck, you can even sing a song or make a video and upload it for all to see! It's all fair game.

Unfortunately, there are rules, but they are short. The contest is only open to those living in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa (Mobilicity’s unlimited zones). Keep your entries family friendly, as normal forum rules apply. The contest begins right now, and ends Sunday night at midnight PST so get those entries in!

Enter to win a Galaxy Nexus from Mobilicity!

About Mobilicity:
Mobilicity is Canada’s smart mobile carrier, created to bring down the cost of wireless and give Canadians the value they deserve. And that’s exactly what we deliver – unlimited talk, text and data plans, affordable North American coverage, plus popular mobile devices and smartphones – without contracts. We’ve come up with a smarter, simpler way to use mobile phones. Where you get to keep your plan for as long as you want. Where the price of that plan is the price you actually pay. Where you’ll never be shocked by a wireless bill again. Guaranteed. Everything we do adds up to a better wireless experience – not an expensive one. Now that’s smart.

You can find out more about Mobilicity, their plans and coverage, at http://www.mobilicity.ca/.

Latest Galaxy S III rumors suggest May launch, 7mm thickness

 

We now know it won't be at Mobile World Congress, but that hasn't stopped the steady trickle of rumors relating to the Samsung Galaxy S III. The latest round of unconfirmed, unverifiable info comes from Korean site ETNews, which cites its own "industry insiders."
According to these sources, the phone includes such previously-rumored specs as Android 4.0, a quad-core CPU and LTE support -- none of which is particularly unsurprising for a Samsung flagship product in 2012. However, the most interesting rumor concerns the device's dimensions -- it's said to measure just 7mm thick, thanks to the introduction of thinner internal components. At 7mm, the Galaxy S III would still be a hair thicker than Huawei's P1S, but considering its souped-up internals, it's still incredibly impressive. That figure would see Samsung shave almost a millimeter and a half off the girth of the Galaxy S II, which measured 8.49mm.
Other rumored specs for the Galaxy S III include a 2MP front-facing camera and 8MP rear-facing shooter, which apparently protrudes slightly from the back of the device.
Looking further ahead, ETNews suggests that Samsung, apparently undeterred by lukewarm uptake of other 3D phones, may be planning to launch its own 3D smartphone later in the year.
Today's rumors indicate a possible May 2012 launch for the Galaxy S III, which certainly wouldn't surprise us, and would fit within the Samsung's previously-announced timeframe. In any case, we're expecting to hear more about the Galaxy S III sometime after Mobile World Congress.

Quebec's Videotron sets its Galaxy Nexus launch for February 8

Following fellow regional carriers WIND and Mobilicity's lead, Québec-based Videotron will launch the Samsung Galaxy Nexus this Wednesday, February 8. Still no word on pricing, though we'll keep our ears peeled the closer we get to Wednesday. The flagship device will be compatbible with Videotron's "4G" network, which boasts download speeds of up to 42 Mbps.
Videotron covers most of Québec's largest metro areas, including Montréal and Québec City. It is just the latest in a long list of Canadian carriers to snag the device, which includes TELUS, Rogers, and Fido to name a few. Hit the source link for the Videotron's product page, where you'll be able to snag the device once hump day rolls around.

ShopAndroid Daily Giveaway No. 1: Galaxy Snap-On Cover, Galaxy SII Extended Battery & more!

We're kicking off this week's ShopAndroid Daily Giveaway with a closer look at the Qmadix Galaxy Nexus Snap-on Cover, a Rezound Hard Shell, the Seidio Galaxy SII Extended Battery, and the Droid RAZER Case-Mate Tough Case.
Leave a comment stating which one of the featured accessories you'd like to have. We will pick a winner from each daily post Sunday at midnight. Pretty simple, right? Let's get this thing started.

Qmadix Snap-On Cover for Samsung/Verizon Galaxy Nexus

The Qmadix Snap-On Cover is form-fitted to your Samsung or Verizon Galaxy Nexus and features a textured rubberized exterior to allow a firm grip on your device.  The case is lightweight, and fairly thin-- keeping your Galaxy Nexus' slim profile as close as possible.  The Snap-on cover features cutouts for all of the Galaxy Nexus features, and leaves the screen exposed for full functionality.

HTC Hard Shell Case for Rezound

Better constructed than your average plastic cover, the HTC Hard Shell Case for Rezound is a custom fit case that sports a rubberized coating around the entire shell along with a stylish striped texture design on the back.

Seidio Innocell 3200mAh Extended Battery for AT&T Galaxy S II

This Innocell 3200mAh extended battery is the mack daddy of AT&T Galaxy S II cells.  With proper usage, you're looking at an extra 80-100% more juice than the OEM battery. Included with the 3200mAh battery is an extended door which is used to replace your existing battery cover.  It features a soft-touch coating that gives an added comfortable feel to your Galaxy S II and adds approximately 5mm to the thickness of your device.

Case-Mate Tough Case for Motorola Droid RAZR

Designed to offer two layers of protection for the Motorola Droid RAZR, the Case-Mate Tough Case is completely flexible and impact resistant.  The first layer is a flexible silicone case that wraps around the Droid RAZR leaving the screen, camera, headphone and charging ports exposed. Next comes the ABS plastic hard shell case which covers your device while in the silicone cover.

Case-Mate POP! Case for Samsung Skyrocket

The Case-Mate POP! Case features contemporary color pairings to create a modern look for your Samsung Skyrocket.  The lightweight plastic body of this case protects against impacts, while keeping your Skyrocket screen lifted away from surfaces.
The form-fit design of the POP! Case covers all four corners of the Skyrocket, is completely impact resistant, flexible for easy installation and removal, and has cutouts for your device's camera, speaker, headphone and charging ports.  The Case-Mate POP! Case features a rubber interior with custom designs to also guard the back of your device.

The wrap-up

That's all the featured Android accessories for roday, so if you'd like to get your hands on one of these items, be sure to leave your comment below to let us know which one (contest ends Sunday midnight PST)! If we didn't feature any accessories for your device on this roundup, there are still plenty of items at ShopAndroid.com worth checking out.

Samsung Smart Touch Control revealed and detailed

Samsung has officially dropped details on its upcoming 2012 upgrade to the Smart TV world with its Samsung Smart Touch Control, complete with touchpad, Edge, and voice control. This controller will work with Samsung’s entire 2012 range of Smart TV units including the ES8000 which will be the first to be working with this remote’s voice recognition engine. Other than that, Samsung TVs, set-top box, and Blu-ray players will all function well with this magic stick.

Touchpad Control

The first and most apparent feature you’re going to experience here is the touchpad, it taking up the top 2/5 of the device and allowing you to move forward with the touch controls you’ve gotten so used to in this forward-thinking mobile environment. You’ll be able to change channels and adjust the volume on your set with a simple swipe of the touchpad, and on-screen browsing will be much easier as the touchpad works as a mouse. Your finger is now the mouse pointer rather than the rather evil point to move we’ve seen from similar sets in the past.

Edge UI

Next is the Edge User Interface, this allowing you to access any of the four main control menus with your touchpad by swiping your finger out to the edge. These four menus are Color/playback, Tools, Hot Key, and History. Your Hot Key aka Short Cut will bring you a programmable action, while the rest should be pretty self-explanatory for you Smart TV users. No need to look at the remote any longer!

Voice Control

With the newest Samsung Smart TV units, you’ll be able to use the Smart Touch Control’s built-in microphone to tell your television what to do. You’ll be able to access your apps, switch channels, and navigate compatible services galore. This system should prove to be rather intuitive as voice recognition and control advances to new heights in our very voice-activated modern world.

Multi-device Control

Finally you’ll be able to cut down on the number of control units you’ll need – just so long as you’ve got all Samsung devices, that is. The Smart Touch Control can be programmed to run with your DVD player and a whole mess of other home entertainment appliances. Your device choosing widget can be found under your Hot Key on the remote, each of your devices then switched quickly and with great ease on-screen. One remote to rule them all.

Pricing and availability for this remote control have not been finalized, but don’t be surprised if we see it within a month around the world. Smart TV 2012 continues on with great fervor. Samsung is bringing the Smart heat in TV!

Samsung SuperBowl misses gigantic opportunity, fails socially

As Samsung’s series of Apple-crushing advertisements came to a conclusion (or so they say) at the SuperBowl, Twitter filleted the finale as a terrible final note. This advertisement for many was their first look at the Galaxy Note, a device which has been out overseas for several months not, it having a gigantic display, the power of the Galaxy S II, and a stylus. The commercials made by Samsung in this same vein up until now were praised for their ability to capture the viewer and make simple sense to both Android and iPhone users – according to Twitter users, Samsung threw that winning formula out the window completely for the final installment.


The advertisement starts off with the same set of actors standing in a line waiting for whatever Apple product is set to be released next. They’ve already gone through all the winning points: that they hate standing there, that they’re bored of their devices, that they’re secretly wishing for something outside their religion. Then they see someone circling a photo they just took with their Galaxy Note.
At this point everything breaks down and the point is lost. As with all Superbowl commercials, the point is to make the audience remember your advertisement, even at the cost of them forgetting your product. As Twitter users galore this weekend spoke up on right after the Samsung commercial appeared, Samsung did indeed capture their attention, but may have done so in the worst way. Twitter users saw the stylus as Samsung’s trump card and told them exactly what they thought about it: this is Palm’s secret weapon.
Samsung had the opportunity to stay simple and powerful as they had been doing in their collection of advertisements leading up to this point, but they fell victim to the pressure that is the SuperBowl cost per ad spot and bought The Darkness and a song from several years ago that, though is still a good song, has nothing to do with Samsung or their products. You’ll also notice a couple other devices from Samsung running on AT&T throughout the commercial, this further confusing the point.

Samsung March 22 event smells of Galaxy S III reveal

We already know that Samsung won’t be showing off its newest Galaxy S-numbered phone at the hyped Mobile World Congress (MWC) later this month. The MWC, which takes place in Spain, will play host to a number of other Samsung announcements, but the company wanted to make the Galaxy S III something that was reserved for a more exclusive event. Now, it looks like that even will also be held in Europe and will happen on March 22.


Samsung normally holds its big exclusive mobile product announcements in New York City, but it has sent out an invite to media in France for the event. As a result, it is perhaps not a slam dunk that this is a Galaxy S III event. But knowing that’s the only Samsung thing that anyone has on his or her mind right now, it certainly is a popular assumption. The device is expected to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, contain a Super AMOLED HD display, and include a massive quad-core processor, 12-megapixel camera, and more.
When it confirmed that Galaxy S III would be a no-show at MWC, Samsung provided only a vague detail that the unveiling would happen before June. Earlier today, there were rumors that surfaced, pegging the smartphone with a May release date. So in order to build the right amount of hype, a March 22 event unveiling sounds just about right. Hopefully we won’t be disappointed. Let’s hope it isn’t just some European phone that no one cares about.

Rumour: Galaxy S III Watching Its Weight, Reportedly 7mm Thin

 Add another to the stack of rumours surrounding the upcoming Galaxy S III. This time, South Korea’s Electronic Times News reports that an unnamed source claims the quad-core, super AMOLED plus, Android 4.0 powerhouse will be enclosed in a Liquipel waterproofed chassis only 7mm thick, 1.49mm thinner than the Galaxy S II. Electronic Times News also reports that we could see the S III launched as soon as May, which would line up with Samsung’s statement earlier this month.
With technology becoming smaller and cooler, I would not be in the least bit surprised if this rumour turned out to be true. With such a thin profile and all the rumoured specifications swirling around, it seems the Galaxy S III is going to turn Galaxy Nexus owners on their head with an impressive device to tempt them into premature replacement.

White Galaxy Nexus To Hit The UK Next Week

Those of you in the U.K. can mark your calendars because the white Galaxy Nexus has been officially confirmed by Samsung for release on Monday, February 13th — just in time to buy one for your special someone on Valentine’s Day. The sleek looking Samsung flagship model comes with the same color scheme as yester-years’ white Nexus S, a white chassis and a black glass face. The internals remain the same.
It’s disappointing – to say the least – that nothing has been hinted thus far at any North American release to satisfy our white GNex hunger, though one can still hope, right?
Press release after the break.

SAMSUNG LAUNCHES THE GALAXY NEXUS WHITE

Samsung’s latest Android device coming to UK shores 13th February

6th February 2012, London, UK – Samsung has today confirmed the availability of a white variant of the Galaxy Nexus in the UK. The first smartphone to feature Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Galaxy Nexus White can be bought in a range of stores across the country from 13th February.
Simon Stanford, UK & IRE Telecommunications & Networks Division said: “After much speculation, we are pleased to announce the availability of the Galaxy Nexus White which follows the great reception the phone has received since it was launched back in November. One of the things we at Samsung pride ourselves on is the choice we offer customers, and we’ve enjoyed huge success to date by introducing white variants of our most popular models to our product portfolio.”
The Galaxy Nexus™ White offers customers all the features found in the original Galaxy Nexus, from the 4.65’’ HD Super AMOLED display which boasts a market-leading resolution of 720p (1280×720), to the 5 megapixel camera and super-fast 1.2GHz dual core processor and HSPA+ connectivity so owners can connect to and browse the internet quickly and easily when they’re out and about.
As the first  smartphone to run on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Galaxy Nexus White offers customers an entirely new look and feel, including a redesigned user interface with improved multi-tasking, notifications, Wi-Fi hotspot, NFC support and a full web browsing experience. In addition to a rounded slim design, the Galaxy Nexus White also introduces new innovations such as ‘Face Unlock’, which uses facial recognition to unlock the phone. Whilst integration with Google+™ means owners can easily stay in touch with friends and family and talk over Google+ Messenger.

SFR France Outs Android 4.0.5 Existence, Hits Galaxy Nexus in March?

Just days after learning about the unofficially leaked build of Android 4.0.4 for the Galaxy Nexus, French mobile site SFR has outed the existence of Android 4.0.5 and claims that the GNex and Nexus S should be seeing it rather soon. SFR also made mention about which devices would get an ICS update, and when. According to the chart, the 4.0.5 update will arrive OTA to the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S in March, while the Galaxy SII and the HTC Sensation will finally hit 4.0.
As far as the 4.0.5 update goes, I wouldn’t expect any drastic changes to the OS. Based on the numbers, you can expect a more fine-tuned ICS experience and probably a few minor bug fixes and software tweaks, nothing too major. Now the question is, “is this chart reliable?” Tell you your thoughts below.

Further Clarification Offered for CDMA Galaxy Nexus “Official” Status Drop

For those of you who don’t know Google dropped official “developer device” support for the CDMA (Verizon) version of the Galaxy Nexus last week. While a statement was released explaining why, it apparently required further explanation as it wasn’t officially explained in full as to what this drop actually meant. So without futher hesitation here is what the official Google Group’s post has to say:

“Hi, all! Thanks for all the questions. Here’s a quick omnibus to answer the questions folks have asked…
First, just to be clear this change is only related to AOSP support for these devices — that is, personal custom builds. These are obviously still officially-supported Nexus devices for everyday use, they will receive official software updates, and so on. Similarly, these are still fully-supported development devices for app developers.
Second, as I noted at the top of the thread, Nexus devices will still have unlocked bootloaders, and we’ll continue to make available as many of the closed-source binaries as we can. CDMA support in AOSP has always been more challenging than GSM, and this change is a reflection of that reality.
On that topic, here’s a quick clarification on the core issue. Every device has a number of closed-source software packages included on it. Though Google distributes some of these binaries for Nexus devices for use with AOSP, Google does not own the software. Rather, this software is variously owned by the device manufacturer, the carrier, and their suppliers. We try to get distribution rights for as many of these binaries as possible, but in some cases it is difficult or impossible to obtain these rights. (CDMA specifically has a tricky history of intellectual property.) Combined with the technical issues of needing to sign the apks correctly, this has prevented us from obtaining the distribution rights we need to support these devices in AOSP.
Finally, we will of course continue to work on improving support. If we can resolve these issues, we’ll certainly restore CDMA support to AOSP. In the meantime, we’ve updated our docs to be more accurate about the degree of support.”

For those of you worried that custom ROMs won’t work or that development has been halted this is simply not true. Usually developers take the time to pull the CDMA binaries straight from the device at hand. Even with Google not distributing them this should not be an issue. Given that Google doesn’t have license to use the binaries they can’t fully come out and say that the device is supported. The device will still get timely updates and is officially supported for every day use. Also it will come with an unlockable bootloader so it is still very much a Nexus device. If you want the technical break down you can also check out the link below. While some may still cry foul I feel that this can help the rest us breathe a sigh of relief. What do you think?