Official: Samsung goes light at MWC, no press conference this year

This story starts all the way back when we started hearing rumors regarding the next flagship device from Samsung, the Galaxy S III smartphone. Originally we all heard rumors expecting it to be announced at Mobile World Congress 2012 this year in Barcelona Spain. Sadly that was later found to be false and now we are hearing even more depressing news.


According to official reports to PCMag Samsung has no plans to launch anything major, and have pulled out completely in terms of hosting a stage for products, or a press conference of any sort. Last year they announced the Galaxy S II at MWC and we were hoping for something similar this year, sadly that won’t be happening. Basically this means a few things. First being either their next set of phones and tablets simply aren’t ready yet, or they’d rather have their own major event and take center stage.
So it’s pretty safe to say we won’t be seeing anything major or even remotely exciting from Samsung at the end of the month. Most likely later in March, or some other unknown date we’ll see the latest and greatest they have to offer. With an upcoming quad-core Galaxy S III and new quad-core Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablets surely coming soon — they better have something impressive to bail out of MWC almost completely. We’ve seen reports of a large 11.6″ tablet and a few other interesting leaks. We might see something like their 7″ budget ICS tablet in Spain, but at this point it’s anyone’s guess really

Samsung plays MWC low-key: No press conference planned

Samsung has confirmed that not only will the company’s much-anticipated Galaxy S III not be making its debut at Mobile World Congress this month, but that the Korean firm has no press conference planned at the Barcelona show whatsoever. Despite high-profile and expensive launches in previous years, Samsung is playing the 2012 show low-key it confirmed to PCMag, though new products are expected to be revealed.


“Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012″ the company said last week, before dashing hopes that they would include the Galaxy S III. Instead, the third-gen Galaxy flagship will be launched at an event of its own sometime in the first half of this year, allowing Samsung to announce the smartphone closer to the point of commercial availability but also monopolize the limelight.
The strategy by Samsung to play MWC cool follows Microsoft’s decision to ditch its traditional CES keynote spot. Microsoft said that the early January show no longer fitted in to its own timescales for product launches, and that standalone events made more sense moving forward.
Samsung’s products are rumored to include a new tablet, based on the company’s quadcore Exynos 5250 chipset, and potentially including a 2560 x 1600 display. There’s also likely to be several new handsets, while the role the company sees Tizen playing in its line-up will probably be on the agenda as well.

Samsung wins again — Phoenix Suns partner up to use Galaxy Tab 10.1

Verizon, Samsung and the Phoenix Suns have jointly announced today a partnership that will see the NBA team using the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with Verizon 4G LTE in day-to-day basketball and business operations — instead of the iPad. Being the first to integrate this type of wireless tablet technology for an entire NBA organization.


Not only will coaches, players, and staff receive a Android-powered Galaxy Tab 10.1 with Verizon 4G LTE but they’ll be using it for many different business settings. Using it for presentations to clients and season ticket holders, as well as showing prospective Suns ticket buyers an interactive view of seats from anywhere in the arena. Pretty neat but this next part has me worried.
The LTE-enabled tablet will also be given to each NBA player on the team. Being filled with the team’s playbook, video from team practices and games, and scouting reports on upcoming opponents. They’ll also use the tablet for calenders, travel plans for road games and more. Hopefully a Sun’s player doesn’t lose his tab Apple style at a bar or let it end up in the wrong hands where someone would have the entire playbook. Select season ticket holders will also receive tablets during game night that will show special in-game promotions and social activities related to the team and organization.
Pretty interesting stuff. Instead of drawing up plays on a whiteboard court side maybe we’ll see them tracing their finger on a Galaxy Tab instead. Go Nash!

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Galaxy Tab 10.1

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier :

Announced Date : March 22, 2011

Release Date : June 08, 2011

Also Known As : Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Google I/O Limited Edition

Display

• Screen Size : 10.1 Inch
• Resolution : 1280x800
• Screen Type : TFT

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 10.09 Inch
• Width : 6.81 Inch
• Depth : 0.34 Inch
• Weight : 595 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 7000 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 120 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 3.1.x

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

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS
• IM

Hardware

CPU : Tegra 2

CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : 32 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Phoenix Suns pick Verizon’s 4G Samsung Galaxy Tab over iPad

Verizon and Samsung jointly announced today that the Phoenix Suns will be the first NBA franchise to integrate the usage of wireless tablets in both its on-court and off-court operations. And that wireless tablet will be Verizon’s 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.


The LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be given to each Suns player complete with the team’s playbook, video from team practices and games, and scouting reports on opponents. It will also be easier for the team to manage their master itinerary and other travel plans.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab will also be used by the Suns throughout US Airways Center on game-nights such as for showing clients interactive views of game seating, presentations for season ticketholders, and other in-game promotions. The tablets will also be integrated into the Suns’ TV and radio broadcasts as a way to interact with digital fans via social media.

Samsung expects ‘smart TV’ sales to exceed 25 million this year

Samsung says it plans to sell 50 million flat-screen TVs in 2012, and hopes that at least half of them are capable of connecting to the Internet as it steams ahead with its plans to shake up the previously rigid industry. Since the HDTV revolution several years ago there have not been many fundamental changes to the TV interaction experience, and since 3D was kid of a dud it’s now widely believed that online interactivity is the next step.


Samsung launched its first line of what are now considered “smart TVs” in 2009. These sets included a proprietary Samsung operating system that allowed users to download apps and widgets so they could watch Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon videos without the need for an external set-top box or connectivity to a computer. In addition, the Samsung TV app store has become stocked with games, weather information, news tickers, and all manner of content that makes it look more like a smartphone than a boob tube.
In 2012, Samsung smart TVs are even more advanced, with top-of-the-line models offering voice recognition allowing users to control what they’re watching without even needing to pick up a remote. Spurred by rumors of a Siri-powered Apple-branded TV, voice commands are now becoming the next big thing. There are duds in the market, though, as Google TV has shown. Consumers are looking for a connected TV experience that makes living room content more accessible, not more cumbersome. Samsung believes it has captured that formula.

Videotron Officially Adds Galaxy Nexus To Its Lineup, Available For $149.99 On-Contract

What better way for Quebec mobile carrier Videotron to step in the world of Android than to begin selling the hottest Android on the planet? Yup you read right folks, Videotron is all set its first Nexus device, the Galaxy Nexus smartphone. That means the lucky French-speaking Canadians will finally be able to enjoy what the rest of Canadians have been able to enjoy for a few months now. Pricing will start at 149.99$ (with a monthly plan of 40$ or more) to a “meager” 599.99$ if you purchase it outright. Of course the price doesn’t quite match up with what the rest of the Canadian carriers have to offer but hey, beggars can’t be choosers at this point. If you’re living out in the Quebec area and have been drooling over the Galaxy Nexus, now’s the time to get it as it’s available in Videotron stores today.

You Will Not See a Press Conference From Samsung at MWC

As you folks know the rumored Galaxy S III announcement at the Mobile World Congress was refuted by Samsung and they went as far to say we wouldn’t see it at their press event in France either. Well it appears that the Korean company is going a step further by saying that they will not be holding a press conference at this year’s global trade show. Known for their elaborate product unveilings, Samsung will still showcase new products in Barcelona, just not in their usual over-the-top fashion. This suggests that Samsung’s presence at MWC will be very low key but we will have to wait and see.
After it was refuted that we would see the S III debut at the event, it was rumored that Samsung would show off their new tablet with the dual-core Exynos 5250 processor. Chances are though we will see the S II Plus that was leaked a week ago and that the Korean company will be hosting their own event for the launch of the S III, as well as any other major product announcements this year. So even though we won’t see a big showing from them you can still expect to see something new and exciting. As Samsung said it in an official response last week, ”Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012.”

White Version Of Samsung Galaxy Note Spotted Out In The Wild

Photo Courtesy of Pocket-lint

The Samsung Galaxy Note phone/tablet is no doubt a cool device, that’s a gimme. Well Samsung took the device and threw on some white covers, making it even more attractive than it already was. The fine team at Pocket-lint got a chance to go hands-on with the newest color of the Galaxy Note. While the white version is identical to black version (same processor, RAM, camera, etc.), there are some noteworthy differences that were pointed out. For starters the back of the white version is gloss white, while the original black version was matt-mottled. It is suspected that the gloss white was done on purpose in order to make the shinier plastic being easier to clean and prevent it from getting as dirty quickly. They also note, the S Pen pressure-sensitive stylus has a matt finish, and could become grubby with constant use, but is unlikely since most users won’t be using it very much.
Boy the device sure looks great in white. Let’s see how many people will move towards the white version of the phone/tablet, despite it potentially getting dirtier faster than the black version. Which color do you prefer? Let us know in the Comments section below.

Galaxy Nexus now available on Videotron, C$150 on contract

Just as planned, Quebec-centric carrier Videotron has today launched the Samsung Galaxy Nexus on its network. Canadians wanting to use Samsung and Google's flagship smartphone on Videotron can now pick one up for the subsidized price of C$149.95, with a qualifying service plan of C$40 or more per month. Or if you don't fancy paying 40 dollars per month for the next three years, Videotron's also selling it on its own at the retail price of C$599.95.
Videtron is the latest in a long list of Canadian networks currently offering the Galaxy Nexus. This includes the big three -- Bell, TELUS and Rogers -- as well as smaller players like Fido, Mobilicity and WIND. Hit the source link for more on Videotron's Galaxy Nexus deals, and check out our review of the thing if for some reason you're still on the fence.

Samsung not having an MWC press conference for a phone it's not announcing anyway

Samsung has told PC Mag that it's not having a major press conference at Mobile World Congress later this month in Barcelona, Spain. Bummer, cause they're usually pretty good. It did, however, tell Sascha Segan that it'll still have new products to show off. Sweet.
Samsung apparently has also said it's not announcing the Galaxy S III at Mobile World Congress. It's also not explicitly said that the Galaxy S III exists, but whatever.
So that's where we stand. Samsung is not having a press conference, nor is it planning to show off a phone it hasn't actually announced in the first place. But it'll have other stuff. Gotcha.
Here are a few companies that are having press conferences, just in case you're worried: HTC, Huawei, Sony (Ericsson), Intel, Nokia and ASUS, to name but a few that we can say out loud. That's in addition to meetings and keynote addresses. There will be no shortage of things for us to do