Virgin Australia to use Android-powered Galaxy Tab for in-flight streaming

Virgin Australia has decided to go with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to provide in-flight entertainment for passengers instead of the iPad. The system, which starts to roll out in April, will have the Tabs pre-loaded with movies, television and audio programs, and full in-flight streaming via Lufthansa BoardConnect wireless is slated to be up and running by the end of 2012. Once the Lufthansa system is in place, passengers will be able to choose from a wide range of entertainment to stream to the Galaxy Tab 10.1, as well as their own tablets or Windows and Mac computers. The tablets themselves will be included in the price of a business class ticket for travelers on the companies 737 and E-190 planes, and will be offered as a rental option for coach passengers on flights that take over three hours.

When the folks at Australian Business Traveller asked Virgin Australia CEO John Borghetti why the company decided to use the Galaxy Tab instead of the more popular Apple product, he had the following to say:

The Samsung tablet is being recognised as a better product than Apple. That's not unusual, second-generation stuff usually is. In fact, it's getting better reviews than the iPad 2. The screen itself is better, and the [Android-based] system is a plus. It's (also) much thinner, as you know, and overall it's a better product.

We're not going to argue. Neither is Boeing, who has decided that all of their 787 Dreamliners will use a Panasonic manufactured Android tablet for in-flight entertainment. Certainly the fact that vendors can fully customize an Android product has played a role here, and this is something we should start getting used to seeing. All we can really say is that we know you have a choice when you fly, and we appreciate you choosing Android.

Samsung Galaxy SIII Will Feature 4.8-Inch Display And Have Simultaneous Launch Globally

We may not be seeing the Samsung Galaxy SIII at MWC next week, but we know it’s very much real and on its way. BGR reports that Samsung will not be launching the device in phases as it was done with the Galaxy SII. The Galaxy SIII will launch in 50 markets simultaneously around the globe, meaning those of us here in the States likely won’t have to wait 6 months after the initial launch as we previously saw with the Galaxy SII. Moreover, in addition to the sexy thin profile and waterproof design the SIII will likely have, it will feature a 4.8-inch screen, meaning it will likely be the perfect compliment to Android 4.0 and an HD display that was previously rumored about the device. Oh and the back of the phone will be made of ceramic, not the glossy plastic we’re accustomed to.
If you thought the Galaxy SII was a major breakthrough in smartphone design, the Galaxy SIII is ready to raise the bar even higher. Stay tuned with Talk Android for any future updates or developments in the Galaxy SIII saga.

Samsung Galaxy S III rumored to have 4.8-inch screen and ceramic case

So, the Samsung Galaxy S III won’t be making its grand entrance at Mobile World Congress in just two days. Bummer. But that gives us another few weeks or months to entertain rumor and wild speculation about its hardware – if you like that sort of thing. BGR does: they’re reporting an anonymous source that says the next iteration of the main Galaxy line will have a screen that stretches all the way to 4.8 inches, and a back panel that eschews Sammy’s typical plastic construction for a reinforced ceramic material. It goes without saying (but we’re saying it anyway) that none of this is even remotely confirmed. It’ll also have a “simultaneous global launch”, though with the state of American and Canadian carriers, that seems downright fantastic.

The 4.8-inch screen seems the more likely of the two: the Galaxy Nexus, which many are considering a sort of intermediate step between the Galaxy S II and III hardware, already has a 4.65-inch screen. New flagship phones like the HTC One X (rumored) and the LG Optimus 4X HD (confirmed) both have 4.7-inch 720p displays, so the various Android OEMs seem to have reached a consensus that 4.7 inches is as big as you can go without having to seriously reconsider the ergonomics and user interface, a la the Galaxy Note. The latest rumors don’t mention a resolution or panel type, but a 720p Super AMOLED screen is the obvious choice.
Ceramic backing? It seems like a plausible idea, and more likely than some of the other rumors we’ve heard like a waterproof casing or 3D screen. As well as Samsung is doing (and they’re doing very well) we’ve heard complaints of the flimsy plastic construction of their phones and tablets on more than one occasion. A hardened ceramic might be a way to bring a more upmarket feel to the Galaxy S III while retaining relatively light weight and durability. Heck, it’s a better idea than putting glass on the back of a device that goes in and out of your pocket all day – cough, cough.
That said, I’m going to call bull on the latter. Plastic and metal are popular materials because they work, and ceramics are neither easy nor cheap to produce en mass. And since Samsung intends to sell at least as many of the Galaxy S III as the original and sequel, a whopping 20 million each, profitability will be a major consideration. Samsung has been doing a great job of keeping the actual hardware away from prying eyes – the GSIII has yet to be caught by a camera, so at this point, anything’s possible. We’ll just have to wait for the unveiling event, expected sometime in early summer at the soonest.

Samsung Galaxy Note to show up on the Three UK network

The Samsung Galaxy Note has been an extremely hot topic here in the US as of late, but overseas its been out for quite some time. However, that doesn’t mean every carrier is offering it. The Note is set to show up on the Three UK cellular network sometime soon. This was just announced by the carrier themselves, and that they’ll be carrying the white version.


You all probably know the Note for its amazingly large display, but do you know what the insides consist of? The Note has an 800×1280 pixel resolution, 1.4GHz dual-core Exynos processor, 1GB RAM, and 32GB of built in storage. It comes with a generous 2500mAh battery that should last you 13.5 hours talk time on a single charge; not bad for a device that has to power a 5.3″ display.
We have a hands-on up of the recently released AT&T model, and a more in-depth review available as well. It’s a spectacular device, and though it doesn’t fit in the palm of every hand out there, we agree it’s worth taking a look at if your carrier offers it. We have no idea on when Three UK will be releasing it, but it’s great to know it’s on the way.

Samsung Galaxy S III 4.8″ display and ceramic chassis tipped

Samsung’s much-anticipated Galaxy S III smartphone will pack a whopping 4.8-inch display, according to the latest rumors, along with the unusual choice of ceramic rather than plastic for the back panel. The oversized display hasn’t been detailed by BGR‘s insiders as to technology or resolution, though a Super AMOLED Plus likely offering at least 720p HD is probably on the cards. Meanwhile, Samsung’s publicly-stated intention of not revealing the Galaxy S III at Mobile World Congress next week is apparently so that it can prepare for a huge, simultaneous multi-location release.


In fact, the Korean company is tipped to be hoping to launch the Galaxy S III in more than 50 “markets or cities” at the same time, according to the tipsters. Previous high-profile Galaxy releases have been more staggered – some US carriers are only now getting the year-old Galaxy S II, for instance – but a release of this scale could be a serious feather in Samsung’s cap in its PR campaign against Apple.
As for the ceramic, it’s a relatively unique choice of material for a smartphone, though the Galaxy S III wouldn’t be the first to sport it. Luxury phone brand Vertu has used ceramics before, though the company’s handsets certainly aren’t as advanced as the GSIII is expected to be. The key benefit would be in avoiding plastic – which makes the current Galaxy S II feel somewhat cheap in comparison to rivals – but not switching to metal, which usually requires more complex (and sometimes bulky) antenna designs to counterbalance the material’s radio blocking potential.
That reduction in bulk is essential if Samsung’s other rumored ambition with the Galaxy S III – that it just be 7mm thick - is to come true. The company supposedly set its engineers the challenge of trimming down the already slimline GSII with the next-gen variant, and apparently only the 8-megapixel camera will present a bulge in the otherwise waifish profile.
Other rumored specifications are HSPA+ connectivity, along with WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC, together with a 2-megapixel front-facing camera and Full HD video recording. HDMI output is also expected, likely through a microUSB port supporting MHL-HDMI. Ice Cream Sandwich seems almost a given, though we imagine Samsung will find it tough to resist adding a few TouchWiz-style tweaks to the UI.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 spotted in pre-MWC ads

Well well well: this would appear to be some pretty solid evidence that Samsung’s latest stylus kick is getting even more plus-sized come Monday. Swedish blogger Anders Frick spotted a couple of large-scale advertisements in and around the Fira de Barcelona, where the first pre-show events for Mobile World Congress are set to begin in just a few hours. While he was clearly doing a little surreptitious snooping, what he caught with his camera is pretty clearly the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, a full-sized tablet version of the original Galaxy Note. The device itself should get a proper unveiling sometime on Monday.

The branding matches the gigantic banners we saw for the Galaxy Note at CES last month, and jives with Samsung’s earlier hints that we’d see more of the S-Pen stylus technology on bigger devices. There isn’t much revealed in the photos themselves, though you can see what appears to be a basic notation app running. Since we haven’t see hide nor hair of Samsung’s TouchWiz running on a tablet, there’s no way to tell if it’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or the older Honeycomb. We also don’t get a good look at the 10.1 version of the S-Pen, though it’s save to assume that it would be larger due to a more spacious housing.
The question is, will the Note tablet family supercede the Galaxy Tab, since it’s basically the same form factor with a little added functionality? The 5.3-inch Note isn’t about to replace any of Samsung’s more normally-proportioned smartphones, but a tablet with expanded pen input might just take the place of a “Galaxy Tab 10.1 2″. And how does this fit in with previous rumors of an 11.6-inch Samsung tablet running a monster 2560×1200 resolution? With any luck, we’ll find out in just over a day. Keep an eye on SlashGear’s Mobile World Congress 2012 portal for the official unveil.

Samsung Galaxy Beam combines Android smartphone and Pico projector

It’s been a while since we saw Samsung try the whole projector-phone combination, but now that it’s on top of the smartphone world it looks like they’ve got the resources and guts to try again. Enter the Samsung Galaxy Beam, a new Android smartphone with a Pico projector integrated into the housing. The Beam is getting a special pre-Mobile World Congress unveil, making it the first Samsung device to be officially announced at the event – just over 24 hours before it starts.

Details in the official press release paint a picture of a mid-range Android phone with a projector crammed in for good measure. A 1.0Ghz dual-core processor runs Android Gingerbread on a 4.0-inch Super AMOLED screen. The device is surprisingly slim considering the hardware, with a 12.5mm profile. Though the 2000mAh battery is above average for a smartphone, there’s no telling how long it will last while projecting content via the top-mounted lens.
And speaking of the projector, it’s not the greatest a 15 lumens, but with something this small that’s hardly a point of contention. Samsung didn’t say what resolution could be projected, but an image as large as 50 inches can be created, presumably with some built-in adjustment tools. There’s no word on pricing or availability, but a standard HSPA radio indicates that Samsung is looking for a reasonably wide distribution. The Galaxy Beam will be on display at Samsung’s booth, so we’ll make sure and swing by to check it out. Keep our Mobile World Congress portal open for the latest details.

Samsung unveils Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 with Ice Cream Sandwich

Samsung’s hitting fast and hard with a gamut of press releases just hours before Mobile World Congress. The latest is the update to their flagship tablet, the Galaxy Tab 10.1, which has been somewhat lazily christened the Galaxy Tab 2, 10.1 inch version. From a hardware perspective it looks like an updated version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, the German variant introduced to curb Apple’s enthusiasm for patent litigation. On the inside, it gets Ice Cream Sandwich with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI skin.

Besides a swanky redesign with front-facing speakers (and branding), the Galaxy Tab 2 doesn’t do much to push the envelope as far as specifications go. You still get the same 1280×800 LCD panel, running over a 1Ghz dual-core processor (make indeterminate) with a full gigabyte of RAM. Cameras are 3 megapixels on the rear plus an LED, but just VGA on the front. At the moment Samsung is pushing a connected HSPA+ version, but you can bet WiFi-only and CDMA variants will be made eventually. 16 or 32GB of internal storage can be augmented with a MicroSD card.
Like the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 2 before it, this one seems to be more of an evolutionary step for Samsung’s tablet line. If they want to compete with the upcoming iPad 3 (whatever its magical hardware specifications turn out to be) this doesn’t appear to be the way to do it. There’s no details on price, but hopefully it’ll hit at a lower entry than the $500 original when it launches globally in March. The 10.1-2 is clearly distinct from the Galaxy Note 10.1, which has yet to get an official debut – we’ll probably see that tomorrow or on Monday. There’s also no sight of the rumored 11.6-inch Galaxy Tab, or its crazy resolution. Keep the Mobile World Congress portal open for breaking news.