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Samsung Galaxy S2: Hands on photos and first impressions!
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: Hitting Vodafone UK
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: Hands-on photos and first impressions
Samsung Galaxy 10.1: Everything you need to know

Samsung Galaxy S2: Hands on photos and first impressions!

Posted: 13 Feb 2011 01:16 PM PST

Officially called the Samsung Galaxy SII, the Galaxy S2, or Galaxy S 2 for grammar fans, this is the follow up to Samsung's best-selling Galaxy S smartphone. Potentially, the most important Android phone of the year. Read on, and find out why.

Inside is an entirely new set of tech tricks, including NFC (those with privacy paranoia will be glad there's also a version without this), a screamingly quick dual core processor and a new improved Super AMOLED Plus screen measuring 4.3 inches, the largest Samsung's ever put in a phone.

On the surface though, the first thing you'll notice is the Galaxy S2's screen. It's eye-poppingly bright, stunningly colour-packed and, yes, we'd even say it's better than the iPhone 4. Although that's partly due to the size.

At 4.3 inches it's almost an inch bigger diagonally than the iPhone 4's display. In the hand though, it doesn't feel much bulkier. That's due to Samsung's efforts to make the Samsung Galaxy S2 thinner and lighter. Our colleagues complained that the Galaxy S2 actually felt "too light" and almost fragile though, so we'll reserve judgement until our full Samsung Galaxy S2 review in the coming months.

Samsung’s got a new tablet too: Meet the Galaxy Tab 10.1

Glistening on the screen though, is Samsung's TouchWiz interface, shoehorned on top of Android. It's an annoyance to our vanilla Android sensibilities, but thankfully it doesn't seem to slow down proceedings too much.

For those interested, TouchWiz lets you add quick dial contact shortcuts to the Galaxy S2 homescreen, makes app menus scroll horizontally rather than vertically, and comes with a few exclusive homescreen widgets.

Powering proceedings is a 1Ghz dual core processor. In our brief time with the Galaxy S2 it was unsurprisingly swift. Everything we threw at the Samsung Galaxy S2 simply flew. The menus were fluid, web pages loaded in a snap, and Flash video hummed along without issue.

What wasn't so smooth was Samsung's new Hubs. These are in-menu collections of apps and games are designed to make it easy to find games, music, even e-books and social networking apps. However, all but the Social Networking Hub crashed on the Samsung Galaxy S2 we tried, so there's clearly still work to be done.

The Social Networking Hub works much as you'd expect, aggregating updates from all your social networks. It's much like Nokia's, HTC's and Sony Ericsson's own efforts to do the same thing.

There's also voice control and, more interestingly, voice translation facilities built in as standard, powered by Vlingo. But underneath all this is one last feature that's intriguing us the most: NFC.

We've already seen NFC debut on Android in the Google Nexus S (which is also built by Samsung) so it's no surprise to see it inside the Galaxy S2. However, in its presentation announcing the phone, Samsung promised to support travel and payment services.

There aren't any payment or travel partners confirmed yet, and interestingly Samsung says there'll be a non-NFC version of the Galaxy S2 for those who don't want it, but it's a taste of things to come, and a guarantee that Samsung's ready for it.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: Hitting Vodafone UK

Posted: 13 Feb 2011 12:17 PM PST

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1? We’ve heard exclusively it’s hitting Vodafone UK. Android Honeycomb on our shores? You betcha. Read on for all the details.

We’ve been playing with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and it’s by far the most compelling iPad rival we’ve seen to date. It’s great news then, that Vodafone UK has pledged to bring it to blighty as soon as it’s available.

See our Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 photos and first impressions!

We’re yet to hear of any other networks stocking Samsung’s 10.1 inch tablet either, so if you’re hungry for Honeycomb, and like the look of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in our hands-on photos, start pestering Vodafone UK!

Unfortunately, Samsung haven’t given a release date (or a price) for the Galaxy Tab 10.1, and neither has Vodafone. The most we’ve heard is that it’ll hit Vodafone UK as soon as it’s available.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: Hands-on photos and first impressions

Posted: 13 Feb 2011 11:34 AM PST

It’s here, in our hands, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1! We’ve clapped flesh on the all-new, all-Android Honeycomb tablet. Read on, and we’ll show you its new skills up close, and give you our first impressions after a lengthy touching sesh.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is, frankly, astounding. We say that as long-term iPad users who’ve previously felt let down by Android’s attempts at taking a slice of Apple’s tablet pie. The new Android OS screams on the Galaxy Tab 10.1. It’s incredibly responsive, and the always-visible softkeys at the bottom of the screen make a monumental difference when navigating around (and not just because there isn’t a physical homescreen.)

In the bottom right of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 screen, you’ll find shortcut keys that give you quick access to running apps, in-app notifications and standard Tab 10.1 functions, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and brightness settings.

It’s those touches that make the Galaxy Tab 10.1 feel like a more complete mobile computer than the iPad. We can’t overstate the handiness of those shortcuts, and the speed at which the Samsung tablet skips between functions. Check out the gallery above, and see us taking the Galaxy Tab 10.1 features for a spin, including its dual cameras, web browser (which works much better than the original Galaxy Tab, now it has more screen space to play with) and of course, that delicious Honeycomb interface.

Samsung Galaxy 10.1: Everything you need to know

Posted: 13 Feb 2011 08:48 AM PST

UPDATE: See our hands-on photos of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, and read our first impressions report!

Samsung's Mobile World Congress press conference hasn't even kicked off yet, but already the firm is spilling the beans on the follow-up to its iPad challenger: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Read, gawp and get the skinny right here!

Bigger screen
At 10.1 inches, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a screen to rival Apple's iPad, at least in sheer size. The resolution is WXGA and We'll wait until we clap eyes on it to deliver the final verdict, pretty sharp. We wouldn’t say it’s any brighter than the iPad at full blast, but that extra space really makes a difference. Out of the gates it seems Samsung has learnt from Steve Jobs' claims that 7-inch tablets are just too small to be comfortable.

New Android Honeycomb OS
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesn't just boast a new screen. The OS inside is beefed up too. It's running Android Honeycomb, which is custom-made for tablets. Expect easier management of apps and system notifications. In fact, expect the Galaxy Tab 10.1 to feel more like a computer and less like a smartphone with gigantism. Read our hands-on first impressions and you’ll see this is exactly what Samsung has delivered: a tablet computer that, well feels more like a computer.

Read our review of the original Galaxy Tab

Higher spec camera
Around the back of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is an 8 megapixel camera. It's also capable of recording video in full HD. Take that iPad (at least, until the iPad 2 is confirmed). Up front, there’s an additional 2 megapixel camera for video conferences and snapping pictures of your own grinning mug. Samsung has surrounded the camera with a myriad of settings and adjustments.

If you’re unhappy with the simplistic nature of Apple’s camera interface (which we can only assume will be exactly the same when the iPad gets a lens of its own) it’ll be right up your alley.

Superior sound
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has “surround sound” inside. There's no information on what's powering it (we suspect Dolby Mobile at work here), and Samsung’s announcement was fantastically vague. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has “dual surround-sound speakers” we’re told… last time we heard, that was called “stereo”.

Made for Life

Sunday, 13 February 2011

Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast!

Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast!

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