Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 details leak

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 details leak

A video purporting to be a teaser trailer for Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Tab 2 has leaked out, offering a glimpse at what the company may be planning for its follow up Android tablet.

The original Galaxy Tab was well-received, if somewhat expensive, offering a powerful alternative to Apple's popular iPad in a 7in form factor. Its successor keeps the same size, but looks to improve on the original in almost every way.

Although Samsung has yet to confirm details of the device, it is rumoured to feature a high-resolution display - with claims that it will feature the Super AMOLED promised for the original Galaxy Tab but swapped out for a more readily available LCD panel at the last moment - along with a dual-core ARM-based processor, thought to be either one of Samsung's own models or the increasingly popular Tegra 2 platform from graphics specialist Nvidia.

The display will be protected by Corning's tough Gorilla Glass, and the device is also thought to include integrated 3G connectivity alongside 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and the latest version of the Bluetooth standard. 1GB of RAM, up to 64GB of storage, and a raft of sensors - including accelerometer, gyroscope, electronic compass, and even a barometer.

The leaked details include the claim that the rear camera will feature an 8 megapixel sensor with dual LED flash and feature 1080p high-definition video recording capabilities, along with a front-mounted 3 megapixel camera for video calls.

Samsung Star II details leak

Samsung Star II details leak

Details of Samsung’s upcoming S5260/Star II have surfaced online, giving us some idea of what to expect from this phone. While there isn’t any official word on the operating system, the user interface looks very much like Samsung’s bada OS and it should feature specifications such as a 3-inch 240 x 400 pixel capacitive display, 3.2-megapixel camera, EDGE support, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, Office document support, 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD card support. The phone is expected to land sometime this quarter and should be aimed at budget-oriented consumers.

Report: Samsung's Bada To Offer In-App Advertising Capabilities

Report: Samsung's Bada To Offer In-App Advertising Capabilities

Bada, Samsung's own mobile operating system, on track to power around 5 million phones by year-end, has just updated its software development kit (SDK) to version 1.2.1. The update reportedly includes an important new feature: in-app advertising capabilities. The feature, which will allow bada developers to monetize their apps, will go live beginning January 1st, 2011. At least, that's the news coming out of Samsung Hub, an unofficial source that typically publishes reliable content and scoops.

This news has not been officially published anywhere as far as we can tell, not on Samsung's blogs, Twitter accounts, Facebook pages or in its news rooms. But the updated SDK is available for download now. Samsung Hub, as noted above, is an unofficial, but often accurate, source for Samsung-related information, so we're betting on this news being credible while awaiting official confirmation.

According to the blog post, developers implementing in-app advertising capabilities into their apps will retain all the revenue generated - they will not have to split that revenue with Samsung.

In looking through the release notes for the Samsung bada 1.2.1 SDK, we don't see any mention of "advertising," "ads," "revenue," or anything else that hints at this new feature, though. (Let us know if you spot it, maybe we just missed it.)

It makes sense that Samsung would launch this capability, though - bada-powered phones are selling well...very well, in fact. Considering that the first bada phone, the Samsung Wave, didn't ship until June, and the Wave was the only bada phone available until October, the platform is off to a decent start. Samsung has also noted that it has seen over 50 million downloads of apps from its own app store, too, mostly thanks to bada's popularity.

In addition, with the upcoming bada 2.0 OS, Samsung will add more features to the platform, including a better user interface, Near Field Communication (NFC), a smarter homescreen, SDK support for Linux and Mac, SNS integration and more.

Although bada's numbers are promising, analysts recommend developers consider their options carefully before jumping on board this train. Samsung has not fully committed to the OS, Strategy Analytics analyst Alex Spektor reminded us recently - it also supports Android and Windows Phone 7, for example. However, Samsung is ending support for Symbian as of January 1st, it should be noted, giving the company more time to focus on bada going forward into the new year.

Samsung Introduces Bada Smartphones

Samsung Introduces Bada Smartphones

Samsung today introduced the Wave 2, Wave 723 and the Wave 525, three new smartphones based on its open-source Bada operating system, designed for social networking and gaming.

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The South Korea-based company said the more sophisticated Wave 2 features a 1-gigahertz processor, 3.7-inch "Super-Clear" touch screen display and a 5.0-megapixel auto-focus camera for video recording. The mid-range Wave 723, meanwhile, comes with a 3.2-inch screen, 5.0-megapixel camera for video recording and video calling. The entry-level Wave 525 integrates a 3.2-inch display and a 3.2-megapixel camera.

All three devices run on Samsung's Bada 1.2 software, and include "Social Hub," an application that combines email, messaging and social networking into one inbox, giving users an easier way to see everything, as well as "Widgets," or smartphone apps, for gaming, music and video and even e-books.

Several third-party companies, such as Twitter, Capcom, EA Mobile and Gameloft are developing Bada apps. Both free and pay apps are available for download but Samsung has yet to provide accessibility on its website. The company said the new Bada phones will hit Europe first in the coming months, with other markets following throughout the first quarter.

"The new Wave family is testament to Samsung's continuing commitment to deliver a smartphone for every lifestyle," said Stephen Jun, head of Samsung's mobile division. "These three new devices in the Samsung Wave family represent Samsung's commitment to delivering choice for smartphone users and ultimately democratizing the smartphone market."

Samsung released its first Bada smartphone -- the Wave S8500 -- in June last year, which went on to sell more than one million units in the first month. Unlike Google's Android operating system and Microsoft Window Phone 7, Bada, the Korean word for "ocean," was created in an attempt to improve networking and gaming of other platforms. The company had said it plans to introduce Bada into all levels of its mobile line, including the low-end feature phones.

Samsung Galaxy S2 to Feature Super AMOLED Plus, to Be Unveiled at MWC 2011?

Samsung Galaxy S2 to Feature Super AMOLED Plus, to Be Unveiled at MWC 2011?

The only reason we might have questioned the presence of Samsung’s latest display technology, Super AMOLED Plus, from showing up in the next version of the Galaxy S is that there is a chance the manufacturer will have once again moved on to an even newer screen. It looks like that won’t be the case, and the latest whisperings indicate the even more brilliant version of the original Super AMOLED will be on board for the Galaxy S2. The S2 will also receive NFC support and most likely Android 2.3.

While very little is known at the current moment, word is we may not have to wait too long to get some first impressions of the follow-up to one of last year’s biggest phones. MWC 2011 in February should be the place where Samsung initially unveils their next generation of Galaxy Androids
.