If a new tablet is on your shopping list for the very near future and you have already ruled out joining the crowd in getting a 9.7-inch iPad or the highly rated Google Nexus 7, then Samsung may have exactly what you are looking for. Although legal representatives for the company are locked in a Californian court room attempting to settle various patent infringement disputes, it hasn't stopped the Korean electronic giants from handling their business and having another attempt at ending Apple's dominance with the insanely popular iPad.
Although we now know the Samsung Galaxy Note II will be unveiled at the South Korean company’s IFA 2012 event on August 29th, that doesn't mean we should cease all speculation and wait for the official showcasing. The leaks are still arriving thick and fast, and NowhereElse, a site which seems really in the loop with regards to upcoming tech products, has leaked the purported front panel of the forthcoming handset, and by running a ruler across it to measure the diameter, also seemingly confirmed the 5.5-inch size reported on numerous occasions.
Apple has been dealing Samsung a barrage of complaints in its court case against Samsung, claiming the South Korean company has infringed on many of its iPhone and iPad design patents in creating the Galaxy series. As well as the talk of hardware, Apple has, to a lesser degree, had a question or two to ask of various UI elements, but to head off its defense, Samsung has countered by claiming Apple has infringed on a number of its own software-based patents.
Most of the attention of the technology loving world has been lavished on Apple and Samsung over the last two weeks, partly because they are the two largest smartphone vendors in the world and are currently actively competing against each for the top spot, but also due to the fact that they are currently locked in a fairly bitter legal dispute in California to resolve whether or not Samsung did indeed "slavishly" copy the design of the iPhone. As entertaining as the court case is, and as enjoyable as the information that it is unearthing, we should really try to step away from the fact that two of the industry’s largest names have had to go down this route and instead concentrate on the wonderful products they both offer.
The courtroom battle between Apple and Samsung has garnered much media attention over the past few months, with the Cupertino company accusing its Korean rival of "slavishly" copying the designs of both the iPhone and iPad in order to create its Galaxy mobile device range.
With a larger-than-life 4.8” Super AMOLED HD display, a quad-core Exynos chip, 1GB of RAM (2GB in some variants), 8 MP / 2MP optics and being based on Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone - the Galaxy S III - is undoubtedly amongst the most powerful smartphones available today. It’s selling like hotcakes too, with over 10 million units sold in just two months since release (that’s about 190,000 units sold every day).
We've seen the drop tests, we've shrieked at seeing iPads doused in molten lava, but those intent on destroying their beloved gadgets never cease to discover new ways of bringing scratches, dents, and general harm to the most sought-after mobile devices on the market. In this case, the Samsung Galaxy S III is dragged along by a moving car in order for the tester - YouTuber “aperfectgalaxy” - to prove the incredible strength of the newish device's screen, and in order to give a sense of perspective, an iPhone 4S is also hauled along for the ride in what is known as the "scratch test drag race".
It will take weeks and months before the whole Apple vs. Samsung lawsuit in the USA gets resolved, and until then we’ll continue to receive juicy bits of insider information on both company’s design processes, prototypes for current products and plans for upcoming ones. Today, we’ve received news related to Apple’s previous intentions and efforts on striking a hefty per smartphone / tablet licensing deal with Samsung. Check out the details after the jump.
There are many companies embattled in a quest to gain the largest market share in both the tablet and smartphone markets, and the recent court cases between Apple and Samsung has offered us a strong indication as to the inner workings of the firms locked in the fight for supremacy. Internal documents have been leaked to the San Jose case revealing much about the practices of both companies, while some of the big cheeses of both electronic outfits have leapt from obscurity to make their feelings known.
In early June, Samsung announced that they had sold over 7 million units of the Galaxy Note. It is perhaps the first huge smartphone / small tablet - which some like to call a phablet - to see reasonably good sales in the international market. Now, almost a year after its announcement and release, Samsung is all set to announce the next Galaxy Note which will have, from what we’ve heard, the innards of a Galaxy S III, and a slightly larger display.
