Samsung pushes out a quite phenomenal number of handsets during the course of a year, and adding to its mammoth collection is the robust Xcover 2, built purposely for those who may regularly encounter the brunt of the varying terrain in the great outdoors. Unveiled today, it runs on Android Jelly Bean (4.1), boasts a 5-megapixel camera, and offers a 4-inch display. More details after the break.
It's the archetypal cycle of an upcoming device; the talk begins, the rumors start to swirl, and after a certain period of time, the supposed 'sightings' begin to emerge. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0, which has already been confirmed as arriving at MWC by the Korean company's Vice President along with a set of leaked specs and images, that point of a leaked image looks to be upon us, and unsurprisingly, it looks almost identical to the Galaxy Tab 10.0.
The ability to run custom launchers on Android devices is something that, to many, gives the Google platform the edge on its competitors. We feature plenty of launchers here at Redmond Pie, each of which tends to offer its own unique quirk, and and today's offering is no different. Named SF Launcher, it is currently in early alpha stage, but already bears the hallmarks of a very promising home screen alternative.
For the last few years, it is not just processors and storage that have been indicators of the quality of a smartphones: screen resolution and sharpness has become just as much of a factor for consumers when purchasing a new device. According to a new report, the Samsung Galaxy S IV is bound to have a higher-resolution display than any other smartphone on the market, including the iPhone 5.
One of the great things about Android, and ultimately one of the reasons why a lot of users prefer it over the alternatives, is the ability to customize certain aspects of it. Developers are also able to produce software that essentially acts as a replacement for the native way of doing things. One of the more popular examples of this is rolling out of an entirely new launcher that brings additional features over the stock implementation. HomeFlip for Ice Cream Sandwich and above is one of the latest examples of an app built around the launcher concept.
When it comes to the look and feel of the OS, Android gives much more freedom to users as opposed to any other comparable smartphone operating system. You can theme, make changes through widgets, customize the boot animation, and pretty much change every aspect of the OS itself, all the way from the battery indicator to how the dock behaves (or even exists at all). In fact, the level of customization is so deep, that items like recovery and flashing of ZIP files through it have been given a proper, functional GUI as well (AROMA installer, for instance). The same freedom is also enjoyed by various manufacturers, who have, over time, developed a unique identity of their own through their distinctive Android UI skins. And the most popular one of them, by far, seems to be HTC’s Sense UI.
On Monday, Sony’s vice-president announced that the Galaxy Note 8.0 would be formally announced at this year’s Mobile World Congress at the end of February. Excitement has clearly gone around the company, enough for an alleged picture of the new device, as well as its hardware specifications, to leak online via a Twitter account of Spanish language classifieds website which has not hesitated to spread the word and win its fair share of publicity.
Last year's battle of the smartphones was all about Apple and Samsung, with the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III proving to be the handsets of choice for a large percentage of consumers. Things aren't showing any signs of being different this year, as most of the chatter has once again been centered around when Apple will announce the next-generation iPhone and when Samsung will lift the lid of the specifications of the mysterious Galaxy S IV. The latest information leak across the web suggests that Samsung will strike first blood by holding a dedicated media event on March 22nd to discuss the next Galaxy S device in the 100 million selling series.
Google's Nexus 10 tablet has hit the ground running in tablet space, with the majority of consumers and reviewers giving it the proverbial seal of approval. It features a dual core Exynos 5 processor to keep things ticking over, and while, all told, it does a fairly good job in doing so, it does struggle to cope with the 2560×1600 display. At a time when quad-core processors are ever becoming the norm, it has been suggested that Google may be planning to slap the revered tablet with a quad-core SoC later on this year.
Samsung fans have plenty to look forward to this side of the summer, and the Korean company's Vice President has stepped out and confirmed the Galaxy Note 8.0 is to be unveiled at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2013, which commences from 25th February. Perhaps the biggest date in the tech calendar besides CES, we'll be seeing plenty of new and exciting mobile gadgetry at the big event in little over a month, and although the Galaxy S IV will not be rearing its head late next month, Samsung's VP JK Shin has noted it will be arriving 'soon'.
