Samsung

Maintenance Update Available for Sprint Samsung Moment

Moment Maintenance Update Available in Stores

Sprint announced today via their Twitter account that a maintenance update is available for the Samsung Moment. Unfortunately, it’s not the Android 2.1 upgrade we’re all looking forward to.  Currently the update is available only by visiting a Sprint retail location with a repair center.  Sprint did state that the ability to update your device OTA will be available in the near future, which in carrier time that could be days, months or even years.  We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.

Here’s are the fixes:

• Network Assist GPS to allow indoor location fix
• Updates to several third-party apps, including Visual Voicemail, NFL, NASCAR and Sprint TV
• Change to Emergency Dial on lock screen
• Hard reset available in recovery mode: remove and reinsert battery; press volume down, send and end keys until reboot option pops up; scroll to wipe data/factory reset; press OK
• Various improvements to battery life

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Sprint Samsung Moment First to Get Mobile DTV

The Nexus One may have Google’s love and affection, but the Android-powered Samsung Moment for Sprint is getting something nifty too: free mobile TV.

Today Samsung announced that the Moment would be the first phone to feature Mobile DTV, the new free-to-air mobile TV standard that’s launching early this year. The Mobile DTV-equipped Moment will be part of a customer trial in Washington and Baltimore during the first quarter of 2010, Samsung said.

Mobile DTV allows local broadcasters to transmit free digital signals to cell phones and portable devices using their existing broadcast spectrum. More than 35 stations are already online, with five in Las Vegas doing demonstrations at CES. Stations in 96 of the top 100 US markets have signed up to broadcast mobile TV, according to the Open Mobile Video Coalition, the trade organization behind Mobile DTV. You can learn a lot more about Mobile DTV in our previous story.

According to a Samsung press release, the Moment was chosen because of its big, bright 3.2-inch AMOLED display, which allows for wide viewing angles. Sprint previously said that the Moment, which runs Android 1.6, will get an update to Android 2.1 – the same version that’s running on the Nexus One – soon.

The choice of the Moment is interesting because up until now, most of the Mobile DTV sample phones we’ve seen have been from competing manufacturer LG. Samsung and LG merged their two competing, proposed standards, along with some other partners, to form the final Mobile DTV standard.

There’s no word on when the DTV-equipped Moment will be available to the general public.

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Android 2.0 Coming to Sprint HTC Hero and Samsung Moment

Good news, of a sort: the Android 2.0 operating system is coming to Sprint’s HTC Hero and Samsung Moment, in the first half of 2010.

The announcement was made via Sprint’s Twitter account on Friday afternoon. The company said that the date of the upgrade was officially “TBD” (To Be Determined) but “roughly” in the first half of 2010.

Given the abbreviated nature of the Twitter medium, Sprint did not disclose exactly how it would make the update available. I’m not sure if a major OS revision like that could be pushed out in an over-the-air update, or if users would need to perform a more complicated bootloader operation via the USB cable.

Android 2.0, of course, is a feature of the Verizon Droid. With Google making its turn-bu-turn Navigation system available for Android 1.6 users, the need for Android 2.0 is somewhat lessened. Still, it will be a welcome upgrade for Hero and Moment users, even if they’ll have to wait months for the update

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Samsung Giving Away a New Behold® II

Samsung Mobile is giving away a new Behold® II every hour, on the hour, until 12.23 & a Samsung LED TV everyday.

Enter for your chance to win

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Sprint HTC Hero & Samsung Moment $70 at Best Buy

Sprint’s launched its first two Android-based devices this fall, and thanks to the retailer Best Buy Mobile these smartphones are available at an especially low price.

The HTC Hero and Samsung Moment are now selling for $70 each, but there is a caveat: this price is only available for those who are switching to Sprint and sign a two-year service contract.

Current Sprint customers who are eligable for a subsidy for renewing their two-year contract can get either of these smartphones for $180 directly from Sprint.

More information on this offer is available from Best Buy Mobile

Samsung Moment vs. HTC Hero
In the last couple of months, Sprint debuted a pair of smartphones with Google’s Android OS. While these have much in common, they have significant differences, too.

Both have 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreens, but the Hero has a tablet shape, while the Moment has a sliding QWERTY keyboard.

Samsung Moment is an AM-OLED display, while HTC’s is a more conventional type.

The Moment uses Google’s standard user interface. The Hero, on the other hand, has HTC’s Sense UI, which enhances the standard one with additional features.

Each of these smartphones is equipped with Sprint’s 3G mobile broadband service, Wi-Fi, and Stereo Bluetooth, and both have GPS receivers, microSD memory card slots, and 3.5 mm headphone jacks.

The HTC Hero has a 5 megapixel camera, while the Samsung Moment has a 3.2 megapixel one.

As an Android-based models, these phones will have a highly-functional web browser, and include tie-ins to a number of Google’s online services, like Gmail, Calendar, and Google Maps. This OS is also bundled with an MP3 and video player.

Both these devices can synchronize with a Microsoft Exchange server for business-related e-mail, calendar, and contact.

In addition, there is a rapidly growing collection of third-party software available for this Android, including games, widgets, and productivity apps.

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Samsung Galaxy with Android Heads to Bell Mobility

If you turn your attention over to Rogers Wireless, you may be attracted to the HTC Magic. Turning over to Telus, your eyes may sway toward the HTC Hero. What about Bell? Where do you find your Google Android fix through the third of the big three in Canada? Simple. You turn to the Samsung Galaxy.

The rumors have been swirling around for some time, but now we’re seeing something a little more official and substantial about this phone’s pending release. Shown here is a poster that has been spotted at several Bell locations across the country. In addition to the Omnia II (center) and the Impact (right), we see the Samsung Galaxy.

This represents the first Android device in the Bell lineup and it’s the thinnest Android device available in the market today. You get loaded up with an “advanced” 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen, the full slate of real-time Google apps, and the inclusion of Google Talk to keep “the conversation going.”

There’s no word on pricing or any kind of release schedule yet, but since the poster makes explicit mention of leading the HSPA launch, I’m thinking that Samsung will push the Gravity onto Bell’s shelves sooner rather than later.

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Android: Week in Review

Things have gotten so crazy in the word of Android over the last month or two that it can be difficult at times to simply keep up with a single day’s news.

Somehow, taking a look back at the rumors, leaks, launches, and reviews of the week has a way of putting things into perspective.  Since a bunch of you want the skinny, net results rather than a post on every whisper, Here we go.

GooglePhone
While still unresolved, the long-standing rumors and rebuttals of Google’s intention to get into the cell phone hardware game have recently grown to a deafening roar thanks to a couple of posts from TechCruch, which have been covered by myself here and here. Writing about the device as a sure thing has put all tech bloggers on alert. Let’s hope TC’s source is a strong as they think it is.

Samsung Behold II
The T-Mobile follow-up to the original Behold may not have seen enough change since it’s previous incarnation. This Android device feels TouchWizzy through and through and reactions to “The Cube” have been almost unanimously negative. Sammy did bring a nice drop-down notification bar enhancement to Android, and the media management is kinda cool. I’d just like to see those flipping Polaroids in a widget or something.

Motorola’s Motus – or is it Backflip?
What is widely viewed as the Cliq’s little brother should be launching in the first few months of next year, but don’t expect any major changes in the guts. Cliq and Backflip share the same father. The name – Backflip – apprently comes from the device’s hardware keyboard, which is attached to the screen panel facing opposite of the direction we’re used to. When the phone is closed, the keyboard is situated on the back of the phone. Confused? Check out a picture, and imagine you’re looking at the front and back covers of a book.

Read more…

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Samsung’s Foursome of Operating Systems

Contrary to the rumor last week about Samsung dropping the Symbian and Windows Mobile operating systems,  Samsung has made a formal announcement disproving the alleged rumors. According to the official press release by Samsung, the company “has not made any change in its strategy of supporting multiple open operating systems”. Though Samsung has not commented exactly how much focus they are dedicating to their new operating system, Bada.

Samsung’s official statement to GSM Arena reads as follows:

“Samsung has not made any change in its strategy of supporting multiple open operating systems. We believe this strategy continues to provide consumers with a variety of choices of rich mobile content and applications. To provide more choices to meet consumers’ many different taste and preference, we will continue our ‘multi-OS’ strategy.”

Samsung currently uses the operating systems of the Symbian, Windows Mobile, Google Android and their new proprietary Bada. While the Google Android enjoys a permanent status in Samsung’s lineup; by clarifying that they are directly working with Microsoft and the Symbian Foundation (which they are a part of), Samsung has settled the nerves of many dismayed Symbian fans (who also fret the announcement of Nokia that they too have this own Maemo OS).

The statement continues as:

“As an initial member of Symbian Foundation, Samsung continues to cooperate with Symbian Foundation. Windows Mobile is also an established operating system with solid market position and its own set of strengths. Samsung will continue working closely with Microsoft to provide a range of continually evolving Windows Mobile based smartphones in the coming years.”

The Bada operating system is an open source operating system that shares the same advantages of the Linux OS in terms of adaptability and reliance on contributor inputs. A suspected Samsung Bada phone’s images have been leaked leading to further concerns that the company will now concentrate solely on the Android and Bada. While speculations regarding the validity of this rumor are rampant, many doubted the claim as such a move is bad for any company.

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Samsung Introduces Galaxy Spica Android Phone, No U.S. Launch Date

Samsung on Monday announced the availability of its newest Google Android-powered smartphone, the Galaxy Spica (I5700). Featuring solid specs and a powerful processor, the Galaxy Spica is now headed to Europe, with no U.S. launch in sight yet.

The Samsung Galaxy Spica (I5700) is a follow-up to the company’s Android-powered Galaxy (I7500) smartphone. The device features a 3.2-inch (320 by 480 pixel) capacitive touch screen and a (less powerful) 3.2 megapixel camera (5MP on Galaxy) with autofocus, along with a speedy 800MHz processor (versus a 528MHz chip on the Galaxy I7500).

Samsung’s newest Google Android phone packs a punch in the slim 0.51-inch design, has a now-standard 3.5mm headphone jack and can accommodate up to 32GB of data via the built-in microSD card slot. The storage should also come in handy, as the powerful processor in the Galaxy Spica helps it to be the first Android phone to support DivX format movies.

Unlike the Motorola Droid, the Samsung Galaxy Spica comes with a now-older version of Google Android OS, namely version 1.5 Cupcake (versus 2.0 on the Motorola Droid). Although the phone features Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS, the Google turn-by-turn navigation software found on the Motorola Droid will not be available at the beginning on the Galaxy Spica.

Samsung has kept mum on pricing or U.S. availability details of the Galaxy Spica (following the tradition of the previous Galaxy mole) and said only that the phone should be available now across Europe. The Galaxy Spica is a 3G phone, so if a carrier will pick it up in the U.S., it would be on either AT&T or T-Mobile.

With the Galaxy Spica, Samsung is continuing its multi-OS approach to smartphones. The company already delivers Windows Mobile-powered phones, alongside the Google Android devices. Samsung also ships entry-level smartphones running on its own proprietary operating system.

But Samsung wants a cut from the lucrative market of operating systems and applications stores as well, as the company announced Bada, a software layer on top of Samsung’s proprietary OS, which will allow for app development. Samsung says phones featuring the Bada OS and adjacent app store should be on the market early next year.

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Samsung Behold II Arrives at T-Mobile On November 18th

T-Mobile USA today announced the official November 18th release date for the Samsung Behold II, the companies next phone to feature the Google Android OS.

The Behold II features 3G data speeds and WiFi for easy connectivity, while also becoming the first T-Mobile sponsored device to feature a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen. The smartphone also features a 5MP camera with autofocus, zoom, flash, five shooting modes and video recording capabilities

Samsung has also integrated their “Cube Menu” which gives fast access to music, photos, videos, web surfing, YouTube and Amazon MP3 music download.

“With its first-rate multimedia capabilities front and center, the Samsung Behold II adds an exclamation point to T-Mobile’s already impressive Android lineup for the holidays,” said Wendy Piñero-DePencier, vice president, brand and calendar marketing, T-Mobile USA. “The combination of 3G speeds, its high-resolution touch-screen, and access to loads of entertainment features is sure to make the Behold II into a holiday hit.”

The Android-powered phone also features the Samsung TouchWiz user interface with its moveable widgets and one-touch access to commonly used features and applications.

Users will also be able to take advantage of Google services directly from their phone, including Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube and Google Talk, while of course downloading applications and games from the Android Market as they see fit.

Business users will also find some handy options via the Samsung Behold II such as personal and corporate e-mail abilities with Exchange ActiveSync.

The Behold II also features built-in GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 + A2DP, visual voicemail, and MicroSDHC card support that can provide up to 16GB, although a 2GB microSD card comes standard with the device.

T-Mobile has stated that the smartphone will be ready for sale at nationwide T-Mobile retail stores and through T-Mobile.com beginning November 18th, 2009

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