Posts Tagged ‘Samsung’

We just spotted Samsung’s Galaxy Tab on the FCC, and after sorting through some of Samsung’s filings we came across some measurements of the device, above.  If our math is correct, the Galaxy Tab will be about 116mm wide (74mm + 49mm – 7mm), and about 180mm tall (173mm + about 7mm).  For those of you in the US, that is approximately 4.6” wide by 7.1” tall.

Unfortunately, we can’t discern how thick (or thin) the device will be, but today’s FCC filings do give us a better indication of the Galaxy Tab’s dimensions.

Developing:   Samsung’s heavily hyped Galaxy Tab android tablet just made an appearance on the FCC.  The model number of the Galaxy Tab is listed SHW-M180S, and the device is described as a “1900 GPRS Mini-Tablet with Bluetooth and WLAN,” below.

Test reports confirm 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth and 1900 GPRS.  Interestingly, no mention is made of WCDMA frequencies.  Also missing from FCC test reports is any mention of CDMA support, which suggests that this version of the Galaxy Tab will not be making its way to Verizon.

With just hours before the official launch of the Samsung Epic 4G, we thought it’d be interesting to take a look inside the device, thanks to internal photos provided by the FCC.

Much of the Epic 4G’s functionality is provided by the circuit board to the left.  You can see a Qualcomm QSC6085, which enables CDMA and EVDO calling/data capabilities.

Next to the QSC6085 is the brains of the Epic 4G – a Samsung Hummingbird processor running at 1GHz.  The Hummingbird is actually quite similar to Apple’s A4 processor – both chips are manufactured by Samsung and both chips feature a Cortex A8 core.

Near the top of the main board you can see a NEC MC-10170 image processing chip – the same chip found in other Galaxy S devices.

Finally, there is what appears to be a Samsung memory module below the NEC image processor.  We don’t have a good close-up view of the chip’s part number, but it appears to be some sort of MCP.

You can see additional pics of the Epic 4G in various stages of disassembly below.

[View with PicLens]

It’s been a big week for Android news, and tonight, Sprint added to the fray by formally announcing that the Samsung Epic 4G will be available on August 31st for $250, after rebates, with a two year contract.  The Epic 4G is Sprint’s second 4G WiMAX phone, the first of course is the HTC EVO 4G.

Based on the Samsung Galaxy S platform, the Epic 4G features a 4” Super AMOLED display, Android 2.1, a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, front (VGA) and rear (5MP) facing cameras, 720p HD video recording, 802.11 b/g/n/ WiFi, wireless hotspot functionality, and a 16GB microSD card.  And as you can see, the Epic 4G will sport a full QWERTY keypad.

Interestingly, the Epic 4G doesn’t appear to have any onboard storage, while other Galaxy S smartphones such as the Captivate featured up to 16GB of onboard memory.  We’re also a bit disappointed to see that the Epic 4G will sport Android 2.1 – according to Sprint, an Android 2.2 update will be available for the device in “the coming months.”

You can reserve the phone on August 13th here.

Rumors of a Samsung tablet have been floating around for the past few weeks, and according to the International Business Times the device will be formally unveiled by Samsung on August 11.  According to the site, Samsung’s tablet will be known as the Galaxy Tab, with possible features including a 7” AMOLED display, Android 2.2 (aka Froyo), a 1.2GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, 16GB of internal storage, microSD expandability, 3.2MP camera with flash and a front facing VGA camera.

Those specs don’t sound bad at all.  However, it’s not yet clear if the Galaxy Tab will have wireless data capabilities, or if the device will be offered through wireless carriers.  There is also no word on pricing yet.

The International Business Times is also reporting that Samsung plans to released 8” and 10” versions of the Galaxy Tab in November and December, respectively.  That’s good news for customers unimpressed with the original rumors that the Galaxy Tab will only be available with a 7” screen.

If these rumors are correct, it should be a busy holiday season for tablets.

According to Reuters, Samsung is planning to launch a tablet computer in Q3 2010.  The tablet will run Google’s Android OS, and feature a 7” touch screen.

With a 7” screen, Samsung’s tablet will be quite a bit smaller than the iPad, which has a 9,7” screen.  If Samsung does release this tablet in Q3, the device will go head to head with the iPad for holiday dollars this Winter.  Android does trail Apple in terms of tablet apps, but a 7” Samsung tablet may be offered at a more attractive price point than the iPad, which retails for at least $500.

We don’t know much else about Samsung’s tablet at this point, but with summer quickly fading we’re likely to hear more soon.

The Samsung SCH-R900 made an appearance at CTIA this year, and today the device passed through the FCC.  The SCH-R900 will be the first LTE phone to launch in the United States, and surprisingly it will be launched by discount wireless carrier MetroPCS.

The SCH-R900 offers Bluetooth, and 802.11 b/g WiFi, but other than that, we don’t know much about the device.  The device supports 850 and 1900 CDMA/EVDO frequencies, as well as MetroPCS’s 1700 AWS frequency.

MetroPCS plans to launch the SCH-R900 in the Q2 2010, and today’s FCC approval suggests that we will see the device any day now.

The Samsung Epic 4G is one of the more compelling incarnations of the Samsung Galaxy S.  With a slide out QWERTY keypad and WiMAX, the device promises to be a hot seller for Sprint.

So when can we get our hands on the Epic 4G?  The Android Police have a few data points that suggest the device will be on sale by August 20th.  They base this timeframe on the release date of a Samsung TV video featuring the Epic 4G.  Previously, Samsung TV videos for mobile phones have come between one and four days after the device was released.  The Samsung TV video for the Epic 4G is scheduled to be released on August 20th, so if the timing of this video is anything like previous Samsung TV videos, then the Epic 4G should be released before August 20th.

Sure, the Android Police’s theory isn’t solid proof, but the August 20th timeframe does jive with Samsung’s announcement that the Epic 4G will be available by “mid-summer.”  We’ll keep you up to date as we learn more.

We just posted a link to Amazon where the Samsung Captivate was on sale for a low $100 with two year contract.  Well, we now have an even better deal for you – LetsTalk.com is now offering the Samsung Captivate for free with a two year contract, including free shipping.

This deal does require you to sign up for a new 2 year contract with a minimum $60 monthly service plan (900 minutes) plus a data plan, which starts at $15 per month.  But if you were already planning on subscribing to a $60 monthly plan, this is a pretty sweet deal.

The Captivate was just released yesterday for $200 with a two year contract, so it’s interesting to see the phone’s price drop so quickly.  A year ago, who would have thought that we’d be able to “buy” an Android smartphone with a 1GHz processor and 16GB of internal memory for free?

The Samsung Captivate, AT&T’s latest and greatest Android smartphone, launched quietly this weekend for $200 with a 2 year contract.  But why not save yourself a C-Note and head over to Amazon, where the Captivate can be had for $99, with a service plan.  Better yet, that price includes Amazon’s instant rebate, so there’s nothing to mail in, and no waiting for a check in the mail.  Amazon will also waive the $36 activation fee for qualifying upgrades or new contracts.