Samsung’s Featurephones To Come With Opera Mini Browser

Very soon Opera Software will receive a significant usage boost of its Opera Mini browser after it announced that it has partnered with Korean smartphone giant Samsung to preload the software on a number of its feature phone devices. Opera Mini will be available on Star3, Star 3 Duos, Champ Deluxe and Champ Deluxe Duos range, with scope to add more devices throughout the year, providing owners with faster browsing using it’s server side webpage compression technology.

The slimline browser cuts down page-load times to a tenth of their original size, consuming upto 90% less data in the process. This makes it a fantastic tool for featurephone users on lower value mobile tariffs or in emerging countries where data access is at a premium. It doesn’t stop there though, Opera Mini provides tab support, a password manager, Opera Link (to connect accounts) and Speed Dial, to allow instant access to a user’s favourite websites. In December, the browser-maker signed an agreement with Taiwanese semiconductor company MediaTek that saw Opera Mini bundled with MediaTek’s Runtime Environment (MRE) platform.

MediaTek, one of the leading chipset manufacturers servicing regions like the Asia-Pacific, sees more than 40 percent of all phones in the Indian mobile market running on its chips. The MRE platform is a layer that allows third-party software companies to develop integrated apps for MediaTek’s affordable smart feature phones. The Samsung deal looks set to solidify Opera Mini’s position as the most popular mobile browser in the world – it’s already seeing 160 million monthly unique users.

Opera Mini Browser on Samsung Wave/Wave II (Demo on s8530):

5 Samsung Galaxy Nexus protective cases

Few of shiny Samsung Galaxy Nexus and you are looking for a way to protect it from the daily wear and tear? In that case, equipping the smartphone with a nice protective case would be a wise thing to do. Well, we have done a little digging for you and picked five protective cases for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus with each one of them offering a different level of protection.

It’s almost certain that the Lumia 800 won’t be the Nokia flagship once the company’s MWC press conference comes, but that doesn’t mean it won’t get any more love from its maker. On the contrary – the company is about to release a camera update for the WP smartphone.

The official confirmation was brought by Nokia’s own Damian Dinning, who refused to share any details on the target release date or the specifics of the update. The Nokia Lumia 800 failed to deliver on the promises made by the 8 megapixel sensor and Carl Zeiss-certified lens. Hopefully, it was all down to the software and this update will turn out to be the cure. We suspect Nokia might have something to say about this update at the MWC at the end of the month.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus Case-Mate Tough Case Black Unbox:

Did Tony Hawk accidentally leak a T-Mobile-branded Samsung Galaxy Nexus?

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is already out on Verizon and globally, but one carrier that has not yet gotten it - and many wish it has - is T-Mobile. What do you know, T-Mobile might get the first ICS-based handset soon, if this tweet by the carrier’s favored Tony Hawk proves true. The famous skateboarder posted a picture of the Galaxy Nexus saying “I love T-Mobile.” Oops, but the carrier hasn’t released the device.

Now, the picture shows the new data menu, and Hawk’s data usage which stands above the 2GB allowance on his plan - at 3.63 gigs. Now, there’s slight chance that this is a Nexus S, but it’s unlikely as the screen looks bigger, more like the one on the latest Galaxy Nexus.

Of course, Hawk could have also just gotten the global version of the Galaxy Nexus and inserted a T-Mo SIM card in it. So whether that’s a hint of things to come or not, you’re to judge, in the meantime, though, don’t forget that if you don’t like to wait for the T-Mobile Galaxy Nexus, Saturday will bring a huge sale of all T-Mo phones and some tablets. Check it out - you might find what you like there.

German court denies Apple an injunction on the Galaxy Tab 10.1N

A court in Dusseldorf, Germany has determined that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N can be continue to be sold in that country while Apple’s lawsuit heads for trial. Apple had hoped to prevent sales of the device until a permanent ruling was available (which Apple hopes would lead to a permanent sales ban).

The court determined that the 10.1N is distinct enough that consumers were unlikely to confuse it with Apple’s tablets, so it does not infringe on Apple’s EU design patents (referred to as Community Design patents in Europe). This and similar rulings call into question whether design patents will prove to be a significant asset in Apple’s legal attacks on Android phone makers.

Apple will get a chance to make its case during trial, and it’s not inconceivable that Apple could end up winning on one or more of their design patents, but at this point it seems like more of a long shot than it did back when Apple got a preliminary injunction on the original Galaxy Tab 10.1. It also shows that the time and resources Samsung invested on the 10.1N redesign was money well spent.

It also bodes well for Motorola (soon to be Googerola) as Apple is asserting the same design patents against some MMI products – despite the fact that Motorola’s phones and tablets are almost universally considered to be more distinctive from Apple’s products then are Samsung’s.

The state of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich updates

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) is a big update to Android for handsets. So big, that it's got some phone makers hesitant whether they'd even update their devices to the new version. First, it was LG which dropped the bomb on Facebook by saying it's not going to update its LG Optimus 2X flagship. The company quickly changed its position and is "currently in the process of planning the ICS OS update for the LG Optimus 2X as well as other LG high-end smartphones," according to a note which also appeared on the social network.

But it's not just LG – pretty much every other major phone maker has been vague about updating its handsets to ICS. HTC, which was recently ranked as the number one smartphone vendor in the States, judging by smartphone shipments, said it "has been looking closely at the new OS's features and functionality to determine our upgrade plans." The Taiwanese are likely to update their high-end handsets, but when it comes to exact models the company says it needs more time: "Our goal is to upgrade as many HTC devices as possible and we'll be sharing details on specific devices and timing in the coming weeks!"

Update HTC: HTC has announced that it's Sensation series will be the first to get ICS by the end of March. It has also added more handsets to its list of ICS-eligible devices, which will get updated later in 2012.

Samsung, which has gathered some negative PR after some of last year's Galaxy S models took a long while to get bumped up to new Android versions, has now said that its top-tier smartphones will get Android 4.0. The list includes all 9xxx models, so that means that last year's Samsung Galaxy S in all of its flavors should also be bumped up to the new Android.

Motorola, which is now closer to Google than any other phone manufacturer, seems to be the only company which has given us exact time frames. Moto has pledged to deliver ICS updates six weeks after Google pushes the public release.

Sony Ericsson has also given us a vague promise that it will bring ICS to its devices, but there it seems that the situation will depend a lot on Sony, which is taking over the company in the near future.

With so much uncertainty, we've decided to post a table of everything we know about Android Ice Cream Sandwich updates on various handsets and tablets. We'll update it as soon as we hear about a particular devices getting the update or being denied, so make sure to bookmark it and check back every once in a while.

Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) Review & State of Mobile Discussion:

Here are some cases to dress up and protect your Samsung Galaxy S II

The Samsung Galaxy S II can’t match the iPhone 4S in popularity, but in the Android world it’s simply the single best selling device and for a good reason - it’s extremely thin, packs powerful hardware guts, has an outstanding camera and is soon getting updated to Android 4.0 ICS.

Well, while we can get really picky and start dreaming about quad-core phones, even slimmer body and better cameras, in reality, what would matter most is protecting what you already have. And while there aren’t that many cases for the Galaxy S II, it definitely got some attention from accessory makers, so you can dress it up for protection and in style.

So here are our top picks for the best cases for the Samsung Galaxy S II in its international version. Be warned that US carriers have slightly different versions of the S II, with different screen sizes, so some of those accessories might not fit a custom carrier version of the device. With that in mind, here’s our selection for the international version of Samsung’s Android flagship:

OtterBox Defender Series Instructions for Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket:

HTC Titan II landing March 18th

We’re sure you’re probably still trying to get over the possibility of the Nokia Lumia 900 launching with AT&T for a mere $99.99, but the news regarding AT&T isn’t over just yet. And in fact, it appears we’re hearing some additional juicy news that should no doubt get many AT&T customers extremely excited in the coming months.

This time around, it’s in regards to that other 4G LTE Windows Phone – you know, the HTC Titan II that made its debut during CES. According to a leaked Q1 2012 roadmap obtained by BGR, it mentions that AT&T is tentatively planning to launch the HTC Titan II on March 18th for $199.99 with a 2-year agreement. Of course, at that price point, people will look at the possible $100 price attached to the Nokia Lumia 900, but still, it has some advantages – like having a wickedly larger display.

Meanwhile, it’s also being reported that the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD, Samsung Exhilarate, and the gorgeous Sony Xperia ion will all be coming out sometime at the end of Q1 – though, exact dates and pricing weren’t mentioned. Interestingly, we’re also being introduced to a new tablet from Sony that AT&T will be planning to launch in the future, however, it’s looking to be an HSPA+ enabled tablet as opposed to offering 4G LTE. Dubbed as the Crystal, the report indicates that AT&T will have it priced at $409.99, but it’s unknown if that is its on-contract or outright pricing – albeit, we’d figure it to be the former.

Well,It seems that AT&T has many things in store for Q1, which should no doubt keep AT&T customers very content. Knowing that the HTC Titan II will be sporting a $200.

HTC Titan 2 Hands On:

Samsung Galaxy Note vs Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia's first Windows Phone device has been under a lot of scrutiny since its inception and now it's finally here we have a chance to fairly judge the Lumia 800, rather than speculating, moaning and generally being doomsayers.

Software
Nokia announced that it would be joining forces with Microsoft earlier in the year and the Lumia 800 is the first device to come to fruition from that union.
The Lumia 800 runs on Windows Phone 7.5 Mango and, as you'd expect, performs very well thanks to the rapidly maturing mobile platform.
You get plenty of upgrades over the launch version of Windows Phone in Mango, including support for (select third party) multi-tasking, social networking support, Internet Explorer 9 (which now supports HTML 5, which is a very important addition in light of Adobe's recent abandonment of Flash mobile).
Windows Phone 7.5 is a great choice for Nokia and makes the Lumia 800 a viable choice for any mobile fan.
Samsung's Galaxy Note runs on version 2.3 of Android and the Google software is a delight to use.
There's apps aplenty available via the Android Market, loads of customisation potential and, most importantly, the platform runs fast, safe and smooth.


Display
Nokia has chosen to imbue the Lumia 800 with a 3.7-inch AMOLED screen that operates at a resolution of 480x800 and has a pixel density of 252PPI.
Choosing AMOLED was a great choice by Nokia and the Lumia 800 thoroughly lives up to its name thanks to the delightfully bright, vivid screen.

The Galaxy Note features AMOLED technology though too. But seeing as AMOLED is Samsung's baby the device gets a Super AMOLED screen, which operates at a resolution of 800x1280, features a pixel density of 285PPI and measures a whopping 5.3-inches!
The Galaxy Note's display is a great performer and the size adds so much to the device. If you're viewing photos or exploring the wonders of the World Wide Web then it's a fantasic device to choose.

Power
Nokia hasn't scrimped on the power for the Lumia 800. It runs on a single-core CPU clocked at 1.4GHz and also features an Adreno 205 GPU, giving the device plenty of grunt and the inclusion of 512MB RAM will help the device chew through even the most testing apps, games or other tasks.
Samsung's Galaxy Note offers more though, in the form of a 1.4Ghz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, Mali-400MP GPU and 1GB RAM, which drives the device to perform with blistering pace.
Form & Build
Samsung Galaxy Note - 146.9 x 83 x 9.7 mm, 178g
Nokia Lumia 800 - 116.5 x 61.2 x 12.1 mm, 142g
Samsung has stuck firmly to its tried and tested 'plastic über alles' approach for the Galaxy Note. The device is light, thin and doesn't really feel as if it should cost a fortune.
Sure, there are no creaks and the device is fairly robust, but the general feel and aesthetic isn't something we recommend.
The display benefits from a Gorilla Glass coating though and we can't fault the device for comfort (considering it's such a big-screened smartphone) so we'll take our minor gripes and stow them.
The Lumia 800 feels fantastic in the hand and exudes class. It's polycarbonate chassis feels strong and looks great and the device is thin enough to not feel like a brick in your pocket.
Camera
Nokia's relationship with Carl Zeiss has produced some great camera-phones over the years and while the Lumia 800 is a good device, it's by no means great.
The 8-megapixel camera, which benefits from autofocus, dual-LED flash,  geo-tagging and 720P movie capture, is a nice performer but doesn't live up to the standards we've come to expect from a company with Nokia's nous.
If you're willing to invest time in taking a picture with the device you'll be fine as it's fully capable of producing stunning results. Nonetheless, the device does struggle to focus and can seem laboured to start from cold, which is never a winner when you're trying to snap an impromptu photo
These minor gripes can be ironed-out with a software update though, so don't let this put you off the device entirely.
Samsung's Galaxy Note features an 8-megapixel camera too, which comes with an LED flash, autofocus, image stabilisation, geo-tagging, touch focus, face & smile detection and 1080P video capture!


Its power is immense, its screen is delightful and it feels like you're using a sheet of cardboard to surf the Web. What's not to like about that?!
Nokia's Lumia 800 is a great stride forward for the company though. The device is solid as rock and performs well thanks to Microsoft's excellent operating system.

T-Mobile and Samsung introduce Galaxy S Blaze 4G

T-Mobile and Samsung just unveiled the Galaxy S Blaze 4G with a dual-core Snapdragon S3 processor, clocked at 1.5 GHz, Super AMOLED first generation display and HSPA+ 42 Mbps downlink speeds.

Known specs are pretty scarce at the moment but it appears that the Blaze 4G will be basically a Galaxy S with an upgraded processor and 4G speeds.

Availability is expected to start later this year and prices aren't disclosed so far.