Samsung confirmed Ice cream Sandwich for Galaxy S2 and other devices early next year

If you own a Samsung device and you’re wondering whether it’s going to get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Samsung Italy has the answer for you. According to Italian tech blog, HDBlog.it , Samsung Italy has confirmed which devices will be getting the very pretty Ice Cream Sandwich update. Judging by the list that has been confirmed so far,things don’t look too promising for owners of older Samsung Android phones.
So which devices have been confirmed for now?

Unsurprisingly we’ve got the Galaxy S2, and the Galaxy Note 5.3 on the top of the list. The rest of the devices are Samsung’s latest tablets – the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy Tab 8.9, Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. No mention of the original Galaxy S or the original Galaxy Tab 7 – despite the fact that the devices aren’t even two years old.

But frighten not, third party solutions from the developer’s community should solve those problems.

(via ubergizmo)

Nexus one too old for Android 4.0

Google has revealed that it very first phone Nexus one is too old for Android 4.0 that is the hardware is too old to run its new Android 4.0 while it will still be giving upgrades to its Nexus S users to Android 4.0.Android Product Management lead Hugo Barra made this comment against Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s taunt on Android’s complex behaviour claiming that ANdroid phones “needed a computer science degree” to use while Windows Phones are much more simpler to use.

Nexus one was Google’s first  phone launched on January 2010 made by HTC. It supported Android 2.1 along with newer versions of Android 2.3. The phone is claimed to be ‘Hardware Limited’ due to its  1GHz processor plus the video chatting is not possible as the phone is not equipped with front-facing camera.

Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus with Icecream Sandwich 4.0

Google and Samsung
have just made the long-awaited
Galaxy Nexus official here in Hong Kong, and the specifications are downright drool-worthy. Those with bantam hands need not apply, as this 4.65- inch behemoth is bound to bring back talk of Sidetalkin. Ice Cream Sandwich is onboard, with Google finally revealing the version number as 4.0. Other specs include an HD Super AMOLED display (1,280 x 720), a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 5 megapixel rear camera (with LED flash), a 1.3 megapixel front-facing cam, 1080p30 video recording and playback, a newfangled panorama mode, a 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth 3.0. You’ll also find USB 2.0, 802.11a /b/g /n WiFi, an embedded NFC module, accelerometer, compass, gyro, proximity sensor and even a barometer. Finishing things out, there’s 1GB of RAM, 16 or 32GB of internal storage space and a 1,750mAh battery. As for radios? There’s an HSPA+ model on tap, while an LTE version will “be available depending on region.”

There’s nearly a mention of carrier in the press release we’re holding, but based on earlier leaks, a 4G build for Verizon seems final.

Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0 will bring “an entirely new look and feel to Android,” boasting a redesigned user interface, bolstered multitasking / notifications, full-on NFC support and a new People app, which enables users to browse friends, family and coworkers’ photos whilst peeking their status updates from Google+. ICS also introduces Face Unlock, which taps into facial recognition protocols in order to unlock your handset. And then there’s Android Beam, an NFC-based technology that allows you to “quickly share webpages, apps and YouTube videos by simply tapping two phones together.” According to Google,

“lock screen, home screen, phone app and everything in between has been rethought and redesigned,”

Wondering to when ICS will be rolled out to other handsets.

GALAXY Nexus is designed to provide a “pure Google,” experience.
It also features a number of Google Mobile services,including: Android Market,Gmail™, Google Maps™ 5.0 with 3D maps and turn-by- turn
navigation, Google Earth™,Movie
Studio, YouTube™, syncing with Google Calendar™, and a redesigned Google＋
app.Best-in- class hardware meets the most advanced software GALAXY Nexus is the first smartphone
to feature a 4.65” display with a
market-leading resolution of 720p (1280×720) , ensuring you can enjoy GALAXY Nexus’ immersive entertainment capabilities and fast web
browsing in superior clarity.
Succeeding the original Contour Display of Nexus S, GALAXY Nexus comes with
a rounded shape that fits perfectly within your palm or to your face for phone calling. Hyper-skin backing on the battery cover improves the
ergonomic feel of the device and makes the phone slip-resistant. At just 8.94 mm thick, with a minimal 4.29mm
bezel, GALAXY Nexus provides superb portability alongside an expansive screen.
GALAXY Nexus also features an ultra-fast 1.2GHz dual core processor, providing superior power and speed, ensuring you can take full advantage of
GALAXY Nexus’ enhanced multitasking capabilities with ease, or enjoy the large, vivid display to its full capacity
with high-definition gaming or video streaming. LTE or HSPA＋ connectivity combined with a dual core processor
delivers high-speed web browsing which ensures you always have the web at your fingertips, wherever you are.
GALAXY Nexus will be available in the U.S. , Europe, and Asia beginning in November and gradually rolled out to
other global markets.

So keep coming back here as live updates arecstill going on.

Icecream Sandwich unboxed

Google unboxed its icecream sandwich at Google HQ.
Google displayed its icecream sandwich on their front lawn as they did with Gingerbread and eclair. This might mean the announcement of the new update is very close.
Icecream sandwich will be closing the gap between smartphones and tablets by releasing its 2.4 and 4.0 version respectively.
Google uploaded the video showing its new OS at its mountain view California campus with to the android developers channel in YouTube.
The description of the video describes that Google will unveil their new operating system on 19/10/2011.
Hopefully, Icecream Sandwich will be packed with new features creating a new threat to its compatitors.

Worlds cheapest tablet by India

India introduced a cheap tablet
computer Wednesday, saying it
would deliver modern technology to the countryside
to help lift villagers out of
poverty.The computer, called Aakash,or “sky” in Hindi, is the latest in a series of “world’s cheapest” innovations in India that include a 100,000 rupee
($ 2,040 ) compact Nano car, a
750 rupee ($ 15) water purifier and $2 ,000 open- heart surgery.
Developer Datawind is selling the tablets to the government for about $45 each, and subsidies
will reduce that to $35 for students and teachers. In comparison, the cheapest Apple
iPad tablet costs $499 , while the recently announced Kindle Fire will sell for $199 .
Datawind says it can make about 100,000 units a month at the moment, not nearly enough to
meet India’s hope of getting its 220 million
children online.
Human Resources Development Minister Kapil
Sibal called the announcement a message to all
children of the world.
“This is not just for us. This is for all of you who are disempowered,” he said. “This is for all those who live on the fringes of society.”
Despite a burgeoning tech industry and decades
of robust economic growth, there are still hundreds of thousands of Indians with no
electricity, let alone access to computers and information that could help farmers improve
yields, business startups reach clients, or students qualify for university.
The launch – attended by hundreds of students,
some selected to help train others across the
country in the tablet’s use – followed five years
of efforts to design a $10 computer that could
bridge the country’s vast digital divide.
“People laughed, people called us lunatics,”
ministry official N.K . Sinha said. “They said we
are taking the nation for a ride.”
Although the $10 goal wasn’t achieved, the
Aakash has a color screen and provides word
processing, Web browsing and video
conferencing. The Android 2.2 -based device has
two USB ports and 256 megabytes of RAM.
Despite hopes for a solar-powered version -
important for India’s energy- starved hinterlands
- no such option is currently available.
Both Sibal and Datawind CEO Suneet Singh Tuli
called for competition to improve the product
and drive prices down further.
“The intent is to start a price war. Let it start,”
Tuli said, inviting others to do the job better and
break technological ground – while still making a
commercially viable product.
As for the $10 goal, “let’s dream and go in that
direction. Let’s start with that target and see
what happens,” he said.
The students Wednesday were well-briefed on
the goal of providing tablets for the poor,
although most in attendance already had access
to computers at home or in their schools.
“A person learns quite fast when they have a
computer at home,” said Shashank Kumar, 21, a
computer engineering student from Jodhpur,
Bihar, who was one of five people selected in his
northern state to travel to villages and
demonstrate the device. “In just a few years
people can even become hackers.”
India, after raising literacy to about 78 percent
from 12 percent when British rule ended, is now
focusing on higher education with a 2020 goal
of 30 percent enrollment. Today, only 7 percent
of Indians graduate from high school.
“To every child in India I carry this message. Aim
for the sky and beyond. There is nothing holding
you back,” Sibal said before distributing about
650 of the tablets to the students.

Samsung Galaxy Note-smartphone cum tablet?

Looks like Samsung will launch their 5.3-inch smartphone-tablet earlier than expected. The Korean giant has confirmed that Galaxy Note will be launched this month starting with European countries. Big launch events are scheduled in Germany, UK, France and other European countries.
Meanwhile, Samsung is also preparing to launch the Galaxy Note in its home country. However, the difference between the local and the international version will be the inclusion of LTE. The Korean version should be launched sometime in November.
The Galaxy Note comes with a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, huge 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED display (1280×800), Android 2.3 OS, 8MP camera, 2MP front camera, full HD playback and recording, TouchWiz as well as S Pen UX for taking notes with the included S Pen, A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and microSD card slot.
Also Samsung UK says Galaxy Note would be coming on Nov 17.

Samsung Omnia W:Definetly not a S II killer

The Samsung Omnia W is the latest Windows
Phone Mango handset to be announced ahead
of the bumper update ’s roll out in the coming
weeks. It looks like Samsung isn’ t giving up on
the OS yet as rumoured, but something’ s still
amiss here: why isn’ t this the top- end Samsung
Galaxy S 2 killer we were hoping for?
Just announced this morning, the Samsung
Omnia W sports a 3 .7 – inch 800× 480 Super
AMOLED screen, which is substantially smaller
than the 4 – inch Samsung Omnia 7 Windows
(Phone already on sale) . Rounding off the specs
are a nippier 1 .4 GHz single core processor,
512 MB of RAM , and a 10. 9 mm deep chassis .
On the software front, the Samsung Omnia W
runs Windows Phone 7 .5 “Mango”, as you’d
expect, with a few extra additions of Samsung’s
own volition: AllShare, Samsung’s DLNA
streaming app for Android and Bada phones
makes its debut here, along with a video calling
app and an e-
Reader.
I am bit surprised by the Omnia W : where
the Omnia 7 matched the Samsung Galaxy S
spec for spec, this update sits far below the still
mighty Samsung Galaxy S 2 phone in terms of
features and hardware. Between that and the
presumably upcoming iPhone 5 , it could have a
hard time standing out – HTC seems to have
taken a savvier approach with its own new
Windows Phone, the absolutely enormous HTC
Titan , giving it the USP of a 4. 7 -inch screen.

Why should one prefer this now?

Worlds first “true” HD smartphone

OMG, Samsung has been busy today. Not only
have we seen the launch of the Omnia W , today
also sees the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S 2
HD LTE Android super phone, in South Korea(at
least).
The LTE 4G connection is significant, but what’ s
most interesting is the 4. 65 -inch Super AMOLED
screen. It ’s a massive 1280× 720 resolution,
which is a record for both Android phones and
smartphones in general, and the first technically
“HD ” (720 p ) smartphone in the world . At about
316 ppi, that puts it at the same pixel density as
the much smaller iPhone 4 – but with Super
AMOLED skills, I think it will blow away all the compitition.
16 GB of storage, a dual- core 1 .5 GHz processor,
NFC and an 8 MP camera capable of shooting
1080p HD video round off the specs on the
Samsung Galaxy S 2 HD LTE, and leave it
shaping it up to be the phone to beat – so long
as it ships.

Atleast for now its just SAMSUNG v/s APPLE though.

-EP

Ice Cream Sandwich 2.4 launcher out

If you have been following android very closely you might know what ice cream sandwich is. The news is there will be 2.4 version for phone devices and 4.0 for tabs.
XDA developers have bought Ice Cream Sandwich launcher in the market. Launcher is completely based on leaked screen shots of 2.4, So the launcher might be incomplete yet but soon will be updated as more info and screenshots come into picture,that’s what XDA said.
I have uploaded some screenshots of the launcher from Samsung Galaxy S2. It gives the feel of honeycomb as the launcher was developed from Honeycomb launcher.
Here is the link if you want to grab your hands and take a rough feel for ICS,like I did.