Friday 28 September 2012

Alchemy Classic Premium (Featured Game)



Genre: Puzzle

Cost: Free

Description:

Throughout history, humans have always been eager to explore the world they inhabit. Human efforts resulted in significant progress, from the simplest of tools to high-tech industrial plants and flying machines. If you think about it, however, some time ago there was nothing but the basic elements of nature: fire, water, earth, and air. These very things form the basis of all diversity. It sounds incredible, doesn't it? Can you throw a bunch of dirt into air and get a hot air balloon? Of course not. And yet, these elements of nature are at the heart of nearly all objects, from an hourglass to a complex engineering facility. As a player, we offer you a different kind of game, a puzzle in that allows you to explore and build your own surroundings. You will uncover many secrets that concern the true nature of all things. Alchemy Classic gives players a unique chance to become a real explorer and creator!


Screenshots:


 
 

'Samsung Apps' link

Monday 18 June 2012

Samsung Galaxy S III can connect to anything, demonstrates it on video


Samsung’s flagship the Galaxy S III is among the most capable Android mobile devices on the market today and its powers aren’t confined to just raw computing power and a great display.




Friday 8 June 2012

Samsung Galaxy S III gets a quad-core version with 2GB of RAM, only for Korea


The Samsung Galaxy S III is launching in a couple of varieties across the globe - internationally, the SGS III with model number GT-I9300 has a quad-core Samsung Exynos chip and 1GB of RAM, and that’s a pretty potent combo already. Stateside, though, the Galaxy S III strips the Samsung Exynos clothing for a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chip with a dual-core Krait processor with built-in LTE, but doubles the RAM to 2GB.

Now, here’s a combination that brings the best of both worlds - a Samsung Galaxy S III with both a quad-processor AND 2GB of RAM. Bad news? It’s expected to land only on Korea’s SK Telecom in July.


Still, here are the technical details that make this silicon beast of a phone so unique:

Thursday 7 June 2012

Samsung Galaxy S III torn down on video


The Samsung Galaxy S III is probably the most sought after Android device to have come out ever, but with such a huge demand comes the higher chance of one in millions buying the phone accidentally dropping it and cracking the screen. We’d feel a chill if we did - the device costs around $750 off contract after all.

But if you crack the screen, or just want to peek inside the Galaxy S III to see what makes it tick, now there’s a video walkthrough of how you can disassemble the gadget. We've already seen the step by step instructions to opening the S III, but while those were only pictures, now you have a full video so you can pause, rewind back and forward, and generally feel safer prying your device open. Interestingly, the first teardown showed that the new Samsung flagship features the very same camera as the one on the iPhone 4S.

Samsung Galaxy S III gets 30Mbps 1080p video thanks to a software tweak


If you have a rooted Samsung Galaxy S III, here is a neat trick that you might want to check out, especially if you are into shooting videos. Custom ROM maker hyperX has developed a software modification that allows superfine 1080p video to be captured at 30Mbps, thus theoretically increasing its quality even further.
Samsung Galaxy S III gets 30Mbps 1080p video thanks to a software tweak
Those who find that a bit of an overkill can select the 24Mbit fine mode, or the normal 1080p mode at 19Mbps. In addition, the 720p video modes have been tweaked, so superfine footage is captured at 19Mbps, while the fine and normal settings adjust the bit-stream to 15 and 10Mbps respectively. No matter what mode you pick, audio is recorded at 192kbps. If that is not enough, the developer is working on enabling 60fps video with his mod, although his efforts have been unsuccessful so far.

The modification adds a few minor tweaks as well, such as the ability to launch the camera during calls, and to take photos while shooting video by pressing the either of the volume keys. Interested? Then follow the source link below to learn how you can add these goodies to your Samsung Galaxy S III. Be aware, however, that the procedure is not for novice smartphone users and it might void your warranty, so proceed only if you know exactly what you are doing.

Wednesday 6 June 2012

Samsung Galaxy S III for Verizon is reportedly going to eventually get global roaming support


Nearly everyone is anticipating the arrival of the Samsung Galaxy S III here in the US, but Verizon customers might want to know something of interest that surrounds the version that the carrier will be blessed with.
Samsung Galaxy S III for Verizon is reportedly going to eventually get global roaming support
As we know, Big Red’s version of the Galaxy S III will be surfing on its extensive CDMA network domestically – with 4G LTE in tow to satisfy those demanding web surfers out there. However, it’s now being confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy S III for Verizon Wireless will eventually gain global roaming support, though, it’ll be absent during its initial launch with the carrier.

Pebble Blue Samsung Galaxy S III in stock overseas


Pebble Blue Samsung Galaxy S III in stock overseasIt is now part of the lore of the Samsung Galaxy S III that the Korean based manufacturer destroyed 600,000 pebble blue back covers because they did not meet Samsung's high standards. Some of the covers displayed white blotches that could be seen when viewed at a specific angle. This, of course, led to some shortages and delays overseas where the phone has already been launched.

Monday 4 June 2012

T-Mobile branded Samsung Galaxy S III press photo leaks


An alleged press photo for Samsung Galaxy S III for T-Mobile has leaked out, thus revealing the design of one of the carrier versions of the US bound smartphone. Perhaps the biggest surprise about the handset's appearance is that it is, well, identical to the international I9300. The same goes for its color scheme.

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Samsung Galaxy S III to launch on five US carriers this June


Samsung has announced that it will be launching the highly anticipated Galaxy S III smartphone in US on not two or three but five major carriers. The phones will go on sale beginning this June and will have a starting price of $199, although the exact launch date and price will be announced separately by the individual carriers later.

Samsung Galaxy S III for Verizon keeps its design intact

Verizon is one of the five carriers to start offering the Samsung Galaxy S III this month and leaked pictures show that the device will virtually be an untouched version of its international GSM sibling.


Samsung Galaxy SIII Pebble Blue to become Metallic Blue


Samsung Galaxy SIII Pebble Blue to become Metallic Blue   Video

After all the manufacturing problems and 600.000 destroyed Pebble Blue polycarbonate plastic back covers that did not meet the company’s quality standards, it looks like Samsung has completely changed the color of the darker Samsung Galaxy S III variant. Check the final version on video after the break.

Saturday 2 June 2012

Samsung Galaxy S III source code posted online


The Samsung Galaxy S III has only been out for a couple of days in some 28 countries, but Samsung has already posted its full source code at its open-source repository.

This shows not only that Samsung is following the Android guidelines, but that it cares for developers, who we are sure will be quick to come up with their custom ROMs for the quad-core Galaxy S III.

So far, the source code is the one for the international version of the SGS III, known as model GT-I9300, but not for the upcoming US-specific models. Hit the source links to get the zipped files containing the source code and stay tuned for the first custom ROMs.

Source

Wednesday 30 May 2012

Samsung UK stores see lines for the launch of the Galaxy S III, supply issues shaping up


We got sent photos of the line for the Samsung Galaxy S III launch in Startford's Westfield store, and it seems north of 30 people were queuing outside at the time to be one of the first getting their hands on the latest flagship Android. The line continued inside up to the counter with an estimated 80+ people in total, which are Apple-esque launch day numbers.

Stock has been quickly dwindling, though, especially considering the tight supply of the Pebble Blue version, which will see wait times of up to 2-3 weeks now. UK carriers and retailers are also reporting wait times, with O2 pinning it at 5 days, Vodafone has it for delivery in up to 4 days, and T-Mobile saying it will be available after today.

Leaked screenshot of U.S. Cellular's internal system shows the Samsung Galaxy S III


Leaked screenshot of U.S. Cellular's internal system shows the Samsung Galaxy S IIIA leaked screenshot of the internal computer system of U.S. Cellular shows that the regional carrier could be among the mobile operators in the States to offer the Samsung Galaxy S III. Based on a couple of entries in the carrier's computer system, the 16GB variant of the device will be made available in either white or blue. None of the U.S. carriers has yet to officially announce the device, easily the most anticipated Android phone of the year with 9 million units pre-ordered overseas. As we've told you, that makes the Samsung Galaxy S III the fastest selling device in history.

Why did Samsung destroy 600,000 pebble blue battery covers belonging to the Samsung Galaxy S III?


A photograph of an early version of the pebble blue Samsung Galaxy S III was obtained by mobile bulgaria.com. The picture is supposed to show white splotches on the back cover which did not meet the Korean manufacturer's high quality standards. However, the blotch is not easy to see as it is below the surface and the back has to be at an angle. While it might not jump out at you, if you keep staring at it like one of those Magic Eye pictures, eventually you will see it. Hopefully this doesn't take as long to figure out as the white version of the Apple iPhone 4 did. Apple was said to have tried a number of coating combinations in an attempt to keep the light from leaking from the white casing.

Confirmed: Samsung Galaxy S III uses Corning Gorilla Glass 2


Corning and Samsung officially confirmed that Samsung Galaxy S III uses Corning Gorilla Glass 2.

Corning Gorilla Glass 2 was revealed at CES 2012 in Las Vegas earlier this year, it’s 20% thinner than the previous  generation but still provides same impact and scratch protection.

Confirmed: Samsung Galaxy S III uses Corning Gorilla Glass 2

Why the Pebble Blue Galaxy S III is delayed


An official confirmation was received that Samsung is delaying the Pebble Blue Galaxy S III units due to some manufacturing issues regarding the paintjob and the panels' material.



The official statement went like this:

Some Samsung Galaxy S III stock delayed in the UK


It appears that some Samsung Galaxy S III units won't make it in time to the UK.

Clove has informed preorders of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S III will be delayed until June 1st, rather than the announced May 30th release date. The blue variant is expected to be delayed even further, with supplies set to be available on June 5th, although that date is tentative.

Galaxy S III released in 28 countries around the world

The Samsung Galaxy S III went on sale on 28th and was the biggest launch for a single product in the company's history, with a simultaneous release in 28 countries around the world.


Wednesday 23 May 2012

Samsung Galaxy S III on pre-order from Expansys


The Samsung Galaxy S III is already starting to appear up for pre-order for early buyers, but while on Amazon it costs a hefty $800, the new listing for the Galaxy S III on Expansys USA prices it at the much more affordable $694.99.

Samsung Galaxy S III on pre-order from Expansys
The handset sells unlocked and with no carrier ties, so that means you can freely use it anywhere in the world.  Also, placing the pre-order now wouldn’t charge your credit card and the website will still ask you if you really want to but the phone when it’s in stock. All of that comes with no cancellation charges, so for those of you wishing to be among the first to get the SGS III, this seems like a good option.

Of course, you can always wait for the carrier versions of the SGS III. After all, you’d probably still need to sign up a contact to get a relatively good deal on data. The price on contract will be much less, between $200 and $300.

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Samsung Galaxy S III now on sale in Dubai, yours for $667


Samsung Galaxy S III now on sale in Dubai, yours for $667
Although it is not supposed to be on the market just yet, the Samsung Galaxy S III can already be purchased in Dubai, apparently. Advertisements for the highly-anticipated smartphone were spotted at a mall by a fellow Reddit user, who initially presumed that only pre-orders were being accepted. However, after a brief conversation with a store employee, it turned out that the white version of the next Galaxy was in stock indeed with plenty of units waiting to meet their new owners. And if that is not enough, the Samsung Galaxy S III was priced at about $667, which is considerably cheaper than what Amazon is currently asking for the device.

Samsung Galaxy S III now up for pre-order on Amazon


Samsung Galaxy S III now up for pre-order on AmazonWant to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S III? You can now - the Galaxy S III is up for pre-order on Amazon Wireless with the price set at the hefty $800 off contract. This will make you one of the first happy owners of the handset as Amazon promises to bring it to you on or after June 4th.

Now, the price is high, but you do get a completely unlocked, not tied to any carrier, international version of the SGS III. Plus, chances are that this version will receive updates faster than carrier-branded ones, where the operator takes an extra two or so months to make the update available.

Verizon's Samsung Galaxy S III gets green light from Bluetooth SIG


Verizon's Samsung Galaxy S III gets green light from Bluetooth SIGMany Verizon customers were upset last year when the carrier decided to go with the Samsung GALAXY Nexus instead of offering the Samsung Galaxy S II. Sure, the Samsung GALAXY Nexus launched with Android 4.0, but it was not enough to quiet those who wanted the device that many still call the best Android phone ever made.

Confirmed: the Samsung Galaxy S III is polycarbonate, not plain plastic


Just about every article around has been giving the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S III generally good reviews except for one downside: the casing. Everyone, including us, were convinced that the Galaxy S III was using a plastic case, but we just got word from Samsung that the phone is better than you think. There had been some confusion over the Samsung Galaxy S III casing, but the word straight from Samsung is that the case is in fact made of polycarbonate, not just regular plastic.

The word that we got straight from Samsung was that the Galaxy S III casing is in fact polycarbonate, but we wanted to make sure that mean the entire case, including the battery cover, and it took a bit of time for the confirmation to come back, but here it is direct from Samsung:

What's in a touch? The Samsung Galaxy S III polycarbonate debatePolycarbonate is used on the battery cover. Polycarbonate is lightweight, solid and is already being widely used in the mobile industry. It was chosen as the best material to represent the minimal organic design of GALAXY S III. Using three layers of high quality, pure and clear polycarbonate, not only is the phone’s aesthetic elevated, but the durability and scratch resistance is maximized.

This is a pretty big deal because once you get past the flowery marketing language given by Samsung, the basic fact is that the case is polycarbonate and not plastic.

Monday 21 May 2012

Samsung Galaxy S III ROM pulled out for cooking


After the modding crowd at XDA-Devs obtained an easy root of the Samsung Galaxy S III and congratulated Samsung for not locking down its flagship, now the complete ROM has been pulled out from the device.

Samsung Galaxy S III ROM pulled out for cookingOf course, S Voice in the leaked ROM is hit or miss, depending on the whims of Samsung's servers regarding the respective device the ROM will be installed on, but you can read more at the XDA-Devs forum thread in the source link..

It is a pretty hefty download at about 800MB, and Odin is included for flashing it, but you can also download only the S Voice APK if that's what you are most curious about. Now let the real work on alternative ROMs and ports of the newest Samsung TouchWiz Nature UX begin.

Source

Sunday 20 May 2012

Samsung Galaxy S III made by 75,000 workers; phone is the fastest selling gadget of all-time


Samsung Galaxy S III made by 75,000 workers; phone is the fastest selling gadget of all-timeWith reports that the Samsung Galaxy S III has pre-orders for 9 million units, the handset will be the fastest selling gadget ever. The 9 million figure will top the 8 million units of  Microsoft Kinect sold in a 60 day period. So how many people does it take to produce huge quantities of the eagerly awaited handset? ExtremeTech decided it would find out, so they went back through some releases and news stories, opened the calculator on their phones, and figured out that it takes 75,000 workers to produce the 9 million units of the Samsung Galaxy S III and the additional millions more in sales that will be coming. Keep in mind that this is just a quick back of the envelope figure and the actual number could be a whole lot more, or a whole lot less.

Saturday 19 May 2012

Samsung Galaxy S III gets rooted ahead of launch


We are no strangers to seeing Android devices being rooted ahead of their launch and the upcoming Galaxy S III is no different. The root comes courtesy Android developer Chainfire and you will be able to find more details regarding the root on his post on xda-developers forum.

 

Thursday 17 May 2012

T-Mobile U.K. announces pricing plans for the Samsung Galaxy S III, accepting pre-orders


T-Mobile U.K. has announced its pricing plans for the Samsung Galaxy S III, many of which include the phone for free. Power users would most likely be interested in the 2-year "Full Monty" plan which includes unlimited texts, data and T-mobile to T-Mobile calls along with 2000 minutes of calls to other networks. That comes out to a price of  £49.99 up-front and a monthly charge of £36 ($79 USD and $57 USD respectively). Not bad considering that the Samsung Galaxy S III is free with the plan.

Wednesday 16 May 2012

UK customers to get the Galaxy S III a day early


Samsung have announced that eager customers who pre-order the upcoming Galaxy S III flagship from the Samsung Brand Store in Westfield Stratford City, can receive their device a day before its official release date – specifically on May 29th at 6pm.

If you've already pre-ordered your device from another UK retailer, don't fret, as Samsung have also announced that other Samsung retail partners can also make the device available on the 27th, except at 7pm, and at their discretion.

If you're in the Stratford area and are thinking about picking up an S III, why not head over to the official Samsung store and get it a day early?

NTT Docomo announces dual-core Samsung Galaxy S III (SC-06D)


Unsurprisingly, the summer lineup of the Japanese carrier NTT Docomo includes the high-profile Samsung Galaxy S III. What caught our eye, however, is that the Japanese version makes use of a dual-core Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 1.5GHz processor (MSM8960) much like the LTE-equipped HTC One X for AT&T US and the One XL.

Another interesting fact is that the Samsung Galaxy S III (SC-06D) is listed as having 2GB of RAM. The only other smartphone we know to come with similarly gargantuan amounts of RAM is the LG Optimus LTE2.

 

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Press images emerge for the Samsung Galaxy S III accessories


As you may recall from the official unveiling of the Galaxy S III last month, the new Samsung flagship is set to have a veritable slew of accessories available.


While there are no real surprises here, these official press images will give you a closer look at what sort of extras you can expect to be available for the highly anticipated phone.

Dual-core Snapdragon S4 confirmed for Verizon Galaxy S III


Looks like people in the US willing to grab the upcoming Galaxy S III won't be treated to its quad-core Exynos variant. Instead, latest evidence points to a dual-core Snapdragon S4 powering the Galaxy S III for Verizon.

Saturday 12 May 2012

Video shows off Samsung Galaxy S III gestures


Video shows off Samsung Galaxy S III gesturesThe Samsung Galaxy S III had a pretty impressive unveiling last week, and showed off quite a number of pretty nice features. It also showed off a few less than impressive features, but so it goes. Now, we're getting video showing off a few phone gestures that we hadn't known about before. There are three gestures shown in the video, but we definitely like the idea and would love to see more.

The first gesture could be useful, but it didn't really work so well. By waving your hand across the screen, the phone will take a screenshot. Interestingly, although this gesture didn't work the first couple times, it did make the screen slide, so there could very well be touch-free gestures for navigation available as well. The second gesture shown is by far the most useful of the bunch. The video shows that if you are scrolling down a long list of items, like your Twitter feed perhaps, a quick double-tap on the top edge of the phone will return you to the top of the list. Scrolling on Android can be pretty fast, but the simple double-tap seems like a great solution. And, last was a gesture whereby placing your hand over the device will pause video that you're watching, including video in pop-up mode.

Samsung Galaxy SIII Battery Life Test


The guys at GSMArena have tested out the battery endurance test of the new Samsung flagship and  are ready to share the results with you. The I9300 Galaxy S III has a huge 2100 mAh battery, but its 4.8″ HD Super AMOLED still causes concern.


It was also interesting to see how the new-generation Exynos 4212 Quad chipset, fares. It’s got no companion core to handle less demanding tasks, but all of its four Cortex-A9 cores are built on a 32nm process, so they should be pretty efficient.

Galaxy S III has PenTile AMOLED because it lasts longer


Samsung on why it went PenTile with the Galaxy S III display: It's the longevity, silly!After the Galaxy S III announcement many people, including us, were wondering why Samsung decided to use a PenTile Super AMOLED screen instead of an Super AMOLED Plus unit.

Well, a Samsung spokesman has explained why. The reason turned out to be plain simple – it’s not because Samsung can’t satisfy the demand – it’s just that the PenTile will last longer.

As it turns out, the RGB AMOLEDs degrade much faster than the PenTile AMOLEDs so the picture quality becomes worse faster. The blue pixels are the ones to blame – they degrade faster than the red and green pixels. The PenTile displays have less blue pixels because of the RGBG subpixel layout and that’s why they have longer life span.

Samsung Galaxy S III coming to T-Mobile, evidence suggests

Samsung Galaxy S III coming to T-Mobile, evidence suggestsThere is a Samsung smartphone out there bearing the model name SGH-T999, and we now think we know what device we are actually dealing with. At first it was presumed that the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G was behind that model name, and later the yet-non-existent Samsung Galaxy Nexus for T-Mobile, but neither of this two speculations was on the right track. In fact, it is now believed that the Samsung SGH-T999 is actually a Samsung Galaxy S III model for T-Mobile.

Samsung Galaxy S III available for pre-order from Vodafone, O2 and Three in the U.K.


Samsung Galaxy S III available for pre-order from Vodafone, O2 and Three in the U.K.The Samsung Galaxy S III is now available for pre-order from a trio of U.K. carriers, Vodafone, O2 and Three. Vodafone says that it aims to have pre-orders shipped by the end of this month. Depending on the plan that Vodafone customers choose, the Samsung Galaxy S III will run from 149 GBP ($240.69 USD) to free. The latter plan costs 41 GBP a month for the 16GB unit ($66.23 USD) and comes with 900 minutes of talk, unlimited texts and 2GB of data. Vodafone has a one month exclusive on the 32GB variant and that will come for free with a monthly 46 GBP plan ($74.31 USD).

Samsung delays Wireless Charging Kit for its Galaxy S III, now to come in September


Samsung delays Wireless Charging Kit for its Galaxy S III, now to come in SeptemberOne of the most impressive accessories announced along with the Samsung Galaxy S III is the Wireless Charging Kit, an official Samsung-made wireless charging station, that now appears to have been delayed to September, according to UK retailer MobileFun.

Samsung isn’t explaining what’s caused the delay, and adding weight to the information about the delay is the fact that the wireless charger was absent at Samsung’s recent London event.

If we were to look for the reasons in recent news, we should mention that Samsung has just formed a wireless charging alliance with Qualcomm, so the Korean company might be modifying the charging kit.

At the same time, the Samsung Galaxy S III will roll out globally on May 29th, and in the US it’s expected this summer.

source: SlashGear

Visa confirms the Samsung Galaxy S III as the Olympics phone for mobile payments


A leaked slide from the payment processing company indicated a special Samsung phone with NFC to be the centerpiece of Visa's mobile payment strategy for the Olympics.

Visa confirms the Samsung Galaxy S III as the Olympics phone for mobile paymentsIt turned out in the ends that this phone is none other than the Samsung Galaxy S III, which Samsung was apparently rushed to announce and launch before the games begin.

Today VISA and Samsung confirmed officially they've teamed up, and will be providing limited edition Galaxy S IIIs with VISA's payWave app to sponsored athletes, who will be able to wave the phone and purchase stuff at thousands of locations across London, like taxis, retail stores, and even the Olympic Park itself.

The payWave app allows you to simply launch it and hold the phone near an enabled terminal, of which there are 140, 000 across the UK, without even requiring a passcode for purchases below 20 pound sterling.

User Agent Profile reveals new information about Sprint's Samsung Galaxy S III


User Agent Profile reveals new information about Sprint's Samsung Galaxy S IIIA user agent profile obtained by PocketNow appears to reveal some information about the carrier's version of the Samsung Galaxy S III. The device has been given the model number SPH-L710 which corresponds with Sprint. The specs almost match perfectly with the GT-I9300, which is the international version of the heavily anticipated handset. The major difference between the Sprint model and the global variant is that as expected, Sprint's device doesn't carry the quad-core 1.4GHz Exynos 4412 processor under the hood and instead features the dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 S4 processor.

Recently a user agent profile for the Verizon version of the Samsung Galaxy S III  revealed that this variant of the phone would also have the Qualcomm MSM8960 under the hood instead of the quad-core Exynos processor., As previously explained, both the quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and the quad-core Exynos processor do not work together with an LTE radio forcing Samsung to make the change in the U.S. where LTE use is rapidly expanding.

Preorder at Amazon UK falls to $809, US still keeps it at $899


Samsung Galaxy S III preorder at Amazon UK already falls to $809, US still keeps it at $899UK will get dibs on the Samsung Galaxy S III very soon, and the nice preorder deals we saw from Carphone Warehouse, for example, where you get a free Galaxy Tab 10.1 thrown in for a good measure if you are amongst the first 1000 to get it with a contract, is expanding to more places, as far as the price of the phone itself is concerned.

Now Amazon UK has the phone for 499 pound sterling SIM-free (about $809), down from 550 at most places. We bet that price will continue to slide down when the May 30 launch nears, so even right after its availability it won't be priced higher than the rest of the high-end Android competition.
Amazon in the US has the price pegged at $899 SIM-free since the announcement and isn't budging at those early adopters, who want to have the latest and greatest Android phone unlocked before everybody else is waiting for the US carrier versions.

Source : Amazon and Amazon UK

Samsung Galaxy S III to be modder friendly with Download Mode


Samsung Galaxy S III to be modder friendly with Download ModeOne of the big questions that is asked whenever a new Android device is about to be released is just how friendly that device will be to potential mods, hacks, and developer customizations.

This is especially good news for those of you who love to mess around with your devices by rooting, hacking, installing custom ROMs or kernels or anything like that. The device will still have the standard Recovery Mode, which would be used after rooting to flash any custom ROMs, kernels, etc., but Download Mode acts as a sort of safety net during this process. Download Mode is for getting back to stock, and is most helpful when you've screwed up and partially bricked your device, because even a soft-bricked device can still access Download Mode in order to reset back to the stock firmware.

Highlights of Galaxy S III unveiling


It’s been a couple of weeks since the Samsung Galaxy S III has finally arrived and as we wade through the initial feelings, Samsung has posted the highlights of its London event, so you don’t have to sit through the nearly two-hour event, but still get a taste of the atmosphere surrounding the S III unveiling.

The highlights compress the essential elements of the Galaxy S III announcement - the nature-inspired design, the software additions that Samsung focused on and finally the upcoming release day on May 29th globally, and in June in the US.

Samsung Galaxy S III: disappointment, gimmicks, or good ideas?

The Samsung Galaxy S III announcement created a tidal wave of news and we didn't want to just post a knee-jerk analysis of what had been announced, because there was quite a lot of information unpacked at Samsung's London event.

The screen is essentially the same as that we've seen on the Galaxy Nexus, with the same PenTile matrix, just.2" larger Aside from those two features, all of the other additions are software.
Samsung Galaxy S III: disappointment, gimmicks, or good ideas?

In the software we get to the usual array of gimmicks and good ideas.

Friday 4 May 2012

Five awesome new features in the Samsung Galaxy S III


Five awesome new features in the Samsung Galaxy S IIIThe Samsung Galaxy S III is here and it's not just about the hardware – this time Samsung got serious about adding new software features and a couple of nice tweaks to the overall experience. Five of them caught our attention for either bridging the gap with competition or coming up with totally new ideas. And when you think about it, it's the overall smoothness and functionality of a platform, not just the hardware guts that define it.

Of course, we've only scratched the surface with what we think is really some neat new features, but there's plenty of apps and functionality that we left out. PopUp Play for example allows you to play a video on top of what you're doing at all times, but we just don't see much real value in that, so we've skipped it. Others like S Health are welcome additions, but couldn't fit into the tight top five format, so make sure to let us know what's important for you in the comments below. Now, with no further ado, here's five areas where Samsung brought additional value and why that matters.

Watch the whole Samsung Galaxy S III launch event here


Watch the whole Samsung Galaxy S III launch event hereSamsung just posted more than an hour long video of the whole Galaxy S III unveiling Unpacked event that we went to last night in London, so you can use it for your viewing pleasure.

It was quite the memorable experience, with the auditorium packed to the gills with fellow tech bloggers from all around the world. It is definitely worth seeing, be it only to gauge how Samsung handles such an important event.

Moreover, the lead speakers will walk you through all the new features and services that are coming with Samsung's Galaxy S III flagship with the necessary peppy marketing talk, so prepare to be dazzled with lights, music and smartphone pizzazz.

Samsung Galaxy S III to launch in India on June 10th


Samsung Galaxy S III to launch in India on June 10th
Yesterday's introduction of the Samsung Galaxy S III has many waiting for the device to launch in their country. According to Android Authority, the device will launch in India on June 10th. Smartphones are prolific in the country and we would imagine that there is a large number of potential purchasers circling this date on the their calendar.

According to the report, the phone will be priced between 38,000-41,000 Rs which is the equivalent to approximately $760-$820 USD. In India, the carriers don't offer contracts so there are no subsidized phones and the handset can be purchased from Samsung or any authorized re-seller. The aforementioned price range dovetails with the 600 EUR that Amazon Germany is asking for the model (which is the equivalent of $790 USD) and the 499.95 GBP that the U.K.'s Carphone Warehouse wants for the phone. That works out to roughly $809 USD. 
Most of the planet is expecting the Samsung Galaxy S III to launch on May 29th, although that will be the version offering HSPA+ connectivity. In the U.S., Japan and Korea, the version of the Galaxy S III launched will have LTE connectivity and won't be released until later in the Summer. Samsung did say that the Stateside launch will take place next month.

Samsung Galaxy S III rocks Quadrant, AnTuTu and NenaMark 2 benchmark tests


One of the most debated features in the long-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S III is the processor - the quad-core Exynos 4412 processor, to be exact. We've seen all kinds of rumors and speculation surrounding this topic, which makes us think that you guys are really into that silicon part of life.
Samsung Galaxy S III rocks Quadrant, AnTuTu and NenaMark 2 benchmark tests 
We've been writing about the Exynos processor prowess all night, but now we are posting our own impressions to back it up. While we were checking out the Galaxy S III for the first time, we made the extra effort to install a few benchmark applications in order to see just how good that fancy new processor is.

We run our standard set - Quadrant Standard, AnTuTu and NenaMark 2. In the video below you'll find all the details, as well as the results from our tests. Anyone wanting to try and guess how the Galaxy S III scored?

Samsung Galaxy S III beats everything in graphics and browsing benchmarks, including the iPhone 4S PowerVR GPU


Now that is something you don't see everyday - we knew the Exynos 4412 will make for the most powerful phone out there from the preliminary benchies that were sent to us for the Samsung Galaxy S III, but a confirmation from the real deal is another thing.

Samsung Galaxy S III beats everything in graphics and browsing benchmarks, including the iPhone 4S PowerVR GPUSamsung Galaxy S III beats everything in graphics and browsing benchmarks, including the iPhone 4S PowerVR GPUAnandtech ran a few graphics and browsing benchmarks during the hands-on sessions, and the results are illustrative for the processor and graphics oomph, beating even the PowerVR GPU in the iPhone 4S. The most impressive result, however, is in browsing - the combination of a quad-core 32nm processor and Android ICS made the Galaxy S III achieve desktop-like results, which almost double everything we've seen so far, so the browser should be melted butter.

You can sign up for updates on the US Galaxy S III


Yesterday, Samsung announced that its brand new flagship, the Galaxy S III, will hit Europe on May 29. Availability in the US will happen some time in June - and you can now sign up for updates on the Samsung US web site.