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Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 4 promo asks if you’re ‘ready to note?’ (video)

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Samsung is expected to unveil its highly anticipated Galaxy Note 4 on September 3rd during its Unpacked event at IFA in Berlin and today the company planted a small seed hinting at the arrival of its big device. In a new teaser video focusing on the importance of handwriting, Samsung shows examples of children defacing furniture with markers, engineers drafting blueprints with pencils and composers inking music notes with quills.


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Huge leak shows off Sony Xperia Z3 specs and high-res press shots

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The Sony Xperia Z3 passed through TENAA today, and as a result, we’ve finally got our hands on some high-resolution press photos and specs that can tell us more about the device. This isn’t the devices first leak, but with its expected reveal next month, it seems like it’s getting more difficult for Sony to keep the device under wraps.

According to the report, the device is expected to feature a 5.3″ display at full 1080P resolution, a 20.7MP rear shooter, a Snapdragon 801, 3GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. While the press photos of the device look awfully similar to the Z2, previous reports point to the phone being thiner and lighter than its predecessor.

Sony is expected to reveal the Z3 at IFA in Berlin during their scheduled press event.

You can view the full gallery of the device in both black and white below.

Samsung reportedly developing Ultlrasonic cover for Galaxy Note 4 to assist visually-impaired

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According to a new report from the often reliable Samsung blog SamMobile, Samsung is developing a new smartphone cover with built-in ultrasonic sensor that will provide navigation assistance to the visually impaired. The accessory will reportedly launch as a companion to the new Galaxy Note 4 that the company is expected to unveil early next month during IFA in Berlin. 

Today’s report not only brings news of the ultrasonic cover, but also provides a description straight from Samsung about how it will work. “According to our sources, the cover consists of an ultrasonic sensor which detects nearby objects in front of the person and provides feedback, appropriately. Users will also be able to change the range of ultrasonic signals and choose between three levels: short, middle and long. However, as the user increases the range of ultrasonic signals, the width of the area covered by the ultrasonic sensor will get narrower.”
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Alleged Sony documents suggests that an Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is imminent

IFA is almost here and while we haven an idea of what to expect from companies like Samsung and ASUS, Sony may be planning to announce some new gear as well. An alleged set of documents referencing an Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact has surfaced and while we’re not exactly sure what the Japanese electronics maker has up its sleeves, this is definitely something new.


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Sony sends invites for IFA 2014 press event w/ hints at new devices

We already heard that Sony would be hosting its usual press event during IFA early next month, but today we get official confirmation with screenshots of press invites making their way online (ePrice via XperiaBlog).

As previously reported, the event is scheduled for September 3rd (the week of IFA conference in Berlin) and the invite seems to hint at device announcements for a new smartphone. There are also hints at other devices on the invite, including what looks like the QX lens-camera smartphone attachment that the company first launched at IFA last year. Samsung has also scheduled its IFA press conference for September 3 this year.

As always, we’ll be on hand at the event this year to bring you updates as they happen.

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As expected, report says Samsung plans Sept. 3 IFA event for Galaxy Note 4 unveiling

With IFA in earlier September each year being the usual venue of a new Galaxy Note unveiling, it’s not much of a surprise that a new report claims Samsung is planning a Sept. 3 event for the upcoming Galaxy Note 4. The report comes from The Korea Times (via SamMobile), which notes that the company is planning to send out invites for the event any day now.

That would line up the event with the IFA tech conference in Berlin that week and follows a number of leaks for the device pointing to some unique features like an ultraviolet sensor. Other specs rumoured for the device include a 5.7-inch QHD (2560×1440) display, an Exynos 5433/Snapdragon 805 processor,  a 16-megapixel with a Sony IMX240 sensor and optical image stabilization, and 3GB of RAM.

We’ll be on hand for full coverage of the Samsung event at IFA next month.

Samsung hints at upcoming smartphones including one w/ “new materials”

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During its earnings call with investors where Samsung announced a 31 percent drop for its profits in its mobile division, the company also slipped in a small announcement about upcoming smartphones to reassure investors going into the next quarter. As noted by The Wall Street Journal, Samsung executive Kim Hyun-Joon told investors that the company would launch a new model with a large screen and another that will be made with “new materials.”
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Samsung says it sold over 38M Galaxy Notes, expects to sell 10M Galaxy Note 3’s

We don’t usually get specifics on the number of devices Samsung sells each year, but ETNews reports that Samsung’s JK Shin disclosed in a meeting with the press recently that the company has sold over 38 million Galaxy Notes to date. That includes both the Galaxy Note 1 and Galaxy Note 2, but there’s no mention of how many units of each generation make up that total of 38 million. The company expects to sell even more units of the recently announced Galaxy Note 3 with Shin being quoted as saying “Over 10 million Galaxy Note 3 will be sold.”

The new Galaxy Note 3, which was unveiled last week during the company’s Unpacked event at IFA in Berlin, will go one sale early next month on several U.S. carriers.

More details on Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch surface ahead of expected Sept.4 unveiling

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Samsung Gear Patent Filing

Following a report from SamMobile last week sharing some specific specs coming in Samsung’s much rumored Galaxy Gear smartwatch, today GigaOm reports on a few more details from developers with prototypes of the device. On top of confirming a Sept.4 unveiling at Samsung’s events scheduled to take place in Berlin and New York, the report claims Galaxy Gear will include a 2.5 inch OLED display, dual core processor, an accelerometer, speakers, and built-in NFC:

It is said to be around 2.5 inches diagonally (and 3 inches diagonally including the case), is powered by a dual core processor and should have pretty decent battery life. In addition, we are told the watch has a camera that is integrated into the strap and even has tiny speakers in the clasp of the watch, plus built-in NFC to allow for bump-to-sync and authenticate. The watch uses Bluetooth 4.0 LE to connect with smartphones for connectivity… In addition, the watch has a built-in accelerometer that makes it possible to switch it on when it is moved up towards the eye. It could be a great way to wake the watch and also the apps and manage battery power. The watch screen will support the usual touch, swipe and select type gestures but will likely not have text-input.

The report adds that watch will work with a Samsung watch manager app on a smartphone and utilize apps from the Samsung App Store, not Google Play. GigaOm also claims that Galaxy Gear will support Facebook and Twitter integration at launch. The Samsung App Store integration could mean the device will only be available for Samsung device users:
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Samsung reportedly set to introduce Galaxy Gear smartwatch at upcoming Unpacked event

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Samsung Gear Patent Filing

According to a new report from fansite SamMobile, Samsung will introduce its Galaxy Gear smartwatch during the Unpacked Episode 2 event on September 4th. The Galaxy Gear will reportedly carry the SM-V700 model number and act as a companion device for Samsung’s other Galaxy smartphones. Other details are sparse at this point, though several patent filings have given us a hint as to what we may see in terms of design. Samsung is also excepted to announce its Galaxy Note III flagship during the Unpacked event next month.

Samsung’s foray into the smartphone market comes on the heels of the Pebble being available in retail stores across the country. Many people also expect Apple to enter the smartwatch market sometime soon, as well.

No matter what Samsung announces next month, we’ll be sure to bring you all the details. 
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New photos show Xperia i1 “Honami” in white ahead of Sony’s Sept. 4 event

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A leaked image earlier this month hinted that Sony had plans to introduce its rumored Xperia i1, codenamed “Honami,” at an event scheduled for September 4th during IFA in Berlin. Today, Xperiablog points us to another set of photos posted on Digi-Wo showing what is reportedly the Honami handset in white. You get a sense of its size in some comparison shots next to the iPhone 5. The device is rumored to include a 5-inch 1080p display, 20-megapixel rear camera, and Snapdragon 800 processor as one of Sony’s new flagship devices.

Nothing is official at this point, but we’ll likely be finding out more early next month at Sony’s event. Perhaps we’ll even get a look at the rumored Carl Zeiss lens camera attachment
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Upcoming Sony smartphone teased for Sept. 4 unveiling in Berlin

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New images that have made their way to Chinese-language forum Digi-Wo (via XperiaBlog) show what could be an upcoming Sony smartphone to be unveiled during IFA next month in Berlin. All of the big smartphone makers will be showing off their latest devices during the IFA trade show next month– including Samsung— so it’s not much of a surprise that Sony too will be hosting a press event on September 4th during the press days leading up to the show. Some are speculating that this could very well be our first official glimpse at the Xperia i1, codenamed “Honami”, that’s expected to arrive with a 5-inch display, 20-megapixel rear camera, and Snapdragon 800 processor as one of Sony’s new flagship devices. There’s not much to go on yet, but we’ll be in Berlin next month to bring you all the official details live from the Sony event.

Samsung sends invites for Sept 4. ‘Unpacked 2013 Ep. 2’ event, new Galaxy Note likely

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Samsung just sent invites to “Unpacked 2013 Episode 2” and is hinting that we’ll likely see what’s next in line for its stylus-based Note family. The event is scheduled to take place on September 4 in Berlin, which puts it right in the middle of IFA, one of the year’s biggest technology trade shows taking place the same week. A new Note product wouldn’t exactly be surprising, as the company has used its event during IFA to unveil its new Galaxy Notes since the introduction of the first model two years ago.

Last year, Samsung hosted its Unpacked event during IFA where it unveiled the Galaxy Note II alongside the introduction of its Galaxy Camera. This year it looks like we might be getting another Note announcement, as the invite above asks us to “Note the date” and does so in a decidedly S Pen-like, handwritten font.

Like last year, the event will be live streamed through Samsung’s YouTube channel, and this year the company is also hosting a live stream in New York’s Time Square for those that can’t make it to Berlin. We’ll be in Berlin bringing you the best of both IFA and Samsung’s event early next month.

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Two new high-res, 2560×1600 pixel Samsung tablets on the way, 10- and 12.2-inch

The generally reliable @evleaks is reporting that Samsung is working on 10-inch and 12.2-inch tablets, each with a resolution of 2560×1600.

The claim appears to be confirmed by SM-P900 and SM-P600 user-agent profiles on the  Samsung site which match the resolution. GSMarena also pointed us to an Indian shipping website which appears to show prototypes of two versions of the 12.2-inch tablet entering the country.

Given the screen size and resolution, it seems more than possible that the 10-inch tablet is the new Samsung-made Nexus 10, while the 12.2-inch monster may be a new Galaxy Tab or (gack) a Windows Tablet. If so, the smart money is on the latter being released at the IFA in September.

Apple, FWIW, is working on a 13-inch tablet, or so the rumor goes.
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Report says Samsung planning 4.3-inch Galaxy S4 Zoom with 16 megapixel camera

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Samsung must have received a good response with its Galaxy Camera that we first got a look at last year during IFA in Berlin, as new reports suggest the company is getting ready to introduce a new camera/smartphone hybrid dubbed the “Galaxy S4 Zoom”. The report comes from the often reliable SamMobile, and suggests that Samsung is preparing to introduce the device as its first “camera phone” with a 16 megapixel camera similar to that included in the Galaxy Camera:

SamMobile says the Galaxy S4 Zoom will include a slightly smaller 4.3” qHD SAMOLED display, 8GB of onboard storage, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, A-GPS, and the latest version of Jelly Bean alongside Samsung’s Touch Wiz UI. The report also claims the device will run dual or quad-core processor but CPU and RAM specs aren’t yet finalized.

According to the report Samsung is hoping to launch its new Galaxy S4 Zoom camera smartphone sometime in June and July in both while and black variants.

Galaxy Tab III, Note III, slated for September release at IFA

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Rumors have swirled recently about the Galaxy Note III launching soon and that it will boast a screen anywhere between 5.9-inches all the way up to 6.3-inches. A new report from SamMobile seems to add a little unofficial confirmation to its release date. According to an “insider,” the Galaxy Note III, along with an updated Galaxy Tab, is scheduled for release at IFA in Berlin. The report also suggested that Samsung would push out one final update to the current Galaxy Tab II, Android 4.2.2. If it is true that Samsung will no longer update the Galaxy Tab II after Android 4.2.2, the likelihood of a new tablet seems apparent.

The move wouldn’t be a surprise, because the original Galaxy Note was released at IFA in Berlin.

SanMobile claimed its source gave them no word about device specifications, so at the moment it’s unclear if these new devices will adopt the Octa-core processor found in the recently announced Galaxy S IV.

Samsung shows off Galaxy Camera accessories at IFA- lenses, cases & a wireless charging concept

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While many of the above Samsung Galaxy Camera accessories are still prototypes, it is clear Samsung has high hopes for the recently unveiled Android-powered point-and-shoot. Apart from the cases and covers, which will likely hit the market alongside the camera itself, Samsung showed off prototypes of external lenses, an intricate tripod setup, a waterproof casing, lens hoods, ring lights, and even a wireless charging concept that the company confirmed will not work with the first generation of Galaxy Cameras yet to hit the market. Unfortunately, Samsung did not have any more information about the accessories that were all displayed in a locked glass case on the IFA show floor.


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Ultra-thin ‘Toshiba Thrive’ Honeycomb tablet coming soon, possible IFA announcement

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It looks like Samsung isn’t the only one set on launching an Android-powered tablet at this year’s IFA. According to a translation of a Notebook Italia story, Toshiba is planning on introducing a refreshed version of their 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet known as ‘Thrive’.

As you can see from the image above, the new refreshed Thrive is expected to be super thin upgrade that will more than likely do away with the full-size USB port, SD card slot, and HDMI (opting for mini USB, HDMI, and micro SD ports). The translation also notes the device is “dominated by the screen edge to edge and brushed-metal finish on the cover. The tablet is completely surrounded by a chrome frame crossed by a central groove.”

Toshiba’s Thrive tablet launched to less than stellar reviews after having gone up for U.S. pre-orders in June. The Thrive’s specs weren’t the issue (it currently packs a Tegra 2 chipset, 1 GB DDR2 RAM, 5MP back and 2MP front camera, and ranges from 8GB to 32 GB in storage). The real problem is the Thrive chunky design (0.66 inches thick) which has been described as “huge” and “bulky”. The current Thrive line up weighs in at 1.6 pounds (comparable to the first-gen iPad which has been considerably slimmed down for the iPad 2).

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First photos of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 leaked

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An.droid Life has exclusively leaked the first images of the new Galaxy Tab 7.7, which is expected to be announced at IFA next week. There aren’t many details on the new device, except the fact it uses a 30-pin connector to charge like the Galaxy Tab 1o.1. How can we tell the difference between this and the 10.1? The 7.7 is charging on the side/small panel, while the 10.1 is on the bottom. Also, the device is rumored to be packing a Super AMOLED screen. Only time will tell, so stick with us next week as we cover IFA. Yeah, we’ll be there!

Check out the other shot after the break:


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Code hooks hint September 1 launch of Galaxy Tab 7.7, Wave 3 phone and mysterious Galaxy Note device

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This is my next has learned that Samsung has a few interesting announcements up its sleeve ready for the IFA trade show which is scheduled to run September 2-7, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. Hints inside the code of Samsung’s Android app contain references to an unreleased 7.7-inch tablet conveniently referred to as the Galaxy Tab 7.7. The code also makes mention of Wave 3, most likely a new version of the Wave series of feature phones powered by the company’s own operating system dubbed Bada.

Finally, the publication discovered references to Galaxy Note, a mysterious device most likely to be a tablet of sorts. The fact that Samsung is telling users to updated said app September 1 indicates with a high degree of certainty plans to unveil new products on that day. In addition to this “leak”, 9to5Google informed you yesterday of the specs supposedly belonging to an array of new Samsung smartphones to be marketed under the Galaxy M, Galaxy W, Galaxy Y and Galaxy R monikers.


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Samsung releases Galaxy S II teaser video for US, August 29 unveiling imminent

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUinl4Wclr4&feature=player_embedded]

Samsung already told us “something big is coming” on September 1st during this year’s IFA in an announcement accompanied by two extremely vague teaser videos. While we’re still unsure which of the many rumoured devices will be unveiled, the teaser vid above released by the company today indicates their upcoming August 29 announcement in New York will be focused on bringing the Samsung Galaxy S II to US carriers.

We’re not exactly impressed with the creativity in the ad/teaser vid, but at least it isn’t the typical iPhone/Apple commercial knock off. There are many that hope the September 1st announcement would bring that mysterious Ice Cream Sandwich-powered, 4.65-inch (hybrid tablet/phone?) “GT-I9250” device we’ve heard about. There is definitely still a possibility Samsung will take time to unveil new products other than the Galaxy S II at IFA, we’re hoping to get a sneak peek at a new tablet (perhaps a 7-inch Galaxy tab refresh). We’ll be on hand on August 29 for the New York event as well as during IFA to bring you the latest updates.

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“Something Big is Coming” from Samsung on September 1st at IFA

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44sOtEy3xpQ&feature=player_embedded]

Samsung has just released a couple teaser videos, which don’t seem to be teasing much other than the fact they will be making an announcement at IFA in Berlin on September 1st. As you can see from the video above, it’s essentially your average, run-of-the-mill smartphone ad but with the devices themselves blurred out by a mysterious glowing light. However, the thing that really gets our attention is the “Something Big is Coming” text at the end of the video.

While the ad clearly shows an actor placing the device up to his ear (indicating a phone rather than a tablet), there is also a suspicious amount of thumb typing in landscape mode going on and the glow on the device right at the end of the video above appears to be significantly larger than others. Perhaps hinting at a hybrid device of sorts.

There is no shortage of rumoured devices from Samsung that could easily be announced at IFA. We told you about a huge leak that gave us insight into seven Android smartphones and two tablets the company is currently working on. Perhaps the most impressive device from the leak was the “GT-I9250”, a 4.65-inch device running Ice Cream Sandwich and sporting a 1280x720p resolution. However, at this point it could very easily be anyone of the tablets or phones we know Samsung currently has in the works. We’ll be covering the announcement live as it happens so stay tuned for the latest.

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