Samsung Galaxy Note

With the tablet world continuing to claw away at PC market share, a new report suggests Samsung could launch up to four new tablets in the first quarter of 2014.

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Samsung is keeping the Phablet life going single-handedly as they confirm shipment of 10 million Galaxy Note 3 units around the world. While those numbers don’t make the Galaxy Note 3 the fastest selling Galaxy device ever, it’s the fastest selling Galaxy Note.

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Android Police reports that Samsung is offering a $50 Google Play Store credit to owners of its Galaxy Note 3 phablet.

The good news is that, unlike most promotions, this one appears to apply to existing owners – a welcome unexpected bonus. The bad news is that it’s U.S. only. Full details of how to get your credit below the fold … 
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There’s no question that with every new smartphone release, we look at the camera, the display and ultimately, the battery. As the Nexus 5 begins making its way to the masses, some new software and performance enhancements will offer a slight boost in battery life.

As GigaOM points out, the inclusion of Qualcomm’s new “envelope tracking technology” will make the Nexus 5 a more battery friendly, power-efficient smartphone. Qualcomm’s envelope tracker, dubbed the QFE1100 was first introduced to the world with the Galaxy Note 3, highlighting the Nexus 5 as the second smartphone to include the tech.
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Twitter has finally launched a version of its official Android client that is fully-optimized for the larger displays on tablets. The app has a multi-screen view for scrolling through tweets while reading links in an accompanying browser.

The app also brings a new Android home screen widget and illustrating of images that are to be shared via Twitter. Interestingly, the app is launching first on the Samsung 10.1-2014 tablet, with launches on other Android tablets to come in the future.

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Samsung might have planned on being the first to market with a flexible OLED screen with a special edition of its Galaxy Note 3, but it looks like LG too will soon be launching its first smartphone to incorporate curved display. According to a translated report from ZD Net (via UnwiredView), LG is prepping an “LG Z” smartphone that will be the company’s first to utilize that flexible display technology it’s been working on.

We don’t get many details from the report, but it does claim that the device is already in mass production and could debut as early as this month.

It’s worth pointing out that we still don’t have any real official details on either of these curved devices from Samsung or LG, but we’re guessing the first generation of flexible display smartphones will likely sport a rather rigid casing that will make the product appear curved, opposed to actually being flexible in one’s hand.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baTh1jeObRw]

Not a fan. Either show how this will make my life better or bash Apple. I don’t know what this is.

Receive texts on your wrist? Yes, please. @SamsungMobileUS #GalaxyGear pre-orders start tomorrow. http://t.co/fDUmhOIodf

— AT&T (@ATT) September 16, 2013

Update: Sprint announced today that the Galaxy Note 3 will become available on October 4 for $349.99 on the usual two-year agreement. It will also have the Galaxy Gear companion smartwatch for $299.99 in Jet Black, Oatmeal Beige and Wild Orange.

AT&T has announced today in a tweet that preorders for the new Galaxy Gear smartwatch, which will act as a companion to the new Galaxy Note 3, will go up for preorder starting Wednesday, September 18. The carrier previously announced that the Galaxy Note 3 would begin shipping from its website on October 1. Through AT&T, the Note 3 sells for $299 on the usual two-year agreement. Samsung originally announced that the device would launch on partners around the world starting September 25.

T-Mobile also made things official for the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear today with a press release confirming that preorders, like AT&T, will also begin on Wednesday. On T-Mobile the device will sell for $199.99 down with 24 month payments of $21 with preorders expected to ship by October 2. 
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Samsung’s JK Shin today announced the Galaxy Note 3 at IFA today with improved LTE radios, better enterprise capabilities and improved specs. The Note 3 has a 5.7″ 1080p screen (up from 5.5″), 3GB of RAM (up from 2), 13 megapixel camera, 32/64GB storage, 3200mAh battery and a leather-like rear cover. It is also thinner and lighter even with the bigger display.

Samsung also updated the Note 10.1 2014 edition with better speakers, leather cover and display.

September 25th is the launch date and the products will roll out globally in October. Press releases and videos follow:
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Smartphone manufacturers are making it hard to keep up to date these days: just as we’d got used to enjoying the ability to record 1080p full HD videos, the first handsets capable of recording 4K video are emerging. Google added 4K video support to Android in the latest 4.3 version.

Acer is claiming that its 6-inch Liquid S2 will be the first, though as the phone is being officially unveiled at the IFA this week, it may have company from Samsung’s new Galaxy Note – also rumored to have 4K recording on board. The Acer also won’t be available in the U.S. at launch, with the handset hitting Europe first … 
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Photo: knowyourmobile.com

Not content with offering the world’s largest smartphone, The Korea Economic Daily (via BGR) seemingly confirms the rumor we reported last month that Samsung is now planning to launch a 12.2-inch tablet in October, possibly alongside the Galaxy Gear smartwatch … 
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Rumors of a Galaxy Note III, dating back to March, appear to have been confirmed by a User Agent Profile on Samsung’s website, reports SamMobile.

Samsung’s own UAPROF confirms the Galaxy Note III, model number SM-N900T and SM-N900A showed up. The model corresponds to Galaxy Note III and confirms the rumoured screen resolution of 1080×1920 … 
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I gave myself a few weeks to use the $199 w/plan LG Optimus Pro on AT&T to see if a phablet could replace my normal Android device, the LG Nexus 4. The Optimus Pro is very similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 which I reviewed and liked. LG doesn’t include the stylus, which I considered a downside on the Note 2. It also has a less intrusive overlay and a bunch of other handy features which I found helpful…

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This thing has the same specs as a laptop ‘shrunk’ to ‘phone’ size.

LG just announced its 2013 flagship phone the Optimus G Pro that was leaked last month. The ‘Pro’ stands for huge and fast here, with the first Qualcomm 600 quad core processor running at 1.7GHz. The screen bests even the Samsung Note II phablet screen with a 1080p IPS (not OLED) over 5.5 inches—which is going to look marvelous at 400ppi. Cameras? Yes. There is a 13.0 around back and a 2.1 up front that is HD for video conferencing. Also: 2GB RAM, huge 3,140mAh battery, and Android 4.2—all coming in under 9.4mm thin.

No word yet on when we can grab one stateside.

Optimus G Pro Key Specifications:
• Chipset: 1.7GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm? Snapdragon™ 600 Processor
• RAM: 2GB DDR
• Memory: 32GB / microSD (up to 32GB)
• Display: 5.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels / 400ppi)
• Camera: Rear 13.0MP with LED Flash / Front 2.1MP
• OS: Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
• Battery: 3,140mAh (removable / wireless charging capable)
• Size: 150.2 x 76.1 x 9.4mm

The press release and a larger picture are below.

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There have been rumors that Samsung has a new lineup of Galaxy tablets in the works, possibly set to make an appearance next month at Mobile World Congress. Today, SamMobile claimed to have confirmed details of the upcoming Galaxy tabs, citing a “Korean insider,” and provided new information for the Galaxy Tab 3 lineup codenamed “Santos”.

According to the report, Samsung has both 7-inch and 10.1-inch variants of the new lineup in Wi-Fi and 3G configurations. The tablets will also include 5-megapixel cameras, but we don’t get any other details in terms of hardware specs on the four Santos models including GT-P3200, GT-P3210, GT-P5200, and GT-P5210. The report said the tablets are expected to launch in early 2013 in 16GB and 32GB variants.

There was also mention of a Samsung GT-P8200 tablet codenamed “ROMA.” The report didn’t provide many details, but AndroidCentral pointed out the product number isn’t too far off the “GT-P8110” of the Nexus 10.

SamMobile also provided exact specs for the Samsung GT-N5100 Galaxy Note 8.0 it first posted about last week. The full specs for that device, expected to pop up during MWC next month, are below:
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Samsung announced today that it sold a total of 5 million Galaxy Note II units worldwide, following its announcement earlier this month that 3 million were sold. That means the South Korean-manufacturer moved 2 million 5.5-inch phablets in just under a month —surely thanks to its availability in the United States on AT&T. Sales aren’t as high as the Samsung Galaxy S III that competes side-by-side with Apple’s iPhone 5; however, it is interesting that a large chunk of customers want a larger handheld experience. Being available in various parts of Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa, the 5.5-inch device will likely have a strong holiday quarter adding to this month’s strong sales. [Samsung]

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