Samsung and Apple have been at one another’s throats ever since the market for their respective smartphones began to heat up and now Samsung is throwing out all the stops in a new Samsung Galaxy S II commercial that plays off what the company’s believes is the iPhone 4S’ faults.

In the ad Samsung attacks the iPhone 4S over battery issues and it’s iPhone 4 replicated form facotr.

The ad then goes on to show Apple fanboys being “Samsunged” by showcasing the devices free turn-by-turn navigation software rather than the the devices major selling points which includes a dual-core processor, 8-megapixel camera and the Google Android OS.

The Samsung Galaxy S II was released in late 2011 and has sold more than 5 million units in South Korea alone.

It’s hard to tell if Samsung is playing the jealous little sibling to the Apple iPhone 4S but given the devices awesome features I tend to agree with their ad. Be the judge for yourself:

It’s a simple ad but perhaps that’s the entire point, unlike Apple which touts 500,000 apps (of which you might use .0000001% of those apps) Samsung has instead decided to focus on simplicity, which goes against the robust nature of Google Android while providing “ease of mind” for anyone looking for something that doesn’t have the work “Apple” associated with it.

What did you think of the Samsung Galaxy S II ad spot is it enough to convince people on the fence to give Samsung a try or should they have added more about the phones capabilities?

Samsung Galaxy II Ad Takes Swipe At Apple iPhone 4S and Apple Fanboys is a post from: The Inquisitr

In China an iPad competitor is on the way that one company hopes will be the antihesis of the iPad. Known as RedPad Number One the tablet based device features the same 9.7-inch display as an iPad and also shares the same dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 chipset and an iOS-like app tray that runs on Google Android 3.2.

Eventually selling for 9,999 yuan ($1,584) the company also plans to release government-related apps that include the ability to check for accredited journalists and read private updates on officials that are published by People’s Daily and the micro-update service Weibo.

The luxury tablet also ships with a leather case that has the words “serve the people” written across the case, a funny gesture considering the high price of ownership for the device which most people in China can’t afford.

The makers of the RedPad Number One claim they have already formed partnerships with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the People’s Daily although the latter denies that claim.

To put the high cost of ownership in perspective the The 16GB, 3G-capable tablet is far more expensive then even the highest end iPad 2 with 64GB and 3G which can be purchased in China for 6,288 yuan or $996. The iPad 2 equivalent with 16GB and 3G is even cheaper 4,688 yuan ($743).

In the meantime many citizens in China have voiced their outrage over a luxury item that is only attainable for governmental officials.

Would you be willing to pick up a highly customized Tablet for a premium price or is the iPad 2 or a comparable Android tablet enough for your likes?

RedPad Number One Hopes To Be iPad Competitor For China’s Communist Leaders is a post from: The Inquisitr

Polaroid on Tuesday rolled out the Polaroid SC1630, a digital “smart camera” powered by the Google Android system.

The SC1630 features a 16-megapixel camera with 3x optical camera and touchscreen display with built-in Wi-Fi however where it really shines is in it’s ability to connect to various social networks and geo-tag pictures on the fly.

Polaroid has also revealed video recording and the ability to auto-organize images in the camera based on date, location or faces.

While the camera operates much in the same way as standard point-and-click camera’s it’s the Android homescreen that offers a “dock” and “apps” options that really set it apart from other camera manufacturers. For example users can get directions, play games and download various other apps from the Android Market just as they would on their Android powered Smartphone.

According to Polaroid the camera comes set with 18 camera modes, smile and face detection for picture taking and a set of editing tools that can help users crop images, remove red-eye, resize photos directly from the camera and even use color correction. Editing, app navigation and other features are all performed from the devices 3.2-inch color touchscreen.

For photography fans who take a lot of photos the camera also supports micro-SD cards up to 32GB.

For even more connectivity the company offers Bluetooth transferring for images and videos along with an optional 3G data connection.

As promised here’s a hands on video of the phone from the team at AndroidCentral:

Pricing and a release date have not been announced however the Android powered camera is expected to arrive sometime in 2012.

Here’s a closer look at the Android powered touchscreen in action:

Does the Polaroid SC1630 digital point-and-shoot camera with Google Android pique your interest?

Polaroid SC1630 Digital Camera Brings Android Power To Photo Taking [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

During the holiday shopping season (October – December) the Amazon Kindle Fire sold 4 million units, a number that has one investment bank believing that nearly one million potential Apple iPad 2 buyers turned away from Apple for the Google Android powered device.

Analyst Tavis McCourt at Morgan Keegan wrote in a letter investors on Tuesday that the Amazon Kindle Fire likely stole one million sales from Apple, he then lowered his quarterly estimate for the devices from 16 million units to just 13 million sold.

News of the Amazon sales bump comes just a short time after analytics reporting firm comScore revealed that 97% of all tablet web traffic still comes from Apple iPad based devices, a number likely to tumble as more competent Google Android based tablets hit the market (we saw this same scenario occur when iPhone devices were met with Google Android based Smartphones).

At least part of Amazon’s success has been their willingness to sell the Amazon Kindle Fire as a loss leader with a very well received $199 price tag that left sales swinging forward despite critics panning the devices faults.  In comparison the cheapest WiFi only version of the iPad 2 is $199 with just 16GB.

While iPad revenues accounted for 24.3% of Apple’s overall revenue last quarter McCourt has downgraded that to 21.3% for the current quarter.

While iPad sales were down thanks to Amazon Kindle Fire buyers McCourt did push his iPhone estimate from 27 to 29 million units on the strength of better than expected iPhone 4S sales.

Did you decide to forgo an Apple iPad 2 this Christmas for the Amazon Kindle Fire instead? If you did what was behind your motivation to do so?

Sure the Amazon Kindle Fire is winning big right now but can it be used as a Canadian Passport like the iPad 2?

One Million Potential iPad Buyers Decided To Purchase Amazon Kindle Fire Instead [Study] is a post from: The Inquisitr

2011 was quite an impressive year for Android. With activations topping 700,000 per day and a record 3.7 Million activations from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the mobile operating system from Google continues to dominate.

JR Raphael over at ComputerWorld, shared his thoughts on what to expect in 2012. In 2011, we saw the introduction of dual core phones and while they continue to be a popular option, the advancement in mobile hardware will continue to push out bigger (or smaller depending on how you look at it) and better hardware. Quad core processors for mobile have been around for some time and we’ll see many quad core phones and tablets from multiple vendors.

And while we saw a lot of Android phones in 2011, 2012 will be a big year in sheer number of new phones on the marketplace. Google’s latest OS, Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) will also be available in more phones and come standard on tablets as well. The fragementation of Android is still an issue, but the Android team seems to be very focused on fixing that in 2012 and providing a fluid experience similar to Apple with iOS.

Google TV in the past hasn’t had the greatest success with a rather limited operating system, but that’s also to change in 2012. Better hardware and a better operating system have and continue to be in the works. With Google purchasing Motorola Mobility back in August, we may even see Google TV integrated into Motorola’s own cable boxes. Something to definitely keep an eye out for and an exciting opportunity for Google and Android to come to Millions of households.

2012 And What It Means For Android is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sony on Sunday dropped the price of  their Sony Table S models by $100 each, signalling the companies attempt to clear out old inventory.

Under the price reduction buyers can now grab the 16GB version for $400 while the 32GB version runs $500.

Sony has not come out and said they are attempting to clear inventory for their Google Android tablets.

When it first arrived the Tablet S was critically well-received however recent reports have claimed that Sony has not reached the type of market share they expected with their entry into the market. Sony doesn’t even register in the Top 5 category for iPad competitors, likely because other competitors including Samsung and LG charge less for their similar devices.

At this time Sony has not said whether a new Android Tablet follow-up will come about in 2012 or if they will update existing tablets to the Google Android 4.0 release when it arrives in early 2012.

Will the price drop on Sony Tablet S models send you out to the store to grab them when still available?

Sony Tablet S Models Receive $100 Price Drops is a post from: The Inquisitr

Samsung on Friday announced they have shipped one million units of their Smartphone/Tablet crossover known as the Samsung Galaxy Note.

The device is currently available in Europe and Asia where sales have been brisk, especially in France, Germany, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The Samsung Galaxy Note features a 5.7-inch phone display with 1280 by 800 pixels of resolution (large by any standard) which also makes it a tablet worth mini-device. The phone/tablet also comes equipped with the Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and sports a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor along with 16 gigs of internal storage.

Called a “pocketable tablet” by the team at Engadget the device works best when paired with a bluetooth headset (do you really want to hold a device this big up to your ear?).

My personal favorite part of the device? It’s awful nickname the “phablet hybrid” which was given by internet jokesters who also couldn’t figure out what the Samsung Galaxy Note was suppose to be.
While sales have been brisk All Things Digital was quick to point out:

“These are shipments into the channel we’re talking about here, not end sales to consumers. That said … sources tell AllThingsD that the device actually sold out in Hong Kong during its first month at market. So, clearly, the device is resonating with a certain portion of the mobile market.”

I still recall when the HTC Advantage X7500 reached the market, at the time nobody was sure what to call it but they were selling out quickly until the company had to reduce prices drastically to clear the market of leftover units.

Unlike the X7500 Samsung has several benefits on their size, they are now the leader in Google Android devices, their unit is smaller then the HTC device and tablets are now a mainstay of the market and not what was thought to be a passing fad.

Here’s a Newsy.com report featuring the Samsung Galaxy Note:

Have you or do you plan to get your hands on the Samsung Galaxy Note?

Samsung Galaxy Note Ships One Million Units To Retailers is a post from: The Inquisitr

Several days ago Acer put their long awaited Iconia Tab A700 tablet up for pre-sale in the United Kingdom and now the A700 model has surfaced in Russia.

According to Russian tech site Nomobile.ru the Iconia Tab A700 is thinner and lighter with a housing that measures at just 9.8mm thick.

The report also points to an upgraded 10.1-inch display with 1920×1200 pixels of resolution.

Acer is also said to be packing a faster quad-core Tegra 3 chip that runs at 1.3GHz alongside SIM and microSD card slots, an HDMI port and a five-megapixel camera with LED flash. Buyers will also receive a front-facing sensor that can record in HD video resolution.

Allowing for a decent amount of playback time the Iconia Tab A700 is also said to include 10 hours of video playback through an included 9800 mAh battery.

The official unveil for the Acer Iconia A700 Tab is expected to happen during a special event at CES with a possible ship date set for March or April.

Acer Iconia A700 Tab Gets Outed Before CES is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google mobile VP Andy Rubin posted about the company’s Android successes on Tuesday where he revealed that the software giant is now moving 700,000 Android based Smartphones every single day. If that number is correct it’s a large improvement over November numbers when the company said they were activating 550,000 devices each day.

At this time Rubin has not revealed an activating growth rate and he did not reveal whether Google had moved beyond the 200 million units activated mark since Android’s October 2008 launch.

Rubin also pointed out that the 700,000 mark including only new devices and not resets and upgrades. He also revealed that those numbers also including only Smartphones and not Wi-Fi tablets and phones without service which would push the county even higher.

Apple hasn’t provided customers with their activation base in nearly one year however their user base is suspected of being closer to 250 million iOS users, although it should be noted that their growth rate has slowed considerably as iOS devices flood the market.

According to a new study by Millennial Media Apple may have grown in November at the expense of Android as iPhone 4s and iPad 2 sales continued to dominate the market place. In the past Apple and Android have appeared to poach users from Symbian, Windows Phone and Blackberry OS users however as those company’s continue to bleed out their user base the two company’s are not taking aim at each others users.

In the meantime as the US market shrinks Android appears to be winning the all important Asia race thanks to their willingness to place Google Android on lower end devices from the likes of Huawei and ZTE.

Do you think Google Android will secure it’s dominance over the worldwide market place in the future or will Apple phones continue to be the “it” devices for Smartphone users?

Android Smartphones Now Being Activated 700,000 Times Per Day is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Galaxy Nexus was just launched two days ago on Verizon Wireless, and right around the moment it was released, Android was updated to version 4.0.2.

Despite the fact that Google just released an update, the company announced today that version 4.0.3 of Ice Cream Sandwich is already gearing up for release, and will available to users “in the coming weeks”.

The update is said to include various bug fixes and general performance enhancements for both smartphones and tablets, In addition to that, Google will be throwing in a few new APIs for developers to play around with, including:

Social stream API in Contacts provider: Applications that use social stream data such as status updates and check-ins can now sync that data with each of the user’s contacts, providing items in a stream along with photos for each. This new API lets apps show users what the people they know are doing or saying, in addition to their photos and contact information.

Calendar provider enhancements. Apps can now add color to events, for easier tracking, and new attendee types and states are now available.

New camera capabilities. Apps can now check and manage video stabilization and use QVGA resolution profiles where needed.

Accessibility refinements. Improved content access for screen readers and new status and error reporting for text-to-speech engines.

Incremental improvements in graphics, database, spell-checking, Bluetooth, and more.

Source: Google (via Engadget)

Google announces Android 4.0.3, brings bug fixes and more is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is one of the first Google Android powered smartphones to cause lines to form outside of Verizon Wireless stores and that fact mixed with rumored supply issues have caused the phone to sell out immediately.

Lines at some Verizon stores wrapped around the block when the phone debuted on Thursday morning and some customers in the U.S. told Google blog Android and Me that store employees told them they were receiving less than ten handsets for launch day at select locations.

Hours after release Samsung pushed a software update for the device which greatly improved the UI and offered better Wi-FI and 3G/4G connectivity solutions.

In the meantime Verizon says they will continue to receive new stock daily although supply chain expectations have not been revealed by the company.

Verizon customers can pick up the device for $300 with a two-year contract while Amazon is selling the device for $150 with a two-year contract for users willing to accept a shipping delay of over a week.

Are you still waiting to get your hands on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus?

Samsung Galaxy Nexus Sells Out At Verizon, Low Supply Claimed is a post from: The Inquisitr

When Apple’s Siri technology rolled out for the iPhone 4 the team at Google said they had no interest in competing with the company in the personal assistant space, a position that may have changed on Wednesday with Google’s acquisition of artificial intelligence firm Alfred.

Alfred technology currently scours the web to find information about restaurants, bars and other locations that appeal to its users. While Alfred doesn’t currently offer voice to text speech there’s a good chance that it will in the future.

If Google does adapt the voice to text feature it would be a 180 degree turnaround from its statement in October in which Andy Rubin said:

“You shouldn’t be communicating with the phone; you should be communicating with somebody on the other side of the phone.”

While Google may not have been interested in the space there is a growing concern that Apple Siri technology is allowing millions of  iPhone 4S users to circumvent Google’s search results and more importantly their search result ads.

If Alfred isn’t Google’s answer to Siri they may still have another plan on the horizon, according to the Google mobility experts at Android and Me the team at Google is already working on a project called code-named Majel that could be released in the next several months while allowing for natural speech processing.

Would the Google Android Smartphone platform be more appealing to you if a Siri type offering was available?

Google Acquires Alfred, May Be Revving Up For Siri Competition is a post from: The Inquisitr

Amazon is prepared to steal customers from brick and mortar stores this holiday shopping season and to reach that goal they have launched a special Dec. 10 promotion in which they will literally pay customers up to $15 for leaving stores they are shopping in.

The program is simple, just download the Amazon Price Check app for your iPhone or Android device and then scan three items in any store of your choosing. Leave the store with the geo-location feature enabled on your Smartphone and you’ll receive your discount.

Amazon will provide customers with 5% off up to a maximum of $5 per item.

While the small 5% discount may not be enough to get users interested on it’s own, when taking into account the fact that Amazon items are typically cheaper then brick and mortar products the savings can quickly become significant.

After leaving the store customers will receive their discount via email within 24 hours.

Amazon hopes customers will see their program as a way to window shop, see items they want in person and then turn to the online market to purchase those gifts.

Will you be taking advantage of the Amazon promotion while it lasts?  For Amazon Prime customers who receive free two-day shipping this may be a deal that’s hard to pass up.

Amazon Rewarding Customers For Walking Out Of Stores On Dec. 10 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google’s Android mobile operating system continues to dominate the Smartphone space with a 46.3% market share according to research firm comScore.

Following behind Google is Apple’s iOS platform with a 28.1 percent share in October, up from 27.4 percent in September, a climb likely the result of the company’s iPhone 4 release.

Slipping in market share again was Research in Motion who’s Blackberry devices fell from 18.9 percent in September to 17.2 percent in October.

In the meantime Windows Mobile/Phone 7 devices reached just a 5.4 percent market share in October, down from 5.6 percent in September and 5.8 percent in August.

It should be noted that much of Android’s success has come from the various manufacturers who rely on the mobile OS. For example Android can be found on Smartphones from HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola and various others. In some cases sales are also pushed up by extremely low cost Android devices including a ZTE Android device that is sold for just $20 in China.

In some cases subsidized Android phones can be purchased from U.S. Carriers at a cost under $100 with a 2-year mobile contract.

In the meantime Google may see a spike in handset market share before the end of 2011 as the Samsung Galaxy Nexus launches with the companies new Android 4.0 Ice Cream OS. Rumors are also circulating that the Motorola Droid 4 could possibly launched in time for the holiday shopping season.

Do you think Apple has the potential to catch up with Google Android or does their limited number of devices leave them at a distinct disadvantage.

Google Android Grabs 46% Smartphone Market Share, iOS Follows With 28% is a post from: The Inquisitr

California-based Carrier IQ has found itself in the news just about every day for the past several days, but the news has been far from what the company could consider good publicity.

Reports have been coming in that Carrier IQ’s software, which is installed on over 140,000 million devices from a variety of providers including AT&T and Sprint, transmits private data regardless of whether or not the user consents to it or not.

The concern was brought to light by system administrator Trevor Eckhart in October. Eckhart alleged that Carrier IQ, which is found on nearly all Android devices and several iOS devices, acts at least in part as a keylogger, logging every input and potentially sending it back to Carrier IQ’s servers.

Eckhart recently followed up on his findings, publishing a video that goes into further detail on what Carrier IQ is, how to find it and the potentially malicious capabilities it has.

Carrier IQ has since released a statement denying that their software records key inputs. The company says the software’s sole purpose is to collect information to help mobile manufacturers improve their products, and that no private data is ever sent to the company’s servers in that process.

In spite of Carrier IQ’s quick denial that their software violates users’ privacy, the news has started to catch the attention of lawmakers in Washington. Reuters reports that US Representative Edward Markey asked the FTC to launch an investigation into whether or not Carrier IQ’s software violates users’ privacy rights.

“Consumers and families need to understand who is siphoning off and storing their personal information every time they use their smart phone,” Markey said in a statement.

See below for Eckhart’s latest video.

Carrier IQ controversy heats up is a post from: The Inquisitr

Several HTC Rezound customers have been complaining about loud static from their audio source, the main feature of the phone.

According t0 several Droid-Life readers their devices have been suffering from noticeable static when listening to music and the problem persists when Beats by Dre headphones are being used and when other third-party headphones are plugged in.

Users have also complained that the issue persists with both streaming and on-device music sources.

Since only some users are experiencing the problem HTC says it’s not an “inherent” flaw and released the following statement:

“HTC has received a very small number of calls related to audio on the Rezound, but nothing that so far points to a broader issue … We’re continuing to monitor it closely but currently believe the few calls we’ve received are isolated cases.”

Anyone experiencing the audio issue should treat the problem as a hardware malfunction and ask for a new device to replace their broken HTC product.

Have you experienced isolated audio issues on the HTC Rezound?

HTC Rezound Customers Complain Of Loud Static, HTC Says It’s An Isolated Issue is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Amazon Kindle Fire began shipping this week and now news is surfacing from various users that the devices Wi-Fi functionality is less than stellar.

Users have taken to the retailer’s Kindle forums to list a variety of complaints. In some instances users say they can’t connect to Wi-Fi networks, in other cases they can connect to a router but can’t access the internet.

Following the release of the Amazon Kindle Fire tablets the nation’s largest e-tailer quickly released a software update which provides more options for magazines, e-mail, Facebook integration and children’s books. Titled version v6.1 the release does not mention any bug fixes although some users have had success with the connectivity issue when installing the software via USB.

While some users believe the new firmware has fixed their connectivity issues other users claim that they are still experiencing problems.

Amazon at this time has decided to pull an Apple and let consumers complain without publicly addressing the issue, likely in the hope that they can find a solution for the problem and acknowledge the issue with a quick fix.

Have you been having problems with your new Amazon Kindle Fire? Use our comments section to share your thoughts about the newest Google Android powered tablet.

Amazon Kindle Fire Users Already Reporting Wi-Fi Issues is a post from: The Inquisitr

Istanbul-based Ardic has created what might very well be the world’s largest Google Android based “tablet” device with full touchscreen based capabilities.

Featuring Google’s Android Honeycomb system the Android based gadget offerings full 1080p video support on a 65-inch LCD display with support for “basic gestures” such as zoom and pinch.

The current model currently offers just two sensors however the company has promised a four-sensor unit in the near future which will bring with it multi-touch support.

Powered by a NVIDIA Tegra 2 SoC processor and 1GB of RAM the system also offers 16GB flash memory and offers dual cameras. If that isn’t enough to get you excited the system also features support for HDMI and USB while offering additional connectivity through a microSD card slot and WiFi capabilities along with 3G support.

For power users (which is likely anyone who owns this mammoth of a machine), a dock also enables instant connectivity to the OEM TV with HDMI support for video and audio and USB support for touch input.  The company is also hoping to add wireless connectivity in the future.

No pricing has been announced for the machine but I’m willing to bet the amount is not cheap.

Here’s a video of the gadget in action:

Could you find use for a 65-inch Android “Tablet” device?

Meet The World’s First 65-Inch Android “Tablet” is a post from: The Inquisitr

Amazon has just begun to ship their Google Android powered Kindle Fire Tablet and it’s already the second most sought after device for Google Android developers.

According to a study conducted by Appcelerator 49 percent of Android developers in the United States said they would target the reader while 43% of developers had already begun work for the tablet making it the second most sought after Android tablet for developers.

The announcement deals a blow to Samsung who’s Galaxy Tablets control 56% of the worldwide Android tablet market interest worldwide but fall behind the Amazon Kindle Fire in the United States with 48% developer interest.

Placing the devices numbers into comparison just 35 to 37 percent of developers have shown interest in the Motorola Zoom while only 25 to 25 percent of developers have shown interest for the Barnes & Noble Nook Color and the Nook Tablet, the same numbers revealed for HTC Flyer interest.

While the Amazon Kindle Fire has been highly touted and offers one of the cheaper Android prices at just $199 the device is rather limited based off specifications which could keep developer interest from reaching higher levels while Google Android fragmentation at this time has left many developers splitting their time before various Android segments.

In the meantime the Apple iOS platform utilized by iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices has a 91 percent developer interest with 88 percent of developers focusing on iPad aspirations. In comparison 83 percent of developers are utilizing Google Android based phones while 68 percent have shown interest in Google Android tablets.

In the meantime Microsoft has a long way to climb with 28 percent developer interest, namely for the Lumia phones. Apparently the Nokia deal has caused a 48 percent increase in developer interest.

If you’re Research In Motion (RIM) you have even more headaches with just 13 percent of developers focusing any of their efforts on that platform.

Google Android Developers Flock To Amazon Kindle Fire is a post from: The Inquisitr

Amazon recently claimed they were in the process of ordering more Kindle Fire units and now a leaked reported on Wednesday says the company could require up to a total of 5 million units before the end of 2011.

While the number has been leaked it will likely not be confirmed by Amazon executives who typically choose to keep shipment volumes secret. Executives at the America’s largest e-tailer say giving up sales numbers would take away their competitive advantage.

In the meantime Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says claims of “millions of extra shipments” is a slight exaggeration. If the increase from 3.5 million to five million mark is correct it would be a 43 percent increase in just several weeks.

In the meantime Amazon has warned that profits will take a slight hit as the company is selling their Google Android based tablet at just $199.

If sales numbers are correct the Amazon Kindle Fire could outsell every other Android tablet during the holiday season despite excluding Google platform apps from the system.

Have you purchased an Amazon Kindle Fire? If not do you plan to buy one before the end of 2011?

Amazon Kindle Fire To Ship 5 Million Units In 2011 [Leak] is a post from: The Inquisitr