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Tag: Samsung

  • RIM May Be Looking To Sell; Is Samsung Buying?

    To say that Research In Motion has been having a rough year would be putting it mildly. In fact, they’ve had several rough years in a row. BlackBerry’s market share has plummeted as the company has struggled and failed to remain relevant in an industry now thoroughly owned by Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android operating system.

    Now it looks like RIM may be getting desperate. Citing “trusted sources,” BGR is reporting that the company is shopping around for buyers. Whether they plan to sell off individual divisions or the entire company is apparently still up in the air at this point. If BGR’s sources are to be believed, the company is ready to sell whatever they can to whoever will buy. The asking price for the whole company would probably be in the $10-12 billion range, though whether anyone would be willing to pay that is unclear. Samsung and HTC have been floated as potential buyers, but there is little solid information at this point.

    RIM unveiled updates to their BlackBerry and PlayBook operating systems at CES last week to generally positive reviews. Nevertheless there have been increasing signs in recent months that BlackBerry was on the way out. In November they announced BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, which would allow BlackBerry’s vaunted security and IT management platform to work with iOS and Android devices. The move was seen by many as RIM’s acknowledgement that BlackBerry had lost hegemony in the business world. Then, late last month, there was another report from inside RIM claiming that the launch of the much anticipated BlackBerry 10 phone was being delayed because RIM couldn’t get a decently functional prototype of the device.

    All in all, it looks like we may be moving quickly toward the last days of RIM, at least in its current form. Whether the company is sold off piecemeal or all at once, there are certainly big changes on the horizon.

  • Samsung’s LCD Window Going Into Production

    Samsung’s LCD Window Going Into Production

    Remember that awesome transparent LCD window that Samsung showed off at CES last week? It’s going into production at the end of January.

    Samsung announced on their flickr page that the 46-inch transparent display will be used in refrigerator doors by U.S. companies. The LCD panel features wide angles, a contrast ratio of 4500:1, a 1366×768 resolution and a color reproduction range of about 70 percent.

    I for one welcome this new technology. I seriously love the idea of being able to see inside my fridge at all times with the potential for interactive fridge doors in the near future. The possibilities are endless. We are staring at the future of food and it is telling us to eat that leftover spaghetti before it goes bad.

    smartfridge

    For more information about this amazing new technology, check out our previous coverage on it.

  • Apple Sues Samsung (Again) To Halt Sales In Germany

    Whew. 2012 arrived and there was a brief concern that Apple and Samsung might drop their 2011 pastime of suing each other in as many countries as possibly. Lucky for, uh, I guess people who could win lawsuits, they have not resolved to cease their legal battles this year.

    Bloomberg reports today that Apple has filed yet another lawsuit in Germany, this time seeking to ban sales of multiple Samsung devices. The design suit, which focuses on Samsung smartphones such as Galaxy S Plus and the S II, alleges that the models violate Apple’s design rights. As if the fun should stop there – and why should it – Apple filed a separate lawsuit against five Samsung tablets. The Bloomberg report continues:

    Last month, the Dusseldorf court said it is unlikely to grant an injunction against the Galaxy 10.1N and an appeals court also voiced doubts about the reach of Apple’s European Union design right that won the company the injunction against the Galaxy 10.1. The new suits aren’t filed under emergency proceedings and allow Apple a new procedure against both models.

    The end of last year was witness to an international back-and-forth court room dispute between Samsung and Apple that played out in courts in the United States, Germany and Australia. No word yet on where they plan to take their Patent Lawsuit World Tour next.

    To be fair, though, not all of this design war is futile act of hair-splitting. At the beginning of this year, you may recall the debut of the Samsung Ace, which was a might familiar looking if you’re an Apple fanboy.

  • CES 2012: Samsung Denies That Jobs “Cracked” The iTV

    If this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, which ends today, could be said to have a theme, it would have to be HDTVs. New and remarkable TV designs were unveiled by Sony, LG, Samsung, and others. Yet one widely-rumored TV that was physically absent but present in everyone’s mind was Apple’s rumored iTV.

    Apple first dipped its toes into the TV market with the Apple TV, which Jobs famously called a “hobby” several years ago. Things got more serious with the launch of the much-improved second generation Apple TV in 2010. Ever since then, rumors have been flying that Apple would eventually integrate the functionality of the Apple TV box into an HDTV. These rumors have been heating up in recent months, to the point that it looks as though Apple really does have such a device in the works.

    Part of the impetus for this round of rumors comes from Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography of Steve Jobs, wherein Jobs reportedly said that Apple had been working on a TV for years, and that shortly before his death Jobs “cracked it.” Though the company has remained characteristically quiet about the project, that statement has been taken by most to assume that Apple really is preparing to launch an iTV.

    The tech industry being what it is, Apple’s competition is not inclined to take such statements lightly, even from a man three months dead. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald Philip Newton, director of audio-visual for Samsung Australia, insists that Samsung does not see Apple’s rumored iTV as a threat. He insisted that the kind of connectivity Jobs reportedly “cracked” has already been in the TV market for a year, and was in fact “nothing new.” The newness, he claimed, only applies to Apple, who have never participated in the TV business before. Newton also said that although some of Samsung’s competition might suffer from an iTV, Samsung itself was not worried.

    Of course, Newton may well be right: Apple is new to the TV market, and notwithstanding the success of the Apple TV, the iTV may turn out to be one of many HDTVs offering internet connectivity. On the other hand, in 2007 Apple launched the iPhone and entered into another market it had no experience with, and we all know how that turned out.

    [Source: Sydney Morning Herald]

  • CES 2012: Samsung Shows Off Transparent LCD Smart Window

    CES 2012: Samsung Shows Off Transparent LCD Smart Window

    Earlier today we covered Samsung’s remarkable new OLED TV. In a year where the newest and best TVs seem to be the unofficial theme of CES, this one stood out from the crowd for its remarkable display technology.

    Well, it looks like Samsung had more in their bag of awesome than just a great new TV. At their booth today they’ve been showing off their new Smart Window transparent LCD display. Let me say that again: Transparent. LCD. Display. Unlike traditional LCDs, this one lacks back light units (BLUs), relying instead on ambient light to let you see what you’re doing. With the BLUs taken out, you can see right through the display to whatever’s beyond – your back yard, for example. Never fear that the panel becomes useless after dark, though. It includes a special transparent BLU that acts as a light when the other lights go out.

    Also, since the bulk of the power drawn by a traditional LCD display goes to the BLUs, the Smart Window uses about a tenth the electricity of a normal LCD (when the transparent BLU is off, anyway). The panel is one-way, meaning that people who walk by the outside will only see a mirror, and won’t be able to see what you’re looking at.

    Not much is known about the Smart Window’s pricing or availability. Reports coming out of CES are that it is headed for mass production soon, though, so look for this amazing technology to start showing up by the end of the year. In the meantime, take a look at the video below (courtesy of MobileNations), and let us know what you think in the comments.

    [Source: Samsung]

  • CES 2012: Samsung’s OLED TV Rakes In Awards

    There has been no shortage of amazing things on display at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. The unofficial themes of the show this year have been TVs and thinner gadgets. Some of the biggest buzz, though, has come from Samsung’s new 55-inch Super OLED. This remarkable HDTV is made with OLED pixels, each of which emits its own light and consists of RGB subpixels, promising a sharper image than has been possible with previous HDTVs.

    In addition to the positive buzz it has generated, the new TV has garnered a slew of awards. According to a Samsung press release the accolades include Popular Science’s Best of CES 2012: Products of the Future award, G4 TV’s Best of the Best Products, Stuff Magazine’s CES Hot Stuff Award, and CES’s own Best of CES Innovations 2012 in the Video Displays category.

    Samsung showed off the TV at their press conference and made highlights available on YouTube. Check out the video embedded below and let us know what you think in the comments.

    [Source: Samsung Press Release]

  • iPad 3 Displays To Be Supplied By Samsung And LG

    Among the many swirling iPad 3 rumors, one thing has remained fairly constant: the (retina) displays for the new tablet will be manufactured by Sharp. Now, however, it looks as though that isn’t going to be the case after all. Korea’s ET News is reporting confirmation that the LCD panels for Apple’s next iPad will in fact be coming from Samsung and LG, rather than Sharp. In fact, production of the panels has reportedly been underway at Samsung and LG facilities for some time.

    ET News also reports that Sharp was in the running to make the panels, but did not manage to meet Apple’s requirements for mass production. The report also states that Apple is planning to order more than 65 million panels at least for the iPad 3 in 2012, and that the initial production run will be around 5 million.

    [Source: ET News]

  • The Daily Comes To Android, Starting With Samsung Galaxy Tab

    The Daily, the News Corp. publication originally launched as an experimental news app for the iPad, is now moving beyond the iPad and into Android territory.

    The publication announced that it will come pre-loaded on the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and other tablets, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, after that.

    Devices will also get the app with an update to the software.

    A message on The Daily’s site says:

    The Daily comes loaded on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, with more tablets to come. If you own one of these devices you’ll find The Daily in your apps—just open it to enjoy a free week for free. Choose between monthly ($3.99/month) or annual ($39.99/year—a 15% savings) subscriptions, conveniently charged directly through your Verizon Wireless bill.

    “Verizon Wireless has been a key partner since we launched on iPad, and we’re thrilled to now be available to Android customers as we continue to expand and grow throughout the mobile space,” says publisher Greg Clayman.

    The Daily was the number 3 top grossing iPad app in 2011.

  • CES 2012: Samsung Galaxy Note Coming To America

    CES 2012: Samsung Galaxy Note Coming To America

    At their CES conference today, AT&T announced that Samsung’s Galaxy Note, which has been available overseas for some time, is coming to the US. For the time being, at least, the phone will be exclusively on AT&T’s 4G LTE network. There is currently no information on pricing or release date.

    With the Galaxy Note, Samsung is trying to split the difference between the smartphone and the tablet. The HD Super AMOLED display measures 5.3 inches – right in the middle of the 3.5-4-inch screens of most smartphones and the 7-inch screens of many tablets. It also comes with an S Pen (i.e., a stylus), that promises somewhat finer control than users can get with a finger alone. The device also sports a 1.4 GHz dual core processor, a 2 megapixel front-facing camera and 8 megapixel rear-facing camera, HD video recording, and 16 GB of internal memory along with a microSD card slot.

    While 7-inch tablets have generally done fairly well, Steve Jobs famously said that 10 inches was the bottom limit for an iPad. Anything smaller, he said, would suffer from an identity crisis – too small to be a tablet, too big to be a phone. With the Galaxy Note, Samsung has deliberately created a device with the very identity crisis Jobs worried about, and used that as a selling point. It will be interesting to see how well the device does (at least Samsung is immune to charges of copying Apple on this one). Look for more information as the reviews start to roll in. Meanwhile, check out the video below, then let us know what you think in the comments.

  • iPhone, Samsung Smartphone Demand Remains High After Holidays

    iPhone, Samsung Smartphone Demand Remains High After Holidays

    It looks like a lack of Christmas isn’t slowing down anybody’s desire to buy smartphones. ChangeWave Research, an independent research firm that examines consumer behavior, has found that people are still clamoring to get their hands on iPhones and Samsung smartphones.

    Unsurprisingly, demand for Apple’s iPhones continues to dominate the market months after the release of the iPhone 4S. ChangeWave, who tracks consumer behavior in quarterly reports throughout the year, states that “Apple has never dominated smart phone planned buying to this extent more than two months after a major new release.” Again, it’s not exactly news to blow your hair back but it’s suggestive of the Siri factor that the iPhone 4S offers users.

    The amount of people who plan to buy an iPhone has steadily increased over the past four years with the predictable spikes of interest whenever a new iPhone was released. Traditionally, the amount of people intending to purchase an iPhone drops precipitously a few months after the release of a new model but then establishes a new baseline that is higher than the previous baseline percentage of people planning to buy an iPhone before a new model is released. Apple, in other words, are wizards at creating a sustained interest after the release of iPhones.

    What’s more telling is that, while iPhone’s demand has remained strong, it’s dipped 11% from September to December among people planning to purchase a smartphone within the next 90 days. Alternately, the amount of people planning to purchase a Samsung smartphone climbed 8% in the same time period. Combine that with the 2% increase of consumers planning to purchase a Motorola smartphone and you can pretty much see where that missing 11% of would-be iPhone buyers went. In case you forgot, Samsung launched a pretty wild campaign for their Samsung Galaxy S II phone by singling out iPhone users as an affected group of Kool-aid-swilling consumers. While this wouldn’t normally resonate among consumer trends, the December 2011 marks the single-highest increase of people planning on buying a Samsung smartphone in the past four years. That said, it seems Samsung’s left a favorable impression on the minds of potential buyers.

    Maybe Samsung’s new market of planned buyers were poached from Apple or maybe they’ve managed to appeal to a sect of consumers who, until now, had remained smartphone-less. When ChangeWave releases their data for March later this year a clearer picture of how (or if) Samsung has chipped into Apple’s market dominance will take a firmer shape.

  • CES 2012: Google TV Coming To A Lot More TVs

    CES 2012: Google TV Coming To A Lot More TVs

    Google has announced new partnerships with a variety of TV manufacturers. As CES gets underway, several of those companies are starting to unveil their new products. The LG Smart TV is being unveiled at LG’s press conference right now, along with a variety of other LG devices – including smart appliances.

    Meanwhile, there are products from Samsung, Sony, Vizio, and more still in the pipeline. Last week Google made an announcement about the new partnerships, and published a video showcasing some of the new features coming to a Google TV near you. Check out the video below, and let us know what you think in the comments.

  • Google TV To Storm CES

    Google TV To Storm CES

    The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) begins next week, and you can expect a bunch of new Google TV-related offerings to be showcased.

    Google just announced new offerings to be unveiled by a handful of partners.

    For one, LG has become Google’s fourth major TV manufacturing partner. The company will showcase a new line of TVs powered by Google TV running on their L9 chipset.

    Chipset makers Marvell and MediaTek will begin supplying chipsets for the next generation of Google TVs, which Google says will help “usher in new products at new price points”.

    Sony will demo new Google TV-powered devices for the U.S. as well as plans for products in other countries this year.

    Samsung will have Google TV devices in 2012, and Vizio will hold private demos at the event, showing off their new line of Google TV devices.

    It seems like a long time ago that Google unveiled Google TV with big dreams and aspirations. In fact, it was May of 2010 at Google I/O. It has indeed been a while. Google TV didn’t quite take off with the bang the company had hoped for. TV networks certainly didn’t reduce the friction.

    Google launched an update for Google TV this past fall, and apparently that has been pretty big, as activation rates have more than doubled since then, Google says. The update came with a new interface, a more TV-friendly YouTube interface, and access to the Android Market.

    The increasing popularity of Android devices can’t hurt Google TV either.

  • The Apple / Samsung Girl

    The little girl is referred to as “Little Miss Tablet”, and although I can’t find her name, I am certain that she has made a significant mark in advertising history. I can’t recall anything like this having happened before.

    I asked myself how I would feel given the following: What if Pepsi started parading around with a polar bear on its can? What if Jared were seen eating another sandwich? What if Justin Bieber started starring in acne-fighting infomercials by a brand other than Proactiv?

    I’ll tell you how I’d feel. Like there was something dirty about it. And I am not emotionally attached to any of those products. I do not feel partial to either of the brands involved in this particular rivalry either; however, I feel that the lack of commitment from this little girl is somehow pure. After all, what is really wrong with not being married to a particular brand? Why should we not celebrate our right to buy whatever we want and not feel dirty about it?

  • Ice Cream Sandwich To Galaxy Devices In Early 2012, Says Samsung

    Now that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus has been released as the first smartphone pre-installed with the new Android operating system, all the attention now turns to when other devices might be getting a yummy Ice Cream Sandwich.

    If you’re looking for news on other Samsung devices, look no further. The company has announced that a fairly lengthy list of Galaxy devices will be receiving the ICS upgrade soon:


    Samsung Electronics plan to provide the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for GALAXY devices. The platform update for GALAXY S II and GALAXY Note will start in the first quarter 2012, and other GALAXY devices will soon follow.

    The ICS-upgradable devices are the GALAXY S II, GALAXY S II LTE, GALAXY Note, GALAXY R, GALAXY Tab 10.1, GALAXY Tab 8.9, GALAXY Tab 7.7, and GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus.

    Samsung adds that they will make separate announcements for each device when specific timeframes becomes available.

    So it’s not exactly a bunch of specific dates, but users now know that they only have to wait a few more months to get the new OS for their existing Samsung smartphones and tablets.

    Ice Cream Sandwich sports a brand new UI as wells as NFC capabilities and Face Unlock functionality. Are you excited to install ICS on your device? Let us know in the comments.

  • Samsung Drops One Suit Against Apple, Files Two More

    There was a flurry of activity today on the German front of the Apple-Samsung patent war. Samsung dropped one of their suits upon learning that Apple might be shielded by a licensing agreement it holds with Qualcomm. Among the products protected by the Qualcomm license is the iPhone 4S.

    Not inclined to let Apple get off too easily, though, Samsung filed a suit over four more patents. Three of them are fairly technical in nature, but the third deals with an “emoticon input method for mobile terminal.” That’s right, among other things, Samsung is suing Apple over a smiley. The four new patents were originally added as amendments to an existing suit, but Apple filed to have them divided, creating two new separate suits.

    The news was tweeted out this morning by patent expert Florian Mueller, who was present at the hearings:

    @FOSSpatents
    Florian Mueller    News from Mannheim: today Samsung sued Apple over four more patents here. 2 FRAND patents, 2 unencumbered ones. 10 hours ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @FOSSpatents
    Florian Mueller    Other news from Mannheim: Samsung has formally given up attacking the iPhone 4S with 3G patents. Recognizes Apple is licensed thru Qualcomm. 10 hours ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

  • Apple Brings Chip Manufacturing Closer to Home

    Apple’s A5 processor, the chip that lies at the heart of all the company’s latest iOS devices, has historically been made where nearly all of Apple’s components are made: Asia. Apple contracts with several Asian companies for many of the components for its products. Chinese company Foxconn, for example, is responsible for assembling most of Apple’s gadgets. Several Japanese companies are responsible for other parts as well. In fact, there has been much speculation that the delay in the release of this year’s iPhone 4S was due in large part to the tsunami’s influence on production from Japanese plants.

    For its processors, Apple has long contracted with Korean-based Samsung. Historically, Samsung has manufactured its components overseas, mainly in Korea. Recently, however, the company that manufactures the chips has invested in a multi-billion dollar facility in Austin, Texas and have moved production of the component there.

    In the peculiar way that large companies have of working together, Apple has remained one of the electronics giant’s biggest customers, despite the ongoing legal feud between the two over Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and Galaxy phones. Samsung has supplied Apple with the A5 chip since the launch of the iPad 2, the first device to carry it, earlier this year. At the same time, Samsung has been in fierce competition with Apple. Its Android-based Galaxy devices – especially the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the just-launched Galaxy Nexus, are widely regarded as some of the strongest competition for Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices.

    The facility, which cost roughly $3.6 billion and is expected to reach full production soon, is devoted almost entirely to the manufacture of Apple’s A5 chips, which are currently to be found in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S. The chip, which has double the speed of its predecessor, the A4, was designed in-house by Apple.

    [Source: Reuters]

  • Galaxy Nexus Already Getting a Software Update

    The latest Android smartphone, the much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy Nexus, went on sale this morning on Verizon’s website. As we reported this morning, the phone is running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system. Remarkably, however, the phone will be due a software update right out of the box. Within two hours of activation users will be receiving an operating system upgrade to Android 4.0.2, an update that will mainly consist of a few tweaks and bug fixes.

    Features of the update include data traffic and mobile hotspot optimizations, camera tweaks, a bug with email attachments, and a handful of other oddments. On the whole it appears to be a relatively minor update, though it does deal with some fairly important features of the phone. The fact that the update is coming out almost immediately is rather unusual, however.

    Meanwhile, Google has posted about the phone on their mobile blog. They include a link to their official product page, and direct users to a number of stores where they can purchase the phone. Retailers include Verizon stores (obviously), as well as Best Buy, Radio Shack, and Costco. In addition to the US, the phone is also available in the UK, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, and Canada, and will be launching “soon” in several other countries, including Australia, France, Taiwan, and Hong Kong (where Samsung, the phone’s manufacturer is based). The post also includes a video, embedded below, demonstrating the phone’s remarkable Face Unlock feature, which combines the front-facing camera with facial recognition software to make sure that only certain people can unlock the phone.

    As amazing as the Face Unlock feature seems to be, though, one Twitter user may already have found a flaw:

    @flyosity
    Mike Rundle    Face-unlocked my friend’s Galaxy Nexus by showing it a photo. Awesome feature! 2 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    The Galaxy Nexus has already proven to be a hot ticket item. In a scene more reminiscent of an iPhone or iPad launch, the new device has actually had people lining up outside Verizon stores. The reaction has drawn the attention of a number of iPhone bloggers, prompting Grant Paul, a well-known figure in the iOS jailbreak community, to respond on Twitter.

    @chpwn
    Grant Paul (chpwn)    Oh c’mon Apple bloggers. People actually want the Galaxy Nexus and are lining up for it. Accept it, get over it, and move on. 1 hour ago via Tweetbot for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    [Hat Tip: Droid Life]

  • Samsung Galaxy Nexus Now Available From Verizon

    Earlier this week we brought you a report that Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus might be coming to Verizon today. Those reports turned out to be accurate, as the phone became available on Verizon’s website early this morning.

    The new phone (which does not resemble an iPhone, Apple will surely be thrilled to see) sells for $299.99 with a 2-year contract. It sports a 4.65-inch display, over an inch bigger than the iPhone 4S. It also runs the much-anticipated Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The latest version of Google’s Android operating system is a significant revamp of the software, and features deep Google+ integration and a host of fancy new features, including face unlock, which allows users to unlock the phone by pointing the camera at their faces. The OS also includes a few features designed to take advantage of the NFC technology that has been integrated into the phone. Though Google Wallet is absent, users can console themselves with Android Beam, an app that transmits data of various kinds – files, contact info, and more – to other phones within the roughly 1-inch field NFC field.

    The new phone is also designed to run on Verizon’s new 4G LTE network. Verizon is even offering new users a deal on their data plans, temporarily doubling the amount of data they get for the price. The company cut things awfully fine with the release of the new phone. Verizon retailers had been expecting the phone to be available last Friday, which would have left a full two weeks of the holiday shopping season. The company announced last week that they were delaying the launch. Today’s release date leaves shoppers a mere ten days in which to get the device. Fortunately, Verizon appears to be offering next-day shipping to those last minute gift buyers who want to get the phone before Christmas.

    What do you think of this shiny new phone? Let us know in the comments.

  • Despite Complaints, Amazon May Sell 6 Million Kindle Fires in 2011

    Despite a strong start, you may have heard that the Kindle Fire, Amazon’s latest entry into the tablet market, isn’t all that great after all. People weren’t that impressed with several aspects of the Kindle Fire and didn’t take kindly to being made to feel that they were suffering from “fat-finger problem.” In fact, Amazon even acknowledged the tablet’s flaws and has promised to provide an update that will improve the performance of the Kindle Fire and, perhaps more importantly, hopefully turn those frowns upside down.

    Who knows if this update will satiate the expectations of Kindle Fire owners, and I’m sure we’ll all hear about it if it doesn’t. Still, has the dissatisfied present and uncertain future discouraged shoppers from buying the Kindle Fire.

    In a word: No!

    With seemingly no regard to the first impressions of Kindle Fire, consumers appear undeterred and the unit sales of the tablet, according to a report from Goldman Sachs today, are on course to reach 6 million by the end of the year. What’s more, Goldman Sachs went on to project that Amazon could sell 15.5-20.5 million units in Kindle Fire’s first full year of availability. Details can be found in the bar graph below.

    From the above data, John Paczkowski of All Things D points out that “if Amazon does manage to sell six million Fires before the end of the year, it will surpass the iPad’s domestic sales in its first December quarter in 2010.”

    Really? Topping sales of something Apple? That’s quite a feat, but what’s going on with this surge of Kindle Fires? Do people not really seem to care that initial reviews of the Kindle Fire were, at best, disappointed?

    One report claims that people are still drawn towards the Kindle Fire because of its considerably lower cost than an iPad. Furthermore, the Goldman Sachs report suggests that the Kindle Fire still has appeal to consumers because, in spite of the many flaws, the tablet still gets the bare minimum of functions correct, which just happen to be the functions that tablet users utilize the most (I guess people are satisfied enough that the Kindle Fire powers on and displays different words – easy enough to meet those needs, sure).

    Whatever fix Amazon’s update to the Kindle Fire brings to users, the tablet is still expected to stake a healthy claim in the tablet market. It’s already expected to outpace Samsung’s top tablet and analysts are curious to see how much of a bite the Kindle Fire will take out of Apple’s market dominance.

    So is the Kindle Fire really the maxim “You get what you pay for” in action? Maybe, and it’s certainly not the only device to be met with milquetoast reviews upon its initial release. Do you think Amazon can damage control itself out of its lackluster start and make the Kindle Fire a true competitor to Apple’s iPad? Comment below to let us know.

  • Galaxy Nexus Release Date Delayed By Verizon

    What’s new, you might ask?

    As the official U.S. release date still hangs in confirmation limbo, Verizon sources have told CNET that the Galaxy Nexus has once again been delayed by Verizon. Earlier this week we heard rumors that the Ice Cream Sandwich-enabled smartphone would land in the U.S. on Friday, December 9th. Those leaked documents were from an “authorized Verizon retailer” that said the selling of the device could not begin until 12/9/11.

    CNET’s Verizon sources say that most Verizon stores thought that they would begin selling the Galaxy Nexus on Friday, but are now hearing that the release will be delayed.

    Of course, “delayed” might suggest that there was even a set release date to begin with. Verizon continues to say that they haven’t officially announced a U.S. release date for the highly-anticipated device whenever asked about it. All we know is that it’s going to be fairly soon, as Samsung has confirmed a December release.

    Supposed leaked screenshots indicate that the device will be arriving at Best Buy on December 11th. This doesn’t mean that sales would begin at that time, just that they would physically have the hardware under their roofs by then.

    When the phone finally launches in the U.S., all indications point to a $300 price tag at official Verizon retail outlets. It’s probably not going to get much cheaper anywhere else as a leaked Costco document suggests that the Galaxy Nexus will launch there for $289.99 with a new two-year agreement.

    We have also learned that the Galaxy Nexus probably won’t be launching with Google wallet, even though Verizon denies that they are the reason why.

    Who’s still waiting for the Galaxy Nexus? Has anyone, unable to wait any longer, succumbed to the temptation to purchase another hot new smartphone? Let us know in the comments.

  • Samsung Galaxy Tab Injunction Overturned in Australia

    The Australian High Court has ruled that Samsung can finally sell its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets in that country. The tablet has been banned since a temporary injunction was instituted in July. Last Wednesday an appeals court overturned the injunction, clearing the way for the device to go on sale, but as Samsung was preparing to bring shipments of the device into the country, Apple filed an appeal and the court agreed to extend the injunction by one week in order to allow time for Apple’s appeal to be heard.

    The ruling represents a relatively rare setback for Apple in its ongoing dispute with Samsung. The iPad maker filed suit against the rival company in April in the US to block sales of Samsung’s Galaxy line of phones and tablets, which Apple accused of being ripoffs of its own iPhone and iPad. Samsung quickly countersued in the US and elsewhere in a legal battle that would eventually spread to 10 countries with 20 suits and counter-suits. The cases have generally gone in Apple’s favor as sales of the Galaxy Tab have been blocked in several countries.

    Today’s ruling in Australia, however, follows closely on the heels of a similar ruling in US district court, where judge Lucy Koh refused to grant an injunction barring the sale of the devices in the US. Cases in both the US and Australia are expected to go to trial sometime next year. By that time, however, the discussion may well be moot, as rumors surfaced yesterday that Samsung was preparing to unveil its next generation tablet – complete with retina display-like screen resolution and the latest version of the Android operating system – in February.