Refresh Roundup: week of July 29th, 2013

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Samsung Galaxy S II Plus makes a random appearance at CeBIT 2013, we go hands-on

As ubiquitous as Samsung's Galaxy S II is, we imagined that its influence would wane in the face of the S III and whatever we see in a week's time. The Korean behemoth has other ideas, once again refreshing the former flagship to ensure it'll remain on store shelves as an increasingly lower-end option. Inside you've got a 1.2GHz dual-core Broadcom CPU, 1GB RAM and Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean). There's also a 4.3-inch WVGA (800 x 480) display, 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2-megapixel lens up top, as well as GSM and HSPA+ support. How does it compare to the original? Well, it felt a lot more responsive and snappy than when we handled the Galaxy S II last, but part of that is likely due to the new Android Jelly Bean OS' buttery-smooth scrolling. Otherwise, it handled and behaved much like Samsung's aging 'droid hit. The case has now been sanded-down to reflect the company's more natural, Galaxy S III-based design cues, so if you fancy a short game of spot the difference, you can check out the gallery.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Samsung Galaxy S II Plus revealed with dual-core 1.2GHz CPU and Jelly Bean

Samsung Galaxy S II Plus revealed with dualcore 12GHz CPU and Jelly Bean

Samsung just unleashed a new phone into the world, but you've probably heard of it before: it's the Galaxy S II Plus. The handset serves as a modest update to the original Galaxy S II, which contains a 4.3-inch WVGA (800 x 480) Super AMOLED Plus display, a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM and Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean). Naturally, you'll find an 8-megapixel camera on the rear, which is complimented by a 2-megapixel front-facing shooter. The Galaxy S II Plus will include 8GB of built-in storage, in addition to support for microSD cards up to 64GB in size. Expect to find HSPA+ (21Mbps) support across the 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100MHz bands, which will be augmented by GSM support for the 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz bands. Pricing and availability have yet to be announced for this refresh, but we'll be sure to let you know once we have additional details.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos, Galaxy S II Plus possibly spied in Chinese certification

Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos, Galaxy S II Plus possibly spied in Chinese certification

Samsung has been pushing an ever-growing number of its mid-tier phones to larger screen sizes, and there's further evidence that it's not about to stop. Following some rumors, both the Galaxy Grand Duos and Galaxy S II Plus appear to have been spotted going through China's TENAA certification process. The Grand Duos seen here isn't likely to reach the US given its lack of compatible 3G, but it looks to have a Galaxy S III-based design that's still relatively fresh for the category. Claims have it mating its namesake dual SIM slots with a 4.5-inch (if just 800 x 480) screen, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and cameras similar to its bigger cousin.

As for the Galaxy S II Plus? While it should have 3G that works with AT&T and Canadian carriers, we're not anticipating much pressure to bring the S II Plus to North America when the device at TENAA closely resembles the 4.3-inch original, especially if talk of a modest 1GHz dual-core chip proves true. We'll need an official announcement, or further leaks, to know whether the S II Plus or the Grand Duos are enough to lure in new buyers.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Via: Unwired View

Source: Blog of Mobile (1), (2)

Rumored Samsung Galaxy S II Plus resurfaces: adds purported specs and pictures

Rumored Galaxy S II Plus resurfaces adds purported specs and pictures

It's been a long, long time since we first saw the unannounced Galaxy S II Plus show up in some leaked benchmarks. Today, however, Sammy's souped-up flavor of that famed S2 is making the rounds on the interwebs once more, and better yet, we've got an idea of what it could look like physically come its official revelation. According to Chilean carrier VTR, Samsung's Galaxy S II Plus will be sporting a 4.5-inch AMOLED display, which is said to be paired alongside a dual-core, 1.5GHz Exynos CPU, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage and an 8-megapixel rear camera -- notably, the site's also listing it as an Ice Cream Sandwich device, making it slightly different than what we'd seen previously in earlier benchmark scores. Either way, all signs point toward the Korean outfit being close to legitimately introducing its S II Plus sooner rather than later; while we wait for that to happen, though, the angled shots after the break will have to suffice.

Continue reading Rumored Samsung Galaxy S II Plus resurfaces: adds purported specs and pictures

Filed under:

Rumored Samsung Galaxy S II Plus resurfaces: adds purported specs and pictures originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SamMobile  |  sourceVTR  | Email this | Comments