Galaxy S III dev edition sales page goes live, ‘coming soon’ for VZW freedom-lovers

Galaxy S III dev edition sales page goes live, 'coming soon' for VZW freedomlovers

Even if you have $600 in your pocket and plenty of reasons to want a custom ROM on your Galaxy S III, you still can't quite get hold of Samsung and VZW's promised developer edition. That said, the tinkerer-friendly device has now appeared on Sammy's US mobile sales site, with the promise that it'll be ready to order "soon," with its unsigned bootloader wrapped up in pebble blue alongside 32GB of storage, and with support and a 12-month warranty provided directly by the manufacturer. There's no reason to think that other colors and sizes won't follow suit, or that there'll be much longer to wait for availability, and we'll keep you alerted as soon as that page gets updated.

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Galaxy S III dev edition sales page goes live, 'coming soon' for VZW freedom-lovers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 05:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Sprint LTE goes live today, honest and for true (update: includes Missouri)

HTC EVO 4G LTE review on table

Sprint's decision to take its LTE live in Kansas City marked a short prelude to a full orchestral performance -- the carrier's upgraded 4G network is now official. Kansas City and St. Joseph in Kansas and Missouri, as well as 13 urban areas in Georgia and Texas, are taking the leap past WiMAX speeds as of today. Senior network VP Bob Azzi has warned the Kansas City Star that the current LTE access is still mostly for use outside until it expands to the 3G network's range, although he adds that there will be a coverage map available from July 16th onwards to let EVO 4G LTE, Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy S III owners know when their phones reach full potential. Just remember that the real party starts in 2013, when Sprint hopes to both flick on voice over LTE and ramp up to extra-speedy LTE-Advanced.

[Thanks, Alex]

Update: As locals in the comments have helpfully reminded us, St. Joseph is in Missouri and just sits along the border with Kansas -- you know what they say about horseshoes, hand grenades and being close enough.

Continue reading PSA: Sprint LTE goes live today, honest and for true (update: includes Missouri)

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PSA: Sprint LTE goes live today, honest and for true (update: includes Missouri) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Jul 2012 11:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy S III finally arriving in stores today

PSA Verizon's Samsung Galaxy S III finally arriving in stores today

Despite some lucky folks claiming they'd received their GS3 order a bit earlier than expected (and others still patiently waiting for delivery), a good chunk of Big Red customers were eagerly looking forward to this past Tuesday, only to be brought down by an unexpected delay. Thankfully for them, though, it looks like today's the day the Verizon faithful can finally snag one of Samsung's chart-busting Galaxy S IIIs. As you may or may not know, the network's offering both the Marble White and Pebble Blue flavors of the device, with the 16GB running at $200 and the spacier 32GB selling for $250 -- naturally, this will require a fresh two-year deal. If all that sounds good, then head over to your nearest retail store to get in on the human-centric experience -- or you could always take the easier route and snatch one up straight from Verizon's site.

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PSA: Verizon's Samsung Galaxy S III finally arriving in stores today originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 15:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SugarSync to ship with many Samsung mobile devices, make Galaxy S III a home away from home

Galaxy S III Sprint - top half

Samsung and SugarSync are already cozy with each other, having struck a deal to put SugarSync's cloud file sharing on Samsung's AllShare Play-equipped TVs. That relationship just got a lot closer: SugarSync will now be a mainstay for Samsung's rather successful mobile devices. Starting with the Galaxy S III, any Samsung phone or tablet that supports AllShare Play will have SugarSync built-in, whether it's for looking at files and media from back home or just to upload the phone's own photos and videos for sharing later on. The service still offers a free 5GB of storage as a baseline and will scale up to 500GB if you're willing to fork over up to $40 a month. Between this and a Dropbox deal for most carriers, Samsung has the cloud largely sewn up on its handhelds -- if you can't access it, it probably doesn't exist.

Continue reading SugarSync to ship with many Samsung mobile devices, make Galaxy S III a home away from home

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SugarSync to ship with many Samsung mobile devices, make Galaxy S III a home away from home originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung brings out Galaxy S III Developer Edition for Verizon, answers the call for an unlockable bootloader

Samsung brings out Galaxy S III Developer Edition for Verizon, answers the call for unlockable bootloaders

We didn't have too many reservations about the Galaxy S III for Verizon in stock form. Anyone who's been eager to load new firmware, however, has been up in arms over the particularly locked down bootloader that Big Red (but no other US carrier so far) demands. Enter the Galaxy S III Developer Edition. The new, direct-from-Samsung variant will have all the CDMA and LTE a Verizon subscriber could want, but with the option to unlock the bootloader for as much customization as serious Android fans might stand. As you'd anticipate, the catch is simply who takes the hit if something goes wrong: brick the phone and you're likely looking at an expensive phone call to Samsung rather than a trip to the local Verizon store. Regardless, those who like Verizon's network but don't believe its claims about 'dangerous' unlocked phones can get the best of both worlds soon -- as long as they're willing to spend the $600 off-contract once the Developer Edition is ready in the near future. Check after the break for Samsung's official Q&A on the subject.

Continue reading Samsung brings out Galaxy S III Developer Edition for Verizon, answers the call for an unlockable bootloader

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Samsung brings out Galaxy S III Developer Edition for Verizon, answers the call for an unlockable bootloader originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Samsung Galaxy S III for AT&T now in stores

PSA Samsung Galaxy S III for AT&T hits stores

Samsung's current US trinity is now complete: the AT&T Galaxy S III is sitting on store shelves. After the somewhat bumpy launch, it's possible to traipse by any of Big Blue's stores and pick up the Android 4.0 flagship in marble white or pebble blue for $200 on a contract. It's the definitive GSM version for the US, with LTE giving it an edge over the HSPA+ T-Mobile model; we just wish there was an AT&T variant with 32GB of storage built-in, although that's nothing a microSD card won't fix. We just need to wait for US Cellular and Verizon to complete the launch and put Nature UX in seemingly every pocket.

PSA: Samsung Galaxy S III for AT&T now in stores originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 19:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wolfson confirms the Samsung Galaxy S III uses its audio chip

Wolfson confirms the Samsung Galaxy S III will use its audio chip

The Galaxy S III was widely tipped to possess a Wolfson digital-to-analog converter for high quality audio output -- a feature not seen in this range since the first Galaxy S. That notion has just been confirmed by the Scottish electronics firm itself, which says its WM1811 Audio Hub has been selected for use in Sammy's flagship. The chip promises "crystal clear voice call quality" and "enriched audio playback for music and video" thanks to its 24-bit hi-fi DAC, active noise reduction circuits and other wizardry. The GS II, meanwhile, used a Yamaha DAC to convert digital data (e.g. in an mp3 file) into an analog signal that could drive a speaker (for example in your headphones), but even if most people couldn't hear the difference, audiophiles have insisted they preferred the sound in the older Galaxy. The only question remaining, which the PR after the break does not expand upon, is whether the Wolfson hardware is found in all variants of the new phone. Check out the More Coverage links for further reading.

Update: Francois Simond (aka Supercurio) tweeted us to say that the US variant of the GS III uses Qualcomm's own WCD9310 for audio, not the Wolfson. Yup, it's that multi-talented Snapdragon S4 again.

Continue reading Wolfson confirms the Samsung Galaxy S III uses its audio chip

Wolfson confirms the Samsung Galaxy S III uses its audio chip originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung: Galaxy S III sales expected to total 10 million by July

Samsung Galaxy S III sales expected to total 10 million by July

Korea's golden goose is on track to drop its 10 millionth Galaxy S III by July, according to Samsung mobile head Shin Jong-kyun. The expectation comes despite limited supply, fueled by a component shortage at the smartphone giant. Regardless of this notable shortcoming, Samsung has wasted no time getting its latest handset to market, and expects to deliver the 4.8-inch Galaxy to some 300 carriers in 147 countries by the end of next month, including all of the major UK carriers, along with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon in the US. The sky-high figure is merely an estimate, however, so investors may want to stay tuned for the official announcement before uncorking the Dom. Full details are at the source link below.

[Thanks, Joseph]

Samsung: Galaxy S III sales expected to total 10 million by July originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung pegs LTE Galaxy S III for South Korea in July, quad-core quite possibly intact (update: yes!)

Samsung pegs LTE Galaxy S III for South Korea in July, quadcore quite possibly intact

Remember that dream version of the Galaxy S III that melded the Exynos 4 Quad, LTE-based 4G and 2GB of RAM all in one ultimate device? It now looks much closer to reality. Just as the 3G version is landing on the country's shores through SK Telecom, Samsung is sending word that the Korean LTE version is due in early July -- and Chosun claims it should have the best of all worlds in terms of performance. There should even be DMB TV tuning and a 500-title Video Hub for local movie lovers. We're anxious about just what that combination could do to battery life and the price, neither of which were mentioned up front. There may be good reasons why the US versions run on the dual-core Snapdragon S4, after all. Still, if the Korean LTE version doesn't have to make any sacrifices and is just a few weeks away from stores, it'll be hard not to turn a deep shade of green watching our friends in Seoul get what could easily be the better deal.

Update: The company has since piped up and confirmed to The Verge that the Korean LTE version is, in fact, quad-core. The LTE sits on a discrete modem chip where it's normally more tightly integrated on the Snapdragon, however -- and that means a potential knock against the runtime given that the 2,100mAh battery hasn't been beefed up.

Samsung pegs LTE Galaxy S III for South Korea in July, quad-core quite possibly intact (update: yes!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 00:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T says Galaxy S III pre-orders won’t land until June 25th, Samsung decides to celebrate anyways

AT&T says Galaxy S III preorders won't land until June 25th, Samsung decides to celebrate anyways

Samsung's US Galaxy S III launch is turning out to be quite the muted affair. Along with news of staggered Sprint and T-Mobile releases, AT&T is now adding that its Galaxy S III version likely won't make June 21st at all. Pre-order customers who were promised the phone this week are instead being told to wait until June 25th; they might get it early, should the smartphone stars align properly. If you're having pangs of regret for not pulling the trigger earlier, you'll have to wait up to 10 business days before before that Marble White or Pebble Blue beauty shows at your door. AT&T is pinning the delay on short supply, much like its fellow American launch carriers.

Not that the lack of handsets is stopping Samsung from kicking off an elaborate launch campaign of its own. Along with the usual celebrity and Times Square stunts, the Korean corporation is starting up a curated media hub, Beacon, and placing NFC-equipped Share-to-Go Stations: those in the happy position of carrying a Galaxy S III in their hands can download free content just through swinging by a kiosk. You can catch the full details of Samsung's escapades after the break.

Continue reading AT&T says Galaxy S III pre-orders won't land until June 25th, Samsung decides to celebrate anyways

AT&T says Galaxy S III pre-orders won't land until June 25th, Samsung decides to celebrate anyways originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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