Best Android tablets (April 2013 edition)

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

The Galaxy Note 10.1 is Samsung's is a flagship tablet that commands a flagship price.

The hardware is all top-notch, with a 10.1-inch screen with a 1280x800 resolution display, a 1.4GHz Exynos quad core processor, a choice of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage, a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera, and a 10-hour battery pack.

The software is Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" but there's an upgrade path to Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean".

For times when a finger just isn't precise enough, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 comes with a nifty stylus called the S Pen specifically designed to work with a number of applications. This really comes to its own when doing fiddly things like working in a spreadsheet, or knocking out a doodle.

The stylus makes the Galaxy Note 10.1 a great machine for taking notes, planning, and sketching out ideas.
At a glance:

• 10.1-inch, 1280x800 display
• 1.4GHz Exynos quad core processor
• Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich"
• 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera
• Choice of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB
• Battery life of 10 hours

Price:from $499.
Link/image source:Samsung.

Spillikins #181. What memory does your phone use?

Those who read our Spillikins on a regular basis can be divided into two camps: some of them are asking for more information about Nokia and about how the company is dying, while others say it's all clear and the death agony is of no interest. As for me, my interest in the Nokia story is quite practical, for it presents a lot of scenarios of what and how a company should never do. And this is crucial for companies that wish to be successful. This week, Stephen Elop's lie about the good sales in the USA and about Lumia 900 market acceptance got disclosed – the time puts everything into place. We are about to see Nokia's quarterly report, which will send the company's shares to another flight. Waiting for those figures, some research companies are publishing their own estimations of Nokia's sales. For example, Nielsen believes that AT&T has sold not more than 300,000 Lumias 900 in Q2. No one speaks of millions, as the global sales will hardly exceed 2.5 million. Anyway, you will be able to read the details in the next Spillikins and in our news next week. Nokia is going to have very bad Q2 results. And when I say 'bad', it's even underestimated. Another word could be more appropriate here, but it would be beyond the normal vocabulary. For a starter, look at the diagram presented by Asymco: it shows the number of smartphones used in the USA. The picture is quite nice and it speaks for itself.

And here are some more data by Nielsen about Nokia's share of the US market for smartphones.

However, Nokia has some secret weapons, for instance, the Instagram client coming to the market in 2013.

But that's enough about the dying ones. Let's switch over to our standard topics. I would like to thank everyone who has given a vote to my book as I asked you to in the previous Spillikins. Thanks again! I'm going to spend the entire next week in Vladivostok, so if there is anyone who would like to meet me there, you can write on my Twitter, and we'll select the time and place together.

Samsung Semiconductor advertising campaign: what memory do you use?

Samsung is starting to make use of their logical advantages that the company possesses as a manufacturer of hardware components for various kinds of electronic devices, being the leader in the memory chip production in particular. I guess every company, when it manages to occupy the lion's share of the market, will sooner or later start looking for ways to tell the customers about the advantages of its products. It appears much more difficult for hardware manufacturers, as the customers select and buy devices according to their features and prices, but no one chooses anything just because it has memory chips by Samsung, a CPU by NVIDIA, or a screen by Sharp. If such people still exist somewhere in the world, I might feel sympathy for them, as choosing every single product turns out to be an agonizing compromise. Besides, this kind of choice is defective from the start, as the best components never mean the ideal product in the end. Those components have to be properly harmonized with each other, which is actually a separate skill that we don't find too often in this world. 

Every hardware component manufacturer always tries to grab the biggest piece of the pie. For example, Qualcomm is trying to convince the customers that it is very important what kind of CPU is installed in a smartphone or a tablet. NVIDIA is doing absolutely the same when giving detailed descriptions of the advantages provided by their solutions. Of course, the CPU produces great influence on the general performance of the system. But still, we make our choices basing on a lot of criteria, with the CPU being only one of the variables. Every manufacturer, when starting an advertising campaign, wants to make its brand more recognizable, but the point is to increase the importance of the variable (e. g. the CPU) when the customers make their final choice. But this game is played not only for the customers, as it also produces pressure on the device manufacturers. If the customers get interested in what CPU, what memory or what screen is inside their devices, the manufacturers will have to pay attention to this factor when selecting their suppliers. The situation is unique due to the fact that 99 per cent of the customers do not think too much about the hardware specifications, e. g. the CPU frequency, its chip structure or its peculiar features if compared to the competitors. They just do not! The majority only keeps some kind of binary logic in their minds: Manufacturer A is good and Manufacturer B is not. Hence, every company bends its efforts to strengthening its own name, while the specifications remain important to the partners that produce their devices basing on those specs. 

Back in April I told you that Qualcomm was starting to actively position their CPU's for ordinary customers. The curious fact is that today Qualcomm is experiencing deficit for the Snapdragon S4 processors, so the company has even signed a contract for production of these chips using the Samsung capacities, with the 28-nm technology. And the most curious thing about it is that Samsung's own CPU's are made with the 32-nm technology, while the next leap they are planning to make should be switching to the 22-nm technological norm. Thus, we can conclude that in 2012 Samsung will produce CPU's based on a more advanced technology for its own partner and competitor. The world of electronics represents extremely curious cobwebs, and, on the one hand, the major part of the big companies are in a permanent life-and-death struggle with each other (Apple and Samsung with their smartphones and tablets), but on the other hand, they cooperate with each other quite successfully (almost half of the Apple iPad hardware is manufactured by Samsung). In such conditions, any advertising and promotion of components turns into a minefield. Making your brand more recognizable, you add points to your competitors at the same time. And you should think twice every time which side is going to win more: your own production or some other strong company.

In the context of promotion of the Snapdragon trademark, Qualcomm has launched a commercial video. It is pretty long, not too clear, but it is made in quite an American style: "Shoulda got a Snapdragon!"

What reminded me of it is the absolutely amazing Samsung Semiconductor advertising campaign dedicated to memory chips. There are three videos featuring three different characters: Loading Ball Larry, Fiona Freeze, and Battery Brutus. The first one is the loading ball that we see in various OS's when waiting for an application to start. The girl is responsible for the system freezing. And the third guy is the one who sucks the energy out of the batteries.

 

It's been a while I last saw such a brilliant advertising dealing with electronics problems in a humorous way. As you understand, the suggested way out is banal: use devices featuring memory by Samsung. But the videos themselves are made with a good share of humor and are really funny. Watch them – I'm sure you'll like them. This campaign reminded me of the one used when Nokia N95 was launched in 2007: Nokia invented jeans with huge pockets that could accommodate a bug number of various electronic gadgets. Our website is the only place where you can find those videos; the original website has been closed long ago, and there are only fragments of the campaign description.

So let's finally watch those videos by Samsung: 

Samsung Wants You to Shake Its Money Maker at Your TV for More Ads

This player is used on Facebook and anytime it's embedded outside of our sites.

Source : Laptop

It’s no secret that phones and tablets have become second screens we use to get additional information while watching TV. TV advertisers know this, and are always looking for ways to entice you to go online and learn more about their products. To help encourage you to shift your attention from the commercial on the big screen to additional ad content on the small screen, Samsung is working on software that will let you shake your mobile device for additional content.

At Mobile World Congress, Samsung demonstrated how its new, as-yet-unnamed ad technology works. As we watched, a Samsung rep played a commercial for mayonnaise on an HDTV while holding a phone in his hand. During the commercial, a small Samsung ticker message appeared in the lower left corner of the screen, encouraging viewers to “Shake Your Samsung Mobile.” After briefly shaking the phone, a microsite about the mayonnaise with a recipe for chicken on it appeared on the handset’s screen.

The rep explained this “shake for content” technology works because the software on the phone listens to the audio of the commercial and, after recording 4 seconds and sending that data to the cloud, identifies the correct content to send back. If you shake your phone after the commercial is over or less than 4 seconds before it ends, you’re out of luck.

The software isn’t out yet, but Samsung told us it will run only on Samsung phones and tablets. You won’t need to launch the software before shaking, as it will be on in the background at all times. However, you will need to wake your device from sleep to use it.

There’s no word yet on when we’ll see this technology in action and what companies will use it in their commercials. Only time will tell if this is a hit with advertisers or if it reaches too small of an audience.

Samsung’s shaking mechanism appears to be unique, but we’ve seen the Shazam app, which also sends audio to the cloud to find out what it is, used in other commercials in years past. That solution would work on any phone that installs the app, while Samsung’s would only appear on its products.

 

Samsung Galaxy S4 Launch Event In Times Square, New York

Over the last few months, speculation has been all over the tech world about Samsung’s major upgrade to its flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy. At last, the company announced its intentions to hold a press event to officially show off the device; now, it seems that the same event will be open to the public, a move that the company hopes will kickstart customer interest in the new product.

While the company formally announced its Samsung Galaxy S IV launch event a few days ago, most assumed that it would be confined to handpicked members of the press as opposed to the general public. However, a new message on the company’s official Twitter account suggests that the company will hold another event, open to the public, which will engage potential users in the innovations that are expected to make their way onto the new smartphone.

If this was not enough, Samsung will also be live streaming the event live via YouTube to those not lucky enough to be there in person. The public event is expected to feature consumer-oriented demos showing off the device’s bells and whistles, with strong incentives for those interested to go ahead and purchase the new smartphone.

Times Square, aside from being an iconic place in the Big Apple and known to many around the world, it has also been used as a backdrop for a series high-profile technology events where several products were unveiled. Just in the past year, Microsoft held a launch event for Windows 8 as well as the Surface RT, its new ultra-portable Windows (8) tablet, and Nokia announced its Windows Phone-powered Lumia 800 this past April.

Whatever comes out of this event, the lead up to the announcement will definitely attract the attention of many everyday consumers and tech enthusiasts alike. As we look to replace our smartphone in the coming year, the closest a company can be to its customers, the more likely it will be to obtain a sale in the end.

Whether the new Galaxy S IV will be instrumental to Samsung’s position in the smartphone market is not as of yet know, yet the interest that the launch event will generate will be a good indicator.

Samsung Exynos 5 Octa Specs & Details

[This is an ongoing story: Samsung will reveal more details as we get closer to Solid State Circuits Conference (Feb 19) Mobile World Congress (Feb 25-28), so we will update this page accordingly]

The Samsung Exynos 5 Octa is a chip that was announced at CES 2013 on January 10 2013. The Exynos 5 Octa is built on Samsung’s 28nm process (5000X thinner than a human hair) features four ARM Cortex A15 cores (1.8GHz) and four Cortex A7 cores (1.2GHz). Technically, the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa features 8 cores as its name indicates. However, only four cores can be active at any given time.

For more information on the big.LITTLE architecture, you can refer to our previous post about big.LITTLE. Although ARM representatives talked about their new Mali graphics processor (GPU) which include GPU-computing* capabilities, the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa does not use a Mali GPU, but a PowerVR SGX-544MP3, which can handle twice as many triangles as the SGX-543MP4 of the iPad 3 can. We’ll take a closer look to the iPad 4 in the near term.Another interesting fact: the Samsung Exynos Octa GPU is clocked at 533MHz, which is quite a bit higher than the iPhone 5 (266MHz) and the iPad 4 (300MHz). At the moment, we cannot run any benchmarks yet, but it is fair to say that this will come soon enough.

Officially, Samsung claims that Exynos 5 Octa can consume up to 70% less power than the Exynos 5 Dual (a 32nm chip) which equips the Google Nexus 10 tablet. This is probably true in specific situations, but what actually matters is the average gain. In any case, it is certain that in a sleep state the difference should be quite drastic – and most of the time, your devices are in a sleep state.

Highlights

• 4X ARM Cortex A15 cores at 1.8GHz
• 4X ARM Cortez A7 cores at 1.2GHz
• 28nm Samsung manufacturing process
• Graphics: PowerVR SGX-544MP3 at 533MHz

iPhone three times more reliable than Samsung Galaxy smartphones, study shows

Apple’s iPhone is the most reliable smartphone currently in market, beating major rivals to earn top marks in a research from FixYa.

The troubleshooting outfit collated 722,558 problems reported by customers with an Apple, Samsung, Nokia or Motorola flagship smartphone. It then compared this with market share data from StatCounter to assign a reliability score to each manufacturer.

Thanks to fewer tribulations relative to its massive install base, the iPhone came top with a score of 3.47. That’s three times higher than its closest competitor Samsung, which managed just 1.21 for the hugely popular Galaxy range.

However, it was bad news for Nokia’s Lumia range with a score of just 0.68 and even worse for Motorola, which came last with a paltry 0.13 due to the numerous troubles encountered by Droid owners.

Naturally, the iPhone’s battery life was the issue that most annoyed its users, especially following the recent iOS 6.1 debacle that caused iPhone 4S handsets to run out of juice much quicker after the update.

Despite this and the odd niggles, the high score goes to show that maybe iPhones are worth paying the premium for after all.

The findings are sure to delight Apple, which has had tough showing at the stock market after failing to meet analysts’ expectations in the last quarter of 2012. 

Samsung, on the other hand, will be hoping its soon-to-land Galaxy S4 will be able to finally knock the iPhone off its perch in both sales and customer satisfaction, especially as the latter is an area where Apple has consistently led.

Have you had any issues with your iPhone, Galaxy or any other smartphone? Tell us in the comments section below.

Samsung sends out press invites for March 14: can you say Galaxy S IV?

Samsung’s own JK Shin confirmed just hours ago that the Galaxy S IV will indeed get officially unveiled on March 14th in New York, and now Samsung has sent out the invites for the press, shedding all doubt.

And if you were yet unsure whether the Galaxy S IV will indeed by the star of Samsung’s March show, take a look at the writing “Ready 4 The Show” with the 4 a hint that obviously confirms it will be the new Android Galaxy S flagship.

This will be ‘Episode 1’ of Samsung’s Unpacked events for 2013, and those usually are held for high-profile devices like the Galaxy S or Galaxy Note series.

So far, rumors for the Galaxy S IV say the device will come with a 4.99 inch SoLux display (not AMOLED) with a quad-core 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chip and 2GB of RAM. There will be 16GB/32GB and 64GB models and a 13MP rear camera.

source: Samsung

MWC – Samsung introduced Galaxy Note 8.0

Samsung Electronics announced the launch of the 8 inch tablet, the GALAXY Note 8.0; a new era of intelligent Note technology set to re-ignite the mid-size tablet category that Samsung established in 2010. Providing unrivalled multimedia performance within a compact one-hand-grip screen, the GALAXY Note 8.0 has the power and advanced technology to evolve the tablet experience and ensure you achieve new levels of efficient multi-tasking while benefitting from superb voice call functionality. Furthermore, the intelligent S Pen brings together the latest innovation and the ease of using a traditional pen and paper; creating a sophisticated mobile experience that will enhance life on the go.

At the core of the GALAXY Note 8.0’s innovative solutions are beneficial functions, including multi-window options to split the portable 8inch screen and allow optimal access to a number of live applications; a new generation of Samsung’s intelligent S Pen with advanced usability; access to a suite of S Note templates and tools that allow you to create, edit, manage and share everyday documents; the Samsung “reading mode” technology to enjoy e books with optimized resolution, video and voice calls*. In addition, a suite of exciting new content and services are pre-loaded for users at no additional cost including, for the very first time on Samsung GALAXY tablet, the innovative Flipboard, and Awesome Note.

A smart diary for life on the go
Slim and compact enough to become the perfect on-the-go work and play companion, the GALAXY Note 8.0 brings powerful performance and functionality to support even the most demanding of lifestyles. Designed to store and manage your personal and professional data efficiently, the new era device gives users the perfect pocket-sized hands-on organizational tool. Practical S Note templates and S Planner feature help to manage everyday tasks, including meeting notes, to-do lists and even personal diary entries. All content can be entered and updated with the finest of detail thanks to the evolution of the intelligent Samsung S Pen. Enhanced precision is offered with Handwriting-to-Text conversion and advanced Productivity Tools that support formula and shape recognition are now available at the touch of your S Pen.

New content and services
GALAXY Note 8.0 is packed with pre-loaded content and apps specifically for the value maximizing, mass multimedia consumer. Upgraded Chat-On provides easy instant messaging and group chatting in multiple formats – images, video, voice, contacts – for simple, enjoyable communication. Awesome Note, an integrated application that is introduced in android tablet for the first time with NOTE 8.0, is capable of unlimited note-taking uses including Memo, Diary and Must-remember lists. With Flipboard, your news, social network and other feeds come together in one stylish, flippable format so you can enjoy all your news and life’s great moments in one place. Flipboard developed a customized version of its application exclusively for Samsung that allows users to take the S Pen’s hover feature and preview article headers beneath Flipboard’s main screen tiles. Finally, Smart Remote, gives you a universal remote control and electronic programming guide allowing you to manage TV and video watching seamlessly.

A new age of S Pen intelligence
Optimized to aid personalized creativity, the Samsung S Pen has evolved to increase everyday usability and enhance creation expression. Embedded within the tablet, the S Pen is an extension of the GALAXY Note 8.0. Removing the S Pen from the device will automatically launch innovative features such as Pen Detection that will suggest adapted menus that it thinks you’ll need and Page Buddy, a feature that will intuitively activate your most recently adapted S Note home screen. S Pen technology is now so advanced that it doesn’t even have to touch the screen. With Air View, the S Pen needs only to hover over the screen to see previews of videos, emails, photos and appointments on SPlanner without opening the file or application in full. S Pen Gesture allows images and content to be easily edited and cropped, whilst Paper Artist and Photo Note allow photos to be artistically personalized. In addition, for the very first time in GALAXY NOTE category, you can use S Pen to control the physical menu/back buttons on the device with WACOM technology.

Maximizing mass multimedia consumption
Creative multi-tasking with the GALAXY Note 8.0 is effortless due to innovative Dual View feature, two multi window options that seamlessly allow you to facilitate multi-screen usage. Dual View’s split screen accommodates optimal operation of different apps, such as launching the S Note on the web browser screen and allowing content to be resized, dragged and dropped as required.
Multi-tasking is extended to phone calls*. Pop Up Note allows you to access S Note at any time to keep track of key actions and Pop Up Video ensures you can keep surfing the web whilst chatting – content windows can be easily resized by pinching to enlarge or reduce.

Perfect info-tainment partner
Packed with features to engage, entertain and excite, the GALAXY Note 8.0 supports your practical everyday needs. Reading Mode transforms the GALAXY Note 8.0 into an e-Book reader, provides the optimal reading conditions to ensure you can curl up and enjoy a good book. You can even turn it into a universal remote control with Smart Remote, to seamlessly manage TVs, set-up boxes, DVD & Blu-ray players.

Samsung takes on iPad Mini with Galaxy Note 8.0

This undated image provided by Samsung on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013 shows the Samsung GALAXY Note 8 with a stylus. Samsung Electronics is beefing up its tablet range with a competitor to Apple’s iPad Mini that sports a pen for writing on the screen. The Korean company announced on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 in Barcelona, Spain that the Galaxy Note 8.0 will have an 8-inch screen, putting it very close in size to the Apple’s tablet. (AP Photo/Samsung)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Samsung Electronics is beefing up its tablet range with a competitor to Apple's iPad Mini that sports a pen for writing on the screen.

The Korean company announced on Sunday in B'arcelona that the Galaxy Note 8.0 will have an 8-inch screen, putting it very close in size to the Apple's tablet, which launched in November with a 7.9-inch screen. It's not the first time Samsung has made a tablet that's in the Mini's size range: it's very first iPad competitor had a 7-inch screen, and it still makes a tablet of that size, but without a pen.

Samsung will start selling the new tablet in the April to June period, at an as yet undetermined price. It made the announcement ahead of Mobile World Congress, the wireless industry's annual trade show, which starts Monday in Barcelona, Spain.

The Note 8.0 fills a gap in Samsung's line-up of pen-equipped devices between the Galaxy Note II smartphone, with its 5.5-inch screen, and the Galaxy Note 10.1, a full-size tablet. Samsung has made the pen, or more properly the stylus, one of the tools it uses to chip away at Apple's dominance in both tablets and high-end smartphones. Apple doesn't make any devices that work with styluses, preferring to optimize its interfaces for fingers, mice and touchpads.

On Samsung's Note line, the pens can be used to write, highlight and draw. The screens also sense when the mouse hovers over the screen, providing an equivalent to the hovering mouse cursor on the PC. However, few third-party applications have been modified to take full advantage of the pens.

Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro review: a capable Windows 8 tablet with S Pen support

At this point we've seen countless Windows 8 devices -- Ultrabooks, convertibles and hybrids, oh my -- but to date there are only a few in the latter category running Ultrabook-grade processors. Exhibit A, of course, is Microsoft's long-awaited Surface Pro, but Samsung also has a horse in the race: the ATIV Smart PC Pro. This $1,200 machine packs a Core i5 CPU and includes a keyboard dock and an S Pen to appeal to productivity-minded users. We've spent some time with this 11.6-inch hybrid's Atom-powered sibling, the ATIV Smart PC, and walked away unimpressed. So does the Smart PC Pro's higher-end performance make for a more worthwhile product? Head past the break to find out.

Look and feel

The ATIV Smart PC Pro's design is almost identical to the ATIV Smart PC's; the only difference is the inclusion of vents to accommodate the Core i5 CPU, plus a different keyboard dock. It's clad in black plastic, with a subtle brushed texture on the back providing the only flourish. Accordingly, it doesn't feel very premium -- we thought the design looked too cheap for the $800 (off-contract) Smart PC, and the Smart PC Pro costs $400 more. At 1.89 pounds and 0.5 inch thick -- 3.5 pounds and 0.78 inch thick in clamshell mode -- this isn't the slimmest slate, but those dimensions do allow for a USB 3.0 port. Still, as we noted in our review of the ATIV Smart PC, an 11-inch tablet is on the large side, and it definitely feels more natural to use the PC Pro as an Ultrabook.

The black plastic design doesn't have a premium feel.

Connecting the tablet to the included dock is extremely easy and intuitive, as it should be: simply center the tablet over the keyboard and let the latch system work its magic. You won't have to feel around too much for the device to lock into place -- we had that issue with the HP Envy x2, and it definitely made switching from slate to laptop mode anything but seamless. When the slate is docked, its hardware Windows 8 button is mostly obscured, and the glossy finish surrounding the 11.6-inch display contrasts strongly with the matte plastic of the keyboard deck. It's not a sloppy look, per se, but it definitely feels a bit mismatched, like the keyboard dock could be from a third-party vendor.

Let's move on to the formal tour. The front of the tablet is relatively unadorned, save for the Samsung logo on top of the display, the aforementioned hardware Start button, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera and a long speaker grille along each edge. The volume rocker and a micro-HDMI port line the left edge, while the right edge is completely clean save for a slot for the included S Pen (more on that later). Lining the top are the 3.5mm headphone jack, the power button, a toggle for turning autorotate on and off, a full-size USB 3.0 port and a microSD card slot. The bottom edge sports the grooves for attaching the tablet to the keyboard dock, along with a power connector for charging the standalone slate. Flip the slate over, and you'll see the Samsung name etched in silver letters, along with four air vents and the 5MP rear shooter.

Keyboard and touchpad

One of our biggest sticking points with hybrid devices is their tendency to sacrifice comfortable keyboards for thin designs. Luckily, the ATIV Smart PC Pro strikes a good balance between portability and ergonomics. The island-style keys on this layout offer plenty of travel, and they're well-spaced enough that you won't be hitting the wrong letter every two seconds. The chiclets themselves are also decently sized. We had no issues pounding out emails and made very few mistakes, even if our words-per-minute score on a typing test was a bit lower than usual. As we mentioned earlier, this keyboard isn't interchangeable with the ATIV Smart PC's, which may explain why we had a much worse experience with the other machine's dock.

The trackpad, located below the chiclet keyboard, is on the small side, and it provided quite the hit-or-miss experience throughout our hands-on time. Standard Windows 8 gestures like swiping from the right to reveal the Charms Bar work well, but pinch-to-zoom and other multi-finger movements occasionally didn't register on the first attempt.

S Pen

Samsung offers the S Pen as an alternative input option, and there's thankfully a small built-in slot for storing it. The Surface Pro doesn't include a slot for its pen, and while the device magnetically attaches to the power connector, it's still prone to coming loose in your bag. The Wacom-certified digitizer registers 1,024 degrees of pressure, which contributes to a great drawing and note-taking experience on the 11.6-inch display. This S Pen is shorter and stockier than the versions made for the Note I, II and 10.1, and it offers a very comfortable grip.

A number of pre-loaded programs tie in with the pen's functionality; essentially, the S Pen suite has been ported over to Windows 8. S Note includes several templates and handwriting recognition, while Mini S Note simply offers different pen options and a grid-style notepad. Fresh Paint, as usual with Win8 machines, is also pre-installed.

Display and sound

The ATIV Smart PC Pro sports an 11.6-inch, 1080p display with a brightness of 400 nits. When we indulged in some West Wing episodes on Netflix, we found images to be extremely sharp, with accurate colors. There are a variety of display settings, including Movie and Sharp, that alter the panel's brightness and contrast, but we stuck with the default setting and had no issues. Viewing angles aren't exceptional -- this isn't an IPS panel -- and the display's glossy finish does kick back a lot of glare. This got in the way of us enjoying some YouTube clips at our desk, where this is strong overhead lighting, but we had no trouble viewing the screen when relaxing in our dimmer apartment.

The ATIV Smart PC Pro strikes a good balance between portability and ergonomics.

With just two smallish speakers, the ATIV Smart PC Pro can't really be expected to pump out high-caliber audio, and, well, it doesn't. Bass is negligible, and sound isn't especially crisp or rich. Still, volume at 100 percent is sufficiently loud, and we enjoyed listening to music and playing some casual games with headphones.

Performance and battery life

	PCMark7	3DMark06	3DMark11	ATTO (top disk speeds)
Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro (1.7GHz Core i5-3317U, Intel HD 4000)	4,436	2,763	E1,037 / P567	535 MB/s (reads); 347 MB/s (writes)
Acer Iconia W700 (1.7GHz Core i5-3317U, Intel HD 4000)	4,580	3,548	E518 / P506	542 MB/s (reads); 524 MB/s (writes)
Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 (1.7GHz Core i5-3317U, Intel HD 4000)	4,422	4,415	E917 / P572	278 MB/s (reads); 263 MB/s (writes)
Microsoft Surface with Windows Pro (1.7GHz Core i5-3317U, Intel HD 4000)	4,673	3,811	E1,019 / P552	526 MB/s (reads); 201 MB/s (writes)
Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch (1.7GHz Core i5-3317U, Intel HD 4000)	3,239	4,339	E1,062 / P573	115 MB/s (reads); 110 MB/s (writes)

The Smart PC Pro's Core i5-3317U processor turned in some respectable benchmark scores. In 3DMark 11, it slightly bested the Microsoft Surface Pro, and it came in right behind Redmond's slate in PCMark 7. When we ran the ATTO disk benchmark, the machine's 128GB SSD notched blazing max reads and writes of 535 and 347 MB/s, respectively.

Booting up takes just 10 seconds, which is in line with most Windows 8 systems we've tested. In everyday use, we didn't notice any glitches like lagging responsiveness or apps force-closing. After a half-hour of streaming Netflix, though, the Smart PC Pro felt quite warm -- not quite uncomfortably so, but enough to get our attention. For the record, we also noticed the fan kick up when we streamed full-screen video on the Surface Pro.

The Core i5 processor offers good everyday performance.

The ATIV Smart PC Pro packs Intel's integrated HD Graphics 4000, which typically allow for some light game playing and movie streaming but not much else. In our real-world gaming tests, the device turned in almost unplayable frame rates: we're talking a max of 15 fps in Mafia II. This system certainly isn't targeted at serious gamers, but it should be able to handle casual titles with more aplomb.

	Battery Life
Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro	5:07
Acer Iconia W700	7:13
Samsung Series 9 (13-inch, 2012)	7:02
MacBook Air (13-inch, 2012)	6:34 (OS X) / 4:28 (Windows)
Dell XPS 14	6:18
Sony VAIO T13	5:39
Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13	5:32
Dell XPS 12	5:30
Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch	5:23
ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A Touch	5:15
ASUS Zenbook Prime UX51Vz	5:15
Toshiba Satellite U845W	5:13
Toshiba Satellite U845	5:12
Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3	5:11
Toshiba Satellite U925t	5:10
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon	5:07
Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M5	5:05
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch	5:00
Sony VAIO Duo 11	4:47
Acer Aspire S5	4:35
ASUS Zenbook Prime UX21A	4:19
Acer Aspire S7 (13-inch)	4:18
Acer Aspire S3	4:11
Lenovo ThinkPad Twist	4:09
HP Spectre XT TouchSmart	4:00
Vizio Thin + Light (14-inch, 2012)	3:57
ASUS TAICHI 21	3:54
Microsoft Surface Pro	3:46

On our battery life test, which entails playing a locally stored video on loop with WiFi on and brightness set to 65 percent, the Smart PC Pro's four-cell lithium-polymer power pack held out for five hours and seven minutes. That's within Sammy's suggested runtime of four to seven hours, and while it's not stellar longevity, it's better than the Surface Pro's three hours and 46 minutes. That said, the Acer Iconia W700 with the same specs makes it into the seven-hour range.

Cameras

The ATIV Smart PC Pro features a 5MP rear camera that delivers decent shots for a tablet. When we snapped a few frames of a sunny park scene in lower Manhattan, autofocus worked well and we saw accurate colors. Straying into lower-lit areas, including a street with heavy shadows from surrounding buildings, resulted in more pixelation. Color balance was also thrown off in those situations: we got shots that were at times overly blue or way too yellow. Camera options include adjustable brightness and contrast along with manual and auto options for focus and exposure. We found that autofocus did a fine job, especially in well-lit areas, but switching to manual on a dimly lit subway platform resulted in a clearer image. The camera is also capable of shooting video in 720p. The built-in mic does a good job of capturing audio, but objects in our sample footage looked blurry.

Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro sample shots

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A 2MP front-facing camera is also on board to accommodate any webinars that may be in your future. A few selfies shot in our brightly lit office displayed accurate colors but were quite pixelated.

Software and warranty

Samsung loads the Smart PC Pro with no shortage of programs, including several proprietary apps. Chief among these are S Note and Mini S Note, which we discussed earlier. Other branded apps include AllShare, a QR code scanner and S Service for troubleshooting. Apart from the S Note apps, however, our favorite Samsung touch is the Quick Starter (also known as S Launcher) button on the desktop, which effectively brings back the Windows 7 Start Menu, complete with shortcuts to documents and the control panel, as well as a search bar. The desktop also features a settings menu, which provides easy access to audio, display and network options. Third-party software includes Adobe Reader, Evernote Touch, a 30-day trial of Merriam-Webster dictionary, Music Maker Jam, Netflix, Norton Internet Security and Skype.

The ATIV Smart PC Pro comes with a one-year parts and labor warranty.

Configuration options and the competition

The ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T is only available in one configuration. For $1,200, you get a Core i5-3317U processor clocked at 1.7GHz with 4GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD, the bundled S Pen and the keyboard dock. If you don't need high-end performance, you could give the $750 ATIV Smart PC a look. The WiFi-only version includes an S Pen, but the screen resolution is lower, at 1,366 x 768. While the PC Pro runs an Ultrabook-grade chip, the cheaper Smart PC has a lower-power Atom CPU, so power users will want to look elsewhere.

One of the most obvious alternatives to the Smart PC Pro is the highest-profile Windows 8 tablet of them all: the Microsoft Surface Pro. A $999 configuration nets you 128GB of SSD storage and the same CPU as Samsung's device -- you'll have to shell out an additional $130 for the Type Cover. We liked the Surface Pro's build quality and strong performance, but poor battery life is a definite drawback. There's also the Acer Iconia W700, which boasts even better Core i5 performance and battery life for an aggressive starting price of $800. What's more, that price includes a keyboard and cradle. One downside, though, is the lack of pen support.

Wrap-up

The ATIV Smart PC Pro is a well-executed Windows 8 hybrid, with capable Core i5 performance and a comfortable keyboard and S Pen to see you through both work and play. We'd be more enthusiastic if Samsung kept the price south of $1,000, especially considering that the Acer Iconia W700 offers superior battery life and a bundled keyboard for $800. The Smart PC Pro offers a more portable design and pen input, though, so you'll have to weigh your priorities.

Samsung's new target: BlackBerry

 

Samsung has spent the last several years luring smartphone consumers away from Apple's iPhones. Now, the South Korean giant is taking aim at Research In Motion's still-formidable grip on the world's most security-conscious government and corporate clients.

Samsung is wooing chief information officers and government agencies, promising its phones—which run off Google's Android operating system—are just as secure as BlackBerrys. It has hired dozens of executives and salespeople from rivals and from mobile-security companies, while investing in other smaller, mobile security and data firms.

And it has tweaked a massive marketing campaign aimed at consumers, airing ads during the recent National Football League playoffs that poked fun specifically at the BlackBerry.

Samsung executives in South Korea have made enterprise sales a "top three priority" company-wide, said Tim Wagner, Samsung's Dallas-based general manager and vice president for enterprise sales, who was hired away from RIM in 2010. The company has recently closed deals for thousands of company-issued Samsung smartphones and tablets for big corporations like American Airlines Inc., Waste Management Inc., and Boston Scientific Corp.

IDC, a market researcher, found over 50 percent of smartphones shipped to corporate customers last year were iPhones, while Samsung shipped 16 percent of that market. RIM, which had dominated the sector just a few years ago, saw its share shrink to 10 percent last year, IDC said.

Nikon eyeing to bring Samsung Galaxy camera competitor

Nikon has signed a licensing agreement to gain access to Microsoft's imaging patent portfolio for Android.

Nikon has signed a licensing agreement with Microsoft to gain access to Microsoft's patent portfolio for certain cameras running on Android platform, setting of a rumour that the camera giant is planning to bring a new device to beat the Samsung Galaxy Camera.

At this moment, there are few Nikon Coolpix models running Android platform and quite possible that Nikon is looking to expand the product line-up. Neither of the companies specified the patents in questions and whether Microsoft will continue receiving royalties from Nikon or not.

Samsung recently introduce the Galaxy Camera which is basically a powerful hardware bearing smartphone with great point-and-shoot camera level optics. However, prior that Nikon had introduced its first Android operating system running camera - Coolpix S800c.

Important aspect that the camera makers have noted is that consumers and amateurs want digital cameras that can connect to wireless networks. Post that, the images can be directly shared to social networking websites, uploaded to secured cloud storage accounts or transferred to a mobile device or tablet. With Android, the possibility to find hacks and optimise the performance of the camera as a portable device also increases. For instance, if the hardware supports, one can use a custom application to view videos recorded in a specific format.

Powerful digital cameras with 3G network and WiFi support certainly look like an interesting gadget option for the technology savvy folks. While those technologies continue to advance, Microsoft quietly enjoys the royalties received due to its patent portfolio.

Samsung Galaxy Young and Galaxy Fame bring Jelly Bean to the masses

I wanna live forever!

Samsung has announced two new (ish) Android smartphones in the Galaxy range, pitched at the affordable end of the market.

The Samsung Galaxy Young name isn’t entirely new: in 2011 there was a Samsung Galaxy Y, with the Y standing for, you guessed it, young.

The Samsung Galaxy Young (above) features a 3.27-inch display with a 480 x 320 pixel resolution and there’s a 3-megapixel camera around the back, entry-level specs.

Powering the phone is a 1GHz processor and 768MB of RAM. There is 4GB of internal memory, although you can expand this with microSD.

All the normal connectivity is in place, including GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as motion sensors to give you some of the smart Samsung features. A highlight is that this budget phone is launching on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, meaning it’s relatively up to date.

The 1300mAh battery might sound a little low on capacity but given these specs, we’d expect it to last all day. The Samsung Galaxy Young measures 58.6 x 109.4 x 12.5mm and weighs just 112g.

Samsung Galaxy Fame

The second phone announced is the Samsung Galaxy Fame. It brings with it a slightly larger display at 3.5-inches, but still with a low resolution at 480 x 320, so you can expect it to be pretty grainy.

Where it does get a boost in pixels, however, is with the 5-megapixel camera on the back, as well as the 0.3-megapixel camera on the front.

You get the same 1GHz processor, although the RAM is specified at 512MB, which is positively prehistoric, and there’s 4GB of internal storage, again expandable via microSD.

You get the same connectivity, but Bluetooth sees a hop to version 4.0 and there’s an option for NFC, although we imagine this will vary from country to country, as will dual SIM options. The Samsung Galaxy Fame measures 113.2 x 61.6 x 11.6mm and weighs 120.6g.

Again you get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean skinned with Samsung’s UI, and integration of some of Samsung’s smart features, such as smart alert and shake to update.

Both of these new Galaxy handsets will be coming to the UK from March 2013, in a range of attractive colours. Judging by the specs, they’ll be very affordable too.

Samsung Unveiled GALAXY Grand

Samsung unveiled the Samsung GALAXY Grand, an ideal smartphone for users with fast-paced mobile lifestyles who demand more from their phone.

Samsung GALAXY Grand runs Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), Google’s latest operating system. Its vivid 5.0’’ display provides an expansive viewing experience, presenting messaging, multimedia and Web content in brilliant color and clarity. Even with the large screen, the phone is still slim, ergonomic and comfortable to hold. You can also enjoy true multitasking running multiple apps simultaneously and without switching screens using Multi Window feature.

GALAXY Grand with an impressive 1.2 GHz Dual Core processor supports seamless multitasking, faster web browsing, lightning-fast screen transitions and superior graphics for some of the most demanding apps and games.

The GALAXY Grand sports a powerful camera with zero shutter-lag and ultra-quick camera start-up. It includes a backside illumination sensor to ensure clear shots even in dark conditions, as well as Full HD video recording.

Samsung GALAXY Grand also includes intuitive features that make the phone easy to use. For example, Direct Call enables users to automatically dial a call by raising the device up to the ear; while users can also shake the phone to trigger status updates, or pan it to zoom into a screen. Smart Alert shows missed events such as missed calls and new messages just by picking up the phone. Popup Video, for example, lets users watch video in a pop-up window anywhere on the screen while running other tasks; S Voice lets you control the phone using your voice; and AllShare Play lets you share content across Samsung devices using a single account.

The phone is pre-loaded with the latest versions of Samsung Hubs to deliver the most popular games, movies and music direct to the user on demand.

The GALAXY Grand’s innovative dual SIM feature provides total communication flexibility, allowing users to manage two phone numbers from a single phone. It is possible to receive calls on one SIM number while taking a call from the other, ensuring efficient management of personal and work commitments without ever missing a call. Dual SIM also offers the flexibility of selecting different billing plans for either SIM, switching between them to make the most of cheaper call and data plans.

For more information on the Samsung GALAXY Grand, please visit www.samsungmobilepress.com.

＊ All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

Possible Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Shows up in GLBenchmark

A device thought to be Samsung’s upcoming Note 7 has turned up in GLBenchmark’s database, hinting that the company is preparing to compete with Google’s immensely popular Nexus 7. Samsung’s lineup of excellent Note devices has captured a large portion of the Android market, so it makes perfect sense the company would want to take that experience into the popular 7-inch tablet form factor. Imagine the experience of the Note II, just bigger.

Stuck with the model number GT-N5100, the benchmark listing doesn’t guarantee a Note 7, or much information about the device overall. What is revealed is the Samsung brand, Android 4.1.2—and that’s about it. However, we’re merely guessing about the device’s true identity. The company has been rumored to have great interest in the 7-inch form factor, so take that for what it’s worth.

According to Phandroid, reported specs of the device include a display resolution of 1280×800, 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos 4412 processor, 2GB of RAM, and all of the popular functionality present in Samsung’s Note devices. The company said it doesn’t have much on tap for CES, which is only a few weeks away, so perhaps we’ll see something of substance revealed at Mobile World Congress.