Samsung Galaxy S III takes best smartphone at Mobile Choice Consumer Awards 2012

The 2012 Mobile Choice Awards was held last night in London, and Samsung came out on top with the Galaxy S III winning best smartphone for 2012. We should note that the iPhone 5 wasn’t part of the festivities, but I’m confident the GSIII would still be the winner. As to tablets, not surprisingly the iPad won, but the Nexus 7 was a close second. Hit the break for all the results.

Phone of the Year:

Samsung Galaxy S III – winner
Apple iPhone 4S – runner up
HTC One X
Nokia Lumia 800
Sony Xperia S

Tablet of the Year:

Apple New iPad –winner
Nexus 7 by Asus – runner up
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
Sony Tablet S

Manufacturer of the Year:

Samsung – winner
Sony – runner up
Asus
HTC
Nokia

Most Innovative Device:

Samsung Galaxy Note – winner
Nokia 808 PureView – runner up
Apple iPhone 4S
HTC One X
Sony PlayStation Vita

Best Design:

Nokia Lumia 800 – winner
Sony Xperia U – runner up
BlackBerry Porsche P’9981
HTC One S
Motorola RAZR Maxx

Best Value Phone:

Sony Xperia U – winner
Huawei Ascend G300 – runner up
HTC One V
Nokia Lumia 710
Orange San Diego
ZTE Tania

Best Camera Phone:

Nokia 808 PureView – winner
Samsung Galaxy S III– runner up
Apple iPhone 4S
HTC One X
Sony Xperia S

Best Video Phone:

HTC One X – winner
Samsung Galaxy S III –runner up
Apple iPhone 4S
LG Optimus 4X HD
Sony Xperia S

Best Media Phone:

Samsung Galaxy S III – winner
HTC One X – runner up
Apple iPhone 4S
LG Optimus 4X HD
Samsung Galaxy Note
Sony Xperia S

Best Handset for Social Networking:

HTC One X – winner
Nokia Lumia 800 – runner up
BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900
Samsung Galaxy S III
Sony Xperia S

Best Bluetooth Headset:

Jabra SPORT- winner
Jaybird Freedom Headphones – runner up BlueAnt T2 Endure
Jawbone ICON HD + THE NERD
Plantronics BackBeat Go

Retail categories are 100% reader voted:

Best Online Retailer
BuyMobilePhones.net – winner
MobilePhonesDirect.co.uk – runner up
AffordableMobiles.co.uk
Mobilefun.co.uk
Clove.co.uk

Best High St Retailer:

Three – winner
Carphone Warehouse – runner up
Vodafone
Phones 4U
O2

Best Network:

Vodafone – winner
O2 –runner up
Tesco Mobile
Three
T-Mobile

Best In Store Customer Experience:

Vodafone – winner
Three- runner up
Carphone Warehouse
O2
T-Mobile

Best Customer Care:

O2 –winner
Tesco Mobile – runner up
Orange
T-Mobile
Vodafone

source: mobilechoiceUK
via: androidcentral

Galaxy S III 4G coming to Telstra and Optus with quad-core chip and Android 4.1

A minor iteration of Samsung’s flagship smartphone will soon be making its way to Australian carriers Telstra and Optus with 4G LTE in tow. Dubbed the Galaxy S III 4G, it will be the first LTE-version of the device to launch outside of Korea with the company’s very own quad-core Exynos processor on board. If that isn’t enough, users will have access to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box.

The 4.8-inch superphone will launch on both carriers in October with two color options for each network – white and blue on Optus, and grey and black on Telstra. Optus notes that customers who pre-order the GSIII online can expect to receive theirs by September 20th. Hit the source links below for the full low-down.

Source: Optus, Telstra

Verizon Wireless confirms locked bootloader on Galaxy S III and pretty much anything else moving forward

As we already knew, Verizon’s version of the Galaxy S III has a locked bootloader, but you didn’t think Samsung did that on purpose did you? Verizon has never been a fan of unlocked bootloaders, which always amazed me that they allowed the Galaxy Nexus on their network. The Verge reached out to Verizon for comment about the GSIII and this is what they had to say:

Verizon Wireless has established a standard of excellence in customer experience with our branded devices and customer service. There is an expectation that if a customer has a question, they can call Verizon Wireless for answers that help them maximize their enjoyment and use of their wireless phone. Depending on the device, an open boot loader could prevent Verizon Wireless from providing the same level of customer experience and support because it would allow users to change the phone or otherwise modify the software and, potentially, negatively impact how the phone connects with the network. The addition of unapproved software could also negatively impact the wireless experience for other customers. It is always a delicate balance for any company to manage the technology choices we make for our branded devices and the requests of a few who may want a different device experience. We always review our technology choices to ensure that we provide the best solution for as many customers as possible.

The GSIII is locked, but it has been rooted and trust me the amazing Android development community will figure something out soon.

source: theverge

 

Verizon GS III pre-orders now shipping July 19

We just reported yesterday that Verizon had pushed back their GSIII launch to July 12 and now the pre-orders are getting hit with delays as well. The latest update from Big Red states that pre-orders will begin shipping out July 19. I’m sure this is a tad frustrating for many customers have been already patiently waiting for their dream phone to arrive. Hopefully we won’t see any more delays in the coming days.

source: droidlife

Samsung Promotes the Cool ‘Share Shot’ Feature in New Galaxy S III Commercial

Just in case you weren’t completely sold on Samsung’s newest flagship phone, the company has aired a new video reminding people about one of its many great features. Share Shot is Sammy’s new way of sharing photos instantly with friends and family as long as they also have a Galaxy S III. Using Wi-Fi direct, the Galaxy S III can instantly share photos once a photo or video is taken. Simply add the people you want to share with before snapping pictures and voila! Instant media sharing. Now if you could just talk all of your friends and family into getting a new GSIII. Check out a perfect use scenario in the video below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Samsung Galaxy Beam now available in the UK through Expansys

For all of you in the UK who were interested in Samsung‘s  lumen projector smarphone combo, the Galaxy Beam is now in stock on Expansys website for £394.99. Just to recap, the G Beam will boast a 15 lumens pico projector, practically allowing users to walk around with a 50-inch screen TV in their pocket, or so Samsung says. The smartphone side will bring a 1 GHz dual-core processor, 5 MP rear-facing camera and 1 GB of RAM.

The concept is pretty cool, I have to admit, however it will be difficult for many to see this device as anything else past a social gimmick. The specs are good, but not as great as Samsung’s latest release, the GSIII, which will make adoption of the G Beam quite challenging. Who here is thinking about biting the bullet and snagging up one of these? If so, what real world applications do you have in mind for such a device?

source: expansys

If you pre-ordered your Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III before June 28th, make sure Verizon didn’t change your unlimited data plan

Remember when Verizon announced their new Data Share Plan? We previously reported that with Verizon’s new Data Share Plan, they were terminating their $30/month unlimited data plan option for customers. This new data plan that Verizon was heading towards became official on June 28th, thus it was crucial for certain customers to upgrade to a new phone before that date so that they will be able to keep their unlimited data plan and essentially become “grandfathered in.” For the Samsung Galaxy S III, if you pre-ordered it before the 28th of June, you were guaranteed to keep your existing unlimited data plan and not be switched into the new Data Shared Plan.

The problem is, once you attempt to activate your phone, Verizon’s system may not take that into account and could possibly switch your unlimited plan into their 2GB data capped plan. According to a user on Reddit by the name of kthxbaaai, that’s exactly what happened to him:

When I called today to activate my phone the Verizon rep started off by informing me that my unlimited plan would be converted into a 2GB capped plan, I informed him, in no uncertain terms, that no it would not. After speaking with his supervisor he told me that, yes, because I preordered before the 28th I get to keep my unlimited data, but to do so he had to switch me to a capped data plan and then submit an “inactive pricing” request to convert me back to my unlimited data. So currently they have me on capped data, but with a promise from the rep that it will be back to unlimited by tomorrow or Monday at the latest.

Luckily, the Verizon rep that he spoke to was kind and took care of him. If you pre-ordered your Galaxy S III before June 28th, make sure that you do indeed keep your unlimited data plan upon activation. At this point, we can only assume that if you activate your new GSIII without going through a Verizon customer service rep, you probably won’t have issues, but I would definitely double check to make sure nothing has changed. Has anyone experienced any problems such as this while activating your new Galaxy S III?

source: Reddit

Samsung Rolling Out Substantial Update to the Unbranded Galaxy S III, Brings New Features and Improvements

Shortly after the international Galaxy S III was launched the device received an OTA update that many claim helped speed up the UI. In an effort to improve things even more, Samsung has just pushed out yet another update and is reported to bring dramatic change to the overall user experience and even brings new features. Folks fortunate enough to receive the update are reporting that the device now has a slider control for brightness adjustment, further audio adjustments, new toggles added to the power menu, improvements to AccuWeather, new kernel and radio firmware, and more. Unfortunately, this update is currently limited to the unbranded international version of the GSIII so those of you in the U.S. will have to wait for the sometimes lengthy carrier testing period to end before you can experience the goods.

For the folks in other parts of the world, I would start looking for the I9300XXLFB update, and should be 72MB in size. Go ahead and go to Settings > About Phone > Software Update, and let us know if you see anything. You can also use the Samsung Kies desktop application to pull the update right now. Since we are unable to check out the update here in the states, let us know if you spot anything we haven’t mentioned. Thanks!

source: Phandroid

 

 

LG VS930 (Optimus LTE II) Stops by the FCC Sporting Global-Ready Verizon Radios

Just when you thought the Galaxy S III was going to be reigning top-dog at Verizon, another bad-boy phone stops by the FCC sporting the carrier’s radios. If the recent filling for the LG VS930 foreshadows the future, the Verizon GSIII may see some stiff competition from the LG Optimus LTE II sometime soon. Like the GSIII, the Optimus LTE II sports a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4, 2GB of RAM and an ever so slightly smaller 4.7-inch 720p display. According to the FCC filing, not only does the device house Big Red-friendly CDMA and LTE bands, it also switch hits with GSM and HSPA radios as found in AT&T devices. We could very well be looking at the global-ready successor to the LG Revolution and Spectrum.

If we go off of previous Verizon protocol, we could assume that this device is destined for U.S. shores some time in 2013. You see, in the past Verizon has limited their device lineup to just one LTE LG device per year, but are we are about to see that change? Seeing this FCC filing at this point in 2012 seems way to early for a device that should be scheduled for launch in 2013. It could very well be that the GSIII may only hold the Verizon spotlight for just a short amount of time until another device with similar specs steps into the ring. Stay tuned because this one has definitely caught our eye.

Would you choose LG over Samsung? Let us know in the comments below.

source: FCC
via: Engadget

U.S. Samsung Galaxy S III Review, A Contender Not To Be Reckoned With? (Video)

Introduction

Well, we didn’t have to wait too long this go-around for a Galaxy S device to make its way across the pond into the hands of the US masses.  Not even a full month yet, most of the US carriers will be getting their devices and those who pre-ordered it will be playing with one any day now.  The device is roughly going for $199 on a 2yr contract and will be available on five different carriers in the U.S.  You see how that works Apple?  This is how you sell more devices, you don’t give a single carrier six years of exclusivity.  But then again, what does it matter since you’re going to sue them for every device they manufacture from here until the end of time?  But I digress.  Back to the review.  So, now the device is here, does it live up to the hype?  I’d like to think so.  And though it’s obvious that Samsung cut a few corners in the hardware dept, it’s still a fricking awesome device.  That is my personal and professional opinion by the way.  All kidding aside, Samsung has done a great job offering a slew of new features software wise on the handset.  Apps like Allshare, S-Beam and many more, the handset is not only all work but plenty of play as well.  With a gorgeous 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display (1280 x 720) this device is going to take the industry by storm.  Add to that ICS 4.0, a nasty Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 CPU and 2GB of RAM and you have more than just a player here.  Head on past the break to read the rest of the review and don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Design

I think as far as the design factor goes, Samsung hit this one out of the park.  Best way I can describe the device is to think a “4.8-inch One S”.  Hate to compare the two but they’re comparable as far as design goes.  In that I mean, they’re pretty darn thin though Samsung has the upper hand here (removable storage and battery).  At just 8.6mm (.34-inches) thin, Samsung has out done the Galaxy S II though we wish they didn’t use the cheap plastic housing that they so often use.  However, as most of us know, this is but one tactic that Sammy uses to keep their devices lightweight.  In any event, it’s certainly a worthy successor to the GS II and is definitely worth the upgrade if you’re due for one.  According to Samsung, the device takes its design ques from “nature” and though it’s sporting a paper-thin housing for a rear cover, I think most will still be pleased with the device.  The handset sports curves on either side of the rectangular device with slightly rounded corners.  And unlike previous Galaxy S U.S. devices, Samsung has opted to keep the hardware and style virtually identical to that of its cousin across the way.  Rather than swapping out the center physical hardware button and two capacitive buttons for a four capacitive button layout, Samsung left it the way it was.  I’m sure their manufacturing department is thrilled as they’ll be able to ship more devices quickly not having to alter it for several different carriers.  And while it would be nice if the button was also a directional pad, I would have rather opted for all capacitive buttons.  I think most will find it unnatural to hit a hardware button, especially one handed when they’ve been lightly and effortlessly tapping capacitive buttons for years.  To each his own though, and yet remains to see how the masses feel and think about it.  All in all, Samsung refers to the device as “simple and intuitive” and I’m inclined to agree.   

 

Hardware

One can’t discuss hardware without discussing design and vice versa as often is the case.  However, the combination of hardware that makes up the exterior and interior of the device is nothing to shrug a shoulder at.  And though many of us were disappointed at the choice of housing the company went with for the GSIII, I think a large majority of people will agree with me when I say I think pulled it off.  And while paper-thin plastic makes up the majority of the device, the trade off is that it’s super thin and lightweight.  The device sports the typical unlock on/off button on the right side of the device, volume toggle on the left, single home/task manager button on the bottom front and 3.5 mm headphone jack on top.  On the backside of the handset can be seen the speaker grill, 8 mega-pixel camera lens and single LED  flash.  The backside sports the typical Galaxy S nomenclature and the respective carrier’s branding.  And though the device is technically mostly plastic, it still feels sturdy in the hand as most plastic casing tends to produce a slight squeak when you press on it.  However, not in the case of the GSIII.  Samsung graciously provided TA with two ceramic white models for review.  Take note, the white device is a smudge magnet and depending on the atmosphere and environment at the time, it could become slippery as heck.  So just make sure you have a death grip on it at all times.  We’re not sure how the metallic blue model will pan out, but we’re assuming it’s going to feel roughly the same.  Now would also be a good time to note that Samsung has decided to add, among the many accessories for the device, the same flip case that was bestowed and coveted on the Galaxy Note.  That’s right folks, Samsung has brought the same flip case the Note touts to the GSIII.  Unlike most cases where it slides on or clips on to the existing hardware, the flip case takes the place of your battery cover.  Utilizing this route, the device experiences no added bulk, remaining super thin while still simultaneously offering full protection to the screen.  And though the GSIII’s screen is Gorilla glass and doesn’t really need protecting, it looks cool as hell.  And while we’re on the subject of accessories, let’s not forget about TecTiles.  TecTiles, very close to what we’ve seen with Sony’s Smart Tags, allows you to place or stick small stickers with embeded circuitry in them to quickly change your device’s profile on the fly, switch to an app or pretty much do anything you feel like having the handset do on the go.  Headed to the gym and want to bring up your mp3 player with hard core music, move your work folders off of your home screen and bring up a cardio assistant widget?  Well, then tape a TecTile to your gym bag and just touch it with your phone.  In seconds your device will act and set itself to whatever you’ve programed it to.  The functionality is also a stand alone application and Samsung has offered the device for non GSIII phones.  The application is available on the Google Play Store and the tags will go for 5 tags at $14.99 if you’re interested.

Samsung TecTiles

Samsung Flip Case

Battery

Surprisingly, Samsung has included a whopping 2100 mAh interchangeable battery to accompany this workhorse of a handset.  I don’t know about you but I’m extremely grateful for the extra juice as I constantly work off of my phone on any given day.  A while back HTC took a survey which yielded results revealing that people wanted thinner handsets over more battery life.  Well, I think Samsung has done a fantastic job delivering them both in the GSIII.  Having two devices in my possession for testing purposes, I mostly worked off of the one while the other sat in the box until I needed it.  I can recall the standby device sat there for quite some time on a single charge before I finally saw the “battery low” alert.  Overall, we’ll gladly welcome extra battery life any day.  Especially when you can wrap 2100 mAh’s of it into a 8.6mm package.

Performance

I’m not sure where to even begin with this category.  I’ve never seen a device perform this well before.  The handset is a processing power machine to put it accurately and unlike its cousin in Europe, it’s not sporting the Exynos quad-core CPU initially announced.  Instead, the US variant sports the popular Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chip-set which has been noted to compete closely with other quad-core CPU’s.  As for a typical day’s use, the device lasted the entire time with very heavy use.  The combination of the S4 Chip and 2100 mAh battery makes for great battery performance as we were able to surf the web, watch multiple YouTube videos & trailers, listen to mp3′s in the background, view documentation with heavy graphics and schematics and send & recieve emails all day long.  After abusing the device for the entire day there was still 30-40% of battery life left.  We’ll certainly take that any day.  Overall, we’re certain you’ll be pleased with the performance of the device especially if you’re the type of power user who lives on their phone for a living.  In addition, there isn’t going to be a huge difference in performance if you’ve played with an Exynos quad-core device and have since moved to the dual-core S4 chip model.  All in all, if you want a handset that will work for you, this is it.

AT&T                                               Sprint 

Software

If you’ve had high hopes that the device would come with stock Android (which none of you should have) you’ll certainly be disappointed as the handset, like its predecessors, is accompanied with  TouchWiz.  Although, as I’ve mentioned many times in the past, I’ll take the TouchWiz UX over Sense UI any day.  And though sense has become extremely lighter in latter days such as seen on the One S and One X, I still don’t like its heavy integration into the OS.  TouchWiz is certainly extremely visible and noticeable from within the device’s version of ICS 4.0, however, I don’t mind it because I find the apps, widgets and functionality useful and effective.   The calendar integration (my most used app) which is the same one from the Galaxy Note is phenomenal as well as the many other extras not found on devices without having to obtain them via a third party method.  Apps like AllShare, ChatON, Flipboard, Media Hub, S Memo, S Suggest, S Voice and many other respective widgets have come to be a part of my daily routine.  Aside from the extra software integration by Samsung, all the standard ICS bells and whistles are there.  However, note that a few methods of accessing certain functionality are slightly different than they are on the Galaxy Nexus with stock ICS.  For instance, you can’t create folders on the desk top as you can in standard ICS by dragging one app over another.  You’ll need to access this via the menu.  In addition, Samsung’s standard app doc at the bottom, unlike the GSII, is now fixed and unable to edit as to where you could in previous versions.  This shouldn’t be a deal breaker for most but I figured I’d make a note of it since this is a review and all.

Galaxy S III Allshare Review

Click here to view the embedded video.

Galaxy S III S-Beam Functionality

Click here to view the embedded video.

Camera

The camera on the GSIII is unprecedented and reminiscent of that found on the HTC One Series.  If you want to check it out, you can scope our review of the One S here.  The camera itself sports a high end sensor as Sammy sure knows how to implement a camera.  This will certainly be your one stop shop for a point and shoot and cause you to leave your stand alone camera at home for sure.  Much like the One series camera, Sammy has implemented the ever popular burst mode feature with “best shot” functionality and picture capture in video mode capabilities.  By far, Samsung has delivered one of the best cameras on the market to ever accompany a cell phone.  Image quality on the device is not to be reckoned with as it renders high full-res shots that look both sharp and extremely detailed.  And for those off beat shots that require you to capture the moment on a dull and gloomy day, there’s an excellent and useful HDR mode which shoots multiple shots with different exposures, rendering a much better image than would have otherwise been obtained in poor conditions.

Outdoor Sample Shots

Galaxy S III Outdoor Video Sample

Click here to view the embedded video.

Final thoughts

Overall, the Galaxy S III shines through to overtake its many shortcomings.  Sporting a beautiful large 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, a fantastic dual-core CPU (Snapdragon S4) and blazing fast and high-end camera, the device is sure to sell like hotcakes by the millions.  If you’re due for an upgrade, I guarantee you, you will not be disappointed with the handset and it will most likely serve all of your purposes, whether you’re a casual web surfer or a constantly on-the-go workaholic who would rather cut a toe off than be without a smartphone for productivity reasons.  Our only cons with the device is Samsung’s choice of build material.  We would have rather seen them go the route of HTC with some sort of a uni-body housing even if it meant weighing a little more.  Otherwise, the GSIII is a solid handset and the optimal choice for an upgrade if you had to upgrade to the latest and greatest today.  Check out the rest of the snapshots of the device for features, hardware and comparisons.  Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments below.

Full Device Specefications:

• 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display (1280 x 720)
• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.5 GHz dual core CPU
• Weight: 4.73 ounces
• Comes in Ceramic White and Metallic Blue
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB and 32GB  (Internal storage) versions
• 5.38″ x 2.78″ x 0.34″ (137 x 71 x 8.6mm)
• Expandable memory with MicroSD
• 2100mAh battery
• Bluetooth 4.0
• MicroUSB
• NFC enabled
• 42Mbps HSPA+ or 4G LTE
• 8MP Camera w/ LED Flash (4x zoom)
• 1.9MP Front-facing camera
• S Beam capable
• SmartTV
• AllShare
• Mobile Hotspot