Samsung Galaxy S3 Of AT&T Receives Android 4.1 Update

Samsung Galaxy S3

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The Jelly Bean Android 4.1 OS was finally released to the Samsung Galaxy S3 of AT&T. The availability of the latest version of the Android OS was confirmed by the mobile service provider recently.

The JellyBean Android update for the Samsung Galaxy S3 of AT&T will be released through the Samsung Kies software and will not be available as an over-the-air download. Users who do not have the Samsung Kies software can download the update through the website of the South Korean manufacturer.

After installing the Jelly Bean Android update into their Samsung Galaxy S3 units, users are asked to connect the smartphone into a PC and visit the support site of the smartphone manufacturer. They will have to go through the step-by-step procedure on the page.

Samsung advised Samsung Galaxy S3 users to fully charge their units since the upgrade will not be completed if the charge level falls below fifty percent.

According to Ryan Lee, the product manager of AT&T, the Samsung Galaxy S3 will be enhanced with the Android 4.1 update, which will also offer a number of new features into the smartphone. Among the enhancements that the Android 4.1 update will bring to the Samsung Galaxy S3 include an improvement in Image quality under low light conditions while the notifications feature will be improved. The device will also receive some new features including Google Now.

Users will also have the capability of disabling notifications, incoming calls, and alarms at a specific time period.

The Android 4.1 update for the Samsung Galaxy S3 will also simplify user experience through the Easy Mode while texting and typing will be made simple through the Swype keyboard.

In addition to the AT&T version of the Samsung Galaxy S3, the update is also available to the Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint versions of the smartphone.

Google Nexus 4 Available On Google Play Europe

Google Nexus 4

(Image Credit: http://www.cnet.com)

At the heels of the resumption of Google Nexus 4 sales in the US, this popular smartphone offering of Google has become available at the Google Play stores in Europe.

The 8GB Google Nexus 4 will be available for delivery in the UK within five weeks time, while the 16GB model can be delivered within two weeks. Images and information about the notices released by Google were posted by Reddit users. The notice informed consumers that the inventory of the Google Nexus 4 at the Google Play store in Europe has been replenished

The Google Nexus 4, which is manufactured by LG, sold out within a few minutes after it became available in the market. Due to this, potential buyers had to wait for some time before stocks of the device were replenished by the manufacturer. The smartphone uses an unadulterated version of the Jelly Bean Android OS. Despite the absence of 4G LTE capabilities, the Google Nexus 4 remained popular in the market.

This popularity may have caught up with the supply once again as reports have indicated that stocks of the Google Nexus 4 in the US market is running low. Stocks of the 8GB model of the device have apparently been sold out a few days after Google announced its replenished inventory of the device. On the other hand the 16GB model will reportedly be delivered to users within six-weeks-time.

The unlocked smartphone offering of Google was initially available in the market last November 13 with the 8GB model priced at around $300. The 16GB model of the Google Nexus 4 costs around $350.

Survey Hints At HTC Titan III

HTC Titan III Questionnaire

(Image Credit: http://www.wpcentral.com)

Following the announcement that the HTC 8S will not be offered in the US market, it appears that HTC is set to offer another Windows Phone 8 smartphone in the US. A recent survey on Xbox Live Rewards has inadvertently leaked an upcoming Windows Phone 8 device from HTC, the HTC Titan III.

The supposed HTC Titan III smartphone, which will reportedly be offered through AT&T soon, was found in the list of a monthly questionnaire.

The questionnaire reportedly asked for the excitement level of survey participants if they will receive some handsets. The choices in this particular question included the Nokia Lumia 920, Droid Razr Maxx HD, Galaxy S3, iPhone 5 and the HTC Titan III.

The leaked question that included the HTC Titan III resulted to speculations that the upcoming smartphone may be the HTC Zenith. Earlier reports revealed that the HTC Zenith, or what is already called the HTC Titan III by industry watchers, will feature a quad-core processor, 4.7-inch Super LCD display, eight-megapixel camera, NFC and HSPA+ support.

The HTC Zenith was initially touted to become a part of a line of HTC devices together with the HTC Rio. However, the HTC Rio later became the HTC 8S Windows Phone device. Another smartphone that was supposed to be included in the line of smartphones was the HTC Accord, which became the HTC 8X.

The HTC 8S and HTC 8X were released on time, however the HTC Zenith or the HTC Titan III may not see the light of day until after this year.

The HTC Titan III is expected to be officially unveiled during the Consumer Electronics Show, which is around one year after the HTC Titan II was launched by the company.

Industry watchers also expect the HTC Titan III to be released through AT&T, although it remains uncertain if the mobile service provider that offered the HTC Titan II will also offer its upcoming successor.

Possible Reasonably-Priced Asus Tablet Spotted At Benchmark Site

Asus

With the flood of tablet devices in the market, manufacturers will have to think of ways in making their products appealing to consumers. One of the strategies that manufacturers can use is offering the devices at a reasonable price and it appears that Asus may be taking this route following reports that a possible reasonably-priced Asus tablet may enter the market soon.

Specs of a possible reasonably-priced Asus tablet emerged from GLBenchmark, a benchmark website.

Although the information about the upcoming reasonably-priced Asus tablet is limited, it appears that the upcoming device will feature a 1GHz processor, Mali 400 graphics chip, and will run the latest Android OS, the Jelly Bean Android 4.1 OS.

The upcoming reasonably-priced Asus tablet will also feature a display with a 1024 by 552 screen resolution, basing on the benchmark.

The reasonably-priced Asus tablet, which was given the codename Asus ME172V, does not appear to be similar to the Google Nexus 7, which was also manufactured by the same company. The information from the benchmark site also does not show the number of processors that the reasonably-priced Asus tablet will have.

The recent revelation brings to mind an earlier speculation that Google and Asus are preparing to launch another Nexus tablet that will be priced at around $99. However, the report was later clarified by Digitimes following the revelations that Quanta Computer may be the partner of Google in producing the cheaper model of the Nexus tablet.

For the moment no statements were released by the manufacturer on the reports about the supposed reasonably-priced Asus tablet.

No US Release For HTC 8S

HTC 8S

(Image Credit: http://www.cnet.com)

The budget-friendly HTC 8S will not be offered in the United States according to a recent statement from the company, which is set on concentrating on promoting its high-end big brother, the HTC 8X.

This means American consumers will not be able to purchase the Windows Phone-powered smartphone. If they intend to acquire the HTC 8S, they will have to purchase it in other countries where the smartphone will be offered. This will definitely bring up the cost of acquiring the reasonably-priced smartphone.

The HTC 8S was supposed to be a low-cost smartphone that will be offered through T-Mobile, however, Microsoft reportedly settled on testing the 8960 chipset from Qualcomm, which is the same chipset used on the HTC 8X as well as the Nokia Lumia 820 and Nokia Lumia 920 Windows Phone devices. This indicates that the HTC 8S will miss the chance of receiving official support from a US-based mobile service provider.

The HTC 8S and the HTC 8X were unveiled last September 19 with the high-end HTC 8X being offered through T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T last November. Microsoft has dubbed the HTC 8X as its flagship smartphone for the Windows Phone 8 OS.

However, it may still be possible that an unlocked model of the HTC 8S to be offered through online retail outlets, which will make it available to consumers in the US. 

Notable Speed Test For iPad 4

iPad 4

(Image Credit: http://www.apple.com)

Although sales of the iPad 4 may have been affected by the iPad Mini, it appears that the performance of the fourth generation iPad is better compared to its smaller-sized little brother.

The size, weight, and style of the iPad Mini may be more appealing to Apple enthusiasts, the performance of the iPad 4 may increase its appeal to consumers who have yet to choose which device to purchase.

Applications and web pages load faster on the iPad 4 compared to the iPad Mini. The graphics rendering performance of the iPad 4 was also significantly better compared to the iPad Mini.

A set of Geekbench tests showed that the iPad 4 was able to score 1,791 compared to the 764 of the iPad Mini. The fourth-generation iPad also performed better compared to the third-generation model of the device. The A6X processor of the tablet offering of Apple is the reason for the enhanced performance of the fourth-generation iPad compared to the iPad 3. The iPad 3 features an A5X processor.

The 4G LTE speed of the iPad 4 was also better compared to the iPad Mini.

Download speeds of the device reportedly reached 40Mbps in Sherman Oaks and 34Mbps in the Beverly Hills area. In comparison the download speed on the iPad Mini was at 18Mbps and 14 Mbps in the same locations. However, it should be noted that the upload speed on the iPad 4 was not as impressive since it only reached 14Mbps and 11Mbps in the same locations.

But another test conducted on a different date a much more realistic download and upload speeds for both the iPad 4 and the iPad Mini. The download speed of the two devices was at 10Mbps while the upload speed was around 3Mbps.

Although it remains uncertain if consumers will opt for the iPad 4 over the iPad Mini following the tests that were conducted on the two devices, the performance of the fourth-generation iPad will definitely give some consumers who are still in a quandary on which device to select something to think about.

Verizon Samsung Galaxy Camera Coming Soon

Samsung Galaxy Camera

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The Samsung Galaxy Camera will soon become available through Verizon as reports have indicated that the Verizon version of the Android-powered camera was reportedly spotted at the FCC.

Initial feedback on the Samsung Galaxy Camera was generally positive although its limited availability drew some reactions from industry watchers. The device was initially only available through AT&T but the recent report has hinted at the possibility that Verizon will also be offering the device in the market.

Details about the Verizon version of the Samsung Galaxy Camera emerged recently and they indicated that the 700MHz LTE band of Verizon may be supported by the device. Some industry watchers have hinted of the possible release of the 4G version of the device following reports on the testing made last November.

The price of the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Camera has yet to be revealed although there is a possibility that the price may be subsidized by the mobile service provider, which will make it affordable to the consumers.

Although the Samsung Galaxy Camera is a nice device to have, consumers may have to shell out a monthly fee in order to optimize the use of the device.