Samsung Galaxy S3 gets a release date, plus some photos

Earlier in the week, we reported on the hardware of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S III. The handset maker has listed the "carrier preference" list for the phone on its U.S. signup page, and although it has not been confirmed, the following carriers are listed: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, MetroPCS, US Cellular, and C Spire. 

Samsung says the device will hit Europe on May 29th and the U.S. and Canada "in June." In Europe the phone will be a Vodafone exclusive for the first 30 days. HIt the break link for some press photos.

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Samsung Galaxy S3 expected May 3

Samsung has sent out invites for an event on May 3rd for us to "Come and meet the next Galaxy." It is widely assumed that this is in reference to the much anticipated Galaxy S3, Samsung's next super phone.

The expected specifications of this device are staggering. We are looking forward to seeing a quad-core variant of Samsung's own Exynos processor, a full 2 GB of RAM, Android 4.0, a beautiful HD screen, and a 12 megapixel camera. All of that should be packed in to a nice, neat, thinner-than-it's-predecessor's frame. While that may seem like the stuff of fantasy, remember that Samsung- unlike some other phone manufacturers like Apple and Motorola Mobility- design and build all of their own major components, such as the processor, RAM, screen, etc. That means that Samsung, unlike those companies that merely buy their components and pay someone to piece them together (cough cough Apple), gets first pick of components with less overhead costs associated with them. So the fantastic specs don't seem so hard to reach for Samsung!

However, this is all speculation, of course. We'll be waiting with bated breath for the facts from Samsung on May 3rd. Remember that you can read about it first best here on The Geek Domain!

Samsung Galaxy S2 to get ICS this Saturday UPDATE: Just kidding

Two days. That's the amount of time remaining for you, dear Samsung Galaxy S II owner, before the long-awaited upgrade to Android 4.0 -- the dessert known as Ice Cream Sandwich -- becomes readily available for your device through Kies. Naturally, this is going to be adorned with Sammy's TouchWiz UI, and it's only going to be ready on the GT-I9100 (global version) for now. According to the notes, we can expect to see Face Unlock, Android Beam and data usage included, and multitasking and some apps will be improved. We're sure this is just the tip of the feature iceberg, however. Curiously, the site specifies that because of "ICS OS feature," Flash and Bluetooth 3.0 HS won't be supported.

The update will come to individual carriers and their own GSII variants eventually, after a hefty amount of testing on their end, but at least this -- combined with HTC's rollout of Sense 3.6 to the Nordic countries today -- means the ICS ball is officially rolling for custom skins. Let's just hope it's going down a steep hill. If you happen to be packing a GT-I9100, be sure to check the links below for the full set of instructions, and let us know what you find.

Update: Samsung's just tweeted that March 10th date is (sadly) wrong. It added that once the upgrade schedule is concrete, it'll confirm through its dedicated Twitter account.

A few Highlights from Mobile World Congress 2012, day one

The Mobile World Congress (MWC) takes place every year in Spain and is the exciting platform for major mobile announcements. This year, we're seeing quad-core phones, awesome tablets, and plenty of delicious Ice Cream Sandwich to go around on these Android wonders. Read on to find out more!

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Android 4.0.4 ROM leaks out for the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon

A little gem known as Android 4.0.4 wriggled its way onto the interweb last week, and while it was geared specifically for Sprint's Nexus S 4G, a similar version has just cropped up for the CDMA / LTE Galaxy Nexus from Verizon. While it's only available for tenacious users who've unlocked their bootloader, it seems that a host of improvements are on deck for the official release. First and foremost, the ROM is said to be noticeably faster, with the speed gains also extending to the web browser and the device's boot time. The release also packs a new radio file that (at least from user impressions) offers more seamless transitions between the CDMA and LTE networks. All in all, the rest of the changes are rather minor, but if you'd like to join the bleeding edge, you'll find everything you need in the source link below.

XDA-Developers

Waterproof coating for phones and tablets a reality?

HzO, which demonstrated its superhydrophobic waterproof coating on phones at this year's CES, says that Samsung is "really excited" by the technology. It says it's also talked with Apple about making a waterproof iPhone 5. While we're not sure who will end up licensing the waterproofing, HzO says that "We expect HzO to be in next season's phones."

With several similar films (including Liquipel, Aridion, and NeverWet) on the market, it wouldn't be a surprise for phone makers to start including them in the manufacturing process; in fact, the Xoom 2 and other recent Motorola products have already launched with waterproofing that's supposed to have the same properties. Currently, though, most waterproof coatings are added to both the outside of the phone and the internal components by third parties. Superhydrophobic technology itself was first developed decades ago for clothing, and works by covering materials with a film that's difficult for water to adhere to. Water that's poured onto a superhydrophobic surface appears to skitter or slide off, and the surfaces are also more resistant to dirts and other liquids, as seen in the videos after the break.

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Sprint's flagship ICS and LTE device

The talk of the show so far has been lumped into two categories: LTE and ICS.  Yes indeed, Ice Cream Sandwich and Long Term Evolution are the buzz words and on top of that, the announcement earlier that Sprint will have the Galaxy Nexus very soon has myself and all of us here giddy with excitement.  So when David Owens, VP of Product at Sprint took the stage at the Engadget booth, all ears were tuned in to hear about one of the Now Network's inaugural entries into the world of LTE sometime in the first half of 2012. As was expected, the exterior of both the Verizon and Sprint phones are nearly twins, with differences only found in the branding and the inclusion of Google Wallet, not to mention the exclusion of pre-loaded bloatware, on Sprint's version. Kind of wishing I had held out for the Sprint version, but what are you going to do.  More on this when I get some hand on time with the device.

Galaxy Nexus Officially on Sprint

Ads leaked out last week, but now Sprint's officially taken the cover off of the LTE-capable Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Unlike Verizon's model, Sprint is highlighting the Galaxy Nexus' NFC capabilities and Google Wallet software. There's no mention on whether the processor has indeed been bumped to 1.5GHz as we saw earlier, but we do know that the storage space has unfortunately been cut to 16GB. Other than that, it looks like the Sprint Galaxy Nexus could be the closest to Google's vision of what the device should be. There's still no word on when this device will be available, but we expect it'll be available when Sprint's LTE network goes live later this year.

Google Wallet can be downloaded on Galaxy Nexus

Well it didn't take too long for the hacker teams to sidestep the red menace known as Verizon wireless, and create a downloadable version of Google Wallet for the Galaxy Nexus. There are still some bugs, but reports are coming in that the app does function. So if you can't wait for the legal dispute to end, hop over to XDA-Developers and grab the app.

Ice Cream Sandwich available on Nexus S GSM devices today!

You heard right -- Google itself has just affirmed on its own social networking branch that Android 4.0 will begin to hit GSM / UMTS Nexus S devices over the coming month, with the luckiest few to get it today. Outside of that, there's no more specific time table to be had, but if you're able to suck it down in the coming hours, definitely sound off on the improvements in comments below.

UPDATE: Looks like the package is available to download and install (at your own risk, of course) for T-Mobile's Nexus S.

It is official! The Samsung Galaxy Nexus on sale December 15 on Verizon Wireless for $299.99

Finally, it is official! Verizon has put an end to all the speculation and announced the release date and price for the LTE-capable, Ice Cream Sandwich-equipped Galaxy Nexus. It launches tomorrow, December 15th, and will cost $299.99 with a two-year contract.

Galaxy Nexus being sold early at Best Buy and certain Verizon stores. (UPDATE: Confirmed!)

After all the false promises from Samsung we'd heard that many Verizon, Best Buy, and Radio Shack locations already had the elusive LTE Samsung Galaxy Nexus in stock, and it was inevitable that consumers would do their best to try to buy it ahead of the scheduled launch date — currently rumored to be December 15th. Today, some lucky individuals were able to do just that. Droid Life has posted images from a reader that claims to have picked up a unit from a Verizon retail store, while Google+ user Dave Fayram bought his new phone at a Best Buy. There appears to have been some confusion at Best Buy locations today, confirming that they were a go for sales this morning. Other locations continued to state that the device was not yet released and would simply be available "soon."

The phone was priced at $299.99 on-contract as expected, and screenshots indicate it comes with at least three different Verizon apps pre-loaded: the My Verizon Mobile account management tool, Verizon Login, and VZ Backup Assistant (of course, thanks to Ice Cream Sandwich, all three can be easily disabled). With the Red Menace still refusing to make an official announcement, no doubt many more will try to "encourage" retail employees to sell the phone early. If you're so inclined, please be aware that Verizon doesn't take pre-launch sales lightly when it comes to employees and retailers, so if you're denied it's better to commiserate with your local representatives than berate them. While we'd like to say an official launch date will be announced soon, unfortunately neither Verizon nor its retail partners are offering any new information at this time.

Update on Monday, December 12, 2011 at 10:25AM by Dustin Turley

Confirmed!  Just called four different Radio Shacks in the San Diego area and they have the Galaxy Nexus in stock and all sales representatives say the units will be for sale "very soon"

Galaxy Nexus arrives for Verizon on December 9th

We have all been impatiently awaiting its arrival, but fear not Android fans, the Verizon version of the Galaxy Nexus is almost here... or so we've been told. A tipster sent in a shot to Engadget of an internal VZW email outlining the next few weeks of launches and in-store displays.  The largest amongst those is the December 8th arrival of banners, signs and other marketing materials for the world's first Ice Cream Sandwich handset. Engadget reports that posters and all the relevant merchandise  will be rolled out after close of business and the Nexus will officially go on sale December 9th. So lets rejoice...and hope the other carriers that we actually want the phone on, will closely follow suit.

AT&T to expand LTE coverage this month

AT&T's starting to roll out their LTE network, as the carrier's announced that its first two devices with the true 4G will be ready to grab as of this upcoming Sunday. First we have the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket: the long-rumored device can be yours for $250 with a two-year commitment and will offer a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, Android 2.3.5, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 8MP rear camera with a 2MP front-facing cam and 16GB of internal storage space. Next up is the HTC Vivid, which will be offered in both black and white for $200 and appears to match the specs leaked to us a couple months ago: it uses a 4.5-inch qHD (960 x 540) display, 1.2GHz CPU, 8MP rear camera with f/2.2 28mm wide angle lens and 1080p HD video recording. What about the "4G" branding? Contrary to the carrier's HSPA+ devices, neither device will have LTE or 4G as part of their official name. Both phones will be reverse compatible with AT&T's HSPA+ network, in case you're not using the phone in an LTE-capable area; in addition, AT&T also announced that the November 6th launch will also bring four additional markets live, including Boston, Washington DC, Baltimore and Athens GA. Data plans for AT&T's LTE smartphones will remain the same, with $15 getting you 200MB per month, 2GB going for $25 and 4GB with mobile hotspot connectivity for $45. Read on for a short video and the full press release.

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Motorola Announces what phones will get ICS and when

Motorola has announced when and what devices will receive the hotly anticipated Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 update, Google's biggest Android update ever.

The company says a number of devices will receive the update exactly 6 weeks after Google releases the final version of the operating system.

Google and Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Nexus (with 4.0) last week to great applause. The device will go on sale next month and will be the first device with the upgrade.

Motorola says the first three devices to receive the update are the Droid Razr, Droid Bionic, and the Xoom tablet.

Additionally, the company says they'll confirm other devices after Google pushes the final operating system to the public.

Motorola RAZR to get ICS soon?

Samsung got the first shot at Android 4.0 with the Galaxy Nexus, but it'll only be a matter of time before we begin seeing it show up on other devices. HTC has already made an official statement on its plans, and now it's Motorola's turn. Alain Mutricy, SVP Portfolio and Product Management, was in Germany talking up the European announcement of the RAZR, and slipped in a few details about Ice Cream Sandwich. Mutricy mentioned that while the company's new flagship device was designed for Gingerbread, plans have been set to introduce the latest version of Android in the start of 2012, with a more precise date naturally on its way. Given past experience, however, it's probable that the unbranded version of the device will get the refresh ahead of the Droid RAZR on Verizon, so US users may need to exercise a wee bit of patience here. Regardless, it's time for the competition to step up.  If the RAZR is next in line to get the OTA update, the Galaxy Nexus will have the spotlight all to itself for a fair amount of time.

Android 4.0: Ice-Cream Sandwich

"Android should make me powerful and smart", that’s what people think when they see Android powered devices, so Developers for the software took the opinion of the people and developed an Android system that can compliment our desires. Follow after the break for the major features of the new Android 4.0 Ice-Cream Sandwich software:

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus Revealed! Quick Stats:

-Both LTE, HSPA+, network capable

-Software: Android 4.0 (ice-cream sandwich)

-Hardware: 1.2GHz dual core processor, Super AmoLED High Contrast Screen (100,000:1 Contrast Ratio, low battery usage, organic light source)

-Screen Specs: 4.65 in. display screen, 16:9 Aspect Ratio, 1280x720 resolution, .01 ms response time

-Design Specs: Ergonomicly rounded edges, 8.94mm thin, 4.29mm bezel edge, HyperSkin non-slip backing, Button-less LED navigation display,

-Camera Specs:5 mgp camera,1080p full HD video, no shutter lag, quick slide quality zoom

-Extras: Barometer built in, POGO pin docking station

Release DATE: NOVEMBER 2011

We are live blogging the Google/Samsung Event at 7 PM PST!

Hit the link below to get the live blog flowing!

 GOOGLE/SAMSUNG ICE CREAM SANDWICH EVENT LIVE BLOG

We are live blogging the Google/Samsung Event in Hong Kong tonight 7pm PST!

Join us here for a liveblog of the Ice Cream Sandwich/Google event taking place in Hong Kong tonight! We will be gin just before the event right around 7 PM PST/10 PM EST!  In the words of our own Josh James, I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream Sandwich!