Samsung might be notorious for overloading its Android smartphones with oodles of gimmicky features; however, in spite of the plethora of software modifications, the Korean giant is generally among the quickest to push out Android updates. LG and Sony delivered Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) to its 2012 devices only recently. HTC is still working on rolling out Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) to the One with the One X to follow later on. However, Samsung shipped the Galaxy SIV with the latest Android straight out of the gate, delivered Android 4.1 to the S II last year itself, and has been working for several months on bringing the latest version of Android to its older Galaxy SIII handset.

SamMobile has managed to get its hands on an Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean test firmware for the Galaxy S III – I9300XXUFME3. The new version doesn’t have all of the fancy new features of the SIV, many of which are expected to eventually end up on the SIII. However, it does have enough to make users happy. The new firmware has all of the official Jelly Bean goodness including lockscreen widgets, quick settings, and Daydream mode. Additionally, Samsung has added a driving mode, revamped the settings interface, improved S Voice, introduced full screen Samsung apps, and ported the SIV lockscreen with new unlock effects and the option to add custom text.

You can download the flash the firmware from here. Please keep in mind that this is a pre-release firmware.

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It is hardly a secret that Samsung is absolutely killing it with its Android smartphones. However, exactly how dominant the South Korean conglomerate is might still come as a surprise to most. Strategy Analytics believes that the Android smartphone industry generated a profit of $5.3 billion during Q1 2013, out of which Samsung’s share was $5.1 billion.

Samsung managed to collect an astonishing 95% of the total Android smartphone profit during the first quarter of this year. And, this is before the Galaxy SIV was released. On the other hand, Android smartphones as a whole managed to accumulate 43% of the total profit in the smartphone segment. Besides showing Samsung’s domination in the smartphone segment, these statistics also paint a sorry picture about its rivals. Android smartphones might be a big hit, but Samsung appears to be the only one who is raking in the dough. In fact, the only other manufacturer to even make an appearance in Strategy Analytics’ list is LG with a profit share of 2.5%. The past few months have been good for LG thanks to strong performers like the Optimus G and Nexus 4. Receiving Google’s blessings to launch the flagship model for Jellybean (Android 4.2) must have also helped Samsung’s Korean rival. The remaining OEMs contribute a combined operating profit of only $0.1 billion.

While Samsung has undoubtedly played a crucial role in the success of the Android ecosystem, its dominance is sure to make Google uncomfortable. Strategy Analytics believes that Samsung generates more revenue and profit from the Android platform than Google does. With its massive market share, Samsung is in a position to wield considerable influence over the Android ecosystem. Worse still, there is the possibility that one day Samsung might become confident enough in its software prowess to ditch Google and Google apps. In fact, rumors suggest that Samsung might test the water with Tizen as soon as end of this year.

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Earlier this week, ZTE unveiled the Intel powered Grand X2 In smartphone at the MedPi conference in Monaco. As the name suggest, this handset is the successor of the popular ZTE Grand X In smartphone. This device packs a 4.5 inch HD display along with Intel’s 2 Ghz dual-core Clover Trail+ Atom processor. ZTE Grand X2 In runs on the Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) Operating System. It features a built-in Audio enhancement technology and Wireless Display (WiDi) which enables wireless streaming between connected media devices.

William Chhao, Terminal Director, ZTE France, said,
“We are proud to announce the ZTE Grand X2 In smartphone pursuing our multi-year strategic collaboration with Intel. The ZTE Grand X2 In is set to build on the success of the ZTE Grand X In, our first flagship smartphone in Europe to feature Intel Inside, and further increase ZTE’s growth in the high-performance smartphone market segment.”

ZTE Grand X2 In features a 4.5 inch HD display, sporting a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, 2 GHz Intel Atom Z2580 dual-core processor, Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) Operating System, 8 megapixel rear camera with auto-focus and flash, full HD (1080p) video recording and playback, 1 megapixel front-facing camera for video calls and more.

Other features include a 3.5 mm headset jack, FM Radio, Bluetooth 2.1 + A2DP, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB internal memory, MicroSD card slot, 32 GB expandable memory, Google Play Store, DLNA, wireless charging capabilities, GPS, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, 3G Connectivity, WiFi Direct and a 2000 mAh battery.

The Chinese mobile phone manufacturer is expecting that this handset will strengthen the company’s smartphone market share and brand awareness with consumers in Europe. ZTE Grand X2 In will be available in Europe from Q3 of 2013. The price of this handset is still a mystery. Stay tuned for more updates!

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Panasonic has finally entered the Indian mobile phone market with the launch of its Panasonic P51 smartphone. Panasonic has launched a number of smartphones in Japan and Europe, however none of those smartphones reached the Indian markets. The Panasonic P51 comes with a mid-range specs and it runs on the latest version of the Android Operating System. With the launch of this smartphone, Panasonic eyes 8% market share in the smartphone category in India.

Mr. Daizo Ito, President, Panasonic India, said,
“Panasonic has a great legacy of being the pioneers of innovation in every segment. Continuing with our legacy, we are now launching our innovative smartphone which will redefine the Indian smartphone consumer experience. India has always been one of our alpha markets in the region. We are confident that our product will provide the Indian consumer a great multimedia experience and the ‘best value for money’ proposition”.

Panasonic P51 comes with a 5 inch HD IPS display, sporting a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) OS, 8 megapixel rear-facing camera with auto-focus and flash, 1.3 megapixel front-facing HD camera, 1 GB RAM, Dual-SIM capabilities and so on.

Other features include 4 GB internal memory, MicroSD card slot, 32 GB expandable memory, 3.5 mm audio jack, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 3G Connectivity, Google Play Store, GPS with A-GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA Certified, HDMI support, Micro USB, USB 2.0 and a 2500 mAh Li-ion battery. This handset measures 144mm x 75mm x 8.5mm and weighs 135 gm.

According to the manufacturer, this handset is targeted at the youth as well as the premium executive class, who is always on the lookout for a better, faster and savvier smartphones on the go! Panasonic P51 comes with a price-tag of Rs.26,900 (approx. $490) in India. This handset will compete with the recently launched Nexus 4 smartphone in India.

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The wait is finally over! LG recently launched the much-awaited Nexus 4 smartphone in India. For the first time, LG has partnered with Google to manufacture the Nexus smartphone. This handset is the successor of the Galaxy Nexus, which was made by Samsung. The Google Nexus 4 packs a 4.7 inch display, 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, 8 megapixel camera and more. This handset will be shipped in india with the latest Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) Operating System.

Mr. Soon Kwon, Managing Director, LG Electronics India, said,
“LG Electronics is pleased to partner Google on the release of the Nexus 4 in India. With LG Nexus 4, consumers would be delighted by the perfectly balanced combination of style, function and power. The smartphone encourages consumers to explore a world of possibilities and also helps them balance between business and entertainment”

Google Nexus 4 features a 4.7 inch WXGA display, sporting a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels, Corning Gorilla Glass 2, 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) OS, 8 megapixel rear-facing camera with auto-focus and LED flash, Full HD (1080p) video recording and playback, 1.3 megapixel front-facing HD camera for video calls, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, 3G Connectivity and much more.

It also comes with a 3.5 mm audio jack, FM radio with RDS, 16 GB internal memory, no MicroSD card support, 2 GB RAM, Google Play Store, GPS with A-GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, DLNA Certified, HDMI support, Micro USB, USB 2.0, NFC (Near Field Communication), Wi-Fi Hotspot functionality, up to 12 hrs of talk-time, up to 565 hrs of stand-by time and a 2100 mAh Li-ion battery.

This handset measures 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm and weighs 139 grams. The 16 GB variant of Nexus 4 is available in the US Play Store for just $349 (approx. Rs.19,000), however LG is selling the Nexus 4 in India with a price tag of Rs.25,999 (approx. $475). This handset will be available at selected LG exclusive brand shops, Multi brand outlets and speciality stores across India.

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Apart from the unveiling of the Galaxy S4 Google Edition, the tech-giant has also launched a new unified, cross-platform messaging service for Android, iOS, and Chrome at the I/O 2013 event in San Francisco. This messaging service has been rumored from a long time and it was previously codenamed as ‘Babel’. For the first time, Google’s Hangout messaging app will be available on all smartphones and tablets running on the Android and iOS Operating System as well as on the Google Chrome browser running on your Mac, Linux and Windows computer.

Hangout allows you to send a text, photos and emoji to your friends. You can also video chat with up to 10 friends with this app. If your friends are not available when you try to reach them, they’ll see an alert next time they connect to Hangout. Similar to the Facebook Chat, this app lets you see whether your friends are online, when your friends are together in Hangouts, when they are typing or whether they have seen your message.

Once you see a notification on one device, Hangout will clear the notification from all other devices connected to your account. It also saves your chat history and shared photos by default, so that you can read your previous conversations anywhere anytime. You should also note that unlike Google Talk, Hangouts does not support invisible status. Google has also renamed the Instant Upload to Auto Backup, which helps you to automatically back up unlimited photos from your phone at standard size of 2048 pixels. The Hangout app is currently not available for Nexus 7.

[ Download Google Hangout on Android, iPad/iPhone and Chrome ]

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There are a large number of users, who are willing to buy the Galaxy S4 but hate the age-old TouchWiz UI. To solve this problem, Google recently announced the new Galaxy S4 Google Edition at the company’s I/O 2013 event in Moscone Center, San Francisco. This device is nothing but the immensely popular Galaxy S4 smartphone sans the ugly TouchWiz UI.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition will be shipped with a stock version of the most recent build of Android Operating System. Apart from that, it will directly receive updates from Google, instead of Samsung. Similar to the previous Nexus smartphones, the Galaxy S4 Google Edition will be SIM and bootloader unlocked. There are no changes on the hardware front.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition features the same 5 inch Super-AMOLED display with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution, 1.9 GHz quad-core processor, Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) OS, 13 megapixel rear-facing camera, 2 megapixel front-facing camera 16 GB internal memory, DLNA, HDMI out, Bluetooth 4.0 with EDR, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 3G/4G Connectivity, 2 GB RAM, Wi-Fi Direct and a 2600 mAh Lithium-ion battery.

The Galaxy S4 Google Edition will come with a price tag of $649 for the 16 GB variant. This device supports LTE Connectivity and it is compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile. You’ll have to wait until June 26 to get your hands on this device. If you hated the original Galaxy S4 for its gimmicky features, then the S4 Google Edition is what you have been waiting for!

[ Image Credit ]

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Blackberry recently announced the new BlackBerry Q5 QWERTY smartphone. It is the company’s second QWERTY phone which runs on the BlackBerry 10 Operating System. The previously launched BlackBerry Q10 was a high-end smartphone, while the new BlackBerry Q5 is an entry-level device for the emerging markets. This handset allows you to access more than 100,000 apps from the BlackBerry World. Check out the complete specs below.

Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of BlackBerry, said,
“BlackBerry is excited to bring a new BlackBerry QWERTY smartphone, the BlackBerry Q5, to our customers in selected markets around world. The BlackBerry Q5 gives you the best of everything with its cutting-edge BlackBerry 10 functionality and a physical QWERTY keyboard. It is for youthful fans that are passionate, confident and bold, and it makes it easy for them to have fun, create, share and stay connected.”

BlackBerry Q5 features a 3.1 inch LCD display, sporting a resolution of 720 x 720 pixels, Touch On Lens, 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor, BlackBerry 10 OS, 5 megapixel rear facing camera with LED flash, HD (720p) video recording and playback, 2 megapixel front facing camera and much more.

Other features include NFC (Near Field Communication), microUSB, microHDMI-Out, 3.5 mm headset jack, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, 3G Connectivity, Assisted GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB internal memory, 32 GB expandable memory and a 2100 mAh non-removable battery.

The BlackBerry Q5 will go on sale from July in selected markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia (including the Asia Pacific region), and Latin America. This handset will be available in white, black, pink and red colors. The price of this device will be announced in the coming weeks.

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Nokia recently unveiled the new Windows Phone 8 based Lumia 925 smartphone. This handset is the successor of the company’s previous flagship device, the Nokia Lumia 920. It comes with the new Nokia Smart Camera mode which allows you to capture ten images at once and edit the pictures with options like Best Shot, Action Shot and Motion Focus. The Nokia Lumia 925 is made entirely of metal, instead of the shiny polycarbonate materials used in the previous Lumia smartphones.

Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia Smart Devices, said,
“We keep innovating. We’re advancing experiences on the Nokia Lumia portfolio whether that means great new benefits for an existing Lumia owner, or bringing new showcase devices like the Nokia Lumia 925.”

Nokia Lumia 925 features a 4.5 inch AMOLED WXGA display, sporting a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels, Gorilla Glass 2, 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, Windows Phone 8 OS, 8.7 megapixel camera with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), autofocus and dual LED flash, Full HD (1080p) video recording at 30fps, 1.2 megapixel front-facing HD camera, Nokia Smart Camera mode, 1 GB RAM, 16 GB internal memory, 64 GB expandable memory and more.

It also comes with a 3.5mm headset jack, Office 365, Xbox Live, A-GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, 3G Connectivity, IE9 with HTML 5 support, 7 GB Microsoft SkyDrive cloud storage, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR, NFC (Near Field Communication) with SIM based security, Here Maps, Here Drive+, Wireless charging support, up to 55 hours of music playback in offline mode, up to 12.8 hours of talk-time, up to 440 hours of stand-by time and a 2000 mAh battery.

The Nokia Lumia 925 will be available in White, Grey and Black colors. This handset measures 129 x 70.6 x 8.5 mm and weighs 139 grams. The Nokia Lumia 925 will go on sale from next month in UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and China, followed by the US and other markets. This handset will be priced around €469 (approx. $600) excluding taxes.

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BlackBerry Messenger or BBM used be the one killer features of BlackBerry. In fact it’s still the reason why many people purchase a BlackBerry. However, thanks to the popularity of multi-platform apps like WhatsApp, Kik, and Viber, BBM no longer commands the respect it used to. WhatsApp recently reported that it has 200 million active monthly users, which is more than thrice that of BBM’s active user count. Sure, BlackBerry Messenger is a lot more secure than WhatsApp, which is frankly a security nightmare. However, this can hardly enough to sway the opinion of millions of smartphone buyers. It has long been rumoured that the struggling Canadian smartphone manufacturer will be opening up BBM. Perhaps feeling the pressure, BlackBerry has finally bit the bullet.

BlackBerry just announced at the BBLive conference that it will be launching the BBM as an independent app on Android and iPhone this “summer”. No concrete dates were given; however, Android Police is reporting that the BlackBerry Messenger will be a free download that will require at least ICS (Android 4.0). It will be initially released with support for messaging and groups with additional features including voice, screen share, and channels being added later on. BBM users will be able to setup groups and share voice notes, calendar, photos, files and more. “For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service”, said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, Software Product Management and Ecosystem, at BlackBerry.

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