Smartphone Straight Talk

After all other operators and unlocked device users, Samsung Galaxy S II owners on T-Mobile’s British network are finally getting their serving of Ice Cream Sandwich. We haven’t heard what happened with Orange (they should be getting their updates, too), so as far as UK is concerned – every friggin’ SGS2 users is cleared or will be cleared in the next couple of days. You know how it goes with these sort of updates – they’re rolled out in stages so that servers can sustain the demand.

Expect all of the features Android 4.0 delivers along with some TouchWIZ improvements. Yep you should update, though make sure you have a local copy of all important data just in case, God forbid, goes wrong. If that’s on place and if your battery is fully charged, connect to a fast Wi-Fi network, check for updates and take it from there. Within minutes your Galaxy S II will run Ice Cream Sandwich.

[Via: EuroDroid]

UK: T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S II gets Ice Cream Sandwich update, too originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-04-25T06:59:50Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Strange things have happened. Usually unlocked smartphones get software updates first and are followed by carrier-specific versions weeks, sometimes even months later. With Samsung Galaxy S II, it’s completely different, with carrier-branded devices getting their servings of Ice Cream Sandwich before SIM-free ones.

In the UK, users on Three, O2 and Vodafone already got the latest version of Android, while folks who paid a small fortune for an unlocked device are still waiting. The Korean giant acknowledged this and has started pushing the new software to SIM free devices. Here’s what they said:

Samsung UK has been working as hard as possible over the last few weeks to get Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) rolled out to all our Galaxy S II customers. We can confirm that ‘XEU/sim-free’ and all network upgrades are now complete except for Orange and T-Mobile which will follow as soon as possible, pending software testing and approvals. Thanks again for your patience.

Orange and T-Mobile are also mentioned, which is cool, though no dates were given.

As you probably know, these updates are usually pushed in stages, so even if you don’t see it yet, don’t worry – you’ll get it in the next few days…

[Via: EuroDroid]

UK: Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S II gets Ice Cream Sandwich update, too originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-04-19T06:43:14Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

… commenters KingcobraKing, RoverDover, DJPaulyC, Stimpylover, and Captarabia!

Congratulations to our five winners on being chose to win one of our five Skyfall-themed Samsung Galaxy S IIs courtesy of our friends at ngmoco! You’ll be the talk of the town when you all pull out your custom Galaxy S IIs!

Thanks to all who entered in our Galaxy S II giveaway. If you’re feeling lucky this week, we’re giving away a 16GB Wi-Fi iPad, so try your luck with our current giveaway! And if you’re itching for more Samsung Galaxy S II info, be sure to check out our review!

Winners of IntoMobile & ngmoco’s five Skyfall-themed Samsung Galaxy S IIs are… originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-03-30T17:23:50Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

I love the way British carriers are competing against each other to be among the first ones to launch the Ice Cream Sandwich for the super-popular Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone. Three won that race, with Vodafone and Orange saying their customers will have to wait a little longer.

Now we have O2 joining Three to release the latest (and greatest) version of Android to its SGS2 customers.

Unfortunately, it’s not an over-the-air update and you’ll rather have to use Sammy’s Kies software in order to make it run ICS. That, however, shouldn’t be a problem though you never know – personally I hate non-OTA updates and I know I’m not alone. On the other hand, I want ICS badly so that small thing won’t stop me, despite the fact that I find Kies somewhat a sucky product. I don’t use it. Ever. Period. That’s why we have cloud-based services. I’ll stop my rant here…

UK: O2′s Samsung Galaxy S II gets Android 4.0 update, too originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-03-30T07:56:12Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

This past November, I was invited by ngmoco:) to check out a couple of their upcoming games, one of which was Skyfall. A couple of weeks ago I was also invited to partake in an editor’s challenge against a number of fellow editors from a number of big name outlets to reach a certain area in Skyfall the fastest. Through my hard work and years of gaming experience, I successfully completed the challenge and my reward is what you see before you.

I was given five unlocked Skyfall-themed Samsung Galaxy S IIs to do what I want with them. Seeing as we love you all so much, I decided to share my reward with you, the IntoMobile readers.

The Samsung Galaxy S II should be no stranger to you by now. We reviewed it and deemed it the king of Android back in May 2011, has made a ton of money for Samsung, and has just started to receive its ICS update. As far as its innards go, it’s rocking a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Plus display, an 8-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front facing camera, and more bells and whistles that will keep you satisfied.

Here’s what you’ll need to do in order to qualify for an entry to win one of our five unlocked Skyfall-themed Samsung Galaxy S IIs:

• Follow IntoMobile, ngmoco:), & Skyfall on Twitter; retweet the following message, “@IntoMobile & @ngmoco are giving away five @Skyfall Galaxy S IIs - http://bit.ly/GHXrMf“
• “Like” IntoMobile, ngmoco:) & Skyfall on Facebook.
• Comment below on what is your all time favorite ngmoco:) game is and why.

Skyfall is ngmoco:)’s F2P social RPG whose main focus is exploration. As you explore, you’ll clear your path to your next quest or just to run around and kill random enemies wandering around. The social aspect of Skyfall is where its at as you can invite friends or strangers to fight alongside you in some of the game’s more challenging quests. The game is currently available on Google Play and is completely free for you to play.

Win one of five Skyfall Samsung Galaxy S IIs from IntoMobile & ngmoco originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-03-21T19:03:05Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Samsung’s “version” of Ice Cream Sandwich for Galaxy S II doesn’t work for you? If you want something custom running on your SGS2, you’ll be glad to know that the Korean giant released the source code for its ICS kernel, allowing third party developers to (“legally”) get into action.

Your best bet to get a custom ICS experience is to keep your eyes on XDA Developers forum, which is known to gather the kind of folks who like to experiment with their devices. On the other hand, if you want to do some coding for yourself, you can grab the kernel source code from here.

Finally, if want to know what’s all included with the ICS update to the Samsung Galaxy S II, you can see that from here.

[Via: gsmarena]

Samsung Galaxy S II ICS kernel is out originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-03-20T08:28:30Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

If you still want the Samsung Galaxy S II (rather than some phone with a 720p screen) and AT&T’s network works for you, you may want to check out Amazon’s offer for the device. The online retailer is selling the phone for $99.99 for new users and those upgrading their individual accounts. In case you’re upgrading and you’re phone number is also a part of a family account, you’ll have to shell out $199.99, or $219.99 if you’re adding a line. Finally, those looking to get the phone only without an AT&T contract will have to pour out $509.99.

Again, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G comes with an awesome 4.5-inch WVGA display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, LTE/HSPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, 2-megapixel front-facing one, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, and a microSD card slot if 16GB of built-in memory isn’t enough for ya’…

AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G down to $99.99 at Amazon originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-18T11:45:43Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Like an extra incentive is needed to get the Samsung Galaxy S II, the Korean company keeps offering some free content to its users. Their latest gig involves giving away Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation through Samsung Apps store. That said, this may be Sammy’s way to trick users into tapping the Samsung Apps icon on their smartphones. Honestly, I can’t recall when was the last time I opened it and I guess in that sense (presuming Samsung wants to have more users of its app store) – offering freebies makes perfect sense.

For those living under a rock, Modern Combat 3 is a first-person shooter with awesome graphics. You can either play alone (campaign mode) or fight with your friends in the multiplayer mode. The former sees you going through 13 missions, from Los Angeles to Pakistan, featuring “memorable moments” thanks to AAA scenario-scripting. Along the way, you’ll be running, driving cars, helicopters, chasing and escorting people, and so on.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that you’ll need more than a gig of free storage to play Modern Combat 3, which is a small price to pay for the benefit…

Modern Combat 3 (FREE) [Samsung Apps Link]

Samsung offers Modern Combat 3 free for Galaxy S II users originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-08T09:17:34Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Contrary to the wishful thinking of many, Samsung confirmed it will not introduce the Galaxy S III smartphone at its March 22nd event in France.

The vendor announced plans to hold a special event yesterday and it immediately sparked rumors for an unveiling of the Galaxy S II successor. Instead, a spokesperson for Samsung told The Next Web that the event will just be a regular day of talking about the company’s current line of products. How fun.

Last week, Samsung also shot down rumors of a Galaxy S III debut at Mobile World Congress 2012, which officially begins in Barcelona on February 27th. A representative responded to those rumors saying, “The successor to the Galaxy SII smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product.”

So there’s no Galaxy S III at MWC or at the French event. Maybe the third time’s a charm?

This rumored device is anticipated to be the king of all Android phones so far. Think only 7mm thin, 2GB of RAM, a Super AMOLED Plus display, an 8MP camera on the back and a 2MP shooter on the front, and of course Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Alas, this dream will not become a reality any time soon.

[via BGR]

Samsung squashes hopes of Galaxy S III debuting at March 22 event originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-02-07T23:32:12Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

While we’re still not 100% sure Samsung will use Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to launch the Galaxy S III, such a device has been caught at the company’s UAE website, or so we think.

The phone marked as GT-I9300 certainly smells like the next phone in the series, considering the I9000 marks the original Galaxy S, I9100 is the Galaxy S II, and I9250 – Galaxy Nexus. See where this pattern goes and why we believe the I9300 is the Galaxy S III?

Now just because some device got its place at Sammy’s website doesn’t necessarily mean it will be launched shortly. That, however, can’t kill our wish to see the next iteration of the Galaxy S in Barcelona. On the other hand, the Korean company must be extra careful with the Galaxy S III launch as it definitely hopes to repeat the success it had with the first two smartphones in the series. We’ll see…

[Via: PocketNow]

Galaxy S III (I9300) caught at Samsung’s website? originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2012-01-30T09:23:16Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j