Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 review: Utility droid

Introduction

Samsung’s QWERTY messengers have not exactly been setting the world on fire. They have done well though to set the scene for this one. The Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 follows on the heels of Omnia and Corby. It puts Android in a time-tested form factor and is ready to entertain upgraders coming from dumbphones and PocketPCs alike.

Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 official pictures
The Galaxy Pro has a clear objective – deliver the full Android experience, a good social package and hassle-free messaging. What does it need to meet those tasks? Well, a comfortable QWERTY keyboard obviously, possibly a touchscreen, enough processing power and at least some basic shooting skills to capture the important moments. Of course, a messenger is nothing without a proper OS and this is where the Android Froyo comes in. But let’s see what else the Galaxy Pro has to offer.

Key features

• 2.8" 256K-color TFT capacitive touchscreen of QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) resolution
• Full four-row QWERTY keyboard
• ARMv6 800MHz CPU, 270MB RAM, 180MB of user-available storage
• Android 2.2.2 (Froyo) with TouchWiz 3.0 UI
• Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
• 7.2 Mbps HSDPA
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n with hotspot functionality
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity; digital compass
• 3.15 MP autofocus camera
• QVGA video recording @30fps
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v3.0
• microSD slot (up to 32GB, 2GB in box)
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Document viewer out of the box, paid editing
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Light and compact
• Smart dialing

Main disadvantages

• The QVGA screen looks bad and limits the choice of apps
• Portrait homescreen ported to landscape takes some time getting used to
• QVGA-only video recording
• No shutter key
• No Adobe Flash support in the browser
• No secondary video-call camera
• No ambient light sensor
• No dedicated video player app
• No multi-touch
• Android 2.2 Froyo, instead of latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread

It should be clear by now the Galaxy Pro B7510 isn’t your typical Android powerhouse for HD video, quality imaging or heavy-duty internet browsing. Gaming is out of the picture too. To be honest, the Galaxy Pro doesn’t quite make the grade as a BlackBerry competitor. To make up for it, it is social and friendly – and a great texter too. Virtual keyboards have been getting better but the Galaxy Pro’s superbly laid-out keypad is the prefect addition to Gmail.

Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 live shots
So the Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 it is and, although this is not the typical Android package, let’s hope the experience is up to scratch. With a handful of Samsung Ch@ts, Corbies and Omnia messengers gone almost unnoticed, we’re about to see if our Galaxy Pro here has what it takes to leave a mark. Our traditional hardware check-up is due right after the break.
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_pro_b7510-review-601.php

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Galaxy S II vs. Galaxy S Plus vs. Optimus 2X: Head to head revisited

Introduction

Are you ready for more heavyweight droid action, with superclocked punches thrown around and more blood on the floor? It’s time for round two of our dual-core battle of the flagships. The Samsung Galaxy S II and the LG Optimus 2X are fully updated and ready to show their best. We’ve also thrown the Samsung Galaxy S Plus in the ring to see if one, faster core is better than two slower ones.


The first time around, we had a pre-release Galaxy S II on a 1GHz dual-core CPU and the Optimus 2X has since received a few firmware updates up to stock V10B, which made it noticeably zippier.
Not only that, but we also got the latest 1.2GHz Galaxy S II, we felt obligated to redo the tests now that we’ve got a final Galaxy S II with a 1.2GHz processor (updated to the I9100XWKE7 firmware). A Galaxy S Plus with a faster than usual single-core processor makes it a three-cornered fight.
Now, our Galaxy S Plus unit runs at just 1.2GHz instead of the 1.4GHz planned for the final version. Stil, we can’t wait to see if 2 x 1GHz is better than 1 x 1.2GHz – a 20% increase in clock speed should bring a big improvement in single-threaded tasks of which there are many, considering we’ve only recently entered the world of dual-core phones.

Samsung Galaxy S II official photos
Now, the Plus version could breathe new life into the old Galaxy S but it’s still using the old 5MP camera with “just” 720p video recording and the old PenTile SuperAMOLED screen.
The Samsung and LG flagships on the other hand boast 8MP cameras with 1080p video capture. And in the case of the Galaxy S II, the screen is a massive improvement.

LG Optimus 2X official photos
So, here’s what we’ll cover in this repeat head to head comparison.
For starters, we’ll look at the screens again but having seen the Galaxy S, S II and Optimus 2X last time there’s nothing really new to say here – the screens of the phones are exactly as before.
After that we’ll test the 8MP sharpshooters (the Galaxy S Plus need not apply) and see if the firmware changes affected the camera. Maybe improved bitrate for the video recording has allowed finer detail in the videos, we’ll have to check.
Then, we’ll be testing the processor and graphics performance – cutting edge CPUs and GPUs simply beg to be benchmarked. Browser performance is another topic we plan to cover – it’s taxing on the system (especially with Flash) and is used almost daily.
What else? Some real-life games, of course, we shouldn’t put too much trust in benchmarks. We’ll also want to try out the GPS capabilities of the phones – it’s got nothing to do with fast processors but flagships should be good at everything, right?
Well, let the tests begin. It’s about which one’s the best if money is no object and what the latest and greatest phones can deliver.
http://www.gsmarena.com/galaxy_s_ii_vs_galaxy_s_plus_vs_optimus_2x-review-602.php

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Sega Taps OpenFeint’s Plug And Play Social Gaming Platform For iOS App

hours ago

OpenFeint is announcing a pretty big partner today for its plug and play mobile social gaming platform-Sega. The Japanese video game company is using OpenFeint to provide social gaming for its newest mobile title, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing for iOS.
OpenFeint’s plug and play mobile social platform and application for smartphones includes a set of online game services such as leaderboards, virtual currencies and achievements running in a cloud-based Web environment.
With OpenFeint, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing players can add friends on OpenFeint’s gaming network, access leaderboards and achievements, and post updates to Facebook and Twitter. SEGA can also send players direct, actionable messages. The app will be available on iOS later this summer.
Previously, OpenFeint has helped other gaming giants like Taitu and Capcom go mobile. For OpenFeint, a deal with Sega is another well-known partner to add to the list of its rapidly growing community of developers.
And the company just got bought by Japanese gaming giant GREE for $108 million. With GREE’s resources, OpenFeint could be cooking similar
techtrunch.com

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Sony Ericsson ST18i Urushi leaks again, pics galore

Sony Ericsson is preparing a new intriguing smartphone – the ST18i codenamed Urushi. It’s expected to be a smaller version of the Arc, running on the same hardware but packing a smaller 3.2-inch display.

Sony Ericsson ST18i Urushi
Today we got a batch of photos for an upcoming Sony Ericsson device – the previously leaked ST18i. According to our tipster, its codename is 'Urushi' and it runs on the same hardware as the Xperia Arc – a 1GHz Snapdragon chipset with a Scorpion CPU and an Adreno 205 GPU.

Sony Ericsson ST18i Urushi
The Urushi’s display is a 3.2-inch display with the whopping resolution of 854x480 pixels and the proprietary Bravia Mobile engine. The phone runs Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread with the typical Sony Ericsson customizations and has the same camera as the Xperia Arc - an 8 megapixel snapper with 720p recording and a LED flash.

Sony Ericsson ST18i Urushi
The handset is supposed to launch in September. We guess the official announcement should happen soon.
Thanks, Zack1536
gsmarena.com

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HTC Sensation doesn't offer a unibody design after all?

The HTC Sensation, which was promised to boast the company's unique unibody design might not have it after all. The first live photos and videos that surfaced clearly show that the back panel of the Sensation is removable, rather than being firmly attached to the frame surrounding the front.

The official HTC Sensation page claims that the device features the famous HTC unibody design, but as it turns out, it might be just a cheap marketing trick. Of course, it could be possible that SlashGear have just gotten a review unit with a non-final design, but we wouldn't count on that.
We are expecting HTC response about this discrepancy, we'll let you know once we hear back from a rep.

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Bada 2.0.1 OS screenshots leak, UI change imminent

Here is something interesting. A new Bada OS is coming, but until today we haven't heard a thing about it. But now you can see the first batch of Bada 2.0.1 screenshots coming from a beta OS release running on a Samsung Wave II .
We've already seen Bada 2.0 in action, demoed at the MWC 2011 in February but back then it looked just like the Bada 1.0. Obviously Samsung has decided to change the UI concept a bit along the way and Bada users will be getting the 2.0.1 instead.
Besides some new looks, the homescreen UI concept has changed as well - there are only two homecreen panes now. The first one is the widget section (marked with a rectangle), while the secondholds your regular shortcuts. The widgets section is scrollable so you still get all the varied content.
Bada 2.0.1 OS
The icons have also changed so you can now fit four of them in a row. Samsung just made them smaller and they are more condensed now.
Bada 2.0.1 OS
The Bada 2.0.1 OS screenshots are from the S8530 Wave II so the new Bada should be compatible with the older devices when it becomes available.
Last but not least, we managed to confirm these as genuine with Samsung reps but we couldn't get a further comment.

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Huawei to announce MediaPadtablet at CommunicAsia

Huawei has just announced its plans to present a new tablet called MediaPad at the upcoming CommunicAsia expo in Singapore. It will most probably run on Android and will be part of their IDEOS lineup.
While the hard facts are scarce at this time, at least we have press photos of the tablet.
Huawei MediaPad
Huawei claims that "the MediaPad is our smartest, smallest and lightest tablet ever – guaranteed to transform the consumer’s entertainment experience" .
Whether this will come true or not, we’ll know onJune 20, a day before the CommunicAsia kicks in Singapore.
Source: Huawei

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Mixcloud brings its ‘YouTube-for-radio’ to iPhone

Mixcloud , the ‘YouTube of radio’ (see our recent TechCrunchTV interview ), has finally brought its offering to the iPhone in the form of a native app.
The Mixcloud iPhone app gives on-the-go access to the London startup’s library of on-demand radio – DJ mixes, radio shows and podcasts, along with 100s of thousands of other “Cloudcasts” that have been uploaded to the service. The is app currently in Beta and thus is being offered for free.
As for the future business model around mobile, Mixcloud appears to be weighing up its options andwants to learn how users use the app first: “we’d like to get a wide range of beta users on board and understand the different usage habits before committing to a particular approach”, says co-founder Mat Clayton.
Features of the app include: What’s Hot (based on community aggregated listening data), Categories, History and Favourites, User Profiles and Search. Additionally, there’s support for AirTunes and background streaming.
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Mixcloud
Mixcloud image
Website: mixcloud.com
Location: London, United Kingdom
Founded: July, 2008
Listen to the world’s best radio presenters andDJs on Mixcloud - all for free.
Mixcloud connects great radio content to listenersmore effectively by re-thinking radio - making it more social, personal and democratic. Learn More
Information provided by CrunchBase

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Nokia lowers Q2 outlook, promises WP7.5 smartphones in Q4

Nokia revised its smartphones and services outlookfor Q2 and full 2011 and there are some good news and some bad news to investors and users alike. The company will generate substantially less revenue from smartphones and services in Q2, but the Windows Phone smartphone development is going ahead of schedule.
With the sales of the Nokia current portfolio apparently not going according to plan the companysays that it won’t be able to achieve its target revenue of €6.1 billion. The estimated operating margin of 6% to 9% will obviously be beyond reach for Nokia too with the revisited forecast suggestinga breakeven quarter.
The company is so far away from its targets that it has given up on its full 2011 forecasts altogether. It says that it will do everything it can to arrest thefall though including some restructuring that should be able to save about 1 billion a year from 2013 on.
On the positive side, the development of the first WP smartphones carrying the Nokia brand is obviously going well and the company is getting increasingly optimistic that it will be able to launch them in Q4.
As you can see the partnership with Microsoft is now vital to the future of Nokia so we really hope itworks out. The software giant has already brought its mobile platform a huge step forward with the Mango update so we are now to see if Nokia will deliver on the hardware end.
gsmarena.com

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