Samsung: We have ‘high hopes’ on beating smartphone sales estimates in 2011

Korean electronics giant Samsung believes it will surpass internal sales estimates for its Android and Windows Phone handsets in 2011, ending the year with a flourish as its competition begins to downgrade their forecasts on dwindling demand, Reuters reports.
Samsung has sold more than 30 million of its Galaxy S and S II smartphones over the past year, leading the company to leapfrog Finnish mobile rival on smartphone sales for the first time since it began its push to market devices powered by Android and Windows Phone.
The announcement by an unnamed executive at a company press conference comes at a time when Samsung’s smartphone rival HTC has downgraded its sales target for the fourth quarter, citing increased competition from the Korean vendor and its Cupertino-based rival Apple:

“We are pinning high hopes…on achieving sales higher than our previous plan.”

The company recently launched its Galaxy Note and Galaxy Nexus handsets, stating that it hopes it can sell as many as 2 million of the smartphone-cum-tablet Note in South Korea alone.
Despite facing legal challenges from Apple over the design and marketing of its products in courts worldwide, the company continues to enjoy increased demand for its dual-core smartphones, which ship with the company’s impressive AMOLED display technology.
Samsung has made no estimates for sales of its Galaxy Nexus smartphone, the result of a joint venture with Google that was released just one week ago, becoming the first handset in the world to feature the search giant’s new Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) operating system.

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Video of Acer Iconia Tab A200 leaks

Those big on Acer tablets will like the latest leak that has been spied. What appears to be the video promo for the Acer Iconia Tab A200 has leaked showing off a few more details and offering a better look at the tablet than we have seen ion other leaked photos in the past. Our first glimpse at the tablet came earlier this month when a photo leaked and then the tablet was also spied crossing the FCC.

We don’t have all the details on the tablet just yet, but we do know a lot. The A200 is expected to be a budget offering that packs the NVIDIA Tegra 2 under the hood while the new high-end tablets will sport the Tegra 3 chipset. That Tegra 2 chip is still powerful enough for most folks. The video can be seen in below and it offers up some nice details.
We learn that the tablet has a display with a resolution of 1280 x 800. It also packs in Bluetooth, a microSD card slot and a USB port. That USB port is shown offering access to external storage drives. That access will allow access to media stored elsewhere. The tablet has WiFi and the video doesn’t offer any mention of a 3G version of the tablet.




[via SlashGear]

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Motorola Triumph receives Ice Cream Sandwich build

Do not be misled by the moniker Motorola Triumph, it might sound pretty mighty and all, but in reality, it is not exactly a high end device that you would lust for. It falls under the mid-range scheme of things, but it has proved to be quite the attractive purchase for those who want something better than what the bottom of the food chain offers. It remains to be seen whether the Motorola Triumph will be on the receiving end of an official Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 update, but as mom used to say, if you want something done, you’ve gotta do it yourself. And that is exactly what a developer on the AndroidForums have done – seemingly ported the Ice Cream Sandwich ROM onto the device with success.

Needless to say, this port is not complete as there is still a long way to go since a bunch of features do not work just yet on the phone, but it does offer a glimpse of hope to Motorola Triumph owners that there is still a chance of a successful port. After all, to be able to enjoy all the benefits of Ice Cream Sandwich without having to purchase a new phone is always more than welcome, even more so in these times of economic hardship. Hopefully Motorola will not overlook the Triumph when it comes to Android 4.0 updates.

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T-Mobile UK announces Vivacity smartphone

Gadgets are funny business – the high end models are the most desirable in terms of design as well as functions most of the time, but then again, they do not generate the most sales for a company, since any graph would show that the mid-range and entry-level devices would do far better since the majority of the population would be able to afford them. Well, having said that, I am not opposed to high end devices – I would associate them with Formula 1 racing, pushing the boundaries of mobile technology always so that the masses will benefit in the long run. T-Mobile UK’s latest smartphone would not fall under the high end category, but rather, will be an entry-level participant known as the Vivacity.

The Vivacity smartphone will run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, bringing along with it a 3.5″ display, tipping the scales at 118 grams (4.16oz) and measuring a rather diminutive 115mm x 58mm x 10.5mm. There is a 5-megapixel camera located at the back, and the screen itself ain’t too shabby with a WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) resolution. A microSD memory card slot is there for expansion purposes, while 512MB RAM ought to be enough for the average user. It is available for 99GBP (US$153) on a Pay As You Go plan, but if you want it for free, then be prepared to assign yourself to a 24 month contract and a 10GBP monthly plan.

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Netflix is down, users unable to log in for several hours

Netflix users who were planning to spend a Sunday evening watching a movie have had to make other plans today, as the service has been down for the past two hours, as it has itself acknowledged on its Twitter feed.
According to a Business Insider report, Netflix users found themselves logged out of the service this evening and have since been unable to log back in. Here’s Netflix’s official take on the matter:

For those of you having trouble signing into the website, we’re hard at work on that as well.

The website is still up, and we expect the service to get back on track pretty soon. With Netflix out of commission, you may want to consider streaming a few songs from Spotify instead, now that it is back up after suffering from downtime as well.
Netflix has had a pretty lacklustre past few months, with the company’s announcement of a 60% hike in prices of DVD rentals leading to mass outrage among its users and millions of subscription cancellations in September this year. The company also received a blow when Starz announced that it would not be renewing its contract with Netflix, which significantly cut down the size of the service’s streaming library.
Just when we thought it could not get any worse, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced in an apologetic blog post that Netflix had decided to spin off its DVD rental business into a separate company named Qwikster. The company then quickly backtracked on that decision after facing another round of devastatingly critical customer feedback.
The company has since regained some of its lost goodwill by confirming that it will officially come to Ireland and the UK early next year and adding all of CW’s shows to its streaming library. Perhaps the best move it pulled was to announce that it would be bringing back Arrested Development, the much-loved TV show that was cancelled by NBC after just three seasons.

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Samsung Galaxy S II gets Android 2.3.6 update in Mexico

Samsung has released the Android 2.3.6 update for Galaxy S II in Mexico. Update is available via Samsung Kies, not OTA as you would expect – though an OTA update should be released in the near-future.

There is no official word on the update availability in other countries, but it should not take much time for at least unlocked versions to get bumped to Android 2.3.6 in Asian and European countries.

The current update brings a few bug fixes and performance improvements to this company flagship.

Changelog:
Lock-screen hang bug fixed
Few Changes on the Camera Interface
Increase in HSPA connectivity speed
Security & Performance improvements
Faster boot times

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Cricket Debuts ZTE Chorus as New Muve Music Android

Cricket is continuing their lineup of Muve Music-enable Android smartphones with the ZTE Chorus. Most notable for it;s low cost of $40 after rebates and inexpensive month-to-month service options, the Chorus won’t turn any heads with what it packs within its plastic shell. A meager 600MHz CPU, 3.2-inch resistive touch display, and 2MP camera all amount to something decidedly entry-level, but for those unwilling to sign away the next two years to a carrier to maintain subsidized pricing on more powerful hardware, it could be an option.

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 23, 2011 — /PRNewswire/ — Cricket Communications, Inc., a leading provider of innovative and value-driven wireless services and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leap Wireless International, Inc. (NASDAQ: LEAP), and ZTE, a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, today announced availability of the ZTE Chorus™ featuring Cricket’s Muve Music service.
The ZTE Chorus is ideal for value-conscious consumers looking for a single device to simultaneously manage their mobile and music needs. The bar-style feature phone delivers high functionality with 3G web browsing capabilities and 600 megahertz of processing power while serving as an ideal platform for Cricket’s innovative and unlimited Muve Music service. The ZTE Chorus incorporates SRS WOW HD technology for advanced audio playback quality and a dynamic 3D entertainment experience with a deep, rich bass and high-frequency clarity. Users can customize their sound preferences with SRS sound settings that complement popular music styles including acoustic, blues, hip hop, pop and rock.
The ZTE Chorus provides a robust multimedia experience with its vibrant 3.2-inch WQVGA TFT display with resistive touch screen, 2.0MP camera/camcorder, music and video players, stereo Bluetooth™, and speech recognition capabilities. XT9 Trace technology and a virtual keypad provide a convenient messaging experience with fast and easy text entry. In addition to Muve Music, the ZTE Chorus comes preloaded with Mobile Web, MyBackup, MyAccount, Cricket Storefront and three customizable idlescreens.
“We are excited to bring the ZTE Chorus to our line-up of Muve Music enabled phones,” said Matt Stoiber, senior vice president, devices for Cricket. “With the enhanced audio features, it’s like having your music library with you wherever you go. The quality music experience of Muve Music and the great value the ZTE Chorus offers offer an unbeatable combination for our customers.”
“ZTE is again pleased to work with Cricket to bring consumers an affordable device with unique features that enhance the mobile experience,” said Lixin Cheng, CEO, ZTE USA and President, North America Region, ZTE. “The ZTE Chorus was designed to enrich users’ interaction with their music without sacrificing the functionality of a well-built phone.”
The ZTE Chorus, with an MSRP of $119.99, is available for as low as $39.99 for a limited time at www.mycricket.com, Cricket branded retail stores and dealers.
With the $55 per month Muve Music plan for the ZTE Chorus, Cricket Wireless customers will enjoy unlimited song downloads, ringtones, and ringback tones, as well as unlimited text, picture, and video messaging, 3G mobile data, mobile video, data back-up, and 411 assistance.
Muve Music is the first unlimited music service to be included as part of a wireless rate plan and now has more than 270,000 customers. By applying its philosophy of unlimited services and value innovation, Cricket and Muve Music have given their customers a new music experience that ranks high in customer satisfaction.
For more information about Muve Music, visit www.muvemusic.com, and for Cricket’s dynamic device lineup, visit www.mycricket.com. For the latest Cricket news and updates online, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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CyanogenMod 9 beta comes to Galaxy S, alpha for Nexus S

We love us some custom ROMs here at Android Community, and perhaps none more than the venerable CyanogenMod. Steve Kondik and his team announced that they would begin on version 9 just after the Ice Cream Sandwich source code became available. While a full-feature release is still months away, you can try out an early version right now if you own a Galaxy S (international version) or Nexus S.

It’s only been a couple of weeks since work began, so most of the distinctions that make CyanogenMod so desirable aren’t there yet. But both versions are obtainable and mostly stable versions of Ice Cream Sandwich. Since Americans can’t get a hold of the Galaxy Nexus without an expensive import, these ROMs represent a solid step forward. The Galaxy S version is only missing video recording and encryption abilities, and the Nexus S alpha is having video and MMS issues. Like all CyanogenMod releases, you’ll need to flash the Android Market and Google Apps separately.
The Galaxy S and Nexus S are Samsung phones with a huge amount of community dev support, so it’s no surprise that these devices are the first to see stable builds of CyanogenMod 9. You can expect other high-profile devices like the Galaxy S II, the original DROID and Nexus One to see CM9 alpha/beta versions soon, with the Galaxy Nexus to follow once units become available to more of the CyanogenMod team. As usual, all bets are off when dealing with custom ROMs – flash at your own risk.

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Verizon pits DROID 4 against DROID RAZR, ends in stalemate

“Sieve” doesn’t really describe the DROID 4 leaks at this point. In amongst a smattering of press images for the as-yet-unconfirmed phone (as if we needed it at this point) came a direct comparison of the DROID 4 and DROID RAZR, courtesy of Droid-Life. It reinforces a lot of the specs that we’ve already seen, like a 4-inch screen and an LTE connection, but gives us a little more insight into the nitty-gritty details.

In a one-sheet labelled “evolve or dissolve”, the company pits the DROID 2 GLOBAL, DROID 3 and DROID 4 against the RAZR, withe the 4th revision obviously coming out on top. Some highlighted differences include the qHD screen, which on the DROID 4 definitely is not a Super AMOLED, probably settling for a standard TFT LCD panel. The 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, 8 MP camera, HDMI camera and Motorola-customized Gingerbread remain. The principle differences noted include a tiny bump up to a 1785 mAh battery and a “laser cut edge-lighted keyboard” that illuminates the space around the individual keys.
Dimensions aren’t mentioned, but from previous leaks we’re pretty sure that it comes in at 12.7mm – still pretty slim for a QWERTY device. Also notably absent from the comparison is the replaceable battery, but it’s likely that Motorola and Verizon don’t want to highlight the RAZR’s non-removable power source. The current scuttlebutt places the release at December 8th, possibly alongside another long-awaited phone.

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