Brothers from another mobile mother, or just a case of copycat syndrome? We’ll let you be the judge, but from the looks of this latest leak, Samsung’s SHV-E120L could be sharing some of the LG LU6200′s special spec sauce. Outed over on Cetizen and iNews24, the full breakdown of the device’s innards point to a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 HD display, 2 megapixel front-facing / 8 megapixel rear camera, 1GB RAM, 16GB of onboard storage, WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC. We’ve seen conflicting reports as to the exact version of Gingerbread that’ll ship on the phone, with Android 2.3.5 in the running. As for the handset’s radios, its purported MDM9600 Gobi chipset indicates tri-mode LTE, HSPA and CDMA compatibility. Samsung’s super-sized smartphone could hit South Korea later this month, or in early October.

SOURCE via Pocketnow

Samsung invited the world to adventure with its own smartphone OS, Bada almost two years ago and so far most of us have turned down the offer. Of course, that trip could look more appealing if a Wall Street Journal rumor is true and the company is planning to open source it for use by developers and other manufacturers alike next year.

Citing the usual “person familiar with the situation”, Samsung apparently isn’t interested in snagging any outside companies like, say, webOS, but wants to strengthen its independence from Android after Google announced it will purchase Motorola.

Right now, it feels like we’ve already seen this story play out for the still-kicking Symbian. On the other hand, maybe Samsung, with its massive manufacturing capabilities and current hit-making prowess, can strike the right balance of hardware, software and apps to make it worthwhile. If it tries and fails, well, maybe the folks in Redmond will be looking for another close friend.

SOURCE via Wall Street Journal

Well, since Samsung couldn’t get an early peek at the iPhone 5 and iPad 3, the company has simply decided to take a page from Apple’s playbook. A senior exec told The Korea Times it plans to file a request to block the sale of the upcoming iOS handset in its Korean homeland the moment the device is announced. According to the Times, the anonymous exec said it would leverage its wireless technology patents and demand that Apple either remove the telecommunications features — turning the iPhone into an iPod touch — or simply be banished from the Korean market. The knock-down-drag-out war between the two companies has only seemed to escalate in recent weeks, as Sammy has taken a much more combative and offensive approach. We can only hope the two get tired of divvying up the globe and declare a draw in this game of patent Risk.

SOURCE via The Korea Times

The long, winding and increasingly mind-numbing battle between Samsung and Apple has taken yet another turn, this time in Australia, and it’s the other way round.According to The Wall Street Journal, Samsung feels that the iPhone and iPad 2 both “violate a number of wireless technology patents held by Samsung.”

Spokesman Nam Ki-yung stated the following: “To defend our intellectual property, Samsung filed a cross claim for Apple’s violation of Samsung’s wireless technology patents.” The suit is being filed just days / weeks before a ruling will decide on whether the Galaxy Tab 10.1 can be legally sold Down Under, and in related news, Samsung is also appealing a recent ruling back in Germany. If ever the world needed an out-of-court settlement… this one will be so huge.

SOURCE via Wall Street Journal

A big surprise? Not entirely, it was probably gonna happen sooner or later, looking at the number of new smartphones being launched everywhere. A new report from IDC confirms it: smartphones are now out-shipping feature phones in western Europe.

According to the company’s statistics, only 20.4 million feature handsets were shipped to the Old World during the second quarter of this year, representing a 29 percent decrease from Q2 2010. Quarterly shipments of smartphones, on the other hand, increased by 49 percent to 21.8 million units, marking the first time that they’ve surpassed basic phone orders.

Smartphones also comprised 52 percent of all mobile shipments, which shrunk by three percent, collectively — something IDC’s Francisco Jeronimo attributes, in part, to Europe’s brutal economic climate and Nokia’s steep decline (see chart).

On the OS front, Android once again came out on top within the region, thanks to a whopping 352 percent year-to-year increase in shipments, while Samsung controlled the manufacturing side, with 33 percent of the European market.

SOURCE via Moconews

A German court has weighed in on Apple’s seemingly interminable patent battle against Samsung, and it isn’t looking good for Galaxy Tab users. In a ruling issued yesterday, a Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court upheld last month’s preliminary injunction, banning the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 within Germany.

Citing the slate’s “minimalist, modern form,” presiding judge Johanna Brueckner-Hoffmann determined that Samsung’s tablet bears a “clear impression of similarity” with the iPad 2, thereby meriting a nationwide ban. “The court is of the opinion that Apple’s minimalistic design isn’t the only technical solution to make a tablet computer,” Brueckner-Hoffmann explained, “other designs are possible.”

Earlier this week, as you may recall, Apple won a separate injunction against the Galaxy Tab 7.7 in Düsseldorf, though Samsung can still appeal that decision in a lower court. The court stopped short, however, of calling for an EU-wide injunction against the 10.1-inch slate, arguing that “it could only be competent to order a Europe-wide ban for a firm headquartered outside the European Union if this firm has a German subsidiary.”

Samsung, meanwhile, plans to appeal the ruling in a higher court, with a company spokesman issuing a now all-too familiar statement: “We are disappointed with this ruling and believe it severely limits consumer choice in Germany.”

SOURCE via AFP

Well, if you thought Samsung was done tweaking the Galaxy S II with three unique versions for each three carriers, you were very mistaken. The Korean company is getting ready to unveil the Galaxy S II LTE at IFA in Berlin this week, alongside an LTE version of its still elusive Galaxy Tab 8.9 — and we’ll be there to get some hands on time. Both devices are sporting an updated dual-core processor running at 1.5GHz, while the S II is also getting a size bump and moving up to a 4.5-inch screen. The Tab remains otherwise unchanged, rocking the same 1200 x 800 screen and super-svelte (8.6mm thick) design. Honestly, we’re not sure what else you need to know — 4G LTE and an over-the-top processor? Now the only thing left would be the price!

SOURCE via Samsung

Samsung’s already given us a few tidbits about its upcoming Galaxy W, but none pertaining to color. Lending credence to a bleached variant of the upcoming “Wonder” smartphone is a bevy of shots from Mai Nguyen, depicting the gizmo and its textured derriere in exquisite detail. Thus far, all that’s been confirmed are its 3.7-inch WVGA display, 1.4GHz CPU, 5 megapixel camera and that it’ll sling HSDPA packets at speeds of up to 14.4Mbps. More will be told at IFA next week, but in the meantime venture past the break for another snap, or hit the source for the full monty.

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Samsung’s plans for this year’s IFA trade show in Berlin have been unwittingly revealed early by the company’s own teaser app for Android. A tipster went digging around inside the Samsung Mobile Unpacked APK and discovered the trio of logos you see above.

They suggest that the company will be launching three new products: a Galaxy Tab 7.7 tablet, a Wave 3 smartphone, most likely running the latest edition of the Bada OS, and a Galaxy Note, a device whose nature remains a mystery. ‘This Is My Next’ verified that said images do indeed reside within the application package, though their full spec sheets and relevant press releases are likely being held back — Samsung urges users to update the app on September 1st, which is when its grand unveiling is scheduled.

For now, we can be pretty safe in assuming the new Tab will have a 7.7-inch screen, in keeping with the naming scheme introduced with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9, and probably run a version of Android Honeycomb.

SOURCE via Android

Samsung have announced a new Galaxy phone lineup that is to be unveiled at IFA in Berlin. The Galaxy W fears a 3.7inch WVGA touchscreen, 1.4GHz chip and up to 14.4Mbps HSDPA connectivity. Along with the W, we’ll be seeing the M Pro, Y and Y Pro coming next week from Samsung. Are you confused yet? I sure am. Samsung has opted for the new naming scheme to signify (W)onder which is a balance between performance and style, (M)agical which will bring high end handsets to a lower price point as well as (Y)outh for youths and emerging markets. Details are a little fuzzy at the moment, but we’ll just have to wait till next week to have a glance at what Samsung has to offer.