Phonepad: Turn your Samsung smartphone into a tablet and console!

 

Yes, the Phonepad. Not to be confused with the Asus Fonepad, relative unknown EICUS has got a brand new gizmo for you Samsung Galaxy S2 and Galaxy S3 owners that will transform your phone into a whopping 10.1-inch tablet with the help of a clever dock. Who needs an iPad?

Merging the two worlds of phones and tablets, the Phonepad lets you control your S2 or S3 as if it’s a tablet by simply docking it. Pop it in and voilà, your phone’s screen is mirrored on the larger 10-inch display turning into a makeshift tablet/netbook.

There’s no need for any extra data plans as you can use your phone’s data connection to get your internet fix, all on a larger screen. The display can be swivelled around so you can share what’s on screen with friends, or you can angle it so you can get your gaming on with the bundled PlayStation-style controller.

When your phone is docked in the Phonepad, it can also charge it up if you’re running low on juice and the Phonepad itself can run for eight-hours. The Phonepad comes in two different flavours, one for the Galaxy S2 and one for the Galaxy S3, but both are priced at £149.99 and will hit shops in July.

Reckon this is a must-have accessory for your Galaxy phone, or are you holding out for a real tablet? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Samsung Galaxy S4: Next gen Android will pack unbreakable screen!

 

The Samsung Galaxy S4, already? Yup. Samsung’s latest flagship phone has only been around for six months, but the South Korean giant is already pushing the pedal down on the accelerator to get the phone’s successor developed and released, which may come as early as April – and it may come with an unbreakable screen.

According to analysts, the new phone, likely to be known as the Samsung Galaxy S4, is expected to sport a blazing fast quad-core processor, a 13-megapixel camera, and an even bigger and better full HD display that packs a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch (ppi) – which is even sharper than the iPhone 5’s Retina Display.

Samsung is also reported to be developing an “unbreakable” screen, which is sure to be a feature in the next-generation Galaxy S4. Samsung has shown flexible and foldable display prototypes in the past, so it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to see them start popping up in the company’s next must have handset – and good luck shattering something you can bend to fit in your pocket.

So, that’s good news for those who drop their phones often, but is this really an essential feature? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below

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iPhone 5 revelations, the new Xbox and Android updates aplenty: Gadget Digest

 

It’s Friday, and that means it’ll soon be time to mosey on over to the watering hole. And here to fuel you with tech talking points is Gadget Digest, our weekly round up of all the biggest stories in gadgets, gaming and tech.

We’ve got the word on everything from the iPhone 5 to a new Xbox and a software upgrade for your favourite phone. Read on for it all!

iPhone 5 details

With the rumoured September launch date closing in, iPhone 5 rumours and reports have been ramping up. We’ve heard some particularly juicy ones this week: first off, battery parts leaked from manufacturers in China appear to suggest that a super speedy 4G LTE connection inside the iPhone 5 is a real possibility. Then there’s damning evidence of that bigger screen: actual software support for a taller resolution panel hidden inside an Apple iOS simulator used by developers. Apple’s keynote can’t come soon enough.

New tablets galore

Christmas is always a big selling time for consumer gadgets, so the months before it are flush with new gear, and the last week has seen plenty of tablets. Samsung made its new Galaxy Note 10.1 Android tablet official, while we saw a major leak from Sony, which appears to be prepping a rival Xperia Google tablet for next month. Lenovo meanwhile went official with its first Windows 8 tablet, the ThinkPad Tablet 2.

New Xbox: Will they, won’t they?

We all know there’s a new Xbox in the works – Microsoft would be mad not to have one – but this week’s seen a bizarre game of confirmation and anti-confirmation. After a Microsoft representative mentioned a “new Xbox” to The Verge, the company’s spin doctors got to work, claiming that he was simply referring to the new dashboard update expected this Autumn. Sure guys, sure.

Ouya comes of age

Ouya, the Android-powered mini console that’s become a sensation on crowdfunding website Kickstarter, found plenty more backers this week to prove naysayers wrong. The creators of popular media centre software XBMC announced they would be supporting the platform, and the initial round of funding on Kickstarter closed with a staggering $8,596,475 (£5.5m) raised – quite a bit more than the $950,000 the Ouya team originally asked for. It’s not too late to get one though if you missed out: you can now pre-order one for the retail price of $109 (£70).

Android updates

This week brought reports that manufacturers are hard at work putting the latest version of Google’s popular mobile operating system, Android, on their phones. Samsung is reportedly close to finishing a build of Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean” for the Samsung Galaxy S3, and working on a possible release for last year’s critically acclaimed Galaxy S2 as well. A leaked firmware update from HTC meanwhile shows it’s about to give the HTC One X a major speed boost – and it’s already no slouch.

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YouView internet TV hits UK, Samsung Galaxy S3 problems, iPad Mini gossip and more

 

Welcome to our weekly gadget digest. Here we round up the stories you might have missed, or fell under the gadget radar. Today we have stories on the YouView internet TV service that launched this week, word of Samsung Galaxy S3 overheating problems, some juicy gaming news and more. 



YouView internet TV service coming this month

The YouView box has arrived in the UK. Together with its Internet TV service, YouView delivers the benefit of Freeview channels with online on-demand television shows, backed by Channel Five, BBC, ITV, and more. For £299, owners are able to view, pause, and record TV shows to its 500GB storage. The YouView service will be here in July.

Samsung Galaxy S3 overheating problems

A number of Samsung Galaxy S3 owners have been complaining of problems with their device, some of which include overheating problems, and problems charging the Android smartphone. Have you had any problems with your Samsung Galaxy S3? Let us know

Here comes the iPad Mini rumours

Rumours of a miniature iPad have been doing the rounds for a while now, and they appear to be picking up. Apple has in the past suggested that smaller tablets are inferior – an unnecessary compromise between a smartphone and tablet, without being either, but still the rumours persist. Google recently unveiled the 7-inch Google Nexus 7 tablet, so maybe 7-inch tablets are the way to go.


Following its recent launch, Virgin Media’s Wi-Fi service is now serving 41 London Underground stations, letting users check emails, read their favorite webpages and check their Facebook while waiting for their train until this summer. After that the Wi-Fi will still be in action, but will be restricted to the TFL (Transport for London) portal with travel information and London news. Up to 120 stations will have Wi-Fi by the end of 2012.

Nintendo Wii U to have free and premium subscription services

Nintendo president Saroru Iwata has suggested that, like the PS3 and Xbox 360, the Wii U will have both free and premium online services, also promising that owners won’t have to pay to access the most basic features. “We cannot promise that Nintendo will always provide you with online services free of charge no matter how deep the experiences are that it may provide,” he said. “But at least we are not thinking of asking our consumers to pay money to just casually get access to our ordinary online services.”

Spotted any more cool gadget stories this week? Let us know

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Samsung Galaxy S3 the fastest-selling phone of 2012, your move Apple

 

If smartphones were in a 100 metre sprint, the Samsung Galaxy S3 would be the pace-setting record-breaker way out in front. The Galaxy S3 Android smartphone has received the most pre-orders this year, making it the hottest phone of 2012. That would make it more popular than the likes of the new HTC One X and Nokia Lumia 900. The iPhone 5 will have some serious competition once it eventually arrives. 



The claim comes not from Samsung, but from phone retailer Carphone Warehouse and Vodafone. The exact numbers behind the record-breaking pre-orders are being kept secret for now, but the word is that “thousands” of Samsung Galaxy S3 phones were pre-ordered from Carphone Warehouse in just 24 hours, ready to pick up on 29th May.

Samsung Galaxy S3 launches with whopping 4.8-inch screen

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is “now officially the most popular Android device we’ve ever put on pre-order” Carphone Warehouse told Pocket-lint. Those that don’t pre-order will have to wait a day longer until the Galaxy S3 goes on general release on 30th May.

Ever since the turn of the year, the Samsung Galaxy S3 has been tipped as the phone to deliver Apple’s strongest competition yet. With the iPhone 5 rumoured to be announced later this year the smartphone battle is set to stir once again.

HTC’s blazing fast quad-core HTC One X was tipped as a contender, but on this evidence alone it looks like customers have given their vote to the Galaxy S3 as 2012’s must-have Android phone.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 comes running Android 4.04, and features a massive 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD display, up to 64GB of storage, 8-megapixel camera and more features unique to the Samsung Galaxy S3, including ‘S-Voice’ – Samsung’s answer to the Apple’s Siri voice recognition software.

Have you pre-ordered the Samung Galaxy S3, or are you holding out for the Apple iPhone 5?

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Samsung Galaxy S3: Top 5 features you need to own!

 

thrThe eagerly-awaited Samsung Galaxy S3 Android phone has finally been unveiled. As rumours foretold, it has a massive 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD display, fast quad-core processor, up to 64GB of internal memory, NFC and a host of exclusive features you won’t find anywhere else. Here we take a look at some of the features that make the Samsung Galaxy S3 the smartphone of 2012.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 will come running the latest Android 4.0.4 interface, and have a wealth of features. For a rundown of those click on the link below. Here we are looking at some of the unique features that separate the Galaxy S3 from the competition.

S-Talk

The iPhone 4S will not be the only handset this year to make the most of specially-developed voice recognition. In the Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung is introducing S Voice. The feature responds to every word you say, activating functions based on keywords, letting you take photos, set alarms and lots more. Just don’t mention Apple’s Siri.

Smart Stay

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has a unique sensor that detects when you are looking at its 4.8-inch display. As a result the Galaxy S3 only enters sleep mode when you’re not looking at it, preventing you from having to press the home button to wake it up again while reading long passages of text.

Smart Alert

Don’t you just hate when you’ve left your phone on the desk for a few minutes and return to not realise someone has been trying to get in touch? We all do. To combat this the Samsung Galaxy S3 uses Smart alert. It knows when you’ve been away from the device, vibrating to let you know you’ve missed any calls or messages. Smart thinking.

Direct call

Ever get halfway through a long, rambling text message only to figure it would be quicker to just call? The Samsung Galaxy S3 has proximity sensors inside that know when you want to talk. Next time you’re mid-way through a message, lift the phone to your ear and the Galaxy S3 will automatically dial your contact.

AllShare Cast

This is what we’re talking about. An AllShare Cast feature lets you share media wirelessly with your television.You can beam over videos, photos from your Galaxy S3-bound library and the latest smartphone games from Google Play using the Samsung Galaxy S3 as a controller. It’s like having a touchscreen video game home console.

What do you think, gadget fans? Which Samsung Galaxy S3 features are you most looking forward to getting your hands on?

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Samsung Galaxy S3 launches with whopping 4.8-inch screen

 

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has been officially unveiled in London to have a whopping 4.8-inch screen and powered by a quad-core processor set to deliver stunning performance in this Android smartphone. Read on to find out more about what is already being called ‘the smartphone of 2012’!

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is here and we can reveal that it comes with a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD display and depending on which model you plumb for will have between 16GB and 64GB of internal memory.

 

Powered by the Exynos 4 Quad processor, it offers incredible CPU and 3D performance while consuming much less power than previous chips. The Samsung Galaxy S3 itself weighs in at 133g and considering the step-up in screen size it’s only 16 per cent larger than its predecessor.

Running Android 4.0.4 you’ll find all the latest software on-board, as well as a host of cool features, such as S-Voice (don’t call it SIRI) and S-Beam, which allows for NFC and WiFi wireless data transfer. You’ll find a pretty standard 8-Megapixel camera on the back, with a 1.9MP front mounted camera suitable for video calls.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is set to come in two colours to start with, there will be the now standard marble white but it will be joined by a pebble blue, for those who are looking for something a little different.

If storage is your thing then you find that the Samsung Galaxy S3 comes with 50GB of free storage online courtesy of Dropbox. This isn’t for the life of the phone, rather for the first two years, but which time you’re likely to be looking for an upgrade anyhow.

Pricing has yet to be announced but we can expect to see it ship later this month as the likes of O2 and Vodafone are already getting pretty excited about adding the phone to their rosters.

So, what do you think, is the Samsung Galaxy S3 the smartphone you’ve been waiting for? Does it live up to expectations? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments below.

Samsung Galaxy S3 launches with whopping 4.8-inch screen

 

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has been officially unveiled in London to have a whopping 4.8-inch screen and powered by a quad-core processor set to deliver stunning performance in this Android smartphone. Read on to find out more about what is already being called ‘the smartphone of 2012’!

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is here and we can reveal that it comes with a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD display and depending on which model you plumb for will have between 16GB and 64GB of internal memory.

Powered by the Exynos 4 Quad processor, it offers incredible CPU and 3D performance while consuming much less power than previous chips. The Samsung Galaxy S3 itself weighs in at 133g and considering the step-up in screen size it’s only 16 per cent larger than its predecessor.

Running Android 4.0.4 you’ll find all the latest software on-board, as well as a host of cool features, such as S-Voice (don’t call it SIRI) and S-Beam, which allows for NFC and WiFi wireless data transfer. You’ll find a pretty standard 8-Megapixel camera on the back, with a 1.9MP front mounted camera suitable for video calls.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is set to come in two colours to start with, there will be the now standard marble white but it will be joined by a pebble blue, for those who are looking for something a little different.

If storage is your thing then you find that the Samsung Galaxy S3 comes with 50GB of free storage online courtesy of Dropbox. This isn’t for the life of the phone, rather for the first two years, but which time you’re likely to be looking for an upgrade anyhow.

Pricing has yet to be announced but we can expect to see it ship later this month as the likes of O2 and Vodafone are already getting pretty excited about adding the phone to their rosters.

So, what do you think, is the Samsung Galaxy S3 the smartphone you’ve been waiting for? Does it live up to expectations? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments below.

Samsung countdown teases Galaxy S3, plus pre-order at Amazon

 

Ahead of the potential May 3 Samsung Galaxy S3 launch, Samsung has teased big changes with a countdown timer and a cheeky anagram challenge, that pretty much confirms what we’ve already heard. Read on to find out all about the latest Samsung S3 sightings.

The next generation of Samsung Galaxy smartphone is coming. The Samsung Galaxy S3 has also appeared on Amazon, confirming specs such as its 4.7-inch Super AMOLED display and 12-megapixel camera. 



The countdown timer appears at the URL www.tgeltaayehxnx.com. If our anagram skills serve us correctly that would spell out ‘the next galaxy’. The countdown timer however appears to count down not to the launch, but to the next step in a puzzle. It sounds as if each step in the puzzle will gradually reveal more details.

Meanwhile the Samsung Galaxy S3 has appeared on the German version of Amazon. The listing appears to confirm a price of €599 (£490) SIM-free. Also noted is a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED display, 12-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash, Android 4.0, and16GB internal memory that can be upped to 32GB.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 Amazon listing does not feature an image of the phone. We’ll have to wait till May 3 to see what it looks like.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is tipped to be the year’s must-have phone ahead of even the HTC One X and possibly the next iPhone. Here’s hoping it can live up to the hype come launch. 


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Samsung Galaxy S3: is this the final design?

 

The Samsung Galaxy S3 will be launching later this year. Ahead of that much-anticipated launch an image has appeared online purporting to be the final design for the Samsung handset. And it’s got a bit of a makeover. Could this be our first look at the Samsung Galaxy S3? Let’s take a closer peek.

For those not keeping count, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is the successor to both the original Samsung Galaxy and the current Samsung Galaxy S2. Both have so far been a solid rival to Apple’s iPhone, and worthy Android alternative. So it’s understandable then that there are high hopes for the Samsung Galaxy S3. 


Samsung Galaxy S3 set to launch this April


The (allegedly) leaked picture above (via Visit Electronista ) shows what could be a first look at the device sporting a slimmer profile and a two-tone colour scheme. The device on the back looks to be completely flat, with no bumps where the camera sensor would be. The Samsung Galxy S3 could be Samsung’s slimmest phone to date.

Until Samsung officially launches the Samsung Galaxy the above still remains a rumour, but we have heard that the new Galaxy handset will be slimmer, so that is at least something we can take from this.

From what we’ve heard, the Samsung Galaxy S3 should be worth waiting for. Specs will include a 4.3-inch display, the latest Android 4.0 operating system, 1.5GHz quad-core processor and full HD video.

Such specs will put the Samsung Galaxy S3 in direct competition with the HTC One X – another quad-core Android phone out this April according to O2. Which will you be going for? Or are you waiting for Apple to release the iPhone 5?

Samsung Galaxy S3 set to launch in April?

 

A launch date for the Samsung Galaxy S3 has so far been elusive, but it looks like we won’t have to wait too long for one of 2012’s hottest Android phones. Rumours are pinpointing an April release for the speedy Android 4.0. If any phone can topple the iPhone 4S’ popularity, it’s the Samsung Galaxy S3.

Those reports stem from gadget blog ZDNet Korea. The blog suggests that Samsung will release the Galaxy S3 next month in a campaign geared around the London 2012 olympic games. That means we don’t have too long to wait.

The launch is especially important because like its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is expected to become the number one Android phone on the market, considered by many to be the only real alternative to the Apple iPhone 4S.

Samsung has yet to confirm the specs, but if previous leaks are anything to go by, the Galaxy S3 is an impressive beast. Reports are claiming the latest Android 4.0 operating system, a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, full HD 1080p shooting and a 4.8-inch display.

We had expected to see the Samsung Galaxy S3 at MWC 2012, but it was not to be. Instead Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy Beam – a smartphone with a built-in projector that will be in stores this July.

It sounds amazing, but it’s the Samsung Galaxy that Android will really be looking forward to. We’ll bring you more on this year’s must-have Android phone as we hear it. Roll on April.