I’m sure I’ve seen this somewhere before…

Picture this: You’re in charge of Samsung’s phone and tablet divisions. You’re feeling stung by the recent law-room battles which have been keeping your products out of stores because they look exactly like Apple’s iPhone and iPad. You desperately need a new product. What to do?

Maybe you should copy the iPhone 3G. After all, Apple mightn’t mind you ripping of a years-old phone, right? Surely the design must be in the public domain by now?

Take a look at the Galaxy Ace Plus, a touch-screen Android phone with a 3.65-inch screen, a centrally-placed home button and a curved, glossy black rear panel. Look familiar? Even the OS version is in keeping with the last-gen design it mimics: The Ace Plus runs Gingerbread. That’s two major versions back from the current 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Inside, there’s a 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 3GB storage and Samsung’s iOS-a-like TouchWiz interface.

Fittingly, the handset will roll out most extensively in regions of the world far from the courtroom battles of the Netherlands and Australia. The Ace Plus will be heading to Russia, India, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and India.

Samsung introduces the Galaxy Ace Plus [Samsung via Cult of Mac]

Sprint launched the Samsung Replenish back in May 2011, and we suspect sales of Sprint’s first eco-friendly device were less than stellar.Today, Boost Mobile has announced that they have laid claim to Sprint’s unsold Replenish inventory, and will make the Samsung Replenish their first sub-$100 Android device. Starting today, Boost Mobile customers will be able to buy the Replenish for $99.99 from choose Boost Mobile locations and on-line at Boost Mobile’s site.

If you’re on Boost Mobile’s network, and are in the market for an Android device, you could certainly do worse than the Replenish, and at the $100 asking price, we think Boost will be able to move a few units.

If you do happen to pick up the Boost Mobile Samsung Replenish, be sure to let us know what you think of the device in the comments.

The New Year means Time to “Replenish” Your Wireless Service and Get a New Android at an Affordable Price from Boost Mobile and Samsung

Boost Mobile gives consumers the opportunity to save even more money with the launch of new

IRVINE, Calif.–Boost Mobile,ranked Highest in Customer Service Performance and Purchase Experience among Non-Contract Wireless Providers by J.D. Power and Associates1, starts off the New Year with a new eco-friendly Android™ smartphone, Samsung Replenish™. AnAndroid touch/QWERTY smartphone enabled with Mobile ID, Samsung Replenish will be available Jan. 16 and is Boost Mobile’s first Android priced less than $100.

Samsung Replenish, Boost Mobile’s first eco-friendly2Android smartphone, is partially built with recycled plastics3and is the best choice for the environmentally conscious consumer who wants the latest technology with a no-contract offer on a dependable nation-wide network.

Boost Customers can get additional “green benefit” by simply trading in their old device as part of Boost Mobile’s new Buyback program or by simply making on-time payments with Boost Mobile’s $55 Android Monthly Unlimited plan with Shrinkage. For every six on-time payments, a Boost Mobile customer’s monthly cost will shrink by $5, eventually getting down to as low as $40 a month for unlimited nation-wide talk, text, Web, email, and calls to 411. Payments do not need to be consecutive to qualify for these savings milestones.

“Consumers are smarter about where and how their money is being spent, and Boost Mobile offers a considerable value,” stated Andre Smith, vice president-Boost Mobile. “We offer first-class inexpensive Android smartphones, like the Samsung Replenish, on a reliable network with a no-contract offer that has payments that shrink over time.”

The full-featured Samsung Replenish includes:

•Android 2.3 with access to Android Market™

•2.8-inch touchscreen and QWERTY keypad

•2MP camera with video

•GPS-enabled

•Stereo Bluetooth®technology

•Easy Access to Gmail™ and Google Talk™

•Wireless Web Enabled

Samsung Replenish will be available Jan. 16 for $99.99 (excluding taxes) at Boost Mobile’s exclusive retail stores, choose independent wireless dealer locations across the country, and atwww.boostmobile.comwith free shipping. Samsung Replenish will be available in additional national retailers by the end of the February.

Customers can save even more money with Boost Mobile’s new , which grants customers to trade in an old device in exchange for an account credit. Ineligible devices can still be sent back for proper recycling. For details and a full list of devices and their values, visithttp://buyback.boostmobile.com.

Samsung Replenish also comes preloaded with Mobile ID, an exclusive service from Boost that grants customers to download and install “ID packs.” The packs deliver a complete mobile experience, including applications, widgets, ringtones and wallpapers, in a few easy clicks. ID packs are designed to meet a customer’s individual lifestyle or interests, such as sports, entertainment, fitness and music. ID packs that can be loaded on the device include MTV Music Pack, E!, Socially Connected, Professional, Entertainment, Lo2Yo Latino, Lo2Yo Mujer and Lo2Yo Futbol.

Additionally, Samsung Replenish features Boost Zone, a centralized place on the device where Boost Mobile customers can access their account, pay their bill, get assistance with their phone, and stay up-to-date on Boost Mobile’s products and services. Boost Zone will be coming soon to all Boost Mobile CDMA Android devices.

LTE, for the uninitiated, is a standard for wireless communication at high speeds. According to AT&T, users of the LTE network should see data speeds that are up to 10 times faster than the current 3G network.

LTE reduces the processing time needed to move data through a network, improving the quality of video chats, Web page downloads and other data-intensive applications. It also uses wireless spectrum more efficiently, leaving more room for data traffic.

The network is also incredibly hard on smartphone’ batteries, as reviewers of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Verizon’s LTE network have attested. (Engadget’s Tim Stevens reported that the phone’s battery drained faster than his automobile charger could even charge it, shutting off before he reached his destination.)

That’s one reason LTE has yet to come to the iPhone. But a number of devices on AT&T’s network are LTE-enabled. Among them:

HTC VividSamsung Galaxy SLG Nitro HDHTC JetstreamSamsung Galaxy Tab 8.9

“We continue to see demand for mobile broadband skyrocket, and our 4G LTE network in the San Francisco Bay Area responds to what customers want from their mobile experience — more, faster, on the ideal devices,” stated Terry Stenzel, AT&T vice president and general manager for Northern California.

The new network is now available in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and “many other Bay Area communities,” the company said. With Wednesday’s move, it has now enabled LTE in 26 markets.

Verizon, which launched its LTE network in late 2010, is available in 190 cities. Sprint offers a different next-generation wireless standard known as WiMAX. T-Mobile doesn’t offer LTE.

I’m sure I’ve seen this somewhere before…

Picture this: You’re in charge of Samsung’s phone and tablet divisions. You’re feeling stung by the recent law-room battles which have been keeping your products out of stores because they look exactly like Apple’s iPhone and iPad. You desperately need a new product. What to do?

Maybe you should copy the iPhone 3G. After all, Apple mightn’t mind you ripping of a years-old phone, right? Surely the design must be in the public domain by now?

Take a look at the Galaxy Ace Plus, a touch-screen Android phone with a 3.65-inch screen, a centrally-placed home button and a curved, glossy black rear panel. Look familiar? Even the OS version is in keeping with the last-gen design it mimics: The Ace Plus runs Gingerbread. That’s two major versions back from the current 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Inside, there’s a 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 3GB storage and Samsung’s iOS-a-like TouchWiz interface.

Fittingly, the handset will roll out most extensively in regions of the world far from the courtroom battles of the Netherlands and Australia. The Ace Plus will be heading to Russia, India, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and India.

Samsung introduces the Galaxy Ace Plus [Samsung via Cult of Mac]

The Samsung Galaxy Player 4.0 looks nearly identical to the Samsung Vibrant on T-Mobile, save for the front-facing camera, the bigger screen, and the availability of a white version. At 2.53 by 4.87 by 0.39 inches, and 4.27 ounces, the Samsung Galaxy Player 4.0 is bigger and heavier than the fourth-generation 8GB iPod Touch. Its body is constructed primarily of plastic, and it feels cheaply made in comparison to the aluminum-backed iPod Touch. Regrettably, the decorative silver-colored bezel surrounding the screen scratched easily in my pocket.

The white plastic back slides off to reveal a 1200mAh battery and a microSD card slot that you can reach without removing the battery.

At its heart, the Galaxy Player operates like any Android phone. To get started, you sign in using your Gmail account (or create one), and all your contacts and other information are synced from the device over a Wi-Fi connection. It runs Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread)–the version prior to 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). We queried Samsung about whether the Player would ever be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich; but at this writing, the company has not yet responded. We suspect that the Galaxy Player 4.0 will never leave the realm of Android 2.x.

Inside, the Player uses a 1GHz, single-core Hummingbird processor and 512MB of RAM, which together delivered a fairly responsive experience. I did notice some minor lag while using the Galaxy Player, however, as I’ve come to anticipate from single-core devices. Pages scrolled smoothly enough, but apps would sometimes hang for a second or two before opening. This typicaly occurred when several apps were open, and a quick trip to the task manager generally solved the problem.

Since the Galaxy Player lacks a cellular chip, you will not be able to do anything on-line unless you are tethered to a Wi-Fi connection. Fortunately, most local apps will run fine without a connection. But a few apps (including Voice Actions) require a data connection and will not run without it. The Galaxy Player 4.0 does come with Google Maps, but it relies on a data connection for GPS. Though you can cache maps for offline use, you cannot use the Galaxy Player for turn-by-turn directions, due to its lack of GPS.

Samsung rates the Galaxy Player 4.0 for 36 hours of audio playback, or 5 hours of video playback, on a simgle battery charge. In my hands-on testing, I found that the battery lasted for considerably less time than that. With Wi-Fi enabled, I squeezed about 3 hours out of the device while doing things such as listening to music and downloading apps.

Samsung’s devices stand out from other Android-based media players because they qualify as Android-compatible and thus have access to licensed material from sources such as Android Market and Google Maps.

Another differentiator: As on its phones, Samsung has replaced the stock Android interface with a stripped-down version of Samsung’s TouchWiz overlay. Anyone who has used a Samsung Android phone will feel at home among the bold-looking icons and finger-friendly buttons.

Of the many apps preinstalled on the Galaxy Player 4.0, ThinkFreeOffice seems particularly useful: It lets you manage office documents on the go and can act as a basic file browser, which makes it handy for installing Android apps from sources aside from Android Market.

As an Android phone without the phone, the Galaxy Player 4.0 hits the right marks. But a media player that aspires to compete toe-to-toe with Apple’s iPod needs ready access to a store where the user can buy new content. Android Market now grants customers to buy apps, books, and music from the same Market application, as well as to rent movies, but TV shows are nowhere to be found.

To download a book or an album from Android Market, you must first install Google Books or Google Music, respectively; bizarrely, those apps do not come preinstalled on the Galaxy Player. As with other content associated with your Google account, you can run bought books or music across devices and the media will sync to wherever you are. Android Market also gives you the option to rent movies, which you have 30 days to begin and 24 hours to finish once you have begun your film. Apps like Netflix and Crackle are available for those who prefer to stream their content, but Hulu Plus is not yet compatible with the Galaxy Player.

If you want to get your own media onto the Galaxy Player, you can do so by dragging whatever files you want onto the Player’s 8GB of internal storage, or onto a micro-SDHC card with a capacity of up to 32GB. Alternatively, you can use an application such as DropBox to save files locally to your device.

The 720p HD video that I watched on the Galaxy Player’s 4-inch screen looked and sounded quite good. The Galaxy Player natively supports the H.263, H.264, MPEG-4, and VP8 file formats.

To test audio playback quality, I played my test track, a 320kbps AAC copy of Kanye West’s “All of the Lights.” Using three different pairs of headphones, I compared the song to the same file playing on a fourth-generation iPod Touch. The song sounded a lot cleaner and crisper on the Touch than on the Galaxy Player, which suffered from considerable background static during playback. The hiss was less prominent in the third-party app WinAmp, so the problem may have involved a software glitch in the native music player on the Galaxy.

The Galaxy Player was better the iPod Touch at managing content that was already on the device, and offered greater freedom for moving content onto the device. The Touch still has the upper hand in relation to media selection and ease of use, but the Galaxy Player is better for users who like having greater control over their own files.

As an iPod Touch alternative, the Galaxy Player 4.0 has much to like–especially if you are already familiar with Android and have invested money in the ecosystem. The quality of audio played back through the stock Samsung music app is poor, but the Android advantage includes letting you select third-party player options from Android Market. If you are looking for a taste of Android without having to pay for cellular service, the Galaxy Player 4.0 is a good Android device to tinker with.

I’m sure I’ve seen this somewhere before…

Picture this: You’re in charge of Samsung’s phone and tablet divisions. You’re feeling stung by the recent law-room battles which have been keeping your products out of stores because they look exactly like Apple’s iPhone and iPad. You desperately need a new product. What to do?

Maybe you should copy the iPhone 3G. After all, Apple mightn’t mind you ripping of a years-old phone, right? Surely the design must be in the public domain by now?

Take a look at the Galaxy Ace Plus, a touch-screen Android phone with a 3.65-inch screen, a centrally-placed home button and a curved, glossy black rear panel. Look familiar? Even the OS version is in keeping with the last-gen design it mimics: The Ace Plus runs Gingerbread. That’s two major versions back from the current 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Inside, there’s a 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 3GB storage and Samsung’s iOS-a-like TouchWiz interface.

Fittingly, the handset will roll out most extensively in regions of the world far from the courtroom battles of the Netherlands and Australia. The Ace Plus will be heading to Russia, India, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and India.

Samsung introduces the Galaxy Ace Plus [Samsung via Cult of Mac]

Si le flou subsiste autour du futur iPad 3, rien n’a non plus filtré autour de l’iPhone de prochaine génération. Pourtant, Shaw Wu du cabinet d’analyse Sterne Agee vient de publier dans une note destinée à ses clients il y a peu qu’il semblait très probable que le smartphone ait droit à un changement radical sur la question de son design. Au programme : une coque bien plus fine, un écran plus large, et une compatibilité LTE, voir NFC.

Avant d’ajouter que l’iPhone est très bien parti pour demeurer cette année la manne financière qu’il a été pour Apple en 2011. Précisons : il a représenté 44% des revenus de la firme pour l’année fiscale 2011, le chiffre pourrait grimper à 60% en 2012. Certains vont sans doute faire la moue face à ces rumeurs, mais qu’on se le dise : désormais, et sans doute pour quelques temps encore, le buzz entourant les produits Apple est si énorme que chaque analyste, ou presque, se sent obligé d’y aller de sa prédiction.

I’m sure I’ve seen this somewhere before…

Picture this: You’re in charge of Samsung’s phone and tablet divisions. You’re feeling stung by the recent law-room battles which have been keeping your products out of stores because they look exactly like Apple’s iPhone and iPad. You desperately need a new product. What to do?

Maybe you should copy the iPhone 3G. After all, Apple mightn’t mind you ripping of a years-old phone, right? Surely the design must be in the public domain by now?

Take a look at the Galaxy Ace Plus, a touch-screen Android phone with a 3.65-inch screen, a centrally-placed home button and a curved, glossy black rear panel. Look familiar? Even the OS version is in keeping with the last-gen design it mimics: The Ace Plus runs Gingerbread. That’s two major versions back from the current 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Inside, there’s a 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 3GB storage and Samsung’s iOS-a-like TouchWiz interface.

Fittingly, the handset will roll out most extensively in regions of the world far from the courtroom battles of the Netherlands and Australia. The Ace Plus will be heading to Russia, India, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and India.

Samsung introduces the Galaxy Ace Plus [Samsung via Cult of Mac]

Binding : Electronics
Brand : RCA
Feature : 2 lines allow 3-party teleconferences. The RCA 25203RE1′s 2-line operation lets you keep 1 line for 1 area of the office and the other for a different area. Plus you can conference in 2 separate outside parties on 1 phone call., 16 one-touch memory buttons for added convenience. 16 built-in memory buttons let you quickly contact your most important clients. Ideal for emergency contacts too., Built-in speakerphone lets you talk and work! The hands-free speakerphone enables better multitasking type, take notes and more as you continue your conversation. The speakerphone is also ideal for gathering people around for a quick meeting with s, Caller ID stores 100 name/numbers for easy retrieval. This call Waiting/caller ID compatible unit holds up to 100 names and numbers in its memory to quickly identify who called while you were away. Great for call screening too!, Other features include: Do Not Disturb function, line status visual indicators, mute, hold, flash, hearing aid compatibility, desk or wall mount capability, tri-lingual display (English, French, Spanish) and more.
Feature : 2 lines allow 3-party teleconferences. The RCA 25203RE1′s 2-line operation lets you keep 1 line for 1 area of the office and the other for a different area. Plus you can conference in 2 separate outside parties on 1 phone call.
Label : RCA
Manufacturer : RCA
Publisher : RCA
Studio : RCA

“CSR was the only provider who could offer an innovative solution with everything we needed to quickly and seamlessly deliver connectivity with low-power consumption for our new smart phone and accessories,” stated Mitsuhiro Hirashima, General Manager for NEC CASIO Mobile Communications. “This offering is one of a great many new innovations made possible by Bluetooth low energy that will change the way consumers interact with their mobile handsets, and make life more convenient for them.”

The connectivity for the new MEDIAS is provided via the CSR8811TM Smart Ready Bluetooth 4.0 device and is the first commercially available Android smartphone to support the Phone Alert Status, Proximity, FindMe, Alert Notification and Time Bluetooth low energy profiles, which make it possible to connect to a number of new peripheral devices in use cases where battery life was previously a concern. Examples include: proximity tags such as the Remoppi; wrist watches that connect wirelessly to smart phones for time synchronisation or notification of incoming calls and last for years on the same battery; heart monitors that keep you in the zone when going for a run; and pedometers and other sporting devices that relay relevant information to users’ phones and more.

Many Bluetooth Low Energy accessories coming to market – including the NEC CASIO Mobile Communications Remoppi – are developed using CSR µEnergy® single-mode Bluetooth Low Energy platform’s CSR1000TM. The CSR µEnergy single platform has been optimised to support only Bluetooth Low Energy features, allowing products to not be limited by size constraints, but be cost-effective and power-efficient to run for years on a single-coin cell battery. The platform offers single-mode chips that complement CSR8000 dual mode offerings to provide a complete range of Bluetooth Low Energy solutions – making CSR one of the few companies that delivers an end-to-end Bluetooth Smart and Smart Ready solution.

CSR was the first company to qualify a Bluetooth low energy software solution for Android, with its CSR Synergy for Android product. The latest version of Android OS, as it stands today, does not yet have this Bluetooth low energy (BTle) software support built in. The CSR8811 is used in conjunction with CSR Synergy for Android systems software to enable the BTle support for the MEDIAS. The package speeds and simplifies the integration of multiple wireless technologies, speeding time-to-market and reducing development cost by including everything from low-level transport drivers, advanced connectivity stacks to high level UI add-ons for Android. The combination of the CSR8811 and CSR Synergy for Android enables NEC CASIO Mobile Communications as well as other third party application developers to innovate with their own unique BTle applications, bringing a richer feature set to end-users more quickly and seamlessly.