Alright, for those of us who are wondering as to whether Samsung is going to update our beloved Samsung Galaxy S III to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the answer is yes. As to when Samsung is going to roll out this update? The answer is pretty soon. According to SamMobile, “Samsung is almost ready” to update the Samsung Galaxy S III to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. And this could happen as early as August or September. Additionally, for those of you who have the Samsung Galaxy S II, don’t abandon your device just yet, as this too will receive the Jelly Bean update. It is just not certain as to whether the update will be pushed the same time as the update for the Galaxy S III. Samsung is said to be trying to port the Galaxy S III to Jelly Bean right now and if deemed successful, that will be the time when they decide whether they will the update to the Galaxy S II as well. If these plans push through, then there will already be four Samsung flagship devices which will all be running Android 4.1. As for other Samsung devices, well, it seems that Samsung will also update its other “higher”end devices including the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab. So, it seems that sticking with your current Samsung device is worth doing still and Samsung is not just going to abandon update support for them. Good to know. Via [SamMobile]   According to a recent FCC filing, AT&T will likely launch the Huawei Fusion 2 Android smartphone in the near future. The Fusion 2 is the successor to the original Fusion by Huawei which is an Android smartphone specifically designed for AT&T’s GoPhone prepaid service.
Preliminary details on the Fusion 2 reveals a 3.2MP rear facing camera, Swype, memory expansion via microSD, and FM Radio. It’s difficult to tell which version of Android the Fusion 2 is running, but I would guess Android 2.3, since it is a low-end device. When AT&T makes the Fusion 2 in a couple of weeks, we will have a full list of specs and features and pricing. Via [Phonescoop]  
A few days ago, the Samsung Jasper leaked on Twitter, in which we found out what the device looks like and a few of its notable specs. Today, a leaked Verizon mail-in-rebate form shows the Samsung Galaxy Stellar, which leads me to believe the Jasper is the internal code name for the Stellar. If the Galaxy Stellar is, in fact, the Jasper, then we can expect it to feature 4G LTE connectivity, Android 4.0, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, and a screen with resolution of 800 x 480. Since it is listed with a $50 MIR, perhaps the final cost of the Galaxy Stellar is $0 or $50 on contract. Given its recent leak online and on the rebate form, we expect Verizon and Samsung to make the Galaxy Stellar official in the near future. Via [Droid-Life]  
What is being reviewed?Up for review today is the Ascend P1 smartphone from Huawei. This handset was originally announced back in January during CES and as of today, we have been spending some quality time with the device. At first glance, the phone looks and feels good. Not to mention, it appears to be snappy and smooth in terms of operation. That all being said — read on to see how well the Ascend P1 measures up in terms of the overflowing world of Android smartphones. And yes, this one is running Ice Cream Sandwich. Disclaimer: The Huawei Ascend P1 smartphone was provided to GadgeTell for the purpose of this review. 
The specs- Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (presently running version 4.0.3)
- 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display (qHD at 960 x 540)
- Dual-core 1.5GHz TIM OMAP 4460 processor
- 1GB RAM
- 4GB of internal storage (with slightly less available for the end user)
- microSD card slot
- GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, 3.5mm headphone jack
- 1670 mAh battery
- 1.3 megapixel front facing camera
- 8 megapixel rear facing camera with auto-focus
- Measurements: 129 x 64.8 x 7.69mm
- Weight: 110 grams
- UMTS 850/900/1900/2100 MHz/AWS
- GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
- HSPA+ 21Mbit/s
My thoughtsI’ve told you which item is being reviewed today and even offered up the specs — now lets get into my thoughts. And for those who just want the bottom line, feel free to skip to the bottom as things can be summed up rather easily. Just one thing before you leave, the Huawei Ascend P1 is a nice device — it is just a shame that it is not readily available here in the US. To begin with and as noted above, the Ascend P1 is running Android ICS. Specifically, the handset is running 4.0.3. More to the point here, Huawei offers a really nice perk — they allow you to easily switch back and forth between a skinned and non-skinned version. Granted, this does not mean that future software updates will come any quicker, such as in the case of the Nexus handsets. That aside though, you are getting ICS. Because Apple is making it hard to review a phone these days without a comparison — the Ascend P1 unboxing did make me think of Apple. The outer box is rather similar to what Apple is doing and things stay along those lines when you get it opened. Without getting into every similarity, the Ascend P1 ships with a wall power adapter and USB cable and iPhone users will feel comfortable. A first thought upon removing the handset from the box — it is thin and light. Of course, with a thickness of 7.69mm and a weight of 110 grams we should not be all that surprised. The Ascend P1 has a 4.3-inch display, however being on the larger side, the phone does not feel overly oversized. And this is coming from someone who frequently carries an iPhone 4S. The display looks good and I would suspect that the majority of users would be happy. Granted, the display is qHD at 960 x 540 so that provides good reason for satisfaction. I tend to use my phones with a variety of apps including music streaming, podcasts (audio and video) audiobooks, reading, imaging and to a slightly lesser degree, gaming. Of course, there is the usual — social networking, messaging and voice calls. In my experience with the Ascend P1 — the phone was able to take everything. Of course, having 1GB of RAM and a dual-core 1.5GHz processor certainly helps that out. The battery is 1670 mAh, but that technical bit aside — it was on-par with other mobile phones. Simply put, the battery was good and will probably good enough for most people provided they can put the phone down from time to time during the day. One complaint that I had, the lack of internal storage. The handset has 4GB and well, what can I say — 8GB or even 16GB would have been much nicer. Thankfully though, there is a microSD card slot that can supplement the lower internal storage. Touching back on the camera, or in this case — cameras. The Ascend P1 has a 1.3 megapixel on the front and an 8 megapixel on the back. The front-facing camera was good enough for the intended purpose, video calling. As for the back, I would have preferred some nicer images but that is not to say they were terrible. In my experience I would describe them as being sort of flat, or washed-out. They looked good, but could be better. 
The bottom lineThe Ascend P1 is a pretty solid device. Not top of the line, but really nice nonetheless. In fact, there is only one real reason that I would hesitate to offer a recommendation at this point in time. And keep in mind, this is coming from a US based mobile user — this handset is not offered by any carrier at the moment. What that means, buying unlocked which for many is not an option. I did do a quick check for those who are willing to take that route and the handset can be found (new and unlocked) on eBay for anywhere between $450 and $500. Lastly, should this handset come available with a US carrier, it would be one that I would consider personally. Product [Huawei Ascend P1]                  
It looks like Samsung is once again showing off a tablet, the Galaxy Note 10.1. And in addition, Samsung is showing off the tablet complete with the stylus functionality. The video is on the short side, just 31-seconds in length however it could bring a small bit of excitement for those who may be waiting for the device to come available. If nothing else, it does appear to show that Samsung is still set on releasing the device. One interesting point here, Samsung is pushing the Galaxy Note 10.1 towards the business user and at least in this video, fails to call it a tablet referring to the devices as a “10-inch multi-screen” instead. Via [All About Samsung] and [The Verge]  
Telus has yet to offer up a solid release date, however they have gone as far as sharing some details for their upcoming (and hopefully soon to be released) “My Account” app. And just to begin with, the Telus My Account app will be released on a variety of mobile platforms including Android, iOS and BlackBerry. The app, as one would expect, is going to be free to download and free to use. In fact, Telus notes that “no data charges are incurred when using the app” and that includes those using the app outside of Canada, provided they are using it on a 4G (HSPA) device. Otherwise, aside from free usage, here is what you will be able to do; - Check your airtime, text and data usage
- View and pay bills
- Add/remove features like text messaging packs and US roaming passes
- Top-up your prepaid account using your credit card
And lastly, Telus has already stated that they plan to “update the My Account app regularly as new functionalities become available.” Via [Telus] and [MobileSyrup]  
We have seen a handful of leaked smartphone images and details coming from the @evleaks Twitter account in recent times, and well, it looks like another has landed. The latest, which coincidentally also seems like it may be the last, is tipping the Samsung Galaxy Reverb as coming to Sprint. As usual the details are scarce, which is really to say that a release date and price has not been revealed (rumored or otherwise). What we can share, some specs. The Samsung Galaxy Reverb is a mid-level device and will have goodies to include a 4-inch WVGA touchscreen, 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8655 processor, 768MB of RAM, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera. In addition, the handset is expected to arrive running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Finally, as to the ‘last’ comment from above — as of this posting, the @evleaks Twitter account is showing nothing more than a “sorry, that page doesn’t exist” page. Via [Twitter @evleaks] and [BriefMobile]  
AMC is taking advantage of our increasing attachment to our smartphones and tablets with a new web-based interactivity feature called Story Sync. Story Sync debuted last week with the season premier of Breaking Bad, so we decided to give it a whirl on last nights episode on the Nexus 7. Story Sync is not an app. It’s actually a part of the AMC website that’s compatible with iOS and Android. Story Sync is designed to keep your attention on Breaking Bad every step of the way. AMC doesn’t want you getting distracted with things like Facebook, Twitter or other channels. In my experience, AMC completely accomplished that goal. One of the things that kept me trained on Story Sync was the countdown timer that appeared on the top right of the page. Once that timer reached 0, AMC would present an interesting fact, poll, trivia or video recap of the event that played out on screen. The screenshot above shows one of the trivia questions that accompanied yesterday’s show. It even showed details on a gun that a certain character was carrying. I always wanted to know what form the next pop-up would take. I thought I would stray away from Story Sync once the commercials started, but I was wrong. There’s a section on the page that’s dedicated to a live message board. Breaking Bad fans used it to voice their reactions to scenes, clear up confusing scenes and even crack wise on occasion. It was a vibrant community, and I enjoyed lurking until the commercials were over. The act of using a second screen while looking at television isn’t going away. I’m looking forward to other second screen ideas different networks will implement in an effort to regain our fleeting attention while looking at their shows. Site [Story Sync]  
In a move that we can only consider expected, Verizon Wireless has lowered the price of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The handset is now down to $99.99 on a two-year agreement. The only question we have now — if Verizon is using this price cut as a way to push more people to consider the Galaxy Nexus or if it is ultimately on the way out. As for us, $99.99 is a pretty nice price, however if it were our money being spent on a two-year commitement — we would likely opt to shell out the $100 more and get the GSIII. Then again, if price is the major deciding factor, the Galaxy Nexus sounds like a solid deal. Lastly, just to recap the specs — the Galaxy Nexus is an LTE device and running Android 4.0 ICS. The hardware specs include a 4.65-inch (1280 x 720) HD Super AMOLED Contoured display, dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, an 1850 mAh battery, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera. Via [Verizon Wireless] and [Droid-Life]  
We learned last week that Samsung was planning to make an announcement on August 15th. The details coming from Samsung were on the light side and contained nothing more than a teaser and a date. That being said, it looks like one source has recently reached out to the folks over at BGR. According to BGR, they were contacted by a source “close to Samsung” and were told that the August 15th announcement would be for the Galaxy Note II. In addition, it looks like the phablet is going to be growing just a little bit. The source noted that the Galaxy Note II would be “thinner and taller” and sporting a 5.5-inch display. As always, time will tell just how accurate this will be, but if nothing else — it seems logical. Via [BGR]  | |
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