Samsung's ChatON arrives in the AppStore.

Samsung's SMS-free text messaging app, called ChatON, has finally hit the Apple AppStore, making it available on Android, Bada, and iOS. Blackberry, Windows Phone, and web support is still to come. Check out the app on the AppStore here, visit the website here, and read about what it does below.

Samsung is getting into the market that Apple, the maker of the iPhone, RIM, the maker of the BlackBerry, and Facebook are already in. Samsung, the maker of many popular mobile phones, "smart" and otherwise, introduced it's ChatON instant messaging service.

The ChatON service will allow users to send short messages to each other for free, including texts, photos, contacts, and calendar. The service will be available at first on Samsung devices running their "semi-smart" mobile operating system, called Bada.

A Samsung
device running Bada.

The service will later come as an app on Android and iOS devices. While the users of the Bada version will get the basic capabilities mentioned above, the users of the Android and iOS app will get some more advanced features, such as commenting on their friends profile pages, create special "animation messages", and keep track of how often they instant message.

Ho So Lee, Head of Media Solution Center at Samsung Electronics, said in a statement, "With ChatON, Samsung has vastly simplified mobile communication by allowing users to connect to our upcoming feature phones and all major smartphones in the market. Users around the world can now enjoy easier and richer interactivity with whoever they want, in the format they want."

While the ChatON service seems like a pretty good idea, like I mentioned at the beginning of the post, Samsung is competing with some pretty big contenders. RIM's BlackBerry Messenger was recently revamped to become more "social", Apple has a similar service coming out soon on all iOS devices, called iMessage, and of course Facebook, with more than 750 million users, recently launched it's Facebook Messenger app for iOS, so Samsung's app will have to be pretty good to compete.

Samsung's ChatON service will make it's official debut later this week at Berlin's IFA Conference, and will be available in over 120 countries with 62 languages.

So, the ChatON service has a lot to compete with, but it's one of the only services available on more than one platform, with it's Bada, iOS, and Android apps. Overall, it seems like a great service, and I wish it luck in succeeding in the large world of IM services.

 Check out the original article here.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 banned in Australia thanks to Apple lawsuit

Ever since it all started back in April, it has been interesting to watch the legal battles and patent disputes between Apple and its iDevice parts supplier Samsung. Personally, I enjoy it best with a bowl of popcorn on my lap. The latest happening between the two companies happens to be a big win for Apple. The court has granted their request for a temporary injunction to be put on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia, which means Samsung will not be able to sell the tablet in the continent down under.

Apple says that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 infringes three of Apple’s patents and copies the design of its iOS devices. Because of that, Samsung has to delay the tablet in Australia by over two months, which means it will miss the crucial holiday shopping rush. A judge ruled that until the patent wars between Apple and Samsung are resolved in a later trial, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 cannot be sold in Australia.

Samsung will try to see if they can sell a modified version of the tablet (sans the disputed features) and if not, Australians might never see the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in their stores. However, Samsung was able to modify their products in the past, allowing them to be sold in the Netherlands following another dispute with Apple. Either way they will not go down without a fight, they released this statement today:

Samsung will continue its legal proceeding against Apple’s claim in order to ensure our innovative products remain available to customers.

This is part of our ongoing legal proceeding against Apple’s claim. Samsung is also confident it can prove Apple’s violation of Samsung’s wireless technology patents through a cross-claim filed on September 16, 2011 with the Federal Court of Australia, New South Wales.

Our wireless standard patents are essential for mobile business. We will continue to legally assert our intellectual property rights against those who violate Samsung’s patents and free ride on our technology.

This isn’t the first country that Samsung’s tablet is banned from. It’s also not allowed in Germany (Europe’s biggest economy). An appeal hearing is expected soon in that case.

Of course, Apple isn’t the only one dishing out requests for injunctions. Last week, Samsung said it would try to ban the iPhone 4S in France and Italy, saying that the company infringes upon Samsung’s 3G patents

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4G Galaxy Tab 10.1 ships today, major update in August

Samsung has announced that the LTE version of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet will be available from Verizon starting today. The 16GB model will sell for $530 with a two-year contract while the 32GB variant will retail for $630 under the same conditions. Users can choose one of three data plans: $30 per month for 2GB; $50 for 5GB; or $80 for 10GB -- which they'll be able to burn at download speeds between 5-12Mbps in areas with 4G coverage.
The Wi-Fi-only model, which has been on sale in the U.S. since last month, will also be available at Verizon stores priced at the regular $500 for 16GB or $600 for 32GB. 4G or not, the device itself arguably the best Android-based tablet on the market, featuring a 10.1-inch HD touch-screen display with 1,280-by-800 resolution, Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz processor, front and back facing cameras, as well as Android 3.1 Honeycomb.

It's also the thinnest tablet on the market at 8.6 millimeters thick, just a hair less than the iPad 2's 8.8 millimeters, while weighing in at just 1.25 lbs. The addition of LTE connectivity will give Samsung the upper hand on another front.
In a separate announcement Samsung invited members of the press to the unveiling of a "major software update" next month, which is expected to bring a fully customizable TouchWiz UX, Live Panel, Mini-Apps, and a redesigned interface for the Samsung Media Hub. It will also include some preloaded apps and various enterprise offerings.

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Apple blocks Samsung tablet release in Australia

Apple’s legal team remains busier than ever as they continue to fend off what they deem patent infringements from rival smartphone and tablet manufacturers across the globe. This time Cupertino has put a stop to Samsung releasing their Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia pending resolution of a legal dispute.
As reported by Bloomberg, Apple claims that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 violates no less than 10 patents and is too similar to the iPad. Specific patent claims include the “look and feel” and touchscreen technology.
Samsung claims that the Australian model of their flagship tablet is different than the US version and has even agreed to send three samples to Apple’s legal team for evaluation at least seven days before a planned release. The company had been announcing the tablet’s imminent arrival since July 20.
Samsung has agreed to postpone sales of the Tab 10.1 until a resolution can be reached or they gain court approval. Should Samsung win, Apple would be responsible for paying an unspecified amount of damages.
This is just the latest development in the Apple vs. Samsung legal saga that has been unfolding for several months in multiple countries. Earlier this year Apple sued Samsung in California over Galaxy phones and tablets which prompted a countersuit by Samsung less than a week later alleging patent infringement on their smartphone technologies.
Federal Court Justice Annabelle Bennett has scheduled a follow-up hearing for August 29. If no agreement can be reached by then, a trial date will be set.

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Boost Mobile Leaks their own Phone: Samsung Galaxy Prevail

     Boost Mobile is a wireless carrier that provides contract-free wireless service for devices such as cell phones. There are a few Boost-like services around, including Cricket Wireless, Virgin Wireless, and MetroPCS. All of these companies have been rushing to get smartphones, because most of the phones were going to the big guys like AT&T or Verizon.
     Boost offers one BlackBerry phone and one two Android phones, one of which they just added today.
     Boost was supposed to hold a big announcement later today that would introduce it's latest phone. It seams they may have leaked the details early, as information about the new Samsung Galaxy Prevail appeared on the Boost website. Samsung makes pretty much one Galaxy phone which they give to all of the carriers with different names, for example Verizon calls their Galaxy phone the Samsung Fascinate.
     The Samsung Galaxy Prevail will be available for online purchase shortly, and will cost $179.99. Boost offers monthly plans for $50 per month, or a daily plan for $2 per month. Both plans come with unlimited talk, text, web, email, and IM. Boost also has an interesting program with it's $50 plan called Shrinkage. Shrinkage lowers your bill more and more the longer you stay with Boost. For example, if you pay on time every month for 18 months, your bill would only be $35 per month instead of $50.
     At $179.99, this is not the cheapest Android phone on the Market, but it is close. One of the major benefits of the Prevail and Boost Mobile is the lack of an annoying two year contract. Unlike Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint, you have no responsibility to keep on paying the $50 per month for two years.

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Samsung Galaxy Player

     For a while, there was no real alternative to the Apple iPod Touch. It was the only MP3 player with a touchscreen that could do everything a smart phone can do. Until now. Samsung recently introduced it's Samsung Galaxy Player 50.

     This media player runs Android 2.1, can access the real Android Market, has built in WiFi, a 3.2 mega-pixel rear facing camera, and integrated GPS. These specs seem great, even better than th iPod Touch, but how can we confirm them. Samsung does not have an official page for the player, unless, of course, you can read Russian. But translating that page with Google Translate really did the job well.
     The price range is reported to be about the price of the iPod Touch, and will come in 8, 16, and 32GB variations. It is available for pre-order from Amazon UK for £149.99, and is not expected in the US until summer.
     The Samsung site gives this device the following specs:


Features

Embedded OS	Android
Version	2.1 (Éclair)

Memory Type	Flash Memory
Built-in memory (GB)	8 / 16 GB
Diagonal screen size, inches	3.2 "
Display Resolution	WQVGA (400x240)
Display	TFT
Battery Type	Lithium-Ion (removable)
Battery Capacity	1000 mAh
Color	white
Wi-Fi support	yes (WiFi: 802.11b/g/n)
Camera	yes (2Mpiks.)
GPS	yes
Bluetooth	yes (3.0)
FM-tyuner/kolichestvo stations in memory	Yes (RDS in Europe and Russia)
USB	yes (2.0)
Built-in speaker	yes
Embedded MIC	yes
microSD Card	yes
Multi Touch	yes
Multi Tasking	yes
Dimmension (WxHxD)	54,20 x 105,50 x 11,08 (mm)
Weight (Including Battery)	84 (city)
Output Power	20 mW.
Etc	-

Audio Playback	30 hours
Video Playback	Up to 5 hours
Etc	-

MP3	MPEG 1/2/2.5 Layer3 (8 ~ 48 kHz, up to 320 kbit / c)
WMA	WMA9 Std. (8 ~ 48 kHz, up to 320 kbit / c)
Ogg	Ogg (Q0 ~ Q10)
FLAC	FLAC (Level0 ~ Level8)
AAC	AAC / AAC + / eAAC + (8 ~ 48 kHz, up to 128 kbit / c)
WAV	WAV (8 ~ 48 kHz)
Etc	-

avi	Video Codec	MPEG4, DivX 4/5/6, XviD, H.264 (D1, 720 x 480)
	Audio Codec	MP3, AAC / AAC + / eAAC +
mp4	Video Codec	MPEG4, H.263, H.264 (D1, 720 x 480)
	Audio Codec	AAC / AAC + / eAAC +
3gp	Video Codec	MPEG4, H.263, H.264 (D1, 720 x 480)
	Audio Codec	AMR-NB/WB
wmv	Video Codec	VC1 (WMV9) (D1, 720 x 480)
	Audio Codec	WMV9 Std.
asf	Video Codec	VC1 (WMV9) (D1, 720 x 480)
	Audio Codec	WMV9 Std.
mkv	Video Codec	-
	Audio Codec	-
flv	Video Codec	-
	Audio Codec	-
Etc	-

JPEG	yes
GIF	yes
BMP	yes
PNG	yes
Etc	-

Word File	doc, docx, xml, txt, rtf, dot, dotx
Excel File	xls, xlsx, csv, xlt, xltx
Power Point	ppt, pptx, pot, potx, pps, ppsx
PDF	pdf
Etc	-

SoundAlive	Yes (Basic (Preset Sound Effect), Advanced (User Sound Effect), Auto)
AB Repeat	yes
Changing playback speed	yes
Alarm Music Setting	yes
Lyric	yes
Album	yes
Playlist	yes
Library (Artist, Album, Genre, Title DB sorting)	yes
Etc	-

SoundAlive	yes
Changing playback speed	yes
Bookmarks	yes
Etc	-

Wallpaper Image Setting	yes
Live Wallpaper	No
Font Setting	No
Auto Brightness Control	No
Etc	-

Appendix	※ without Kies, you can use the device
File Delete	yes
File Navigation	yes (in ThinkFree App.)
Etc	-

Security	yes (Screen Unlock Pattern)
Etc	-

Android Market	Search, Gmail (Germany: Google Mail), Contact, Talk, Maps, Youtube, Market and Etc
General Applications	Alarm / Clock, Calendar, Gallery, Email, ThinkFree Office, Memo, Voice Recorder, Calculator, Daily Briefing, Program Explorer, AllShare and Etc
Etc	Embedded applications can be changed

PC OS	WinXP SP2 or later (Vista and Win 7)
USB Connection (MTP / UMS)	yes
Samsung Kies	yes
Etc	-

Type	Transparent
Dimensions for Package W x H x D	148 x 87 x 48 (mm)
Dimensions for Master Carton W x H x D	255 x 188 x 170 (mm)
Shipping weight, was	278 (city)
Weight Master Carton, Mr.	3.02 (kg)

Device	yes
Earphones	yes
USB Cable	yes
Charger	No
Battery (Standard)	yes (1EA)
Quick Guide	yes
Etc	-

     This device overall looks very compelling, especially for the fluent Android user. And since UK will have it January 7th, 2011, we should expect some reviews soon. Also, popular tech writers such as Engadget already have the device, and are posting reviews on it.
     Although the US might not see it for a while, it might be worth waiting for it. Also, if you happen to have a friend in the UK, you could have it shipped to his house and get it from him. So if you are a avid Android user, and are in the market for an iPod Touch-like device, the Samsung Galaxy player 50 might just be the right choice.

For more info see the video below.

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