Unannounced Samsung Champ 2 and C3520 crop up

We got spicy info on two new upcoming Samsung feature phones aiming the entry-level market - the C3520 clamshell and the touch-based Champ 2.

Samsung C3520 is a clamshell with a 2.4-inch QVGA display, a 1.3 megapixel snapper, a 3.5mm audio jack, FM radio, a microUSB port, and a microSD card slot. It supports quad-band GSM/EDGE networks and is based on the latest Samsung non-touch proprietary interface with social networking integration.

Samsung C3520 will be released in four flavors - Metallic Silver, Charcoal Black, Coral Pink and Bright Orange.

Samsung C3330 Champ 2 is also a feature phone and comes with a 2.4-inch QVGA resistive touchscreen (stylus is included), quad-band GSM/EDGE network support, Bluetooth 3.0, a 2 megapixel camera, FM radio (with FM recording option), 3.5mm audio jack, a microUSB port and microSD card slot.

The Champ 2 is running on the company's latest TouchWiz Lite 2.0 UI and comes with native social networking integration.

Both phones should become available very soon. And just to be clear, we do have these official photos and specs, but both devices are not yet officially announced by Samsung.

Alleged Nokia Searay for T-Mobile Germany image leaks

A very legit looking image of the Nokia Searay has just been leaked by The Nokia Blog. The image is allegedly from T-Mobile Germany and has a short description of the phone on the side.

If we translate the text to English, we get the following result:

Drive safely to your destination with Nokia - including 3D. Representation and voice navigation Windows Mobile 7.5 (Mango) operating system. 3.7" brilliant domed AMOLED display.

The phone itself looks identical to the N9, as it did in all the previous leaks, which means it is also very easy to fake an image like this. Just like The Nokia Blog, we're finding the idea that Nokia would call the final version of this phone by the name 'Searay' a bit hard to swallow. More so because recently Nokia opened a poll to decide the name for their series of Windows Phone 7 devices, with options like Phoenix, Genesis, etc. This means the actual phones will probably be called something like the Nokia Genesis N1 rather than simply 'Searay'.

Things are yet to get finalized though, so eventually they might just go with individual names instead of having a name for the series. Whatever it is, we'll find out before the end of this year.

HTC Desire S gets Gingerbread 2.3.5 and Sense 3.0

We first met the HTC Desire S at MWC in Barcelona, back in February earlier this year. As the natural successor to the HTC Desire. We saw performance improvements in terms of a better GPU, bigger amounts of RAM and ROM, and faster connectivity, but that aside, the step up wasn't as dramatic as we'd have liked.

Once it launched, the Desire S came running Android Gingerbread 2.3.3 and HTC's Sense 2.1 UI out of the box. The latest development however is that the next update for the Desire S, has started rolling out without so much as a whisper. 

Users in the UK are reporting that they've noticed the update innocuously popping up on their devices since the last day of September.

As with any ROM update, when you get the all important notification isn't exactly set in stone. The update appears to be coming to users in the UK with stock Desire S ROMs, so carrier specific variations will, as usual take a little longer.

With this update, not only does your S get a boost from Gingerbread 2.3.3 to 2.3.5, but Sense UI moves up to 3.0 which means key updates like the interactive lock screens, new animations, an updated launcher as well as a host of new widgets, the latest version of the Android Market and access to HTC's Watch service. Users are also reporting better GPS performance.

Back in May, at Google I/O, it was said that Android devices, at least from a group of selected manufacturers and carriers, would receive full support for at least 18 months after a device's launch. In this instance, it seems HTC are most certainly making good on that promise. We've had no word on carrier locked ROMs and when the update will spread overseas, but if you notice anything, let us know.

HTC VP of Marketing talks WP, Android, Beats and more

We got a chance to interview the HTC EMEA Vice President of Marketing Stefan Streit, who was kind enough to answer all our questions about the company's Beats technology and on their plans about Windows Phone, Android and whatnot.

On Beats

Naturally HTC's newly formed partnership with Beats was of most interest to us. HTC is quite serious about improving the audio experience of its smartphones and the purchase of the Dre-founded company was a pretty major step.

Stefan told us HTC is still evaluating all possible scenarios about the Beats enhancements distribution across their portfolio so even they are not sure how exactly it will pan out.

As you know the first two HTC smartphones with Beats came with a special Beats headset and a few software audio tweaks to make best use of them. There's no different audio chip inside the Sensation XE and its unclear when/whether such will appear in the future.

What's more interesting is that “HTC is considering all options in the future and it doesn’t mean that every future HTC Beats device must automatically include a headset”. With the audio enhancement working with any Beats headphones the company is considering releasing some smartphones with just the software tweaks in markets where such headphones have good penetration already (such as the US).

Such move would allow them to bring the price down and users who already have Beats headphones won't have to pay twice for the same thing.

On Android and Windows Phone

HTC feels pretty positive about the Nokia/Microsoft deal as they believe HTC will actually benefit from it. HTC has had a really long partnership with Microsoft and it's confident that the software giant won't do anything to upset that partnership. According to Streit, anything that Nokia gets in terms of customization options will eventually be made available to other partners as well so it's a win-win situation.

Furthermore, Nokia should help rapidly boost the WP7 market share and HTC hopes to take advantage from that too. HTC currently holds half of all WP smartphones sales so the increase in popularity of the platform can only be considered good news for them.

HTC has no regrets of the Motorola acquisition by Google either and even feels that it will help Android as a whole. The welcome patent reinforcement will help all Android manufacturers in their court battles and HTC is positive that Motorola won't be getting any unfair advantages from this deal - the playing field should remain level.

On displays and CPUs

We were curious to hear more about HTC plans about two of the most important parts of modern-day smartphones.

The good news is that no bridges were burned when HTC stopped getting enough AMOLED units for its smartphones and switched to S-LCDs. So a return to the technology offering the best contrast on the market is possible, Streit admits.

However, HTC believes LCDs are still doing better in terms of color accuracy and it's easier to achieve higher resolution there, so a switch back is not by any means certain.

As for their mobile chipset manufacturer of choice, Stefan Streit said that they have a long and successful partnership with Qualcomm, but no exclusivity deal, so Nvidia or TI-powered smartphones and tablets are possible in the future.

On tablets

Unfortunately, HTC is not planning to bring the 10-inch Jetstream tablet to Europe. Not only do they have an exclusivity deal with AT&T, but with no big LTE networks available around this part of the globe, HTC feels that the Jetstream will be losing a large chunk of its appeal were it cross over our side of the pond.

They do have big plans about the tablet market, though, so new devices are on the way. Until they arrive, the Flyer will have to do for those wanting an HTC slate outside US.

Streit described the sales of the Flyer as "pretty ok" with the device obviously doing good given its sales targets.

On the Apple lawsuits

In regards to the ongoing lawsuits with Apple, HTC feels that it’s holding a strong position and it isn't afraid of the outcome. The company is ready to defend itself and it is confident that it will come out on top.

A really nice point made by Stefan Streit was that all those lawsuits a waste of effort, which would be better spent somewhere, where there is benefit for the end users. There's hardly anything for consumers to gain from all those patent battles and it would be best if it all ended as soon as possible.

Of course, HTC believes that intellectual property should be protected, but according to the company, the whole patent and licensing hunt should be approached more reasonably.

A big thanks to Mr. Streit for filling us in on the latest details surrounding HTC.

Samsung announces 1.5GHz Exynos chipset, 16MP camera

Samsung have the luxury of making their own chips and they are quick to put out new and better versions of them. The Exynos chipset, which debuted with the Samsung Galaxy S II at a 'mere' 1.2GHz is getting a 1.5GHz version, called the Exynos 4212.

Samsung also has a pair of high-end mobile cameras headed for the production line. One is a 16MP main shooter with a back illuminated sensor for better low-light performance (expected to ship in November) and the other is a 1.2MP module with 720p@30fps capture capabilities for front-facing cameras.

We can't quite make out the Google-translated press release but it seems the front facing camera will have 1/8.2 sensor (that sounds pretty small, but we'll see) and the ISO of the main shooter goes up to 1,600.

Going back to Exynos, it's built using the 32nm process and was designed with 3D performance in mind. Gameloft is apparently showing interest and will offer several titles to put the new SoC to good work.

The Korea-bound Galaxy S II LTE and Galaxy S II HD LTE will sport Exynos chipsets with the CPU clocked at 1.5GHz, which makes them the most likely candidates for being the first phones with the new chipset.

Samsung already has a 1.4GHz version of Exynos that's powering the Galaxy Note and the Galaxy Tab 7.7, but there's no info what kind of change in performance we can expect in the 3D department (beyond the obvious gain from the faster clock speed).

Samsung unveils Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, packing 1.2GHz dual-core CPU and coated in Honeycomb

Samsung has just unveiled a rather unexpected addition to its fleet of tablets, with the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. Available in both 16GB and 32GB varieties, this new slate is fueled by a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb and features a seven-inch LCD with 1024 x 600 resolution. It also packs a two megapixel front-facing camera, along with a three megapixel shooter that supports 720p video, boasts 1GB of RAM and ships with Sammy's TouchWiz UI baked-in. In terms of connectivity, you'll find support for quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 3G with 21Mbps HSPA and the usual smattering of Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS capabilities. In addition, this little guy offers WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n at both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, along with support for channel bonding and apt-X Codec for Bluetooth. Pricing has yet to be announced, but the 7.0 Plus is slated to hit Indonesia and Austria by the end of October, before rolling out internationally. Slide past the break for more details, in the full PR, or check out the gallery below for more images.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus

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Is this the iPhone 5? It sure looks like it [UPDATED]

We just got wind of the following video that shows what seems to be an iPhone 4 with a bigger screen. The phone seems to be the same size as the iPhone 4 but the screen now stretches from edge to edge with minimum bezel as those early mockups suggested.

  
Is this the iPhone 5?

Here's the video so you can see it for yourselves. And honestly, it does look legit no matter how hard it is to believe a working iPhone 5 unit has escaped Apple's stringent security.

Update: All evidence leads to this video being an incredibly carefully staged fake. We noticed that when launching the two apps - Safari and the game - the guy never lifts his thumb off the icon and iOS doesn't work that way. The game level also starts without anyone touching the Touch To Start button. Then the dates on the lockscreen and on the homescreen don't match up. The guy also doesn't show the phone all around and even makes a point of hiding the home button the whole time. We bet the whole thing it's probably shot on video and then used much like that elaborate joke we did for April's Fools Day back in 2010 - pretending we've installed iOS on the HTC Hero. So what do you say?

P.S. If you are interested, that game demoed on the video is ECA Games' Rock(s) Rider. We suppose that the whole thing was created to promote it.