Although Samsung's Nexus Prime did not make a showing today at CTIA in San Diego, the company did bring along its Stratosphere handset that will be headed to Verizon. Electronista had a chance to take an early look at the upcoming handset. The device bears a close resemblance to the WiMAX-equipped Epic 4G that is currently offered through Sprint.
As part of a full-scale Android push at CTIA, AT&T on Tuesday put out two Samsung QWERTY phones packing Android. The often rumored Captivate Glide has arrived earlier than some had thought and promises to be relatively high end for its class: while the four-inch Super AMOLED, isn't new, the slider is the only Samsung phone with a dual-core Tegra 2 in the US and can shoot 1080p video. It similarly carries 21Mbps HSPA+ Internet download speeds and has eight-megapixel rear and 1.3-megapixel front cameras.
Samsung's upcoming Android slider for AT&T, sometimes pegged as the Galaxy S Glide, has been given some extra details both through BGR leaks and Electronista's own sources. The smartphone should arrive on AT&T as the Captivate Glide, not Glyde. It has also reportedly been delayed to early 2012, though for reasons unknown.
Official Android 2.3 builds have reportedly leaked for Samsung's Captivate handset currently sold from AT&T. It remains unclear if both of the Gingerbread builds, labeled I897UCKE3 and I897UCKF1, are still in beta development, or representative of the stable release that will eventually arrive through the official channel.
AT&T kicked off another promo on Monday that hinted at lingering issues for Windows Phone 7 sales. Both the LG Quantum and Samsung Focus have dropped to $50 on contract for the sale. The move helps clear a path for the HTC HD7s but follows a pattern where both the carrier and third parties like Amazon have singled out AT&T WP7 phones for heavy discounts.
As promised, a Samsung FAQ page reveals that the Android 2.2 software update for the Samsung Captivate has now gone live. The page is a very detailed guide on how to perform the changeover. The update, called KB1, brings with it a new interface, dedicated shortcuts for Phone, Application, Contacts and Messaging on the home screen.
The Galaxy S support team has used Twitter to announce that the Samsung Captivate on AT&T will get the long-awaited upgrade to Android 2.2 on Thursday. The update was shown on an AT&T support page earlier this month. The updates will begin to be sent out over the air starting on Thursday, but not all handsets will get it at once, as it could take several days.
The Samsung Captivate may soon get the long-awaited software upgrade to Android 2.2 from its current 2.1, if an AT&T support page is any indication. The page explains how to check the phone for the latest firmware version, and the About Phone screen capture on the page shows Android 2.2 preloaded. The handset on the page is also running Samsung's TouchWiz skin for the OS.
Samsung Canada, via its Facebook page, has announced that the Samsung Vibrant from Bell and the Samsung Captivate from Rogers will get a firmware update to Android 2.2 in mid-December. The Fascinate from Telus will receive the same upgrade early on in 2011, Samsung adds. The Galaxy S-series phones will be upgraded due to "tremendous interest," Samsung says.
As promised, the Samsung Captivate smartphone is now shipping to Canadian carrier Rogers, despite delays. The Android 2.1 handset was late because of a worldwide shortage of AMOLED screens for mobile devices. Rogers does warn this will cause shortages, with limited numbers of the device available over the next few weeks.
The latest Galaxy S variation from Samsung, the Fascinate, should be available for purchase soon as it is now shipping to Verizon warehouses, according to a leak revealed by Phandroid. Other variations, including the Vibrant and Captivate, are already shipping at T-Mobile and AT&T, respectively, while the Epic 4G is due to arrive soon at Sprint.
Some resourceful users on the XDA Developers forum have found a way to quickly and easily unlock the Samsung Galaxy S in its various editions to work on other networks. As the unlock codes are located on the phone in a .BAK file rather than a server, all that's required to find them is a simple hex editor script and a USB cable. There is no need to root the phone and, if any warranty needs come up, the handsets can be re-locked to their original providers with the same codes.
Adobe will, in the form of Captivate 5, bring Captivate to the Mac for the first time this June, the company has announced. Previously Windows-only, the app is used to create tutorials, demonstrations, simulations and quizzes, and supports AIR, Acrobat.com and features like video screen capture. New to v5 is animation, object-style editing and synchronized video.
