Android Tablet Update

Maybe you already saw the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 parody on reddit, but did you check out the new Asus Transformer one yet? Videos after the break.

We reported yesterday that Apple is spending a ton of money to protect their slew of patents against potential violators, and have very little to show for their efforts. Today, the Dutch Government is rubbing a little salt in Apple’s wounds by rejecting Apple’s appeal to block sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the Netherlands, upholding a judgement made in a lower court back in October.

The court in the Hague which issued today’s ruling stated that the iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1 were different enough to allow them to go on sale side by side. Sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be allowed to continue in the Netherlands, and Apple moves on to the next patent battle with their tail between their legs.

As a reminder, there are still a plethora of Apple vs. the world suits out there, and time will tell whether Apple will see its legal endeavors come to fruition. In the meantime, they sure are costing themselves and their rivals a lot of money on legal fees and legal department time with little to show for it.

In the wee hours of the morning, Samsung took to Facebook to at last outline the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade plans for a number of their high profile 2011 devices.

It won’t surprise anyone that the Galaxy S II tops the list for an upgrade in Q1 of 2012, but joining it in the coveted first slot is the much less prevalent Galaxy Note.

Unfortunately those are the only two devices greenlit for a Q1 2012 helping of Ice Cream Sandwich at the moment.

The rest of the “ICS-upgradable GALAXY devices” include the Galaxy S II LTE, Galaxy R, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy Tab 8.9, Galaxy Tab 7.7 and the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. Samsung only indicates that details on the updates for these devices will be forthcoming.

Quick caveat to all you US Galaxy S II owners: I wouldn’t start holding your breath until your carrier has weighed in on the matter. It’s also worth noting that the special edition Galaxy Tab 10.1 that was given to developers at Google I/O this year has never even seen the Android 3.2 update, so whether Samsung has any plans to continue support for it is unknown.

A perusal of the comments on the announcement show that original Galaxy S and Galaxy Ace owners are the most irate about their devices seemingly coming to the end of their upgradable life. A smattering of original Galaxy Tab owners are chiming in with their disappointment, as well.

With the benefit of letting the other major manufacturers commit to their plans first, it looks like Samsung has drawn a nearly identical line in the sand for upgrading their devices.

Is there anything that you are shocked to not see on this list? If not, what do you feel is the drop dead point for Samsung to get these updates completed without frustrating owners of these devices?

Thanks, Rob!

Despite multiple lawsuits and the odds against it, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been one of the most (if not the most) popular Android tablets to date. But as with every device Samsung releases, there’s always a bigger and badder sequel right around the corner. And the follow up to the Tab 10.1 sounds amazing.

Jonathan Geller of BGR has it on good word from a “trusted source” that Samsung has an 11.6-inch tablet in the works for Mobile World Congress 2012. According to the tipster, despite the tablets increased display size, the overall size won’t be much different thanks to a smaller bezel. And speaking of the display, it looks like Samsung is going to beat Apple to market when it comes to tablet sized Retina resolutions. The 11.6-inch display on the Sammy’s new Tab is rumored to land at around 2560 x 1600, giving it a 16:10 screen ratio.

That stunning display will be matched up with Android 4.0, NFC Beam that will play nice with the Galaxy Nexus, an HDTV dock for big screen gaming and a dual-core Cortex A15 Exynos 5250 CPU clocked at 2GHz. Which coincidentally just so happens to share a lot with Apple’s upcoming A6.

The display, Beam and dock all make sense, but the timing for the processor is just a bit off. About a week ago, Samsung revealed that the Exynos 5250 wouldn’t be ready for production until Q2 2012, with tablets coming to market by the second half of the year. Since MWC is in February, well, you can see where the discrepancies come in.

Whenever Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 11.6 (please don’t actually use that name Samsung) launches, it’s sure to be a huge success.

At the risk of stating the painfully obvious: Man! You guys like free stuff! Yesterday we started the 25 Days of Tegra with a Tab 8.9 and over 1,700 of you entered to win. We want an even bigger and better Day 2, so we called in the Samsung Papa Bear, the Tab 10.1

The Prize: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Highlights of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 include a 10.1-inch LCD display, dual-core 1 GHz Tegra 2 processor, 1 GB RAM, 3 MP rear camera, 2 MP front camera, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0. This is the WiFi only model.

Contest Rules

This contest is open to residents of the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. Entries will be accepted for 23 hours after the contest goes live. We’ll announce the winner on the calendar page and on our Twitter account as soon as we draw.

How to Enter

For day 2, we’re keeping things easy with just a comment contest. To enter to win, simply leave a comment below answering the question:

What would you like to see in the next-generation version of the Galaxy Tab?

Samsung has consistently delivered on a family of tablets, and we are curious what features you guys want to see next. Everyone that answers the question will be entered into a random drawing, with each user receiving a single entry.

Good luck!

It certainly did not take long for the CyanogenMod team to get working on Android 4.0. Soon after the Ice Cream Sandwich source code was released, Cyanogen’s official Twitter account informed us that work had begun. We never thought results could show up so early, though.

Steve Kondik (aka Cyanogen) posted something very exciting on his Google+ account last night. It reads as follows:

ICS on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is pretty great. Coming soon to a CM mirror near you :)Steve KondikCyanogenMod

This pretty much means that the port to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is at least close to being ready. Steve does state that the experience “is great,” so he is definitely getting a taste of some Ice Cream Sandwich right now. Expect the port to be available soon. As he states, they will be offering the files through their mirrors, so you might be running ICS on your tab very soon.

Try not to crack your knuckles or pull your hair too much. Let’s just wait and see when the CyanogenMod team can get us some ICS fun. We sure hope more devices get it soon, too. Who will be flashing ICS to their Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1?

Those that have been following the patent wars know that it has become quite a mess. One of Apple‘s most notable moves thus far was a ban on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany due to the similarity in the Devices’ front look. Apple may have won that battle, but it seems like Samsung did not give up on the war, and is now back to business in Germany.

Samsung has re-designed the look of the Tab 10.1, and has named it the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N. The design is not remarkably different, though; Samsung has extended the bezel to cover part of the front (wraps around the tablet), and added what seems to be speakers (or dual microphone) to the front. Not too much of a hassle, right? If nothing else, Samsung’s “redesign” has proven that these issues are simply not big enough to take to court.

After this move, German customers can now get their hands on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N without needing to import it. We will now have to play the waiting game to see if Apple will try to take things further with the new design. Knowing Apple, they will definitely try to take pursue further legal action if at all possible. It looks like Samsung is confident enough about their move.

In the meantime, Samsung has managed to sidestep Apple’s lawsuit, and should be selling these bad boys in Germany very soon. Are any of our German readers going for a Galaxy Tab 10.1N? Or would you rather go for one of the better upcoming tablets by now? Do you think Apple will try to make another move on this?