Samsung Galaxy Tab / SGH-T849
Samsung Provides List of Devices to Receive Jelly Bean
Samsung today named the smartphones and tablets that it plans to update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. In an email sent to The Verge, Samsung spokesperson Kiyung Nam said the Galaxy S II, Note, S Advance, S II LTE, Chat, Ace 2, Beam, Ace Plus, Mini 2, and S Duos smartphones will receive Jelly Bean. In addition to these phones, four tablets will also receive Jelly Bean, which are the Tab 2 7.0, Tab 7.0 Plus, Tab 2 10.1, and Note 10.1 The Jelly Bean updates are scheduled to being via Kies later this year.
AT&T Adds Carrier Billing Support to Samsung's Media Hub
Samsung and AT&T today announced that owners of devices such as the Galaxy S III will be able to charge purchases in Samsung's Media Hub directly to their AT&T account. Direct carrier billing will first be supported in the GS3, Captivate, and Galaxy Exhilarate. It will be added to the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S II upon updating to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. AT&T customers will be able to buy or rent movies, television seasons, and individual television episodes, and the charges will appear on their next wireless bill. Samsung says Media Hub purchases can also be shared across five Media Hub-enabled devices, such as Samsung's Galaxy Tab and Smart TVs.
Samsung Names T-Mobile Devices Set to Receive Android 4.0
Samsung recently updated the web site listing which of its devices will receive Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich system updates. The update adds several devices being sold by T-Mobile, including the Galaxy S II, and Galaxy S Blaze 4G smartphones, and the Tab Plus 7.0 and Tab 10.1 tablets. Samsung didn't provide a timeframe suggesting when the updates might arrive.
AT&T Expanding LTE to 6 More Markets on Nov. 20
AT&T today announced that it is boosting the footprint of its Long Term Evolution 4G network on November 20. The handful of new markets include Charlotte, N.C.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Kansas City, Mo.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. These six markets bring the total number of markets covered by LTE to 15, increasing AT&T's LTE coverage to 70 million Americans — which was its goal for 2011. For a limited time, customers who purchase the new LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 will also receive a Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket or Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone at no cost. A two year agreement is required on the smartphone.
Skype Expands Video Chat Feature to More Androids
Skype has provided an update to its Android application that adds the video chatting feature to a large number of new Android handsets. Skype notes that Gingerbread is required to use the video chat feature, so owners of the following phones are encouraged to make sure their system is up to date. The new handsets are: the Acer A5; the HTC Desire, Thunderbolt, Sensation, EVO 4G, EVO 3D, Incredible S, Desire HD, Flyer; the LG Revolution; the Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy S II, Droid Charge, Galaxy Tab; and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, Xperia ray, and Xperia mini pro. The update is free to install.
