Although the Samsung Galaxy Tab pictured to the left might be the original that was launched in 2010, we just might be seeing a newer 7-inch Galaxy Tab launched by Samsung in the near future; at least that’s what I’m hearing from my source in the know for all things Telstra. A more in-depth look a little further into the post.

That isn’t the only new refresh of an old tablet we’re expected to see from the nations biggest (and arguably best) telco. My source also said that there’s a Next Generation Motorola XOOM in the pipeline. Very little is known about this, except that it may be the Motorola XOOM 2 that has been making its way across the internet elusively. There’s even a rumour on Ausdroid that states that a ‘Motorola XOOM 2′ will be launching in Australia before Christmas. Just something to think about — at least until we get something a little more concrete.

As for any details stemming from the Samsung Galaxy Tab refresh; Samsung are planning on launching what is to be called the Galaxy Tab 7.7 at IFA on September 1^st according to This is my next. If this is indeed the P6200, then we can safely assume it will feature a 7-inch Super AMOLED 1024×600 display, running Android 3.2.

Exciting times ahead for Telstra. Let’s hope this all pans out. As always, more information will be posted should it become available to me.

Source: S

Update: Sammyhub.com have just confirmed the LTE variant of the Galaxy Tab 8.9 exists. It will feature a faster processor and newer version of Android than the generic Galaxy Tab 8.9

I’ve just been handed some awesome information from a trusted source of mine with all the Telstra goods. Said information relates to tablets and LTE — LTE being the technology used behind 4G mobile networks. My source said that Telstra are planning on launching the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 with LTE support. That’s right, this will possibly the first LTE tablet on Telstra’s new network which begins working later this year, for business customers at least.

There was no release date given to me, however, after doing a quick bit of research on the Internetz, I discovered that a LTE variant of the Galaxy Tab 8.9 — similar to this one headed to Telstra — is expected to launch on Verizon Wireless in the U.S.A. around November. November is also nearing the time when Telstra will put its 4G network into action. (more…)

The court hearing between rivals Apple and Samsung was first heard on July 28^th and was ordered by the Federal Court of Australia to resume on August 29^th, that being next Monday of course.

In the court documents that are freely available, Samsung was to supply Apple with 3 sample Galaxy Tab 10.1s for the purpose of review and analysis, and seeing as though Myer is already advertising a launch date of September 1^st we can assume that those 3 sample devices were sent to the offices of Apple today as the launch date is exactly a week away.

What I find quite interesting is that if Apple somehow wins this court case and further postpones the release of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Myer will then have to push back their plans of a September 1^st launch, much like Optus and Vodafone have done.

Speaking of Optus and Vodafone; both have been very quiet ever since with court case started. I reached out to Vodafone for a comment on the situation when the case started, they said they’d get back to me and never did. As for Optus, all they’ve done is remove the “Register Your Interest” page for the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

I guess we’ll find out Monday what the result is — if one is reached, that is.

I have already touched on the news that Myer would be stocking the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, albeit quickly, however, at the time of posting that article I wasn’t aware of the pricing at Myer; now I am thanks to junk mail catalogue I received in the mail.

From what I can tell by the catalogue, Myer will be selling three variants of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 starting on September 1^st. Each Galaxy Tab 10.1 will come with a ‘bonus tablet sleeve‘, whatever that may mean. If it’s neoprene then that’s awesome and it’s already known that Myer sell neoprene cases for the iPad 2, however, when I purchased the Galaxy Tab 10.1v from Vodafone it can with a plastic case that was also a stand, so we might see one of these bundled with the 10.1.

The three variants of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will sell at the following prices:

• Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 — 16GB Wi-Fi only — $579
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 — 16GB Wi-Fi & 3G — $729
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 — 64GB Wi-Fi & 3G — $949

For those playing along at home, the $729 pricetag on the 16GB Wi-Fi & 3G variant is the exact same as the Galaxy Tab 10.1v when it first launched on Vodafone — this also included 6GB of Vodafone prepaid mobile data.

If you’ve ever wanted to know exactly what the thickness difference is between the new Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the older-ish Galaxy Tab 10.1v, then check out the image provided — larger version available after the break.

The relative difference between the two is 2.3mm, with the 10.1 measuring in at 8.6mm — thinner than the Apple iPad 2 by 0.2mm — and the 10.1v measuring in at 10.9mm.

As you can see by the image(s) provided, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has gone through a complete redesign from the 10.1v, which was inevitably what lead to Samsung getting in hot water with Apple. Specifications wise, the two tablets are very much the same except the 10.1 having a 3MP camera in place of the 10.1v’s 8MP 1080p shooting camera. Pricing and availability of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be posted here very soon. Hit the break for the larger image. (more…)

It has been reported over at Ausdroid that Optus will be launching the previously restrained Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 early September — more specifically the first week of the month. This is aligned with Myer’s catalogue which showed the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with a release date of early September. All we need now is for Samsung Australia to announce a media launch and we’ll be good to go.

But who is this going to annoy more; Apple, whom tried to stop Samsung selling the tablet in question in Australia; or Motorola, whom currently own the Australian Android tablet market with their XOOM? My guess: Motorola. (more…)

If you’ve kept up with my Android device buying endeavours since the early days on Ausdroid, or earlier still on WhirlPool, you’ll know that I’ve always had a soft spot for Sony Ericsson devices. I mean, how could you not? They look far more premium than most other devices out on the market and they have a premium feel; a premium name.

The downside to earlier (and some current) Sony Ericsson devices is that they were slow, terrible, failures, crap and useless; put simply, the Xperia X10. The X10 sucked from top to bottom, which was annoying for early adopters like my. Before the X10 came out, it was leaked everywhere — a theme with Sony Ericsson phones — and built up massive hype. When it came out, it sucked. No multi-touch, slow response, clunky software and it was running Android 1.6.

The upside to the Xperia X10 is that Sony Ericsson saw it as a massive learning experience; they stuffed up and they wanted to make things right again. Enter the Xperia Arc, Xperia Neo and Xperia Play. (more…)

Months ago, HTC promised to bring Android 2.3 Gingerbread to the HTC Desire after months of speculation over whether or not it would happen due to the lack of internal storage on the device. The update was then released to everyone with a HTC Desire on August 1^st via HTCdev — or so we thought. It turns out this update is for nearly every HTC Desire bar the ones sold by Telstra. Typical.

The Android 2.3 update has had a lot of the built-in apps removed by HTC to ensure it fits on the device, but Telstra are adamant that the update is not ready for them (see picture above). HOW IS IT NOT READY, TELSTRA?! (more…)

HP recently ‘killed off’ their Mobile Operating System, WebOS, which they not long ago acquired when they bought out Palm; but what’s this got to do with Android? Not much really, however, here’s why I think Google and Motorola (Googlerola, if you will) should be paying attention — in my dream world, at least.

With WebOS pretty much dead in the water; HP are trying to get rid off their TouchPads by any means necessary — their weapon of choice? A $99 pricetag. By selling them at this price, HP are losing money — not that it matters to them — but they’re also selling them like hot-cakes.

Here’s where Googlerola should be paying attention. (more…)

If you’re the owner of HTC’s 4.3-inch Desire HD and you purchased it from Vodafone, you’ll be happy to know there’s a 14MB maintenance update waiting for you to download and install.

The update fixes 3 major issues that arose from the 2.3.3 update that happened during early June:

• Wi-Fi performance improvements
• GSM-only option
• Automatic Date / Time retrieval

The GSM-only option is when you choose to make the phone use only GSM networks, which cuts back on battery usage and slows your internet speeds back to EDGE or GPRS on 2G/GSM. As for the Automatic Date / Time retrieval, that’s where the device picks up the date and time from the carrier’s network instead of you entering it in manually.

To update your Desire HD — preferably over Wi-Fi to save you the data bill — go to: Options -> About Phone -> Software Update -> Check Updates. Enjoy.

Source: Vodafone Blog