So you paid attention to pundits and bought that Galaxy S II outright in the hopes that future software updates would arrive on your device first. And then reality came crashing in. It appears SIM-free is not the way Samsung wants consumers to be, as carrier-agnostic handsets in the UK will be the last to receive Ice Cream Sandwich. The move, though frustrating for many, is not as arbitrary and unfair as it might initially appear to be. Speaking to CNET UK, a company rep confirmed that this upgrade delay has everything to do with cross-carrier testing, compatibility and approval, owing to the “variety of networks” unlocked GS II’s can access. Once it does get an unanimous greenlight, however, expect to see the final leg of that TouchWizzed Android 4.0 roll out commence.

SOURCE via CNET

While so far the Ultra High Speed Class 1 memory card designation has been reserved for SDXC and SDHC cards, Samsung just announced new microSD cards that support the faster interface as well. Currently being produced in 16GB sizes, they have maximum sequential read speeds of up to 80 MB/s, four times that of the high speed cards it introduced last year. There’s no word on the write speeds but Samsung is already busy calling its next shot, planning to offer cards with even more storage in the future. Of course, you’ll need compatible devices to make these new cards worth it, we wonder what kind of Advanced LTE smartphones with 3D gaming and HD video capabilities might be in store from Samsung soon…

For its part, Samsung has been none too coy about the upcoming Android 4.0 release for the Galaxy Note. So far, we know that it’s set for a Q2 debut and will pack a new set of S Pen apps, but if you’ve longed to jump into the frozen goodness a bit early, today you can rejoice — a leaked build of Ice Cream Sandwich for Samsung’s fabulous phablet has reared its head in the forums of RootzWiki. Curiously, the file is available only as an EXE, so you’ll want to exercise a bit of due diligence with this one. That having been said, comments in the forums are quite enthusiastic.

Now that Ice Cream Sandwich is out in the wild, the community is already circling back to provide a rundown of what more tepid users may expect. Most notably, Samsung’s Premium Suite for the Galaxy Note isn’t included in this build, and while TouchWiz is said to crash upon first boot and with the addition of a Google Play account, reports suggest that these are one-time glitches. Otherwise, much of the system is said to be in excellent shape. As for the EXE that we’d mentioned, it’s an Odin one-click file that’s designed to make the installation rather painless.

SOURCE via Rootzwiki

Just as planned, Samsung has formally separated from its display business, which will begin solo operations “in earnest” April 3rd. The newly created — and still 100 percent Samsung Electronics owned — Samsung Display comes into existence immediately as “the world’s largest display manufacturer” with 20,000 employees and five production facilities around the world. New president Donggun Park reiterated the company’s stance that this move will better allow the display unit to stay ahead of the market, although what that might mean in LCDs, OLED or any other new technology isn’t clear yet. Competitor LG has had a separate LG Display unit since 1999, which was originally a joint venture with Philips before that company sold all of its shares in 2008. As you can see from the new logo above not a lot has changed so far, but we’ll see what “customized products” it can develop in the future.

Still paranoid about a friend sneaking past your four-dot-oh facial security and revealing all your little secrets? Worry no more, as Sammy’s got a solution for you. The new feature is stuffed inside the tasty ICS being delivered now to global Galaxy S IIs, adding the need to blink in order to bypass the Face Unlock screen. Aside from the eyelash-flashing bit included in the upgrade, Samsung’s Product Planning Team says they’ve also added Photo Editor, Beta Font, Snapshot and a novel S Go Launcher Pro. You can check out the full interview with Samsung’s whiz-squad at the source below.

SOURCE via Samsung

In a move that would be reminiscent of its initial plans for the Nexus handsets, the Wall Street Journal suggests Google will open its own online store this year, but stocked with tablets instead of phones. The Android tablets would be built by Samsung and ASUS who already offer the well-received Galaxy Tab and Transformer lines, but have been unable to make a dent in marketshare comparable to that of Apple or even Amazon. Other details seem to be less clear, including the possibility of the lineup including Google branded tablets — like the one hinted at by Eric Schmidt in December — or that the store could offer a new tablet from ASUS (maybe running Jelly Bean, maybe not), or the chance that Google will follow Amazon’s approach by subsidizing the upfront cost. Right now it seems that all possibilities are still in Play, but if the rumor is right we’ll see the store launch this year — any suggestions for the folks at Mountain View?

SOURCE via Wall Street Journal

Let’s just say you have an HSPA+ Samsung Galaxy Nexus (I9250) or a UMTS / GSM Nexus S (I9020). It may behoove you, then, to begin frantically checking your phone to see if any updates are available, because Google has taken to its favorite social network to announce that Android 4.0.4 is rolling out to these devices as well as the Motorola Xoom WiFi, as we reported earlier. This news comes nearly two weeks after we receive the news that the Nexus S update was nigh at hand, and only hours after the AOSP became available.

This is incredibly exciting for anyone who wasn’t able to download ICS on their Nexus S before the update was pulled, and equally thrilling for owners that have been using the version Google disowned since this past December. Heck, it’s jubilant enough to make any fan of firmware updates shout with glee.

Ready for the asterisk? It’s not rolling out to the CDMA counterparts… at least, not yet. It’s hard to say what that really means. Are the Verizon Galaxy Nexus and Sprint Nexus S 4G being considered second-class citizens, demoted to as lengthy a wait as the droves of other Gingerbread devices? We still don’t know yet.

SOURCE via Google

The so-called Value Pack upgrade that was leaked for original Samsung Galaxy S devices after the company announced they would not be upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich (it was later given a passing mention in the Galaxy S II ICS upgrade notes) has been officially released, at least in Korea. The official Samsung Tomorrow page has a link to Gingerbread and Froyo upgrades for the Galaxy S, as well as the Galaxy K and Galaxy U phones. Just like the leaked version, it adds some Ice Cream Sandwich features to these non-Android 4.0 phones, including Face Unlock, the ability to take pictures while shooting video and launcher improvements, without the fully reworked underpinnings of the new OS. Owners of compatible devices can hit the source link for all the details and the files, as long as they have Kies 2.0 at the ready and a bit of open storage space (backing up existing data is also, naturally, encouraged). Of course whether this will officially come to any of our US-carrier optimized Galaxy S models is still unknown.

SOURCE via Samsung

Five is an important number for Samsung’s Galaxy Note. It has a 5.3-inch screen and now, just five months since it debuted, Samsung has announced it has shipped five million units (the one million mark was crossed right around the end of December). That’s certainly long enough for you to decide if you’re in love with its super-sized frame or the accompanying S-Pen stylus, but unfortunately it has not been quite enough time for the highly-anticipated Ice Cream Sandwich software update to be released. So, are you convinced yet that there’s a place in the world for a device like this, or five million phablets later are you still thinking this is just a fad?

SOURCE via Samsung

It’s no secret that Samsung’s been teasing a major interest in premium audio since CES, blending digitally powered speakers with vacuum tube pre-amplifiers, and today the company’s spilling the details regarding US pricing on a trio of systems, all of which will be available in the Spring.

The star of the show is the $800 DA-870 Audio Dock, featuring the rear-mounted dual dock for Galaxy (charging only) and iOS devices. Clad in a polished wood case (available in black or cherry), the 2.1 stereo system pumps out up to 100 watts of power through its glass fiber speakers and tweeters. As an added touch, its JJ Electronics 12AU7 tubes (the same you could use for guitar amps) are sunken in from its top under glass, allowing for clear view of their glow. Best of all, aside from the requisite USB and 3.5mm inputs, the DA-870 works wirelessly with Samsung’s AllShare Play, AirPlay and Bluetooth 3.0 w/ aptX.

Moving past the HiFi category, Samsung’s also priced a duo of surround sound systems aimed at the home theater market. To start, there’s the $1,000 HT-E6730W Blu-ray 3D 7.1 home theater system and its $800 5.1 sibling, the HT-E6500W Blu-ray 3D — both of which feature the same tube pre-amp and similar wireless capabilities as the DA-870.

Notably, the E6730W features a tiltable top speaker on each of its stereo towers, allowing for a more personalized output depending on your room. Furthermore, if you happen to have a DA-870, too, you’ll be able to stream the audio via Bluetooth if you find yourself far away from your television. There’s no exact date on when you’ll be able snag any of them, but Samsung notes that the 5.1 system is currently shipping.