How might Samsung achieve this feat? With smaller and more efficient components, particularly the main circuit board housing the SoC and most of the other primary parts. These crucial components are reportedly 20-30% slimmer than current models (and the 8.5mm Galaxy S II is no slouch). The sources claim that the camera module, still 8 megapixels, will be identical to the Galaxy S II. This means that the mythical device would have a “bump” on the camera end, not unlike Motorola’s DROID X and RAZR models. How might this impact Samsung’s standard Galaxy design, which uses a bulge at the bottom of the phone to house the radio and speaker? Who can say. Other predicted inclusions include a 2-megapixel front camera and LTE standard. The 8MP rear camera contradicts earlier rumors pointing towards a 12-megapixel sensor.

While a 7mm smartphone is impressive no matter who’s making it, it wouldn’t be the thinnest in the world by a long shot. Both Fujitsu with its Arrows Android phone and NEC with its MEDIAS device have hit 6.7mm thin, though neither are the hardware powerhouse that the Galaxy S III is expected to be. Other rumors of varying credibility for the GSIII include a waterproof coating, a 2Ghz Exynos processor and/or 2GB of RAM, and a 4.7-inch 720p display (which seems much more likely). Samsung’s playing this one incredibly close to the vest – all we’ve seen of any device that even might be the Galaxy S III has been model numbers.

The technology behind these seals has been available for years. They’re impressive, no doubt: basically, the system coats a phone or tablet with a near-invisible compound that can block out almost any liquid and moisture. It can repel several meters of water pressure for extended periods of time, making an accidental dunk in a tub or sink a non-issue. Liquipel’s coating technology penetrates into the device itself to cover all interior components as well: their demonstration below shows an HTC ThunderBolt running submerged with the battery cover off, as water trickles into contact with the protected mainboard and other components.

How likely is this rumor? Well it’s certainly not impossible. Liquipel currently offers its coating technology directly to consumers via a mail-in program, charging between $60 and $80 per device. Partnering with a huge company like Samsung or Apple could cut their per-device cost down to a couple of dollars, while adding a huge amount of value for end users. I’d honestly be surprised to see Apple adopt this – they tend to have a wait-and-see approach, never adding a feature if they don’t need to (case in point: the original 2G iPhone). But Samsung might add it to their flagship as yet another differentiation versus Apple.

All this is extremely speculative at the moment; just about the only thing we know for sure about the Galaxy S III is that it won’t shoe up at Mobile World Congress in late February. I’ve been hoping that someone would use one of these waterproofing processes on a mainstream device for a while now. Samsung, are you up to the challenge?

[via Cult of Android]

First off I want to start with the Galaxy Note S. According to MobileCowboy Samsung’s aiming to release a successor to the original Note later this year around the holiday season and call it the Note S. Obviously I’m taking this with a huge grain of salt — like a massive 5.3″ grain of salt. Although with the S in all their other naming schemes it sort of makes sense, I just don’t see it happening. These same leaks also claim a Galaxy S II Plus is on the way with a little refresh but no other details were available.

Next, the important stuff, the Galaxy S III. According to the leakster Samsung will in fact be announcing the SGSIII at Mobile World Congress and be followed with a mid-March international release. They go as far as to say it will be for sale in their home country of Turkey come March 13th. Others like Apple launch devices within weeks of the announcement — so why not Samsung.

Previous reports (linked below) suggest Samsung has delayed the launch and will not be showing the SGSIII at Mobile World Congress. Instead they’ll aim for a bigger stage, doing big advertising and release it around the Summer Olympics. That actually makes sense with the recent announcement of their huge million dollar 90 second Super Bowl commercial coming this Sunday. Either way we’ll continue to monitor the rumors and details until we hear something more concrete.

[via UnwiredView]

It seems our friends at pocketnow received this huge list of upcoming devices from HTC and have been sitting on it, but after watching every recently launched device appear on the list, like the Rezound (Vigor), Sensation XL and more they’ve decided to share it for all so check it out below.

Act
Alpha
Bliss
Blue
Cybertron
Edge
Elite
Eternity
Fighter
Fit
Flick
Glider
Grande
Holiday
Jet
Key
Layer
Omega
Pico
Pop
Prime
Quattro
Radiant
RTP
Ruby
Runnymede
Splendor
Square
Tag
Tahiti
Tube
Veloce
Vigor
Villa
Vitesse

Their super secret HTC ninja source mentioned that not all will be used, but so far we’ve seen what — 11 or so of those hit the market in the past few months. Just to name a few we have the Vigor as the Rezound, Runnymede as the Sensation XL, Holiday, Prime, Pico, Omega, Jet, Ruby, Bliss, and Edge are among a few that have came out into the wild already. Click those links to see our coverage and more details on each, if you dare.

I don’t know about you guys but that is a pretty accurate list so far, and with a few months left in 2011 we may end up seeing plenty more get checked off the list here shortly. From looking over things it appears this might only be smartphones because I don’t see the HTC Puccini tablet listed in there, but we could be wrong. Either way it looks like HTC has some extra special devices coming soon. With codenames such as “Fighter” or “Villa” we can expect some awesome devices coming soon. Let us know if any of these sound familiar, or if you have one and would like to share some details.

[via PocketNow]

First reports earlier today suggested most of the things we already knew, but also mentioned only a 1.2 GHz dual-core rather than 1.5 GHz and that it will be made by Texas Instruments and not Samsung themselves like their Galaxy S II. The biggest thing many weren’t happy about is reports also claimed a 5 MP camera and not 8 MP like we’ve seen as of late, plus a 1.3 front camera rather than 2MP like the SGSII we all thought it would have, that along with a smaller 1750 mAh battery.

That makes it have a few features lower than the already released Galaxy S II and many have been chattering over this all morning. Now we have conflicting reports from GSMArena stating just the opposite. Claiming to have a 1.5 GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos processor with beefed up graphics, a 2050 mAh battery, 8MP 1080p amazing camera on the rear with an exceptional sensor, 2 megapixel front and more. The most interesting part is not only will it feature LTE, but Samsung also has a dual-mode GSM/CDMA radio version like the iPhone 4S and will be available eventually for multiple carriers. This makes more sense as most of Samsung’s recent smartphones have seen wide carrier adoption. After hearing all of that this is what comes to mind:

Where can I BUY NOW!

Last but not least, we are now hearing a few more rumors over on Droid-Life confirming the earlier reports of a 5MP camera but that it will have an amazing sensor for imaging and we shouldn’t read into the megapixel number (something I’ve never done). The Bionic is 8MP and is terrible, my Nexus One takes better pictures — just something to think about with smartphone camera ratings. Those same rumors also suggest, like the Nexus One, the new ICS touting Galaxy Nexus will have a single multi-color LED notification light smack dab in the middle of the bottom chin of the device where capacitive buttons used to be, only not a ball like the Nexus One. I personally love that rumor and would be very happy to see that come true. Customizable notification LED’s was a great feature on the G1 and Nexus One and I really wish all phones had them.

Enough of all that. These are all just rumors for now and I urge you to take them with a grain of salt. Yes, some might be trusted sources or somewhat accurate, but plenty of these details very well could just be educated guesses with the various hardware available now, and what we’ve seen leak thus far. Once again, stay right here at Android Community as we will be at CTIA and Samsung Unpacked LIVE to capture all the details with our cameras and will share all the details once they are officially official.

For an added bonus here a gallery featuring a few looks of the next Nexus we’ve mixed up for fun.

While we heard some pretty compelling information earlier this month based on some hands-on time with the secret device, nothing else is really fully known at this point. This Wednesday, September 28th right in NYC at 10 AM the world will know. Sadly this invite like mentioned above is pretty plain and only lets our minds wander.

We’ve been seeing rumors about an Amazon tablet for a while, just like these claims of Foxconn being the manufacturer. Hopefully all the details and more come from this event next week. This may be just a new Kindle or e-reader but we have a feeling Amazon will be talking about and announcing much more than just a e-reader. All the speculation will be over soon so be sure and stay tuned right here at Android Community for all the details.

After tons of tweets by Tom and his sidekick all weekend regarding a Samsung DROID Prime, Galaxy Nexus and an exclusive launch on Verizon coming November 3rd. He has now hinted at a built-in QWERTY keyboard version of this highly rumored smartphone. Again this is just a rumor, but both Tom and @black_man_x have been known in the past to have accurate information so I’m going to still take this with a few grains of salt, but imagine the possibility.

As if he’s had some hands-on with both of the devices today he tweeted, “The one with the keyboard is what I enjoy”. Leaving us all to start another round of rumors and speculation that we may see a QWERTY keyboard version of the next superphone. With a dual-core processor, Android 2.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, and a 1280 x 720p HD display that would be one superphone indeed. I have a feeling we will see some sort of Samsung slider coming to multiple carriers again soon. With ICS being a touchscreen only OS with no hardware buttons what would you really want a keyboard for, other than typing easily?

Rumors followed by more rumors is what we have here, but I figured you’d all love to hear about another possibility. Although I personally have no use for a QWERTY keyboard powered smartphone, I know many readers still do. Take this as you will and let your mind wander.

– Thanks cheese

[via Twitter]

The DROID Prime name could very well be what we see soon from Verizon and Samsung, but it may be the DROID Charge 2. With the Samsung Galaxy Nexus being a Google device that comes first and will be the first phone with Google’s Android 2.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. Now obviously this could all be real, or very much faked. Take everything with a grain of salt for now until things develop further.

The November 3rd launch date comes from a few tricky guys we all know plenty about over on Twitter. @black_man_X and his friend Tom using @tflemming223 put out a nice little poem over the weekend regarding the next Nexus and here is the poem in full:

While things that go bump in the night, surely give you a fright,
It’s all in good fun as I share treats and panda fun.

So Instead of filling your belly with candies, jellies and other hollows eve fare,
Perhaps your palate will cast a ballot, for an ice cream sandwich instead.

With an internal date now set and LTE a sure bet,
Those that get Tim Cook’s new pet will be filled with green eyed regret.

But wait you cry for what date can you buy?
This the panda did shall share…

Fore on the date Bruce Wayne’s true father did die;
you shall in fact be able to buy in stores of red and black.

But those who pay other masters don’t fret,
over exclusive deals and bets

For in many other favors you will get your treat
be they GSM or wimax radios inside, the nexus brand will ride world wide

Sounds like we will be seeing a release of the next Nexus from multiple carriers, but Verizon should get the initial exclusive (if the rumors are true). That along with some regret for those seeking the next iDevice. We could go on forever regarding both the Poem, and the information from the source linked to below, but it’s all still just speculation. Devices and release dates are always subject to change, rumors will continue to drop, and details will remain tight. Obviously take all of this with a grain of salt until something more concrete surfaces. Although @black_man_x has had inside information multiple times regarding devices from Verizon there seems to be a lot of confusion still with these upcoming phones so I think I’ll just sit back and enjoy the show.

What do you guys think?

[via TheDroidGuy]

First up we have the all but confirmed HTC Puccini, who popped up in some very official looking photos this week. The Puccini is a 10″ tablet, HTC’s first, running Honeycomb (presumably 3.1 or 3.2). The tablet has been seen hanging around the FCC where it showed off AT&T’s LTE bands. We haven’t heard anything official on AT&T’s LTE network, but if its cleared the FCC, the Puccini can’t be too far off.

Next up we have the HTC Ruby, another definitely Android device. We don’t know too much about this one yet other than that it is destined for T-Mobile. There is a similarity in the camera interface in a leaked photo to that on the MyTouch 4G Slide. Because of this, we are speculating it may be the newest MyTouch phone, but only time will tell.

To top it all off we have the HTC Ignite (a recently leaked Windows Phone) and a slew of new codenames HTC just trademarked. So our count so far is 2 Android devices and 1 WP7. That is a majority all right, but only 3 devices. That means HTC’s cooking up some fancy new Android toys for us that will be here before Christmas.

[via SlashGear]

Hot off the heels of the Sensation, EVO 3D, and MyTouch 4G Slide, HTC’s next batch of Android phones are due to start poking their heads up sooner rather than later. We’re not sure if these newly trademarked names will be them, but we’ll be sure to keep a look out for them.

If Cheetah, Skyrocket and Velo (I’m assuming short for velocity given the other names) don’t make you think “fast,” I’m not sure what will. The other two names Titan and Raider, mostly just sound awesome, and in Titan’s case big. Whether this hinted at speed comes thanks to 4G, a fancy new dual-core processor, or even a quad-core, will have to be seen as details emerge. In the mean time, let the speculation commence!

[via PocketNow]

The rumor mill for Google is getting as contagious as the Cupertino variant. But with how often a new flavor of Android comes out, and considering that Android 2.4 was always rumored to be called “Ice Cream,” is Android (Sundae) that much of a stretch? And would it be vs. 4 or a dot upgrade of 3?

Seriously, a Google doodle logo as some sort of vague hint to the faithful? Seems like a stretch even for Google. So for the time being, we’re going to call this a wild rumor and nothing more. On the other hand, we like us some yummy ice cream sundaes. So if Google wants to treat everyone to some dessert, we’ll certainly be there. Can I have mine with Caramel instead of fudge please?

[via Metro]

Asked to comment, Motorola did not deny the existence of the project but re-affirmed its interest in Android. “Motorola Mobility is committed to Android as an operating system,” a company spokesperson said via email.

Now, the fact that Motorola is hiring people from Apple and Adobe is interesting. It’s really easy to see some strange Frankenstein-esque OS that’s as elegant as the iPhone but can freakishly and natively play Flash. And it’s easy to see how there are so many different Android products in the market that it becomes really different to tell one from the other in terms of performance. But creating a new OS to go up against two very seasoned platforms with vast app catalogs is extremely risky. Particularly when Motorola has been doing quite well with products like the Droid and Xoom thanks to the Android Platform.

Motorola may also be thinking of the next generation OS, years down the road when everything is linked to cloud. Sure, that could be. And with Google’s CR46 project, HPs webOS, it seems that everyone has their heads in the clouds. So why not Motorola as well? But seriously, we don’t think Motorola is going to kill the goose that laid the golden egg. Not by a long shot.

[via Information Week]

The HTC Thunderbolt has had almost as much speculation around it as {insert future Apple Product here}. It was announced with great fanfare at CES and almost immediately there was a buzz about it since it is to be the flagship 4G phone on the Verizon network. Then came the Super Bowl commercial announcing presales. More buzz. More Hype. More excitement.

And then the problems started to mount up. Rumors of poor battery life and Verizon having problems switching to a 4G network started to make one launch date slip to another. Now, we just have to go with Verizon’s official line … “So many rumors. When we do launch our 4G phones, they will be great.” Or whatever.

[via Droid Life]

Now, obviously, the state of the art has passed those specs by. And for a WalkMan launch to succeed, it would have to be more than a clever logo on a poster. Sony isn’t one to rest on their laurels so we’re betting that the new WalkMan line will sport a processor similar to the dual-core Tegra 2, with a much larger Reality display powered by Sony’s Bravia mobile engine. We’re also betting they’ll drop it’s Timescape interface on it as well as Sony’s proprietary Media center module. And while they’re at it, why not toss in that new camera chip they’re busy developing?

Luckily enough, this picture, which was sent to PhoneArena from an anonymous tipster, shows the phone without that protective cover we’ve been getting used to seeing. According to the tipster, the device will feature an 800MHz processor under the hood, much like we saw released with the T-Mobile G2 earlier. The main difference, as we can see in the picture above, is that the EVO Shift 4G is covered in Sense UI, while the G2 isn’t.

As far as the keyboard goes, it doesn’t look much different than what we saw in the previous leak, even if we were wondering about the legitimacy of the image. We’ve still got that strange looking control pad on the bottom-right, and and an overall look and feel that reminds us more of a toy, rather than a smartphone. But now that we’ve seen the device, out in the wild, it should be any day now that Sprint comes clean on the whole thing, right?

[via PhoneArena]

The new rumor popped up recently, stemming from a developer that has been working on several different versions of the mobile Operating System. According to this developer, Google wants to make sure that when Android 3.0 hits, it’s a significant upgrade, and not a minor one. We’re not sure that with all of the changes that Honeycomb has in store for the user (like no physical buttons, and being tablet-centric), we’d necessarily call it a minor update, but it’s not up to us.

What may not be as surprising, though, is the timeframe that Google is supposedly looking at launching Honeycomb. According to the rumor, we could see Android 2.4 announced as early as February. That would probably mean we’d get a bit more of an official look at Motorola’s Honeycomb-powered tablet, as well as other devices running the newest version of the OS. If 2.4 is Honeycomb, then Ice Cream could indeed be 3.0.

[via TechRadar]

Ambrish Srivastava is an analyst for BMO Capital Markets. He recently spent a week visiting 30 different companies, all focused on the tech market, and has come to the conclusion from his trip that NVIDIA will be putting the Tegra 2 processor in a lot of different gadgets. NVIDIA has said as much in the past, so this bit is not that big of a revelation. What is, though, is that he believes the next version of the Tab will feature a NVIDIA chip under the hood.

This is interesting, because Samsung already has a successor to the company’s 1GHz Hummingbird processor. It’s a dual-core successor, no less. So, if Samsung really does choose to go with NVIDIA for their chip option, one would have to wonder why they’d skip over their own creation. Diversity, perhaps.

[via SlashGear]

The protective case is still present on the device, which makes this the second time around where the device has been featured with a case. The keyboard is the focus of the image, though, showing the roomy keyboard, and that interesting off-white colored trackpad-looking spot on the bottom-right of the ‘board. Looking at the image, though, it doesn’t look like those keys are going to be the easiest to use. Hopefully they have more travel and feedback then what this image suggests they will have.

As for a release date, a leaked image sent over to AndroidCentral suggests that the HTC EVO Shift 4G will land in Sprint stores on January 9th. While the original release date was suggested to be January 6th, it would make more sense for it to be the ninth, as Sprint loves to launch devices on Saturdays. Of course, nothing is confirmed at this point, but if the EVO Shift 4G really is coming that soon, we should expect to hear some official word sooner than later.

The HTC EVO Shift 4G is said to feature a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen display, be WiMAX compatible, and have a camera on the back with a single LED flash. There aren’t many other details about the device yet.

[via BGR; via AndroidCentral]

While the still-photos of the device may have been enough for some people, we’ve been eagerly waiting to see this thing on video, and now we’ve got our chance. From what we can see, the device seems to be running Android version 2.3, better known as Gingerbread. The report, which corresponds with the video you can watch below, says that the device is smooth in operation, which is a good thing. It also appears that the Android-powered handset will feature a 4-inch touchscreen display, too.

Not surprisingly though, is the fact that it looks like Sony Ericsson has decided against “PlayStation Phone,” and went with something a bit more to their business model: the Z1. Check out the video below to see the device in action. Anyone getting excited to get their hands on this?

[via Engadget]

The HTC Evo Shift 4G is a smaller HTC Evo 4G basically. It has a four row sliding keyboard alongside a larger battery. Surprisingly, there is word that there is no front facing camera on this device. This is just a rumor, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it does come equipped with the front facing camera as it seems that all the top notch devices come standard with front facing cameras. It’s nice to see Sprint getting another top notch Android device as well. We will keep you updated on the status of the HTC Evo Shift 4G and when it will make its debut/pricing info.

Via [Engadget]