YouTube will be making it so with real names for some in the near future to combat cruelty in comments. Apple is looking to bump up their iPod nano and iPod touch lineups in the coming months. If you’d like to grab the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 this week, you may very well be able to do so – just find a store that sells it – they’re out there!

The folks at AT&T have released their Q2 earnings with some fabulous numbers for all those investors on their side. Microsoft is making a big deal out of the Windows 8 graphics power. Apple is winning a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Euro ban while they deny copying Samsung’s 3G tech.

Nokia has finalized their purchase of Scalado lytro-style camera technology. Bethesda has outlined the 1.7 version of Skyrim and what it’ll mean for users on the whole. Be sure to not miss out on 3D printing and its soon to be very gigantic market across the earth!

“We will take all available measures to minimise the ruling’s impact on our business operations” Samsung UK told SlashGear in a statement today, though could give no further indication as to what might happen to in-store availability.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s flagship London, UK store only had stock of a single model – the 16GB WiFi-only Tab 7.7 – on hand and, while insisting that the tablet was not discontinued, said it did not expect to receive more stock. Staff blamed the high price of the tablet, which uses a high-resolution Super AMOLED Plus display and slick metal chassis, for low consumer demand.

Instead, it was suggested, Samsung was promoting the Galaxy Tab 2, which offers a 7-inch screen at a lower price. Online retailers are still offering the Galaxy Tab 7.7, though the £379 ($589) price tag for the 16GB version is considerably higher than what, say, Google is charging for a Nexus 7

What, then, the impact of the Apple ban will be is unclear. We’ll be checking back with Samsung for more information when it has it.

Unsurprisingly, Samsung has welcomed the court’s decision around the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, though with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 2 already announced it’s unclear how many of the older variant it expects to actually go on and sell.

“Samsung welcomes the court’s ruling which confirms our position that the GALAXY Tab 10.1N does not infringe Apple’s intellectual property and does not infringe laws against unfair competition. Should Apple continue to make legal claims based on such a generic design patent, design innovation and progress in the industry could be restricted” Samsung

It’s not the first time the Galaxy Tab 7.7 has come under fire from Apple. Samsung was forced to pull the tablet from demo tables at IFA 2011 only a day after it was officially launched, after Apple’s legal team swung into action and hammered it with an injunction. Apple had already secured a ban on sales in Germany, but the ruling this morning extends that across Europe, something Samsung is not entirely happy about:

“Samsung is disappointed with the court’s ruling. We will continue to take all available measures, including legal action, to protect our intellectual property rights and defend against Apple’s claims to ensure our products remain available to consumers throughout the European Union” Samsung

In the original German ban, Samsung managed to convince the court that the subsidiary operating in Germany was distinct from the South Korean parent company. That excuse didn’t hold in the appeal today, however, with the court deciding that Samsung GmbH operates in Germany on behalf of Samsung Korea as a whole, and thus the ban should apply across the European Union.

Somewhat confusingly, a UK court decided earlier this month that the Galaxy Tab 7.7 – among other models – do not, in fact, copy the iPad’s design. It’s not clear how the rulings from the different countries will sit together, though Samsung is expected to appeal today’s German decision.

[via Webwereld; via TNW; via The Verge]

Samsung has given a full statement to Pocket-Lint, detailing how all three tablets have recognizable differences from the iPad. Apple’s points of contention included “slightly rounded corners,” “a flat transparent surface without any ornamentation,” and “a thin profile.” The court, however, didn’t see the merit of the company’s arguments. They referred to 50 pieces of prior art as well as products that were introduced before 2004, going as far to say that Apple’s own design lacked originality.

The court also ruled that the differences between Samsung and Apple’s tablets could be seen with the naked eye, citing the front panel differences plus the side profiles of the machines. The biggest differences came from the back panels, and that Samsung differentiated its tablets with “visible detailing.” Apple, meanwhile, has yet to comment on the ruling.

Though each of these tablets will get the update to this new version of their native software in kind, we can expect the Wi-fi versions of each size to be moving forward first. The reason behind this situation is that while it’s relatively easy for a manufacturer to update their version of Android when they’ve created the software as well, it becomes exponentially more difficult the more software is added by the mobile data carrier.

Thusly, if you’ve got a tablet that’s Wi-fi only, you can expect Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich very, very soon! Just so long as that tablet exists on this list, of course:

GT-P6210 Galaxy Tab Plus 7.0 WIFI
GT-P6200 Galaxy Tab Plus 7.0 WIFI + 3G
GT-P6810 Galaxy Tab 7.7 WIFI
GT-P6800 Galaxy Tab 7.7 WIFI + 3G
GT-P7310 Galaxy Tab 8.9 WIFI
GT-P7300 Galaxy Tab 8.9 WIFI + 3G
GT-P7510 Galaxy Tab 10.1 WIFI
GT-P7500 Galaxy Tab 10.1 WIFI + 3G

You’ll notice that the original Samsung Galaxy Tab does not appear on that list, nor does the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 lineup. The Galaxy Tab 2 lineup is not on the list because it already has ICS right out of the box, and the original Galaxy Tab simply wasn’t made for software updates this far forward in time. That said, there’s always a hack or two that can jam said system into play if you really, really want it.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see Galaxy Tab news galore, and be sure to let us know if you plan on upgrading or staying with Honeycomb!

[via Android Community]

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime

One of Apple’s big boasts with the new iPad is the battery life: 9hrs with LTE active. However, how does over 17 hours sound to you? ASUS’ Eee Pad Transformer Prime keeps the innovative battery-equipped keyboard dock of its predecessor but steps up the style with more expensive materials and a slimmer chassis. It’s still thicker than the new iPad, but the upshot is far easier content creation than using an on-screen keyboard.

We fell for the Prime in our original review and the subsequent Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade did nothing to dissuade us, the combination of Tegra 3 and the docking flexibility ensuring it a place in our bag. The only blip on the horizon is the upcoming 700 Series with its 1920 x 1200 display, a step up in resolution from the 1280 x 800 panel on the current Prime, though still short of Apple’s Retina Display. Still, if you’re serious about runtimes and text entry, the Transformer Prime has plenty of appeal.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

One size fits all has been Apple’s strategy with the iPad so far, but Android tablet manufacturers have no such qualms about offering differently scaled slates. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 aims for your jacket pocket, a 7.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus display front and center with a sturdy casing that still manages to be just 7.89mm thick. Pixel density of the 1280 x 800 display may be down on what the new iPad offers – 196 ppi versus 264 ppi – but it’s a bright, colorful, rich panel with fantastic viewing angles.

Samsung is arguably Apple’s strongest rival in tablets, and the Galaxy Tab 7.7 shows the degree of polish the company can achieve. It’s not cheap – $499.99 with a new Verizon LTE agreement – but it’s beautifully made and very portable; more details in our full review.

B&N NOOK Tablet

Apple’s iPad 2 has been kept on as the entry-level model in the company’s tablet range, now $399, but Barnes & Noble’s NOOK Tablet undercuts it considerably: $249 for the original version, or $199 if you can cope with less storage and memory. It’s a 7-incher like the Samsung, but with a budget focus; however, Android enthusiasts with a mind for tinkering have discovered it’s also a fantastic starting point for hacks and tweaks.

B&N would rather you stuck with its ebook store and app download store, and usability from the reskinned interface is straightforward if unsurprisingly lacking the speed and gloss of the new iPad. Still, at half the price, for web surfing, messaging, ebook reading and multimedia the NOOK Tablet is a solid and affordable choice.

But wait…

More choice is in the pipeline, and not just running Android. Windows 8 marks Microsoft’s push back into the tablet segment, with the first models expected in late 2012. Microsoft has done plenty of work bringing its Metro UI up to speed with finger use, and the new support for ARM processors should mean the traditional Windows tablet bugbears of short battery life, heavy build, mediocre performance and loud fans are all addressed.

More details on all the latest tablets in the SlashGear Review Hub, including our full new iPad review. Any of these tablets catch your eye, or are you still convinced a new iPad is the machine for you? Let us know in the poll below!

Build Quality

This device looks and feels every bit as high quality as a Samsung smartphone. It’s not made with a lot of aluminum as the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is, so it doesn’t match up perfectly as far as materials go, but it feels right nonetheless. This is a keyboard dock I plan on using until I’ve got to send the Galaxy Tab 7.7 review unit back, I guarantee you that.

Ease in Use

You open the box, you place your Galaxy Tab 7.7 in the dock, and… oh that’s it. Really that’s all you need to do – just so long as your Galaxy Tab is charged up, the keyboard dock will be charged up out of the box and you’ll be able to go with it right away. After you’ve used it for a while you may have to plug the dock in to the wall with the 30-pin Samsung jack on the side using the cord you got with your Galaxy Tab, but other than that it’s perfectly simple. There’s no software you have to download, no options you have to tap, nothing like that – it just works instantly.

Expandability

There are three ports on this device, and one of them is right up top where the tablet connects to the keyboard. When you connect to the tablet, it is, again, an instant connection with no configuration, but just as important is this: it’s not to loose and its not too snug. Samsung has had some experience with making docks for their billion different sized smart devices over the past couple of years – and it shows here in this excellent glove of a device.

On the back of the device there’s a headphone jack that’ll double as a speaker jack since you’ve already got a headphone jack up on top of your tablet, and on the side there’s another 30-pin Samsung port so you can plug into the wall or your larger computer to transfer files. There’s no USB ports, Samsung’s own USB Connection Kit for the Galaxy Tab line being the one responsible for that action. We’d prefer a USB port in the first place to avoid the middle-man, but perhaps Samsung is attempting to keep everything clean and simple.

Wrap-up

This keyboard dock is made to be just as high quality as the tablet is, and it looks and feels just like it was made to hook up with the tablet as one full product. There’s no knowing whether you’re going to use the dock on a daily basis unless you’ve had a similar experience with tablets in the past, but here’s another spoiler for you: it’s fun enough to use that you might as well just drop the cash on it right now. Key on into the future of convertible tablets!

This device is available from Verizon today for $79.99 online – grab it!

Hardware

This device is small enough to fit in your purse or carry-along sack, but a bit too large to fit in your pocket. The mid-range is still dominated by the original Galaxy Note, and the “full-size tablet” is still sitting at 10.1-inches – this 7.7-inch tablet is perfect for someone who doesn’t need access to the device 24 hours a day but wants to keep a slightly lower profile than they would be if they’d be whipping out the 10-inch tablet all day long.

That said, this device brings a few fantastical specifications along with it that trump even the 10.1-inch tablet, including the first Super AMOLED Plus display at 7.7-inches, this bringing you a higher resolution display than this device’s larger sibling. Have a peek in the hands-on video here to see how this device measures up literally against the 10.1-inch Tab and see the resolution difference as well.

The device is essentially the same thinness of its Tab relatives, that being just 7.89mm at its thickest point – putting the overall feel of this device in the “hero” range for tablets without a doubt. This is not a member of the low-class tablet family that’s been expanding at an undeniable rate over the past few years, it’s one of the much more high powered and well constructed group instead.

Above what you’re seeing is the Galaxy Tab 7.7 on top and the 10.1 below, both of them ringing in at thinner than you could ever ask for in a tablet device. Then if the 1.4GHz dual-core processor in the 7.7 didn’t impress you when you saw it tossing around pages and games like paper, the full aluminum construction of the tablet will. This tablet looks and feels nice, and has certainly very quickly become my favorite Samsung tablet to use (and I’ve used them all).

Software

Inside you’ll find the rapidly aging Android 3.x Honeycomb, complete with Samsung’s own TouchWiz UX on top. This is the same TouchWiz we were first introduced to back at CTIA in the Spring of 2011, and it’s looking as good as it’s ever looked here in this slightly modified version over its 10.1-inch optimized cousin.

What you’ve got here is a software experience made specifically for the tablet, not quite Ice Cream Sandwich, but just about as close as you’re going to get without getting there. Samsung has been adamant about their want to update a whole swathe of their Galaxy devices inside the Summer months, so we’re hoping this device wins out in that battle as well. Meanwhile this setup is perfectly workable for your daily tablet needs. Also of note, even though it’s not unique to this device: the Android Marketplace is now optimized fully for devices with displays much larger than a smartphone – so you’re in business here from the top of the software experience down to the base.

That said, you’ve got an experience which is actually closer to what we’ve seen this week with the Galaxy Note 10.1 than it is to any of the other Galaxy Tab devices released thus far. Samsung is aiming for a much more “Note” experience for their whole line of devices here in the first months of 2012, finding heavy success it seems with this slightly unique approach started with the Galaxy Note.

Have another peek at the Superbowl push for the Note experience to see how excited Samsung is about this world of note-taking. Keep in mind that this device does not come with an S-Pen, but that you’ll be able to work any capacitive pen you’ve got on hand to rock the drawings on the screenshots you take with the device’s built-in software screenshot button in your dock.

Just like the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, this device also includes an infrared eye as well as the Peel app to make using this strange bit of hardware easy as pie. What you’ll be able to do with this combo is control your TV, cable box, and more. As Cory Gunther of Android Community noted back with the 7.0 Plus, “I was pleasantly surprised with how simple and easy this worked.” The same is true here – it all works right out of the box.

Have a peek at a couple of benchmark tests here if you’d like to compare them with the rest of our [Tablet Review Series], and note that comparing devices in this way should be taken mostly as a bonus entertainment exercise as it’s really the total experience you should be paying attention to when you decide on picking up a tablet such as this.

Camera / Battery life

Just like the rest of the Galaxy Tab line, the battery life on this device has been nothing short of extraordinary. Tablets made by Samsung with Android have never been disappointing in the battery world, and here with an undeniably massive 5100 mAh battery, this 7.7-inch beast is able to work with high brightness and ultra-dense resolution for a full 20+ hours easy. Just so long as you’re not streaming video that whole time.

The cameras on the front and the back are OK, but certainly don’t bring the fury like the tablet-based cameras on the ASUS Transformer Prime and the HTC Jetstream do – they’re still the winners of the tablet-based camera war, if that still is a thing. Have a peek at a couple of photos and a video here to see what’s up with this 3 megapixel camera on the back of the device.

Wrap-Up

This device is, again, what I’m gonna go ahead and say is the sweetest spot for tablets at the moment. If I had to choose between this device and the Galaxy Note (original), I’d choose the Note. I’m still of the opinion that tablets are mostly bonus devices made for fun rather than utility, and the Galaxy Note takes care of everything I could possibly want a smart device to do. That said, if you’ve got a want for a tablet, this one’s a magical size.

If you’ve tried a 10-inch tablet and you find it sort of absurd, but still want a display larger than your everyday average smartphone, take a peek at this tablet at your local Verizon outlet. It’s certainly an entertaining device to play with.

Your money gets you a 1.4GHz dual-core processor and a 3.2-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording; there’s also 1080p HD video output via HDMI. A front-facing 2-megapixel camer and 16GB of onboard storage – together with a microSD card slot – round out the key specs.

Software-wise, there are some Samsung modifications to Android, and the Peel Smart Remote app is preloaded to turn the Galaxy Tab 7.7 into a universal remote-control. You obviously get Android Market access and the usual Google suite of apps like Gmail and Google Voice.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 hands-on:

As for subscription fees, buyers will need to sign up to a 4G LTE plan that kicks off at $30 per month for 2GB of data. More information at Verizon.

The most impressive feature of the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is its screen, a brilliant 7.7-inch Samsung Super AMOLED panel. The screen has a resolution of 1280 x 800, matching the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9, though it has a vertical orientation. The biggest extra feature is a built-in infrared port to control your home entertainment devices, which the 7.7 model inherits from the 7.0 Plus.

On the inside, the 7.7 gets a 1.4Ghz processor, 1GB of RAM and an 8 megapixel camera. Honeycomb is the order of the day, but it should get an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich sometime in the future. Samsung’s TouchWiz interface covers the operating system for differentiation.

This gives Samsung 4 active tablet models worldwide: the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, 7.7, 8.9 and 10.1. This comprehensive portfolio is complimented by wireless offerings from all four US carriers. There’s no word on a price or date for the Galaxy Tab 7.7 plus ,and perhaps most distressingly, no indication that a WiFi-only (and contract free) model will be coming to the US at all. Check out a few photos below.

Along with LTE there’s also WiFI b/g/n, Bluetooth and GPS, along with a 3-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front camera. The main cam can shoot 720p HD video, too. A mobile hotspot app can be used to share the 4G LTE connection with up to 10 WiFi devices or a 3G connection with up to five.

16GB of onboard storage gets a microSD card slot to augment it, and there will be various accessories on offer. A keyboard-dock will have a 3.5mm audio output and charging support, while a multimedia dock will HDMI out, audio out and a charging port. A USB/SD adapter, HDMI adapter and Book Cover Case round out the options.

Verizon isn’t saying how much the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE will be, nor when exactly it might launch, but we imagine we’ll find that out soon enough.

However, the original Galaxy S is not on Samsung’s list for a shot of ICS next year, which will come as a disappointment to buyers of the best-selling smartphone. Samsung had the first play of Ice Cream Sandwich on the Galaxy Nexus, Google’s third official Android device and a flagship for v4.0 as well as new features like Android Beam, the NFC-based information transfer system.

What remains to be seen is how quickly carriers can work with Samsung to have new versions of the OS delivered to their variants of the Galaxy S II. US carriers will be particularly under the microscope, having a patchy track record of delivering timely updates.

More on Ice Cream Sandwich in our full OS review, while to get an idea what the OS is capable of on a device, take a look through our Galaxy Nexus review.

The tablet is dubbed with the model number SCH-i815 and sports CDMA 800/1900 and LTE radios, indicating that it’s heading to Verizon. The WiFi-only and HSPA+ versions of the tablet have already passed through FCC testing before and with this model finally getting approval, we’re hoping to see the device on store shelves soon.

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 features a 7.7-inch Super AMOLED display, which has a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution. It also rocks a powerful 1.4GHz dual-core processor and measures in under 8mm thin. For more details on the slate, make sure to check out our hands-on with the tablet at IFA as well as our comparison of the device with the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S II.

[via Engadget]

According to the report, the updates won’t begin until Q2 2012, potentially six months after Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus goes on sale. Samsung confirmed to us last night at the kick-off of the Galaxy Note European Tour that the oversized smartphone would get Android 4.0, as reported in our Galaxy Note vs Galaxy Nexus hands-on, but said that, since the company had been working closely with Google on ICS, they expected to beat competitors to the market with upgrades for existing devices.

That could suggest that general Android 4.0 upgrades will be further out than we initially anticipated, it might be an issue with this information supposedly from Samsung Italy, or it could be a regional matter with Italian owners having to wait longer for software than those elsewhere. We’re attempting to independently confirm both the models and release dates, and will update when we know more.

[via Android Community]

It’s been a while since we first played with the Galaxy Tab 8.9. Samsung announced it alongside the Tab 10.1 back at CTIA 2011 in March, and since then it’s been the subject of some legal wrangling in Europe with Apple taking issue over the design. Perhaps more pressingly, Samsung’s own tablet range has continued to expand, with the Galaxy Tab 7.7 getting the official nod at IFA 2011 earlier in the month. With just a little more than an inch between the two screens, Samsung is going to have to work hard to figure out positioning for this 8.9-inch model if it doesn’t want it to get lost in-between.

That would be a shame, as the 8.9-inch form-factor has plenty going for it, especially if – as Samsung has – you’ve made it impressively slim too. The smaller casing means it’s easier to hold in one hand than the Tab 10.1, but there’s no loss in screen resolution. Samsung’s TouchWiz panel UI looks better slightly shrunken, in our opinion, and it’s less unwieldily reading ebooks in portrait orientation.

Performance from the 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 processor isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, but Android 3.1 runs along at a brisk pace just as you’d hope. We’ll be benchmarking and doing battery testing in time for the full SlashGear review. Samsung has been going for “bigger is better” in its smartphones, screen sizes gradually increasing with each generation; could the reverse be true for its tablet line-up?

On Saturday, all Samsung staff manning the IFA stand would say was that the company had “voluntarily” removed all of the Galaxy Tab 7.7 demo units, information and promotional information from the show, pending receipt of the court’s comments. Before that had taken place, however, each Galaxy Tab 7.7 was already marked with a label suggesting that the design was subject to change, and that it would not go on sale in Germany. Samsung appears to have hoped that the sticker would be sufficient to allow the IFA launch and subsequent demonstration to go ahead without incurring the court’s – or Apple’s – wrath.

Samsung is now promising to take legal action against Apple in the hope to have the injunction overturned; the company is already prevented from selling the larger Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany after a previous preliminary injunction there. If you’re curious about the Galaxy Tab 7.7, make sure to check out our full hands-on report.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 hands-on:

[via FOSS Patents]

However, Gore was at pains to point out that the decision to yank the Galaxy Tab 7.7 – which Samsung announced with great fanfare only on Thursday – was made voluntarily, rather than at the court’s behest. Where previously the slate had on show across two demo tables, now all branding has been replaced or removed and the slots filled with the Galaxy Note and Wave 3. Meanwhile, several members of the Samsung team were apparently measuring the now-covered Tab 7.7 wall poster, presumably either to replace it for the remainder of IFA 2011 or to arrange a more permanent draping.

Apple’s legal team managed to secure a preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Europe back in August, which prevented sales of the slate from going ahead. That was later limited to Germany alone, with Samsung agreeing to neither sales nor promotion of the 10-inch tablet in the country.

While full details are not yet available, it could be that Samsung and Apple’s lawyers have already clashed and that the Cupertino legal team expects to have a similar injunction against the new Tab 7.7 soon. We won’t know until court documents or an official announcement arrives, however.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

The first thing you should be noting whilst comparing the Galaxy Note and the Tab 7.7 is that they’ve both got a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution AMOLED display, the different between then being the size of the screen, (7.7-inches on the Tab 7.7 and 5.3-inches on the Note), and the name Samsung gives each of their displays: the 7.7 has what Samsung calls a Super AMOLED Plus display while the Note has what Samsung calls an HD Super AMOLED. Because both of these devices have the same number of pixels across different size screens, the Galaxy Note wins out with 285ppi, or pixels per inch.

Both of these larger devices are able to offer both voice and data connectivity, in this case meaning you can use the pair of them like smartphones in every respect. This means holding these relatively large devices up to the side of your head like your average cellphone, perhaps looking foolish in the process.

Galaxy Tab 7.7

The newest member of the Galaxy Tab family has a fully aluminum chassis, a 7-inch display, 3G HSPA+ connectivity, and is both small enough to place in your pocket (if you’ve got a bit pocket, that is,) and large enough to play all your favorite bigtime dual-core games. You’ve got a powerful 1.4 GHz dual-core processor under the hood, and with such a tablet comes the ability to avoid the slightly larger and perhaps, dare I say, more cumbersome Galaxy Tab 10.1 or the upcoming 8.9. Check out our hands-on post from IFA 2011 for a closer look at the device.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 hands-on:

Galaxy Note

Samsung presents this next-generation device whom they’ve dubbed the king of the new size, that being a perfect point between tablet and smartphone. This device has, again, the same resolution display as the Galaxy Tab 7.7, but it’s got a 5.3-inch panel displaying it so it’s much more sharp and brilliant. You’ve also got a pen stylus that’s able to sit inside the device while you’re not using it, a “silo” if you will for convenient carrying on the go. This device represents a new generation, if Samsung has their way, and has the potential to swallow up a market that hasn’t yet even really been addressed anywhere in the world in the history of mobile connectedness. Check out our Galaxy Note hands-on post from IFA 2011 for a closer look at the device in its current form.

Samsung Galaxy Note hands-on:

Galaxy S II

This device is one of the hottest selling smartphones of 2011 and promises to continue its reign over Android devices in the world through at least the next few months as its released in several different iterations in the USA. This device has Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus display, this time at 800 x 480 pixels resolution over a 4.3-inch panel. This device you can see in full-on action in several reviews and hands-on looks on SlashGear:
Samsung Galaxy S II Original International Edition Review
Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch Hands-On
T-Mobile Galaxy S II 4G Hands-OFF
AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II Hands-On

Samsung Galaxy S II Review:

Compared

Each of these devices have a massive battery capable of more than a day’s worth of work. Each of these devices is capable of acting like a smartphone, with both mobile data and voice, and if you’d like to hold them up to your head to make a traditional looking phone call, you can certainly do that. Have a look and Chris Davies doing so here, first with the Galaxy Note:

Then with the Galaxy Tab 7.7:

Looks nice, yes?

Now you’ve got the choice between the three, right? Not necessarily. Each of these devices has the ability to act in a unique way, working with you to connect you to the mobile internet at all times of the day. Each of these devices has one of the most brilliantly bright and sharp displays in the world, and they’re all running Samsung’s unique version of TouchWiz, slightly different for each of them, over the top of the most updated version of stock Android.

You could have the choice between these devices, but you might as well go ahead and buy all three, right? Not so fast. What Samsung has done here with the Galaxy Note in particular is to challenge the idea that you need more than one device. They say they’re challenging you to only use this singular device, but you know good and well that if one of these devices seems enticing to you, they all do to some degree or another.

We shall see how they all sell (and continue to sell) in the near future.

Initial US feedback to the Galaxy Tab in 2010 was reasonably positive, but by the time it reached Verizon, AT&T and others, one of the big convergence features – voice calling – was missing. The carriers opted to have it blocked, anecdotally so as to avoid customers dropping their cellphone agreements in favor of the Galaxy Tab (and hopefully instead paying for both a 3G phone and a tablet).

It’s not clear whether caution over carrier positioning helped prompt the development of the Galaxy Note, but it’s certainly easy to imagine Samsung greenlighting an oversized phone (alongside rather than instead of a compact tablet) so as to make sure their convergence hybrid would make it to store shelves with voice service intact.

So far we’re yet to see any carriers jump on the Galaxy Tab 7.7, though we imagine Samsung will be pushing its HSPA+ slate across all of the major operators in the US. Without voice service, though, it would be a far more difficult sell.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 hands-on:

As the name suggests, where the original Tab had a 7-inch panel this new Tab 7.7 scales up to 7.7-inches. More noticeable are the panel type and resolution, however, it now being Super AMOLED Plus – just as with the Galaxy S II smartphone – rather then LCD, and 1280 x 800 resolution instead of 1024 x 600. That means smoother graphics, brighter colors, inkier blacks and great viewing angles, though still all packed into a compact form-factor.

One-handed use is always the sweet-spot for 7-inch devices, and at 7.89 mm thick and 335g the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is certainly easy to hold. Its metal chassis makes for a more premium feel than the plastic-bodied 8.9 and 10.1 versions, and it’s actually thinner – though a little heavier – than Amazon’s Kindle. Android 3.2 Honeycomb is dressed up neatly in TouchWiz, just like the bigger models, though unlike them the Tab 7.7 is also designed to function as a phone for voice calls and SMS/MMS messaging, thanks to its GSM/EDGE/HSPA+ modem. Whether North American carriers leave that voice functionality enabled or, as on last year’s Tab, have it disabled remains to be seen.

Other connectivity includes WiFi a/b/g/n with support for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, WiFi Direct and WiFi Channel Bonding for better performance with compatible routers. There’s also Bluetooth 3.0, GPS/A-GPS and USB Host. Onboard storage is the now-typical 16GB/32GB/64GB trio, and Samsung reckons the 5,100 mAh battery is good for up to 10hrs of video playback, though we’ll have to wait for review units and finalized software to see if that’s accurate.

Camera abilities haven’t improved dramatically from its predecessor, with a 3-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash on the back and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls, but that’s par for the course on most of the tablets we’ve seen of late. Those looking for tablet-style functionality but better optics might find the stylus-toting Galaxy Note more interesting, with its Tab 7.7-matching 1280 x 800 resolution (on a smaller, 5.3-inch display) and 8-megapixel main camera capable of Full HD video recording. Both models use the same 1.4GHz dual-core processor, which keeps things moving swiftly.

In short, we can see the Galaxy Tab 7.7 being the slate that convinces many that they don’t actually need 10.1- or even 8.9-inches to get the full tablet experience. Slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, despite offering a bigger, better screen that – thanks to the higher PPI – looks more refined than that of its bigger siblings, there’s certainly plenty to recommend it. We’ll have to wait until the full review to find out if Samsung has entirely pulled it off, but the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is most definitely a tablet with promise.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 hands-on: