You might remember the Samsung ATIV Smart PC we looked at a little while ago. That’s the ‘budget’ X86 convertible tablet/laptop in Samsung’s Windows 8 range. The next model up is the 11.6-inch Samsung Ativ Smart PC Pro (or 700T1C in model-numer-speak), which replaces the Atom processor with a full-blown Core i5 or i7, and swaps the 1,366 x 768 screen resolution for a lovely Full HD PLS panel. It’s essentially the sequel to the Samsung Series 7 Slate 700T.

Read the full Windows 8 review here

In case this is the first time you’ve come across the ATIV Smart PC range, it’s Samsung’s full Windows 8 version of the Asus Transformer form factor which combines a tablet with a keyboard base to make a laptop. All the ATIV Smart PCs support touch and Wacom stylus goodness.


Where the Atom-based Smart PC is comparable to the Vivo Tab, the Smart PC Pro takes on the Asus Taichi and Microsoft Surface Pro, amongst others.

Wondering which Windows 8 device to get? Have a read of our Best Windows 8 Laptops Tablets Convertibles and PCs roundup

Samsung Ativ Smart PC Pro Design and Build

Though the Smart PC Pro is definitely at the premium end of the market, the tablet itself is constructed using plastic, albeit with a nice brushed metal-effect finish. This is to keep its weight down, as because of the power it packs in the tab alone weighs 884g, considerably heavier than inevitable comparisons to the iPad.

Samsung Ativ Smart PC Pro Keyboard Base and Cover

However, the keyboard base is made of metal. This lends it a very premium feel at odds with the tablet part, yet again there’s logic behind the difference: this was done to increase the keyboard base’s weight (bringing the entire package to 1.6kg), so that it balances the tablet part and avoids the falling-over-backwards flaw that plagued the Asus Transformer.

Mind you, the dock does not contain an extra battery as does the more budget-oriented Samsung Smart PC’s one, though it does give you extra connectivity. This is a real shame, as the powerful Pro tablet inevitably already offers shorter battery life than its Atom sibling.

The tablet itself is a very svelte 12mm thick, and with keyboard attached matches many Ultrabooks at 22mm. However, if you’d rather have a thinner tablet without losing the physical keyboard, there will be a Microsoft Surface-like keyboard cover that’s a mere 4mm thin.

Samsung Ativ Smart PC Pro Connectivity

The Smart PC Pro tablet is well-endowed in the connectivity department. The tablet itself sports a headphone jack, full-size USB 3.0 port and microSD card slot for expanding its storage along its top, plus a microHDMI for video output along with the volume rocker on its left.

A physical rotation lock is a welcome touch too. Wireless is particularly comprehensive thanks to Wi-Fi N, Bluetooth 4.0 and 3G/4G wireless broadband with accompanying SIM slot.

The keyboard dock adds a further two USB 2.0 ports (the data interconnect between tablet and keyboard can’t cope with USB 3.0) to the equation, though alas no full-size SD card reader. This is annoying for photographers, and we can only hope Samsung will bring out another dock down the line with a battery and full SD card slot built in.

We have been hearing
a lot of information about the new Samsung Galaxy S4 over the last few days, earlier today we heard that the Galaxy S4 would feature new display technology and now we have some details on a couple of new features that may be headed to Samsung’s Galaxy S4.
Samsung has filed for two new trademarks in Europe, both trademarks are for application software for smartphones, tablets and computers, they are called Eye Scroll and Eye Pause.

Samsung filed the trademark requests with the European Union just a few days ago on the 21st of January, and whilst there are no details with the filings on what these two new trademarks will actually do, their names give us a possible idea on what they will be used for.
If the Samsung Galaxy S4 does comes with these new features, then we suspect that it will use some sort of eye tracking technology , for example with Eye Pause, if you are watching a video, and your eyes move away from the display to look at something else the feature could possibly pause the video you were watching.
With regards to the Eye Scroll feature, this could be used when you are browsing a web page on your device, as your eyes scroll down the screen display, then the tracking technology could take you to the next part of the web page.
Of course these two functions have yet to be announced by Samsung, and there were no details with the patent filings, so these are just a guess at what these trademarks may cover.

We are expecting to see a number of new devices from Samsung at next
months Mobile World Congress, and now it would appear that one of those devices is the new Samsung Galaxy X Cover 2.
The Samsung Galaxy X Cover 2 will apparently come with either Android 4.1 or 4.2 Jelly Bean and will feature a 4 inch WVGA display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels.

Other specifications on the Galaxy X Cover 2 include a rear facing 5 megapixel camera and a front facing 0.3 megapixel camera, the device will also feature 4GB of built in storage, plus a microSD card slot that can take up to 32GB cards.
The Samsung Galaxy X Cover 2 is designed to be resistant to dust and water, and will also feature USB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, plus GPS and a 1,700 mAh battery.
We should have more information on the new Samsung Galaxy X Cover 2 when it is officially announced at Mobile World Congress next month, along with some decent photos of the handset.

The official announcement Samsung’s new 8″ Note tablet is still some weeks away but it looks
like the cat is already out of the bag. Earlier today SamMobile posted what looks to be a leaked spec sheet for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.
The image at right came from a locked account on Twitter, so there isn’t much background info on the source.  But what I can see basically confirms the  leak from last Thursday, including the screen resolution (1280×800), 1.6GHz quad-core CPU, 5MP and 1.3MP cameras, storage, connectivity, and that this tablet will be equipped with the S-Pen found with the Galaxy Note, Note 2, and Note 10.1.
If the image below is correct then this tablet looks something like a cross between the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 and the Galaxy Note 10.1. There’s still no word on price but yesterday the head of Samsung confirmed that the Note 8.0 is going to be unveiled next month at Mobile World Congress.

Galaxy Note 8 specs :

• 8.0”1280×800 TFT (Super Clear LCD)
• 1.6 Quad-Core CPU
• 2GB RAM
• 16/32GB storage with microSD up to 32GB
• 5 Megapixel Rear camera, 1.3 megapixel Front Facing camera
• 3G : HSPA+21.1Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps (850/900/1900/2100)
• BT 4.0, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, A-GPS
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
• Battery4600 mAh battery
• 211.3×136.3×7.95mm @ 330 gram

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Yesterday we heard about a number of new Samsung Galaxy devices, which included the
Galaxy Note 8.0 and the Galaxy X Cover 2, and now we have some more information on these devices, along with two other Samsung handsets, the Samsung Galaxy Young and the Galaxy Pocket Plus.
The guys over at TechnoBuffalo have obtained some information on Samsung’s 2013 roadmap, and device details in the roadmap include the Galaxy Note 8.0, Galaxy X Cover 2 and more.

As we mentioned yesterday the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 comes with an 8 inch display and features Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and it looks like it will come with a quad core 1.6GHz processor and will launch around March.
The Samsung Galaxy X Cover 2 will come with a 1GHz dual core processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and a 4 inch WVGA display, this handset is expected to launch in February.

Next we have the Samsung Galaxy Young, which is slated for an April release and will come with a 3 inch WVGA display, a 1GHz processor and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Finally there is the Samsung Galaxy Pocket Plus, which will feature a 2.8 inch HVGA display, an 850MHz processor, a 2 megapixel camera and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, this handset is expected to arrive in February.

We should have some more information on all of these new Samsung Galaxy devices at Mobile Wold Congress next mont

This Galaxy S III mini Knockoff Packs a 3.5-inch Display and Runs Android Gingerbread

If you have a very low budget to buying a smartphone in China, well, we think this is probably the best cheap Android phone you can get in the Chinese mobile market today. Called the BFA16, this cheap Android phone is introduced by a Chinese company called Bifer. Somehow the phone actually looks like Samsung’s Galaxy S III mini. More photos after the break.
On the left: Bifer BFA16 vs. On the right Galaxy S III miniThe BFA16 is a budget blower, and it cost just 500 Chinese yuan (about US$79) to purchase. According to its spec sheet, this Android 2.3 phone features a 1GHz ARM Cortext-A9 single-core processor, 512MB RAM, 512MB of internal storage plus an extra 32GB maximum via microSD. It packs a 3.5-inch display at 960 x 640 resolution, a rear shooter that maxes out at 8-megapixels with dual LED flash, and there’s a 0.3-megapixel VGA front-facing camera as well. What’s more, it includes 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, a 1,350mAh battery and it supports WCDMA + GSM networks with dual-SIM / dual-standby capability. More photos below.







Well, what do you think about this Chinese-branded bargain Android phone? We think it’s really cheap, and has the look and feel of Samsung Galaxy S III mini at first sight.
Source: Bifer via NetEase