Samsung has a number of Galaxy S II variants for different markets and now they’ve developed a WiMAX version as well. The Galaxy S II WiMAX (ISW11SC) will be released by KDDI au in Japan and is more or less similar to the Galaxy S II HD LTE. The phone will feature specs like 1.4GHz dual-core processor, Android 2.3 OS, 4.7-inch Super AMOLED HD Display (1280×720), 8MP and 2MP cameras, full HD recording support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS, microSD card slot, NFC support and 16GB internal memory.

The WiMAX version weighs 139g and has a talk time of up to 670 minutes.

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Samsung today reached an agreement with five Japanese companies to develop and sell semiconductor products for mobile devices. The five companies including Samsung are NTT Docomo, Fujitsu Ltd, Fujitsu Semiconductor, NEC Corp. and Panasonic Mobile Communications.

The companies will setup a fabless joint venture that will develop small, low-power semiconductor products with modem support. The venture will also develop products for LTE and LTE-Advanced standards which will also be sold in the global market.

The joint venture company will be formed by end of March 2012.

Samsung in association with RT Corp. have created a unique robot, specifically for this Christmas season. Called as Hug-Chan, the robot uses Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE as its brain and Galaxy S II LTE as its heart which is used to interact with the user with some dance, Christmas songs and more importantly, hugs.

The initiative is a way to show what Samsung devices are capable of and also spread the Christmas spirit. Users can also experience the devices at the Galaxy Cafe.

Users visiting the Galaxy Cafe in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo can meet and hug the robot or visitors sitting miles away can watch the robot live from different angles on the website below.

Xmas Hugs

Via Thanks Vicky!

NTT DOCOMO has announced the release date of the first Android 4.0 phone in Japan. The Japanese operator will release Galaxy Nexus (SC-04D) on December 2 and will be available at all DOCOMO shops.

To give a quick rundown, Galaxy Nexus is the first phone to run Ice Cream Sandwich OS and comes with a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display (1280×720), 1.2GHz dual-core OMAP4460 processor, FOMA support (14Mbps down / 5.7Mbps up), 5MP main and 1.3MP front-facing camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and 1,750mAh battery.

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In addition to announcing the Galaxy S II LTE for Japan, NTT DOCOMO also confirmed to launch Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus (SC-02D). The 10mm thick tablet is an upgrade to the original 7-inch Galaxy Tab that comes with enhanced features like 1.2GHz dual-core Exynos processor and Honeycomb 3.2 OS.

Rounding up the feature set is its 7-inch WSVGA (1024×600) display, Wi-Fi, 14.4Mbps HSDPA, GPS, Bluetooth, 3MP and 2MP cameras and support for some DOCOMO services.

It will be released in December.

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NTT DOCOMO today announced its spring product lineup which also includes Samsung’s upgraded Galaxy S II with LTE. Scheduled for release in November or December, Galaxy S II LTE (SC-03D) supports DOCOMO’s Xi LTE service and is powered by Qualcomm’s APQ8060 1.5GHz dual-core processor.

As for other features, Galaxy S II LTE comes with a 4.5-inch WVGA (800×480) Super AMOLED Plus display, 8MP main and 2MP front-facing camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and microSD card slot.

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Samsung is on the offensive against Apple’s newly launched iPhone 4S. The Korean giant has confirmed that they have filed a preliminary injunction order in courts of Japan and Australia to stop the sales of iPhone 4S. Samsung had previously filed for a similar injunction against iPhone 4S in France and Italy.

Samsung says Apple infringes on four patents in Japan, one relating to HSPA and the remaining related to user interface. As for Australia, Samsung is targeting Apple for three patent infringements related to wireless telecommunications standard.

Samsung has also filed for an order to ban sales of iPhone 4 and iPad 2 in Japan and has appealed over the injunction order of Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia.

Samsung’s LTE-equipped Galaxy Tab will be available in Japan from next month. NTT DOCOMO will release the Samsung tablet in early October that will support operator’s Xi LTE service as well as sp-mode, docomo market and Area Mail.

On the hardware side, the 8.6mm Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE comes with a 10.1-inch WXGA display, Wi-Fi, 3.2MP and 2MP cameras, GPS, microSD card slot and more.

The tablet announcement comes on the day of Apple’s lawsuit but NTT DOCOMO has ensured that the release of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE won’t be affected as “patent situation is different in Europe and Japan.”

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Apple has now sued Samsung in Japan’s Tokyo District Court. Just like the lawsuits in other countries, Apple is accusing Samsung Japan and Samsung Telecommunications Japan of infringing iPhone and iPad related patents with the range of Galaxy devices.

Apple is also seeking 100 million yen in damages.

Samsung had already sued Apple in Japan in April and according to Kyodo News, Samsung will go for an all-out legal battle with the Cupertino giant.

Samsung Japan has announced the availability of Ceramic White color for Galaxy S II (SC-02C). Japanese consumers on NTT DoCoMo will be able to reserve the newly painted Galaxy S II from August 24 whereas the phone will be released in mid-September. Apart from the new color choice, we’re looking at the same Galaxy S II with Android 2.3 OS, 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 8MP camera, TV Tuner and more.