As expected, SK Telecom today released the Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE tablet in South Korea. It is apparently the first LTE-based tablet in South Korea and is now available via SKT’s online T Store and other retail outlets.

The launch of the tablet makes it the fourth LTE offering from Samsung in Korea. Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE comes with an 8.9-inch 1280×800 display resolution, LTE connectivity support, Android 3.2 OS, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, dual cameras and more.

Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE will sell for 760,000 won (16GB) and 837,000 won (32GB).

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!

Samsung’s somewhat beefier Galaxy Note (SHV-E160) is now selling in South Korea. The phone is being sold by SK Telecom, who already had the device on pre-order and is also available on LG U+. The Korean Galaxy Note variant is different from the international variant due to some features like a faster 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 32GB internal memory, T-DMB and LTE connectivity support.

Rest of the features remain the same like the 5.3-inch Super AMOLED HD display (1280×800), 8MP camera, Android 2.3 OS and 2500mAh battery.

Both operators are selling the device at different prices depending on the contract and plan.

It seems in addition to getting a new paint job for Galaxy S II, Sweden will also be the first European country to get Galaxy S II LTE and Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE devices. Expected before the end of this year, Galaxy S II LTE will be launched on Tele2 whereas the LTE-equipped tablet will arrive on Telia.

The Galaxy S II LTE supports 2600/1800/800MHz LTE, HSPA + and HSUPA + 2100/900 up to 42 Mbps, EDGE / GPRS 1900/1800/900/850 and comes with Android 2.3 OS along with 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus WVGA display, Wi-Fi, NFC, 8MP camera with full HD playback and recording and 1850mAh battery. It will sell for a price of around 6,000 SEK.

Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE also supports the same bands as Galaxy S II LTE and features an 8.9-inch LCD with 1200×800 resolution, Android 3.2, 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon CPU, 16GB internal memory, Wi-Fi, DLNA, 3 and 2MP cameras respectively, 720p video recording support and 6100mAh battery. It will be priced at around 6,500 SEK.

Samsung has sold over 300,000 LTE handsets in South Korea, according to a report by MK News. Samsung has managed to sell 310,000 units which includes 230,000 units from SK Telecom and 80,000 from LG U+.

Percentage-wise, Samsung’s LTE handsets account for almost 52 percent of the total LTE handset market.

Samsung’s market share is expected to increase with the launch of Galaxy Note, which will be by end of this month.

Couple of weeks back Korean site, MT published a piece claiming about a new Samsung LTE phone codenamed Celox scheduled for September. Now new information has surfaced that reveals its purported specifications as well as the image. Although the image’s veracity can be questionable, specs seem plausible considering some of it matches the rumored specs of US variant.

According to it, the phone will sport a 4.5-inch WVGA Super AMOLED Plus display, Qualcomm APQ8060 application processor, LTE support (up to 100Mbps down / 50Mbps up) and 1750mAh battery. Rest of the features are expected to be the same as Galaxy S II like 8MP camera, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS, Android 2.3 OS, TouchWiz UI 4.0, 16GB internal memory and microSD card slot.

UPDATE: It seems Celox will also reach Germany later this year. Via

Thanks, Moveplayer!

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 with LTE has finally got a release date. Verizon has announced that the 4G equipped 10.1-inch tablet will be available from July 28 i.e. Thursday. The tablet will be available in 16GB and 32GB variants for $529.99 and $629.99 in color choices of Metallic Gray and Glossy White. The Wi-Fi-only 16GB variant will sell for $499.99.

Consumers buying from Verizon will also get $25 Media Hub credit from Samsung for a limited time.

Some of the features present in the Galaxy Tab 10.1 are 4G LTE support giving up to 12Mbps of download speeds, Android 3.1, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz processor, 3MP and 2MP cameras, full HD video playback and various Hub support.

LG U+ had announced its LTE network on July 1 along with a LTE router and now Samsung has confirmed to help SK Telecom as well roll out 4G LTE services. SK Telecom’s LTE solution is available now in Seoul and expects to expand to 82 other cities by 2013.

Samsung also explains the tech used behind SK Telecom’s LTE solution, which will be Smart LTE in the initial stages to optimize mobile data traffic. Additionally, SK Telecom will also use Circuit Switched (CS) fallback function that will help to improve the voice quality.

LG U+ sells a Samsung-created LTE router and it seems SK Telecom will use a Samsung phone to complement their 4G network. The phone speculated to be part of SK Telecom’s network will be SHV-E110S, which we reported about last month. The Android-based phone has got a certification from the Korean authorities that hints about the phone’s impending release.

The phone is said to have a WVGA display, GPS, Bluetooth, microSD card slot and dual-band Wi-Fi.

Samsung has announced its entry in the Japanese LTE market by providing LTE solutions to KDDI. Samsung says they plan to introduce the industry’s most optimized LTE solution for hotspots which will be used in extremely dense user areas that require high capacity mobile broadband speed.

It’s a cornerstone for today’s achievement that Samsung has always focused on providing solution for improving operators’ and end-users’ satisfaction since we entered into the telecommunication systems business. We’ll make constant efforts to provide more countries with our cutting-edge LTE solutions.

Japan’s KDDI plans to commercialize the LTE service by 2012.

Samsung claims they have won 8 commercial contracts and has partnered with more than 30 operators worldwide on the basis of their experience in OFDMA technology.

Samsung’s in-the-works 4G tablet has become a reality as Verizon has announced the 4G LTE-based Galaxy Tab 10.1. Rest of the features remain the same like the Wi-Fi version but users will be able to surf the internet anywhere they want without needing to depend on a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Expectedly, the 4G Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be slightly expensive with 16GB going for $530 and 32GB for $630.

The tablet will hit Verizon stores soon but users will be to pre-order the device from June 8.

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