Samsung Galaxy S III coming to India in June, at roughly Rs. 38,000

Official details of the Samsung Galaxy S III’s arrival in India have started to float in, with Samsung announcing its new flagship Android mobile will be launched in June.

The Galaxy S III will hit European shores first, onMay 29, and so far, global pricing details are still unsure, though U.K pre-order listings have it around £450. However, the latest reports indicate that India pricing will be roughly between Rs. 35,000 and Rs. 38,000.

Samsung’s new Galaxy S III is one of several quad-core Android phones due to hit shelves soon, with the Tegra 3-powered HTC One X already in the Indian market. You can check out our spec comparison here, and our HTC One X review here.

The S III however, should manage stand out from the crowd, with its 8.6mm thickness, 2,100 mAh battery, as well as 50GB of Dropbox storage. Early benchmarks also show the Galaxy S III to be quite a way ahead of the One X in sheer performance.

Samsung’s value additions to the S III, should also help, such as Buddy Photo Share and the other photo features, Samsung’s alternative to Apple Siri – S Voice, gesture recognition, S Beam image/video sharing, and range of exclusive accessories.

Samsung starts rolling out Android 4.0 ICS update for Galaxy Note

Samsung has finally begun rolling out the long-awaited Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for its Galaxy Note smartphone. The ICS update is being released Over-the-Air for the Samsung Galaxy Note users. So fare there is no official confirmation from Samsung; therefore, the roll-out schedule is sketchy.  

The latest ICS update, officially dubbed as the “Premium Suite”, brings a host of new features for the Galaxy Note users such as TouchWiz user interface. The near-320MB upgrade also includes new S Note apps including an advanced note taking feature. The update brings My Story feature that lets you make digital cards for your friends. The new Video Everywhere feature allows users play a video in part of the screen, while rest of the screen can be used for other purposes. S Memo has also been upgraded allowing users to record their ideas direct from the homescreen. Check out the video below to find out what the “premium suite” brings for the Note users.  

The upgrade was first spotted by Netherlands-based Note owner Devin Balentina, who has also posted image of the Android 4.0 update for Galaxy Note on Twitter.  

The ICS update for the Galaxy Note was officially announced by Samsung for the first quarter of 2012, however, the release was then pushed to the second quarter. The Galaxy Note is Samsung's phone cum tablet, popularly known as phablet. The device features an HD Super AMOLED 5.3 inch display, 8MP primary camera, 2MP front-facing camera and is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. 

Samsung to launch Galaxy Tab 2 310 in India this month

Samsung has said it will launch Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich-based Galaxy Tab 2 310 in India early this month.

To refresh your memory, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310 was unveiled at the Samsung Forum 2012event held earlier this year. The Tab 2 310 has a seven-inch screen and features 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. The device has a 3MP rear camera and a VGA camera for video calls, HSPA+ 21Mbps, Wi-Fi Direct and a USB 2.0 host. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310 comes with a 4,000 mAh battery. The Tab 2 310 is the first tablet to get Samsung’s cloud based AllShare Play service.

The Galaxy Tab 2 310 comes pre-loaded with the Touchwiz UI, AllShare play app, as well as the Hub apps - Reader and Game. Google’s suite of services including Google Play is also available on the device. The Galaxy Tab 2 310 is available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB storage capacity versions.

There's no word on the pricing, but it is expected to be around Rs. 23,000.

Separately, Samsung has also said that it is unperturbed by the launch of low-cost tablets and price cuts by its rivals. “We offer widest range in terms of handsets to suit consumer needs, enabling them to make a choice,” Samsung India mobile and IT applications head Ranjit Yadav said told The Hindu. He also pointed out that the company had a wide range of tablets in India within a price range of Rs. 30,000-36,000.

News that Samsung is launching its Galaxy Tab 2 310 comes shortly after the company announced Galaxy Nexus, the reference device for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, is not going to be launched in India. Read our previous coverage here. Also read Hands on with the Samsung Galaxy S3. Meanwhile, check out our hands on with the Galaxy Tab 2 310:

Sony reportedly working on an entry-level smartphone, ST21i Tapioca

Sony is reportedly developing an entry-level Android smartphone, codenamed ST21i Tapioca. The device will be running on the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system and powered by an 800 MHz Qualcomm processor . Reports about a new Sony smartphone have come after leaked photos of the rumoured device surfaced online.

According to Xperiablog, the Sony ST21i will have a 3.2-inch (320 x 480) display, Qualcomm MSM7227 800MHz processor with Adreno 200 GPU, 512MB RAM, 3MP camera with no LED flash shooting video at VGA resolution (640 x 480). It will come with a 1,460mAh battery and will launch with Android 4.0 ICS. There's no word when the Sony ST21i Tapioca will be officially announced.

This is not the first time rumours of an entry-level Sony smartphone have hit the Internet. Last year, reports said that Sony Ericsson was working on an entry-level smartphone, destined for emerging markets. The device, then dubbed as the Sony Ericsson ST21a, appeared in the AnTuTu benchmark, confirming the 800MHz processor speed.

Meanwhile, leaked images of another unannounced Sony smartphone have hit the web. The rumoured device, branded as the Xperia LT29i Hayabusa, features Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a 4.55 inch HD display, dual-core, Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 Pro processor (with Adreno 320 GPU), 13MP rear camera with HDR video, 2,200 mAh battery, and a case that’s about 7mm thin. The device is expected to be officially launched in June.