At Pocketnow, we do more than our fair share of comparisons. Most are serious drag races comparing features and performance of very similar smartphones. This is not one of those comparisons. This showdown between wildly dissimilar devices might go down in history as one of our strangest, some would say least-necessary, yet. So why are we doing this weird comparison between a smartphone and a camera-on-steroids? Well, despite the fact that these devices are from the same manufacturer (Samsung) and the same sub-brand (Galaxy), they've actually got a lot in common. We've already given you a ...

The Android development community may have already brought Jelly Bean and an enhanced version of Samsung's Multi Window View mode from the Note II to the original Galaxy Note, but enjoying these features means being comfortable enough with your phone to flash and modify a custom ROM. For those of you whose approach to smartphones is a little more pedestrian, you may still be in luck, as Samsung has now confirmed plans to bring the Note not just Jelly Bean, but also a Premium Suite upgrade delivering Multi Window View and other Note II features. This release was already teased through an ...

It's that time again when we slowly need to get used to writing a new number when mentioning dates; luckily thanks to our smart devices we don't need to go out and look for a 2013 wallet calendar, unless we really want to. It's that time when we look back at what happened this year, with all the goods and bads, and anxiously look forward to what next year might bring. As usual here at Pocketnow we're happy to tell you what we think, and we're excitedly waiting to hear your opinions, in our upcoming series which will contain both 2012 recaps and 2013 predictions. We'll have something for ...

On the eve of the Mayan Apocalypse, three men gather to talk strategy, survival ... and smartphones. This week on the Pocketnow Weekly, we discuss what device we'd like at our side for the end of the world, before going for a quick dip in the nostalgia pool with a chat about running new Android software on old devices. After that, we knock around some Samsung Galaxy-family speculation, then dive headlong into a rundown of the merits and drawbacks of the new Samsung ATIV S, before touching on the tablet-smartphone interaction issue. Finally, we wrap it all up with some tablet speculation ...

The Android 4.1.2 update for the Samsung Galaxy S II was leaked about a month ago and, based on internet reports, owners had every right to be optimistic and wait for a possible 2012 roll-out. Sadly, it now appears that there will be no refresh this year; the good news is that next year is just a couple of weeks out. The situation for the Galaxy Note (original) appears to be a carbon copy. Thanks to the Exynos multi-device exploit discovered and published recently Samsung might want to play it safe and, even it ROMs are in final stage, hold the update until the vulnerability is fixed. So, ...

This is not the Note II, nor the Galaxy S III, but if you though it was, judging from the images above and below, we won't blame you. This is the Samsung Galaxy Grand, another Galaxy, which we've seen rumored in the past and it now became official thanks to a recent Samsung announcement. It packs a five-inch screen with WVGA display of 480 x 800 resolution and 187 PPI, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), eight-megapixel main shooter with a two megapixel webcam on the front, 2,100 mAh battery and Android 4.1.2 powering it all. There ...

It's been rumored to land today and now Verizon is officially confirming it: the Samsung Galaxy S III will receive its Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update starting today. Don't worry if you're not among the first ones to receive it; the roll-out process is phased. (Source: Verizon)

Another of my favorite features in Android Jelly Bean 4.2 is the new Quick Toggles panel. It's sort of like the Power Widget that some custom ROMs include in the notification shade, but devoted to its own panel. You get to it by pulling down on the notification bar with two fingers on smartphones (or by pulling down on the right side of the notification bar on tablets). Inside the Quick Toggles panel you're able to quickly check the status of various components like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and easily toggle them on or off. Unfortunately, there's currently no way for you to change what shows ...