CyanogenMod In The Works For Galaxy S II, Thanks To Samsung

We usually think of work on custom ROM replacements like CyanogenMod 7 as taking place well outside the world of official manufacturer-blessed activities. The ones that haven't been openly hostile towards the practice (though some are getting better, like Sony Ericsson and soon Motorola) just seem to steer clear of that scene altogether. Samsung, though, may be looking to establish itself as a mod-friendly company, since it's apparently provided a CyanogenMod developer a Galaxy S II of his own to use towards creating a CM7 build for the smartphone. 

CyanogenMod developer atinm received the smartphone from Samsung earlier today, with the understanding that he use it towards the goal of crafting an official CM7 release for the platform. It might have been a lot easier for him, and would make a bolder statement about the company's commitment towards projects like these, had Samsung also hooked him up with unreleased documentation on thephone. He recently followed-up his initial tweet commenting on this issue, noting that he believes from his contacts with the company that it might like to help him out more along this line, but it may be bound itself by agreements it's made with other companies regarding their trade secrets. 

We don't know when atinm might be able to release some usable code for the SGS2, but while we're excited about that possibility, the thing we're really happy about is seeing a smartphone manufacturer embrace a hacking community like this. Do you think Samsung could just be an outlier, or is this a sign of things to come? 

Update: He's not the only one to get an SGS2 to develop with; looks like Samsung is very serious about this! 

Source: atinm 1, 2, 3 (Twitter) 
Via: Android Central

Mysterious Laptop-Docking Motorola Is The New Droid Bionic

Earlier today, we got a look at a series of images of an unknown Motorola Android, which arrived with speculation that it might be the new-and-improved Droid Bionic, after its release was initially put on-hold to re-tool the phone's design and its hardware capabilities. Now some new images of the phone have come to our attention, clearly identifying it as the Bionic. 

In late May, we saw some NenaMark results for a phone claiming to be the Bionic, running Android 2.3.3. In the short time that's passed since then, it looks like progress has been made on the smartphone, as we can now see it running 2.3.4 via its About screen. The big 4.5-inch qHD screen looks great here, placed next to the Atrix Defy, which looks like an HP Veer in comparison. Could it be too big, though, for casual use? 

We also get to see a little more of the Bionic's new Moto Blur, with a 3D look to check out all the pages on your home screen, and a new, spartan lock screen. Channeling its Droid roots, we also see the phone show off the big, red Droid eye. Motorola hasn't publicized a release date for the updated Bionic, but what we're seeing here looks quite polished; it may not be long, now. 





Source: PhoneHK 
Via: Droid-life

iOS 5 Brings iMessage for Inter-iOS-Device Chats

Feature number 10 on the iOS 5 checklist is iMessage, which will immediately send your thoughts over to BlackBerry Messenger for a second or so. iMessage is a new feature coming to iOS 5 this fall that will allow iOS-powered devices to chat between each other. 

So, if you have an iPhone, iPod touch or an iPad, iMessage lets you send text messages, photos, videos, contacts, and even do group messaging between all of them. It works on both Data Connection and WiFi and is synced across devices so you can start off a conversation on your iPhone for instance and pick it up on your iPad. And in case you were wondering about that late reply, there's even a typing indicator to show you that the other party is currently phrasing something up in reply to you. 

Source: Apple 
Image: Engadget

Could This Be The Newly-Reborn Motorola Bionic? (Images)

An unknown Motorola Android showed up in a blurrycam photo yesterday, leaving us scratching our heads about what forthcoming model the phone might be. Today a host of new images has arrived, looking to be the very same model, along with fresh speculation that the smartphone might be the revamped DroidBionic. 

After plenty of rumors that Motorola and Verizon were delaying the Bionic's release, the manufacturerfinally confirmed those plans, revealing that, "based on compelling feedback... we are incorporating several enhancements to make this an even better consumer experience. This includes expanded features, functionality and an improved form factor." 
Right now, there's no direct evidence tying this fresh batch of pics to the Bionic, but it certainly seems like a possibility. This phone has a webtop dock like the Atrix for connectivity to Motorola's laptop accessory; that would tend to fit in under the category of "enhancements" like the company discussed. There's an eight-megapixel camera that, along with the expected 1GHz dual-core processor, will enable the phone to record 1080p full-HD video, just as the original Bionic specs had the handset pulling off. 





Now that things are crisp and clear, we can see the Motorola running Gingerbread, along with a new version of Blur. There's a chance we could be looking at two models here, since the blurry pic we saw over the weekend doesn't appear to have the Verizon branding on it these new ones do. Then again, considering the quality of that image, maybe we just couldn't see it. 

Source: MobileGearz 
Via: Droid-life

Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart Rumored for June 22

In mid-May, we looked into a rumor which claimed that T-Mobile would get the Samsung Exhibit 4G and Samsung Gravity Smart both on June 8. Since then, we've learned of an event T-Mobile is throwing that day, aiming to launch three devices, but those are all supposed to be HTC models. When, then, would these Samsungs finally get a chance to shine? A newly-leaked document now puts the release of both those smartphones on June 22. 

The Gravity Smart is a mid-range messaging smartphone, with sliding four-row QWERTY keyboard. The 800MHz processor should be sufficient so long as you don't try to use the Smart as a gaming powerhouse, but the phones' 3.2-inch display might be a little small form some users' preferences. 

Samsung's Exhibit 4G has a bit more spacious of a display at 3.7 inches, but more importantly, the smartphone really tries hard to earn its "4G" tag, supporting 21Mbps HSPA+ in locations where the carrier's backbone is capable of delivering that level of performance. The Exhibit 4G will be available in black and violet color options at the time of launch. 

Both Samsungs will ship running Froyo, and both manage to break the sub-$100 price point, with the Smart fetching $70 after rebates on-contract, and the Exhibit 4G going for just a hair more at $80. Especially for the Exhibit, that's a pretty great price for a smartphone at launch. As we see more higher-end hardware emerge, we could expect to see more deals like this for single-core phones with sub-4-inch displays. 

Source: Phandroid