Bell to release the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini

According to information obtained by MobileSyrup, it looks like Bell will be a carrier for the diminutive version of the popular Samsung flagship. The Galaxy S4 Mini should be hitting shelves in early October so that means an official announcement from Bell as well as any other carriers interested in bringing in the S4 Mini will probably happen within the next few days.

As a reminder of the spec the Galaxy S4 Mini is equipped with a 4.3-inch qHD 960x540 resolution SuperAMOLED display, 1.7GHz dual-core processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 we suspect), 1.5GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage that can be supplemented by microSD card, 8MP camera, 1900mAh battery, LTE capabilities (where applicable) and powered by the relatively recent version of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

The winner of our Zenus Masstige Woodlot Case for Samsung Galaxy S III

With the closing of our first AndroidBugle.com giveaway, we have a winner! Congratulations to Twitter follower Michael Kachor "@MichaelFromTO". Thanks for everyone who entered this giveaway and remember that this is only the first of many prizes to come. We will be running these giveaways through our social media pages so if you took the time to Like, Follow or Circle us you will be the first to know of our next giveaways and possibly our next winner!

Special thanks to MobileFun for supplying us this case to give away. Check out their large selection of Mobile Accessories here.

Contest: Win a Zenus Masstige Woodlot Case for Samsung Galaxy S III!

Hey guys, all the effort that we put into Android Bugle is for you, the reader, and to show our appreciation for your readership we've got our first ever Android Bugle giveaway!

The first item (yes that means more coming soon!) we are giving away a Zenus Masstige Woodlot Case for Samsung Galaxy S III. If you haven't gotten a chance yet, we highly recommend checking out our full review.

So how do you win? It's easy as Following us on Twitter and re-tweeting this contest, Liking our Facebook Page, and Circling us on Google+. Doing all three give each person 3 chances to win. Anyone who had already done so is automatically entered.

We'll run this contest for the week of September 10 to September 16 and announce a winner on September 17. Open to Canadian residents only.

Good luck to all who enter! Special thanks to MobileFun for supplying us this case to give away. Check out their large selection of Mobile Accessories here.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is now official

Android Phones have gotten larger and larger over the past few years. Even the vaunted iPhone bucked its long standing stance behind their 3.5 inch display by going with a 4 inch display. This has left a bit of a void for mid sized Android phones. Most that are in the 4 inch range have come with disappointing specs. Today Samsung announced the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and at first glance it looks like it bucks the trend of lackluster specifications.

The Galaxy S4 Mini is equipped with a 4.3-inch qHD 960x540 resolution SuperAMOLED display, 1.7GHz dual-core processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 we suspect), 1.5GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage that can be supplemented by microSD card, 8MP camera, 1900mAh battery, LTE capabilities (where applicable) and powered by the latest version of Android version 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Aside from the (potentially problematic) 8GB of internal storage, and the lower resolution 4.3 inch qHD display, this seems like a smaller Galaxy SIII which in itself a good thing.

We don't have any idea if/when this is coming to Canada but we have a sneaking suspicion that LTE capabilities is a dead giveaway for this coming to Canada.

Reddit user's Samsung Galaxy S III literally bursts into flames

Reddit user "vizionx1208" in the US was sleeping last night when he was rudely awakened by a loud noise. The noise came from his Galaxy S III that literally burst into flames. Luckily vizionx1208 had the presence of mind to grab a glass of water in the room and put out the fire before some serious damage occurred. According to the user, he simply set an alarm for the next day and plugged in the phone for the night (no microwave involved, unlike the hoax last summer).

Thankfully nothing serious came of the incident other than a busted phone and a burned mattress cover, comforter and foam matress cover.

Hopefully vizionx1208 addresses the situation with Samsung or Verizon.
Check out the aftermath after the break.

Samsung officially announces ICS for the Galaxy S II as well as "Value Pack" for Galaxy S

Well it seems that someone at Samsung's PR had jumped the gun as Samsung "Officially" announced that ICS would be rolling out to Samsung Galaxy S IIs in Asia and Europe gradually followed by other markets. Worth noting is that they mention the Galaxy Tabs (10.1 and 8.9), Galaxy S II LTE and Galaxy Note will follow suit after and that the Galaxy S line would be receiving a value pack which includes "Facebook Unlock, Snapshot, Photo Editor, and others". We aren't sure what "Facebook Unlock" means but we're guessing it's a typo for Face Unlock. See the full announcement after the break.

Samsung "reviewing" ways to upgrade Galaxy S and Original Galaxy Tab to ICS Android 4.0

Look like Samsung is pulling an HTC. In a complete 180 degree turn, they have now announced that they are investigating ways into making ICS + TouchWiz "fit" into the "limited memory" of the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab. No paint us a bit skeptical when we hear "fit" because even the smallest Galaxy S variants with 1GB of nand flash memory should be enough for the upgrade not to mention many models of the Galaxy S and the Galaxy Tab have 16+GB of memory. That being said we are glad to see that ICS is being considered.

Samsung Galaxy S not getting Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0

Samsung certainly doesn't seem like they are in the Holiday spirit as news has broke that they will NOT be upgrading the Samsung Galaxy S to Android 4.0. This news is really a surprise given that the Nexus S, which in every sense is simply a Galaxy S with stock Android, is getting ICS RIGHT NOW. According to Samsung Tomorrow ICS + TouchWiz would simply be too much for the Single Core 1GHz Hummingbird CPU. We are extremely disappointed in this news and will keep tabs on further developments.

Rogers Samsung Galaxy S Captivate getting Android 2.3 Gingerbread

For those of you rocking the good "old" Rogers Galaxy S Captivate we have some great news for you. Seems like some users are reporting that they can now get their long awaited Android 2.3 Gingerbread upgrade just load Kies and hook it up to your phone for some Gingerbread goodness.

Samsung Galaxy S Infuse 4G Review

In many life situations the phrase "less is more" is often stated where holding back is advantageous. Don't tell that to Samsung, as it seems "more is more" is their mantra of choice when it come to smartphone displays. That being said, enter the Samsung Galaxy S Infuse 4G, a gargantuan phone equipped with a titanic 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus Display. Being somewhat of a "middle" child between the original Galaxy S series and the new Galaxy S II the question remains whether the Infuse 4G can be successful on looks alone.

QWERTY equipped Galaxy S (II?) headed to Rogers

Looks like that leaked QWERTY Galaxy S phone we reported earlier this summer is confirmed to be headed to Rogers. MobileSyrup is reporting that it will be called the Samsung Galaxy S Glider. What odd is that it is apparently a Dual Core device, has 8MP camera and is sporting a 4-inch Super-AMOLED (Plus - we assume a typo by MobileSyrup) screen. All of these specs scream Galaxy S II so we will assume this was a mistake by the rep that spoke with MobileSyrup.

[Edit] It seems like this in fact is a Samsung "Galaxy S" device. Although in a video courtesy of Canadian Reviewer, the Samsung rep incorrectly states that it's the first Galaxy S phone with a full QWERTY keyboard as the Epic 4G on Sprint in the US was the first with a full hardware keyboard. Which makes us still think this is in fact a Galaxy S II device (on top of the Quadrant scores that indicate a high end dual core processor).

We are still perplexed at the possibility that a dual core phone would fall under the "Galaxy S" brand name as it is just plain bad marketing given the wind of good press the "Galaxy S II" is getting. Check out the video after the break.

TELUS Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate 4G upgraded to Android 2.3 Gingerbread

The TELUS Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate 3G+ Was upgraded to Android 2.3 Gingerbread not too long ago last month so it was only a matter of time till the 4G HSPA+ version would get Android 2.3 Gingerbread.  Today is the day, TELUS has announced via their website that the update is available through the Samsung Kies software. Links and additional info after the break.

Can AT&T's first LTE handset, Samsung Impulse 4G, also be one of Rogers' first LTE devices?

Not too long ago Rogers had announced that it had lit up it's brand spanking new LTE network. With plans to roll out LTE to many major markets by this fall and more by 2012 one has to wonder; "Where are the LTE phone?" Rogers had stated that they would be getting LTE handsets from Samsung and their newly reconciled buddy HTC. Today, we got a glimpse of what could be one of those Samsung Rogers' LTE devices, the Samsung Impulse 4G. Check out our reason why we think it's headed to Rogers after the break.

TELUS Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate 3G+ upgraded to Android 2.3 Gingerbread

TELUS has announced that their first Samsung Galaxy S the Fascinate 3G+ is now getting an update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Great to see yet another Canadian Android device receive the latest version of Android. Hopefully this means that the Gingerbread upgrade for the Fascinate 4G is just around the corner.

Bell/Virgin Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant upgraded to 2.3 Gingerbread

It's here, the Original Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant on Bell and Virgin is now getting a roll out of Android 2.3 Gingerbread. For those o fyou with the device hook your phone up to Samsung Kies and you should have your update ready.

More Samsung Galaxy S II "Hercules" shots leaked

Didn't get enough TELUS Samsung Galaxy S II "Hercules" news yet? This may tickle your fancy, as pocketnow.com and tmonews.com have gotten some exclusive pics of the the T-Mobile Version of the Samsung Galaxy S II "Hercules". Of course this isn't the TELUS variant but we should expect them to carry the same device. TELUS has followed a trend of nabbing up a 850/1900MHz version of the T-Mobile variants of the Galaxy S line by getting T-Mobile's version of the original Galaxy S and following up with the HSPA+ 4G version. So it was only natural that they get the Hercules. More pics after the break.

Samsung Galaxy S II "Hercules" headed to TELUS

TELUS looked like it was going to play second fiddle to Bell and Rogers each launching their own dual-core behemoth smartphones but that is about to end. MobileSyrup is reporting that a TELUS version of rumoured Samsung Galaxy S II "Hercules" was caught hanging out at a Samsung event. The rumoured specs are similar to the Galaxy S II but with a 4.5 inch screen like the Infuse 4G and is sporting a 42mbps capable radio. We can't wait to see the Hercules hit Canada.

Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate 4G Review

Samsung finished off 2010 with a bang, their Galaxy S line of phones had sold millions of units, finding its way on to every major carrier in North America, and was one of the most successful Android devices ever. Its hardware even became the baseline configuration for Google's most recent iteration of the Nexus line of Google Experience phones. TELUS was the last of the big three in Canada to put out their Galaxy S device the Fascinate so it is a tad odd that they would release a slight refresh of the device that simply had HSPA+ capabilities (like T-Mobile in the US). Nevertheless, we're taking a look at the Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate 4G to see if this phone is worth choosing over its non-4G variants.

Bell's Android Lineup Upgrade path revealed

Bell has really being snapping up the exclusive when it comes to the latest high end Android devices. They brought Canada the Motorola Atrix 4G and HTC Incredible S. Two awesome devices that unfortunately launched with Android 2.2 Froyo. Now people who bought these fantastic devices, as well as the HTC Desire Z, Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab, can now look forward to when they can their taste of Gingerbread.

Samsung Galaxy S II, Galaxy Tab 10.1 "coming soon" to Canada and Galaxy S Infuse 4G to launch on Rogers

With increasing competitiveness in the Canadian smartphone and tablet market, Samsung looks like it's going to step up its game by bringing three powerhouse devices to Canada; the Samsung Galaxy S II, Galaxy S Infuse 4G and Galaxy Tab 10.1.