Samsung Hero e3213

Samsung launched Hero E3213 for middle class

Samsung Hero E3123 is a new creation from the company which has already been launched in the Indian mobile market. There are lots of mobile models that are present in the Indian mobile market. This particular model is also expecting to get good response from the Indian customers. The Samsung Hero E3123 price in India is Rs. 3400. This mobile is specially designed for the middle class people who want all features in a very affordable price. The Samsung Hero E3123 features and specification are mind blowing. A looks and design of the handset is very beautiful. The mobile phone is having 80.06gm weight. A dimension of this model is 112.8 x 46.4 x 13.2mm. The handset is supported 3D sound technology. Audio and video players are enabled in this cell phone. The Samsung Hero E3123 is providing up to 8GB external and 36MB internal memory with SD memory card. Lots of games and wall paper is also available in the mobile phone. Dual VGA camera is well integrated in the handset. Video capturing facility is also added in the cell phone with video streaming. Audio jack of this model is 3.5mm with FM radio. Operating system of the Samsung Hero E3123 is Samsung proprietry. An excellent battery is also enabled in the handset with up to 330 to 550 hours standby and up to 200 min to 500 min talk time facility. The mobile phone is supported 3G, GPRS and EDGE connectivity options. The cell phone is integrated WAP and HTML browser. The model is having SMS, MMS and email communication service. Instant messaging is also presented in the Samsung Hero E3123. The mobile phone is having social networking service. The handset is included 2inches TFT display screen. A resolution of the display size is 128 x 160 pixels. Samsung Hero E3123 pictures are present on the internet and they can be grabbed from the internet. Samsung Galaxy Pop and Samsung Galaxy Tab are two models from the company which are launched in the market and are getting warm response from the Indian market. The company is expecting a lot from the Samsung Hero E3123 model that is already launched in the Indian mobile market. res : Keep yourself informed on Samsung Hero E3123 and know about your Samsung Guru Dual 35 At Mobile dekho.com.

Samsung Galaxy S3

T-Mobile's pricier Samsung Galaxy S3 will not get LTE

A T-Mobile spokesperson confirms that the Samsung Galaxy S III (S3) won't ride T-Mo's future LTE network.

If your decision to buy Samsung's Galaxy S III (S3) on T-Mobile comes down to the LTE radio within, prepare yourself for disappointment.

A T-Mobile spokesperson confirmed to CNET today that despite the same LTE radio in every GS3 model coming to the U.S., Samsung's new flagship Android 4.0 phone will not ride T-Mobile's forthcoming LTE network:

The Samsung Galaxy SIII won't run on T-Mobile's LTE network in the future, but we will continue to operate our HSPA+ 42 network when we launch LTE in 2013.

T-Mobile's AWS spectrum is the culprit here, since it will carry T-Mo's LTE network. AT&T and Verizon, on the other hand, use bands in the 700MHz spectrum for their LTE. Adding support for T-Mobile's unlaunched LTE network would mean adding more bands in the LTE radio.

"The device is the same across carriers," a Samsung spokesperson confirmed in an e-mail, "but [the phones] are optimized to work on each carrier's specific network."

80 less at $199.99 for the 16GB version. AT&T doesn't sell the 32GB capacity.

While LTE promises greater speeds, potential buyers shouldn't underestimate T-Mobile's HSPA+ 42, which independent tester RootMetrics found is faster than Sprint's 4G WiMax.

In my own tests on the Galaxy S3 in the San Francisco Bay Area, T-Mobile's data speeds peak at about 16.5Mbps. While AT&T's download and upload speeds were faster on an absolute basis (up to 33Mbps downlink,) I also stumbled into plenty of dead zones.

If you're deciding between the two GSM carriers, price could be another consideration. T-Mobile's 16GB Galaxy S3 costs $279.99 with a 2-year agreement or $229.99 (Value plan, you pay interest) and $50 more for the 32GB capacity. AT&T sells the Galaxy S3 for $30-to-$

Jessica Dolcourt

Jessica Dolcourt reviews smartphones and cell phones, covers handset news, and pens the monthly column Smartphones Unlocked. She started at CNET in 2006, where she spent four years reviewing mobile and desktop software before taking on devices.

Samsung star II

What is the Price of Samsung Star II Duos C6712 in India?

The price of Samsung Star II Duos C6712 in India is Rs. 6, 170/- (Six thousand one hundred and seventy only.)

Which is the device that has lots of features under an affordable price tag? The answer is Samsung Star II Duos C6712. Because this device is a touch screen dual SIM (GSM + GSM) phone housed by 3.2-inch TFT capacitive screen with touch features supporting a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels with 256K colours that comes with 30 MB of internal memory and expandable up to 16 GB.
Decency in taking pictures has been maintained with a 3.1 megapixel camera at a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels built in it. The camera can also record video in QVGA mode at 15 frames per second.
The Samsung C6712 Star II Duos handset As far as connectivity options are concerned, the phone supports GPRS/EDGE network, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, USB with micro USB 2.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n.

Other exciting features of Samsung C6712 Star II Duos are FM radio with recording, Video and mp3 player, in build organizer, can read PDF / Word / Excel and Power point documents. The phone comes with Accelerometer sensor, Touch Wiz 3.0 user interface and powered by the Samsung proprietary mobile OS.
With such as price, this phone is an emblem of a prize.
You can buy this set from online stores like Ebay or flipkart at the cost of Rs 6,170.

Samsung Mobile

How to Transfer Media to Your Android Phone

There are a number of ways to transfer your music, photos and videos* to your Samsung Android™ smartphone. Depending on which device you have, the type of content, and your comfort level with installing software or adjusting device settings, you can pick the method that’s best for you.

Method 1: Kies Air—Wireless Transfer

Works for: Music, photos, recorded videos, other files—non-DRM protected content only
Overview: Kies Air makes it simple to transfer and manage multimedia content, text messages, bookmarks and more between your mobile device and a PC or Mac when they share the same wireless access point or router.
Why this way is great: Kies Air doesn’t require any additional software to be installed on your computer or mobile device while providing a powerful and intuitive tool for managing your content.

Requirements:

Windows

Internet Explorer 7 or higher
Mozilla Firefox 3.5 or higher
Google Chrome 9.0 or higher

MacOS

Safari 4.0 or higher
Mozilla Firefox
Google Chrome

Step-by-step Instructions:

1. To connect to Kies Air from your Samsung device, touch Applications > Kies Air > Start.

2. If not already connected to a Wi-Fi® network, you will be asked to connect, or (if available) turn on your device’s Wi-Fi hotspot capability. Note: Your Samsung device and computer (PC or Mac) must be on the same Wi-Fi network in order to connect.

3. Kies Air will display a URL. Enter that URL in your computer’s web browser.

4. On the Samsung device, touch Allow to grant access to the device.

5. Download or manage files from the web-based interface on your computer’s browser.

6. Touch Stop on the handset to end the syncing session.

Method 2: Drag & Drop—USB Wired Transfer

Works for: Music, photos, recorded videos, other files—non-DRM protected content only

Overview: Just plug your device into your computer using a USB cable, adjust some settings and start dragging and dropping files and folders.

Why this way is great: This method is great when you’re used to working with files and folders or just have a few files that you want to move.
Requirements: USB Cable that shipped with your Samsung device or a USB Cable that fits both your computer and Samsung device.

Note: The method described below applies to newer Samsung smartphones like the Galaxy SII and Galaxy Note running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). For device-specific instructions, visit samsung.com/support and click Mobile. Search for your specific device and instructions for USB connecting.

Step-by-step Instructions:

1. Attach your Samsung device to your computer (PC or Mac) using the USB cable. If this is the first time you’ve connected your device to your computer, it will install the necessary drivers on your computer.

2. On your Samsung device, touch Applications > Settings > Wireless and network > USB utilities.

3. Remove the USB cable from you Samsung device.

4. On your Samsung device touch “Connect storage to PC.” You will see a warning: “USB utilities / Connect USB cable to use mass storage.” Insert the USB cable into your Samsung device while the message is still on the screen. Do not touch “Cancel.”

5. The screen will change to “USB mass storage” with a picture of a green Android and a message that says “USB connected.” Touch “Connect USB storage” at the bottom.

6. Your Samsung device is now connected to your computer. The device’s internal storage will appear on your computer as an external drive. If you also have a microSD card installed, this will show up as a second external drive.

7. You can now drag and drop files directly from your computer or iTunes to your device. You can create folders on your device as necessary to organize your files. Your device will automatically index these files and make them available in your media player.

8. IMPORTANT NOTE FOR MAC USERS: Before you disconnect your device from your Mac, you must eject the disks on your Mac, just as you would eject any disk or flash drive. After the drives have been ejected, touch “Disconnect storage from PC” on your Samsung device.

9. When you’ve moved all of the files you need to, disconnect the USB cable.

Samsung Air Cooler

Negligible cooling nets Cool Surge portable air cooler a Consumer Reports Don't Buy judgment

You can buy a decent small window air conditioner for as little as $140, as we found in our July 2009 report on air conditioning (available to subscribers). Or you can spend more than twice that amount—$298—for the Cool Surge portable air cooler (shown), which promises to cool an average-sized room "up to ten degrees" using the same energy as a 60-watt lightbulb. (Watch our exclusive video, below.) The Cool Surge might sound appealing when you consider the roughly 500 watts needed to run even a small air conditioner. Ohio-based Fridge Electric LLC, which markets the Cool Surge, has even offered a two-for-one deal in full-page ads in The New York Times and other newspapers. But our tests show that when it comes to cooling a room, the Cool Surge is likely to disappoint you at any price.

The Cool Surge is essentially an evaporative cooler (also known as a swamp cooler) that bases its cooling claims on a concept thousands of years old. The unit's reservoir holds about a gallon of water and two reusable ice packs like the kind that go into lunch boxes and picnic baskets. The chilled water wets a curtain inside, and a fan moves air through it much the way a breeze would blow air through moistened fabric centuries ago. No compressor, no condenser, no refrigerant gas.

Could that ancient principle cut it in today's "average" room? Consumer Reports tested two samples of the Cool Surge in the same lab we use to test air conditioners. At just over 200 square feet, our test room is actually a tad smaller than the roughly 227-square-foot living room in a typical new home, and, therefore, should be easier to cool. We controlled conditions around the room to simulate an 85°F dry summer day with a relative humidity of just 57 percent.

As we found, the phrase "up to" in Cool Surge's cooling claims does some heavy lifting: Our string of sensors showed the device failed to appreciably lower the room's overall temperature during a four-hour test.

We also tested the Cool Surge at an even drier, desertlike setting of 25 percent relative humidity, again, at 85°F. Even in these conditions, which are suitable for an evaporative cooler, we measured a mere 2 degrees of cooling during the four-hour test.

Because of its negligible cooling in our tests, we've given the Cool Surge portable air cooler our Don't Buy: Performance Problem judgment. (The Cool Surge has a built-in heater with a faux fireplace; we didn't test its heater nor did we test this product for safety.)

Samsung DVD Player

Him launches samsung DVD players, home theatre systems

KATHMANDU, JAN 10 -

Him Electronics, authorised distributor of Samsung, has launched a new range of DVD players and home theatre systems.

The company claimed that the new BD-D5100 Blu-ray disc player and home theatre system offer an enhanced audio-visual experience.

New Samsung DVD player comes with 1080p full HD technology which relays high quality images. “It’s like experiencing, rather than just entertainment,” said Binay Tripathi, sales manager at Him.

According to the company, the Blu-ray disc player displays images in high resolution—almost twice of the conventional HD TVs. Tripathi said people can enjoy movies and videogames through the player.

In addition, the device is equipped with Dolby True HD Digital Plus technology that offers enhanced sound system. The multi-channel audio codec technology offers studio master recording quality sound. It also supports file formats like MP3, WMA, JPEG, DivX and MPEG-4 has USB port, according to the company.

Also, the HDMI system offers one-touch control over the entire range of compatible connected devices including the TV, AV receiver, and home theatre. It also features CD ripping system. The DVD players are priced between Rs 3,590 and Rs 12,890. As far as the home theatre system is concerned, it comes equipped with Crystal Amplifier Plus and Dolby pro logic II technology that delivers HD quality sound in 3D mode. Tripathi said the technology filters sound sources clearly to produce crystal-clear sound.

The system supports DVD Video/Audio, DVDR, DVDRW, CD, CD-R/RW, and sound files like MP3, WMA, JPEG, Div X and MPEG-4. “Once can also enjoy Karaoke,” said Tripathi.

The home theatre systems are available for Rs 16,290 to Rs 49,590.

SAMSUNG CLEANER

Samsung NaviBot S robot vacuum cleaner (preview)

Like the previous NaviBot, the S works with virtual guards to block off difficult areas (stairways, tables and chairs, and so on) so it won’t get stuck or lost. This system would take some setting up initially, but once you’ve got your robot house-trained it should do almost as good a job as a good ol’ fashioned human being — and at a fraction of the cost.

Visionary Mapping Plus

Samsung says the new NaviBot S is a ‘visionary cleaning device’, but we’re guessing this refers to the vacuum’s integrated camera rather than its ability to predict the future. In conjunction with its Visionary Mapping Plus system, the camera lets the NaviBot S build a visual map of your house through photos of your rooms’ ceilings.

This map lets the NaviBot S work out where walls and obstacles lie, and plot the best possible cleaning courses across your floors. Samsung doesn’t profess to say that the mapping is perfect — the vacuum will only try to avoid obstacles — but it’s better than a robot vacuum with no camera.

The camera and map setup also lets the NaviBot S remember where it finished cleaning last time, before recharging or emptying its bin, so it won’t clean spots again unnecessarily.

Dust Sensor Cleaning

Another touted feature is the NaviBot S’s ability to sense areas that are dirtier than others — when it is collecting a larger than normal amount of dust — and to give them extra vacuuming and sweeping attention.

It’ll boost its vacuum power in dustier and dirtier areas, so it should handle houses with mixed carpet and wood or tile floors without much fuss. We bet this will impact battery life, but with smart recharging this shouldn’t cause a problem.

Auto Dust Emptying

The more expensive of the two NaviBot S models in Australia will have an auto dust emptying feature — a first for a robot vacuum cleaner. The charging dock for the NaviBot S also functions as the add-on dustbin, with a 2L capacity. This boosts overall capacity to 2.6L, so the high-end NaviBot S won’t need emptying nearly as often as any other robot vacuum. When it gets full, the NaviBot S will return to the dock to empty itself — minimal human intervention required.

Models

There are two NaviBot S models now available in Australia: the NaviBot S SR8950 for $1099, and the NaviBot S SR8980 for $1299. The higher-priced model includes the Auto Dust Emptying function.

SAMSUNG MICROWAVE

Microwaving for Fast, Wholesome Meals

Quick, healthy, and delicious: now you can have all three at mealtime, thanks to a new generation of microwave ovens. It can be harder than ever to find time to cook a nutritious meal, but this handy kitchen helper makes it easier than ever to prepare a tasty meal for family and friends.

Defrosting the Right Way

Frozen fish and poultry are staples of many homes, but if they aren’t defrosted carefully they can lose their natural flavour, texture and nutritional values as they thaw. When defrosting, remember these tips:

Different foods need to defrost at different rates. Better microwaves offer specific settings for defrosting different foods: meat, poultry, fish or bread. After selecting the food type, estimate the weight you are defrosting and press start: The oven will do the rest of the work for you, brining the food to a suitable cooking temperature without degrading its taste, texture or vitamin content.

Don’t know the weight of the food you’re defrosting? Some microwaves, like the OmniPro, come with a built-in scale, so you don’t have to guess how heavy the item is. With this feature, you will get it right every time.

Steaming Made Easy

Steaming is the healthiest and lowest-calorie way to cook vegetables—but you have to do it right, or you will end up with mushy broccoli or dry Brussels sprouts. The key is to separate the water from the food, as in a traditional steamer. This keeps vegetables from getting waterlogged, preserving flavour and texture while preventing messy overflows. Microwaves can also include a steaming bowl specially designed for this function— big enough to hold enough food for your family’s needs.

Better yet, using a microwave with a built-in steaming bowl is the simplest way to make one of the most nutritious and minimally processed staples: brown rice. Simply combine grain and water for perfect rice in minutes. Be sure to cover the top with a steam plate to prevent the water from overflowing while cooking.

Warmth When You Need It

A microwave’s main job is cooking and reheating, but it also comes in handy when you simply need to keep food warm and fresh—say, when dinner guests are delayed, or you want to prepare a course or two in advance and take your time over appetizers. Check out your microwave’s Keep Warm mode. This feature keeps meals at the right serving temperature for up to 30 minutes. It’s also great for warming up bread, and even serving plates: A hot meal on a cold plate loses much of its appeal.

Easy Steam Cleanup

Cooking a healthy meal inevitably creates a little cleanup work. But a good microwave can even take care of that. Some microwaves are designed with an internal steam clean tank that makes cleanup quick and easy. Just fill it with water, run the oven for a few minutes, and let the water steam-clean the microwave’s interior. When it’s finished, just wipe the surfaces clean with a cloth. The microwave’s antibacterial coating helps keep everything germ-free.

SAMSUNG DIGITAL CAMERA

Snap & Share: Capture Amazing Fireworks

Although fireworks have been around for more than 1000 years, it’s still an awesome spectacle when they explode into the night sky. And yet, capturing photographs of pyrotechnics can be tricky. Here’s how to get the perfect fireworks pictures this Fourth of July.

Get in Position

Standing in the right place is a must for taking any photograph, and that’s doubly true when you’re shooting fireworks. Photos of the illuminated night sky almost always look best when there is a frame of reference available on the ground to give them more scope and grandeur.

If you’re close to the action, your best bet is framing your shot so that something nearby appears in the foreground, and the fireworks themselves appear directly behind it. While you probably don’t want to see the backs of a bunch of heads in the foreground, a stand of palm trees, the tops of boats docked at the marina, or the silhouettes of houses can all add visual interest to the shot.

If you’re far away from the fireworks (which is probably more common), it usually works best to include the explosions as part of a broader landscape photo. A wide shot of fireworks going off over a downtown cityscape or above a bay filled with boats creates a really powerful image. But an isolated photo of some distant starbursts with a black background doesn’t make the same statement. Position your camera to avoid distracting clutter in the foreground.

Get Stabilized

As with any night-time shooting, your camera will have to be set for a relatively long exposure so the image comes out clearly. At the same time, this means even the slightest movement of the camera will result in blurry images. A tripod is the only reliable way to avoid this: Don’t even try to snap fireworks pictures freestyle. The auto-timer setting on a camera like the Samsung WB150F Smart Camera can be another great help by ensuring you don’t have to touch the camera at all, so it remains absolutely still.

While you’re collecting hardware, make sure your batteries are fully charged and your SD card has plenty of room on it. You won’t have time to run home for a new one or even to swap out batteries or cards, or you’ll miss a lot of the action.

Prepare Your Camera Settings

How do you set your camera to best capture these intense colors against a dark background? The WB150F makes it easy by including a Fireworks mode that takes the guesswork out of some complicated camera settings. If your camera doesn’t have a Fireworks mode, you’ll need to experiment to find the best settings. Start by turning off the flash (it’s useless when your subject is far away), and set the shutter to stay open for as long as possible. This will help you catch the fireworks before and during the explosion, giving your photo a sense of motion—and a lot more color than you’d get with a short shutter speed. Change your ISO setting to the smallest level available.

Mix It Up

While you’ll want to focus on shots that incorporate some landscape as discussed above, you may want to try to get some up-close shots too. Save these shots for the latter half of the show. Zoom in as tight as possible on a particularly active section of the sky (the 18x zoom on the WB150F makes this easy), and try to time your shots by watching the light trails launching from the ground. They won’t all pan out, but if you’re lucky you might grab some close-up gems that capture the finer details of the explosions.

Share Your Fireworks Photos

After the rockets stop going off, you’ll want to share your best shots with friends and family. The WB150F and other Wi-Fi enabled cameras let you share shots immediately and directly from your camera whenever you’re in range of a wireless network. With the WB150F you can share pictures directly with friends on social networks like Facebook, send them to Microsoft Skydrive for online archiving, or transfer photos to a PC on your home network. You can even share photos with TVs and mobile phones through Samsung’s TV Link and Smartphone Link systems.

© 2011 Samsung Electronics America, Inc. Samsung is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. All other brand, product, service names and logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

The above content is provided for information purposes only. All information included herein is subject to change without notice. Samsung Electronics is not responsible for any direct or indirect damages, arising from or related to use or reliance of the above content.

SAMSUNG TABLAT

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Review: A Low-Cost, Full-Featured Android Tablet

On the surface, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 appears to be little more than a low-key refresh of its six-month-old predecessor, the in-betweener Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. Admittedly, it is a fairly subtle refresh. But the Tab 2’s noticeably lower cost--at $250 (as of April 23, 2012), it represents a 38 percent drop in price from the 7.0 Plus--coupled with its numerous features gives it a clear advantage over the leading value-tablet.

With that sizable drop, the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 2 marks the first time a premium Android tablet maker like Samsung has gone full-bore after the value market. The Galaxy Tab 2 is competitively priced against the $200 Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet, 7-inch tablets that each use their own customized versions of Android 2.3. Those Android variants can provide better integration for some tasks, such as reading books and magazines, or acquiring media, but that convenience comes at the cost of wider compatibility with the Android app universe: Both

The Galaxy Tab 2, in contrast, runs Android 4.0. That means it can handle standard Android phone and tablet apps in the Google Play store. It also offers features that neither the Kindle Fire nor the Nook Tablet does, such as an infrared port and a rear-facing camera. Samsung sacrificed built-in storage capacity (just 8GB, same as the other two value tablets and half of the 16GB provided on the Tab 7.0 Plus) to achieve the Tab 2's low price, but that doesn’t detract from the Tab 2’s widespread appeal.

Galaxy Tab 2: Design and Performance

The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is an evolutionary step over the extremely similar Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. Both models weigh 0.76 pound, and they feature a similar design and build quality, plus similar dimensions. Both measure 4.8 by 7.6 inches, but the Tab 2 is slightly thicker at 0.41 inch, versus the 7.0 Plus's 0.39 inch. The balance and weight are such that this tablet isn’t onerous to hold one-handed, though I’d like to see the weight become lighter still.

Only subtle tweaks distinguish the two. For example, the Tab 2’s plastic bezel curves around to the front of the screen, giving the front face of the tablet a pleasing look. The Tab 2 also has a larger infrared port, located at the top edge of the tablet when you're holding the slate in landscape mode; the port now wraps around the back of the device, presumably to improve communications between the tablet and your entertainment components. The power button and volume rocker, positioned along that same edge, have a more rounded, easier-to-press shape. The MicroSD Card slot door is slightly (by millimeters) wider, too, and just a bit easier to open, but you'll still need to do so using a fingernail. You can add up to 32GB of storage via MicroSD, a big benefit over the Kindle Fire, which lacks any expansion slot for local storage.

The back of the Tab 2’s case is a light, “titanium”-hued plastic, as opposed to the darker brushed gray of the earlier model. And although the rear camera is the same at 3 megapixels, the Tab 2 lacks the flash found on the 7.0 Plus.

The flash is just one thing that the Tab 2 sacrificed to achieve its low price. Inside, the Tab 2 has a 1GHz dual-core processor, down from the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus’s 1.2GHz dual-core processor. The processor change might account for why, in PCWorld Labs tests, the Tab 2 took 14 seconds longer to boot up than the Tab 7.0 Plus did; it also turned in a noticeably slower frame rate on the two GL Benchmark tests we run.

Other sacrifices: As noted earlier, the Tab 2 has just 8GB of built-in storage, down from the 16GB found on the Tab 7.0 Plus, and on a par with the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet. The front-facing camera drops from 2 megapixels on the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus to a mere 640 by 480 resolution on the Tab 2--a significant, real-world quality drop that resulted in pixelated conversations when I used the camera for video chat.

Samsung's Plane to Line Switching (PLS) display is 1024 by 600 pixels, the same as on the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus before it. These days, this display is merely average, as several 7-inch tablets with 1200-by-800-pixel resolution are now available. I noticed that colors were slightly off on the Tab 2 compared with how they appeared on the older 7.0 Plus model; detail in images I viewed in the native Google Gallery app seemed slightly worse, too, although the tablets still scored closely on our subjective tests of the displays. I'm currently investigating this issue. Some of the differences may be attributable to the display itself, or they may have some foundation in how Google has changed Android's image handling between Android 3.2 (which shipped on the Tab 7.0 Plus) and Android 4.0.3 (which ships on the Galaxy Tab 2).

Another interesting difference between the two tablets: The Tab 2 has better audio output. Music sounded fuller, and not in an overprocessed way. The Tab 2 does have an equalizer option, which the 7.0 Plus lacked, but we didn't turn any of the effects on.

As a bonus over its Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet competition, the Galaxy Tab 2 adds Bluetooth and GPS, too. Overall, the Tab 2 is ahead of the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet when it comes to features

Galaxy Tab 2: Software

The Galaxy Tab 2 series is Samsung’s first to ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. On top of that, Samsung includes its own TouchWiz UX overlay, with convenient pop-up launcher tweaks for fast access to a sliding bar of widgetlike Samsung apps (such as a calculator, an email app, and a world clock). TouchWiz also provides an easy-to-use screen-capture utility and superhandy customizations to the settings pop-up, along with some Samsung-specific software such as AllShare for DLNA network media sharing, and Samsung’s own app stores for games, media, books, and music.

In addition to the Samsung-branded apps, the Galaxy Tab 2 comes with a handful of useful Android apps preinstalled. Among them are Dropbox (with a year of 50GB Dropbox service included), the Peel Smart Remote app for use with the infrared port, and Polaris Office. The Peel app is a mixed bag, though: While it allows you to discover content visually, configuring the settings can be frustrating, and browsability could be improved. Ultimately, Samsung would do far better to write its own, more basic remote-control app, as Sony has done on its Tablet S.

If you own a Samsung Wi-Fi camera or HDTV, you may be able to benefit from some additional capabilities of the Tab 2 that tie in to Samsung’s product stable. Remote Viewfinder, which works with Samsung's Wi-Fi cameras, could have some interesting applications for group photos, for example; with this capability, you can use Wi-Fi Direct to form a connection between the tablet and the camera, and together with an app on the tablet, you can then use the tablet to control the viewfinder, shutter, zoom, and flash of the camera. Meanwhile, Smart View lets you mirror content from your TV on the tablet, but this function works only with Samsung 7000 series LED HDTVs, circa 2011 and later.

SAMSUNG WASHING MACHINE

Make Your Clothes Last with These Laundry Do’s and Don’ts

Nothing impresses like a fresh, cleanly laundered shirt, but nothing is harder on your clothing than putting it through the wash. But it doesn’t have to be that way—if you launder properly. Here are some do’s and don’ts to remember on laundry day.

Laundry Do’s

DO wash clothes in cold water. Using cold water doesn’t have to mean clothes don’t get clean. Features like Ecobubble, which you’ll find in many Samsung washing machines, dissolve detergent before the cycle begins. Cleaning agents penetrate fabric more thoroughly, removing stains without cooking clothes. And of course, using cold water helps reduce utility bills.

DO use the appropriate fabric setting. Delicate items will wear out more quickly if they’re wasted using a setting designed for towels. Samsung washers feature a variety of settings for both common and uncommon garments, including an Outdoor Care system for water-repellent clothes like Gore-Tex and a Wool Care mode that prevents shrinking and maintains the distinctive appearance and feel of wool garments. Samsung washers also let you save your most commonly used settings through the My Cycle mode.

DO use detergents with colour-safe, non-chlorine bleach. This helps keep colours bright while getting out tough stains. Regular chlorinated bleach is fine for whites.

DO wash sneakers, pillows and stuffed toys, but dry them using the appropriate setting. Samsung dryers feature a Rack Dry setting that gently air-dries without tumbling. Tumbling the wrong items can damage both the items and the dryer itself.

Do take advantage of the dryer’s Freshen Up setting. This cycle airs garments that are already dry to remove accumulated odours.

Do hang up clothes immediately after drying. This helps to minimise wrinkles and the need for ironing—a step that damages fabric by flattening fibres and exposing them to additional, often extreme, heat. The textured drum on many Samsung dryers minimises wrinkles by surrounding garments and linens with a cushion of air.

Laundry Don’ts

DON’T take a chance by trying to wash stains out of expensive or otherwise valuable garments. Leave it to your dry-cleaner. And remember, the sooner you take action, the better the odds of removing all traces.

DON’T use more detergent than necessary. Excess detergent doesn’t get clothes any cleaner and, in fact, it can cause problems. Soap can become trapped in the fabric, making items stiff and ultimately reducing their longevity. Over time, it can gum up the machine itself, encouraging mildew growth inside. Using more detergent than you need is literally pouring money down the drain.

DON’T dry laundry for longer than necessary. Excess drying shrinks clothing and damages the underlying fabric. The same goes for excess heat. So go easy on your clothing and linens. Many items can be dried effectively at a lower, safer and less costly heat setting.

SAMSUNG REFRIGATOR

Why a Full Fridge is a Happy Fridge

You might think that filling up your refrigerator makes it work harder. But the opposite is true. The more you manage to get inside your fridge, the less the temperature fluctuates. So everything stays cool and you save on energy costs. And since a full fridge is a happy fridge, it pays to stock up.

Shop to Your Fridge’s Capacity

Why buy in bulk? It's better value, and it's good for your refrigerator, too. Start with the freezer: look for weekly sales on your favourite cuts of meat and stock up. Just seal a whole cut in its store packaging (inside a freezer bag), or portion out sizes to cook separately. Properly sealed, they'll stay freezer-safe up to six months. Fill in extra space in the freezer with sealed bags of frozen fruits and vegetables, which make side dishes and inexpensive smoothies a cinch.

In the refrigerator, leave just enough space for the cold air to circulate and so you can see what's in back. Keep the frequently used items in front so you can grab them easily when you open the door. If you have kids who regularly hold the door open while looking for snacks, stock their favourites near eye level so there's no wasting energy. Always store uncooked meat and fish on the bottom shelf to prevent cross-contamination, and you won't waste food by throwing things out.

Cook the books

Preparing meals at home is almost always less expensive than restaurant or take-out meals, and your refrigerator is the main stockroom for your ingredients.

With a little bit of prep work, you can cook meals for a whole week all at once—a month even, if you cook for a smaller crowd, or cook larger portions. Soups, casseroles and large roasts are ideal for week-long meals in one cooking session. Get the whole family involved, and the time-and money-saving afternoon of cooking and storing meals can even be fun. Just be sure to let your fresh cooked spaghetti sauce cool almost to room temperature before you store it. Putting hot things into the fridge or freezer brings up the overall temperature, requiring it to work harder again to cool everything.

Whether you cook once a month or every day, quality storage containers make a big difference, so you don't end up wasting food. Anything you can vacuum seal will help food last longer. And labelling with meal names and dates will save time and energy every time you open the door.

When everyone else is looking for areas to cut costs, starting in your own kitchen can save both time and money.