Cranking out news for the geeks, music buffs and gossip junkies, my way. -Greg

Looks like Samsung was not kidding around when they said they would be updating the Galaxy S II to Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) early 2012. SAMMOBILE has just leaked 2 Official ROMs based on the much anticipated latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich. These are actually builds for the international Galaxy S II (I9100); of course this was expected as the international version was released far before it came to theUS. I’m pretty excited to see that Samsung is moving right along and will be really excited to see when the first build for the I777 (US version) is leaked. –Greg

SAMMOBILE

ROMs via SAMMOBILE

Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) is a service that provides safety alerts based on the geographical location of a mobile user. You know the “This is a test and only a test, should this be a real emergency…” that you get on your TV now and then. Well its basically the same idea, but for mobile devices. CMAS is not new and in fact was first introduced in the U.S. by Sprint back in November. Now AT&T is currently underway pushing this out to the new Samsung Galaxy S II™ (SGH-i777). According to AT&T this was to begin on December 16 with the release of new software. It’s not clear if this will be an update to Android or a carrier side update. The update will allow Presidential, Imminent threat, and Amber alerts directly to the mobile device. Here is some of the official info:

Beginning December 16, 2011 AT&T will release new software on Samsung Galaxy S II™ (SGH-i777) to support Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS).
CMAS is a new public safety system that allows customers who own an enabled mobile device to receive geographically-targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area. Consumers will receive only three types of alerts through CMAS:
Presidential Alerts (automatic alerts that cannot be disabled by the customer) Imminent Threat Alerts (FEMA type alerts – customers can opt out of receiving these messages) Amber Alerts (e.g., child abduction alerts – customers can opt out of receiving these messages)

I’m an owner of this exact phone and I myself haven’t received any type of update or notification about this specifically. We should hear more about this in coming days I’m sure. Presidential Alerts are not optional, hopefully this doesn’t include anything of less than National Security as I myself don’t want to hear about Obama’s new health plan via forced mobile messaging. If you have received this update or maybe know more about it I’d love to hear what you have to say. -Greg

**Update – Looks like a number of users have started receiving the update to Android version 2.3.6 on December 16th as note above. Some of these users had failed attempts, so maybe the update as been slowed or pulled temporarily. Either way looks like this is definitely underway.

The SGP Neo Hyrbrid has to be one of the best aftermarket purchases I have ever made for any cellular device. I know that is a pretty strong statement considering I have had numerous cell phones and endless accessories to accompany them. I have not been so excited about my previous cases as I like the fact the new phones are slim, sleek, and light. Most cases change all of that simply by adding one. Cases range from cheap silicone jellies to the massive and heavy Otter-box. I’ve had them all and to be perfectly honest, they suck. Enter the Neo Hybrid case from SGP. It’s lightweight, durable, and almost adds nothing to the phones mass in anyway.

SGP Neo Hybrid Case not only protects the Galaxy S2 efficiently, but also perserves the original design of the Galaxy S2. The Body part of the case is high polymer coated Premium silicone case, and the Frame part is UV coated Polycarbonate frame

• Slim and form fitted to show the perfect shape of your device.
• Easy access to all control and ports.
• Available in 8 Colors.
• Ultra Crystal screen Protector included (1PC)

I have it for my Galaxy S2 for AT&T and it’s almost unnoticeable to everyone who has touched my phone. It’s design is a hybrid similar to most, it has the soft silicone with a more solid frame around it. Again, what makes it better is the fact that it can do all this with out losing the original size, shape, and weight of the phone itself. It protects the phone from everyday scratches and drops with out sacrificing the sleek design of the phone. This thing still fits in my pocket and doesn’t feel like I’m carrying a military issue phone in a crate. If you’re looking to protect you phone from the average abuse and still want your the original design of your phone, then the Neo Hybrid is perfect for you. Yes, they make it for the iPhone. -Greg

Samsung’s newest bad boy the “Galaxy S” has recently been said to be hitting all 4 major carriers. According to an article by the Android Guys, Broadpoint.AmTech analyst Mark McKechnie says it will be heading to T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint by the end of June with Verizon slated as “sometime later this year”. BGR reports the following specs for the Galaxy S:

The Galaxy S sports the features that grace other cutting edge Android handsets including a gorgeous four inch AMOLED display with 800 x 480 resolution, 1GHz processor, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with support for 720p HD video recording at 30fps, front-facing VGA camera, Swype keyboard, HSDPA connectivity, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiFi, microSD expansion (16GB included, up to 32GB supported), and Android 2.1. To set it apart from its competition, the Galaxy S includes bundled software for the “Smart Life’ which adds an on-device Social networking hub, advanced location-based services, the Layar Reality Browser, and HD video playback.

 Nuff said? Yeah, there is no doubt this is one bad Android phone and seeing as it will be hitting AT&T about the same time that Dell’s two Android phones will, I might actually have a choice. Ok, not really I’m thinking this Galaxy is my now 1st choice over Sony’s Xperia X10. One of the options that BGR doesn’t mention in the above is the camera will have panoramic support, how is cool is that?! More about the Samsung Galaxy S and the full press release is over here.