Android and Me » samsung behold ii

T-Mobile Samsung Behold II finally receives Android 1.6

Taylor Wimberly — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:09:40 +0000

Samsung Behold II owners might be upset their phone will likely not receive Android 2.x, but at least they can take joy in the new Android 1.6 update from T-Mobile. The carrier began rolling out the latest update over-the-air last night and it is expected to continue through June 25th. New additions for Behold II users include Google Maps Navigation, Google Voice Search, Swype, and other fixes.

T-Mobile recently pledged “No phones left behind“, but this could be the last major firmware update to the Behold II. Samsung Mobile claims the Behold II is not upgradeable beyond Android 1.6, even though other T-Mobile phones with similar hardware specifications will receive Android 2.x.

We are still waiting on more details, but it sounds like the Behold II did not sell that well and T-Mobile is unwilling to invest additional resources towards upgrading all the hardware drivers to be compatible with the Android 2.x kernel.

The Android 1.6 update for the Behold II features:

Access to Google Maps Navigation
Google Voice Search capability
Quick search box for Android
Swype keyboard
Media player improvements
Updated core Android applications
Improved Bluetooth capabilities
Additional usability updates/fixes

Samsung Behold II rumored to get Android 1.6 on June 28th

Nick Gray — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:26:13 +0000

Android updates for T-Mobile’s Samsung Behold II have been a bit of a touchy topic for a while. We’re sure you guys are caught up on all the drama, so we’ll just cut to the point. Rumors are flying around that the Samsung Behold II will be getting an Android 1.6 downgrade update, starting on June 28^th.

A jump to Android 1.6 does not sound too exciting when many current Android users have just been upgraded to 2.1 and are looking to possible Android 2.2 updates in the near future. But Android 1.6 is still a great improvement over the current Android 1.5 build on the Behold II. Users will be able to enjoy the updated Android Market, Google Maps Navigation, Quick Search, improved camera, camcorder, gallery, and the integration of text-to-speech.

Samsung Behold II owners looking for Android 2.1 should consider the Galaxy S or T-Mobile’s myTouch Slide (rumored to be getting android 2.2 soon), but everyone else will most likely enjoy the new features that Android 1.6 has to offer.

Cue the donut.

Samsung Mobile not deaf, responds to Behold II owners

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 28 May 2010 05:06:36 +0000

Bad news. Good news. The T-Mobile Behold II will not receive Android 2.1, but it will receive a badly needed update to Android 1.6.

In what appears to be a minor victory for upset Behold II owners, Samsung Mobile posted an official response to the wave of negative posts that hit the blogosphere this week. Samsung and T-Mobile are working to update the Behold II to Android 1.6 (which adds important features like Google Maps Navigation and Google Voice search). Customers will also get a couple of T-Mobile exclusives like the Swype virtual keyboard.

After the 1.6 update, that is the end of the road for the Behold II. Samsung claims the phone “is not upgradeable beyond Android 1.6″.

No reason was given, but we are pretty sure the phone is technically able to run Android 2.1. Our guess is that this comes down to money and someone doesn’t want to shell out the cash to have Samsung engineers spend their time upgrading all the hardware drivers so they work with the newer Linux kernel found in Android 2.1.

For those who are wondering, we are still waiting to hear from T-Mobile on the fate of the G1 and original myTouch 3G. Both phones could also technically run Android 2.1, but T-Mobile has not offered an official death sentence to either phone.

“Samsung Mobile and T-Mobile USA are planning to update the Behold II to Android 1.6 which provides access to Google Maps Navigation, Google Voice Search capability and quick search box for Android. The update will also supply additional benefits including Swype, an improved Media Player, updated core Android applications and improved Bluetooth capabilities. However, the Behold II is not upgradeable beyond Android 1.6.”Samsung Mobile

If you are a Behold II customer, please let us know what you think. Does this news make you happy or sad?

Update: Actually, I think we should blame this entire fiasco on Behold II Man. It was his responsibility to make the phone look cool and sell tons, but his super powers have failed us.

Samsung Behold II owners consider legal action over lack of Android 2.x upgrade

Taylor Wimberly — Thu, 27 May 2010 20:44:12 +0000

T-Mobile launched the Samsung Behold II with Android 1.5, but led customers to believe the phone would eventually be upgraded to Android 2.0 in 2010. This claim came from a promotional YouTube video which has since been pulled.

Now it looks like Samsung might have reversed course as customers are reporting they were told the Behold II “will never qualify for the Android 2X update”. This information supposedly came from Samsung technical support, but T-Mobile has the final say about firmware upgrades for their phones.

We reached out to T-Mobile to see if they had any new information regarding Android upgrades and they responded the new myTouch 3G Slide includes Android 2.1 and they would let us know when they have more details to share about existing phones.

Behold II owners are understandably upset and some are considering legal action if something is not done. Customers are also demanding an upgrade on the official T-Mobile forums and have started an online petition.

If you are a Behold II owner, I would suggest patiently waiting a little longer and see what action T-Mobile takes. There is no need taking your anger out on Samsung Mobile because they will only develop and release an upgrade when T-Mobile makes the request. For all we know, this could have been done months ago and T-Mobile could be waiting till after the Slide launches (June 2nd) before upgrading older Android phones.

At the same time, this doesn’t bode well for Samsung’s reputation. It might be the carriers responsibility to upgrade their phones, but other Samsung Android phones (like the original Galaxy) are also stuck on Android 1.5.

We can’t say for sure who produced the promotion video, but it clearly features the Samsung Mobile logo at the beginning and fits the wacky style of other campaigns for the Behold II. Just the fact that the video got pulled gives the appearance that someone was trying to scrub this evidence offline. A copy of the original video is included below for your viewing pleasure.

“The SGH-T939 will never qualify for the Android 2X update. Your continued interest in Samsung products is appreciated.”Samsung Technical Support

Adventures in advertising: Samsung Behold II man

Taylor Wimberly — Sat, 08 May 2010 23:52:22 +0000

We have seen a lot of Android commercials over the last year, but this one leaves me speechless. Samsung Mobile paid someone to create a series of Behold II Man videos and you can find the results after the jump. Only 115 people have actually viewed the video since it went up last month, so we thought we would share it with our readers. Money well spent? You decide.

Maybe Samsung should focus some more resources on that Android 2.x upgrade they promised Behold II owners.

Meet the Samsung Behold II Man (VIDEO)

Taylor Wimberly — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:34:33 +0000

After ignoring the phone at launch, Samsung Mobile has suddenly decided to start pushing its Behold 2 Android phone for T-Mobile (before the Galaxy S eats its sales). We noticed some TV ads last month and the marketing campaign has grown since then.

If you visit a lot of Android related sites you might have noticed all the Behold 2 banner ads. Samsung has also launched their own mini web comic called Adventures of Behold 2 Man.

What do you think of the new campaign?

The Samsung Behold II is supposed to eventually support Android 2.x, but we are still waiting to get the exact details on that upgrade. T-Mobile has lowered the price down to $309 off contract or $149 with 2 year agreement.

Samsung decides to advertise Behold II months after release

Taylor Wimberly — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:51:16 +0000

Samsung Mobile launched the Behold II on T-Mobile last year and we heard the sales were “disappointing”. This Android phone features a custom UI called TouchWiz that failed to impress reviewers. As Gizmodo put it, “Samsung’s Behold II is the most impressively ugly Android phone in existence. The custom interface is so bad, so gaudy and so confusing it turned my brains into ooze.”

So what do you do when your phone flops? Do you assign more resources to upgrade the outdated firmware (Android 1.5) and fix all the bugs people are complaining about? Nope, you launch a new ad campaign that features comic book characters.

Out of touch? You decide.

T-Mobile pushes out minor updates to Behold II and CLIQ

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:10:13 +0000

Consider this a tease. T-Mobile began a phased roll-out for two of their Android phones this week, but they are both still stuck with Android 1.5. The carrier plans to eventually have Android 2.1 updates, but those will not be ready till Q2 2010. In the mean time, customers can enjoy improved battery live, new boot screen animations, and Where’s Waldo.

Samsung Behold II

TmoNews is reporting the Behold II update should start rolling out between February 18th and February 25th. Customers who purchase the phone after February 26th should receive the update later, as it will be pushed weekly to new buyers.

Known issues solved:

Bluetooth error: Unable to Pair or Unable to connect device
Battery indicator may display more charge than the phone has
Holding menu opens keypad, but does not respond, now goes to contacts
Phone constantly vibrates
Memory card un-mounts and re-mounts intermittently
Music plays automatically when accessing the music player
Incoming emails do not show the return email address
Corporate emails stop syncing
Fix MMS, Messaging, and E-Mail issues

New additions:

Improved touch screen and dialer functions
Evernote application added
Where’s Waldo game added
Midnight Bowl 2 game added
Music Player auto-play upon launch corrected
“About” phone menu added to Settings, Quick List>Settings>About Phone
Boot screen animation change (now Samsung logo)
Delay reduction for proximity sensor while on a call
Battery icon status in notification bar now matches screen lock battery status

Motorola CLIQ

The CLIQ update will also begin rolling out today, February 18th. TmoNews obtained some leaked documents which have the release notes of the update.

Enhancements include:

Improved battery life
New Manage SIM card application
Support of .WMA and .WAV media files
Removal of the imeem mobile application (replaced by Slacker Radio)
Improved software performance and stability
- Improved widget response
- Decreased ‘force close’ error messages
- Other various fixes

If you receive one of these updates, be sure to let us know how it performs.

Thanks to everyone who sent these in. We know how important updates are to you.

Samsung Behold II to Verizon Wireless?

Taylor Wimberly — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:23:09 +0000

Here is a weird one that we can’t quite explain. One of our readers pointed us to the Behold II product page on the official Samsung site. The Behold II is currently offered on T-Mobile and it was Samsung’s first Android phone to feature TouchWiz with 3D Cube Navigation. As you can see pictured below, the Verizon Vcast logo is clearly displayed in the 3D Cube Navigation area.

I have heard no rumors of Verizon getting an Android phone from Samsung so this is definitely an interesting find. Many of the early reviews absolutely slammed the TouchWiz UI. Can you imagine how it would be after Verizon stuffed in all their Vcast applications? Our readers worried Verizon might cripple their Android phones, but their first two releases (Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Eris) both shipped without any Vcast software.

Would anyone like to see the Behold II on Verizon?

Can you say VCast?

[Thank you Marcus for the tip]

T-Mobile Samsung Behold II review roundup

Taylor Wimberly — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:46:28 +0000

One of these days a carrier will actually send us a review unit. Until then, we will continue to post our review roundups to see what other sites are saying.

The Samsung Behold II is Samsung’s second Android phone released in the United States (first was Sprint Moment). The phone is now available on T-Mobile for $229.99 with a 2yr contract or $449 with no contract.

There was initially a lot of confusion over the official hardware specs, but we were able to clear that up. The Behold II is essentially a first generation Android phone because it features the same 528 MHz ARM11 processor which was included in the G1. Samsung also decided to ship the phone with the outdated Android 1.5, but they claim it will eventually support Android 2.0.

I have seen little promotion for this phone and I think I understand why. While many reviewers praised the AMOLED display and camera, they did not have much else positive to say about the Behold II. Samsung created a custom version of Android, called TouchWiz, and it appears to be an epic fail.

Keep in mind most of these reviews come from hardcore geeks like me. Some of them are pretty rough on the phone, but that is because they are comparing it to previous Android phones. It is entirely possible you might purchase this phone and love it.

I’m eagerly waiting for T-Mobile to release a second generation phone, but I’m quite happy with my Cyanogen-powered HTC Magic (myTouch 3G) till then.

Reviews are up at:

Gizmodo: “Samsung’s Behold II is the most impressively ugly Android phone in existence. The custom interface is so bad, so gaudy and so confusing it turned my brains into ooze.”
Unwired View: “It’s natural for Samsung to have vested interest in using TouchWiz to see how it works out. Sadly, that was probably not a good choice, considering it was more sluggish and a processor-hog.”
PC World: “Though the Behold II has a gorgeous AMOLED display and a superior camera, customers might be turned off by the high price (it is more expensive than the iPhone 3GS and the Motorola Droid) as well as the somewhat cluttered TouchWiz interface.”
Mobile Burn: “The Samsung Behold II had the makings of a great Android smartphone, but turned out to be the merely decent one instead. Samsung’s bull-headed support for its awkward and counter-intuitive TouchWiz homescreen system spoils the fun.”
InfoSync: “Samsung’s TouchWIZ interface hurts Android experience”
CNET: “Of all the Android devices, the Samsung Behold II offers some of the most powerful multimedia features, but its high price tag is a major turn off.”
Brighthand: “If you are looking at an Android device on T-Mobile and aren’t as into the myTouch 3G, or the clunkiness of the G1, the Behold II is a nice option.”