The Samsung Stratosphere 2 will begin to receive Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) as early as today, March 27, according to Verizon. Since 2.5 people (.5 being someone’s cat) own this phone, I can’t imagine this rollout will take long, so keep your phones handy! But for those who do own it, get ready for Google Meow, better Voice Search, enhanced notifications, Verizon’s remote diagnostics tool, less bloatware, and better connectivity over WiFi.

The update is 506.6MB in size (damn!). The build number is VRBMA3. 

Is the Samsung Stratosphere 3 already in testing? A new benchmark that appeared over at GLBenchmark hints at a device that certainly fits into the model number scheme that Verizon and Samsung have used for their Stratosphere series. 

On Sunday, RadioShack is kicking off a pretty big BOGO (buy one get one) deal for a number of phones. For example, if you buy a Verizon Galaxy S3, they’ll toss in a Samsung Stratosphere 2 for free. Or if you buy an original DROID RAZR, they’ll give you another DROID RAZR at no charge.

Here is the full list:

• Verizon: Buy a Verizon Samsung Galaxy SIII and get a Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II 4G LTE for free
• Verizon: Buy a Verizon Motorola DROID RAZR 4G LTE and get a second DROID RAZR 4G LTE for free
• AT&T: Buy one AT&T Samsung Galaxy SIII and get a Samsung Galaxy SII Skyrocket for free
• Sprint: Buy a Sprint Samsung Galaxy SIII and get a Samsung Galaxy SII for free

Also, when you purchase a Galaxy S3 (Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint), they’ll hand you a $50 Google Play gift card. And every time you spend $50 in store at a RadioShack, they’ll give you $10 back.

Plenty of deals to be had.

Today, Samsung and Verizon have officially unveiled the Stratosphere II. The device will become available in following weeks, featuring some pretty decent specs for a mid-range smartphone. For $129 on a new two year agreement, the device sports a 4.0″ AMOLED display, full QWERTY keyboard for the texting addicts, Ice Cream Sandwich, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and access to Verizon’s 4G LTE network.

On top of those goodies, the device is “Global Ready” and supported in over 200 countries across the globe. For the travelers, that’s a major plus.

Thoughts on the mid-range QWERTY device?

Via: Verizon

Mmmhmm, look at that beautiful keyboard. A dying breed lives on the Samsung Stratosphere 2, a device that we hope will be announced any day by Verizon. As you can see from these pictures, dummy units for the phone are arriving in stores (mostly 3rd party retailers), which is usually a good indicator that it’ll be available for purchase soon. We have already seen holiday promos for the device in stores, so I can’t imagine we’ll be waiting much longer.

We are expecting the device to sport a 4″ Super AMOLED display (could be Plus), a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB RAM, and run on Verizon’s 4G LTE network. It’s mid-range, that’s for sure. The on-contract price could start around $99, but deals will likely make it much cheaper than that. 

According to this ad out of BJ’s, a wholesale club, Verizon plans to sell the yet-to-be-announced Samsung Stratosphere 2 through Black Friday with a $50 discount. What’s interesting, is that the ad actually says that the $50 discount is good from November 1 through November 22, but we all know that you still can’t buy the phone even today, which is November 6. We’re sure that an announcement from VZW is coming, we’re just not sure what they are waiting for. The Stratosphere 2 is a mid-range device with a slideout keyboard – it’s not like it’s the HTC DROID DNA or something.

Cheers ___!

In a little over two weeks, Black Friday will be upon us. Over the last couple of years, we have seen this day become flooded with deals on the latest and greatest in Android products, something that likely won’t change this year. In fact, RadioShack’s ad has already been posted for the world to see, and as expected, includes a number of Android smartphones at rock bottom prices. 

The Samsung Stratosphere 2 and its physical keyboard may still be on the way. A fresh press render showed up today, even though it has been 2 months since we last saw the device enter Verizon’s Equipment Guide. This could be a sign that the phone will be announced at any moment, or it could be a leftover image that has finally surfaced.

We know the Stratosphere 2 will have a 4″ Super AMOLED display, physical slideout keyboard, 4G LTE, and a much faster processor than its predecessor. We’re under the assumption that the device runs a Snapdragon S4 dual-core, just like the Galaxy S3. Other than that, this device will sport Samsung’s TouchWiz, probably over the top of Ice Cream Sandwich, and launch at a reasonable mid-range phone price.

For keyboard lovers, this may one of your last options for a phone with a physical keyboard. Well, Motorola still seems willing to make them, but that could change now with their new executive team.

Via:  @evleaks