galaxy

The Galaxy S4 gets more screen time

Last week at this time, the Galaxy S4 had just made its debut at Samsung's wacky unveiling in New York. We've explored the new flagship smartphone in almost every detail, but our friends Luke Westaway and Andrew Hoyle at CNET UK channeled their creative sides with these awesome videos that take a closer look at the Galaxy S4 while building on the First look video of our own Jessica Dolcourt.

The first clip focuses on the Galaxy S4's unique software (one area where the handset promises to stand out), the second compares the Galaxy 4 to its … Read more

Samsung poised to double lead over phone rivals, IHS says

Thought Samsung's smartphone market share was high before? Just wait until the Galaxy S4 is released, IHS said today.

The technology research firm expects Samsung to more than double its percentage point lead over rivals from 2012 to 2013. Samsung held 29 percent of the cell phone market in 2012, while Nokia ranked No. 2 with 24 percent. IHS didn't specify what percent of the market Samsung should control this year but said its lead over its nearest rival should rise to 11 percent (from the 5 percentage point lead in 2012).

That's a pretty bullish estimate … Read more

Microsoft ad touts Nokia Lumia over Samsung Galaxy S3

Would your average Galaxy S3 owner trade in their phone for a Nokia Lumia 920? That's Microsoft's angle for its latest promotional spot.

The new Windows Phone Challenge ad finds Ben Rudolph, Microsoft's director for Windows Phone Experiential Marketing, aka Ben the PC Guy, trying to convince "Brittany" that the Lumia 920 can take a better photo than can her Galaxy S3. If she prefers her phone, she gets $100.

Naturally, the photo snapped by the Lumia shows a bright, clear, crisp image, while the one taken by the S3 is dark and blurry. And … Read more

At $236, Galaxy S4 costlier to produce than S3, says report

The Samsung Galaxy S4's production costs are 15 percent higher than those of its predecessor, thanks to an upgraded display, sensors, processor, and memory, according to an IHS iSuppli teardown.

The latest model of Samsung's flagship phone costs $236 to produce, according to information analyzed by IHS. The firm said its estimates could change with a physical teardown, but for now the improvements equal a heftier cost. The HSPA+ version of the S4 has 16 gigabytes of NAND flash memory and costs $244 in materials plus $8.50 to manufacture. The LTE version is a bit cheaper at $… Read more

Verizon's Samsung Galaxy Nexus gets Android 4.2.2

Verizon announced today that it's making the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean software update available for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

Verizon says it'll push the update in "phases," which means that you may need to exercise a bit of patience if your phone doesn't receive the update in the first round.

At long last, Verizon's "pure Google" Samsung Galaxy Nexus has finally caught up with its Sprint counterpart in running the latest version of Android. Launched as the first Android device to run version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Galaxy … Read more

Samsung, LG may battle over eye-tracking technology

Samsung and LG Electronics could find themselves in another patent squabble, this time over eye-tracking technology.

Samsung's Galaxy S4 and LG's Optimus G Pro both will offer an eye-recognition feature that automatically reacts to the movement of the user's eyes.

The Galaxy S4 already comes built with Smart Scroll, which lets people scroll through the screen and trigger certain actions by moving their eyes up and down. The phone also includes Smart Pause, which pauses a video when a person looks away from the screen.

LG will add a Smart Video eye-recognition feature to its Optimus G … Read more

RadioShack slashes prices on Galaxy S3, iPhone 5 and 4S

With Samsung's Galaxy S4 unveiled last week and rumors of an iPhone 5S on the way, RadioShack is letting loose some of its inventory at a discounted price.

The consumer electronics store is offering deals on the Samsung Galaxy S3, iPhone 5, and iPhone 4S to Sprint customers starting today. A RadioShack spokesperson told CNET that this sale will last between now and April 4.

Of the three devices, the best deal seems to be for the Galaxy S3. With a new two-year contract, customers can save $150 on the device. Typically the mobile phone costs $199.99 at … Read more

Android 5.0 coming to Samsung Galaxy phones, reports say

The Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 2 are on a short list of devices rumored to see an Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie update, according to SamMobile.

A select few members of the Samsung Galaxy smartphones are expected to see an update to the next version of Android, presumed to be OS version 5.0, known as Key Lime Pie.

A "prelist" of updates apparently obtained by the mobile blog suggests that the soon-to-be-released Samsung Galaxy S4 will be joined by four other models to receive the forthcoming Android 5.0 OS, including various versions of … Read more

iPhone 5S will bring back 'one more thing,' analyst says

Not wowed by the HTC One or Samsung Galaxy S4? One analyst says never fear -- Apple is preparing a killer feature for the iPhone 5S that will crush the notion that smartphones are becoming a commodity product like so many soybeans traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (or smartypants similes on gadget blogs).

If you've been paying attention to the almost monthly march of big-time smartphone releases for the past year and a half, you may have noticed a pattern. Each new iPhone, Android flagship, and even the Lumia and BlackBerry, is faster, more powerful, and prettier than the last with a few gimmicky features that raise eyebrows for a few weeks, but no game-changing innovation.… Read more