Samsung

Last Spring, Samsung Germany announced the camera that was ostensibly supposed to be the cheap little brother to the company's NX10 ILC (interchangeable-lens camera). That model never seemed to materialize--I can't find it for sale anywhere online--an unfortunately not-uncommon occurrence for Samsung. Let's hope the company delivers on its U.S.-bound little brother, the NX100. Though only a bit less expensive than the NX10, the NX100 has a different body design and introduces a new lens-based interface for some features.

The NX100's shape has more in common with its competitor, the Olympus E-PL1, than it does with the NX10; It's more rectangular, but still curvy. It's very attractive, and comfortable to hold, and comes in a deep brown as well as the traditional black. Samsung also plans a white model, but we're unlikely to see that here. Most of its innards will be the same as the NX10, with the same specs. The new kit lens introduces the novel i-Function and Lens Priority capabilities. i-Function allows you to use one of the lens rings to adjust shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation, white balance, and ISO sensitivity, while Lens Priority works in conjunction with the body to choose among scene presets based on the lens' characteristics.

However, Samsung seems to cut costs by jettisoning the EVF and flash, and the kit lens has a 20-50mm focal length, which is a smaller range than most; plus, it lacks image stabilization. I would've thought that those three hardware features would add up to more than the $100 price difference between the two models.

Here's a summary of how the NX100 compares to the NX10 and similarly priced competitors:… Read more

Is Samsung planning an event in New York City to introduce its touch-screen tablet next week?

That's what The Wall Street Journal is reporting. On Friday, the Journal cited two anonymous sources who claim that the Galaxy Tab will debut in the U.S. market at an event in NYC's Time Warner Center on September 16.

The Galaxy Tab made its worldwide debut at gadget fest IFA Berlin last week, but is not yet for sale. It's a 7-inch touch-screen tablet featuring Android 2.2, or Froyo, Flash 10.1, 16GB or 32GB of memory, GPS, a … Read more

Judging by your comments on our Bing-Verizon article, most of you are not too keen on the fact that Bing will be the default search engine on some Verizon's Android smartphones, but here's some news that might warm the cockles of your heart.

According to Phone Scoop, Samsung Fascinate users will be able to download the Google Search application once Verizon releases the Android 2.2 update for the Fascinate. Be aware, though, that Bing will remain the default search engine, so when you press the dedicated search button, the phone will still use Bing. Still this is … Read more

A new Samsung handset that runs Windows Phone 7, the GT-i8700, has been leaked.

Gizmodo was sent photos of the GT-i8700 that clearly show it will run Windows Phone 7, offer around 8GB of storage, and pack a camera with an LED flash. It's a touch-screen device with sharp edges and a shiny finish on its front. Last month, Pocketnow posted pictures of a Windows Phone 7 device that could well be the same phone.

We may see the GT-i8700 soon after October 11, which is rumored to be the launch date for Microsoft's latest mobile operating system. … Read more

Android continues to surge, Bing replaces Google search on some Verizon phones, and using your phone to jailbreak your PS3. Plus we cover the CNET News app and dig into the world of Widgets and shortcuts. This week's special guest: Senior Associate Editor, Nicole Lee!

The world tour continues for Samsung's Galaxy S line of handsets with news that China is set to see three variations of the device. Starting later this month with China Telecom, the country's largest carriers will have a model built specifically with their 3G varying standards in mind.

Announced earlier today at the China World Exhibition, each device will come with the familiar 4-inch Super AMOLED display and 1GHz processor found in similar models. However, China Unicom's GT-19088 will have WCDMA support, whereas China Telecom's SCH-I909 will offer support for both CDMA and GSM networks. China … Read more