samsung

WiMax patent alliance announced

Six technology heavyweights came together Monday to announce an alliance to jointly license patents for the broadband wireless technology WiMax.

The group, which calls itself the Open Patent Alliance, includes Intel, Cisco Systems, Samsung Electronics, Sprint Nextel, Clearwire, and Alcatel-Lucent. The intent of the group is to gather rights to WiMax patents and license them to makers of consumer electronics devices, networking equipment, and computers.

During a Webcast Monday, executives from each of the six companies emphasized the openness of the alliance that was being created. And the companies said they hoped other companies would join the group.

"As … Read more

The 404 116: Where two Wongs make a right

Since Jeff's still partying in New Orleans, we invite CNET Labs Technician Joseph Kaminski into the studio today to chat about the imminent 3G iPhone release, its arch-nemesis, the Samsung Omnia, and the Green Lantern's epic battle with the color yellow. We also watch a video of a wild office rampage in Russia and warn America about the perils of being "Wilson-ed." EPISODE 116 Download today's podcast

Samsung's answer to iPhone mania: Omnia

Samsung Electronics South Korea released on early Monday preview details on the company's new smartphone, before the mania of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference begins in California.

The Samsung Omnia (SGH-i900) is similar in looks and function to the Samsung Instinct (SPH-M800), but with a few more bells and whistles.

For starters, it sounds like it has a very promising camera. With five megapixels and anti-shake technology, this may be the first camera on a phone that produces pictures you would actual think of printing, not just posting to Facebook. This is an improvement over the 2-megapixel cameras on … Read more

Samsung Instinct review

The Samsung Instinct, Sprint's answer to the iPhone, finally has arrived. It's been two months since we first saw the slim touch-screen cell phone with a boatload of features, but now we've had the opportunity to kick its tires and run it through its paces. What we found is an innovative, powerful and easy-to-use device that matches the original iPhone in many ways. The Instinct's appealing design and plentiful features, particularly in the messaging and GPS areas, push it to the forefront of Sprint's lineup. Things got a little shaky on the performance side, but … Read more

Is your cell phone what you think it is?

Being a native New Yorker, I've seen a lot of knock-off products, such as designer clothes, bags, fragrances, watches, DVDs, and even sneakers. But I had no idea cell phones were a part of the list of bootleg products.

According to Phone Scoop and RCR Wireless News, federal authorities in New York have uncovered nearly 20,000 counterfeit phones, many of them posing as popular brand names from major handset manufacturers. The phones were seized in March 2008 from a company called Perfect Connection, located in Queens, N.Y. Among the counterfeit handsets were 5,503 Sony Ericsson, 5,… Read more

Hands-on with the new Samsung i900

Leaked images and specifications have led to much speculation about the new Samsung SGH-i900, a Windows Mobile 6.1 PDA-phone. We had one in our possession for a few brief moments and bring you this quick and dirty hands-on.

When we put it beside an iPhone (see more pictures of that after the jump), it was uncanny how similar its shape was to Apple's product. It's thicker than the iPhone but shorter in length. Typically Samsung, the i900 feels solidly built and has a brushed-metal finish all around. Find out more details here.

(Source: Crave Asia)

LCD TV enters its artsy phase

We're in the "fourth wave" of LCD technology, according to Samsung.

Moving from the first LCD notebook screens, to monitors, to high-definition televisions, the next iteration of the technology is ... Thomas Kinkade?

At a press event Tuesday evening in San Francisco, Samsung introduced a prototype hybrid LCD TV and art display it is calling the Digital Masterworks Art-TV. Though not a shipping product yet, the TV is set to be a 46-inch widescreen display with a fine art frame in place of a traditional bezel. The display will feature 1080p resolution, 3,000:1 contrast ratio, 500 … Read more

Samsung Instinct to require $70 service plan

Last week we told you that the highly-anticipated Samsung Instinct would goes on sale on Friday, June 20. Though the exact price of the Instinct is still unknown--Sprint is promising that it will cost less than $300--today the carrier announced that the slick touch-screen phone will require a $70 per month voice and data plan.

The "Simply Everything" plan will give customers unlimited data and messaging on the Internet-centric handset. Night and weekend minutes will be unlimited as well, but anytime calls will be capped at 450 minutes.

In comparison, the cheapest plan for the iPhone runs $… Read more

Samsung's Soul morphs into a candy bar

The Korean electronics giant has announced a candy-bar version of its Soul (or Spirit of Ultra) handset. Called the Soulb, this new mobile phone measures a slim 9.9 millimeters and "fully covered in an elegant metallic body which is softly brushed with a hairline pattern," according to the company.

Among its key features are a 3-megapixel camera with LED light, FM radio, 1GB onboard memory with microSD card slot, and a 2-inch QVGA display. The triband Soulb also comes with a multimedia player, document viewer/editor, Bluetooth, and HSDPA support.

Available in five colors (including Soul Grey, … Read more