samsung

A measure of Apple's success: Oppenheimer cites Japan

Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer took a minute during Tuesday's earnings conference call to cite Apple's success in Japan -- an important metric in a country where national brands were once invincible.

"In Japan, IDC Japan announced that iPhone gained the number one position for all of calendar year 2012, as well as for calendar Q4 2012 in both handsets and smartphones," Oppenheimer said.

He continued. "This is also the first time a non-Japanese company has achieved the No. 1 spot for an entire year...In addition, Apple was ranked No. 1 in Nikkei'… Read more

RadioShack sells Samsung Galaxy S4 on April 27

RadioShack confirmed on Tuesday that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available at more than 4,700 retail locations starting Saturday, April 27.

Specifically, RadioShack will offer the Sprint and AT&T versions of the flagship Android smartphone.

Pricing for the pair will cost the same as going through their respective carriers; however, phones purchased through RadioShack also include free lifetime tech support.

To sweeten the pot just a little more, RadioShack will toss in a coupon good for $10 off a future accessories purchase of $30 or more.

RadioShack's Trade & Save program will give you cash … Read more

Why your next Android tablet will be more powerful

Your Android tablet sucks. At least compared with what's coming. Later this year we'll see the release of three new Systems on Chip (SoC). SoC is simply the name used for the collection of silicon that makes up the brains of the tablet and includes the CPU, GPU (graphics processing unit), onboard memory, and other processors.

The new chips will no doubt be used to power many high-end Android tablets and are expected to deliver better-looking games, faster Web surfing, increased battery life, and in at least one case, could allow you to take better-looking photos.

Of course, … Read more

AT&T confirms April 25 release for Galaxy S4 pre-orders

AT&T subscribers who pre-ordered the Samsung Galaxy S4 could have the hotly-anticipated smartphone in hand by Thursday.

When AT&T began taking orders for the Galaxy S4 last week, it promised delivery of Samsung's new flagship smartphone by the end of the month. Now, the mobile provider is rushing to get to the finish line ahead of its rival carriers.

A spokesperson for AT&T confirmed to CNET Monday that all customers who pre-ordered their 16 GB Galaxy S4 before 9 a.m. ET Monday could receive the smartphone as soon as April 25.

And, … Read more

Where and when to buy the Samsung Galaxy S4

The release of Samsung's next super smartphone, the Galaxy S4, is just days away. Sporting an improved design over the Galaxy S3 and packed with a ton of high-end features and specialized software, the Galaxy S4 already is an Android powerhouse. And even better, it will land at all major U.S. carriers plus a few smaller, regional providers.

Note, however, that the carriers aren't following the same release schedule. T-Mobile, for example, will begin selling the phone this week, but U.S. Cellular customers will have to wait until next month. Meanwhile, C Spire and Cricket have … Read more

Apple, Samsung, others raise $32M after China earthquake

Apple, Samsung, and other tech firms have raised more than $32 million to aid China as it tries to recover from Saturday's devastating earthquake.

The quake, which occurred Saturday morning local time in China's Sichuan province, has so far left 200 people dead or missing, 11,800 people injured, and more than 100,000 homeless.

Among technology companies sending money to aid in relief efforts, Samsung China has pledged around $9.7 million. China Samsung President Zhang Yuanji took to the company's official Sina Weibo page to express his condolences saying that "China Samsung always with … Read more

Will Samsung's next phone be metal like the iPhone?

There's something about the plastic nature of Samsung's phones that make them slightly less attractive.

To me, that is.

I know that there are millions to whom it doesn't make a difference. There are even many, no doubt, who believe -- in some idiosyncratic way -- that plastic says now, rather than, oh, six months ago.

Some of these people are 13 years old.

However, not all of these people work for Samsung. Indeed, the SamMobile blog last week revealed that it had heard whispers from South Korea that some at Samsung believe plastic isn't quite … Read more

Verizon's Galaxy S4 sign-up page is finally live

Verizon's Samsung Galaxy S4 page is finally live, giving America's largest wireless carrier a way for folks to get in line for what's been the most anticipated new phone of this year so far.

Earlier in the week, Verizon Wireless tweeted that the GS4 would be hitting its 4G LTE network in May and promised that more details would soon be forthcoming.… Read more

Samsung Galaxy S4 lands at Verizon in May

Verizon subscribers awaiting Samsung's Galaxy S4 will be able to pick one up next month.

The carrier tweeted late yesterday that the S4 will arrive in May, and it promised to reveal more details soon via the Samsung Mobile US Twitter account.

Verizon is the last major U.S. carrier to chime in with a time frame for the Galaxy S4.

Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile recently confirmed that the phone will hit stores later this month. Meanwhile, AT&T and U.S. Cellular kicked off preorders for the S4 this past Tuesday.

Verizon hasn't yet revealed its … Read more

Samsung Galaxy S4 camera software hands-on (video)

Samsung showed off its swanky new superphone, its Samsung Galaxy S4, at a London launch event, so I took the opportunity to take a deeper look at some of the new camera features. I was only able to get a brief hands-on and wasn't able to perform the usual tests I'd do for a camera, but I had enough time to form a reasonable impression.

In terms of hardware, the sensor has been given a boost, jumping from the 8 megapixels you'll get on the old Galaxy S3, up to 13 megapixels. It's the software that'… Read more