smartphone

In this series, the Pocket Filmmaker shows you how to turn the smartphone in your pocket into a camera capable of shooting video projects that are worthy of sharing with family and friends, online, and even with the judges of short-film festivals.

In this episode, we look at the pitfalls faced by smartphone video-makers in recording pro-quality audio. We show you the best microphones to have on set with you, or attached to your phone, to make sure your films sound as good as they look.

Editors' note: Jason Van Genderen was the winner of several short film-making awards at … Read more

AT&T and Sprint Nextel said that the HTC One will hit stores on April 19 starting at $199.99 and a two-year contract.

Eager fans can pre-order the phone at AT&T on April 4, and on Sprint a day later.

After plenty of hype and a short delay, the flagship HTC One finally looks ready to come to at least one carrier. The 32-gigabyte version will cost $199.99, while the 64GB version, which is exclusive to AT&T, will sell for $299.99 and a two-year contract.

The phone will come in black and … Read more

Android has grabbed the lead over iOS in the battle for U.S. smartphone buyers, according to a report out yesterday from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

From mid-November through mid-February, Android increased its share of U.S. smartphone sales to 51.2 percent, up from 45 percent during the same three-month period in 2012. Over the same time, Apple's iOS dropped to second place as its share of U.S. sales fell to 43.5 percent from 47 percent.

Much of the surge in Android can be attributed to Apple arch-rival Samsung.

Prices drops on Samsung phones in the last … Read more

On what should be a quiet Good Friday, speculation is flying over an Android-themed event that Facebook has scheduled for next Thursday.

Of course, the most low-hanging rumor fruit is that the company will really-we-mean-it-this-time introduce the endlessly discussed "Facebook phone." This is one rumor mill that makes me ill so I'll defer to BGR's Zach Epstein to explain what I think the chances are of such a device. (Spoiler: there's not a chance)

Please, God, no Now I could be wrong. And if I am, I'll say so next week if the rumored HTC Myst … Read more

When someone can't take the hint and keeps calling or texting you, it might be time to disable their ability to do so. The Android contact app allows you to send callers directly to voice mail, which is fine in most cases; however, if you're still getting flooded with voice mails, or even texts, Current Caller ID can help.

The app's new blocking feature -- suggested by users to WhitePages -- will let you quickly send callers to voice mail without fumbling through the contacts app, or perform a pickup and hang up operation when they call. … Read more

Starting April 16, U.S. Cellular customers will be able to preorder Samsung's newest flagship, the Galaxy S4.

The handset is joining the ranks of other Samsung devices under the regional carrier's belt, which includes the previous GS3, the Note 2, the Galaxy Axiom, and the Galaxy Note 10.1.

Currently, users can register with U.S. Cellular to receive a special preorder offer online.

The handset itself officially debuted earlier this month at a New York press conference.

It will have a 13-megapixel camera, run Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, and feature a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon … Read more

Apple will unveil its next iPhone on June 20 and kick off sales in July. At least, that's the claim from Japanese Mac enthusiast site MacFan.

Marking its 20th anniversary as a Mac-oriented Web site, MacFan suggests that the next-generation iPhone will take the stage at a Apple event on Thursday, June 20. The new iPhone will then go on sale a few weeks later in early July, as reported by Electronista.

The report further claims that Apple will launch the much-rumored low-cost iPhone in August and target it as a pre-paid device for developing markets such as China … Read more

Japan-based NEC is considering selling its ailing mobile phone unit, a new report claims.

NEC is looking to sell off its mobile phone unit to Lenovo, Reuters is reporting today, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the discussions. The company is also talking with other Japan-based companies about selling off its mobile phone operation.

Lenovo has been reported to be involved in a slew of talks lately surrounding a mobile phone acquisition. Most recently, Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing said that his company was open to buying BlackBerry, lending further credence to claims that the PC maker has plans … Read more

Remember the ChargeCard? It debuted at this year's CES and made my list of the three things I saw at CES I'd actually buy.

As I noted then, it's a mostly rubber card that's thin enough to fit in your wallet, but able to charge and sync your smartphone, e-reader, digital camera, Bluetooth headset, and the like.

The ChargeCard comes in three versions: iPhone 4/4S (meaning Apple 30-pin connector), iPhone 5 (Apple Lightning connector), and Micro-USB. All three have the same rubber arm that folds out to plug into a USB port, but a different … Read more