galaxy s3

Galaxy S4 Group Play makes sharing easier (hands-on)

Sharing is a big part of Samsung's products (just think of all those ads in recent months, like the one with a woman giving her husband a secret video). Now the Korean electronics giant is taking that a step further with the Galaxy S4's improved Group Play.

Galaxy S3 users will recognize this as the feature that lets them share documents and photos with others in close range. I recently got some hands-on time with Group Play on the S4 and found some nice updates to the program. In particular, future S4 owners can share music and games … Read more

Sprint garners new Amethyst Purple Galaxy S3

Don't want to wait for the Samsung Galaxy S4 to hit stores? Then perhaps you'll be tempted by a new purple-hued version of Samsung's hit handset from last year, the Galaxy S3. Sprint announced it will sell a special Amethyst Purple GS3, as well as the older Pebble Blue and Marble White models, for $99.99.

Of course that discount applies only to customers who bring their service and phone number from other carriers, or existing subscribers who add another line. That lops $99.99 off the Galaxy S3's unsubsidized $549.99 price. You also have … Read more

Samsung takes smartphone battle to the storefront

DALLAS -- Samsung has opened a new front in its battle for smartphone supremacy: the storefront.

The Korean electronics giant plans to set up mini Samsung stores inside all U.S. Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile venues within the next couple of months -- just in time for the Galaxy S4 launch. The "Samsung Experience Shops," which start rolling out Monday, will be in 500 big-box Best Buy stores and all 410 Best Buy Mobile locations by early May. Best Buy's remaining 550 large-format Best Buy stores will feature the shops by early June.

A larger … Read more

Samsung Galaxy S3 price drops precede Galaxy S4 launch

Just as expected, carriers have begun to slash prices on Samsung's Galaxy S3 handset in anticipation of stocking the bigger, fancier Samsung Galaxy S4 successor.

AT&T announced this morning that beginning today, its Galaxy S3 will sell for $99.99 with a two-year contract, an instant $100 reduction. Expect other carriers to follow suit.

Galaxy S4 preorders begin on April 16 for AT&T. The $250 in-contract Galaxy S4 cost makes the Galaxy S3 look like a bargain, a tactic that will help the carrier clear old stock to make room on the shelves for the … Read more

T-Mobile kills off the wireless contract

T-Mobile continues to rev up the changes it's got in store for customers.

The wireless carrier today seems to have finally done away entirely with contracts for wireless customers. This follows earlier moves that had allowed options including either a traditional two-year contract or no contract at all.

The shift is part of a broader transformation that CEO John Legere hinted at during his Consumer Electronics Show press conference in January, changes that are intended to make the carrier more competitive in the industry. As a distant fourth-place carrier among the national players, the company has been willing to … 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

Why you should still consider the Galaxy S3 over the Galaxy S4

The new Samsung Galaxy S4 has launched, but savvy wireless customers looking for a bargain may still want to consider last year's Galaxy S3.

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I help a reader decide if the newly upgraded flagship Samsung smartphone is worth the hype. There's no question the device is a marked improvement over its predecessor the Samsung Galaxy S3. But the upgraded specs and added bells and whistles might not mean as much to the average consumer, who will likely be just as happy with last year's model, which costs less money.

I also … Read more

Many Galaxy S4 software features will come to S3

If you just bought a Samsung Galaxy S3 and envy some of the new Galaxy S4 features, you may be in luck.

Drew Blackard, director of product planning for Samsung's mobile business in the U.S., told CNET that many software features will make their way to other Samsung devices such as the Galaxy S3 and Note 2.

"Our hope is to bring anything that's not dependent on hardware to other devices," he said.

Blackard didn't have any details about timing for that but suggested it will be sooner rather than later. For prior releases, … Read more

Comparing the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy S3

No matter whether you're deciding if you should wait and get the Samsung Galaxy S4 next week, making sure you don't have buyer's remorse from just having purchased your Galaxy S3, or perhaps just plain curious, CNET makes it easy to compare the two sibling handsets with this chart.

Physically, the GS4 didn't get any bigger. In fact, it even sports a thinner build and weighs a hair lighter. But with a slimmer bezel, its 5-inch full HD Super AMOLED touch screen had room to expand, and the display now sports a higher pixel density.

Also new is its quad- or octo-core processor. Similar to the situation when the GS3 debuted, which CPU is available will depend on where you live. The U.S. will receive the 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600.… Read more