BlackBerry isn't giving up just yet, unveils 5-inch Z30 smartphone

BlackBerry isn't putting the cue in the rack just yet, today unveiling a brand new smartphone and the successor to the original BlackBerry Z10. Known imaginatively as the BlackBerry Z30, the new flagship handset packs the latest version of the BlackBerry OS, 10.2, into a body that, like its predecessor, lacks a physical keyboard.

Thieves won't be able to sever your finger to unlock the iPhone 5S

Although it’s probably not something that concerns most of us, some individuals are worried that there’s an inherent flaw in the upcoming iPhone 5S’s fingerprint authentication system: a thief could potentially sever your finger and use the appendage to unlock the device. Once inside, they could access protected third party apps and potentially break into one’s bank account.

Sprint's early upgrade program to launch on September 20

Sprint is reportedly preparing to launch an early upgrade program for smartphones in the wake of similar offerings from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. Known as Sprint One Up, the glorified handset rental service is expected to debut on September 20. Better late than never, right?

One Up is said to allow customers select a smartphone with no money down and spread the cost of the device over 24 monthly payments. For example, a handset that sells for $649.99 would be around $27 each month on top of the monthly rate plan. After one year, the customer can elect to trade in the original device and start making payments on a new phone.

Sprint will allow existing customers that have been on contract for at least a year to sign up for One UP although they will need to trade in their current phone unless they are eligible for a full upgrade. Prepaid customers aren’t eligible for the program.

Sprint’s plan seems more in line with T-Mobile’s Jump plan in that a break is given in exchange for the monthly installment plan. Programs from AT&T and Verizon continue to charge the same monthly rate plan on top of having to also pay extra for a new device.

Of course, once you do the math, you’ll quickly realize that all of these early upgrade plans are a complete sham. Assuming you take the upgrade as often as possible (either once or twice a year), you’re basically renting a phone at a premium and will never have anything to show for it (a phone you own).

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Which High-End Smartphone Offers The Best Battery Life

When considering a future smartphone purchase, few take into mind the importance of a decent battery life. Bamboozled by the megapixels, dots per inch and multiple core processors, it’s amazing how little regard folk give to the battery life, which has to go down as one of the most important features because without it, any exciting hardware is basically useless. Which.co.uk, a prominent observer of the mobile industry, has thrown together a rather interesting infographic on the battery retention levels of the foremost handsets on the market and, suffice to say, the results may shock you.

Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch, Note III phablet will debut at IFA

Use secrecy to help build hype over an upcoming product or simply let the cat out of the bag ahead of schedule to accomplish the same objective? Samsung squarely fits into the latter category once again as executive VP of Samsung’s mobile business Lee Young-hee recently confirmed we will see multiple new products at next week’s IFA conference in Berlin.

Moto X's unique design choice earns a 7 out of 10 repairability score

Teardown specialist iFixit had their hands full on Friday as Motorola’s latest smartphone – the Moto X – finally hit retail. First impressions were generally good as the team found the device to be slightly smaller than the Galaxy S 4 and they were impressed with the contoured back shell although a defect next to the SIM card tray is hopefully an isolated incident.

Getting inside the Moto X proved a bit difficult as Motorola not only clipped the rear shell in place, they also used a bit of adhesive. Multiple steps (and tools) later, the team finally breached the interior only to find Motorola’s X8 Mobile Computing System front and center. The brains of the phone, this bundle includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, a natural language processor and a contextual computing processor.

Nokia Windows Phone 8 handsets rumored for early September unveil

Microsoft unveiled the next major update to Windows Phone during a special Windows Phone Summit in late June, but so far the company has refused to say when devices will hit the market aside from "this fall." That said, according to rumors first reported by Chinese site WPDang and backed up today by Bloomberg, Nokia plans to announce Windows Phone 8 handsets as early as next month at its Nokia World event.

Nokia World 2012 will kick off in Helsinki roughly a month form now on the 5th and 6th of September, a week ahead of the rumored September 12 announcement of the next iPhone. The early unveiling may help it gain some mindshare among consumers in the run-up to the holiday shopping season, although actual Windows Phone 8 handsets may not hit shelves until sometime around November.

For reference, if the latest rumors surrounding the iPhone launch are accurate, Apple could have new hardware ready for consumers as early as September 21, nine days after the unveiling.

The Finnish company held the spot as the world’s leading mobile phone maker for fourteen straight years but was overtaken by Samsung earlier in 2012, according to research firm Gartner.

Despite favorable reviews, the Lumia handsets have struggled to compete against established platforms such as Android and iOS. The fact that its flagship Lumia 900, launched just a few months ago, will not get the upgrade to Windows Phone 8 later this year has done little to help. Nokia plans to rollout a Windows Phone 7.8 update that will bring some of Windows Phone 8’s changes to existing devices.

The decision was nevertheless received with optimism by some users who feel it is necessary to leave previous generation handsets behind in order for the platform to advance. Among other things, WP 8 will finally support multi-core processors and share common code with the Windows 8 desktop OS.

Samsung filings reveal 11.8" 'retina' tablet, two new WP8 smartphones

Court documents published as part of the Apple and Samsung trial that got underway on Monday have revealed the South Korean firm plans to release a 11.8-inch tablet some time this year with a retina-like display, as well as two new smartphone's destined to run Microsoft's upcoming Windows Phone 8.

The Verge spotted the tablet, codenamed P10 in the paperwork, and noted it will be fitted with a 2560 x 1600 pixel 11.8-inch touchscreen panel, trumping the iPad's 2048 x 1536 resolution with a slightly lower but still 'Retina'-like pixel density of 256 ppi. For reference, the iPad's 9.7-inch display has a pixel density of 264 ppi.

The tablet is listed as a 2012 device, but other than that nothing else is known. Samsung recently sent out invites for the launch of its next Galaxy device in San Francisco on August 15, so it's entirely possible they will announce this new tablet at the event, possibly alongside other new “Galaxy” branded products.

Samsung is also planning two new smartphone's, codenamed 'Odyssey' and 'Marco' ahead of Windows Phone 8's launch later this year. While its unclear exactly how many devices the firm plans to release running the new OS, the court documents gave an insight into what will likely be two of its flagship phones for WP8.

First up, the 'Odyssey' will feature a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display with a HD resolution, combined with a 8-megapixel rear camera and NFC support. The 'Marco' uses a slightly smaller 4.0-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display presumably running at 800x480 pixels, and a 8-megapixel rear camera. The exact storage and memory specifications of both devices were not revealed in the filings. 

It's also unclear if these handsets are destined solely for the US market or a worldwide release, but both feature 4G LTE connectivity and are powered by a Qualcomm MSM8960 SoC, offering a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor. There is no question that both devices will run Redmond's next mobile OS however, as WP 7.5 is limited to single-core CPUs.

Fully assembled iPhone 5 prototype shown off, could this be it?

Apple is hard at work on their next generation iPhone along with iOS 6.0, that's what we know for sure. The rest of the things we hear are mostly speculation that's been piling up for over a year when the company launched the iPhone 4S. Among the most well-founded rumors is the notion that the iPhone 5 will come with a larger screen, it will surely be 4G-ready, and it will possibly transition to a smaller connector to replace the dock connector that's been in use since the iPod days.

Over the weekend, Japanese repair shop iLab put together a purported iPhone 5 handset, fully assembling it from individual parts that have become available in manufacturing channels. If the parts are indeed official from Apple, this could be the closest we get to see iPhone 5 hardware ahead of its launch.a

At first glance this looks extremely similar to the iPhone 4 and 4S models, albeit with a taller frame, the smaller dock connector and headphone jack at the bottom, front-facing camera sitting on the top middle, and possibly a slightly slimmer body.

While interesting that we may be confirming long-time rumors, Apple could just as well be playing the game of running several different prototypes somewhat in the open, in order to deceive and avoid larger leaks. However if the iPhone 5 resembles what we are seeing in the pictures above, it will be mostly an evolutionary step for the smartphone, that we're sure will sell like hotcakes regardless.

The current iPhone 4S kept the same physical appearance of its predecessor, however it brought with it new software features and hardware refinements. This strategy has panned out well for Apple, having sold dozens of millions of phones in a year time. The iPhone 5 is coming this year, no doubt about it, but with no launch date set, it could be anything from early August to late October until it gets here.

Nokia discussing WP8 exclusivity agreements with EU carriers

Hoping to boost sales and plug its rapidly depleting cash reserves, Nokia may create exclusivity agreements with worldwide partners ahead of the Windows Phone 8 launch later this year, mimicking its US sales model with the Lumia 900 via AT&T.

The Financial Times reports that the struggling phone-maker is in talks with several European networks, including Deutsche Telekom as well as its UK-based venture, Everything Everywhere, and France Telecom. Securing such deals would guarantee Nokia dedicated support for upcoming devices, including additional incentive for partnered carriers to launch marketing campaigns -- not unlike Apple's approach when the iPhone was first introduced.

"Many European operators are already keen to help establish the Windows phone range as a third credible competitor alongside Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Android ranges, whose market dominance allows them to take almost all of the profit from the sale of handsets," the Financial Times said, citing the comments of an unnamed executive working for one of the mobile providers.

A Nokia spokesperson wouldn't comment on speculation, but said the firm has "excellent relationships and a regular dialogue with our operator partners."

Super smartphone showdown 6-part video review

It's a Super Smartphone Showdown as Neowin pits the top five flagship devices from the major Android device manufacturers against each other. Here's what they have on the table:

• HTC One X/XL
• Samsung Galaxy S III
• Sony Xperia S
• Motorola Droid Razr
• LG Optimus 4X HD

Over the last week or so Neowin has posted one part of the showdown per day -- the total runtime of all the videos put together is 1 hour 14 minutes, so an episode per day was a good way to explore different aspects of all phones. The first part looks at the designs used for each device, and we crown an overall design winner.

Other parts cover the displays, software, performance, cameras, battery life, and more. In the final episode Neowin awards one smartphone as the overall winner. We hope you enjoy the content in this super showdown!

Watch the first episode.
This article is brought to you in partnership with Neowin.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus injunction overturned in appeals court

A US appeals court has lifted the ban on the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphone that went into effect late last month. A similar ruling fell short for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 which still remains on the ban list but the ball is now in Apple’s court (no pun intended) on whether or not they want to object the ruling from appeals court.

Google was able to get the Galaxy Nexus reinstated by promising that the phone would soon ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. This OS revision is said to contain tweaks that address the patents in question. Furthermore, Google will also be updating Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with similar workarounds that don’t infringe on the Apple patents in question.

US District Court Judge Lucy Koh banned the Samsung smartphone and tablet on June 30 in a rare pre-trial injunction. She ruled that Samsung infringed on four Apple patents and that Cupertino would see more harm if the injunction wasn’t put in place than Samsung would if it was.

Apple has until July 12 to file an objection to the appeal. Meanwhile, barring any appeals, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will have to remain off store shelves until the trial begins on July 30.

The Galaxy Nexus is back on sale in the Google Play Store for $349 with a note that it will be shipping soon with Jelly Bean. The phone has an estimated ship time of 1-2 weeks as of writing.

Boot to Gecko renamed Firefox OS, first handsets arriving in 2013

Mozilla is moving ahead with its mobile ambitions, announcing today that it is renaming Boot to Gecko as Firefox OS, while touting support from major carriers worldwide as well as a couple of device manufacturers.

Mozilla’s mobile operating system is entirely open source and its interface is built with HTML5 and CSS web standards, making it extremely customizable. It was recently shown off with a proof of concept interface running on a Samsung Galaxy S II, with Mozilla highlighting its responsiveness to touch input, a 3D graphics demo, a full SMS client and on-screen keyboard, and a store for various web apps.

The first Firefox OS-powered devices will run a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and are expected to launch in Brazil in early 2013 through Telefonica’s Vivo brand of entry level handsets. TCL Communication Technology and ZTE were revealed as the first manufacturing partners, with operators like Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Smart, Sprint, Telecom Italia, and Telenor all committed to offering Firefox OS devices.

Mozilla is hoping to change how developers today must re-write their apps to run on the various closed mobile-phone platforms available, with apps that can run in a browser but still look and feel like a native app with access to underlying phone capabilities like calling, messaging and games

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One year with the Samsung Galaxy Ace

One year. Three-hundred and sixty five days. Eight thousand and seventy-six hours. This is the amount of time I've spent with my Samsung Galaxy Ace. This isn't a review so much as an assessment of the device after an extended period of time. One year is plenty of time for phones to come out and eclipse the Ace. Yet... here I am, still, with it. It's running Android 2.3; an official update, and the only one the phone has ever seen.

The Ace should reasonably be outgunned by plenty of different phones now, though strangely, it's still holding its own in the low to mid-range market. It has also been more popular than I had expected; I have seen a surprising number of Galaxy Ace owners, and I also know some of them personally. With these other sources I've been able to learn more about how my own Galaxy Ace stacks up compared to others, in case there are even marginal differences between the devices.

Take the time to embark with me on a review of the first smartphone I have ever owned. Along the way expect a few comparisons with other devices. As the phone market changes I feel it is worthwhile to include occasional references and comparisons with other devices. After all, some readers may have weighed up these devices for themselves, or they might even own them. Sit back and enjoy the review; it's been a year in the making. It's a long one; over 9,000 words about the Samsung Galaxy Ace. Enjoy.

Samsung: Galaxy S3 to reach 10 million sales by end of July

Despite experiencing supply problems and suffering production errors with the rear cases of Pebble Blue handsets early on, which caused over half a million cases to be binned, Samsung says it's on course tosell 10 million of its new Galaxy S3  flagship smartphone by the end of July.

"We're getting far better reviews on S III than we did with its predecessors globally [...] and supply simply can't meet soaring demand," said JK Shin, head of Samsung's mobile division. "We've sent executives and staff to almost all our (component) suppliers to ensure a smooth offering and hopefully things will get better from next week."

The handset launched in the US last Thursday with T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint but the South Korean technology giant has struggled to keep up with demand, with 32GB models non-existent due to tight supply issues. Pebble Blue versions also continue to experience short supply due to a previous manufacturing error that resulted in over 600,000 covers being binned. By the end of July the handset will be available globally with over 300 carriers.

Samsung, the world's largest phone maker by volume launched the first Galaxy S handset two years ago in a bid to counter Apple's dominant iPhone smartphone. At the time, big Sammie had a market share below 10%. Thanks to over 50 million "S" handsets now sold, and record-breaking shipments of other Samsung models the technology firm now enjoys a market share over three times larger at 30.6%. In the January to March period alone, Samsung sold 44.5 million units, an incredible 21,000 per hour.

The news follows previous claims the S3 had hit nine million pre-orders ahead of its May 29 launch, but confusingly it's unknown whether the ten million estimate will be handsets sold to customers, or the same figure shipped to shops. Apple on the other hand reports the total figure of new handsets activated for the first time, giving an accurate account of exactly how many handsets are actually purchased by consumers.

Samsung Galaxy S III Smartphone Review

Last year Samsung solidified its position as the dominant Android smartphone manufacturer with the Galaxy S II. The massive success of this phone helped propel Samsung into becoming the largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world.

Things are different than they were last year, however, as HTC has awoken from its slumber and released some really competitive and compelling smartphones. Samsung isn't sitting idly by as others ramp up their smartphone offerings, and its efforts to stay at the top are wrapped up in the Galaxy S III, a 4.8-inch powerhouse of a smartphone.

Is the Galaxy S III a worthy successor to the venerable Galaxy S II and does it help keep Samsung ahead of its rivals? In a word, yes. Aside from the fact that Samsung managed to pull an Apple-esque move and release identical versions of the Galaxy S III across five U.S. carriers, the Galaxy S III features cutting edge hardware paired with useful software additions that make it an attractive option for the prospective smartphone buyer.

Note: This review was conducted with the AT&T and T-Mobile versions of the Galaxy S III, but the vast majority of it also applies to the Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless models as well.

Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy S III features a polarizing industrial design - some people will love it, while others might hate it. Available in either Marble White or Pebble Blue color options, the Galaxy S III is unmistakably Samsung through and through. This time around, Samsung has moved away from the squarish shape of the Galaxy S II and has gone back to the rounded corners and softer lines that the original Galaxy S of 2010 featured.

Samsung says that the phone's design (and software) were inspired by nature and is supposed to evoke a polished river stone. Elegant verbiage aside, the S III's rounded shape does help it cradle nicely in your hand and makes it comfortable to hold, despite its rather large dimensions. The Galaxy S III is exceptionally glossy, however, and it can be difficult to keep a grip on it at times because of that. Consequently, the phone did slip out of my hand on more than one occasion during my review period while I was trying to take pictures with the camera. The glossy finish is also prone to collecting fingerprints, which I don't think that anybody really likes.

The Galaxy S III is by no means a small phone, as it measures 136.6mm x 70.6mm x 8.6mm (5.38in x 2.78in x 0.34in) and weighs 133g (4.7oz). It is, however, smaller in all dimensions than the Samsung-built Google Galaxy Nexus, despite sporting a larger display. Samsung says that it focused a lot of effort into shrinking the border and bezel around the display to give the Galaxy S III a smaller footprint, and I have to say that the effect produced by a smaller bezel does work. The Galaxy S III is one of the few super-sized Android smartphones that most people will be able to comfortably use with one hand.

The Galaxy S III's display is a new 4.8-inch version of the HD Super AMOLED screens seen on other recent Samsung devices. It features 720p (720 x 1280 pixel) resolution and a 306ppi pixel density, and it is very crisp to the naked eye. The new display does use the much-derided PenTile sub-pixel arrangement, but at these pixel densities, it is hard to see the ill effects of the PenTile matrix. Samsung did tell us that it has improved the gaps in the sub-pixels to make the screen appear sharper than earlier HD Super AMOLED displays, and the Galaxy S III's screen is noticeably better looking than the one found on the Galaxy Nexus.

As with other AMOLED screens, colors on the Galaxy S III's display are very saturated and vibrant - almost to the point of looking cartoonish. When put side-by-side with an HTC One X, the Galaxy S III's colors are not as accurate as the HTC's, and you can notice a bluish cast in white areas on the screen. However, if you never compare the two phones next to each other, the Galaxy S III's display is pretty stunning.

It also has tremendous viewing angles, though I did find it a bit hard to view the screen in direct sunlight - something that is much easier with the Super LCD2 screens used by HTC.

Above the display you can find the light sensors, earpiece, and 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera. To the left of the earpiece is a hidden multi-color LED notification light, which I was very glad to see. The light all but disappears when it is not illuminated - a pretty cool effect.

Below the display there is a physical home button and capacitive keys for menu and back, just as found on the global versions of the Galaxy S and Galaxy S II. The earlier Galaxy S models that were available in the U.S. dropped the three-key layout and featured four capacitive keys for menu, home, back, and search, so it is nice to see that the Galaxy S III keeps the three-key format this go-around.

It is interesting to note Samsung's approach here: despite the fact that the Galaxy S III is launching with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, it is essentially using an Android 2.3 Gingerbread button layout and has ignored Google's guidelines to use virtual on-screen keys (as seen on the Galaxy Nexus). I think that was a good choice, since the hardware keys let content fill the entire height of the display without wasting precious screen real estate. Not that the Galaxy S III is really lacking for screen space, but every little bit helps.

Samsung's key layout is different than the one opted for by HTC, and there are pros and cons to each. I prefer HTC's dedicated multitasking key (you have to hold the home key down on the Galaxy S III to access the multitasking menu, which is a bit slower), but I think Samsung was very smart in providing a dedicated menu key on the Galaxy S III, since so many Android apps still require the use of one - despite Google's best intentions. A long-press on the Galaxy S III's menu key also launches a search in any app, which is certainly useful. One thing to note about the actual hardware of the keys is that they all but disappear into the front of the phone when the backlight is off and it can be hard to decipher their exact location when you pick up the device. Fortunately, the keys are very responsive to the touch, and if you just mash your finger on either side of the home key, you are likely to hit the capacitive key you are aiming for.

Though the Galaxy S III is made entirely of plastic materials, the edge features a wrap-around silver (light blue on the Pebble Blue model) trim with a faux brushed metal appearance. I'm not a huge fan of it, since I feel that any plastic that tries to ape another material's look and feel usually fails in doing so, but the trim doesn't get in the way of the phone's functionality and many users will probably not have a problem with it.

As is the Samsung tradition, the right side of the phone is home to the power/sleep/unlock key, while the left side houses the volume rocker. Both switches were solid and easy to suss out when you have the phone held to your ear. The top has your standard 3.5mm headphone jack, while the bottom of the Galaxy S III is home to the micro-USB charging port that doubles as a MHL port to output media to an HDTV with the proper adapter.

The back of the Galaxy S III is pretty sparse, with just a silk-screened logo for the carrier and Samsung's branding. At the top you can find the 8 megapixel camera, LED flash, and lone external speaker. Kudos to Samsung for making the back cover removable, since many phones on market today don't let users remove the back panel at all. Underneath it you have access to the 2100mAh battery, micro-SIM slot, and microSD card slot for storage expansion. The big battery is user replaceable, which should make power users very happy.

All in all, the Galaxy S III is a very well put together and smartly-designed phone. The only real complaints I have with it are its plasticky feel and exceptionally glossy finish. Though it is built just as solidly as most other smartphones on the market, it doesn't have the same quality feel that one gets from an HTC One X or an Apple iPhone 4S. But for sheer functionality, the Galaxy S III fits the bill.

Usability, Calling & Data, Browser

Usability

Samsung set the bar for how an Android smartphone should perform with the Galaxy S II last year, and this year's Galaxy S III is no different. Though the international version of the Galaxy S III features Samsung's own quad-core Exynos 4 Quad processor, the version available to U.S. consumers has a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5GHz.

This shouldn't be an issue for anyone, as the S4 processor performs just as well in the Galaxy S III as it does in other devices we have reviewed this year. Samsung has paired the processor with 2GB of RAM, making the S III the first smartphone in the U.S. with more than 1GB of RAM. This combination produces a speedy experience without any lag or stuttering from the phone, even when performing intensive tasks like 3D gaming.

Under benchmark tests, the Galaxy S III doesn't quite hit the same high numbers that other phones like the HTC EVO 4G LTE do, but in real-world usage, the phone is exceptionally quick. Apps open without delay, and even when repeatedly switching between open apps, the S III doesn't skip a beat. One thing of note: when using the phone for long periods or during intense gaming, the bottom of the device gets noticeably warm.

The Galaxy S III runs Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, though you might not realize it at first. Samsung has installed the latest version of its TouchWiz interface on top of Android 4.0 and it has changed the appearance of the platform quite a bit. The latest version of TouchWiz is an evolution of the TouchWiz 4 that debuted on the Galaxy S II, and it isn't terribly different from an appearance point of view.

If you didn't like TouchWiz before, you probably won't like it now. That said, a lot of what Samsung has done with the interface is for the better. Gone is the robot-inspired Tron motif that stock Android 4.0 has, replaced by bright colors and elements inspired by nature. The nature theme carries over to the phone's various water droplet sound effects and animations, as well as its selection of ringtones. Fortunately, the animations in TouchWiz are more informative than obtrusive, and they don't get in the way of what you are trying to do.

Certain tweaks to the platform that I appreciate are the customizable app shortcuts on the lock screen, toggle switches in the notification bar, and useful app drawer that lets you uninstall apps or hide them from view with only a couple of taps. I also really like the option to display the actual battery percentage in the status bar.

Samsung has built in a number of gestures into the S III's interface, and they let you do certain things like flip over the phone to mute incoming calls, pause media playback with the palm of your hand, and capture a screenshot by swiping your hand across the display. One particularly useful gestures is the ability to launch the camera from the lockscreen by rotating the phone from portrait to landscape orientation. You can also opt to unlock the device by tilting the phone if you are not a fan of the traditional swipe-to-unlock method.

Other enhancements that Samsung has brought to the table include expanded sharing capabilities with the S Beam feature. S Beam builds upon Android 4.0's native NFC-based Beam function to allow users to transfer large files by just bumping two phones together. Samsung says that S Beam can be used to pass a 1GB video from one S III to another in three minutes. It can also be used to share web pages, images, and other content.

Samsung's Smart Stay feature uses the front-facing camera to keep the display on if you are viewing a web page or reading an article. The phone will periodically look for a face staring back at it, and maintain the screen brightness for longer than the time out setting would allow. In good lighting, Smart Stay worked as advertised, but when the light levels fell (when you are reading in bed, for instance) the reliability of Smart Stay fell as well.

The other major feature that Samsung includes with the Galaxy S III is the new S Voice personal assistant. S Voice is a virtual clone of the Siri personal assistant that Apple introduced on the iPhone 4S, and lets users interact with the Galaxy S III through speech. You can launch S Voice from its app icon or by double pressing the home key. Like Siri, S Voice can be used to check the weather, make appointments, set reminders, and perform web searches. S Voice does have a couple of tricks of its own, though, as it can toggle Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios, be used to snooze or dismiss alarms, and launch some select third-party apps.

In practice, S Voice works about as well as Siri, but it doesn't have the same personality touches and nuances as Apple's product. Its features aren't as fleshed out as Siri's are, either, which isn't saying much. Both services have some functionality, but I don't think either one is where it needs to be to become an integral part of everyday use (that may change with the new features coming to Siri in iOS 6, but I digress).

Calling / Data

The Galaxy S III supports the fastest data services available to each carrier that it is being offered with. That means that the T-Mobile version has support for the carrier's 42Mbps HSPA+ network, while the AT&T, Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless versions all feature 4G ~LTE data capabilities.

Of course if you buy the Sprint model, you won't be able to use the phone's LTE features until Sprint actually launches its LTE network, which is due to happen sometime this summer.

As far as call quality is concerned, the Galaxy S III performs well, with loud, clear audio from both the earpiece and the speaker phone. The call settings app offers a volume boost and customizable EQ settings, so you can really tweak the sound for your preference. I tested the AT&T and T-Mobile models during my review, and I found call quality to be comparable between both of them. The only complaint I can levy against the Galaxy S III is that the sound can be a bit thin and is not as full as the audio produced by other smartphones.

Messaging

Samsung has included a threaded messaging app with the Galaxy S III that supports standard SMS and MMS messages. The phone also comes with the standard Google Talk for Android, which offers both video and text chatting, and Samsung's own ChatON messaging service. Fans of other chat services will have to head to the Google Play Store to download the app, as the S III doesn't ship with any other IM systems pre-loaded.

Samsung's email app has been updated for Android 4.0, and I must say I like it a lot. The app is fast and responsive, and it offers features like threaded messages, multiple message management, HTML email support, and pinch zooming. The Galaxy S III also includes Google's excellent Gmail app for Android 4.0.

Apps / App Store

The Galaxy S III has full access to the Google Play Store and its hundreds of thousands of apps, as well as books, music, and movies. Chances are, if there is an app you are looking for, it can be found there.

Fortunately, Samsung did not burden the Galaxy S III with a plethora of pre-installed apps, but it did include the Flipboard app for Android. The Galaxy S III is the first Android device to ship with the long-awaited app, which originally debuted on the Apple iPad. Flipboard for Android on the Galaxy S III works just as smoothly as the iOS version, and lets users browse their social network feeds in a magazine-style layout.

Each carrier version of the Galaxy S III includes some carrier pre-installed apps, but they are kept to a minimum (in the case of our AT&T and T-Mobile review units, at least). The Galaxy S III does let you disable pre-installed apps that are not wanted, or alternatively, you can hide them from view in the app drawer.

The Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular versions of the Galaxy S III feature Dropbox installed out of the box, and offer customers 50GB of free Dropbox cloud storage for two years. During the phone's initial set up, users are prompted to sign in to or create a Dropbox account. Once signed in, the free storage is automatically added to the account. Unfortunately, this perk isn't available on the AT&T or Verizon Wireless models.

Browser

The Galaxy S III comes with an exceptionally fast and capable web browser. The browser loads pages in what feels like an instant, and it features effortless panning and zooming. The browser scores very well on the SunSpider benchmark, and that translates into a snappy day-to-day experience.

It also includes support for Adobe Flash Player (though the Adobe Flash Player is not pre-loaded, you have to get it from the Google Play Store if you want it), RSS feeds, and a reader mode that strips out images and ads from websites to make web content easier to consume. Since the Galaxy S III runs Android 4.0, you can also opt to use the excellent Google Chrome Beta browser for Android.

Microsoft details Windows Phone 8, arriving this fall

Microsoft’s Windows Phone Developer Summit kicked off just a few hours ago where the company is sharing a bit of what’s coming with the next major update to their smartphone platform. Among the most noticeable changes at first glance is a redesigned home screen, which now allows every tile to be customized in one of three sizes available, and does away with the right-hand "rail" that held the link to the full app list.

Besides expanding the screen real-estate for live tiles Microsoft will also be offering more color customization and personalization options for the new Start Screen in Windows Phone 8.

Skype and VoIP

VoIP functionality will be baked into the operating system, but rather than just offering native Skype integration, Microsoft is adding a background agent that can handle incoming and outgoing calls as well as messaging and integration with several of Windows Phone 8 features. Skype is fully going take advantage of this and so can any other VoIP applications without favoring one over the other.

Microsoft's Greg Sullivan believes the integration is so good that he jokes Apple should create its own FaceTime app on Windows Phone 8, and it would work better than it does on the iPhone.

Internet Explorer 10, Nokia Maps

Windows Phone 8 will of course include Internet Explorer 10, which is based on the same desktop code used in the Windows 8, offering four times faster javascript performance and full HTML5 support. It will also bring over some security-related improvements, like a phishing filter and the SmartScreen URL reputation system.

Nokia mapping information will be a key part of Windows Phone 8 going forward. Although this means the Finnish phone maker will be surrendering one of the advantages it had over competing Windows Phone OEMs, the move will ensure a good mapping experience on every Windows Phone 8 device. It will include support offline maps, turn by turn directions, and all third part apps will be able to access mapping data.

A shared core

The new Windows Phone 8 platform will share common code with the Windows 8 desktop OS. Stuff such as the kernel code, file system, networking services, media foundation, device drivers, and parts of the security model from Windows 8 will be shared between the two platforms. Microsoft is calling this the ‘Windows Core’ and it will enable developers to port their apps between the two platforms without re-writing a lot of code.

Developers will get access to new tools and an updated SDK later this summer that are based on Visual Studio 2012 — supporting apps for both Windows Phone and Windows Phone 8.

Despite this change all existing Windows Phone apps will continue to run on Windows Phone 8. On the downside, however, current Windows Phone 7.5 and earlier devices will not be able to upgrade to Windows Phone 8 — as has been rumored for months. Instead, the company plans to rollout a Windows Phone 7.8 update that will bring some of Windows Phone 8’s changes to existing devices.

Dual-core processors, NFC, microSD support

Microsoft is also expanding the hardware specifications that Windows Phone 8 supports, allowing manufacturers to deliver more powerful solutions to challenge the iPhone and high-end Android devices. The platform will support dual-core devices this fall and quad-cores sometime after that — in fact, one of the hardware implications of the ‘Windows Core’ is that WP8 in theory will support up to 64-core chips.

Windows Phone 8 will also support more powerful GPUs and three screen resolutions: the current WVGA (800 x 480), WXGA (1280 x 768) and true 720p (1280 x 720). These will have similar aspect ratios (two at 15:9 and one at 16:9) to ensure there's no issue with applications not looking properly all devices.

Another noteworthy addition is NFC support and Microsoft’s own Mobile Wallet Hub. The latter is designed to support NFC payments and the ability to store credit card information, member cards, and frequent flyer cards. It is sort of a hybrid between Google Wallet and Apple’s Passbook, and apparently Microsoft already has several carriers and financial institutions on board with its payments solution.

Additionally, there's a new feature called Tap + Send that allows seamless content sharing between NFC-enabled Windows Phone 8 devices, similar to Android's Beam function.

Microsoft is also adding full SD card support to Windows Phone 8, allowing users to transfer music, photos, video, and even install applications just like they would with removable external storage in Windows PCs.

LG set to show Intel smartphone at CES 2012

The annual Consumer Electronics Show is fast approaching, and in true form, rumors and information are starting to appear. The latest news of interest comes from LG and Intel, who look set to show off a new Intel powered smartphone at this year's CES held January 10th-13th at the Las Vegas Convention Center, according to sources speaking to the Korea Times.

The phone will likely feature Intel's new Medfield chipset coupled with Android's mobile OS, and could hit store shelves as early as March according to Intel Korea's chief Lee Hee-Sung. "Intel’s chief executive Paul Otellini will release Intel’s first Android smartphone using our own platform at the CES," he commented.

"LG Electronics will produce Intel’s first Android smartphones that use Intel’s own mobile platform. The device will be shown at the CES," a top ranking LG official also told the newspaper.

At CES 2010, both manufacturers showed off a jointly developed phone prototype. Ultimately, the smartphone (video above) never made it to store shelves but the Intel dual core Atom based Moorestown chipset displayed impressive performance when demonstrated at the show.

Reports are conflicting though, with an LG executive speaking on the condition of anonymity saying he doubts the phone will be released, adding that in his personal opinion "it is somewhat possible that LG might push the reference of Intel mobiles but that this will include huge subsidies on the part of Intel for promotional purposes."

Requests for more information via official channels have resulted in both firms declining to confirm any information unfortunately, so we will have to wait until CES to see if the phone makes it to the show floor.

GSM security vulnerability affects 80 percent of mobile phones worldwide

A new flaw in the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) cellular network technology could potentially allow a hacker to gain control of a phone and force the device to send text messages or place phone calls. Criminals could use the exploit to send messages or make the calls to expensive premium phone services, lining their pockets with cash and leaving phone owners to foot the bill.

GSM technology is used by billions of people worldwide and is said to represent about 80 percent of the global mobile market according to Reuters. The latest vulnerability was discovered by Karsten Nohl, head of Germany’s Security Research Labs. Nohl says that his team can perform the attack on hundreds of thousands of phones in a short timeframe.

Nohl will be speaking at a hacking convention in Berlin on Tuesday. Although he isn’t planning to present details of the attack at the show, he notes that the code will likely be replicated within a few weeks.

Similar attacks have been waged on landline phone systems in the past. Hackers will set up bogus 900-type numbers in Africa, Asia and Easter Europe then force thousands of phones to call the numbers, charging ridiculous fees to the phone provider who then passes them on to the owner of the line. Users usually don’t even notice any fraudulent activity until they receive their bill. By that time, the hacker has shut down shop and set up a new operation somewhere else.