iPhone 5 vs Galaxy S3: And The Winner Is… Samsung (Review)

23 hours ago by Dwayne Madden

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is one of the most popular of handsets and has been since July when it was launched. Now it is face to face with one of its biggest rivals, the iPhone 5, which has just been released by Apple. So how do the two handsets compare to each other?

iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S3: which is better?

It is a bit hard to compare the two devices when Apple fails to give out information regarding the processor speed of the handset along with the amount of RAM that the new iPhone has. All they tend to say is that the device is twice as fast as the A5 processor, which may lead some to believe that the iPhone 5 has a quad core processor, when it does not.
Popularity of the iPhone 5 is clear from the sales since launch, as with the Samsung Galaxy S3. More than 5 million people pre-ordered the iPhone 5 as soon as it became available. Samsung on the other hand sold over 20 million Galaxy S3 units in the first 100 days of its launch.
Form factor: The Samsung Galaxy S3 is 133g and comes in at 136.6×70.6×8.6mm, while the iPhone 5 is 112g and measures 123.8×58.6×7.6mm. When it comes down to thinness and weight the the iPhone 5 wins. And this is the best way to subjectively compare handheld electronics.
Screen: The iPhone 5 has a display of 4 inches and is LED IPS TFT and has a resolution of 1136 x 640 and the display is covered with Gorilla Glass. The screen of the Samsung Galaxy S3 also has Gorilla Glass 2 and is 4.8 inches at 1280 x 720 resolution. The display of the S3 is larger and recent tests by DisplayMate prove that is also has better screen technology than the Retina iPhone 5. So the S3 wins here.
Connectivity: Both handsets have connectivity to LTE, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, while the Samsung Galaxy S3 also supports NFC. The S3 can be charged with any microUSB cable, while Apple has changed their connector and now users cannot use older accessories unless they pay for an adapter. Thanks to the fact that the S3 has NFC and S Beam for sharing photos and files and it has the universal port, it is the winner on the connectivity front.
Storage: Both of the handsets are available in 16GB, 32GB and 64 GB versions and have 1GB of RAM (international S3 model). However the Samsung Galaxy S3 supports SD card up to 64GB, which puts it ahead of the iPhone 5.
Camera: The handsets have 8 megapixel cameras on the back with autofocus and LED flash and they can take HD video and have video and image stabilisation. The Samsung Galaxy S3 supports smile detection, but it doesn’t beat the BSI sensor of the iPhone 5. In low light the iPhone 5 does take better photos, so it has to be the winner.
Power: The processor of the iPhone 5 is the Apple A6 chip which is based on two Apple ARMv7 cores of up to 1.3Ghz, and is helped by a triple core PowerVR SGX 543MP3. The Samsung Galaxy S3 has the Exynos 4412 chipset and four Cortex A9 cores at 1.4GHz with Mali 400MP GPU. If you want to play 3D games then it has to be the S3. Even the US version with is dual-core Snapdragon has a solid 2GB RAM to back it.
Battery: The battery on the iPhone 5 is 1440mAh, which should offer up to eight hours of talk time and the Samsung Galaxy S3 comes with a battery of 2100mAh which gives 11 hours and 40 minutes of talk time, both on the 3G network. However in real world tests we found that the Samsung Galaxy S3 didn’t live up to its 11 hours 40 minutes promise and came in around the same as the iPhone 5. This category is therefore a tie.
OS: The two handsets have different operating systems. Apple of course has their iOS 6 and the Samsung Galaxy S3 runs on Android 4.0 ICS, with the Jelly Bean update coming soon. Which is the best is a matter of preference. If you want customisation then it has to be Android, however iOS is said to be the easier of the two to use.
Design: When it comes down to design the iPhone 5 is on top as the Samsung Galaxy S3 does look a little on the plastic side that isn’t fitting for a premium device.
In conclusion the Samsung Galaxy S3 took more points than the iPhone 5 (4 points versus 3). It beat the iPhone 5 when it came to the processor, display, connectivity and memory. However the iPhone 5 won over for its dimensions, the design and the camera. It was a draw when it came to battery life and the operating system on the handsets.

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Samsung Galaxy S3 review by trustedreviews

Key Features

• 4.8in, 720 x 1280 pixel display
• Quad Core 1.4GHz CPU
• 8MP camera with 1080p video
• Android 4.0 ICS with TouchWiz

Samsung Galaxy S3 - Design and Build

You might say the Samsung Galaxy S3 has been highly anticipated. You also might say Jesus seemed like quite a nice guy…

Few products in recent years that haven't had a bitten Apple logo somewhere upon their chassis have garnered as much attention as the Galaxy S3. After the huge success of the Galaxy S2 last year it is this follow up that many people have expected to again be the flag bearer for Android smartphones. But has Samsung succeeded? Is the Samsung Galaxy S3 the pinnacle of Android smartphones, and indeed of mobile phones in general? Lets find out.

Head straight to Page 2 for our thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy S3 screen and controls or our video comparison of the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 4S.

Video review


Design and Build
Anyone that's already familiar with the Galaxy S3 will know that its design and build has courted controversy. Eschewing the premium feeling materials of the iPhone 4S or HTC One X, it uses a glossy plastic back which, although by no means inherently budget, is a finish more associated with cheaper handsets.



Does this inherently make the Galaxy S3 undesirable? No, it certainly doesn't go that far, and indeed if you put it next to the Sony Xperia S it really shows just how much Sony slipped up on that design, but next to an iPhone 4S or HTC One X it's these two that give off the stronger whiff of craftsmanship.



In practical terms there are a few genuine issues with the Galaxy S3 too. While the polycarbonate that the backplate is made from is very tough due to its pliability, it isn't very scratch resistant, even with an extra scratch resistant coating – either the matt finish of the HTC One X of Xperia S, or glass of the iPhone 4S will standup to more punishment. That said, it should be relatively inexpensive to get replacement backs for the Galaxy, and given that it's a single piece that covers the entire back, this will make your phone scratch-free in one fell swoop. Samsung's choice of finishes – glossy white (Marble White) and faux brushed metallic blue (Pebble Blue) should wear any scratches reasonably well too. That said, we're actually not fans of the styling of the blue version – pretend metal just isn't cool – so it's just as well that's the version that has been delayed.



The other potential issue is that, particularly given the Galaxy S3 is such a large and thin phone, it could succumb to being crushed. Particularly we're thinking in comparison to the iPhone 4S and its tough steel sides here. That phone can take a right squishing and squashing when in a pocket whereas we'd be a little more wary of cracking this phone's screen if crouching down or some such. Then again, this could equally apply to many other large, thin phones and we pretty sure you'd have to be rather unlucky for it to actually happen.

Moving on from the Galaxy's plastic back, we have few complaints about the rest of the design. The smooth glass face with its tapered edges, the tidy silver plastic trim (real metal would again have been nice) and single central home button combine to create a tidy, premium look and feel. The screen is also Gorilla Glass 2 so should be very scratch and impact resistant.



What's more, pop that battery cover off and you're into a whole world of goodness. There's a microSD slot that'll take cards up to 64GB in size, potentially giving you up to 128GB of storage if you opt for the Galaxy S3 version with 64GB of built in memory.

You also get a large 2100mAh battery that not only can you swap out for a spare when needed but also in the future you may be able to get extended batteries that last longer on a single charge. While the SIM slot on the Galaxy may look large, like the iPhone 4S and HTC One X, it actually houses a microSIM. One counterpoint to the removable battery is that you can't hot-swap SIM cards like on the One X.

Also under here, to the left of the battery, are two gold contacts. These are for a future wireless charging backplate and dock that will allow you to simply place your Galaxy S3 on its dock to charge it, without the need to plug in. Its technology we first saw built into a phone on the Palm Pre, and we think it's downright brilliant. Sadly the required accessories are delayed for several months.

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Samsung Galaxy S3: Which US carrier should you choose?

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Samsung Galaxy S3: Which US carrier should you choose?

• By Sebastian Anthony on June 20, 2012 at 8:52 am

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Tomorrow, June 21, the Samsung Galaxy S3 arrives in the United States. A carpet bomb launch will see the phone arrive on all four major carriers — AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile — at the same time, at the same price ($200 for the 16GB version, with a two-year contract). Verizon, Sprint, and US Cellular will also offer the 32GB variant for $250. But which carrier is the best choice for the Galaxy S3?
Fortunately, as you may have noticed, Samsung seems to have pulled off the impossible and convinced every US carrier to call the Galaxy S3… the Galaxy S3. For the time being at least, we won’t be seeing the same hyperbolic noun treatment that previous Galaxy S phones went through (Fascinate, Vibrant, Epic 4G, Epic 4G Touch, etc.) This has the knock-on effect that almost every Galaxy S3 available in the US will be virtually identical — at least hardware-wise.
Every US Galaxy S3 has the same Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 dual-core 28nm SoC, clocked at 1.5GHz, with the Adreno 225 GPU. They weigh the same (133g), have the same battery life (around 9 hours), have the same 2GB of RAM, and most importantly, they all have Qualcomm’s awesome multi-mode 2G/3G UMTS & HSPA/4G LTE radio. The only difference as far as we can tell is that the T-Mobile variant (SGH-T999) doesn’t support LTE, and the AT&T/Verizon/Sprint models (SGH-i747, SCH-i535, SPH-L710 respectively) don’t support T-Mobile’s HSPA+. We believe the Snapdragon S4′s radio might be reconfigurable with some firmware hacking, however; it might be possible to take a T-Mobile S3 and use it on AT&T’s LTE network.
All US Galaxy S3 phones support Bluetooth 4.0 LE, 2.4 and 5GHz WiFi a/b/n/g, and NFC. Except for the Sprint variant (SPH-L710), it is likely that all Galaxy S3s are quad-band GSM and should be capable of GSM roaming in Europe and Asia.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, the main difference between the Galaxy S3 on each carrier is bloatware. While all of the carriers’ S3s will have Samsung’s fancy new apps (S Voice, AllShare Play, Media Hub, etc.), each carrier will have a different selection of bloatware on offer. The Sprint S3 will come with the usual Sprinty stuff (Hotspot, SprintZone), plus Dropbox and Google Wallet. The AT&T S3 is relatively svelte, with just the normal AT&T apps (Navigator, Messages, myAT&T) and YP Mobile. Neither the Verizon or T-Mobile S3s have been released for review, so we won’t know how bloated they are until they arrive on our doorstep tomorrow.
All Galaxy S3s will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, skinned with Samsung’s TouchWiz.
Except for bloatware, then (which you can easily remove), any Galaxy S3 purchased from a US carrier will be virtually identical. There are still two very important variables to discuss, though: Network speed, and the international quad-core Galaxy S3 (GT-I9300).
While the US Galaxy S3 is an LTE phone, there isn’t actually a whole lot of LTE coverage in the USA. Fortunately, our sister site PC Mag has just published its Fastest Mobile Networks 2012 guide. While Verizon is the overall 3G/4G winner, there were still 11 cities where T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network provided faster download speeds than Verizon LTE, and where AT&T LTE is available it simply blows away the competition.
Bear in mind that Sprint’s 4G LTE network is almost nonexistent (though its Network Vision upgrade is underway). T-Mobile is also beginning to roll out LTE (alongside HSPA+), though again you will probably have to hack the radio firmware to be able to use it.
Before you pick a carrier for your new Galaxy S3, I strongly suggest you check the 3G and 4G speeds for your city or region.
Finally, it’s worth remembering that you can also buy an unlocked, off-contract international (i.e. non-US) quad-core Galaxy S3 (GT-I9300) for around $800. The GT-I9300, with its 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad and Mali 400 GPU, seems to clock in significantly higher scores in GPU benchmarks, JavaScript benchmarks, and CF-Bench (a multi-core CPU and memory benchmark). Battery life seems to be roughly the same, but the Exynos version only has 1GB of RAM vs. the Snapdragon’s 2GB.
If you don’t like bloatware, it’s also important to note that there’s already a CyanogenMod 9 (i.e. vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich) build for the GT-I9300 — though I’m sure it’ll only be a matter of days or weeks before we see CM9 for the SGH-i747, SCH-i535, SPH-L710, and SGH-T999. The GT-I9300 should work on AT&T’s HSPA+ network, but it will be incompatible with T-Mo, Verizon, and Sprint.

Samsung Galaxy Note in pink is in bound for the UK sometime in June

The last time we heard about the elusive “berry pink” version of the Samsung Galaxy Note, was back last month when it officially made its debut in Samsung’s home country of Korea. Of course, the new color added a little bit of flavor to the white and typical black versions of the larger than life smartphone, but word has it that it’s in bound for the UK as well.

From the looks of it all, Carphone Warehouse is expected to take hold of the pink-a-fied version of the Samsung Galaxy Note sometime next month in June – albeit, no official date has been attached to it just yet. However, they’ve opened up a pre-registration page for those individuals itching on the opportunity to learn more about its inevitable arrival.

As much as our friends from over the pond can rejoice about its pending arrival, there’s no word whether or not it’ll be making an appearance stateside. Therefore, if you’re really desperate for this new color variant, you’ll probably want to look into importing an unlocked version of it. Color scheme aside, there’s nothing else different about this handset, as it sports the some old lovable specs as before – like a that ginormous 5.3” WXGA Super AMOLED display.

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What is USB OTG

Home > USB OTG

USB OTG

Short for USB On-The-Go, an extension of the USB 2.0 specification for connecting peripheral devices to each other. USB OTG products can communicate with each other without the need to be connected to a PC. For example, a digital camera can connect to a PDA, or a mobile phone can connect to a printer or a scanner, as long as all the devices are USB OTG-compatible. USB OTG grew from the increasing need for portable devices to be able to communicate with each other as the culture of technology moves away from a PC-centric world.
One of the important features of USB OTG is that the standard does not require a host PC in order for the devices to communicate. USB OTG devices, known as dual-role peripherals, can act as limited hosts or peripherals themselves depending on how the cables are connected to the devices, and they also can connect to a host PC.


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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Review by techspot.com

Until Amazon's Kindle Fire hit the market late last year, no Android-powered tablet had made even the smallest of impacts on the marketplace. With its $199.99 price tag and customized user interface, the Kindle Fire was a real success.
Samsung is now aiming to grab a significant piece of that success by building its own low-cost Android tablet. The catch is that Samsung's new entry, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, looks anything but low-cost. In fact, it features a much better spec sheet than the Kindle Fire, and uses the same streamlined body design as its more expensive brethren.
With a price of $249.99 for the Wi-Fi-only model, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is an instant best buy. And when you consider that it is one of the few devices on the market to offer Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as its operating system, it's even more of a steal.

Hardware

From a hardware perspective, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 looks much like any other recent Samsung tablet. This particular model features a black front with a titanium silver rear cover, and it feels very nice in your hands. There's a lot to be said for the 7-inch tablet form factor.
The 7-inch TFT display on the Tab 2 7.0 offers users 1024 x 600 pixels of resolution. The colors it generates are very bright, and the display's viewing angle is surprisingly good for such an inexpensive device.
Dual speakers flank the 30-pin Samsung connector that is found on the bottom of the tablet (when held in portrait mode). The volume and power keys are on the upper right edge of the tablet, and a 3.5mm headphone jack can be found up top. The 3.5mm jack also supports a line-in function.
The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 measures up at 193mm x 122mm x 10.4mm (7.6in x 4.8in x .41in), which makes it a bit thinner than Amazon's Kindle Fire, though its tapered design makes it feel even thinner than it really is. It weighs a perfectly fine 345g (12.2oz), making it a device that you can hold for hours on end without fatigue.

Usability

While Android isn't as user-friendly as, say, webOS or iOS, Samsung has at least added a few things that make the system more usable than stock Android. Users will enjoy, for example, the mini-apps that can be overlayed on the screen at any time. Mini-apps like the calculator and music player are invaluable. Samsung's updated main menu is also a big bonus, since users can re-arrange apps into any order they like.
While Android 4 shares much with the 3.2 Honeycomb OS that we saw on the first round of Android tablets, there's a bit more polish to how things work, and the result is a better overall experience. As long as you're using the included apps, that is. Apart from those, there are few third party apps currently available that are actually designed with tablet form factors in mind.
But still, Samsung's built-in apps, like the email client and the screen capture feature, feel just fine and make the most of the tablet's form factor. Contacts can be pulled in from either Gmail or Facebook, but there's no real social network support on the device otherwise. You'll have to load your own apps for that. The keyboard offered on the 7.0 is also pretty basic, and you won't find high-end input systems like Swype pre-loaded.
But at least the dual-core 1GHz processor seems to have more than enough power to provide a smooth experience when using the tablet, and that's worth a lot. Especially at its bargain price.

Calling / Data

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 offers no built-in wireless network support apart from Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n for connecting to a home or public Wi-Fi access point. The 7.0 does feature a microphone and speaker, as well as a forward-facing camera, which make it ideal for use with VoIP applications like Skype.
The Tab 2 7.0 also features USB connectivity through its proprietary 30-pin Samsung connector, and there's always Bluetooth 3.0 for using the Tab with devices like wireless stereo headphones and speakers. An infrared port allows the Tab to work as a TV/home entertainment remote control, too.
Users looking for HDMI output will need to use an adapter or a docking station (not included), but the tablet does support DLNA through Samsung's AllShare application.

Messaging

One thing that the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 does real well is messaging. Even though its 7-inch screen offers relatively low resolution, it is still more than adequate for a nice split-screen email messaging experience. There is an included dedicated Gmail client for Gmail users, but the Samsung email app can be used for accessing most any type of email account - including corporate Exchange servers.
Samsung's ChatOn messaging system is also available, and users of Google Talk instant messaging will also find their app in place. Social network users can download free Twitter, Facebook, and other apps from the Google Play Store if the included Google+ client doesn't cover things.

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Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular) by Jessica Dolcourt

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Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular)

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CNET Editors' Rating
4.0 stars Excellent

Design: 8.0
Features: 9.0
Performance: 8.0

Reviewed by: Jessica Dolcourt
Released on: 02/29/2012
Reviewed on: 03/12/2012

The good: The Samsung Galaxy S II has a large, beautiful 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a great 8-megapixel camera and 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and 16GB built-in storage.

The bad: U.S. Cellular's Samsung Galaxy S II has a slower network. It's significantly pricier than other handsets in the carrier's lineup.

The bottom line: With venerable specs, including a terrific camera and large, beautiful screen, the Samsung Galaxy S II is holding true to its claim to fame as the everyman's high-end Android phone.

Photo gallery: Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular)
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Samsung Galaxy S II (U.S. Cellular)

With the rapid-fire release of one smartphone after another, it's easy for once-great phones to quickly become obsolete. Luckily, the Samsung Galaxy S II is one device with staying power, and its appearance on U.S. Cellular's network is a slam dunk.

There are two things to be aware of: this is a 3G phone on U.S. Cellular, and the cost is a little steeper than on other carriers: $229.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate, and with a new two-year activation. It's also costlier than other U.S. Cellular phones at the time of the review.

Editors' note: This review focuses on the differences between the Samsung Galaxy S II on U.S. Cellular and the Samsung Galaxy S II on other networks. You can read up on the full feature set here.

Design and features
The Samsung Galaxy S II maintains the same design as the T-Mobile and Sprint versions of the phone. It starts with a trim, rounded rectangle candy bar design, and has a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED screen that's just beautiful, rich, clear, and vivid. (AT&T's model has a 4.3-inch screen. Its Galaxy S II Skyrocket variation has the larger display.)

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is the brand's second-gen Note device, and comes complete with the S Pen stylus and (obvisouly) a 10.1-inch screen..byT3.COM.

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The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is the brand's second-gen Note device, and comes complete with the S Pen stylus and (obvisouly) a 10.1-inch screen...

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is the latest device to join the Korean brand's tablet lineup and follows on from the 5.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Note. Despite the company only recently debuting the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.0, the new Note tablet is expected to eventually take over from the original Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1: Build

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 sports the usual slick aesthetics that we've come to expect from Samsung, with a glossy back panel and buttonless bezel. We found the finish to be a tad slippery (we nearly dropped the tablet on the floor), although that may have had more to do with the fact that it was somewhat awkwardly tethered to the display unit. Like the Apple iPad 2, the Note 10.1 is available in black or white.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1: Features

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 has been designed to work with the pressure-sensitive S-Pen stylus, along with bespoke S-Note software including specially designed Adobe image editing software. We found the stylus to be very easy to use and responsive, making it easy to tap out a message or draw a picture on the Adobe Ideas sketch pad app.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1: Screen

As the name suggests, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 sports a 10.1-inch, 1280x800 screen, making it almost double the size of the original Galaxy Note. The TFT LCD screen has a WXGA resolution.

The displau is very similar to those on Samsung's existing Galaxy devices and was clear and bright, even under the harsh lights of the Samsung stand at MWC.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1: Camera

The tablet has a relatively standard rear-facing 3MP camera (although why you'd want a rear-facing cam on a tablet, we don't know), while there's a central 2MP front-facing camera for all your video calling needs.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1: Performance
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The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 runs on Android Ice Cream Sandwich, and while we were expected a fast, slick user experience, we found that there was noticeable lag when navigating around the device and opening up apps.

We won't be marking Samsung down for this just yet - we'll put it down to teething troubles and hope that the final review model is a bit zippier...
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1: Verdict

Despite it's confusing moniker, that combines the names of two existing products in the Samsung Galaxy range, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 looks like a decent tablet, and while some may feel that the inclusion of a stylus seems a little dated, the S-Pen works well with the super-responsive touchscreen.

We're also hoping that the problems we had with lag on the UI won't be there when we come to do a full review....

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 availability: TBC

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 price: TBC

Check out our Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 video...

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 review

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 review

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By Tim Stevens posted Nov 10th 2011 12:00PM

What is the optimal size for a modern-day tablet? Is it 10 inches? Is it seven? Or, is it something smaller, like the economy-sized smartphone that is the Galaxy Note? We can’t say for sure, but we surely can say that Samsung is as much in the dark as we are. Like a gadgety Goldilocks traipsing between an endless sea of options, that company seems completely unable to make up its mind, splitting niches into sub-niches and then cleaving those in twain again with a seemingly endless array of fractionally different tablets.

Today we’re looking at the Galaxy Tab 8.9. This powerful slate exists because, apparently, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is too big and the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is too small. Is the $449 8.9 just right, then? Read on to find out.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 review
Hardware

If you’re familiar with the Gal Tab 10.1 you’ll find the slightly svelter 8.9 a particularly comfortable beast. Where many companies are struggling to find a corporate image and common style to apply to all their devices, Samsung here had no problem simply shrinking down the elder tablet’s overall design by about 12 percent. It’s only when they’re side-by-side that you can see a few subtle differences — most notable being the repositioning of the speakers from the sides to the bottom where they now flank Samsung’s proprietary connector.

The 8.9 uses a plastic backing with a faux brushed metal texture. It matches what’s currently applied to the 10.1′s rear end and definitely has a nicer feel than the smooth plastic we got on some of the earlier 10-inchers. It’s given a dark, bluish hue Samsung calls Metallic Gray, though we’re not seeing much in the way metal flake. With that as your only color choice your only options for customization lie on the capacity front: 16 or 32GB, neither of which can be expanded through microSD.

Dimensionally the 8.9 is only slightly smaller than its big brother. It measures 9.1 x 6.2 x .34 inches and weighs in at .99 pounds (230.9 x 157.8 x 8.6mm and 447g, if those are your units of choice). That compares to 10.1 x 6.9 x 0.34 inches and 1.24 pounds, making it only moderately more svelte and a hair less heavy. (Our calipers measured it as being thinner, too, but only by a few fractions of a millimeter.) This compares favorably to another 8-inch option, the Archos 80 G9, which is 3mm thicker and 18g heftier.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 vs. Galaxy Tab 10.1 and iPad 2



That difference between this and the 10.1 doesn’t sound like much on paper, and if you stack them up it doesn’t look like much either. But, in the hand, you notice it. It just feels slightly more balanced, slightly more palmable than the bigger one. It isn’t as nice to walk around with as a 7-inch tablet — still our favorite size for tableting while strolling between gates at the airport — but it is a noticeable improvement in the hand compared to the 10.1.

Though smaller, the 8.9 still packs 1,280 x 800 pixels in its 16:9 PLS TFT LCD, so you’re giving up size but gaining pixel density. You are, however, gaining both compared to the 8-inch Archos 80 G9, which makes do with just 1,024 x 768. The three megapixel camera around the back and two megapixel unit up front appear to be the same as the one that came before, while the power button and volume rocker are positioned in their familiar locations — the upper-left.

That 8.9-inch display impresses, not with the stunning contrast of Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus displays but still managing to look quite good. As mentioned above the pixel density is slightly higher than on the 10.1, which does give text and other high-contrast shapes a slightly smoother appearance. Viewing angles are good and, overall, this is definitely a top-notch panel in here. Still, we have to wonder why Samsung stuck this with a TFT screen while reserving its especially stunning Super AMOLED Plus display for that mythical no-show, the Galaxy Tab 7.7.
Performance and battery life

The 8.9 features the same 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM as its 10.1 inch predecessor, so no surprise, then, that performance here is similar to what we saw on the 10.1 — though not necessarily identical. Quadrant gave us an average of 2,341, which is surprisingly higher than the 1,800 or so the 10.1 puts down. Linpack Single 26.846, though Linpack Multi wouldn’t give us consistent enough scores to warrant inclusion, and Neocore also refused to cooperate. Nenamark netted 38.1, Nenamark2 18.1 and Sunspider clocked in at 2,295, just a tick slower than the 10.1′s 2,200. It boots from cold in 35 seconds.

Real-world impressions back up the benchmark findings. The 8.9 feels exactly the same to use as the 10.1. In back-to-back testing of the two occasionally the 10.1 would load an app slightly more quickly, sometimes the 8.9, but neither had a conclusive advantage over the other. Unless you had them both sitting side-by-side you’d never tell any difference, and even when we did we had to be really paying attention.

When it comes to longevity the 8.9 does not disappoint — though it doesn’t quite live up to its predecessor. The 10.1 (with a 7,000mAh battery) scored a very impressive 9:55 on our intensive video rundown test, almost matching the 10:26 of the iPad 2. The 8.9, with its 6,100mAh battery, managed 9:21. That’s well more than the seven hours managed by the Archos, and plenty enough for all but the most punishing of flights.
Tablet

Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 9:21
Apple iPad 2 10:26
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 9:55
Apple iPad 9:33
HP TouchPad 8:33
Lenovo IdeaPad K1 8:20
Motorola Xoom 8:20
T-Mobile G-Slate 8:18
Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 8:00
Archos 101 7:20
Archos 80 G9 7:06
RIM BlackBerry PlayBook 7:01
Acer Iconia Tab A500 6:55
Toshiba Thrive 6:25
Samsung Galaxy Tab 6:09
Velocity Micro Cruz T408 5:10
Acer Iconia Tab A100 4:54
Camera

Not to sound like a broken record, but the camera assemblies here appear to be identical to what we saw on the 10.1 — that is to say, it takes acceptable shots, but you won’t be retiring your DSLR. Nor your compact, for that matter. See for yourself in the pics below.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 sample shots
Software

The Galaxy Tab 8.9 runs Honeycomb 3.1, featuring the same TouchWiz customizations found on the bigger 10.1. We already detailed them quite comprehensively before, so we won’t waste too much time doing so here again. But, we will say that the additions to the OS here are generally welcome, and the easy to access utilities for taking notes and calendar make this a rather more useful machine than it might be otherwise.

Beyond that, the Honeycomb build here has the same quirks as any other build of Google’s OS. It’s still something of a mixed bag of an OS that we find occasionally clunky and unintuitive to navigate, but again that hasn’t changed significantly since before — and it won’t change until these devices are updated to Ice Cream Sandwich. When will that happen? Samsung isn’t saying.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 software
The competition

There aren’t a huge number of contenders in this, the greater-than-seven-but-smaller-than-nine-inch department. Currently it’s really this or the Archos 80 G9, which has a .9-inch smaller screen, a lower resolution, worse battery life and a chunkier construction. But, it is considerably cheaper ($300 for 8GB, $320 for 16GB) and seems to offer slightly improved performance. The strongest competition, though, comes in at 1.9-inches smaller — in the form of the $430 T-Mobile Springboard (which offers shorter battery life but a nicer display), the $400 Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, or the compellingly cheap Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet. We’ll have full reviews of those last two soon but, at just $200, Amazon’s offering is going to be tough to beat.
Wrap-up

The Galaxy Tab 8.9 exists in a gadget niche so small we weren’t convinced it needed to exist. Despite that, the thing fills it admirably well. Given the choice between taking along this guy or its bigger sibling we’d almost universally take the 8.9. The loss in screen size is barely noticeable since the resolution is kept the same but the difference in handheld usability is tangible.

That said, those of you buying a tablet exclusively for couch surfing would likely be a bit more comfortable with the slightly larger display. Whichever you choose, cost won’t be much of a factor. The 16GB version here is $449 and 32GB $549. Each is just $50 less than its 10.1-inch counterpart. Is a 10 percent price reduction fair for a 10 percent size reduction? Ultimately that decision lies with you.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 pricing set for disaster

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 pricing set for disaster
Chris Burns, Feb 13th 2012



We’re now reviewing some pricing details for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 announced earlier today, and if these number stick to release day, we’ve got not doubt that Samsung has a rather larger blunder on their hands. The Galaxy Tab 2 was announced as a low-cost update to the original Galaxy Tab, otherwise known as the first real effort on earth to create an Android tablet. This new tablet has a 7-inch 1024 x 600 PLS LCD display, a 1GHz dual-core processor, and a 3-megapixel camera – perfect for a $240 price point – thats about half the cost we’re seeing here in an apparent Euro price schedule.

What’s being confirmed here by Samsung to Sammy Hub is a set of prices that sit in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark, along with assurance that the Galaxy Tab 2 will release in the UK first. This tablet is shaping up to be rather similar to the ASUS MeMO tablet we saw at CES 2012, but at half the core power and twice the price. Will the high-powered display be enough to convince customers that this is the winning 7-incher?

Here is the official pricing and availability for the Scandinavian countries. Expected in March, the tablet will sell in both Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi + 3G versions.

Sweden:
Wi-Fi: 2,995SEK (450USD)
3G: 3,695 SEK (556USD)

Finland:
Wi-Fi: 349EUR (463USD)
3G: 429EUR (568USD)

Norway:
Wi-Fi: 2,400NOK (420USD)
3G: 2,990NOK (523USD)

Denmark:
Wi-Fi: 2,350DKK (419USD)
3G: 3,995DKK (512USD)

Take a trip down Chris Davies way to get a better understanding of this situation and head back to our last review of a Galaxy Tab to see what Samsung is about to offer. This is the billionth tablet shown off by Samsung in the last year it seems, and there’s no sign of them stopping in 2012. Tablets galore for all!

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Best Buy Uses the Big Game Stage to Focus on Mobile Technology

Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today! http://www.BeyondUSB.com


Best Buy Uses the Big Game Stage to Focus on Mobile Technology
* Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release.

Sun Feb 5, 2012 7:01pm EST

Retailer pairs ad that features ground-breaking tech pioneers with a unique mobile phone offer to tout its influence in the mobile technology space

MINNEAPOLIS (Feb. 5, 2012) - Tonight Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) is using the world's biggest stage to celebrate mobile technology by using true tech pioneers to assert its growing influence in the mobile phone business. The campaign kicks off with Best Buy's second appearance in the Big Game as well as a special week-long offer for anyone looking to upgrade to a new phone at Best Buy in 2012

Best Buy's commercial reveals 10 technology innovators who have changed the way we use our phones and culminates with Best Buy's own contribution to the process. From iconic apps like Words With Friends, to innovations we can't live without like SMS messaging, Best Buy is putting a name and face to these unsung, yet amazing rock stars of mobile technology whose inventions impact billions of people around the world every day. Each of these innovators also is featured in longer-form videos that premiere online tonight and are available for viewing at (http://www.youtube.com/bestbuy).

"Consumers give us credit for being a technology brand that helps people get the most out of their devices," said Drew Panayiotou, senior vice president of U.S. marketing at Best Buy. "Showcasing innovators like Philippe Kahn, who created the camera phone, and Jim McKelvey, who introduced the notion of mobile payments, first in our ad and then in longer-form media made sense. It allows these inventors to move from tonight's spot to a format where they can share more about technology and how it might impact all of us in the future."

To coincide with the mobile-centric ad, any customer who registers and then upgrades to a new mobile phone at Best Buy by Dec. 31, 2012 will receive a $50 Best Buy gift card.

The offer is simple:

Step One: Consumers register their phone number at www.bestbuy.com/phonefreedom by Feb. 12, 2012
Step Two: Consumers activate the registered phone number with the purchase of a new mobile phone with a two-year agreement at Best Buy or BestBuy.com any time before Dec. 31, 2012
Step Three: Upon purchase and activation, customers will receive their $50 Best Buy gift card

There is no obligation once a phone number is registered. Customers must register their phone number online between Sunday, Feb. 5 and Sunday, Feb. 12 to qualify.

"We are thrilled to have a stage as significant as the Big Game to showcase all that Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile have to offer," said Shawn Score, president of Best Buy Mobile. "We have spent the last five years building and improving the mobile phone buying experience in our stores, and we are confident in our ability to deliver a world-class experience that features any carrier, any phone, any plan combined with unbiased advice."

The $50 gift card offer is valid on Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile phones activated with a new two-year agreement at Best Buy or online at BestBuy.com (excluding T-Mobile activations requiring a deposit). Once signed up, consumers will have until the end of the 2012 calendar year to purchase a new mobile phone at Best Buy and receive their gift card. If they don't activate a phone within that time period, the gift card offer simply goes away. For full terms and conditions, visit www.bestbuy.com/phonefreedom. Not valid in Puerto Rico.

Best Buy's Big Game spot was created by agency CP+B and directed by Wayne McClammy. It was shot in 6 locations in 3 countries. The innovators featured in the spot include:

Philippe Kahn - created the camera phone and MotionX

Philippe Kahn is a technology innovator and entrepreneur who has founded four successful technology companies. Kahn is married to Sonia Lee, who he co-founded Fullpower/MotionX LightSurf and Starfish Software with. They have a daughter Sophie whose memorable camera-phone first pictures dates her birth to June 11th, 1997. Together, Lee and Kahn run an environmental charity, the Lee-Kahn Foundation.

While at LightSurf Technologies, Kahn developed one of the first camera phones. His team at LightSurf built the first end-to end solution for picture messaging, and was the first to share pictures instantly on public networks. LightSurf's core technology, the LightSurf 6 Open Standards MMS Platform, allows users to capture, view, annotate and share multimedia messages with any handset or e-mail address. It was the first commercially deployed inter-carrier MMS solution in North America, with over 400 million media messages shared on Sprint's network. In 2005, LightSurf was acquired by VeriSign.

Ray Kurzweil - invented text-to-speech

Kurzweil was the principal developer of the first CCD flatbed scanner, the first omni-font optical character recognition, the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, the first text-to-speech synthesizer, the first music synthesizer capable of re-creating the grand piano and other orchestral instruments, and the first commercially marketed large-vocabulary speech recognition. Ray has written four nationally best-selling books. His latest book, The Singularity Is Near, was a New York Times bestseller, and has been the #1 book on Amazon in both science and philosophy. He was awarded the National Medal of Technology, has received 19 honorary doctorates, and received awards from three U.S. presidents. KurzweilAI.net, his website on future technology, had more than 2.3 million unique visitors in 2011.

Text-to-speech is utilized on mobile devices by enabling the reading of information for a visually challenged person, or it may be used to augment the reading of a text message or email. It is often used with voice recognition to answer questions.

Neil Papworth - sent the first SMS message

Papworth is currently a software architect at Tekelec in Montreal. A graduate of Thames Valley University, he has been involved in product architecture and software engineering at technology companies for over 20 years.

Papworth is credited with sending the first SMS text message. While working with Sema Group in Newbury, England at age 22, Papworth sent his historic greeting to Richard Jarvis of Vodafone, during a Christmas party. Since cell phones were not yet designed to type out and send individual letters of the alphabet, Papworth sent "Merry Christmas" from a computer keyboard. It took some time for cellphones to evolve into send/receive capability.

Paul & David Bettner - created Words With Friends

Paul and David Bettner are the brothers behind Words With Friends, the word building game that has taken the world by storm by challenging players to create the highest-scoring words on a game board while playing against another opponent - friend or random. They first launched Chess With Friends in November, 2008 followed by Words With Friends in July, 2009. Paul is now Vice President and General Manager of Zynga With Friends based in McKinney, Texas, where David is Studio Director.

Words With Friends is a part of the 'With Friends' franchise, which has grown to four games and continues to connect players with their friends, family and even random opponents through its in-game chat and triple letter words. Available on Facebook, Android devices, iPad, iPhone and iPodtouch, Words With Friends continues to hover at the top of the App Store charts and is currently the number three game on Facebook by DAU according to Appdata.com.

Kevin Systrom - creator of Instagram

After graduating from Stanford in 2006, Systrom spent two years at Google where he worked on Gmail and Google Reader. In 2010, he launched Instagram.

Instagram is a free photo sharing application that allows users to take photos, apply a filter, and share it on the service or variety of other social networking services. It was launched in Apple's App store in October 2010, and by December it had one million registered users.

Jim McKelvey - created Square Mobile Pay

Jim McKelvey is co-founder of Square, a mobile payment platform. A renowned glass blower, he was trying to sell one of his pieces over the phone to a woman in Panama, and lost his sale because he could not accept American Express. He founded Square in 2009 as a way to prevent small business from not being able to accept certain payment cards.

Square was the first mobile payment system for smartphones. The miniature, square shaped, thumb-sized slot plugs into any Android or iPhone/iPad device and allows users to securely swipe credit cards and process instant payment. Instead of charging up to 5 percent of the gross sale like most machines, Square charges a fixed 2.75 percent. McKelvey built the prototype card-readers as Dorsey worked on the software. By the end of 2009, Square had over 100,000 customers, today it has over a million.

Chris Barton and Avery Wang - helped create Shazam

Chris Barton and Avery Wang were two of Shazam's four founders (Philip Inghelbrecht and Dhiraj Mukherjee being the other two). Chris Barton had the original idea for Shazam and sought out "the smartest guy he could find" to build his vision. Avery Wang was that guy. He became the principal inventor of Shazam's recognition algorithms and is still Chief Scientist at Shazam. Barton is currently employed at Dropbox and serves as a Shazam Board observer.

Shazam's roots are in music, enabling people to identify, buy and share music discoveries through an acoustic fingerprint algorithm. This amazing service began even before there were smartphones by delivering a text result to UK fans that dialed 2580 and held their phone towards the music. Today, Shazam connects more than 175 million people, in over 200 countries and 30 languages to the music, TV and brands they love. Shazam works with music labels, TV program producers and broadcasters, as well as every major mobile platform and carrier, making it the world's leading media discovery company - and one of the most popular apps in the market (106)

Shazam is the world's leading media discovery company with more than 175 million people in 200 countries and adding another 1.5 million new users each week. Shazam is the best way for people to discover, explore, buy, and share, music, TV shows and branded content.

For further information about Shazam Entertainment visit www.shazam.com and @ShazamNews or follow us on Facebook. For daily music updates follow the Shazam Blog and @Shazam.

Additional information on all of the innovators featured can be found at http://www.youtube.com/bestbuy.

Best Buy Mobile brings consumers the choice of any carrier, any phone, any plan with lots of unbiased advice at the more than 1,100 Best Buy stores and 279 Best Buy Mobile specialty stores. In addition, it offers an array of services aimed at improving customers' experience, including Walk Out Working, Upgrade Checker, Happy 24 and a full array of accessories for customers to protect and personalize their device.

About Best Buy Mobile

Best Buy Mobile was founded in 2006 with a goal of changing the way consumers shop for and purchase mobile phones in America. Today, Best Buy Mobile is in every Best Buy store and also has 279 Best Buy Mobile specialty stores around the country. Best Mobile features one of the largest selections of carriers, handsets and accessories available anywhere. Employees undergo at least 80 hours of intensive training, as well as continuing education on mobile phone technology and trends to help customers get the most of their mobile phones. For more information about Best Buy Mobile visit www.bestbuy.com/mobile or www.bestbuymobile.com.

About Best Buy Co., Inc.

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is a leading multi-channel global retailer and developer of technology products and services. Every day our employees - 180,000 strong - are committed to helping deliver the technology solutions that enable easy access to people, knowledge, ideas and fun. We are keenly aware of our role and impact on the world, and we are committed to developing and implementing business strategies that bring sustainable technology solutions to our consumers and communities. For information about Best Buy, visit www.bby.com and to shop at Best Buy, visit www.bestbuy.com.

Media Contact: Paula Baldwin

Director, Best Buy Public Relations

(612) 291-6126 or Paula.Baldwin@bestbuy.com

Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today! http://www.BeyondUSB.com

Cheap phones

Transfer Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today! http://www.BeyondUSB.com

Cheap phones

Kent German Kent German
Senior editor February 22, 2010 (updated on: July 13, 2011)

Though no one loves cell phone contracts, signing one can knock a lot of money off the price of your phone. And sometimes these service rebates can even be enough to make a handset free. In the below list, CNET has picked a few handsets that, as of this writing, either cost you one penny or nothing at all. Some require additional online-only discounts, and some offers are available only through third-party retailers. Also, keep in mind that free models tend to be on the basic side. But even with those caveats, there are plenty of satisfying phones that won't put a big dent in your wallet.

The Samsung Trender is a messaging phone for Sprint. It doesn't have the best camera, but it fits the bill as a user-friendly and functional handset centered on communication. It costs just 1 cent from Amazon.com, and because it's not a smartphone, you won't need a data plan. The Samsung Replenish packages Android 2.2 Froyo in an eco-friendly design. Call quality wasn't exceptional, though we liked the camera and the physical controls. Sprint now offers it for free.

AT&T has the Pantech Crossover. It's a well-built entry-level handset with a physical keyboard. Amazon lists it for just a penny with a contract. If you don't need quite as many features, T-Mobile has the Samsung SGH-T259. Its flip phone design is easy to use, you can get e-mail, and call quality is great. Sure, it's pretty simple, but Amazon lists it for just 1 cent with service.

Product name
Samsung Trender SPH-M380 - sapphire (Sprint)
Play CNET Video
Samsung Trender SPH-M380 - sapphire (Sprint)

Samsung Replenish - onyx black (Sprint)
Play CNET Video
Samsung Replenish - onyx black (Sprint)

Pantech Crossover (AT&T)
Play CNET Video
Pantech Crossover (AT&T)

Samsung SGH-T259 - blue (T-Mobile)
Play CNET Video
Samsung SGH-T259 - blue (T-Mobile)
Price $0.00 to $259.99 $0.00 to $339.99 $0.00 to $0.01 $0.00 to $184.98
CNET editors' rating

3.0 stars



3.5 stars



3.5 stars



3.5 stars

Average user rating 0 stars

3.5 stars



3.0 stars



2.5 stars

Release date June 06, 2011 May 08, 2011
The Bottom Line If you're trying to avoid a data plan, the Samsung Trender is an affordable messaging option, though one of Sprint's budget Android phones could prove a better value. With a price tag of just $50, the Samsung Replenish offers good value as a basic, easy-to-use Android phone, and one that's environmentally conscious to boot. The Pantech Crossover is a well-built entry-level Android smartphone for AT&T customers who want a physical keyboard. The Samsung T259's intuitive design, excellent call quality, and affordable price make it a good choice for someone in search of a simple handset.
Similar Products Compare more products Compare more products Compare more products Compare more products
Features
Specific absorption rate (SAR) 1.02 W/Kg
0.3 W/Kg
Info unavailable 0.36 W/Kg
Cellular technology CDMA2000 1X
CDMA2000 1X
WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
CDMA2000 1X
Weight 4 oz
4.1 oz
5.15 oz
3.25 oz
Talk time Up to 300 min
Up to 324 min
Up to 300 min
Up to 270 min
Wireless Interface Bluetooth
IEEE 802.11
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
IEEE 802.11
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
Service Provider Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel
AT&T
T-Mobile
Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications
Buying choices

Sprint
$0.00
In stock: Yes

A1 Wireless
$244.98
In stock: Yes

LetsTalk.com
$0.00
In stock: Yes

Prices from 4 CNET Certified stores


Sprint
$0.00
In stock: Yes

Wirefly Mobile
$0.01
In stock: Yes

LetsTalk.com
$0.00
In stock: Yes

Prices from 4 CNET Certified stores


AT&T Wireless
$0.00
In stock: Yes

Price from 1 CNET Certified store


Best Buy
$0.00
In stock: See Site

T-Mobile USA
$29.99
In stock: Yes

Wirefly Mobile
$0.01
In stock: Yes

Prices from 4 CNET Certified stores

Instructions - Beyond USB 2.0 - OTG USB - Smartphone USB to Computer USB Interface Instructions.

Beyond USB 2.0 - Smartphone USB to Computer USB Interface Instructions.

Hooking up your Compatible Smartphone or Tablet to the Beyond USB;

1.     Simply plug the Micro B end of the Beyond USB into your Micro B Port on your cell phone or Tablet. ( This is the same port you plug in your USB Cable or Charger)

2.     The Device will be recognized and then go into your Applications and click on file manager.

3.     You now can open up your Files and view them right on your Smartphone; Videos, Movies, Documents, Photos, Music and more!

4.     You can save files right off of your Smartphone and save them into a new created file, right on your beyond USB, by copying them and saving them in your chosen location.

5.     You can also copy any files from your Beyond USB right onto your Compatible Smartphone or Tablet and save them there.

The Beyond USB will save you storage space on your Smartphone or Tablet and allows for much faster viewing on this storage device. This works as a great solution to backup all your files.

Hooking up your Computer to the Beyond USB;

1.     Simply plug the USB side of the Beyond USB into any USB Port on your Computer.

2.     The computer will recognize the device and give you a choice of how you want to view files.

3.     You can click on the file you want to view and your computer will give you the option of how you want to view that file.

4.     You can directly view these files from the Beyond USB or Copy and Save the files to a location, where you would like to save those files on your computer.

5.     To save files from your computer to the Beyond USB, simple click on the file or image and drag it onto the Beyond USB or Copy and save it onto the Beyond USB.

The Beyond USB will save you storage space on your Computer and allows for much faster viewing on this storage device. This works as a great solution to backup all your files.

The transfer speed is remarkable and saves you much time and frustration with any file transfer or viewing options.

Please feel free to contact us for any questions or product assistance.  

1(855) USB-6223 or 1(855) 872-6223

Visit http://www.BeyondUSB.com for Compatible Devices and Pricing On the Beyond USB. Now Available for purchase!!

AT&T sends a letter to the FCC that confirms they’re interested in working with Dish

By: Stefan Constantinescu, IntoMobile
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 at 3:38 AM

Dish Network, the budget satellite television company, sits on 40 MHz worth of spectrum in the 2 GHz band. They’ve already stated that they want to build an LTE-Advanced network using that spectrum, and now they’re just waiting to get the thumbs up from the FCC to go ahead and start building. Now we all know that AT&T failed to acquire T-Mobile. That made a lot of consumers happy since fewer operators almost always translates to higher prices. Still, that doesn’t change AT&T’s problem, which is their hunger for spectrum that they claim they need to expand their network. Most of us in the wireless industry believe that either AT&T will buy Dish Network to feed said hunger or Dish Network will buy T-Mobile and give the struggling operator a real 4G strategy. Last week (January 26th) AT&T sent the FCC a seven page letter basically saying that Dish Network should be given permission to build their network, that they should have to follow the same rules that all wireless operators follow, and that no restrictions should be placed on the “transfer and/or leasing” of Dish’s spectrum. To us that sounds like AT&T wants to cut Dish Network a big fat check and just take their spectrum, why else would they tell the FCC to give Dish Network the green light to start building their network?
In a perfect world the FCC would tell AT&T to stop being a whiney douche, give Dish Network the go ahead, and Deutsche Telekom would give Dish Network the right to use their brand so that they don’t have to invest millions in marketing. That of course is a fantasy, but regardless, expect something major to happen to Dish Network during the next 12 months. They stand to make a lot of money when their spectrum gets the FCC’s stamp of approval.

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Smartphone statistics and market share

By Mark Brownlow, November 2011

Visit http://www.BeyondUSB.com for the latest news and technology on Transferring Your Photos, Videos, Music, Documents and more in a flash, by simply plugging in your Beyond USB into your Smartphone or Computer. Very simple and easy for all to use. Get Yours Today!

Smartphone stats

• Gartner estimate worldwide Q3 2011 sales of smartphones at some 115 million: 26% of mobile communication device sales.
• The same company expects US sales of smartphones to grow from 67 million in 2010 to 95 million in 2011, and become the highest-selling consumer electronic device category.
• IDC expect total smartphone sales in 2011 to reach 472 million across the globe, rising to 982 million in 2015. They say 118 million smartphones sold worldwide in Q3 2011.
• Nielsen report that 43% of US mobile phone owners have a smartphone as of October 2011, and expect smartphones to become the majority by the end of 2011.
• comScore estimate US smartphone ownership at just over 37% of mobile subscribers or 87.4 million people as of September, 2011. They put the equivalent figures for France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK combined at 38.9% or 91.4 million people.
• IMS Research expects 420 million smartphones to sell in 2011 or 28% of the mobile handset market. They predict this figure will rise to over 1 billion in 2016 (half the market).
• A Pew Internet Project survey from May 2011 found 35% of US adults owned a smartphone.
• According to figures for 2010 released by Gartner, smartphones accounted for 297 million (19%) of the 1.6 billion mobile phones sold that year. That's 72.1% more smartphone sales than in 2009.
• Morgan Stanley Research estimates sales of smartphones will exceed those of PCs in 2012.

Smartphone operating systems

Gartner's analysis of global Q3 2011 smartphone sales shows the Android operating system dominating market share (rounded to nearest percentage point):

Source: Gartner (November 2011)
A comScore survey from September 2011 for the US gives the following figures:

CES 2012 Smartphones: 7 New Devices That Stole The Show (PHOTOS)

The Huffington Post   Jason Gilbert

LAS VEGAS -- At a Consumer Electronics Show dominated in hype by a new laptop category called Ultrabooks, it might have been easy to miss just how significant all of the smartphones introduced at this year's CES really were.
Perhaps lost in the glitz of this Year Of The Ultrabook convention were smartphones that could have huge implications for their companies in 2012, beginning with the Nokia Lumia 900. Introduced at an intimate press conference here on Monday, the Nokia Lumia 900 is the handset-maker's first smartphone designed specifically for the Windows Phone operating system, Microsoft's critically acclaimed mobile software that has yet to catch on with consumers. Handset makers like HTC and Samsung are both manufacturing Windows Phones already, but sales have been slow; Microsoft and Nokia are both banking on the Lumia series of phones in 2012, and the rollout has officially begun, as the intro-level, $50 Lumia 710 went on sale at T-Mobile on Wednesday. It is the 900, however, that is the major mobile story that emerged from CES, however. At the risk of hyperbole, the Lumia 900 could determine the fate of both Nokia as a mobile presence in the United States and Windows Phone as a viable mobile operating system, as each tech giant has placed a lot of faith (and a lot of money) in this top-of-the-line Nokia Windows Phone.
Other smartphones introduced here don't carry such existential weight but are significant nonetheless: Motorola's beautiful DROID Razr had a big battery problem that Motorola claims to have fixed with the DROID Razr Maxx; Samsung pushed the limits of screen size with the Galaxy Note, a mammoth 5.3-inch device that comes with a stylus and will be promoted as a primary phone; and Chinese giant Huawei introduced the phone that it hopes will earn it a foothold in America: the Ascend PS1, which Huawei is calling "the thinnest smartphone" on the planet.
Below, we've compiled the 7 major smartphone introductions at this year's CES, all of which happen to be gorgeous pieces of technology, too. Scroll through and check out some new options for what could be your next cell phone.
For more from CES 2012, check out our roundup 9 wild and wacky gadgets for music lovers, as well as 7 Ultrabooks that could take on the MacBook Air. You can also visit our CES 2012 Big New page to see all our coverage from the week.

Nokia Lumia 900

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LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 10: The Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone is displayed at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center January 10, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 13 and is expected to feature 2,700 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to about 140,000 attendees. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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