Samsung debuts 7-inch Galaxy Tab 2 with tasty Ice Cream Sandwich
Samsung has unveiled the successor to its first 7-inch Android tablet, but this time the device will run the latest feature-rich version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich.
The Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) will be one of the first tablets available with Ice Cream Sandwich, which has a haltingly beautiful design and tons of new features like facial recognition unlocking that make using Android elegant and fun. The Galaxy Tab 2 will join Samsung’s diverse family … Continue Reading
Google-branded streaming music device in development, report says
Google is allegedly working on creating a company-branded entertainment device capable of streaming music in multiple locations throughout a person’s home.
The information about the Google-branded device comes from a Wall Street Journal report that cites unnamed people briefed on the project. If true, it would mark the Google’s first attempt at creating a hardware product without the aid of an electronics manufacturing partner. The search giant has historically concentrated its resources on developing web-based … Continue Reading
After a drop in profits, HTC forecasts cloudy quarter ahead
The next quarter will be tough-going for HTC as it tries to recover from its first big profit drop in two years.
HTC reported revenues of NT$101.42 billion (New Taiwanese dollars) for the fourth quarter, but the company projects revenues of up to 36 percent less in the first quarter, from NT$65 billion to NT$70 billion ($2.20-$2.37 billion U.S.).
HTC previously announced that its profits fell in the fourth quarter, so this news is basically … Continue Reading
Samsung’s Galaxy S III may be just 7mm thick, making it world’s thinnest phone
At some point, the mad quest to create the thinnest phone on the market will end — but not today.
Samsung is reportedly aiming to make its upcoming Galaxy S III flagship device just 7 millimeters thick, a full 1.49mm thinner than the Galaxy S II and 2.3mm thinner than the iPhone 4S, according to the Korean site ETNews.
The phone could debut as soon as this May, the site says, though as is always … Continue Reading
iPhone tops US handset sales, Android attracts more newbies, says NPD
Corroborating what just about every other research firm has noted by this pointed, the NPD Group announced today in its latest report that the iPhone has become the best-selling handset in the U.S. during the fourth quarter.
No big surprises there, but the group also pointed out another interesting statistic: Despite the iPhone’s dominance, first-time smartphone buyers still overwhelmingly jump to Android.
In the fourth quarter, Apple overtook LG and Samsung with the iPhone 4S, … Continue Reading
Apple temporarily removes iPhones, iPad from German online store after Motorola patent fight (updated)
Update: Apple now says that it has been granted a temporary suspension of Motorola’s ruling, so all iPads and iPhones should be available in its German online store soon. It’s unclear how long the suspension will last. Original post below.
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You would be hard pressed to find a smartphone manufacturer that is not suing, or being sued by, Apple over patent infringement. Today news broke that Apple will temporarily remove a number of … Continue Reading
IDC: Apple now the world’s third-largest phone manufacturer
Apple has moved up two spots in the world phone manufacturer rankings, with LG and ZTE dropping down a rank and Nokia and Samsung taking the top two slots, according to new IDC research.
IDC’s latest report on the state of the worldwide phone market says it grew by 6.1 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2011. But that growth is actually quite a bit weaker than the 9.3 percent year-over-year gain for Q3, … Continue Reading
Apple loses to Samsung in Germany, Galaxy Tab sales will continue
Poor Apple. Those guys just can’t win. Especially in a certain German court, where they tried to sue Samsung over the design of the Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet and Galaxy Nexus phone.
Last August, the iPad maker was granted a preliminary injunction to halt sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, a decision that one analyst called “an unmitigated disaster.”
However, today’s decision (in the case LG Muenchen 21 O 26022/11) applies to a revised version … Continue Reading
Samsung: No Galaxy III smartphone at Mobile World Congress
Despite numerous rumors to the contrary, Samsung has confirmed that it will not debut its much-anticipated Galaxy S III smartphone at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month.
“Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012,” Samsung told The Verge. “The successor to the Galaxy S II smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to … Continue Reading
Got big pockets? Samsung’s Galaxy Note headed to AT&T on Feb. 19 for $300
Skinny jeans wearers need not apply. AT&T announced Tuesday that Samsung’s massive 5.3-inch Galaxy Note — which was one of the most intriguing devices at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show — will be available in the U.S. on February 19 for $300 with contract.
The Galaxy Note occupies a weird space between a smartphones and a tablets, but for some it may just be the perfect balance of the two form factors. Pre-orders for the … Continue Reading
iPhones accounted for a quarter of smartphones shipped in Q4, says Juniper
While the success of the iPhone 4S was a big deal for Apple last quarter, it was the free (with contract) iPhone 3GS that helped Apple truly dominate the smartphone market in Q4, according to Juniper Research.
The 37 million iPhones Apple shipped accounted for almost a quarter of the 149 million smartphones shipped globally in the last quarter, the research firm said in its latest report.
That’s on-par with Strategy Analytics’ figures, which counted … Continue Reading
Apple takes back world’s top smartphone maker crown from Samsung
In what will likely be a constant back and forth between Apple and Samsung, the iPhone maker has apparently reclaimed the title of the world’s largest smartphone vendor for the fourth quarter of 2011.
That’s according to research firm Strategy Analytics, which points out that Apple shipped 37 million iPhones during the quarter versus Samsung’s 36.5 million. Samsung still remains king for all of 2011 though, with 97.4 million smartphones shipped compared to Apple’s 93 … Continue Reading
Samsung’s Galaxy S II leads it to record profit of $4.7B
It’s good to be the Android king: Samsung today announced its record fourth quarter earnings, in which it saw operating profits of 5.3 trillion won (around $4.7 billion) on revenues of 47.3 trillion won (around $42 billion).
That’s a decent jump over last year, when it reported earnings of 3 trillion won (about $2.6 billion) on 41.8 trillion won (about $36.5 billion) in revenue.
Samsung performance was in line with its guidance from earlier in … Continue Reading
Apple’s “thermonuclear war” against Android is an expensive dud
This morning, Reuters reported Apple lost an appeal to ban Android tablets in the Netherlands. It’s another failure for an expensive legal strategy that has done nothing to stem the growth of Android’s marketshare in the smartphone and tablet space.
As Dan Lyons reported Monday, Apple is said to have spent as much as $100 million bringing claims against HTC, a Taiwanese manufacturer of numerous Android devices. Of the 84 claims brought to the International … Continue Reading
The view from CES: The top 10 trends in technology for 2012
The International Consumer Electronics Show is a huge festival of gadgetry, but there’s no better place to get a bead on where technology is going in the coming year.
Among the 153,000 attendees at the show in Las Vegas last week were five VentureBeat staffers who were sniffing out the big trends. This story is our list of the most evident trends among the rows and rows of gadgets at CES.
The convention is like … Continue Reading
Apple attacks Samsung’s Android devices in Germany. Again.
Apple has once again gone after Samsung in Germany, filing suits to ban sales of the Galaxy S Plus and the S II.
The latest in a string of patent suits takes aim at 10 smartphone models. The suit was filed in the Dusseldorf Regional Court, Reuters reports.
This is separate from a former lawsuit against five Samsung tablets.
The continuing Apple-Samsung saga has Apple claiming that Samsung’s Android tablets and smartphones are too close … Continue Reading
Samsung would be crazy to buy RIM (updated)
Imagine you’re a Samsung executive. You’ve just emerged from yet another Consumer Electronics Show, where your products and press conference were among the hottest tickets at an otherwise dull affair. Your televisions and phones have consumers drooling — hell, even your home appliances are popular.
What better way to top off all of your success than to buy the struggling BlackBerry maker Research in Motion?
If you think that sounds crazy, I’m right there with … Continue Reading
Samsung to invest a record $41B in 2012, all eyes on mobile
Samsung Group announced today it would invest $41.4 billion in new technologies, more than the company has ever invested in previous years.
The investments will encompass efforts in research and development, mergers and acquisitions, and building new facilities, Samsung reps told reporters. The company also said it will be hiring as many as 26,000 new employees in 2012.
Industry experts expect a good chunk of that change will be spent on logic chips and OLED … Continue Reading
The 10 most promising products of the coming year, as revealed at CES
We spent hours combing the floor of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to sleuth out the most compelling tech trends and the most exciting new products of the coming year.
Now that we’ve returned from Vegas, pounded enough Emergen-C cocktails to get us back into a semblance of health, and compared notes, we’ve settled on this list of the show’s top products.
Read on to see the most promising hardware that will be … Continue Reading
The coolest technology and moments from CES 2012 (slideshow)
Last week, four VentureBeat reporters and our videographer braved the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. They covered 1.861 million square feet of show floor, visited many of the 3,100 exhibitors, and sorted through the 20,000 new products that were launched at the event to find the most interesting stories and gadgets.
They also took a lot of photographs. Here are some of our favorite images and finds from the CES 2012 floor, including … Continue Reading
