In other words, the giant that sold almost 400 million phones last year is getting bigger. And faster.

There’s a reason Samsung gobbles up 95 percent of the profits in the Android device market. It knows how to produce, market, distribute, and sell phones and tablets in massive numbers.

And, it doesn’t rest on its laurels.

The company also announced today that it would soon be introducing more color variations. The S4 is currently only available in black or white, or, as Samsung likes to say, Black Forest and White Mist. New color options coming this summer include Blue Arctic, Red Aurora, Purple Mirage, and Brown Autumn.

Meanwhile, five and a half months after the introduction of the iPhone 5, Apple is still not offering varying color options, although this are rumored to be in the product pipeline, probably for a fall release.

One caveat on the numbers: Samsung typically counts shipped units as sold units. And the company very carefully worded its announcement as “global channel sales,” which should likely be construed as units that are sold and delivered to its channel sales partners. So it’s possible that in terms of actual units in the hands of customers, Samsung has not yet hit the 10 million mark.

But there’s no doubt that the device is successful and will sell a boatload of units.

I still maintain, however, that the extra software, add-ons, and flashy-but-buggy gewgaws Samsung has added to the device will spell the beginning of the end of Samsung’s smartphone dominance. And would suggest people interesting in buying one wait for the Nexus version, which is basically an Galaxy S4 stripped of all Samsung’s software, and featuring a pure Google Android experience.

Image credit: Samsung

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Seventy-seven percent of all new smartphones and tablets activated in the enterprise last quarter were Apple devices, according to a new report from Good Technology.

The most popular device was Apple’s new iPhone 5, with 32 percent of all activations. The top five devices activated also included the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPad 3, and iPad2. Out of the top 10, eight were Apple devices, including the iPad 4, the aged iPad 1, and the equally venerable iPhone 3GS.

Essentially, it’s utter enterprise domination by Apple’s iOS:

Source: Good Technologies

Top 10 devices activated in the enterprise: Q4 2012

Android’s first foray into the enterprise comes at number six, with the Samsung Galaxy S III, and its only other contestant is the S III’s baby brother, the Galaxy S II, which clocks in at number 10. iOS activations were up 8.5 percent year-over-year.

Good Technologies offers solution for secure collaboration, communication, and data. With 4,000 enterprise customers and half of the Fortune 500 in its stable, it has fairly good insight into what the enterprise is doing in mobility.

One place Android is gaining somewhat? Tablets.

“Between Q1 and the end of Q4 2012, Android tablet activations jumped from 2.7 percent to nearly 7 percent of total activations,” Good says in its report, attributing the spike in part to the rise of fablets: hybrid phone-tablet devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note.

Source: Good Technologies

Tablet activations in the enterprise: Q4 2012

Windows reigns, of course, on the enterprise desktop, but it is a marginal, niche player so far in enterprise mobility. Only .5 percent of enterprise device activations in the fourth quarter were Windows phones or tablets. That may, of course, change as Windows 8 edges into the enterprise and CIOs look at the potential benefits of a more unified desktop-mobile operating system environment.

Source: Good Technologies

Q4 2012 activations by device type

One interesting note: The business sector that is driving down Apple’s stock valuation is the same industry that is purchasing the most of Apple’s products. According to Good Technologies, between 30 percent and 36 percent of all iPads activated in enterprise where purchased by the financial services industry. The next closest sector is business and professional services, at under 20 percent.

Curious, no?

Source: Good Technologies

iPad activations by industry

photo credit: papalars via photopin cc

In the fourth quarter of 2012, manufacturers shipped 52 million phones in the United States, according to Strategy Analytics. Apple shipped 17.7 million of them, and Samsung shipped 16.8 million. The next largest competitor, LG, shipped only 4.7 million.

Everything else is buried in the dreaded “Other” category: What those numbers mean is that Apple and Samsung have cornered 65 percent of the market (or 69 percent, according to the NPD Group’s numbers). But it’s even more shocking when you look at phone models. The top five models all come from the only two smartphone vendors that have won significant market share in the U.S.

“Apple and Samsung continued to run away from all the other smartphone makers accounting for nearly 70 percent of all sales during Q4 2012,” analyst firm NPD Group said in a statement.

The iPhone 5 was the top-selling smartphone in the last quarter of 2012, according to that NPD Group report, and Apple has three more spots in the top five, with its old model iPhone 4S and even older model iPhone 4 still selling well.

Source: NPD Group

Top 5 selling smartphones in the U.S.

Still think Apple shouldn’t build a cheaper iPhone, by the way?

Samsung is doing very well also, of course, with two phones in the top five: its flagship Galaxy S III and the slightly less-well-endowed Galaxy S II. And of course, Samsung has a raft of other products in its Galaxy and other model lines targeted various consumer niches.

Besides the fact that the smartphone race in the U.S. is a two-horse race, another thing is completely clear: Smartphones have clearly beaten feature phones. And that’s going to force another set of changes in the market.

“While smartphone sales continued on their torrid pace in the fourth quarter, the seeds of change are evident in the sales numbers,” the NPD Group’s VP of industry analysis Stephen Baker said in a statement. “With of the vast majority of all phone sales now smartphones, and with the largest unit-sales growth within smartphones occurring in the prepaid segment, today’s product pricing and channel models will need to adapt to accommodate this new reality.”

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Following its decisive victory over Samsung on Friday, Apple today filed a notice (PDF link) with the Federal District Court in San Jose, Calif. detailing the Samsung devices it wants banned from sale in the U.S.

Apple is only focusing on eight Samsung for the injunction, according to the notice, even though the trial jury found that most of Samsung’s 28 devices presented in the case infringed on Apple’s patents. In particular, Samsung’s Galaxy S2 is being targeted.

Here are all the Samsung devices Apple is seeking an injunction for:

• Galaxy S 4G
• Galaxy S2 (AT&T)
• Galaxy S2 Skyrocket
• Galaxy S2 (T-Mobile)
• Galaxy S2 Epic 4g (Sprint)
• Galaxy S Showcase
• Droid Charge
• Galaxy Prevail

Many of the Samsung devices shown in court are no longer on sale in the U.S. anyway, so it wouldn’t have made sense for Apple to bring them up for its injunction request.

Judge Lucy Koh has scheduled the injunction hearing for the Apple v. Samsung trial for September 20. Samsung will have a chance to respond to Apple’s injunction request some time before then.

As you can see in the chart below, Apple has broken down exactly how each of these devices infringes on its patents or trade dress design. The Galaxy S 4G is the worst culprit, infringing on Apple’s D’677 and D’305 design patents (which cover the front of the iPhone and its icon grid), utility patents, and trade dress (which refers to the look and feel of Apple’s iPhone).

Even though this injunction request won’t affect Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S III smartphone if it’s approved, it could still be a pain for Samsung, as the Galaxy S II remains a good deal for bargain hunters. Boost Mobile recently announced the Galaxy S II for its prepaid network, and it could end up being the ideal prepaid phone for other carriers as well if Apple doesn’t get its wish.

Via The Verge

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

While we’re still waiting on the jury’s response to the Apple v. Samsung case in San Jose, a South Korean court has issued its own verdict, which finds that both companies infringed on the other’s patents.

The court granted small damages to both Apple and Samsung, and it also ordered them to stop sales of the infringing devices, the Wall Street Journal reports. Luckily for both companies, the sales ban only affects older products: the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 for Apple, and the Galaxy S (I and II), Galaxy Nexus, and Galaxy Tab (both the original and 10.1 model) for Samsung.

Notably, the court ruled against one of the most prominent arguments in the U.S. Apple v. Samsung case: It found that there was “no possibility” that consumers would confuse smartphones from the companies. Additionally, the three-judge panel said Samsung’s icons don’t infringe on Apple’s design patents, but they did say Samsung infringed on Apple’s “bounce back” technology, which occurs when a user reaches the end of a mobile screen.

As with the other court cases happening worldwide, Apple was arguing that Samsung copied its designs, while Samsung was arguing that Apple is infringing on its wireless technology. The particular case was started by Samsung in June 2012 to counter Apple’s lawsuits in other countries, which led Apple to countersue in South Korea.

While both Apple and Samsung were seeking damages of 100 million won (around $90,000), the court ordered Apple to pay up 20 million won (around $17,650) for each patent it violated. Samsung has to pay 25 million won (around $22,000) per infringed patent.

The judges ordered Apple to pay 20 million won, or $17,650 in damages, for each violated patent. Samsung was ordered to pay 25 million won, or $22,000. Both companies had sought damages of 100 million won, or about $90,000, from the other.

Apple and Samsung can appeal the decision, but thanks to the complexities of South Korean courts, that would an involve a rehearing of the entire case, according to the WSJ. While the damages weren’t too significant in this case, both companies will likely fight back to be able to sell their older products (the iPad 2 is still a great bargain for tablet buyers, and the Galaxy Nexus remains one of the best Android devices).

Photo: Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Apple and Samsung may be selling the most smartphones, but it’s Samsung that has the most fun talking about it.

Samsung is updating its global sales numbers with some new milestones: The company says that its sold 24 million Galaxy S phones and 28 million Galaxy S IIs, bringing the total sales for the line to over 50 million units.

That’s bigger news for the Galaxy S II, which has sold better than the original Galaxy S in half the time.

The Galaxy Note story is also, er, notable. Like many people, I scoffed and wrote off the oddly-sized phone-tablet hybrid. But people have still been buying the thing — a lot of people in fact: Samsung says that it’s sold 7 million of the devices since its release last October. So maybe there’s a demand for absurdly large phones after all. (We couldn’t get over how dorky the Galaxy Note was in our review, despite being impressed overall.)

As with all announcements of this kind, its worth keeping in mind that for Samsung’s purposes, “sold” actually means “shipped to retail channels.” So when Samsung throws any number out, the consumer-level reality is probably slightly more subdued.

Technicalities aside, all of Samsung’s success comes as the Android smartphone market has become increasingly cutthroat and painfully homogenous. LG, HTC, Motorola have all attempted to carve out their own positions in the market, but it’s Samsung that’s coming out on top. There’s a reason why Samsung likes making these sorts of swaggering announcements: It has a lot to brag about, and modesty’s no fun.

The question now is whether Samsung can replicate this success with the third Galaxy S iteration, which will hit the U.S. in the next few weeks. Something tells me Samsungwon’t have a problem — and we’ll certainly hear a lot about it.

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July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Apple’s ubiquitous iPhone is now outselling all other smartphones combined, including prominent Android devices, on AT&T and Sprint, according to new data from Canaccord Genuity.

“We believe iPhones are outselling all other smartphones combined at Sprint and AT&T and selling at roughly equal volume to all Android smartphones at Verizon,” Canaccord Genuity analyst told AllThingsD today.

That’s quite the achievement for Apple’s popularity. The iPhone came out on top even with strong Android challengers like Samsung’s Galaxy S II and Galaxy Nexus phones and other Android devices. Sprint sold 1.8 million iPhone 4S devices last quarter while AT&T activated 7.6 million iPhone units in its last quarter.

The iPhone has been successful around the world, but the U.S. is its biggest stronghold. Canaccord Genuity said that Apple’s biggest threat for market share in the near term for Europe and Asia would be Samsung, which posted strong gains in the “seasonally weak” March quarter.

Click the table below for a more detailed look at the carrier smartphone share data:

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

After several false starts and delays, Samsung has officially begun rolling out an Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” upgrade today for its popular Galaxy S II smartphones. But those in North America will still have to wait a bit longer.

The Android 4.0 update will begin in European countries, including Hungary, Sweden, and Poland, as well as South Korea. Samsung says that it will “gradually roll out to other markets,” in a blog post today.

The update will breathe some new life into the Galaxy S II lineup, which is currently running Android 2.3 “Gingerbread.” Samsung is also expected to announce the phone’s successor, the Galaxy S III, in the next few months, which is expected to launch with Android 4.0.

Samsung also mentioned that it plans to upgrade other recent devices to Android 4.0 soon, including the Galaxy Note, the LTE version of the Galaxy S II, as well as the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1. Older devices, like the Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab 7, and Galaxy W will also finally receive an upgrade to Android 2.3 in the next few months.

VentureBeat is holding its second annual MobileSummit this April 2-3 in Sausalito, Calif. The invitation-only event will debate the five key business and technology challenges facing the mobile industry today, and participants — 180 mobile executives, investors, and policymakers — will develop concrete, actionable solutions that will shape the future of themobile industry. You can find out more at our Mobile Summit site.

Samsung’s Galaxy S II is still selling like wildfire, even though gadget hounds are eagerly anticipating its followup, the Galaxy S III.

The company recently announced that it has sold 20 million Galaxy S II units since it launched last April, beating out its predecessor to that figure by a full seven months. The news comes as no surprise, since the Galaxy S II already managed to hit its past milestones in record time. It’s also worth noting that Samsung is likely counting shipments to retailers as sales, instead of purchases by consumers.

Samsung made it clear that it won’t be showing off the Galaxy S III at next week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but many speculate that the company will unveil the phone within the next few months. (You can bet we’ll hear something before this April.) The new phone is expected to feature a sharper screen, faster processor, and more.

For now though, Samsung’s still managing to get consumers excited by the Galaxy S II, which has been revamped since its initial launch with new features like LTE and higher resolution screens. The company announced record profit for the fourth quarter of 2011, mainly thanks to strong sales of the Galaxy S II.

VentureBeat is holding its second annual Mobile Summit this April 2-3 in Sausalito, Calif. The invitation-only event will debate the five key business and technology challenges facing the mobile industry today, and participants — 180 mobile executives, investors, and policymakers — will develop concrete, actionable solutions that will shape the future of the mobile industry. You can find out more at our Mobile Summit site.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

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 commercial availability of the product.”

The Galaxy S II is one of the best-selling Android smartphones ever, so news about its successor is anticipated from Android fanboys and tech watchers alike. Sales from that phone and the Galaxy Note phone/tablet hybrid helped Samsung earn a record profit of $4.7 billion for its startling fourth quarter.

In my hands-on with the U.S. versions of the Galaxy S II, I found the phone to be one the best Android devices ever at that point. On top of the phone’s powerful hardware, Samsung will update the software to Android Ice Cream Sandwich in the first quarter of this year.

While the Galaxy III will not debut at MWC, the company will likely introduce other powerful smartphones and tablets. Our own Devindra Hardawar will be on the ground at Mobile World Congress when the event starts on Feb. 27, so look out for more details at that time.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

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 the month, and the company attributed much of its success to the popularity of its Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note Android devices. Revenue from its telecommunications business was 17.82 trillion won (about $15.8 billion), up a whopping 52 percent from this time last year.

Given that it’s the top Android device maker, it’s not surprising to see Samsung’s huge numbers. Meanwhile, both Motorola and HTC announced losses in their latest earnings.

Shipments of Samsung’s smartphones jumped 30 percent compared to the previous quarter (not surprising since this was a holiday quarter). Looking forward, Samsung expects the demand for entry-level smartphones and LTE will grow the smartphone market by more than 30 percent over the year, and the company expects tablet demand to grow as well.

The company reported strong sales in its TV business and a 19 percent growth in display panels sales. Computers fared less well, thanks to slow sales and an oversupply of DRAM.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

In a bid to catch up with Verizon’s LTE lead, AT&T announced a plethora of new LTE 4G smartphones and tablets today at its annual developer summit — many of which will be exclusive to the carrier.

Additionally, AT&T unveiled its grand plans to court developers with a new API platform, which will make it easier to create compelling apps, together with a new cloud platform dubbed AT&T Cloud Architect.

At the developer summit, which takes place in Las Vegas and typically coincides with the start of the Consumer Electronics Show, AT&T CEO and President Ralph de la Vega hit the stage to show off the company’s plans for the next year.

Among the exclusive devices, AT&T will be the first carrier to launch a LTE 4G Windows Phone, the HTC Titan II, a 4.7-inch behemoth that sports a 16-megapixel camera. The phone also features a 1.5 gigahertz processor and 720p high-definition video recording capabilities. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop announced at the event that it will be announcing an LTE Windows Phone later today, which we expect to be the Lumia 900.

The carrier will also be the exclusive home to Sony’s first 4G LTE phone, the Xperia ion, which will be available in the second quarter.

As for other devices, AT&T will receive an updated Samsung Galaxy II model, dubbed the SkyRocket HD, which will add LTE capabilities and an HD screen to Samsung’s winning hardware. The carrier will also get the Samsung Exhilarate and Pantech Burst, both of which will be budget LTE devices.

On the tablet end, AT&T will have the 8-inch Pantech Element, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Note, which at 5.3-inches could be considered a smartphone in bigger hands.

On the developer side of things, AT&T says its API platform will make life easier for devs. “When developers start writing applications, the classes and objects they will need to interface with AT&T services are already written, and accessible,” the company said in a release today. “The platform empowers innovation through relationships with outside developers, while maintaining AT&T’s commitment to protecting and maintaining our customers’ privacy.”

Similarly, the AT&T Cloud Architect will provide developers with an easy way to tap into cloud storage and infrastructure. Ultimately, both the API and cloud announcements mean that we may see some cool apps on the horizon.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

In the epic battle for smartphone dominance among Asian device makers, Samsung is on top with a record quarterly profit, while HTC faced a major blow in the holiday quarter.

Both companies reported their fourth quarter earnings today, but the results couldn’t be more different. Samsung’s operating profit jumped 75 percent to $4.5 billion in the last quarter, while HTC’s net income dropped 26 percent to $364 million.

Samsung admits that its earnings saw a spike from the $1.38 billion sale of its hard drive business to Seagate, but the company still managed to ship around 32 million smartphones during the quarter, according to estimates by Dongbu Securities. (The numbers aren’t too surprising, since Samsung toppled Apple as the world’s top smartphone maker back in October.) Facing stiff competition from both Samsung and Apple this season, HTC’s smartphone shipments fell to 10 million units during last quarter and are estimated to fall further to 8.5 million units this quarter.

The big difference for the two companies may be in how they position their flagship smartphones. Samsung launched its Galaxy S II line last year to much anticipation. All of the phones feature the same basic hardware, albeit with some minor differences in screen size and features. HTC, meanwhile, announced several new high-end phones during 2011, and it was sometimes unclear how they were different.

If a phone nerd like myself has trouble keeping track of HTC’s multitude of smartphone models, I don’t think a regular consumer would have much of a chance. By removing the complication of choice, Samsung can more clearly direct consumers to its new models.

Overall, Samsung said it sold over 300 million phones — including both smartphones and low-end devices — in 2011.

Via Bloomberg 1, 2

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Samsung has sold over 300 million phones for 2011, a first for the company’s history, the company said Sunday.

The news tops off an incredible year for Samsung, which became the top smartphone manufacturer in the world in late October. Apple held the title for a single quarter earlier in the year, and Nokia held it before Apple. Samsung shipped 27.8 million smartphones in the third quarter alone, accounting for 23.8 percent of the smartphone market. On top of smartphones, the company has sold an huge number of “dumb” phones as well.

“We are incredibly proud of this record-breaking sales milestone and have exceeded the annual target announced early this year, which is testament to the enduring appeal of Samsung phones with consumers around the world,” said Shin Jong-Kyun, president of Samsung Mobile, in a statement.

Samsung’s phone sales in 2010 were about 280 million. What pushed Samsung over the 300 million mark this year could have been the launch of the hugely popular Galaxy S II line. In late August, I wrote a hands on report of the Galaxy S II models for AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, and I still believe the S II line includes some of the best Android phones ever released. By September, the Galaxy S II line had shipped more than 10 million units around the world.

Next up for Samsung in the U.S. is the launch of the hyped Galaxy Nexus, which has a 4.65-inch screen and blazing 4G data speeds but still has not been given a release date. The phone was supposedly delayed because Verizon wanted Google Wallet software removed before the launch. Google, Samsung and Verizon’s last official comment about the release date said the phone would launch before the end of the year.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

With Android 4.0, codenamed “Ice Cream Sandwich,” being the talk of the town, owners of Samsung’s recently released Galaxy S II have been anxious to hear if and when they’ll receive Google’s latest mobile update.

Now, they can rest a bit easier, as Samsung’s UK division has confirmed on Twitter that the Galaxy S II will indeed receive Ice Cream Sandwich.

There’s still no release date yet, and Samsung US has yet to corroborate the announcement, but it’s a good sign for owners of the phone, who had to sit back and watch Google unveil Android 4.0 soon after the Galaxy S II’s launch in the US. Google’s flagship Galaxy Nexus phone, also developed by Samsung, will be the first Android phone to run Ice Cream Sandwich, which together with its better specs, made it quickly overshadow the Galaxy S II.

With Android 4.0 on the horizon, just about every other major Android phone being released now is promising support for the new OS early next year, including the Droid Razr, HTC Rezound, and Sony’s entire Xperia smartphone lineup.

As the Verge notes, Samsung UK’s plans typically fall in line with the company’s other European rollouts. Samsung has historically been slow about rolling out Android updates in the US, but hopefully that’s something that will be improved this time around. There’s also no word yet on whether the original Galaxy S will get upgraded to Android 4.0

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Samsung’s VP of consumer and enterprise services Gavin Kim has been poached by Microsoft and will now serve as general manager of the Windows Phone team, a move that will improve visibility and direction for the fledgling phone platform.

“I will be responsible to help set the future direction for the Windows Phone platform and to accelerate Microsoft’s trajectory to win the hearts and minds of consumers, carriers, device manufacturers, developers and partners,” Kim told BGR yesterday.

Kim has been instrumental in launching several of the popular recent Samsung Galaxy S products, including the Galaxy S II phones and Galaxy Tab 8.9 tablet. Kim took on a larger role in debuting products to American audiences after Samsung mobile product lead Omar Khan departed for Citigroup back in July. But now he’ll be using his focus to help Microsoft improve its brand visibility with Windows Phone 7.

And what good timing for Kim. Windows Phone 7 is set to blossom in 2012 thanks to Nokia’s new flagship phones, better software with Mango, less-expensive hardware options, LTE 4G connectivity and NFC for mobile payments. With all of these factors, 2012 could be a strong year for Widows Phone growth. And several research firms, including Gartner and IDC, have predicted the Windows Phone 7 platform will be the No. 2 overall smartphone platform in the world by 2015.

Kim told BGR that he intends to make Windows Phone 7 devices a top choice when consumers go phone shopping, and thinks the OS update to Mango will be a big help.

“Each time a consumer goes to buy a smartphone from a carrier or retail store, Windows Phone has to be on their short list,” Kim said. “And, with the Windows Phone 7.5 release, I think Microsoft is closing the gap rapidly and removing all doubt about their place in mobile.”

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Samsung has now become the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, leaping past Apple, which held the title for just one quarter.

Samsung shipped 27.8 million smartphones last quarter, accounting for 23.8 percent of the smartphone market, compared to Apple’s 17.1 million units shipped, according to the research firm Strategy Analytics.

For Samsung, success not only came from Android, but also from Bada, its platform for inexpensive smartphones. In August, Bada appeared to be selling better than Windows Phone worldwide. Those numbers will only continue to rise for Samsung.

In July, we reported that Apple’s smartphone sales surpassed those of Nokia, the former leader, making it the No. 1 smartphone maker for several months. But Apple’s lead slipped due to the delayed launch of the iPhone 4S and the introduction of strong Samsung entries like the Galaxy S II.

Overall, global smartphone shipments grew 44 percent over last year to reach 117 million units. Samsung saw the biggest growth over the past year — it only shipped 7.5 million smartphones last year — while Nokia, unsurprisingly, fell the most, from 26.5 million smartphones shipped last year to 16.8 million this year.

When it comes to all handset sales globally, Nokia still remains top with 106.6 million shipments, compared to 110.4 million last year. Apple, meanwhile, fell to the No. 5 spot, while Chinese handset maker ZTE moved up to No. 4, with 18.5 million units shipped. Samsung remains No. 2, shipping 88 million handsets, up from 71.4 million units last year.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Sales of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S II Android phone remain strong, as the company announced yesterday that it has shipped 10 million units to retailers, 9to5 Google reports.

The company also announced the Galaxy S II HD LTE today, which is headed to South Korea soon. It’s the most powerful version of the phone yet, with a 4G LTE radio and killer high-resolution screen, according to Boy Genius Report.

The Galaxy S II reached its 10 million shipment milestone just eight weeks after Samsung announced the phone hit 5 million shipped units. The numbers don’t reflect actual sales to consumers; they refer to devices Samsung has shipped to retailers. Still, the fact that shipments are moving quickly is a sign that sales are healthy.

The phone originally launched in Korea in April, and it has begun to make its way to US carriers this month.

For those looking for the absolute latest mobile hardware, the Galaxy S II LTE HD variant should satisfy. The phone sports a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED HD display with an astounding 1280 by 720 resolution. That means it will be able to run 720p high-definition video at full resolution, and it sports an even higher resolution and pixel density than the iPhone 4′s Retina Display.

The phone’s LTE radio also makes it ready for Verizon and AT&T’s 4G networks. Samsung already announced an LTE variant of the Galaxy S II a few weeks ago, so it’ll likely be some time before we see this HD LTE model.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

After a strong debut at the IFA 2011 conference earlier this week, Samsung said it has no intention of bringing its Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Galaxy Note devices to the United States, according to Gotta Be Mobile.

Samsung played coy and gave us a non-answer when we asked about the development. “Samsung has not made any formal announcements about availability in any parts of the world,” a Samsung spokesperson said.

Both the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Galaxy Note seem like solid entries into the tablet space, but Samsung may intend for them to be European products only.

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 runs Android Honeycomb and includes a 7.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus display with 1280×800 resolution, dual-core 1.4-GHz processor, and HSPA+ connectivity. The original U.S. Galaxy Tab has less impressive components, a 7-inch screen and an older version of Android.

Then there’s the Galaxy Note, which is a weird beast that straddles the line between smartphone and tablet much like the Dell Streak tried to. It has a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 1.4-GHz dual-core processor, front-facing 2-megapixel camera, rear-facing 8-megapixel camera, and it’s HSPA+ and LTE capable.

A decision by Samsung not to bring either device to the U.S. makes sense if you consider Samsung’s other recent product announcements. First, Samsung is reportedly planning to launch the Galaxy Tab 8.9 tablet in the U.S. and since that’s only slightly different from the 7.7, offering both devices could cause market confusion.

Second, Samsung just announced the new line of Galaxy S II phones aimed at U.S. consumers. These powerful Android smartphones will launch this fall on AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. Because the Galaxy Note has a 5.3-inch screen and the similarly styled Galaxy S II phones have either a 4.3-inch or 4.5-inch screen, consumers might mix up the Note and S II devices.

Would you have been interested in picking up the Galaxy Tab 7.7 or Note?

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Samsung on Tuesday launched three powerful new Android phones under the Galaxy S II banner, corresponding to the three U.S. networks that will carry them: AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. We got a little closeup time with these monsters of the smartphone universe, and they’re pretty impressive.

The devices are basically variations on a single theme, though each one has a few unique tweaks. On AT&T and T-Mobile, the phone is called the Galaxy S II, while on Sprint it’s the Samsung Epic 4G Touch.

The company’s timing is good. Later this fall, Samsung will most likely have to contend with the Apple iPhone 5 and other powerful Android phones like the Motorola Droid Bionic and Droid HD, so it’s getting out of the gate early with these new Galaxy devices.

At the Samsung Experience in New York City, Samsung showed off the new smartphone. And the company wasn’t shy about tooting its horn.

“This is the phone that all phones will be measured against in the future,” Todd Pendleton, Samsung’s new chief marketing officer, said.

But does it live up to the hype? Our first impressions are good, though we’ll need more extensive testing to be sure.

All of the devices feature an ultra-thin form factor, some form of 4G, a brilliant AMOLED screen, an 8-megapixel camera that records 1080p video, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, 16GB of onboard memory and a microSD slot that can take up to a 32GB memory card.

From spending a little time with the AT&T and Sprint models, it must first be noted that the devices share a lot of similarities with the first batch of Galaxy phones, which were quite good to begin with. The new models appear to be a good sequel to an already fine first act.

All the devices have Android 2.3.4 software and 1.2 GHz dual-core processors, so one would hope these phones would be fast, and indeed, they were incredibly responsive. Moving through the home screens and launching apps were the fastest I’ve seen on an Android phone.

When it comes to screen size, there’s big and bigger. The AT&T and T-Mobile Galaxy S II phones have a 4.3-inch AMOLED screen, while Sprint’s Epic 4G Touch has a 4.52-inch screen. Both the 4.3-inch and 4.52-inch screens had excellent displays that rendered colors brightly, while pictures and text were easy on the eyes. The difference in screen size between 4.3 and 4.5 inches makes only a slight difference when it comes to the devices, but if you want to watch movies or play games on your phone, you may want to opt for Sprint’s larger model.

At first glance, the new Galaxy S II line of phones are strong contenders for the Android smartphone throne. We will need a little more time to further digest the devices to find out if live up to their first impressions.

For now take a glance at a few photos below.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

It’s better late than never: Samsung officially unveiled its Galaxy S II phones for the U.S. at a New York City press event on Tuesday night.

It’s hard to get too excited over the announcement, as images of the devices were already leaked online over the weekend, and there are no release dates other than a vague “fall” release.

On AT&T and T-Mobile, the phone will retain its Galaxy S II name, but it will go as the Epic 4G Touch on Sprint. The AT&T Galaxy S II sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen, while both the T-Mobile and Sprint versions have 4.5-inch screens. All of the phones pack in a 1.2 gigahertz Samsung dual-core processor, 2-megapixel front-facing camera and an 8-megapixel camera on the back that can capture 1080p video.

Samsung says that the phone records HD videos at higher bitrates than any other phone. All of the phones run the Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread OS bathed in Samsung’s latest TouchWiz Android interface.

Every Galaxy S II device features a battery that’s 10 percent larger than 2010′s model, the company said — a good thing, since last year’s phones also had smaller 4-inch screens.

Samsung touted the Galaxy S II’s enterprise features, including hardware-based encryption, SSL VPN support and Microsoft Exchange Activesync integration. It also offers mobile device management, a boon for IT, from Sybase.

The Galaxy S II will also feature access to Samsung’s Media Hub, which will allow you to purchase content from the phone and store content licenses online. The latter feature will let you watch content purchased on the phone from any other Media Hub device, like Samsung computers.

Samsung will also include a few nifty features in the phone like voice commands, which let you shout commands at the phone even while it’s asleep on your desk, and Samsung Kies, which will allow you to get access to files on your phone from other devices on the same network.

Noticeably absent was a Verizon version. As we reported last week, Verizon opted out of offering a Galaxy S II device at launch. But a more recent rumor points to Verizon getting the Droid Prime (formerly the Nexus Prime), an even more advanced Samsung phone running Android 4.0, this October.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Samsung this weekend announced 4G LTE versions of the already popular Galaxy S II Android smartphone and one forthcoming Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab 8.9.

The new devices aren’t dramatically different spec-wise from previously announced models, but they show Samsung’s commitment to equipping their devices with new 4G technologies. In the past, Samsung has released the Epic 4G for Sprint with 4G WiMAX, Droid Charge on Verizon with 4G LTE and the Infuse 4G on AT&T with HSPA+.

The Galaxy S II LTE smartphone includes a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, an 8-megapixel camera, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Samsung’s new tablet offering, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE, features an 8.9-inch display, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, and Samsung’s TouchWiz interface running on top of Android Honeycomb.

“With the introduction of Galaxy S II LTE and Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE, we will take the capabilities of these devices to a whole new level,” said JK Shin, President of Samsung’s mobile communications business, in a statement. ”LTE redefines the user experience made possible by these devices and opens entirely new possibilities in terms of content viewing, sharing, quality and connectivity.”

Pricing for the new devices was not disclosed with the announcement.

Samsung has had a few troubles lately with getting its Galaxy smartphones and tablets into the hands of consumers, since Apple continues to fight Samsung in courts around the world over claims of patent infringement. Just last week, a judge in the Netherlands issued a Europe-wide preliminary injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy S, Galaxy S II and Ace phones, effectively banning them. In the U.S., Samsung and Apple have sued and counter-sued each other, but no bans have been issued.

Are you excited about the new Samsung Galaxy S II devices? Will you purchase one?

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

You won’t have to wait until next week to catch a glimpse at Samsung’s US bound Galaxy S II phones.

The above image was leaked today by the mobile site Pocketnow, which gives us our first semi-official look at what Samsung has up its sleeves with the US Galaxy S II devices. Samsung initially planned to announce the phones at a New York City event next Monday, but due to expected fallout from Hurricane Irene, the event is now taking place on Tuesday, August 30.

Noticeably absent is Verizon’s entry. As we reported earlier this week, Verizon opted out of offering a Galaxy S II device at launch, but it has a similar Samsung device planned for some time later this year. It could potentially end up being an LTE 4G equipped Galaxy S II, which Samsung is reportedly working on, according to Pocketnow. It certainly makes sense for Verizon to wait for an LTE version, since most of the carriers high-profile phones support 4G.

Judging from the picture, it doesn’t appear that much has changed with the Galaxy S II with during its journey from Asia and Europe.

The Galaxy S II is currently the king of the hill when it comes to high-end Android phones. The phone sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen (though the resolution is lower than the iPhone 4 and some 4-inch competitors), a Samsung dual-core processor, and support for near-field communications (NFC). The latter feature, available only in certain models, makes it primed to take advantage of mobile-payment services like Google Wallet.

Check back in with VentureBeat on August 30 as we’ll have plenty of coverage from Samsung’s Galaxy S II unveiling.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Verizon Wireless won’t be joining the release party for Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S II smartphone, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Samsung plans to announce its long-awaited US Galaxy S II models at a New York City event on August 29, and the company is expected to bring versions of the phone to all major US carriers like it did last year. The Galaxy S II will still be announced for AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint next week, but now Samsung will be missing out on the biggest US wireless carrier.

But don’t fret Verizon users, the carrier apparently has a “very similar” Samsung Android smartphone on the horizon, according to the mobile site Boy Genius Report. The mystery device will sport specifications nearly identical to the Galaxy S II, which means it will have at least a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen, Samsung dual-core processor and improved 8-megapixel camera. It could be branded as a successor to the Droid Charge on Verizon, which is built by Samsung.

It’s worth noting that Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 5 within a few weeks, so Verizon could conceivably want to avoid the Galaxy S II launch so that it doesn’t distract consumers from the new iPhone.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Apple’s long-running patent war with Samsung has led to another casualty. A Netherlands judge has issued a Europe-wide preliminary injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy S, Galaxy S II and Ace phones, which would effectively ban sales of the phones, reports FOSS Patents.

The judge found that Samsung’s phones violated Apple’s European software patent 2,059,868, which has to do with scrolling in mobile photo galleries. The sales ban will take effect on October 13, which gives Samsung time to update its software so that it’s no longer infringing on Apple’s patent.

FOSS Patents’ Florian Mueller points out that this particular victory is a major blow to Android: “In all likelihood, the winning patent is infringed by Android itself — probably not the operating system per se, but by one or more of the applications that ship with Android and without which the usefulness of Android would be impaired in one particular area (photo viewing),” he wrote. “Apple now has the first enforceable court decision in its hand (out of many lawsuits going on around the world) that finds Android to infringe an Apple patent.”

Even though the ruling is technically “Europe-wide”, it’s only enforceable in countries where the above patent is valid. Mueller notes that Apple failed to follow through with its patent application in a number of countries, including Italy, Greece, and Spain. Additionally, the ruling only affects three Samsung subsidiaries registered within the Netherlands. That could still cause a headache for Samsung though, since the company uses the Netherlands as its primary hub for European logistics.

The news follows earlier patent wins by Apple, including the halting of Galaxy Tab sales in Australia and Europe (the latter was eventually reversed). Apple’s legal squabbles with Samsung began in April with a U.S. lawsuit over the company’s Galaxy Android smartphones and tablets. Apple argued that Samsung’s devices “slavishly” imitated its iPhone and iPad. Samsung filed a counter-suit against Apple, but Apple escalated the dispute even further by filing a lawsuit in South Korea, Samsung’s home country.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

After a German court granted that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 could be sold in most of Europe, Apple this week brought the case to the Netherlands to push for the ban of Samsung’s entire Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets.

Apple and Samsung did not immediately provide official comments on the matter.

The complaint against Samsung in The Hague district court, which was first pointed out by Dutch publication Webwereld, is not simply a ban on sales. It also includes a demand for recalling the entire stock of Samsung’s gear. Apple wants Samsung to send a letter to companies that distribute its products to request all stock be returned to Samsung within 14 days.

The ban would immediately stop the sale of Galaxy Ace, Galaxy S, and Galaxy S II smartphones, as well as the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and original Galaxy Tab tablets. A complete EU block of the Galaxy line would be catastrophic for Samsung, which is trying to establish its Android-based smartphones and tablets as some of the best alternatives to Apple’s iPhone and iPad.

Last week, Samsung said it was “disappointed” when a German court blocked the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the EU (except the Netherlands) on the grounds that the Tab imitated the iPad so closely it infringed on Apple’s intellectual property rights. Samsung could have faced fines up to $350,000 per unit sold under the German court ban. But the ban was lifted when the Duesseldorf regional court lifted the injunction, saying it was questionable whether it had the authority to bar the sale of a Korean product outside of Germany.

The news is another continuation of Apple’s legal squabbles with Samsung, which started in April with a lawsuit in the U.S. concerning the company’s Galaxy Android smartphones and Galaxy Tab. Apple argued that Samsung’s devices considerably imitated the iPhone and iPad. Samsung filed a counter-suit against Apple, but the battle also extended to the U.S. International Trade Commission, which can block the importation of devices into the U.S.

Now that battle is being played out in courts all over the world.

What do you think of the ongoing battle between Apple and Samsung?

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Google may launch its third Nexus flagship Android phone, which is rumored to be called the Nexus Prime, earlier than expected this October, according to a report by the Korean site Electronic Times.

Like last year’s Nexus S smartphone, the Nexus Prime is expected to be built by Samsung, so it’s not that surprising to see this news hitting a Korean site first. Previously, Google’s Nexus phones were released towards the end of the year, instead of the middle of fall.

The Electronic Times confirms details about the Nexus Prime that we’ve previously reported. It’s going to be the first Android phone to run the Android 4.0 operating system, codenamed “Ice Cream Sandwich,” and it will sport a high-resolution HD display running at 720p (1280-by-768 resolution). The site also adds some additional tidbits, reporting that the Nexus Prime will feature a 1.5 gigahertz CPU and sport a massive 4.5-inch display. That puts the phone on par with other giant Android phones like the Motorola Atrix 4G.

If this report is true, it would mean that Samsung will technically have two high-end Android phones competing in the market this fall — the company is planning to announce its long-awaited Galaxy S II phones on August 29. And of course, the Nexus Prime will be going toe-to-toe with Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5, which is rumored to be available in September or early October.

Via Boy Genius Report

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Just in time to take on the iPhone 5, Samsung announced today that it will hold a media event in New York City on August 29 to announce its US Galaxy S II lineup — perhaps the biggest Android phone launch this year.

The Galaxy S II, which launched in May and has already sold 5 million units, is Samsung’s latest flagship Android device. Many US gadget hounds have been drooling at the opportunity to get their hands on the phone for months now, but the device was likely held up due to the fact that Samsung needed to prepare unique models for every major US carrier.

Thanks to its bold cross-carrier approach, Samsung managed to sell 10 million Galaxy S phones last year. This year, with hype for the Galaxy S II on high, Samsung could sell past 20 million units of the new model.

The Galaxy S II is currently the king of the hill when it comes to high-end Android phones. The phone sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen (though the resolution is lower than the iPhone 4 and some 4-inch competitors), a Samsung dual-core processor, and support for near-field communications (NFC) built-in. The latter feature, available only in certain models, makes it primed to take advantage of mobile-payment services like Google Wallet.

With the iPhone 5 likely being announced on September 7, it seems that month will see the biggest Android/iPhone battle yet.

Via This is My Next

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Samsung announced today that sales of its new flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S II, have reached 5 million units just 85 days after launching in Asia and Europe in April.

Last year’s Galaxy S phones, smashing successes in their own right, took 125 days to sell the same number of units. Samsung ended up selling 10 million Galaxy S phones last year, but it looks like the Galaxy S II is going to perform well beyond that this year, according to the projection chart below.

The sales milestone isn’t too surprising since GS2 sales reached 3 million units in its first two months. Right now the phone is only available in South Korea, Japan and Europe. Samsung said last week that the Galaxy S II will finally make its way to the U.S. in August, but there’s still no official release date. I expect it to be available across all four major U.S. carriers, just like its predecessor last year.

The Galaxy S II is currently the king of the hill when it comes to high-end Android phones. The phone sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen (though the resolution is lower than the iPhone 4 and some 4-inch competitors), a Samsung dual-core processor, and support for near-field communications (NFC) built-in. The latter feature, available only in certain models, makes it primed to take advantage of mobile-payment services like Google Wallet.

As I’ve written previously, the Galaxy S II’s biggest competitor, not surprisingly, will be the iPhone 5 (or whatever else Apple has up its sleeve). It’s certainly going to be an interesting battle over the next few months, but I can’t help but think that Samsung would have been better off delivering the GS2 to the US earlier.

Via GigaOm

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

U.S. gadget hounds will soon be able to get their hands on Samsung’s massively successful Galaxy S II, Yonhap News reports.

“We expect to release the Galaxy S2 in the U.S. market sometime in August,” Samsung mobile president JK Shin told reporters in a briefing. Judging from his language, it doesn’t appear as if the company has locked down a specific launch date yet. We’ve sent a note to Samsung to see if it can offer any more specifics.

The Galaxy S II is Samsung’s latest flagship Android smartphone, and if it wasn’t obvious already, it’s the successor to last year’s wildly popular Galaxy S. The company launched Galaxy S variants across all four major US carriers last year, something that hadn’t been attempted with any major smartphone, let alone an Android one. Together with strong international availability, Samsung managed to sell 10 million units last year and snatched the lead Android manufacturer crown from Motorola.

After selling 3 million units in less than two months, it appears the Galaxy S II is already off to a strong start. The phone launched in Korea in April and hit Europe and Japan afterwards. The Galaxy S II sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen (though the resolution is lower than some 4-inch competitors), a Samsung dual-core processor, and support for near-field communications (NFC) built-in. The latter feature makes it primed to take advantage of mobile payments services like Google Wallet.

Samsung so far has been fairly conservative with its estimates for the Galaxy S II’s success, saying that it projects 10 million units to ship this year. But given that anticipation for the phone is running high, I suspect Samsung will end up selling closer to 20 million. Overall, the company expects to sell 60 million smartphones this year, which includes a bevy of inexpensive mid-range devices.

The Galaxy S II’s biggest competitor, not surprisingly, will be the iPhone 5 (or whatever else Apple has up its sleeve). Samsung may have been better off bringing the Galaxy S II to the US sooner, because come August all the tech world will be talking about is Apple’s plans.