The handset is a small device with an equally-small 3-inch display with a resolution of 320 x 480. In case that doesn’t tip you off, the rest of the specs are likewise nothing that will jump out at you, including its 800MHz MSM7625A Qualcomm processor and 512MB of RAM. There’s 4GB of internal storage space, as well as a microSD card expansion slot with support for up to 32GB.

One of the specs’ upsides is the addition of Bluetooth, which means users will be able to use wireless headsets when driving or in situations that demand it. The battery is also a decent 1,500mAh, which given the lower-end processor and small screen results in an appreciable standby charge time of 10 days and talk time of 7 hours – assuming the user doesn’t run Bluetooth constantly, which will reduce those numbers.

There’s a single camera around back with a 3-megapixel resolution and 3x digital zoom, as well as a few different image modes and the ability to record video. There’s also GPS. The handset runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and has the cell phone standards of speakerphone, voicemail, and such. There’s no word on when it’ll be available, but we’ll update you when we know more.

[via Phonescoop]

The first report comes from EE Times where their “observers of the electronics and computer industries” – aka nameless sources – have said that Apple has “thrown out” their contract with Samsung for microprocessor manufacturing and is teaming up with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. for the immediate future. Apple’s next-generation A7 processor has also been rumored to have been taped out by this company already – that’s a few steps behind actual production!

Meanwhile Digitimes – a group we must remind you has been as reliable as unreliable with their sources in the past, but do have some top-level contacts that end up revealing valuable information rather often – suggest that Samsung is currently unable to fill even their own requirements for memory products. With their Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets pumping out sales like no tomorrow, this report suggests that they’ll be looking for help!

Samsung’s own supply of memory products is already falling short of demand, including that for its Galaxy-series smartphones and tablets, industry sources have claimed.

Also interesting is the added suggestion that Samsung isn’t using these purchased parts for their own Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets. Instead, this source suggests, Samsung is keeping its own production reserved for its own mobile products while the rest is shipped out to non-Samsung devices.

They noted that Samsung reportedly is buying more chips from Japanese firms while continuing to use its in-house produced chips for its Galaxy-series mobile devices. This is reportedly happening when Samsung has actually implemented a strategy to tightly control its chip output, the observers pointed out.

That’s a rather sizable claim to be making, and unless Samsung comes forth to say it’s true, we suggest you down a bit of salt while you think about it. If Samsung was indeed reserving its whole DRAM and NAND flash memory production for its own mobile products, notebooks, PCs, and the like, they’d have to integrate their whole business and depend solely on those mobile products to win. Samsung is simply too massive to do such a thing without some big-time decision-making being made.

While this release has not yet been confirmed (nor, according to Engadget, has it been denied), but given the release lineup of the past few Galaxy smartphones, a mini version of this “4″ hero is almost a given. The original suggestion comes from Bloomberg where, in an extended report, say they’re pretty sure the GALAXY S 4 mini will be released rather quickly after the GALAXY S 4 goes on sale.

Inside the GALAXY S 4 mini, the following specifications have been tipped. We’re expecting that the processor will be made by Qualcomm – likely a Snapdragon S4 Pro, similar to the Google Nexus 4.

Samsung GALAXY S 4 mini:

• 4.3-inch display (lower than 1080p)
• Dual-core 1.6Ghz processor
• 8 megapixel back-facing camera
• 2 megapixel front-facing camera
• Plastic body, Gorilla Glass 3 on front
• Removable battery
• microSD card slot capable of using 64GB cards

This machine will follow up on the GALAXY S 4 in markets such as the UK and Japan while the USA will see an off-contract iteration for sure, with carrier possibilities less likely. With the release of the Samsung GALAXY S 4 we’ll once again see a multi-carrier release almost at the same time, while each carrier’s unique release dates are flowing in as we speak. Have a peek at the timeline below for more info!

And don’t forget to check our Samsung GALAXY S 4 hands-on experience for the in-depth action you desire!

With Dual Shot you’ll be able to work with both the front and back-facing cameras at once. With Samsung’s experience here, you’ll have an array of templates for placement of these photos together in compositions for sharing with friends and family. You’ll also be able to take videos in this manner with Dual Recording – front and back-facing cameras shooting at once with a final product that’s got both videos in one file.

Sound in Shot allows you to capture up to 9 seconds of audio while a still photo is shown. Drama Shot allows you to combine a series of photos together into one final product. Cinema Photo takes a video of a moment you’d like to capture and allows you to highlight the areas on the screen you want to feature while the rest remains static – the result being one moving .gif file.

Story Album allows you to store all your photos into collections with pre-set templates. With Trip Advisor you’ll be able to pull out GPS location data and apply to these albums with ease. With Samsung’s connection with the company known as Blurb, you’ll also be able to easily print these albums for real-world viewing.

Have a peek at the timeline below for more information on the Samsung GALAXY S 4 with news posts and hands-on experiences galore, including the rest of the four key pillars of this smartphone’s user experience!

From the outset, it’s clear that Samsung hasn’t strayed too far from the formula that made the Galaxy S III so successful. The new phone follows in the family style footsteps, though while the dimensions are similar to before – the same 136.6mm length, slightly wider at 69.8mm, and slightly thinner at 7.9mm – Samsung has managed to squeeze in a larger display. The new Super AMOLED HD screen measures in at 5-inches, versus the 4.7- of the older phone, and now runs at a crisp 1080p resolution for 441ppi pixel density.

Even just accommodating a screen of that size without a significant change in size is impressive, but the panel itself is a good one too. It’s still PenTile, which is likely to make some display purists groan, but it keeps the great contrast and rich colors we’re familiar with from AMOLED. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that the similarly 1080p (though slightly smaller) HTC One’s LCD3 screen is a little more natural and pleasing to our eyes, though.

If HTC has focused its software efforts on BlinkFeed and Zoe, Samsung has cast its net wide, basically throwing everything at the wall in the expectation that at least something will stick for most users. The 13-megapixel main camera (paired with a 2-megapixel front camera) gets a new suite of features, such as the ability to take two photos or videos simultaneously from the front and rear cameras and combine them into one, Samsung Dual Shot, and being able to append up to nine seconds of audio to a still, to give it some context when you later review it. Samsung calls that Sound-in-Shot, though while it’s clever, we’re not quite as impressed as we were by HTC Zoe.

There’s also no shortage of signs that Samsung has its eye on what’s currently fashionable in mobile. So, there’s Cinema Photo, which basically creates a cinemagram-style animated photo without demanding a third-party app, and Drama Shot, which builds a single frame out of multiple burst-photography stills. You can easily share a group of images about, say, a recent holiday in a Story Album, complete with facts from Trip Advisor; that can later be printed courtesy of a tie-in with Blurb.

The Galaxy S III introduced eye-recognition for keeping its display active, and the GALAXY S 4 builds on that with Smart Pause and Smart Scroll. When you look away from the screen during video playback, the phone automatically pauses it until you look back; similarly, if you’re looking at the S 4 and reading a longer list, then simply tilting the phone scrolls through it. The GALAXY S 4 is pretty obsessed by where your fingers are, too: the Galaxy Note II, for instance, could track whether its S Pen nib was hovering over the screen but not touching, but now the S 4 can do the same only recognizing your fingertips.

That means you can peep inside folders and galleries, or at the content of unopened messages, simply by floating your fingertips over the top of them; Samsung has also brought in some third-party app support, with titles like Flipboard also supporting the Hover feature to preview new stories. It’s not the only way the GALAXY S 4 is watching you. Air Browse, Air Jump, and Air Call Accept all track hand movements, allowing you to wave and gesture your way through menus, answering calls – which we could see being particularly usefully when you’re driving – and controlling music playback.

When you can pretty much count on your phone selling in the millions, you can start to look at how different units interact, as Samsung has with the GALAXY S 4. There’s Group Play for audio, video, and gaming playback, creating ad-hoc local networks of multiple handsets all running the same content synchronized, for instance, with support for games like Asphalt 7 and Gun Bros 2 working with the feature. There’s also S Translator in the latest version of ChatON, the messaging app, and the email app, usefully switching between languages rather than forcing you to copy and paste into something like Google Translate.

Samsung has really gone to town on added-extras – in fact the number of times you might have to dig into Google Play for a third-party solution is shrinking all the time. There’s a business card scanner – which also usefully gets S Translator baked-in, to pick out and convert foreign addresses and job titles – and an IR blaster which, with the new Samsung WatchON app, turns the phone into a remote control complete with EPG and on-demand access.

The rest of the hardware basically backs up that software flourish with the power the Galaxy S4 needs to deliver on its promises. Different geographies will get different processors, depending on the combination of LTE and other factors, with Samsung choosing between the quadcore Snapdragon 1.9Ghz and its own eight-core 1.6Ghz Exynos 5. . No matter the chip, there’ll be 2GB of memory to accompany it, and the usual 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of internal capacity. Samsung has also stuck with expandable memory and a removable battery, something neither the HTC One nor the iPhone 5 offer, features which remain popular among power-users and business customers.

Image and sound processing also get worked over, with Samsung Adapt Sound and Adapt Display. We’ve seen such DSP used to good effect by Sony and others, and the Galaxy S4 benefits too, though when it comes to sound it’s clear that nothing can replace big drivers. The HTC One’s custom speaker system and Beats Audio processing still has the edge, to our ears.

Samsung didn’t stint on accessories for the Galaxy S III – at a time when, while iPhone had a thriving ecosystem of third-party add-ons, Android devices still lacked anything so cohesive – and the company hasn’t slowed down with the Galaxy S4. There’s a new S View Cover, like a flip-cover only with a window cut through that allows a small part of the smartphone’s display to remain powered-up and show battery, signal status, music playlists, and incoming call details. That’s courtesy of AMOLED’s capability to only power a small subset of an overall display, and sip battery while it does so.

Then there are the new add-ons to go with S Health. Samsung did have some health & fitness tech for the previous Galaxy, but the S4 steps it up a notch, timely given the focus on wearables and monitoring right now. Software-only, S Health will work as a pedometer as well as tracking temperature and humidity, in addition to allowing users to log their food (with a huge database in the background of nutritional information). However, there’s also Samsung S Band, a Bluetooth-enabled tracker in the manner of a Jawbone UP, which logs data even if the GALAXY S 4 isn’t nearby, and then synchronizes with it once they’re back in range. Samsung also has a Bluetooth-enabled body scale and heart-rate monitor, which also feed their recordings into the phone.

Expectations for the GALAXY S 4 have been high, but Samsung has taken the evolutionary rather than revolutionary path for its new phone. Then again, it didn’t have to: sales of the Galaxy S III remain brisk, and the company has the marketing budget to hammer home its latest message. It also avoids frustrating existing owners too greatly: they’ll be getting software updates which add many of the new Samsung-exclusive additions, and haven’t been left too far behind with the hardware.

That said, should Galaxy S III users upgrade to the GALAXY S 4? If you insist on being on the very latest hardware, and you’re wedded to Samsung, then perhaps it’s a no-brainer. However, it’s not the vast step-up we saw from, say, the Galaxy S II to its successor. In fact, while the hardware is cutting-edge, it’s clear that Samsung’s efforts this time around have really been focused on software enhancements. Some won’t care about things like the IR blaster or Group Play, but will lap up the S Health system and Air Gestures, or vice-versa, but either way there’s a sense that there’s something for everybody.

On the one hand, that’s liberating – after all, why should everyone use the same device in the same way? – but on the other it can get overwhelming and confusing. The appeal of the HTC One is not only that it’s built so well (leagues ahead, we must say, than the in-hand-feel of the GALAXY S 4) but that it focuses on doing a couple of things particularly well, in ways that make a significant difference to the user over and above the standard Android OS.

We’ll confess to a certain sense of unease, then, about how the GALAXY S 4 will find its place in the smartphone market today. Samsung has done what it needed to – in the manner of Apple and the transition between the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S – to bring its flagship up to speed. Promotion and advertising will take care of the rest. If that overshadows phones like the HTC One, however, devices which really do take a more revolutionary approach, then we’d be mightily disappointed.

The Samsung GALAXY S 4 will sell by the bucket-load. Everybody knows that. But in a way we’re still more thankful for its predecessor and how that forced every other Android OEM to raise its game for 2013. That’s better for consumers, and more interesting for us. We’ll have to wait until we can review the Galaxy S4 before we can tell whether it’s actually the best Android device of the lot, however.

The latest in a line of Galaxy S IV rumors is the list of possible models that Samsung will have available of the new device. Rumors suggest that there will be six variants of the Galaxy S IV, and it will come in both black and white color options. As for size capacities, you’ll be able to choose either 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB.

Of course, it’s expected that Samsung will include a microSD card slot with the Galaxy S IV, so opting for the 64GB variant may not be necessary, but if you’re looking for the most storage possible, a 64GB phone combined with a 32GB microSD card means a lot of movies, music, and photos that you can store on that bad boy.

As for specs of the Galaxy S IV, we’re looking at a 5-inch full 1080p display and possibly a 13MP rear camera. On the inside, we might see Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 600 processor clocked at 1.7GHz paired up with 2GB of RAM (with an Exynos 5 chip in the international version). Overall, it should be a powerhouse of a phone that will take on HTC’s latest HTC One and DROID DNA.

[via SamMobile]

Samsung has begun sending out invites for what they call “Samsung Unpacked” where they’ll unveil their latest device, and the next event will take place on March 14th. While many were hoping for some leaks or an unveil at Mobile World Congress, just like last year Samsung will take the stage and limelight at a later date to announce their new product.

We’ve heard rumors and details for weeks and weeks, but nothing is official until Samsung shows us themselves. As reported, the device should rock a 4.99-inch 1920 x 1080p full HD display, and either their quad-core Exynos 5250 processor or the octa-core core we’ve been waiting for. Either way after the success of the Galaxy S III, the S4 should be quite the beast.

Other specs include 2GB of RAM, and an impressive 13 megapixel camera with a new panorama mode called Samsung Orb. HTC took a moment before MWC to steal the limelight for their new HTC One smartphone, and it should be available in the first few weeks of March. Now all of our attention will be on Samsung as we prepare to see what they’ve got in store. As usual, SlashGear will be live in New York City for the Unpacked event so stay tuned!

The benchmark isn’t much to look at, but the specs are interesting nonetheless. The handset displayed is the Samsung SCH-I545, which features a 1.9GHz processor (possibly a quad-core Snapdragon) and Qualcomm Adreno 320 graphics. The display is listed as a full HD 1920 x 1080 panel, and the handset runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

While rumor originally had it that Samsung’s soon-to-be-launched flagship would be announced this month, new rumors surfaced in January tipping the device unveiling for March 22, with the launch following shortly after in April. If the rumor is to be believed, Samsung will unveil the device at a press event in the US.

The specs in the benchmark match the specs we’ve seen in various rumors that have been circulating since late last year. Early last month, a render of what is said to be the Galaxy S IV surfaced showing a lack of on-screen buttons. You can check out more information on the Galaxy S IV in the timeline below, and stay tuned as we find out more information on the handset leading up to its unveiling later this year.

This series of screen-grabs includes the name GALAXY Altius, one that we’ve heard in a set of rumors very recently attached to what was thought to be the Galaxy S IV – another device rumored to be revealed soon. This device has SKT and SKTelecom on several shots, this indicating that it will be carried with a data plan on that particular South Korean mobile service. Though the software here does appear to have an Android-type look to it, it could just as easily be a basic Java-based interface not unlike what we’re seeing with today’s reveal of the REX series from Samsung.

In the upper right-hand corner of a couple of the shots, you’ll see the “Samsung-GA7″ code name – this indicative of the LCD display. You’ll find that the software version is AltiusOS beta2, this either meaning that the software was built specifically for this device, or that it’s a version of Android (or some Samsung-specific OS) fitted for this device. You’ll also find that 1.5% of the full 235MB of internal storage space is being used up – this makes the case for a rather symbiotic device rather than a stand-along model.

The final screenshot shows a series of tiles that each have their own purpose – the first is a music player, the second a clock, another a connection to your email with a little “2″ in the corner to show how many messages you’ve got left to read. The fact that the last two tiles are off to the right of the display while a bar at the bottom shows a bit of a “slider” situation shows that this device will quite likely have a touchscreen display.

Each shot here is 500 x 500 pixels, this possibly indicating that the display is working with 500 x 500 pixel resolution – we don’t know for certain because the original delivery here isn’t verified as straight from the device. That said, such a resolution is quite possible given the current standards for smart devices – especially Samsung-made Galaxy devices.

It’s also worth noting that the name Samsung Galaxy Altius was sent to SamMobile on the 22nd of January as a Samsung flagship device. Though they’ve separately confirmed the Samsung Galaxy S IV to be working with the name GT-I9500, the connection to the name Altius could just as easily be assigned to the Samsung smartwatch Altius. It’s also possible – however unlikely – that both the Galaxy S IV and the Samsung smartwatch are working with the name Altius as a sort of “family name” for this next generation of smart device releases.

Have a peek at the timeline below covering the full gamut of recent Samsung next-generation tips and suggestions and stay tuned for more action on SlashGear in the Samsung tag portal as well! Click any of the images in the gallery below for larger more close-up versions of the images you see above.

Back on January 27, a user agent profile showed a full HD AT&T smartphone that was believed to be the Galaxy S IV handset. The smartphone spotted in the UAProf was named Samsung SGH-l337, and had, among other things, a 4.99-inch 1920 x 1080 440 PPI display. A handset by the same name, along with a couple others that are unknown, have been taking some random (and blurry) images and posting them online.

The EXIF data from the images indicate that both an US-bound version destined for AT&T and international versions, including one for Korea, were used to take the leaked images. The images, sadly, don’t point to the high-resolution 13-megapixel that has been rumored on the Galaxy S IV, with all the images being smaller in resolution. Whether that is due to a smaller sensor than believed or someone playing with the image settings is unknown.

Of course, there is a lot of speculation at this point, and nothing has been confirmed on any sort of official level. Still, all the information is pointing towards these being taken with Samsung’s next flagship smartphone, and they are following in line with the timeline we’re hearing about when the Galaxy S IV will be announced.

[via Android Community]

This device will not be delivered with the newest version of Android, nor will it be winning any “best of 2013″ awards – not a chance. What it will do is deliver to two networks a unique Android experience otherwise reserved for much higher-end devices. Both Net10 and Straight Talk will be getting the Galaxy Discover this year for their own limited mobile networks.

This device will be working with a tiny 2.7GB internal memory and a microSD card slot that’ll support up to 32GB cards – time to expand. Inside you’ll find a removable 1300mAh battery that, with a display this small, will without a doubt be giving you at least a full day’s charge. This smartphone also comes with a 3 megapixel camera on its back, wi-fi connectivity, Bluetooth, and GPS.

Also interesting is the styling this machine is working with – rather Galaxy S III or Galaxy Note-like. With the Galaxy Discover you certainly will be getting a tiny relative of the higher-end lineup. This device does not yet have a final release date or a price, but you can bet it’ll be soon – and for cheap!

[via Samsung; via Sammy Hub]

It’s said that Samsung will host an event on that day to unveil the new smartphone, with a release window sometime during the second week in April. As for invitations, it’s rumored that they should be arriving in inboxes shortly after Mobile World Congress later this month, which seems quite logical at this point.

The Galaxy S IV will make its way to European countries first, starting in April as previously mentioned, and then it will hit the States beginning sometime in either May or June. The Galaxy S III launched in Europe before it hit the US, this release schedule for the S IV certainly makes sense. Even the Galaxy S II had the same fate.

However, Galaxy S IV rumors and speculation have been all over the place lately, so we’re definitely keeping the salt by our sides until we hear something from Samsung. However, many of the rumors point to an announcement date and a release window of sometime during the spring, so it’s safe to say that we’ll be hearing more about the new phone at some point shortly.

[via SamMobile]

It’s important to note that the term “galaxy” does benefit in some way from the fact that it’s a non-brand word as well as a brand, but so too is the word “android.” It’s also clear that the term “galaxy” has risen along essentially the same path as “Samsung Galaxy” and right along with “android”, making non-brand searches essentially irrelevant. The eclipse (however small it may be) shows that Samsung is making a massive impact on the way people see the smartphone universe.

Below we’ve gone ahead and added the term “Droid” to the mix here instead of Evans’ chart’s term search with “iPhone”. What you’re going to see is that Verizon and Motorola’s push to turn the Android universe into a DROID brand association has been far, far less successful in the long run. Back Before 2011 rolled around, the term “DROID” was just as popular and at several points more popular than Galaxy. After July of 2010, DROID was never again as popular a search term as Galaxy.

View this information set in Google Trends now!

This sort of analysis is far from perfect, of course, and really only measures how often the average citizen looks up a term they’re interested in. That does translate quite well to the power of the brand when it comes down to it, of course, this shown in recent earnings reports from Samsung, Motorola, and Google. The big G recently purchased Motorola outright and is being tipped at the moment as working to create a new “X Phone” device to pump up the Android brand as well as the perceived power of the Motorola manufacturing process.

Now we’ve only to see how well Google is at branding Motorola and bringing Android along for the ride – soon and very soon!

The 4G LTE Galaxy Express offers a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display with WVGA resolution. There’s a 5-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash and auto focus as well as a 1.3-megapixel front camera. The dual-core processor is slightly less powerful than what was originally announced at 1.2GHz. There’s 1GB of RAM, as well as 8GB of internal storage space.

For those who need more storage space, there’s also a microSD expansion slot that supports up to 32GB. The battery is mid-range at 2,000mAh, offering decent battery life. There’s the typical accelerometer and gyro, as well as a digital compass. GPS includes both Glonass and A-GPS, while connectivity encompasses Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, MHL, and NFC. Likewise, there’s a USB 2.0 port.

As far as software goes, the Galaxy Express runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and offers Samsung TouchWiz, Kies, Hub, ChatOn, and AllShare Play. There’s S Beam, as well as several pre-loaded Google apps, including Talk, Navigation, Places, Gmail, and Maps, among others. Overall, the specs point towards a solid mid-range handset added to Samsung’s growing catalog of smartphones.

[via Samsung Mobile Press]

From the size and proportions of the tablet seen in the photos, we’re guessing it’s the 7-inch variant of the Galaxy Tab 3 (with the other being a 10-inch model), but nothing in the images point to one or the other. We’re guessing that both sizes of the tablet will be identical in design for the most part.

Both of the photos include the actual device and the box that it comes in, along with a model number and everything. However, the full model number isn’t completely legible, but it starts with “GT-P,” which is what most Samsung tablets usually start out with. The photos also don’t show the device on or running, so we can’t get a closer look at the UI just yet.

So far, no specs have been revealed, other than the 7-inch and 10-inch size variants. Until we see more leaks of photos or even video, it looks like we may have to wait until Mobile World Congress in Barcelona before we get a real glimpse at the thing. Of course, we’ll be there live covering the event, so be sure to stick around for MWC coverage.

[via Phone Arena]

Samsung says the new device is dust and sand proof, and you can even dunk it in water for up to thirty minutes, thanks to its IP67 certification. There’s even a dedicated camera button and a wrist strap so that you can take photos underwater. The phone has a tight seal all around, including a battery cover lock to give the device add protection.

The Xcover 2 has a 4-inch WVGA 800×480 display, which may not seem like a fantastic option, but we’re guessing that those who pick up this phone for their hiking trips may not care too much about the quality of the display. Speaking of hiking, the new device has enhanced GPS ＋ GLONASS capability that enhances satellite detection by up to 20% to make sure you never get lost in the middle of nowhere.

The phone has a 5MP rear camera and VGA-quality front-facing camera. Of course, if you’re out hiking and want to capture some beautiful shots of the scenery, you may be better off with a dedicated shooter, but the Xcover 2 will certainly work in a pinch. Other than that, the phone has a 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage (with microSD slot), Bluetooth 4.0, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean running the show. No word on pricing or availability just yet

[via Android Community]

Apparently, Money Today has learned that Samsung has ordered each of its subcontractors to provide 10 million components per month, and even if that is true, we don’t expect Samsung or any of its clients to comment on those numbers. Overall, though, Overall, Samsung wants to sell over 500 million phones in 2013, with 350 million of them being smartphones.

It’s been heavily rumored that the GSIV will release to the public in April, with an announcement coming on March 22, according to the latest speculation. And due to the tremendous success of the Galaxy S II and the Galaxy S III, Samsung wants to go big with its upcoming device, and is looking to sell more units than any of its phones ever.

The Galaxy S III is one the best-selling smartphones in the world, but it took 50 days for it to surpass shipments of 10 million units a feat that Samsung wants to shorten that to 30 days with the Galaxy S IV and continue to deliver those number every month. It’s not said how long Samsung wants to keep that up, but we’re guessing throughout the summer into the holiday season.

[via Android Authority]

The rumored April launch goes right along with a couple of other rumors that we’ve heard in the past, but the March 22 announcement date is new. According to the Asia Economic News, Samsung will host its own press event in the US to unveil the Galaxy S IV on March 22. Some previous rumors pointed to a possible announcement at Mobile World Congress in February, but a lone press event seems more the company’s speed.

According to SamMobile, the company has changed the project codename of the Galaxy S IV from Project J to Project Altius, and the Korean-based company plans to start shipping the new phone starting on April 15. The Galaxy S IV also looks to be taking a page from Apple’s book and is said to arrive in two colors: black or white.

SamMobile also says that the Galaxy S IV will, indeed, have wireless charging capabilities. Samsung will sell a separate dock and back cover for the device, and will make the wireless charging kit available a couple of weeks after the phone’s launch. The battery inside of the Galaxy S IV is said to be packing 2600mAh of juice. To compare, the Galaxy S III uses a 2100mAh battery.

[via SamMobile]

We discovered Samsung’s original Xcover device back in 2011, and while it never really gained any major popular, it proved as a solid option for those wanting a tough and rugged handset. Now, SamMobile has some details on the Xcover 2, which comes with faster internals and some better specifications all around.

The Xcover 2 has a 4-inch TFT display with a WVGA resolution of 800×480, which certainly isn’t anything to write home about, but we don’t expect owners to be too concerned with specs anyway. On the back, there’s a 5MP camera with a 0.3MP front-facing camera. There’s also 4GB of internal storage with microSD compatibility for up to 32GB.

Of course, the image is a little blurry, so we can’t make out the finer details, but it looks like the device will come with three physical soft keys at the bottom. Other than that, the device will run Jelly Bean, and will come with a surprisingly low 1,700mAh battery. Samsung plans to officially unveil the device at Mobile World Congress next month.

[via SamMobile]

Two different variants have appeared today of this Samsung machine, one of them being an international edition with code name GT-I9500, the other a Korean edition with code SHV-E300S. At the moment it appears that the Union Jack-carrying beast is beating out the Korean flag barer by a few thousand points in the bench, but that could be due to any number of odd software build reasons.

It’s important to note that these benchmarks can be faked – and often are – but that this sort of “leak” does follow a pattern for releases of devices as it has been over the past year or two. More closely associated with a Google Nexus Leak Pattern as it were, the Samsung Galaxy S IV’s appearance in AnTuTu should be expected weeks (or even months) before a release of said device. The processor in this device is also likely going to be the Exynos 5 Octa due to its hero status and announcement during CES 2013.

Note also that Samsung itself has tipped the release of the Samsung Galaxy S IV for late April or early May – and we’re inclined to believe them here.

The Samsung Galaxy S IV has been tipped as working with a 4.99-inch Super AMOLED full HD display, a 13 megapixel camera on the back, and a 2 megapixel camera on the front. This machine will likely be coming forth with 2GB of RAM under the hood and the ability to shoot 1080p video on the back and 720p video on the front, with at least Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean running out of the box with Samsung’s own Sense user interface over the top. Have a peek at the Samsung Galaxy S IV timeline below for more leaks, tips, and rumors galore:

[via SamMobile]

Back in October, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied Apple’s request for a pre-trial sales ban on Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and while Apple has asked all nine active Federal Circuit judges to reconsider the decision, it doesn’t seem like they’ll give in, especially with Samsung’s own plea.

The court’s decision puts Samsung in a much stronger position, since their products will remain on store shelves while the company continues to fight a global legal patent battle against Apple. Samsung argued that reconsidering the decision is unnecessary because Apple didn’t have enough evidence to justify a ban on sales of the company’s only Nexus device.

The two companies are scheduled to go to trial in federal court in San Jose, California sometime in March 2014. Representatives from both Apple and Samsung have commented on the situation, nor do we expect them to say much until the two companies meet each other again in court in just a couple of months.

[via Reuters]

Multiple Korean sources are saying that the new phone will land in April, and the accompanying S Pen feature hints that Samsung is allegedly looking to bring some of the best features of their Note series to the flagship Galaxy S IV, which wouldn’t be too terribly surprising, even considering how different the two devices are just from the screen size alone.

The alleged April 2013 release windows is right on the money with a previous rumor that we heard at the beginning of the month, saying that Samsung was working on “Project J” that is set for an April 2013 announcement. However, an announcement and an actual release are completely different, so we’re not really sure what to believe at this point.

It’s rumored that the Galaxy S IV will come with a 5-inch 1080p AMOLED display, a quad-core Exynos 5440 chip, a 13-megapixel rear auto-focus camera, and will feature a slightly thicker 9.2mm body, a change that would make the S IV very Note-like this time around, and would explain the S Pen functionality.

[via PhoneArena]

The Samsung Galaxy Admire 4G features a 3.65-inch HVGA TFT display, a 1.0GHz processor, a 3MP camera, and comes pre-loaded with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. It’s certainly not much to look at, and it won’t please the power users of the Android army, but it will certainly do the trick for everyday users who simply just need a phone.

Of course, if you need more fire power you can always go for Samsung’s Galaxy S III, which is also available contract-free at MetroPCS. Of course, it’ll cost you a pretty penny (49,900 of them, or $499), but you’ll be getting a fast and sleek device in exchange. However, if that’s just not in your budget, the Admire 4G is probably a good second choice.

The Galaxy Admire 4G is available right now online and retails for $169 before tax. However, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow if you want to pick up the new phone in-store. MetroPCS service plans start at $30 per month, with an unlimited 4G option currently offered for $55 per month, and that’s without a contract, mind you.

[via Android Community]

SamMobile reports that their sources have said a new device known internally as “Project J” will be announced in April of next year, and they say it’s the Galaxy S IV, which is currently rumored to come with a 5-inch 1080p display, and quad-core processor, a couple gigabytes of RAM, and a 13MP camera.

The same sources also point to a cheaper Galaxy Note II to launch in Europe and will have lower specs than the current Note II. It’s said that the device won’t come with a stylus and no AMOLED display technology either. Furthermore, a competitor to ASUS’ Transformer tablet series is also rumored to be on the way from Samsung. It’s said that the company wants to bring a 13.3-inch tablet to the market with QWERTY keyboard dock accessory. However, no other details were given about the possible tablet.

Frankly, we’re not too surprised by the Galaxy S IV rumor. It’s already made its way through the rumor mill several times, and now it seems like we’re merely just waiting for it to release, with the rumors almost annoyingly getting in our way. However, the Note II and new tablets rumors are fresh, and we’re interested to see where Samsung might go with this if the rumors turn out to be true.

[via SamMobile]

Apple and Samsung have already been through this dance once before on the same exact patent issue last year. Samsung was accused of implementing the same “bounce back” feature as iOS when scrolling through images, so Samsung replaced it with a blue flash that would appear on the edges of images. However, Samsung has refused to “sign a declaration of abstinence committing to not infringing the patent,” but Samsung claims that the issue had been fixed in the Netherlands, and that its Galaxy products used Samsung’s own technology.

The ban only applies to Galaxy products that run Android 2.2.1 and higher, and that don’t use Samsung’s proprietary photo gallery software. The court ordered Samsung to inform Apple how much net profit it made from sales of its infringing Galaxy products since June 27, 2011. From there, a different court will determine how much of that profit Samsung must give to Apple. If Samsung continues to infringe on Apple’s patent, the company will be required to pay Apple 100,000 euros ($129,000) for every day it violates the ban.

A Samsung spokesperson said that the company was disappointed with the court’s ruling, and Apple did not respond to a request for comment. In another lawsuit between the two companies in the Netherlands, the court ruled that Samsung does not infringe on a multitouch patent from Apple, and this coming January, the court is set to place their verdict in another Apple-Samsung lawsuit dealing with tablet design rights.

[via Computerworld]

The leaked image appeared over on Twitter from @evleaks, which is responsible for having leaked a whole lot of products. The phone purported to be in the image is model number SCH-R830. Obviously, like all unconfirmed leaks, you should maintain a healthy dose of skepticism, although it’s worth noting that @evleaks has a pretty good record when it comes to leaks.

According to the tweet, the Galaxy Axiom has a 4-inch display with a disappointing resolution of 800 x 480 (WVGA). Inside you’ll find a dual-core MSM8960 1.2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. There’s a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front camera, LTE support, and it’s loaded with Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Samsung Galaxy S III, the smartphone upon which the Galaxy Axiom/Galaxy S III Mini are based, has sold 30 million units since its release. The wildly popular unit features a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD display (1280 x 720), as well as 16GB or 32GB of internal storage space, depending on the model. There’s a microSD slot for expansion up to 64GB, and an 8-megapixel camera.

[via Engadget]

The Galaxy Stratosphere II will come with a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 4G LTE connectivity, NFC capability, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich running the show. This looks like it will be a pretty average mid-range device, seeing that Samsung doesn’t think power users want physical keyboards from the looks of it.

Of course, the Stratosphere II will make for a great business phone as well. It’s Global Ready and has built-in Virtual Private Network (VPN) connectivity capabilities. It also has numerous security features such as Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and on-device AES 256-bit encryption, which obviously aims to protect your personal information, as well as company info.

The Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II will cost $130 after signing a new two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate, which seems like a decent price for a decent phone. We’re positive that users still committed to physical keyboards will be eyeing this new device when it eventually hits Verizon stores in the next few weeks.

The Samsung Galaxy Express is one of Samsung’s mid-range devices. It runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and has a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display. It also has a 1.5GHz dual-core processor with a 2000 mAh battery. On the back, there’s a 5MP camera. The Galaxy Express will be exclusive to AT&T and will cost $99 after signing a two-year contract.

The MiFi Liberate will be the carrier’s newest 4G LTE hotspot device, and it’s also the first MiFi hotspot device with a touchscreen display. It has a 2.8-inch color touchscreen that can be used to view data usage, manage connected devices, and change network and device settings all directly from the touchscreen.

The MiFi Liberate supports up to 10 WiFi devices, and will cost $50 after signing a two-year contract. If you’re just wanting LTE or HSPA data for your tablet or laptop, a MiFi is a great device to have if you’re frequently not around WiFi hotspots when you travel. And while WiFi is usually available at most public places nowadays, it either costs a fortune or the signal is fairly weak.

Users that own a Samsung Galaxy tablet that have the Peel Smart Remote TV app installed will be able to provide real-time feedback during the 2012 presidential debates. Users will also be able to use the Peel app to easily switch the TV channel to any of the available stations that are showing the debate.

Throughout the debates, users will be able to “cheer” and “boo” responses from the candidates and to voice their support either for or against. Immediately following each debate, Peel claims they will be the first to provide a broad range of feedback from thousands of other viewers based on what they had to say through the app.

You can also see which candidate that viewers believe dominated the debate most, see which issues that were discussed received the most feedback, and even donate to the Obama or Romney campaigns straight through the app. The Peel app is compatible with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, Tab 7.7, Tab 2 7.0, Tab 2 10.1, and the Note 10.1. The presidential debates will be broadcasted live beginning on October 3.

We’ve talked about Tizen before and its ties with Samsung, but this is the first time we’ve heard anything about the relationship since May. This rumored Galaxy device is said to launch sometime in the future, but no solid time frame has been leaked yet.

However, even if Samsung does pull off a new Galaxy smartphone running Tizen, it’s said that it will face challenges when it hits the market. The biggest reason being that no one really knows what Tizen is, so it’ll no doubt be extremely difficult for Samsung to standardize the Tizen mobile OS and introduce it as a real competitor to Android and iOS.

However, Samsung already has a huge market in the US, so bringing Tizen to one of the company’s most popular smartphone lines might make it a little more easier for Samsung to introduce Tizen to consumers. Plus, if that happens and Tizen takes off, it could lower the market share of Android and possibly weaken Google‘s dominance of the mobile market.

[via BGR]

The reports at hand note that the Tokyo District Court has made it clear in its verdict reflects Apple’s accusation that Samsung infringed upon a patent of theirs that covers music and video data with a server. The verdict appears at the moment to say that Samsung has not been found guilty of said infringement and that they’ll owe no damages to Apple at the present time. This verdict also appears to be a partial reading while other matters are being released at a later time.

It’s important to know that each of the cases currently going on around the world that involve Samsung and Apple do not necessarily connect to one another. There was a case in South Korea recently that had both Apple’s iPad and iPhone ranges banned from sale entirely due to infringement found on technology owned by Samsung in the country. A similar infringement was up for trial in the recent Apple vs Samsung trail in the United States and Apple was found to have done no wrong, with Samsung’s ownership of the technology being covered under fair use laws, this allowing Apple to utilize without acquiring a license from the other company.

This case in Japan is a different matter entirely. With Samsung appearing to be free of patent infringement in this one matter across their entire Galaxy line of Android devices, we’ll likely see similar verdicts for whatever else Apple is claiming in the patent universe as well. Stay tuned as the Japan bit of this worldwide set of court cases between these two tech titans continues!

[via Engadget]

Hogan spoke with Reuters earlier this month with similar words for the public. Saying that the jury essentially wanted to punish Samsung for the infringement of patents at hand – that said, he noted that the jury didn’t quite feel that Apple deserved everything they were asking for. Have a peek at the new interview from Bloomberg here:

The was a note in the instructions for the case that made it clear that any penalties the jury issued should not be a “punishment” but rather simply “compensation.” That note read as follows:

“The amount of those damages must be adequate to compensate the patent holder for the infringement. A damages award should put the patent holder in approximately the financial position it would have been in had the infringement not occurred, but in no event may the damages award be less than a reasonable royalty. You should keep in mind that the damages you award are meant to compensate the patent holder and not to punish an infringer”

This set of revelations should come gift-wrapped to Samsung as they set themselves up to access any and all available means for appeal in the coming weeks. Samsung’s current penalty is above $1.05 billion USD while their push to counter-sue against Apple ended up with not a dollar to its name. Have a peek in the timeline below for other key moments in this trial as it continues well past the final verdict.

[via Bloomberg]

It was Apple attorney Harold McElhinny that spoke up in the case before Apple would rest, with words such as, “Witnesses can be mistaken. They can be mistaken in good faith. Exhibits that are created in a trial are always created with a purpose. They can confuse, and can mislead” stated to make way for the presentation of the documents you see above and below. “Historical documents are almost always where the truth lies,” noted MyElhinny, quoted by CNET, pointing out the internal Samsung documents.

With items such as curving the corners of the icons offered up in Samsung’s version of Android in response to the iPhone’s strikingly similar offering, Apple has here a document that’s going to play a giant role in the jury’s decisions in this case.

“They sat with the iPhone and went feature by feature, copying it to the smallest detail. In those critical three months, Samsung was able to copy and incorporate the core part of Apple’s four-year investment without taking any of the risks, because they were copying the world’s most successful product.” – McElhinny

Apple also came in for the throat with comments on how Samsung didn’t bring in as high a class of witness collection as they did. Apple brought in both Phil Schiller and Scott Forstall, for example, Apple senior executives, while Samsung did not bring any executives whatsoever. Part of the reasoning behind this decision may have been the fact that Samsung’s executives reside mainly in Korea, but no comment to this effect has been made.

“From the very beginning, Samsung has disrespected this process. Apple brought you two of its most senior executives: Schiller and Forstall. They were willing to face cross. No Samsung execs were willing to come here from Korea and answer questions under oath. Instead of witnesses, they sent you lawyers.” – McElhinny

Stay tuned to our legal tag as well as our tags for both Samsung and Apple to see what the end of this case will bring. It is quite possible that one or both of the players in this case will face millions of dollars in penalties and far-reaching legal damages well into the future. Judge Koh at the head of this case has made it clear that now with a 109 page instructions document ahead of them, the jury has some reading to do: “I need everyone to stay conscious during the reading of the jury instructions, including myself. …we’re going to periodically stand up, just to make sure we’re all alive.”

[Illustration via Vicki Ellen Behringer]

It appears that though the head of this court case, Judge Koh, has made it clear that things would be a lot better for both parties if they settled, both Apple and Samsung have not budged. Speaking over the weekend, both CEOs of the companies ended up not changing their case whatsoever. A joint filing send out since the weekend by both sides’ attorneys read as follows:

The parties have met and conferred about case narrowing, but have not been able to narrow their cases further.

This case began back in April of 2011 when Apple sued Samsung for the supposed copying of patented designs for mobile devices – the actual court session started just over two weeks ago. Samsung countersued back in 2011 and both companies have been making efforts to bring the case to this point ever since. Now it’s all in the jury’s hands.

Below you’ll find a timeline of important events that’ve occurred during the last two weeks of battle here in what’s certainly the most exciting tech-related court case of the summer. Feel free to lend your opinion on the proceedings, and stick around for the final verdict soon!

[via Business Week]

First have a peek at what could be an undeniable theft or, if Samsung is able to convince the jury, an incredible coincidence. This is the Telephone app icon for the iPhone – which still exists today – as it appeared on the first iPhone. Below the image, as it is with the rest of the examples as well, Apple shows a collection of Samsung devices with their icon of choice for the Samsung Android version of the Telephone app. Green icon with a white landline-type phone aiming upward and to the right.

Next is the iTunes trademark as compared to Samsung’s choice of a CD with a music note in front of it. This is a bit of an odd one because Apple’s icon for iOS (on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch) is actually more of a music note in a white circle than it is an iTunes logo. Apple presents their original trademark application image for the iTunes logo to the right of the mobile icon for comparison to Samsung’s collection below.

Next is the Settings icon from iOS being compared to the Samsung Settings icon on everything from the Captivate to the Galaxy S II. One might ask one’s self why the gear is being claimed by Apple when it should be clear that the base Android system the Samsung devices in question were built on also had a gear for its own shortcut to Settings. Have a peek first at the Apple comparison to Samsung, then to an icons pack from an early version of Android: version 1.6 Donut.

There’s a Notes app in both the iPhone and each of the Samsung devices Apple is showing in this next slide. This is where things get a bit more suspicious once again as not only are the colors replicated rather closely, but the lined yellow paper looks the same as well. Why on earth neither company went for the more obvious sticky-notes type icon, we cannot say!

The Photos icon comparison between iOS and the Galaxy line of Samsung smartphones is a bit odd as there is indeed a flower in both of the options – but they’re sized quite differently. Apple’s icon is a clear image of a sunflower on a blue sky background while Samsung chose to have flower pedals shown with two photos of those pedals sitting on to, with a play button on top of the stack as well.

Finally there’s the Contacts icon as presented by Apple (as it is with the rest of these slides) with the original iOS icon up top and a collection of Samsung Galaxy smartphones below. Though the color scheme here isn’t the same, it’s quite clear that both of these groups grabbed inspiration from the same source. OR that one saw the other at some point and decided to make good.

Make your own judgements here and let us know if you feel that Apple or Samsung – or both – were wronged in how similar their mobile device icons look to one another. It’s no small accusation saying that a design was copied directly from your own, and we hope neither company is taking any of this situation lightly.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see additional insights into this case and stay tuned as Apple and Samsung cut each-other to shreds over the coming weeks and months.

The Samsung Galaxy Appeal features a 3.2-inch display with a 480 x 320 pixel resolution, an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7225A processor, 512MB of RAM, and 1.8GB of onboard storage that’s expandable with microSD up to 32GB. It also sports a 3-megapixel camera and support for 7 hours of talk time on its 1,300mAh battery.

It’s certainly an entry-level device, but it satisfies the smartphone needs of the budget-minded and those who want to avoid being locked down by a two-year contract. The device works with AT&T’s GoPhone plans, which include either a $50 unlimited talk and text plan or a $25 unlimited text and 250-minute plan. Data plans are additional at 1GB for $25 per month, 200MB for $15 per month, or 50MB for $5 per month.

[via Engadget]

While there have been a couple of TVs and monitors with MHL functionality in the past from the likes of Toshiba, Samsung is introducing a pair of LED monitors with two MHL/HDMI ports. Coming in at 23- and 27-inches, the S23B550VS and S27B550VS both feature TN panels with 1080p resolutions, plus VGA ports and internal speakers.

Current MHL adapters need a separate microUSB power source to keep the phone running, while the standard should allow a single cable to do the job. You should be able to ditch the additional microUSB charging cable in the future now that more MHL enabled TVs and monitors are hitting the market. A plethora of phones include MHL functionality right now, including the Galaxy S II, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Nexus, and Galaxy S III. Just about every phone released by HTC and LG over the past year also includes the tech.

[via Clove]

There are two devices currently on the market with the superpowered Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor we’re being told will be on the Galaxy S III here and now, that being the HTC One X and the HTC One S. These devices have been reviewed by us in several iterations: HTC One X for AT&T, HTC One S for T-Mobile, and the international HTC One S. These devices have each shown themselves to be impressively powered and surprisingly well-matched against higher-powered processors with more cores than two.

The tip we’re seeing today shows the Verizon (likely LTE) version of the Galaxy S III, this a welcome addition to the carrier that this past year gave up the Galaxy S II in order to gain favor with Samsung and Google for the Galaxy Nexus. Or so we’ve been told by the powers that be. Now the Galaxy S III with its massive display (probably 4.8-inches), next-level software (Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with a new TouchWiz on top), and a bump from Qualcomm for dual-core prowess will all make this dream that much sweeter.

Note also that the international version of the Galaxy S III will likely still have Samsung’s own quad-core Exynos processor. That’s been tipped as well!

Now we’ve got to decide whether we want this or to wait for what’s been called the “Galaxy Journal” – aka the Samsung Galaxy Note for Verizon. Don’t hold your breath for that one if Verizon does indeed get first dibs on the Galaxy S III. Again, we’ll find out everything we need to know tomorrow!

The image you’re seeing above (and below in the gallery if you’d like a closer look) comes from Eldar Murtazin, a fellow who is often quite vocal about the early looks he gets at devices in the field. He tweeted the image along with the words “Barcelona. Samsung. press photo leaked” and decidedly refrained from speaking any details about the device other than “I dont name this samsung product :-) heh. I think some of you know it…” and that’s it.

As Michael Crider explains, there are several ways that you can tell that the whole situation stinks. FIrst, there’s been some early builds of the Ice Cream Sandwich update for Galaxy S II devices leaked, each of them legitimate as they can be confirmed to be, and they work with TouchWiz, a version that looks not all that different from the original TouchWiz sitting on the Galaxy S II when it was released – in this case on the USA versions as it relies on the four capacitive button combination at the bottom of the setup. What the photo here shows is a blend of AOSP Android 4.0 and Samsung’s TouchWiz, basic Google-made Android 4.0 folders sitting next to Samsung’s own widgets and icons.

The device has quite a few graphic artifacts in its white area, this most likely because it was lifted directly from an original Galaxy S II white image, blown out, and cut down the middle so that a modded Ice Cream Sandwich screen could sit in the middle. It’s quite simple, folks: this one’s a falsehood.

On the other hand, Pocketnow found some Galaxy S II+ benchmark results on An3DBenchXL, so perhaps there IS a new device LIKE what we’re seeing here on the way – but this isn’t it.

[via Android Community]

Featured: So there are quite a few mixed reactions to Facebook’s new Timeline feature, and if you’re one of those who aren’t particularly pleased with it, you need to check out this PSA: Facebook Timeline absolutely cannot be undone, don’t be fooled. On a lighter note, our Chris Burns examines one of the most exciting technological advancements in his column, 3D printing may explode at rate incomparable to its 2D predecessor.

Gaming: Well that was fast! Steam’s mobile app, which just recently launched in closed beta form, is now open to everyone. And if you’re more interested in console gaming, we have a fresh round of Xbox 720 rumors, this time with a closer look at the speculated dual-SKU strategy we first heard about last week.

Mobile: Attention all Samsung fans – Samsung Galaxy S Note S tipped, GSIII release date dropped. And on the carrier side of things, AT&T’s behind-the-scenes craziness continues. This time the carrier is in the news for a massive executive shake-up. Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, we’ve heard that China Telecom will offer the iPhone 4S next month.