Samsung unveils Galaxy S III smartphone at media event in London

Samsung has officially taken the wraps off of the long-awaited Galaxy S III smartphone at the Mobile Unpacked press event in London. The new flagship handset packs a quad-core 1.4GHz Exynos processor and a GPU that is said to be 65 percent faster than the chip found inside the Galaxy S II.

Follow up: Read our Samsung Galaxy S III hands-on article here.

Other key specifications include a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED screen (1280 x 720 resolution) with a 306 ppi density, 1GB of RAM, an 8MP rear shooter, 1.9MP front camera and storage options in the neighborhood of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. There’s also a removable 2,100 mAh battery, a micro-SIM slot, a micro-SD card slot, a micro-USB port and support for Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi Direct, DLNA and NFC.

There is a Siri-like voice assistant called S Voice that takes commands from the user and performs varying tasks asked of it. Another new technology is called Smart Stay, which uses the front-facing camera to “watch” the user’s eyes. When the phone doesn’t detect any eyesight, it knows to go into sleep mode.

The phone will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with a TouchWiz layer on top. Engadget tells us that the phone will launch with HSPA+ but an LTE version will eventually come down the pipe.

In terms of sheer aesthetics, the Galaxy S III shares more than just a naming scheme with the Galaxy Nexus. The device measures just 8.6mm at its thickest point and weighs 133g (4.7-ounces). Two colors will be available at launch: Pebble Blue and Marble White.

The Galaxy S III will launch in Europe on May 29 but there was no solid date given for a US launch outside of “this summer.”

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Posted in: event,Galaxy,London,media,Samsung,smartphone,unveils

Nokia launches patent offensive, sues HTC, RIM and ViewSonic

Struggling Finnish phone maker Nokia propelled itself in the ongoing mobile patent wars after it filed multiple lawsuits in two different continents during a single day against HTC, Research in Motion and Viewsonic, alleging they infringe on a total of 45 different patents.

"Nokia proprietary innovations protected by these patents are being used by the companies to enable hardware capabilities such as dual function antennas, power management and multimode radios, as well as to enhance software features including application stores, multitasking, navigation, conversational message display, dynamic menus, data encryption and retrieval of email attachments on a mobile device," Nokia wrote in a statement yesterday.

First they filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) against HTC accusing the Taiwanese firm of infringing on nine of its patents, asking for the HTC Sensation 4G, Inspire 4G, another eight smartphones and two tablets to be banned from sale in the US, according to PC Pro. This move was then followed up very quickly with further lawsuits against HTC and Viewsonic in the Federal Court of Delaware.

If that wasn't enough to contend with, multiple lawsuits were also filed against HTC and RIM in the Regional Court of Dusseldorf, Germany. Nokia then filed lawsuits against the three aforementioned tech firms in the German Regional Courts of Mannheim and again in Munich.

"It's clear that HTC is the primary target, ViewSonic a secondary one, and the assertions against RIM are less aggressive," Florian Mueller, a patent expert, wrote on Foss Patents blog. "Nokia [has] demonstrated that it means business when it starts patent lawsuits." Mueller's blog post also has a complete breakdown of all of the patents Nokia accuses the three firms of infringing.

HTC refused to comment on the suits until its lawyers read the filings, but did point out that it has been a licensee of Nokia's essential wireless patents since 2003, and is waiting to receive any complaint. RIM and Viewsonic didn't respond to requests for further comment.

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Posted in: launches,Nokia,offensive,patent,ViewSonic

PC gaming hardware market continues to grow despite rising competition

Naysayers have been predicting doom and gloom for the PC gaming market for several years and with the advent of mobile gaming, the post-PC era and continued popularity of consoles, it seemed like a feasible prediction. The only problem, however, is that those predictions were wrong. Those looking for proof that PC gaming is still alive and kicking needn’t look any further than the latest report from Jon Peddie Research.

The latest report serves as an adequate follow-up to the group’s late 2011 study that predicted PC gaming hardware sales would reach $19 billion by year’s end. For 2012, the researchers are predicting total sales of $23.6 billion and by 2015, the market will be responsible for $32 million in sales.

Strong demand will fuel growth over the coming years, especially in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries where systems, accessories and upgrades are expected to near $4.7 billion in 2012 and $7.7 billion in just three years.

Peddie Research expects to see the average selling price for some components to drop in 2013 as competition rises. This is good news for the consumer and unit shipments are expected to continue to rise, trumping any dip that would otherwise show up as a result of the lowered prices.

The study seems on par as PC gamers have a wealth of titles to look forward to this year and into 2013, including but not limited to Diablo III, Max Payne 3, Crysis 3, Far Cry 3, World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria and Borderlands 2.

Data for the study was gathered from 33 countries and covers notebooks, desktops, DIY systems and accessories.

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Posted in: competition,continues,despite,gaming,hardware,market,rising

Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone hands-on

Samsung launched its new Galaxy S III smartphone with great fanfare today in London and our friends at MobileBurn were there to get a first look at the device.

The Galaxy S III sports a new, 4.8-inch Super AMOLED 720p display, but thanks to Samsung's judicious trimming of the bezel surrounding the screen, the phone isn't much wider than last year's Galaxy S II with its 4.3-inch display. The new screen is nice, as we have come to expect from Samsung's AMOLED panels, but it does, unfortunately, use the PenTile pixel layout, which may present a problem for some.

Samsung's tradition of using glossy plastic materials on the Galaxy series continues with the Galaxy S III, and it certainly does not have the uniform feel that the polycarbonate unibodies seen on the HTC One X and Nokia Lumia 800/900 have. The glossy finish of both devices make them seem a bit cheap, I think. They look like a handset from further down the range, though the blue one has a sort've brushed metal finish beneath the 'hyperglaze" gloss.

The rounded design does cradle nicely in your hand, but Samsung's claims that the Galaxy S III "fits perfectly in the hand" are far-fetched. Many users will still have trouble navigating the touchscreen display when holding the device in one hand, though it should be markedly easier to use than the behemoth that is the Galaxy Note.

We didn't have too much time to put the Galaxy S III through a barrage of software tests, but from our quick hands-on, it appears that the new 1.4GHz, quad-core Exynos 4 Quad processor does a fine job at handling Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Samsung's TouchWiz interface. The Galaxy S II was known as the benchmark for Android smartphone performance when it launched, and the Galaxy S III will likely carry on that tradition. The UI felt very speedy, but when recording a demo of the ability to keep playing a video whilst doing other things, the video crashed, so it isn't perfect.

The interface did glide along without any stuttering or lag, and apps opened quite quickly. It should be noted, however, that owners of Samsung's Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphones will feel more at home with the Galaxy S III than those that have used a stock version of Android 4.0, as Samsung's TouchWiz interface behaves very similarly on Android 4.0 to how it did on Android 2.3.

As for the S Voice... Well, nobody could get it to open with a voice command. The Samsung reps blamed it on the ambient noise, but I shouted into the mouthpiece many times to no avail. It's also pretty slow to react when it does work. Oddly, it heard everyone fine once they'd opened the app from the app list. The same phrase "Hi Galaxy" worked once the app was open, bit couldn't be used to open the app.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S III feels like a very solid handset. Personally, I really dislike the design and prefer the squared-off design of the Galaxy S II. We look forward to putting the Galaxy S III to more of a test and checking out its litany of new software features when we do a full review in the near future.

Samsung intends to launch the Galaxy S III in mainland Europe on May 29, and then in the UK on May 30. A version with support for the 4G networks found in the U.S. is due to arrive later this summer.

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Posted in: Galaxy,handson,Samsung,smartphone

Minecraft creator publicly criticizes EA over indie game bundle

Well-known game developer Markus “Notch” Persson has caused quite a stir on Twitter today. The outspoken Minecraft creator tweeted his thoughts regarding Electronic Arts releasing an “indie bundle” of games on Steam, telling the company in no short order that they aren’t an indie developer and they should stop trying to ruin everything.

In follow-up tweets, Persson says that indies are saving gaming while EA is methodically destroying it and that he doesn’t even consider his own studio (Mojang) an indie anymore. He doesn't have a problem with the titles in the bundle, calling them good, he's simply questioning EA.

As news of his messages has spread, Persson has since tweeted that Twitter quotes are not news and that the platform shouldn’t be considered a news source. He seems to be a bit perturbed by all of the media attention, but when you are a public figure with nearly 680,000 followers, people listen to what you have to say.

CNET compares the gaming industry to that of the music industry where there are a handful of major labels and a multitude of independent firms. The publication says that most games created for mobile or console-based services like Xbox Live Arcade are considered independent while big name studios like Activision Blizzard, Take-Two and EA are typically classified as major publishers.

The indie bundle from EA contains six games: DeathSpank, DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue, Gatling Gears, Shank, Shank 2 and Warp. The titles were developed by independent studios and are published by EA. The studio is offering a 70 percent off promotion through May 9 for anyone purchasing the bundle.

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Posted in: bundle,creator,criticizes,indie,Minecraft,publicly

New iPhone rumors: 20% thinner with 4-inch screen and Gorilla Glass 2

The new iPhone is likely still several months away but information pertaining to the next generation Apple handset is already making the rounds. The latest news on the new iPhone / iPhone 5 / whatever you want to call it comes courtesy of iLounge’s Jeremy Horwitz.

The editor claims that Apple has abandoned the long-rumored teardrop design that most thought would be introduced on the iPhone 4S. Instead, we are told to expect another glass-bodied design that’s somewhat similar to what’s already available on the current generation smartphone. Speaking of glass, Apple will be using Gorilla Glass 2 on sections of the phone. This second generation glass is just as strong as the original but in a thinner sheet.

The new iPhone is expected to be longer and thinner than the 4S, measuring in at roughly 125mm by 58.5mm by 7.7mm. These dimensions make the phone about 10mm taller than the 4S and roughly 2mm thinner while the width is largely unchanged. As a result of the increased height, the phone will ship with a 4-inch screen and for the first time since the original iPhone, there will be a new aspect ratio.

The back of the phone will be a departure from the norm as well. iLounge says that Apple will be adding a metal panel to the middle of the back. The panel will be completely flat and made of metal, not ceramic.

The final big change is a new dock connector. This was rumored to be included on the new iPad but that never actually happened. The new connector is said to be slightly larger than the speaker holes on the iPhone 4 and 4S and look more like a small pill with rounded edges. The change will start with the new iPhone and eventually encompass all iOS devices moving forward.

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Posted in: 4inch,Glass,Gorilla,iPhone,rumors,screen,thinner

Patent suggests Apple's haptic feedback may reshape your screen

RIM, long-time purveyor of fine QWERTY phones, has finally decided it's time to abandon physical keyboards. With that in mind, it appears we're entering a point of no return for such input devices as they continue to steadily disappear from the mobile universe. So, what's a keyboard enthusiast to do? if this patent is any indication, Apple may feel it has the answer.

Haptic technology is a way for touchscreen manufacturers to deliver physical feedback when a user touches a button, tries to type using an on-screen keyboard or otherwise interacts with the images generated on their touch-screen display. When it comes to having no physical keyboard, haptic feedback seems like the best available compromise but it's difficult to call it a substitute. Thus far, the haptics found on most smartphones are little more than a quick vibration -- merely an industry platitude, honestly.

Apple's solution intends to use a combination of flexible OLED display technology and piezoelectric actuators that would actually alter the contour of your screen. It would also take into account sensor data to determine usage context, providing situationally-appropriate feedback.

For example, a device featuring such technology could raise the surface area of each letter for an on-screen keyboard while entering input into a text field. This would give any software-based input instrument a distinct feel and contour for each key or button. When the user is finished typing, the surface of the screen would return its normal, planar state.

While companies patent all sorts of crazy things, it was just a couple of months ago that Apple patented the early workings of this idea. However, the latest patent filing improves upon the design and serves as evidence that Apple continues to investigate haptic feedback for its future, touch-enabled devices.

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Posted in: Apples,feedback,haptic,Patent,reshape,screen,suggests