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With new 'Star Wars' on tap, Lucasfilm bails on Episodes II and III in 3D

With the creative team for "Star Wars Episode VII" now in place, Lucasfilm and Disney appear to be using the forward movement on that project as an excuse to shelve plans to release 3D versions of Episodes II and III.

In a news post today on StarWars.com, Lucasfilm announced the abandoning of the release of the 3D versions of the two prequel films.

"Lucasfilm has decided to postpone this fall's scheduled release of 'Star Wars' Episodes II and III in 3D," it wrote today. "Given the recent development that we are moving forward … Read more

Samsung Galaxy S4 reportedly set to launch in April

The successor to Samsung Electronics' blockbuster Galaxy S3 could launch in April.

That's according to Samsung news Web site SamMobile, which pegs the phone's launch on April 15.

The Galaxy S franchise has emerged as a true competitor to the iPhone, and garners as much hype and anticipation as Apple's marquee smartphone. While early iterations of the Galaxy S phone faced a slow start, the Galaxy S3 catapulted out of the gate as a smash hit, and has held up remarkably well even as other competitive phones have faded. The phone has helped propel Samsung into the … Read more

Apple, Samsung add new devices to upcoming patent suit

A slew of new devices have been tacked onto the patent lawsuit in a legal order that was jointly filed by Apple and Samsung today. Included in the devices are Apple's iPhone 5 and Samsung's Galaxy S III.

U.S. Judge Paul Grewal agreed to let both companies add devices to the case, which is scheduled to go to trial on March 31, 2014. The order includes both Apple and Samsung's amended stipulations to their original filings, which are part of Apple's Galaxy Nexus case and not the patent trial between the two companies that ended last August. … Read more

Best Android Jelly Bean smartphones you can get now

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity for Android Jelly Bean phones to ship, I'm glad to see that a flood of handsets with the coveted software has burst onto the mobile scene. Some of these devices, such as the HTC Droid DNA and LG Nexus 4, rolled straight off the assembly line boasting Google's most modern OS. Older phones, like the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Motorola Droid Razr HD Maxx, just received this significant upgrade.

Take a look at this stellar list of smartphones that all offer a state-of-the-art Android experience. From the pure flavor only … Read more

Sprint sees most exclusive smartphone deals going away

The era of exclusive smartphone deals may soon be over.

That's according to Sprint product chief Fared Adib and device executive Ryan Sullivan, who believe the industry is slowly getting away from the practice of locking up smartphones for a single carrier.

Ideally, this means consumers will eventually be able to pick any phone they want on any carrier.

"We in the industry have focused too much on this concept," Adib said.

"It makes less sense for exclusive deals," Sullivan said.

That goes against the longtime tradition of a handset manufacturer striking a deal to … Read more

Android Jelly Bean gains, Gingerbread seeing a slow fade

The latest version of Android is now sitting on about 10 percent of all Android devices, while Gingerbread dropped below 50 percent, according to the latest numbers from Google.

Jelly Bean -- that is, Android 4.1 and 4.2 -- is up in the two weeks ending January 3, though it's Android 4.1 that's made most of the gains (see chart below).

That's a sizable jump from the first two weeks of December when Jelly Bean, released in July, was on 6.7 percent of all active devices.

Driving the uptick are devices including the … Read more

Samsung displaces Nokia as overall cell phone king

Samsung Electronics is the new leader in cell phones.

Already ahead of the pack in smartphones, Samsung extended its dominance over the entire worldwide handset industry by displacing longtime cell phone king Nokia, according to a study by IHS.

The role reversal illustrates how fast Samsung has risen, thanks largely to its Galaxy S smartphone franchise, and how far Nokia has fallen. Prior to this year, Nokia enjoyed a 14-year reign atop the cell phone market, though its past few years were propped up by its legacy Symbian platform.

Samsung controlled 29 percent of the overall cell phone market, and … Read more

Galaxy Note 3 with 6.3-inch display reportedly in the works

Samsung Electronics may be looking to blur the lines between a phone and tablet even further.

The Korean electronics giant is working on a bigger, 6.3-inch display for the eventual Galaxy Note 3, according to the Korea Times.

Samsung has pioneered the category that some refer to as the "phablet" segment, or something between a smartphone and tablet. Initially mocked for the size of the device, Samsung saw decent sales of the first big-bodied Galaxy Note, and pushed for wider distribution with the successor Galaxy Note 2, which saw its display grow to 5.5 inches from … Read more

MediaTek joins Samsung, Nvidia quad-core club

MediaTek will take on Samsung and Nvidia in the emerging market for mobile quad-core chips.

The Hsinchu, Taiwan-based company today announced the MT6589, a quad-core system-on-a-chip (SoC) that integrates a modem supporting HSPA+ and other international standards.

Integration of a modem into a quad-core chip is a first, the company says.

The processor is based on ARM's Cortex-A7 design, the same technology used in Qualcomm's upcoming quad-core S4 processors.

But that Qualcomm chip won't be available commercially until well into next year. The MediaTek chip, on the other hand, will appear in smartphones that are expected to … Read more