s3

T-Mobile kills off the wireless contract

T-Mobile continues to rev up the changes it's got in store for customers.

The wireless carrier today seems to have finally done away entirely with contracts for wireless customers. This follows earlier moves that had allowed options including either a traditional two-year contract or no contract at all.

The shift is part of a broader transformation that CEO John Legere hinted at during his Consumer Electronics Show press conference in January, changes that are intended to make the carrier more competitive in the industry. As a distant fourth-place carrier among the national players, the company has been willing to … Read more

RadioShack slashes prices on Galaxy S3, iPhone 5 and 4S

With Samsung's Galaxy S4 unveiled last week and rumors of an iPhone 5S on the way, RadioShack is letting loose some of its inventory at a discounted price.

The consumer electronics store is offering deals on the Samsung Galaxy S3, iPhone 5, and iPhone 4S to Sprint customers starting today. A RadioShack spokesperson told CNET that this sale will last between now and April 4.

Of the three devices, the best deal seems to be for the Galaxy S3. With a new two-year contract, customers can save $150 on the device. Typically the mobile phone costs $199.99 at … Read more

Why you should still consider the Galaxy S3 over the Galaxy S4

The new Samsung Galaxy S4 has launched, but savvy wireless customers looking for a bargain may still want to consider last year's Galaxy S3.

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I help a reader decide if the newly upgraded flagship Samsung smartphone is worth the hype. There's no question the device is a marked improvement over its predecessor the Samsung Galaxy S3. But the upgraded specs and added bells and whistles might not mean as much to the average consumer, who will likely be just as happy with last year's model, which costs less money.

I also … Read more

The 404 1,228: Where we make eyes with the Samsung Galaxy S4 (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Samsung Galaxy S4 keeps calm, carries on with big screen, 8-core chip and, yes, eye tracking.

- The Galaxy S4's software up close.

- Samsung Galaxy S4 display looking good, expert says.

- Samsung Galaxy S4 landing on six U.S. carriers.

- Does Samsung's Galaxy S4 make the iPhone 5 look lame?

- Samsung Galaxy S4 offers optional wireless charging.… Read more

Many Galaxy S4 software features will come to S3

If you just bought a Samsung Galaxy S3 and envy some of the new Galaxy S4 features, you may be in luck.

Drew Blackard, director of product planning for Samsung's mobile business in the U.S., told CNET that many software features will make their way to other Samsung devices such as the Galaxy S3 and Note 2.

"Our hope is to bring anything that's not dependent on hardware to other devices," he said.

Blackard didn't have any details about timing for that but suggested it will be sooner rather than later. For prior releases, … Read more

Comparing the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy S3

No matter whether you're deciding if you should wait and get the Samsung Galaxy S4 next week, making sure you don't have buyer's remorse from just having purchased your Galaxy S3, or perhaps just plain curious, CNET makes it easy to compare the two sibling handsets with this chart.

Physically, the GS4 didn't get any bigger. In fact, it even sports a thinner build and weighs a hair lighter. But with a slimmer bezel, its 5-inch full HD Super AMOLED touch screen had room to expand, and the display now sports a higher pixel density.

Also new is its quad- or octo-core processor. Similar to the situation when the GS3 debuted, which CPU is available will depend on where you live. The U.S. will receive the 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600.… Read more

MVNO carrier Ting says it will get the Galaxy S4

We're still 24 hours from knowing if the Samsung Galaxy S4 even exists, but that hasn't stopped one wireless carrier from bragging about the device to customers.

Earlier today, Ting, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that resells Sprint's network, posted a blog on its site where it promised that not only would it snag the long-awaited Galaxy S4 but also the recently-announced HTC One, and the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini.

Join CNET on Thursday, March 14 at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET for live coverage of the Samsung Galaxy S4 event

"In … Read more

Samsung will soon address its phone security problems

Samsung plans to release a security patch for a newly discovered lock screen hack, reports Lookout Mobile Security. According to the security firm, however, the timeframe for the official software repair is vague, expected to hit "shortly." … Read more

Alleged Samsung Galaxy S4 pops up in leaked video

Yet another leak purporting to show the Galaxy S4 has popped up, this time in a video featuring hands-on time with Samsung's upcoming flagship smartphone.

It's unclear how legitimate this video is, although the smartphone does follow the Samsung aesthetic and appears to work and run Android.

Samsung itself offered up its own hint at what the Galaxy S4 will look like in a teaser picture heavily obscured by shadow.

CNET contacted Samsung to get comment about the legitimacy of the video, and we'll update the story when the company responds.

With the Galaxy S3 a proven … Read more