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Samsung holding Galaxy S III event June 20

Gearing up for its highly anticipated Galaxy S III smartphone, Samsung is planning a press event for June 20.

Held at the Skylight Studios in New York, the event will undoubtedly center around the device, which the manufacturer is calling the "next big thing."

Not a very original tagline, yes, but we're still excited about it nonetheless. Though the U.S. version of the handset won't come with a quad-core CPU, there's still much to be expected.

The devices promises an Android 4.0 OS, a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, and 4G LTE … Read more

Apple may seek U.S. ban of Samsung Galaxy S III today

Apple is trying to ban Samsung's Galaxy S III even before it reaches U.S. shores.

Apple attorney Josh Krevitt said at a hearing yesterday that the company may file for a temporary restraining order as soon as today to stifle the Galaxy S III's U.S. debut on June 21, Reuters reported.

Citing the usual ongoing patent infringements, Apple believes Samsung's new phone and a host of other Android devices are in violation of patents related to iOS devices. Apple sued the Korean handset maker last year, saying that it copied key elements of the iPhone … Read more

Virgin Mobile's no-contract iPhone brings savings -- at a cost

It's time to pony up for prepaid iPhones, avoid password scams and drop that mayor obsession:

The iPhone is coming to Virgin Mobile at the end of June. But you'll have to drop a hefty $650 to get the iPhone 4S, since there's no two-year contract. Plans start at $30 a month. It's cheaper in the long run to go prepaid with this plan instead of spending $200 upfront and paying for a more expensive monthly bill for two years (but you'll be limited with talk minutes). Virgin is on the Sprint network.

If Android … Read more

Why Samsung's U.S. Galaxy S III has a dual-core processor (and why you shouldn't care)

In just a couple of weeks, the U.S. will receive its first Samsung Galaxy S III smartphones. The flagship phones share most of the features of the global version of the device -- Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and a huge 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, to name but two -- but the U.S. variant differs on three points: LTE capability, 2GB RAM (versus 1GB in the global version), and a dual-core processor instead of a quad-core processor.

It's this last spec that tends to get people in a tizzy, despite the fact that quad-core processors aren't necessarily faster or more efficient than dual-core CPUs.

In fact, CNET and other tech outlets have found Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 chipset more than capable in the HTC One X and HTC One S phones, which were also the first to debut with Qualcomm's fastest-yet system-on-a-chip.

There's a good reason that Samsung and HTC both chose Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 processor for their flagship handsets, instead of the quad-core processors introduced in the global version of the devices (Nvidia's Tegra 3 processor, in HTC's case.) And that reason more or less boils down to LTE.… Read more

Samsung Galaxy S III to ship soon on all 4 big U.S. carriers

Samsung's Galaxy S III Android 4.0 phone is generating so much buzz, you could almost forget the Olympics are being held this summer.

U.S. fans of the Galaxy S series have been closer to the back of the line this go-round, as the flagship Android phone is rolling out elsewhere across the globe while we twiddle our thumbs over elder-generation smartphones. Finally, the picture is becoming a little less cloudy as to when the S III will finally land stateside.

We already know that T-Mobile and Sprint will start selling the thin taste of Ice Cream Sandwich on June 21, but now it appears that AT&T is telling customers who preorder the Galaxy S III that they can expect it to ship on June 18, according to droidmatters.… Read more

Verizon to include global roaming on Galaxy S III

Word on the street is that international travelers using Verizon Wireless might be able to talk on their Samsung Galaxy S III no matter what country they're in.

According to PhoneScoop, Verizon confirmed this rumor. Here's what PhoneScoop says:

Verizon Wireless confirmed to Phone Scoop in an email that its variant of the Samsung Galaxy S III will eventually be able to roam onto the 2G/3G networks of overseas network operators. The capability won't be available at launch, but will be enabled down the line through a software update. Verizon didn't say when that update … Read more

Samsung's Galaxy S III phones by the carrier, by the numbers

Editors' note: CNET has yet to review the Verizon, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular versions of this phone, but if you want to get an idea of what you can expect from them, read the full reviews for the Samsung Galaxy S3 for T-Mobile and AT&T.

Within the month of June, Samsung and its five carrier partners will sell a whopping 18 versions of the Samsung Galaxy S III (S3) Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich superphone, what when you count variations in color and capacity.

AT&T, for instance, will sell the Galaxy S3 in three … Read more

Galaxy Nexus drops to a cent on Amazon

Right now you can get a screaming deal on one of the top Android phones around, as long as you're willing to hand over two years of mobile indentured servitude to Verizon.

Google tapped Samsung to make its latest Nexus phone, which went on sale at the end of last year and was the first device to officially come preloaded with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Half a year later it's still one of the top phones running the OS, and just a few months ago it was still selling for $299.99 with a new contract, so Amazon Wireless' new single-penny price point is a price slash that's splattering savings all over the place.… Read more

Bigger, faster Samsung Galaxy Note tipped for October

Samsung may be working on a larger, more powerful Galaxy Note for October, according to rumors hitting the Internet this week. Listed as having a 5.5-inch, 1,680x1,050-pixel display, the presumed Galaxy Note II is also said to feature a faster CPU and more memory.

Tracing the rumors back to their source, UbuntuLife advises that the smartphone will include Samsung's own Exynos 5250 dual-core processor, clocked at 1.7GHz. What's more, the Android 4.0-powered Galaxy Note II should come with 4G LTE connectivity across the board. … Read more