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Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S3 surpassed the iPhone 4S as the top-selling U.S. smartphone in August, the first time that Apple's flagship phone has relinquished its position atop the smartphone food chain.

That's according to Canaccord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley, who checks in with retailers to see how each phone is doing.

The iPhone 4S, which initially launched with AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint Nextel, and then expanded to a number of other carriers, has held the top spot as the single best-selling phone ever since it launched in October. To have held on to … Read more

It clear that the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Camera won't be the last we hear of Samsung in 2012.

Indeed, the first details of another three models have bubbled up to the surface, some of which could arrive in the near term. This week a Samsung-focused blog SamMobile told us that we should be on the lookout for a Galaxy S III Mini, Galaxy S II Plus, and the Galaxy Premier.

It's difficult to say for certain, but the Galaxy S III Mini likely will debut in the weeks following the iPhone 5 release. Considering the rumored … Read more

Earlier this week I heard from Gazelle that the buyback site saw a 50 percent jump in trade-ins of Samsung phones, particularly the Galaxy S II, in the three days immediately following a jury's finding that the GSII and a number of other Samsung phones had infringed on Apple patents.

Now, on its own, that's not really enough evidence to conclude that Samsung device owners are discarding their phones in utter disgust at the lack of respect for our ridiculously murky and inefficient patent system. After all, a lot of those trade-ins could be people simply unloading an old phone in favor of another blockbuster Samsung phone like the Galaxy S III, which is not part of the patent suit. Or there's always the specter of a new iPhone around the corner that could encourage a trade-in for some extra cash.

After hearing from Gazelle earlier this week, I immediately contacted another buyback site -- eBay Instant Sale -- to see if it had seen the same pattern. They hadn't yet but promised to pull more data for me to check closer.

That data came back to me earlier today, and it offers even stronger evidence of a run on old Android smartphones following the jury's smack-down on Samsung last week.… Read more

Longtime Android users who are familiar with the old-school Motorola Droid will remember its Car Home app that presented users with a simplified interface for interacting with apps designed for use in the car. Samsung continues that tradition today with the announcement and launch of its new Drive Link app for the Samsung Galaxy S3.

The app's welcome screen displays large, easy-to-read weather conditions and date and time information along the top edge. Occupying the center of this screen is a summary of the next scheduled appointment in the phone's calendar with a trio of links to set … Read more

Lucasfilm and Twentieth Century Fox announced today an epic sci-fi 3D doubleheader for fall 2013: "Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones" and "Episode III Revenge of the Sith" arrive in theaters during consecutive months next year.

Officially, the 3D version of "Episode II" hits the big screen on September 20, 2013, while the 3D "Episode III" debuts on October 11, 2013. … Read more

So much for post-product-release teardowns. The iPhone 5 is being torn down piece by piece already.

Just after alleged photos of the iPhone 5's main circuit board appeared, we now have a video of not only the front plate but items as small as the "flex cable," replete with the sleep-wake button and volume switch, according to SmartPhone Medic, a smartphone repair service based in Columbia, S.C.

"We just got some new iPhone 5 parts in," the video begins. The SmartPhone Medic guy then goes to show the alleged iPhone 5's front plate … Read more

LG Display has begun to make a display that could be slated for the iPhone 5, according to a Reuters report.

"We just began mass production and we don't expect any disruption in supplies," Han Sang-beom, chief executive of LG Display, told reporters Wednesday, according to Reuters.

LGD, along with Samsung, are the two principal display suppliers for Apple's marquee products, such as the iPhone and iPad.

Other reports, however, have Sharp making the displays for the iPhone 5. And Toshiba has also been rumored as a display supplier for the iPhone 5.

It's not … Read more

MetroPCS said it would be getting Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S3 in a preview of some of its upcoming phones.

In addition to the Galaxy S3, the company plans to launch an additional Samsung smartphone able to get voice over its LTE network, a ZTE smartphone, and a smartphone from relative newcomer Coolpad.

MetroPCS unveiled the lineup during a presentation to media and analysts today in New York. The company didn't provide many details on timing, only that the Coolpad phone would come out in the next few weeks.

The company is looking to expand its lineup of smartphones as … Read more

Today's laptops, smartphones, and tablets are smaller, thinner, and lighter than ever before. But to build today's ultraslim, ultraportable devices, designers and engineers often make their creations more difficult, if not impossible, to repair.

On this special episode of Cracking Open, I show you five ways manufacturers are making our gadgets harder to fix and give you a few tips on working around these self-repair roadblocks.… Read more