Phones

Judge holds himself in contempt for his cell phone

Michigan Judge Raymond Voet doesn't like phones interrupting court proceedings. It's fair enough; court is very serious business, and the last thing you need is someone's wacky ringtone right at the moment of sentencing. Voet, therefore, decided that offenders are liable to be held in contempt and fined, a policy that's stated in a clear sign hanging in Voet's courtroom.

So when, in the middle of court, his own phone started asking him to give it voice commands, he had no choice but to hold himself accountable.

"The prosecutor was in the middle of his closing arguments," Voet, an Ionia County 64-A District Court judge, told ABC News. "He lost his train of thought and looked at me. I felt my face starting to burn red." Voet turned off his phone and allowed the prosecutor to continue. During a break in proceedings, however, he fined himself the $25. … Read more

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One: A clash of two Android titans

If you're in the market for a new smartphone this year, chances are good you're seriously considering the two best Android handsets: the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One.

Both offer tempting helpings of powerful components, advanced features, and cutting-edge software.

So which device should you go with? It's a tough choice. But fear not: CNET is here to help. Sit back as we stack up all the abilities these excellent phones have in common and the key differences that separate the two. … Read more

Smartphone innovation: Where we're going next (Smartphones Unlocked)

The HTC One has a gorgeous chassis and a ton of camera tricks, the Samsung's Galaxy S4 pauses and unpauses video when you avert your gaze, and in the Lumia 920, Nokia was one of the first to introduce wireless charging and an ultrasensitive screen you can control while wearing gloves.

Yet compared with the real meat of what you do with a phone -- things like communicating with people, browsing the Internet, snapping photos, and playing games -- today's top phones are mostly all on par. Software and hardware extras that extend beyond the basics, while impressive, … Read more

Galaxy S4 Group Play makes sharing easier (hands-on)

Sharing is a big part of Samsung's products (just think of all those ads in recent months, like the one with a woman giving her husband a secret video). Now the Korean electronics giant is taking that a step further with the Galaxy S4's improved Group Play.

Galaxy S3 users will recognize this as the feature that lets them share documents and photos with others in close range. I recently got some hands-on time with Group Play on the S4 and found some nice updates to the program. In particular, future S4 owners can share music and games … Read more

Sprint garners new Amethyst Purple Galaxy S3

Don't want to wait for the Samsung Galaxy S4 to hit stores? Then perhaps you'll be tempted by a new purple-hued version of Samsung's hit handset from last year, the Galaxy S3. Sprint announced it will sell a special Amethyst Purple GS3, as well as the older Pebble Blue and Marble White models, for $99.99.

Of course that discount applies only to customers who bring their service and phone number from other carriers, or existing subscribers who add another line. That lops $99.99 off the Galaxy S3's unsubsidized $549.99 price. You also have … Read more

Gallery of America's top Androids has some surprises

Recently, the folks at Handset Detection pulled together some data to figure out the top 10 Android devices in use in the United States as of February 2013, and the results revealed a surprising diversity of smartphones (and a few tablets) that include both the hottest phones of the past six months as well as some classics that it seems we just can't bear (or afford) to put down.

I decided to dig through the top 10 American Android devices to try and figure out what makes us pick and stick with the droids we love.… Read more

Sprint ups Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE to Android 4.1

Sprint today announced the Android 4.1.2 update for the Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE.

Sprint, on a bit of a roll, has begun rolling out Jelly Bean to the budget-friendly smartphone. Available starting today, the software update brings the standard suite of Android 4.1 features to the notifications, camera, and to the OS as a whole.

With the update, Victory users will gain access to Google Now, expandable and actionable notifications, and an updated Android Beam that now shares files as well as URLs and maps. Also present are Jelly Bean's lock screen widgets, smarter home … Read more

Samsung goes Mega with two new Galaxy smartphones

Samsung has unveiled two new smartphones that push the envelope of screen size in the smartphone space.

Dubbed Mega, the two devices Samsung showed off today come with the customer's choice of a 5.8-inch screen or a 6.3-inch option. Both devices come with Android 4.2 (Jelly Ben) and a dual-core processor. The higher-end 6.3-inch option comes with a 1.7GHz processor, while the 5.8-inch version has a 1.4GHz chip. Both handsets have 8-megapixel rear-facing cameras and 1.9-megapixel front-facing cameras.

Samsung's Mega 6.3 handset will deliver 8GB or 16GB of internal … Read more

Huawei plans flagship phone release for summer

As part of a massive consumer push to bring awareness to its brand (involving the Jonas Brothers, no less), Huawei announced this week that it will release a marquee smartphone in the U.S. this summer.

The company isn't sharing its exact time frame or the nature of the hardware in question, but I'd put my money on one of its most aggressive Android designs, either the gigantic 6.1-inch Huawei Ascend Mate, or the Ascend D2, with an enormous 4,050mAh battery -- both of which debuted in January at CES.

Also a contender for the flagship … Read more

HTC One source code now out in the wild

HTC this week released the source code for the HTC One, which makes it easier for developers to create new custom ROMs and apps that work specifically with the phone.

Keeping with tradition, the HTC Dev team added its new flagship device to a growing list of kernel source code, binaries, and updates. While smartphone owners don't immediately benefit when HTC releases source code this way, developers and modders find the tools quite valuable.

Those who like to root their Android phones will appreciate the custom ROMs that utilize some or all of HTC's custom touches. We might … Read more