phablet

Nokia may jump into the "phablet" market this year.

A source with "knowledge of the company's plans" told the Financial Times that the company has several new devices up its sleeve for this year. The "most innovative" will be a phablet, or a hybrid phone/tablet, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note, the newspaper reported.

Nokia also is looking to unveil several high-end smartphones this year as its Lumia lineup continues to struggle for more market share.

One such device will be the first Lumia phone with Nokia's Pureview technology. Sporting a … Read more

During its bizarre unveiling of the Galaxy S4, there were a few accessories that Samsung didn't get to spend much time on. For example, some reporters later stumbled upon a wireless charging feature, and a prototype of a nifty gaming controller that docks with some Galaxy devices while pairing via Bluetooth has also popped up.

The controller is dubbed simply the "Game Pad" and looks an awful lot like it came off of an Xbox 360. Samsung says it is capable of one-touch Bluetooth pairing via Samsung's funky NFC Tectile system, which works with the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S2 as well, among others. It also functions as a remote control for use with your bigger screens at home.… Read more

Debuting at Mobile World Congress, the LG Optimus G Pro is a 5.5-inch device that will launch in Korea this month, followed by a North American release in Q2. The handset is actually LG's third crack at the phone/tablet hybrid niche, after its Optimus Vu and Vu II (the U.S. carrier, Verizon, released the former as the LG Intuition, which received a lukewarm response).

But this phone is more than just another attempt; it shows how the third time can indeed be a charm. Not only does it boast powerful quad-core specs, it also features the … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Tossing its name into the supersize phone ring, ZTE demoed its Grand Memo at this year's MWC. Strutting a massive 5.7-inch screen, the handset belongs to the company's family of 4G LTE-enabled devices, which includes the hyped-up flagship, the Grand S, launched at CES in January. The Grand Memo will be available in China starting in March, with a later European launch in Q2.

Design If you're like me and you think LG's "phablet," the Optimus G Pro, looks a lot like the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, wait until you get a … Read more

I'm about to start packing for CES, which kicks off next week in Las Vegas, and I'm having a devil of a time deciding what tech to bring.

My phone, sure, but what else? Do I go laptop or tablet? If I choose laptop, am I better off with a convertible? If I choose tablet, do I want something as large as an iPad, or would I be happier with something more pocket-friendly -- a phablet, perhaps?

These are common questions nowadays as the lines between mobile devices grow ever blurrier. We want a screen, obviously, but what … Read more

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

As manufacturers released new smartphones with larger screens, people began to ask themselves, "How big will these things get?" But as we saw with the Samsung Galaxy Note, which debuted at the tail end of 2011, phones can get much, much bigger.

With its 5.3-inch HD screen, the Note redefined the trend by pushing the limits of smartphone touch screens, while testing user tolerance for size. Of course there were skeptics. Were people ready for such a gigantic screen? And are users seriously going to use that stylus? While the term "phablet" -- a portmanteau … Read more

Samsung said today it has sold more than 5 million Galaxy Note 2 devices worldwide, just two months after the product was first released.

The Korean technology giant said in a statement (Google Translate) that sales of the part-phone, part-tablet -- a so-called "phablet" -- hit the milestone around a month after Samsung sold 3 million of the devices in the first 30 days after its release.

The 5.5-inch device is selling at roughly three times faster than its predecessor, the original Galaxy Note, which took three months to hit the 3 million mark.

Earlier predictions by … Read more

It's a first-time Prizefight for a whole new evolving category between Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 and LG's Intuition.

These two unique devices bring the world of a smartphone and a tablet into one form factor. Throw in the use of a stylus, and we're talking about two of the most versatile mobile devices on the planet.

The Galaxy Note 2 has learned its lessons and it brings a versatile stylus, albeit with a much steeper learning curve. The LG Intuition stylus interface is straightforward and simple, but there's no place to hold the stylus on … Read more