smartphones

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 will destroy your mobile processor. Not literally, of course. I'm strictly referring to its ability to to render real-time graphics so fast as to make your current mobile processor -- on your phone or tablet -- embarrassingly dawdling in comparison.

At an benchmarking event in San Francisco, Qualcomm allowed me and others in attendance to run a benchmarks on a reference Mobile Development Platform (MDP) tablet housing its latest Snapdragon 800 system-on-chip (SoC). The results speak for themselves; however, I should warn that these are only benchmark results (3DMark and GFXBench, specifically) and don't … Read more

Huawei would consider snapping up Nokia, which could help it boost its smartphone gains in Europe and the U.S., a company executive said on Tuesday.

According to the Financial Times of London (paywall), Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei's consumer business group, said at the launch of its latest smartphone offering, the Ascend P6, in London: "We are considering these sorts of acquisitions; maybe the combination has some synergies but depends on the willingness of Nokia."

"We are open minded," Yu told reporters.

Nokia would have to be a willing participant in a buyout discussion, … Read more

Those eyeing Virgin Mobile's prepaid phones now have another Android 4.1 smartphone to choose from. Starting Tuesday, the Jelly Bean-filled Samsung Galaxy Ring debuts with decidedly entry-level features that are aimed for the budget-minded.

Let's start with the 4-inch display, backed by a 5-megapixel camera with HD video recording, and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The Swype keyboard comes preinstalled, and ID packs can customize your phone by adding a themed profile. The more compact Galaxy Ring keeps gaming interesting with a 1.4GHz quad-core processor and a $179.99 up-front price.

Speed demons, however, will balk … Read more

It's been a long time coming, but AT&T customers can now expect to get their hands on the BlackBerry Q10 on June 21. The physical keyboard-toting gadget will cost the industry standard price of $199.99.

With an expertly designed typing surface that's based on BlackBerry's legendary Bold line of handsets, the Q10 features keys that are billed as 30 percent larger. In my experience with the device, I can certainly vouch that punching out messages on the keyboard is both fast and accurate.

That said, to make way for the bigger key layout you … Read more

LG is hard at work on a new smartphone that will allow for always-on voice commands, a new report claims.

The handset, which will launch in 2014, will allow users to speak commands without needing to touch the screen first, Gotta Be Mobile is reporting on Tuesday, citing three people who claim to have knowledge of LG's plans.The technology will also allow for a broader range of commands than those available now.

Although Gotta Be Mobile cites LG's plans, it's highly likely that it won't be alone in launching a device next year that features … Read more

HTC has unveiled the long-rumored Desire 200.

The device, which is designed for customers on a budget, comes with a 3.5-inch display and runs on 3G networks. The inside is similarly budget-friendly, boasting a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 processor and 4GB of onboard memory. The device has just 512MB of memory.

Rumors had been swirling for some time that HTC would launch an update to its Desire line. As expected, the device features rounded corners, a simple black finish, and Beats audio. Users can also monitor their data usage on the device.

HTC has yet to announce pricing and … Read more

LG's Optimus G Pro has reached 1 million unit sales a few months before its predecessor, the company announced on Tuesday.

LG posted the news to its Web site (Translate), saying that it has sold 1 million units in Korea. The device hit the Korean market in February, meaning it took about four months for the Optimus G Pro to reach that point. The LG Optimus LTE, which came before the G Pro, reached 1 million units sold in seven months.

Interestingly, LG didn't mention Optimus G Pro sales elsewhere around the world, and it's not known … Read more

Apple and Samsung have taken some steps in the right direction when it comes to curbing smartphone theft, but they -- and the industry -- can do much more.

That's according to San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who issued a statement after Thursday's smartphone summit.

The law enforcement officials earlier kicked off the day with a press conference, when they announced their intent to push the handset industry to install a "kill switch" in their products that would render the device useless if stolen. Executives from Apple, Samsung, … Read more

Some smartphones are born to do great things, while others face a crash-and-burn future. What determines which smartphones soar and which sink? In the gallery below, CNET phone reviewer Jessica Dolcourt takes a look at six smartphone trends that went clunk.

Remember Microsoft's embarrassingly short-lived Kin One? Discontinued after just eight weeks, it committed two of the fatal sins listed in our roundup. But it's far from the only offender. … Read more