Apple has won another victory in the legal battle with Samsung around smartphones and tablets, which spans 12 courts in nine countries. This one comes in California regarding a request for an expedited trial, shortly after another ruling went its way Thursday in a German court. Read more »
Samsung is expected to announced a new tablet, the Galaxy Tab 7.7, at next month’s IFA event. The 7.7 could indicate the screen size, but perhaps not: Samsung is working on 7-inch 720p Super AMOLED Plus screens, so this might be a 7-inch, high-definition slate. Read more »
Smartphones will represent around 54.5 percent of the mobile phone market by 2015. IHS, a research firm, says global smartphone shipments of 1.03 billion in 2015 versus 478 million smartphones shipped in 2011. At present, smartphones have about 32.5 percent share of the market. Read more »
Apple won another victory in court Thursday in its ongoing patent dispute with Samsung, when German judges upheld the existing preliminary injunction against Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales in Germany. The injunction will now remain in effect at least until the court rules on Sept 9. Read more »
We’ve seen a storm of speculation about webOS in the wake of Hewlett-Packard’s decision to discontinue its line of smartphones and tablets running the platform. Some suggest that players like HTC, Samsung or even Amazon could license the technology, while others believe HP is looking to sell the ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Samsung today announced four new handset classes in the Galaxy line. The strategy is a departure for Samsung, which relied on a single model to boost sales over the prior two years. There’s a good reason for the change as Samsung fights for the smartphone crown. Read more »
The iPhone 5 is almost nearing release, and for some, it’s already better than the alternatives, sight unseen. There’s a few good reasons why Apple’s iPhone could turn the tide in its favor once again in the battle with Android, even without necessarily getting better. Read more »
So, that personal computer business that HP doesn’t want anymore? The one with the largest market share in the world? Samsung isn’t interested either. The company attempted to put an end to rumors it was considering taking over HP’s laptop and desktop unit on its blog. Read more »
Apple has won a preliminary injunction in a Dutch court on Wednesday which prevents the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy line of smartphones in the Netherlands, and could affect sales across the E.U. It’s a clear sign that Samsung’s patent headaches won’t be limited to tablet devices. Read more »
Thanks to content and applications, iOS and Android will remain at the top of the tablet heap until at least 2017, a new report claimed Monday. Trends indicate that iOS and Android tablet devices will make up 90 percent of the market six years from now. Read more »
While my iPhone 4 still mostly satisfies my needs, I have to confess: For the past two weeks, I haven’t been exactly faithful. I’ve been testing out Samsung’s latest and greatest, the Galaxy S II Android smartphone. Here’s how I feel about my indiscretion. Read more »
Google’s $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola this week has been widely interpreted as a bid to control the mobile phone company’s portfolio of 17,000 mobile patents. As Colin Gibbs noted last week, handset manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung and HTC appear increasingly willing to claim patent infringement in order ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Battles in the mobile ecosystem used to be fought for developers, but now that clear leaders have emerged with Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating system, with Windows Phone 7 showing promise for no. 3, the battle has switched to patents. So who has them? Read more »
Samsung is reportedly shrinking the size of full high-definition screens and will create them for large smartphones and small tablets. The Super AMOLED Plus technology could support 1280×720 resolution on phones over 5-inches, as well as 7-inch tablets. Even better, the technology is getting cheaper. Read more »
PC sales were weak during the second quarter of 2011 in the U.K. and Europe, according to new figures from Gartner released Wednesday. Except for Apple and Samsung, all major manufacturers saw declines that led to a considerable drop for the sector as a whole. Read more »
Apple intends to invest in a Sharp plant in order to bring the Japanese company aboard as an LCD supplier for iPhone and iPad manufacturing, according to sources. If accurate, this is only the latest sign that Apple is looking to distance itself from Samsung. Read more »
Google rocked the mobile world on Monday, August 15, with the news that it will buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, marking a 63-percent premium for the handset manufacturer. It’s a move that ushers Google into the exclusive club of companies that control both the hardware and software elements of their smartphone offerings, and it will enable Google to design handsets that are more closely integrated with Android. However, the deal doesn’t come without its risks, and it remains to be seen just how it will affect other handset makers, competition from Microsoft and the crucial patent issues currently surrounding Google. Companies mentioned in this report include Apple, Research In Motion and Samsung. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
A German court has temporarily lifted a restriction that was preventing Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 from being sold throughout most of Europe. The timing of this action coincides with news that Apple submitted inaccurate images of Samsung’s tablet, making it look more similar to Apple’s iPad. Read more »
Google’s $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility today shows that the company is all-in with Android, paying a 63-percent premium to acquire Motorola. But what does it show to hardware partners now that Google essentially will be a smartphone and tablet hardware competitor? Read more »
Acer’s 7-inch tablet, the A100, launched this week with an attractive starting price of $330, but battery life could be a concern. Samsung added a new Galaxy smartphone using a few cheaper components. I also found a free task app that smartly leverages your handset’s GPS. Read more »
Those hoping for iPad lightning to strike twice this year might be disappointed by a new report out Friday. The A6 processor, cited as the central component for a new, more powerful iPad won’t hit the public until next year, sources say. Read more »
The non-iPad tablet market is relatively young, but the iPad is still running away with the lion’s share of the tablet market. Aside from the iPad, consumers and enterprises can choose from tablets running on Android, BlackBerry and webOS. But are they buying? Here are a ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
HTC spent $300 million to buy majority of Beats Electronics, a lifestyle brand that makes headphones. That deal might buy the company coolness but it might not be enough for a company fighting a tough fight with well funded and more motivated rivals like Samsung. Read more »
Smartphones were up 74 percent in the second quarter of 2011, accounting for a fourth of all mobile device sales, versus just 17 percent last year. The companies benefiting most from increasing smartphone sales are clearly Apple and Google, but which is benefitting the most? Read more »
Samsung is expanding its smartphone line with the Galaxy R, a slightly smaller version of the company’s fastest-selling handset, the Galaxy S II. The new Galaxy R has a lower quality display and camera sensor, but still offers a dual-core CPU and HD video recording. Read more »
Apple has been granted a preliminary injunction by a German court, which will effectively prevent the sale of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in all countries belonging to the European Union, save the Netherlands. Samsung can still appeal the decision in a few weeks. Read more »
Android fans looking for an inexpensive Gingerbread handset with fast mobile connection may find one one August 21: The $99 Samsung Conquer 4G with WiMAX hits Sprint that day. This week also saw an interesting map of the U.S. plus an Android-powered, wearable smart watch. Read more »
By any measure, Apple’s growth in iPhone sales is impressive — 141 percent from Q2 2010 to Q2 2011 — but Samsung’s growth was more than double that: a whopping 380 percent. It shows the two are likely to be neck and neck for some time to come. Read more »
Samsung continues to find success overseas with bada, its platform targeted at budget-conscious consumers who want a solid mobile data experience. The manufacturer could duplicate that success in the U.S., and prepaid would be an ideal way to bring the platform to ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple has negotiated an agreement with Samsung that will prevent the South Korean company from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet device in Australia, at least until legal proceedings between the two in that country are resolved. The agreement comes after Apple filed for injunction. Read more »
Samsung and Apple are set for a show-down between the Galaxy S 2 and next iPhone model. Few Android phones have gone head-to-head with Apple so far. AT&T will offer Gingerbread updates to several phones, while the impressive T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide launched with Android 2.3. Read more »
In the last year, without introducing a new handset model, Apple has gone from being responsible for half the mobile industry’s profits to accounting for two-thirds of that growing pile of cash. Meanwhile, Android device makers are still seeing a relatively meager share. Read more »
Apple is winning the smartphone race and climbing the ranks of overall cell phone makers, according to new numbers released Thursday. But now that Apple has passed Nokia to become the No. 1 smartphone maker worldwide, what benefits does that honor bring to its customers? Read more »
Android, despite some mounting legal challenges in the marketplace, is flying higher than ever, according to Nielsen, which said Google’s operating system is on about four out of every 10 smartphones sold in the U.S. Apple, meanwhile, reigns as the top manufacturer. Read more »
It’s often said that the future of mobile will boil down to Apple versus Google, or iPhone and Android. But that’s far too broad. It’s Samsung that’s giving Apple a run for its money in phones and perhaps, eventually, tablets. Read more »
Just before the Galaxy S2 goes head-to-head with Apple’s next iPhone model in the U.S., Samsung announced global sales of 5 million units in only 55 days. The smartphones are actually accelerating, making it the fastest-selling smartphone yet for Samsung. Who will win the war? Read more »
AT&T’s network accounts for 17 percent of all iPhones sold last quarter, which is a big number. But some consumers won’t consider the iPhone due to the lack of a hardware keyboard. Samsung’s Galaxy S II could steal sales with its keyboard and peppy performance. Read more »
