Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: Samsung’s new CEO, Apple asks a judge to block the import of the latest Samsung Galaxy, Apple’s contribution to Google revenue, iOS’s popularity among mobile developers, and more. Read more »
German e-reading service txtr hopes to take on Amazon and Apple by becoming the biggest provider of third party reading apps — and a deal with four major American publishers and a New York office could be the latest steps in that journey. Read more »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: Your personal calendar info might be sitting on LinkedIn’s servers, why Samsung fights, Apple looks to expand its network of stores in China, and Apple starts decorating for WWDC. Read more »
The ongoing saga between Apple and Samsung over the latter’s Galaxy 10.1 tablets took another twist this week as US District Judge Lucy Koh refused to grant a preliminary injunction banning the devices. Read more »
Starting in June, five U.S. carriers will begin selling Samsung’s Galaxy S III: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular. Samsung’s entire strategy for its new phone is very Apple-like, including one model, which should help constrained production: The company can build 5M per month. Read more »
The second U.S. operator to launch Samsung’s Galaxy S II last year appears to be the first to upgrade the smartphone to Android 4.0. T-Mobile tweeted the news, saying the software update for the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android will be available on June 11. Read more »
The adoption of tablets, social media and new interfaces and the changing nature of the TV itself mean the digital living room will continue on its path of rapid change, thanks to new ways of creating, viewing, bundling, distributing and selling content. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Samsung has launched Music Hub on its new Galaxy S III in five countries. The service is touted as the “first completely integrated, all-in-one mobile music service” but it’s not exactly new. Samsung’s Music Hub debuted in 2010 and the company keeps trying to improve it. Read more »
Samsung’s latest ad promoting the gesture controls for its Smart TV line are the perfect combo of hilarity paired with sexiness — and not just of the TV itself! Watch what happens when dozens of men see a pretty girl gesturing at them through a window. Read more »
If you haven’t yet head of “phablets,” you might want get familiar with them because ABI Research expects 208 million of them to sell in 2015. Thanks to more media consumption and web browsing consumers may shift from one- to two-handed use for these larger devices. Read more »
Any remaining doubts of high demand for Samsung’s Galaxy S III can be laid to rest: Vodafone says that pre-orders for the coming soon phone have set records, making the Galaxy S III the operator’s most pre-ordered Android device yet. Carphone Warehouse is seeing the same. Read more »
In a surprise to almost no one following the case, Samsung and Apple are not any closer to an agreement to stop suing each other following a rare face-to-face mediation session in San Francisco on Monday and Tuesday between the two companies’ CEOs. Read more »
The ongoing patent battle between the dominant smartphone providers, is about to get its prime-time drama moment, when the CEOs of Apple and Samsung will reportedly be brought before a U.S, federal judge for mediation on Monday. Get ready for Law & Order: Silicon Valley. Read more »
A new intelligent home screen app for Android tablets appears on Kickstarter and for $5, it looks well worth it. Google is finally taking more control by planning several Nexus device partners and more direct sales, plus Samsung’s Galaxy S III is already in great demand. Read more »
After waiting for Samsung’s highly anticipated Galaxy S III handset, it’s possible you could be waiting some more: Samsung has 9 million pre-orders for the new smartphone; 3x more than last year’s model. And it says it can only build 5 million each month. Read more »
The Samsung- and Intel backed Tizen mobile operating system could give both companies an out from using Google Android. But without apps, how successful can Tizen be? Perhaps the platform should look to Android again, but only for the apps, which run on OpenMobile’s solution. Read more »
Adding smartphones to the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s review of cell phone makers this year revealed that customers who buy plain old feature phones for calling and texting are generally happier with the product than their smartphone-owning counterparts. Apple is an exception. Read more »
Samsung announced on Wednesday that it has acquired mSpot, a cloud-based content company formed in 2004. Until now, mSpot offered music storage with streaming playback and also movie rentals for various mobile platforms. The purchase is likely to bolster Samsung’s Media Hub for content and storage. Read more »
Google’s open approach to Android has certainly helped build the platform’s user base: Android powers more than half of the world’s smartphones. But how much further can this strategy take Google when the “Wild West show” continues and carriers exacerbate the problem? It’s time for change. Read more »
Wireless charging sounds great: Drop your gadget on a little mat, which itself is plugged into an outlet, and your phone or MP3 player sits there and charges away. But the industry can’t agree on standards, and on Monday a new wireless charging group was formed. Read more »
AT&T introduced its third Microsoft Windows Phone handset with LTE: The Samsung Focus 2 launches on May 20 for $49 with new two-year contract, which is priced lower than the $99 Lumia 900 and $199 HTC Titan II. At this price, the specifications aren’t shabby. Read more »
If you’re an Android user looking for new hardware, this was a good week for you. Both HTC’s One X for AT&T and Samsung’s Galaxy S III arrived. Interestingly, one of the two phones has generated much positive feedback while the other seems to impress fewer. Read more »
One of the new software features on Samsung’s Galaxy S III smartphone is called Pop Up Play; it allows you to watch a video while multitasking on the phone. For a $1.49 in the Google Play store, your Android phone or tablet can do the same. Read more »
Samsung introduced the world to the new Galaxy S III on Thursday, showing off what some may find to be incremental hardware upgrades over the prior Galaxy model. But Samsung spent even more time highlighting the phone’s new software features. Here’s a peek at some. Read more »
Samsung launched the Galaxy S III, its latest Google Android smartphone, at a UK press event on Thursday. The handset offers some expected incremental hardware feature upgrades over its predecessor but the main improvements are seen through software and user interaction, including S-Voice, a Siri-like feature. Read more »
Later today, Samsung is holding a press event in the UK to introduce “The Next Galaxy.” It’s a safe bet that this will be the official introduction to Samsung’s Galaxy S III; here’s what to expect from Samsung and its new Galaxy S addition. Read more »
Only 20 percent of smartphones sold last year had dual-core chips, but among those, Samsung sold the lion’s share: 60 percent of all dual core smartphones sold in 2011 had a Samsung processor. Who’s poised best to challenge in 2012? Only one company for now. Read more »
Eighty-five percent of the global population owns mobile phones. This report forecasts the global handset market, examining the Americas; Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and Asia-Pacific. Drivers include an increased number of subscribers in developing countries and the rollout of 3G and 4G wireless networks. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
ZTE and HTC are both reportedly planning large smartphones that double as small tablets, with at least one of the two expected to include a stylus with the device. The idea is to compete against Samsung’s Galaxy Note, a 5.3-inch Android smartphone with digital pen. Read more »
Samsung introduced its next generation mobile chip, the Exynos 4 Quad, on Thursday, with claims of twice the processing power with a 20 percent reduction in power use. The company will use the new processor in its next Galaxy phone, debuting in a few weeks. Read more »
Two hints from earlier this week tipped us off and now a picture of Samsung’s Galaxy Note with T-Mobile branding confirms the rumor. There’s no official word from T-Mobile, but it’s a safe bet T-Mobile customers will get their own version of Samsung’s 5.3-inch Android smartphone. Read more »
For developers, consumers and even carriers, Android seems irreparably broken. But Google’s not likely to “fix” Android anytime soon, because despite the fragmentation problem, the company is getting what it wants: massive amounts of user data. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Enthusiast site T-Mo News has two bits of evidence suggesting that T-Mobile will have it’s own version of the 5.3-inch handset; currently an AT&T exclusive in the U.S. market. Aside from a similar product number, an alleged screenshot from a Galaxy Note shows a T-Mobile app. Read more »
Despite having agreed to send their CEOs for an in-person talks for a possible settlement in their long-running, multi-country mobile patent dispute, Samsung and Apple aren’t quite done flinging patent-related accusations at each other. Late Wednesday, Samsung filed eight more claims of infringement against Apple. Read more »
Apple and Samsung are closer than ever to a possible settlement in their long-running legal showdown over smartphone and tablet technologies. The both companies agreed to send their respective chief executives and general counsel to meet face-to-face in the next 90 days. Read more »
Research In Motion is reportedly weighing options with financial advisors in an effort to stem the company’s continued fall from grace. RIM doesn’t plan to sell itself, but is considering a strategic investment and would lean towards licensing its BlackBerry software. But who might want it? Read more »
Samsung Galaxy S II handsets not tied to a carrier no longer have to wait for their Android 4.0 upgrade. Unlocked Galaxy S II phones can now download and install the software, known as Ice Cream Sandwich, which also includes a fresh version of Samsung’s TouchWiz. Read more »
Samsung isn’t ceding the 7-inch tablet market to the Kindle Fire and Nook Color: This week it launched the Galaxy Tab 2. Amazon added in-app purchases to its Appstore while I found out firsthand that the MotoActv health gadget is three great devices in one. Read more »
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 2, a Wi-Fi tablet running Android 4.0 hits the market on April 22. With its $249.99 price tag, this is Samsung’s first real attempt at taking on Amazon’s successful Kindle Fire, but it may be reaching for a smaller potential target audience. Read more »
Can’t keep track of who’s suing who in “The Game of Smartphones”? This image will help. And two key Steve Jobs quotes explain not only why the smartphone battle is moving to the courts, but why it’s happening right now and why this will get worse. Read more »
