China Mobile in talks with Apple over iPhone

China Mobile, the world's biggest mobile operator by subscribers, said Wednesday the company is in talks with Apple to offer the popular iPhone to its users in the Asian nation.

The company's domestic rivals --China Unicom and China Telecom -- already offer the iPhone to their subscribers.

"Both sides have been making contact with each other. And both sides are willing to boost cooperation," Lei Yu, a spokeswoman for China Mobile, told AFP in response to a question over negotiations for the iPhone.

She declined to give further details.

China Unicom began selling the iPhone in 2009, joined by China Telecom in March this year.

If China Mobile also started offering the handset, it could help boost sales for the US technology giant in China -- the world's biggest mobile phone market.

The Apple brand is wildly popular in China, where products such as the iPhone and iPad are coveted by wealthy consumers.

Greater China -- which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan -- has become California-based Apple's fastest growing region with revenues second only to the United States.

China Mobile had nearly 650 million subscribers by the end of last year, according to a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange. China as a whole had more than one billion mobile phone users at the end of February.

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China Mobile in talks with Apple over iPhone

China Mobile, the world's biggest mobile operator by subscribers, said Wednesday the company is in talks with Apple to offer the popular iPhone to its users in the Asian nation.

The company's domestic rivals --China Unicom and China Telecom -- already offer the iPhone to their subscribers.

"Both sides have been making contact with each other. And both sides are willing to boost cooperation," Lei Yu, a spokeswoman for China Mobile, told AFP in response to a question over negotiations for the iPhone.

She declined to give further details.

China Unicom began selling the iPhone in 2009, joined by China Telecom in March this year.

If China Mobile also started offering the handset, it could help boost sales for the US technology giant in China -- the world's biggest mobile phone market.

The Apple brand is wildly popular in China, where products such as the iPhone and iPad are coveted by wealthy consumers.

Greater China -- which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan -- has become California-based Apple's fastest growing region with revenues second only to the United States.

China Mobile had nearly 650 million subscribers by the end of last year, according to a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange. China as a whole had more than one billion mobile phone users at the end of February.

View the original article here

China Mobile in talks with Apple over iPhone

China Mobile, the world's biggest mobile operator by subscribers, said Wednesday the company is in talks with Apple to offer the popular iPhone to its users in the Asian nation.

The company's domestic rivals --China Unicom and China Telecom -- already offer the iPhone to their subscribers.

"Both sides have been making contact with each other. And both sides are willing to boost cooperation," Lei Yu, a spokeswoman for China Mobile, told AFP in response to a question over negotiations for the iPhone.

She declined to give further details.

China Unicom began selling the iPhone in 2009, joined by China Telecom in March this year.

If China Mobile also started offering the handset, it could help boost sales for the US technology giant in China -- the world's biggest mobile phone market.

The Apple brand is wildly popular in China, where products such as the iPhone and iPad are coveted by wealthy consumers.

Greater China -- which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan -- has become California-based Apple's fastest growing region with revenues second only to the United States.

China Mobile had nearly 650 million subscribers by the end of last year, according to a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange. China as a whole had more than one billion mobile phone users at the end of February.

View the original article here

China Mobile in talks with Apple over iPhone

China Mobile, the world's biggest mobile operator by subscribers, said Wednesday the company is in talks with Apple to offer the popular iPhone to its users in the Asian nation.

The company's domestic rivals --China Unicom and China Telecom -- already offer the iPhone to their subscribers.

"Both sides have been making contact with each other. And both sides are willing to boost cooperation," Lei Yu, a spokeswoman for China Mobile, told AFP in response to a question over negotiations for the iPhone.

She declined to give further details.

China Unicom began selling the iPhone in 2009, joined by China Telecom in March this year.

If China Mobile also started offering the handset, it could help boost sales for the US technology giant in China -- the world's biggest mobile phone market.

The Apple brand is wildly popular in China, where products such as the iPhone and iPad are coveted by wealthy consumers.

Greater China -- which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan -- has become California-based Apple's fastest growing region with revenues second only to the United States.

China Mobile had nearly 650 million subscribers by the end of last year, according to a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange. China as a whole had more than one billion mobile phone users at the end of February.

View the original article here

Apple reportedly slows iPhone orders, increases iPad orders

Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu said in a note to investors on Tuesday that Apple has reduced iPhone orders by between 20% to 25% from the 35.1 million units the company shipped in the March quarter. Wu now expects shipments of between 26 million and 28 million iPhones, lower than the Street’s consensus of between 30 million and 31 million units. The analyst also noted that Apple has an estimated 8.6 million iPhones in channel inventory, 2.6 million of which were added in the most recent quarter, allowing the Cupertino-based company to achieve supply-demand balance of between four to six weeks.
“From our understanding, the reason for the reduction is not demand related but rather due to the upcoming 6th generation iPhone refresh likely in the September-October timeframe,” Wu explained. “It appears that AAPL is opting to be conservative with its suppliers to factor in a potential 2-quarter pause ahead of the refresh and also to manage inventory. We believe this helps explain why its June quarter guidance was somewhat more conservative.”

The analyst went on to state that the opposite is occurring with Apple’s iPad tablet, which is seeing increased build plans. Shipments of the device were previously held back due to supply constraints on its new Retina Display, although it has been “greatly improved with an additional supplier.” Wu believes that this will help Apple to better meet the strong demand for its iPad.
For the June quarter, Wu reduced his iPhone forecast from 28 million units to 27 million, and raised iPad shipment expectations from 14 million to 15 million units. Due to improved iPad profitability, the analyst is increasing his gross margin assumption from 42.5% to 43.5% and forecasting $36.1 billion in revenue and $10.16 in EPS. Wu reiterated his Buy rating on shares of Apple stock, as well as his $780 price target.


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Google says it has China's approval for Motorola deal

(Reuters) - Google said on Saturday that Chinese authorities have approved its $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings, the last regulatory hurdle to a deal that would allow the world's No. 1 Internet search engine to develop its own line of smart phones.
Google, which will be the newest entrant to the handset market, announced plans for the acquisition last year in a bid to secure Motorola's valuable patents and pave the way for a pairing of Google's Android mobile software and Motorola's handset business.
U.S. and European regulators approved the deal in February, leaving only the Chinese regulators as potential spoilers.
"Our stance since we agreed to acquire Motorola has not changed, and we look forward to closing the deal," Google spokeswoman Niki Fenwick said, confirming that the Chinese had approved the deal.
Google, whose Android software is the top operating system for Internet-enabled smart phones, wants phone-maker Motorola for its 17,000 patents and 7,500 patent applications, as it looks to compete with rivals such as Apple Inc. and defend itself and Android phone manufacturers in patent litigation.
A main condition of the deal is that the Android system remain free and open for five years, said a source who is familiar with the Chinese approval but not authorized to discuss it.
"We are pleased that the deal has received approval in all jurisdictions and we expect to close early next week," Motorola spokeswoman Jennifer Weyrauch-Erickson said.


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Google says it has China's approval for Motorola deal

(Reuters) - Google said on Saturday that Chinese authorities have approved its $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings, the last regulatory hurdle to a deal that would allow the world's No. 1 Internet search engine to develop its own line of smart phones.
Google, which will be the newest entrant to the handset market, announced plans for the acquisition last year in a bid to secure Motorola's valuable patents and pave the way for a pairing of Google's Android mobile software and Motorola's handset business.
U.S. and European regulators approved the deal in February, leaving only the Chinese regulators as potential spoilers.
"Our stance since we agreed to acquire Motorola has not changed, and we look forward to closing the deal," Google spokeswoman Niki Fenwick said, confirming that the Chinese had approved the deal.
Google, whose Android software is the top operating system for Internet-enabled smart phones, wants phone-maker Motorola for its 17,000 patents and 7,500 patent applications, as it looks to compete with rivals such as Apple Inc. and defend itself and Android phone manufacturers in patent litigation.
A main condition of the deal is that the Android system remain free and open for five years, said a source who is familiar with the Chinese approval but not authorized to discuss it.
"We are pleased that the deal has received approval in all jurisdictions and we expect to close early next week," Motorola spokeswoman Jennifer Weyrauch-Erickson said.


View the original article here

Google says it has China's approval for Motorola deal

(Reuters) - Google said on Saturday that Chinese authorities have approved its $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings, the last regulatory hurdle to a deal that would allow the world's No. 1 Internet search engine to develop its own line of smart phones.
Google, which will be the newest entrant to the handset market, announced plans for the acquisition last year in a bid to secure Motorola's valuable patents and pave the way for a pairing of Google's Android mobile software and Motorola's handset business.
U.S. and European regulators approved the deal in February, leaving only the Chinese regulators as potential spoilers.
"Our stance since we agreed to acquire Motorola has not changed, and we look forward to closing the deal," Google spokeswoman Niki Fenwick said, confirming that the Chinese had approved the deal.
Google, whose Android software is the top operating system for Internet-enabled smart phones, wants phone-maker Motorola for its 17,000 patents and 7,500 patent applications, as it looks to compete with rivals such as Apple Inc. and defend itself and Android phone manufacturers in patent litigation.
A main condition of the deal is that the Android system remain free and open for five years, said a source who is familiar with the Chinese approval but not authorized to discuss it.
"We are pleased that the deal has received approval in all jurisdictions and we expect to close early next week," Motorola spokeswoman Jennifer Weyrauch-Erickson said.


View the original article here

Apple iPhone Now Available Pre-paid from Virgin Mobile

Virgin Mobile has become the second wireless carrier in the United States to offer the iPhone to pre-paid customers. This allows shoppers to get Apple's latest smartphone without having to sign a contract.

This carrier, a subsidiary of Sprint, now has both the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4. Because customers are not tied to a multi-year contract, they have to pay the full price for these devices -- carrier subsidies come only when consumers sign lengthy service contracts. Therefore the iPhone 4S (16GB) costs $650, and the iPhone 4 (8GB) goes for $550.

A month of wireless service starts at $30, including 300 voice minutes and unlimited voice and data. Going to $45 a month brings 1200 voice minutes, while an unlimited plan is $55 a month. Mobile hotspot service is another $15 a month.

Wireless data service for the iPhone is provided by Sprint's 3G EV-DO Rev A network.

Virgin Mobile devices can be purchased from its website, or at thousands of locations around the country, including Target, Walmart, Best Buy, and Radio Shack.

A Second Option

The rival carrier Cricket also has Apple's smartphone for pre-paid customers. Cricket's price for the iPhone 4S is lower, but it charges more for wireless service

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Apple Is Going to Unveil iOS 6 On Monday

There's no doubt that Apple is set to take the wraps off iOS 6 tomorrow at its annual developer conference. The question is, what features will the new operating system for the iPhone and iPad have?

If Apple wanted to keep its plan to announce the next version of iOS a secret, it shouldn't have hung up banners advertising it at Moscone Center, where CNET captured pictures on Friday.

New Features

At this point, iOS 6 isn't shaping up to be a dramatic change, but rather a collection of enhancements to this operating system. Still, this shouldn't surprise anyone, as that's typical of Apple.

One of the bigger changes has been talked about so many times in so many places that it counts as an open secret: Apple is going to redo its Maps app so that it no longer uses data from Google Maps. This will make the company less dependent on what has become one of its biggest rivals.

Another widely rumored feature is that Facebook will be integrated into iOS 6, in the same way Twitter already is. This will make it easier for iPhone users to post images and other content to this social-networking service.

As it stands now, developers of third-party software can't integrate the Siri voice-recognition system into their apps. Apple will supposedly introduce an API that will work with iOS 6 to add this feature. Other improvements to Siri might also be in the works, as this service is still categorized as a beta.

In a cosmetic change, the blue color of many elements of the iPhone's OS and bundled apps is reportedly being switched to silver, which will make it match the look of the iPad more closely.

Evidence has emerged to indicate that iOS 6 is going to allow people to configure their smartphone or tablet so that new versions of apps will automatically be downloaded and installed. Currently, users have to manually request new versions be downloaded.

A complete list of the changes in the new version of Apple's mobile operating system will be available tomorrow, when iOS 6 is announced at the company's World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC). This will almost certainly happen in the keynote address, which Apple CEO Tim Cook will give starting at 1 pm ET.

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Apple's Podcasts App Launches, Didn't Wait for iOS 6

Many were speculating that Apple would be developing its own podcast-playing software to be released with iOS 6 in the fall. But, the company didn't wait and has already introduced its own Podcasts app for smartphones and tablets running iOS 5.1 or higher.

Apple has made its own app simply named "Podcasts" now available in the App Store which provides a selection of features for streamed or downloaded broadcasts.

The free app allows users to access audio and video podcasts in a single app while also exploring thousands of podcasts including shows in over 40 languages. The Podcasts app includes a Top Stations feature to find new podcast series in a variety of topics. Users can browse by audio or video podcasts, or see what's most popular in Top Charts.

Other features include the ability to tap-subscribe for your favorites and automatically receive new episodes for free as they become available, stream episodes or download to listen while offline, share episodes with friends using Twitter, and even the ability to sync episodes from iTunes on a Mac or PC.

Previously, listening to podcasts was handled by the Music application, while users needed to find and download podcasts through the iTunes app. The new Podcosts software takes care of both of these.

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HOMEREVIEWSNEWSSHOPDISCUSSIONSVIDEOBLOGSMARTPHONE APPSBUSINESS Apple iPhone Now Available Pre-paid from Virgin Mobile

Virgin Mobile has become the second wireless carrier in the United States to offer the iPhone to pre-paid customers. This allows shoppers to get Apple's latest smartphone without having to sign a contract.

This carrier, a subsidiary of Sprint, now has both the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4. Because customers are not tied to a multi-year contract, they have to pay the full price for these devices -- carrier subsidies come only when consumers sign lengthy service contracts. Therefore the iPhone 4S (16GB) costs $650, and the iPhone 4 (8GB) goes for $550.

A month of wireless service starts at $30, including 300 voice minutes and unlimited voice and data. Going to $45 a month brings 1200 voice minutes, while an unlimited plan is $55 a month. Mobile hotspot service is another $15 a month.

Wireless data service for the iPhone is provided by Sprint's 3G EV-DO Rev A network.

Virgin Mobile devices can be purchased from its website, or at thousands of locations around the country, including Target, Walmart, Best Buy, and Radio Shack.

A Second Option

The rival carrier Cricket also has Apple's smartphone for pre-paid customers. Cricket's price for the iPhone 4S is lower, but it charges more for wireless service


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Judge Rules Samsung Galaxy Nexus Infringes on Apple Patents, Bans Sale in U.S.

A U.S. District Court Judge has issued a preliminary ruling that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus infringes on several patents held by Apple. As a result, the judge has banned the sale of this smartphone in the United States.

A trial to officially determine whether the Galaxy Nexus infringes on four of Apple's patents isn't scheduled until next year, but Lucy Koh says that she believes Apple will win its case, and has gone ahead and instituted the ban.

"Apple has clearly shown that it is likely to suffer irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary injunctive relief," said Koh.

She went on to order Apple to post a $96 million bond which will go to Samsung in case Koh turns out to be incorrect and Samsung actually wins the upcoming court battle. This money will be used to compensate the Korean phone manufacturer in that situation.

The ban on the sale of the Galaxy Nexus will go into effect as soon as the bond is posted. At this time, this device is still available from Verizon and Sprint, and also on the Google Play store.

Apple vs. Google

Although Samsung is at the center of this lawsuit, it is really a battle between Apple and Google -- it's really Google's Android operating system that Apple is complaining about, not the hardware. Samsung has been in the middle.

And it is Android users who are loosing out. The Galaxy Nexus is the model Google recommends developers use, and its will be the first to get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean when it becomes available in July.

Apple considered adding the Samsung Galaxy S III to its lawsuit in hopes that it also would be banned in the U.S., but Judge Koh warned the company that doing so would push back any decision from her.

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Windows Phone 7.5 Goes on a Diet With Upcoming ''Tango'' Release

The minimum requirements for smartphone operating systems have a tendency to climb with each release, but for its next update to Windows Phone, Microsoft is putting its mobile OS on a diet.

"Tango", the refresh to Windows Phone 7 due some time this spring, has been given the clumsy title of "Windows Phone 7.5 Refresh," since it follows Windows Phone 7.5, a.k.a. "Mango." Microsoft has confirmed that new phones are coming from Nokia and ZTE in the second quarter. Now the company is documenting the limitations for these low-end phones.

Unlike other smartphone OS upgrades that require more and more hardware, Microsoft is slimming Windows Phone down a little, making it work on lower-end hardware and enabling a class of smartphones under $99. Of course, don't think you're getting the same phone and performance as found in the more expensive models. You get what you pay for, after all.

Tango vs. Apollo
The Tango update to Windows Phone 7.5 should not be confused with Apollo, a major update that will apparently ship as Windows Phone 8. Apollo will reportedly significantly raise the hardware requirements for smartphones running this operating system.

Apollo will be used in high-end phones to be released in the U.S., W. Europe, and other more affluent regions. Tango, on the other hand, has been designed for very inexpensive models crated for emerging markets like China and India.

Bring on the Refresh
Whereas the current version of Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) is designed for a phone with 512MB of memory, the 7.5 Refresh is targeting phones with just 256MB of RAM. That means that certain apps on the Windows Phone Marketplace will be unavailable, since they have specific memory requirements.

Podcast and video podcasts subscriptions will also be locked out because of the low memory available. Bing Local Scout, Microsoft's local discovery service, will also be disabled. SkyDrive automatic photo uploading is disabled, but users will be able to upload to SkyDrive manually.

HD video playback is also disabled on 256MB devices, again, because there is not enough memory for certain codecs. Microsoft has also removed background agents, and multitasking is going to be limited. The fast app switching, introduced with 7.5, won't be disabled, any application that requires more than 90MB of RAM will be shut down immediately upon exit.

It's not all hack and slash for the 7.5 Refresh. MMS messaging has been improved to handle video and multiple images, you can take voice notes of up to one minute in length, SIM contact management is improved and the location awareness services have a new alert icon.

Going for the Bottom
Microsoft is between a rock and a hard place, on the one hand trying to compete with premium smartphone operating systems like iOS and Android, while at the same time it needs to be competitive on price. So it doesn't have a choice but to be in a lower end phone, argues Jack Gold, president of J.Gold Associates, who follows the mobile market.

That said, what does a low-end phone mean in terms of functionality? "If the devices don't perform well like low end PCs, then it will hurt them. It's the netbook thing all over again. If it performs well then it helps them because it dramatically expands the marketplace and it gets them into emerging markets that are very price sensitive," said Gold.

"There isn't much room to cut and memory is dirt cheap these days, but a reduction from 512MB to 256MB can make a difference," Gold noted. If you can cut $4 or $5 from the bill of materials, that translates into $40 to $50 in real user cost savings, which is significant. But we won't know what kinds of phones that will yield until they ship in the second quarter.

Coming Soon
Nokia unveiled the Lumia 610, its first smartphone to run Windows Phone 7.5 (Tango), at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow in February. This will have a 3.7-inch, 800 x 480 WVGA LCD and and 8GB of built-in, non-expandable storage.

Microsoft plans to have a "coming out" party for Tango in Beijing on March 21. At this point, it's not clear how many additional smartphones with this new OS version will be announced at this event, if any.

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All Windows Phones Might Receive Upgrades to ''Apollo''

Last week, an unconfirmed report was made public saying that Windows Phone 8 would not be available as an upgrade on any current phones. Now, a second source claims that the previous report was false and that all Windows Phones will, in fact, receive the next version of Microsoft's mobile operating system, (code-named Apollo).

A user on Reddit.com, MSnerd, has been spot-on with early information of previous Microsoft plans, despite not being an employee of that company. This person created a thread asking for other users to ask him questions about Microsoft’s plans. Questions were asked concerning Microsoft Zune, Silverlight, and most importantly Windows Phone 8. The question being asked was if this upcoming version would be available for first- and second-gen Windows Phones. MSnerd confirmed that these devices will receive the upcoming upgrade:

"Yes, all current Windows Phones will receive a subset of Apollo. The carriers are the primary obstacle in the US. I hear Microsoft is pushing hard for a Mango-like delivery schedule, as are Nokia & HTC.

Some Apollo features will be exclusive to the 3rd-gen devices expected to be released this fall on the MSM8960 platform."

The rumor reported on last week stated that Windows Phone 8 would not be available for current phones due to hardware requirements that phones on the market today could not match. It stated that Apollo will require a dual-core processor and a higher resolution screen in order for it to receive the upgrade. According to the newer report, this is not true.

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Nokia Lumia 800 Firmware Update Fixes Battery Life, Available To Some Users Now

Nokia Lumia 800 owners, your well-documented battery issues will soon be a thing of the past, as an impending firmware update to improve the device’s battery performance is arriving soon.

The update, version 1600.2487.8107 is expected to bring “significant improvements in battery performance and power management,” as well as certain enhancements to the phone’s audio performance. By improving the bass, the update will provide the Lumia 800 with “better voice quality” and better sounding tunes.

This same update surfaced previously as a Vodafone-branded variant and, according to WPCentral, created a three times improvement in the battery life of the Lumia 800, so it should be worth users’ time to checking the Zune desktop software for updates. The only issue is, according to Nokia, not everyone will be able to update right this moment; due to the phone being available on multiple carriers in various markets, the company has to do a multi-stage rollout over the course of the next four weeks.

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HTC One V Now Available from Virgin Mobile

Virgin Mobile is now offering the HTC One V. This is the first U.S. carrier to pick up this device, which sells for a suprisisingly low price.

The One V is an entry-level model, with a fairly basic set of features. This is why Virgin Mobile can sell it for $200 to its pre-paid customers, who don't get a subsidy from this carrier.

Product Overview

This HTC model runs Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) with the HTC Sense 4.0 UI layered on top. It has a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor with 512MB of RAM. There is 4GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot.

The One V feature a 3.7-inch WVGA (800 x 480) touchscreen. It comes with a 5MP rear-facing camera and Beats Audio.

Virgin Mobile is a subsidiary of Sprint, and wireless service is provided by this carrier's voice and data nation-wide network.

The smartphone is now available for $200 on the Virgin Mobile website and at local retailers, rolling out to national retailers Best Buy, RadioShack, and Walmart through July and August. This carrier offers unlimited data and messaging plans starting at $35 per month with 2.5GB of data transfers.

This handset made its debut in Europe earlier this year, and it's expected to be introduced by more carrier in the U.S. this summer.

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Samsung Galaxy S III Launches from T-Mobile, Delayed from Sprint

Today is the U.S. debut of the Samsung Galaxy S III, a high-end Android smartphone is so popular that Samsung is having trouble meeting demand. It is launching as scheduled from T-Mobile, but Sprint is delaying sales.

The Galaxy S III is Samsung's new flagship handset, and the device has already garnered millions of sales in Europe.  However, it appears to be something of a victim of its own success, as some customers in the U.S. are going to face delays trying to get their hands on a unit.

T-Mobile is having no problems. As expected, the carrier has just begun taking orders for this product on its web site and in some of its stores, with the 16GB version going for $280 with a two-year contract, and the 32GB one selling for $330. Both color options are available: blue than white.

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T-Mobile's Samsung Galaxy Note Shows Up in Leaked Press Shots

The Samsung Galaxy Note appears to on schedule for its rumored mid-July release at T-Mobile, as leaked images of the device have shown up sporting this carrier's logo.

It has been rumored for months that the Note would be heading to T-Mobile and was just recently approved by the FCC for a U.S. release. The super-size smartphone had its U.S. debut in January when it was introduced by AT&T -- T-Mobile will apparently beome the seccond carrier in this country on July 11.

T-Mobile will apparently release the phone/tablet in the navy blue version. At this point it's unclear what this carrier's price will be. Stay tuned to Brighthand for more information of the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note.

More About the Samsung Galaxy Note

This product's 5.3-inch, 1280 x 800, Super AMOLED Touchscreen makes it a hybrid device, both acting as a tablet and a smartphone. Internally, the Note features a dual-core 1.5GHz processor with 1GB of RAM. Some versions of the handset have 16GB of internal storage, while others have 32GB. All have a microSD memory card slot for additonal capacity.

This model debuted last year running Android 2.3, but a recently-released upgrade brings it up the latest version of Google's mobile operating system, Android OS 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Other features include a rear-facing 8MP camera, 2500 mAh battery, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS among others.

The Samsung Galaxy Note has been a success; so far, over 7 million units have shipped. It's apparently sold well enough that Samsung is working on a successor that will have an even larger touchscreen.

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