Samsung Galaxy series took its own sweet time to rise to the top. The first version of the phone went largely unnoticed while Apple’s iPhone was a megastar since the day it hit the market. The first lineup of the Galaxy S, which had four different versions, never boasted of the mythical, overdramatic release that the iPhone commanded, and there was never any market frenzy surrounding it. The Galaxy S II and Galaxy S III changed the game for Samsung, and catapulted it to the limelight as Apple’s counterparts disappointed.

Kevin Packingham, chief product officer for Samsung’s U.S. mobile division claims that Galaxy S III sales increased right after the release of the new iPhone last year. Today, Samsung Galaxy devices are the most widely purchased on all four carriers and the series dominates in terms of global market share, with a much better appeal in emerging markets.

However, looking closely at the numbers reveals that Apple never gave up its throne. In spite of all the bad news, the iPhone outsold the Galaxy S portfolio by a wide margin. According to a cumulative sales report by Raymond James analyst Tavis McCourt, sales of the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 easily beat those of the Galaxy S III and Note. Apple’s sales stood at 219 million, significantly higher than Samsung’s 131 million.

This shows that the market impression of the companies may be misleading, and while Samsung’s devices have truly made a mark in mobile technology, they are yet to achieve the No. 1 spot. According to reports from Apple, the iPhone 5 was the fastest-selling phone till date, even though reviewers have expressed contrary opinions.

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For any mobile phone maker, the first marketing target is the mobile carrier. Sprint has agreed to feature Windows Phone 8 phones like HTC and Samsung, but has left Nokia out of this list. Nokia recently replaced its Symbian OS with the Windows 8 in its Lumia phones. Industry experts commended this decision encouragingly. As a follow-up, speculation of Nokia making a comeback with its new Lumia line started doing the rounds. Sprint has made a slight dent in this wave of enthusiastic energy by deciding to not include Nokia Lumia in its line of Windows Phone 8 powered smartphones. Sprint’s spokesperson, Mark Elliott, was quoted saying that this year Sprint is focused on mobile companies that are rooted in CDMA and Sprint – HTC, Apple and Samsung, in other words.

On its part, the Finnish tech giant seems unfazed by Sprint’s decision and is concentrating all efforts on bettering its relationship with existing partners – AT&T, T-mobile and Verizon. This is important for Nokia as its market share dwindles gradually and its value to carriers goes down. There has been considerable friction between Nokia and its network partners lately. On the other hand, a Sprint-Nokia collaboration may be in the cards on a later stage, possibly when Nokia releases new phones. Chris Weber, Executive VP of Sales and Marketing at Nokia, reportedly confirmed that Nokia’s aim is to broaden the brand portfolio with AT&T, Verizon and T-mobile.

Considering the strategic implications of Sprint’s exclusion of Nokia, it is apparent that both companies realize that they will benefit from a later partnership, rather than no partnership at all. Maybe the promise of a future deal is keeping them peaceful and amicable right now.

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As of the moment, the LG Optimus G is one of the best handsets in the Android portfolio of Sprint. The handset is currently the flagship device of Korean electronics giant LG and is said to be the smartphone that is powerful enough to give the Samsung Galaxy S III a serious run for its money. Being the flagship device that it is, the LG Optimus G boasts of fire-breathing components in its internals that make it capable of giving a user all the bells and whistles one can ever ask for in a smartphone.

Not only that, the LG Optimus G also packs support for the LTE network of Sprint so if you happen to rock this handset for your mobile weapon of choice, you can actually use it in taking advantage of all the benefits of the Now Network’s ever expanding LTE coverage such as blazing-fast mobile internet speeds. And since we are already talking about Sprint’s LTE coverage, the carrier has recently announced that it will be expanding its coverage to 28 more cities. There was no mention of specific dates as to when we can expect the LTE network of Sprint get lit up in these areas but we got confirmation that it is already a work in progress so hopefully, the LTE rollout can happen in no time at all.

The 28 new cities which will soon be covered by Sprint’s LTE network and in turn be a new playground for the LG Optimus G are listed below:

• Albany, GA
• Anderson, SC
• Bay City, MI
• Branson, MO
• Bremerton/Silverdale, WA
• Columbus, GA
• Columbus, MS
• Decatur, AL
• Florence/Muscle Shoals, AL
• Gadsden, AL
• Gaffney, SC
• Gettysburg, PA
• Glasgow, KY
• Homosassa Springs, FL
• Hot Springs, AR
• Lake City, FL
• Lake Havasu City/Kingman, AZ
• Midland, MI
• Nacogdoches, TX
• Opelousas/Eunice, LA
• Oxford, MS
• Paris, TX
• Pittsfield, MA
• Saginaw, MI
• Spartanburg, SC
• The Villages, FL
• Waycross, GA
• Winona, MN

If you happen to live in anywhere of the locations mentioned above and rock an LTE capable smartphone from Sprint such as the carrier’s variant of the LG Optimus G, it will only be a matter of time and you too will get to experience the Now Network’s promise of high speed mobile internet via its LTE network.

As for the LG Optimus G, the handset reached official status when its addition to the Android lineup of Sprint was announced back in October of last year but the handset is now available for mass consumption. Its circuitry is built around its QualComm APQ8064 SnapDragon S4 chipset which comes with a quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait processor and a whopping 2GB of RAM. The handset comes with a very generous 32GB of internal storage while its display is a 4.7-inch True HD IPS Plus panel with a 1280 x 768 resolution. Its camera department on the other hand boasts of a main 13MP shooter at its back panel and a front-facing 1.3MP video call and self-portrait snapper.

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You need look no further than the device’s name to see what you are going to get from a Droid Razr MAXX HD purchase. The original Droid Razr 4G was slim, and the subsequent version was the Droid Razr MAXX, delivering all day battery power. Then Motorola released the Droid Razr HD, its first launch of a 720P display. As you can see by its name, the Motorola Droid Razr MAXX HD delivers all of the above properties. And with a remote wipe, personal identification number lock and government grade data encryption, the handset is safe and secure.

Offered in your choice of black or white with NFC wireless support delivered out-of-the-box, the Droid Razr MAXX HD boasts the new Jelly Bean 4.1 Android operating system. The handset also allows for instant internet connection with the Chrome for Android web browser allowing you to sync your handset to your laptop or desktop PC. Slim at 0.37 inches (9.3 mm), the handset is also waterproof inside and out thanks to a special water nanocoating. A DuPont Kevlar and aircraft grade aluminum body make the handset rugged and durable, and a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass protects the display against scratching and chipping.

The 4.70 inch Super AMOLED screen on the Droid Razr Maxx HD delivers a high-end resolution of 720 x 1,280 pixels, and more than 16 million separate colors are present. The battery performance is unquestionably one of the best found on any smartphone, with a full 21.0 hours of talk time provided from a single charge. That single battery charge also delivers 10.0 hours of streaming video, 27.0 hours of streaming music and 13.0 hours of video playback on the Verizon LTE network.

The hardware package includes a dual core 1.5 GHz central processor and Adreno 225 GPU, 1.0 GB of LP DDR2 RAM and 32 GB of built-in data storage. The built-in microSD slot provides storage expansion, and the rear facing 8.0 megapixel camcorder can record video in 1,080P HD resolution. A front facing chat cam is also present, and the Droid Razr MAXX HD 4G Android smartphone offers a built-in music player and YouTube video player in its multimedia package.

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Smartphone wireless manufacturer HTC retained all those characteristics which were successful on the HTC One X, ramped up battery capacity, doubled the number of processor cores, and quadrupled onboard storage. The result is the HTC One X+ which runs on AT&T’s 4G LTE system in the US. The handset arrived just in time for the holiday shopping season on November 16 of last year, with quad cores and the new Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS.

Available in your choice of either polar white or stealth black, the HTC One X+ 4G LTE smartphone wraps the popular Sense 4+ UI with Jelly Bean 4.1, and accepts capacitive, multitouch gestures. Processor speed has been improved to 1.7 GHz, and the handset is thin and light compared to other 4G smartphones. The HTC One X+ measures 5.29 x 2.75 x 0.35 inches (134.36 x 69.9 x 8.9 mm), weighing in at 4.55 ounces (129 g).

The phone delivers a large 4.70 inch Super LCD 2 display with high-end resolution and pixel density. 312 pixels are located over every inch of display space, and resolution runs 720 x 1,280 pixels. More than 16 million separate colors are used to process visuals, and a second generation of Corning Gorilla Glass offers scratch protection. Battery capacity has improved to 2,100 mA, which increases talk time from a single charge up to an impressive 12.75 hours.

This is the first smartphone in the world to deliver a Tegra processor with LTE radio, and that chip package on board is an NVIDIA Tegra 3 AP37 suite. The CPU is a ’4+1′ quad core processor with battery power saving 5th core, and 1.0 GB of RAM memory is on board. The handset delivers an industry-leading 64 GB of built-in data storage. An 8.0 megapixel camcorder records video in 1,080P HD resolution, and the HTC One X+ delivers the exclusive Beats Audio sound package. A VGA quality chat camera is built into the front of the handset, and the HTC One X+ offers NFC wireless support out-of-the-box.

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Arriving on November 16 of last year in your choice of either polar white or stealth black, the HTC One X+ is the first smartphone on the planet to combine an LTE radio with a Tegra processor. The handset delivers the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system out-of-the-box, which meshes with the HTC Sense UI v4+. The processor is extremely fast, the handset delivers the most out-of-the-box internal memory of any smartphone, and the HTC One X+ stepped up battery size and performance as well.

Packing quite a bit of impressive hardware, the HTC One X+ is still slim and light when compared to other 4G phones, measuring 0.35 inches (8.9 mm) in thickness, and weighing 4.55 ounces (129 g). The sreen is a large 4.70 inches, with a high pixel density running 312 pixels per inch. This means that the more than 16 million colors which are used in rendering displays are delivered at a resolution of 720 x 1,280 pixels. The S-LCD 2 display is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 2, which offers scratch resistance.

The battery has been improved to a capacity of 2,100 mA, and the “+” in the HTC One X+ handset’s name also refers to the 4+1 quad core central processor that actually has a battery conserving 5th core. That core handles low drag operations, allowing the main quad cores to focus on your more important requests. The microchip set is an NVIDIA Tegra 3 AP37 package, and the GPU on board is a powerful ULP GeForce chip. 1.0 GB of RAM memory is present, as is an industry-leading 64 GB of built-in data storage.

With features like a self timer, digital zoom and continual autofocus while recording video, the rear facing 8.0 megapixel camcorder on the HTC One X+ captures video in 1,080P HD resolution. The front facing chat cam is a 1.6 megapixel model, and a YouTube video player, built-in music player and exclusive Beats Audio sound system can be found in the handset’s multimedia package.

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The handset is Samsung Approved For Enterprise, a designation which proclaims the Galaxy Note II safe for sensitive information, because of the additional security features and data encryption technology that it carries. The improved Google Now and a faster, smoother user interface are hallmarks of the Jelly Bean 4.1 operating system, and that upgraded OS is accessed by the Samsung TouchWiz UI. The handset hit the Sprint system on October 25 of last year, and the quad core processor allows you to jot down directions with the smart stylus S Pen, surf the web or watch videos and movies without interrupting a voice call.

Offered in your choice of marble white or titanium gray, the Sprint Galaxy Note II was recently spotted in the Amazon Wireless store online at a retail price of around $139 on contract. Despite its massive display, the Galaxy Note II is thin, measuring only 0.37 inches (9.3 mm) in thickness. The 5.55 inch capacitive touchscreen mentioned earlier is protected by a layer of scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 2, and is set up in a “true HD” 16 to 9 aspect ratio. That Super AMOLED display delivers 265 pixels per every inch of screen, for an overall resolution of 720 x 1,280 pixels.

Talk time on the Galaxy Note II is excellent at 15.0 hours offered from a single battery charge, and battery standby power runs 12.0 days. Samsung has included their Exynos 4 (4412) microchip package to power the handset, built around a quad core 1.6 GHz central processor. A quad core ARM Mali-400 MP4 graphics processor is also on board, as is a full 2.0 GB of RAM memory, 16 GB of built-in storage, and a microSD slot for storage expansion.

The Sprint Galaxy Note II multimedia package contains a Stereo FM radio with RDS, built-in music player and YouTube video player, and popular applications Facebook, Picasa and Twitter have been pre-installed. Built into the back of the handset is an 8.0 megapixel camcorder capable of 1,080P HD resolution video capture, with video calls supported by the front facing 1.9 megapixel chat cam.

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Among all these positive developments, some really bad news for RIM broke when a Developer wrote in with complaints on Reddit. According to the reports, the Developer has accused the Blackberry App World of selling apps that are stolen from Android’s market. While RIM’s vision was to give Android app developers an easy platform to present their apps on Blackberry as well, it appears that copycat developers have claimed some repackaged Android apps as their own.

The developer quoted in the Reddit article claims that he received complaints about his app from Blackberry Playbook users. He had never posted his app to the App World and upon further investigation he found that it was posted under a different name. Moreover, it was priced at three times the amount that the Developer had put up on Google Play.

This revelation has also thrown some other stolen apps on Blackberry App World under the spotlight. A step that was supposed to earn RIM applause has therefore turned into quite an embarrassment. RIM however seems unfazed by this and has sent out a composed statement promising due inquiry and appropriate action against any infringers upon receiving complaints from the concerned developers. How much RIM is liable in this can’t be ascertained at the moment, but the company will definitely have to deal with harsh public criticism.

As a vendor, it may be held culpable for not screening and checking the apps that it put on sale. While smartphone users often find illegally copied apps on the Internet, no user will appreciate an oversight of this magnitude from an official, reputed company. With RIM’s progress already under great skepticism, this turn of events could do some significant damage.

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Samsung has added their TouchWiz UX user interface that accepts capacitive, multitouch gestures and meshes with Jelly Bean 4.1, and the slim at 0.34 inch (8.6 mm) profile is one of the thinnest found on any smartphone. The hallmark of the Jelly Bean 4.1 OS is improved overall speed and a smoother user experience. Camera operations have been improved, the Google Now contextual search engine and virtual personal assistant has been upgraded, as have other important areas.

The handset’s display is large at 4.80 inches, and display resolution runs high at 720 x 1,280 pixels. 16 million separate colors are delivered at a rate of 306 pixels per inch, and the built-in light and proximity sensors automatically dim the display after periods of nonuse, as well as automatically adjust for the proper brightness levels. A layer of Corning Gorilla Glass offers scratch resistance.

These 2 functions also help preserve battery power, which assists the handset’s 2,100 mA battery in delivering 8.0 hours of talk time from a single charge. Standby battery power lasts approximately 8.3 days, and the hardware package is home to a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 microchip suite. At its core is a dual core 1.5 GHz CPU, and an Adreno 225 GPU focuses exclusively on graphics processing. The AT&T Galaxy S III delivers a full 2.0 GB of RAM system memory, and the onboard microSD slot is available for storage expansion and offboard data access.

High resolution video capture runs 1,080P HD on the rear facing 8.0 megapixel camcorder, with a front facing 1.9 megapixel chat cam also present. That front camera offers video call support and portrait snapshot capture, and the rear facing camcorder delivers features like geo-tagging, high dynamic range mode (HDR), a back illuminated sensor (BSI), panorama mode and special effects package. The AT&T Galaxy S III also offers NFC wireless support out-of-the-box.

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RIM’s earlier attempts at entering the touchscreen market proved by unsuccessful as 2008’s BlackBerry Storm got buried in obscurity as the first version of the iPhone stole the limelight. Its attempt to enter the tablet market was met with a very similar fate, as its Playbook entered the scene when the iPad was making headlines and was met with an even poorer response due to the fact that its email feature only worked if a BlackBerry phone was attached to it. As a result, RIM decided to focus on miniaturized QWERTY keyboards for their smartphones which were easy to type on quickly and managed to attract consumers who weren’t ready to transition into the rapidly growing domain of touch phones.

While this formula has brought enough success to RIM to keep it afloat, the company may have to change things up if it wants to hold its current customer base and attract wider interest amongst consumers. From its past experiences, the company’s transition to touch screen products has been met with relative failure and it may have to build upon what has already worked for it in the past few years. While most consumers are gradually making the switch to touchscreen, there are still numerous consumers who have absolutely no interest in them.

The problem, as always, has been proper integration of touch screen devices and physical keyboards. Many consumers have a strict preference for either, but RIM seems to have chosen the touch screen niche with the Blackberry 10 OS, whereas its primary base consists of keyboard fans. Analysts predict RIM will eventually release a BB10 device with a physical keyboard to appease fans. However, how well BB10 as a touch screen platform will scale for devices with keyboards may be the key to the company’s future.

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