Without fail, every time a mobile operating system is upgraded, a generation or more of devices is left out of the cycle -- leaving many owners frustrated that their perfectly-functioning gadget has already been deemed obsolete. On the other hand, it would cost manufacturers a plethora of resources to tailor and test new software for each and every product they have ever made, and at some point you're trying to shoehorn software onto hardware that just isn't powerful enough to run it smoothly. So the question naturally arises: what are the criteria which determine a fair period of ...

With the highly-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S III practically confirmed for all four major US carriers, we thought it would be fun to gather up test shots from their respective eight-megapixel cameras. Don't expect anything you can print out and frame, though: the pickings here were decidedly slim, with most of the variants only offering up a handful of examples -- none of which apparently took into account the subject nor quality of the image. Still, as with the first iPhone 4S test photo, there's something fun about checking out images from unreleased devices that will soon sweep the ...

Having already sold both previous Galaxy S handsets from Samsung (as the QWERTY-equipped Epic 4G and keyboard-less Epic 4G Touch), it's no surprise that Sprint will also be stocking the third iteration of this popular device, the Galaxy S III. Thanks to the device's user agent profile, we've been able to gather a few of the important details on the next Galaxy to hit the Now Network. As you'd expect, most of the specs on the LTE-capable SPH-L710 are identical to those on the global version (GT-I9300), with one significant exception: like the Galaxy S III destined for Verizon, Sprint's ...

Everybody loves a bargain, right? Especially when it comes to smartphones, it doesn't get much better than inexpensive handsets -- or does it? From the consumer's perspective, low-priced hardware can be seen two ways: either it represents a good deal or, sometimes, simply a cheap and low-quality product. Certain brands go out of their way to avoid the appearance of being cheap and mass market, even if it means lower sales on higher margins: think Nokia sub-brand Vertu. Other companies, however, embrace the low-cost model, hoping to make their money on volume -- although perhaps at the ...

Now that we're just hours away from the launch of arguably the most anticipated handset this side of the iPhone 5, we wanted to gather together what we know / think we know about the device in anticipation of its unveiling. Samsung has a lot riding on the Galaxy S3 (S III?), and not only because it's the successor to the very well-received Galaxy S II; now that it is officially the top cellphone manufacturer in the world, it needs a flagship device that cements its position there -- a phone that bests even the beautifully-crafted HTC One series. Fortunately, many of the S3's specs are ...

Last year Motorola introduced its first flagship Android device for Sprint, the Motorola Photon 4G. It was a dual-core, qHD handset with similar specs to the Atrix 4G and latest Droid-branded phones. Well now we've gotten wind of a sequel to that device, which will supposedly come to market as the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE. Besides being quite a mouthful of a name for consumers to remember, it sounds like it will be yet another high-end offering from the Now Network: very likely Moto's first LTE handset for the latest 4G network to go live. Full specs -- or even partial specs -- aren't yet ...

Verizon Wireless is reportedly set to offer an enhanced package of pre- and post-sale services known as Verizon ON, and among the concept imagery for this initiative, we spotted an unfamiliar Motorola handset not currently offered by the carrier. While the phone (far right) seems to have the same cropped corners as the popular DROID RAZR series, its top and bottom screen bezels appear to be much narrower than those on existing RAZRs. What's more, the manufacturer branding is not centered at the top of the face, but rather left-justified with respect to the display. Speaking of branding, ...

HTC, following two tough quarters, is finally looking to turn its fortunes around with a pair of sexy handsets in its new One series, the One X and One S. Domestically, the X is headed to AT&T as the dual-core (but LTE-enabled) XL, while the the S is destined for T-Mobile; Sprint is getting its own One-esque model in the EVO 4G LTE. Well Verizon, the nation's largest carrier, still doesn't have a One to call its own -- and the upcoming HTC Fireball, while attractive and nicely-spec'ed in its own right, seems to do little to change that (although the Vigor, once upgraded to Android Ice ...