Samsung Galaxy S4: C Spire is offering 'the next big thing'

The highly-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4 is inching closer into the hands of Android fans, as C Spire Wireless becomes one of the U.S. carriers accepting pre-orders for Samsung's newest touchscreen smartphone.

The Galaxy S4 is packing more power than its predecessor, the Galaxy S3, in several areas. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera, compared with a 8 megapixel camera on the S3, and a slightly better front camera at 2 megapixels. Additional camera features include "LED flash, autofocus and 1080p HD video recording in dual-shot mode ... which allows the use of both cameras simultaneously so users can include themselves in pictures and videos."

The Galaxy S4 is lighter in weight and with a 1920 by 1080 Super AMOLED five-inch display, colors should really pop. The increase in display size from the S3's 4.8 display is significant, as smartphones trend toward larger displays.

Another significant feature boost is the Galaxy S4's 1.9 gigahertz Quad Core processor, compared with a 1.5 GHz in the Galaxy S3. To make sure there is enough juice for all the enhancements in the Galaxy S4, the removable battery size has increased from 2100 to 2600 mAh, with a standard 16 gigabytes of on-board memory.

The Galaxy S4 is shaping up to be a desirable upgrade to the S3 and worth the $199 cost under a new two-year contract.

After choosing between Black Mist and White Frost colors when the Galaxy S4 arrives this summer, C Spire customers will be ahead of the game when it comes to carrying a state-of-the-art smartphone. Fans of other U.S. carriers are not left out, as AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless also have the Galaxy S4 available for purchase.

So it looks like everyone will have a chance to carry Samsung's latest technological creation this summer. It's being called "the next big thing."

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BlackBerry comes out swinging with Z10 and Q10 smartphones

The new BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 smartphones were officially announced today as the company's first smartphones powered by QNX technology, which has also been used in the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, as well as in the auto and health care industry.

The BlackBerry Z10 is the touchscreen device with a textured surface, a slight curve on the back and a 4.2-inch display. It also has a 1.5 gigahertz dual-core processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage, with an expandable memory slot and micro HDMI out port. Near Field Communication, or NFC, is included to support the emerging mobile payments technology.

The BlackBerry Q10 comes with a physical QWERTY, Bold-style keyboard that has been so popular with BlackBerry fans over the years. It has the same specifications as the Z10, along with a glass-weave cover that is pitched as being stronger than plastic.

Both devices will come in white and black and have a removable battery.

BlackBerry fans will find many new features, such as the BlackBerry Hub and BlackBerry Balance. The latter allows users to balance their work and personal information.

There are 70,000 applications available, including popular apps like Skype, and Amazon Kindle. In the social media arena, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and LinkedIn are on board.

The new BlackBerry 10 devices will be available in the U.S. on AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile. In statements released by AT&T and Verizon, plans to offer the BlackBerry Z10 are in place and fans can sign up to "be among the first to know when it arrives." Sprint has released plans to carry the BlackBerry Q10 later this year..

According to BlackBerry, there are around 650 carriers that are considered to be partners in the launch of the BlackBerry 10 platform.

Bell and Rogers Communications, who are both Canadian communications and media companies, announced plans to offer the new BlackBerry Z10, Rogers will offer the device on February 5 at $149.99 with select three-year plans. Bell is taking pre-orders and also will launch on Bell Mobility on February 5. Virgin Mobile Canada is also planning a February 5 launch of the BlackBerry Z10.

The carriers in the United Kingdom should see availability before everyone else, with devices ready for purchase tomorrow on all their carriers, such as O2, Vodafone, Phones 4u, BT, 3UK and the Carphone Warehouse. EE, a digital communications company in the UK, will launch the BlackBerry Z10 for £49.99 ($67.82 US) on a £41 ($55.52 US) per month on a 24 month package. Pricing for the U.S. debut of the new phones have not been set and will likely come from the individual carriers. According to BlackBerry, the Z10 will available around March.

In other surprise announcements, Research In Motion, or RIM, will be re-branded as BlackBerry. The company says it will adopt the name of its revolutionary BlackBerry smartphone to coincide with the launch of its new mobile computing platform. The company’s website, www.rim.com, has changed to www.blackberry.com

"From today on, we are BlackBerry everywhere in the world, " said BlackBerry President and CEO Thorsten Heins.

Heins also announced Alicia Keys as the new Global Creative Director. Keys is pitched by BlackBerry as a 14-time Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter and entrepreneur.

Heins said Keys is an original BlackBerry power user who believes in the product and will lead an array of business initiatives to drive engagement and perception of the brand.

Keys is expected to work closely with developers, carriers and entertainers to enhance the BlackBerry 10 platform.

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Google Wallet moving to the cloud with new security features

I predict that very soon, we'll all be using our smartphones to pay for merchandise at various retailers. It'll become as common pulling out cash or a credit card.

The folks behind Google Wallet have been steadily marching toward this goal and recently released a "cloud-based version of the Google Wallet app" that'll have more support for credit and debit cards. The card vendors include MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express.

According to Google, this new version also includes includes a feature to remotely disable your mobile wallet app. This should help to ease some of the security concerns in the first version of Google Wallet.

To further address security concerns and streamline how banks implement the technology, Google has revamped how account data for credit cards is stored in the Google Wallet app. Instead of the storing the data on your phone, Google now uses their secure servers, which also allows banks to add their cards in a few weeks.

Google says on their blog that their virtual Wallet is now available on six smartphones with Near Field Communication capability, or NFC, from Sprint and Virgin Mobile, as well as on the new Nexus 7 tablet. Their partners include 25 national retailers that can accept mobile payments by simple tapping your phone.

Google is also using the MasterCard PayPass system to incorporate more than 200,000 retail locations in the United States.

If you have a compatible phone, you can find the latest version of Google Wallet in the Google Play store.

Contact us: ehart@earnestharttech.com | Follow on Twitter @ehart

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U.S. carriers ready for the Samsung Galaxy S III

If the announcement that the Samsung Galaxy S III is coming to five U.S. carriers this month is any indication of the future demand, maybe we all should check out cell phone contracts on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular.

An upgrade might be in order if Samsung's latest mobile phone meets the anticipation of savvy consumers. Samsung has been known for hitting home runs in the mobile market and carries the title of the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S and worldwide, according to Strategy Analytics.

The new Galaxy S III has been kicking around in Europe after making its debut in London on May 3. According to one of Samsung's head honchos, this device will be "the next big thing" for U.S. customers on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Galaxy S III, which is optimized for 4G and AT&T's HSPA+ networks, is running Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich. It also sports a 8-megapixel rear camera, along with a 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera. The power comes from a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and 2 gigabytes of RAM.

The pressure is now on for the iPhone 5, or whatever it will be called, since the Galaxy S III's 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display trumps the current iPhones' 3.5-inch display.

There are other unique features onboard the new Galaxy, such as S-Beam for sharing files with a simple touch and taking 20 continuous photos using the 'burst shot" feature. While some smartphones have been able to support up to five devices using the mobile hotspot capability, Verizon Wireless is pitching that the Galaxy S III now supports up to 10 devices.

Here is a biggie - the Sprint camp is saying they are the only national U.S. wireless carrier to offer the Galaxy S III preloaded with Google Wallet, which will use the NFC, or Near Field Communication technology, to act as a personal wallet at more than 100,000 retailers.

The Galaxy S III will be available in a variety of colors, ranging from Pebble Blue and Marble White on Sprint and U.S. Cellular, along with an exclusive red color from AT&T.

The 16 GB version will cost around $200 on most carriers, with the 32 GB coming in at around $250. If you need more memory, AT&T has their micro-SD card for around $40.

If you're ready to go shopping, the Galaxy S III will available for preorder today from Sprint and June 6 on AT&T and Verizon. U.S. Cellular will open their cash registers on June 12 and T-Mobile will be ready for your wallet on June 21.

Based on past Samsung devices and the popularity of the Galaxy S II, which has been around since October, the Galaxy S III could be worth an upgrade. It has a faster processor, more memory, a larger display and several unique features over its predecessor.

This could be another home run for Samsung.

More on the Samsung Galaxy S III: AT&T | T-Mobile | Sprint | Verizon | U.S. Cellular

Contact us: ehart@earnestharttech.com | Follow on Twitter @ehart​

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