Hasta La Gadget!

This week analyst Carl Howe of Yankee Group has made it clear that though the Samsung GALAXY S 4 has “made good headlines”, Apple will continue to sell smartphones. In Howe’s analysis of the mobile market today, he suggests that both Samsung and Android are losing smartphone share to iOS. Yankee Group used both ownership and purchase intent data they’ve collected to bring Howe to the conclusion that Android has reached “peak” US share – meanwhile, he concludes, iPhone will continue to grow.

According to their most recent study, Yankee Group has found that 9 percent of Apple device owners plan to switch to another platform when they next need to make a phone purchase. This is low compared to the percentage of users owning Android devices looking to switch away from Android specifically is 24 percent of those surveyed. Yankee Group also found that 18 percent of Android device owners planned on switching specifically to Apple products in their next smartphone purchase.

This same study by Yankee Group found that consumer intent to purchase Samsung phones is “less than half of that of iPhones” in the USA. They go on to note that iPhone intent to buy is “statistically tied” with intent to purchase “all Android phones combined.”

Howe suggests that these figures point toward Apple’s powerful “black hole” ecosystem. With this system of devices and software Apple uses, Howe says, there’s a following of consumers who never leave. Howe and the Yankee Group’s study say that Android smartphones are “losing one out of every six customers to manufacturers” while Apple grows.

With these points in place, Howe says Apple ownership will be driven “well past” android ownership by 2015, and will go on to “reinforce Apple’s dominance in tablets” as well.

[via Yankee Group]

Analyst Carl Howe suggests iPhone loyalty will surpass Android “peak” is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This afternoon Verizon has added details to their launch of Samsung’s hero device as each of the top mobile carriers in the United States make efforts to assure users that the device will be available relatively soon. This week has been marked by several delay reports coming from Samsung manufacturing affecting what at first appears to be one or two mobile carriers in the USA, but in the last 24 hours has spread to the bulk of them.

With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S III, the manufacturer for the first time pushed their hero phone to multiple carriers with the same basic build. Where before that device Samsung revealed a slightly different model for each mobile carrier both inside the United States and abroad each time they had a major smartphone generation release, the Galaxy S III marked a change in plans. Have a peek at a column by the name of The Samsung Galaxy S III

Today it’s been reported that T-Mobile’s launch of the GALAXY S 4 will be delayed until April 29th for online sales. AT&T’s latest word is a confirmation that shipments for pre-order customers have begun to hit the mail while they’ll have the device in stores rather soon. Verizon has let it be known today that they’ll begin pre-orders online for the device tomorrow with the same pricing structure as AT&T (provided you’re willing to send in a $50 mail-in rebate) at $199.99 for the most basic model.

UPDATE: Verizon has now confirmed that their particular model will be in stores on the 30th of May. This places a very possible significant amount of time between in-store availability of each of the other carriers.

The Samsung GALAXY S 4 is outlined in detail in SlashGear’s full review, this review available to you as of midnight last night. We’ll be continuing to follow Samsung’s push for this device as it begins its battle against the likes of the HTC One and upcoming releases like the LG Optimus G Pro and any iPhone released by Apple this summer.

[via Verizon]

Verizon GALAXY S 4 pre-order status adds to device launch fray is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Verizon just announced via a tweet that Samsung’s GALAXY S 4 handset will be arriving in May, although a specific release date was not provided. Along with the announcement is a picture of a Verizon-branded S 4, and a promise that more details will be revealed “soon.” This follows AT&T’s announcement that it will begin taking pre-orders for the handset on April 30.

Not much else is known about the carrier’s plans, such as how much it will be charging and when exactly buyers can get their hands on it. We can’t help but wonder if the flagship smartphone will be offered under Verizon’s recently announced Device Payment Plan, which will take effect on April 21. Unfortunately, the carrier didn’t state which phones would be available for the payment plan, only saying that it would be a select few.

Pre-orders for the GALAXY S 4 for US Cellular began this past Tuesday, April 16. T-Mobile got a jump on them, announcing back in March that Samsung’s handset would be available “about May 1,” meaning we could see it a tad sooner or later. The announcement was made in New York during the carrier’s Uncarrier event, during which time it launched its LTE network in seven markets.

And, as we noted, AT&T announced that GALAXY S 4 pre-orders can now be placed on the carrier’s website. Shipping is set to start on April 30, which is likely also when we’ll see the handset available on shelves, as well. Buyers will be able to get the 16GB variety of the S 4 for $199, or for a much higher $639 sans contract. We’ll be keeping an eye out for additional details from Verizon, so stay tuned!

[via Twitter]

Verizon announces GALAXY S 4 will be available in May is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Today Verizon has sent out a “save the date” announcement for this year’s Spring CTIA event in Las Vegas, Nevada. This announcement aligns quite well with the releases of both the HTC One and the Samsung GALAXY S 4, especially given the slightly-later reveals of high-end devices through Verizon over the past year. As the Samsung GALAXY S 4 has been confirmed for Verizon but not dated or priced while the HTC One has been both confirmed and denied, we’ll be placing our cash on the former.

This year’s CTIA 2013 event in Las Vegas will be taking place near the end of next month, May 21st through the 23rd. This Verizon event has been scheduled for the 22nd of May at 11AM PDT, and you can bet your bells that SlashGear will be live in-effect for the entire show. Verizon could also be revealing a new set of services, leaving the smartphone announcements to their own unique event(s) outside the convention.

Thus is the way of things with carriers, and thus has it been over the past few years with technology conventions. As we spoke about earlier this year immediately after attending Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona, technology conventions aren’t dying, they’re changing. They’re evolving, and though we can guess and prod at the idea that Verizon might be bringing some smartphones to show off in Vegas, chances are they wont.

Have a peek at our HTC One full review for more information on that lovely smartphone and stay tuned for our full review of the Samsung GALAXY S 4 rather soon. These two devices are set to do battle throughout the summer as their businesses stake their name on their success. While the HTC One is a complete re-thinking of how the smartphone can be ideal, Samsung has invested in their already-successful design, further idealizing its innards.

Let us know what you’re planning on picking up, one way or another!

Verizon teases GALAXY S 4 HTC One possibilities for CTIA is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Samsung’s GALAXY S 4 will be available across seven US carriers in April, with a range of accessories, the company has confirmed today, bringing the much-anticipated phone to AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and other networks. The smartphone – Samsung’s fourth Galaxy-series flagship, officially revealed last month – will also be available on US Cellular, Cricket, and C Spire, as well as in Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile, Costco, Radio Shack, Sam’s Club, Staples, Target and Wal-Mart stores.

Sold alongside the GALAXY S 4 will be a number of official accessories, most interesting of which is the S View Flip Cover. That relies on the ability of AMOLED displays to selectively activate a sub-portion of the screen – with lower power consumption than if the whole display is being used – and shows a status window through a clear gap in the flip cover. Opening the cover will automatically turn on the phone.

The S View Flip Cover will be offered in “black mist” and “white frost” priced at $59.99 alongside matching colors of GALAXY S 4, with the phone coming with either 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage. Samsung will also offer a more traditional Flip Cover, with no status window but a broader array of colors – black, white, light blue, pink, green, orange, and yellow – for $39.99.

Meanwhile, there’s the Samsung Protective Cover+, available in white, navy, green, blue, and pink, and which gives the GALAXY S 4 more protection from knocks and falls. It slips over the chassis, ruggedizing the back and sides, and is priced at $29.99. Finally, a spare battery charger – which includes a 2,600 mAh battery, stand, and wall charger – will be priced at $49.99.

Samsung GALAXY S 4 hands-on:

The GALAXY S 4 will also work with Samsung’s existing range of smartphone accessories, including the same Smart Dock as was previously offered for the Galaxy Note II, priced at $99.99. Samsung’s AllShare Cast Wireless Hub ($99.99) for DLNA streaming to an HDMI display, and Universal Multimedia Desktop Dock ($49.99) which offers an audio-out port while charging your phone, will also work with the new flagship.

Exact pricing for the GALAXY S 4 itself will be decided by individual carriers, though some have already confirmed their on-contract numbers. AT&T, for instance, began taking preorders yesterday at $199.99 for the 16GB model, with a new, two-year agreement, along with US Cellular.

There’s more on the Samsung GALAXY S 4 in our full hands-on.

Samsung GALAXY S 4 official US launch details confirmed is written by Vincent Nguyen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.