galaxy s iii

iPhone 5, Galaxy S3 displays go head to head -- iPhone wins

Apple's iPhone 5 beat Samsung's Galaxy S3 in a display tech "shoot-out" at screen testing firm DisplayMate Technologies.

The iPhone 5's Retina screen is the best smartphone display that DisplayMate has tested to date, according to results the firm posted today.

iPhone 5: "It is a significant improvement over the display in the iPhone 4," said DisplayMate's Raymond Soneira, who cited much lower screen reflections, much higher image contrast and screen readability in high ambient lighting -- the latter, the highest he's ever tested.

DisplayMate -- which gave the display an "A" -- also cited improved color gamut and factory calibration that "delivers very accurate colors and very good picture quality." The Retina iPad is the only thing that beats it in accuracy, according to Soneira.

Galaxy S3: While DisplayMate said the OELD display is "very good" and gave it a "B+," it fell short of the iPhone 5.

The problem, comparatively, as Soneira sees it, is that the Galaxy S III's OLED technology is still on steep development curve. OELD is "a new technology that has not yet been refined to the same degree as LCDs, particularly the IPS LCDs on the iPhones, so it doesn't objectively test or perform as well as the iPhone 5," according to Soneira.

The brightness on the Galaxy S3's display is about half of the iPhone 5 "due to power constraints resulting from the lower OLED power efficiency," among other issues, that makes for poorer image contrast and screen readability in high ambient lighting compared to the iPhone 5, said Soneira.

Other issues he cited are a "lopsided" color gamut and calibration. "For some reason Samsung has not bothered to calibrate the Color Gamut on any of its OLED displays, so they are wildly inaccurate and produce inaccurate and over saturated colors." … Read more

Which phone cracks up in iPhone 5 vs. Galaxy S3 torture test?

Smartphone sadism continues in this face-off video between the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S3 from gadget warranty outfit SquareTrade.

After being dropped, drowned, and pounded with various household objects, the lightweight, metal-backed iPhone 5 seems to hold up much better overall than its Android arch-nemesis, but the demonstration is far from scientific. The Galaxy S3 took a serious face shot to its glass screen in the drop test, whereas the iPhone 5 lucked out and bounced off its side edge. … Read more

Apple got the iPhone 5's physical design right

With the iPhone 5, Apple did what it does best: come up with a good industrial design. But that's not always the case.

Until I got my hands on the iPhone 5 -- I picked one up on Friday -- I wasn't sure if Apple had nailed the design (hands-on videos and reviews go just so far).

Well, after 48 hours I'm pretty sure it did. It just looks and feels a lot better than the 4S (which I owned until Friday).

Thinness, in my book, is the foundation for coolness. But thinness isn't just an … Read more

Apple wants ban on Samsung products, even more damages

Apple is hoping to press its advantage against Samsung Electronics, asking for a court order on a wider U.S. ban on its products and an additional $707 million in damages after scoring a victory over the Korean giant last month.

For the additional request, Apple went back to the same San Jose, Calif., court that ruled last month that Samsung's products copied several key elements of the iPhone, Reuters reported. Samsung, for its part, is seeking a new trial, arguing that there were a number of instructional errors and decisions on evidence that require additional examination.

Apple scored … Read more

Apple's Siri trounces Samsung's S Voice (hands-on)

I've updated this hands-on to reflect Siri's new tricks in iOS6; it originally posted June 21, 2012 comparing S Voice on the Galaxy S3 -- which is still current -- to Siri on iOS 5. If you're wondering, tomorrow I'll be comparing the updated Siri to Google Voice Actions.

Voice assistants like Siri, S Voice, Google Actions, and Microsoft's TellMe aren't new, but they are evolving into more mainstream features that can expedite results. S Voice, which launched this summer on the Samsung Galaxy S3, is Samsung's answer to Siri. That also makes … Read more

LG's public image problem: It doesn't have one

LG must feel like it's shouting into the wind when it comes to smartphones.

The company today showed off the Optimus G, the latest Android super smartphone. The G boasts the most advanced Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor, a 13-megapixel camera, and a hefty 2,100mAh battery.

The question is: will anyone care?

There lies LG's biggest dilemma in the smartphone market. It's not the lack of any particular feature or specification that has hurt the company, but the virtual non-presence it has had for the past few years. LG was late to the smartphone game and has … Read more

Apple, Intel skating to mobile face-off in 2013

With signs that Apple has designed one of the fastest smartphone chips yet, Intel is getting set to rev up its smartphone silicon in 2013.

Performance benchmark site Geekbench is already showing the iPhone 5's dual-core A6 central processing unit (CPU) with roughly twice the performance of the A5 chips in the iPhone 4S and third-generation iPad. And Geekbench also has the A6 edging out the quad-core chip in Samsung's Galaxy S III.

And there may be a quad-core Apple A series chip in the works for 2013, according to Linley Gwennap, the principal analyst at The Linley … Read more

iPhone 5 benchmarks surface: Performance doubles

The iPhone 5's A6 processor appears to be roughly twice as fast as any chip in an existing iOS product, if results posted by Geekbench prove to be accurate.

The results show a score of 1,601, beating the dual-core A5 and A5X processors in the iPhone 4s and third-generation iPad (Retina), respectively.

Previous benchmarks of the Retina iPad show a score of 794 (iPad with 3G/4G). The iPhone 4S posted a score of 631.

If these iPhone 5 benchmarks are legitimate, they would match Apple's claims. "With the new A6 chip, just about everything you … Read more

Isis mobile payment service hits snag, delays trial run

Isis won't be launching its mobile payment trials at the end of summer.

Isis, which is a joint venture between Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and T-Mobile USA, told CNET today that it was delaying the start of its trials, which were scheduled to start this month in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Austin, Texas.

Isis is one of several parties attempting to roll out a broader system of mobile payments, which would enable you to purchase goods and services by waving a smartphone at a cash register, subway turnstile, or inside a taxi. Unlike a higher profile launch … Read more

With iPhone 5, Apple is out to prove it's still the king

Apple made the case today that its newly unveiled iPhone 5 should take its rightful spot atop the smartphone food chain.

But for seemingly the first time, it's not exactly a slam dunk that Apple's device belongs there.

When the iPhone 4 debuted in June 2010, it was the phone to own. The Android phenomenon hadn't taken over yet, and Samsung Electronics was still finding its way. Established handset vendors Nokia and Research In Motion, meanwhile, were at the beginning of their quickly accelerating declines. The momentum was behind Apple and CEO Steve Jobs.

Following a lengthier-than-expected … Read more