Samsung Galaxy Note II (Verizon Wireless)

With a fast quad-core processor, a big, gorgeous display, and features galore, the Samsung Galaxy Note II delivers almost everything a huge-screen smartphone should—just make sure you look at the HTC Droid DNA first.

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Samsung Entro (Virgin Mobile)

The Samsung Entro for Virgin Mobile is a bare bones flip phone that does a fine job of the absolute minimum.

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Samsung audit finds China issues

Samsung has asked its suppliers to adopt new hiring process with immediate effect Continue reading the main storyRelated StoriesSamsung faces new factory claimsSamsung widens China plant checksSamsung checks child labour claim Samsung says an audit of 105 of its suppliers in China has identified "several instances of inadequate practices at the facilities".

These included overtime in excess of local laws as well as fines for being late or absent from work.

However, it found no evidence of under-age workers at any of the suppliers.

The audit followed a report by China Labor Watch which alleged that it had evidence of long working hours and under-age workers.

"Samsung did not identify any instance of child labour during the audits after reviewing HR records of all workers aged below 18 and conducting face-to-face ID checks," the company said in statement.

The South Korean manufacturer said that it had asked all its suppliers to adopt a new hiring process immediately to address the problems identified.

It said that among other things, it had asked the suppliers to develop a longer term plan to resolve working hour practices by the end of this year and also to correct irregularities in labour contracts.

Samsung said it was reviewing practices at another 144 of its suppliers in China.

Corrective measures

China Labor Watch (CLW), a New York-based campaign group, has published two reports about alleged breach of labour laws at factories of Samsung and its suppliers in China.

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteExcept the overtime issue, violations covered in the report are not in line with our knowledge”End QuoteSamsung Electronics The first, published in August, alleged that it had found seven children - all of them are under the age of 16 - working at a factory of Samsung's supplier HEG Electronics.

Samsung had carried out an audit of that factory and said it did not find any evidence of child labour.

It was after that report Samsung announced that it would conduct an audit of 249 suppliers in China.

But just as Samsung promised to carry out the checks at its suppliers, CLW published another report alleging "illegal and inhumane violations" at eight Samsung factories in China.

CLW said it had found evidence of "forced and excessive overtime", "extensive labour contract violations", "abuse of underage workers", "lack of worker safety" and "severe discrimination based on age, gender, and individual characteristics unrelated to the job" among other breaches.

Samsung said that it had conducted regular checks as well as unannounced inspections of all its factories in China in October.

"Except the overtime issue, violations covered in the report are not in line with our knowledge," Samsung said.

It added that it would correct its working hours practices and meet the local guidelines by the end of 2014.

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Samsung claims iPad Mini, latest iPod violate its patents

Samsung charged Wednesday that Apple'siPad Mini, fourth-generationiPad and fifth-generationiPod Touch violate its patents. The company asked a federal district court to add the products to its latest patent fight with the Cupertino, Calif., computer giant.

The Samsung complaint, which we've embedded below, alleges that Apple's latest products infringe the same patent as previous versions of its devices. Samsung essentially claims that "all Apple products including a built-in speaker and an external audio output port" infringe this particular patent, and thus argues that the newest Apple products should be included in the case.

Related stories:Samsung wants details of Apple's settlement with HTCJudge to review whether foreman in Apple v. Samsung hid infoAppeals court nixes a Galaxy Nexus ban requested by Apple

Samsung previously moved to expand the case to include the iPhone 5, which Apple released after the initial suit was filed. The court agreed on Nov. 15.

Apple, of course, previously claimed that a slew of Samsung devices, including Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Nexus smartphones, infringe its patents. The current case is separate from a similar lawsuit that concluded in August with a verdict in Apple's favor that, should it withstand challenge, would require Samsung to pay more than $1 billion to its rival.

Yesterday, the judge in this case ruled that Samsung can review the details of a settlement between Apple and Taiwanese handset maker HTC that ended a similar patent battle between those companies.

Apple and Samsung are due back in court on Dec. 6 for follow-up action on their earlier trial. Some of the issues at stake in that hearing include Apple's request to ban U.S. sales of at least eight Samsung devices and Samsung's motion to toss out the jury verdict entirely.

Here's the Samsung filing from Wednesday:

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Samsung exec puts Apple on notice: No phone without our patents

coopeydoop A jury in Northern California would say otherwise, but Samsung's mobile chief offered a pointed reminder to Apple that the patent dispute between the two companies is far from over.

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Samsung Galaxy S III (MetroPCS)

The Samsung Galaxy S III is the best phone for a network that's on its way out.

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Samsung launches Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE model

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is the best Samsung tablet yet. If you can get over its somewhat high price, it's a sound Android tablet investment.

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Demented Samsung ad offers harsh lessons on 'puppy love'

Let's face it, puppies can be a nuisance. They look up at you with their needy little faces and they're just another mouth to feed, another ego to tolerate.

Sometimes, they just have to go.

Samsung has decided to investigate this age-old notion and attach it to the way humans neglect their laptops.

Laptops, you see, have feelings too. They don't want to be mistreated. They want to be fed only the best. But the best costs money.

Better to shoot it with a bow and arrow, smash it with your stiletto, or grab it and toss it over a cliff.

No, no, no. These are not my personal recommendations.

These are the scenes depicted in Samsung's demented new ad for solid-state drives.

More Technically IncorrectBritish Airways lofts spectacular four-letter retweetConclusive proof: Sex is more enjoyable than FacebookOkCupid experiment proves men don't mind dating sociopathsOopsie! Taliban outs mailing listOpening eBay bid for a Twinkie? $8,000

I am grateful to Mashable for encountering this joyous opus.

You might remember how, the other day, Samsung used Laina, the overly attached girlfriend, to present the idea of a neglected love.

Well, now it has turned laptops into puppies to guilt you into buying its 840 Series SSDs.

Just as the Overly Attached Girlfriend ad was lunatic, this little puppy is beautifully demented.

You will be wondering whether it has a happy ending. You will be wondering whether this is, perhaps, the most tasteless thing you have ever seen in your life.

I am merely grateful that my Thanksgiving Week has been cheered by something out of the ordinary.

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Samsung Galaxy S3 to get MultiView, Smart Rotation

The bottom line: Pumped with high-performing hardware and creative software features, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is an excellent, top-end phone that's neck and neck with the HTC One X. 

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Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro (AT&T)

By Alex Colon

Choosing a smartphone can be tough, especially when you're choosing a tough smartphone—there just aren't that many options available. AT&T makes it easy with the $99.99 Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro, the best rugged smartphone we've tested. It has a tough build, a powerful processor, and smoking fast LTE data speeds, offering an excellent balance of form and function, making it our latest Editors' Choice for rugged smartphones.

Design, Rugged Tests, and Call Quality

The Rugby Pro measures 5.04 by 2.65 by 0.50 inches (HWD) and weighs 5.6 ounces, which makes it a good deal bulkier than the Samsung Rugby Smart , our previous top pick for rugged smartphones. Luckily, that bit of girth is channeled into a bigger display and much faster hardware. The back of the phone is textured black plastic, with a plastic silver lock to make sure it stays put. The sides of the phone, meanwhile, are made of thick, grippy, rubberized plastic.

The 4-inch, 800-by-480-pixel Super AMOLED display is bigger than the 3.7-inch screen on the Rugby Smart, but it's the same resolution, so it isn't as sharp. It still looks bright and saturated, though the PenTile pixel arrangement makes text and images appear fuzzy if you look very closely. The onscreen QWERTY keyboard is just large enough to type on comfortably, though, for some reason, I sometimes had trouble when trying to swipe across the screen horizontally. There are three clicky, textured physical function keys beneath the display, a covered 3.5mm headphone jack on the top, and a covered power port on the bottom. There's a Power button on the right and volume controls on the left, along with an extra, customizable key.

The phone meets U.S. military spec 810G for dust, humidity, rain, shock, and temperature. When all of its ports are tightly closed, you can submerge the Rugby Pro in up to 3 feet of water for 30 minutes. I placed it in a container of water for 30 minutes with the screen on and it came back out just fine. But as far as dropping the phone, things aren't as reliable. I dropped the Rugby Pro onto the hard, rubbery floor of the PCMag Lab from a height of five feet about ten times. Roughly half of those times the phone's battery cover opened partially, secured only by the lock on the bottom. And twice the phone's battery became dislodged and nearly popped out. So while this phone can stand up to mild abuse, and probably isn't going to break from a fall like your standard smartphone might, you should still be careful with it.

The Rugby Pro uses AT&T's super-fast LTE network, which makes it the first rugged LTE smartphone we've tested. It scales down to HSPA+ where LTE isn't available, and connects to 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi on the 2.4GHz band. It also works a mobile hotspot to share your connection with additional devices with the appropriate data plan.

This is a good voice phone. Reception is strong, and calls sound full and clear in the earpiece, though there's a slight humming sound in the background. Speakerphone quality sounds fine, but it isn't loud enough to hear outdoors. Calls made with the phone sound clear, if a bit robotic, and feature good noise cancellation. In my tests, calls sounded clear over a Jawbone Era Bluetooth headset and Samsung's Siri-like S Voice app worked well. Battery life was very good, at 12 hours and 40 minutes of talk time.

Processor and Apps

Rugged smartphones have been historically underpowered compared to their more fragile counterparts. Not so this time around. The Rugby Pro is powered by a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 processor, which beats the heck out of the single-core Rugby Smart. It performed very well in our benchmark tests, turning in scores similar to other top-tier phones like the Samsung Galaxy S III . It doesn't match the quad-core performance of a phone like the LG Optimus G, but there aren't many quad-core phones out there yet. The Rugby Pro should be able to handle all of the 600,000+ apps and games in the Google Play store without a problem.

The Rugby Pro runs Android 4.0.4 "Ice Cream Sandwich" with Samsung's TouchWiz extensions. So far, Samsung hasn't announced if this phone will receive an update to Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean." You get five customizable home screens that come preloaded with apps and widgets, some useful, and some not as much. There's a decent amount of bloatware, including an AT&T-branded messaging client and QR code scanner. You can't delete any of it, but you can disable it so it doesn't show up on your Apps page.

There are some useful preinstalled apps, like the aforementioned S Voice. It's not quite Siri, but it does a pretty nice job with voice commands and searches. There's also Kies Air, which lets you view your phone's contacts, messages, and media through a PC's Web browser. 

Samsung has added a tiny strip at the bottom of the home screen and Apps menu that allows you slide through pages just by dragging a finger over it, which is helpful. There are also a couple of motion-sensitive controls you can activate: You can flip the phone over to mute the ringer or any other sounds that are playing, and you can shake it to scan for compatible Bluetooth or Kies Air devices.

Multimedia and Conclusions

You get 4.87GB of free internal storage, and there's an empty microSD card slot under the battery (my 32GB and 64GB SanDisk cards worked fine). I was able to play back all of our audio test files except for FLAC, and sound quality was good over both wired headphones as well as Altec Lansing BackBeat Bluetooth headphones. All of our test videos played back at resolutions up to 1080p, though audio stuttered on DivX files.

The 5-megapixel camera is average. Shutter speeds are a little slow, at 1.1 seconds to capture a photo. Both color and detail are slightly above average, and images tend to favor softness instead of noise. The video camera records 720p video at 30 frames per second indoors and out, though details were a little soft on video recorded indoors. There's also a 1.3-megapixel forward facing camera for self portraits and video chat.

If you need a tough smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro is it. Not only is it tough, but it's just as powerful as many other of the high-end phones out there. The LG Optimus G has a more powerful quad-core processor and a larger, sharper display. The Apple iPhone 5, meanwhile, features a gorgeous new 4-inch retina display and an unsurpassed app catalog. And the Nokia Lumia 920 gets you a gorgeous polycarbonate design with Microsoft's latest Windows Phone 8 software. But if you drop any of those phones, chances are, you're going to need to replace it. So if you're tough on your stuff, or just clumsy, the Galaxy Rugby Pro can't be beat.

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Samsung Series 9 S27B970D

By John R. Delaney

Samsung has been producing slick-looking monitors for years, from their Touch of Color T220HD up to the more recent T27A950 hybrid model. Its latest effort, the Samsung Series 9 S27B970D ($1,199.99 list), continues to impress. With edge-to-edge glass, chrome accents, and a unique base, this 27-inch monitor is a beauty to behold whether it's on or off. More importantly, it delivers outstanding color and light grayscale quality, deep blacks, and wide viewing angles. However, its $1,200 price tag will give most users a good case of sticker shock, and the lack of a dedicated audio input is puzzling.

Design and Features

The Series 9 S27B970D is a beautifully designed monitor. The 27-inch panel is housed in a slim 1.2-inch brushed aluminum cabinet with a shiny silver band of trim wrapped around the perimeter. The screen and glossy black borders are protected by a single sheet of edge to edge glass that gives the Series 9 an elegant look but is reflective, especially when the screen is dark or is displaying a very dark background.

The cabinet is supported by a silver metal-clad round base and arm assembly that provides 4 inches of height adjustability and a 20 degree tilt radius. The panel does not swivel nor does it have a pivot hinge like the Dell UltraSharp U2713HM . The base contains all of the I/O ports; at the rear are DVI (dual link), DisplayPort, HDMI, and USB (upstream) connectors. On the right side of the base are two USB downstream ports, but they are of the 2.0 variety rather than the speedier 3.0 ports found on the U2713HM. Missing is an audio-in jack for when you use a DVI signal, which is odd considering the Series 9 touts a pair of relatively powerful 7-watt speakers. Granted, you can bring audio in via an HDMI or DisplayPort signal but it just doesn't make sense to omit one of the most widely used audio connectors. As a result, if you're using your PC's DVI output you'll have to rely on an external speaker source.

The Series 9 is one of a handful of monitors that supports MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) technology, which allows you to connect a MHL-compatible device, such as a smartphone or tablet, to the display's HDMI port. The HDM-MHL cable carries full HD (1080p) video and digital audio to the display while simultaneously charging your portable device.

There are five touch buttons (including the power switch) built in to a small panel on front of the mounting arm, just above where it meets the base. The panel has a glossy black finish and the buttons have white LED backlighting, making them easy to see in a dark lighting environment. Three of the buttons act as hot keys for adjusting speaker volume, selecting an input source, and selecting one of five color (picture) presets. The fourth button launches the OSD menu system where you can take advantage of the ample picture settings.

In addition to the usual Standard, Cinema, and dynamic (High Bright) picture modes, the Series 9 offers an sRGB mode and a Calibration mode. The Calibration mode stores settings that you define when using the Natural Color Expert software (included) and a calibration hardware device such as one of the xrite ColorMunki or i1Display Pro calibrators or a Konica Minolta CA-210/310 (calibration hardware is sold separately).

Picture settings are generous and include brightness, contrast, dynamic contrast, sharpness, and response time, which provides three settings to help smooth out fast moving images. There's also an HDMI black level, which lets you adjust how dark the darkest parts of the screen appear. There are individual red, green, and blue settings, 13 color temperature settings ranging from 4,000K to 10,000K (as well as a Custom setting), and 12 gamma settings ranging from 1.6 to 2.7. Other settings include three Eco Saving modes (off, 50%, and 75%) and an Auto Off timer.

The Series 9 ships with a CD containing the above-mentioned Natural Color Expert software, a user guide, and drivers. It also comes with an HDMI-MHL cable as well as DisplayPort, DVI, and USB-PC cables. The monitor is covered by a three year warranty that includes parts and labor warranty.

Performance

As with the Dell U2713HM (an IPS monitor), the Series 9 S27B970D has a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1440, which is often referred to as WQHD (Wide Quad High Definition). However, the Series 9 uses Samsung's new PLS (Plane to Line Switching) panel technology, which is similar to IPS (In Plane Switching) technology in that it offers rich color quality and wide viewing angles. PLS technology is said to deliver more accurate colors than IPS technology and offers a much brighter picture as well.

Pre-calibrated at the factory, the Series 9 delivers bright, vibrant colors and very dark blacks. It aced the DisplayMate Color Scales test, displaying well saturated, uniform colors across the scale. There was no tinting or banding and skin tones appeared natural. The PLS had no trouble displaying every shade of light gray on the 64-Step Grayscale test but it struggled a bit at the dark end, displaying the darkest two shades of gray as black. Still, shadow detail in my test photo was relatively sharp with only faint clipping in very dark areas of the photo.

Off-angle viewing was superb. There was no loss of luminance when viewed from any angle and color fidelity remained intact. The panel's 5-millisecond (black-to-white) pixel response delivered blur-free motion while I played a few rounds of Assassin's Creed II on the PC and Burnout Paradise on the PS3 gaming console.

The Series 9 S27B970D required 48 watts of power during my tests, which isn't terrible but not what you would consider energy efficient, especially when compared to today's big TN panels. By way of comparison, the TN-based Acer S271HL used only 24 watts, and the IPS-based Dell U2713HM used 32 watts (both are 27-inch monitors).

The Samsung Series 9 S27B970D is arguably the sweetest looking big screen monitor to hit the labs, but that's only part of its appeal. It uses PLS panel technology to deliver bright, bold colors that remain intact from any angle, and it offers three digital inputs and a USB hub. It has a little trouble displaying the darkest shades of gray but handles light grays with aplomb, and if you're a gamer, blurring is not an issue.

The lack of an audio-in port is a glaring omission, and its $1200 price tag is a bit over the top, but if money is no object and you can live without a dedicated audio input, the Series 9 is a solid choice for a big screen monitor. That said, our reigning Editors' Choice, the Dell U2713HM, cost $400 less, offers impressive performance, and features a fully ergonomic stand, a non-reflective screen, and a more generous selection of ports, including a four port USB 3.0 hub.

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Samsung Wireless Audio Dock (DA-E750)

By Tim Gideon, Will Greenwald

Few speaker systems have illicited as many "oohs" and "aahs" as the has. To be fair, there's a lot to like: dual dock connectors for Samsung and Apple devices; wireless audio streaming via Bluetooth, AirPlay, or AllShare; and two nifty-looking vacuum tubes that emit a soft orange glow beneath a glass cover on the top panel. But now come the "ughs": It'll cost you $699.99 (list), can be pesky to set up, and suffers from occasional distortion at top volumes. At moderate volumes, however, the DA-E750 offers solid audio performance—and did we mention that it's beautiful?

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Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone sales pass 30 million

Samsung said Monday that it has sold more than 30 million flagship Galaxy S III smartphones in about five months, making it one of the fastest selling smartphones in the world.

Samsung, the world's biggest mobile phone maker, launched the smartphone at the end of May, months before competitors began shipping the latest versions of their top phones.

When Apple unveiled the iPhone 5 in September, Samsung launched an advertising campaign poking fun at the new iPhone.

The South Korean firm said the Galaxy S III is selling at a much faster rate than its predecessor announced a year ago, the Galaxy S II. The Galaxy S II took 14 months to hit 30 million sales. Sales of the Galaxy Note II, which fills a market niche between smartphones and tablets, surpassed 3 million in 37 days, Samsung said last week.

The runaway demand for high-end smartphones fueled record profits at Samsung in recent quarters while other consumer electronics firms were hit by the global economic downturn that dented demand for TVs and personal computers.

Samsung, which also makes TVs, home appliances, semiconductors and display panels, got almost 70 percent of its third-quarter operating profit from the division that makes mobile devices, cameras and computers.

Nomura Financial Investment in Seoul forecasts that Samsung will sell 67 million smartphones in the October-December quarter. That would be about 10 million units more than Samsung's smartphone sales in the previous quarter.

Samsung does not disclose its quarterly smartphone sales figures, but analysts and research firms say the company sold a record 56-58 million smartphones in July-September.

Nomura, which is more optimistic about Samsung's prospects than other forecasters, says Samsung's mobile communications business will post 5 percent growth in fourth quarter profit from the third quarter, thanks to the high-end phones 

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Samsung sells 3 million Galaxy Note II

Samsung has announced this week that it has sold 3 million Galaxy Note 2 in just 30 days.For comparison, the original oversized phone sold 1 million units in its first month of availability and hit 3 million after 90 days.

Furthermore, the company said it reached 30 million Galaxy S III smartphone sales, an impressive record.

More impressively for Samsung is the fact that the Galaxy Note II only just reached the American market, meaning all three million sales were from overseas.

The note has a massive 5.5-inch screen, a new 16:9 aspect ratio with 1280x720, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a quad-core 1.6GHz processor and 2GB RAM. The device has an 8MP LED rear camera and a 1.9MP front-side camera, a microSD slot, MHL, NFC, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and Glonass, Wi-Fi Direct, 21 Mbps HSPA

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