Samsung planning to drop the cringeworthy theatrics for Galaxy S5 launch

It's looking ever more likely that Samsung will be showing off the new Galaxy S5 at Mobile World Congress later this month, and we may be in for Sammy's own "one more thing" in the form of the Galaxy Gear 2.

The New York Times has printed a fresh report that Samsung plans a relatively low-key event for the Galaxy S5 launch. According to a smartphone industry informant, when the South Korean smart device maker introduced theGalaxy S4 with Broadway bombast, the performance fell to deaf ears.

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Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone expected to be unveiled at Feb. 24 event

 Samsung Electronics Co will unveil a new version of its flagship Galaxy S smartphone this month, but expectations are low that features such as a bigger screen will lead to a sharp jump in sales given intensifying competition.

Samsung sent out invitations on Tuesday for “Samsung unPacked 5” event on Feb. 24 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The launch has been brought forward by around three weeks after sales of Samsung’s S4 came in weaker than expected, analysts said.

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iPhone 5, Galaxy Note II named in Apple-Samsung trial

NEW DELHI: Apple and Samsung have presented their final lists of products that infringe their respective software patents for their upcoming trial. The two biggest smartphone makers in the world have submitted the lists that include names of products like iPhone 5, iPad 4, Galaxy Note II and Galaxy S III to the federal court of San Jose, California.

Below is the list of all the devices that the two companies have named for the upcoming trial, scheduled for March 31, 2014:

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Apple’s admitting the “cheap” iPhone 5c failed by bringing back the iPhone 4

Would you pay $320 for a four-year-old smartphone? Apple seems to believe that aspiring consumers in emerging markets will. The company has reportedly restarted manufacturing the iPhone 4, which it discontinued with the launch of the iPhone 5s and 5c models late last year. So says the Economic Times, an Indian business newspaper, which cites “three senior executives with direct knowledge of the company’s plan.” Apple will sell the iPhone 4 only in India, Indonesia and Brazil, according to the report.

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Selling smartphones in emerging markets is a tricky proposition. Many of these markets don’t have the system of one- or two-year contracts that subsidize handsets common in the West; people pay full price for a phone upfront. Moreover, consumers want cheap phones but also want cachet. Companies have a hard time finding a balance between the two. Apple tried offering 0% interest financing and buy-back schemes, allowing it to retain a high sticker price (for the cachet) while in practice selling phones at a discount. Indeed, the company kept its price steady in India despite a massive fall in the value of the rupee late last year, effectively accepting lower margins.

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Quirks & Quarks BlogSparkPhoto Galleries IPhone lights girl's pants on fire

A Grade 8 student in Maine suffered burns after her cellphone caught fire in her pocket while she was at school.

Kennebunk middle school principal Jeff Rodman told the Portland Press Herald that the girl heard a popping sound Friday morning and smoke started billowing around her.

Boys were herded from the room so the 14-year-old girl could shed her flaming pants. She also did the "stop, drop and roll" move to help put out the fire.

She was treated at a hospital.

Her mother had given her the Apple iPhone 5C two months earlier.

CBC News has requested information from Apple about possible causes.

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Samsung expected to launch new Galaxy S5 smartphone at technology event in Barcelona

The advanced Galaxy S5 which is rumoured to have a 5in screen and 16 megapixel camera is expected to be launched later this month

Samsung Electronics are expected to unveil the latest version of its flagship Galaxy S smartphone.

The launch of the "Samsung unPacked" will be on 24 February at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

It has been brought forward by around three weeks after disappointing sales of the Samsung S4, according to analysts.

The electronics giant is preparing for its lowest mobile growth profit for this year, meaning the poorest sales performance for seven years.

The reason for that is strong competition from Apple who have begun to sell iPhones in China.

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Samsung reveals prices, availability dates of 'Pro' tablets

Samsung has announced that three of the four "Pro" tablets it unveiled at last month's Consumer Electronics Show are now available for pre-order, and will ship and be on shelves of US brick-and-mortar stores next Thursday, February 13.

Sammy also revealed their prices – but if you're expecting a bargain-basement deal on any of the new Android-equipped fondleslabs, you may want to keep your charge card in your pocket and hope that market pressures force the prices down into markdown land.

But don't count on it. These tablets seem, on paper at least, to be solid offerings that should do well in their "Pro" niche, especially if road warriors can talk their companies into paying the tab (pardon the pun) for the most expensive of the lot: the 12.2-inch Galaxy Note Pro, which runs $749.99 for the 32GB model and $849.99 for 64GB.

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