The last word: Is the Galaxy S6 an iPhone clone?

Ahead of Sunday’s huge Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge unveiling at the annual Mobile World Congress trade show in Spain, there was a lot of chatter focused on similarities between the Galaxy S6 we saw in leaks and Apple’s iPhone 6. Many people suggested that Samsung was getting ready to copy the iPhone once again with its new flagship phones — in some ways of course, that would be a good thing — and leaked images of handset prototypes certainly made it appear as though that would be the case.

Now that the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge are official and we have spent some time with both new models, it’s time to determine once and for all whether or not Samsung’s latest and greatest is the blatant iPhone ripoff many Apple fans have said it is.

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MEGA PATENT DUMP! Ericsson, Smartflash blitz Apple: iPhone, iPad menaced by sales block

Linkfest Emboldened by its $533m patent-infringement win against Apple just a few days ago, Smartflash is suing the iPhone maker AGAIN – and Ericsson is joining the fray.

Ericsson v Apple
The Swedish telecoms giant has filed two complaints to the US International Trade Commission (ITC) – one accusing Apple handhelds of ripping off Ericsson's patents on 2G and 4G mobile broadband connectivity, and the other claiming the California giant is using Ericsson's patents on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, radio electronics, and other technology without permission.

Ericsson wants the ITC to ban imports of Apple's China-built iPhones and iPads, which are allegedly infringing the Swedes' patents, into America. The Euro giant has sued Apple in the patent-holder-friendly eastern district court of Texas in the US, again alleging patent infringement, demanding jury trials, and calling for injunctions against Apple hardware.

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Android Circuit: Galaxy S6 Is Metal, Samsung Trashes Apple, Sony's Last Android Gamble

Taking a look back at the week’s news across the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit highlights a number of stories including Samsung’s strong marketing around the S6, the metallic look of the new Galaxy handsets, Sony leaks its new tablet, pay to be seen in Google Play’s app store, Android’s marketshare dominance, Android for Work released, reviewing the LG G Flex 2, and the launch of Pebble Time.

Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many things that have happened around Android over the last seven days (and you can read the weekly Apple news digest here).

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The HTC One M9 Looks And Sounds Utterly STUNNING

It's that time of year again where some of the biggest names in the Android mobile space push their latest flagship handset to the masses. Expect big things in the coming weeks. While Samsung is thought to be prepping at least one Galaxy S6 and Sony has a new Xperia Z4 in the pipeline, HTC has its own One brand due for the annual refresh.

The HTC One M9, as it is being called in rumours, is one of the most hotly anticipated devices at the moment - there's a loyal fanbase of users who love everything about the brand, and that's in no small part because it champions premium materials and luxurious design. It also has a few tricks that other manufacturers are yet to match - things like high-end, front-facing stereo speakers.

As we move through Q1 2015 we’re starting to see just how well technology’s biggest companies performed financially in the all important Q4 period of 2014. Apple smashed it. Big time. Lenovo showed solid growth and some impressive sales figures for Moto handsets and Samsung, while still a very big deal, showed it hadn’t stopped the rot just yet. 

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Samsung aims for variety with Galaxy S6, leaked photo suggests

Samsung may be planning to offer a variety of body styles for its much-anticipated Galaxy S6, according to exclusive images obtained by CNET Korea and sister site ZDNet Korea.

The images, provided by sources at a South Korean electronics distributor, purportedly show five variants of the electronics giant's new flagship smartphone, including an Edge-style version. While the Galaxy S6 isn't expected to be formally announced until the Samsung Unpacked 2015 event held on March 1, the rumour mill has been running overtime on what the world's largest smartphone maker might be offering in the new handset to revive its sluggish mobile-phone business.

The image shows five phones in what appears to be a 3D render. First on the left is what looks to be a standard Galaxy S6, while the second is the phone with a Verus-branded cover, one of the top South Korean smartphone cover makers.

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Forget iPhone for Life — Sprint will give you an iPhone 6, iPad Mini 3, and unlimited plan for $100 a month

Forget iPhone for life, now you can have Apple for life, thanks to Sprint’s latest promotion. Those who want to sign up for the carrier’s iPhone leasing program can get an iPad Mini 3 thrown in for free. The entire deal — including Sprint’s Simply Unlimited talk, text, and data plan, the iPhone 6, and the iPad Mini 3 — will cost you just $100 a month.

You’ll pay just $20 a month to lease the iPhone, $50 a month for the unlimited plan, and $30 a month for 2GB of data on your new iPad Mini 3. Sprint will cut out the activation fee, down payment, and $17 a month fee for the latest iPad Mini. It may not save you a ton of money, but it’s still a decent deal. Sprint is offering just the 16GB iPad Mini 3 and the iPhone 6 in this particular promotion, which ends on April 9.

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Samsung Gear S review: can a smartwatch with a phone built-in replace a smartphone?

Samsung’s Gear S claims to be unique among smartwatches. More than simply a second screen for a smartphone, it is a full mobile phone strapped to the wrist – no need for a separate handset for an internet connection. 

It is capable of emailing, sending text messages and making phone calls but can a 2in screen on the arm really replace a smartphone? To find out I wore a Gear S for a week and attempted to leave the smartphone at home.

So how did it go? Well, it didn’t start well … the first thing you notice when breaking the Gear S out of the box is that you can’t actually use it without a smartphone. Despite having its own access to the internet, you need an Android smartphone – a Samsung one to boot – to actually set it up.

The Gear manager app configures email accounts, installs apps and customises the look and feel of the watch. It’s disappointing to have to resort to a smartphone to do this basic stuff.

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