Samsung Galaxy S4 reportedly set to launch in April

The successor to Samsung Electronics’ blockbuster Galaxy S3 could launch in April.

That’s according to Samsung news Web site SamMobile, which pegs the phone’s launch on April 15.

The Galaxy S franchise has emerged as a true competitor to the iPhone, and garners as much hype and anticipation as Apple’s marquee smartphone. While early iterations of the Galaxy S phone faced a slow start, the Galaxy S3 catapulted out of the gate as a smash hit, and has held up remarkably well even as other competitive phones have faded. The phone has helped propel Samsung into the top spot among handset vendors.

The Galaxy S4 — which ultimately might be branded Galaxy S IV — will feature wireless charging as a key feature. But unlike other smartphones such as the Nokia Lumia 920 or Droid DNA, the service won’t be built-in. Users will have to buy a kit with a wireless charging station and replacement cover, according to the report.

The next Galaxy S phone will also reportedly feature a larger 2,600 mAh battery, compared with the Galaxy S3’s 2,100 mAh battery.

With a launch date in April, SamMobile said Samsung could hold its own event in March, or possibly unveil the smartphone at Mobile World Congress, which begins in late February. The Galaxy S3 was unveiled at a Samsung event in May last year.

Even if the April 15 launch date holds true, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Galaxy S4 will make its way to the U.S. at that time. As with the Galaxy S III, the phone may launch at different times depending on when the U.S. carriers want to release the phone, which could vary from days to weeks.
Samsung declined to comment on the report, noting that it wouldn’t comment on rumors.

Mozilla Unveils Firefox OS Smartphones – A Threat To Android?

Bangalore: Mozilla made a major foray into the Smartphone segment with the launch of first devices to run Mozilla’s HTML 5-based Firefox OS,”Keon” and the “Peak”, reports ZDNet.

These two Smartphones, rather than currying up for retailers, are aimed at developers who want to try this new platform for developing and testing apps. The retail versions will be made available in February.

“Developer preview phones will help make the mobile web more accessible to more people. Developers are critical to the web, and to Mozilla’s mission to make the web accessible to everyone,” Stormy Peters, director of developer engagement at Mozilla, said in a blog post on Tuesday. “Now we are working on bringing the power of the web to mobile through Firefox OS, along with all the power of open standards and an open community, and once again, we’d like to invite web developers to join us.”

The Two preview phones are developed by GeeksPhone in partnership with the Spanish carrier Telefonica.

Of two, the lower specced Keon will come with Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 1GHz processor, 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen display, 3MP camera, and 4GB of internal storage,  microSD support, Wi-Fi (N), and GPS, but has no secondary camera.

The Peak is slightly higher specced—dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 4.3-inch qHD display, 8 MP primary and 2MP secondary camera, 4GB of internal storage and higher capacity battery.

“If you’re a developer interested in web technologies and mobile, now is the time to try out Firefox OS,” Peters said. And she added that the new OS is aimed at “keep the Web open” and “help make sure the power of the web is available to everyone — even on mobile devices.”

The offering from the Mozilla is an open source mobile OS, about which Peters said “you’re not locked in to a vendor-controlled ecosystem. You can distribute your app through the Firefox Marketplace, your own website, or any other store based on Mozilla’s open app store technology.”

This non-profit group’s OS project names as Boot to Gecko will go after Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS, to offer Smartphones that are less expensive than an iPhone while offering similar experiences to those running on other platforms.

On January 26, Mozilla will be hosting a set of “hack days” to give developers around the world the chance to “learn, hack, share, and celebrate Firefox OS”, Peters said.