As expected, Flipboard for Android has been pulled off of the Samsung Galaxy S III and is now available for all to download. The popular social news magazine app was going to be an exclusive on Samsung’s flagship smartphone for an unspecified amount of time, however an XDA-Developers forum member was able to extract the APK file from the unreleased device. The app runs perfectly on the Galaxy Nexus, and reportedly works on older devices like the original Galaxy S and various Android tablets as well. Flipboard for Android can be downloaded by following the link below.

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The latest rumors out of the Far East indicate that Apple’s next-generation iPhone will launch in the fall, as will a new 10-inch iPad. Apple supplier Pegatron Technology has reportedly landed orders for the Cupertino-based company’s latest handset and according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers, the device is slated for a September launch, Digitimes reported. The publication also claims Pegatron has received orders for a new 10-inch iPad to be released in the fourth quarter of 2012. John Gruber of Daring Fireball has previously called the fourth quarter iPad report “completely made-up nonsense,” however. Pegatron currently manufacturers both the iPhone 4S and the new iPad, but Digitimes claims the long rumored 7-inch iPad, which will supposedly be released in August, will be manufactured by Foxconn.

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During Samsung’s announcement of its flagship Galaxy S III smartphone, the manufacturer did not reveal which U.S. carriers would offer the device. According to The Verge’s anonymous sources, however, Sprint will launch the highly anticipated handset later this year. The nation’s third-largest carrier has previously offered a variant of the Galaxy S, Galaxy S II, Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus smartphones. While details surrounding a Sprint-specific model are unavailable at this time, the device will most likely run on the carrier’s upcoming 4G LTE network.

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The newly announced Samsung Galaxy S III will include an exclusive version of Flipboard, the popular social news magazine app that is currently available only on iOS. The South Korean vendor stated that it has an exclusive on the app for an unspecified amount of time, and it will not arrive in the Google Play marketplace until later this year, according to SlashGear. The app is similar to the version found on the iPhone, and features a gesture based interface that allows users to log in via social networks to have links aggregated to the app. Unlike the iOS app, the Android version has the ability to add a Flipboard widget to a handset’s home screen.

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Samsung’s smartphone-tablet hybrid, the Galaxy Note, is currently available exclusively on AT&T in the United States. According to leaked images published by TmoNews, however, the supersized handset will soon be making its way onto T-Mobile. Subscribers on the nation’s fourth-largest carrier were previously limited to software hacks in order to grant the popular “phablet” access to T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network. The leaked images suggest that the device is running Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich and contains the usual preloaded T-Mobile apps — Name ID, Mall, TV and My T-Mobile. No details regarding a launch time frame were made available.

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The HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE has been outed on Verizon’s “Droid Does” website. The new Incredible is equipped with a 4-inch qHD Super LCD display, a dual-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a microSD slot and an 8-megapixel rear camera — possibly the same one found on HTC’s One-series smartphones. The handset also runs HTC’s latest Sense 4.0 skin atop Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. In line with Verizon’s other 4G LTE smartphones, the latest Incredible will seemingly be offered for $299.99 alongside a new two-year agreement. The DROID Incredible 4G LTE has since been removed from Verizon’s site and there is no word from Verizon regarding a release date.

[Via AndroidCentral]

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Samsung recently launched a teaser website, “tgeltaayehxnx.com,” that contained a twenty-four hour countdown. When the clock hit zero Monday morning, the website redirected users to thenextgalaxy.com. Samsung teases its next-generation Galaxy device with an embedded video, and says a “whole new world will soon be unpacked.” In the final frame, the video promises that the new Galaxy device will allow users to “stand out from everyone else,” as hundreds of sheep stand in a field — a clear dig at iPhone users, who are sometimes referred to as “iSheep.” Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S III smartphone, possibly alongside a new Galaxy Tab tablet and cloud service, on May 3rd. The teaser video can be found after the break.

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Verizon Wireless chief financial officer Fran Shammo said the company is looking to market a third mobile platform to help develop a strong competitor to Apple and Google. That operating system will be Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Phone 8. “We’re really looking at the Windows Phone 8.0 platform because that’s a differentiator. We’re working with Microsoft on it,” Shammo said in an interview with Reuters following the company’s earnings call on Thursday. The carrier expects to have Windows Phone 8-powered handsets in time for the 2012 holiday shopping season. The executive suggested that Verizon could play a similar role in helping Microsoft’s platform to grow as it did with Google’s Android OS.

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The United States Patent and Trademark Office recently published details on a Microsoft patent relating to a two-sided smart device display system for phones and tablets, PatentBolt reported on Friday. The invention features an integrated second low-power, possibly E Ink, display on the back side of a smartphone or tablet that would contain certain types of information. The secondary display could provide vendors with an opportunity to move standard items like a clock off of the main display to free up space, or it could display a variety of other information that might otherwise not be shown. The second display would use its own low-powered processor and may reduce the power load from a device’s primary display. The patent appears to be similar in intent to Samsung’s “smart-device-skins” invention — a technology that may allow users to change the appearance of a handset using chameleon-like technology — and it could be used to display images or animations on the back side of a device.

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Despite Samsung and Apple’s chief executives scheduled settlement talks, the Korean manufacturer has asserted eight additional patents against the Cupertino-based company. Two of the patents are part of the fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory licenses (FRAND) because they are essential to ETSI standards, according to FOSS Patents. Five of the patents, including the two FRAND patents, were originally applied for and granted to Samsung, while three others were acquired from different owners. The two battling companies have been in a bitter patent war since last April that includes dozens of complaints across 10 countries. A trial regarding the eight new Samsung patents is scheduled for July in the United States.

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While Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform may not be as big as Apple and Google’s offerings, it is still possible for app developers to find success on the emerging operating system. A year ago, FourBros Studio launched a free game called Taptitude on the Windows Phone Marketplace. The game, as of today, has earned the company over $100,000 in revenue and boasts more than 300,000 users, Business Insider reported on Thursday. Interestingly enough, the company’s revenue has spiked since the launch of Nokia’s Windows Phones. FourBros Studio uses Microsoft’s pubCenter, along with a service called AdDuplex, to sell advertisements on Taptitude, which is now making roughly $1,000 a day and averaging over 1 million daily impressions. The success of FourBros Studio could encourage more developers to join the Windows Phone platform, which has struggled to gain market share since launching more than a year ago.

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Not long ago, HTC posted six consecutive months of record revenue thanks to strong demand for its Android-powered smartphones. The company’s record run came to a screeching halt in October last year with the release of Apple’s iPhone 4S. HTC’s fourth quarter earnings fell, missing Wall Street’s expectations, and the rough patch continued in the first quarter of 2012. To compound matters, the latest study conducted by ad network Chitika shows that the troubled handset maker’s usage share has declined by more than 60% in the past five months from 18.22% to 7.28% based on traffic across its network. At the same time, Apple’s share has increased by 64% from 46.84% to 76.88% and other Android vendors such as Samsung and Huawei have recorded continued modest growth. HTC is betting big on its flagship One X smartphone, and it hopes the handset, along with the rest of its One-series phones, will help the company rebound.

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Huawei on Wednesday announced global availability of its flagship Ascend P1 smartphone. The Android 4.0-powered handset will be available in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Australia by May, in Latin America by June and in Europe for the summer, with availability in other markets to follow. “The global availability of the Ascend P1, which combines smart features and a sexy design, represents a significant milestone for Huawei Device,” said Richard Yu, Chairman of Huawei. “We are sending strong signals of our intention to transform into a consumer-facing brand and extend our market leadership globally by strengthening our range of flagship products. We are also expanding our sales and distribution channels to move beyond a focus on operators.” The Ascend P1 is equipped with a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display, a dual-core TI OMAP 4460 processor clocked at 1.5GHz and an 8-megapixel rear camera. Read on for Huawei’s press release.

Huawei Announces Global Availability of the Ascend P1 – its Flagship Dual-Core Smartphone

Beijing, China, April 18, 2012: Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, today announced that the Huawei Ascend P1 will be available in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Australia through operators and retailers by May 2012, in Latin America from June 2012 and in Europe from summer, with availability in other markets to follow.

“The global availability of the Ascend P1, which combines smart features and a sexy design, represents a significant milestone for Huawei Device. We are sending strong signals of our intention to transform into a consumer-facing brand and extend our market leadership globally by strengthening our range of flagship products. We are also expanding our sales and distribution channels to move beyond a focus on operators,” said Richard Yu, Chairman of Huawei Device.

The Ascend P1 is beauty meets brains – proof that technology and good looks can go hand-in-hand. It features a dual-core 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4460 Cortext-A9 processor and measures 7.69mm thin and 64.8 mm long, providing a very comfortable grip. With a 4.3-inch super AMOLED 960 x 540 touch screen with Corning® Gorilla® Glass, an 8-megapixel BSI rear-facing camera and Dolby Mobile 3.0 + 5.1 surround sound technology, the Ascend P1 provides a home theatre experience in the palm of your hands.

T-Mobile on Wednesday announced availability details for the HTC One S smartphone. The handset will be the carrier’s first device powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and the first to run Sense 4 as well. HTC unveiled the One S a few months back at the annual Mobile World Congress trade show. The sleek device features a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display, a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5GHz, 16GB of internal storage plus 25GB of free cloud-based Dropbox storage for two years, an 8-megapixel rear camera and HSPA+ 42Mbps connectivity. It’s all packed within a unibody aluminum case that measures only 7.95 millimeters thick, making it T-Mobile’s slimmest smartphone to date. The HTC One S will be available on April 25th for $199.99 with a new two-year agreement. Read on for T-Mobile’s press release, and be sure to check out our full review of T-Mobile’s HTC One S.

BELLEVUE, Wash. — April 18, 2012 — Today, T-Mobile USA, Inc. and HTC Corp. announced the highly anticipated HTC One™ S will be available at T-Mobile® stores nationwide on April 25. As HTC’s premier launch partner in the U.S., T-Mobile will be the first to offer the ultra-sleek HTC One S, which is the company’s first device to ship with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and HTC Sense™ 4.

The latest smartphone from T-Mobile to take advantage of 4G (HSPA+ 42) technology on America’s Largest 4G Network,™ the HTC One S provides T-Mobile customers with an amazing camera and authentic sound technology, plus a diverse selection of apps and services that give customers amazing 4G experiences.

With the HTC One S, customers will find a fantastic music experience that works seamlessly on T-Mobile’s 4G network. Customers can listen to their music libraries — up to 20,000 songs — straight from the cloud and purchase new music on the go with Google Play. Virtually all audio experiences sound better on the HTC One S thanks to its built-in Beats Audio™ technology, which provides a richer and more authentic sound experience whether consumers are watching movies, listening to music or playing games.

Featuring an 8-megapixel back-side illuminated camera and HTC ImageSense,™ which provides a variety of enhancements to the camera’s lens, sensor and software, the HTC One S is always ready to capture pictures in the blink of an eye. Consumers have immediate access to their cameras from their home screens and a super-fast auto focus with continuous shooting to take continuous photos at 4 frames per second simply by holding the shutter button. In addition, the smartphone enables high-quality video recording with a full high-definition (HD) 1080p camcorder and the ability to concurrently capture HD video and still images at the same time. With access to 25 GB of free cloud storage from DropBox, HTC One S customers also can bring their photos, documents and videos virtually anywhere they go and upload new content to the cloud via T-Mobile’s network or Wi-Fi. HTC One S also gives customers a new way to share their content through use of HTC’s wireless Media Link HD accessory.* The small accessory allows easy sharing of any content on the phone with any TV that supports HDMI.

Also included with the HTC One S are applications that deliver added value, utility and fun.
T-Mobile TV makes it possible to enjoy free or premium live and on-demand programs, from the hottest TV shows to kids’ programs. With the Amazon Mobile application, T-Mobile customers can search and buy millions of products directly from their device and receive special offers on select merchandise. Also highlighted is a T-Mobile-exclusive version of the popular “Where’s My Water?” game from Disney Mobile, with ten levels that can’t be played anywhere else.

The ultra-sleek and modern HTC One S will be available in gradient blue and is T-Mobile’s thinnest smartphone (7.95mm). In addition to featuring a beautiful 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED screen, the HTC One S is equipped with a 1.5GHz, dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor by Qualcomm® and access to T-Mobile’s fastest 4G (HSPA+ 42) speeds, making the HTC One S a powerful device ideal for customers seeking a fantastic mobile experience.

Availability
The HTC One S will be available on April 25 at T-Mobile retail stores, select dealers, national retailers and online at http://www.t-mobile.com for $199.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate card with qualifying two-year agreement. For more information, visit http://www.t-mobile.com/one or http://www.htc.com/us/products/htcones-tmobile.

As sales of smartphones and tablets reach all time heights, consumers in the United States are streaming more movies, downloading more apps and viewing more websites on their wireless devices. According to a recent report from the CTIA, annual wireless data traffic in the U.S. grew 123% from 388 billion megabytes in 2010 to 866.7 billion megabytes in 2011. The survey also found that the number of active smartphones in the U.S. increased by 43% to 111.5 million units in 2011 compared with 78.2 million in 2010. “As the President, bipartisan members of Congress, FCC Chairman and Commissioners and other policymakers have repeatedly advocated, the U.S. wireless industry must have access to more spectrum so we can continue to improve our nation’s economy and meet our consumers’ demands,” Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA, said in a statement. In order to handle the massive demand for wireless data, U.S. mobile carriers are continuing to invest in their networks through 4G upgrades and increased coverage and capacity with more cell sites. Read on for CTIA’s press release.

CTIA-The Wireless Association® Semi-Annual Survey Shows Significant Demand by Americans for Wireless Broadband

Americans used more than 123 percent more wireless data traffic in 2011 than 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The amount of wireless data transmitted by Americans continues to increase at an impressive rate, as the CTIA-The Wireless Association® semi-annual survey revealed, which was released today. The annual U.S. wireless data traffic grew 123 percent from 2010 (388 billion megabytes) to 2011 (866.7 billion megabytes). According to the survey, there was a 43 percent increase in the number of active smartphones and wireless-enabled PDAs in 2011 (111.5 million) compared with 2010 (78.2 million). With almost 95 percent of these devices capable of transmitting wireless data, Americans’ voracious appetite for anywhere and anytime mobile access is why the wireless industry needs more spectrum.

To put the wireless data traffic of 2010 compared with 2011 into perspective, if you were walking and listening to five songs per mile and each song lasted for four minutes:

In 2010, you would walk 77,601,961,033 miles, or the equivalent of 3,116,419 times around the world for 2,952,890 years and listen to 97 billion songs.

In 2011, you would walk 173,364,056,929 miles, or the equivalent of 6,962,132 times around the world for 6,596,806 years and listen to 216.7 billion songs.

In order to handle Americans’ demand for wireless data, mobile providers continued to make significant investments in their infrastructure, from upgrading networks from 3G to 4G to increasing the number of cell sites to improve coverage and capacity. In 2011, they reported $25.3 billion in capital expenditures, which was up 2 percent from 2010. Since 2001, wireless providers invested $246 billion in capital expenditures, so they can meet consumers’ demands for wireless access anytime and anywhere. This number does not include the billions that wireless companies paid the U.S. government to license spectrum. Also important to meeting demand was the 2009 FCC shot clock ruling that required local governments to make decisions on tower siting proposals within specific timeframes. 2011 was the largest annual increase of operational cell sites with 283,385 at year-end, which was 30,299 more than 2010.

The 12-month survey results for 2011 are:

Wireless subscriber connections: 331.6 million (104.6 percent penetration); Dec. 2010: 311 million (7 percent increase).

Wireless network data traffic: 866.7 billion megabytes; Dec. 2010: 388 billion megabytes (123 percent increase).

Active smartphones and wireless-enabled PDAs: 111.5 million; Dec. 2010: 78.2 million (43 percent increase).

Number of active data-capable devices: 295.1 million; Dec. 2010: 270.5 million (9 percent increase).

Wireless-enabled tablets, laptops and modems: 20.2 million; Dec. 2010: 13.6 million (49 percent increase).

Minutes of Use (MOU): 2.296 trillion; Dec. 2010: 2.241 trillion (2 percent increase)

SMS sent and received: 2.304 trillion; Dec. 2010: 2.052 trillion (12 percent increase).

MMS sent and received: 52.8 billion; Dec. 2010: 56.6 billion.

Average local monthly wireless bill (includes voice and data service): $47.00; Dec. 2010: $47.21.

“Americans’ love for mobile products and services continue to grow. Our survey shows yet again that we are choosing to have more than one wireless device, including smartphones, tablets and e-readers, which is why the wireless penetration rate is almost 105 percent. Yet as the President, bipartisan members of Congress, FCC Chairman and Commissioners and other policymakers have repeatedly advocated, the U.S. wireless industry must have access to more spectrum so we can continue to improve our nation’s economy and meet our consumers’ demands. While the spectrum identified in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation was a great start, there is much more work to be done,” said Steve Largent, President and CEO of CTIA. “We look forward to working with all of the interested parties to quickly bring more spectrum to auction so our members may purchase it, continue to invest and create jobs and ensure wireless U.S. consumers remain enjoying the world’s best wireless products and services.”