Verizon Tops Again for Consumer Reports: Latest Tips and Rankings

by Holly Shoemaker

Last week I provided the tablet trends from the December 2012 Consumer Reports Electronics Issue. Now, I gave gathered the latest smartphone trends and rankings by carrier.

Smartphone Trends

• Screen Size and Edges – Customers will see larger screens and rounder edges for easier viewing and holding. Most of the top-rated phones have 4.3 inch screens, measuring diagonally.
• Beyond Apple and Samsung – Despite the Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III making Consumer Reports top ten electronics list, the non-profit agency says to look beyond Apple and Samsung. The other standout devices were Verizon’s Motorola Razr phone, which Consumer Reports says has, “nifty apps," and the HTC One for its intuitive interface.
• 4G – This is now considered the standard, with the exception of the iPhone 4S on Verizon and Sprint. More speed may translate into using more data so keep track of monthly payments.

Smartphone Rankings by Carrier

As Verizon did in the Consumer Reports Buying Guide 2012, the carrier still ranks first in satisfaction, followed by Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T.

For Verizon subscribers, the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx topped the list with a score of 78, followed by the Galaxy S III (32 GB) with a score of 76 and the iPhone 5 (16 GB) with a score of 75. The Motorola Droid Razr M and Razr also scored in the top five.

For Sprint users, the Galaxy S III (16 GB) ranked first with a score of 76, followed by the iPhone 5 (16 GB) with a score of 75 and the HTC EVO 4G LTE with a score of 73.

For T-Mobile subscribers, the Galaxy S III (16 GB) scores first with 78 points, followed by the HTC One S with a score of 77 and the Galaxy S II with a score of 75.

AT&T subscribers show a similar trend with manufactures for T-Mobile. The Galaxy 3 III (16 GB) ranks first with a score of 78, followed by the iPhone 5 with a score of 77 and the HTC One X with a score of 76.

Galaxy S III Finally Outsells iPhone, but iPhone 5 Likely to Rule Q4

by Holly Shoemaker

Samsung has already established itself as the leading manufacturer of smartphones for the Android market. Now, the company officially has the world’s best-selling smartphone model with its Galaxy S III, and it hit another milestone. For the first time, Samsung sold more units than Apple. 

Strategy Analytics reported that in Q3 2012, the Galaxy S III shipped 18 million units, compared to 16.2 million units for the iPhone 4S. That resulted in the Galaxy S III capturing 11 percent of the global market share.

Concluding Thoughts

While a victory for Samsung, especially since all the legal arguing with Apple, it may be short lived. The iPhone 5 will likely rule Q4 2012. Many contribute the decrease in iPhone 4S sales to customers holding out for the iPhone 5, which became available in September 2012. Apple sold five million iPhone 5 devices that first weekend. With the holidays arriving soon, it will sell even more. Even if Samsung does not win the top spot at the end of the year, it will remain the darling of the Android community as it has sold over 30 million phones to date. Plus, the Galaxy S III remains the only smartphone anyone will call the “iPhone killer.”

Researcher Claims Threat to Android Memory Cards

 by Holly Shoemaker

Apple’s app mess continues to garner attention, but security researcher Ravi Borgaonkar last week warned users about potential Android threats, noting that he informed Google of security vulnerabilities in June. He claims those using Android’s operating system risk disabling or wiping clean data such as contacts. In particular, those who open website links on a mobile app with malicious code could trigger an attack destroying memory cards in handsets made by Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson and Motorola.

The researcher also calls out the Galaxy S III. Samsung acknowledged that an issue affected early models of its flagship device, but said a software update issued in June fixed the problem. Despite that, Borgaonkar claims the fix was not publicized enough.

Outstanding Problems?

Borgaonkar claims that those using Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean remain vulnerable to attacks, and that Honeycomb, used for tablets, still needs testing to determine risk. Samsung said it will conduct an internal review to assess the threat level to other devices and encourages users to check for software updates to lessen threats by going to the “Settings: About device: Software update” menu.

Real Concern?

Security threats must contain some type of vulnerability. At this time, the risk level remains uncertain. Those who want to obtain data look for some way to profit from it. While Android by default opens its apps to more risk, always assess the potential for vulnerability before panicking.

Galaxy S IV Rumors and the Screen-Size Game Changer

by Holly Shoemaker

Last week reports surfaced that Samsung planned to release the newest version of its flagship smartphone line, the Galaxy S IV, at the Mobile World Congress in Spain. However, Samsung quickly denied the rumor on Twitter.

When the latest version debuts, the device is expected to feature a five-inch screen, keeping in line with the company’s methodology of increasing the screen size with each release. The iPhone 5 also featured a larger screen. Samsung sold more than 20 million units in the last three months, officially marking the first time the iPhone 4S was not the top selling smartphone.

While the Galaxy S IV remains a rumor, it seems unlikely that Samsung would not debut the phone at the Mobile World Congress. The company said, even before the U.S. Court ruling against Samsung that it had been working on new designs to further separate the company from Apple. Based on that, a new release makes sense as Apple has added an addendum to the other pending lawsuit, which specifically takes aim at the Galaxy S III. 

Items to Ponder

For now, in addition to the latest rumor, consumers may continue to debate the following:

• Role of Processors – Will Apple have to pay more for Samsung’s processors? That is what Samsung wants. The company claims it is the only firm that produces on-time delivery with superior pricing and performance for mobile app processors.
• Screen Size – Will screen size become the deciding factor on why to purchase a smartphone? So far, Samsung, and now Apple must think so. That strategy helped Samsung become the dominate manufacturer of Android devices.

Does Apple’s Latest Lawsuit Addendum Show iPhone Insecurity?

by Holly Shoemaker

It seems that the ongoing lawsuits in the smartphone and tablet markets will not come to an end anytime soon. Apple’s latest action against Samsung makes me think the upcoming iPhone may not be enough to stop the popularity of the Galaxy S III.

At the end of August, Apple asked the Court for a new jury trial. Apple filed an additional 21 lawsuit infringement claims, stating that Samsung repeatedly copied Apple’s designs and innovation techniques. This is not an addendum to the earlier court ruling against Samsung, which excluded the Galaxy S III, as that trial and verdict only applied to older products. The amended complaint stems from a different lawsuit filed in February. To date, Samsung's flagship device has provided the most competition to Apple’s iPhones.

Concluding Thoughts

I still maintain these monopoly efforts stifle competition and do nothing for consumers. It also reinforces the concept that ideas cannot to be improved upon, which of course is counterintuitive to how companies thrive. I am not advocating that companies have the means to pursue whatever avenues they want, but this keeps going too far. The Galaxy line of smartphones pushed the Android Market further, and the Galaxy S III excited consumers in ways Apple has done in the past. Apple should have news to celebrate next week with the upcoming release of the iPhone 5. This latest move makes me think the iPhone 5 is not as strong as Apple thinks.

Digitimes Research Shows Growing Android Market; New Players in Chinese Market

by Holly Shoemaker

Digitimes Research reported on Friday that Android smartphone shipments will continue to dominate the market.

Overview of Findings
By the end of the year, the research indicates that the Android Market should garner 70 percent of the market share. For Q 2 2012, the research compared to IDC findings. IDC reported that the Android Market held 68 percent of the global smartphone market share in Q 2012, compared to Digitimes figure of approximately 60 percent. The IDC report attributed the growth to Samsung. Despite the current U.S. ruling against Samsung, it is likely that Samsung will continue to gain consumers as the ruling does not affect the popular Galaxy S
III.

Nokia should finally garner some attention with its Lumia phones.  The research shows that shipments of Windows Phones should double from last year to 21 million units.

Digitimes expects Apple shipments to surpass 125 million units. However, the growth is expected to be lower than the previous two years.

The Continuing China Factor

China continues to factor into the growing Android Market. Another Digitimes Research study estimated that China handset shipments will make up 430 million units in 2012. Smartphones should account for approximately 32 percent of the Chinese market, which is equivalent to 143 million handsets. There is also a growing number of entry-level handsets expected to debut in the China market.