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Sprint T-Mobile Joint Bid for Low-spectrum Frequencies Prevented by FCC

Any gadget enthusiast is inherently tied to the wireless internet providers. Until we manage to build hand held devices with the capacity to globally interconnect on their own, we depend on AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and the like. How they organize to provide Internet connections and how the FCC regulates are intricate stories. Right now, the focus is on a potential Sprint T-Mobile joint bid for FCC’s next year’s auction.

While AT&T and Verizon are the largest telecom companies in the U.S., Sprint and T-Mobile come the third and fourth. To cover such a large national space, carriers need large amounts of funding. Sprint and T-Mobile were allegedly discussing a potential merger, arguing that with their forces combined, they could offer better services and wider coverage. To do so, Sprint and T-Mobile hoped to gain a massive advantage in the near future.

The FCC announced that in 2015 it will hold an auction for low spectrum frequencies. These frequencies are crucial for mobile operators wanting to offer faster internet data speeds. Sprint and T-Mobile wanted to prepare a common bid for the auction and prove to the regulators they have serious intentions about the merger.

Sprint T-Mobile joint bid is not going to happen

For FCC, the idea of a merger between two national mobile carriers would be a painfully complicated operation from a bureaucratic point of view. Or it would have been, because the merger does not stand a chance to gain approval. The commission’s telecom bureau chef made an announcement on Friday that dismisses the idea of a merger between the two operators.

“Our goal is to promote the participation of as many parties as possible in the auction. If two of the largest companies are able to bid as one combined entity in the auction, their combined resources may have the effect of suppressing meaningful competition,” Roger C. Sherman, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Chief stated in a blog post. “Therefore, the item tentatively concludes that joint bidding arrangements between nationwide providers should not be allowed.”

Although not stating specifically, Sherman clearly refers to the potential Sprint Sprint T-Mobile joint bid. Maybe Sprint will be disappointed, but T-Mobile is doing quite well. Iliad, a relatively young French telecom company, announced last week an interest in acquiring T-Mobile. Without competition from Sprint, Iliad might now stand a real chance to enter the acquisition process.

French Telecom Company Iliad Offers to Buy T-Mobil

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The U.S. telecom market is dominated by a couple of really big players. It is hard to imagine it otherwise, as long as developing a national infrastructure requires important resources. Sprint wants to increase its power in the U.S. market and discussions about a T-Mobile acquisition spread earlier this year. Just a couple of weeks ago, FCC announced an auction for low-spectrum frequencies in 2015. Sprint and T-Mobile were allegedly talking about making a common bid. French telecom company Iliad might get in the way. The Sprint – T-Mobile merger had advantages which seemed two-folded. On one side the companies would definitely profit from increased coverage. Secondly, the FCC needs plenty of time to analyze the procedures, so the sooner the announcement is made, the better.

But another company announced an interest in T-Mobile. Iliad is a French telecommunication company founded in 1999. The company offered today $15 billion to purchase over half of T-Mobile. By paying $33 per share, Iliad wants to buy 56.6 percent of the American company. The rest of T-Mobile’s shares are valued at $40.5 to the benefit of U.S. shareholders, according to Reuters.

French telecom company Iliad wants to benefit from a one-time opportunity

French telecom company Iliad wants to enter the largest telecom market and buying T-Mobile is a one-time opportunity for the French company. Iliad sees a connection between the two telecom players, with both having similar histories. “The US mobile market is large and attractive,” Iliad said in a press release. “T-Mobile US has successfully established a disruptive position, which in many ways, is similar to the one Iliad has built in France.” Iliad seems quite confident that the transaction will be successful.

Usually the telecom national markets contain just a couple of players. When mergers or acquisitions take place, regulators must analyze the process to prevent antitrust issues. But as long as Iliad is not present on the U.S. market, this important lengthy step will be surpassed and the acquisition process will be completed sooner.

Probably T-Mobile’s owners could not be happier now that they are courted by two important telecom companies. Deutsche Telekom now owns 67 percent of T-Mobile and is willing to exit the U.S. market before a lockup expires in November. If Sprint and T-Mobile merge, they will be able to become competitive with AT&T and Verizon. But If French telecom company Iliad buys T-Mobile, the market will remain scattered. Will consumers benefit more if Iliad, instead of Sprint, will buy T-mobile?

Bleep Secure Instant Messaging App Released by BitTorrent

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The online world is more and more concerned about privacy. Blackberry succeeded in constructing a business oriented toward providing secure mobile communications. This week, Blackberry bought Secusmart, the German company specialized on securing telecommunications. Together, they will serve governments, as well as corporations. Now BitTorrent released Bleep secure instant messaging app.

The problem with most of today’s encryption systems is that a server collects meta-data about your activity. Even if the connection is secure, if somebody accesses the server, information revealing your identity is available.

Bleep secure instant messaging app will satisfy privacy lovers

This is why BitTorrent decided to use its experience in anonymous data transfer in order to build a chat app which is going to be as secure as possible. Bleep, BitTorrent’s instant messaging app, will only be available on Windows platforms so far. As this is a pre-alpha version, there is nothing to worry about if you use another OS like Linux or iMac. After the bugs are eliminated, BitTorrent plans to adapt the messaging app to other software platforms as well.

The main problem in assuring privacy is the centralized infrastructure. BitTorrent’s descentralized infrastructure will solve the encryption problem. Bleep instant messaging app will use a public key to identify you and establish a connection with your interlocutor. No other data will be stored in servers, so no more worries. “Why Bleep, you might ask? Well, basically, we never see your messages or metadata. As far as we’re concerned, anything you say is “bleep” to us,” declared Jaehee Lee, Senior Product Manager at BitTorrent, in a blog post.

For the moment, Bleep secure instant messaging app only allows live communication. Probably at a later time an offline functionality will be added. BitTorrent offers us a couple of reason why Bleep instant messaging app will be useful. As if we did not have enough. Bleep can be used in private communications with friends, by journalists seeking to protect their sources, diplomatic conversations and business communications seeking to avoid industrial espionage.

Right now the company is not interested in making money from the Bleep secure instant messaging app. When the moment comes, they will analyze monetization opportunities, a representative declared.

As we said, BitTorrent welcomes pre-alpha testers. You can import your Google address book and invite your eager friends as well, so you can test together Bleep secure instant messaging app.

Sprint Resells Google Apps and Offers Tech Support

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The mobile carrier decided to team up with Google to sell its apps to mid-size businesses. The cloud-based applications like Gmail, Google Drive and Google Docs will be available soon through Sprint. Why would mid-size business want to buy services from Sprint instead of Google? Besides the fact that Sprint resells Google Apps, it will offer 24/7 end-user call support.

The whole package offered by Sprint is designed to provide full support for businesses. Verizon already offers similar offers to customers, so Sprint is trying to catch up with the largest mobile carrier in the U.S. Speaking of competition, while Verizon just started the Smart Rewards program, Sprint and T-Mobile will probably merge forces to serve a larger customer base.

Sprint presents three advantages for the new mobile centric business offer. First, besides non stop support, the company will provide on-line training at no extra charge. Boost eLearning is a platform containing more than 400 apps for training and learning. Another advantage is the fact that clients have access to complete solutions for productivity. Sprint brags about its classical mobile telephony services, as an advantage of the new offer to mid-sized businesses. The carrier plans to introduce HD voice capabilities soon.

Sprint resells Google Apps along with numerous mobile centric business services

To have easier deployment, Google apps will be preloaded. But Sprint will not extra charge clients for any of the products made by Google. For example, $10 will give an employee unlimited access to cloud storage, along with the usual Google Apps. Sprint will gain two advantages out of this package. Probably the most appealing is the attraction of new clients interested in the whole package. Potential clients need to know that they do not necessarily have to be Sprint clients to have access to Sprint’s Google apps and services.

Sprint resells Google Apps at the same price, but it will also make money by charging for various services like consultation for mobile deployment strategies and creation of single sign-on capabilities.

In the press release, Sprint brings the argument of Mike Sapien, principal analyst at Ovum. “There is a growing need for solutions built around mobile collaboration that is both well integrated and reliable. The role that Sprint will serve as a major mobility provider with integrated Google Apps represents a very significant step towards helping businesses meet that need.”.

Sprint T-Mobile Merger Before FCC Spectrum Auction

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The four major mobile carriers, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile, will have the opportunity to enlarge their wireless frequency ranges due to an auction organized by the FCC. According to FCC, in 2014 the frequency spectrum lacks 275 MHz, thus proper wireless services are not fully implemented. In 2015 the FCC will auction LTE frequencies and the carriers are eager to capture larger shares of it. A Sprint T-Mobile merger will complicate the affairs, but the result might be very beneficial to consumers. Half of Americans are addicted to smartphones, so without proper coverage, they will end up frustrated.

Sprint and T-Mobile already talk about a merger. Until the FCC and Department of justice approve the operation and the financial details are fully established, the two carriers think about joining forces in a common bid during the next year auction. The auction is highly important because it offers the mobile carriers access to low-band 600 MHz frequencies. This frequency has important characteristics for coverage improvement. Besides the fact that they can reach wider areas, they can penetrate walls easier, according to BusinessWeek.com.

Sprint T-Mobile merger preceded by common bid for low-spectrum frequencies

Masayoshi Son, the CEO of SoftBank, the company owning Sprint, tries to convince regulators that the merger is as serious as possible and it will benefit consumers. Sources say, according to Businessweek.com, that in August the two companies will announce the merger. Sprint will allegedly pay $32 billion for T-Mobile. However, the regulators will need around one year to analyze the case.

Now Sprint has to obtain the necessary funding to cover both deals, to acquire T-Mobile and to buy new frequencies at the next year FCC auction. As a total of $40 billion is needed, both Sprint and SoftBank are negotiating the issues with banks.

The Sprint and T-Mobile, the third and fourth biggest players in the mobile market have only 10 and 4.5 percent of the low-band spectrum, while At&T and Verizon have more than 30 percent each. Low-band spectrum will be needed to expand coverage in rural areas and small towns.

FCC has not established the auction details yet. The regulator is open to adapt the conditions to any changes in the market. If the Sprint T-Mobile merger happens, Sprint will own licenses for more frequencies than allowed by FCC, transforming the whole acquisition into a bureaucratic nightmare.

HTC M8 to be available on four major carriers in Q1 2014

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We have had quite a few rumors on the HTC M8 in the past week, pointing to some truth on the notion HTC will announce their new flagship smartphone early this year and it will come with the same design as the HTC One and possibly the same name.

According to a new report, the HTC M8 will land on all four major carriers in the US following its announcement at one of the big events early in 2014. This is a big deal for HTC, who have struggled previously to grab the support of all carriers.

The HTC One did manage to grab all support but Verizon Wireless took a few months to actually pick up the smartphone. The idea is that with the HTC M8 we will see all four carriers announce availability straight after the release of the smartphone.

Availability is not the only problem for HTC, last year the HTC One was out of stock in most places for a good two months. Problems with the Ultrapixel camera made the HTC One unavailable for a time in the US and may have lost HTC a huge amount of potential sales.

The HTC M8 may be a fix to all the problems HTC had in the short term, from the brief overview we got of the new specs, it looks like a slightly upgraded version of the HTC One, nothing that should push the availability or stock out of the water, at least in the short term.

Specs include the Snapdragon 800 chip, 3GB of RAM, 16/32GB of internal storage, an updated Ultrapixel camera and 2560 x 1600 5-inch display. The last part is really exciting and HTC will not be the only ones offering a new high-res display, with the Galaxy S5 and Xperia Z2 expected to up-the-ante for MWC.

Sprint Moto X Launch Will Include Lifetime Unlimited Guarantee

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Sprint has announced a surprise offer that will be part of its Moto X package, Lifetime Unlimited Guarantee. This refers to unlimited talk, data and message plans to be availed of from Sprint. Subscribers will therefore have to pick from the two unlimited plans: Unlimited My Way, which will cost subscribers $80 a month and My All In Plan, that costs $110 a month.

This apart, Sprint’s Moto X offering will also differ from other carriers in that the carrier will only be offering the entry level 16 GB version of the device. The device will be priced $199 which includes agreeing to a two year contract.

Further, the Sprint Moto X will be available in only two shades of white and black, which is unlike the AT&T Moto X variant which will be coming with Moto Maker customization option. This can be considered a strange decision on part of Sprint considering customization was being promoted as one of the key USP’s of the smartphone in its bit to differentiate from the plethora of smartphones now swamping the market. Verizon though has stated they will be offering the customizable options from the latter half of the year.

Meanwhile, another unique quality of the Moto X device on offer from Sprint is that the device will come with unlockable bootloader. The same though is also applicable to the Moto X on offer from Sprint, US Cellular, Rogers and T-Mobile.

Nokia Lumia 1020 on Sale at AT&T – Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint users have to Wait

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The US based carrier AT&T has started selling the latest flagship device from Nokia, the Lumia 1020. However the Windows Phone 8 based smartphone is restricted to sale via the net only and if that is not enough, the device so far is exclusive to AT&T. The Finnish company has been following the practice of having a version of its flagship device for each of the carriers in the US. Whether such a strategy makes for a great business idea is a matter of debate though as things stands right now, Nokia has only one version of its Lumia 1020 on offer and one has to be either an AT&T subscriber to pick up the device or buy it unlocked at a higher price.

Those who are already subscribers to other carriers such as Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint will have to wait till Nokia comes out with their respective versions of the Lumia 1020. That Nokia is loosing out on quite a huge market unless it has a version of the 1020 for the other carriers is all too evident.

Also, while still on the price, the Lumia 1020 is definitely not cheap, even with the carrier subsidy in place. The device comes for $299.99 after signing up for a two year contract. For those who’d like to be hooked on to the carrier for only one year should be prepared to shell out a higher amount of $549. 99. Or if you prefer to remain free of any carrier obligations, well there is a price to be paid and that stands at a cool $659.99. Needless to mention, the flagship Lumia is definitely priced at a premium considering most of the best selling Android devices can be picked up for less than $100 in the US after carrier subsidy.

Meanwhile, AT&T also has a slightly more sugar coated pricing scheme for the Lumia 1020. As per the new plan termed AT&T Next, the price of the 1020 will come down to just 33 dollars to be paid for one year and eight months. Those opting for the AT&T Next plan though will have to be wary of the fact that they will have to pay the remaining sum if they choose to walk out of the plan at any time. But the good news about AT&T Next is that after a period of one year, customers can exchange the device for a newer model.

Meanwhile, the device is available in various attractive shades of white, black, and yellow and that too with no shipping charges. The device comes with a 4.5 inch display having a resolution of 1280 x 786 pixels. There is a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top to ensure better survivability. Powered by a 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chip, the smartphone also boasts of an internal storage of 32 GB along with a RAM of 2 GB. However, saving the best for the last, the biggest attraction of the Lumia 1020 is its primary back facing camera that comes with a 41 mp sensor complete with a flash as well as the full suite of software to ensure one get to have the best quality images with the device.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Vs Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini – Carriers, Release Date, Design, Display Price

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Samsung seems to be following a similar path with its Galaxy S4 as it did with its Galaxy S3. Samsung Galaxy S3 was released in May, 2012 and topped the smartphone sales chart last year. A few months post launch of Samsung Galaxy S3, a smaller version of it was released, the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini.

The latter was much more affordable, smaller and possessed fewer specs. Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S4 in March. However, due to its increased demand after spectacular performance of its predecessor, the beast observed a delay with its release in the U.S. It was supposed to release in the first half of April, but had to compensate with its increasing demand and pre-order rates and thus, was launched late in April.

Galaxy S4 Mini Carriers – AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, U.S. Cellular

AT&T launched it at stores and online on 27^th April and Sprint followed the same, T-Mobile released it online on 29^th April and in stores on 8^th and 15^th May. US Cellular released it online first and then in stores on 30^th April, whereas Verizon was the last to make it available at stores on 30^th May. Samsung did not make any official announcement at the launch ceremony of Samsung Galaxy S4 on its smaller version, the S4 mini, but considering Samsung’s approach with Galaxy S3, rumors surrounding the S4 Mini have already hit the tech-forums. Here, we are going to take a look at some of the fantastic features of the already-launched Samsung Galaxy S4 and compare it with those of the rumored-to-release Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.

Release Date

The Samsung Galaxy S4 was released in April and the S4 Mini is rumored to make its release later this summer, between 15^th to 21^st July. Obviously the tinnier version will be similar to its larger flagship, but possess fewer specs and would be priced less. However, Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini managed to impress consumers last year just like its larger flagship device, Galaxy S3 did. So, it’s worth organizing a competition between Samsung Galaxy S4 and the S4 Mini this year.

Outlook and Design

Samsung Galaxy S4 is quite similar in its design with its predecessor. However, Samsung has twisted some of its external specs in order to make it more attractive and eye-catching than its antecedent. A metal-like band wraps the S4, which enhances its outlook. The Galaxy S4 is slimmer and lighter than its predecessor weighing only 4.59 oz. Samsung Galaxy S4 inherits the typical home button from S3 for faster navigation and its top middle portion features a speaker grille. Obviously, the Galaxy S4 Mini will be smaller than its larger flagship. However, it is predicted that the eye-catching metal-like coat will not be present in the tinnier version and the Mini will also feature a pushback and menu button.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy S4 features a capacitive touchscreen Super AMOLED, 16 M colors display and the S4 Mini will possess a similar sort of display. Galaxy S4 comes with a 5.0 inches display (1080*1920 pixels) with a pixel density of 441 ppi. The S4 Mini is rumored to possess a 4.3 inches display (540*960 pixels) with a pixel density of 256 ppi. As other Samsung smartphones of the Galaxy series, both S4 and S4 Mini will be powered by multitouch capacity. The Galaxy S4 is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, whereas the protection factor in S4 Mini is still unconfirmed.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy S4 possesses a 13 MP camera with a resolution of 4128*3096 pixels. This boastful camera is capacitated with LED flash and autofocus. The S4 Mini will possess an 8MP camera of 3264*2448 pixel resolution. Galaxy S3 featured an 8MP camera of the same resolution that is rumored to be inherited by the Galaxy S4 Mini. S3 Mini possessed a 5MP camera of 2592*1944 pixels resolution. S4 Mini’s camera specs will be limited to geo-tagging and touch focus but the S4’s camera will be powered by simultaneous High Definition image and video recording capacity, image stabilization, smile and face detection and HDR alongside touch focus and geo-tagging.

Memory

The Samsung Galaxy S4 will possess a microSD card slot capacitated with up to 64 GB memory, whereas the microSD card slot in S4 Mini will feature a storage capacity of up to 32 GB. The larger S4 will be powered by 2 GB internal storage capacity and its tinnier versions’ internal memory storage capacity will be subtracted by 1GB, similar to the difference between their respective predecessors, the S3 and S3 Mini. The Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available in 64/32/16 GB models, whereas, the Mini will arrive in three different models of 32/16/8 GB.

OS and CPU

The Samsung Galaxy S4 runs on Android Jelly Bean v4.2.2 and of course, the S4 Mini will be functioning on the same OS. The larger flagship smartphone will be powered by 1.6 GHz Quad-Core Cortex A-15 and 1.2 GHz Quad Core Cortex A-7 processor. The Galaxy S4 Mini is rumored to possess a 1.6 GHz dual core processor. The S4 comes with an A-GPS support and GLONASS and the S4 Mini is assumed to possess the same. The S4 Mini is also being rumored to support JAVA through MIDP emulator just like its larger version.

Colors

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is available in shades of white mist and black frost, whereas the S4 Mini is supposed to be available in shades of blue, white and titan gray.

Price

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is being priced differently by various carriers in the U.S. But its predecessor had a fixed on-contract price of $199.99. The 16 GB model of Galaxy S4 has been priced at $199.99 by US Cellular and AT&T. AT&T has priced the 32 GB S4 model at $250, but Verizon and Sprint will be pricing it at the same rate off-contract. A tiny mail-in rebate will let Verizon bring down the price by $50 and Sprint will knock down the price to $199.99 for individuals fetching in a new line. The price of Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is certainly unconfirmed but obviously would be lower in cost than its larger flagship device. The Galaxy S3 Mini was launched at an on-contract price of $80 and S4 Mini’s price is assumed to be somehow similar to that.

Now, it solely depends on you, whether you will purchase the Samsung Galaxy S4 or wait for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini to arrive.

Galaxy S4 Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Cricket Wireless, C Spire Plans Comparison on 7 Carriers

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Samsung’s latest smartphone Galaxy S4 is geared up to render the Galaxy S range of products iconic. The launch of the much anticipated smartphone across seven cellular networks began in April and continues through May 2013.

Samsung fans looking to buy a Galaxy S4 have enough choices with respect to carriers and plans, but some study is needed to grab the right carrier. Samsung says that the phone is “optimized for powerful performance,” on the fastest networks namely, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, U.S. Cellular, Cricket, and C Spire. AT&T and Sprint are the first to start offering it. The major carriers – AT&T, Sprint and Verizon – will undoubtedly offer broader LTE coverage resulting in higher data speeds.

AT&T, which launched the phone on April 27^th, offers the 16 GB model for $199.99 and the 32 GB model for $249.99, on a 2-year contract with suitable voice and data plans. If you are looking for a 1-year plan, AT&T offers different voice and data plans for a cost of $449.99. There is monthly plan for the 16 GB version for $639.99. The carrier’s Mobile Share Plan involves a 2-yar contract starting at $85 per month for unlimited talk time and SMS, and 1 GB data.

Verizon Wireless is releasing the Galaxy S4 on May 30^th and is taking pre-orders for $249 with a $50 refund for the 16 GB version. Its Share Everything Plan involves a 2-year contract starting at $80 per month for unlimited talk time and 300 MB data.

Sprint released the device on April 27^th taking pre-order for $249 upfront with a $50 refund for the 16 GB version. It offers a $100 discount if you switch your number to Sprint from another carrier. Its service plans start at $79.99 per month for a 2-year contract. The plan includes 450 minutes talk time, unlimited text and data.

T-Mobile offers the 16 GB version of Galaxy S4 for $149.99 with a down payment of $20 per month for 2 years, plus the cost of your monthly carrier plan. It offers a Simple Choice Plan, with no long-term contract, starting at $50 per month for unlimited talk time, SMS, and 500 MB data usage. Its online store released the device on April 29^th, while offline retail outlets are launching it between May 8^th and 15^th.

U.S. Cellular launched the 16 GB Galaxy S4 model online on April 26^th and at retail stores on April 30^th. It offers the device for a price of $199.99 on a 2-year contract, starting at $59.99 per month for 450 minutes talk time and 300 MB data. The plan does not include Mobile hotspot. The handset is being shipped with a free view flip cover model worth $59.99.

Cricket has yet to announce the date of availability of the device. It offers a Smart LTE Plan with no long-term contract, starting at $50 per month for unlimited talk time and SMS, and 1 GB data.

C Spire expects to release the device this summer. It offers a 2-year contract starting at $60 per month for 500 minutes talk time, unlimited text and data. The plan does not include Mobile hotspot.

The mega launch of Galaxy S4 across several carriers in various retail locations is enabling consumers to spot the device easily instead of looking through a line of similar devices. According to Samsung, the Galaxy S smartphone range has achieved remarkable success, with 100 million units sold across the world, in less than 3 years. Indeed, the iconic Galaxy S4 has the potential to place Samsung on the same footing as Apple!