Samsung’s Unpacked featured the all new Galaxy S4, plus a bundle full of new accessories for the new phone. One of these special accessories is the Xbox inspired wireless Bluetooth game controller.

Those who were at the launch event describe the S4′s game controller as “hollow’ and “cheap”, not really encouraging comments and it get’s worse. Apparently the wireless add-on won’t be backwards compatible with other Sammy phones, will only work with games bought through Samsung’s app store and won’t support multi-player gaming!

The idea of an official Samsung controller is a good one, but Sammy clearly missed the mark here. Too bad, it doesn’t look half-bad, but looks can obviously be deceiving. There is currently no mention of pricing but if you really must have one it should be available from May onwards.

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A smartphone is as sacred as your diary, and much like your diary you want might want to keep all your personal details, private messages, saucy apps and photos to yourself. Thankfully most phone users can simply set up a password protected lock screen and your secrets will be safe, but owners of the Samsung Galaxy S3 aren’t so lucky.

A new exploit allows anyone to be able to bypass the lock screen on your S3 with very little effort. All someone has to do to get hold of your most private of privates is simply:

1. Hit Emergency call.
2. Enter the Emergency Contacts menu.
3. Press the Home button.
4. Quickly press the Power button directly after the Home button.
5. If you were quick enough you will have an unlocked Galaxy S3 in your grasp

We haven’t managed to try this method, but we have been told that you may have to try a few times to get the timing right, and apparently once successful the lock screen will remain deactivated until the phone is rebooted. If you have access to an S3 give this workaround a go and let us know if you could pull it off.

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Did you score yourself a new Samsung Galaxy S III during the holidays? Maybe you already have one and now you need a better way to protect it. Fear not, smartphone enthusiasts, because there are lots of great Samsung Galaxy S3 cases that have now been significantly discounted.

The Otterbox Commuter Case probably boasts some of the best protection in the industry with its impact-absorbing silicone and hi-impact polycarbonate shell. Pick it up for $20, down from $34.95 regularly.

For a little added functionality, there is the Aduro Shell Holster Combo Case for $12.99, which is $17 off the list price. It’s a tough case that happens to have an integrated kickstand, making it easier to watch videos and enjoy other content.

Something even more rugged is the Otterbox Defender Series. It’s on sale for 56% off, now available for $21.99. There’s a clear protective membrane to go along with polycarbonate and a durable silicone. The belt holster doubles as a viewing stand too.

The adventurous might choose this $9.95 hot pink leather wallet case that houses your Samsung Galaxy S III, as well as your credit cards in a completely covered case. You can also get it in black for $7.26 ($12.73 off).

Maintaining the thin appeal of the S3 is the elago G5 Slim Fit Case with a soft finish. Normally listing for $20.99, it’s now on sale for $9.99. The hard shell case, made in Korea, is ultra slim and lightweight.

Want to confuse your friends? The Nintendo Game Boy Case for the Galaxy S3 is durable and surely dials up the geek factor, looking like that old school Game Boy with the spinach green screen. Best of all, the soft silicon skin case is just $1.75.

Last but not least, you certainly shouldn’t forget about the front of the phone too. Keep things scratch-free with the generic screen protector for the Galaxy S III. A three-pack has a regular list price of $15.25, but somehow it’s now selling for a mere 83 cents.

The post Daily Deals: 8 Great Discounts on Samsung Galaxy S3 Cases appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has quickly became one of the most popular phones on the market today.  Is it the perfect smartphone? Some would say it is pretty close, though it would be nice if it had a bigger battery. Perhaps something like the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX HD’s 3300mAh Battery?  While they won’t be able to get something quite that big, Samsung has released an extended battery for the Galaxy S3 giving it an extra 900mAh.

The 3000mAh battery will set Galaxy S3 owners back $64, but they will also have to sacrifice a bit more than just a little cash.  You will lose that sleek look that comes with the Galaxy S3 as the larger battery will create a slight hump on the backside of the phone.

The batteries are available now.  Is the extra juice worth losing the sleek lines?  Sound off and let us know what you think.

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Remember how you could get a free $25 credit toward the Google Play store when you bought a Google Nexus 7 tablet? Now, it’s even better if you decided to pick up a Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone, because you’ll be getting a free $50 Google Play credit to spend as you see fit. Buy apps, buy games, buy movies… it’s up to you.

This promotion, according to RadioShack PR guy Adam Lee, will be starting this Sunday, November 18. The catch is that you only get the complimentary Google Play credit when you sign up for a qualifying two-year plan with the corresponding wireless carrier. You can do this in-store with AT&T, Sprint or Verizon. Alternatively, an online purchase can be done with Sprint and Verizon only. You might remember that you also get two years of a 50GB Dropbox account upgrade with the S3 too. That’s a lot of bonus action.

The Samsung Galaxy S III is $99.99 on contract for new and upgrading customers for AT&T and Verizon, while new Sprint customers can get the special promotional price of $49.99; existing Sprint customers pay the same $99.99 contract price. All of this money-spending also qualifies for RadioShack’s holiday bonus of $10 back for every $50 spent in-store or online.

From what I can gather the free $50 Google Play credit only applies if you buy the S3 from RadioShack, but if you’re in the market for this awesome Android smartphone anyway, you might as well get the bonus.

The post Buy a Samsung Galaxy S III, Get a Free $50 Google Play Credit appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Samsung has recently sent out a  (German) press invite for an event on October 11th. What is the event all about? Rumors suggest it might be the announcement of a smaller version of the Galaxy S3. The invite continues the Samsung tradition of hinting at what they might be announcing in order to drive more speculation and excitment. This time the tagline is, “So big can be small. And so small can be big”. The backgroudn also has a big S logo.

A smaller version of the S3 could certainly be good idea. While some users like bigger phones, others prefer devices in the 4 to 4.5-inch range- Galaxy S3 is 4.8-inches. This is pocketable, but it is still a little big and certainly won’t fit comfortably in all types of pant pockets, like tighter jeans for example.

A Galaxy S3 with a smaller size would also give a more ‘direct’ iPhone 5 competitor. While many iPhone users are very loyal and wouldn’t consider a Samsung alternative, a mini Galaxy S3 might appeal to those users that are on the fence. Especially since the Galaxy S3 it doesn’t have all of the all the map, Wi-Fi and scuffing problems that come with Apple’s newest smartphone offering.

What do you think? Would you consider a smaller Galaxy S3 over the iPhone 5?

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Thinking about buying a Samsung Galaxy S3 soon? You might want to wait until Black Friday if you live in the United States. It seems that a leaked flyer has arrived suggesting that Sprint plans to offer the S3 for just $50 with a two-year contract as a special Black Friday promotion. How much are you saving? About $150, which is no small chunk of change.

For those that need a reminder, the North American version of the Samsung Galaxy S3 is no weakling. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm S4 and has a 2GB of RAM. This isn’t quite as good as the Quad-core in the international version, but that’s the price of LTE integration.

For those in Canada, you don’t have to wait nearly as long to get a great deal on the Samsung Galaxy S3. Rogers, Bell, Telus and Virgin Mobile are all running a promotion this weekend that gives you a free Galaxy S3 with a three-year commitment. This is a VERY good deal for those that like Samsung smartphones. It’s also worth noting that Bell, Telus and Virgin Mobile are also slashing the OG Note to $0 with a three year commitment during this special sale.

If you live in North America and have been considering a Galaxy S3, the time has come to get an exceptional deal on an exceptional phone.

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The Galaxy Note 2 is on its way soon, but that isn’t stopping Samsung from still supporting the OG Note. If you’ve looked on at the release of the Galaxy S3 and Note 2 in jealousy, it’s okay. We understand that these devices are cool. That being said, an new OTA update will at least bring some of the features from those devices to the Note.

What kind of features are we talking about? The update introduces Pop-up Play, a Note 2-style 3D gallery app, lock screen and home screen enhancements with “S Cloud” contact back-up, and more. There are also general changes to the UI of the phone.

The update is hitting German users first, and will then float its way to other markets in the coming weeks. For markets like the US, with their LTE versions, the wait may be even longer though- perhaps as long as a month or more.

While the update is currently just bringing the new features to the OG Note, it is believed the Galaxy S2 owners may get in on the love soon enough. It’s hard to say when, just only that it seems likely.

Are you excited about these new features, or really not that interested?

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The 2012 Apple versus Samsung trial in California might be over, but the war is far from ended. Apple has already filed suit against Samsung covering at least 21 newer smartphones, media players, and tablets releases from August 2011 all the way to August 2012.

This new suit not only includes the Galaxy S3, but also the Galaxy Note 10.1. There is even a Google-branded Samsung device on the list- which means that Google might be more actively involved this time around.

The new complaint has Apple stating Samsung has continued to flood the market with cheap clones that infringe on Apple rights. The new patent specifically mentions several utility patents- many of which have to do with Android itself, not Samsung’s own hardware or software modifications.

Here’s a full list of the devices listed:

Galaxy S III, Galaxy S III carried by Verizon, Galaxy Note, Galaxy S II Skyrocket, Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy S II, Galaxy S II carried by T-Mobile, Galaxy S II – AT&T, Galaxy Nexus, Illusion, Captivate Glide, Exhibit II 4G, Stratosphere, Transform Ultra, Admire, Conquer 4G, and Dart smartphones, the Galaxy Player 4.0 and Galaxy Player 5.0 media players; and the Galaxy Note 10.1, Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, and Galaxy Tab 8.9 tablets.

Most of these devices are no longer sold, but the patent suit isn’t just about potentially banning devices, its about getting money that Apple feels is owed to them from the infringement. The wording of the new suite also makes it clear that they could add new devices as necessary, such as the recently released Galaxy Note 2.

More than likely this is just the beginning of a more direct assault on Android. Taking out Samsung in not one but TWO trials could really destroy vendor confidence in the Android platform, especially if this second lawsuit has to do with patents that all Android devices might be infringing. Scare away the vendors and Android is all-but destroyed.

Will this second suite work out the way the first did? Hard to say, but it’s clear that Apple means war at all costs. Google likely will see this, and more than likely will get involved in a big way this time around. The suite is expected to start in 2013 in California, with Lucy Koh returning as the judge.

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What happens when you playfully send a picture of a dragon to Samsung of Canada? You get a free custom phone, that’s what. Okay, don’t expect this same results, but for the very lucky Shane Bennett, this is essentially what transpired.

When Shane Bennett sent in the picture of the dragon as a gift while asking for a free phone (as a joke), via Facebook, Samsung said that they would be out of business pretty quickly if they sent free phones to everyone who requested it. They were kind enough to send him a picture of a kangaroo on a unicycle though.

Shane immediately took to Reddit, sharing the story of Samsung’s joke back at Shane’s half-serious inquiry for a free phone. As you can imagine, this created quite a bit of positive press for Samsung, at a time when they need it pretty badly- considering the recent lose against Apple in their legal war.

As you might have guessed, Samsung’s thank-you for Shane’s positive sharing about the Kangaroo and Dragon was in fact a free phone. Not just any phone though, one with a custom picture of the dragon that Shane drew, not to mention a custom dragon picture in the launcher as well.

Is there a chance that Shane Bennett’s ‘story’ is nothing more than an elaborate marketing campaign? It’s possible, but we’d like to think it’s totally legit, and it very well could be.

Generous act as a “Thank You” by Samsung or a pre-planned way to get positive attention to detract from its war with Apple?

If an Apple consumer asked for a free phone in such a joking matter, would they even get a response? What do you think?

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