via Samsung

Samsung has introduced its new tablet, the Galaxy Tab 3, which had been rumored since January. It’s an Android tablet (the third in the brand’s line) with a 1.2GHz processor. The WiFi version will be available in May and a 3G version in June. Engadget has more about the specs of the device.

The Next Web doesn’t exactly rave about the device, saying it’s “serviceable” for posts to Twitter and Instagram and calls the hardware “low-end.” While the price of the device hasn’t been revealed as yet, it’s expected to be less expensive than the $400 Galaxy Note 8.0. The device is a competitor to the Google Nexus 7 and the iPad Mini.

Let us know what you think if you’ve tested it out.

Samsung

Samsung has introduced its own tablet to rival the Apple’s iPad Mini, the Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet. It will only be available in a Wi-Fi version and sell for $400, reports the LA Times. Also, the model comes with 16 gigabytes of storage.

Looking at the details, it has a 5-megapixel rear camera and 1.3-megapixel front camera and comes with Samsung’s S Pen stylus.

According to eGadget.com, overseas, the device doubles as a phone. But, here in the US, it’s just a tablet that comes with an S Pen. The site says all isn’t new with this version. “Samsung’s borrowed elements from previous products, including the Note 10.1′s 1,280 x 800 TFT display (albeit with a higher pixel density of 189 ppi).” It also adds in elements Samsung phones, too, with chrome accents.

But the Galaxy Note 8.0 doesn’t get all rave reviews from eGadget. The site says of the design, “It’s inoffensive, unappealing and wholly forgettable — which might even be the point.” The camera gets so-so reviews. “The Note 8.0′s camera software falls short of the polish and comprehensiveness of, say, the Galaxy S 4, but it’s not entirely lacking, either,” reports eGadget. It does get higher marks for the flexibility of the software—and beyond. “All software aside, perhaps the greatest innovation ushered in with the Note 8.0 is the ability to tap the capacitive buttons with the S Pen,” writes the website.

Slashgear also expresses some reservations about the camera’s capabilities, but heaps on the praise for the S Pen, interesting at a time when everything digital is being done with a swipe.

To answer our headline question, Mashable says the Note’s got nothin’ on the iPad. But, if size is what matters, maybe you’d be interested in the Galaxy Mega? It’s going to be available in Europe in May. It has a 6.3-inch screen and will surely get you noticed.

Bottom line on the Galaxy Note 8.0, the $399 device could be a good investment. EGadget sums up: “All told, the US Note 8.0 is a solid product. In fact, it’s quite nearly the Swiss Army knife of Android tablets.”

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There’s a mobile frenzy going on in America. According to a new study, due to the increasing popularity of tablets and smartphones, the number of Internet-connected devices in U.S. homes has surpassed half a billion.

In fact, the number of connected devices per U.S. household with Internet access has grown to 5.7, up from 5.3 devices three months ago, according to a report released by market research firm NPD Group. During that period, the “installed base” of tablets grew by nearly 18 million units, and smartphone users increased by nearly nine million, reports The Los Angeles Times.

“Even with this extraordinary growth in the smartphone and tablet market, PCs are still the most prevalent connected device in U.S. Internet households, and this is a fact that won’t be changing anytime soon,” John Buffone, director of devices for NPD Connected Intelligence, explained to the newspaper.

Looking at the numbers, while PC penetration among U.S. Internet-connected households is 93 percent, virtually unchanged over the three-month period, smartphones and tablets increased their presence. Smartphone penetration jumped to 57 percent from 52 percent of cellphone users, and tablet penetration rose to 53 percent from 35 percent of Internet households.

In the smartphone market, Apple and Samsung remained the top two brands. Apple also rules the tablet market with its iPad.

The floor of the Mobile World Congress. AP Photo/Manu Fernandez

A couple of days ago, Samsung sent invites to a big unveiling for the next generation of Galaxy phones, taking place in New York City. Now the invite has gone out to everyone else.

If you’re in the New York City area — or, more specifically, in Times Square at 7pm — you can watch the unveiling with a ton of others, livestreamed on the plaza’s famous digital screens. The live event will be taking place a few blocks away at Radio City Music Hall.

Meanwhile, Samsung has already unveiled the Samsung Wallet, a direct competitor, if not very much like, the Apple Passbook.

Now Android owners now have a digital wallet to call their own that will hold their membership cards, tickets, and other information. According to Mashable, partners like Hotels.com, Expedia, and Walgreen’s have already signed on to make their info available to the service.

The Wallet is being compared to the Apple Passbook service (“ripped off” is the way Wired describes the Samsung app). But Samsung has high hopes and, on March 7, is opening up the app to developers to get in on it. You still can’t tap your phone to actually make purchases, but that and other changes could be coming.

Wallet was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress, which is taking place through today in Barcelona. The Guardian has a few pictures.

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File

If you’ve tried to buy an iPad Mini in the past few months, you know the wait can be long. Well, actually only a few days. But you know. When you want your new gadget, you want it now!

According to Mashable, the Apple site is now showing that iPad Minis in all colors, with WiFi and with cellular, are now ready to ship for anyone interested.

The tablet starts at $329 and can go up to $659 before you add your cover and other extras.

There’s been lots of talk lately about Apple losing its luster after a 34 percent drop in its stock price and the announcement today that the company has been replaced by the once-reviled insurance company AIG as the top choice for hedge funds. There’s also been a surge in sales of Samsung smartphones, putting the dominant Apple devices on the defensive. London’s The Daily Mail notes that there’s been a spike in sales of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5, with both phones outselling the Samsung in the fourth quarter of last year.

“With the Galaxy due for an update, it perhaps does not seem surprising that the latest Apple device outsold it, but what did surprise observers was that the older 4S model also outsold the more highly specced Samsung phone,” the newspaper reports.

With more iPad Minis available, we could also see an increase in sales of these tablets, which have been facing stiff competition from the more modestly priced Amazon Kindle.

Are you in the market for a new device? Which one are you thinking of getting?

Are the robots coming? This one is a “human ride robot.” The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images

We’ve already seen the crazy technologies that CES introduced to the world. But what will we actually see in 2013? Many tech blogs have been speculating about what devices and cool technologies will be available for the masses to purchase this year—and some that are a little more out there.

Here are nine cool technology product launches to expect this year—and ones that you might even be able to afford.

HZO’s Devin Markle grabbing a smartphone from beer to showcase that company’s WaterBlock technology. AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

The Consumer Electronics Show is always an interesting place to see and hear about the latest gadgets and technologies. With more than 150,000 attendees and tons of media (and social media coverage), it’s the technology event of the year.

CES 2013 is no exception and many companies introduced innovative hardware and software technologies that practically life with the Jetsons a reality. Here are nine cool technologies.

Checking out the Sony smartphones at the CES event, taking place through Friday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is underway in Las Vegas and already new products and launches have made waves. Companies including Samsung, Lenovo, Intel, Ford, Toyota, and more are at the event, touting new innovations and technologies.

Rumors were rampant about what to expect at CES this year: smart appliances, including TVs and refrigerators; new technologies for mobile phones; and in-car apps and technology. And this year’s press day on Monday, prior to CES’s launch on Tuesday, didn’t disappoint.

Intel hosted a press conference on Monday, showing its roadmap for PCs through 2014. The company highlighted how its “Haswell” chips will make devices thinner and smarter going forward, demonstrated a tabletop touch-screen device, and announced a microprocessor for tablets.

AP Photo/Lenovo

Lenovo also debuted its 27-inch, IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC (at right), with full internet capability and, at the size of a coffee table, space for four people to get their hands on the touch screen. The Los Angeles Times said of the device, “it’s easy to imagine this in your living room.”

Other innovations in the living room included smart TVs. Samsung, Panasonic, and Sony debuted their collections of smart TVs, which bring together live TV, social networks, and personal content such as photos. Additionally, Samsung debuted a refrigerator with a LCD screen and Sony, meanwhile, introduced its water-proof mobile phone, the Xperia Z.

LG is also focusing on appliances at CES 2013, with the debut of a washing machine and refrigerator with touch screens and wireless technology. Chief technology officer Skott Ahn spoke to Forbes about getting consumers to embrace these types of technologies.

“We really try hard,” he said. “Consumers don’t need to understand what they have to do, or what kind of functions really spread over all the devices and what kind of technologies are involved to implement that. We’d like to make our consumers do something they just want to do. Then all the other background steps should be done by all the connectivity we have provided.”

On the automotive side, car companies such as Ford, Toyota, General Motors, Kia, Audi, and more have been coming to CES for several years, touting the in-car technologies they have introduced. This year, Ford and GM are both reaching out to developers and software designers to create apps that will translate to use on the road, the Wall Street Journal reported.

CES will be going strong all week, so look for continuing coverage on tech blogs and outlets. While Apple and Microsoft will not be at the event, there will still be plenty of news out of Las Vegas this week.

Are you a gadget-freak who is paying close attention to CES?

Kevin Packingham, senior vice president of Samsung Telecommunications America making a presentation. AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

When it comes to smartphones, BlackBerries are the favorite among African-American consumers. But now South Korean electronics giant Samsung is hoping to change that.

The company, whose commercials usually one-up Apple’s iPhone, has a new commercial titled “Family Photo” that features a mostly African-American family. In the lighthearted commercial, the multicultural family is taking a holiday portrait with the new Samsung’s Galaxy Note II. “The commercial highlights the Galaxy Note II’s newest feature, called ‘best shot,’ which allows users to save individual shots of a group, then combine them into one photo at the end,” writes The Grio.

This commercial is a follow up to an earlier effort by Samsung to target the African-American buyer. According to The Grio, ads in November showcased LeBron James, who was featured in a series of  Galaxy Note II commercials in November.  In these commercial. LeBron uses his Galaxy Note II to give viewers a tour of his day-to-day activities, from breakfast in his swank Miami home to a haircut at the local black barber shop to a Miami Heat’s game.

It’s no wonder Samsung wants to capture the African American smartphone user. A 2012 Nielsen Mobile Insights report found that consumers of color are far more likely than whites to use smartphones. More than fifty percent of all African-American mobile users have smartphones. And, 2011 data from the “State of the African-American Consumer” found “that African-American adults owned smartphones at a 22 percent higher rate than the overall population,” says The Grio.

The issue usually is whether the ad is a true representation of African Americans and the lives we lead. So what do you think of this ad?

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Afraid to drop your phone down a flight of steps? Worried that something inside your bag is going to crack your cell’s screen? Soon, these concerns could be a thing of the past.

Scientists are hard at work on a mobile phone that’s flexible, literally able to bend and twist to avoid calamity. Samsung, Nokia, Sharp, and LG are just some of the company with phones in the works.

According to the BBC (which also has images), the technology — e-ink — is already available in things like the first Amazon Kindle. But then, the surrounding casing had to be stiff. Companies have also been unable to find a way to mass produce these bendable items.

Products made with the new flexible material will be replacing glass and other hard materials with plastic. Samsung is treating the issue with special urgency, pushing to make items available in 2013. However, The Wall Street Journal wasn’t able to determine whether these are items that will be sold to the masses or just commercially. But, according to the paper, “Samsung hopes it will be first to bring the product to the market.”

Would you buy one?