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What bad news does China have in store?

Although Apple hasn?t officially unveiled its next-generation smartphone, online retailers in China have already started rolling in preorders for the iPhone 5. A Chinese e-commerce website has begun offering pre-release sale for what could be the biggest consumer electronics launch in history.

As action heats up in the tablet market with news of Apple gearing up to launch iPad mini in response to competition, it appears that Google's Nexus may well take home some neat profits as there is a good difference between cost of manufacture and sale.

According to recent reports, Sprint variant of the Samsung Galaxy S3 was about to receive an OTA (over-the-air) update that would disable the universal search functionality on the handset. The update means that users of the Sprint Galaxy S3 won't be able to use the Google search bar on the homescreen to find their apps, contacts and other data. Only web-based results will return when they search with that method.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has finally hit store shelves, and tech fanatics aren?t the only ones raving about the device. Established consumer magazine Consumer Reports has given AT&T?s variant 78 points and T-Mobile?s 77 points.

Now that Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), the No. 1 search engine, has entered the tablet market with its $199 Nexus 7, how much do the components cost?

The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean software has started rolling out and the unlocked Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ is the first to get the update, according to the Nexus blog post on Google +.

In a sense, ?Halo? has always been the flagship video game for Microsoft since its inception. The sci-fi adventure shooter escorted the company?s Xbox gaming console to success when it launched in 2001, so it?s no surprise that it will be integrated into the company?s first tablet device.

At a time when rumors surrounding Apple are mostly focused on a smaller and cheaper iPad, the so-called iPad mini, a new report surfaced Tuesday with photos of claimed 'iPhone 5 engineering samples' that depicted a device in line with on-going rumors and speculations regarding the next generation Apple smartphone.

Sprint variant of the Samsung Galaxy S3 has reportedly received an OTA update because of which users of the device won't be able to use the Google search bar on the homescreen to find their apps, contacts and other data. Only web-based results return now when we search with that method.

Jailbreaking smartphones creates a wide array of theme and customization opportunities that wouldn?t exist otherwise. Some of these themes, such as Winterboard?s eXpLos1on HD, allow iPhone apps to be displayed in an eye-popping way that can distinguish your Apple device from anyone else?s. However, a new, clever jailbreak may disguise your iPhone with an unexpected interface.

Research in Motion CEO Thorsten Heins has been saying the same thing for weeks: Pay no attention to the man behind that curtain. Despite massive layoffs, dramatic drop-offs in market share and a rapidly decaying portfolio for investors, Heins firmly believes that RIM's best is yet to come.

Now that its legal dispute with Proview Technology over the iPad trademark is done and settled, Apple is free to sell the world's most popular tablet in the world's biggest market: China. And that's exactly what the company plans to do. Apple's new iPad, or the iPad 3, will finally be released to Apple Stores in China on Friday, July 20.

Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), the No. 1 search engine, could pay $22.5 million to settle U.S. Federal Trade Commission complaints it infringed privacy of millions of customers of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the Wall Street Journal reported.

Even as Apple's Siri was touted as the most able competitor to Google Search, the search giant launched Google Now at the recently-held I/O Conference which seems to have taken over its competitor very quietly but firmly.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will finally be released on all AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note devices on Tuesday, which will improve multitasking and provide swifter navigation and well as introduce new features.

As investors await second-quarter earnings from leading technology companies, several warning signs indicate that save for special cases, it won?t be a blow-out.

The Wall Street Journal (Nasdaq: NWSA) and AOL Inc.'s (NYSE:AOL) Huffington Post spar over the facts surrounding recent allegations that Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) employees have denied sale of iPads to Farsi speakers.

Google announced its new Nexus 7 tablet at its I/O developer?s conference at the end of June, which will come equipped with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The operating system upgrade comes with a host of new features, with one of the most exciting being a refreshed user interface.

Apple and Samsung, two of the leading manufacturers of mobile devices and electronics, have been engaged in a patent war concerning the companies' two respective tablets. A judge in the United Kingdom has ruled the Korea-based company's Galaxy Tab does not infringe on Apple's iPad design, according to the Verge.

Samsung?s flagship smartphone for 2012, the Galaxy S3, has already established a dominant presence in the mobile market within only days of its debut. The highly anticipated device?s release has been met with multiple setbacks due to unprecedented high demand, but launch delays aren?t the only issue with Samsung?s new product.

As tablets become the rage in the mobile computing market, manufacturers are sprucing up their plans to gain a toehold in this segment. With turf wars hotting up, the IBTimes Tech Desk identifies three reasons as to why market leader Apple must release a small version of iPad, or Mini iPad as it is popularly known, to retain its hold over the mobile ecosystem.

A new iPhone 5 concept design has put a new spin on the Samsung/Apple-- a hybird: the iSung

Consider BlackBerry developer Research in Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM): is it in a ?death spiral? or a tarnished diamond that with better management can be revived for a bright future?

Ever since Bloomberg first reported rumors of a new, smaller iPad, the internet has been ablaze with rumors over the expected announcement of the iPad Mini. While Apple hasn't yet made an announcement about the device, manufacturer reports suggest the rumors might be accurate.

The tech world has been filled with high-profile lawsuits over the past week. Just as Internet giants Yahoo and Facebook settled their differences over alleged patent infringement, Apple is the latest company hit with a patent-related lawsuit.

According to a latest report, Samsung is going to unveil the Galaxy Note 2 in August With features including a 5.5-inch display, 12MP camera and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

IBTimes reviews winners and losers in the world of business and economics for the week of July 1.

As the gap between America's middle class and the wealthiest 1 percent has widened, luxury retailers and discounters continue to grow, while midprice brands are finding it difficult to compete.