SMARTPHONE

Samsung unveiled its big screened device - the Galaxy Note - in September. With a huge 5.3-inch display, the Galaxy Note is considered to be neither a phone nor a tablet but a happy combination of both.

Sony Ericsson is next in line to make a move towards Microsoft Windows Phone 7 operating systems.

The Nokia Lumia 900, which was launched at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on Monday, is expected to provide tough competition for all iPhones and Android-powered devices. The company believes the latest Lumia could take a large bite out of market shares from other smartphones and could be considered the industry's benchmark in coming days.

Here are a round-up of rumors regarding specifications for each of the two...

The best of Intel computing is coming to smartphones, Otellini told his CES keynote audience.Our efforts with Lenovo and Motorola Mobility will help to establish Intel processors in smartphones and provide a solid foundation from which to build in 2012 and into the future, added the CEO, as per the report.

The Samsung Galaxy S3, rumored to be the next flagship smartphone from the South Korean electronics giant, is expected to be launched in February, according to the latest reports, at the 2012 Mobile World Congress to be held in Barcelona.

Intel, the No. 1 chip maker, will make a major push into the smartphone sector, even as it continues its headway in the laptop and tablet market with its second-generation Ultrabook chip, CEO Paul Otellini said.

Samsung Electronics Co <005930.KS> is confident it will become the world's largest cellphone maker in 2012, ending Nokia's 14-year reign on the mobile handset market, its chief executive said.

At CES 2012 in Las Vegas, French company Parrot debuted its AR Drone 2.0, which can fly up to 165 feet in the air and record HD videos. The drone is completely controlled with iOS and Android devices, which let you see what the drone sees.

Withings debuted the world's first Internet-connected baby and toddler scale at CES 2012 in Las Vegas. It records the weight and height of the child and wirelessly transmits the information to smartphones and computers to help parents keep track of their child's development.

Only 48 percent of consumers in a typical week watched broadcast or cable television, down from 71 percent in 2009, according to a survey released by consulting firm Accenture.

Microsoft is leaving the Consumer Electronics Show after 2012, but the software giant is leaving the show after debuting its new AT&T smartphone, and Sony, HP, Intel and Nokia have all announced compelling new gadgets. Sony dropped their new smartphone, HP and Intel have some new super-thin laptops and Nokia is Microsoft's partner on the AT&T phone.

Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs said the company’s Snapdragon wireless chip is already powering tablets and smart TVs, opening the way for the company to expand its reach beyond its dominance in mobile phones.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has taken the wraps of its latest weapon, the Envy 14 Spectre, a 14-inch ultrabook, which is set to become a big threat to Apple's popular MacBook Air. The new ultrabook was unveiled at CES 2012 in Las Vegas.

At restaurants, at movies and at the office, checking Facebook has become a regular habit for many of the Internet social network's more than 800 million users.

Huawei has unveiled what it claims is the world's thinnest Android smartphone - the Ascend P1 S, at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), at Las Vegas.

On January 5, five years ago, the tech genius Steve Jobs revealed the first iPhone, combining a iPod, a phone and an internet mobile communicator into one device and kicked off an new era for the mobile phone industry.

The rumors about Apple's next generation smartphone - dubbed iPhone 5 - are flying thick and fast, and it seems never ending until the actual release date.

The device is arriving on Feb. 20.

The Sony Xperia S, details of which had already been leaked on the Internet and popularly tagged Nozomi, has been officially launched by the Japanese giants, at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

BTIG Research has increased its profit estimates for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) on strong iPhone sales in the fourth quarter.