From iPad 3 To Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 - A Complete Wrap Up Of Major Tech Events In March

This month has seen it all! Starting from wild rumors on iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3 to grand launch of Apple's legendary New iPad (or iPad 3) and once again the world witnessed Apple Mania!

The entire month was dominated by some or the other news about Apple. While the 'resolutionary' iPad 3 came in the headline for good or bad reasons, the company came in the news for its main contract manufacturer Foxconn.

Other news like iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3 rumors, 5 million unit sales of Galaxy 'phablet' note, Dell's decision of stopping production of smartphones in the US and iOS 5.1 jailbreak created quite a stir in the tech world.

Let's check out a comprehensive list of all the tech hooplas that took place in March.

iPad, Apple TV and iOS 5.1 Launch

March 16 will go down in history. The world was mesmerized by a 9.7-inch device with 2048 x 1536 revolutionary resolutions. Apple proved again why they are still considered to be the best in the phone and tablet market. Did they?

As soon as the device got released, it made a record numbers of sales and at the same time perhaps received the record numbers of criticisms for its excessive heat generation, Wi-Fi issues and data drainage. Apple even announced refunds for the 4G models in Australia. Whatever the issues are, the latest iPad 3 still continues to be the bestseller in the market.

With the 3rd generation iPad, Apple also launched iOS 5.1 for all iOS 5 compatible devices, which include all versions of the iPad, the iPhone 3GS and above and third-generation and later models of the iPod Touch. Though the new iOS did not bring any revolutionary features, yet it brought in some important bug fixes and interface tweaks.

Also, the Apple TV was launched on the same day. Apple TV is a tiny entertainment powerhouse that plays content from iTunes, Netflix, YouTube, etc. on widescreen TV and was redesigned and launched alongside the new iPad earlier this month. With the new device, Apple touts support for 1080p video and its snappy and redesigned user interface, which it says would provide fast, visual access to all content choices.

iOS 5.1 Jailbreak

It just took one day for the jailbreakers to break the Apple's newest, third generation 4G-ready iPad. The iPhone Dev Team announced the news of jailbreaking the Apple device next day of releasing the slate.

Hackers like MuscleNerd, i0nic and chpwn delivered three jailbreak methods.

The iPhone Dev Team said in a blog post, It turns out that all three of the jailbreak methods mentioned above have had great success today! We're off to a good start (but remember there's still lots of work to do)!

iPhone 5 Rumors Got Another Overhaul

Apple fans are never satiated with one device. As soon as the New iPad hit the market,

Apple fanatics started spreading rumors about the next generation iPhone, dubbed as iPhone 5. The market is now abuzz with the anticipated features of the iPhone, concept designs and the release date.

Galaxy S3 Releasing on March 30

The credit for this rumor solely goes to the UK-based retailer 'Phones 4 U,' which has only recently changed the appearance of its Oxford Street branch and has covered the store's windows with the Samsung logo and an announcement saying Coming 30.03.2012.

The Galaxy S3 is perhaps the most anticipated and rumored Android devices in the history of smartphones. While the host of rumored specifications contains almost no real information, the company itself has not released a clear statement as to when the smartphone will hit the store shelves.

Samsung Sold 5 Million Galaxy Notes

This one is a real news that authenticated by the Korean electronics giant Samsung itself.

The 5M figure is global channel/retail sales of Galaxy Note, rather than shipments, a Samsung rep told PCMag.com in an email.

The 5.3-inch phablet, is one of-a-kind and with its 8 mega pixels rear camera, 2 MP front camera for video calling, 16GB storage, 1 GB RAM, dual-core 1.5GHz Scorpion CPU, S Pen stylus and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Li-Ion 2500 mAh and AT&T's 4G LTE connectivity, changed the rule of ergonomics and is giving a tough time to its contemporaries.

Lumia 900 grand launch announced by AT&T

Nokia's flagship Lumia handset, the Lumia 900, which was unveiled at the CES earlier this year, will enjoy a special launch on April 8, announced AT&T device head Jeff Bradley on March 28.

At all levels, this is a notch above anything we've ever done, AT&T Bradley said in an interview with CNET, and that includes the launch of the iPhone.

The Lumia 900 was described by Chris Weber, President of Nokia in North America, as iconic, beautiful and fast. It is the company's first 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) phone.

LulzSec Arrested and Reborn

March witnessed another important event where five top members of the hacker group LulzSec were arrested and charged as part of a conspiracy case filed in New York federal court. And, LulzSec leader Hector Xavier Monsegur, who operated online under the alias Sabu, provided information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation which led to the arrests.

But, that's not the end of the hactivist group as the Sydney morning Herald reported on March 27, after a temporary call-off as the hacker group has apparently taken a rebirth as LulzSecReborn and broken into two websites.

Galaxy S2 Receives Ice Cream Sandwich

US users have to wait for another few weeks but the ICS update for the Galaxy S2 is already available in the UK.

Though criticisms about the TouchWiz UI are running high, an almost new Homescreen, Face Unlock security feature, updated Google Chrome and an improved Screen Lock are increasingly becoming hit among the users.

Dell Halts Smartphone Sales in the US

Dell announced its current mobile device strategy of ceasing all smartphone sales in the US. The company has projected this as in an effort to align its long-term outlook with greater growth and high-margin products.

In an interview with PC World, a company spokesperson said, Mobility products have shorter life-cycles than laptops and desktops.

Windows 8 Tablets Will Come with Retina Display

Windows 8 tablets and hybrids, which are expected to hit the market later this year, will feature the stunning Retina display just like its rival Apple's latest iPad.

A recent post in the Building Windows 8 blog authored by David Washington, a senior program manager on Windows User Experience team, reported that the latest Windows device is gearing up to steal the limelight from Apple's Retina display.

The post in Microsoft's Building Windows 8 blog discussed and confirmed that the new Windows 8 tablets will come with dots-per-inch (DPI) densities of at least 135, which will be much higher than many of us are used to.

Sprint Launches 4G LTE Service - iPhone Might Come on this Carrier

In October last year, Sprint joined Verizon and AT&T to become the third official carrier in the US for the Apple iPhone. But with release of the new 4G-ready iPad earlier this month, the Cupertino tech giant cold-shouldered the carrier, as it is yet to launch its own LTE network. And now Sprint is all set to launch the 4G LTE network by mid-year. The launch, however, will happen in only six cities, reported the company chief financial officer Joe Euteneuer. The carrier will host a good lineup of smartphones that includes the next iPhone (rumored), Galaxy Nexus and HTC One X.

Verizon Announces to Offer Integrated Wireless Video Service

Verizon Communications Inc, the country's largest 4G LTE and 3G network provider, is planning to offer an integrated video service for its wireless customers. The service will be extended to its FiOS customers and cable partners, chief executive Lowell McAdam told the Wall Street Journal.

Best Buy Closing

Best Buy Co Inc announced on March 29 that due to a mulish slither in sales at its US stores, the company will close 50 big box stores and cut as much as 400 jobs at its corporate headquarters in Richfield, Minnesota.

Diablo 3 To Be Released

Rumors are rife that American video game developer Blizzard is set to release the highly anticipated and rumored dark fantasy/horror-themed action role-playing game Diablo III April 17.

Foxconn Controversy

Foxconn, which manufactures Apple products, came under serious attack from the Fair Labor Association (FLA). The FLA raised serious concerns over the working conditions at the Chinese factories of Foxconn Technology Group.

According to a report released this month by auditors from the FLA, at least 50 breaches of Chinese regulations have been found. Instances of excessive overtime and problems with overtime compensation were also reported.

Earlier, Reuters reported that Apple Inc's Tim Cook, on his first trip to China as the chief executive officer, paid a visit to one iPhone production plant run by the Foxconn Technology Group.