SMARTPHONE

Samsung's most-anticipated Galaxy Note, which is a hybrid of smartphone and tablet, is hitting the shelves of AT&T Feb. 19.

Apple's breakthrough achievement in the tech world is a result of its ground breaking platform in the form of iPhone and iPad which were launched in the past few years.

iPad 3, which is the next iteration of Apple's iPad 2, is expected to be launched anytime soon. Check out the top 5 anticipated features of iPad 3.

As it prepares for one of the biggest IPOs ever, Facebook is coming under the same fierce attacks being waged against other big technology companies: patent lawsuits.

Although plenty of early-adopters worldwide have already pre-ordered the Play Station Vita (http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/289809/20120130/ps-vita-games-price-release-date-playstation.htm) for $349.99, optimistic penny-pinchers may want to hold their breath, in the hopes that Sony or its retailers will drop the price in the weeks following the PS Vita's global release on February 22nd.

Samsung Galaxy Note hit the right note at CES 2012 by drawing a huge crowd of people, who were jostling with each other to catch a glimpse of the newly unveiled tablet/smartphone hybrid. On Monday, the South Korean electronics giant announced that Galaxy Note will go on sale in the U.S. market on Feb. 19 for $299.99 with a 2-year AT&T contract. Online sale kicks off on Feb. 5. So far, so good, but will Galaxy Note pose a threat to iPhone 4S?

Facing both a slew of regulatory developments and volatile capital markets, banks are seeing some parts of their traditional revenue model threatened. One solution: charge customers more fees, either by raising the price of existing fees, charge for services that used to be free, or offering new services at a cost.

AT&T confirmed Monday the availability of the most-anticipated Samsung Galaxy Note from Feb. 19 for $299.99 with a two-year contract. 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.

There's a good news for Android fans - Google's flagship smartphone Samsung Galaxy Nexus is on sale with only a $99.99 price tag via its Amazon Wireless store for a limited time.

Adding to the rumor mill surrounding Apple's future products, a recent report suggested that Apple's next generation iPhone would feature near field communication, or NFC technology.

More than 21 percent of those surveyed have accessed adult content online on their smartphones.

Samsung's highly anticipated Galaxy Note device will hit AT&T shelves on Feb. 19 and will run on the wireless carrier's 4G LTE network. The price? A cool $299.99 with a 2-year contract.

Apple, which was left upset by how the iPhone 4S launch party in Mainland China, was spoiled by scalpers, has set up a lottery system, for the iPhone fans in Hong Kong, aimed to keep the scalpers at bay.

Samsung's Galaxy Note smartphone will arrive on AT&T Feb. 19 for $300, but if you're unsure if its better than the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, here's how they compare. They are both $300 with a new two year contract, are very thin, fast and powerful. Besides being already available, the Galaxy Nexus also runs the Android 4.0 system that Galaxy Note will get eventually. It won't debut with the system, however. Instead it will ship with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).

The Motorola Droid Razr Maxx, which was showcased at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and made available through Verizon Wireless last week, is expected to see stiff competition from the HTC Rezound.

Shareholders of InterDigital, owner of wireless patents, got a rude awakening when it canceled its company auction only days after Eastman Kodak filed for bankruptcy after failing to sell 1,100 patents. Is the patent gold rush over?

The act of jailbreaking - whether tethered, untethered or semi-tethered - was not crime, until now. However, unless the exemption granted by the U.S. Copyright Office is extended, it could well become one. If an exemption is granted, it will allow owners of mobile phones to use the software of their choice in their smartphones.

Several other upcoming smartphones are also said to make its way to the ICS platform in 2012. Some of them include- HTC Ville, HTC Primo, LG X3, and LG 3.0 Prada Phone to name a few.

Samsung's Galaxy S3 smartphone is the Korean manufacturer's new flagship device, and the Nokia Lumia 900 is Nokia's real first attempt at a smartphone in the U.S. That's no knock against the Nokia Lumia 710 on T-Mobile, but it doesn't compete against the iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S2 and now S3.

Research in Motion's Thorsten Heins plans to waste no time in his new job. The BlackBerry maker's chief executive said he will present the board with his plan for company's future in just a matter of weeks.

Very few people know that Apple didn't originally own the iPhone and iOS trademarks. Jobs and his company took both names from an enterprise/infrastructure company by the name of Cisco. Here's how Apple managed to get the right to use the iPhone and iOS monikers…