SMARTPHONE

Google Play made its official debut on Tuesday, March 27, after a soft opening earlier this month. The Android Marketplace, where Google smartphone users went for apps, has been re-branded as the Google Play store. Google made the switch on March 6, 2012, releasing a short video on YouTube and redirecting users from the old web site, market.android.com, to the new Google Play homepage. Google also put dozens of apps and games on sale for just 49 cents in celebration of the shift.

Nokia and Microsoft have teamed up to break Apple and Google's stranglehold over the U.S. smartphone market. AT&T will start selling the Nokia Lumia 900, running on Microsoft's software, for as little as $99.99 with a 2-year contract, starting April 8.

Nokia's big push into the U.S. smartphone wars begins April 9, and when the Lumia 900 releases on AT&T for $100 on contract, people will want the best new apps for their new toy. Lucky for them, Nokia has been hard at work on new apps for quite a while. Most of that work has gone into Nokia's own operating system Symbian, but now its Microsoft partnership will be the focus.

Samsung is better in keeping secrets, at least better than Apple. So far, Samsung's next flagship smartphone- Galaxy S3 is still a mystery. Though most of the specs have been predicted and seems to be correct, the release date is still a secret.

In a recent announcement, AT&T has surprised windows phone fans and confirmed the official availability of two most-awaited Windows smartphones, the Nokia Lumia 900 and the HTC Titan II. According to Bloomberg, the leading telecommunication services provider in wireless technology would be launching HTC Titan II 4G LTE windows phone along with the Nokia Lumia 900 on April 8 this year.

Samsung Galaxy S2, which is touted as the 'best Android phone', has become even more formidable after it got the Ice Cream Sandwich update earlier in the month. Meanwhile, HTC Vivid had a messed-up beginning with Verizon and suffered a host of battery issues, but has since been re-launched on the AT&T. It also left behind the HSPA+ reliance and shifted to LTE wireless support.

If rumors are to be believed, Samsung’s next smartphone, the eagerly anticipated Galaxy S3, could arrive as soon as this weekend, probably on March 30.

After Apple's New iPad whirlwind, it's now the turn of iPhone 5 to create ripples in the tech market. The speculated features often range from likely to bizarre, but rumors regarding the release of the latest Apple smartphone are slowly yet strongly gaining traction. The latest speculation about the release of the purported iPhone 5 has it that Apple will unveil its fabled phone in either in June or in October.

Along with the iPhone 5, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S3 might be the most talked about smartphone release for 2012. The device has been rumored to launch around the same time as its competitor, but the newest speculation may point to an even closer date.

Microsoft’s friendly fan-based competition, known as the “Smoked by Windows” challenge, got a little more competitive over the weekend.

Draw Something, the Pictionary-like iPhone app, is the newest addition to a growing number of casual games designed to take advantage of the increasing numbers of people connected through smartphones. Much like the Internet has changed hardcore gaming, wireless devices are transforming the way non-gamers look at easy to play, social games. Instead of first-person-shooting and dungeon style adventure games, smartphone users are flocking toward games that take advantage of fast wireless connection...

While most people adore the new iPad, the inclusion of LTE is by far the tablet's most polarizing feature. Love it or hate it though, LTE in the new iPad is Apple's way of practicing for the iPhone 5.

Two great iPad alternatives are the Asus Transformer Prime TF201 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 because they both have a great combination of performance and features. While the Galaxy Note 10.1 isn't out yet, we already know the Prime is one of the best tablets out there.

When the first quadcopters were developed, they seemed like incredibly cool toys you could control with your smartphone. In a fast-paced tech world, students and researchers soon started to experiment with the quadrotor devices, getting them to fly aggressively, work together to build towers or demonstrate complex swarm patterns.

In early May, Research in Motion (RIM) will provide software developers with prototypes for its upcoming Blackberry smartphone platform, expected to launch later this year. RIM will give out as many as 2,000 BlackBerry 10 test models at its BlackBerry Jam Convention in Orlando, scheduled for May 1-3.

From an Apple fan's point of view, one could trust the Cupertino tech giant in terms of the wide range of products it offers to the customers. Parting with hundreds of dollars each year for laying hands on Apple gadgets does tell that story. But would you ever trust Apple with all your money? Would you trust Apple with your savings and consider banking with an iBank?

Foxconn, the primary assembler for Apple products, went on a massive hiring spree, indicating that production of the iPhone 5 could be underway, according to Asian news source M.I.C. Gadget.

Last year, Apple managed to sell roughly 30 million iPhones in the last quarter alone. Since it launched the iPhone 4S, it sold about 20 million units of the handset, making it one of the best sellers in the history of smartphones. The next iPhone, dubbed iPhone 5, is expected to be even more popular. Analysts forecast that Apple will sell about 50 million iPhone 5 units in 2012 and 2013.

iPhone 5 rumor mill has been supercharged into overdrive in the past few months with speculations flying all around the media world, faster than any product's news in the super smartphone arena.

When Apple release its third generation iPad with 4G LTE connectivity, it was assumed that the next iPhone will also be 4G LTE-enabled. Now it is almost confirmed that the assumption are true as iOS v5.1 code unveils the notion of 4G iPhone.

AT&T is prepping for a barrage of new phones in the next two months, but one of its most unique devices is already out. Samsung's Galaxy Note is a large, wide phone for $300 on contract. We're pretty certain the Nokia Lumia 900 will be $100 when it comes out, and the price isn't the only thing different about these two phones.