While the world awaits even the slightest peep as to whether or not the fabled Samsung Galaxy S3 is to arrive shortly or even exists at all, the good news is certain analysts are telling the world to expect the arrival of the S2 HD even sooner.

According to certain online sources, a number of retailers have the new device in their hands and are ready and waiting to official add them to their listings.

The S2 HD is of course the bigger brother of the world-dominating Samsung Galaxy 2, which arrived early last year and smashed practically every record in the Android book. The HD version boasts (unsurprisingly) a 720p HD screen which is slightly larger in size, along with a boosted battery to power its additional display prowess.
As of now, the handset is available exclusively in South Korea, with no official release announcements having been made for other countries.

Based on worldwide sales and of course the inescapable hype, the Samsung Galaxy S2 is by far the most successful Smartphone even produced by the company. As such, it can pretty much be taken as gospel that the Korean giant will have every intention of taking 2012 by storm with another massive success story in the S3, which will be pitted head to head with the likes of the iPhone 5 and a world of other Android 4.0 ICS heavy-hitters.

For those who really cannot wait, he world may be granted its first look at the S3 and the S2 HD next month when the Mobile World Conference takes place next month.

The iPhone 5 rumor-mill is once again alive and kicking, following a rather unexpected dry run in light of the overwhelming success of the so-called “stopgap” solution that was the iPhone 4S.

Taking in up to 30 million sales in the final quarter of 2011 alone, the dual-core 4S marks the biggest success story of Apple to date, breaking record in the US and Europe left, right and center.

However, 2012 has now rolled around and the biggest story in the technology community, albeit a speculative one, is that of the bigger brother of the 4S and when exactly we can expect to see it.

Well, depending on which source the educated guesswork is coming from, the iPhone 5 release date will come about at some point between June and October – most likely one or the other to follow on from previous releases with September having been penciled in as prime iPod Touch territory.

Design-wise it could indeed be all change, as industry experts are now suggesting that contrary to previous expectations and suggestions, the iPhone 5 will move entirely away from the form of the 4S, marking a shift toward a new and currently unknown design of stunning beauty.

Needless to say of course the very thought of the iPhone 5 has been enough to sell it hook, line and sinker to the frothing masses, with analysts now predicting that almost 95% of all current iPhone users will be fighting tooth and nail to upgrade to the iPhone 5.

Indeed, should the iPhone 5 mark a whole new direction for the iPhone it will of course render each and every prior model yesterday’s new…and we all know how well that goes down with fanatic.

Cue the longest lines and order backlogs ever seen in human history…

This year’s unofficial iPad season is officially in full unofficial swing, with industry bigwigs and casual observers alike having earmarked Q1 as the ideal and indeed likely time for Apple to introduce the long-awaited iPad 3.

Indeed, if last year’s release is anything to go by, the US may finally get its hands on the fabled device as soon as early March.
Those who simply cannot wait that long may take comfort in further rumors suggesting that an Apple even will take place in the next few weeks to officially confirm the existence of the iPad 3 and stoke the fires of the adoring public a little further.
Packing a quad-core processor or maybe even the truly epic (if theoretical) A6 chip along with LTE technology and the very first tablet-sized Retina display, patience appears as though it will be rewarded richly indeed.
However, patience and good graces aside it really does appear possible this time that Apple will choose March as the ideal timeframe for the iPad 3 release, as a number of next-generation Android tablet rivals are ready and waiting to take their own share of the market anytime soon – some with faster quad-core processors, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and tantalizingly lower prices.
Indeed, the ASUS MeMo is already turning a good number of heads with its quad-core chip and ICS goodness for only $250-ish, which appears to be the first attempt at replicating the strategy of the Kindle Fire from Amazon, only with an extra wallop in the CPU and OS departments.

Pushing aside a veritable arsenal of equally abundant hits and misses from the rumor mill, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is back in the unofficial headlines this week, which is set to take pride of place at the top of the Android ladder, taking the torch from the global smash-hit Galaxy S2.

Following on from the release of the S2 last year, rumor has it that the S3 is set to hit the shelves in the second quarter of this year, or more specifically in April. Even more tantalizingly, the S3 may be about to have its first official unveiling to the world, when the Mobile World Congress takes place next month.

Of course, if the S3 follows the same release roadmap as the S2 with South Korea proudly welcoming the new device before the US, chances are one or two will find their way over the pond long before the US version is made official.

Spec-wise, the S3 is of course rumored to be shipping with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich right out of the box, while a new HD screen will deliver an even more incredible impact than the Super AMOLED Plus we have all come to know and love.

Samsung may also be adding perhaps the finest 12 megapixel camera ever seen on any Smartphone from any manufacturer, with next-generation processing power and market-leading battery life.

Of course, the very moment the S3 hits the shelves the only question in the technology industry will be whether or not it is able to hold its own against the likes of the fabled iPhone 5…though sadly we’ll have to wait until at least the fall to answer that one.

With a bumped up pixel count, improved battery life and perhaps even an unexpected thicker overall case design, the upcoming iPad 3 could represent a significant step forward for Apple upon its release later this year…or perhaps a step in the wrong direction for those who favor tablet thinness above and beyond all else.

So, the question at this stage is who exactly would be happy to sacrifice their beloved device slenderness in favor of boosted specs and perhaps even 4G LTE connectivity?

Well, some would argue that the thickness of a device really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but let’s not forget that the battle for Smartphone superiority in 2011 did in fact take into account thickness as an official category. Samsung and Apple in particular are known to have had long running debates on the thickness of their devices and its importance.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 and iPhone 4 were if you remember embroiled in a pitched battle for the crown of slenderness, with the iPhone eventually taking the title for its consistent 9.3mm end to end.

Samsung and Apple also went head to head in the tablet PC thickness wars, with the 8.8mm iPad 2 sending Samsung back to the drawing boards, from which they produced the 8.6mm Galaxy Tab 10.1 and took the title home with them.

So, how importance is thickness and which way will Apple go with the iPad 3?

Well, the jury is well and truly out but with talk of the first Retina display to feature in a tablet, massive battery life and LTE technology, all the required components are likely to take up a little extra room to say the least, therefore a beefed-up iPad 3 is certainly not beyond the realms of possibility.

It is becoming an annual thing for Apple to announce Black Friday discounts on many of its products. The price breaks are not too big, but they are at least something. Today’s deals feature discounts on iPads, iPod Touch’es, MacBooks and many accessories, but unfortunately not on the iPhone 4S or any other iPhone for that matter.

Generally Mac computers will have a discount of about $100, the Nano can be had for $11 less and discounts on the iPod Touch will range from $21 to $41 off. iPads will shave anywhere from $41 to $61 off their prices.

These prices can be found on the online Apple store and of course in physical stores as well. Although Apple rarely lowers prices and doesn’t lower them much, this is the one time of year that it happens. It all looks good until one looks at online sites like Amazon where the prices are substantially better than can be found direct from Apple. Best Buy is offering similar deals.

Accessories are looking good at Apple today with discounts on everything from iPad covers to hard drives and keyboards. If you don’t know what to choose for a gift, the $100 gift card is also $10 off.

Today is Black Friday and you might expect that people will be searching for buying products that actually exist. But one of the most searched for phrases on the Internet is “iPhone 5 release date.”

This probably is a reflection of a large number of people who are considering the purchase of an iPhone 4S or possibly one of the Android smart phones like the Galaxy Nexus, or the Samsung Galaxy S2. Both of these phones are extremely popular, but the prospect of a new iPhone and what it might hold is enough of an incentive to make many people wait.

Although the iPhone 4S was a big leap forward in terms of hardware capacity and functionality in the form of iOS 5, it did not bring with it any substantial changes in form. Although Siri added voice control, and took it to a new level, that was the only significant innovation.

So waiting for an iPhone 5 release is not at all illogical. But the timing of the release is everything. The MacWorld Convention occurs in March. That might be a possible venue for a release announcement, but most likely it comes to early with the 4S just-released.

Mike the iPhone 5 then be released a couple of months later, when it is typical for new iPads to be announced? Many have said that announcing the iPad 3 at the same time as the iPhone 5, would not make sense from a marketing perspective.

A release date later in the year might actually be the most plausible reality. It would allow time for technology to evolve, and things like a quad core processor, even more powerful camera, and changes in screen technology might be available. Of course if the releases that far away, today’s would be buyers, almost certainly won’t wait. In almost all Apple new technology releases, there are leaks from component manufacturers participating in the ramp up. And these leaks typically appear in the three months preceding the product launch. So we and you will be keeping our ears to the ground, looking for signals that the iPhone 5 is on its way.

According to key industry analysts, production is well and truly underway of the new, high-resolution displays to be used for the next generation of the iPad, while a smaller 7.85 inch iPad Mini is also heading our way a little further down the road. Citing companies including Sharp, Samsung and LG, the report states that the fabled 2048×1536 resolution iPad 3 is to become a reality in the very near future.

The fact that Apple appears to be utilizing three entirely separate developers for the same screen technology adds further weight to the suggestion that sourcing the required components for such a high screen resolution has presented a variety of problems. A single provider may have been entirely unable to fill the massive supply quantities needed ahead of an official launch, though three combined will likely add up to enough for a scheduled launch to take place.

An increased display quality has long been pegged as the likely centerpiece of the new iPad 3 upon its release, which will represent a huge leap forward from the iPad 2, which currently offers a resolution of 1024×768.

Meanwhile, Apple is also said to have expressed keen interest in producing a smaller version of the iPad, having taken home a 7.85 inch screen to be implemented in a late 2012 device. Sources across the board have suggested that if there is sufficient demand for a smaller, cheaper iPad Mini then of course Apple will step up to the plate, which judging from the hype surrounding the Amazon Kindle Fire is indeed quite enormous demand across most of the world. 

The iPhone 5 release date cannot and will not come about until at least the mid-stages of 2012, because allowing an iPhone to be released this year with 4G LTE technology would have been a mistake, according to industry reports. Suggestions have been made that the decision regarding the delayed iPhone 5 release date has allowed Apple to overstep a mistake so many other competing brands have already made this year, which has cost most of them considerably.

Current 4G LTE technology requires physically large antennas that use up a serious amount of battery power, which essentially means that LTE devices at present have to ensure massive amounts of additional battery space are made available to keep the device operating. Generally speaking, the result is either bulky devices or those with short battery life – both of which may have found it necessary to cut back on other vital features in order to facilitate the LTE connectivity.

True, some may say the exceptional network speeds make the sacrifice a worthwhile one, but considering the fact that the vast majority of US consumers are still miles away from the nearest 4G LTE transmitter, logic would suggest otherwise.

Needless to say, this serves as all the explanation and justification Apple could ever need as to why they chose to remain with the old 3G networking system, with the iPhone 5 being well and truly put on ice until something truly superior comes along – which of course it will in 2012.

For countless companies operating in the mobile technology sector, the future well and truly lies in near field communication, or NFC. This is the technology that allows smartphones and other devices to interact when situated in close proximity to each-other, which is already being utilized by Google for the Google Wallet service. In a nutshell, NFC and Google Wallet can transform mobile devices into credit cards, which can then be used wirelessly in stores to make purchases.

Google is one of the first to express a keen interest in NFC and has so far been the key pioneer, with Apple particularly notable as trailing some way behind. That being said of course, Apple has never been once to go diving in head first the second a new technology comes to be, instead preferring to wait until it is fully tested and perfected before even considering inclusion in the iPhone.

Needless to say, this appears to be the case once again and has therefore called into question whether or not the iPhone 5 will include NFC technology, whenever and wherever it finally comes to be.

Common sense would dictate that this is something of a high likelihood, as the period between now and the expected summer 2012 release date will allow ample time for testing and tweaking so as to ensure a truly superior final product. The so called e-wallet of the future is already turning heads the world over, therefore if Apple really intends to make the massive impact expected with the iPhone 5, it would be safe to expect NFC to be included with little question.