Sprint users: The hot new HTC EVO 4G LTE will hit stores this Saturday

If you're a Sprint customer up for contract renewal now or in the near future, there's a new hotness coming to town this weekend: the HTC EVO 4G LTE. Running the latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, the svelte new smartphone features a 4.7" display, dual-core processor, 8-megapixel camera, Beats Audio, 16GB internal storage, and support for NFC for mobile payments and wireless data transfer.

As the name cryptically implies, the new HTC smartphone features support for Sprint's brand new 4G LTE network — so brand-spanking-new, in fact, that it rather barely even exists yet. The new device succeeds the original HTC EVO 4G launched back in 2010, which had the distinction of being the very first handset to run on Sprint's WiMax network — at the time, the first true 4G cell network in the U.S. It also had the distinction of having some pretty terrible battery life as a result, so we hope the new edition isn't plagued by the same frustrating shortcoming.

After a short delay at U.S. Customs over one of those pesky patent squabbles, the HTC EVO 4G LTE will finally be on offer at a Sprint store near you this Saturday, June 2, for an on-contract price of $199. Will you be picking one up?

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Samsung Galaxy S3 hits store shelves in India

Samsung Electronics launched its flagship Galaxy S3 smartphone in India on Thursday, making an aggressive push to counter Apple's popular iPhones in a competitive market.

The 16 GB smartphone, priced at 43,180 rupees in India, runs on the Android 4.0 platform and features a 4.8 inch screen.

The Galaxy S3, powered by Samsung's quad-core microprocessor, also tracks the user's eye movements to keep the screen from dimming or turning off while in use.

Samsung packs new features such as the S Voice, its equivalent of Apple's Siri, and launched its own music service on the device. The S3 also boasts of an 8 megapixel rear camera.

"India is one of the top three strategic markets in the world for Samsung," a company release quoted H.C. Ryu, Samsung's vice president of sales and marketing, as saying at the phone's launch in India.

The company is aiming to outsell its previous model S2 that helped the South Korean firm topple Apple as the world's largest smartphone maker.

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3G Capable BlackBerry Curve 9320 Announced, To Arrive In June

RIM has announced a new BlackBerry phone – the Curve 9320, an entry-level device with 3G capabilities and BlackBerry OS 7.1, which according to the latest reports, is expected to arrive in India sometime in June. Pricing is as of yet unknown, but it is expected to be anywhere between Rs. 12,000 and Rs. 14,000, looking at where it would fit in the BlackBerry lineup.

The BlackBerry Curve 9320, first spotted in early March, is essentially the 3G-variant (7.2Mbps down, 5.76Mbps up) of the recently launched Curve 9220 (read our review), and shares most of its features, apart from a larger 3.15MP camera (compared to the 9220’s 2MP offering), with flash and image stabilization, as well as the GPS connectivity sorely-lacking in the 9220.

Common specifications include a 2.44-inch 320x240 pixel display, 512MB of RAM, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity, stereo FM radio, 512MB of ROM, microSD card slot support up to 32GB, and a 1450 mAh battery, which is rated to deliver up to 7 hours of talk-time, and 30 hours of continuous FM radio playback. The Curve 9320 should also arrive in the same range of colours as the 9220.

Of course, like the Curve 9220, the Curve 9320 will come with the new dedicated BBM-button, for one-click access to the platform’s many integrated features. RIM has also added Parental Controls, allowing for feature and app access restrictions in BBOS 7.1. When introducing the smartphone, Carlo Chiarello, EVP of RIM’s Smartphone Business division, said:

“The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 is designed to make it easy for users to stay socially-connected. The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 will be especially popular with customers upgrading to a smartphone for the first time and existing Curve customers looking for a step up in speed and functionality.”

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