Tag Archives: Mobile Technology

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FTC Cracks Down on Cell Phone Bill 'Cramming' Scam

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By Matt Brownell

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Cell phone bills are steep enough as it is, but many consumers have had to deal with bills further inflated by scammers who use spam text messages to cram fraudulent charges onto them. Fortunately, the government is finally doing something about those spamming, cramming scammers.

The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday that it was filing a lawsuit against Wise Media LLC to halt what it says are deceptive business practices. According to the complaint, Wise Media signed consumers up for subscription services costing $9.99 a month, then sent them horoscopes, love tips and other unsolicited content. These consumers were billed regardless of whether they responded to the texts.

As the FTC notes in a statement, many people don’t bother to check the details of their cell phone bills, so the extra charges often went unnoticed. And those customers who did notice the charges weren’t always able to dispute them.

The agency is seeking to freeze the company’s assets, and has requested that the court order it halt its “deceptive and unfair practices,” and require it to issue refunds to the scam’s victims.

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While this marks the first time that the FTC has gone after mobile scammers, the agency has tangled with crammers before: In January, it went after eVoice, which it said was sneaking monthly charges of up to $25 onto consumers’ landline phone bills.

Fighting these scams can be difficult: As the FTC notes, third-party businesses are able to add charges to your cell phone bill for what they say are legitimate subscription services. And as this lawsuit makes clear, simply responding to a text saying that you didn’t subscribe isn’t enough to make sure you aren’t charged. The agency recommends that you ask your carrier to block any number that tries to charge you. And if you find a mystery charge on your bill, be sure to report it to the FTC and follow your carrier’s instructions for disputing the charge.

Matt Brownell is the consumer and retail reporter for DailyFinance. You can reach him at Matt.Brownell@teamaol.com, and follow him on Twitter at @Brownellorama.

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From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/on/ftc-cracks-down-on-cell-phone-bill-cramming-scam/

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Cell Phone 'Bill Shock' Is History as New FCC Rules Take Effect

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By FOXBusiness

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By

The days of opening your cell phone bill and getting slapped with unexpected charges should be over.

As of Wednesday, cell phone companies must send customers four types of alerts when they are in danger of being charged beyond their normal plan price. The practice, which tacks on unauthorized or misleading charges on a bill, is known as “cramming” and has been around for decades with landline phone bills.

A 2011 agreement between the Federal Communications Commission and major cell phone companies included today’s deadline that requires them to alert subscribers when they approach, reach and exceed limits on voice, data, text and international roaming charges. Carriers were required to provide two alerts by Oct. 17.

“This is very important consumer protection,” says Jack Gillis, Director of Public Affairs for the Consumer Federation of America. “The bottom line is that cell phone charging plans are so complicated it’s very easy to go over plans, especially with limited plans. This new requirement at the very least will save consumers thousands of dollars.”

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According to a 2010 FCC survey, 30 million Americans, about one in six mobile users, have experienced “bill shock,” a sudden and unexpected increase in monthly bills not caused by a change in service plans. In 2010, the agency showcased a 66-year-old customer’s plight of facing an $18,000 bill after a promotional, limitless data plan expired without warning as why more stringent notifications were needed.

The average wireless contract includes a flat fee for a set number of minutes and data each month and any usage that goes beyond the allotment is charged at a much higher rate. The surge in use of tablets has made consuming data and in turn, exceeding limits, much easier.

The FCC and Governmental Affairs Bureau held a workshop Wednesday on bill shock and cramming and according to attendee John Breyault, vice president of Public Policy for the National Consumers League, the FCC reported the number of complaints over mammoth fees has dropped significantly since October.

The NCL advocated for the new regulations to be implemented two years ago, and Breyault says the wireless companies reported being in full compliance of the alerts on Wednesday, which covers 97 percent of the carrier market.

In some cases when companies incur higher taxes or lose a revenue stream they are forced to increase prices to make up the difference, but Breyault says wireless caries did not view overcharges “as profit centers.”

“The dissatisfaction of consumers felts over charges had the companies introduce tiered data plans … there are still problems with these plans and whether or not they are adequate and will offer enough data at a reasonable price.”

Amy Storey, spokeswoman for the wireless association CTIA, told FOX Business that the cost for the alerts

From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/18/cell-phone-bill-shock-is-history-as-new-fcc-rules-take-effect/

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Tempt™ In-Store Productions to Feature Its Innovative Solutions for Retailers at GlobalShop 2013

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Tempt™ In-Store Productions to Feature Its Innovative Solutions for Retailers at GlobalShop 2013

Highlights Include Signage Integrated with Mobile Technology to Help Drive Traffic, Enhance Consumer Shopping Experience

SUSSEX, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Tempt In-Store Productions, a Quad/Graphics company (NYS: QUAD) , will feature innovative print solutions for driving store traffic and enhancing the consumer shopping experience at GlobalShop 2013, the nation’s largest annual visual merchandising trade show and conference, April 16-18, at Chicago’s McCormick Place. During the three-day event, Tempt will showcase its large-format printing and structural design capabilities in a setting resembling a colorful, life-size candy store.

Retailers and visual design professionals can visit booth 644 to learn more about Tempt’s product offering, including:

  • Large-format printing, finishing and customized kitting
  • Actable®, Quad/Graphics’ interactive print solutions app that engages consumers through creative applications of image recognition, augmented reality, near field communication or traditional QR codes
  • Structural design and prototype services for retail and brand marketing.

Tempt works with retailers and marketers worldwide to develop and produce interior and exterior signage for marketing and store environments. With in-store production facilities located in the United States and Europe, the company is able to serve multiple markets. “The retail supply chain model demands increased speed-to-market, greater customization and lower quantities but with higher frequencies, and our platform can help achieve these goals for our customers,” said Mike Draver, President of Tempt.

Tempt’s printing process uses the latest in digital and offset technology combined with complete in-house finishing and customized kitting services, giving retailers and other brand marketers a single-source solution that best meets their increasing demands for customization and high-end visual products.

About Tempt

Tempt In-Store Productions (www.tempt-ing.com) is a Quad/Graphics company that provides in-store marketing materials and programs for many of the nation’s leading retailers and brand marketers. Tempt offers extensive production expertise and resources to develop attention-getting, sales-driving shopper marketing programs in conjunction with other Quad/Graphics solutions. From design and prototype services through large-format printing, finishing operations and customized kit packing, Tempt works with customers to create impactful in-store destinations.

About Quad/Graphics

From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/11/tempt-in-store-productions-to-feature-its-innovati/

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California Judge Rules Motorist Can't Use Smartphone Map

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By The Associated Press

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

By PAUL ELIAS

SAN FRANCISCO — Steven Spriggs was stopped in a traffic jam near downtown Fresno and thought nothing of whipping out his iPhone 4 and clicking on the map feature to see if there was an alternate route around the construction mess.

He was startled when he looked up and saw a California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer ordering him to pull over. He showed the officer that he was looking at a map and not texting or talking.

“‘Pull over,'” Spriggs recalled the officer as saying. “‘It’s in your hand.'”

A little more than a year later, Spriggs is at the heart of a novel court case that has technology blogs and social media sites buzzing about the $160 ticket plus court costs he was ordered to pay for “distracted driving.”

A court commissioner and then a three-judge appellate panel of the Superior Court found Spriggs guilty of violating a California law that bans motorists from texting or conducting phone conversations with hand-held devices.

The judges rejected Spriggs’ argument that they were expanding the law by refusing to toss out the ticket he got in January 2012.

Spriggs, who graduated from law school but isn’t a practicing attorney, represented himself before the commissioner and then the appeals panel. He initially brought a paper map to court to argue that it was legal to hold it while driving. Not persuaded, the traffic court commissioner found him guilty.

Next, he appealed to the three-judge panel of Fresno Superior Court, arguing in a legal brief that the iPhone has a flashlight feature and other functions that can be useful to a driver and aren’t as dangerous as texting or talking. That hearing last all of 30 seconds because no one from the CHP or district attorney’s office appeared to oppose the appeal by Spriggs.

He still lost.

Fresno County Judge Kent Hamlin, writing on March 21 for the three-judge panel upholding the commissioner’s ruling, said “the primary evil sought to be avoided is the distraction the driver faces when using his or her hands to operate the phone. That distraction would be present whether the wireless telephone was being used as a telephone, a GPS navigator, a clock or a device for sending and receiving text messages and emails.”

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The ruling doesn’t apply outside of Fresno County.

Nevertheless, Spriggs said he is troubled that police can now pull over motorists they suspect of simply holding their mobile phones.

Spriggs, a fundraiser for Fresno State University, said he’s unsure if he has the time or money to pursue further appeals to the California Court of Appeal and the state Supreme Court.

“I’m just a little guy who is frustrated,” Spriggs said. “I don’t see how they can extend this law.”<br …read more

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Apple Reportedly Set to Unveil Latest iPhone This Summer

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By The Associated Press

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John Moore/Getty Images The iPhone 5 on display at a T-Mobile press event on March 26. Apple is likely to launch its next iPhone this summer, a report says.

NEW YORK — The Wall Street Journal says Apple is set for a possible summer launch of the next iPhone, rather than a fall launch like the last two models.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) is also working on a cheaper iPhone model that could win it some market share in developing countries, the paper says. It cited unnamed people “familiar with the device’s production.”

The report is in line with the expectations of company watchers and Wall Street analysts. The iPhone 5 costs around $600, and while Apple maintains older iPhones in production, even those aren’t cheap enough to compete effectively against low-end smartphones running Google Inc.’s (GOOG) Android software.

Apple doesn’t comment on future products before its launch events.

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Best Apps to Manage Your Money

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By CNNMoney

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Money magazine has served up a bounty of mobile apps to help you save more and budget better. Let’s take a look at their top recommendations:

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Verizon, AT&amp;T to Make Joint Bid for Vodafone, Report Says

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By The Associated Press

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NEW YORK — Verizon and AT&T are looking at making a joint bid for Vodafone, the British cellphone company that owns 45 percent of Verizon Wireless, a report says.

New York-based Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) owns the 55 percent of Verizon Wireless that Vodafone Group PLC (VOD) doesn’t own, and has been openly interested for years in buying out Vodafone. But tax and pricing issues have gotten in the way.

According to the Financial Times, the joint bid would mean Verizon would get Vodafone’s stake in Verizon Wireless, while AT&T Inc. (T) would take over the rest of Vodafone, which has widespread international interests. It operates in Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece and India, among other countries.

The newspaper cited “usually reliable people” that it didn’t further identify.

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There has been speculation that AT&T is interested in international expansion, but few signals from the company that this is the case. Cross-border deals in telecommunications have few benefits.

What effect, if any, the deal would have on Verizon Wireless customers isn’t clear. With some 92.5 million subscribers, Verizon Wireless is the nation’s largest wireless-service provider. AT&T has about 70.5 million contract customers, making it second among U.S. carriers.

Verizon had no comment on the report. AT&T didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The London-based newspaper put the value of the bid at $245 billion, which would make it the largest corporate deal ever.

Vodafone shares rose 65 cents, or 2.3 percent, to $28.99 in midday trading, after spiking as high as $29.95 in earlier U.S. trading. Shares of AT&T and Verizon were up about 1 percent, slightly more than market indexes.

—

DailyFinance staff contributed to this story.

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Apple Apoligizes in China Following Criticism by State Media

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By The Associated Press

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Eugene Hoshiko/AP

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN

BEIJING — Apple apologized to Chinese consumers after government media attacked its repair policies for two weeks in a campaign that reeked of economic nationalism.

A statement Apple posted in Chinese on its website Monday said the complaints had prompted “deep reflection” and persuaded the company of the need to revamp its repair policies, boost communication with Chinese consumers and strengthen oversight of authorized resellers.

State broadcaster CCTV and the ruling Communist Party‘s flagship newspaper, People’s Daily, had led the charge against the U.S. company. They accused Apple Inc. (AAPL) of arrogance, greed and “throwing its weight around” and portrayed it as just the latest Western company to exploit the Chinese consumer.

The attacks quickly backfired, though, and were mocked by the increasingly sophisticated Chinese consumers who revere Apple and its products. State-run media also inadvertently revived complaints about shoddy service by Chinese companies.

Nonetheless, Apple responded with an apology from CEO Tim Cook.

“We’ve come to understand through this process that because of our poor communication, some have come to feel that Apple’s attitude is arrogant and that we don’t care about or value feedback from the consumer,” Cook’s Chinese statement said, as translated by The Associated Press. “For the concerns and misunderstandings passed on to the consumer, we express our sincere apologies.”

Although Apple enjoys strong support from Chinese consumers, the vehemence of the attacks and the importance of the Chinese market appeared to have persuaded the company to appear contrite.

The People’s Daily newspaper ran an editorial last Wednesday headlined “Strike down Apple’s incomparable arrogance.”

“Here we have the Western person’s sense of superiority making mischief,” the newspaper wrote. “If there’s no risk in offending the Chinese consumer, and it also makes for lower overheads, then why not?”

Chinese observers accused People’s Daily of gross hypocrisy and pointed out that the newspaper had maintained a stony silence when Chinese companies were implicated over food safety, pollution and other scandals. Meanwhile, CCTV was shamed when it emerged that celebrities had been recruited to blast Apple on Weibo, China‘s version of Twitter, in what had been billed as a grassroots campaign.

“The public responded in two ways to this incident,” popular commentator Shi Shusi wrote on his Weibo account. “One group supports this criticism but quite a number of people felt that there are state monopolies which have severely violated customer’s rights, but which are not being exposed.”

Poor Customer Service

Popular business magazine Caijing said its readers identified a long list of abusers, including state banks that lend to those with political connections while stiffing ordinary savers with low rates on deposits; a government oil company that sets gas prices and other rates as it sees fit; and state telecom providers notorious for …read more
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Research in Motion Returns to Profitablity in Latest Quarter

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By The Associated Press

blackberry RIM research in motion earnings Thorsten Heins

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Mark Lennihan/AP Research in Motion CEO Thorsten Heins introduces the BlackBerry Z10 in January in New York. The company said Thursday that higher sales of BlackBerry 10 devices helped push the company back to profitability in the final quarter of 2012.

By ROB GILLIES

TORONTO — Research In Motion said Thursday that it sold about 1 million of its critically important new BlackBerry 10 devices and returned to profitability in the most recent quarter.

The earnings provide a first glimpse of how RIM‘s new touch-screen Z10 is selling internationally and in Canada since its debut Jan. 31. Details on the U.S. launch are not part of the fiscal fourth quarter’s financial results because the Z10 just went on sale in the U.S. last week.

In the quarter that ended March 2, Research In Motion Ltd. (BBRY) earned $98 million, or 19 cents a share, compared with a loss of $125 million, or 24 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue fell 36 percent to $2.7 billion, from $4.2 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had expected $2.82 billion.

“I thought they were dead. This is a huge turnaround,” Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said from New York.

Misek said the Canadian company “demolished” the numbers, especially its gross margins. RIM reported gross margins of 40 percent, up from 34 percent a year earlier. The company credited higher average selling prices and higher margins for devices.

“This is a really, really good result,” Misek said. “It’s off to a good start.”

Chief executive Thorsten Heins said he implemented numerous changes at the company over the past year and those changes have resulted in RIM returning to profitability.

The company also announced that co-founder Mike Lazaridis will retire as vice chairman and director.

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T-Mobile, Seeking to Fill 'Huge Void,' Will Begin Selling iPhones

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By The Associated Press

t-mobile sell apple iphone without contract

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Mary Altaffer/AP T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert speaks at a news conference Tuesday in New York. T-Mobile will start offering the iPhone 5 on April 12, filling what the company says is “a huge void” in its phone lineup.

By PETER SVENSSON

NEW YORK — T-Mobile USA on Tuesday said it will start offering the iPhone on April 12, filling what its CEO said was “a huge void” in its phone lineup.

T-Mobile, the fourth-largest of the national U.S. phone companies, has been losing customers to the bigger companies, which all sell Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhone.

“This is a big deal for us,” T-Mobile CEO John Legere said at an event in New York.

The company will charge $100 up front for the iPhone 5, then another $20 per month for two years. That’s on top of service fees for voice, text and data that start at $50 per month. The total monthly cost starts at $70 per month, a substantial discount to prices offered by bigger companies.

In some areas, where its network supports them, T-Mobile will also sell the older iPhone 4, for $15 down and $15 per month for two years, and the 4S for $70 plus $20 a month for two years.

T-Mobile’s network has, until recently, not been able to offer high-speed data service to iPhones. It’s now able to deliver high-speed data to iPhones in some cities, and it has lured over 2.1 million off-contract AT&T Inc. (T) iPhones, executives said Tuesday.

The company also announced that it is firing up an even faster data network, based on so-called “LTE” technology, in Baltimore, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Jose, Calif., and Washington. Unofficially, the network is also active here and there in New York, as demonstrated at the event.

By the end of the year, T-Mobile says LTE will be available where two-thirds of the nation’s population lives. The iPhone 5 can access the LTE network for faster data downloads, while the older iPhones can’t.

T-Mobile is the last of the four major carriers to launch an LTE network, but already has a relatively fast “4G” network. It’s been hamstrung by a lack of space on the airwaves, but gained some room last year from AT&T as part the compensation for a failed buyout attempt. That’s allowing it to start building the LTE network.

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T-Mobile wants to boost its LTE capacity and speeds even further by merging with No. 5 carrier MetroPCS Communications Inc. and thus gaining access to its space on the airwaves. That deal faces opposition from MetroPCS shareholders. By coincidence, they are voting on the merger on April 12, the same day T-Mobile starts selling the iPhone.

T-Mobile also said it will start selling the Samsung Galaxy S 4 …read more
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Samsung Unveils Latest iPhone Challenger

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By The Associated Press

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Samsung Electronics unveiled its latest smartphone — the Samsung Galaxy S 4 — at a splashy event held at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday. (Jason DeCrow/AP)

By PETER SVENSSON

NEW YORK — Samsung Electronics is ratcheting up its rivalry with Apple with its new Galaxy S 4 smartphone, which has a larger, sharper screen than its predecessor, the best-selling S III.

Samsung trumpeted the much-anticipated phone’s arrival Thursday at an event accompanied by a live orchestra while an audience of thousands watched the theatrics unfold on a four-level stage at Radio City Music Hall. Summoning up a touch of Broadway, Samsung employed 17 actors to demonstrate the new phone’s features in a series of scripted vignettes.

The Galaxy S 4, which crams a 5-inch screen into body slightly smaller than the S III’s, will go sale in the U.S. sometime between the end of April and the end of June.

In the U.S., it will be sold by all four national carriers — AT&T Inc. (T), Verizon Wireless (VZ, VOD), Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) and T-Mobile USA — as well as by smaller ones US Cellular and Cricket. All told, Samsung plans to offer the Galaxy 4 S through 327 carriers in 155 countries, giving it a wider reach than Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhone 5.

Samsung didn’t say what the phone will cost, but it can be expected to start at $200 with a two-year contract in the U.S. That’s comparable to the iPhone 5.

JK Shin, the executive in charge of Samsung’s mobile communications division, promised the money would be well spent for a “life companion” that will “improve the way most people live every day.”

That bold promise set the tone for the kind of flashy presentation associated with the showmanship of Apple, the company that Samsung has been trying to upstage. Apple contends Samsung has been trying to do it by stealing its ideas — an allegation has triggered bitter courtroom battles around the world.

Apple’s Primary Rival

In the last two years, Samsung has emerged as Apple’s main competitor in the high-end smartphone market. At the same time, it has sold enough inexpensive low-end phones to edge out Nokia Corp. as the world’s largest maker of phones.

The Galaxy line has been Samsung’s chief weapon in the smartphone fight, and it has succeeded in making it a recognizable brand while competitors like Taiwan’s HTC Corp. and Korean rival LG have stumbled. Samsung has sold 100 million Galaxy S phones since they first came out in 2010. That’s still well below the 268 million iPhones Apple has sold in the same period, but Samsung’s sales rate is catching up.

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Research firm Strategy Analytics said the Galaxy S III overtook Apple’s iPhone …read more
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Samsung's Newest Smartphone Set For Splashy New York Debut

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By David Schepp

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Samsung Electronics is taking to the Big Apple to reveal its next big challenge to Apple’s iPhone 5 — a successor to its top-selling Galaxy S III smartphone. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Samsung Electronics is set to unveil its latest smartphone at a high-profile event Thursday evening in New York, where the company has rented New York‘s Radio City Music Hall to unveil the Galaxy S IV, expected to hit store shelves in April or May.

The smartphone, the successor to the wildly popular Galaxy S III, is expected to have an even larger screen than its predecessor, which sports a screen that measures 4.8 inches diagonally, much larger than the 4-inch screen on Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhone 5. What’s more, the Galaxy S IV is expected to unveil several novel technologies that make the phone easier to use. For more on that check out the latest news from Engadget.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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6 Ways Google Glass Will Change the Way You Shop

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By Matt Brownell

Google Inc employee Ray Liu, wears Project Glass internet glasses during a demonstration during at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Wednesday, June 27, 2012. Google Inc. unveiled a $199 handheld computer called the Nexus 7 that features a 7-inch screen and is designed to help the company vie with Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. in the surging market for tablets. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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Google employee Ray Liu demonstrates Google Glass internet glasses. (David Paul Morris, Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Google Glass is poised to be the first mass-market wearable computer. Worn like a pair of glasses, the display sits in the corner of your eye and responds to voice commands. It can be used to perform Google searches, take pictures and video, translate phrases into other languages, and perform several other functions that normally require you to take out your smartphone. It’s currently wowing crowds at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.

The bad news? For now, Google Glass is available only to developers and selected “creative individuals” at the hefty price of $1,500 each. But the devices are expected to become available to consumers at a lower price by the end of the year. And when they do hit the wider market, we think they could completely change the way you shop.

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Yes, the smartphone revolution already did that once, allowing us to research, price-compare and even buy from our phones as we stand at the store. But Google Glass could do it all over again by allowing you to access all the same functions just by looking at a product and whispering a few voice commands. By removing the phone from the equation, Glass and similar products could seamlessly integrate vital information into your shopping experience.

Here are a few of our hopes for how Google Glass could change shopping.

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Matt Brownell is the consumer and retail reporter for DailyFinance. You can reach him at Matt.Brownell@teamaol.com, and follow him on Twitter at @Brownellorama.

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