If you had any doubts that Samsung’s next Galaxy smartphone was not all that anticipated then perhaps this bit of news might convince you otherwise.  According to Reuters, Samsung has already taken 9 million preorders for the handset, spread across more than 100 wireless carriers.

Samsung typically shoots out press releases touting numbers of sales figures for the Galaxy line of devices and expect nothing less for the Galaxy S III.  We cannot wait for our U.S. versions and figure the sales will be off the chart once it arrives stateside.

Although Samsung has not confirmed these figures we figure we’ll get something more official come launch time.

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Source: XDA via AC

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The device is equipped with hardware that can be found inside a mid-range phone. It’s sporting a 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor, 512MB o RAM, 4GB of internal storage, 1080p playback capabilities and more. If the 4GB of storage is a little on the low side, fret not: a microSD card slot is available for expanding storage up to 32GB.

WiFi is included for downloading apps and browsing the web, and it all hooks up to your monitor or TV using an HDMI port (cable not included). It’s an interesting device for $ 74.  If the development community gets their hands on it this could become an inexpensive, yet functional Google TV module. I wouldn’t fully bet on that, of course, but it’s possible. Find it at All Express.

[via Electronista]

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Pocket, formerly Read it Later, has been updated to version 4.1 today and it incorporates a number of notable changes.  First up is the ability to flip pages like a book or magazine, making it feel even more natural for reading longer articles.  Next is expanded support for video playback, something that goes against the idea of “reading” something later. Maybe that’s why it’s called Pocket now, eh?  Finally there is an improved dark theme and new sepia tone theme which feels very book-like.  Additional details in Pocket 4.1 can be found on the company blog!

Download Pocket for free from Google Play.

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If you didn’t know, Samsung introduced some alternate colors for the Samsung Galaxy Note. Unfortunately, those alternate colors only launched in Korea. Well, it looks like parts of Europe are about to get in on the fun as Carphone Warehouse have pegged June 2012 as the launch date for the berry pink version in the UK. You can sign up to be notified of its arrival if you’re into it. Head to Carphone Warehouse to do just that.

[Recombu via AC]

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Virgin Mobile has become the latest wireless carrier to get behind the future of mobile commerce that is Google Wallet.  The provider shot out an email today advising that customers who pick up the new LG Optimus Elite can activate Google Wallet and score $ 25 credit in the process.  The catch is that you have to activate the service and Google prepaid card within seven (7) days of purchase and activation.  It’s worth pointing out that this is a limited time promotion (May 18 through July18) and may not be available in all markets and retail locations.

If you’re considering picking up one of these no-contract LG Optimus Elite models and want to learn more, head to Virgin Mobile’s newsroom.

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It’s a refurbished model, but if you take a look at the going rates on eBay you’ll find that it’s a bargain: there, the 16GB version is going for as high as $ 275! The 32GB is close to $ 500. Are you starting to see why this would be a good idea?

Sure, WebOS was pretty much driven into the ground, but the Android community couldn’t help themselves and they got all sorts of ROMs made for the device. Do some research over at XDA and RootzWiki to get started, but in the meantime make sure you purchase one of these at Woot pronto.

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We’re expecting the Samsung Galaxy S3 to arrive on the big 4 carriers here in the US, but unfortunately, nothing’s been announced yet. Well, here’s some good news for AT&T and T-Mobile customers. Both versions of the GS3 have just made their way through the Bluetooth SIG, revealing not much other than their BT capabilities, and corresponding model numbers (generic images have been used).

Following the model number patterns with current Samsung devices, the SGH-T999V will be headed to T-Mobile, while the SGH-I747 will arrive on AT&T. Word is, these US models will sport Qualcomm’s dual-core S4 processor with an added RAM boost to the tune of 2GB. Looks like it wont be much longer until we find out.

[UV]

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Earlier today, we reported that Best Buy was notifying pre-orders that the  HTC EVO 4G LTE would arrive on May 23rd, a few days later than the original May 18th launch date. This came after news that both the EVO and One X were being held up at Customs, and lead a few to believe (or hope, rather) that this would be the new “official” launch date.

Well, Best Buy is now sending out emails correcting the mix up, letting Evolte pre-orders know that the device has now been delayed indefinitely, with no expected date on when it may arrive. Still bad news, I know, but that sounds more in line with what we’ve been hearing. As you were…

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In a move I would have expected to see Google jump on first, it looks like the other Google (Amazon) is attempting to make back some of that money they’re losing on every Kindle Fire sold by selling “prime” location ad space on their 7-inch tablets. For a measly $ 600,000, you too can advertise your latest rap album, product, or service, directly from the Kindle Fire’s welcome screen. The half a mil reportedly gets you 2 full months of ad time, with your ad showing up on every boot, adding to the “sponsored screensaver” ads that appear whenever the device shuts down.

There are a few complications, however. Advertisers aren’t completely sold on this new opportunity, and Amazon isn’t quite sure how they’re going to implement this new… “feature.” Apparently, they are still undecided if they will add it to current Kindle Fires, or just in future ad-supported models. There’s also the potential of upsetting current customers who wouldn’t exactly be pleased to find ads popping up out of nowhere on their once ad-free device.

What do you guys think? Would having ads pop up on your tablet justify a heavily discounted tablet? Think Google should implement something similar to drive down the price on their rumored $ 250 quad-core tabbie?

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