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In the brave new world of connected personal computing devices, Hewlett-Packard is a distant No. 4, with Samsung and Apple leading the way.

Think of IDC's "Worldwide Smart Connected Device Market" report as the 21st century equivalent of PC maker rankings.

Personal computing today includes tablets and smartphones, not just the laptop in your father's home office.

That global smart-connected device market grew 27.1 percent year-over-year in the third quarter to a record 303.6 million shipments valued at $140.4 billion, IDC said today in a research note.

"HP, which is virtually non-existent … Read more

Samsung's latest Galaxy announcement, the pebblelike Galaxy Muse, is a stylish $50 media player that attempts to divert some of the iPod zeitgeist to Samsung's flagship phones.

Plug it into the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and the Galaxy S3, and the Galaxy Muse syncs with the smartphone, so you can access just your music without bringing the entire phone with you on a jog.

Available in the familiar Pebble Blue and Marble White options, the Galaxy Muse offers 4GB of storage and delivers up to 6 hours of music playback. While it might be easy to dismiss it … Read more

AT&T's rough 'n' tumble "Rugby" team gets another player in the Samsung Rugby III, a durable flip phone that will feature AT&T's enhanced push-to-talk (PTT) capabilities.

Starting December 14, the Rugby III costs $99.99 with a two-year contract, but free for organizations with an AT&T business account. Preorders begin November 30.

Intended to be a simple, sturdy handset, the Rugby III keeps features simple. It sports a 2.4-inch QVGA display, a 3-megapixel camera, and a PTT convenience button for easy access, walkie-talkie style. The phone also includes access … Read more

Are you gearing up for Black Friday already? When it comes to smartphones, you may want to pause and reconsider any purchases.

As with many Black Friday and Cyber Monday "deals," a majority of the items on sale are outdated models, less-than-desirable devices, or just products that the carriers and retailers are looking to unload. In other words, don't let the Black Friday fever blind you from a deal that's not really a deal.

Smartphones are a different beast than other consumer electronic products. They are more personal than other gadgets, and are almost always with … Read more

The Galaxy S3 Mini may not find a home with any specific U.S. wireless provider, but that doesn't mean you can't get it if you really try.

The Galaxy S3 Mini has been quietly listed on Amazon, albeit in a very limited quantity. TechCrunch was the first to notice the listing.

As with other unlocked phones, it's not cheap. But priced at $409.95, it's actually quite a deal considering it is offered without contract and supports either T-Mobile USA or AT&T. As a reminder, the Galaxy S3 Mini runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Watch Jeff go nuts on the Wii U.

- German police stop man with mobile office in car.… Read more

Lenovo expects the growing market for 7-inch tablets to compete with large-screen smartphones, not PCs.

During the company's second-quarter earnings conference call Thursday, Lenovo Chief Executive Yang Yuanqing said he had just read a report on Apple's iPad Mini and was encouraged about the trend in the tablet market.

"The market accepts the 7-inch [tablet] better than the 10-inch. That's a very strong signal, the tablet will not replace the traditional PC," he said during the conference call.

Yuanqing continued. "Probably, the tablet will compete with the large-screen smartphone rather than the PC," … Read more

Samsung Electronics said today that it had sold 3 million units of the Galaxy Note 2 after just 30 days, or three times faster than its predecessor.

The figure represents an impressive rate of adoption for Samsung, which has essentially created a new category of oversized mobile phones that many have taken to calling "phablets." The original Galaxy Note was deemed a success, but took 90 days to hit the same 3 million mark.

In addition, Samsung said it has sold more than 30 million Galaxy S III smartphones, another impressive milestone for its flagship device.

The Galaxy … Read more

Even Apple's iPhone 5 couldn't slow Samsung Electronics down.

The Korean conglomerate's flagship Galaxy S III had four of its five best-selling weeks in the U.S. after the iPhone 5 was unveiled, Samsung told CNET.

The spike after the iPhone 5 launch suggests that consumers hung around to see what Apple had to show off, weren't impressed, and went with a Galaxy S III instead.

"I was shocked by the numbers," Kevin Packingham, chief product officer of Samsung's U.S. mobile arm, said in an interview. "I thought: 'What the heck … Read more