Processors are slower, yet that's not so noticeable for basic tasks such as email,Facebook and weather checks. Video and audio are also enjoyable.

Because you spend so much time with your phone, there's a case for having the best. But those come with a price tag starting at about $650.

So consider how you use your phone and what features will remain most important to you over the next year or two. Before you drain your wallet, here are three solid phones that cover the basics:

ZTE Nubia 5S Mini (Android, Rs.15399)
The Nubia is a slim, light device with a 4.7-inch screen - the same as the iPhone 6. It looks sleek and is comfortable to hold. What's the catch?

The Nubia's display measures 1,280 pixels by 720 pixels, well short of what you get on the latest iPhones and top-end Samsung Galaxy devices. That resolution is adequate for 720p high-definition video, not the sharper 1020p. The camera is OK for taking everyday shots; pricier models deliver better focus and colors and take nicer low-light photos with the flash off.

However, the front camera for selfies is 5 megapixels, better than the typical phone. (The rear camera takes 13 megapixel shots, which is common.) And it comes with 4G connectivity and 16 gigabytes of memory.

Motorola Moto G (Android,Rs. 11162)
Motorola has a $129 Moto E phone, and you get a good device at that price. But I've found photos to be subpar, especially because the camera has a fixed-focus lens, meaning it doesn't compensate for how far away your subject is. Given how much people use the camera on their phones, I recommend spending another $50 for the

The latest Moto G model has a large 5-inch screen that is covered with Corning's Gorilla Glass for durability, something more common in pricier phones. The Moto G's back is curved, which could contribute to a better grip. Like the Nubia, its display is 1,280 pixels by 720 pixels.

The rear camera is 8 megapixels, the same as the iPhone, though shots weren't as good. The front camera is 2 megapixels.

The Moto G's main shortcoming is the lack of 4G LTE cellular connectivity. You're stuck with the slower 3G network. LTE is available for last year's Moto G model, but that screen is only 4.5 inches and the camera's resolution isn't as good. The Moto G also starts with just 8 gigabytes of memory, when many smartphones are starting to offer 32 gigabytes.

Microsoft Lumia 635 (Windows, roughly Rs. 9,500))

This 4.5-inch device doesn't feel as sleek as top-end Lumia phones such as the Icon and the 1520. But it's better than the $79 Lumia 530, which feels like a bar of soap, given its bulk and smaller screen. It's worth getting the 635 instead, especially as some carriers and retailers are offering substantial discounts to bring its price close to the 530's.

The Lumia 635 has a 5 megapixel rear camera, no flash and no front camera. It performed better than the Nubia and the Moto G in low light. Just don't expect shots to match what the 20-megapixel Icon produces. The display resolution is lower than on the Nubia and the Moto G, and the built-in storage is again just 8 gigabytes.But the 635 does have 4G connectivity.

So for those with a tight budget, think again before you get your hands into the costlier smartphones.

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Those of you who thought Samsung might take a cue from HTC and settle its patent differences with Apple can think again. Samsung vs. Apple is moving full steam ahead.

Shin Jong-kyun, head of Samsung's mobile and IT division, told reporters in Seoul recently that the company has no plans to settle, according toYonhap News.

"It may be true that HTC may have agreed to pay 300 billion won (US$276 million) to Apple, but we don't intend to [negotiate] at all," he said.

Over the weekend, Apple and HTC announced that they had settled a patent battle that dated back to 2010. The deal means the two companies will dismiss all current lawsuits in favor of a 10-year licensing agreement. Apple and HTC said terms of the deal are confidential, but "the license extends to current and future patents held by both parties," they said.

But don't expect a similar announcement from Samsung. Apple and Samsung have been fighting over patents since April 2011, when Apple fired the first shot. The case has since expanded to dozens of courts around the globe, but the biggest ruling thus far came in August, when a California jury ruled in favor of Apple and handed down damages of $1.05 billion. Samsung is currently appealing.

Prior to the start of the California trial, Samsung and Apple tried several times to hammer out a deal. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung's Choi Gee-Sung sat down in May and again just days before the trial started, but remained at loggerheads over the value of each others' patents. Cook then spoke with Samsung's Kwon Oh Hyun on the phone just before the case went to trial, but to no avail.

The fight could drag on for years; another California suit is not scheduled to go to trial until March 2014.

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As technology becomes ever more pervasive, Samsung takes on Apple with a new smaller device that's the same size as the iPhone 5

Samsung is not content with announcing a profit that nudges $8 billion in a quarter, or with making the most sought after mobile phones in their class. Or with trying to invent an entire new class of touchscreen, digital notebook that aims to replace the pen and paper. This week, for the first time, the Korean giant said it would take on Apple more on its home territory than ever before.

That means Samsung’s latest phone is a device that features all the popular bells and whistles of its flagship, the S3 – but it tweaks the nose of Apple by introducing a special new model, the S3 Mini. It has much of the appeal of the existing phone – and a screen that is now exactly the same size as Apple’s new iPhone 5.

That’s not to say, however, that Apple is likely to start suing Samsung again – the S3 Mini is slightly more mini than its bigger sibling in both specifications as well as screen size. It runs slightly newer software, but it also uses a slower processor. Initial reviews indicate the difference is marginally noticeable, and some have wondered whether it will dilute the brand associated with Samsung’s first device to really challenge the iPhone hegemony.

Those specifications, however, don’t matter that much: the really interesting thing about this new phone is its indication that there’s nothing Samsung doesn’t think it can do, and no aspect of the vitally important mobile phone market it doesn’t apparently think it can own or improve. Where HTC, for instance, must focus on top-end phones because it doesn't have the scale for a broader range and Apple chooses to, Samsung’s scale is now such it is prepared to look at a new range of audio docks – which incidentally, sound superb – as well as its traditional TVs, computers and phones. Most surprisingly, perhaps, all of these ranges feature at least some models that are now best in their league.

One explanation for that is simply because Samsung can – but another is the gradual, comprehensive move away from individual pieces of technology to a world where its integrated in every aspect of all the gadgets we use, in the broadest possible sense. So this week Audi announced that Nuance, the company behind the voice recognition software in Apple phones, would also be powering its cars; British audio company Meridian is making audio equipment for Range Rovers and trying to get interior designers to consider their equipment just as they might a sofa; Google, meanwhile, is making glasses; and Samsung’s TVs can be controlled by gesture.

In a couple of weeks time, Apple is likely to announce the iPad Mini. It’s a smaller version of its existing iPad or a bigger version of the iPod Touch, depending on who you believe. Perhaps for the first time, it looks like Apple is the company that is recreating existing ideas in its own unique way. In some ways, that’s a continuation of founder Steve Jobs’ great philosophy: “Good artists copy, great artists steal.’ We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas”. Now, however, technology looks like it goes wider than just a gadget. As it changes all our lives, the multinational conglomerate, be that Samsung or Panasonic, looks better placed than ever.

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It's official: Microsoft's mobile operating system Windows Phone 8 has officially gone gold.

So what does that mean to you?

If you're a developer, the on-time "release to manufacturing" date is just one more piece of the puzzle between you and a general launch of Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 Software Development Kit, or SDK.

If you're a smartphone enthusiast and already planning to pick up a Windows Phone 8 device at some point in the future, then the gold status gives even more credibility to the rumors that an official Windows Phone 8 announcement will take place on October 29. It's also rumored that actual Windows Phone 8 smartphones will go on sale right after Microsoft's official reveal — according to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, some manufacturers might even put up some smartphones for preorder before then.

Now that Windows Phone 8 is gold, the Windows NT-based OS heads on out to manufacturers so they can customize and tweak their devices to ensure final compatibility.

Although a number of Windows Phone 8 features have already been revealed — including support for multi-core CPUs and 64-bit processors, additional screen resolutions (1280-by-720 and 1280-by-768), near-field communications, and more customizable live tiles (previously known as the Metro UI) — part of the reason why developers still don't have access to a general Windows Phone 8 SDK is that Microsoft doesn't want to tip the rest of what's inside Windows Phone 8 too early.

"The reason is that not all Windows Phone 8 features have been announced and our SDK includes comprehensive emulators that allow developers to test apps against a wide range of Windows Phone features," wrote Microsoft's Todd Brix in a post on the Windows Developer Blog Thursday.

"We recognize that this is a different approach to delivering tools than we've taken in the past. Our goal is to generate as much Windows Phone 8 excitement as possible to attract new customers when phones go on sale. This is one of many steps we're taking to help give you what you (and we) want most."

Microsoft is currently allowing developers of "most-downloaded apps" apply for access to the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 Developer Preview — sign-ups run until Monday at 5 p.m. PDT.

Judging by some of the comments to Brix's post, however, not all developers are thrilled by Microsoft's decision to play Windows Phone 8 so close to the vest.

"I understand that there are unannounced features that you want to keep hidden from people until you are ready to detail them. But it is a shame that this is holding devs back from testing the more basic features," wrote one commenter, Martin Anderson. "In the past you have had locked down emulator images, could this not be done at least before the full announcements are made?"

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Details about Samsung’s new Exynos 5 Dual chipset have been revealed, a 32nm offering that outperforms the previous Exynos 4 Quad chipset in terms of battery life, graphics performance, and connectivity.

The Samsung Exynos 5 Dual chipset bears a dual-core 1.7GHz ARM Cortex-A15 processor, along with a quad-core Mali-T604 GPU that supposedly provides 5 times the performance of previous generation Mali graphics, with support for resolutions up to 2560x1600 pixels, and stereoscopic 3D.

The new quad-core Mali GPU also features support for OpenGL ES 3.0, OpenCL 1.1, and DirectX 11 APIs, with the last a direct nod at the Windows Phone 8, and Windows RT platforms (Samsung's got a RT tablet due in October).

The Exynos 5 Dual chipset bears SATA III and USB 3.0 controllers, and support for 800MHz LPDDR3 RAM, with a memory bandwidth of roughly 12.8GBps, far ahead of the Exynos 4 Quad and Snapdragon S4.

While Samsung’s new chipset won’t be the one replacing the Exynos 4 Quad in terms of raw processing power, it will give the company a stronger contender against the likes of other current-generation dual-core mobile chipsets, like the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, in terms of performance versus efficiency.

Samsung hasn’t yet announced any devices that will ship with the new Exynos 5 Dual chipset, and for now, no benchmarks have yet been shared. We’ll have to wait a while to see just how well the new chipset performs in front of the competition - though on paper, it looks like Samsung has a winner.

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Design

The Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G certainly boasts a futuristic name, but don't be fooled. Just like its close cousin on U.S. Cellular, the Galaxy S Aviator isn't a flagship smartphone even though it seems that Metro PCS really wishes it was.

In reality the Lightray 4G is a midrange smartphone that falls somewhere between the original Galaxy S and its more robust Galaxy S II sequel. Not even the phone's design is new; it's a dead ringer for the Galaxy S Aviator and older Droid Charge.

As a result, I knew I wouldn't be blown away by the Lightray 4G's all-plastic construction. That said, I do appreciate the phone's sturdy build quality, attractive curves, and beveled edges that wrap tightly around its 4.3-inch screen. 

The Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G sports a retractile antenna.

Samsung equipped the Galaxy S Lightray 4G with a decent if low-res Super AMOLED (800x400-pixel) display, too. It manages to paint a pretty picture with vibrant colors, deep blacks, and wide viewing angles. In fact the display held its own when stacked up against the higher-resolution HD Super AMOLED (1,280x720-pixel) screen on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Details on the Lightray 4G though weren't as crisp, which is understandable given the Galaxy Nexus' greater pixel density.

Measuring 5.1 inches tall by 2.7 inches wide by 0.46 inch thick, the phone's black slab shape isn't trim by any means. It's actually thicker and wider than the clunky Huawei Activa 4G (4.8 inches tall by 2.4 inches wide by 0.4 inch thick). Still, the Galaxy S Lightray 4G's extra girth feels comforting when gripped, especially for larger hands like mine. A power key placed on the right side is within easy reach, as is a volume bar on the left. Completing the phone's connections are a standard 3.5mm headphone jack and an HDMI port to connect to HDTVs and monitors. 

 

The well-crafted back plate feels sturdy and offers a sure grip.

Above the screen is a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, which is higher-resolution than the VGA vanity cam found on the Huawei Ativa 4G but lower than the forward-looking sensor on the Galaxy S II (2 megapixels). On back is the Lightray's main 8-megapixel sensor and LED flash which matches the sensitivity of the Galaxy S II's primary imaging system.

I like the feel of the Galaxy S Lightray 4G's back battery cover, which is coated in a matte-black finish and does a good job of repelling fingerprints. Removing the thin cover reveals a 16GB microSD card and LTE SIM card you can access without fiddling with the phone's 1,600mAh battery.

What separates the Lightray 4G from other smartphones, however, is a telescoping antenna tucked into the handset's top right edge. Looking like a throwback to the 20th century, the thin aerial unfurls to grab hold of digital broadcasts from terrestrial TV stations enabling the Dyle live video service.

Features

Running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G offers a basic Android experience. There are seven home screens to choose from that you can fill with your favorite widgets and application shortcuts. Right out of the box, the phone comes with icons to launch apps for the Dyle TV service, Rhapsody Music, and M Studio ringtone and music store. Shortcuts for the Metro PCS app store and Google Play Store plus the carrier's custom Web browser are placed front and center too.

Additionally, Google's staple services are onboard with Gmail, Navigation, Talk, Play Books, and YouTube software preloaded. Basic music and video players are located in the Android app tray as well.

Like other Galaxy handsets, Samsung also overlays its TouchWiz interface on top of stock Android. Aside from its fancy weather app powered by AccuWeather, I couldn't find other flashier TouchWiz functions usually installed on other Galaxy phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S II. These include Live Panel Widgets, which increase functionality depending on their size, or zooming in and out of images and documents by tilting the phone while touching the screen with both thumbs.

The good: The Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G is the first U.S. phone that tunes into free digital TV. The handset boasts 4G LTE, a colorful screen, and attractive build quality.

The bad: The Galaxy S Lightray 4G is big and bulky and has a slow processor and old Android OS. Its Dyle TV service serves up only four channels.

The bottom line: Unless you're addicted to local TV and need anytime access, the Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G isn't money well spent.

 

 

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So we know there are three Samsung Galaxy S2 variants. One of which has already been released (Sprint’s Epic Touch 4g). AT&T’s SGS2 is going to be released very soon with T-Mobile’s Galaxy S II following shortly thereafter. But even though these phones are all made by Samsung and all carry the Galaxy S2 moniker, they have significant differences.
There are two major differences between these phones: The screen size and the processor. Both T-Mobile’s and Sprint’s version of the SGS2 have massive 4.5 inch displays, with AT&T’s sticking with the European SGS2′s 4.3 inch display. If you like a bigger screen, then you’d probably prefer Sprint’s or T-Mobile’s version. But if 4.5 inches is a little too big for you, you might want to opt for AT&T’s SGS2 which packs the same amount of pixels into the smaller screen giving it a bit of an advantage in clarity.
But screen size can come down to personal preference. One really can’t be proven superior to another. But that isn’t the case when it comes to the processors. T-Mobile Galaxy S2 is packing a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, while Sprint’s and AT&T’s has the 1.2 GHz dual-core Exynos processor. Just by looking at the clock speeds, you’d assume that T-Mobile’s processor is the best. But in reality, from a processor performance standpoint it is just the opposite.
While the Snapdragon processor gives T-Mobile users the ability to take advantage of the theoretical 42 Mbps speeds of T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network, it gives the phone worse processor performance overall. Sure, the clock speed is higher so the benchmarks you do may not reflect that big of a difference between the Snapdragon and the Exynos.
But even at 1.2 GHz, the Exynos outperforms the Snapdragon. This is especially true when you consider the GPU’s of the processors. The Snapdragon sports the Adreno 220 GPU, while the Exynos sports the Mali-4oo GPU. This means that the 3D performance with the Exynos will be far superior than that of the Snapdragon.
And remember, it won’t be long before the people at XDA Developers create a custom kernel that is capable of overclocking the Exynos up to 1.5 GHz (probably even higher). The Exynos processor clocked at 1.5 GHz will make the comparison between the Exynos and the Snapdragon just unfair. Now, let me emphasize that I am saying all this from a processor performance based standpoint. I am not considering the faster data speeds, and the better battery life the Snapdragon will offer.
So at the end, just like the screen size the processor can come down to personal preference. But our personal preference, and the one of most enthusiasts are about getting the best performance out of our phones. And the Sprint and AT&T variants give you the best performance. But don’t let that make you think that the T-Mobile SGS2 is a slouch. It is still going to be the fastest phone available on T-Mobile when it comes out.
1st place: Sprint’s Epic Touch 4G. I place Sprint’s variant at the top of the pack because the larger screen size, the 4G data speeds, and most importantly the Exynos processor.
2nd place: AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy S II. This is a close second to Sprint’s variant. The only thing that really kept this variant from being first is the lack of true 4G data speeds. Though the screen size is a tad bit smaller, it actually delivers the same amount of pixels in the smaller display making it look a bit better.
3rd place: It does this phone more justice saying it came in 3rd place than last place. Though this phone doesn’t pack the processing power of the other two, it does support T-Mobiles “4G” speeds and gives you better battery life.

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The device, which was first unveiled at Mobile World Congress in February, will be "available globally" this month, Samsung announced on Monday. Initially, the Galaxy Note 10.1 will be available in Wi-Fi-only or Wi-Fi plus 3G HSPA+ options, but Samsung promised to bring a Wi-Fi plus LTE version to market later this year.

The company did not specify an exact release date or how much it will cost. The Galaxy Note 10.1 is essentially a cross between Samsung's 10-inch tablet and its stylus-packing "phablet," the Galaxy Note. The tablet boasts a 10.1-inch screen and comes with Samsung's S Pen stylus, which lets users "write" on the screen. It will arrive running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and packs a 1.4-GHz quad-core processor alongside 2GB of RAM. It has a 5-megapixel camera on the back as well as a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera.

"The Galaxy Note 10.1 offers the functionality and precision of a pen and paper on a 10.1-inch large display, which will enable people to amplify their creativity, productivity, and learning ability," Samsung said in a news release.

To make use of the stylus, the tablet comes pre-loaded with Samsung's S Note app for note-taking and sketching, as well as Adobe Photoshop Touch, which lets users edit photos with the S Pen. On the multitasking front, the device lets users view two different apps side-by-side. It also boasts Smart Stay, a feature that tracks the owner's eyes to ensure the screen stays on while it's being looked at, and Pop Up Play, which allows video to be viewed anywhere on the screen while running other tasks.

Meanwhile, Samsung will release the next generation of its Galaxy Note smartphone on Aug. 29 at its "Unpacked" event at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, a spokesperson confirmed to Reuters. The Galaxy Note II will feature a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED screen, as well as a design inspired by the Galaxy S III, Samsung insiders confirmed to GSMArena in Jun

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Google has released its latest Android distribution figures, detailing the approximate number of active devices running a given version of the Android OS.

The pie chart and table is based on the number of Android devices that have accessed Google Play store within a 14-day period ending on 1st August 2012.

From the chart, it is easy to infer that Android 2.3 Gingerbread is the most popular of the Android operating systems available in the market today.

Android 4.0 ICS, launched back in October 2011, is now active on almost 16% of devices available in the market, a growth of about 50% when compared to the past data that was released.

Google’s latest OS, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, launched in the end of June 2012, is active on mere 0.8% devices. Probably because third party manufacturers haven’t started rolling out the update to current ICS enabled devices. Currently, the only devices to run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean are the Google Nexus 7 tablet and Google’s flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Nexus, which has started receiving the Android 4.1 update globally. Officially, the Galaxy Nexus is not available in India. The recently announced Karbonn Smart Tab 1 tablet will also feature Jelly Bean, but no release date has been announced.

In the past, Asus, HTC and Samsung have confirmed that some of their devices will receive the Jelly Bean update in the near future.

A fun fact about the Google OS is that it is named alphabetically after popular deserts. The names and versions of Google’s Android OS are as follows.

1.5-Cupcake
1.6-Donut
2.1-Eclair
2.2-Froyo
2.3-Gingerbread
3.1-Honeycomb
4.0-Ice Cream Sandwich
4.1-Jelly Bean

 

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Try these five helpful tips to help reduce or even prevent the discomfort caused by staring at your monitor all day.

If you spend hours a day in front of a computer screen (like me), and have experienced anything along the lines of: eyes burning, neck aching, vision blurring, or head throbbing, you might have a common problem known as eyestrain.
In medical terms it's called Computer Vision Syndrome, and it comes from a combination of your monitor's bright backlight, glare and staring at a screen for extended periods of time.
Quick fixes like ibuprofen and eye exercises will usually relieve eyestrain, but in my quest to resolve this issue, I went for a preventative approach.
After consulting trusty sources like the Mayo Clinic, I found that the following five tips were the most effective in preventing my Computer Vision Syndrome.

1. Adjust your monitor's position

A simple tweak to your monitor setup can go a long way in solving your eyestrain. For optimal comfort, your monitor should be 20-30 inches away from your eyes. Additionally, the top of your monitor should be at eye level, as you should be looking down at your work, not up. If you need to raise your monitor, consider using risers, or even a stack of old hardcover books.

2. Tweak the lighting

An office setting with too much artificial or natural light can create monitor glare that quickly tires your eyes. So, if you can, turn off any harsh fluorescent lights and position your computer so that any natural light is coming in on either side of your monitor. Light should never be directed behind or in front of your screen. Instead, use floor or desk lamps and position them on either side of your monitor so that they provide indirect lighting.

3. Use the 20-20-20 rule

Every 20 minutes, find an object about 20 feet away, and stare at it for 20 seconds. This trick from labnol.org is intended to exercise your eyes and give them a break from your monitor's bright backlight. If you need to, automate reminders for these breaks with programs like BreakTaker for Windows, or Time Out for Mac.

4.Try Gunnars glasses

Artificial light combined with natural light and your monitor's backlight puts unavoidable stress on your eyes. One solution to consider is Gunnar glasses. These specialized glasses, mostly aimed at gamers, are tinted yellow to offset the cool blue light your monitor produces. They also offer slight magnification, making it easier to read text (even for those who don't normally wear reading glasses.)
They'll set you back about $80, but from my experience, they make a big difference. The glasses come in several styles and custom prescription models.

5. Use a setup that's easy on the eyes

When your work materials and tools are splayed out in different areas of your desk, you force your eyes to constantly readjust for their various distances. Fix this by putting your keyboard directly in front of your monitor, and your reading materials adjacent to it using a copyholder.

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Samsung is said to be working on a tablet that will run Windows RT and the device is expected to be available in October 2012. Windows RT is a version of Windows 8 that will run on ARM-based processors.

The report from Bloomberg states that, “Samsung has made a handheld computer built on Windows RT, the first version of Windows that works on ARM Holdings Plc (ARM) technology, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been made public. Windows RT devices will be released in October, one person said.”

The Samsung Windows RT tablet is expected to run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. This is a bit of a surprise since Samsung has its own Exynos family of ARM processors.

Apart from third party hardware manufacturers, Microsoft too is getting into the tablet hardware battle. It recently announced the launch of its own Surface tablets. There will be two models available of the device – Windows RT and Windows 8. With the launch of the Surface tablets and third party hardware support, Microsoft is gunning to take a large chunk of the tablet market share currently dominated by Apple with its iPad.

Samsung isn’t a new player in the tablet market. It has launched a plethora of tablets that that run on the Android OS as well as a few Windows 7 tablets. According to the Telegraph, Apple is leading the market with a 58% market share. Samsung is far behind with 11% and this includes both the Windows 7 as well at their range of Android tablets.

Other manufacturers that are expected to launch the Windows RT tablets are Asus, Acer and Toshiba.

Hewlett-Packard has decided not to support Windows RT tablets but will introduce tablets running Windows 8. The Windows 8 version of the tablet runs only on the x86 chips.

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Google, Apple, Microsoft, and RIM each made a play for the domination -- or survival -- of their mobile OS that will manifest starting in autumn. Now that the dust has settled, here's what it all means.

(Credit: Josh Long/CNET)

High-flying skydive stunts! Steering-wheel voice commands! Predictive search that knows your life! That was June for us, one big sneak peek of the mobile platform future, a flurry of OS features and software specs that Apple, Google, Microsoft, and RIM lobbed at us from San Francisco area events all in the same month. It was so busy around here, we CNETers dubbed the month "Junesanity."

The specs that emerged from these four events are a peek at the near future of mobile phones. In addition, the flashy presentations were designed to win developers and consumers to each company's side as they ready for the next phase of the mobile turf war.

What's coming, a recap
Here's what the Big Four mobile software-makers announced.

iOS 6

The iOS 6 family tree.

At its annual WWDC conference on June 11, Apple announced a slew of iOS 6 updates that will arrive this fall. Many catch up to features already found in Android and Windows Phone, like Facebook integration, video calling over the cellular network, and turn-by-turn voice navigation. However, iOS 6 will also bring some new toys to the playground, like natively storing and accessing tickets to events, and setting call reminders.

Other standout features include offline Web reading, 3D maps, and a smarter Siri that will be able to open apps and get you dinner reservations. At some point down the road, Siri will also wind up in certain cars.

Of course, these latest and greatest features only account for what Apple is willing to tell us now, without giving away any functionality related to new hardware, like a better camera in the iPhone 5, or any processor-related gaming tidbit. It's probable that Apple's next smartphone announcement will reveal an iOS 6 zinger.

BlackBerry 10

RIM shows off its BlackBerry 10 interface at BlackBerry World in May 2012.

RIM may have first shown off bits and pieces of the BlackBerry 10 operating system in early May, but June is when the company kick-started its developer-focused BlackBerry 10 Jam world tour, and began inviting press in on just how it plans to keep developers on board the wobbly ship.

BlackBerry 10 OS and the hardware it'll go on are far from complete, but there is some definite promise. There will be a brand-new interface with a cleaner, more minimalist layout than ever before. There's also a new multitasking workflow, called Flow, and an intelligent virtual keyboard that can easily predict your sentences and delete or complete words with a simple gesture. Brand-new camera processing features will be able to detect faces, and a novel feature will let you rewind a previous frame to get the exact expression you want.

Not much is known about the hardware itself, save that it's expected to host a high-resolution screen. Rumors and leaks point to a 768x1,280-pixel resolution for the top-of-the-line series.

It's still early days for BlackBerry 10, and we saw relatively little about how well the OS operates. Until we see more, neither my fellow editor Brian Bennett nor I are convinced that the new OS is the game-changer that RIM and some loyal developers swear it is, but the features we know about so far are a big step in the right direction.

Windows Phone 8

Microsoft shows off the new Windows Phone 8 start screen on a Nokia Lumia 900.

Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 8 on June 20. The major OS update will get support for multiple processors, starting with dual-core Qualcomm chips, two new compatible screen resolutions (including HD), and integrated NFC.

Microsoft is also integrating VoIP and is improving multitasking smoothness. Rumors points to an innovative, unannounced keyboard designed for one-handed typing. There's a revised start screen that gives you resizable dynamic tiles across more of the screen surface. A shared kernel with Microsoft's Windows 8 platform for desktops and tablets will be able to let developers for Microsoft's other computing platforms more easily program for Windows Phone.

The first handsets are slated for fall, eventually to 180 countries. Unfortunately, existing handsets aren't eligible for the Windows Phone 8 upgrade.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Resizable widgets are new to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Google was the last of the four to debut its new mobile plans, but on June 27, it announced Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, an upgrade from Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Jelly Bean's big draws are its revamped search app and its more substantial notifications. Google has made search front and center in Jelly Bean, so that it looks and feels more like Siri. The Voice Actions interface and voice readout are changed, but the bulk of Voice Actions remains the same as before.

Offline voice typing is new, predictive text is smarter, and overall performance is smoother. In addition, there are resizable widgets, and the NFC feature, Android Beam, can now handle larger files like photos and video in addition to URLs and maps.

Staging a smartphone battle for fall
For Apple and Google, the struggle is for platform dominance. Apple had the upper hand for a long time after the first iPhone launch, with Grade A hardware and the more developed operating system, but Android has wrested away control and now leads the U.S. market with roughly 51 percent to the iPhone's 32 percent.

Right now the ball is in Apple's court. Secrecy and surprise have always worked in Apple's favor, and depending on when the company announces and sells its iPhone 5 this autumn, its newest handset can draw -- and keep -- customers' attention. Discounts on its iPhone 4S will also attract new buyers across U.S. carriers.

Compare this momentum to Google's Jelly Bean roll-out, which will be slow and fragmented as always as the manufacturers and carriers test and slowly deploy updates to select phones, starting with Samsung's Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S, among them. Beyond updates, it'll be up to manufacturers to integrate Android 4.1 into their handset release plans, or you can buy a new, unlocked Samsung Galaxy Nexus from Google now. As great as the little bump is from 4.0 to 4.1, Jelly Bean isn't an earth-shattering update.

For Microsoft and RIM, the next few months will be a pitched fight for survival against the undeniable combined force of Android and iOS. Microsoft has now spent two years trying to make Windows Phone stick, and RIM keeps moving higher up the endangered species list.

RIM's tragedy has gone from bad to worse to so-bad-I-can't-look, with plummeting share prices and sales, massive layoffs and probably more to come. There's also the high possibility that RIM will hack apart its business and sell off parts, and its final hope, future BlackBerry smartphones running RIM's BlackBerry 10 operating system, is delayed from late 2012 to early 2013.

Even if the forthcoming BlackBerry 10 arrives in a blaze of glory with innovative features and flawless hardware, with such low investor and customer confidence, who will buy a BlackBerry?

In an interview with CNET, RIM's managing director for the U.S., Richard Piasentin, pointed to a still-loyal customer base, and reminded the public that BlackBerrys serve 90 percent of Fortune 1,000 companies. In addition, the smartphone maintains its pedigree in various markets overseas.

Microsoft's challenge is comparatively simple, especially now that its OS can handle phones with multiple processors, HD resolution, microSD cards, NFC. However, leaving current users in the lurch because of its prior stringency isn't going to do anything for traction, since existing users have to buy new handsets to stick with Microsoft.

For Redmond, the third year into Windows Phone recycles the same old challenge -- getting its platform competitive enough to sell.

Winners and losers
It's no coincidence that Junesanity's major announcements culminate in a fall showing for three of the four OS-makers. Autumn begins the smartphone world's most important season, after all, since it ramps up to holiday sales. Here's how I suspect the winners and losers will shake out.

A worthy OS upgrade combined with a highly anticipated hardware unveiling give Apple the greatest interest and appeal going into fall. It doesn't hurt that Apple has traditionally led the pack in terms of premium build materials, including the camera. Status: Biggest winner.

Google is sitting pretty, thanks to its platform popularity and myriad partner phones. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is a great update that will add a lot of functionality, but come fall, few will have access to everything that Android can offer. Status: Moderate winner.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean's Song Search widget (above), with a returned result (below).

Barely hanging on, Microsoft is still catching up, and has yet to offer an innovative feature that no other OS can claim. Sure, good things are coming to bring Windows Phones up to speed on the hardware front, but with the iPhone 5 and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean arriving in roughly the same time frame, Windows Phone 8 will be largely ignored. Status: Loser.

RIM's BlackBerry 10 OS is delayed, and RIM will have nothing to show customers save some low-cost, rehashed BlackBerry Curve phones. RIM's days of attracting hordes of new customers is over in markets where Android and iOS already reign supreme. Status: Biggest loser.

With over 25 percent market share, Samsung is sitting pretty. It has a long string of Android successes, like the Samsung Galaxy S III (S3). Although its current Windows Phone 7.5 handsets are now as good as bricks, the Korean electronics giant has enough cash to stick with Microsoft through Windows Phone 8. Status: Winner.

Microsoft's lack of upgrade path for existing Windows phones to OS 8 puts Nokia in a pinch, since the handset maker tied the fate of its smartphone business to Microsoft. Still, the Nokia Lumia 900 and Lumia 710 showed the world what Nokia can do. Besides, Nokia has a contingency plan, the Finnish company says, if Windows Phone doesn't pan out. Status: To be determined.

Once the rising star of mobile handset-makers, HTC has stumbled of late. Samsung is eating HTC's lunch on the Android side, even though the HTC One X and One S are terrific handsets, and HTC has a history of producing excellent phones. HTC is getting behind Windows Phone 8, but likely not at Samsung's rate. HTC trails Samsung, but if it acts fast on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean updates and new phones, it still has a chance to increase its share. Status: To be determined.

January's Motorola Droid Razr Maxx was Moto's last U.S. peep.

For a company that's meant to be Google's closest supporter (and wholly owned subsidiary,) Motorola has been suspiciously absent from Android plans in the U.S. market. We knew that Motorola was pulling back on quantity to concentrate on quality, but if the company doesn't act soon, it'll miss out for good. Status: Probably a loser.

Conclusion
Of course, we won't know for a few months what fall will bring, and any carrier or manufacturer could pull a surprise from thin air. Whatever the outcome, the mobile heavyweights are promising plenty of fireworks when the seasons change, and plenty of speculation as the summer months play out.

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