Today is a big day in the dog-eat-dog smartphone industry.
Samsung is unveiling (or "unpacking," as industry insiders call it) its Galaxy S4, the successor to the popular Galaxy S3, at a gala event this evening at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
The Galaxy S4 is said to have a larger, higher-resolution screen, a quad-core processor and a host of new software features, including eye-scrolling, according to ABC News.go.com, which is broadcasting the event live.
CNET.com, the website for all things digital, is also reporting on the unveiling.
The Galaxy S4 may be Samsung's answer to the Apple iPhone 5, which propelled Apple to the top of the smartphone pack when it was unveiled last September, in the wake of lackluster acceptance of the iPhone 4S.
Apple and Samsung have been running neck and neck as top manufacturers, but the sleek Galaxy S3 has made Android the top operating system with about two-thirds of the market share, when including other phone makers like HTC, Motorola and LG.
When released last June, the Galaxy S3 was praised for its beauty, ease of use and ergonomics, but also drew a patent lawsuit from Apple over alleged touchscreen software infringements.
The case is still pending and is expected to go to trial next year.
In several Connecticut wireless stores, Android phones, especially the Galaxy S3, remain the clear favorite over Apple phones.
Smartphone sales staff said consumers are tired to Apple's limitations including the need to constantly update iTunes software, and having to buy all of their apps from the iTunes Store.
As of last month, Apple's iPhone led retail sales, followed closely by Samsung, and leaving other Android smartphone makers well behind , according to ComScore, one of several digital analytics companies that crunch sales numbers.
Also introducing a new revamped smartphone this month is Research in Motion, set to launch the Blackberry Z10 in the U.S market sometime in March.
The Z10 is considered RIM's last best hope to remain in the smartphone business, and has seen very good sales in Canada and the U.K, where it launched earlier this year.
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