NOKIA LUMIA 920 PRICE ABOVE SAMSUNG GALAXY S3

Nokia prices Lumia 920 above Samsung Galaxy S III

Nokia has priced its new Lumia 920 handset up to 25 percent higher than rival Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S III, risking a consumer backlash and endangering the troubled Finnish cellphone maker's efforts to catch competitors. Analysts said Nokia will struggle to explain the premium of theLumia 920, which uses Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 software and is seen as potentially its last chance to break into the profitable segment and secure its future.

"Hardware-wise they are pretty similar, it would be hard for Nokia to justify that extra cost to consumers," said Ovum analyst Nick Dillon. "Windows Phone is still largely an unknown to consumers - they would probably expect to pay less if they are taking a risk."

Nokia said Swedish carriers would sell the Lumia 920 for around 5,700 Swedish crowns ($860), excluding subsidies. This compares to 4,515 crowns asked for Galaxy S III at Expansys, one of the leading online phone stores in Europe.

In Italy, the Lumia 920 will sell for 599 euros ($770), compared with 530 euros for the Galaxy S III which has been on the market for four months.

The Galaxy S III retails for 530 euros also in Germany, where Nokia will ask 649 euros for the Lumia 920.

The Galaxy S III has become the pricing benchmark for flagship smartphones although Apple is selling its iPhone 5 well above those models.

Once the world's biggest mobile phone maker, Nokia fell behind rivals in the fast-growing smartphone market and has struggled to catch up, racking up more than 3 billion euros in operating losses in the last 18 months and forcing it to cut 10,000 jobs, as well as sell assets.

The Lumia 920 is Nokia's bid to catch up with Apple's iPhone and a string of popular phones using Google's Android software, like Samsung's Galaxy models.

The new phone, which with its rounded edges and colourful covers look similar to its predecessors, was unveiled earlier this month and drew a thumbs down from many analysts, who felt it lacked the "wow" factor to make big inroads against rivals.

samsung galaxy s3

Samsung Galaxy S III, S II data can be deleted remotely by hackers

LONDON: With hackers revealing that they can hide a code in a web page that will trigger a full factory reset of Samsung's best-selling Galaxy S III smartphone, swiping away contacts, photographs, music, apps and other valuable data, security researchers are under pressure to counter it.

The code, now circulating freely online, comprises of just 11 digits and symbols, and was first revealed at a computer security conference in Argentina.

Ravi Borgaonkar, a researcher based at the Technische Universitat in Berlin, demonstrated how the code can be embedded in malicious text message, or called up in the web browser by a QR code or NFC tag. If an unsuspecting Samsung Galaxy S III owner visits such a page, their smartphone will be restored to its factory settings without permission or any input from them, The Telegraph reports.

Borgaonkar said the whole attack takes just two or three seconds, and once launched, there is nothing a Samsung Galaxy S III owner can do to stop it.

Samsung is now facing calls to issue an immediate software update to address what experts described as a "major security vulnerability".

It has also been revealed that the code can trigger a factory reset on Galaxy S II and other devices that use the Korean firm's version of Google's mobile operating system, Android. All use Samsung's "TouchWiz" interface, the paper said.

Devices from other Android manufacturers will not to be unaffected by the code, Borgaonkar confirmed.

The Galaxy S3 III, introduced in May, is the main rival to Apple's iPhone and Samsung's flagship, with global sales of more than 20 million, the paper added.