What's New at CTIA 2012

Samsung Galaxy S III

While CTIA is North America's biggest mobile-only confab, the Samsung Galaxy S III wasn't technically launched at the event. It was launched right before, however, which is good enough for us! Samsung's newest flagship smartphone packs a new Samsung-designed quad-core Exynos processor, clocked at 1.4 GHz. The package is rounded out with a massive 4.8-inch 720p display, LTE, and an 8 MP camera. The color choices are white (which should make Rachel Rosmarin happy), as well as Pebble Blue, seen on the official product page.

Samsung Focus 2 (AT&T)

While many Android fans are chomping at the bit for the Galaxy S III, Samsung isn't leaving Windows Phone 7/7.5 fans out in the cold. The new Focus 2 comes in an attractive, curved package, and pairs Microsoft's latest mobile OS with a 1.4 GHz CPU, 1 GB of RAM, an 800x480 4-inch Super AMOLED display, and a 5 MP shooter. This strikes us as a midrange phone, but LTE is included, so its middle-of-the-road with better download speeds.

HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE (Verizon)

The Droid Incredible line from HTC, found on Verizon, has been around for a few years now. This latest version, called the Droid Incredible 4G LTE, bumps the screen size up to four inches from 3.7, and adds Beats Audio, a dual-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon CPU from Qualcomm, 1 GB of RAM, an 8 MP shooter (an f/2.2 camera with a 28mm lens to be specific), and a qHD (960x540) Super LCD display. Top it all of with Android 4.0 and LTE on Verizon, and this might be the best mid-sized Android phone in 2012.

Kyocera Rise

Kyocera doesn't make much noise nowadays, but the Rise looks like a good buy for those who want a low-end Android phone with a physical keyboard. Specs that were high-end two years ago, like a 1 GHz CPU, CDMA, 480x320 IPS display, and a 3.2 MP shooter, aren't going to wow the enthusiasts in the audience. But this does pack near-vanilla Android 4.0, o it's worth a look if you don't want to spend $250+ on-contract for a new smartphone.

Kyocera Hydro

The Kyocera Hydro has the same exact specs as the aforementioned Rise, minus the physical keyboard. It's unique feature? Waterproof for up to 30 minutes in a few feet of water. If you constantly drop your phone in the toilet, the Hydro might be for you!

Huawei MediaPad 10

While we're still waiting for the hotly anticipated Asus Transformer Infinity, Hauwei is coming out with an impressive Android tablet of their own. The MediaPad 10 will have a custom 1.5 GHz quad-core CPU (dubbed the K3 Balong), 1920x1200 IPS display, and near-vanilla Android 4.0.

Sprint Direct Connect Now

Remember Nextel and that wonderful Push To Talk service all of its phones had? That PTT service is coming to Android phones on Sprint, thanks to a new Direct Connect Now app that might be available later this year. The app will be available in the Google Play marketplace, but there is no release date yet.

[Image Credit: The Verge]

Bracketron MetalDock

iPhone docks are a dime a dozen these days, but this simple and elegant MetalDock from Bracketron might be right up your alley. It's designed for your nightstand or desk, and the combination of metal construction with rubber feet means it won't tip over or slide around all willy-nilly. Granted there are plenty of other docks with the same properties, but most of those aren't as simple or attractive.

Scosche syncABLE Pro

The Scosche syncABLE Pro: one end is regular ol' USB, while the other is a combination of microUSB and Apple's 30-pin connector. If you're juggling an iDevice and an Android phone like I do, this is exactly what your desk, mightstand and car need. The only question here is: how durable is the joint for the Apple connector? If it stands up to regular, daily abuse, I'm buying three of these.

Scosche reVOLT c2 USB Car Charger

I don't use my cigarette lighter in my car to light up butts, so it sits unused unless I break out the GPS. Why not cram two USB ports in there? The reVOLT c2 charger works with any Apple device, along with most Android and BlackBerry phones and tablets (oddly enough, Samsung devices won't work, so says Scosche). For $20, you never have to worry about a low battery on your tablet or PS Vita ever again!

Mastercard PayPass Wallet

Another day, another mobile payment service. Mastercard will be rolling out its PayPass Wallet service later in 2012, and the ecosystem will allow you to store virtual credit cards on your phone via an Android app. You can store multiple cards, access the info for said cards for in-store purchases via NFC (assuming your phone has NFC), and so on. While it's not as simple or all-encompassing as Google Wallet, it's a start. IF you want to wrap your head around this whole mobile payments thing, Dieter Bohn over at The Verge has some interesting thoughts on the subject.