Go back two years and Samsung was launching a rather odd product at IFA - the original Galaxy Note smartphone, a phone so big (at the time) many people laughed off its chances of success.
Accelerate back to the present and those naysayers are eating their hats after Samsung revealed it shifted 10 million of the original phablet, and a rather more impressive 30 million of its successor, the Galaxy Note 2.
Eyebrows were raised at TechRadar too when the original Galaxy Note arrived with its S Pen stylus (not, as a certain Marc Chacksfield called it, the Pen S - that just sounds rude), but the larger screened device grew on us with smooth operation and an impressive display.
This is all good news for the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Note 3, the latest installment in the Korean firm's super-sized handset range, sporting a 5.7-inch display, quad-core processor, 3GB or RAM and 13MP camera. On paper at least, it looks set to be a strong seller.
Sony looks to tackle Samsung
Will Samsung flaunts its latest sales figures Sony wants to remind you that it's still a big player in the smartphone game, with Digitimes reporting it plans to shift 65 million handsets in 2014.
If Sony manages to hit that figure it would signal a 55% increase in sales over 2013's projected 45 million units shipped, and would further cement the Japanese firm's place in the market.
Sony has recently launched the Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1 at the top of its range and it's hoping these flagship products will see the money roll in and the phones roll out.
Via FocusTaiwan
