Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini
Apple has agreed to drop Samsung's Galaxy S III Mini (S3 Mini) from a patent infringement lawsuit in exchange for a commitment from Samsung not to sell the device in the U.S. The reality is that Apple can't sue over the device in the U.S. if it's not being sold in this country, but until Friday's announcement, Samsung's intentions for the device were unclear.
CNet reported the agreement, which was revealed in court filings in a case between the two companies in the U.S. District Court for Northern California. This is the second suit for the combatants being tried in the U.S., and it involves newer devices than the ones a jury found infringed on Apple's patents in August.
"Apple will agree to withdraw without prejudice its request to include the Galaxy S III Mini in this case given Samsung's representation that it is not making, using, selling, offering to sell or importing that product into the United States," Apple wrote in its filing.
Apple had asked the court to include the S3 Mini after it appeared on Amazon in the U.S. It's still listed as of this writing, for sale through a third party. The S3 Mini is unlocked and is priced at US$349. It features 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and supports 3G networks on AT&T and T-Mobile. It does not support LTE.
How long it will be available is unclear, so if you're interested in it, you may want to grab it sooner, rather than later.