Samsung has been bundling Microsoft apps like Skype, OneDrive, OneNote and more on its phones and tablets for a while now. However, when it comes to the Galaxy S8, the two companies are taking their partnership a step further. Microsoft is selling a Samsung Galaxy S8 Microsoft Edition and it's accepting pre-orders starting today at its retail stores in the US ahead of the April 21st launch. As you might expect, the customized S8 will come loaded with Microsoft's apps and services like Office, OneDrive, Outlook and Cortana. It's interesting that Microsoft's virtual assistant would be included given that these two new handsets are the big debut of Samsung's Bixby.

Anyone who has bought an Android phone through a carrier knows what a frustrating experience it can be. Aside from the lock-in due to a multi-year contract, carrier-specific phones are loaded with all sorts of apps and services that we don't want and, in many cases, can't get rid of. And now Verizon is looking to add another. According to TechCrunch (which is owned by Verizon), Big Red has partnered with Android app maker Evie to bring a new search-based launcher to the carrier's versions of Android phones. Like the highly rated Evie Launcher already for sale in the Play Store, AppFlash (as it is called) will "help users find content and services across different apps -- and Evie is working with Verizon to make this the default experience on customers' Android devices, popping up whenever they swipe to the left of their home screen," according to the report.

Could artificial intelligence make devices easier to use? According to Samsung, it sure can, and that's what it the company out to prove with its Bixby AI service. Bixby is being loaded on the Galaxy S8 and S8 smartphones, which were announced on Tuesday. Bixby is an agent that can help the smartphones talk, recommend, and remind, said Mok Oh, vice president of service strategy at Samsung. The AI service is being positioned as a more intuitive way to use and interact with smartphones.

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. The Samsung Galaxy S8 has landed and it's quickly winning over the tech press. But as the dust settles and the reviewers start, well, reviewing.

Samsung's latest flagship phones have ditched the physical home button found in their predecessors and introduced a new virtual assistant. The screens of the Galaxy S8 and bigger S8 are also larger despite the devices being smaller than last year's S7 and S7 Edge. This time, both models feature displays that curve round the phones' sides. The launch follows Samsung's botched release of the Note 7, which was recalled twice after fires. The South Korean firm blamed the problem on battery faults and said it had since put in additional safety measures, including X-ray scans of batteries.

Samsung seems to be playing it safe with its first major smartphone since the embarrassing recall of its fire-prone Note 7. The Galaxy S8 features a larger display than its predecessor, the Galaxy S7, and sports a voice assistant intended to rival Siri and Google Assistant. But there is no increase in battery capacity, providing the battery more breathing room. The Note 7 pushed the engineering envelope with its battery, which contributed to a series of spontaneous smartphone combustions. The Galaxy S8 will come in two sizes, both bigger than last year's models. Both models have screens that curve around the edges and get rid of the physical home button. The Note 7 recall cost Samsung at least $5.3 billion.

Samsung has launched the highly anticipated Galaxy S8, the latest - and quite possibly the greatest - flagship mobile on the market. For many consumers, the battle for smartphone supremacy has long been a war between Apple and Samsung. However, early impressions suggest the South Korean firm has blown all of its rivals away with its latest device. If you're looking to purchase a new high-end handset, here's why you should choose the Samsung Galaxy S8 over the iPhone 7. Apple's biggest advantage over all of its competitors has traditionally been design, but that's no longer the case. The iPhone 4, launched way back in 2010, is to date the best-looking version of the iPhone.

Samsung announced the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus smartphones Wednesday morning at a launch event in New York City. Samsung mobile chief, DJ Koh was met with a round of applause as he took the stage to discuss what he calls "a new era of smartphone design." The Samsung Galaxy S8 features a 5.8-inch Quad HD dual-edge curved display, while the Galax S8 Plus features a 6.2-inch display. With the physical home button removed and embedded underneath the glass, the devices have an 18.9.5 aspect ratio and screens that are 83 percent functional display. This updated design also allows the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus to be smaller in size than predecessor devices.

Samsung seeks to up their game and reputation with the release of its new life-proof Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. In case you haven't heard, the Galaxy S8 is coming. Samsung is hosting an "Unpacked" press event where it will take the wraps off its latest flagship Galaxy phone. The phone sits in a dock connected to a monitor, keyboard and mouse. "The concept is a really good one, particularly for the enterprise, and its degree of success will be determined by the right apps being enabled for the right experiences," says Moor Insights & Strategy analyst Patrick Moorhead.

Last year, the Galaxy Note 7 phablet was hailed as one of the best Android phones out there, but all that positive reception was quickly swiped away by one big problem: the phone's batteries were prone to catching on fire. The fiasco ended up hitting the company with about $5 billion in losses. On Wednesday morning, Samsung launched the Galaxy S8 and S8 phones that it's hoping will save its place as the biggest player in mobile. The phone features all the latest and great internal components you'd expect: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor or Samsung's own Exynos 8895 processor based on the market. There's also a cellular modem that supports Category 16 LTE, which is a type of advanced LTE that theoretically supports download speeds of one gigabit per second depending on the carrier network. But instead of going over every feature, which has pretty much already leaked everywhere by this point, below are the three biggest features I think Samsung is bringing to the mobile market.