News Summary: Galaxy S III phone sales pass 30 mln

The Associated Press

MILESTONE: Samsung has sold more than 30 million Galaxy S III smartphones in about five months, making it one of the fastest selling smartphones in the world.

HEAD START: Samsung Electronics Co. launched the smartphone at the end of May, months before competitors began shipping the latest versions of their top phones. Apple's iPhone 5 came out in September.

COMPARISONS: Samsung says the S III is selling at a much faster rate than its predecessor announced a year ago, the Galaxy S II. The S II took 14 months to hit 30 million sales.