South Korea's LG Electronics Inc. regained its spot as No. In the U.S. handset market last month for the first time in a year on Brisk sales of its latest smartphones, a research firm said Sunday.

According to Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research, mobile phones by LG Electronics recorded a share of 13 percent in December in the United States, beating Apple Inc. with 12 percent. The No. 1 player was retained by Samsung Electronics Co. with 33 percent.  Please note, it's "mobile" phones, not just smartphones.

LG Electronics had maintained the runner-up position until the third-quarter of 2011 but fell to third place after Apple's iPhone 4S hit the market.

Market Insiders attributed LG Electronics' sales growth to the popularity of its latest Optimus G handset , with over 1 million units sold across North America.

Source: Yonhap

Last year, the Samsung Galaxy S III was introduced in an unpacked event in London and it made history. This year however, the place of the event is still a highly guarded secret but experts speculate on the big possibility that the Galaxy S IV will be launched in an unpacked event in Moscow, considering the previous announcement of Samsung Sponsorship in the Sochi Olympics.

This bit of news, (err, rumor...) will surely elicit mixed reactions for people who are expecting the Korean tech giant to release the S IV this year. Furthermore, what could be the reason for the leaked date of the unpacked event, which is supposed to happen on March 15th?

For now, we only have to wait and see. Samsung is really keeping everyone on their toes, especially with their Sochi Olympic Slogan, "One Year to Go Countdown with Lots of Campaigns".

Is Samsung likely to hold the unpacked event in the 2014 Sochi Olympics?