Tough competition in the smart phone market placed technology giant Samsung in the predicament of allegedly posting fake negative reviews with the HTC One smart phone on several web sites while praising the Samsung Galaxy S4. The South Korean company, who is currently under investigation, issued an apology statement on the issue.

Samsung Taiwan wrote a message on their Facebook page and it reads: "The recent incident was unfortunate and occurred due to insufficient understanding of these fundamental principles (transparency and honesty)."

The company further declared: "Samsung Electronics Taiwan (SET) has ceased all marketing activities that involve the posting of anonymous comments and will ensure that all SET online marketing activities will be fully compliant with the company's Online Communications Credo and continue to reinforce education and training for our employees to prevent any future recurrence."

Taiwan's Federal Trade Commission is conducting the investigation on the reported violations. The foul marketing approach was discovered when a Taiwanese web site leaked documents from the Samsung-hired marketing firm.

Samsung employees allegedly created fake user accounts to make the negative internet reviews on the HTC One as well as the HTC One X. One anonymous Samsung staff was reportedly caught posting as a consumer with the claim that his girlfriend's HTC One X smart phone crashed too frequently and how Samsung Galaxy Note was superior to HTC Sensation XL handset.

In another posted review, a benchmark test discusses how Samsung Galaxy S3 is better than the HTC One X when it comes to graphic features and battery life. The FTC will also deal with the allegations that Samsung paid Taiwanese students to post online the fake and negative reviews on the HTC One smart phone.

If Taiwan's FTC investigation finds Samsung is behind the negative reviews online, the company will be required to pay the fine of up to US$835,000.

Samsung will reportedly begin shipping the Galaxy S4 in May 2013. The Samsung Galaxy S4 smart phone will offer the consumers with a range of enhanced hardware features and specifications compared to the Samsung Galaxy S3.

Meanwhile, HTC is gearing up for a triumphant comeback with the HTC One as it goes on sale across the United States at retail stores such as AT&T, Sprint, Best Buy and Walmart Target. The silver HTC One is available at the following retail stores:

1. AT&T. Online and in retail with a 32GB memory capacity for a price of $199.99 or online with the 64GB memory capacity at $299.99 with a two-year contract.

2. Sprint. Online and in retail with the 32GB storage capacity at the price of $199.99 with the two-year contract.

3. Best Buy, Radio Shack, Walmart, Target, Amazon.com, Costco, Car Toys, Sam's Club, HSN.com and HTC.com.

The silver HTC One will arrive soon at T-Mobile with the 32GB storage capacity. A black HTC One is expected to be available as well in weeks to come at AT&T and Sprint with the 32GB internal storage capacity.

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