Will there be an end to Samsung’s Galaxy range? It stated sometime back and it seems like they’re not going to stop with range. The latest two models offer some interesting developments.

The new Galaxy Note 10.1 has nothing major in the development of hardware, but rather takes the original 5” Galaxy with its specs and puts into a 10.1′ form factor. The same 1.4 GHz dual-core CPU and ICS on the front end. Resolution is fair at 1280×800, but the selling factor is the features offered in the Note devices – that being the ability to use the stylus to capture screen shots as well as edit and write all on a 10.1” screen.

The more important development comes in a much smaller package, with no real overwhelming specifications: The new galaxy Beam has a 1 GHz Dual-Core CPU, 768MB RAM and a 4” Screen at 480×800 pixels, not even a 5 megapixel camera can move this into a wow factor phone, so why should I even write about a such a small, seemingly pathetic phone?
Well it is fairly simple; a while back I discussed the progress made with miniature projects, and here Samsung has offered a phone with one such projector. The projector offers 15 Lumens and Samsung say that from 2m away the image will be around that of a 50” TV. The Phone should be good enough to watch videos on, and (as long as it has been set up correctly) show a presentation.

The limitations will come in terms of the lumens, it would have to be in a darker setting in order to get the benefit of the projector.

Although some may say that the projector is not that great, and it will eat away at the battery life – yes all this may be true, but the owner will still have a portable projection mechanism with great possibilities, not to mention it gives us a point towards the what the future may hold.

Bring it on Samsung…

In recent months Sony seem to have fallen behind a bit on the phone front with the likes of Samsung and HTC forging ahead to be the best on the market. While the only thing Sony has brought to the challenge is their Mobile Bravia Engine for their display, but that all may be about to change…

Recently Sony announced the Xperia S which takes the brand to a new level. For some reason Sony seemed to top out at 512MB of RAM in their devices, but have now finally got the picture and beefed that up to 1GB in the new S and giving the user 32GB of storage. Although this is nothing too fancy or out of this world, it does start to push Sony in the right direction and the dual-core 1.5 GHz CPU will certainly help as well. The GPU is nothing to brag about being the Adreno 220 (I am curious why not the 225), I am pretty sure there won’t be any complaints with the display. Sony will of cause use their Mobile Bravia Engine which will give the 4.3” screen a resolution of 720×1280 pixels – yes that is HD ready level – and more importantly a pixel density of 342 ppi, making it one of the clearest screens available.

Everything else you would expect from a modern Smartphone is available, including a massive 12 megapixel camera which is able to take those stills at 4000×3000 pixels and motion at full HD, 30 frames a second. The device also has a HDMI Port, something we’ve come to expect from the maker. And it will be running none other than Android OS, although only v2.3, and upgrade to Ice Screen Sandwich is expected.

If this is what breaking the partnership with Ericson did, what took so long?

On paper this looks great, I just wonder if it is too little in light of other makers looking at going Quad-core, we will have to see.

I was looking at some of the new phones, seeing the ever-increasing growth towards higher performance, bigger screens and greater battery life and it got me into thinking; “What is the greatest phone that has ever been made?”

When a question like this is asked, one’s mind will always jump to the best phone out at the moment, but that is not what I am getting at here; this is not the performance comparison, but rather a phone which has made the most impact through history.

If I was looking for the most sold phone ever, then it would be a simple answer – the Nokia 1100 selling 250,000,000 units, but I don’t think – other than bringing the phones to the masses – it would win my vote.

The blackberry Bold 9000 was a stand out phone from RIM. It changed the face of Blackberry (especially in South Africa) and started the walk toward a business phone, which could be cool, and with BIS it makes it a very popular choice. But you cannot forget the range of curve phones, which made it possible for everyone to have a Blackberry and with it, a connection to the Internet… that’s a real contender.

At least one iPhone has to make it into this list – not because I am an Apple fan but because, like it or not, they are good at what they do. They also brought great options into phones (maybe not the first to do it though): 3G, GPS, cameras and the list goes on, what makes it stand out is the fact that Apple was one of the first to put it all into a great looking device.

Other Nokia’s which could be contenders are the 3310/3330 phones or the communicator range, both of which were great at what they did. But no matter what phone we choose, they all have a fault here or there.

You will notice that no Android phones have been included here – in my opinion, and that is because I feel, as good as some of them are, they have all basically borrowed off other devices.

If I had to choose one device to say that this is the best phone to date of all time, I would say … and it is not my favorite thing to admit … the iPhone 3GS. The highest selling iPhone to date, as well as the fact that it was far better looking than any other makes at the time and from a feature point was loaded, and did pretty much everything well.

What do you think, is there something I missed? Which has been your favourite? Leave us a comment…

I will spare you the details as to how I ended up having one, but the short of it is that I do. I have found myself ratherquickly having become the proud owner of a HTC Flyer.

I have heard many different opinions about the 7″ tablets, from “its just a very big phone” too it is far too small for a tablet”. Well I guess that both of those opinions have their place, but for me and for what I need, it is just the perfect size. A 10″ tablet would be a bit big for me since I often carry it around with me, and since I walk very often, having something the size of an A5 notepad is just perfect for just that… taking notes.

But don’t be fooled into thinking that it is only good for taking notes. For one, I am writing this article on it, using my Microsoft bluetooth keyboard to speed it up a little.
When you look at the specs it also manages to keep up with most of them: single core 1.5 Ghz CPU with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The screen is not quite bright enough to manage being used in the sun – you will have sore eyes fairly quickly. The pixel density is also a bit low, but it is good enough to watch a video on without any issues. The 5 megapixel camera is decent enough to take simple stills and short ‘catch the moment’ videos.

The one thing that I am surprised at is the fact that I like this device – not because of its form factor, its specifications or it’s OS, but because it is a HTC. I have never really been a fan of the make, but you cannot fault the build quality of the device.

The other thing that I am really impressed with, is the HTC sync which comes with HTC devices that are equipped with HTC sense. Other Android devices have lacked this (well at least the ones I have used); basically it allows the device to sync quickly and easily with a windows PC including Outlook.
My final words would be that I am impressed with this device in all aspects, and I will keep using it! If only it wasn’t so expensive, HTC would have ann excellent package.

I still have a cellphone, or a “dumb” phone as some like to call it. The infographic below reveals some astonishing stats regarding “dumb phones” and sms messaging trends around the world, especially how the traditional text message is improving the lives of many, particularly in developing countries.

According to MBA Online, sms messaging is still the most popular form of electronic communication around the world.

So  take that, all you smartphone geeks!! Enjoy.

Created by: MBA Online

So on the last few months a lot has been said and speculated about the launch of the iPhone 5, which turned out to be an iPhone 4S. But does it live up to the anticipation?

From the outset, the iPhone 4S looks, well, pretty much the same as the 4 – but that isn’t a bad thing, it’s not like the iPhone 4 is an ugly phone. The two phones share the 3.5” Retina Display and dimensions while the S is only 3 grams heavier. Wireless and Cellular connectivity are mostly the same, but the 4S has Bluetooth 4.0 (compared to the 2.1 in the 4). Apple say that the display on the new phone is the highest ever in any phone, which in my opinion is a bit of a long shot. The iPhone 4 has the same display to start with, and some of the new galaxy phones are looking at 1280×720 where the iPhone is 960×640. But where the retina display does pull out trump is in the fact that it has the highest pixels per inch than any other phone due to the smaller screen than most of its competitors.

The new 8 Megapixel camera is bound to have some present iPhone users eager to get their hands on the new 4S – it can also record up to 1080p (HD) at 30 frames per second, this also brings it up towards what the competitors are doing.

The one place where Apple seems to almost always be ahead of the rest is in battery life. The 4S has up to 10 hours of video playback and 40 hours of audio playback, the same as its predecessor. The battery life in some aspects is slightly shorter than the 4, but this is no doubt due to the new dual-core A5 chip on board.

Overall there are no real surprises in the new iPhone 4S (other than the fact that it is not the iPhone 5), it will be a contender in the Smartphone market and will certainly have an influence as to what phone people choose. While the hardware is very similar the new iOS 5 is bound to have an added value.

I’m sure if we think back hard enough most of us will remember the Nokia 9210/9500 communicators. Introduced in 2000 they were examples of some of the early Smart phones in a time where Nokia ruled the roost. We now in 2011 have an array of choices in smart phones from Blackberry to android, Nokia to Samsung, it just depends on you.

A survey done earlier this year among teenagers, the most popular brand of cell phone in South Africa was in actual fact smart phone, and it was… wait for it… none other than Blackberry. The only reason I can think for this is the wonderful option of being on the BB server where you have unlimited access to on device data transfer. With BBM I have noticed that teenagers are always on their phones and chatting with others, well actually I have noticed that it is more than just teenagers but just about anyone with a BB. With Apple having now released their own version of BBM (iMessage), I highly doubt that it will affect the market share is SA as there is still that issue of free on device data.

In the UK android devices have grown by more than 600% and RIM (BB) by 59%; that being said on a world scale, Apple have the highest market share over any other single brand, but remember that android is multiple manufactures and because of that fact they are still the most used Smartphone in the world.

My option on Smartphone’s in the South African context is that BB makes the most sense because of the BlackBerry server. Until Internet drops to a point where it is very cheap, I personally would recommend one, yes some of you may remember that I at present use an Android device and so may ask how I can then say that, well it is for that reason that I advise the way I do. I just want to plead with BB to hurry up and give us some decent specced devices!

It’s been about a month now since my cell phone upgrade and when looking at which way to go, my main choices were between Blackberry, iPhone and an Android device – I went with the latter.

The reason for my choice was fairly simple:
1) iPhone was too expensive, and;
2) Blackberry was slow.
My Blackberry Bold 9000 (which I moved away from) was a good device at the time of purchase, and I was more than happy to stay with Blackberry. They are simple and they work. And who can look past the fact that the Blackberry server which gives us unlimited device browsing and mail for less than R60 pm, no matter what network you are on?

If I am honest I would’ve like to stay with BB, but this thing of them being slow was really a problem for me. My new device is Red Bull Mobile HD (which is actually a Huawei U8800) and although it is somewhat of an entry-level Smartphone, the specifications are better than any BB that I could find at the time. This was somewhat of a bug for me (read my review on Android to see what my major issue is).

Well it now seems, (albeit a bit late for my upgrade) that Blackberry has gotten the picture in terms of upgrading their hardware (they have used the same CPU for almost 2 years…). The new Bold 9930 has stepped up their game quite a bit with its 8GB of storage, 768MB of RAM and a 1.2GHz CPU it seems to be something of a contender in the field of Smartphone – yes I know it is not Galaxy S II, but those specs aren’t half bad to say the least.

A few other important features include the 5 megapixel camera which can record at 720p as well as the 2.8” 640×480 (no real improvement) touch screen.

If Blackberry can keep up with the hardware upgrading they have started, they might just be able to take back some of the global market they have lost to both iOS and Android. (Secretly I’m rooting for you BB).

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower” – this was not just a statement made by Steve Jobs, but rather a lifestyle he lives by. Steve Jobs recently resigned as Apple’s CEO.  His resignation letter read as follows:

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

Steve Jobs co-founded both Apple and Pixar Animation Studios. While he was CEO of Pixar, some much-loved films like Toy Story, A Bugs Life, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars and Ratatouille were created. Since Pixar merged with Disney on 2006,  Jobs has been serving on Disney’s board of directors.

During Jobs’ reign as Apple’s CEO, some incredible technical innovations were introduced to us, including: the iPod, iTunes, the iPhone, the iPad 1 and the iPad 2.  Thanks to him, our lives will never be the same and most of our children will not know what a CD or DVD is.

When Steve Jobs’ resignation hit the news, there was enough concern to drop the Apple shares slightly, but Apple has promised that things will not change for the employees, and under the leadership of Tim Cook, Apple will continue to develop and innovate new technologies. I believe the next year will be critical for Apple and set the standard for things to come.

As I sit here typing this on my MacBook, listening to my iPod, wishing I had an iPad, I marvel at the innovation, drive, passion and commitment that Jobs has for the industry. He certainly has left his mark on the world. Steve Jobs, we wish you well as you battle poor health and hope for a quick recovery.

With Smartphone’s taking over most of the world and tablets taking over the remaining part, it is not a surprise that Samsung have jumped in and released one of their most famous ranges of phones and tablets.

Ask anyone about the latest Samsungs and without a doubt they will mention at least one of the Galaxy range, and there is a reason for it – they are flippin good. The most famous of the range would have to be the Tab P1000 and the “S”, both of which are selling really well in SA, but what has just been released here will take Samsung to another level in the sales department.

The Galaxy S II has been in the pipelines for a bit, with a 4.3” screen, dual-core 1.2GHz CPU and 1Gig of RAM it is also the most powerful phone available (at least that I am aware of). This phone sold 3 million handsets in just 55 days – that’s basically one every 1.5 seconds and the fastest selling phone of all time.

The Galaxy range in south Africa includes the P1000 tab with is a 7” tablet/phone.  It has GSM capability, wifi and 3G.  Some may complain about the form factor, which I would agree with; as a phone, it is a bit big. Samsung have also released two versions of the 10.1” tablets – the earlier being the 10.1v while the latter is 10.1. they are very similar in their specs, it just seems that the 10.1v is more a media focused tablet with better audio and camera among other things.

All in, Samsung seem to be making great strides in the mobile market, the only thing left for them to do is to somehow get Apple off their back with the many law suits about copying their devices, but then again so do others like HTC… Apple, get over yourself. Well done Samsung, bring on some more…