This is understandable on tablets and laptops, but do we really need it on phones? Video (YouTube streaming), multi-player gaming and other data-intensive tasks do work well on a smartphone and it could be argued that we do not need enhanced speed. For more intensive tasks, the smaller smartphone screens diminish the experience anyway and so the idea that networks should concentrate on improving the reliability, capacity and speed of 3G networks makes a lot of sense.

3G for smartphones and 4G for larger devices would increase flexibility, offer speeds that suit the devices and potentially transform large parts of the industry for the better. Smartphone batteries can cope better with 3G, evidence suggests that they are currently struggling under 4G, and the entire experience would be enhanced.
4G may be the buzz-technology of the moment, but that does not mean that it is suitable for every type of mobile device.

When buying a case, try to consider how easy it will be to remove from the case if you need to and balance this against how much you want your device to be protected and how much extra size it adds to the unit. It is all too easy to simply choose a case because of how it looks, but a small amount of thought will make all of the difference between choosing a case that works perfectly for you and one that you quickly dispense with.

You have many choices; leather flip cases, side loading cases, silicone, patterned and so the list goes on. And of course a quick look at www.pdair.com will offer you everything you need.

For all of the above to happen we need internet connectivity. Wi-Fi is the fastest, but will never cover the large areas that we roam in and is limited in its scope. Mobile data is the technology we use to do almost everything on our smartphone. Think about how you use your phone and how many of your apps require internet access to work. Facebook, Twitter, train times, multi-player games, navigation, maps, online calendars, email and whatever else you think of. Mobile data is a requirement and something that we require 24 hours a day.

Smartphones of today would be 10% as useful without mobile data and we need to understand that the phones are just a small part of a huge invisible machine that keeps us connected every day no matter where we are. The user demands are harsh and the pricing has to remain low to make this technology accessible and this is where the challenge lies.

Network operators are constantly having to improve their coverage and bandwidth to cope with the demands of their millions of users and this is an unforgiving task. A 17 year old girl today uses 10 times the bandwidth a businessman would have used just 4 years ago and it is said that mobile capacity demand doubles every 3 months. Think about that for a moment- the amount of capacity used today will double in 3 months and the amount used in 3 months’ time will double again. And so on and so on.

So if you view your network operator as nothing more than a company that takes your money, think about the investment they need to make to keep you connected 24 hours a day. It is far from easy.

Let’s be clear, however, and understand that the Psion Organizers were only the first really usable mobile devices because of the time they were released. They were not suitable for the majority of people and they were tricky to use. The Psion 3, however, was a completely different matter and was extremely usable. It was released in 1991 and featured a bigger screen, a QWERTY keyboard and a design that was way ahead of its time. Many claim that the Apple Newton was the world’s first PDA, but the fact that it was released in 1993 and that the Psion 3 was a complete solution soon dispel that argument.

The Psion 3 was a device that included a calendar, calculator, contacts database, clock, world time zones, word processor, spreadsheet with charts and even its own programming language. This in a device that was released 21 years ago. 2 years later, the Psion 3a arrived with an improved screen (480 x 160 pixels), more memory, faster processor and an experience that greatly enhanced what the 3 could offer.

To this day, if you pick up a Psion 3a you could in theory use it for all of your personal information management and everything except wireless communication, via third party apps, will be covered. The calendar is still considered by many to be the best mobile calendar ever made and few operating systems since have managed to be so good at sharing information between core apps, preserving battery life and multi-tasking without blinking. 2 AA batteries could power it for a month and it just worked.

It was the first usable PDA, and sadly only a few more came after, but to this day it remains a legend in the world of mobile technology. A legend that still, remarkably, stands up today.

Like everything in life, there is usually a reason for products costing more than others. On occasion, it can be down to a ‘name’ and clever marketing, but the story behind these high-end products is worth telling.

They usually have much better quality outer-covers with metal, specially designed plastics and even metal used to encase the clever innards. They are designed from the ground up and from every angle to produce an experience that will help you accomplish tasks every single day. They often look beautiful and are more than mere objects that let you do things. They are consistent in every way.

And then we look at the internals. In some cases, every internal part is superior to budget products. Even down to minute wires, circuits and other components that most of us don’t understand. It all makes a difference and comes together to improve longevity, performance and smoothness. It creates a quality product in every millimetre and this is so vitally important for devices that need to do so much in difficult circumstances.

Budget devices have their place, but quality is sometimes priceless and most high-end mobile products fully deserve the higher than normal price tags.

…I got a Kindle for eReading and it has proved to offer a brilliant reading experience. It really has. It does not leave my side and has been in constant use every day when moments have been free to relax.

The Kindle is a better reader, for me, but why did the iPad suddenly find itself not getting used? I think it is because the Kindle is a new experience for me and I crave new digital experiences. Whether it is an app to replace my note-taking system that works perfectly or a new game just for the sake of wanting to play a new game, I am addicted.

This used to happen with smartphones for me, but the iPhone has been my companion for 2 years now without a break so that issue has gone, but for other hardware devices and software, there is a craving to get something new all of the time, and I think this explains some things.

It may explain why people queue up to buy the latest Apple product, why they sometime feel let down when the latest generation product does not feel like a huge leap over the last one and why the whole market as exploded.

Many people, including myself, crave new digital things and there seems to be no stopping the feeling.

This sleek and innovative smartphone has the enhanced intelligence to make everyday life easier. With Samsung GALAXY S III, you can view the content like never before on the device’s 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED display. An 8MP camera and a 1.9MP front camera offer users a variety of intelligent camera features and face recognition related options that ensure all moments are captured easily and instantly. Samsung GALAXY S III is powered by Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, with greatly enhanced usability and practicality to make life easier. Packed with intuitive technology, the GALAXY S III delivers a uniquely personalized mobile experience that refuses to be compromised.

“With the GALAXY S III, Samsung has maximized the consumer benefits by integrating superior hardware with enhanced smartphone usability,” said JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung. “Designed to be both effortlessly smart and intuitively simple, the GALAXY S III has been created with our human needs and capabilities in mind. What makes me most proud is that it enables one of the most seamless, natural and human-centric mobile experiences, opening up a new horizon that allows you to live a life extraordinary.”

Introducing Natural Interaction

The GALAXY S III enhances the interaction experience between the device and user. Smart enough to detect your face, voice and motions, the GALAXY S III adapts to the individual user to provide a more convenient and natural experience. With the innovative ‘Smart stay’ feature, the GALAXY S III recognizes how you are using your phone – reading an e-book or browsing the web for instance – by having the front camera identify your eyes; the phone maintains a bright display for continued viewing pleasure.

The GALAXY S III features ‘S Voice,’ the advanced natural language user interface, to listen and respond to your words. In addition to allowing information search and basic device-user communication, S Voice presents powerful functions in regards to device control and commands. When your phone alarm goes off but you need a little extra rest, just tell the GALAXY S III “snooze.” You can also use S Voice to play your favorite songs, turn the volume up or down, send text messages and emails, organize your schedules, or automatically launch the camera and capture a photo.

In addition to recognizing your face and voice, the GALAXY S III understands your motions to offer maximized usability. If you are messaging someone but decide to call them instead, simply lift your phone to your ear and ‘Direct call’ will dial their number. With ‘Smart alert,’ the GALAXY S III will also save you from trouble by catching any missed messages or calls; your phone will vibrate to notify missed statuses when picked up after being idle.

Easy and Instant Sharing

The Samsung GALAXY S III is more than a personal device that can be enjoyed by one user – it wants you to share and experience smartphone benefits with family and friends, regardless of where you are. With the new ‘S Beam,’ the GALAXY S III expands upon Android™ Beam™, allowing a 1GB movie file to be shared within three minutes and a 10MB music file within two seconds by simply touching another GALAXY S III phone, even without a Wi-Fi or cellular signal. The ‘Buddy photo share’ function also allows photos to be easily and simultaneously shared with all your friends pictured in an image directly from the camera or the photo gallery.
With ‘AllShare Cast’, users can wirelessly connect their GALAXY S III to their television to immediately transfer smartphone content onto a larger display. ‘AllShare Play’ can be also used to instantly share any forms of files between GALAXY S III and your tablet, PC, and televisions regardless of the distance between the devices. Under AllShare Play is also the ‘Group Cast’ feature that allows you to share your screen among multiple friends on the same Wi-Fi network; you can make comments and draw changes at the same time with your co-workers, witnessing real-time sharing on your individual device.

Human-centric Design with Uncompromised Performance

The GALAXY S III not only presents features with enhanced usability, but also provides an ergonomic and comfortable experience through its human-centric design. Its comfortable grip, gentle curves, and organic form deliver a rich human-centric feel and design. Inspired by nature, its design concept is the flow and movement of nature. The elements of wind, water and light are all evoked in the physical construct of the GALAXY S III. In its essence, the minimal organic design identity is reflected in the smooth and non-linear lines of the device. Available in Pebble Blue and Marble White at launch, Samsung will introduce a variety of additional color options.

With a 4.8” HD Super AMOLED display, the GALAXY S III offers a large and vivid viewing experience. Samsung Mobile’s heritage Super AMOLED display even enhances to HD and 16:9 wider viewing angles. To ensure faster content sharing and connectivity, the GALAXY S III offers Wi-Fi Channel Bonding which doubles the Wi-Fi bandwidth.

The GALAXY S III also sports a range of additional features that boost performance and the overall user experience in entirely new ways. It introduces ‘Pop up play,’ a feature that allows you to play a video anywhere on your screen while simultaneously running other tasks, eliminating the need to close and restart videos when checking new emails or surfing the Web. Its 8MP camera features a zero-lag shutter speed that lets you capture moving objects easily without delay – the image you see is the picture you take. With the ‘Burst shot’ function that instantly captures twenty continuous shots, and the ‘Best photo’ feature that selects the best of eight photographs for you, the GALAXY S III ensures users a more enhanced and memorable camera experience. HD video can be recorded even with the 1.9MP front-facing camera, which you can use to capture a video of yourself. Improved backside illumination further helps to eliminate blur in photos that result from shaking, even under low lights.

Mobile payment is also accessible with the device through advanced Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. The gaming experience is enhanced through ‘Game Hub,’ providing access to numerous social games, while Video Hub brings users high quality TV and movies. Furthermore, Samsung Music Hub will offer a personal music streaming service. Game Hub, Video Hub and Music Hub will be introduced in select countries initially and soon rolled out to global markets.
The Samsung GALAXY S III will be available from the end of May in Europe before rolling out to other markets globally.

Well, it’s a nice novelty, but is it really an amazing leap forward for mankind? How long does it take to put a card in a machine and pay for something? No time at all and it has the added benefit of at least making you feel as though you have bought something. When cash became a thing of the past for most purchases, those purchases stopped feeling real and NFC could take the reality even further away from the buyer.

There is a danger that making buying products too easy will cause people to buy products when they cannot afford them in even greater numbers than now. Progress will always be important, but just maybe some brakes are needed at times to fully understand the consequences.

Let’s start by thinking of it as a game. You have to collect supplies to build up your base which protects you from zombies and you have to complete challenges which involves escaping from every angrier and faster zombies. Each challenge gets more difficult and it is progressive in every way. The more you play, the more you will want to play and this is what makes it so addictive. It is part adventure and part action thriller, but it all comes together perfectly to create an experience which will keep you coming back time and time again.

And that’s just the half of it.

When we say that you have to run away from zombies, you really do have to run. As you jog or sprint, you will collect supplies and also hear the zombies footsteps and growls as they get closer to you. You are immersed in an atmosphere, through headphones, thanks to the sound effects, cleverly weighted noises and a narration which prompts you as to how close your enemies are to you.

You will be running every day just to complete the game, not with the goal of getting fit, but ultimately it will make you fitter because it is so challenging, so much fun and so amazingly addictive. This could be the start of a whole new generation of mobile app that makes games benefit you in more way than you ever imagined.

Available from the iTunes app store.

The iPhone 4S was considered by many to be an incremental update and indeed it was. With the same design, a better camera, faster processor and Siri, there was little to make people upgrade from the already substantial iPhone 4. The Galaxy S II is still up there with the very best smartphones available today and so Samsung has to pull something out of the bag to keep the momentum going strong.

We should expect a redesign and maybe a phone that is even slimmer than the previous model. Better screen technology is a possibility and of course more RAM, a faster processor, better camera, more storage space and what else?

Besides the obvious upgrades mentioned above, it is difficult to imagine what else Samsung could come up with apart from something we have never seen before. If the S III has better everything than was there before, it will be magnificent, but still not likely to excite the masses. It will need a feature that is either completely new or that does something in a different way to what we have seen previously. We await the launch with baited breath.