SAMSUNG;APPLE NOKIA AND THE SMARTPHONE DOGFIGHT

In little over 24 hours we have seen results from three of the biggest players in smartphones - which may now be the world's most important industry.

Samsung, Apple and Nokia each have given us plenty of new figures to chew on - and that helps us map this fast-changing landscape a little more clearly.
Samsung So famous is Samsung for smartphones that it is sometimes hard to remember that the Korean giant is a vast industrial conglomerate making everything from refrigerators to semiconductors. But it is clear from stunning fourth quarter results which saw profits rise 87% on the previous year to 8.84tn Korean won ($8.3bn; £5.26bn) that it is smartphones which are powering Samsung's rise.
The phone division contributed more than half of that profit, remarkable when you think how much bigger other divisions of the business are. The company doesn't break out smartphone sales figures, but analysts reckon it sold 63.5 million in the quarter, with 40 million coming from the Samsung Galaxy S3.
With its "phablet", the unfeasibly large Galaxy Note also proving an unlikely hit, Samsung looks well placed to extend its lead in the market in 2013. There is however a cautionary note: the company warns that as the market reaches saturation in developed countries and competition increases in developing countries, profits will be harder to come by.
Apple Apple also produced what would in any other context be seen as remarkable results, with profits of $13bn (£8.24bn) in 13 weeks - about the same as it made in 14 weeks in the last quarter of 2011.
48 million iPhones were sold, outpacing the Samsung Galaxy S3, and each of those phones made more money than a Galaxy. Apple is even more dependent for profits on smartphones than Samsung, and that is perhaps why the market responded by sending its shares down 10%.
The same note of caution about market saturation and increasing competition in developing markets applies to the iPhone, although it sold well in China in the last quarter.
Apple still takes a vast share of the mobile phone industry's profits - but how much longer can that last without some radical new innovation?
Nokia Nokia knows how rapidly the landscape can shift in the mobile industry, and how hard it can be to make profits from smartphones.
But, after a terrible year, the outlook brightened in its latest figures which showed a modest return to profit. Over the year as a whole, smartphones sales were down 55%, but they rose 26% in the last quarter.
Nokia's embattled CEO Stephen Elop latched on to the performance of the flagship Lumia range, with sales of 4.4 million providing evidence that the Windows-based phones were at last making an impact.
But one figure buried in the accounts shows how hard it was for Nokia to win those sales - the average selling price of its smartphones was €186 (£158). Compare that with the $641 (£406) that Apple recouped from each iPhone in the last quarter, from 10 times as many sales, and you can see what a chasm the Finnish company still has to cross to offer real competition to the market leaders.
So, Samsung and Apple are still top dogs in the market smartphones, but Nokia is now looking a little better placed to challenge for the number three position.
Next week, the landscape could change again with the launch of Blackberry 10, and then in February the Mobile World Congress will see Chinese firms like Huawei pushing for a pace at the smartphone table.
For consumers, there is the prospect of more choice and lower prices, for the phone-makers an increasingly desperate fight to claim their share of the cake. it will be fun to watch.

culled from bbc technews

GOT NOISY NEIGHBORS?!EXPRESS YOUR DISPLEASURE OVER WiFi!!

You want to maintain amicable relations with your neighbors but their loud music has become too annoying and distracting. What can a good way to communicate your displeasure and get them to turn down the volume?

Your wireless network has a name (or SSID) that will show up on your neighbour’s computer and mobile phone. You can put the complaint message in your Wi-Fi name and your neighbours may see it when their device is scanning for available wireless names to connect to the Internet.

And unless you are the only house in that area with a router, your neighbours are less likely to figure out who is showing them that message. This is much like leaving a sticky note on your neighbour’s door anonymously.

Wireless names can also be used to share your contact information with neighbours.

USA CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW CES2013 [THE WIERD&THE AMAZING]

TRANSPARENT 3D TV FROM HiSENSE
Chinese electronics firm HiSense is occupying the space at CES normally reserved for Microsoft.
The company is making the most of the Windows-maker's absence by displaying its wares - including this transparent 3D television.
The company says it could potentially be used by museums and other attractions to create exciting displays that combine real objects - such as artefacts - with 3D imaging.
Hisense spokesman Payton Tyrell said the screen was still a prototype.

THE TABLET THAT TURNS ITSELF 'LUMPY'

When you can't feel individual keys on a touchscreen device it can be hard to type at speed.
That is why Tactus, a company based in California, has developed technology which can turn a typical flat tablet screen into a real keyboard with bumpy buttons.
The keyboard rises from the tablet when needed, before disappearing when the typing is done.
Micah Yairi from Tactus explained how it works.

STICK-ON Dj DECKS FOR iPADS

Ion Audio's Winston Eade shows off 'Scratch to go', an array of stick-on accessories to turn an iPad into a set of DJ turntables.
The specially built app transmits the mixes to the Party Rocker, an amplifier with a built-in light show

iPotty FOR iPads

If you want to teach your child how to use the toilet and you happen to have an Apple iPad lying around, or don't mind buying a new one, then the iPotty for iPad delivered by CTA Digital might be just the thing for your tyke's toilet-duty training.

The portable potty comes with a splash-guard that covers the fruit logo-branded device and one for the potty itself, just in case any youngster decides to test the iPad's water-resistance (which obviously it does not have) or rebels against the proper seating position.

That said, parents are looking at quite an expensive plastic toilet. The iPad 2 starts at $399, while the iPad 4 runs for $499. Don't forget to use the splash-guard before letting the toddler take it for a spin!

*These are just some of the best and wierd gadgets displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show [CES 2013] in the UNITED STATES....To see more google BBC TECHNOLOGY NEWS

NOW YOU CAN USE YOUR MOBILE IN THE SHOWER!!

Sony has announced a new smartphone that can be used in the shower or bath without the risk of damage.

This water-resistant feature is relatively common in Japan, but has not been included in many top-end smartphones released elsewhere.
The Xperia Z can also record HDR (high dynamic range) video, a facility borrowed from its camera division.
One analyst said it was evidence of Sony Mobile making progress but added "it still had a mountain to climb".
The Japanese company announced it was taking control of the smartphone unit - which had previously been a joint venture with Ericsson - in October 2011.
Sony posted a full-year loss of 56.7bn yen ($5.7bn; £3.5bn) in May and has continued to lose money over subsequent quarters.
Water-resistant movies
The Android-powered device was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

“Start Quote

In isolation this looks like a very strong product and it's the most attractive Xperia phone that I have seen for a very long time”

End Quote Ben Wood CCS Insight

Sony says the handset, which has a 5in (12.7cm) screen, is capable of being submerged in water of up to one metre (3.3 ft) in depth for 30 minutes.

"If you want to want to sit in the bath and watch an HD movie this is the device for you," Sony Mobile executive Steve Walker told the BBC.
"You can take it in the shower if you want, or more usefully if you get it dirty you can wash it under the tap."
He added that about one in 10 people had dropped their phone down a toilet at some point, something this would protect against.
The trade-off is that handset's various ports, including the one for its headphones, all feature protective plastic covers that must be unclipped before they can be accessed.
HDR video

The Xperia Z features a 13 megapixel camera and 4G LTE data connectivity

Other features on the 7.9mm-thick (0.3in) device include 4G LTE connectivity, a Micro SD slot, a 13 megapixel camera and a 1080p x 1920p high-definition screen that borrows technology from the firm's Bravia TV division to enhance video playback.
In addition a NFC (near field communication) chip is used to start streaming content to Sony's latest televisions by tapping the handset against their remote controls.
The firm also boasts that the device includes its proprietary Exmor RS image sensor technology, allowing it to record HDR video.
This allows it to combine exposure readings to tackle problematic situations such when a person is standing against a bright background; Sony says that without HDR either the person's face looks too dark or the background too light.
Nvidia's latest Tegra chip can also do this but has not been built into a handset yet.
Recovery boost?
Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insight, noted that Sony's mobile unit is enjoying a recovery, and recently passed HTC to become the third best-selling smartphone brand in the UK.
He added that efforts to share designs and technologies across the firm's different divisions would likely be the key to its revival. However, he added that it was too soon to say whether the new handset would be a winner.
"In isolation this looks like a very strong product and it's the most attractive Xperia phone that I have seen for a very long time," he said.
"But we don't know what this device is going to be competing with this year."
"Until we see the next Samsung flagship device and other top-end phones at Mobile World Congress in February it's hard to know how it will do."

HOW MY BLACKBERRY SURVIVED A SWIM IN THE TOILET!!

                                                                                                                                                                                               



It's every gadget lover's nightmare and, on Wednesday, it became my reality.
My BlackBerry went for an ever-so-brief tour of CNET's plumbing facilities. I'm not sure how it ended up exactly where it did, but suffice it to say, it did. And, to answer the question before you ask, it was a clean bowl.
I pulled it out within a second of hearing that dreaded splash. I shook it off, dried it, and headed to my desk with a sheepish look on my face.
With a quick glance to make sure no one was looking, I googled "What to do if cell phone gets wet."
As you may or may not know, many cell phones meet their end by visiting pools, tubs, and other reservoirs of different shapes and contents. There are so many such incidents, cell phones now have indicators that show whether they have gotten wet and are therefore ineligible for warranty replacement.
I called Verizon Wireless to see how often this happens. Although spokesman Jeffrey Nelson didn't have any solid numbers, he said, "I do think it happens a fair amount more than people realize."
Nelson said his own cousin has dropped his BlackBerry in the toilet twice and a Facebook friend dropped his phone in a cup of coffee this morning. (The Verizon folks also helpfully pointed me to this phone, should I really want a phone that can handle the water.)
Luckily, even some of the non-waterproof devices survive their aquatic ordeals and there is plenty of advice on the Internet about how to maximize one's chances.
Pull out the battery. Check. Make sure everything is as dry as possible. Some suggest paper towels or those silica gel packs to absorb moisture, while others recommend a bowl of uncooked rice.
The next piece of advice is to leave it be for a day or two. Don't test it. Just let it dry out.
That's was the hard part. It just goes against human nature--or at least my nature--to just let it sit there.
I must admit, I did test it several times yesterday.
I saw signs of life, but it was clearly not working properly. Sometimes the power light would go on and nothing else. Other times it would show the rotating hourglass, but the screen was not back-lit.
The time without my BlackBerry was unsettling. To be away from the computer is one thing, but to not check my e-mail every few minutes was unnatural.
On the bus ride home, I occupied myself with Yahtzee Adventure on my iPod Touch. As soon as I got home, I quickly logged into Outlook Web Access to see what vital messages I had missed on that 30-minute commute home.
I tried to pretend it was no big deal. I cooked dinner and sat down to watch the "American Idol" finale. In some ways, it was good. I had no opportunity to check Twitter, which would have inevitably led me to some spoiler from an East Coast twit.
But, I was clearly out of sorts. My partner kept asking me if something was wrong.
I tried my best to demur.
"You just seem off," AJ said.
"I'm fine," I insisted.
How do you say, "It's not you honey. I just miss my BlackBerry?"
I went to sleep fervently hoping to wake up to a brighter day--and screen.
When I put the battery in this morning, my heart lept as my screen came to life. The hourglass spun for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, though, my familiar home screen popped up, revealing all of the e-mails, text messages, and Facebook updates that had streamed in during the time my phone was drying out.
My joy abated some when I tried to respond to an editor's e-mail. I tried to tell him, "I've got it" in response to a story idea, but the screen showed a bizarre mix of "h"s and "l"s.
Still, it was a step in the right direction. I made my commute into the office on Thursday able to at least read my e-mail, if not reply.
When I arrived at the office, all but a few keys were working properly. After my morning bagel, the keyboard seemed to be fully functional. I tried a test message. It worked.
Excited, I ran off to show a co-worker.
She looked at the brief e-mail. What's the big deal, she said.
Well, you see, my phone had a bit of an unfortunate water incident.
"You didn't drop it in the toilet, did you?"
I demurred.
"And you let me touch it?" she exclaimed.
I guess not everyone is as proud as I am to hold a BlackBerry that learned how to swim.

-CNET News' Ina Fried loved her smartphone already, but loves it even more after it survived an unfortunate "water incident."


WHAT TO DO IF YOUR BLACKBERRY GETS WET [THE RICE SOLUTION....LOLZ!]


Panic. It’s the first emotion you’ll feel if you ever see your BlackBerry immersed in water — or worse, soda or another sugary liquid. If it’s the latter, well, you might be out of luck. I’ll give a suggestion later on, but it’s really for the device-savvy only. For now, let’s stick with the problem at hand.
The first thing to do, obviously, is to get your BlackBerry out of the water as soon as possible. Next, pull the battery and wipe it dry. Make sure to store it in a cool, dry place. Then it’s on to your device. I would suggest taking out a dish towel and laying the BlackBerry on it, screen up. After 10 or so minutes, flip it over. This will drain some of the water out of the device. It won’t get it dry, but it’s a start.
At this point, many are tempted to take a blowdryer to the device. I would caution against this. Not only will it cause the device to become very hot, but it also causes condensation while it blows. You might, for instance, see the inside of your screen fog up. This happened to me when I tried to blowdry an old cell phone. While your BlackBerry might work later on, this is still not ideal.
What I would recommend is — and you might think I’m nuts:

LOL!!Yup. Stick that baby in a container of rice. The theory behind it is simple. Rice absorbs moisture. The idea is that this will suck the moisture out of your wet phone, eventually rendering it operable. However, and I cannot state this strongly enough, wait 48 hours before inserting the battery! I’ve jumped the gun before and my device has worked, but this comes as a strong caution from the tech people I know. There’s a chance, albeit small, that you short circuit the thing.
Note, too, that your warranty does not cover water damage. If you try to get a warranty replacement, your BlackBerry will indicate that there has in fact been water damage, and your claim will be denied. Those who have insurance — which should be everyone, considering how expensive BlackBerry devices are — should still be able to file a claim.
If it’s something other than water that drowned your BlackBerry, cleaning it might be a bit trickier. Of course, pull the battery first. Then, you’ll have to clean it with demineralized water.

NIGERIA e-Farmers

The federal government of Nigeria has announced plans to distribute 10 million free mobile phones to its farmers in 2013 in order to deliver fertiliser and seed subsidies to e-wallets on their phones. The roll out comes in sharp contrast to the Kenyan government's current gridlock in achieving any similar distribution of subsidised inputs, and makes Nigeria the first country in Africa to use electronic wallets to reach its farmers, in a system that is being built using Kenyan technology.
The free phone distribution is part of an electronic wallet programme that has already benefited more than 300,000 Nigerian farmers. The government has also rolled out a farmer’s help line in each local government area delivering agricultural information, to further encourage improved agricultural production - as it moves to diversify the country's economy away from its volatile oil revenues. In this, the government has given priority to achieving transparency in the distribution of subsidized fertilizer by ensuring there is no third-party interference. Fertilizer subsidy programmes have presented major challenges, everywhere, in stopping “leakage” and the sidelining of funds by entrenched cartels and middle men posing as farmers who then repackage the subsidised fertilizer and resell it at a higher price.
But the Nigerian government has now vowed to get beyond these obstacles in stimulating agriculture. “It would not be business as usual in the agricultural sector. The target now for the government is to reach out to 20million farmers between now and 2015,” said Nigeria's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina during a recent conference. Under the e-wallet scheme, an accredited farmer receives a fertilizer allocation through an e-wallet as a unique voucher number that also covers seeds and other inputs. The recipient then redeems the voucher for the farm inputs at subsidised rates after paying the top-up to specially appointed agro-dealers.
The successful roll out of the electronic distribution process by the Nigerian government may now create a model that could likewise solve other countries' issues with the misappropriation of funds meant for agricultural subsidies. This is made all the more significant in that the consequent fertiliser shortages have been cited in repeated studies as being the single greatest cause of food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa. In Kenya, government subsidized DAP fertilizer sells for Sh2500, compared with a commercial price of Sh4000. But it is hard for government to identify the genuine farmers, meaning that many commercial stores and sellers buy at the subsidized rates before the farmers can access it, and then repackage for onselling.
This leaves many genuine farmers paying full price, and thus going short on fertiliser. The situation has been so dire that last planting season there was a national maize shortfall of four million bags putting some 10 million Kenyans at the verge of starvation. Yet the company now building the electronic system for Nigeria is Kenyan software company Cellulant, which earlier this year won the four-year Sh745m for creating and managing the e-wallet system.
Written by Bob Koigi for African Laughter

YOUR IPHONE 5 MAY BE OBSOLETE BY JUNE 2013!!

Too soon?
It feels as though the iPhone 5 just hit store shelves, but developers say they’ve seen evidence of the next-generation model already.
According to The Next Web, software developers scanning through their logs have seen devices that identify themselves as “iPhone6,1” and indicate they are running iOS 7. Apple’s current phone bears the identifier “iPhone5,1” or “iPhone5,2” depending on the model and the network it runs on.
Devices often use such identifying tags to communicate basic information to software, such as features and capability.
While this information can be faked, The Next Web said, the logs also reveal an IP address that indicates the location of the phone -- Cupertino, Calif.., where Apple is headquartered.
No further details about the phone were available, and Apple routinely refuses to comment on undisclosed models or future plans.

The tech giant is likely to reveal details and possibly even a developer version of the iOS 7 software, the operating system that powers the company’s iPhone and iPad products, at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) event in June, as it has done in the past.


Source: Fox News

SERVICE CENTERS Vs "ROAD-SIDE" TECHNICIANS [THE WAR!]

There was this guy Chinedu who came all the way from Edo to Lagos to repair his faulty Sony home theatre system. When Chinedu arrived lagos,he went straight to Alaba international where he bought the set since he didn’t know where SONY SERVICE CENTER  was.

To cut the long story short, he met the “japan-trained” ibo technicians in Alaba who told him their little shop is the Authorized SONY SERVICE CENTER and the problem will be fixed immediately. They ended up not been able to fix the set and also damaging the power board completely with their over-heating soldering iron. The funny part of the story is that they later gave Chinedu  the address to SONY SERVICE CENTER in Apapa!

The irony of this whole issue is that Chinedu’s  Home theater was still under warranty and they would have fixed it for FREE at the service center but the service warranty became void the moment the set was tampered with outside and Chinedu had to pay a high sum to get his set fixed.

A lot of consumers have at one time or the other fallen into the hands of these road-side technicians and have ended up damaging the equipment. If any of your equipment/gadget becomes faulty, your first  port of call should be the SERVICE CENTER of your equipment brand. If you don’t know their address or if they have a Service center in Nigeria, Google it.

Am I trying to discredit our “road-side” service technicians? NO! Far from it. But the issue is a lot of them lack basic professional ethics. You don’t have to have a PhDs in ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING to know:

·         You have to treat/handle  a customer’s Unit with  a little dignity

·         You have  to buy the RIGHT equipment/tools to work with and not those soldering iron without heat control.[greed of gain won’t allow some of them do the right thing though].

·         You have to update yourself on the new technologies around. A lot of them know next to nothing about LED/LCD/PLASMA. Some cannot even read circuit diagrams, all they do is guess work.

I can go on and on about the several short comings of these technicians who have got great growth potential and become employers of labor but have decided to remain at their level and guess what? Technology is by-passing them daily.Imagine,we are no longer using CRT tv any longer but LED and LCDs.Very soon,we will stop using DVD home theaters and switch to BlueRay players!I have seen the circuit boards of some of this BlueRay players and I can tell you with my over 10years of experience on the job, our dear “road-side” technicians don’t belong in that league!

Its not that I am making a case for this SERVICE CENTERS but they are still the best bet because its their product in the first place and they receive technical support from their parent company which our other technicians don’t have. The Service centers too have got their own issues which some of them have refused to address because they enjoy a bit of monopoly in their brand-sphere. For example, if I am a SAMSUNG addict, SAMSUNG will enjoy a bit of monopoly in that area. Some issues I have come across with these Service centers include:

·         High cost of repairs for out-of-warranty  products.

·         CUSTOMER SERVICE ISSUES!![purposely in CAPS]

·         Lack of service center spread across the country[LG is trying in this respect]

·         *SPECIAL ISSUE* If your LED/LCD screen is broken? Forget repairs, just buy a new one. This is because the cost of changing the screen is 90% cost of a new set.

This are just some of the issues but if you ever  have any issues with any Service center and you feel you have a genuine case, then I will advice you reach :CONSUMER PROTECTION COUNCIL [CPC]…www.cpc.gov.ng Hotline:08056002020,08056003030. Or you try this guy @omojuwa[Recommended trouble-maker on twitter…LOL!..Respect!]  or just contact me @cooltechnician on twitter.

PS:I will write a follow up on this piece soon on the immense opportunities that abound in starting and operating a service center with little capital IF you have the required expertise.