iPhone 5, Galaxy S III & Lumia 920 Specs Compared

What we’ve got here is brief comparison of the three most publicised smartphones, in the world. That’s to say we’ve put Apple’s iPhone 5, Samsung’s Galaxy S III and Nokia’s Lumia 920 up against each other.

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So which do you think? If you were going for an upgrade which would you get? Leave your comments below. Also watch out for our overview of the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820, and iPhone 5 where we highlight the pros and cons of these devices and our hands-on Samsung Galaxy S III Review!

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iDrifta Launch Price Set for 9,500 NGN & 7 inch Walka rumours emerge

A few months ago we report about a new device for Apple devices that would be introduced to DStv Mobile line up of DVB-H devices in Nigeria, namely the iDrifta. Recently we received and update from our sources that a price had be set for the iDrifta that would be launched in time for the holiday season. A guess what they were right! An update on the DStv website showed that the iDrifta would retail for 9 500 Nigerian Naira.

 This gave use the confidence to talk about another interesting bit of new we’ve come across. I’m sure you’ve heard about the Walka - DStv Mobile’s handheld television. Well a newer version of the Walka is just around the corner which will be packing a 7 inch screen, that’s 200% screen size! That’s all our source had to say but with result of other predictions being correct we feel it seem legit!

A 7 inch Walka does sound awesome. This had us day dreaming about what we want in a 7 inch Walka. A 7 inch screen would mean it could have the option of switching between 4:3 and 16:10, maybe even a HD display? These days a touch screen devices are all the rage, so if DStv decides to scrap all those buttons for a touch interface I think that would be a welcomed addition.

We would like to hear what our readers would want in a new Walka too! Our comment sections have been looking bare lately, so don’t be shy take if for a spin an let your voice be heard.

So to stay up to date on the latest DStv Mobile News Like us on Facebook by clicking HERE or follow us on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Apple v. Samsung - How it all began

This battle has been raging on for over a year, here’s a brief recap to help you fill in the blanks. This all began in April 2011, where Apple sued Samsung for (according to Apple) “Instead of pursuing independent product development, Samsung has chosen to slavishly copy Apple’s innovative technology, distinctive user interfaces, and elegant and distinctive product and packaging design, innovation of Apple’s valuable intellectual property rights”.

Samsung soon after announced that it was counter suing Apple - taking the fight international with lawsuits in Korea, Japan and Germany. Samsung soon launched its frontal attack filling a complaint in the North District of California, accusing Apple of 10 counts of patent infringement. Seven of the patents to do with UMTS/W-CDMA 3G cellular communication, and the remaining three covered various user interface elements.

On 9^th of August 2011 a German district court issued a preliminary injunction preventing Samsung from selling the galaxy Tab 10.1 in every EU nation except the Netherlands. Two week after a Dutch court ruled that Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy Ace and Galaxy S II Smartphones infringe on one of Apple’s patents. Samsung avoided the sales injunction in the Netherlands by patching the scrolling and browsing behaviour of the infringing Samsung photo app use in Android 2.3 build (gingerbread).

On the 13^th of October, a federal court justice in Australia granted Apples request for an injunction barring local sales of Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 until the two companies settle their dispute via trial.

In late November 2011 an Australian federal court overturned Apple’s patent related injunction of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 after a slight redesign, allowing the Samsung tablet to go back on sale in that region on the 10^th of December 2011. Soon after a US district judge in California denied Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction to stop sales of some Galaxy smartphones and tablets.

 

Early this year Germany’s Mannheim regional court rejected Samsung’s complaint involving a patent related to the 3G/UMTS wireless telecommunications standards, the court later went on to reject another of Samsungs patents infringement claim against Apple. A Dutch appeals court in The Hague upheld a lower court’s decision to not grant Apple’s request t halt sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the 10.1v with a preliminary injunction. 

A Munich court denied apples recent request for a preliminary injunction on Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab 10.1N and Galaxy Nexus devices in Germany. On the 14^th of March, 2012 the Hague District Court rejected Samsungs attempt to ban Apple’s iPhones or iPads in the Netherlands.

Two months ago Apple asked a US judge for a ban on the Galaxy S III before its US launch but the US District Judge delayed Apple’s plans to block the US launch of Samsung’s Galaxy S III due to Scheduling conflicts. The Hague district court has ruled in Samsung’s favour regarding a 3G patent asserted against Apple. Shortly after US district Judge Koh agreed to tentatively stop sales of the company’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in the US. Another US court ruled granting the motion and imposing a ban on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Almost immediately after learning of the federal judge Lucky Koh’s granting Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction on the Galaxy Nexus devices, Samsung filed a motion to stay the ban. Judge Koh then issued an order denying Samsungs request leaving the injunction in place for the time being.

After which Google and Samsung had a patch readied to address one of the search patent issues. This patch was to be rolled out to the Galaxy Nexus devices in the US regardless of carrier, which limit results from the quick search bar on the android homescreen  to just those from the web.

On the 4^th of July, 2012 the High Court of Justice’s Chancery Division in the UK ruled that the Samsung’s Galaxy Tab does not infringe upon the design of Apple’s iPad because Samsungs tablet isn’t well-designed enough to be confused with Apple’s product. Later that month a ruling from the Dusseldorf Higher Regional Court in Germany clears the Galaxy Tab 10.1N for sale but extends a German ban on the Galaxy Tab 7.7 to the entire EU.

 

The trial began on the 30^th of July, in Apple’s opening statement Apple painted Samsung as an aesthetic thief that took inspiration from Apple rather than innovate on its own, claiming Samsung infringed on four design patents and three utility patents. According to Apple, Samsung has sold 22.7 million devices in the US that take advantage of Apple’s intellectual property, generating $ 8.16 billion in revenue and more than $ 2 billion in profits, thus seeking $ 2.522 billion in damages.

In Samsungs opening statement, Samsung reassured the jury that “Samsung is a major technology company that develops its own innovations”. That it was a company that prides itself on providing consumers the products that they want – and if consumers want touchscreen devices, that’s what the company would provide. 

The battle raged on for three weeks coming to an end on the 21^st of August, with both sides issuing their closing statements. 

In its closing statement Apple’s lawyers said “Steve Jobs shocked the world” with the iPhone, and how did Samsung respond to that? They used three months to design what would become the original Galaxy S. “In those three months Samsung was able to copy and emulate” the “World’s most successful product”. Apple’s lawyers went on saying “No Samsung witness even sat in the chair and said ‘those designs are not similar’”, “The test is overall visual appearance not [these] minor differences”.

In Samsung’s closing statement, Samsung’s lawyers accused Apple of “attempting to block its most serious competitor from even playing the game”, stressing that “competition is what built this country [US]” Saying Apple thinks it’s “entitled to have a monopoly on a rounded rectangle with a touchscreen”.    

One Friday the 24^th of August, 2012 after a short deliberation of only three days, the jury has thus for ruled in favour of Apple. The focus of this particular case involves whether Samsung infringed on the variety of Apple patents.

The court also ruled that Samsung willing fully infringed on Apple’s Patents on a wide variety of its Phones, about twenty five different models to be exact, including the Galaxy S II to the infused 4G and more. Samsung has been ordered to pay Apple $ 1,051,855,000. Since the incident Samsung has experience a significant drop in its share prices as Apple pushes to have eight of Samsung’s smartphones banned from being sold in the US. Apple as well as other struggling Smartphone manufacturers such as Nokia and Blackberry experienced a significant rise in their share price.

So to stay up to date on the latest Samsung v. Apple News Like us on Facebook by clicking HERE or follow us on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Introducing the New DStv Mobile iDrifta

DStv mobile subscriber with Apple devices rejoice, the latest peripheral from DStv mobile is directed entirely at you! Allow me to introduce the hottest add-on to your iOS device, the iDrifta!

So what exactly IS the iDrifta? Well if its name didn’t totally give it away you probably don’t know what a “Drifta” is, so let me enlighten you. The Drifta is a DStv mobile branded device that functions as a receiver and decoder which enable you to view certain DStv channels via your smartphone, tablet or personal computer. Now do you get the idea?

So the iDrifta is a Drifta specialized for your iPhone, iTouch or iPad. Although only the fourth generation of iTouch and iPhone are supported but all versions of iPads are supported. The iDrifta is already on sale in South Africa and will be available in Nigeria Very Soon.

So for all the latest DStv Mobile News follow us on Twitter by clicking HERE and on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Apple’s New iPad: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

“...if you walked into an Apple store and purchased one - you would still be the envy of your friends, but with time you would soon realise you are your own worst enemy”

On the 7th of March 2012, Apple held an event in which they announced their third generation of their ground breaking iPad, to be released less than two week away on the 16th of March, 2012. Just days after initial announcement pre-orders started rolling in, such that Apple ran out pre-ordered iPads scheduled for a launch day delivery. On the weekend of its launch Apple reports that they sold, three million units - two million more than its predecessor (the ipad 2) in its own opening weekend.

Truth be told if you were one of the lucky few who got the device on launch day you would be considered one of the luckiest people on earth, but today if you walked into an Apple store and purchased one - you would still be the envy of your friends, but with time you would soon realise you are your own worst enemy. Too harsh?

The Good
Don’t get me wrong the new iPad isn’t all bad, in fact some would argue that its highlights out weight its pitfalls. Apples newest device boasts of a 2045x1536 resolution retina display, with 3.2 million pixels stretched across 9.7 inches at a pixel density of 264 ppi (Pixels per inch). For a less technical description of what I’m going on about, top quality magazines like Vouge, Cosmopolitan and T3 print their magazines at 300ppi and 264ppi being only 36ppi, one could say the third generation of iPad’s display is almost picture perfect.

So we know it can, Talk the Talk, but can it Walk the Walk? The third generation of iPad has a dual-core A5X CPU coupled with a quad-core GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) to help back up its cutting edge display making sure no pixel goes to unattended. Lastly, the iPad rear facing camera has been upgraded to now take 5 MP (mega pixels) stills and 1080p Full HD videos. In summary all corners have been covered in terms of Visuals.

The Bad
As you may have heard the new iPad isn’t perfect, you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette, right? The first issue to come to light concerning the new iPad reached temperatures of up to 47°C while running power intensive applications in comparison to the iPad 2 peeking at 40°C under the same conditions. This does make sense considering the extra processing power included in the newer model, but is a 7°C difference that bid a deal? Further studies did show that other devices in the market do get very close to, but not as hot as the new iPad. My major concern is how this rise in temperature would fair for users in tropic regions. Noting that all initial studies were carried out in the northern hemisphere with heat index ranging from 14-25°C, unlike in the tropic regions with heat indexes as high as 35°C, in which the iPad is rapidly gaining popularity. Also the hefty and somewhat, stylish leather casing in which people in these regions encloses their iPads in order to protect it from damage, does raise some concern.

Soon after another issue was brought to light, concerning the new iPads Wi-Fi connectivity symptoms included intermittent connectivity, slow Wi-Fi speeds and “Wi-Fi network not seen”. Though this issue is limited to only the Wi-Fi versions, and Apple is offering to accept back all affected iPads for repairs, it is still not sure if is a software and hardware problem is still unknown.

The latest on the list of complaints concerning the new iPad is specific to international (non-US) consumers. The new iPad doesn’t seem to play well with 3G outside the US. An increasing number of new iPad owners, widespread across Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia, have been complaining on Apple forums about trouble with connecting to 3G networks from their tablets. It loses its mobile data connection despite showing a strong signal, then to re-establish mobile data can only be done by turning the iPad off, fully powering it off by holding down the power button then swiping, then turning it back on again.

The Ugly
To sum it all up, yes, the new iPad does have connectivity issues. For a brand so heavily reliant on its internet connectivity to run, well frankly, all of its services - it is not difficult to see why this is a problem. But no sundae is complete without a cherry on top, one last thing you might want to note about the new iPad is that’s LTE 4G only works in the US, and will not support the 4G that will be available in the UK, and is not compatible with the 4G already available in Australia.

Truth be told, I don’t know what to make of the new iPad. During the days between when it was announced and when it was released it could easily be one of the most revolutionary devices of the year. But with all the problems plaguing it so soon after its releases it would be hard to will back the vote of confidence among consumers from long time users and newcomers alike. Some even go as far as saying the iPad 2 is a better buy than its supposed 4G successor.

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