The next lot will be available in 145 countries on 296 operators in the month of July, unlike previously with the Galaxy S where launch was in 112 countries on 175 carriers and Galaxy S II in 135 countries on 210 operators. These guys must have been hard at work, clearly. Galaxy S III World Tour by Samsung will kick off on May 31st in 9 cities around the World.

There was word of inavailability of the pebble blue version of the Samsung Galaxy S III from the blogs, but we will have to wait on word from the horse’s mouth as confirmation. But the elegance of the new device wouldnt allow that to be noticed, even the white one is pretty much welcome in the hands of users.

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Sina, the biggest of the Weibo operators, also introduced a points system in which a user starts with 80 points and loses points for every violation. A score of zero results in a cancelled account. A user can gain points for validating his or her real identity.

Aim here is to prevent anonymous attacks to prevent open discussion about the communist government and its practises. Went as far as blocking searches of one of the Chonqing former party bosses Bo Xilai who was ousted from the party’s Central Committee. But Internet users, as expected would still try to continue the conversations by introducing code-words to avoid being detected by the Sina technicians hired to scrub the Micro-blogging site of politically sensitive posts. The government had demanded late last year that all Weibo users be registered with their real names.

Source: Reuters

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The concept was based on a 10.1 inch model that had a projector on the top end and this, if made real, could be tilted via a button next to the projector to control the direction the projection faced. Then you could get the option to use a full keyboard spread over the tablet, compelete with Qwerty, Azerty, Lorean, Japanese, Chinese and other languages.
Most people say they use tablets when going for conferences and doing presentations. Samsung recently released a Samsung Galaxy Beam which has a projector inbuilt, so a dream of having a 10 inch tablet that can project what you had on the tab for a presentation would not be far fetched. It would also be an awesome plan.

Well, this is only a concept I would love to see made real, not only on a Windows tablet but on the Android ones too, it would revolutionize the tablet, with huge power over the laptop and Ultrabooks. Ofcourse this would mean a bigger battery would be required, but it would be worth all the while, what do you think?

Source:

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Phone covers:

These are necessary to protect your phone from falls, scratches or just to keep it looking new.

Earphones

If you are a music listener, you bet these are very integral in your day to day life, listening to music while passing time. I do this like almost always. Whenever am at my laptop working, I find it easy to concentrate when i have some soft rock playing in my ears, so I would list earphones among the basic accessories for my case.

USB Cables

Most phones come with these out of the box, but losing one would mean you scrambling to the shops ASAP to get another one, it would be quite handy to keep an extra pair somewhere.

Car holder

Are you a person who likes exploring? Voice guided navigation should be something worth a try. Its usually well aided by the car holder so you will have the phone in one fixed position and concentrate on driving and picking voice instructions, together with the map visuals. Also good to show you who’se calling and you can slow down and park knowing you really need to answer that call.

Desktop Stand

Not a very necessary item, but it gives you that prestige of having your phone stand in a way you can actually use it hands-free than lie around on the desk and you will have to pick it. Some are also able to give you some leverage where you can actually do video calls with the phone on the desk, awesome, right?

Bluetooth Headsets

Quite handy pieces those, I would say. If you are in an environment where you wouldnt rather whip out your phone, you are better off clicking at a tiny button on your ear and recieving your calls via bluetooth. Can be cumbersome though.

Screen Protectors

Most of the smartphones we use are touch devices, and prone to getting scratched or screen worn out with time. Also the exposure to drops makes the need for a screen protector high.

Extended Batteries

Some devices work perfectly with out of the box batteries, but those are very rare. Smartphones are selling just for the fact that they have long battery life. You have an option to upgrade this by buying an extended battery kit. Remember, more doesnt mean you will like the experience. Be prepared to strike a balance between good battery life and comfort in using your phone. I recently acquired an extended battery from the good guys over at Mobile fun. I loved the experience, just ordered it on Friday last week and it was already shipped and received on Monday.

Sadly I wont be needing it anymore as I lost my Galaxy S II the same week. Hadnt even tested the power of the new 2000mAh battery. When choosing this one(by the way it’s an original Samsung battery), I thought I needed more than a day’s battery life, read the reviews and saw some where users got 2 days battery life off this one, on their usual use(Galaxy S II can be a darling).

And no, I wont be getting another Galaxy S II, not with the much hyped Galaxy S III around the corner. And if I knew that I wasnt going to use this one, I would have ordered Samsung Galaxy S3 accessories instead, since that’s something worth waiting for.

Which brings me to my point, beyond my opinions, what accessories do you use, and which ones would you buy?

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Samsung Galaxy Young and Galaxy Young Pro also went Duos, but all these were entry level phones. It has never been above that. Well, till yesterday. Galaxy Ace is deemed a mid-range smartphone, specs-wise and price-wise. So with this you would assume Samsung is either seeing or predicting demand for the dual sim even for the mid-income earners.

Galaxy Ace Duos will support dual sim both active sims and has an even good software add-on. Users on a call will not miss a call if it came while they are on dial, but this will automatically be forwarded to SIM 2 and you can get your missed call from sim 2 call log. Let’s have a quick walkthrough of the phone specifications, shall we?

As you might note, this phone has lesser specs than the recently announced Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 which was released as an upgrade to the original Galaxy Ace. Focus would be on the battery life, storage, display and screen size. Although this one has a slightly better processor.

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The phone will also have a limited offer for Kes 9,999 starting this weekend at Sarit Centre, Village Market, The Junction and Nakumatt Lifestyle malls, identifiable by an LG tent. During the offer the phone will be bundled with a 4GB memory card.

A refresher of the phone specifications is available here.

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This is a 3G phone with the below main specs:

• Android 2.2 Froyo
• 2.8 inch TFT Capacitive touchscreen with a 240 x 320 pixels display
• 512MB internal storage with 32GB microSD support
• 256MB RAM
• 528MHz processor
• 104 x 56 x 13 mm dimentions
• 100g in weight
• 3G and 2G network support with HSDPA of 7.2Mbps
• Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Hotspot
• Bluetooth version 2.1
• 3.15MP fixed focus camera, no flash Video @24fps QVGA
• Runs on Qualcomm Chipset (MSM7225)
• 1200mAh Li-Ion battery giving 336hours standby or 4hours talktime

So according to Orange, the target consumers are middle income earners and availability is at all Orange shops in the country. It will be available with a one month unlimited internet connection on activation. Mikael Ghossein says that affordability of smartphones is critical to pushing the country’s internet penetration beyond current 8% rate. Like I noted a time back, power to the consumer!

What do you think about Huawei Gaga?

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Private networking—This is a way to connect employees who may be geographically separated across a shared network that is secure and relatively inexpensive. This network is often connected via SSL which ensures a high level of encryption without sacrificing speed. This means you will get a high level of business network security while still maintaining low costs of operations and network efficiency.

MPLS Site to Site VPN solution—A Multi-Protocol Label Switching VPN(Virtual Private Networks) service allows all of your business applications to live under one roof, figuratively speaking. This wide area networking (WAN) technology paired with site to site virtual private network (VPN) allow different networks to interconnect without needing leased lines in between. The result is reduced cost and greater security. It also means teams of workers in different regions can connect safely and efficiently.

Business DSL—Business DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is good for small businesses because it is affordable and can provide you with download speeds up to 20 Mbps. If your company uses the Internet heavily for downloads but not necessarily for cloud-based activity this would be a good solution. Options usually include ADSL(Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) and SDSL(Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line).

T1—This basic network offers speeds up to 12 Mbps and is usually scalable depending on the growth of your business. A T1 may work reasonably well for a home office or a few employees, but for an entire office a T1 would not suffice. Usually you can upgrade to a business DSL and from there utilize other network solutions as needed.

Cloud-based—Many of these networks will involve varying degrees of cloud-based technology that deliver Security as a Service (SaaS). This usually includes various combinations of firewalls, anti-virus, web filtering, and data loss prevention. As the world becomes interconnected through digital channels network security is becoming increasingly important. If you’re setting up a new business, the network you’re going to use should be one of the first overhead costs you consider. Failure to do so can eventually lead to security breaches and slow speeds, which can lead to business loss, frustrated employees and weak output.

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A Microsoft PR Rep from Waggener Edstrom apparently said this, said an unidentified leaker on twitter:

Waggener Edstrom person says MSFT has Windows 8 (for x86), Windows RT (for next-gen ARM), & Windows Phone 8 (for current-gen phones).

So new phones, the ones we assumed will be built with compatibility for Apollo will actually have the Windows RT instead of the Windows Phone 8 we have been made to assume all this long. Well this could mean good for current windows phone users but that wont make them get several upgrades that are ofcourse hardware related like display resolution, NFC and Bit-locker encryption. Lets see if this actually sees light of day. What do you think Windows phone users?

Source:

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What does the Galaxy Pocket have for you?

This phone is one of the best phones you can get at this price point. I think I can comfortably say that if you were budgeting to buy a feature phone for anything above Kes 5,000 just try to fill in that gap and get this one, trust me on this. With the specifications well listed here on a previous blog post I will list what this device has that would make it a best seller. I will try to be brief as possible since this is not the review.

1. Price: At Kes 10,000 you wont get a device on Android 2.3 which gives a user more streamlined user experience and a wider range of apps.
2. Storage: This is a first again, an Android device coming with 3GB internal memory, this is quite a plus and you can have very many apps installed on. Remember, users buying memory cards happens very rarely, so we are usually very happy when we hear that a device can do upto 32GB in external storage, while more than 90% of users dont actually buy additional memory, hands up if you do.
3. Memory: 832MHz is more than sufficient for a device of this standards, with the 2.8 inch screen the memory requirements are not high.
4. Samsung Dive: Samsung Dive is a web server that you sign into with your Samsung  Apps account and it can help you track your device remotely. And with this, you can remotely track and deactivate your device in-case of a theft or loss.
5. Pocket Music App: This is an app that is available for the Samsung Galaxy Pocket and gives you access to African music for free
6. Android Version: Rarely do you find Android devices at this price point packing Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Add the Samsung trademark UI customization called TouchWiz and you get a killer combination.

That was a very nice move by Samsung to actually give the Galaxy Pocket to University Students to test the device and tell of their experience with it first hand. That’s part of their target market. And like I said, the cat’s out of the bag, I have some exclusive info about something that’s going to happen very soon for those interested in purchasing the Galaxy Pocket.  It’s nolonger exclusive. Here’s the catch, just leave a comment and I will email you the details immediately, this could mean you having an edge over others. You can still comment and tell me anything you think of the Galaxy Pocket and the BOGOF campaign by Samsung.

Image Credit: Michael Khateli blog

And here is the full list of shops where you can buy Galaxy Pocket and get a second one free today from 11am to 2pm.
NAIROBI – 1. SAFARITEL, MAMA NGINA STREET 2. FONE EXPRESS HAILE SAELASSIE 
3. MAKARIM, HILTON ARCARDE 4. FONE EXPRESS,NAKUMATT GALLERIA 
5. SAFARICOM, BURU BURU 6. SAFARICOM, EASTLEIGH 7. SAFARICOM,NAKUMAT MEGA 
8. AIRTEL,SARIT CENTRE 9. AIRTEL,KOINANGE STREET

KISUMU – 1. KENSHOP,OGINGA ODINGA, 2. FONE EXPRESS,NYANZA NAKUMATT 
3. SAFARICOM JUBILEE – OGINGA ODINGA

ELDORET – 1. DHAVAL EMPORIUM, UGANDA ROAD 2. SAFARICOM OGINGA ODINGA

MOMBASA – 1. JV SHAH,HOSPITAL STREET 2. FONE EXPRESS, NAKUMATT NYALI 
3. SAFARICOM,REX – MOI AVENUE 4. AIRTEL, MOI AVENUE

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The dual sim dual standby

Ofcourse, this is why this phone is here in the first place, so makes sense to start with what you get off the dual sim feature. The sim slots are behind the bettery, no hot swapping here, only available for the memory card. But once you have the phone on, you get the sim card manager as the first option in the phone settings.

Sim Manager allows you to:

• Select the sim card to use for data. You cannot use data on both sims at the same time(does it even make sense?) so you select which sim card will be for data use. Great if a carrier has good voice offers and another has good data offers. Power to the subscriber!
• Select icons to represent whichever sim. There are five icons, Sim 1, Sim 2, home, office and heart. Gives you ideas, maybe one sim card is just for family, its easy to identify them in the notification icon when you pull it down for selecting.
• Register name. You can rename the SIM cards.
• Also allows you to choose whether you want the data line to also receive calls while live. Nice option since if you disable this option that line will only be used for data, so no disconnections during calls. There is a shortcut of the same on the notifications pull down menu where you can tap to select the active sim card to call from.

Android 2.3.6

This is a good feature as its just recently that Android devices came with Android Gingerbread, the bulk of them come on Android 2.2 Froyo and below. Gives users a better user interface and faster experience.

Qwerty and type

This is the differentiator between Galaxy Y Pro Duos and Galaxy Y Duos, the latter is full touch, giving users an option to select if they are the qwerty guys or love full touch. Galaxy Y Pro Duos has the best of both, giving qwerty and type. Qwerty is associated with email and document editing for fast typing on the physical qwerty buttons. This phone has nice well laid out buttons, with the usual shortcuts to enable fast activity. The dial application is operated via touch but is also accessible via the optical track-pad. Plus if you lock it with the usual screen lock you will still need to unlock via touch.

Added below there as an easy scroll is the optical track-pad, to make it easier to scroll the menus up, down, left and centre.

Display

The 2.6″ display could be termed as one of the disadvantages of the phone, its convenient foe most applications, but to some it proves a headache to use. For example if you try the pull to refresh feature on twitter and other apps you will find some restrictions as to how fast and easy you are able to achieve that due to the tiny screen size. Other than that, the 320 by 240 pixels display is sharp for an entry level device.

Camera

The 3.15 mp camera is just right for the phone, produces surprisingly good images at good lighting. Ofcourse you have nothing to show of it when it comes to low lit places since it’s a fixed focus, no flash camera. Surprise surprise! It has a front camera for video calls, you dont get that on budget phones.

Data and speed

With the 7.2MBps HSDPA you got a good device right there, that is fast data for most networks. In most places you wont get the 21MBps speeds, but you can get a promise of 3-7Mbps, this device will make sure you enjoy that. coupled with the 832Mhz processor and 512MB RAM. For the screen size of Galaxy Y Pro Duos size, the graphics wont slow the device down, so that RAM and processing power works just well.

You also get the ability to use Wi-Fi where there is one available. Tethering phone data is also an option factored in the device, so it is also handy for those days when you don’t have a fixed connection or a modem. Bluetooth version 3.0 and USB 2.0 are also factored in

Storage

The 160mb user memory is barely enough, but most of these phones compromise storage for pricing to make it affordable. However it comes bundled with a 2GB memory card, and you are at liberty to increase this to 32GB via microSD.

Battery life

The 1350mh battery life ensures that you are connected for an average of two days on optimal use. The small screen size comes to play here, reducing the power needs, even with the dual sim standby feature and the sharp graphics screen, the phone stands the test of time delivering to the optimal user.

Bottomline

This phone is good for the budget spender as you will get the qwerty and touch feature on a dual sim standby phone. That combination is a first in the smartphone world. So you can handle mail or office calls on one sim and social or home on another sim in the same phone. Saves you alot on hardware costs incase you would have preferred such an arrangement. The small qwerty form factor makes it easy to use and hold in the hand, giving the light 112grams in the pocket feel at the same time. The TouchWiz UI is abit unique on this phone, with the appdrawer on the side as opposed to the usual bottom, an idea I assume meant for utilizing the limited space on the 2.6 inch screen.

On the flip side, if you are a person who loves reading on a phone you may be frustrated by the screen size, giving the small font making  you require to squint at some point. This is also a disadvantage when you are trying to refresh some apps as I stated earlier in this post. The pros on the phone gives are enough for one to overlook those, I personally like this phone and understand why it has been the most searched on this blog and possibly in the blogs for quite some time. The retail shops sing of a similar situation, with stock running out, according to several shops I made contact with.

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That came to pass, in the comments where the dev leaked the app, someone asked, would you do the same for S Voice?

The asker’s wish came true, albeit with some differences. S Voice was developed specifically for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and no backward compatibility, so folks like me who havent got the ICS upgrade notification cannot install it. DISCLAIMER: I havent rooted my devices, so not even the already available official and custom ROMs are within my reach. And the other specific is that it needs to be rooted for you to install. So I miss out on technicalities, but I am going to root it, I need to show screenshots, and get the answers myself to all the stupid questions I will find myself asking. Who uses these things creatively anyway?

So for those who meet the above criteria, the .apk works on other devices too, hit this link and get the several options to download S Voice.

Tell me if you did. And I appreciate any comments, I would assist if required to.

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