By Aldo Panessidi

Ah the Super Bowl – the height of both gridiron and consumerism competition. The game pits the top two football teams in the United States against one another – while advertisers bring out the big guns and vie for the attention of the millions of congregated viewers.

While the  New York Giants battled it out with the New England Patriots, Samsung decided to take the offensive against Apple with a string of anti-Apple advertisements. The crowning moments was a 90-second commercial that cost a cool $10 million to snag the airtime.  The following video is the Samsung’s actual Apple bashing commercial aired during the Super Bowl.

The ad series pitches Samsung as the “cool” alternative to Apple’s iPhone; the Super Bowl commercial promoted their upcoming smartphone launch, the Galaxy Note, which will available at AT&T later this month.   This device is also available as an unlocked cell phone, empower consumers with the freedom to choose the right carrier with the right service at the right price.

Leaving your valuable mobile devices unprotected is risky!   Discover the latest innovative protection solutions… stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes. Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression..

The premise of the 90 second clip is a scene of the now infamous Apple Store line where customers are waiting to buy the latest Apple device.  “I believe in a thing called love” is the soundtrack and the grey scene is brought to life in the form of a block party with Samsung Galaxy Note devices falling from the sky like manna.

As the poster child of Android, Samsung is in a great position to compete with Apple. With its own line of Galaxy tablets, apps, and accessories, the South Korean vendor has converted its fair share of customers. These ads will certainly amp up interest in the upcoming launch which will be augmented with the Mobile World Conference this month where the best in docking stations, speakers, and other peripheral devices including glider gloves will help win over those consumers on the fence.

By Megan Fleet

Samsung is poised to unleash yet another addition of the Samsung  Galaxy cell phone line of business to a seemingly insatiable public. Canada will soon see the Galaxy Note released by Bell according to a recent announcement by the mobile carrier.   Discover the latest Samsung device accessories.

The LTE capable Galaxy Note is expected to be available to consumers mid-February and offer a North American mid-market handset to Canadians ready to adopt the Android darling.  While it will not initially have 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as its Android OS, it will have the reliable Gingerbread version out the gate. Based on the announcements, the upgrade to v4.0 is on the roadmap (and may allow other first-gen 4.0 Androids to help work out any kinks).

Leaving your valuable mobile devices unprotected is risky!  Discover the latest innovative protection solutions… stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes.  Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

The Samsung Note specs are decidedly respectable including a dual-core processor, an 8 megapixel camera (video recording is done in 1080p HD which will make for easy device integration with home televisions and other devices), is LTE-enabled and has Wi-Fi and a decent battery life. Consumers can further enhance the Samsung Note’s mobility by optimizing functionality with select accessories including stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

The following Samsung Note video provides an insightful review from Mobile Tech

Now, exactly when this will be launched by Bell is unknown. But, there is the hope that Samsung will make the Galaxy Note available unlocked to allow consumers to choose their preferred carrier and service plans.

By Aldo Panessidi

At one point in time HTC was the crowned king of Android… releasing nearly a dozen different models in Canada last year.  From the HTC Amaze being like its namesake amazing, the HTC Desire being sleek and alluring to the HTC Raider having a big bold display .  However, HTC’s market strategy to have a model to please everyone, in fact, ended pleasing a very small portion of the smartphone market space.

In a recent interview HTC’s Phil Roberson made it clear that HTC was moving away from its strategy of flooding the market with devices in favour of focusing  on delivering ‘hero’ based technology and designs.   As Roberson indicated “HTC had tried to do too much in 2011 and oversaturated the field with devices.  This year would be about making something special or having fewer but more distinctive devices.”

Leaving your valuable HTC mobile devices unprotected is risky!  Discover the latest innovative protection solutions… stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes.  Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

A consolidation might be necessary in the face of stiff competition. Its profits fell by 25 percent this fall after both Apple and Samsung carved into its once safe sales. Apple is virtually the opposite of HTC and has just three iPhones on the market, two of which were old models with configurations trimmed back. It has had no problems faring well by both outpacing and outselling the Samsung cell phones , which itself is in HTC’s situation of having many phones that cater to every possible niche.

Enhance your mobility and turn your HTC device into a power tool with select  accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

In Canada, the “hero” devices are the Samsung Galaxy S II series, which HTC CEO Peter Chou called “nuclear weapons.” And though HTC has seen its fair share of success, 2012 needs to be a year of re-growth and rebuilding for them, focusing on fewer smartphones centred around a core brand.

By Megan Fleet

Remember the good ole feature phone days when your little Nokia cell phone or Motorola cell phone would hold a charge for two or even three days? Those battery expectancies have decreased with the adoption of unlocked smartphone handsets.  Not only are these powerful devices armed with incredible amounts of space and storage, but they have zippy quad-core processors to keep your experience as instantly gratifying as possible.

This means we can exchange email and all matter of SMS and MMS communications, play Angry Birds, stream videos, and play or stream music –all on a smartphone. There is plenty of additional functionality to put on the list, but the fact remains: our heightened use and amped up power of these devices means our batteries are lucky to last through the day without a little extra juice.  Discover an extensive selection of the latest lithium technology replacement cell phone and wireless devices batteries.  Ensure your device is powered by brand name batteries for longer operating life.

Consumers are not willing to have a dead device in hand, so peripheral accessory and smartphone manufacturers are coming up with solutions. There are spare batteries for sale as well as desktop chargers, wall chargers and car chargers to have on hand, and even laptop, backpack, and other bags that will act as stylish multi-device charging systems. For an airport rat like myself, these options are a necessary evil to ensure I can get boarding passes, communicate with customers, and just reassure Mom I’ve made it home safe.

But does this have to be a necessity? Samsung doesn’t think so.  So, they have made a resolution of sorts for 2012 to improve battery life where it will last all day. This was a bit of news we were privy to at CES when Samsung’s VP of product innovation, Kevin Packingham, was interviewed. He stated, “when you wake up to when you go to bed, we don’t want you feeling anxiety about your battery life.”

For hyper-usage customers, the additional battery sources and charging accessories will still be a necessity, but Samsung is taking a multi-prong approach where they will manufacture larger batteries, enhance manufacturing processes, and also address how their devices connect to the LTE radio and constantly search for Wi-Fi signals.

By Aldo Panessidi

Take inventory of your tech devices. You likely have a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, an iPod media player, and maybe an errant MP3 player lying around. That is a lot of devices to manage, juggle, and keep tidy – a huge concern for those who like clean décor and want to incorporate these devices. So as the newest offerings of technology were paraded out at CES, who are the winners for top accessory innovators at this year’s conference?

To start, Samsung had some wonderfully well designed speakers and docking stations for their Galaxy S 2 smartphones and Galaxy tablets that had a range of classic to contemporary. They looked to have dedicated woofers and tweeters to ensure a great sound as well as a great look.

Next we have iLuv which you likely know for its Apple accessories. This year they branched out to showcase their newest Android offerings as well. Customers looking to replace a laptop with a tablet will like the folio-plus-Bluetooth-keyboard that gives the option of a hard keyboard or using their tablet with the soft keyboard. If considering a desktop replacement, iLuv’s workstation is affordable and a really neat design that will dock your device, is adjustable for height, and has an integrated wired keyboard. Benefits of a dedicated workstation with the mobility of a tablet? Yes, please! Showing even more innovation for its Apple offerings, iLuv is a must to check out for products that will fit your lifestyle and needs.

Another mobile accessory company that wowed at CES is Scosche. The coolest tech in their array of gadgets was their desktop chargers, wall chargers and car chargers. For phones they had a case, the flipCHARGE rogue and switchback flips via headphones. For emergency charging situations, keep a ClipSYNC keychain on hand and it will undoubtedly come in handy.

For protecting these mobile devices, bags, sleeves and cases are imperative. Otterbox continues to be a top manufacturer for the best protective cases and skins for all iPhone styles and now the top selling Android handset models. Best mentions at CES for Otterbox was the Commuter.

There were many other wonderful accessories to meet the need of charging multiple devices at once or store and protect tablets. As these become available to the public and we have more information on them, we will keep you posted!

By Megan Fleet

Canadian Android fans rejoice! The company’s poster child, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, is no longer exclusive to Bell and Virgin. As of JANUARY 13,2012; the popular smartphone is available to TELUS, Rogers, and Fido. In addition to the end of this era of exclusivity, this change is heralding in the first Android 4.0 device to Canada as well. To this writer, it rings of a changing of the tides for the attitudes of unlocked phones.

At the various carriers and Best Buy, there are many promotions accompanying this release that vie for customers’ signatures on long-term service contracts. Individual carriers are making the device available for a price ranging from $99.99 to $159.99 for a three year contract. For those customers open to the potential high costs of such a long contract, Best Buy is the best bet as it will extend the $99.99 promotion to all carriers.  In addition to engaging in a price war, all vendors are luring customers with the latest innovative protective cases and skins.

Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool!  Discover select accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

However, when taking the gleaming distractions of the Ice Cream Sandwich OS and the ever impressive Galaxy Nexus, customers should not blindly rush into such agreements without recognizing a few things. Smartphone technology is developed and released at a rapid rate. The cost of opting out of a contract if the next must-have phone is an exclusive with another carrier and takes some luster out of promotional deals. Last, by considering unlocked cell phones that are not tied to a contract, you hold the power deciding on which carrier provides the lowest priced service contract that best  meets your unique mobile lifestyle needs.

This gives you the ability to have both the device you crave and the ability to walk away from a contract or plan that does not suit your needs. Hence, allowing time to rationally decide how you truly use your phone (do you SMS or MMS a lot? How much data do you use? Are you a chatty Cathy?) Then, you look for the best deal from there.

Regardless of your choice, happy shopping and don’t forget to protect your investment with the proper case, screen skins, and hands free headsets!

By Megan Fleet

Some things sound too good to be true. There is always a price to be paid. In the world of smartphones and contracts, the pipers are usually paid with hours of time, creative loopholes for promotional deals, and hidden costs with the long contacts signed to nab the desired handset of choice.

But, for those consumers who are in the market for a Samsung Galaxy Nexus and have avoided these long tied-in contracts or whose contract have come to term, there is a promotion that merits serious consideration.  As of January 13 , Best Buy has made this Android / Samsung poster child available for $99.99. This will require a three year contract, but the offer will extend to all carriers (apparently with the exception of Fido): Virgin Mobile, TELUS, Bell, and Rogers.

This is definitely an option to consider in comparison shopping as the official launch date of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Fido, TELUS, and Rogers is this Friday and three year contract deals are seeing handset costs around $160 or $600 outright. These carriers have began their sales of the Android 4.0 smartphone earlier than the announced release date, but TELUS will be releasing this device on Friday as well, but will match the Best Buy introductory price of $99.99 for signing a three year term.

With the number of carriers offering this kind of introductory offer, it isn’t likely to disappear any time soon. In the spirit of informed consumerism and seeing the true long term costs of both the new Galaxy Nexus handset and the contract terms, look at unlocked phone options and deals as well that will allow you to pick the best contract (and a more reasonable length!) for you.

Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool!  Discover select accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

Or, if the contract offering from Best Buy, TELUS, Rogers and all the like is your cup of tea, be sure to shop around for the protective cases and skins for your new smartphone and depending on the laws of your area, hands free accessories as well. No matter what route fits best, happy shopping and enjoy your new gadgets!

By Megan Fleet

Aptly named, Samsung’s event at the Consumer Electronics Show is “Pushing Boundaries.” Based on the successes of Samsung the past few years across the electronics industry, their breakout performance on the Android platform in the smartphone market is really no surprise as they really do continue to push the envelope of development. Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool! Discover select accessories, such as stylus & pens, SD Micro memory cards, batteries, speakers and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

Taking a comprehensive approach, Samsung is looking to truly transform the user’s world with technology that ranges from their SmartTVs to a Smart washing machine. Seriously. The Samsung Galaxy tablets and Samsung Galaxy S II X cell phone will be ever more integrated into home life and interactive with home appliances and televisions.

But as this is the Consumer Electronics Show, what devices are we to be treated with in 2012 that we can hold in our hot little hands? First on the table is the Galaxy Note which is to be initially launched with AT&T and which will likely go toe-to-toe with the Nokia Lumia 900 as the LTE choice. What kind of wait does this means for customers to get unlocked cell phones is unknown, but this Android darling is not one to disappoint.

What will set this smartphone apart is the Super AMOLED HD display and Samsung’s latest stylus technology, the “S Pen”. What is neat about this stylus is that it actually reads pressure. The harder you press on it, the thicker the line will appear. This particular technology has this writer very curious to see what other applications and accessories will dovetail customer needs in the coming months. No doubt this stylus and screen technology will be brought to the Samsung tablet and the Smart TV.

And last on our recap is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE. With the popularity of the Galaxy family of smartphones, the company’s tablet offerings have been closely watched by Android fans, and this beauty should not disappoint. It will initially be a Verizon Wireless exclusive with 4G LTE support. When considering the plays made with device manufacturers and carriers in the US market, this is a smart move to reach AT&T customers with the LTE Galaxy Note and then Verizon fans with the 4G LTE Galaxy Tab 7.7.

Discover an extensive array of Android wireless devices innovative protective cases and skin accessories designed to deliver modern style, stunning design and smart protection. Make your mobile devices stand out. Customize your look – how cool can you be?

2012 is shaping up to be another stellar year!

By Aldo Panessidi

The world’s greatest tech show – CES 2012 – kicked off on Monday, January 9th… and will run until Friday January 13th.

With more than four decades of success, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) reaches across global markets, connects the industry and enables CE innovations to grow and thrive. The show is produced by Consumer electronic Association, the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $186 billion U.S. consumer technology industry. CEA represents more than 2,000 corporate members involved in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and integration of consumer electronics products. All profits from CES are reinvested into industry services, including technical training and education, industry promotion, engineering standards development, market research and legislative advocacy.

This year’s show is held at the Hilton Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas and will cover more than 1.8 million square feet which is equivalent to 35 American football fields with over 2700 exhibitors and close to 200,000 attendees from across the globe.

Most of the leading smartphone and wireless mobile device (such as tablets) manufacturers and vendors will be unveiling their latest product and technology. In the same breath, these manufacturers will be showcasing their latest in innovative protection solutions… … stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes. Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

The following capture the most important CES smartphone and wireless mobile device news and product video overview:

	LTE-packing Nokia Lumia 900 is finally official, exclusive to AT&T HTC Titan II vs. Nokia Lumia 900 vs. Samsung Focus S – the ultimate WP showdown [TABLE]  Nokia Lumia 900 – specs • hands-on
	New Samsung Series 9 ultrabook comes in 13.3″ and 15″ versions, the small one weighs just 1.16kg Samsung and AT&T unveil Note, Skyrocket HD and Exhilarate Android-powered webcam-like device, the Samsung inTouch, adds Smart TV magic to your boring HDTV Sprint unveils Samsung Galaxy Nexus LTE Verizon debuts Galaxy Tab LTE   Verizon Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE- specs • hands-on • second hands-on AT&T Galaxy Note LTE – specs • hands-on • second hands-on Samsung Skyrocket HD – specs Samsung Exhilarate – specs Samsung Galaxy Nexus LTE – specs
	Sony Ericsson LiveView successor spotted at CES, announcement seems imminent The Sony Xperia ion coming to AT&T in Q2 2012 Sony announces Xperia S with a 12MP camera and HD screen  Sony Xperia ion – specs • hands-on Sony Xperia S – specs • hands-on
	LG brings a ton of new HDTV stuff to CES, 3D is everywhere, and there’s a motion-controlled remote with voice input LG Spectrum goes official, joins the Verizon LTE gang on Jan 19 Sprint unveils LG Viper  LG Viper- specs LG Spectrum – specs • hands-on
	HTC Titan II vs. Nokia Lumia 900 vs. Samsung Focus S – the ultimate WP showdown [TABLE] LTE HTC Titan II with 16 MP camera revealed, heads for AT&T HTC Titan II - specs • hands-on • camera samples
	Acer announces Aspire S5 and Aspire Timeline Ultra Ultrabooks, claims the former to be the world’s thinnest Acer showcases the new Iconia Tab A700, comes with a quad-core processor and a full HD display
	Verizon announces several Droid RAZRs  Motorola RAZR MAXX – specs • hands-on Motorola Droid 4 - specs • hands-on
	Lenovo continues CES invasion with IdeaCentre B-series all-in-ones and refreshed desktops Lenovo announces IdeaPad S200 and IdeaPad S206 netbooks, will launch in June Lenovo IdeaPad U310 and U410 new Ultrabook laptops get under the spotlight Lenovo unveils Ideapad S2, the S2 smartphone and K91 TV
	Huawei Ascend P1 and Ascend P1 S droid beasts announced  Huawei Ascend P1 – specs • hands-on Huawei Ascend P1 S – specs • hands-on
Misc	Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update starts rolling out for the ASUS Transformer Prime ASUS and NVidia CEOs show a 7-inch Tegra 3-powered tablet with ICS for $249 Gigabyte keeps Atom dream alive with Cedar Trail powered T1006M convertibe netbook and tablet, Windows 7 on board In case of emergency: The new SpareOne mobile phone promises to hold its charge for up to 15 years Fujitsu showcases quad-core Tegra 3 smartphone at CES Parrot shows AR.Drone 2.0 at CES – now with 720p video recording, easy sharing and sturdier hardware OCZ Lightfoot SSD boasts Thunderbolt connectivity, speeds beyond belief Canon PowerShot G1 X is a 14MP compact with a DSLR-sized 4:3 image sensor • Canon G1 X hands-on Fujifilm announced rangefinder-style, mirrorless X-Pro1 camera, to cost $1,700 at launch SanDisk unveils the world’s fastest SDXC card, promises write speeds of up to 45MB/sToshiba showcase three mysterious tablets at CES and tell us nothing about them Razer reveals Project Fiona, a tablet with controllers attached to it running on a Core i7 and Windows 8

Many thanks to GSM Arena for the above references and links.

By  Aldo Panessidi

A new report from industry luminary ABI Research indicates that more than 50% of all unlocked cell phones will be capable of running on 4G or 3G data networks.  Jake Saunders, VP of Forecasting for ABI Research suggests that . “As the festive cheer of the holiday season dies away, the mood among handset vendors remains quietly confident regarding 2012.   The outlook will yield growth in the order of 8%, netting 1.67 billion handsets shipped worldwide by the end of 2012. Particularly notable is for the first time, 3G and 4G handset shipments will capture more than 50% of total handsets shipped.”  The consumer’s appetite for  high end mobile devices will also drive the after sales cell phone and tablet accessories market.

Leaving your valuable mobile devices unprotected is risky!  Discover the latest innovative protection solutions… stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes.  Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

In an earlier report ABI Research identified the worldwide after-market wireless devices accessories sales increasing to more than $50 Billion by 2015.  Key accessory market indicators were identified as:

Protective Solutions – Bags, Sleeves, Cases and Screen Protectors – $1.2 billion

Hands Free Solution – BlueTooth Headsets and BlueTotth Car Kits – $920 million

Power Solutions – Desktop Chargers, Car Chargers, Wall Chargers, Batteries – $766 million

Memory Solutions – Micro SD Cards and Data Cables – $529 million

Personalization Solutions – Cases & Skins – $520 million

Audio Solutions – Speakers, Earpieces & Headsets – $308 million

In the second half of 2011, top tier mobile device vendors unleashed marketing promotions targeting the upward mobile market audience in emerging smartphone and table markets.   Samsung, used clever ads downgrading Apple users while extolling the benefits of the Galaxy S II X phones and Galaxy Tablet lines of business to make substantial inroads  into these market spaces. Apple is expanding sales channels in emerging markets, with greater success in China than it’s having in India, but is also targeting South American markets such as Brazil. HTC is gaining traction in China, but developed markets such as North America and Europe continue to be the mainstay of its “ship into” markets. RIM, despite its weakness in apps-capable smartphone markets, continues to do well in messaging-centric emerging markets such as Indonesia. Nokia hopes to benefit from Windows Phone 7 Lumia series launches in India (Dec-2011) and China (in 1Q-2012).