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.

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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

Motorola has done it again!  Introducing a new Droid RAZR! This one was launched last Thursday by Verizon and has the likely moniker of “DROID RAZR MAXX.” As with any other mobile carrier, the handset is available at a discounted price when a new two-year agreement is signed. The asking price is $299.99. With that kind of out of pocket investment and a signed contract, this writer would highly recommend consumers to shop around for an unlocked cell phone.  These unlocked cell phones empower consumers to break free service provider long term contracts and permit to negotiate a plan that best meets your lifestyle needs at the lowest 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.

Compared to its predecessor, the DROID RAZR, this latest Motorola is housed in a thicker frame (only slightly). After that the differences are nominal. In fact, Droid-Life affirmed rumors that each of these devices runs on exactly the same software. Even the Android versions for both the DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX are the same kernel, build number, and baseband version. The community forums have some miffed participants that accuse Motorola of simply charging customers for a new battery, but this streamlined user of software should actually make things easier on the manufacturer, carrier, and consumer.

Discover the Droid RAZR MAXX in this insightful video :

Smartphone manufacturers are known for making slight changes and rebranding devices. This allows the newest handsets to accommodate tech changes by tweaking the software versions from the old to the new device. Some examples of this are the DROID 2 and DROID R2D2. The silver lining is that as the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX, it will all be interchangeable which permits tech-savvy users to take advantage of a wide range of custom ROMs.

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Alas, with the slight variation in size, all accessories may not be interchangeable. But with the internal specs unchanged, peripheral devices and more technical accessory purchases should meet the system requirements of both smartphones.

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 Aldo Panessidi

With the announcements at the recent CES – one has to wonder – what is 2012 the year of?” Will it be SmartTVs? Perhaps it’s the year of the interactive technology? Or maybe it is 4G LTE smartphones that will steal the spotlight this year. As of this early date, it is Android devices that look to have the competitive advantage this year. It very well could be a great opportunity to win over mind and market share, but they need to leverage the lead before Research In Motion (Blackberry) and Apple bring their own 4G LTE devices to market later this year.

What kind of growth are we looking at? According to DigiTimes who published 2012 estimates, Monday, they are anticipating between 4% and 5% of smartphones shipped this year will be 4G LTE capable. When reviewing their sources it is really clear that Android manufacturers are months ahead of the competition. Samsung, LG, Pantech, Motorola Mobility and HTC were named as industry players that will be launching 4G LTE handsets.

Enhance your mobility and turn your Android 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 and extremely fast.

Depending on how quickly Apple and RIM work and how effective their messaging is, the gap could be quickly closed and the opportunity lost. More specifically, there is buzz around Apple’s to-be-released products this year, the iPhone 5 and iPad 3, which based on rumor will be 4G LTE capable.

Leaving your valuable mobile Android 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.

One point this writer would like clarified is what the ramifications of this technology coupled with the race to get smartphones with the capability to use it will be. Will the current trend continue pattern of “sign long-term contract with service provider, get free smartphone”? Or will we be able to break free from this carrier imposed yoke with unlocked cell phones that will empower us to choose our preferred service provider and negotiate a service contract that best meets our interactive needs at the right price!

Only time will tell what the implications will be. At the moment, 4G LTE has not been well-explained to the public and is potentially cost inhibitive. So, without a little tweaking it may turn out to not be the year of the 4G LTE network after all.

By Aldo Panessidi

We recently had a chance to view and blog about the leaked Sony smartphone roadmap. If this is to be believed we expect Sony to release three phones in 2nd quarter of 2012… these are the LT22i Nypon, the MT27i Pepper and the ST25i Kumquat. it is most probable that these three cell phones will be formerly announced by Sony at next month’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

From a leaked document found on an Indonesian website agency… which is the equivalent of the US based FCC has listed Sony’s code named ST25i smartphone as the new Sony Xperia U – thanks to GSM Arena for the provided specs. Above is one of the first leaked images of the new Xperia U which is a welcome addition to the Sony Xperia cell phone business line. Which makes wonder if Sony is planning to follow in Samsung- branded cell phones footsteps by creating an a plethora of Xperia models.

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Get the spcs for both the yet to be officialy named Sony Nypon and Sony Pepper .

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.

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

The Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS is ramping up in hype and anticipation as the flagship device, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is due to be released in Canada. Industry experts point to an OS that is classic and polished and also has capabilities that can marry function and frugality.

But how can a smartphone save you money? Since the advent of the feature phone and VoIP services like Vonage, customers have had alternatives that permit them to ditch the landline and consolidate their monthly household costs. This has had serious repercussions for the power and profits of telecommunications companies that have had to adjust with the times.

When combining VoIP capabilities (where calls can be made from an internet connection instead of a landline connection or cell tower) and smartphones, customers again will have the power of their pocketbooks to use against the mobile carriers they had previously chosen over traditional landlines. The capability is there and with the ever growing popularity of smartphones VoIP providers like Skype, Vonage and Axvoice are developing apps to make their technology available and attractive to smartphone users. These same apps should be available for tablets and media devices to keep us better connected with this tech.

As businesses have known for some time, VoIP is markedly less expensive and as is typical in innovation, the technology has found its way to the consumer market. For anyone who has been shocked by a cell bill that had voice plan overages or has family and friends overseas, this option can make a marked difference in the wallet.

The VoIP apps that will be available on Android 4.0 devices (I personally use a VoIP app on my iPhone for calls to Europe and has saved hundreds of dollars) are intuitive and easy. The repercussion of this service is a serious blow to the current services provided by mobile carriers that can lock customers into contracts based on call service in addition to exclusive phone deals.

The freedom to choose an unlocked phone of your choice and choose the carrier plan of choice to provide the best data plan (calling plan can be minimized) makes for a healthier competitive market that will undoubtedly result in further innovations!

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!