A product range that many would have laughed off a few years ago is now a reality and against all expectations, the phablet phone (for those not up to date with silly tech jargon, a phablet is a phone larger than 5 inches and smaller than 7 inches) does have quite a large market as seen with the immensely popular Samsung Galaxy Note range.

Citing unnamed sources, the Financial Times reports that Nokia may be working on its own phablet device. Details are scarce though, but the sources suggest that the rumoured device will be Nokia’s flagship device for 2013. (more…)

This is definitely a device we are really looking forward to having a proper look at as soon as it is released in SA. It seems that the rest of the world had the same excitement regarding this device. It is selling well – really well. In fact, better than even Sony expected.

Analyst estimates put sales of the flagship Sony Xperia Z at 4.6 million after just 40 days since its international launch. We really think it is a good device, but the reason for the sales is a bit more complicated than that. Sony announced the new flagship at the beginning of 2013, at CES (Consumer Electronics Show). It seems that it was the opportune time to do so, as the world was waiting with bated breath for announcements of the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4. The Xperia Z filled the vacuum before the other devices launched and quietly won a significant lead over its competitors. (more…)

To say Apple and Samsung are friendly rivals in the smartphone market would be to say that North and South Korea are friendly neighbouring countries. Although there exists no nuclear threat, tensions between the smartphone giants tend to be as explosive as a full-scale nuclear war. Apple has a love-hate relationship with the Korean giant due to their chips being developed there and that has always been a slippery slope for the Cupertino based company. (more…)

It’s no secret that Samsung sees the future in large, big-screen smartphones. Its flagship Galaxy S range has been given a larger screen with every iteration, then came the Galaxy Note, and recently we heard about the Galaxy Grand – a Note sized phone without the stylus – when reporting from Samsung Forum 2013 in Cape Town.

Now, we have heard that there are two even larger phones coming, apparently being called Galaxy Mega according to SamMobile. We do know SamMobile are very accurate when reporting on non-released or rumoured Samsung devices, so don’t be surprized if these pop up before long.

(more…)

Google welcomed its first tablet to the Nexus line in mid-2012. Unfortunately, it has been very hard for us to get our hands on one, as the demand has been so high that there were only a few review models handed out in SA. This is now something interesting to look at again, as the prices have been lowered in order to accommodate the new 32GB version, meaning that the smaller storage variants are now even more attractive in terms of price than they were before. This was a huge selling point of the tablet since its launch, and Google keeps pushing the envelope to get consumers the best possible experience at unbeatable prices.

This is the first time Asus worked with Google to manufacture a Nexus device, and our first impressions are that Asus did a brilliant job.

(more…)

We were fortunate enough to be invited to the launch event of the all new Sony Xperia Z. Sony decided to do a road trip around South Africa to their most important markets and held launch events in Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.

We gathered at the Grand Daddy Hotel in Long Street with a very warm welcome. The event was much more intimate and inviting than some of the other extravagant launches we have been to, and in most ways we actually prefer it that way. There was much more time to talk to the relevant parties about the device, the company and the strategies surrounding marketing and sales.

(more…)

The yearly visit to Barcelona for Mobile World Congress is a highlight for anyone remotely interested in mobile technology. It is always a huge, extravagant affair with manufacturers flexing their muscles, and this year was no different. It took place from 25 – 28 February, and now that it’s over and we have had time to digest, we thought we would bring you an overview of some of the biggest newsmakers at the conference.

(more…)

Sony has announced that the PS Vita will now be selling at a discounted price in Japan. From the 28^th of February it will sell for 19,980 yen, both the Wi-Fi and 3G models. That means that the Wi-Fi model is cut by a fifth, and the 3G model loses a third of its price tag.

The Sony handheld has not been a huge success in terms of outright profit, even with sales numbers relatively high. The investment into research and development has not yet yielded great dividends for investors, which leaves many worried about the longevity of the “AAA” gaming industry. This, of course, refers to the big budget games and studios, spending millions of dollars on the development of a single game. The world of mobile gaming on smartphones and tablets has slowly but surely eroded the money spent on expensive titles.

(more…)