On Sunday 25 March, I headed down to the Cape Town International Convention Centre for the Samsung Connect Cape Town Consumer Day. Having written about and read reviews of Samsung’s previous and newly launched tehnologies I wanted to see them for myself and discover what else Samsung had to offer in the world of consumer electronics. More specifically I was curious about experiencing the new Samsung SMART TV.

Inside the event:

I attended the event at around mid-day thinking that it would be in full swing by then. A quick, easy and free registration process and I was in the door. Unfortunately, while it was by no means empty, the hall wasn’t packed. This may have been because of the way in which the different areas (demonstrations, product showcase and cooking demonstrations ) were set up. Rather than collectively occupy the entire hall with music, demo’s and DJs which may have created a far more exciting and buzz-worthy atmosphere, the areas were fairly quiet and separated from one another. It may have also been because most people at that time were out for lunch on a hot and sunny day in Cape Town.

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Ever wondered how an iPad gets made? Well, this video shot and produced by Rob Schmitz and edited by Jeff Peters takes you inside the Foxconn factory, sometimes referred to as “iPad City” in Shenzen, China where Apple’s devices are produced.

This footage takes you along the iPad assembly line on the factory floor from mother board to screen testing.

Watch the video below:

On Wednesday, Nokia unveiled its new Lumia 610, the first mobile phone to take Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform. NFC technology drives instant payment systems and information sharing and Nokia promises that there will be more models in the future.

Ilari Nurmi, marketing chief at Nokia smartphone unit, said in a statement that ”We’re bringing NFC right across our portfolio and together with our ever-growing range of NFC accessories we’re making it easy for people to connect via a single tap. We’re also enabling operators and other service providers to build NFC payment and ticketing solutions on top of our smartphones.”

NFC enables data to be exchanged wirelessly over distances of a few centimetres, meaning that now mobile phones can be used to pay for goods, store electronic tickets, download music, engage in social networking and swap photos and business cards on the go.

Research firm Berg Insight said last month that as manufacturers and operators begin to roll out new models, sales of NFC-enabled cellphones are expected to more than triple to 100 million handsets in 2012 hoping to tap into the emerging market for mobile payments.

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If you sit in front of a computer for long hours every day be it for work or pleasure or most likely both it may cross your mind occasionally about the way in which it could be affecting your brain. On the other hand, you may not even think about it at all.

The truth is that for most of us, working on a computer or two or a tablet for that matter is part of our lifestyle and something we couldn’t possibly even imagine living without.

Often, this means cycling between emails and shopping, tweeting and word processing. Such multi-tasking actually raises stress levels and lowers creative thinking overall, according to the research compiled by ForensicPsychology.net.

While you may think that all that multitasking excercises our brains, rather research suggests that web addiction reduces the white matter in our brains, the transmitters responsible for our memory and sensory abilities.

So, to answer the question, yes, we are doing our brains a disservice. As for any plans to slow usage down – Probably not. But picking up a book or magazine from time to time might just help.

Check out the infographic after the jump for more, if you dare….

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Intel has recently developed a small tablet called the StudyBook that aims to contribute towards the transformation that is taking place in the way in which tablets are utilised by teachers and students in the class room.

While computers and other technologies have been used in many classrooms for decades now and continue to be developed, there seems to be a new enthusiasm for the possibilities represented by tablets and they way that they can change the technology landscape in educational institutions.

The Studybook is a portable device powered by an Intel Atom (Oak Trail) processor with a 7-inch touchscreen that is encased in an especially rugged plastic for increased durability and protection. The device also claims to be both water and dust resistant. The Studybook also comes with all the necessary software for teachers to manage and create content. The device is also Intel’s first to support Google’s Android OS with Microsoft Windows also remaining an option.

As with its prior entries in education, Intel designed the device but expects it to be branded, customized and sold by hardware companies to reach students in emerging and industrialized countries. While pricing is expected to be determined by those partners and will depend on any software or hardware add-ons, Kapil Wadhera, general manager of Intel’s education market platforms group says that the tablet should start at less than $200 each.

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Up until now, tablets have for the most part been produced and made available commercially in two different sizes: either the smaller 7-inch or less like the Kindle Fire or Galaxy Tab 2 or the larger 10-inch tablet like the iPad.

However, there now seems to be a new extra large size available from Toshiba. The company recently unveiled its new 13-inch Android tablet as part of its new Excite range alongside the Excite 10.1-inch and Excite 7.7-inch tablets. The line-up of Android 4.0 powered tablets is part of Toshiba’s strategy to provide consumers with next-generation features that compete head-to-head with Apple devices but are more affordable.

The Excite 13 tablet, undoubtedly the highlight of the range, unsurprisingly packs more weight than the standard tablets currently available on the mass market, weighing in at just under 1 kilograms although it is only o.4 inches thick.

It also features a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 chip with GeForce graphics and 1GB of RAM and as with the Thrive tablet that the Excite is replacing, has micro USB and micro HDMI ports, plus a full-size SD card slot. Its LED-backlit LCD screen has a resolution of 1,600 x 900 pixels and a widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio, and 10-finger touch support.

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Kickstarter is currently featuring and raising funds for the production of the JuiceTank, the first iPhone charger and case in one that allows iPhone users to charge their phone anytime and anywhere. With poor battery life having become one of the biggest complaints about the iPhone, the JuiceTank aims to solve this problem with a single accessory.

The main feature of the JuiceTank is an integrated wall charger that folds flat against the case to provide maximum portability and simplicity. The automated plug deploys easily and allows you to plug your phone directly into any outlet with no cords required.

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Web Africa has recently made some changes to their home ADSL range which will offer the lowest price per gig in South Africa and remove the Peak and Off-peak differentiator for Home ADSL users.

From the 2nd April all Peak and Off-Peak Gigs will now be referred to as Any-Time gigs which essentially means that they can now be used 24/7. The price per Any-Time gig will now be available for as little as R7.99 for certain packages.

By removing the Peak and Off-Peak distinction, Web Africa customers can score up to 5 times more data to use at any time on their existing Home Connect packages with all existing Home Connect customers having already been switched over to the updated Home ADSL range.

For example, a Web Africa customer who previously had 2 Gigs during Peak time and 8 Gigs Off-Peak for R149pm will now enjoy 10 Any-Time Gigs for the same price.

Web Africa CEO, Tim Wyatt-Gunning explains that “We took the decision to simplify the home offering and bring our customers what they are looking for – fast, reliable connectivity without complicated terms of usage and at the best price possible.”

In addition, Web Africa has dropped the price of their Top-Up Gigs to R39 for automatic rollover Gigs. This means all unused Top-Up data will rollover to the following month and never expire.

To view all the Home ADSL Packages visit Web Africa’s website. 

Disclaimer: Web Africa is a Bandwidth Blog partner.