News & Reviews:   smartphone

Apple has always been about patents but this is probably one of the more useful sounding ones so far. Instead of a patent for a rounded edges, this patent is about a "Protective Mechanism for an Electronic Device" that allows an electronic device to shift the weight of a falling device in such a way that it would always fall on it's back. This means if your smartphone had this feature and it fell, you wouldn't have to deal with a cracked screen (Corning Gorilla Glass still cracks due to falls).

The way it works is that when the device is falling the phone detects free fall using position sensors, imaging sensors and accelerometers. Then it sends a signal to the protective mechanism, allowing it to land on the strongest part of the chassis (usually the back part), minimizing the possibility of cracks or damage to the device and the screen of the device.

Recently, Microsoft announced that it will stop support for Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 7.5 by the year 2014. According to them, Windows Phone 8 support will stop on 8 July 2014 while Windows Phone 7.5 support will stop on 9 September 2014. For users who have already purchased a Windows Phone 8 or Windows Phone 7.5 smartphone that leaves Microsoft support of just another 18 months.

Samsung has been rumored to be readying flexible, high-resolution displays for its smartphones, and this week at CES 2013 the South Korean tech giant somewhat confirmed those rumors by showing off several prototypes. Please see the video below.

At its keynote the company announced Youm, a new line of flexible OLED displays. OLED technology allows companies to create thinner and lighter displays that also provide even more vivid images than other HD technologies.

What is the Pakej Komunikasi Belia (PKB) or Youth Communication Package?

Pakej Komunikasi Belia (PKB) or the Youth Communication Package is a scheme under the Malaysian National Broadband Initiative that grants youth aged 21 to 30 with income below RM3,000 to get RM200 rebate off selected 3G smartphones from telco nominated registered dealers in 2013. This initiative, coordinated by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), was announced by the Prime Minister as part of Budget 2013 tabled in September this year to encourage more youths especially those in rural areas to enjoy the nation’s broadband facilities.

Transcend Reveal New Wi-Fi Memory Card:

Transcend has released a new Wi-Fi SD memory card that allows for wireless transfer of images from your SDHC-compatible digital camera. Trancend's memory card works in either a direct share mode to a mobile device or in Internet mode using a free app for iOS or Android devices.