Best Shot - Kittens?

One of the most spoken about features of the galaxy S3 is its camera and the great features that come with it. One such feature is 'Best Shot', a new setting which allows you to make sure you capture that special moment by taking 8 quick photos one after the other then allowing you to select the best one.

In this video, you'll get to see just how well this feature works with the help of my glamorous assistant - Poppy!

IFA Unpacked Event!

Over the last week I was invited by Samsung to attend the unpacked event where they launched three exciting new product ranges just before the IFA conference; the Samsung Galaxy Camera, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and the Samsung ATIV windows products...

Below is a few videos which quickly look at each of the product and share some initial thoughts. A more comprehensive blog will be on the way soon looking at how the whole week went as a whole, but for now, these will wet your appetite!

Remember, you can follow me on;

Twitter:         @talhaghannam
Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/talhamobiler


Samsung Galaxy Camera


Samsung Galaxy Note 2


Samsung ATIV

Samsung Galaxy SIII Review

Android Vs iOS

We've all had this discussion before, but this guy takes it to the next level! I agree with so many of his points - the only thing I would say is Ice-cream sandwich sadly isn't the Operating System on all the android phones!

So, the Galaxy Note update has been delayed... lets hope the Premium Suite makes up for the wait!

Samsung Galaxy Note Ice Cream Sandwich update delayed

But will come with new Premium Suite apps

By John McCann Thu 10:53 UTC

till waiting, but S Pen apps - yay!

Samsung Galaxy Note owners may feel hard done by as Samsung has announced the Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) update won't be landing on the handset until Q2 of 2012.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 is currently in the midst of receiving the Ice Cream Sandwich update and the Galaxy Note was expected to get the upgrade at the same time.

Samsung's latest press release now confirms a Q2 launch for Android 4.0on the Galaxy Note, but also reveals the update will be accompanied by its new Premium Suite software.

It's worth bearing in mind that Q2 begins in April, so the wait might not be as long as it first seems.

S Pen optimised applications

The Premium Suite upgrade will include "extra multimedia features and a range of new S Pen optimised applications in addition to an OS upgrade to Android 4.0".

Among the new features are the S Pen optimised S Note and My Story apps. S Note allows user to combine their sketches and notes with other digital content, while My Story provides users with a way to create personalised digital cards.

You'll also get Video Everywhere in the new software package, which will allow you to watch video simultaneously while running any other applications on the Galaxy Note.

Simon Stanford, vice president of Samsung's UK Telecommunications & Networks Division said: "We are delighted to be able to offer our customers the Premium Suite upgrade which we hope will enrich their Galaxy Note experience and explore the devices' truly unique features."

Samsung is really looking to push the stylus-handset combo, but the delay in the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade is bound to leave Galaxy Note customers unhappy.

Next Generation Touchscreens

It seems the future is coming ever closer. Microsoft demos a 1ms touchscreen which will hopefully become the norm for the next generation touchscreen devices. The results of this are remarkable!

I wonder how Samsung and there new S-Pen for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will respond to this?

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Microsoft demos a high-performance 1ms touchscreen
http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets/microsoft-demos-a-high-performance-1ms-touchscreen-2012039/



Whenever a new tablet gets released the main question that gets asked about its touchscreen is “what’s the resolution?” It seems to be taken for granted that the capacitive touch display will just work, and we all accept a certain amount of finger lag when using it.

The reason for this is the typical latency of a touchscreen is around 100ms. That’s why if you are drawing quickly on the screen your finger gets ahead of what is happening on the display. Is that acceptable? Microsoft thinks not.

Paul Dietz works in the Applied Sciences Group at Microsoft, and he’s been working on improving the latency of touchscreens. What they have achieved is to decrease the latency of a touch panel down to just 1ms. That’s fast enough to keep up with the quickest finger movements.

The video above gives a great demonstration of the difference the super low latency makes. Even at 10ms the lag is noticeable, but 1ms makes it as close to perfect finger tracking as it will ever get.



So now you want a 1ms touchscreen, where do you sign up? Well, there’s no planned device using the tech as far as we know. It is just a Microsoft Research project that points out why we need faster touchscreens. Whether it ever becomes viable as a touchscreen is unknown.

One thing is for sure: eventually touchscreen latency will become a selling point for a manufacturer. When the Retina Display resolution demonstrated on the new iPad is the norm, you need another selling point to make your tablet stand out among the competition. A faster response, especially for gaming, sounds like a great marketing opportunity if nothing else, so I’m pretty sure that 100ms average latency will start dropping as the next few waves of tablet appear.

Disaster Averted!

The Launch of the Galaxy Note in Egypt

So I was walking down the mall in City Stars, Cairo, and I stumble across the Samsung stall where they are advertising the Samsung Galaxy Note! I get all excited and say "My Phone!" out loud and everyone looks at me. Still, pretty cool though!

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Advertised in Egypt

The Ultimate...

In celebration of their launch of the Galaxy Note, Samsung have made a series of videos entitled "The Ultimate (insert-adjective-here)". Here are a few of them below:

Galaxy Nexus Videos

A cute little video demonstrating the Face Unlock feature on the Nexus

Android Beam

Panorama mode for the Galaxy Nexus

A cool Advert on the Nexus

Nexus Scratch Test - Madness!

First off, Im glad it wasnt me that did this! But - amazingly - the phone comes off without a scratch! Another reason why you should get the Galaxy Nexus is the phone to get!

(Thanks to fellow Mob!ler Dom Armstrong)

A simply amazing deal! Anyone who has (wisely) invested in a Samsung Galaxy Note recently should definately check this out:

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£120 WORTH FREE MEDIA VOUCHERS FOR SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE OWNERS

Written by Rachid Otsmane-Elhaou. Posted in Android News

Samsung have an offer on for everyone that has bought a Galaxy Note since its release. The offer is quite similar to the one they offered when they released the original Galaxy Tab which offered a whole load of free media content. This offer, gives Note owners the ability to “redeem vouchers worth up to a total value of £120, comprising: £65 voucher to redeem at Samsung Movies and £50 voucher to redeem at 7digital and to download an AVG pro security application worth £6 for free”.

It’s not a bad offer, well its free media content so it can only be good really. If you want to take part you need to go into your Samsung Hub app, click Exclusives and enter your IMEI number. The full details from Samsung are given below, enjoy!

Holiday Wishlist

Its Christmas time and everyone’s in the buying mood, so I thought I’d think out loud about what gadget I would like Samsung to give me next. To be honest, I probably don’t even need to mention it as Im sure you are all probably already know – yep it’s a certain Nexus Ice Cream Sandwich!

With the latest version of Google’s Android Software exclusively built for the phone, this gorgeous piece of equipment combines the latest in technology to offer the most practical phone yet. Here are some of the key new features which make this phone one of the best in the market:

Icecream Sandwich - Android 4.0

The latest Android system is enough of an addition to make the phone worthwhile! Its elegance and smoothness is a magnificent!

Face Recognition Unlocking

This has been one of the biggest things mentioned about the new nexus - the ability to unlock your phone purely from your face! I always love it when companies take a step forward in a new direction as this can only be good for innovation and technology. As well as this, you can now access key features like texts and call directly from the lock screen - a pretty useful addition!

Android Beam

The biggest new feature of this device is Android Beam - an ability to send items from phones to phone simply by touching them against one another. Though this exists in some ways through bluetooth apps, what is exciting about this is the possibility for the future such as a Mobile Oyster card or Google Wallet; two things already in development. Heres to an exciting future!

Data Usage Settings

Ever been in that situation where you phone bill nearly sends you bankrupt because of going over you allowance somehow? Well now the Nexus has introduced a feature which enable you to stop that happening again as you can set a limit on your total usage.

Apps Management

The Nexus has now improved on the Task managing service found on most android systems. With a simple swipe of the thumb (or finger if you prefer!) you can shut down apps instantly to save that oh-so-precious battery power!

My First Year as a Samsung Mob!ler

Its been an honour and a joy being a Samsung Mob!ler. From the moment I was selected till now, I have relished every moment of it and enjoyed nearly every "mission" given to me. To be honest, it still feels kinda surreal that I'm a Samsung Mob!ler... I still remember the moment I found out I was selected - it made my whole week! As the end of the year approaches, here's a look back at the best bits of my time as a Samsung Mob!ler:


The Beginning:
It all began in the Samsung HQ. It was a long drive down from Birmingham for my first evening with the Samsung (the hour long traffic jam didnt help!). To be honest, I still didnt believe it was all real until I actually got there where I was greeted by the Samsung team and enjoyed the company of my fellow mob!lers. That evening we were introduced to project and informed of the importance of the whole scheme. The best bit was when we were handed our first gadget to test - the Samsung Galaxy Pro. It was funny because I remember checking if it was ours to keep, to which I was smiled at and told "yes" :) What was particularly awesome was they had several competitions that evening to win extra prizes. One particular competition involved playing this drag race game on the mobile with the top two players winning either a bluetooth handset or Take That tickets. After a few attempts, I managed to get the second highest score just before the time was up and ended up winning the handset - the first time my gaming skills has ever earned me something!

(video of the launch)

The Gadgets

By far the most exciting thing about joining the Mob!ler project is receiving the latest Samsung products to test out and enjoy. To date, I have received (in order of when I got them) a Samsung Galaxy Pro, a Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a Galaxy Note. Each device has been a joy to play with as I got the chance to test out their capabilities through each of the missions they set us. Whether it was the phone’s camera to my drawing skills, each was put to the test to see how well it puts out. Here is an unboxing and review video I made - one for my Galaxy Tab and the other for my Galaxy Note

The Missions

For each gadget Samsung would send us, we would be asked to complete various different 'missions' for that device. Depending on the quality of what you made, these missions would be awarded with a certain number of points which can then be used to get new gadgets in their place. My missions varies greatly from designing a poster for your phone to indepth reviews on the product I had. One of the most enjoyable of these was the "Day in the life of" video we were asked to make. At the time it was Ramadan so I decided to show how the phone could be used in different ways throughout the typical day of ramadan.

Another I particularly enjoyed was my recent postcard designing where I took photos of various different locations Ive been to during my gap year in Egypt and designed postcards out of them. Heres a few for you to see:

The Events

As part of the project, Samsung would regularly invite us to attend launch events and other tech related events throughout the year. These were always really fancy do's with lots of money splashed out on the event. Most of these would take place somewhere in London, but for the lucky few who who were selected, you could be chosen to fly across the world to Germany or Korea for an event they held there. Our job would be anything from reporters in the event to just playing around with the gadgets. Sadly, I havent managed to make many of these at all because of my gap year here in Egypt, but I know I will definitely be making my way over to these when I'm Back in the UK!

So there you have, 2011 in a nutshell! Heres to a brilliant year! Hopefully 2012 has even more excitement packed in for us Mob!lers!

Where to get your Galaxy Note from:

So, you read all my wonderful posts and now you really want a Galaxy Note? But, you want to make sure you can get it on the best deal possible? Well, heres a few tips:

1) Google Shopping

This is my #1 tip for anyone seeking to by anything.. yes ANYTHING! A quick search can quickly reveal all the different websites you can buy your things from and most of them will be pretty reliable too! Ive managed to save up to £100 (I kid you not!) just by doing a quick search before hand. So, if your looking to buy the handset new without any contract, its a must!

2) Get a Contract!

The vast majority of the time, getting a phone on contract will work out much better than if you buy the handset alone. Ofcourse it will be locked on one network, but who cares cause you have a line to go with it right? If you calculate how much you spend getting the phone and the contract, its usually around half the cost if you were to get the two seperately!

With that, I will always advise to get the contract online. As the internet has much less overhead costs for the firms, you are far more likely to get it cheaper than the equivalent deal in the shops!

Some excellent places to check out are:

• The home websites of all the big networks: Orange, Vodafone, T-mobile and O2, three. If you already have a contract with them, be sure to call them up and see how much you can get an upgrade for. The more you make it seem like you want to leave, the better the deal you get! If you wait until your contact is over and request a PAC code from them, you can end up getting amazing deals and discounts!
• HOWEVER, its definately worth checking out smalled companies like Tesco Mobile and Virgin. The first (Tesco Mobile) shares its network with O2 so its coverage is amazing, and they usually come at a much cheaper price and with amazing clubcard point perks!
• Carphone Warehouse, Phones4U and other such companies usually offer deals the networks wont give like cash-back offers and freebies that other firms cant. This is really good if its your first contract or if you want a free PS3 or somthing!  
• Ebay is also a brilliant place to get good deals! Look for the Buy-Now sales people with very high positive feedback - they are ones you can rely on for technology stuff! Be sure to read the detail carefully to avoid any problems later on. Also, check out websites like www.fatfingers.com which search the whole site for posts with spelling mistakes - something which can often save you a lot of money!
• There are smaller, less-known companies out there too. Its up to you if you would like to take the risk, but remember - if something is too good to be true, it usually is!

So, theres some of my shopping experience! Let me know if you have any tips and tricks and be sure to post up any good deals you find on here!

Postcards - Galaxy Note

The Galaxy Note is a wonderful device to take, edit, and share photographs with friends and family. Over the past three months I have been out here in Cairo as part of my gap year. Here are some of the postcards taken over my stay here in Egypt!

Enjoy, and be sure to comment and share!

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The moment I bid my parents farewell at the airport for the beginning of my 7 month trip

 Mokattam - up in the mountains over looking the whole of Cairo. In the far distance you can even make out the Pyramids

 The graves of one of the most famous men of Cairo - Al-'Iz Ibn Abd As-Sallam - A man who stoof up against the colonial french powers ruling his country at the time.

Horse riding in front of the 9 Pyramids, a spot where great men like Malcolm X once stood

  A wonderful group of Thai brothers after Eid prayer. After agreeing to take their photo for them, they insisted I joined in for the next one with them all!

 Tahrir Square, November 2011. A part of the people's revolution

 Invited over to a friends house for some stuffed pigeon - Yum!

One of the great Scholars of Yemen is in Town speaking live on MBC1 - And I manage to get front row seats!

Sunset on a boat cruise along the Nile.

Samsung Galaxy Note - Review

The Samsung Galaxy Note is a piece of genious! Genuinely enjoyed using it so far as it is definately one of the most advanced devices out in the market todate

Below is an indepth review of the phone with all the benefits and drawbacks of the device!

Samsung Galaxy Note Unboxing

So - Ive finally got my hands on the Samsung Galaxy Note and Im really excited about it! Heres a quick teaser of the unboxing of this magnificent device! A full review to come soon!

Portable Gaming - Redefined!

Gaming has just taken a giant leap forward! As a kid I would always dream of being able to take my console  around with me so that I can play anywhere I go. Gameboys and PSPs were cool, but they were never quite the same as playing your N64 or Xbox 360. Even the new PS Vita and Nintendo 3DS are a generation behind their comparative consoles currently out in the market... 

But now a solution appears to have been found! Onlive has long been on the radar as having great potential, but now it has made what I believe to be its most significant breakthrough yet! Utilizing the advanced specs of the new tablets out on the market, OnLive will soon be releasing its Apple and Android apps compatible with most tablets and smartphones out in the market. The idea is similar to their previous model - games can be played entirely through an internet connection with all the processing being done by the OnLive systems on the other end. The internet connection simply sends the picture over to you when its done!

So.. why is this significant? With the already proven portability and popularity of tablets, we may have finally found a way to carry round our favourite consoles with us! Moreover, with 3G and 4G internet speeds being around or above 1MB speed, this can truely be more portable than we can imagine and accessible for nearly anywhere youd need it to be! Now you can finally play Batman: Arkham City or LS Noire with graphics and gameplay like the real thing (and not some compromised minuture version!)

Below is a video review by IGN on the latest kit.. definitely check it out and download the app!