HELLO

It was great to see my Twitter feed light up yesterday with the latest news on the Facebook-led initiative to   improve access to Internet for the developing world . Alongside Qualcomm, Opera, Samsung, and others, Team Zuckerberg is leading the charge on Internet.org, a   “global partnership between technology leaders, nonprofits, local communities and experts who are working together to bring the Internet to the two-thirds of the world’s population that doesn’t have it.”   That’s music to our ears here at Connectify. Our team is passionate about creating apps that get users and their devices online with fast and reliable Internet access no matter where they are. When we launched the first beta of Connectify Hotspot in 2009, we had no idea that our powerful little software router would become a lifeline for so many users around the world. Early on, we were thrilled to hear from business travelers and tech enthusiasts who wrote to tell us that Connectify Hotspot ha...

This one is definitely a rumor, but its source is reliable enough to warrant a little speculation. Analyst and blogger  Eldar Murtazin  tweeted a rather definite message this week that Samsung is “developing [its] own version of Google Glass. We will see it (probably) around April – May under Gear Glass brand.” Given that Google’s own version of Glass is not expected to hit the mass market until early 2014, Samsung’s Glass competitor could very well race Google’s to market. That might seem like a nightmare for Google, which has invested heavily in Glass and is no doubt planning for a strong event launch, but as was pointed out in a CNet article, the use of the word “Glass” implies an official partnership. Samsung is known for its aggressive branding and Google would likely raise legal concerns regardless, so it’s unlikely the brand Gear Glass would be used without a partnership. Does Google even want to sell Glass, or does it just want you wearing face-screens? ...

What are the best mobile phones to buy in 2013 so far? 2013 is shaping up to be quite a year for smartphones. We’ve already seen plenty of new devices launched in and around CES 2013 and Mobile World Congress 2013. And there’s still a lot more to come – in September alone we'll see the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, HTC One Max, Sony Xperia Honami, Nokia Bandit and, of course, Apple's iPhone 5S. So far we’ve seen launches from some of the industry’s most significant players: Samsung, Sony, Nokia, BlackBerry, HTC, LG, Huawei, and ZTE. All of which represent a significant leap forwards in terms of processing power, display technology, and features. Most of 2013’s new high-rolling handsets feature full HD displays and high-end processors, CPUs that make last year’s Snapdragon S4 look practically remedial. And some handsets, notably the Xperia Z, Samsung Galaxy S4 Active and Huawei Ascen...

It has been dubbed the tussle of the century, the two electronics giant wage a war as to, who will dominate the wrist of the consumer? Sony and Samsung have launched their version of the Smartwatch. Sony has unveiled its version, the SmartWatch 2. The SmartWatch 2 is attractive and tastefully designed, is water resistant and features a number of applications and watch faces. On the other hand the Samsung Galaxy Gear is no pushover and runs on a specially customized Android OS platform. The Galaxy Gear is powered by a 800MHz processor and also has a big color OLED. The device also features a speaker, mic as well as a miniature camera. Samsung Galaxy Gear However the question which is being asked is- Are these devices of any use and how do they compare against one another. The SmartWatch 2 has a flexible silicone wristband which fits snugly on the wrist. At present Sony has not unveiled any color options but can feature one in the future. The main body of the device is made...

Smartphone manufacturers Samsung and BlackBerry have teamed up to announce a new marketing partnership across Africa. As part of the arrangement, Samsung has said that it will include the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) for Android app in its curated app store for Galaxy handsets, alongside its own ChatOn service. BBM will form part of the Samsung Messaging Hub that comes preinstalled on all of the South Korean firm's Android smartphones. The BBM for Android app is still in a closed beta testing stage, but BlackBerry says that it will be available in the Samsung Apps store on launch day. "We believe that BBM has the potential to become the number one messaging client around the globe," BlackBerry's managing director for South and Southern Africa, Alexandra Zagury, told ZDNet, "and Samsung is the leading Android manufacturer in Africa. We think we've found a great partner to grow the BBM family. "Android is absolutely a key platform for us to grow BBM...