This years CES was by and large quite dull for me, yeh, we saw a few fantastic looking new devices such as a new Lenova Intel K800 smartphone and some cool cameras and TV’s, but to be honest nothing at all really made me go WOW….I am open to suggestions though, as there was a fair bit of “stuff” being shown and only so many hours in the day!

What has caught my eye today though, is the suggestion that the new Samsung S3 may have been spotted by “accident” in the Samsung show at CES 2012.

Here is the picture of a device that could just be a mock up or may in fact be what the new device will look like, and if it as an edge to edge device then we are sure it may feature Gorilla Glass 2 which is a remarkable material that was a plus point of CES 2012 and we covered it here.

And if that was not enough, here is video suggestion that this device could in fact be the new Samsung S3 and it comes in at the 7.12 mark.

With a similar camera placing as the S2 it could be a close replica of what to expect from Samsung in the coming few weeks and months.

We have already talked about a Samsung Galaxy S3 release date but to be honest it is all pretty much rumor right now.

What do you think to this photo, more like a beefed up Galaxy Note or could it indeed be a Samsung S3?

People are starting to wake up to the marriage between Nokia and Microsoft and soft buds of love and joy are emerging for the love birds of old.

So what is all this about am 18th of March release date for the hotly anticipated smartphone?

The Nokia Lumia 900 looks set to see a Spring release on AT&T:

According to a report a leaked photo in WMPowerUser the Nokia Lumia 900 will get a March release date and what is more that actual date will be the 18th according to a Nokia developer newsletter.
stating that the device will “become available exclusively through AT&T in March”.

With the phone only just being show, it is intriguing to note that Windows rumormongers, Mary Jo Foley and Paul Thurrott state that their sources are claiming specific date of March the 18th for the Nokia Lumia 900 release date.

What do you think to the phone being exclusive to AT&T, are you hoping for an unlocked version also?

Source: WMPowerUser

It is thought that ASUS will be revealing a new mini version of the Asus transformer prime tablet that currently sees them under scrutiny from Hasbro over the use of the words “transformer” and “prime”.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this month in Las Vegas will see the arrival of many new models and it is expected that it will be the showcase of the new ASUS transformer mini.

The new version is thought to be a 7 inch model of the 10 inch version, which will come with a smaller keyboard dock, the signature of the Asus Transformer Prime.

Asus want to be big in 2012 and distinctive:

There is expected to be a few other arrivals at the CES show and these include:

[arrowlist]

• Asus Padfone, a 4.3-inch Ice Cream Sandwich based smartphone which has the ability to turn into a tablet via a 10.1-inch touchscreen dock.
• 7-inch version of the Eee Memo Pad, with a rumoured 1.2 Ghz Snapdragon processor, 1280×800 resolution display, with Wi-Fi and 3G options.

[/arrowlist]

Will they keep the transformer name?

With Hasbro genuinely unhappy about the choice of names of the Asus transformer tablet, it may be unwise to carry on this potential legal disaster to another model even though in my eyes it seems pretty far fetched that they would have a leg to stand on, I am no lawyer and would not be the best person to pontificate on any outcome here, so if I was Asus, airing on the side of caution would be my instinct, especially as the transformers brand is growing from strength to strength currently.

Hasbro filed the action to sue in a LA court stating that the use of the term could lead to consumer confusion, and has requested that compensation be paid for damages related to the use of the term in current and future products.

Can the word “transformer” really be trademarked/patented/copyrighted?

Are you a lawyer in this field in the US?

If so, please do shed some light on the issue if you are, as it seems far fetched to me.

Barbara Finigan, Hasbro’s chief legal officer, said in a statement.

“Hasbro continues to aggressively protect its brands and products and the specific actions we are taking today against Asus underscores yet again Hasbro’s willingness to pursue companies who misappropriate our intellectual property for their own financial gain….the Transformers property is an incredibly popular global brand which enjoys tremendous fan support and interest around the world. The action we have announced today is in the best interests of our company and our shareholders.”

So like Apple, they are not taking things lightly and I am actually really excited to see what the outcome will be on this one.

Though if I was Asus I would counter sue Hasbro for making my new line of tablets sound like they are a kids toy….we had all pretty much forgotten the name until recently!…How rude Hasbro how rude.

Good news for Prada lovers, according to German gadget site BestBoyz the new Prada LG 3.0 will be coming in January, and here is what it looks like.

What are the specifications?

The details given over at BestBoyz indicates that it will boast a 4.3 inch screen with Gorilla Glass, and a 800 x 480 resolution display, the processor will be the same as in the K2 which is a 1Ghz dual-core OMAP4430 processor.

The camera will be a pretty standard 8 megapixel affair with autofocus, and the ability to record 1080p and 30fps compressed video, the on-board storage capacity will be 8GB and an optional microSD extension will allow additional, the phone will be NFC enabled, with Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11n, and HSPA+.

The new smartphone will use the Android operating system running 2.3.7 Gingerbread, with this latest release of Gingerbread being Google Wallet ready, hence the NFC capability. It will measure 127 x 69 x 8.5mm and will have a redesigned Prada UI

So if you are looking to get a bit bling, albeit with a pretty average phone, then by all means go for it baby, work that smartphone.

So when will the new Prada LG phone be released?

It would appear that the device will make an appearance in January 2012 and be showcased properly very soon, we will keep you posted on that.

So this is not exactly a brand new application, but the current offer that marries up with this app is new, and one you may want to consider using, more on that later.

Back to the war on the high street:

The last thing any high street retail store or chain wants to hear right now, is that a huge online competitor going by the name of Amazon is going to aggressively highlight how retailers current roles as “agents” or “middlemen” of the high street, is not serving the public’s best interest when it comes to value for money!

Shock horror! You can get that thing cheaper online?

We all know this to be true in many cases, but the fact of the matter is that convenience and habit is what make us humans very funny indeed, and we are still more than happy to just get out and do “the shop”, but all this is about to change as we start to seriously alter our buying behaviour.

Two forces at work:

This behavioural change is born out of two major factors:

Technology:

Recent mobile technology has allowed us to utilise applications on the go, and it was only a matter of time before we were all checking online while shopping and putting back that toaster or TV when we can see that a bargain is to be had online.

Economic distress:

Times are damn tough for many right now, so finding a bargain is pretty much the way forward for many people, and if this means altering buying habits by adopting new technology then trust me, if you make it easy to do, and it works the people will follow.

Saving is the new spending:

Yes what you can save on one thing you can spend on another, and Amazon know this all too well.

They have not only just released their cut price tablet the Amazon Kindle Fire, which has aggressively entered the tablet market promising to bring price reductions across the board for the average consumer.

But now they have also brought out a price comparison application that is set to revolutionise the way we shop for good.

With Tesco in the UK saying they have not had a great run of recent, this form the store that was rumoured to process one pound for every ten pounds spent in the UK. The fact is that many retail outlets and chains are on the brink of collapse globally.

Death of the high street:

Are we seeing the slow inevitable death of the high street once and for all?

I fear most for the technology stores initially. You know, the ones you would not be seen dead in when you can get almost everything in them at a considerable discount online.

Then there is the big shed equivalents like Wal-Mart and in the UK Tesco and Asda, now these stores have branched out considerably over the last decade into being much more than your large grocery store, and offer electrical goods, and various other “big ticket” items, Wal-Mart even stocks the Amazon Kindle Fire in the US.

So have Amazon picked a fight with the wrong people? Probably not at this stage.

So back to the Amazon price check app:

As a high street retailer, you would also not want to hear that the online store that has its eyes firmly set on your current customers has just released a price check app. One that offers genuine convenience when comparing what you are buying to their own online prices.

What is more, Amazon, the veritable behemoth of E-commerce are going to give you the tool for free to ensure that you always find the cheapest price by using an application that checks prices in their store when you are out shopping on the high street.

How to use the app?

The app is hugely versatile and will allow you to take photos of the product you want to check, scan the barcode, say its name, or simply search for it, and will then deliver the price in seconds, pretty cool tool.

So in a flash, the application will tell you if you are onto a bargain or not.

Current offer from Amazon:

To show you that Amazon mean business with this app, they are currently offering users the chance to claim rewards for using the app.

On December the 10th if you use the application in-store Amazon will give you a 5% discount capped at $5 on up to 3 eligible products.

This offer is a great way to get new users started with using the technology and will surely mean more people get introduced, and intrigued and carry on using it after the deal is gone….job done as far as Amazon are concerned.

And why is that?

Amazon are masters of cutting out the middle man, and have done this since their inception. Their whole business model is based on this. They have no need for expensive rent other than their huge out of town warehouses which are less in number and also cheaper to run than most supermarkets. No need for huge staff costs beyond the warehouse guys. No need for massive utility bills beyond the huge sheds that they work from.

Amazon can and will compete on price all day long, and will be doing, you mark my words.

Is Amazon going to make life better for all?

Amazon are going to make things cheaper for you, but we have to ask at what actual cost?

Have you used this application or others?

And if so, what do you think of them? And are you worried that smaller retailers may be affected negatively or is it the likes of Wal-Mart and Asda, who will see their existing shoppers going Amazon’s way as a result of this type of technology?

With Google TV not getting the most rapturous feedback and adoption rates just yet, it is interesting to see that Google have not given upon the TV aspect of their long term objectives.

You can already get Google TV on some Sony models and Logitech set top boxes so it is interesting to hear that Samsung also have got a collaborative product coming out soon.

Samsung and Google have had a rewarding relationship of late, with Samsung’s Android based smartphones starting to dominate the mobile device market, and Google’s Android being the O/S of choice for Samsung’s new line of phones.

It is therefore a fitting payback from Google that they have teamed up with Samsung as a Google TV manufacturer of choice.

President of Samsung’s TV division – Yoon Boo-keun, states that they are in late stage talks with the big G and will be rolling out the TV’s some time soon, with an excepted appearance at “an event next year”. It was also stated that this particular flavour of Google TV woudl be different from the crop so far.

This is a much needed boost for the platform which has not been well received by and large, with Logitech claiming that the relationship with Google cost them $100 million as the product was not fully complete while they were creating the devices that incorporated the technology.

Google have partnered up with some bog names, Netflix, obviously YouTube are starting to offer more premium quality content also, so maybe this technology is just a bit too early for most and that annoying period of chicken and egg type issues is what is causing the mixed reception and lack of demand.

So will Google TV eventually be ready and well received, we will have to wait and see.

I do foresee that the TV more than a computer will be much more interactive and that this type of platform will become the future of on demand entertainment from various technologies and platforms, it just makes total sense.