Microsoft’s Greater China COO Michel van der Bel is pleased with the launch of Windows Phone in China. Devices like Nokia Lumia 800c have helped Windows Phone reach 7% of the Chinese market, enough to overtake iPhone’s 6%.

Is Microsoft being delusional? We have to wait for hard data to be sure but if this is true, then it confirms that Apple’s smartphone competitors are closing the gap fast and winning over consumers. But Microsoft has to hold off the champagne. Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS still dominates and Microsoft apps ecosystem is still lagging far behind.

[CNet]

Apple sixth generation iPhone will feature larger screens of 4 inches from corner to corner, a roughly 30 percent increase in viewing area. Apple has used a 3.5-inch screen since introducing the iPhone in 2007.

Of course, there is no official word yet. But seeing how popular the Galaxy Note is, despite earlier criticisms of it being too big, I think larger screens is the way to go. There could also be more cool features incorporated into iPhone 5.

1. Crack-Proof Glass. Apple’s patent for crack-resistant glass, uses the same alumino silicate glass solution in iPhone 4 and 4S, but chemically treats it with potassium and sodium ions to achieve greater compression surface thresholds on the surface and glass edges.

2. Advanced Haptics. Apple’s new haptics feedback system allows a user to interact with the content on the screen by touching it, which is accomplished with sensors and actuators working simultaneously.

3. 3D Photography and 3D Object Recognition.

4. Apple Avatars.

5. Near-Field Communication.

6. The iWallet. Apple won a major patent on March 6 for a piece of technology called the “iWallet,” which is a digital system that gives users complete control over their subsidiary financial accounts on their iPhones, and also leverages Near-Field Communication technology to complete credit card transactions directly on the phone as well.

What other features will you like to see in the iPhone 5?

[IB Times]

If you haven’t got excited by Nokia Lumia 900, you should. It is a fantastic smartphone – winner of CNET’s “Best of CES 2012″ Award and garnering rave user reviews in US.

Amazingly, Nokia Lumia 900 also received a vote of confidence from its competitor. Siri, the intelligent personal assistant on iPhone 4S recommended Nokia Lumia 900 4G when asked about the “best smartphone ever.”

But iPhone users need not get pissed off. The reason Siri loves it, is because Wolfram Alpha likes it. Wolfram Alpha is the “computational knowledge engine” that provides the answers to many of your Siri queries, including this one.

Because it pulls its information from user reviews around the world, it’s easy to see why the Lumia 900 would come out on top. But the overwhelming positive ratings also means that Nokia Lumia 900 cannot be underestimated.

Seems like Apple’s competitors in the smartphone industry are getting smarter in catering to consumers’ taste. With so many choices, Apple really have to come up with an awe-inspiring iPhone 5 to wow gadget fans again.

[TNW]

Fans of Samsung Galaxy S smartphone series have been waiting eagerly for months for the release of Galaxy S III. No doubt, it has big shoes to fill, being the successor to the 20 million selling Galaxy S II.

Well, this week marks a new chapter in the battle against Apple iPhones as the brand new Galaxy S III has been unveiled. According to Samsung, the curvaceous design of Galaxy S III was inspired by elements of wind, water and light. To be initially launched in Pebble Blue and Marble White with more colors coming up, the new smartphone boasts a sexy profile of 8.6 mm and 133g.

It also has a beautiful 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280×720 as well as an 8-megapixels main camera and a 1.9-megapixels front-facing camera – both with zero-lag shutter speed.

Powered by Samsung’s own 1.4 GHz Exynos 4 quad-core processor together with 1 GB of RAM, Galaxy S3 runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS with Samsung TouchWiz 4.0 UI implementations.

Samsung Galaxy S III also features S-Voice, a voice recognition system for users to control and accesses the device’s functions. There is also a feature called Direct Call for you to make calls by lifting the device to your ear and Smart Alert which made the phone vibrate if there are any missed statuses when the phone is picked up after being idle.

Another new feature on Galaxy S III is Pop Up Play where you can view a video playback anywhere on the screen while doing another task simultaneously. Galaxy S III also comes with the support for Near Field Communications (NFC) via S Beam and a new Buddy Photo Share function which uses face recognition technology to identify subjects in a photo and then send the photo to each subject automatically via e-mail or text message right from the phone.

With the launch of Galaxy S III, Samsung has also announced a number of new services, one of which is the “Game Hub” which will provide users with access to numerous social games. There is also “Movie Hub” TV and movie services as well as “Music Hub” music streaming service.

So many cool features and strong development of its ecosystem. I always felt that amongst Android phones, Samsung Galaxy is the strongest competitor to Apple’s iPhone. But Samsung has not shaken off its label of slavish copycat with its previous phones. Perhaps the Galaxy S III will cement Samsung’s reputation as an innovator and that they have great taste in creating cooler gadgets than Apple.

How long can an average screen protector on your gadgets last? I guess not more than a few months. And you gotta spend money to change them, lest your beloved gadgets get scratched.

Well, Toray Advanced Film Co. Ltd has come up with an innovative solution. Its new self-healing film can protect surfaces on phones, tablets and even computers. Not only is it self-healing, the film has elastic and cushioning properties which is more durable than average screen protectors.

According to the manufacturer, your scratched gadget will heal after leaving it alone room temperature for a mere 10 seconds. And it will be as good as new.

The film can repair itself around 20,000 times. Of course, don’t push your luck too far as the film only works for mild scratches. Once it is pierced beyond the special recovering layer, the film is useless.

Google has come up with a cool gadget – Google Project Glass that will revolutionize the way we explore and share the world.

There is no official announcement yet but a POV video has been released to show you what to expect when these Android powered “Google Goggles” are launched.

I am sure the Project Glass will make sharing info and navigation real convenient. You get Google Maps integration as well as taking snapshots on the go and sharing them on a social network. Possibly making video calls too.

Google glasses could become a fashion statement like smartphones with all kinds of fancy glasses coming up. Just don’t be surprised when people start talking to themselves on the street.

[Phone Arena]

Samsung is upping the ante on Galaxy Note by offering a Premium Suite together with a software update which will be happening in Q2 worldwide.

The Premium Suite comprises some nifty features – like Shape Match, Formula Match, S Note that combines your notes and sketches with other content to create unique stories, ability to share cards, instant digitization of tables and grids, knowledge search engines, etc.

You’ll also get a special edition of Angry Birds – Angry Birds Space, an exclusive Galaxy Note level. along with a special package of 30 challenging levels in “Danger Zone”. And not to forget Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich which provides a more intuitive user interface, faster performance, Face Unlock, Snapshot, and Photo Editor.

Check out the video below for a teaser of the new look Galaxy Note with all its enhanced multi-media features.

We all know by now Samsung Galaxy S II is a huge winner, not only in terms of sales but also being the best smartphone of the year at MWC 2012, toppling last year winner Apple iPhone 4.

Samsung is quick to build on its success with an official confirmation of Galaxy S3. While some leaked pictures and specs are being circulated online, the release date is still weeks away, probably in May. Chief Executive Kim Young-ha hinted at an April release at the Samsung Forum 2012 in Beijing but whatever the date, just get your budget ready for another pow-wow smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy s3 is gonna be one hotly anticipated release. I think the earlier the release date the better, not only to gain a head start on iPhone 5 but also pressure Apple to come up with more nifty surprises. The competition will be good for gadget geeks.

Following the phenomenal sales of iPhone 4S, Apple has logged its strongest iPad launch yet. Within three days of the release of Apple new iPad, three million iPad units had been sold. That is almost 1 million iPad tablets every 24 hours, easily surpassing the iPad 2 launch.

Some critics have questioned if the new iPad is worth buying for those who already own iPad 2. I am not sure how this segment of Apple fans react but clearly, lackluster reviews have not stopped first time buyers from flocking to retail stores, pulled in by the new iPad’s brilliant Retina display, graphics processing power and long battery life.

With Apple dominating the tablet market, its competitors are left in the dust. Microsoft, set to enter tablet market in a big way with the launch of Windows 8 this fall and makers of Android tablets, especially Samsung, have an uphill battle as Apple is not ready to cede leadership position just yet.

So far, Apple has moved 55 million units of iPads. It is a question of when, not if, Apple hit the 100 million mark of iPads sold.

Smartphones Imaging has taken a huge leap with the introduction of the 41 megapixel Nokia 808 PureView. This is the first smartphone to feature Nokia PureView imaging technologies which comprises high resolution sensors, exclusive Carl Zeiss optics, new pixel oversampling technology and Nokia proprietary algorithms.

At standard resolutions (2/3, 5 and 8 megapixels), you can zoom without loss of clarity and capture seven pixels of information, condensing into one pixel for the sharpest images possible. At high-resolution (38 megapixel maximum), you can capture an image, then zoom, reframe, crop and resize afterwards to expose incredible levels of details.

The smartphone camera is also designed to perform in low-light conditions and save pics in compact file sizes for sharing in email, MMS, and on social networks.

In addition to superior still imaging technology, the Nokia 808 PureView includes full HD 1080p video recording and playback with 4X lossless zoom and the world’s first use of Nokia Rich Recording. Rich Recording enables audio recording at CD-like levels of quality, previously only possible with external microphones.

The Nokia 808 PureView also features exclusive Dolby Headphone technology, transforming stereo content into a personal surround sound experience over any headphones and Dolby Digital Plus for 5.1 channel surround sound playback.

I am not surprised that Nokia 808 PureView won Best New Device at MWC 2012 as its 41 megapixel sensor really elevates picture and video taking to a whole new plane. Since a picture tells a thousand words, using the Nokia 808 PureView to capture break-taking images in any condition will allow you to tell even more engaging stories.