Apple drops a gear, overtakes Samsung as largest smartphone vendor in the world Apple drops a gear, overtakes Samsung as largest smartphone vendor in the world
Posted January 27, 2012 
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Strategy Analytics’ latest report shows that Apple has taken the coveted top spot by overtaking Samsung of South Korea, effectively transforming Cupertino to become the world’s largest smartphone vendor in terms of volume. In fact, Apple managed to touch 23.9% of the global smartphone market share in Q4 last year, just edging past Samsung’s 23.5% share. Apart from that, Apple managed to ship 37 million units in Q4, which is neck to neck with the figure that Samsung bandied around – 36.5 million units. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple loses appeal for Dutch ban, German courts reject one of Samsung’s patent infringement claims against Apple,
The Federal High Court in Ethiopia has dropped a life sentence on expatriate journalist and blogger Elias Kifle. Kifle’s occupation is the editor of the Washington D.C.-based blog, Ethiopian Review, where he was sentenced without being present at the courtroom. While there were whispers going around earlier that he could very well be handed down the death penalty which is the maximum for his alleged crime of “political terrorism” in Ethiopia, I am quite sure that he and his family heaved a collective sigh of relief with the new sentence. Kifle is not the only person to be found guilty, as other defendants were also in the same boat as Kifle (although with differing sentences). 
There is a leaked roadmap somewhere out there that holds information concerning a CDMA version of the P9981, where it goes around with the moniker BlackBerry Porsche Design P’9531. This unique device will feature a 1.2GHz processor as well as an 8GB internal memory that can be further expanded to 32GB, making this exactly the same as that of the Porsche Design P’9981′s innards. Needless to say, those who own a Porsche in the garage and ride with Verizon and/or Sprint will be able to smile, knowing that there is yet another avenue for you to blow a couple of thousand dollars on a new BlackBerry smartphone with a design that is similar in branding to that of your ride. Surely you are better off with more prudent purchases, but then again, buying something exotic is more a matter of the heart compared to that of the brain.
Microsoft’s involvement in the motion controlled gaming market comes in the form of the Kinect, and they intend to bring things up another notch with the Kinect laptop. The Daily in the UK managed to take a gander at a couple of prototype devices from ASUS which are powered by the Windows 8 operating system, boasting Kinect sensors that are located at the top of the display, while a set of LEDs will run along the bottom, although it will be nothing quite like KITT from Knight Rider. No idea on how the device will see action exactly, but a Microsoft source did confirm that the devices were official prototypes of upcoming laptops that will run on a Kinect sensor. 
Prior to Samsung’s earning’s call, the Samsung Galaxy S3 was a rumored device, albeit a rumor that many seemed to buy into given the success of its predecessors, the Galaxy S and the Galaxy S2. Well if you needed more evidence that the Samsung Galaxy S3 does exist, you might be interested to hear that a Samsung executive revealed that the launch of the Galaxy S3 was still under review, and an exact date has yet to be decided. If that wasn’t enough, how about a certain Samsung GT-i9300 appearing the company’s 
Heads up Pokemon Black/White players! If you happen to own a copy of either the Black/White version of Pokemon on your Nintendo DS, you’re in luck as it would appear that the Mewtwo Pokemon character will be making its way into the game come February 2012. Pokemon collectors or players will be able to download the Mewtwo Pokemon character onto their DS via the Nintendo W-Fi connection service, but it should be noted that the download will be available for a limited time only.
If you’ve enjoyed the various Mario releases that Nintendo has put out for the 3DS handheld gaming console, you will be pleased to hear that another Mario title is in the works. This is according to Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata who revealed that his company was working on many titles for the 3DS, one of which includes a “totally new 2D side-scrolling action Super Mario”. 
Photography enthusiasts, if you are looking to take your iPhone photography (or iPhotography/iPhoneography) to the next level, it seems that there is no shortage of accessory manufacturers who are out there coming up with innovative but functional photography accessories for the discerning iPhone photographer out there. Adding to that list would be Schneider Optics with their brand new iPro Lens System designed for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. 
With iOS and Android competing against each other in the tablet market, it’s hard to ignore that Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 sports a rather tablet-friendly UI with its Metro UI design, and without doubt Microsoft does have plans to eventually launch Windows 8 tablets, but who will be heralding the launch of said devices? Given Nokia’s commitment to Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform, and the fact that the company has yet to put out a tablet of its own, the Finnish company does seem like the most likely manufacturer for the job, and at a recent Nokia earning’s call, CEO Stephen Elop may have very well hinted at such a device. 
If you’re the type that does not believe in wallets and would prefer carrying just your phone and cash around, you could be interested in taking a look at the iLid iPhone case which while protecting your iPhone, doubles up as a wallet as well. Ok fine, technically it’s not really a wallet but as the name might suggest, it opens a “secret” compartment on the back of your iPhone where you can store your money, some cards and even your house/office key.