I once shipped some valuable antique oakwood panels across the Atlantic. When they were damaged in delivery to my door, I went to the insurance company and claimed for the damage based on the protection the policy I purchased.

"Ah," they said. "But you bought overseas shipping insurance..."

"Yes, I did. Here's copy of your policy."

"But, sir," they replied, handing back the policy. "You only paid for insurance while your goods were on the water. These were damaged on land after arrival. They're not covered."

Now you know how I feel about our history of personal computer security...

"But I had anti-virus protection..."

"But, sir," they replied. "You also needed anti-malware. You weren't fully covered."

And so it goes... If consumers have up-to-now been reluctant to protect their mobile phones, it's because no one has presented an all-in-one security offering.

Will the smartphone stop ruling the small screens to instead become the behind the scenes "hub" powering the next generation of wearable computers?

According to the New York Times, both Google and Apple are secretly working on wearable devices-- with the aim to boost the smartphone business, of course.

Google is reportedly hiring specialists from Nokia, Apple and engineering universities as researchers at the secret Google X labs work on wearable peripherals sending and receiving data to and from Continue reading...

Nokia presents a hopeful face at Nokia World 2011, unveiling not one but two Windows Phone 7 devices-- flagship model Lumia 800 and the "colourful and affordable" Lumia 710.

The company describes the Lumia 800 as "the first real Windows Phone"-- a sleek handset sharing industrial design with the stillborn Meego-powered N9, using the same 12.1mm thick polycarbonate plastic casing and 3.7" AMOLED curved display.

Inside is a 1.4GHz processor, 16GB of internal storage, a camera using Carl Zeiss optics Continue reading...

Like the rumour-based oracles predicted, Apple unveils the 2011 iPhone model at Let's Talk iPhone-- only not the "iPhone 5," but the iPhone 4S, a hardware upgrade on the previous model.

The revelation proved disappointing for the Apple disciples expecting something entirely new (as if Apple would reinvent the wheel), 4G (lacking) or an improved display (the iPhone4 Retina Display remains).

Inside is the dual-core A5 processor from the iPad 2, which Apple says improves on both graphics and iOS Continue reading...

As MeeGo (the Nokia-Intel Linux-based mobile device OS project) fades away following Nokia's move to Windows Phone, the Linux Foundation announces a new open source project-- Tizen, a standards-based cross-architecture software platform for multiple devices.

With an initial release aiming for Q1 2012, Tizen should support smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, netbooks and in-vehicle infotainment systems. The Linux Foundation hopes the first Tizen-powered devices should be available by H2 2012.

The Continue reading...

Here's the date Apple disciples are waiting for-- October 4th, the very probable date for the next iPhone's announcement as revealed in a somewhat cryptic image.

The image shows the announcement date (Tuesday 4th October), time (10:00am California time), the number "1" (will Apple only reveal 1 device?) and the address to the Apple Cupertino HQ.

What can one expect from the Apple event? One thing for sure-- a lack of Steve Jobs, alongside his famous "reality distortion field" superpower. Most Continue reading...

Is Samsung showing a large smartphone or a small tablet? That's the question on everyone's lips following the Galaxy Note reveal at IFA 2011.

The Galaxy Note is a smartphone (not a tablet) in a new form factor-- a 5.3" 1280x800 resolution Super AMOLED display.

The touchscreen is pressure sensitive and handles stylus input (a rarity nowadays), as Samsung appears to be pushing the device for handwritten note-taking and sketching use.

Inside are a 1.4GHz dual-core processor and Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), Continue reading...

Following a teaser campaign on Monday Nokia announces its latest Symbian update-- Belle, the successor to Anna, coming on 3 new devices launching on Q3 2011.

Belle brings single-tap NFC sharing and pairing to Nokia phones-- enabling data sharing and pairing with NFC-enabled devices (such as speakers or headsets) by touching devices together.

The update also increases the number of home screens, alongside tweaks on web browsing, widgets and notification access.

The announcement includes 3 new Continue reading...