Internet TV on tablets, PCs soon in UAE

Etisalat trying to negotiate content restrictions regarding tablets with networks

Etisalat will soon offer internet TV on tablets and computers, the telecom company announced Thursday.

Rashid Majid Al Abbar, vice-president of Home Products Marketing for etisalat, told the company’s ‘eLife’ package would be on offer by October. Read more

Global Mobile Awards: Creme de la Creme of Mobile Industry

GSMA Announces Winners of the 17th Annual Global Mobile Awards

The winners of the 17th Annual Global Mobile awards, held at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, were announced on March 1st.

This year’s Global Mobile Awards represent broad victories for Samsung, with its two headlining awards, and the Android operating system in general. Though the iPad 2 won the Best Handheld Tablet award, many of the notable winners at the GMAs were Android-flavored, including SwiftKey, an Android keyboard, for most Innovative Mobile Apps, and Google Maps for Android, for Best Consumer Mobile Service. Read more

iPad 3 in the making

Apple’s next iPad 3 is expected to go on sale in March 2012, according to various reports circulating on the web. The new device will run a faster processor and it will work with next-generation wireless networks. The tablet will use a quad-core chip, an enhancement that lets users jump faster between applications, together with new high-definition screen. Read more

Smartphones constitute 43.7% of total cellular handsets in UAE

A new Arab Advisors Group’s survey of cellular users in the UAE reveals insightful details on the smartphones adoption and usage patterns in the UAE. The survey also probed general cellular usage habits, smartphones awareness in addition to tablets availability among cellular users in the UAE. This survey comes on the heals of a similar survey in Jordan. Full results of a similar Saudi survey will be out in October 2011. Read more

UAE Government entities turn to mobile and social media apps

Smartphone usage in the MENA region is increasing, with almost 70% of Smartphone users expected to upgrade their phone in the next 12 months, according to the AppsArabia Mobile Report – MENA. The report has stated that 82% of customers without a Smartphone want one, and 54% of them will have their first smart phone in the coming 12 months. The report also indicates that the GCC has the highest incidence of multiple Smartphone at almost 41% of the population (34% having 2 smartphones and 7% having 3 or more). This has led to a commensurate increase in mobile applications development and use.

Mohammed Johmani, CEO and Founder of O2 interactive (O2i) said in Dubai: “Smartphone and tablet usage in the GCC is on the rise, which means many mosre app are also being created, downloaded, bought and used by millions of users. 7 out of 10 Smartphone users use an app at least once every day and 35% of smart phone users who download apps frequently have bought at least one app in the last 30 days. This makes it very evident that customer engagement and organizational communication will both soon be occurring extensively through apps accessed through Smartphone and tablet devices in the very near future.” Read more

Schools adding tablets, trimming textbooks

Hefting a backpack weighed down with textbooks will soon give way to tapping out notes and flipping electronic pages on tablet computers.

Students have started the new academic year having access to school-provided iPads, each loaded with electronic textbooks and other online resources complementing the traditional school books. Business establishments like Repton school may benefit from such innovative approach, that can contribute tremendously to students’ achievements. Repton does not provide its students with books.
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Mobile Devices fuel Flash Memory Growth in MEA

SanDisk, the global leader in flash memory cards, has reported double- and triple-digit market growth in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) so far this year, driven by the region’s high mobile phone penetration rates and a growing appetite for flash-based storage devices. Read more

Tablets to lead the mobility sector

Tablets are growing at a quicker pace than any other categories and will most likely be the engine of growth for the mobility sector for the next couple of years.

According to Ashish Panjabi, Chief Operating Officer of Jacky’s Electronics, the Dubai’s leading multi-brand consumer electronics retailer, the tablet market took off in the UAE and in the region only in 2010 and the demand in this category will continue to grow in the coming years. Research firm Strategy Analytics’ findings showed that the global tablet market is expected to grow to $49 billion or to sell 149 million tablet devices by 2015, beating every consumer electronic products after TVs and PCs segments1. Read more

RIM recalls PlayBook Tablets

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. has recalled about 1,000 of its PlayBook tablets that were already shipped. It seems there is a problem with the operating systems, which may have prevented users from performing the initial setup of the device.

In a statement, RIM said the majority of the affected devices are still in the distribution channel and haven’t reached customers. “RIM is working to replace the affected devices,” the statement said. “In the small number of cases where a customer received a PlayBook that is unable to properly load software upon initial set-up, they can contact RIM for assistance.” Read more