Apple, Samsung outdo Nokia in smartphone sales

Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co zoomed to the top of the list of global smartphone makers in the second quarter, blowing past Nokia Corp and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd.

South Korea's Samsung made the biggest jump, from No 4 in the first quarter to No 2 in the second, on the strength of its Galaxy phones, which run Google Inc's Android software.

It sold 17.3 million smartphones in the second quarter, up from 10.8 million in the first, according to research firm IDC.

Apple rose to No 1, taking the spot from Nokia, by selling 20.3 million iPhones, up from 18.7 million in the first quarter.

That relegated Finland's Nokia, the long-time leader, to third place. Apple has yet to top Nokia's high-water mark of 28.1 million phones in a quarter.

"But given Apple's momentum in the smartphone market, it may not be a question of whether Apple will beat that milestone, but when," IDC said.

Remarkably, Apple's sales record comes nearly a year after it released its latest model, the iPhone 4, and it's still selling millions of the even older iPhone 3GS. Competitors such as Samsung put out new models every few months.

Nokia sold 16.7 million smartphones, a sharp drop from 24.2 million in the previous quarter. The company has struggled to come up with an answer to the iPhone.

Nokia is now transitioning to smartphone software from Microsoft Corp, but it's first Windows Phones won't be on sale until late this year, at the earliest.

Canada's RIM fell from third to fourth place, as it saw a decline in BlackBerry sales from the first quarter to the second.

Like Nokia, it has been struggling to update the high end of its line to compete with touchscreen phones such as the iPhone. It unveiled five new models with updated software this week.

HTC Corp of Taiwan remained in fifth place, but it's seeing rapidly growing sales. Like Samsung, it has bet on Google's Android software for its phones.

Apple, Samsung outdo Nokia in smartphone sales

Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co zoomed to the top of the list of global smartphone makers in the second quarter, blowing past Nokia Corp and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd.

South Korea's Samsung made the biggest jump, from No 4 in the first quarter to No 2 in the second, on the strength of its Galaxy phones, which run Google Inc's Android software.

It sold 17.3 million smartphones in the second quarter, up from 10.8 million in the first, according to research firm IDC.

Apple rose to No 1, taking the spot from Nokia, by selling 20.3 million iPhones, up from 18.7 million in the first quarter.

That relegated Finland's Nokia, the long-time leader, to third place. Apple has yet to top Nokia's high-water mark of 28.1 million phones in a quarter.

"But given Apple's momentum in the smartphone market, it may not be a question of whether Apple will beat that milestone, but when," IDC said.

Remarkably, Apple's sales record comes nearly a year after it released its latest model, the iPhone 4, and it's still selling millions of the even older iPhone 3GS. Competitors such as Samsung put out new models every few months.

Nokia sold 16.7 million smartphones, a sharp drop from 24.2 million in the previous quarter. The company has struggled to come up with an answer to the iPhone.

Nokia is now transitioning to smartphone software from Microsoft Corp, but it's first Windows Phones won't be on sale until late this year, at the earliest.

Canada's RIM fell from third to fourth place, as it saw a decline in BlackBerry sales from the first quarter to the second.

Like Nokia, it has been struggling to update the high end of its line to compete with touchscreen phones such as the iPhone. It unveiled five new models with updated software this week.

HTC Corp of Taiwan remained in fifth place, but it's seeing rapidly growing sales. Like Samsung, it has bet on Google's Android software for its phones.

Apple, Samsung outdo Nokia in smartphone sales

Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co zoomed to the top of the list of global smartphone makers in the second quarter, blowing past Nokia Corp and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd.

South Korea's Samsung made the biggest jump, from No 4 in the first quarter to No 2 in the second, on the strength of its Galaxy phones, which run Google Inc's Android software.

It sold 17.3 million smartphones in the second quarter, up from 10.8 million in the first, according to research firm IDC.

Apple rose to No 1, taking the spot from Nokia, by selling 20.3 million iPhones, up from 18.7 million in the first quarter.

That relegated Finland's Nokia, the long-time leader, to third place. Apple has yet to top Nokia's high-water mark of 28.1 million phones in a quarter.

"But given Apple's momentum in the smartphone market, it may not be a question of whether Apple will beat that milestone, but when," IDC said.

Remarkably, Apple's sales record comes nearly a year after it released its latest model, the iPhone 4, and it's still selling millions of the even older iPhone 3GS. Competitors such as Samsung put out new models every few months.

Nokia sold 16.7 million smartphones, a sharp drop from 24.2 million in the previous quarter. The company has struggled to come up with an answer to the iPhone.

Nokia is now transitioning to smartphone software from Microsoft Corp, but it's first Windows Phones won't be on sale until late this year, at the earliest.

Canada's RIM fell from third to fourth place, as it saw a decline in BlackBerry sales from the first quarter to the second.

Like Nokia, it has been struggling to update the high end of its line to compete with touchscreen phones such as the iPhone. It unveiled five new models with updated software this week.

HTC Corp of Taiwan remained in fifth place, but it's seeing rapidly growing sales. Like Samsung, it has bet on Google's Android software for its phones.

Samsung Infuse 4G with Big Screen and 1.2 GHz Processor

Big screen trend in smartphones seem to be getting popular in 2011. The presence of Samsung Infuse 4G, can make confused about whether this smartphone or tablet. Because the screen size is 4.5 inches!

Yes, the Samsung infuse 4G is newly announced its presence in the United States by AT & T. The phone will be capable of running on a 4G network which is held by AT & T in the land of Uncle Sam.

Super-large screen display technology that brings the latest from Samsung that is Super Amoled Plus, a new generation of Super Amoled. Super-thin screen is claimed to produce very good color. S Amoled subpixels Plus has 50% more for added clarity.

Quoted from Cnet,infuse 4G adopt Android version 2.2. While the processor highest among other Samsung phone, the 1.2 GHz Hummingbird. There is also a dual camera, rear camera with a resolution of 8 megapixels.

With a 4.5 inch screen, Infuse 4G straddling other Android phones that actually has a big screen. Call it the X Droid Motorola measuring 4.3 inch. Not yet known when infuse 4G will be marketed and at what price.

Samsung Infuse 4G with Big Screen and 1.2 GHz Processor

Big screen trend in smartphones seem to be getting popular in 2011. The presence of Samsung Infuse 4G, can make confused about whether this smartphone or tablet. Because the screen size is 4.5 inches!

Yes, the Samsung infuse 4G is newly announced its presence in the United States by AT & T. The phone will be capable of running on a 4G network which is held by AT & T in the land of Uncle Sam.

Super-large screen display technology that brings the latest from Samsung that is Super Amoled Plus, a new generation of Super Amoled. Super-thin screen is claimed to produce very good color. S Amoled subpixels Plus has 50% more for added clarity.

Quoted from Cnet,infuse 4G adopt Android version 2.2. While the processor highest among other Samsung phone, the 1.2 GHz Hummingbird. There is also a dual camera, rear camera with a resolution of 8 megapixels.

With a 4.5 inch screen, Infuse 4G straddling other Android phones that actually has a big screen. Call it the X Droid Motorola measuring 4.3 inch. Not yet known when infuse 4G will be marketed and at what price.

Samsung Infuse 4G with Big Screen and 1.2 GHz Processor

Big screen trend in smartphones seem to be getting popular in 2011. The presence of Samsung Infuse 4G, can make confused about whether this smartphone or tablet. Because the screen size is 4.5 inches!

Yes, the Samsung infuse 4G is newly announced its presence in the United States by AT & T. The phone will be capable of running on a 4G network which is held by AT & T in the land of Uncle Sam.

Super-large screen display technology that brings the latest from Samsung that is Super Amoled Plus, a new generation of Super Amoled. Super-thin screen is claimed to produce very good color. S Amoled subpixels Plus has 50% more for added clarity.

Quoted from Cnet,infuse 4G adopt Android version 2.2. While the processor highest among other Samsung phone, the 1.2 GHz Hummingbird. There is also a dual camera, rear camera with a resolution of 8 megapixels.

With a 4.5 inch screen, Infuse 4G straddling other Android phones that actually has a big screen. Call it the X Droid Motorola measuring 4.3 inch. Not yet known when infuse 4G will be marketed and at what price.

Samsung makes Waves

Samsung Wave 533

SAMSUNG has unveiled three new entry-level smartphones, the Wave 533, 575 and 723.

Samsung Wave 575

The Wave smartphones run on the company's proprietary Bada ­operating system. The mobile OS allows the phone to connect to the Samsung App Store where users can download and install more applications.

The marketplace has more than 2,000 free and paid apps in various categories such as games, news, social networking and utilities.

All three models share the same basic specifications such as a ­touchscreen, up to 100MB of internal memory, microSD card slot (supports card sizes of up to 16GB) and A-GPS. They can also play videos encoded in MPEG4, H.263 and H.264 formats.

In terms of connectivity, all the models support Bluetooth and WiFi.

A Social Hub feature aggregates information such as e-mail, SMS, status updates from social networking sites, and web calendars. The information is then displayed in one window for easy viewing.

As for the differences, the Wave 723 and 533 support HSDPA network while the 525 is limited to only EDGE connectivity.

Additionally, the 723 has a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash. It also includes a number of handy functions such as smile shot, panaroma shot, geotagging and an image editor to make your shots more exciting.

The other two models only have a 3-megapixel camera.

Also, the Wave 533 is the only model that comes with a slider Qwerty keyboard.

The Wave 533, 575 and 723 retail for USD229, USD235 and USD313 respectively.

Samsung makes Waves

Samsung Wave 533

SAMSUNG has unveiled three new entry-level smartphones, the Wave 533, 575 and 723.

Samsung Wave 575

The Wave smartphones run on the company's proprietary Bada ­operating system. The mobile OS allows the phone to connect to the Samsung App Store where users can download and install more applications.

The marketplace has more than 2,000 free and paid apps in various categories such as games, news, social networking and utilities.

All three models share the same basic specifications such as a ­touchscreen, up to 100MB of internal memory, microSD card slot (supports card sizes of up to 16GB) and A-GPS. They can also play videos encoded in MPEG4, H.263 and H.264 formats.

In terms of connectivity, all the models support Bluetooth and WiFi.

A Social Hub feature aggregates information such as e-mail, SMS, status updates from social networking sites, and web calendars. The information is then displayed in one window for easy viewing.

As for the differences, the Wave 723 and 533 support HSDPA network while the 525 is limited to only EDGE connectivity.

Additionally, the 723 has a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash. It also includes a number of handy functions such as smile shot, panaroma shot, geotagging and an image editor to make your shots more exciting.

The other two models only have a 3-megapixel camera.

Also, the Wave 533 is the only model that comes with a slider Qwerty keyboard.

The Wave 533, 575 and 723 retail for USD229, USD235 and USD313 respectively.

Samsung makes Waves

Samsung Wave 533

SAMSUNG has unveiled three new entry-level smartphones, the Wave 533, 575 and 723.

Samsung Wave 575

The Wave smartphones run on the company's proprietary Bada ­operating system. The mobile OS allows the phone to connect to the Samsung App Store where users can download and install more applications.

The marketplace has more than 2,000 free and paid apps in various categories such as games, news, social networking and utilities.

All three models share the same basic specifications such as a ­touchscreen, up to 100MB of internal memory, microSD card slot (supports card sizes of up to 16GB) and A-GPS. They can also play videos encoded in MPEG4, H.263 and H.264 formats.

In terms of connectivity, all the models support Bluetooth and WiFi.

A Social Hub feature aggregates information such as e-mail, SMS, status updates from social networking sites, and web calendars. The information is then displayed in one window for easy viewing.

As for the differences, the Wave 723 and 533 support HSDPA network while the 525 is limited to only EDGE connectivity.

Additionally, the 723 has a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash. It also includes a number of handy functions such as smile shot, panaroma shot, geotagging and an image editor to make your shots more exciting.

The other two models only have a 3-megapixel camera.

Also, the Wave 533 is the only model that comes with a slider Qwerty keyboard.

The Wave 533, 575 and 723 retail for USD229, USD235 and USD313 respectively.

Quick review of Samsung SP-H03 LED Pico Projector

For mobile warriors, this pocket projector should warrant a serious look.

BOXY: The Samsung SP-H03 LED Pico Projector looks just like a luxury watch case.

PICO projectors are getting better all the time and they have come to a point where it's really feasible to carry one around for small presentations.

Case in point is the Samsung SP-H03 LED pico projector - this diminutive little number turned in a surprisingly good performance for such a small device.

Specs

With a native resolution of 854 x 480-pixels, the SP-H03 is not the highest resolution pico projector out there but it's certainly more than adequate for PowerPoint slides, viewing documents and, of course, watching the odd movie or two.

In terms of size, it's pretty small - I'd say that it looks like a small music box or a luxury watch case.

The whole device is finished in black, with the removable battery unit taking up the whole of the bottom of the device.

BIG: The LED Pico Projector's battery is a clip-on unit that takes up the entire bottom part of the unit.

On the back you get the usual connections - a special mini VGA input, mini USB port, audio output and a mini 3.5mm connector port that accepts a special RCA cable for video and stereo audio input.

One nifty little touch is that the control system is driven by touch sensitive controls on the top of the projector, with the soft touch buttons having their own LED backlighting.

In use

Turn it on and it's immediately clear that the SP-H03 is actually more powerful than its size would suggest. The display is very bright for a pico projector - at 30 lumens, it's actually about twice as bright as the 3M MPro 150 pico projector we tested. While this doesn't mean that it's comfortable to use with the lights on, you can actually still clearly see the display in a brightly-lit room.

BRIGHT: With its 30lumens brightness, the Samsung LED Pico Projector projects a very bright image.

The focus slider is on the side of the device, and although it works, I would have preferred the slider to have less "give" when adjusting focus - as it is, it took a bit of fiddling before I got the focus just right.

Also, there is no keystone correction so you'll have to keep it as level as possible when in use.

Since the buttons are touch-sensitive, it's actually quite easy to accidentally activate a button when you're trying to adjust the focus slider on the side as your palm or other finger is very likely to accidentally touch the top of the projector when you're doing this.

At about 5ft away the device projects an image size between 32in and 35in in 16:9 aspect ratio which is not too bad.

If you step back further the image gets larger but at the expense of brightness. Nevertheless we found that with the lights dimmed, you really can comfortably project pretty large images of 50in or more.

One thing we were really surprised with was the speaker. While lacking in bass, the 1-watt (again, about twice more powerful than the last pico projector we tested) speaker on the SP-H03 produced audio loud enough for an audience in a small room to hear clearly.

This really means that this tiny projector is often all you have to carry if you want to give a presentation to a small group of people.

The one downside is that battery life is obviously not going to be really great because it lasts about two hours on a single charge.

However, the charger for the pico projector is pretty small, so it's not a big deal to carry it around as well and keep the projector plugged in while you're using it.

The SP-H03 supports a number of formats, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, JPG images, MP3 songs and various video formats.

SOFT-TOUCH: The buttons on the Samsung LED Pico Projector are backlit and touch-sensitive.

The machine itself has 1GB of internal memory but you also get a microSD slot and the option to add more storage if you want to.

However, we did find the SP-H03 to be rather fussy when it comes to file formats. The projector just won't display some JPEG images and the only reason we can think of was that the photos may have been too large for the SP-H03 to handle.

There are quite a number of video formats out there so playback on the SP-H03 is even more spotty.

We generally had no problems playing DivX files in standard resolution though HD files are of course beyond the capability of this tiny projector.

Of course, native playback on the device itself is merely a bonus. The most common usage model is to connect it to a notebook via the VGA port and use the SP-H03 as a pure projector.

In this respect I really have no complaints at all because the SP-H03 can handle whatever your notebook can play or display.

I even connected it to my Nintendo Wii via the RCA adaptor, and I had a real blast playing with a screen as large as an expensive 50in HDTV. The only drawback is that you really do have to turn off all the lights in the room if your game has a lot of dark levels.

Conclusion

If you thought that all pico projectors were made the same, think again - Samsung proves that it can make it brighter and louder than most of the competition.

MINI-PORTS: (clockwise from top left) the Samsung LED Pico Projector has all the usual inputs -- a VGA input, audio/video input, headphone output, USB port and power adapter socket.

There's not much to say except that if you are looking for a pico projector, the Samsung SP-H03 should be near the top of your list.

Pros: Bright for a pico projector; speaker loud enough for a small room.

Cons: Limited native photo and video format support; touch sensitive buttons easily activated by accident.

SP-H03 LED Pico Projector
(Samsung)
Pocket projector
MEMORY: 1GB internal, microSD card slot
BRIGHTNESS: 30 lumens
PC COMPATIBILITY: 1080i, 720p
FILE FORMAT SUPPORT: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, BMP, JPEG, MP4, MP3
SPEAKERS: 1 built-in (1-watt)
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 7.11 x 7.11x 3.81cm
WEIGHT: 182g
PRICE: RM1,399
RATING: 4

Quick review of Samsung SP-H03 LED Pico Projector

For mobile warriors, this pocket projector should warrant a serious look.

BOXY: The Samsung SP-H03 LED Pico Projector looks just like a luxury watch case.

PICO projectors are getting better all the time and they have come to a point where it's really feasible to carry one around for small presentations.

Case in point is the Samsung SP-H03 LED pico projector - this diminutive little number turned in a surprisingly good performance for such a small device.

Specs

With a native resolution of 854 x 480-pixels, the SP-H03 is not the highest resolution pico projector out there but it's certainly more than adequate for PowerPoint slides, viewing documents and, of course, watching the odd movie or two.

In terms of size, it's pretty small - I'd say that it looks like a small music box or a luxury watch case.

The whole device is finished in black, with the removable battery unit taking up the whole of the bottom of the device.

BIG: The LED Pico Projector's battery is a clip-on unit that takes up the entire bottom part of the unit.

On the back you get the usual connections - a special mini VGA input, mini USB port, audio output and a mini 3.5mm connector port that accepts a special RCA cable for video and stereo audio input.

One nifty little touch is that the control system is driven by touch sensitive controls on the top of the projector, with the soft touch buttons having their own LED backlighting.

In use

Turn it on and it's immediately clear that the SP-H03 is actually more powerful than its size would suggest. The display is very bright for a pico projector - at 30 lumens, it's actually about twice as bright as the 3M MPro 150 pico projector we tested. While this doesn't mean that it's comfortable to use with the lights on, you can actually still clearly see the display in a brightly-lit room.

BRIGHT: With its 30lumens brightness, the Samsung LED Pico Projector projects a very bright image.

The focus slider is on the side of the device, and although it works, I would have preferred the slider to have less "give" when adjusting focus - as it is, it took a bit of fiddling before I got the focus just right.

Also, there is no keystone correction so you'll have to keep it as level as possible when in use.

Since the buttons are touch-sensitive, it's actually quite easy to accidentally activate a button when you're trying to adjust the focus slider on the side as your palm or other finger is very likely to accidentally touch the top of the projector when you're doing this.

At about 5ft away the device projects an image size between 32in and 35in in 16:9 aspect ratio which is not too bad.

If you step back further the image gets larger but at the expense of brightness. Nevertheless we found that with the lights dimmed, you really can comfortably project pretty large images of 50in or more.

One thing we were really surprised with was the speaker. While lacking in bass, the 1-watt (again, about twice more powerful than the last pico projector we tested) speaker on the SP-H03 produced audio loud enough for an audience in a small room to hear clearly.

This really means that this tiny projector is often all you have to carry if you want to give a presentation to a small group of people.

The one downside is that battery life is obviously not going to be really great because it lasts about two hours on a single charge.

However, the charger for the pico projector is pretty small, so it's not a big deal to carry it around as well and keep the projector plugged in while you're using it.

The SP-H03 supports a number of formats, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, JPG images, MP3 songs and various video formats.

SOFT-TOUCH: The buttons on the Samsung LED Pico Projector are backlit and touch-sensitive.

The machine itself has 1GB of internal memory but you also get a microSD slot and the option to add more storage if you want to.

However, we did find the SP-H03 to be rather fussy when it comes to file formats. The projector just won't display some JPEG images and the only reason we can think of was that the photos may have been too large for the SP-H03 to handle.

There are quite a number of video formats out there so playback on the SP-H03 is even more spotty.

We generally had no problems playing DivX files in standard resolution though HD files are of course beyond the capability of this tiny projector.

Of course, native playback on the device itself is merely a bonus. The most common usage model is to connect it to a notebook via the VGA port and use the SP-H03 as a pure projector.

In this respect I really have no complaints at all because the SP-H03 can handle whatever your notebook can play or display.

I even connected it to my Nintendo Wii via the RCA adaptor, and I had a real blast playing with a screen as large as an expensive 50in HDTV. The only drawback is that you really do have to turn off all the lights in the room if your game has a lot of dark levels.

Conclusion

If you thought that all pico projectors were made the same, think again - Samsung proves that it can make it brighter and louder than most of the competition.

MINI-PORTS: (clockwise from top left) the Samsung LED Pico Projector has all the usual inputs -- a VGA input, audio/video input, headphone output, USB port and power adapter socket.

There's not much to say except that if you are looking for a pico projector, the Samsung SP-H03 should be near the top of your list.

Pros: Bright for a pico projector; speaker loud enough for a small room.

Cons: Limited native photo and video format support; touch sensitive buttons easily activated by accident.

SP-H03 LED Pico Projector
(Samsung)
Pocket projector
MEMORY: 1GB internal, microSD card slot
BRIGHTNESS: 30 lumens
PC COMPATIBILITY: 1080i, 720p
FILE FORMAT SUPPORT: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, BMP, JPEG, MP4, MP3
SPEAKERS: 1 built-in (1-watt)
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 7.11 x 7.11x 3.81cm
WEIGHT: 182g
PRICE: RM1,399
RATING: 4

Quick review of Samsung SP-H03 LED Pico Projector

For mobile warriors, this pocket projector should warrant a serious look.

BOXY: The Samsung SP-H03 LED Pico Projector looks just like a luxury watch case.

PICO projectors are getting better all the time and they have come to a point where it's really feasible to carry one around for small presentations.

Case in point is the Samsung SP-H03 LED pico projector - this diminutive little number turned in a surprisingly good performance for such a small device.

Specs

With a native resolution of 854 x 480-pixels, the SP-H03 is not the highest resolution pico projector out there but it's certainly more than adequate for PowerPoint slides, viewing documents and, of course, watching the odd movie or two.

In terms of size, it's pretty small - I'd say that it looks like a small music box or a luxury watch case.

The whole device is finished in black, with the removable battery unit taking up the whole of the bottom of the device.

BIG: The LED Pico Projector's battery is a clip-on unit that takes up the entire bottom part of the unit.

On the back you get the usual connections - a special mini VGA input, mini USB port, audio output and a mini 3.5mm connector port that accepts a special RCA cable for video and stereo audio input.

One nifty little touch is that the control system is driven by touch sensitive controls on the top of the projector, with the soft touch buttons having their own LED backlighting.

In use

Turn it on and it's immediately clear that the SP-H03 is actually more powerful than its size would suggest. The display is very bright for a pico projector - at 30 lumens, it's actually about twice as bright as the 3M MPro 150 pico projector we tested. While this doesn't mean that it's comfortable to use with the lights on, you can actually still clearly see the display in a brightly-lit room.

BRIGHT: With its 30lumens brightness, the Samsung LED Pico Projector projects a very bright image.

The focus slider is on the side of the device, and although it works, I would have preferred the slider to have less "give" when adjusting focus - as it is, it took a bit of fiddling before I got the focus just right.

Also, there is no keystone correction so you'll have to keep it as level as possible when in use.

Since the buttons are touch-sensitive, it's actually quite easy to accidentally activate a button when you're trying to adjust the focus slider on the side as your palm or other finger is very likely to accidentally touch the top of the projector when you're doing this.

At about 5ft away the device projects an image size between 32in and 35in in 16:9 aspect ratio which is not too bad.

If you step back further the image gets larger but at the expense of brightness. Nevertheless we found that with the lights dimmed, you really can comfortably project pretty large images of 50in or more.

One thing we were really surprised with was the speaker. While lacking in bass, the 1-watt (again, about twice more powerful than the last pico projector we tested) speaker on the SP-H03 produced audio loud enough for an audience in a small room to hear clearly.

This really means that this tiny projector is often all you have to carry if you want to give a presentation to a small group of people.

The one downside is that battery life is obviously not going to be really great because it lasts about two hours on a single charge.

However, the charger for the pico projector is pretty small, so it's not a big deal to carry it around as well and keep the projector plugged in while you're using it.

The SP-H03 supports a number of formats, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, JPG images, MP3 songs and various video formats.

SOFT-TOUCH: The buttons on the Samsung LED Pico Projector are backlit and touch-sensitive.

The machine itself has 1GB of internal memory but you also get a microSD slot and the option to add more storage if you want to.

However, we did find the SP-H03 to be rather fussy when it comes to file formats. The projector just won't display some JPEG images and the only reason we can think of was that the photos may have been too large for the SP-H03 to handle.

There are quite a number of video formats out there so playback on the SP-H03 is even more spotty.

We generally had no problems playing DivX files in standard resolution though HD files are of course beyond the capability of this tiny projector.

Of course, native playback on the device itself is merely a bonus. The most common usage model is to connect it to a notebook via the VGA port and use the SP-H03 as a pure projector.

In this respect I really have no complaints at all because the SP-H03 can handle whatever your notebook can play or display.

I even connected it to my Nintendo Wii via the RCA adaptor, and I had a real blast playing with a screen as large as an expensive 50in HDTV. The only drawback is that you really do have to turn off all the lights in the room if your game has a lot of dark levels.

Conclusion

If you thought that all pico projectors were made the same, think again - Samsung proves that it can make it brighter and louder than most of the competition.

MINI-PORTS: (clockwise from top left) the Samsung LED Pico Projector has all the usual inputs -- a VGA input, audio/video input, headphone output, USB port and power adapter socket.

There's not much to say except that if you are looking for a pico projector, the Samsung SP-H03 should be near the top of your list.

Pros: Bright for a pico projector; speaker loud enough for a small room.

Cons: Limited native photo and video format support; touch sensitive buttons easily activated by accident.

SP-H03 LED Pico Projector
(Samsung)
Pocket projector
MEMORY: 1GB internal, microSD card slot
BRIGHTNESS: 30 lumens
PC COMPATIBILITY: 1080i, 720p
FILE FORMAT SUPPORT: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, BMP, JPEG, MP4, MP3
SPEAKERS: 1 built-in (1-watt)
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 7.11 x 7.11x 3.81cm
WEIGHT: 182g
PRICE: RM1,399
RATING: 4

Samsung keep following Apple's direction

SIDE BY SIDE: Apple has the iPhone and the iPad (left), while Samsung has several smartphones and its Galaxy Tab (right) - wherever Apple goes these days, it seems, the South Korean giant is sure to follow. 

Most of the analysts say, the tech heavyweight rivals are not so much heading into battle as strolling hand in hand into an ever more profitable future.

"Samsung is both a provider and a competitor to Apple. But they have very different strategies. Apple is aiming for the high-end market, whereas Samsung is geared more towards the mass market."

Up to a third of the components of the iPad and the iPhone are actually sourced by Apple from the South Korean firm, analysts say, meaning Samsung has a lucrative finger deep in Apple's pie.

"Apple is dependent upon Samsung to a certain extent for their components but Samsung is clearly benefiting from Apple's innovation," said Hong Kong-based Young.

"Apple has almost single-handedly created a new market for Tablet computers, for instance, which Samsung will capitalise on. But Apple's products are dependent upon Samsung hardware."

Samsung reloaded

Samsung Electronics refused to comment on its relationship with Apple but insists the company does invest in innovation and aims to "provide consumers with breakthrough technology."

It is also looking for an Apple-esque relationship with its customers.

In 2009, Samsung refined their brand story in an effort to bond with consumers more on an emotional level. In 2010, Samsung continuing to spread their new brand story. Samsung is known for electronics, but has a more human mission as well.

"We are clear in our goals for Samsung. We are currently market leaders in a large number of product categories and business areas. In the future we want to be clear leaders in all of the categories and areas in which we compete.

"We want to be a loved brand, one with a loyal base and one that is in the front of consumer's minds as they make purchase decisions."

However, it is what can be done with the smartphone or tablet that counts. A smartphone or iPhone is just a phone and an iPad or tablet just an elaborate slab of glass without the applications and games that run on it.

Samsung's suite of Galaxy S smartphones and its Tablet run on Google's Android, with applications available from the Android Market app store.

It has also produced a smartphone, the Focus, which will run on the new Windows Phone 7 platform.

Apple sells applications exclusive for its products through its own app store. Samsung also has its own fledgling app store, Bada.

Down to two

Veteran Apple analyst Ashok Kumar, of New York investment bank Rodman and Renshaw, believes this is the true battleground. In the clash of the titans in this market, Ashok said, he believes there are only going to be two platforms standing in the end: Apple and Android. Samsung will be first among equals on Android.

"Samsung has a huge competitive advantage in the supply chain as it produces up to a third of the materials in smartphones and Tablet computers.

"Purely on the hardware side of things, Samsung's products probably have the advantage but Apple's app store is where it stands apart.

Apple dominates the high-end market but, as the price of smartphones comes down, Samsung's market share will increase - especially in emerging markets such as Brazil, China and India, Kumar says.

"Apple is a premium product, it is not really in their DNA to go for the mass market jugular. This is where Samsung can, and will, capitalise," says Kumar.

"Samsung may not have the 'cool' factor that Apple has and Samsung is not really in Apple's league when it comes to innovation but they are a very, very successful follower. They are good for each other."