Some say it is a phone; others, a tablet.

The Galaxy Note 3 is a new breed of ‘infused phones and tablets’ aptly named ‘phablets’. It has a much larger screen than the usual smartphone but is still portable and fits inside a pocket with relative ease. The Note 3 comes with a 5.7 inch screen, a 13 MP HD ready rear camera, and a 2 MP front facing camera. Inside, you’ve got a Quad-core 3.2 GHz processor and 3 GB of RAM that will handle even the heaviest mobile applications. 

Its internal storage size comes either of 2 sizes; a 32 GB or a 64 GB option that’s expandable (you can slot your SD card right in there to make it a 128 GB device). The biggest winner here though is 4G on this ‘phablet’. 4G LTE, an upgrade on speed and routing from 3G, has been in test in Kenya for a couple of months now and it is believed that Safaricom and Airtel will implement it soon.

Samsung is rumoured to be working on a more affordable Note 3 but featuring a flexible display (bendable screen) and will produce this device in limited edition possibly over the next quarter. The Note 3 has been seen as a plot to completely obliterate ‘pen and paper’ by allowing a user to take notes printable, editable and ‘shareable‘ using the S-pen which comes in the Note 3 package and promoting the living green initiative.

Wearable Technology:

So big is the fight to make humans’ work easier that companies are now producing technology that can be used with relative ease and is always on our person (on-body). A good example is Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch which connects to your in-pocket Samsung smartphone and lets you read email, pick calls and use apps on your phone right from your wrist.

It is not yet clear on how much the Note 3 will cost but probably around 80,000 KES and will be available in Kenya from November while the Galaxy Gear smartwatch is expected to be available locally in mid-2014 for approximately 30,000 KES.