Video: Preview of Samsung Galaxy S III

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

I had the opportunity to check out the North American version of Samsung Galaxy S III which is coming to Canada on June 20th and will be available from most carriers. This is Samsung's flagship smartphone and will feature a 1.5GHz dual core processor, 2GB of RAM and either 16GB or 32GB of storage (plus expansion via microSD).

The rounded design is reminiscent of 2010's  original Samsung Galaxy S and the Galaxy Nexus. Samsung has piled a long list of hardware and software innovations, just check the video above where we received a demo from Samsung's Director of Wireless Product Realization, Vlastimir Lalovic to see the new TouchWiz interface and features, NFC connectivity, peer-to-peer connectivity, great video playback and a huge, long lasting battery. 

Samsung is releasing a number of accessories including cases, battery chargers, a stylus (of course) and a universal vehicle mount that will work on multiple smartphones. Our review unit had a Rogers SIM card but needed to go back so I am writing up a full review once I receive a replacement. In the meantime here's a slideshow of the North American Galaxy S III.

Video: Nest Learning Thermostat now available in Canada

The Nest Learning Thermostat, the world's first commercially available learning thermostat, can help save Canadians up to 20 percent on their home heating and cooling bills by automatically turning itself down when you're away, guiding you to energy-efficient temperatures when you're home, and by creating a personalized temperature schedule based on learning your habits.

 Nest uses motion sensors, cloud computing and algorithms to learn about you, your home and your habits to automatically turn itself down when you're away and to be more energy-efficient when you are home – altogether programming itself to help you save money.

Starting today, Canadians can purchase their own Nest at nest.com/store for $249 USD, plus shipping. And yes, there is an app for it. Nifty, eh?

Samsung announces first Canadian retail store in Burnaby, B.C.

Samsung's trying its hand at the retail experience starting in Burnaby, BC

Samsung is taking the competition against Apple and Sony one step further by launching its own retail store experience. Samsung Electronics Canada today announced that construction has commenced on the first Samsung branded store in Burnaby, B.C. Located in the Metropolis at Metrotown.

The Samsung store will feature the latest mobile, personal computing, and consumer electronics products, in a standalone retail location.

“Samsung is excited to bring a new level of retail experience to Canadians,” said James Politeski, President of Samsung Electronics Canada. “Our vision is to provide an immersive space where consumers can interact with our products in totally new ways and enjoy unprecedented service levels.”

With unique design elements and a broad product offering, the Samsung store will provide Canadian consumers with a premium retail experience. The store will showcase Samsung’s technology leadership and enable consumers to experience firsthand the power of sharing content across multiple products.

“The launch of our Burnaby location is part of a larger retail strategy designed to offer Canadians an extraordinary environment to interact with the Samsung products they’re most passionate about,” added Politeski.

The Samsung store is slated to open Summer 2012.  

Call in sick today, Diablo III is here

Blizzard sure knows when to time a huge product launch, right at the cusp of a long weekend! The much awaited demon-hunting action RPG Diablo 3 is out today which means fans of this franchise will likely want to take a sick day to indulge in the new and improved gameplay, character classes and online play offered by the new version. The last Diablo, Diablo II was released 12 years ago in 2000! That's quite a long drought for fans of the game. From the video teaser above, it looks like this game has been worth the wait.