The use of QR codes/tags isn't common in South Africa yet but my personal belief is that there will be increased adoption on a large scale in the next year or so as more people get used to smartphone features and marketers (or whomever) attempt to keep things interesting and convenient.

The Samsung Wave recently got its first native QR code reader by BeeTagg. This is a free application from Samsung Apps that not only read the standard QR format but Datamatrix and their proprietary BeeTagg format as well. What I found to be most impressive with the BeeTagg reader on the Wave is the speed it which detects codes; the camera's auto-focus is snappy and efficient.

Last week Samsung announced that the Galaxy S is DivX certified for HD video playback at 720p resolution, making it the wordl's first Android mobile phone to receive DivX certification for HD. It's also the world's second overall DivX HD Certified phone after the Samsung Wave.

Two nights ago I was pretty excited to download my very first AR game, ARDefender, from Samsung Apps. The game is surprisingly free for download despite its high quality and innovative technology.

The game requires a print-out from ardefender.com (see below).

Once the game launched, I simply pointed the phone's camera at the printout and voila - I was playing my first AR game and it's awesome!

See the attached video clip for a live demo.

This was a little difficult to watch for me, the same way some people squirm when seeing snakes on TV. The guys over at Bruxbros.com have filmed a scratch test using knives and car keys on a Samsung Wave's Super AMOLED screen. There are instances of stabbing, slicing and all things awful that a pocket knife can do.

The good news is that the screen passes with flying colours! Still, it's uncomfortable and don't recommend trying it on your phone. Take a look at the video and judge for yourself.

[Source]

Click to enlarge images.

With over 105 million reported registered users, Twitter is without a doubt a very popular online communication and social tool as South African Twitter users have seen especially in the past month. Millions around the globe make use of this service via their mobile phones, with many devices having integrated some sort of Twitter app or widget. The Samsung Wave is no exception.

The Samsung Wave's native Twitter app carries through twitter.com's colour scheme and style. It performs all the basic functions (as shown below) and is pretty easy to use. Having used Gravity (premium Twitter client for Symbian S60 devices) on the Samsung I8910HD (S60v5), I found the Wave's Twitter app to be limited (no Twitpic type of service integrated, for example) but it's a lot more useful than the Twitter widgets found on lower-end devices. And let's not forget that it's free - unlike the R76.00-priced Gravity.

Easy Login

Nothing fancy here: just fill in your details and you're in!

Samsung Apps recently got two vuvuzela apps. They do what you expect them to do - make a noise just like a vuvuzela (or "African air horn", as some have described it).

You can download ApeGroup's VuvuzelApe and Onteca Ltd's Vuvuzela Air Horn from Samsung Apps either directly to your Samsung Wave or via Samsung Kies. The latter has a R11.00 charge so South Africans won't be able to download it yet, not until Samsung Apps launches in our region (this month).

Support your favourite team this Sunday and blow that digital vuvu!

Disclaimer: the opinions expressed above do not necessarily reflect those of Samsung.

Simon Dingle of South African-based technology podcast, ZA Tech Show, was joined by Brett Haggard as they talked about their impressions on the Samsung Wave S8500 and Samsung Galaxy S smartphones. Take a look at the video below to see what they had to say about these powerful handsets as well as a discussion on Samsung bada and Android.

There is an estimated 100 million Gmail users and you're probably one of them as am I. There are several options to access Gmail email (native apps, widgets, Google ActiveSync, etc.) but today I'll cover Gmail on the mobile web specifically.

Gmail for mobile can be accessed at m.gmail.com but there are many other ways to get there. What makes it especially pleasant to use on the Samsung Wave is the Dolphin Browser 2.0 which is pretty quick, supports multi-touch and more. Also, you'll find that many other Google services work seamlessly with this browser as well.

On the Samsung Wave S8500 it's possible to share an internet connection with your PC or other compatible device via Wi-Fi. This means that you don't need wires (as in USB) and is an alternate method to using the Bluetooth method. Even if you don't mind using USB (it charges the phone after all), this is a much easier setup as you'll see below. A maximum of 3 connections may be used at a time for this process which should be enough for you and two pals or devices.

The first step to getting started is to select Settings from the Menu, click on Connectivity and choose Mobile AP from the Connectivity menu.