Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch is already obsolete as new version to be released - seems like a dumb idea at first but it's really a billion dollar smart idea

I'm at home reading up on technology and was reading up in Forbes on how Samsung is rumoured to be releasing its new edition of its smartwatch Galaxy Gear in early 2014. Most readers and critics called it a dumb idea as this was just going to kill the first edition before it even hit global markets. Some comments:

Total fail for Samsung. The first one is not even out in stores and it is already being buried. Message to Christmas buyers – wait for the next version.

Samsung, stick to TV’s. Innovation is not your strength. They should have waited until Apple release their watch so would have something to copy.

The first one clearly shows that Samsung can’t innovate. It’s a $300 piece of crap. They should waited until Apple releases its watch so they have something to copy. Samsung needs to stick to what is knows best, washers and dryers.

These comments comparing innovation at Samsung and Apple and whether 'first to market' meant anything made me think back of the many court cases that Samsung had lost against Apple for so-called iPhone & iPad copyright patent violations. Basically Apple put Samsung into court for everything it could think of : first from the design to double-tap zooming to touch screen and whatever else it could make up.

I think Samsung released their Galaxy Gear smartwatch so early despite all its limitations not so much for consumers but mainly to protect itself from Apple's endless court battles. In fact, it can now out-apple Apple by going to court with all kinds of stuff related to patent violation on smartwatches - shape, size, touch, curved corners - maybe even the screws!

And we assumed that new technology was meant for discerning customers...hmm.

Scary: using someone else's Emirates ID card in UAE to open a bank account..too many questions not asked

I saw something scary in the Gulf News today: Duo bought 14 phones in UAE with someone else's credit card, which they made from a lost Emirates ID.

For readers who are unfamiliar with an Emirates ID card, this is supposed to be a very secure identification card issued by Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) and has to be used by all citizens and expats in the UAE. The reports states that a British man lost his Emirates ID card in 2010 and had a replacement issued by EIDA who supposedly told him there was no need to report the lost card to the police.

So using an inactive Emirates ID card, two men who may have found it used it to obtain a credit card and then maxed that card. So far - so good. But what is most puzzling and hasn't been asked is how the bank issued a credit card based on an inactive Emirates ID card. More questions than answers, surely. Doesn't the bank do a proper verification? I wish Gulf News had done a more thorough investigation and asked the bank why they allowed a credit card to be issued with just one document? Another question: Shouldn't the bank have access to the EIDA database, so that an inactive card pops up on verification?

The case is in court, so hopefully the judge or someone may ask the right questions and pull up the bank too for their negligence. But still this is a warning for us to be careful with our IDs, since this case shows our banks can't be too bothered. Hopefully EIDA is working with banks on a more secure verification especially for inactive cards.