The After Math: Microsoft fits new Windows, Sony pushes the limits of a smartphone screen

Welcome to The After Math, where we attempt to summarize this week's tech news through numbers, decimal places and percentages.

In recent weeks, we've covered BlackBerry, Google, Nokia, Apple, Sony and (at least gaming-wise) Microsoft, but this week, the Redmond company returned to dominate tech news, showcasing a new version of Windows 8 (and RT) at its annual Build conference. It's tried to fix some of the operating system's early criticisms and make it all a bit more accessible. They even threw in a Start button -- of sorts. Meanwhile, Sony set jacket pockets quivering, announcing its new 6.4-inch smartphone (that's not a tablet), replete with arguably the most powerful mobile processor out there. For a numerical breakdown of the week's news, follow us after the break.

• Screen size of Sony's Xperia Z Ultra: 6.4 inches
• Biggest Android smartphone screen in 2010: 5 inches
• Screen size of Sony's Windows-running VAIO P laptop: 8 inches
• BlackBerry 10 devices shipped in the last quarter (Q1 2014): 2.7 million
• Loss made by BlackBerry in the same quarter: $84 million
• Number of Lumia 820 phones used to create a digital wall at Build 2013: 200

• Keynote attendees at Build 2013 that cheered at the first mention of Bing: 1
• Free tablets given to each Build 2013 attendee: 2
• Number of side-by-side windows possible on a Toshiba Kirabook running Windows 8.1: 4
• (Mis)uses of the word "literally" by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer during the Build keynote: 2
• New megapixels of satellite photography recently added to Google Maps: 800,000
• Meters per pixel within Google's new Maps images: 15
• Years of data collected by the NSA so far during the Obama administration: 2
• Air miles NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden could have earned in his escapade (Honolulu to Hong Kong to Moscow): 9,988

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 stops by, poses for the camera

The budget 7″ Android tablet market has been enjoying quite a lot of attention from a number of manufacturers and the latest device to join in on the fun is a refresh of one of the very first small tablets – the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0.

The third-generation of 7″ Galaxy Tab has just hit the shelves and it feels nicely polished and put together. It’s not quite the performance champion, sporting the little known Marvell chipset with 1.2GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, which fortunately is expandable by a maximum of 64GB.

The design of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0, unsurprisingly, is heavily inspired by the Galaxy S4 and features a physical Home button with capacitive menu and back keys on each of its sides. On the left side there are the SIM card and microSD card slot, while on the right we find the volume rocker, power button as well as an IR blaster, which our prototype didn’t yet have.
Built entirely out of plastic, the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 is quite prone to fingerprints, so it’d need an occasional cleaning to maintain its looks. On the positive side, Samsung has made the bezels thinner than the previous generation 7″ Galaxy Tab. It’s lighter as well weighing 300 grams, while measuring 110.9 x 187.9 x 9.9mm.

At the back, there’s a 3MP snapper sans LED flash, but that’s not such a drawback, since the camera on the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 should be used only as a last resort. However, at the front, there’s a 1.3MP one, that’s going to be great for video chatting sessions. Next to it are located the proximity and ambient sensors.
Unfortunately, the display is nothing to write home about. It’s a TFT unit with an uninspiring resolution of WSVGA (1024 x 600) and is basically the same as the previous generation of the slate.
We’ve thrown in a quick hands-on video to get wet your appetite until we finish working on our extensive

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 is already on sale in Europe for about €200 and is bound to hit the US in early July with a price of $199. Our preview should come some time this week so stay tuned.

BSkyB wins trademark case against Microsoft over SkyDrive name

While many can tell the difference between Sky TV services and Microsoft's SkyDrive cloud storage, that's not necessarily true for everyone. A British court certainly thinks there's room for confusion: it has ruled that SkyDrive infringes BSkyB's trademarks on the Sky name in both the UK and the European Union. The presiding judge didn't believe that Microsoft's use of the "sky" prefix was absolutely necessary, and she showed evidence that at least some of the general public didn't understand which company made what. Microsoft says it plans to appeal the verdict, although there's no guarantee that it will have to relabel SkyDrive if the appeal falls through. Some past trademark lawsuits have led to fines instead of name changes, and we suspect Microsoft would rather pay out than lose brand recognition across a whole continent.

Wireless Charging Plate can charge both your Lumia and your toothbrush

Wireless charging is slowly gaining traction with smartphone makers. But here’s an unexpected use – it can also help with your dental hygiene.

No, really – inquisitive Reddit user el_n00bo_loco decided to put his electric toothbrush on top of a Nokia Wireless Charging Plate (like the one we reviewed the other day).
It’s good to see that a £55 / €68 charging gadget can be used for more than just charging your phone.
The Charging Plate uses the Qi standard, which is quite popular – it’s used by other phones that support wireless charging along with third-party add-ons for those that don’t, but also for things like game console controllers, wireless speakers and so on.