Berlin, Germany — Long expected, Samsung unveiled its update to its oversized Note smartphone/tablet (or "phablet"), the Note II, here at the annual IFA electronics show. Note II's screen now measures 5.5-inches — a .3-inch growth spurt — but somehow Samsung made it not at awkward to hold as the original.

Who among you have been lucky enough to have won the Verizon FiOS lottery? Okay, perhaps the metaphor isn't quite precise since one cannot choose to win the lottery while one can choose FiOS over a local cable monopoly or satellite TV service. But unlike cable or satellite, FiOS isn't available everywhere, only to around 15 to 18 million homes — and mine isn't one of them. That makes those of you who can choose FiOS the aforementioned lucky lottery winners (now you see the accuracy of the metaphor), and the estimated 4.4 million of you who have chosen FiOS for your TV service and 5 million for broadband connectivity smart lottery winners. And not being a FiOS lottery winner makes me angrier than, well, someone who plays the same numbers in the lottery every week — except the week that number actually comes in. And my anger — and perhaps that of all non-FiOS lottery winners — is unlikely to be sated given the recent Verizon/FiOS news.

While watching The Daily Show the other night, I saw a commercial (I hadn't had a chance to DVR past it) for the impending release of the Denzel Washington starrer Safe House in a Blu-ray combo pack. According to the ad, the combo-pack gives you three ways to watch, anytime, anywhere: a Blu-ray disc, a DVD and a digital copy "PLUS all-new UltraViolet." Uh, wouldn't that be FOUR ways to watch anytime, anywhere? While Universal's viewing arithmetic may be faulty, what may be even more off is the fourth billing given UltraViolet. What's UltraViolet? Possibly the future of all home video — if the powers-that-be can smooth out some start-up kinks.

Since way before the iPhone was a gleam in Steve Jobs's eye, back when the Motorola RAZR was the mobile phone du jour, financial institutions, mobile handset makers and carriers have dreamed of turning your cellphone into a mobile wallet, to use your smartphone the same way you use a credit or debit card. Finally, this year we may finally reach this near field communication (NFC) nirvana, of simply waving our smartphone over a retail payment terminal instead of a credit or debit card to pay for our copiously consumed commodities. There's only one problem. Using your smartphone as a credit or debit card replacement may be more trouble than it's worth.