One of the great things about the Catholic Faith is our depth of tradition – both with a capital and lowercase ‘t’. We are blessed to be part of a religion that is in itself a culture, a way of life. In the modern world, sometimes we are too quick to throw away tradition, in favour of the latest ‘innovations’ or change for the sake of change. But sometimes technology can also remind us of our customs and practices, and put a new spin on things as well.

November is typically the month when we as Catholic remember our dead – both those who have been formally recognised by the Church as being Saints, as well as those near and dear to us who have gone on to experience the fulfilment of Christ’s promises to us of everlasting life in Heaven. It is important to make time in our lives to reflect on those who have gone before us, and to take stock of our own lives in doing so in order to seek out new opportunities to orient our lives in a more saintly direction.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has launched a new online portal focusing on All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day and allowing for the faithful to pay their respects online. The site – www.undasonline.com – contains valuable teaching from the Church on the importance of the month of remembrance, as well as videos, prayers, blogs and other resources for those who are interested.

When the American public alone is expected to spend close to US$7 this year on Halloween festivities, it is nice to see a cheaper, better way of focusing on the dead coming to the fore. And if technology can help us remember to pray for the dead, then that is a good thing indeed.

The Catholic Geek team makes no bones about our love of the power of mobile technology, and over the years we’ve talked at great length over the developing range of devices that can keep you connected and productive on the go. Smartphone technology has been rapidly evolving in the past few years, with the market sparked into life by the release of the iPhone in 2007. Just in time for the end-of-year rush, the big players in the smartphone market have all announced their latest and greatest innovations in the mobile space – making it ripe for an overview of the moblile battlefield!

Apple’s iPhones have been the phones to beat since their release in 2007. Famous for making smartphones easy for everyone, the iPhone has been the phone to make the mobile market take off. With the latest release of iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S, Apple have continued to refine a great product while keeping the fundamental easy-to-use heart of the iPhone in place.

Google’s Android phones have become the most widely sold handsets by Google doing what they do best – providing a great service for free and making their profits through supporting services. By giving the operating system away for free to handset manufacturers, Google has managed to get the majority of the smartphone marketshare through saturation of the range of devices. Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of the Android’s operating system, makes great strides in making Android more user friendly, and Google’s signature phone, the new Galaxy Nexus, makes a great handset to consider for your next phone.

Microsoft has become the dark horse in this race, with their Windows Phone software playing catchup by coming late to the party. While they have struggled for marketshare in the year that Windows Phone has been on the market, their ace in the hole has been played with Nokia launching the first pair in a range of Windows Phone handsets just in time for the end of the year. With the new version, known as ‘Mango’, receiving great reviews across the internet, Windows Phone could be the new technology to watch in the coming months.

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