MANILA, Philippines -- Ok. So, the Holy Week has come and gone. Again.

Did you have much fun, frolicking in the sandy beaches under the sun? Or did you opt to stay put in the metropolis, and spent the holy days in pure bliss and quiet?

However you spent the past week, I hope you come up fully recharged and rejuvenated – if not your soul, at least your body and spirit.

Because the 9–5 world is now upon us once again, we are back in you-don't-work-you-don't-eat world. It is back once again to romancing EDSA's crawling traffic, and playing "patintero" with bus and truck drivers who have never heard of "road discipline" and "traffic safety" before in their lives.

I sincerely hope you have had enough rest to deal with the rat race once again.

Flipped

Two years ago, market analysts were singing praises for Cisco Systems' acquisition of Pure Digital Technologies, maker of the Flip video camera. A week or two ago, faster than anyone could say "bad decision," Cisco decided to close down its Flip business, something it spent $590 million to acquire.

Analysts are almost unanimous in saying that Cisco's move goes against the consumerization trend that is engulfing the IT world in a tsunami fashion. So, while the rest of the IT market is seeing products and technologies being "usurped" into gadgets and devices suitable for consumers, here comes Cisco letting go of its only consumer-friendly product line.

So, what gives?

It seems like Cisco knows something that other IT vendors do not.

Do standalone video cameras have no future? Or is this a case of a large company going nuts?

Nokia Updates Symbian

Nokia launched the E6 and X7 smartphones, the first of the Finnish mobile phone vendor's mobile devices to come equipped with the updated Symbian mobile operating system. The smartphones come with longer battery life, improved text input, enhanced Ovi Maps applications, the company says.

The Nokia E6 comes with a standard QWERTY keypad and a high-resolution display. The Nokia X7, for its part, comes with a 4-inch display, and is ideal for playing mobile games.

The Symbian Anna, the mobile OS that runs the smartphones, runs faster and is prettier than older versions of the software. According to Nokia, in the coming months, the software will be available for high-end smartphones previously released by the company.

Samsung vs. Apple

Samsung Electronics vowed to file a counter-lawsuit against Apple's copyright infringement case against the Korean consumer electronics giant. Apple has alleged that Samsung copied the Cupertino company's iPhone and iPad gadgets.

For its part, Samsung also claims that Apple might have stolen some of its wireless technologies. The case is rather interesting. Apple is one of the largest buyers of Samsung's chip products. Steve Jobs' company accounts for about 4% of Samsung's annual revenue.

That's all for the meantime, folks. Join me again next time as we keep on watching IT.