Whilst the idea of controlling all elements within the home from one device is a concept with futuristic overtones, it's not as though the tech isn't already in place, and one can easily find an app for a smartphone or tablet to open curtains, unlock doors, or more recently, control colorful lighting. With this in mind, Savan Kotecha - music producer for the X Factor, has laden his home in gadgets and contraptions that play nicely with his favorite iOS device - the iPad. He's spent a sum total of $80,000 (and counting) to turn his Hollywood pad into what looks like a geek's dream, and a great deal of his electrical compliances are now controlled from the comfort of his iPad.
The dismissal of iOS SVP Scott Forstall at Apple, which has led to Jony Ive taking the helm in the future direction of the company's mobile software, has brought a whole new impetus on the prospect of iOS 7. With Ive said not to be a fan of the skeuomorphic designs throughout iOS, they'll likely go the way of the dodo, but it's not just the faux leather and paper expected to be updated when the next generation of iOS software eventually arrives next year.
We know how difficult it can be when all of your friends, family and work colleagues are flaunting their new gadget in front of your face but your contract or financial situation doesn't allow you to go out and purchase the latest and greatest tech. Thankfully, staying at the cutting edge of the mobile industry doesn't need to cost a fortune, something that has been demonstrated by a Chinese Apple fan who has managed to forge an iPhone 5 out of nothing more than a lump of steel. Sort of.
The popularity of its product range, coupled with the colossal amounts of money exchanged in the purchase of said products, has made Apple a pretty strong target for fakery. China is one of the main sources of these bootleg products, and even though we're used to seeing copies of some of the higher-end Apple devices - iPads, iPhones and such, the latest product to be ripped from Apple's extensive roster is the Apple TV.
Apple has obviously designed iOS to run perfectly on their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices. Google build and engineer Android with smartphones and tablet devices in mind and Microsoft has built Windows 8 to work on an array of different devices, but it's unlikely that Google, Apple or Microsoft envisaged their software running on a DSLR camera when crafting the operating systems.
Any new device worth talking about is, as a matter of protocol, subject to numerous public tests, with the drop test being by far the most popular. As well as enjoying the perverse pleasure that is watching a brand-new device sustain serious damage, viewing such a test does have its practical benefits, since if a gadget performs particularly poorly, perhaps we'll think twice before parting with our cash.
Microsoft's Surface is one of the most sought-after slates to be releasing this year, and as such, one would expect anybody lucky enough to have their hands on one already to be treating it with the utmost care; enjoying a device very few people have even seen in the flesh. Of course, such rules don't apply to Steve Sinofsky - the leader of the team which has created the Surface - and in a rather comical sketch, has demonstrated how the device also doubles up as a rather useful skateboard.
I'm not sure about you, but I love seeing some of the most sought after, well-crafted and technologically-advanced gadgets be torched, chopped and dropped - all in the name of pure entertainment. While thousands - if not millions - of consumers save up their pennies for months in order to afford their next big tech purchase, there's always a company or organization out there simply tarnishing them and filming the result for our viewing pleasure.
NASA's Curiosity rover, which recently saw pop star will.i.am broadcast from on the surface of Mars, is quickly becoming the master achiever of unprecedented feats, and now holds acclaim as the first to check-in from another planet, courtesy of Foursquare.
One of the things I look forward to after the announcement of an Apple product is the promo video from John Elerick on YouTube. They take the official “Introducing ” video from Apple, taking the lines and personalities in it, and add their own flavor of wit, sarcasm and parody to make a hilarious “ banned promo” video. The latest video which they uploaded earlier today spoofs the official introduction video of the iPhone 5. Check it out after the jump.
