Early sales figures of the two biggest flagship Android smartphones thus far this year have shown once again that when it comes to overall consumer appeal, the Samsung Galaxy S series is still head and shoulders above the rest. The 10 million handsets shifted in first month of the latest and greatest Galaxy S4 is double the unofficial 5 million quoted sales of the HTC One in the same timeframe, but with the Taiwanese company still managing to flog the unibody device at a quicker rate than it can make them, its own sales figures are certainly not to be baulked at.
Microsoft has set about spending its huge advertising budget by launching a new TV ad that uses Apple's Siri to compare Windows 8 on tablets with Apple's iOS on an iPad. The ad, which also feels oddly like one of Apple's own, even features the Siri voice we've all come to know over the last couple of years.
When it comes to keyboards, there's plenty to choose from if you want to connect one to an iPad or an iPhone. In fact, there doesn't seem to be a week go by where our inbox isn't host to at least one email extolling the virtues of yet another Bluetooth keyboard that's been designed for use with the iPad.
The battle between Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One is already heating up nicely and we don't even have proper release dates for either of them yet! One area that it appeared that Sony's new machine may have the edge was support for the next standard in HD – Ultra HD. With Sony confirming that the PS4 will indeed support 4K Ultra HD for video only (no gaming!), all eyes were on Microsoft during its big Xbox One reveal, only for 4K to be conspicuous by its absence.
Google Glass is not expected to make consumer release until early on next year, but in the meantime, we've a rather tantalizing situation whereby developers and creative individuals granted early access are talking, tweeting, and sharing images detailing just how cool and exciting this technology really is. Still, while it may be a little much for the general geek to bear, at least the devs are making the most of their privileged early access, and perhaps none more so than prolific developer Adam Bell, who has just figured out a way to route iOS notifications through Glass.
Anticipation for the Galaxy Note 3 and Android 4.3 release is approaching fever pitch. If you happen to be a tad bit excited about the prospect of its release, I'm sure you'll be impressed by the just-leaked benchmark scores.
Google's I/O developer conference last week didn't quite hit the dizzy heights of 2012 when the Mountain View-based company announced Glass, but there remained plenty of food for thought this year after the search giant revealed a string of exciting new products and features. Among them came the introduction of some new Google Now-style Voice Search feature, and today, the improved functionality has been molded into Chrome 27. More details after the leap!
It's fair to say, given the courtroom history and market face-offs between the two, that a certain amount of friction, animosity and contempt exists between Apple and Samsung. The two companies were at loggerheads last year in a court hearing which saw Apple reign supreme over its bitter rival, but with a new trial taking place this year in the same San Jose location, issues have by no means been resolved. As a very relevant subplot, Apple has never been shy of dragging Google into proceedings, and following on from the Cupertino's recent demands to see the Android source code as part of the hearing, Tim Cook's legal bureaucrats have now dragged both the newly-released Samsung Galaxy S4 and Google Now into the equation.
While Microsoft was all too happy to show what the Xbox One will look like when it ships later this year, Sony has been much more coy about what form the next PlayStation will take. Even after it announced the PlayStation 4, Sony is still not showing anyone what the finished product will look like when it goes on sale this holiday season.
The dust may just be settling on the big Xbox One reveal earlier, but with everyone already asking when the console will be available and for how much, Microsoft has begun the pre-order process nice and early.
