The battle between iOS and Android will always be the one that is fought between fans of the respective mobile operating systems, but at the end of the day, each platform has its strengths and weaknesses and will ultimately come down to personal choice. As well as the software features and included functionality which Apple and Google roll into their firmware, users will also make their decisions based on the available hardware, and as great as the iPhone is, Samsung also has a fantastic and powerful device with their extremely popular Galaxy S III.
It’s certainly not as popular as social networks and services like Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr, but Pinterest has a massive following and huge traffic, being ranked 38th in Alexa’s world’s most traffic-heavy websites. It’s a pinboard-style photo sharing website where users can share images of their interests, hobbies, they can go through other user’s profiles and re-pin their items on their own profile much like the re-blog feature on Tumblr.
Sony once dominated the gaming market with an iron fist, but has lost its way somewhat, and with the PS Vita not managing to be the rousing success the company will have hoped, maybe cross-platform PlayStation Mobile service will fare better.
Apple has been dealing Samsung a barrage of complaints in its court case against Samsung, claiming the South Korean company has infringed on many of its iPhone and iPad design patents in creating the Galaxy series. As well as the talk of hardware, Apple has, to a lesser degree, had a question or two to ask of various UI elements, but to head off its defense, Samsung has countered by claiming Apple has infringed on a number of its own software-based patents.
Most of the attention of the technology loving world has been lavished on Apple and Samsung over the last two weeks, partly because they are the two largest smartphone vendors in the world and are currently actively competing against each for the top spot, but also due to the fact that they are currently locked in a fairly bitter legal dispute in California to resolve whether or not Samsung did indeed "slavishly" copy the design of the iPhone. As entertaining as the court case is, and as enjoyable as the information that it is unearthing, we should really try to step away from the fact that two of the industry’s largest names have had to go down this route and instead concentrate on the wonderful products they both offer.
Every year, a handful of movies arrive and create something of a buzz due to its lead, director, storyline, or the volumes preceding it, but very few have managed to become the number one topic of discussion as Avatar did. The movie was one of the first to present the true capabilities of 3D, and is widely regarded as James Cameron's very best motion picture.
Considering it has been bubbling away and growing in size for the last eighteen months, it is going to be extremely interesting to see how the Apple vs. Samsung patent case progresses and ultimately pans out. It appears that both sides have fairly credible evidence to present to Judge Lucy Koh and the selected jury, but one of the most interesting parts of the case from an outsider’s point of view is the level of information that the companies have been forced to leak into the public domain as part of their own defense.
With everything that is currently going on in the technology industry, it sometimes gets quite difficult to keep all of the announcements in memory and remember what hardware or software is going to be introduced to the marketplace. With the iPhone and iOS 6, the Nexus 7, the chatter surrounding Windows 8 and more recently; the imminent launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note II, I had actually totally forgotten about the impromptu media event where Microsoft introduced us to their Surface tablet. When Apple announces an iPad, it is pretty much available immediately. When Google announced the Nexus 7, it was available for immediate pre-order and was dispatched a couple of weeks later. Microsoft announced the Surface and then, well, nothing happened.
When Microsoft finally got around to announcing Windows Phone 8, users of current WP7.x were left a little disappointed by the lack of support for any current devices. As disheartening as the move was for some, it was a necessary way for Microsoft to really move on, since Windows Phone 8 will offer support for more powerful, dual-core devices - something which will undoubtedly be hindered by the support for older hardware.
With every day passing by, we get a step closer to next-generation iPhone. With so much attention being lavished on the new iPhone over the last few months, interest in the device seems to be at unprecedented levels with consumers and technology enthusiasts all over the globe waiting with bated breath to see what Apple will bring to the table with their latest creation. The various leaked photographs that have surfaced have given us a pretty decent insight into what to expect aesthetically, but the internal specifications remain largely a mystery, with only a few educated guesses being made about what we should be expecting. With that said, we shouldn't be entirely focusing our attention on new hardware when we still have current-generation devices in circulation.
