During the course of the next few months, its fair to say gaming fans have got it pretty good. Halo 4 has just released, and having sold in record numbers, Call of Duty: Black Ops II is ready to make its annual assault on the sales charts. On top of that, Rockstar Games have gotten GTA fans all hot and bothered about the prospect of Grand Theft Auto V, and after months of teaser screenshots, the developer finally began taking pre-orders last month for the release in early 2013. With gamers now under no illusions about when GTA V will be making its way to market, Rockstar has reverted back to its old tactic, so without further ado, here's your latest batch of screenshots.
What with all the noise, hullaballoo and general excitement surrounding the release of the iPad mini, the slightly refreshed iPad 4 has found itself all but forgotten about. Replacing the existing iPad 3, or New iPad, the fourth generation unit is the same as the third bar some tweaks here and there, which may explain the lack of excitement. Still, if you've been waiting for the cellular versions of the tablet to be made available, then you won't have to wait much longer.
If you are a smartphone fan who prefers to step away from the likes of iOS and Android then this last week will have been an extremely exciting time with Windows Phone 8 hitting the market on some pretty powerful devices, and immediately starting to gain some traction in the smartphone industry. While it's going to take Microsoft a long time in current mobile market to compete on numbers with iOS and Android, the initial reaction to WP8 are generally positive. The Redmond company themselves are now trying to add to the Windows Phone 8 experience with the official preview release of their Skype app for the platform.
The iPhone 5 has now been with us for approximately seven weeks but if you thought you were going to be sitting at the cutting edge of smartphone technology for a substantial period of time, then a report coming out of China could pour some cold water on that thought. A story coming from the Commercial Times is suggesting that Apple have no intention of resting on their laurels when it comes to updating and upgrading their iPhone hardware and could be planning on initiating a trial production run of iPhone 5S handsets as early as next month.
It should be common knowledge by now that Apple has recently added iPad mini to their iPad lineup, and the unexpected addition of the fourth-generation iPad, coming only seven months after the introduction of the iPad 3. All of the signs point to the new miniature iPad being an extremely successful addition to the company's tablet range, and with LTE variants of the iPad mini beginning to ship this week, Apple has ramped up their promotional campaign with the launch of two new iPad mini commercials.
The Windows 8 conundrum is perhaps far from over, even if subdued, and whether you love it or hate it (or are completely indifferent, for that matter), it remains a fact that Apple has a really healthy competition in the tablet battlefield for the first time. Windows 8 / RT shows promise in all the right places, and brings an element of ecosystem familiarity that has gained the Cupertino giant its massive numbers quarter over quarter. Things seem to be headed in the right direction, for now.
Microsoft certainly means business with Windows Phone 8, and it's easy to see why. The second major re-imagining of Windows Phone of recent years, this time around is arguably Microsoft's last chance to make its mobile operating system stick. With strong competition coming from Apple and Google, Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 is struggling to make any real impact.
Any person who appreciates beautiful and understated design will understand the craftsmanship and dedication that goes into producing a unique, one of a kind timepiece and will understand the price tag associated with classic watches. If new reports are to be believed then it looks like Tim Cook and Apple know all too well just how much it can cost to get their hands on the rights to use probably one of the most famous clock-faces in the world. As part of their development of iOS 6, Apple paid approximately $21 million to license the use of the Swiss clock-face design.
The patent wars that Apple have found themselves in over the last eighteen months are extremely well documented and have been covered all over the world as the Cupertino based company carries on the fight to protect what they believe is their registered property. The ongoing issues with Samsung and Motorola Mobility may not show any signs of coming to an immediate end but it looks like Apple may have one less thing to worry about after coming to a legal agreement with Taiwan based HTC regarding patents.
With the holiday season fast approaching, those looking to make the market-leading games console a feature of theirs - or somebody else's - living room will have a decent array of bundles to choose from, and if you're looking to acquire an Xbox 360 this holiday season, please check out the details below.
