Microsoft is about to release a groundbreaking version of its popular Windows operating system, although with the usual frenzy surrounding the iPhone 5, you certainly wouldn't know it. As well as releasing for desktop as per usual, Windows 8 will be available for tablets such as the Surface, and as well as Windows Phone 8 for - you've guessed it - smartphones, a special, tablet-friendly iteration will be released for Windows 8 RT.
The Call of Duty franchise is the most successful in the gaming world, and although the majority of gamers get their fix on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 consoles, the next release of the record-breaking Activision series - Black Ops II - will also be coming to Nintendo's Wii U.
The iPhone 5 has been in the tech wilderness for less than a day, and although the rumors and speculation have finally ceased, the consumer opinion is as incessant as ever. Some like it, some love it, while others are somewhat indifferent, and if Android fans ever needed ammo to label iPhone lovers as ill-informed sheep, then a sketch from the Jimmy Kimmel US TV chat show certainly offers some corroboration to that statement.
Whilst the big technology companies are, to a degree, responsible for shaping the world we live in, they do often take themselves just a little too seriously, and Apple is certainly the best at it. Yesterday was another procession filled with superlatives and self-congratulation, and if you find that rigmarole just a little tiresome, then you'll certainly enjoy CollegeHumor's version of the keynote, held yesterday at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
One of the great things about the smartphone industry is its diversity and contains a number of different mobile operating systems as well as a plethora of devices being pushed to the market by a variety of different manufacturers. There is no definition of a one-size-fits-all device with each new handset offering its own set of features and abilities that appeal to different user sets. One of the frustrating things from a consumer perspective is appreciating 95% of what a device offers, but wanting to make the additional 5% up with options from a different device.
Apple's special media events - where do we start? The hype - tremendous. The anticipation - unrivalled. The gadgets unveiled - revolutionary? Or distinctly average? Or somewhere in between? Perhaps just, well, you know, good - without being particularly earth-moving.
So, the event has finally been and gone, and before I get started on comparing the two biggest smartphones on the market, it's pretty funny how such a long-winded spell of rumor and speculation can be put to rest in less than two hours, isn't it? If you've been anxious for Apple to come out and pay heed to all the leaks then I can most certainly empathize, and barely does the iPhone 5 get to rub its eyes for the first time than it is swiftly thrown in at the deep end with the Samsung Galaxy S III.
If you didn't manage to catch the coverage of today's Apple event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, you'll be pleased to know it's available to watch right now for your viewing pleasure.
The iPhone 5 packs plenty of new and interesting features, and among them is a significantly improved camera. To some less tech-savvy consumers, a transition from an 8-megapixel snapper to, well, another 8-megapixel camera will mean - in their eyes - the rear-facing shooter is unchanged, although as we know, there are plenty of different aspects of a decent camera, and the number of megapixels is certainly not he bottom line.
If you are a registered developer on the official iOS development program, the time has come to head on over to the developer center and see exactly what Apple has in store for us, with iOS 6 GM for iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS, iPad 3, iPad 2, iPod touch and Apple TV just been seeded on the Dev Center.
