Whether you go unsubsidized or take out a contract with one of the carriers, the purchasing of an iPhone is an expensive gig, and after paying an arm and a knee for the thing, it figures you'd also want a decent protective cover for it. This, of course, means more expenditure, and although cases and sleeves can be picked up for a couple of dollars on eBay, the ones that'll actually help shield your device from the daily grind are not only fairly pricey, but can add quite a few extra millimeters of bulk to your device's form factor.
Although Apple's iPhone remains one of the most popular and sought-after devices on the market, the news earlier this month of Samsung taking its crown as the number one smartphone manufacturer will have sent alarm bells ringing. To make matters worse, it has now been revealed that Microsoft's Windows Phone has overtaken the fruit company's iPhone in terms of market share in China - the largest market in the world.
Apple's iTunes Festival has increased in popularity since first launching in 2007, and has just released details of some of this year's featured acts, including popular artists such as Usher and Norah Jones.
Samsung's latest top of the range smartphone, the Galaxy S III, has been the talk of the mobile world in recent months with consumer technology lovers falling over themselves to get their hands on it and see what all the fuss is about. The South Korean electronics giants managed to keep a lot of the finer details under wraps until the official launch at the start of this month, but if reports are to be believed then the event held in London has stirred up significant interest in the device.
Five months before Apple is expected to bring the next iPhone to market, rumors are already swirling like a tornado waiting to rip out the hearts of fanboys the world over. We've had plenty of claims and counter claims already, and that shows no sign of changing before an Apple executive puts foot to stage in order to announce just what the next iPhone will be like.
Sony's biopic of Steve Jobs' life is at production stage, and although some details have yet to be confirmed, it has been revealed that the movie will be written by Aaron Sorkin, and will benefit from the insight of Apple co-founder-turned-Lumia-fanboy Steve Wozniak, often referred to simply as "Woz". The guy who started Apple along with Jobs in a garage some 35 years ago, he would seem as apt a figure as any to offer guidance to Sorkin, who himself does his suitability stripes no harm with the likes of The Social Network to his name.
One of the things I personally found most fascinating about the late, great Steve Jobs was his dogmatic approach to everything that he did. Unfazed by skepticism, he took visions and ideas, remained vigorously dedicated to them, and while some were relatively hit-and-miss, the company he co-founded with Steve Wozniak has produced some of the most iconic and era-defining devices and innovations ever seen.
It's getting extremely interesting on the eve of Facebook's IPO, with the social network managing to raise an incredible $16 billion, while setting the price per share at an impressive starting point of $38 apiece. As expected, the managers from the big-money companies have all been keen to get in on the act, and the share price leaves Facebook's market value at an incredible $104 billion - half that of fellow web-based giant Google.
Those playing games on mobile devices are invariably referred to as "casual gamers", despite the quality of gameplay and graphics knocking on the door of the hardcore titles we know and love from the consoles. If research gathered by mobile game developer MocoSpace is anything to go by, casual is certainly an apt description of today's mobile gamers, with a third playing titles while they ought to be working hard in class!
It may just be something that is unique to me, but I always seem to get a little excited about mobile apps and Cydia-based tweaks that offer some kind of audible feedback to the user. I love Siri and App Store apps like Evi because they talk back to me, and I love tweaks like iCallAnnounce because they react to an event on the device and provide feedback to me through voice.
