Popcap, makers of my favorite plant-based zombie game, have announced that they will finally revive the ‘Plants vs. Zombies’ franchise in July. The long awaited sequel to the popular strategy game named ‘Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time’ is likely to be available on all popular mobile platforms as well as on PC, Mac and select consoles.

Details of the new game haven’t been announced, however a quick read of the Popcap blog seems to suggest that PVZ2 will be a ‘Freemium’ game with possible pay to unlock features and social network integration.

Popcap have also been strangely quiet as to why it has taken so long to launch the sequel, the acquisition by EA and staff layoffs are likely to blame, however they have posted the following video poking fun at themselves for the delay:

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Apple is still top dog when it comes to tablet market share, a pretty impressive feat for a company with only 2 tablet models to choose from, however they aren’t sitting quite as pretty as before as their share has slipped while rivals begin to catch up.

When the ‘tablet wars’ kicked off, the Apple iPad seemed all but unbeatable, but times have changed and the iPad mini came a little late to the party giving the likes of Samsung, Amazon, Asus and others the chance catch up with their pint-sized offerings. The shift in market share is quite dramatic with Apple slipping from a 65% share at the start of 2012 to just under 40% this year. In second place Samsung enjoys a 18% market share, with Asus and Amazon making up the rest and Microsoft coming 5th with 1.8%.

From what we have been seeing Apple’s share will continue to slip unless they really do something special with the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2, but even then it won’t be easy, as a new Nexus tablet is expected soon, along with more Samsung tablets on the way.

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Announced at last year’s Google I/O conference, Google Now is now bringing the personal assistant service and predictive search to iOS users. It has arrived as an update to the Google Search app for iOS and is available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Google Now’s response via voice recognition is much quicker, compared to Siri. And iOS users will get predictive “cards”, whether you asked for it or not, for stuff such as weather, traffic, navigation and sports scores (you can choose what comes on), and this service depends on the way you use Google services. So it’s like getting an answer before you know you want one.

Unlike the Google Now on Android (4.1 and later), the iOS version requires you to log into your Google account for using Now. It also won’t run in the background, and there will be no notifications. This might not be a perfect version, but it certainly gives iDevice owners a taste of what Google Now has to offer.

To get your hands on Google Now for iOS, head over to the App Store.

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When is Microsoft Office going to arrive for iOS and Android? Not very soon it seems, that is if we are to believe a leaked Office roadmap brought to us by ZDNet. Apparently Microsoft’s strategy is to release Office for iOS and Android a year and a half from now on October of 2014.

There have been rumors for a while that Microsoft would extend Office to Android and iOS, but that hasn’t happened. If they are to introduce Office for iOS or Android, they will surely have to put it on Apple and Google’s stores which means sharing revenue with rivals. So, earlier Microsoft decided to release OneNote.

And now, if Microsoft has plans to introduce Office for iOS and Android in October 2014, that’s for attracting customers to its platforms with the exclusivity. But Windows Phone and Windows RT haven’t made waves on the market and if this continues that Office exclusivity until Q4 2014 might not bring good results for the company.

Furthermore, Quickoffice and Google Docs (Drive) could become a big headache in the future, and Apple’s upgraded iWork apps are also coming. The more time Google and Apple gets, the more they can plan for their best shot against Microsoft’s dominance.

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iOS 6 has been on Apple iPad and iPhone devices for a good while, and fans of Apple’s mobile products are looking forward to seeing what new features iOS 7 will bring to the table.

However, it’s not going to be just new features that iOS 7 promises, but the possibility of a much overdue makeover. From the original iPhone back in 2007 to the latest iPhone 5, there haven’t been any real significant changes to the OS. In comparison Android, and even Windows Phone, barely look anything like their originals.

Ever since Jonathan Ive took over the roll of human interface development, he has promised to bring a more modern look to iOS, one which could see the faux post-it look of notes disappear. In fact each of iOS’s apps could see a more simple redesign, which may not necessarily reflect their real world counterparts.

As you would imagine, with such a big change for iOS, Apple is rumoured to be working overtime on iOS 7 and might actually be behind schedule.  No firm release dates or details of the new version of iOS have been announced but we can expect to get a first official glimpse at it during this years Worldwide Developer Conference.

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Back in last December, Google Apps business subscribers got to play with Quickoffice for iPad for free. Now Google Apps users can use the Quickoffice app for editing Microsoft Office documents on iPhone and Android as well, and yes it’s available for free.

With the app you will be able to edit, create and view Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents and then save or share documents through your Google Drive account. Google Drive might become capable of natively opening those types of files and editing them in the future, but until then Quickoffice is what you will need.

If interested, Android users can download from here and the iOS version is available here. As for those of you who don’t have a Google Apps for Business account, you can check out Quickoffice Pro which is available as a paid app priced between $15 to $20. So, are you downloading it already?

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Apple is famous for its products but the Mac maker is equally famous for its trademark issues. You might not have forgotten the company’s secret moves to acquire the iPad trademark and their eventual payment of $60 million. Now they are having trouble with ‘iPad Mini’.

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has denied Apple’s application for a trademark on ‘iPad mini’. According to the USPTO, “The term “MINI” in the applied for mark is also descriptive of a feature of applicant’s product. Specifically, the attached evidence shows this wording means “something that is distinctively smaller than other members of its type or class”. It means that even a company as big as Apple can’t patent words.

And it appears like the USPTO is against the name ‘iPad’ as well, since the ‘i’ stands for internet, and therefore also descriptive. They are saying, “When a mark consists of this prefix coupled with a descriptive word or term for Internet-related goods and/or services, then the entire mark may be considered merely descriptive”. But iPad is a registered trademark of Apple in the US.

Now, if Apple plans to get ‘iPad Mini’ they can only do it by proving to the USPTO that the name is descriptive of the entire device and not a smaller iPad. But that might be difficult to do as, according to Apple, the iPad Mini is “Every inch an iPad”, only smaller.

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The iPhone (or any other smartphone) certainly makes people’s lives a whole lot easier with all sorts of apps, but this new app called the BioAid, from the folks over at the University of Essex, is going to be a blessing for people with a hearing impairment. It converts the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad into hearing aids.

The BioAid app makes use of the iPhone’s microphone, audio processing capability, and earphones. All that a user has to do is install the app and choose a setting that will allow them to hear properly. And since the app has six fixed settings, each one of which has four fine-tuning sub-settings, users will be able to target specific frequencies. And that’s not all. The app can bring up low sounds while simultaneously turning down loud noises in the earphones.

In theory, there’s no need for those hearing aids worth hundreds of dollars and no need to visit the hearing aid specialist. There is that need to own an iDevice, though. It will be a great help if there is also an Android app available. Hopefully in the future we might see BioAid available with tiny behind-the-ear gadgets or smartwatches, and its settings might even be adjusted remotely.

A beta version of the BioAid is available for free on iTunes. It is certainly an interesting idea, though it probably is no match for specialized hearing equipment at this stage. What do you think?

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Apple has now created a new iPad page highlighting the features of both the iPad and iPad mini on their website. The new page is much like the iPhone page they launched earlier this month and points out everything that is ‘great’ about the iOS tablets.

Obviously it’s just Apple marketing going in to high gear in order to better fight off growth from competing tablets, particularly Android devices. The page is actually quite informative and gives you all the best bits of the iPad on one continuous page. Other areas on the Apple site have you navigation from page to page to get the full story.

Apple is obviously feeling the pressure from Android devices, and hopes that this new targeted campaign will be enough to keep people in their camp. What do you think of their recent iPhone/iPad campaign, does it smell of desperation or do you agree that the iPhone and iPad are the best consumer smartphone and tablet options on the market right now?

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As great as your chosen tablet may be, there is still something to be said about typing with that on-screen keyboard. Having a physical set of keys beneath your fingers just feels more natural and that’s why there are so many Bluetooth keyboards on the market. If you’re in the market for both a case and a keyboard for your iPad, this keyboard case from Gembox could be the perfect fit.

It serves three main purposes. First, the polyurethane “synthetic leather” case will protect your iPad against bumps, bruises and other damage. The “thin and stylish” case also has a magnetic flap closure to maintain those clean lines. Second, the case can function as a stand, letting you watch videos without having to hold on to the iPad itself. And third, of course, is that keyboard.

Even though the spill-proof keyboard is built into the case itself, it actually connects to your iPad via Bluetooth. It has a rated battery life of 45 hours, recharging via the provided USB charging cable and bonus USB A/C wall adapter. You can conserve battery life by using the on/off switch.

Normally retailing for $99.99, the Gembox iPad Keyboard Case is available now for $29.99, a savings of 70% off the regular price.

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