Will it be worth the wait? While the exact specs and features are still totally up in the air, the latest rumor says that Apple’s iWatch will come with some interesting biometric technology. Indeed, according KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, biometrics could play a big part in Apple’s invasion of your wrist. This is for both security and health tracking. The prediction lines up with the fact that Apple bought biometric sensor company AuthenTec last year.

Given the rise in popularity of devices like the Nike Fuelband, Fitbit and Jawbone Up, it makes a lot of sense that Apple also wants to capitalize on this biometric fad too.

As far as the other rumors go, Kuo also says that the iWatch will have a 1.5 to 2-inch display, but earlier reports also indicated that this could be the first Apple device to utilize flexible display technology too. It will be interesting to see how something like the iWatch stacks up against Google Glass.

[Source]

The post Next Year’s Apple iWatch Getting Biometric Sensors? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Samsung is right now leading the smartphone race, so something big certainly should come from Apple if they have plans to reach the top again. Apple is expected to bring out their next iPhone at their worldwide developer conference in June. Further evidence that this is happening comes from reports claiming that suppliers are already making the display for the so-called iPhone 5S.

While other companies have already started the manufacturing, the next gen iPhone’s LCD displays from Sharp will enter production in June. All these developments are pointing to a possible launch sometime in June or July.

The iPhone 5S is expected to run iOS 7 and come with an updated processor, a fingerprint sensor, improved cam, and more RAM, among other additions. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has earlier said that the device will take time to arrive due to delays in development of the fingerprint sensor and their next OS.

Meanwhile, the rumored low cost iPhone, which is expected to be unveiled beside the iPhone 5S, could enter mass production sometime in the near future. This has been suggested by a new rumor about Apple supplier Pegatron’s plans to increase its workforce in China by 40 percent in the second half of 2013.

As for their upcoming iPad Mini 2, it is expected to arrive with a high resolution Retina Display, which could delay the manufacturing of the device.

[Source]

[Image Source]

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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:

The post Popcap finally releasing ‘Plants vs. Zobmies 2: It’s About Time’ appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

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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In the past, police officers in San Francisco have primarily targeted the sellers of stolen iPhones, now they are changing things up a bit. Now officers are going after just the buyers in order to discourage people from buying the devices.

Of course this tactic is much easier than going after experienced crooks. Undercover cops are going around selling iPhones, which are presented as stolen, in areas (such as the corner of 7th and Market Streets) they know are famous for selling of stolen stuff.

But according to the law, the arrest can only be made if the would-be customer names a price rather than the police officer naming one. Huffington Post says that buyers are suggesting prices ranging from $25 to $200.

Their plan is to reduce the market for stolen iPhones by scaring buyers away, in turn reducing iPhone theft. According to the police, fifty percent of all thefts in San Francisco are that of smartphones, and women are targeted most of the time. It’s uncertain whether their new iDea will work, as the bad guys will still be around finding new places and ways to sell their goods.

What do you think of the plan, should the police target the sellers or the buyers if they wish to stop the spread of stolen smartphone sells?

[Source]

The post Why You Shouldn’t Buy Stolen iPhones, Especially in San Francisco appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Looking for a great way to protect your iPhone 5? There are tons of cases out there that can protect your iPhone 5 from scratching or scuffing but many of them largely look the same. If you want something a bit “different”, you might want to check out these new limited edition Star Wars cases.

The new cases are available via Firebox, or at least they will be. Right now they are up for Pre-Order and will set you back $30.49.

There are four unique variants themed around Chewbacca, Darth Vader, R2-D2 and C-3PO. You certainly will stand out if your phone has this case, that much is pretty much guaranteed.

These cases might not be for everyone but if you are a fellow Star Wars geek like myself, you might find these are the droids cases you are looking for.

Source: Firebox
Via: Ubergizmo 

The post Looking For A Unique Case for Your iPhone 5? Check Out These Special Star Wars Cases appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Twitter released their new music discovery app, Twitter #music today, currently only for iDevices. In a world crowded with all kinds of music services how does this new one from Twitter stand out? Well, let’s take a look.

As you already know, there are many other services out there such as Pandora (great for instant playlists and background music), Spotify (to hear something specific), and iTunes and Rdio and Xbox Music and many more. The new Twitter #music puts more fun into music discovery and offers a good looking user interface.

Launch the app and log in with your Twitter account, you can check out accounts of artists you follow. The app presents four categories: Popular for the most viewed songs, Emerging for not so popular artists, Suggested showing musicians recommended specifically for you by Twitter, and there’s also #NowPlaying for checking out songs shared by the people you follow.

The songs are arranged in a grid showing album covers and just tap on an artist to listen to a sample of their music via iTunes. You will need to connect with Spotify or Rdio if you want to listen to the full song. If you want to purchase the song all you have to do is tap the iTunes button. As you will see in the video below, the whole experience is pretty smooth.

The app is certainly very easy to use and it doesn’t overwhelm you with stuff. It just brings to you tracks the people being followed by you have tweeted, and just one song per artist.

Is it perfect? Not exactly, though it is a solid first effort. They can surely improve some things on the new app such as the search function which won’t allow you to search for songs. It’s just for artist profiles.

Check out the video below and Twitter #music is available here on the App Store. An Android version is expected to be available sometime in the not-too-distant future as well.

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[Video Source]

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It seems that rumors of a cheap, plastic iPhone refuse to die, but are they really based on reality? If this latest ‘leak’ is to be believed, the so-called budget iPhone might indeed be coming.

A new photo has hit the net claiming to be a rear casing for Apple’s budget iPhone. The leak comes from mobile case maker Tactus. Of course that right there puts up a few red flags. How did a mobile case maker get an actual casing for the plastic iPhone? Is this simply a way to get a some cheap publicity thrown their way?

The idea of a cheap iPhone is one that critics meet with mixed reception. Some say that it would be a great way to reach out to emerging markets. Others say that it could weaken the iPhone’s image and could end up hurting more than helping.

What do you think, is breaking into the emerging or budget market important enough to Apple that they would risk their reputation of only catering to the premium market? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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The post Alleged Image of Budget iPhone Hits the Net appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Do you feel that your iPhone 5 just isn’t fancy enough for you? Don’t worry, there is a cure for that. You could always spend $15 million to have diamonds adorn the entirety of the phone, even going so far as to replace the home button with a giant 26 carat black diamond.

If that sounds crazy, well it actually has happened. Apparently a Hong Kong businessman commissioned the project to turn his phone into diamond-bedazzled work of art. Beyond the 26 carat black diamond, there are also 600 white diamonds on the phone, with the entire ‘design’ being made by British Designer Stuart Hughes.

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable carrying a $15 million dollar phone around in my pocket. Maybe that’s just me. Still, you have to admit that it certainly looks pretty damn stunning, if not a little too gaudy.

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The post Custom Diamond Encrusted iPhone 5 Valued at Around $15 Million appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Let me explain. Part of the trouble with having hundreds of thousands of apps available to you is that you’re bound to come across a lot of garbage apps. Even if we cast those “low quality” apps aside, you’re also bound to come across some that might contain malware or some that may violate the terms of service. Both Google and Apple are supposed to stay on top of that sort of thing, but some “bad” apps will always slip through the cracks.

In this way, it’s quite possible that the app count dropping by 60,000 has something to do with a culling of bad apps. More specifically, many of the “missing” apps are coming from the MP3/ringtone category and they might have to do with some copyright infringement issues. Google removes them, the app count goes down, but we’re left with a “cleaner” list of apps. Of course, this is still speculation.

Don’t get me wrong. We still want lots of apps to choose from and that’s going to be one of the biggest hurdles facing second-tier platforms like Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10. When they’re able to get numbers closer to iOS and Android, we might finally see a race with more than two ponies again.

[Source]

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