Annex Products has unveiled the Quad Lock, a multipurpose mounting system for iPhone.

The Quad Lock is a mounting solution that attaches to almost any surface and positions your mobile device in portrait or landscape mode. With Quad Locks’ multi-purpose hands free mount, watching movies, reading the latest news or playing with your favourite apps is now even easier.

The lightest and strongest mount available on the market, the Patent Pending Quad Lock System is ultra slim and made from tough polycarbonate. The Quad Lock case includes a fitting in the rear of the case which securely attaches to any of the Quad Lock Mounts. The different mounts will allow the user to use an iPhone in varied scenarios. The many different applications for the mount include Cycling, Car, Golf Cart, Aircraft, Home and Office and even use as a microphone stand to display sheet music. If you don’t have an iPhone there is a Universal Adapter available which allows you to add Quad Lock functionality to just about any phone, case or tablet.

Mounts/Kits that are currently available include:

•  Quad Lock Deluxe Kit- This kit includes: A Quad Lock Case for iPhone 4/4S, two Wall Mounts with 3M Adhesive, and a Bike Mount PRO with mounting hardware.
•  Quad Lock Wall Mount Kit- This kit includes: Quad Lock Case for iPhone 4/4S and two Wall Mounts with 3M Adhesive

Available accessories include the following: Adhesive wall mount, iPad case, Poncho (a water resistant protective cover for the iPhone 4/4S Quad Lock case), Universal Adapter and Tripod Adapter

Available at: www.quadlockcase.com
Price: different kits range from $39.95 to $69.95

Waxing lyrical

It may involve a bit of effort, but once your iPhone’s packed full of lyrics you’ll become the karaoke queen (or king).

Lyrics Go provides an alternative music player to the one that already features on Apple devices. It’s very simple to use and doesn’t look too dissimilar to the original, the difference is that you can store all the lyrics to your music on it, ready for when you get that urge to sing along.

You have the ability to add whatever tracks are stored on your iPhone/iPod to the app. By adding LRC files to the App’s documents in iTunes you can then read the lyrics as you’re listening to the song.

Pros: Good idea for anyone who loves singing along to their music. It’s a simple and easy-to-use app.

Cons: Although the idea is simple, it could be less hassle for the user. Having to manually add lyrics, rather than the app connecting to the web to download them, seems a little dated and time consuming.

It’s a great idea that will appeal to music fans, unfortunately some user may get fed up of the time consuming element.

The Satechi Audio Cube Bluetooth Speaker is compatible with any Bluetooth-enabled device including iPhone 4S, Android phones, new iPad, MacBook Pro and more.

The new Audio Cube Bluetooth Speaker weighs only 9.6 oz. and has a built-in rechargeable battery for 6 hours of playtime, making it an ideal solution when on the go. The new Bluetooth speaker boasts a dual-channel speaker system with each channel output providing two watts of power for optimum sound quality. Additionally, the compact enclosure contains large speakers that significantly enhance low-end bass frequencies.

The Audio Cube Bluetooth Speaker has an auxiliary port to connect other non-Bluetooth devices or to double as an extended speaker for existing audio systems. It can also be controlled via the integrated volume, pause/play and power buttons on the top of the speaker. The Audio Cube Bluetooth Speaker can be recharged via any USB port.

Available at: Satechi.net and Amazon.com
Price: $44.99

Are you in need of an iPad 3 or 2 case that can balance on a surface in either portrait or landscape position? You may be in luck!

Hey everyone! Here’s the case review on the CueTab. What do you think of the case? What do you like about it? What don’t you like about it?

Website: http://www.cuetab.com
Sale Price: $19.95

This review is courtesy of JrProductionx.
View the JrProductionx Youtube channel for many more gadget reviews.

Do you reckon that this heat wave that we’re currently enjoying is the start of summer? Whether it’s a genuine inauguration or a false dawn, you can fan yourself with five great apps that have been reviewed on our site this past week. Based on the star ratings that each app earned, these apps seem to be hotter than England’s post-spring and early summer heat. Get to know all five iPhone apps and prepare to be spellbound by their electronic wizardry.

5: MyCityWay London24: All eyes on London!

This app is a must have for anyone planning to visit London and for the locals themselves, due to the app using real-time information and location based guides. There is no need to download separate apps for London eateries, landmarks, shopping, traffic, weather, nightlife or any other separate aspect, as this app has it all! MyCityWay Lonon24 is an incredibly useful and trustworthy tool for anyone living in or visiting London. And the best part of it is that this app is FREE!!

Read full review of MyCityWay London24

4: Puzzler Wordsearch: Find Those Hidden Words!

As puzzle apps go, this one is on the easier end of the spectrum with the clues being much simpler to solve than games such as crosswords or Sudoku; however, if you fancy a fun way to kill a few minutes or want to keep a kid entertained for quite a while, Puzzler Wordsearch is perfect. The drag-to-highlight feature makes selecting words easy as pie. You can pause the game in order to try and beat your top time as you nip to the toilet. Some of the words in the puzzle are pretty impressive, so it means that you can build up your vocabulary whilst playing!

Read full review of Puzzler Wordsearch

3: Greece: History & Culture – An insight into the Magnificent Greek Beginnings and Heritage

The app is presented in an easy to use and clear layout, making it ideal for students, travellers, teachers, history enthusiasts, researchers and fellow Greeks to discover some awe inspiriting historical facts. Users have the option to search by time periods or year and the timeline included is a great feature for viewing mythological figures, events and stories. One of the most useful elements to the app is that no Internet connection is required, making it ideal for use when travelling. This is a knowledgeable and insightful app into the phenomenal history and culture of Greece.

Read the full review of Greece: Histoy and Culture

2: Murder DIEary by iSEEtoon: Dexter Meets iPhone Comic Book!

This app provides its users very intereting slick graphics and a genuinely engaging storyline. it’s a little wonder that Murder DIEary won a special Korea Content Award from the Korean Content Agency in 2011. The drawings are very impressive, albeit in a simple way; the way that the characters can expresses so much just through their eyes are done very well. There are 13 chapters to this saga, which means that you can kill a fair amount of time engrossing yourself in the story.

Read the full review of Murder DIEary by iSEEtoon

1: Trip To Worlds: Travel Journal and Social Connection Combined!

This app could be your perfect travel companion! It acts as a travel journal and social connection app all in one, as it allows users to login via their Facebook account and list their friends according to their country of residence automatically. Users can record and track their travel experiences by writing overviews, uploading picture galleries and trip ratings. These can then be shared via Facebook, allowing family and friends to keep track of wherever users have been or may be in the world. Overall, Trip to Worlds is an easy to use, interactive and colourful app that acts as a useful travel tool.

Read the full review of Trip to Worlds

And if by any chance you missed out the other apps featured, try checking out the top five hottest apps for the first week of May!

Image Source: blog.toggle.com

The hype couldn’t be any bigger and new rumours swell daily, drowning you in an iPhone tsunami of information overload, but over the near horizon there appears to be clarity. Apple’s legal pursuit of the iphone5.com domain name and there recent acquisition of it this week can mean only one thing, the iPhone 5 is coming and it is coming soon. The fact that the 4s wasn’t the revolutionary upgrade expected from the 4, that co-founder Steve Wozniak has cited the current device’s short comings, the hushed whispers that Apple now the worlds biggest computer company are resting on their laurels all combined with the untimely passing of Apple founder and international icon Steve Jobs (whose last project this phone is stated to have been) means that this is Apple’s biggest product launch in a very, very long time. The chips are down, not only for this to be the best iPhone to date (it will be) but also for it to smash the competition out of the water.

However, while countless coverage has been put into the predicted features this mythical piece of metal and glass will have very little has been written about what these predicted features will mean for the app market, because a better iPhone means a better App store. Some of the rumours may be conjecture and some certainly are, but we aim to discover what the iPhone 5 could mean for those of us who live our lives through the apps.

Image Source cnet.co.uk

Rumour 1: “The iPhone 5 will be made of Liquidmetal” – Rumour likelihood: Doubtful at best

It is only fitting that we start with the most recent and perhaps the least likely rumour first, “The iPhone 5 will be set in a Liquidmetal shell, with a Liquidmetal screen.” In 2010 Apple invested an estimated $11 – $20 million in Liquidmetal Technologies for the exclusive use of this material in their technology. Since then persistent rumours over the inclusion of this magical material have been incessant. Liquidmetal is a new form of alloy that is: strong, flexible, resistant to corrosion, water, fire, nearly unbreakable, scratch resistant, bendable… and more. While we do expect Apple to eventually use this material in an innovative product launch the inventor of this mythical alloy himself has recently conceded that Liquidmetal is not yet ready for inclusion in smart phone technology. Whether this is another genius marketing ploy by Apple or far more likely the alloy simply isn’t ready for mass production what a Liquidmetal iPhone could do for the app market wouldn’t only change it, it could revolutionize it. In reality what we should expect from the iPhone 5 is an improved glass retina display that will improve quality, but not revolutionize it.

App Pros for Liquidmetal

Just imagine the possibilities: “Siri, how hot is my bath?” Stick the phone in and find out. “What’s the PH level of the rain?” Easy. The possibility for apps that offer underwater cameras, apps that provide oven thermometers, iPhone games that involve bouncing your iPhone off your desk or the pavement, apps you can use to tell whether or not you have a fever… Ok I’m getting carried away, but for those with the nuance, creativity and some serious programming skills the potential for future apps within a device that will be made from an allegedly infallible material opens up opportunities for apps capable of boggling the imagination.

App Cons

The fact that we are highly unlikely to see the inclusion of this alloy anytime soon is the main one, the other of course being the possibility that it simply doesn’t live up to the hype, and that the technology necessary to create such revolutionary apps simply won’t match up to the material, but most importantly you won’t be able to stick your phone in the oven anytime soon.

Image Source: igyann.in

Rumour 2: “The Bigger Screen” – Rumour Likelihood: Expected

Multiple sources from the Daily Mail, T3, Tech Crunch, Reuters & Bloomberg to name only a few have reported that the iPhone 5 screen will see an increase in size from 3.5 inches to a size that ranges from 4-inches up to 4.6 inches. Competitors including Samsung and Android have increased the sizes of their latest models to 4.3 inches meaning that the times are a-changin’ and Apple will be expected to follow suit.

While this immediately sounds like a bonus for the app market there has been a reason that Apple has retained a 3.5-inch screen through 5 generations of phones before it and this is primarily down to the iOS platform and the extensive collection of apps custom built to measure this platform.

App Pros for a larger screen:

•  A richer fuller display.
•  Easier navigation.
•  A bonus to any video based apps.
•  An improvement to content based applications (easier to see / easier to read).
• An improvement in typing based applications.
•  An improvement in in gameplay for gaming based applications.

App Cons For a Larger Screen

•  Apps that haven’t been designed to fit a fuller screen will either look overly stretched or compressed.
•  Those wishing to retain their older iPhone models will have to worry whether future developers will bear their devices in mind when bringing new Apps to market.
•  Chaos for developers who haven’t taken measures to ensure the coding of their apps is up to an increase in size.
•  Fear of the dreaded two-tier iPhone ecosystem, where those with dated models are left in the past.

Image source: slash gear

Rumour 3: “Apple A6 Chip – Quad Core Processor” – Rumour Likelihood: Expected

With rumours of an A6 chip dating back to Autumn 2011 and leading competition already moving into the realm of quad core processors it is highly likely that the A6 chip will be included in the iPad 3 this spring and then later in the iPhone 5 in October. What this means is that the A5 processor currently found in the iPad 2, which currently offers a slick 45nm (nanometre) processor will be sliced down to the A6’s 28nm processor. This device will also be capable of 3D stacking, which means more transistors. To make sense of all of this in laymen’s terms the punch that the A6 chip and improved processors will pack is a lot more speed, much better efficiency, a vastly improved battery performance, slicker and better graphics, and the potential (despite it being highly unlikely) of a phone that packs 1GB of RAM.

App Pros for an A6 Processor

• Speed: Faster means everything from turning the phone on to browsing, game play and app loading times will improve. You’ll have a slicker running app store with slicker running apps.

•  Efficiency / Battery life: The vampire apps which suck your battery dry In what seems like a matter of moments will have to work twice as hard to drain your resources, which means that the preconditioned iPhone owners constant fear of finding the nearest power source will be replaced by a tranquillity typically reserved for notebook holders.

•  Graphics: With a processor that offers a substantial step forward there is the possibility for the phones graphic capabilities to follow suit. While there are no realistic rumours of Apple designing a video game console, why would they need to with technology like this?

Cons for the App Market

• None / Zip / Zero

Image Source: macrumours.com

Rumour 4: “Improved Camera” – Rumour Likelihood: Near Certain

The iPhone 4s’ improved 8mp camera and 1080p video capture were a big step up from what the 4 had to offer but still a fair shout short of smart phone industry leader Nokia’s latest 12mp offering. It is well documented that the Apple team have been in talks with Sony, their go to camera supplier, regarding a new back-illuminated CMOS sensor with HDR settings which will aim to create a thinner, quicker and more efficient camera but it is unlikely that the iPhone 5 will see a significant increase in camera quality from its predecessor. Other (slightly more ludicrous) rumours circulating regard the possibility that the new device will feature a 3D camera & display and while it is well documented that Apple have invested heavily in 3D technology realistically the waning sales of 3D televisions, 3D cameras and the almost farcical lack of interest from the public in 3D technology (with the exception of the movies) means that this is a highly unlikely inclusion in the latest iPhone model.

App Pros

•  No one does photo apps like the App Store and with improved image quality, a better sensor, HDR video capture and minor tweaks to speed and size expect your favourite photography apps to only get better. Expect rapid updates from leading photography apps that will exploit the iPhone’s new features to improve user experience and photos.

•  While feature length films are already being filmed on iPhones the predicted improvements to the already rich 1080p video will be a huge step forward for Apples interface. While we don’t expect a FC X app just yet or anything with the editing power similar this improvement will make a marked difference to how YouTubers, journalists and amateur film makers ply their trade.

App Cons

• Only one: Being ‘un-photogenic’

Image Source: phonearena

Rumour 5: “Increased Memory” – Rumour Likelihood: Unlikely

The iPhone 4s rolled out Apples first 64GB offering on the market and if current sales reports are anything to go by the iPhone 5 will also include a 64GB offering. While like the current 64GB 4s this model will come with a hefty price tag, on the plus side you’ll definitely struggle to fill it up. It is unlikely that we will see a further increase to these specs and a 100+ GB iPhone model probably won’t even make an appearance in the iPhone 5s model.

App Pros

• More memory means you can store more apps, bigger apps, and have to deal with less petulant maintenance.

Cons

• More memory also means a hefty increase in price.

Image source: gizchina.com

Rumour 6: “An iPhone with 4G” – Rumour Likelihood: Near Certainty

While for us in the UK 4G capability seems like a distant dream in the US leading Apple competitors have already rolled out slick new 4G offerings and Apple would be criminally negligent not to follow suit. 4G compiled with a slicker processor & improved memory will mean that for those of you in countries that currently offer 4G access you can put down your sails whilst negotiating the data waves and turn on the engines for smooth data based sailing.

App Pros for 4G Inclusion

 For those of you who have been frustrated waiting for maps to load, pages to surf or just your turn on online gameplay 4G will mean that these issues should become a thing of the past. Apps will be quicker, they will be more efficient and the currently thick line between data and WiFi will quickly become blurred meaning that you can enjoy more on the move.

App Cons for 4G

The main con will be availability, see the map for the current international 4G hotspots. While the USA has been a market leader with 4G technology there are still patches across the country that are not covered. The first 4G capable networks are not expected in Europe until 2013. Savvy app developers will know this and are highly unlikely to produce Apps that aren’t capable of functioning well on a 3G network but while having a 4G compatible iPhone will be great…for those of us not in the designated areas it will just be a feature that we will have to wait to enjoy.

Image source: internetretailling.net

Rumour 7: “NFC Technology” – Rumour Likelihood: Near fact

Android has already rolled out a device capable of NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. NFC allows you to make payments via a scanner using your mobile phone and whether it appears in the iPhone 5 of the iPhone 5s this is guaranteed to be a feature in the iPhone in the very near future.

App Pros

Expect a rush of apps from your bank and card carriers when this development comes to fruition. NFC technology will mean ease of use, ease of payment and potentially the possibility that you won’t need to carry a wallet at all. Money managing apps will also be closer at hand with more up to date and interactive information on how best to manage your finances. It is also not ludicrous that public transport, toll companies any service capable of utilizing NFC technology will follow suit with their own offerings to the app market.

App Cons

•  Security, no matter how many assurances that we receive informing us that NFC technology is safe there are always naysayers & there will always be criminals with the means to exploit the technology.
•  Annoying regulations on maximum spend.
•  Overspending, a payment option that is this simple is likely to encourage overspending for those of us who lack the necessary control over their finances (me included).

In Closing

While there are plenty of other rumours circulating regarding what the iPhone 5 will feature, most notably a slimmer design, and the possibility of no home button we will have to wait for Apples annual WWDC conference this coming June and hope that they will enlighten us about what is rumour and what is fact. Whether these proposed changes are minor or major, their influence on the app market and the apps available to us will be a direct result of the specs the iPhone 5 will be equipped with. One thing is for certain; the iPhone 5 has a lot to prove and it has an expecting public.

The Facebook IPO may have been the most-hyped moment in stock market history, and it was certainly not without its drama.

It made celebrities from Mark Zuckerberg to Bono filthy rich(er), and left many small-time investors holding the bag, wishing they hadn’t gotten in the sandbox with the big boys.

But now that the day of reckoning has passed, Apple lovers should take the time to attempt to discern what the mega-IPO’s long-run impacts on Apple really are. The mega-companies are two of the leading faces of the tech revolution that has seized our lives in the past decade or two.

Zuckerberg himself is the new Steve Jobs, an unexpected leader in the sea change that has swept our lives into the 21st century. No one short of Zuckerberg himself could have predicted just how ubiquitous his social network was destined to become.

And the ways they interact with one another in coming years will be one of the unavoidable storylines of modern American business, with the two companies – along with others like Google and Microsoft – struggling to keep their pieces of the tech pie.

In the lead-up to the IPO over the past month, we saw just how important the interplay between Facebook and Apple will be.

Stock market observers pointed to the large number of investors selling Apple (AAPL) as the big day approached last week as a sign that Apple was going to take a huge hit as people sought to move their holdings into the hottest new stock on the block. “Apple is being used as an ATM for the Facebook IPO,” wrote Chris Verrone at Strategas. And CNBC correspondent Jane Wells went so far as to predict that the exodus from Apple was a reflection not just on Facebook — a tenuous argument in itself — but on the state of Apple itself. “If Facebook doesn’t pop tomorrow, maybe Apple’s fall is about…Apple,” Wells wrote last Thursday.

But by tracking what actually happened when Facebook (FB) hit the market last Friday, and using that information to test these early assumptions, we can see that — as so often happens in matters of money and technology — the prognosticators were proven wrong.

Facebook stock debuted at about $38 last Thursday, and opened for its first public trading day at $42, swiftly dropping back to $38 by the close.

Meanwhile, Apple share prices held up in the moment of truth. It saw a quick dip at open but then was trading at about $532 near the close of the session, meaning it had actually increased 0.5 percent that day.

Facebook, meanwhile, has been a flop, so much so that regulators are even saying Morgan Stanley may have botched the IPO.

On Wednesday, FB stock closed at about 32, down significantly from last week, and even more from its short-lived peak.

And some observers say that this is in keeping with the true worth of the two companies, not the one that we had been led to accept as the FB IPO neared.

Brett Buckley, a contributor at Seeking Alpha, fleshes out this point in great detail, first explaining that, “Apple is an iconic and transformative company. It is a mature business, but has managed to reinvent itself and remain ‘cool’ for a few decades now.” Facebook, on the other hand, is unbelievably “cool” right now, he explains, but the numbers just don’t support the theory that it can sustain its growth and become a real threat to the supremacy of more established, better-positioned companies like Apple.

“Facebook subscribers are growing at 25-30% right now. Worldwide Internet users are growing at 10-15%. Facebook subscribers are 40% of all Internet users,” Buckley writes. “At these current growth rates, there will be more Facebook users than Internet users five years from now … Facebook subscriber growth has to start decelerating dramatically at this point. It’s just simple math.”

So though Facebook is the hottest thing on Wall Street right now, and it will be a fierce competitor in the years to come, Apple fans can rest easy knowing that the long-term health of the company is not in jeopardy as a result of Facebook’s swift ascendancy.

You don’t have to be a crusty eco-warrior to realise that the world is on a serious negative slide when it comes to pollution and that unless something is done to stop it, our children’s children will have to face major consequences. If you want to do your bit for the environment then you could do worse than checking out Greenit!, an app that lets you tag a custom design image (like a solar panel), onto a photo taken in reality. Clear as mud? Read on!

With apps such as Instagram making it popular to photo-document your day-to-day activities, it seems sensible to utilise this trend to try and get people more conscious about the environment. Greenit! Allows users to take a photograph and, well, ‘Greenit!’ by pasting a green and clean element on to it that would help illustrate how sustainable progress could be achieved. For example, let’s say that there is a huge office near your window that you think could benefit from a solar panel; just snap a picture of it and place an image where you think that it should go!

See something that needs a little greening? Greenit!

One cool feature about this app is that you can also add a font bubble explaining your choices; once you share the picture with your friends and family, people can comment on your decisions. The share feature is fairly impressive, as you can easily send your pictures to twitter, Facebook and via e-mail to friends, family or colleagues in seconds, giving any impressive snaps the chance to go viral.

Summary

I’ll back anything that challenges global warming and offers solutions, no matter how abstract, to the damage that pollution is doing to the world. The fact that this app is fun and easy to use is a cherry on the top.

Pros

• You can create a green work of art in seconds.
• There are a wide variety of images that you can paste on to your picture, giving you berth to truly explore the possibilities of greening your surroundings.
• The ‘Album’ feature means that you can keep a record of your favourite Greenit! Snaps!

Room For Improvement

It would be really cool if the app taps into some environmental blogs and creates a forum where activists can share their photos and ideas.

I’ve never really been one for gambling, mainly due to a distinct lack of luck and patience; however, I do appreciate the beauty of the game of poker, so I thought that I’d give PokerStars Mobile a run for its money and check out the latest gambling app that has got cardsharps in a frenzy.

The app itself is fairly easy to use and the graphics are pretty impressive; it is basically an offshoot of the PokerStars website, transposing the functionality of the online game to your mobile. You can play a variety of games including No-Limit Texas Hold’em Poker, Omaha or Omaha Hi-Lo, you can now play ring games, Sit & Go’s (SNG) and multi-table tournaments (MTT) all from your iPhone.

Who’s your money on?

There are two types of play here; real money poker and ‘play money’ poker. The latter option is great for people who want to enjoy the thrill of the game without risking putting a massive dent into their bank account, whereas true gamblers can bet real money during live games 24 hours a day.

Players can either cruise the lobby looking for the right game or just use the ‘Play Now’ button from the Home Screen or the Lobby and you’ll be whisked straight to a table, saving you valuable gambling time. If you have a favourite group to play against when on the computer, you can use your existing PokerStars account to log in and continue playing against these guys on your mobile.

All in all, not a bad little app but just beware; although it may be free to download you do risk paying a lot more if you hit a losing streak!

With Angry Birds, Whats App and Draw Something all being such big hitters in the app world, the search for the next BReakOut app is on. CAST, the world leader in software analysis and measurement, and Dr. Dobb’s, the most respected development-focused brand for software development professionals, have announced the launch of the BreakOut Award that will offer a $10,000 cash prize to whoever has the world’s next best undiscovered app.

This competition aims to support innovation and uncover the next rising star of the app world. The BreakOut Award is open to a wide spectrum of developers, from individuals to corporate development teams. Dr. Dobb’s and CAST have assembled a panel of judges from the global technology community combining code analysis and expert commercial assessments to identify the next break out application based on: Purpose, Appeal, Quality, and Exposure. Entrants will also have their apps analysed using CAST’s Highlight application which provides feedback on the structural quality of their code.

The judging panel includes Dr. Dobb’s Editor in Chief Andrew Binstock , and senior leaders and CEOs from Gartner, GoodData, Hubspot, IBM Global Business Services, Kimberly-Clark, and TechHub.

The BreakOut competition aims to financially support developers while providing exposure needed to become the next Angry Birds orWhatsApp. The winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000 and be interviewed by J.D. Hildebrand, editor at large of Dr. Dobb’s. The award, open to developers worldwide over 18 years old, launches today and closes on August 28, 2012. The winner will be announced on September 13, 2012. To enter, register at BreakOut.DrDobbs.com, download the Highlight App from the website and use it to perform the analysis on the app and upload the results on BreakOut.DrDobbs.com.