There’s nothing worse than a lull. Everything moves at 1/16th the speed it normally does and you start to ponder the biggest questions in life because the usual distractions aren’t there for you. It happens in news cycles between the big events that generate news so fast we’ve lost several reporters to typing themselves into spontaneous combustion. The Consumer Electronics expo took place about a month ago and we’ves till got a couple weeks until the Mobile World Congress kicks off. So what do we do during the in between time? We do what we always do, because routine is important. So let’s summarize ourselves some news stories, shall we? Here’s all the narratives that kept the cycle spinning between February 4-9, 2013.
MWC rumors and leaks galore
Anticipation is what keeps us going during these times, and there is plenty of that surrounding the Mobile World Congress (a mobile-centric show in Barcelona, Spain) later this month. Most of the manufacturers that no-showed or held back during CES are expected to blow the doors off MWC, and the rumors are pouring in the closer the event gets. LG started dropping hints this week that it’d unveil something special while in Barcelona. It’ll be in good company, as Asus is expected to show off the Fonepad and Nokia will likely be bringing out some new Lumia models. Samsung decided to show its hand before even stepping up to the table by making both the Galaxy Fame and Young official before the big event, but it may have a card up its sleeve: The Galaxy Q. The Q is a flexible device that proves when you’re successful you can just try a bunch of crazy stuff and people will still be excited about it. We’ll see what else may pop up before February 25.
iPhone rumors, because why not?
One of the biggest things that keeps us going during slow new days: Rumors. Nothing better then a good a rumor. Especially one that is completely unfounded or has continuously been debunked every time it appears. In what has become an almost daily occurrence, someone has again claimed that a bigger iPhone is coming soon. Not only that, but it’ll have a goofy, not Apple-like name. This time it’s the iPhone Plus – better than iPhone Math but still suspiciously algebraic – and it’s one of two supposed iPhones that will be revealed this year. All this story needs is a solid Apple denial and we’ll be set. There was one rumor Apple can’t deny, which is a new device unlocking method it patented. The system would require users to identify pictures to access ones account, which is clever – and also already used by Facebook to recover your account there. But why not patent it anyway? Maybe Apple can sue Facebook now. There’s a news story.
Mobile makes waves around the world
Bob Dylan once sang “the times they are a changin’.” Since then, the phrase has been severely overused, but we’re going to use it here because we can. The times are a changin’, and mobile is leading the way. Worldwide smartphone usage is set to pass the 1.4 billion mark this year, which, if you couldn’t tell, is an absurdly big number. The U.S.’s portion of those smartphone users are cranking up their data usage and are projected to use 13 times the amount that they use now by 2017. They’ll wish they lived in the United Kingdom instead, as Three UK is promising to provide free 4G for the country. Here’s a major change: Apple is the world’s biggest PC maker if you’re willing to count iPads as PCs. You probably don’t, but just think of how crazy that would be if you did. The times, man. They are a changin’.
BlackBerry 10
BlackBerry 10 looks like it’s poised to take over the world – or at least take back a small portion of the mobile market that has been slipping away from it for years. But the latter doesn’t really roll off the tongue. How well is BlackBerry 10 doing? According to BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins, it’s had its best launch in company history in Canada and the UK. The Z10 has been flying off the shelves, likely thanks to mostly positive reviews. The Q10 hasn’t made it off the manufacturing line yet thanks to delays, but if the approval of the OS the device is running is any sign, then the Q10 will do just fine whenever it shows up. BlackBerry 10 has created so much buzz that even Android and iOS owners can give it a try with an augmented reality app.
Witchcraft and wizardry
There’s tons of really cool technology out there, and we stumble upon more and more of it every day. But some of it is totally unexplainable. Some of the new developments in the tech world have to be chalked up to something other than innovative developers. That something is, of course, magic and witchcraft. How else could you explain something like this iPhone case that doubles your battery life? Can you think of one legitimate way HTC could have harnessed something called ultrapixels that doesn’t involve some sort of spell? Powers greater than we know have given us the Wikipad game controller that’s also a tablet somehow, and there are clearly forces beyond our control at work with the Envasi0n jailbreak tool that cracked 7 million iPhones in 4 days. You can’t explain these phenomena, but you can enjoy them.
