News

Excitement for the upcoming iPhone 5S has been lackluster when compared to the hype surrounding the iPhone 5, however, this doesn't mean Apple won't sell tons of iPhones this year. 2013 could be the year of "budget" IOS products, which would help Apple compete in the mid-tear market currently being dominated by Android devices. The iPad rumor mill suggests that Apple will release a more affordable iPad mini in 2013, followed by the iPad mini 2 with Retina display in 2014. Apple is also allegedly working on a "mid-tier" iPhone to release alongside its next-generation handset in the fall.

AllThingsD John Paczkowski's has confirmed Jefferies analyst Peter Misek's report that Apple has began production of its next-generation iPhone for a fall launch. However, Misek also claims that Apple is splitting production of 25 million to 30 million units between the iPhone 5S and its planned budget handset. Misek doesn't think Apple will be competitive in the low-tier market, so he is predicting that the company is aiming for the middle, where both Paczkowski and Misek believe there is plenty of room for growth.

The announcement of T-Mobile's Jump device upgrade program has made some waves in the wireless market. Now AT&T has launched Next, which promises to allow smartphone and tablet owners to get an annual upgrade. For the most part, iPhones are now subsidized by AT&T in exchange for a two-year contract.

The subscriber pays $200 up front for the 16 GB iPhone 5, contributing to the purchase price. When it's time to upgrade, the old device is owned by the customer and the process starts all over again. AT&T Next operates differently. Participants in the program will pay monthly installments to cover the cost of the phone. There is no down payment at the beginning of service.

Keyboard tweaks designed for jailbroken iOS devices can increase efficiency and make typing on the virtual keyboard easier. Examples such as The Quick Brown Fox, AltKeyboard and SwipeSelection all have their own unique enhancements to the iOS keyboard. Now PredictiveKeyboard adds a popular Android keyboard feature to the list.

Once installed, the tweak adds a fifth row of keys to the pop-up virtual keyboard in all iOS applications. These keys adapt to predict words, which can be entered with one tap just like any other key. The best part about PredictiveKeyboard is that the tweak will learn new words and suggest the most commonly used words to speed up typing on your device.

Developers keep discovering more and more new features in the iOS 7 beta everyday. Here are few new discoveries since Apple released the third beta on July 8th.

Previously iOS users could only make video calls while using FaceTime, but Apple has added the ability to have audio-only voice chats when using the video conferencing feature. To make an audio call using FaceTime, just locate and tap the person's name you want to contact, then tap the new telephone icon to place the call. You will be able to perform other tasks like muting the microphone or switching to a video chat once the call is connected.

Rovio Entertainment is following up its popular Star Wars mobile game and toy line with Angry Birds Star Wars 2 on September 19th. ABSW2 will feature over 30 playable characters, and Hasbro-created "telepods" that interact with the game. A telepod is a physical toy that represents a playable character within the Angry Birds universe. Players can unlock the characters in the game by individually purchasing the toys, and using their device's built-in camera to activate them. Rovio's new telepods are a lot like Activision's very popular Skylanders toys, which are used with the various Skylanders console video games.

NFC-based video games are becoming so popular that even Disney has taken a crack at them with its planned Disney Infinity series. Disney Infinity is set to launch a few months ahead of Activision's newest Skylanders game SWAP Force on August 18th. It will be interesting to see how consumers respond with so many NFC-based video games / toys being released around the same time. These games can be very pricey after purchasing both the starter sets and individual characters. A Skylanders starter set retails for around $70, and each individual toy costs around $10 to $14. It is unknown at this time how much the individual Angry Birds telepods will set you back.