Intangible Innovations?

Most of the time technology is fantastic, but every now and again it throws a curve ball at you.  I've not a clue why or how the system glitched, but this random email thread ended up in my inbox last week.  As I was about to delete it I realised I should share it with the Tech Fixation community.  I can only think it's providence that it ended up where it has, it fits so nicely with the stories that go on the website and the discussions on the podcast. It seems to be an email conversation between the Vice-President of Consumer Facing Communication and the Director of Invented Science.

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Playstation 4 Bingo

Introducing our first ever Bingo Game. This one will obviously be over Sony"s event taking place February 20th, 2013. This event is expected to bring us the unveiling of the Playstation 4. So please, bookmark this page and return back to it on the day of.

See you on the 20th!

Posted by Dexter Jaekel
Editor-in-Chief of TheTechFixation.com

Picture was created by @vdjomb

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Samsung Will Win The Short Term Race

Photo Cleverly put together by DroidForums.net

Why Samsung will pull ahead of Apple in the upcoming time period?

Article Written & Published by Rich - CEO of TheTechFixation.com & TechFixation's Podcast


It is no secret that Tim Cook has a significant amount of pressure on his shoulders to do nothing less than we've seen already. Everyone, including his own coworkers, understands that we are in need of something new. It's been said that Apple will slowly make a decline unless they produce another heavy hitting product that has the impact that the iPod had on its fans.

Capital Analyst Brian White explains that he believes there will be a cheaper iPhone made from materials not yet seen in Previous versions of Apple products. A hardened plastic body rather than a metal or glass will most likely be the choice if the cost is the issue at hand. Mr. White continues by saying that he believes that it will be cut price significantly and we may see it as low as $300 on store shelves.


Are these bits of pure speculation far fetched?
Well, I personally love a good sliver of speculation to chew up and spit back in the faces of those who clearly haven't done their homework. But, I'm afraid I'll have to agree with him on this one! Apple isn't in a position to venture into a new angle or market place. Understanding that $45billion would make most individuals say that it's a great position to state that claim. The decision that Mr. Cook would be foolish to make, would be to sail into uncharted territory when they are most vulnerable.  I believe that he knows that and may even be scared to take a leap with worries of failure in mind.


Shinny just won't cut it.
Lets face it, we are running short on new perks for our current mobile devices. Okay, they can go around ramping up the Memory, the Processor speed, and go a little crazy with the Resolution. But what we are missing is something Innovative. One reason that so many have been attracted to Apple's products is because they have introduced a deb of spunk into the life of the iPod and turned it into something new entirely. Where they struck gold was on the timing. You can have a money making idea that falls flat simply because the timing was all wrong. Take Nintendo's: Virtual Boy for example.  It really was a good idea meant for hardcore enthusiasts with an open mind and a deep pocket.  But, focused on a 3D element that fell flat in '95 but is now one of the things to have.  One good idea will only take you so far.

Double Dipping
By producing merely the same product year after year you will see a period of time when they will quit growing.  They are hitting a huge market, which is clearly their stance.  But, they haven't done much to expand on that their market place.  They are only targeting the people that have already come out as Apple fanboys with the occasional Convertee that was tired of getting viruses on his Android device.  When you force the 5 main products down the throats of the people that enjoy what you do, over and over without even the slightest change of pace, we will see the results backfire.  Apple is known for being on the higher end of the mobile market by selling only the iPhone and iPad.  Competing with Samsung on the higher, middle class, low end, and lowest end of the market.  Sometimes it makes more business sense to sell to 10 smaller customers rather than hold out and wait for 1 large customer.  If you can ensure the happiness of the 10 small customers, you will inevitably establish a list of return business.  It almost seems like Apple has tried to do this same technique with the higher end of the market.  Which seems like a great idea, until you quit satisfying the customers that are consistently asking for more.  Samsung has been able to live in the shadows, and at times surpass the Goliath Apple Inc. by living in the low and middle class markets.  They have plenty of room to rise and consistently produce high end tech for consumers to indulge, while maintaining a healthy pre-established list of clientele.  The mistake made by Apple is, it strikes a very debatable and at times heated conversation, I believe Apple has already hit their peak.

What Will It Take?
It's simple folks.  Motivation is the answer.  Tim Cook will need to drive and motivate his team to be leaders and innovative thinkers.  When they have a feasibly good idea, they would need to then become doers!  This isn't hard for a company that has already had seat time on top.  But, the trick is coming up with an idea that can keep them there.  It has been reported that Apple has several products "in-the-works." Such as, the iWatch, that was reported by TheTechFixation.com earlier today.  A few others include an iTV, which was widely known as one of Steve Jobs next projects, A final version of Siri, and even and iRadio.




Do I believe and have faith that Apple can stay on top or at least rise again? Of course! I don't need to point out the reasons that they have been able to build their success story.  I simply think Apple needs to step up quickly, or Samsung will bump them out of the spotlight.  If or When that happens, it will be a bit harder to regain leverage over the lead roll once again.

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Revealing Sony's New Console Before Feb. 20th

First of all, thank you for clicking on this article and reading it with curiosity, interest, and excitement. After you read this we are fairly certain that you won't need to look for more info. You may think you've read this info before, but I implore you to read carefully. *All information is subject to change. This articles is based on numerous reports, news, quotes over the past three years. Images are not that of Sony's next console or accessories rather concepts and prototype designs. So lets get to it.

Sony's Playstation 3 released on November 11, 2006 and now past its six year anniversary we are met with the impending announcement of Sony's next console. Development of Sony's next console started in 2009 and four years later we are going to see the final product. With so much speculation and contradictory news in the air it's hard to get a decisive answer to your personal questions, but we are going to attempt to answer each one of them in this massive article. Sony's next console will be announced on February 20, 2013, which is less than two weeks away, and from what they say, "The Future is Here."

Name
Titles are important. They allow people to quickly and efficiently label something and recall it to memory or to relevance. Sony's next console was initially called the "Playstation 4" for the obvious reason of its succession to the Playstation 3. Inside Sony the code-name slapped on the machine was "Orbis," and many patents filed by Sony are labeled as such. "Orbis" is assumed to correlate with the Playstation VITA; "Vita" in Latin means "life," and "Orbis" in Latin means "circle." This "Circle of Life" concept fits the plan to have Sony's new console be linked and synced to the Playstation VITA, but we'll explain that later. "Omni" was unveiled in late 2012 and we strongly feel that this is the title Sony will give their next-gen console. I'll refer to Sony's next console as "Omni" for the rest of the article.

FYI: In Japanese the number "4" is pronounced "Shi," which is the same as "Death." I highly believe that Sony will not call the system "Playstation 4."

SPECs and Hardware
If you're a gamer then you have no doubt seen many iterations of what Sony's next console *could* contain. We will tell you what the Playstation "Omni" will be fitted with but lets break down the specifics first.

Dev-Kits. Dev-Kits are the prototype bare-bone kits sent to game developers for a few reasons: learn what can work and what cannot, allow developers to familiarize themselves with the new technology/hardware, and promote growth and productivity with the console as a whole and gain insight on the final product with feedback and testing. Lets look at the three dev-kits that Sony sent to game studios from 2011-2013. *Note these are listed and written as Sony had them detailed.

#1:
- R10 Board (Special BIOS)
- Win 7 64bit
- Sandy Bridge (intel) or Bulldozer (AMD)
- 8Gb RAM
- 650 Watt PSU
- VS2010 SP1
- Desktop Windows Manager should be turned off
- App will use Windows for everything except GPU interface

#2:
- DVKT-KS000K ("Initial 1")
- Runs Orbis OS
- CPU: Bulldozer 8core at 1.6GHz
- Graphics: R10 (Special BIOS)
- 8Gb RAM
- HDD 2.5" 160Gb
- Network Controller
- Custom South Bridge allows access to controller prototypes

#3:
- SoC based Dev-Kit
- Available Jan2013
- GPU Liverpool
- CPU 8core Jaguar
- 8Gb RAM for Dev-Kit (4Gb for retail console)
- Bluetooth controller, BD Drive, WLAN, Network Controller, HDMI (as much as 1980)

Final Version:
- 8Gb RAM
- 2.2 Gb RAM dedicated to video
- CPU - 4x Dual Core AMD64 Bulldozer
- GPU - AMD R10xx
- 4x USB 3.0
- 2x Ethernet
- 50Gb 6x Blu-ray disc drive
- 160Gb HDD
- HDMI & Optical 2.0, 5.1, 7.1

This tells us a lot about how developers reacted to the first drafts of the console and what they wanted to change. This info also lets us know just how prepared Sony was going into pre-production because not much changed over the three dev-kits. Reports have claimed that the Playstation "Omni" will have 4Gb of RAM; as you can see all dev-kits have 8Gb to begin with, but this is a common practice as the developers need a little "extra" room to play around with the technology and limits. The possibility of the "Omni" releasing with 8Gb is still extremely likely, although RAM is expensive. The GPU is said to have 2.2Gb of memory dedicated to gameplay that pushes 800GHz and with the capability of DirectX 11.1+, Unreal4, and Frostbite2. The CPU is certain to be an 8core Jaguar build that clocks in at 1.6 GHz. Rumoured reports claim "Omni" will house an AMD quad-core APU of 3.2GHz.

The graphic power of the "Omni" will come from the "R10" which is the Radeon HD 7000 series, a.k.a. "GCN," a.k.a. "R10xx." The Radeon HD 7970 is 300 British Pounds by itself (roughly $470). This will allow the "Omni" to reach 1.84 Teraflops and push for extremely crisp textures and displays at high resolutions that I'll describe later.

Memory
"Omni" will either have 4Gb of RAM as the Dev-Kit model states or 8Gb to compete with Microsoft and boost the "Omni's" stats. "Omni" will house 16Gb of Internal Flash Memory as the PS3 did. The Dev-Kit model suggests a HDD of 160Gb but I speculate the "Omni" will release with a version with a higher storage level. Sony purchased GaiKai for $380 Million and will implement "OmniCloud" for online storage as well as streaming video and games to the system.

"OmniCloud"
"OmniCloud" will be powered by GaiKai and it will allow the "Omni" to have online cloud storage and add many features to PS+. It will also make PS1, PS2, and PS3 games compatible in streaming format on any device. A dongle will likely be released to plug into "Omni" and be $70-$99. One of Sony's best features is its back catalogue. Allowing players to download or stream games from the older Sony consoles would generate revenue without any production cost. See PS+ below for more.

Locking-Out Used Games
Sony and Microsoft are both battling piracy and one way they plan to achieve results is to release games with one-time use activation codes in order to play them on their respective console. This will lock-out the used games market and prevent gamers from sharing disc with friends and family. Sony will use NFC tech to bind games to the "Omni" which will almost eliminate second-hand gaming. The process will begin with buying a new game and registering the game and activating it with an included one-time use code. After it clears you'll install the game onto the console. This claim would make the alleged 160Gb HDD mediocre in comparison to Microsoft's alleged 500Gb or 1TB HDD they plan to release with the Next Xbox. 360 and PS3 games are relatively 4Gb in size (not including DLC.) After you have installed the game you can sell the disc and download a digital copy to play at any time since you have already registered and activated the game. The sold copy would return to retail and be given a reactivation code. This wouldn't kill the used games market but it would harm the profit and the willingness to part with your games or buy used copies.

In-Game Ads
Sony has had research teams and test groups look into the benefits of having advertisements inside gameplay. The "Omni" would slow down gameplay to prepare the player of an incoming advert and would require a vocal confirmation of a response through the controller to continue to gameplay, the game would slowly return to normal and these would happen in intervals or at specific parts of titles. These adverts could also be implemented into trailers or extended use on browsers or the PS+.

Touch-Pad Controller

Sony is ditching the Dualshock controller that gamers have been used to since PS1. Instead they are releasing a Touch-Pad Controller capable of biometric feedback. Reports claim that this controller will be based on the PS VITA. I proclaim that Sony will update the VITA to be able to work as an additional controller to the Omni or be used in sync with Omni as a remote. Details of the biometric feedback state that the handles of the controller will be outfitted with sensors and tech to allow the player to feel certain sensations during gameplay and allow the Omni to sense details about the player. For instance; a gun overheating in-game would trigger the Omni to heat up the controller to notify the gamer, and cooling the gamer's hands if sweat appears.

SPECs of the Touch-Pad Controller:
512 Mb RAM
Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9
SGX543MP4+ GPU
5" OLED 16:9 capactive multitouch screen
960 x 544 resolution [Nintendo's 3DS is 3.5" at a resolution of 400 x 240]
Front QVGA Camera and back VGA camera both with a resolution of 640 x 480.
The Omni's back-side will be the Touch-Pad; just like VITA

I almost guarantee that the Dualshock controller will be usable with the "Omni" but Sony will likely push hard to get users to adapt to the new controller.

PS MOVE
The Playstation MOVE will continue to play a vital role for Sony and will be updated with more features, usability, and may even take cues from the new "biometric" Touch-Pad controller. Sony has invested too much time and money into funding and marketing the PS MOVE and I strongly believe they will tailor its technology to sync with the Omni, VITA, Omniviewer and/or "Simulview."

PS+
The online service for Sony will only get better with new interfaces, better capabilities and a new OS. Cloud-support and gaming will indeed be utilized by PS+ but one of the most interesting new rumours to come from its online service is that it will no longer be free; for the most part. Reports claim that GaiKai's CEO said,

"We've come up with a new way to charge for games that hasn't been done before. I haven't announced it because I don't want my competitors to do it...it starts by letting the publishers be part of the pricing on all services." 

This quote could be calling for a "pay-per-hour" or "pay-per-rental period" of service. With the aforementioned In-Game Advertisements this could turn into a massive overhaul in the way we perceive marketing in the gaming industry. We already see advertisements added in the backgrounds or foregrounds of games today but next-gen titles could add "pop-up" links to products or broadcast commercials like you see on YouTube, Pandora, etc.

Sony could offer a bundle plan for both the "Omni" console and a PS+ subscription plan to offset the base price of each.

4K Rumour
Sony has planned on the "Omni" to support rendering of video games in stereoscopic 3D mode in 1920 x 1080 HD resolution at 30fps-60fps (Frames per Second.) Output of 4K resolutions would be that of 3840 x 2160 or 4096 x 2160. These resolution require a major power supply and performance out of the console. In my opinion 4K is not likely to be added to the "Omni" for gaming. The "PS4's" superior processing power could not run The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim at 4096 x 2160 at 60fps. Instead I believe Sony will reserve 4K for only video use. Look for Sony's "Omni" to run games at a standard resolution of 1080p at 60fps.


Sony is releasing its 84" LCD KD-84X9005 Ultra HD TV this Christmas at $24,999.  More news to come!

"OmniViewer" a.k.a. Playstation Eye 2

"The "OmniViewer" is a thin, lite, and slick head mounted autostereoscopic display that can track the user's head and presents a 360 degree image view with semi transparent AMOLED screens. This can turn any TV into a 3D TV, as well as add extra augmented reality information outside of the TV screen. One application from an entertainment perspective is seeing movies in 2K, 4K, and even IMAX resolutions as their original size where you have to move your head to look at the full picture being displayed. It will sync with the VITA." -
DualPixels

The application called "Simulview" allows up to three users to watch the same TV but see different images. Sony's PS3 3D monitor already does this with split-screen gameplay for two people.
I expect the Omniviewer to be a peripheral and not a standard item. This will be aimed at dedicated gamers or movie-lovers.

The Share Button
The "Omni" will posses a "Share" button in the center of the controller that will allow the user to share many different types of media to connected accounts or to his/her PS+ profile. Playing online could allow the user to capture and share screenshots and post them to Twitter/Facebook. Users could share their scores or profiles over PS+, or gloat about specific trophies achieved in gameplay. The ability to share your experiences would be a massive turn-on for gamers that are eager to brag and challenge their friends and foes. The button could also be used to share game demos, trailers, on the browser, or specific content on PS+.

Pricing
160GB Basic Model - $350-399.
160GB-320GB Premium with "OmniViewer" - $450-499.
"OmniViewer" may cost $199 separately.
The Touchpad Controller may cost $99-199 separately.
(I would like to see Sony release a model with a bigger HDD)

Launch
September 2013 (Sept 17th to be personally specific). Sony could very well do what Microsoft is "planning" to do; Soft Launch in September and then have an explosive re-launch in Summer 2014.

Potential Launch Titles/ Next Gen Titles
Uncharted Omni (Untitled)
Siren
The Bodyguard
WipeOut Omni
Bump in the Night
Media Molecule
Omni Fitness
"Judecca"- Square Enix's zombie hunting game with "biofeedback" gameplay
Watch Dogs
Star Wars 1313
Metal Gear Solid 5 (Phantom Pain)

Unknowns
Sony Santa Monica is working on a New "PS4" IP
Guerilla is working on KillZone 4 and a New IP
Naughty Dog is working on a Uncharted 4 (Untitled) as mentioned above and a New IP
EA is working on "4 or 5" IPs
Infinity Ward has confirmed a new Call of Duty game for 2013 with no specifics yet and is working on a Next-Gen IP
Respawn Entertainment's Debut IP
Ready at Dawn (PSP God of War) is working on "an exciting new AAA IP for Next-Gen home consoles."

*All information is subject to change. This articles is based on numerous reports, news, quotes over the past three years. Images are not that of Sony's next console or accessories rather concepts and prototype designs.

-Daniel, Jedi Editor
daniel@thetechfixation.com
@thepausemenu on Twitter @darthurra on Instagram
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The Internet, The Final Frontier

by Caleb Smith


This week, the People's Republic of China passed a new legislation forcing ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to not only require full names and identification of every customer, but also to terminate service and report any posts or activity that can be deemed as "political dissent." Any negative word from a citizen toward the Chinese government, it's representatives, or any mention of incidents such as the massacre at Tienanmen Square, will result in no more internet service, and your name being sent to the government.

While this seems shocking to most readers in the US, we aren't entirely far from that type of legislation, ourselves. Just these past couple years, acts such SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) or ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) have attempted to take away certain freedoms from internet users in the name of "national security" or "economic stability." Although those were not voted in after an enormous public outcry, a new act has been proposed called CISPA (Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act) that jeopardizes our privacy by allowing the government to monitor the web traffic and emails of ordinary civilians in order to make a dent in "domestic terrorism." The US and China are only two of the growing list of governments that are fighting to restrict and control the internet. Why are governmental systems so determined to cage this wild beast we call the internet? The answer is simple; It's anarchy.

Forget space. The internet is the final frontier for our generation. It's a virtual "wild west" where virtual proxies of ourselves communicate with each other, learning things that we could never have learned in the physical world. Any person, no matter where they are, can hop online and research any topic they want or post whatever they want without fear of retaliation. Governments have always been able to restrict communication in the past; trade blockades, well-timed assassinations, and postal investigations were just a few forms. This idea of a new form of communication is terrifying to the powers-that-be because it's almost impossible to restrict. Now, everything uploaded to the internet is permanently saved on a vast network without hope of deletion or redaction. Unrestricted access to this network puts unlimited information in the hands of the people for the first time since the beginning of society.

The internet is the first, fully-functional anarchist society, where any user can do whatever they please with the click of a mouse, and the scariest part is that IT WORKS. The reason why the internet seems to be such a danger to our governments is because this network provides proof that not only is an anarchist society possible, to some, it's also preferable. It shows that average citizens are able to govern themselves just as well as any politician. These acts being put into Congress or Parliament aren't to defend civilians, but to protect governments from the enemy they fear most: the people.

Consider this; Millions of people are harassed and exploited on the internet every day, but the outcry only reaches a courtroom or law enforcement when a corporate or government website is compromised. When a girl's private pictures are uploaded and sold online without her consent, we typically hear the thought-terminating cliche, "that's the internet," accompanied with a shrug. However, when a copyrighted film is uploaded and freely distributed, a federal investigation takes place, resulting in arrests and harsh sentencing of otherwise harmless individuals. This is a terrible double-standard, revealing the true priorities of our governments. A girl's life is meaningless compared to profits made off The Dark Knight Rises.

This article is not to inspire a violent overthrow of the government, but it needs to be put out while we still retain this freedom; the freedom to speak out with complete honesty without fear of our door being kicked down or our service being terminated. While the political climate in China may seem bleak, the US is still on the verge of hope. Write or tweet to your Congressmen or State Representatives (Yes, most of them have Twitter accounts) and tell them that you stand for internet freedom, and will not stand for legislation like CISPA to be passed.

The internet gives us a voice. Make it be heard.


Written by Caleb Smith
Tech Editor for TheTechFixation.com

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The Future of Facial Recognition

What is the future of facial recognition?


 Is the future advertising? Do we see a major breakthrough to put criminals behind bars? What do you just see another way for the government to log everything about you?  All viable questions when we start talking about Facial Recognition.

Picture this, you walking to the mall And you hear someone shut out your name. Cool and intriguing, yes!  You start looking around for the person Only to realize it's a billboard trying to speak to you.  For most in large cities you would prefer to Go about your day to day tasks As your own little self, Originally intended.  Some would consider that a Privacy breach. Others would consider it far-fetched. I simply call it creepy!

As hard as it may be to believe, facial recognition can have its benefits.  Microsoft and Sony both have plans to introduce facial recognition into their gaming consoles. Their efforts may be to create an in depth individual user base on the console itself. This means they will try to keep all credit card, passwords, and login information narrowed down and only accessible by that specific user.

Now depending on the mood of most individuals that day, using facial recognition for advertising maybe a good thing and may be simply annoying. You may ask How could something like this be accomplished?  Basically by installing these type of AIs on computers, game consoles, billboards, or even bathroom mirrors that can allow them to learn about what you click on, what you look at, and what your interests are.  Thus, being able to narrow down exactly what advertisements to display at that given time.  For example they may show you a series of quick advertisements and depending on Where the built-in cameras see that you look and spent most of your time on one fixed location.  They can then narrow Read this article down where your interests lie.

Can Facial Recognition be used to benefit society? Actually, this sort of thing is exactly the technology that some companies are looking for. Humanity itself, is the best sensor and detector. There isn't any current age technology that can do a better job at identifying smoke, gas, or even criminal activity.  If a digital movie advertisement can recognize Richard Hodges is walking by, it will have no problems recognizing a wanted felon is near.   It will not be a stretch to integrate a 3rd party Dialer system to notify the authorities of such events.   It will force the dreaded 'Pick-Pockets' to either do a better job or to quit entirely. The number of 'Shoplifters' will be cut down significantly. And of course, the number of 'KidNapping' incidents will be brought to a mere halt, just to name a few.

"Smart Gate" a program used by Australian Customs Control to manage incoming and outgoing across their borders. Prior to leaving the country, one must obtain a passport by getting their picture taken, along with all information that could help identify you.  Each E-Passport is fabricated with a microchip to define each passport in a genuine manor. The program requires the individual to look into a panel of InfraRed LEDs (Light Emitting Diode). At that moment the LEDs illuminate the travelers face, and a camera will record what it can see. The SmartGate software will analyze the key facial points and log them into a digital file. They have formulas to decide what you could look like as one ages.  By logging up to date details on your physical stature, they can easily deny access to ships, planes, or trains based on your criminal history.

There are plenty of benefits to brag on, as well as the small handful of downsides that we've covered today.  Whether it is to put exactly your interests in front of you or to entice individuals while using a restroom, Facial Recognition will without a doubt expand to great lengths.

Written by Richard Hodges
CEO of TechFixation

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Lumia 920 Coming to AT&T in November!

Features Windows 8 OS

Camera - 8.7 megapixels
Camera sensor (main camera resolution)
Nokia PureView

Display size - 4.5"

Processor name - Snapdragon™ S4

Talk time (3G) - 9hrs

Standby time (3G) - 320hrs

Music playback time - 52hrs

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iOS 6 VS. Android ICS

It’s been a couple of weeks since Apple announced the updates to their iOS operating system, and there’s been time to digest the info and work out what this means for the future of the device. It also means we’ve had a couple of weeks of fanboy baiting online between the Apple and Google camps, with plenty of jibes heading in each direction. But which one is actually better, and should we be excited about the new software heading our way?

A couple of quick stats, Android currently services about half of the smartphone market based on device activations logged by Google, and has the highest number of app store downloads per day (more than double any of the other software providers). Apple however brings in the most money from app store transactions at around 9 times the value of Google’s sales, and doesn’t have a fragmented user base across multiple device manufacturers. What this shows is that despite the end use being the same, we’re really looking at two different business models, one as an open system software provider (Google, though they are starting to change this with the Nexus range of phones), and one as a closed system designer and manufacturer (Apple).

Let’s have a look at the major new/changed features of iOS 6 and compare these with what’s available on the latest Android release (Ice Cream Sandwich):

From the list there’s only one feature that iOS 6 has over ICS, the Passbook, though at this point it’s not really clear if this is a competitor to Google Wallet or if it will just be something that aggregates the current individual apps available for managing tickets, loyalty cards and payments. I’ll also point out that Maps is on the list because Apple is dumping Google Maps and going with their own proprietary software, though how this stacks up against the competition is yet to be seen. The flyover function mentioned in the press releases sounds interesting, but when I’m using any map I like to know where my journey takes me on the streets and not what it looks like to passing pigeons, so I’m not convinced that’s really useful.

There were numerous other features announced that make the iOS experience a little more fluid, and we also heard about the expected updates to Siri, though there’s still a large language barrier there that prevents most people (i.e., anyone with a strong accent) from using it. Google is set to release its Siri competitor later this year with deeper integration with phone functions and apps than currently available on any handset, and let’s hope they’ve figured out how to recognise regional dialects. Also, Rich and Dex talked a fair amount about the geo-fencing options in TechFixation episode 37, this was intriguing, and looks like it’s an update to the Find My Friends app. Again, it turns out this has been in use on Android for the 18 months or so in the Neer app, and is also already available for the iPhone 4 on the App Store.

Ultimately, whilst there were supposedly 200 new features announced for iOS 6, it’s looking like in reality it’s only going to pull it in line with the other smartphones out there by just adding the Apple spin on some existing ideas. The advantage Apple has is that they will be able to roll out to every device in the world on the same day, unlike Google that has been rolling out ICS for several months and is only just getting to the point where it’s on every compatible device.

It’s always good to get a shiny new firmware update, but is iOS 6 really worth the hype it’s receiving? From Apple’s perspective it has to help sell the iPhone 5 in the Autumn. They want people to upgrade to the latest model, but is there enough substance there to convince the iPhone 4 and 4S owners to make that switch? Possibly not. ICS has had a lot of attention as it’s the first unifying operating system for Android phones and tablets, Apple is already at this stage. The next Android update (Jellybean) is rumoured to be due for announcement through the summer, and it will inevitably get compared to iOS 6, but will that deliver any real innovation either? We’ll see, but I suspect not. The new Windows phone software was unveiled this week as well, and that is really underwhelming, Microsoft has a lot of work to do. After some time with a Nokia Lumia running WP7 earlier this year I swore (literally) I would never touch another Windows phone, and WP8 isn’t doing anything to convince me otherwise.

It seems like we’re at the point where the software is reaching its development threshold and only small incremental changes will be made just to keep the systems looking fresh. The real selling points for phones have moved to the hardware, and this is where Android has a significant edge. The restrictions imposed by Apple make it great for some users, but extremely limiting for others. With no file system access, iTunes only software management (no MTP access), and no external or upgradeable storage, the iPhone isn’t a device that’s easy to integrate with the other non-Apple devices you might have at home. Couple this with a smaller screen size, lower spec camera technology than most other manufacturers equivalent models, no on-screen widgets and lower customisation, and it isn’t surprising that Apple hasn’t maintained their majority market share.

So which is better? At the moment they’re pretty much the same with some give and take on the way features are integrated into the different software. A better question would be which one would you buy or upgrade to next? For me it will be dictated by the phone hardware and its connectivity capabilities, and I’m sorry to say Apple isn’t looking like they will get my money anytime soon.

This article was written by @SyphiloidMonkey.
Longtime listener and editor for podcast @TechFixation.

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