Rockmelt’s mission is to help people discover the best online content by bringing it to a single view. It is literally an Internet browser. People can use the service on the website, rockmelt.com, through the iOS app, and now through the new Android app too.

The Android app features a new navigation bar that disappears as you scroll to let content dominate the display, buttons for jumping up to the top or back down to where you left off, and a two-column view in landscape mode. I find those jump-to buttons particularly interesting because you can go up to the top when new content is added, and then jump right back down the list if you want to continue scrolling from where you left off. Very cool.

The app is also free to download and ad-free, and there’s built-in social network sharing as well for the interesting content you want to pass along. You can grab the app in Google Play right here.

[via Rockmelt]

The phone comes with a dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, 4G LTE, a 2,100mAh battery, and a square 3.1-inch touchscreen display above the keyboard. It runs on the latest BlackBerry 10 OS as well.

BlackBerry is definitely keeping with its roots for this device, but it should please loyal customers. Plus, as always the hardware is pretty sleek. At $199 though, it might be a tough sell. AT&T notes in the press release that customers who trade-in their old smartphone can get up to $100 off a new one, including the Q10.

Pre-orders for the BlackBerry Q10 have been available for some time now. If you didn’t pre-order the device and you’re still interested in buying it, mark down June 21st on your calendar and head to the AT&T store.

[via Engadget]

At least by what the leak has to offer in terms of insight, it appears the iPhone 5S will have a very similar display to the iPhone 5 in both size and build. As you can see above, the display itself in proportion with the hand looks very much like how an iPhone 5 might look if someone were holding one. There is one difference found by MacRumors however.

On the iPhone 5′s display assembly, the flex cable connectors are positioned horizontally to pair up with the iPhone 5′s logic board. On the iPhone 5S’s display assembly, there’s one vertical flex cable connector and one horizontal. Interestingly enough, a recent iPhone 5S logic board leak had a vertical and horizontal connector on that as well, which would match up perfectly with this new display.

Furthermore, this could perhaps hint at an internal redesign of the iPhone 5S. Apple could be moving around parts on the inside to make room for more powerful hardware or just different hardware. Expect more leaks with additional puzzle pieces in the coming months as iPhone 5S production ensues.

[via MacRumors]

From a design perspective, iOS 7 makes a very bad first impression. The default wallpaper is simple periwinkle with a darker gradient at the bottom and tiny, scattered dots. On top of that (or perhaps pasted onto, since there’s no more drop shadows) are the icons. They are absolutely hideous and inconsistent. The Next Web recently revealed that Jony Ive put the marketing team in charge of designing the icons and it shows. The horrible gradients combined with neon colors and that baby girl’s room wallpaper all look like Jony Ive puked rainbows onto the home screen.

Okay, but the icons are forgivable because I find it hard to believe they won’t be updated in time for iOS 7′s public release in the fall. Start tapping some of those icons and you fully realize you have stepped into a new era of iOS. All skeuomorphism is gone, for better or for worse, and everything now looks very white and flat. For the most part, the clear design of a button is missing because Apple assumes you’ve grown up and you know when text is meant to be tappable. That’s a fair assumption I think because while it’s a fresh coat of paint, everything is where you’d expect it to be for the most part. That’ll be very important down the road.

The experience is pretty solid for a beta. Stable or not, unfinished or finished, it’s extremely clear the direction Apple is aiming for. The UI is distraction-free with some polished new animations that make sense during usage and frosted glass overlays to depict hierarchy of elements. Speaking of which, you probably won’t see that frosted glass anywhere more than in Notification Center and the new Control Center,  two features I highly enjoy in iOS 7. There’s more breathing room in Notification Center now and the new “Today” and “Missed” views are welcome additions. On the other hand, some have complained that Control Center is an unorganized box of random controls. I disagree. I don’t think it’s unorganized and perhaps it is a bit random but I wouldn’t expect anything less. It’s not a primary UI aspect because all the controls are just shortcuts. I like shortcuts.

On the topic of shortcuts, iOS 7′s new multitasking is nice. I like seeing a thumbnail view of the apps themselves. Pro tip: dragging your finger slightly can let you position two app windows for viewing side by side. Yes, it steals from webOS and Windows Phone, but stealing is hip nowadays.

The Camera, for instance, takes multiple cues from Instagram. You can take square photos now (in addition to regular, panorama, and video modes) and apply one of eight filters. I’m utterly convinced that no one would give a shit about photo filters if Instagram didn’t make them popular. The Collections and Moments features in the new Photos app aren’t as smart as they look, by the way. They improve organization, but need work. I’d like to be able to rename them, for example.

There are other improvements and new features of course, but I don’t want to make this a full review of iOS 7 because it is very ripe for change. Though the design language will be similar for release, I don’t anticipate the actual design itself will be the same. There’s plenty of work to be done. Plus, since this is just a beta, there are obvious bugs and some apps just flat-out don’t function at the moment.

The new design does take some getting used to, but I think most people will grow to like its simple nature, or at least appreciate it. I do have a few gripes: the home screen icons, overly bright color schemes in apps (see Messages), the contrast of a very white UI on a black iPhone, and design inconsistencies throughout the OS. These can all be rectified in time for the fall though.

Make no mistake that while iOS 7 may look quite new at first, it is the same operating system from Apple you’ve come to love. It’s familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. It’s the iOS 7 for grown-ups stripped away of gloss, physical buttons, and relatable skeuomorphism. Instead, you are left with Jony Ive’s obvious love of simplicity with a touch of elegance. I’ve found that the new features are far from gimmicky and usually quite useful, too. Your first impression of iOS 7 might not be one of total embrace, but that will come in time.

Some are speculating this will be the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active geared toward folks who need a rugged device, or at least one that can endure the damaging effects of water. One huge benefit is that the phone doesn’t appear ugly and rugged. It looks sleek and slim. That’s great news for people who want durability without sacrificing style. Unfortunately, with rumors that the Galaxy S4 Active will sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus processor, it may end up sacrificing a bit on power instead.

For now, we’ll have to hold off a bit before finding out those specs. The description of the video says that more details will be available tomorrow, June 13th. Until then, check out the teaser below to see for yourself this new waterproof smartphone in action.

[via Phone Scoop]

Starting with the Camera app, it adds a new shooting mode: square. It sounds just like it is — the photo you capture will be square in size. Now you can switch between four different modes: regular photo, video, panorama, and square. Additionally, you can now add one of eight photo filters within the app similar in style to Instagram. Some give the photo a vintage feel while others add contrast. There’s something for everyone.

Once you’re done taking photos, you can browse through them in the new Photos app. Previously, the Camera Roll was just an endless list of thumbnail images. In iOS 7, the app automatically organizes your photos into collections based on time and location. Getting even more specific with time and location, Moments are smaller divisions of Collections. For instance, you could have a Collection of a trip to Hawaii and a Moment of one day at the beach.

All of these new features are wrapped in the brand new UI present in Photos, Camera, and throughout iOS 7. The developer beta of the OS is available today and regular iOS users can download the update for free in the fall.

[via Apple]

First off, gone is the linen background texture in Notification Center. In fact, you won’t see that anywhere in iOS 7. In its place is a translucent dark background. All of your notifications appear there as usual, but there are two new tabs at the top to help you sort through them. On the right is Missed, which lets you browse through only the notifications you didn’t quite get to like missed calls, text messages, etc. To the left is the Today tab, which is an interesting way to look through today’s schedule like what’s on your calendar as well as the weather.

iOS 7 adds a new “center” called Control Center, and in a nutshell, it’s what everybody has wanted that Android already has. Swiping up brings you quick access to a number of controls and toggles. Toggle on/off Airplane Mode, WiFi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb mode, and the orientation lock. Underneath that, you can quickly adjust brightness and volume as well as control music playback. That’s followed by AirPlay and AirDrop. And lastly, there’s quick access to useful apps like an LED flashlight and the camera.

iOS 7 will be released for the public in the fall with these new features included.

[via Apple]

How are those developers doing? Pretty well in general terms. Apple has paid out a total of $10 billion to developers since the App Store opened. $5 billion was paid out just in the last year alone. According to Apple, that’s three times more than all other platforms combined. When looking at app download share by revenue, iOS takes 74 percent, Android takes 20 percent, and the collective category of “other” takes 6 percent.

Some other notable stats: there are 575 million registered iTunes accounts most of which have credit card information added. That’s up from the 400 million announced at WWDC 2012. Plus, last year, there were 650,000 apps in the App Store compared to over 900,000 today.

These are pretty good numbers so far. Apple does usually save the biggest ones for big keynotes. WWDC 2013 is only just beginning so stay tuned!

This would be HTC’s first attempt at a phone/tablet hybrid, but now the timing seems right. The HTC One has been a pretty decent success, so why not just make a bigger one? The One Max, which is currently under the codename of HTC T6, leaked a few days ago with a bit of information. It will feature a very similar hardware design to the HTC One, which is good news. Samsung’s plastic outer shell is no match.

Talking specs, the phone will have a massive 5.9-inch display. A 2.2GHz processor will power the device as will Android Key Lime Pie. The One Max is rumored to include a stylus like the Galaxy Note 3. Whether it will serve some sort of specific purpose or just act as a mere accessory remains to be seen.

The rumored release for the One Max is some time within the second half of 2013. That falls in line with recent rumors of an HTC One Mini to compete with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini. The One Mini’s photos were leaked yesterday.

[via Gotta Be Mobile]

iOS 7

There’s no doubt that iOS 7 will probably steal the show this year at WWDC. Will Apple unveil other software and hardware products? Most likely, but iOS 7 is a highly anticipated release for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch for a number of important reasons. Let’s get right into them.

Flat UI Redesign

The big news of iOS 7 is the expected redesign under Jony Ive. The gloss is supposedly disappearing as is all the skeuomorphism Steve Jobs and Scott Forstall both admired so much. Most apps will instead take on a flat, black-and-white theme. Although it’s possible each will be assigned a specific color to the theme so it’s not overly plain, according to reports. Some people think this year’s WWDC app design seen to the right above is a precursor of what’s to come.

This redesign marks the first real UI overall since the debut of iOS (under the name of iPhone OS) in 2007. The goal was to simplify the OS and change it up for the better without sacrificing its reputation as being very user-friendly.

Flickr and Vimeo Integration

Twitter and Facebook are already built into the core of iOS, so now with iOS 7 it looks like it’s Flickr and Vimeo’s turns. Integration would mean being able to upload photos and videos directly to Flickr or Vimeo from, say, the Photos app. What also could be interesting and perhaps bold is if Apple decides to remove the ability to upload videos to YouTube, further severing ties with Google. After all, on a Mac you can upload a video to Vimeo but not YouTube.

In-Car Maps Navigation

Now that Apple has complete control over the Maps app on iOS, an expansion of functionality might show up in iOS 7. Specifically, rumors indicate Apple wants to work with car manufacturers to integrate iOS devices into cars to improve turn-by-turn navigation. Drivers could plug in their iPhones, for example, and the navigation would show up on the car’s larger display. It’s easy to see how this might open up a world of other possibilities outside of just navigation as well.

The Rest

Other rumors for iOS 7 include a quick way to toggle settings like LTE, Bluetooth, and WiFi from Notification Center and panoramic wallpapers on the home screen. Both of these would clearly be in attempt to match Android’s features. AirDrop wireless file sharing might be in the works and could debut in iOS 7 as well as an iRadio music service. Improvements to Siri could be in the cards, too.

The Mac Stuff

It would be unfair to not mention some of the other expected announcements at WWDC 2013, even if they aren’t completely mobile-oriented. In addition to iOS 7, the next major release of OS X for Mac is expected to get an unveiling and possible developer beta. Plus, with recent stores starting to sell out of certain Macs, it looks like the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are getting refreshes at the keynote.

It’s important to remember that iOS 7 too almost certainly won’t get a public release during WWDC 2013. Apple will unveil it, release a developer beta, and then the public can get their hands on it in the fall. That’s the typical cycle.

WWDC 2013

Are you excited for WWDC 2013? What are you most anticipating? Speak out in the comments section below. Don’t forget to check back here on Monday, June 10th for full coverage of WWDC.

The IDC is reporting that smartphone shipments will hit approximately 958.8 million in 2013, a 32.7 percent increase from the 722.5 million shipments made in 2012. That figure — 958.8 million — should be more than feature phones this year. The analysts forecast that smartphones will account for 52.5 percent of all cell phone shipments by the end of the year.

IDC realizes that this is a very significant event as well. ”2013 will mark a watershed year for smartphones,” Ramon Llamas, Research Manager for IDC’s Mobile Phones program, proclaimed. “If you look at the number of vendors who support both feature phones and smartphones, many of them have not only successfully transitioned their product portfolios to highlight smartphones, but smartphones have become their primary value proposition going forward.”

“Looking ahead, we expect the gulf between smartphones and features phones to grow ever wider,” Llamas later added. Indeed, the smartphone market is still more than capable of growing. In markets such as India and Russia, feature phones still dominate by 80 percent and 51 percent respectively. Since the negative trend of feature phones doesn’t seem to be slowing down, little by little smartphone shipments will eat away at the remaining feature phone share.

[via ZDNet]