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Apple is still one of the major players in the smartphone world, the iPhone 5 is remaining one of the best selling phones in the UK and we know changes in its operating system (iOS) or other product offerings can make a huge difference to our customers so we have rounded up some of the latest news below for you! Comment and let us know what you think of Apple's new updates, is there anything your looking for with your Apple products?

The WWDC ( Apple Worldwide Developers Conference) keynote speech is over for another year, and we've been treated to a number of announcements.

Mac Pro Desktop

A new Mac Pro desktop computer has been revealed, with a startling cylindrical design, which we have likended to Darth Vaders waste paper bin! With the ability to support four 4K displays simultaneously it has a blistering 12 core processor. The Macbook Air range of netbooks have been refreshed, and are looking slimmer, speedier and more energy efficient than ever before. iTunes is releasing a music streaming service to compete with Spotify, Pandora, Rdio and the rest - including Google, Apple's chief rival, who announced something very similar at their yearly I/O Festival.

Above: The cylindrical Mac Pro desktop, which is already garnering both praise and criticism for its 'innovative' design.

New Operating Systems

But we're most interested in the two software announcements. The desktop operating system, Mac OS X, is going to be seeing an updated to 10.9 this year, codenamed 'Mavericks'. (Apple ran out of big cats, and is going to be naming subsequent versions of OS X after areas in California, where Apple's HQ is located.) Mavericks includes an updated version of the Safari browser, an improved notification system, Apple Maps functionality... and a general move towards, if not convergence, then at least co-habitation with many of the features already found in iOS.

The iOS updates, on the other hand, were far more radical. The main overhaul was visual; Apple have often been derided for a past emphasis on skeuomorphism, which is when something is designed to resemble a different material or technique. Former head of iOS Scott Forstall was the main champion of this - including features such as the green felt effect background of the App Store, or the paper effect of the calendar application. Though Apple founder Steve Jobs was reportedly a fan of skeuomorphism (one particular faux leather iOS texture is a reproduction of a physical texture found in his private jet), head of Industrial Design Sir Jony Ive is not - and since Forstall's departure, Ive has been placed in nominal leadership of the Human Interface team. iOS 7 bears his unmistakable stamp; graphics are streamlined and much flatter. We've included some examples below (with the iOS 6 graphical features on the left and the new iOS 7 versions on the right), so you can see what we mean.

Most people agree that Ive's real contributions to iOS 7 revolve around usability rather than graphics, however. It was Ive's idea to employ a parallax back-masking effect, altering the look of the phone's background when the image is viewed at different angles. From some angles, it appears as if the home app icons are actually hovering above the screen, due to the way the design of the corners of the touchscreen are angled. Tipping the phone makes the background and the application graphics shift as if on separate axes.

iOS 7 Control Centre

In addition to the minimalistic, elegant approach to design, there are a number of new features to be found in iOS 7. One of the largest of these is the Control Center, a counterpart to the drop-down navigation bar found in Android. Much like the Google equivalent, the Control Center acts as a hub to control multiple different features of the device - enabling a user to toggle settings like Bluetooth, screen brightness, airplane mode, etc.

Above: The iOS Control Center, with toggle switches for numerous features of the OS.

Most users are going to focus on the way Apple's stock applications have been redesigned, however. These differences are easy to spot if you look at the Notes or Compass acts, which have been re-designed to be far flatter than before; but there are aesthetic differences everywhere. Even the settings menu and phone keypad have been extensively redesigned with modernism and minimalism firmly in mind. This is most noticeable in the Game Centre, we feel; comparing it side-by-side with the old version is startling, contrasting the old (and heavily skeuomorphic) green felt design with the futuristic, colour-coded circle design, which has Ive's fingerprints firmly imprinted upon it.

Reactions to the new version of iOS have been uniformly positive amongst the faithful. The majority of Apple users seem pleased with the redesign - though to many, the fact skeuomorphism has garnered an unnecessary reputation for poor design may be colouring their opinions. (Calling it 'the new Comic Sans', however, is a pretty vast exaggeration!) People outside of the Apple faithful have been more subdued, with some praising the design as innovative and some chastising iOS 7 as being too similar, variously, to Android, Windows Phone and even the Blackberry OS. But once thing is for certain; the promise that this new version of iOS would be the 'biggest change since the iPhone's release' has certainly come true.

Google

Thanks to the Mobile Madhouse Father’s Day promotion, choosing a gift for your dad that he’ll actually appreciate has never been easier – or cheaper!

What have you got planned for Father’s Day? This year Father’s Day is on 16^th June so now’s definitely the time to start thinking about what you’re going to do - and equally as important, what gift you’re going to get him.

In honour of Father’s Day, we’ve got a rather special deal valid between 3rd June and 13th June 2013. Place your order between those dates and enter FABDAD into the discount box at the checkout and we’ll give you 25% off your order! There’s no excuse not to give your dad something he’ll actually use.

Coming up with the perfect gift idea for Father’s Day can certainly pose a conundrum. After all, there’s a limit on the number of pairs of slippers, driving gloves and tool belts one man needs – and let’s face it, for a lot of us that limit is zero.  Alcohol is always an option and generally goes down well – but then again, it’s about as original as buying your mum a bunch of service-station flowers for Mother’s Day.

The trick is to look for something that’s practical and at the same time desirable. If your dad’s walking around with an unprotected smartphone in his pocket, the chances are he’s going to be impressed by a handy little protective device. Our cases are smart, practical and are guaranteed to be actually put to good use. What’s more, with our special 25% Fathers Day discount deal, there’s no reason not to treat him!Here are some ideas for presents under £10 that are likely to be right up his street:

The Handy Sports Armband!

Does your dad pound the streets or lurk at the gym? Perhaps he’s been meaning to get fit but just needs a spur to get him motivated? Either way, this sports armband is going to fit the bill. He’ll be able to check his sports tracker app with one glance – and more importantly he’ll be able to shuffle through his playlist without the hassle of having to stop and fumble through his shorts pockets.

This armband is tailor-made for your phone, and fits securely around the arm thanks to a fully adjustable Velcro fastening. It looks great, it’s practical and it’s the complete opposite of a pipe and slippers!

The list price is £5.90 so if you take advantage of our Father’s Day offer, you can get hold of it for just £4.42.

The Classic Leather Flip Case!

Whatever smartphone your dad’s carrying, we’ve got a leather flip case for him. This type of case looks equally at home on the train, in the boardroom and in the pub so there’s certainly no fear of your dad being embarrassed to be seen out with it.

We use polyurethane leather in our flip models so you get the look and feel of traditional leather but with a degree of rigidity to ensure that the case stays in premium condition. The PU construction also means that it won’t scuff or crease easily when your dad takes it in and out of his pocket. You also get a free screen protector with the case.

These cases are amazingly priced as well. For instance, the list price on a flip tailor-made for the HTC One is just £9.49 which means that with our Father’s Day discount, you can get hold of one for just £7.12! Why don’t you treat yourself to one while you’re at it?

The Rugged Hard Case!

Present your dad with a mobile case and one of the first things he’ll wonder will be, ‘Is this going to work?’ There are no worries on that score with our range of hard cases. In fact, you’re spoiled for choice across our range if you’re looking for a solid option. Don’t forget – each one of our covers comes with a perfectly-fitting screen protector as well.

For a designer model for instance, be sure to check out our Case Mate selection. For value, style and complete protection though, it’s hard to beat our X-Line cases. Featuring a signature upraised back for extra grip in addition to a perfectly-fitting form, this case is going to give your dad’s phone complete protection – not just from day-to-day scratches and dents but also from the hardest of falls.

You can get hold of an X Line Case for the iPhone 5 at the list price of £3.90 – which means that with our Father’s Day Offer you’ll pay just £2.92.

So why do we have to bother with Father’s Day at all? It has to be said (compared to the ancient Mother’s Day tradition at least) the day itself doesn’t have a particularly impressive pedigree. It originated in the U.S. at the beginning of the last Century when a young lady in Arkansas came up with the idea of a day for dads to mirror Mother’s Day. She got her pastor involved and the date chosen was the third Sunday in June (principally because that was the earliest date by which he could prepare a suitable sermon). Attempts were made to promote the idea on a national level but without much success initially. It was only after the ad-men got hold of the concept in the 60s and 70s that the idea of Father’s Day really took off. Lots of other countries followed suit so that’s why we celebrate the occasion when we do.

Getting a Father’s Day present has never been easier! There’s no excuse to leave it to the last minute this year. Check what model phone your dad has. Scroll through our selection. Make your Choice. It’s as easy as that. And don’t forget to type FABDAD into the discount box at the checkout for an amazing 25% off the order!

Google

We've recently partnered with famed tech site Engadget to bring a new competition to all of our fans and followers - the chance to win a brand new HTC One!

This HTC One competition is ideal for die-hard technology enthusiasts or the more casual user. That's because though the HTC One is a tour de force handset with some real power buzzing under the hood, it's still one of the most convenient and user-friendly smartphones around!

With features such as the live-streaming blinkfeed news feed, chunky front-facing speakers equipped with BoomSound audio for unparalleled playback quality, the revolutionary Zoe camera software, a fantastic back-facing 4 Ultrapixel camera for the best low-light pictures imaginable, and a rugged, zero-gap metallic build that's won awards for its design, this is a truly impeccable device!

You're no doubt wondering how to win this HTC One competition and get your hands on one of these fabulous handsets for yourself - well, it couldn't be simpler! Just follow the link to Engadget's competition page and use the embedded widget to enter your name and e-mail address - or, alternatively, enter using your Facebook account! Remember, if you use your name/e-mail address, you get two entries to the competition; but if you use your Facebook account too, you get an extra entry - as long as you have clicked 'Like' on the official Mobile Madhouse Facebook page!

Easy to enter, one of the most fantastic prizes around - how can you go wrong? Simply put... you can't! Click to 'Like' our Facebook page, then go to Engadget's official competition page and gain THREE chances to win a SIM-free HTC One, currently retailing for £530 in the UK!

Remember, this competition will end on June 2nd at 11:59 P.M - so make sure you enter your name before that time to be in with a chance of winning!

The very best of luck to all of our entrants - and if you win, don't forget to check out our range of fantastic HTC One cases and covers, as well as our excellent range of HTC One accessories! We're second to none when it comes to phone accessories, and our especial interest in this fabulous flagship means we've truly pulled out all the stops with our catalogue!

Google

Last Thursday, we launched a competition on our official Facebook page, inviting people to design the craziest mobile accessories they could imagine! After some intense debate amongst ourselves, we've sifted through the 40+ entries and picked out our five winners - all of whom will win a free phone case for their efforts!

Best five crazy accessories!

1 - Cat Translator! 

First up is Jamie Gallant, who thought up the USB human-to-cat translator. Designed for the pet lovers out there, this accessory would allow a user to talk to their cat via Skype! Though you might miss out on being batted awake by your kitty, you could at least carry on a spirited conversation with her!

2 - Phone Breathalyser!

Second, Mary Hazel Heatley, designer of the alcohol breathalyser peripheral! Definitely an accessory I can get behind - this accessory would plug into your phone and prevent you from sending the kind of drunken texts you would regret the next day. A true life-saver!

3 - The Phone Parachute!

Next is Helen Moulden, who birthed the idea of the phone parachute! Equipping your handset with both a sensor and a parachute, this device would sense velocity and open the parachute, preventing the possibility of drops affecting your device! Though we're fond of a good grip case, ourselves, the illustration that accompanied Helen's entry was far too good to not include!

4 - The Phone Zip-Line!

Next up is Samantha Ripley, originator of the phone zip-line! Clearly not a fan of fumbling her phone out of her pocket, Samantha's gadget concept would extend a zip-wire from your handset and take it right to your ear in the event of calls - taking hands-free communication to a new extreme!

5 - The Phone Wardrobe!

Last but not least, Jess Coleman created the idea of the phone wardrobe! Ideal for the user who wants their handset to stand out, the phone wardrobe would allow a user to select an outfit of choice for their phone. A cute enough idea - but what swung it for us was Jess mentioning a variety of different interchangeable moustaches for your phone!

Best five useful accessories!

That's not all, though! We were also impressed by several accessories which, while not quite as crazy as the above, were certainly useful ideas! The following five entrants have also earned phone cases for their efforts:

Philip Davies, inventor of the FireSteel Flint phone case, allowing a user to light fires on the go!

Tracey Taylor, inventor of the digital photo frame case, allowing a dynamically updated background for your phone!

Kim Styles, inventor of the makeup phone case, with a glossy mirror back and side storage pockets for makeup!

Judith Mse Eddington, inventor of the built-in camera tripod, allowing the dedicated snapper to take steadier photographs!

And Anita Hargreaves, inventor of the phone whistle, allowing you to find the location of your mobile just by whistling!

Honourable Mentions

There were some other ideas we were fond of that sadly didn't make the cut. Amanda Hattie created the concept of a plant pot docking station, an in-depth idea that included a hidden speaker (disguised as drainage holes) and a brown solar panel, mimicking the appearance of soil. Designed for those sunny days when you're sunbathing in the garden, this idea certainly captured our imagination!

Another idea that piqued our interest was Hayley Hobbs and her suggestion of a pair of plug-in legs for your phone. The idea of your mobile scuttling along your bedroom floor in the morning, alarm blaring and a bleary-eyed user chasing it brought a smile to our faces!

In the same vein of waking up early, Lia Burns came up with the idea of a hand that would slap you in the head in the mornings, to ensure you couldn't ignore your alarm and sleep in - ouch!

Some of the ideas were a little odd, though - for example, we're wondering exactly why Ana Cain needs bulletproof glass on her phone! We didn't think Mafia hitwomen would be frequenting our Facebook page!

We're also confused why Claire Thomson Little came up with the idea of babywipes to clean her phone with. As far as we know, babywipes already exist!

All in all, this was a really fun competition - we enjoyed each and every idea that was introduced! So don't worry if you didn't win a prize this time; we'll definitely be running similar competitions in the future! Happy browsing!

Google

Google I/O 2013 kicks off today. While most people agree Google isn't going to be announcing Android 5.0 a.k.a Key Lime Pie at any point over the next three days, it's still another important milestone in Android's short but illustrious history. Since Google launched the Open Handset Alliance back in late 2007, the continuous improvements made to their Android operating system have seen no signs of slowing down! And as of 2013 - with huge profit margins, some of the most high-profile partners in the world, and a 75% market share - Android has truly made its mark on the world of mobile and tablets. 

To commemorate this sterling achievement, and to kick off I/O 2013 in style, we've decided to mark the occasion with an infographic! It details the evolution of Android - from its humble beginnings at Android Inc, under the guidance of Andy Rubin, up to its present global dominance. If you enjoy the infographic, don't foget to visit our homepage and buy some fantastic Mobile Madhouse accessories while you're here!

Without further ado, enjoy our fantastic infographic, courtesy of our great design team!

Google

So far, we've been blown away by the gorgeous, top-end phones of 2013.

Phones like the HTC One, Sony Xperia Z and even Blackberry's Z10 are absolutely stunning. (Even the 'ugly duckling' of the bunch, the Samsung Galaxy S4, is mainly looked down upon for being too similar to its big brother, the Galaxy S3.) But phones weren't always made to such a high standard. In fact, there are many mobile phones that even the least fashion-conscious user wouldn't be seen dead with nowadays. Today we're going to be looking at some of the most hideous mobile phone designs we could find. Keep some sunglasses handy - we can't guarantee these abominations won't damage your eyes! Let's begin...

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First up is the Golden Buddha Phone. At first we thought this device was too self-consciously kitsch to qualify as a truly awful design, but after a little research, we changed our minds. It was probably after learning about the 24 karat paint job, chunk of jade and real pearl lacquer used in the construction of the handset. For a religion that prides itself on frugality, it's certainly got enough worldly goods rammed into it! But even discounting the colour scheme and cost (debuting at over $1700 in its native china), the Golden Buddha Phone has a truly horrible design. It looks more like a makeup mirror than a phone.

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Next up, the Motorola Flipout! Motorola has made some fine handsets in their time; slim and sexy offerings like the Razr M made them a big name in the smartphone business, and their recent acquisition by Google is bound to lead to some more gorgeous, top-end mobiles somewhere down the line. But even the best company slips up - as the Motorola Flipout should prove. The name alone is cringe-worthy; as a rule of thumb, you should never have a gadget after a temper-tantrum. But it's the design that really lets the phone down. With a hinged screen that flips over the keyboard when not in use, it isn't just an ugly phone - it's a fragile one, too. Too much pressure and the screen and keyboard will separate, leaving you with two expensive and unattractive paperweights! 

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We're not sure where to begin with this one. We should point out that it is a Toshiba phone; while they've had great success in consumer electronics, there hasn't been a good Toshiba smartphone yet, and unusual design decisions like this are the reason why. The Toshiba G450 resembles a remote control more than a conventional phone. Rather than a conventional keyboard with numbers rowed 1-9, it has two ungainly circular keyboards which are studded with numbers. The screen is also circular, and lies at the top of the device - with the power button set in the right hand side. Not only ugly, the G450 is also nearly impossible to type with: it's difficult and uncomfortable to hold, the screen is restrictively small, and the buttons just hurt your fingers when you try to use them with any degree of speed. In short, it's rubbish.

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This one has to be a joke, right? There are plenty of phones that sacrifice looks for ergonomics (Samsung's plastic smartphones spring to mind: less attractive, but easier to hold and cheaper to make), but the C99 Star Phone has sacrificed both. It probably provides an excellent grip, courtesy of its jutting, starfish design... but we're not sure how you'd be able to use it for any length of time when it came to playing games or texting friends, which are primarily what you want in a phone. We are sure, however, that when making calls with it you would look like an idiot.

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There's a proud tradition in China of tailoring phones to different demographics. The C99 Star Phone is such an example; you'd have to imagine its designed with children in mind. The Jinpeng A1308 'love heart' mobile, however, is designed with women in mind, and we're pretty sure that counts as sexist on some level. Like the Buddha phone, it looks like a makeup mirror - but whereas that was shoddy design, we're pretty sure this is deliberate. "Boasting" a love-heart shape and emblazoned with many more of the things (including the home button, which is a bright candy red), this garish handset would probably insult the intelligence of an 8 year old girl. We can see a use for it, however - if your girlfriend asks you for an iPhone this Christmas, and you want to break up with her, get her this instead!

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This looks less like a mobile phone design than a scanner from a low-budget 1960s sci-fi show. Billed as a 'phone, watch and camera', the Telson TWC 1150 also pre-packages voice recognition software into its less-than-sleek body. It speaks poorly to the rest of the designs we've looked at, but while this handset may be misguided, at least the manufacturer has tried to make it worthwhile. But combining so many features into a single phone has made it excessively bulky. Fortunately, that side-facing digital camera does clip off again, in the event that you ever want to fit this mobile into your pocket.

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This one is here by virtue of the fact that Nokia, an established telecommunications giant, really should have known better than this. Conceived as a fashion phone (what?), the Nokia 7600 has a 'unique' design. Though if you've ever seen a tamagotchi, you may be getting flashbacks right around now. Released in 2003, the 7600 featured interchangeable covers, allowing the dedicated user to change the look of their handset. But no matter what colour cover the user opted for, it was still on a Nokia 7600, rendering the whole exercise a little bit pointless. Nowadays, Nokia are known for their bold and colourful Lumia range of handsets - showing how you do unique design correctly, rather than modelling your handsets on a pig's ear.

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That's it for now, but rest assured - there are many more hideous designs out there than this! In fact, as we did our research to find these handsets, we discovered whole communities of designers who were birthing concepts for different mobile phones, and many of them were awful. So be grateful that we live in an era where the iPhone 5 and the HTC One are the accepted norm, because if the seething underbelly of the Internet is any indication, in ten years time we could be using handsets with test-tubes attached (allowing you to power them via soft drinks) or biodegradable mobiles made out of weeds.

Talk about a dystopian future!

Google

One smartphone was set apart from the herd in 2012: the Samsung Galaxy S3. Boasting top-end features and a minimalist design, it won numerous design awards, sold numbers in the tens of millions and catapulted Samsung into one of the most respected handset makers in the world. Every month, the S3 regularly rivals the iPhone 5 - the most popular mobile in the world - as best-selling phone. But Samsung's position in second place may be set to change, because Samsung have just released their new flagship phone - the Samsung Galaxy S4!

Stronger, faster, lighter and smarter than its predecessor, the SIV is set to take the world by storm, with over twelve million preorders already. So what better phone to unveil in an unboxing video? We hope you enjoy it as we walk through the next big thing in phones!

Google

Though Sony made waves with their waterproof, ultra-slim Sony Xperia Z in the first quarter, their propensity for releasing multiple flagship phones a year is well-documented. And it looks like a tradition they intend on maintaining - because specifications have leaked for not one, but two high-end smartphones, set to arrive in Q3 of this year: the Sony Togari and Sony Honami.

Above: a leaked image which may be the chassis for the plus-sized Sony Togari.

We've been aware of the Sony Togari for several months now - in fact, information about this device has been leaking since the end of 2012, predating the launch of the Sony Xperia Z! However, we still don't have many concrete facts about the handset. A benchmark screenshot matching the dev name of the phone (C6802) has leaked, but it doesn't include any information about the chipset used, clock speed, amount of RAM, or any other interesting internal details. Despite intensive research on the usual benchmarking sites, all we know for sure from the screenshot is that the Sony Togari will be running Android 4.2 on release and feature a 1080x1920 screen. According to an alleged Sony tester on Chinese search engine Baidu, the Togari will be Sony's first attempt at a fully-fledged phablet, with a massive 6.44 inch screen - coupled with its 1080p display, this would suggest a pixel density of around 340, which is fairly impressive. The same alleged tester suggests that the Togari will have a glass body, a slim-line frame and could be arriving in Japan as early as July.

The Togari pales, however, in comparison to the alleged specs for the Sony Honami. Judging by the huge amounts of speculation that have already emerged, the Honami is going to be the true successor to the Xperia Z, with top-end specs enabling it to go head-to-head with competitors such as the Galaxy S4 and HTC One. Suggested features include a 5 inch, 1080p full-HD screen; a 16 Megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens; a dedicated Sony-brand Walkman chip for better sound quality; the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset; a quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait processor; and a prerequisite 2GB of RAM, to keep the whole thing ticking over nicely. If these specifications are true, then the Honami could be the most powerful device of the year - matching or exceeding even the proposed features of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 3, which has been pegged for a September announcement. Both the Togari and the Honami are said to be IP57 certified, carrying on the dust and waterproofing tradition introduced by the Xperia Z and making them significantly more durable as a result.

Above: a render suggesting one design for the upcoming Sony Honami.

Obviously, the specifications should be taken with a pinch of salt; it'll be several months yet before even announcements are made regarding the two devices. At the earliest, we'd expect the Honami to make its debut at IFA 2013, in September. With that said, there are encouraging signs that Sony are on the rise. Their recent "One Sony" movement - unifying the different divisions of the company, after their break with Ericsson - suggests a great push towards cohesive design and internal co-operation. If their next flagship phone reconciles all the many different things that make Sony great, we're confident that the Sony Honami could be the next Samsung Galaxy S3 - the next Android handset to take the world by storm and provide a worthy competitor to the ubiquitous iPhone. We can't wait to see what they pull out of the bag!

Though we've speculated in some recent posts that Google's upcoming I/O event (scheduled to begin May 15th) may mark the rollout of Android 5.0, codenamed Key Lime Pie, new information has come to light indicating that this may not be the case.

Above: a leaked scrap of code indicated the next version of Android.

The popular website Android Police managed to find the above image after receiving a tip from a fan, indicating the build version for the next iteration of Android. However, Google always follow the same procedure when codenaming build variants - the first letter is the same as the version of Android. Therefore, JWR23B is a new version of Jelly Bean - likely to be Android 4.3. As Android Police note, it's easy to fake information like this, which is why they traced the IP and discovered that there were two IP ranges, both corresponding to Google employees. As Android Police have also noted, while concrete data like this has leaked regarding Android 4.3, we're yet to see any build versions beginning with a "K". So far, our only indication that Google plan on releasing Key Lime Pie at this year's event is a combination of conjecture and precedent.

In all likelihood, Key Lime Pie will be rolled out sometime this year; but given the fragmentation issues that Android is currently struggling with, it makes sense for Google to delay its launch for a few months, at least. Only around 45% of Android devices currently run Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich or higher, but analysts expect this to pick up to more than half by the third quarter of this year. Incidentally, it is the fifth anniversary of the first ever Android device, the HTC Dream, on October 22nd of this year. Do you see what we're angling at? By delaying the launch of Key Lime Pie until October, Google are not only allowing OEMs and carriers a bit of time to catch up with the latest versions of Jelly Bean; they're also releasing a whole new iteration of Android on one of their most important anniversaries, marking the occasion in the style we've come to expect from the search giant.

Above: a render of one logo look for Android 5.0, Key Lime Pie.

But what does this mean for Google I/O this year? Can it really be as exciting an event without a whole new version of Android to look forward to? We think so. Consider all the other possible announcements Google are lining up: a refreshed version of the LG Nexus 4, with 32GB of storage instead of the usual 8 or 16; a new Nexus 7 tablet with LTE capability, allowing you to browse in 4G; and a possible unveiling of the Motorola X, which is scheduled for release sometime this year, and may be the stock Android handset of 2013. Not to mention the fact that there is demonstrably a new version of Android on its way. Though it may not mark as large an evolution as we'd hoped for, Android 4.3 will still bring some important upgrades. After all, though people were disappointed when Jelly Bean was first announced as 4.1 (rather than 5.0), they were quietly satisfied with excellent features like the Google Now voice search function, Project Butters triple-sync v-rendering and speed upgrade, and the panorama-taking photo sphere.

Google have rarely disappointed when it comes to announcing new products. Whether unveiling hardware or software, we can expect them to approach Google I/O with their characteristic showmanship. And considering the many innovations that 2013 has brought already, an event by the certified master of search and owner of Android can be no bad thing, no matter what it ends up bringing to the tablet. We remain as excited as ever for I/O 2013 - and we think you should be too!

It's that time once again - we've refreshed our line-up of products for the Samsung Galaxy S4, and we have several new cases to show off to you!

The first case we're unveiling is the leather flip stand. Manufactured from a combination of weaved fibres and soft faux leather for the  tightest fit and smoothest grip, this stand case is the ideal complement to the Galaxy SIV. Once fitted to the handset, it provides a significant boost in protection, deflecting damage like scratches and scuffs without interfering with the sleek operation you've come to expect from your phone.

It's not just great for shielding your mobile, either; the flip stand's also really convenient. It features a front-facing magnet clasp for easy access to your touchscreen, while maintaining a sturdy layer of protection when it's not in use. But if you ever want to watch videos hands-free, you can flip the front flap out and transform it into a stand! This means you reduce the risk of hand and eye strain, keeping you healthy and safe while you browse.

Next up is our rugged tyre case. It's made from a combo of flexible silicone for protection and a padded gel underlay for stability and shock absorption. This means that the cover's not only comfortable and convenient to hold; it's also highly protective, minimizing scratches and scuffs and enabling you to operate your handset in safety for longer. The upraised, tyre-tread pattern of the case feels great in the palm and reduces the chance that you'll drop your device. But even if you do drop it, the padded gel underlay will come into play, cushioning the delicate internal components of the SIV from any significant harm!

The utility of the tyre tread case is rounded out by several handy pre-packaged features. Cut-outs around the external ports and jacks of the Galaxy SIV, so you can charge your handset, listen to music and take photographs even while the case is equipped. This means you don't have to remove the tyre tread case at any point - ensuring round-the-clock protection! And it should go without saying that the pattern of the cover is highly attractive, acting as both a novelty accessory and a protective sheath. If you want a slim-line and lightweight case of your own, our tyre tread case is the ideal purchase for you!

Finally, we'd like to show off our silicone mesh combo case. Rugged and long-lasting, this sturdy case cover is manufactured from a combination of hard and soft silicone. The internal, coloured portion is soft and flexible, fitting comfortably around the body of your phone and providing both scratch prevention and shock absorption. The rigid, mesh portion is harder, providing a sturdy surface for gripping and significantly reducing the risk of drops, and the damage that they can cause. But don't worry - on the off-chance your phone slips, the colourful internal portion of the case is impact-resistant, reducing damage to both your S4 and the case itself!

As with all our cases, the mesh cover has a number of handy cut-out ports, providing access to external features of the handset like the charger, headphone and camera, so you never need remove your case and compromise on the protection it provides.

That's it for now, but make sure to check back often - we're always stocking new cases! If nothing from this selection has caught your eye, we'll surely be getting something that appeals to you before too much longer!