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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 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!

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!

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!

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!

The possibility of a Motorola X smartphone has been on the cards since Google finalized their takeover of Motorola Mobility back in May 2012. Though many pundits tended to agree that the 12.5 billion dollar acquisition of Motorola was primarily so Google could get their hands on the 17,000+ patents they owned (many relating to wireless communication), it's a fact that having your own manufacturing subordinate on-hand is a very smart business move from Google.

Above: Google's historic $12.5 billion takeover of Motorola gained them a massive library of patents.

However, purchasing a business of Motorola's size comes with certain pitfalls. They already had a product manifesto in place, and were busy creating a number of smartphones at the time Google acquired them - such as the Motorola Razr M, launched in September 2012. But now that Motorola have a clean slate and plenty of time on their hands, Google is fully able to take advantage of their manufacturing prowess. They're the natural choice to create the next stock Android handset. But what can we expect from the rumoured Motorola X smartphone?

Well, we've already got several indicative quotes from industry insiders. Former CEO Eric Schmidt described the range of products that Motorola is currently creating as "phenomenal", suggesting a high standard of design and the inclusion of quality materials such as metal and glass. Even third-party telecommunication insiders are remarking on the high quality results of the Motorola/Google joint venture. Hugh Bradlow, CTO of Australian provider Telstra, was lavish in his praise of the phantom X phone, effusively describing it as a "real breakthrough... a game changer". Most tantalizingly, Motorola's head of design Jim Wicks described the screens of upcoming Google/Motorola handsets as "just the right size" - a fluff statement? Or an indication that Motorola intend to buck the 'phablet' trend set by Samsung, and launch a phone with more manageable proportions?

Above: a render of one possible look for the Motorola X, extrapolating on the sleek designs which typify Motorola handsets.

Judging by some more recent remarks from Wicks, the latter seems more likely. In the eyes of Motorola, the recent move in Android to larger and larger phones is alienating many customers. "I think 'just right' is important", he says, "and we're designing so we don't disappoint those people". It's true that there are very few top-end phones nowadays that aren't 4.5+ inches in size: the recent flagship HTC One features a screen size of 4.7 inches, following in the footsteps of its predecessor the One X, while Samsung's Galaxy S4 sits at 4.99 and Sony's Xperia Z is exactly 5 inches. If the Motorola X has a screen size more in line with the iPhone 5, it could open up a new niche in Android and succeed in capturing some market share from the Apple leviathan.

Furthermore, Wicks has gone on record as being against preloaded software. "People don't want all that stuff pre-populated on their devices... they really want to define these things themselves." Stock Android is a wise choice when considering this route, as it reduces the bloatware that many users despise: both manufacturers and carriers tend to load down devices with an excess of niche software, which cannot be deleted and takes up valuable real estate on your phone's drive. Short of rooting your handset (voiding warranty), there is no way of freeing up this space. By streamlining the software, doing without a graphical overlay (like Samsung's TouchWiz, or the Sense UI of HTC) and reducing the possibility of bloat, Motorola can ensure a speedier and more responsive device with more storage space available for users. This is ideal for both the power user and the ordinary person who wants a mobile that's comfortable and intuitive to use.

Above: Samsung's TouchWiz overlay has attracted criticism for its cluttered aesthetic and excessive suite of "S"-brand applications.

The big worry for many users, though, is the notion that Motorola's devices will be carrier specific. At the moment, many of their branded phones are only available via certain carriers, many of them specific to America. If you want a Motorola Razr, for example, you have to sign up to a contract on Verizon. This specificity means that many users are locked in contracts that are more expensive or longer than they anticipated. Fortunately, with Google's funds behind them, Motorola are willing and able to offer a future Motorola X phone the same way Samsung offer their S4 or HTC offer their One - across a broad spectrum of carriers, opening up a greater range of contracts and a wider spectrum of prices. Though this is a massive change in Motorola's previous business model, it's a shift that could boost their flagging profits and open them up to a wider audience.

At this point, we start delving into murkier rumours. Some people suspect that the Motorola X might be a customizable device, allowing users to specify details like the internal components, battery size and colour, so customers can create either a budget or a high-end handset depending on their needs. Others believe that the X phone might come with an edge-to-edge bezel-less display, which was very nearly accomplished with Motorola's previous Razr i handset. And people are taking the usual bets about what kind of specifications we can expect - most expect either the upcoming Snapdragon 800 chipset from Qualcomm or the recent Tegra 4 SoC (though since the latter is not 4G compatible, we may either see two versions of the device as with the S4, or the X phone might simply take a hit in power in exchange for a swifter connection).

Above: Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 800 chipset is rumoured to appear in Samsung's Galaxy Note III.

Regardless of what Motorola and Google come up with, it's an exciting time to be an Android fan. Though Google has previously partnered with manufacturers to produce excellent stock Android devices, like the Asus Nexus 7 or LG Nexus 4, their acquisition of Motorola marks the first time Google truly has final say over both the hardware and software of their stock phone. And with the I/O event slated to take place on May 15th, they have the perfect platform to debut their upcoming handset. Keep your eyes peeled, and watch this space - we'll be keeping abreast of any updates relating to the Motorola X, and will be sure to tell you as soon as we hear anything new!

It's that time of year again - Apple have announced that the WWDC, or Worldwide Developers Conference, will kick off on June 10th in San Francisco. This yearly event is where Apple gathers together their many software developers, external engineers and the associated press to announce upcoming products, as well as providing hands-on lab and feedback sessions for outsiders. Though historically the WWDC has focused on showcasing new software, 2002 marked the first time hardware was unveiled. Ever since then the WWDC has become a counterpart to Google's celebrated I/O conference, with past WWDC events focusing on both new products such as the iPhone 4 (2010) and new iterations of the MacBook (2012), as well as software upgrades such as FaceTime (2010) and iCloud (2011).

Above: the annual WWDC is a melting pot of developers, and showcases some of Apple's best new products.

So what can we expect from WWDC 2013? Well, there are certain things we can rule out right away. One of Tim Cook's recent statements was "... we've got some really great stuff coming in the fall and across all of 2014". Downplaying the summer season suggests that any radical software refreshes or new product ranges are unlikely, at least until Q3. That said, this could be Cook playing up the salesman angle so expertly adopted by his predecessor Steve Jobs, and attempting to reduce excitement to lend any announcements that much more weight - however, given Apple's recent slump in stock prices and disappointing projections for the next quarter, we think it unlikely that Cook would give more fuel to the detractors by downplaying future developments.

Nevertheless, we're hopeful for an announcement or at least an update on iOS 7. Even if rumours about a delay in the development of iOS 7 are true, it would be a good idea for Apple to unveil some of its upcoming features pending an autumn release, so developers know exactly what to expect. Besides, iOS 6 was released at WWDC 2012, so we're right on schedule for a refresh - especially considering that software and hardware design were recently folded together under the aegis of Sir Jony Ive. Ive's award-winning work on the design of the iPhone itself has earned the company acclaim from even ardent Apple detractors, but the general consensus is that the look and feel of iOS has only grown more and more outdated as time has passed. A keen eye for visuals - and a general disdain for the tacky skeuomorphic design that has typified past iterations of iOS - means that we can expect a flatter, simpler and more elegant design philosophy to emerge for any future versions of iOS. Placing Ive in charge of its look is a savvy decision, and one that we're confident will pay off in the long run.

Above: Sir Jony Ive, award-winning English designer and Senior Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple, designed products such as the iPhone, iPad, iPod and iMac.

WWDC 2012 also marked the introduction of the new Mac desktop OS, Mountain Lion. Pending any announcements about the subjects closest to our heart (the iPhone, the iPad and iOS), it would be interesting to see what Apple has planned for their range of personal computers. We can probably expect to see an increase in convergence between the features of iOS and the desktop OS X; most pundits are anticipating Siri functionality for desktop, which would be a step in the right direction. However, Apple have historically been against the concept of convergence; and since all of Microsoft's attempts to converge their phone and desktop platforms were met with a lukewarm reception, it's possible the two operating systems are simply too different to combine features effectively.

Other rumoured innovations this year include: a refresh of the desktop line-up, with a possible new MacBook to look forward to; a greater focus on the hardware and OS of Apple Television, which Steve Jobs famously called "a hobby" back in 2010; and maybe even a MacBook Air with retina display, which would certainly draw some customers away from tablets and back towards the laptop scene. Whatever happens this year, we're confident Apple will approach the WWDC with their usual enthusiasm and showmanship intact. Whether unveiling incremental upgrades to their software or surprising the masses with a budget iPhone (and what a surprise that would be!), the Worldwide Developers Conference will always remain one of the most exciting events of the year for developers, and if nothing else happens on the Apple front in 2013, we can at least look forward to some excellent new apps and start-ups finding their footing at WWDC 2013!

We've got a huge number of cases in stock here at Mobile Madhouse, and we thought it high-time that we started showing some of them off in person! 

After all, many different case manufacturers and providers use YouTube as a platform for walking users through their products - it only makes sense that we would do likewise. Today, we're going to be reviewing one of the best cases we stock for Samsung's new Galaxy S4 - the faux-leather wallet! Rugged, reliable and cheap, this wallet is guaranteed to shield your new handset from all the daily rigors of smartphone ownership. But don't take my word for it... let Graham convince you!