TV and movie viewing habits are changing. Cable and satellite companies have targeting, and catering to, consumers with high-definition big screen TVs. Now, it’s time to deal with smaller screens. 41% of mobile device users say they watch videos on their phone, according to Business Insider. That’s up from 20% in 2012. Tablet users are beginning to mirror their home TV watching on their devices.

Services like Netflix and Hulu have already made their way into the mobile market. Consumers want choices. They want to be able to watch their favorite shows at home on their HD TVs as well as on their smartphone or tablet. Giving them this seamless capability is the goal of streaming digital services. The arena is competitive and it is heating up.

You Can Take It With You – Hulu is seeing a growth in subscriptions (and their competition with cable companies) by producing their own programs, IT World online reports. Previously just portals to existing TV and movie content, services such as Hulu, Netflix and Amazon are creating their own unique content.

This blurs the distinction between TV and streaming Internet content. But that goes both ways, as cable providers are branching into mobile themselves. According to Cable-tv, cable and satellite providers are also offering mobile content via smartphone apps.

Briefly reviewed on The Verge, DirecTV Voice is a mobile app being released shortly in beta. This app lets the smartphone or tablet user search the DirecTV database for content, schedule it to be recorded, or start it playing either on the mobile device or big screen. Here, they hope, is the seamless content viewing consumers want. A person could start watching CNN on their HD TV at home and takes it with them on their smartphone to the office.

Where To Start – If a person can get cable TV content on their mobile devices and streaming Internet content on their HD TVs, where does one start? A Business Insider review of Netflix and Amazon Instant Video rate them very close in features. Their streaming content is available on iPads, iPhones, Kindles, Blu-Ray players and Smart TVs.

As the consumer use of mobile devices to watch TV shows and movies grows, cable companies will be pushed to deliver more features to compete. A big hurdle for these companies will be price. At $7.99 a month for Netflix and $79 a year for Amazon Prime, which includes streaming content, cable services will need to come up with more value for their $100 plus monthly charge.

Everyone Can Watch What They Want – Imagine mom and dad, son and daughter at home in the evening, all wanting to watch something different at the same time. If you had an HD TV in the living room, family room and in each of the two kids’ rooms, how much will it cost to watch different programs on each screen with the cable TV provider? When decoder boxes are factored in, it can be a ton of money.

Mobile Magazine reports that Netflix is ready to release a four-stream subscription option for $11.99 a month. Add a $25 cable from eBay for everyone to connect their tablet or smartphone to their HD TVs, and the problem is solved, cheaply. This is one area where the streaming Internet providers have flexibility over the cable TV companies.

Cable TV To Go, Please – If a person doesn’t have cable TV, they can go directly to the source. HBO offers all of their program content on their website, HBO Go. Subscribers log in with their account information and watch what they want. They can even watch it on their favorite mobile device.

What if someone shares their account information with other family members or friends? That doesn’t seem to be a problem, according to a Business Insider report on HBO Go. HBO realizes that it’s tough knowing who is really logged into the their service. But they do know that people are watching their programs. One possibility is that once they’ve reached a point of market saturation, they change their policy and offer online subscriptions to those people who can’t do without their programming.

A War Where the Consumer Wins – The competition to win over the consumer with their mobile viewing habits will result in more apps, more options and features, and probably better pricing. People are watching the various players to see what innovations come out of the battle. This is not an area where revamped features will excite consumers. It will be the new, never-before-tried concepts that will draw in the mobile consumers.

This year may only be five months old but thanks to the arrival of several top smartphones, it’s certainly a great time to buy a handset. And, having turned up in February and April respectively, two of the biggest have to be the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4, the new Android powerhouses on the block.

But, despite being well received by fans and critics, how do the pair stack up against the longstanding Apple behemoth, the iPhone? With the iPhone 5 having arrived last September with much fanfare, we take a brief look at the handsets’ key areas to see which, if any, has the overall edge.

Design – Everyone loves a good looking phone, and this is a department Apple has never had much trouble with. The iPhone 5 is no exception; impossibly light and thin, swathed in titanium and dominated by a tidy 4-inch display, it screams class and feels lovely in the hand. Following suit the HTC One also plumps for titanium, although it’s a little bit larger and rounded than the Apple device. A massive 4.7-inch display and attractive speakers make the front look nice, and it’s definitely a step up for the Taiwanse firm.

And the Samsung Galaxy S4? Well, having stuck with the polycarbonate found on previous handsets there’s little to report, and it certainly lacks that high class nature of the other two. Whilst it’s light and ergonomic, it’s hard not to be a little underwhelmed by the overall look of the device.

Display – As well as being varied in size, each of the devices’ displays also have different strong points. At 4-inches the iPhone 5 wields the smallest, but thanks to its LED-backlit iPS LCD nature it provides vivid and impressive visuals. Although it doesn’t have the highest ppi, images look wonderfully bright and crisp and video watching is always a pleasure.

For excellent colour representation the HTC One’s 4.7-inch display does very well, managing to combine both excellent colour reproduction and superb levels of detail into one package, yet despite not matching the whopping 468 ppi of the HTC, the Samsung Galaxy S4’s offering is a real show stopper. At 5-inches it’s not only large, but bursting with vibrancy and clarity enough to make it the best around.

Camera – A smartphone camera can often make or break a potential purchase for many people, and as a result all three handsets come out blazing in the imagery department. With its clever UltraPixels and Zoe imaging tech the HTC One offers an innovative take on the traditional camera, while the iPhone 5 weighs in with some sharp results thanks to its 8 megapixel snapper. Yet, once again, it’s the Samsung Galaxy S4 that proves the most well rounded, with a hatful of modes complimenting a 13 megapixel camera capable of top draw results.

Verdict – Separating the three is a tough decision and it will always come down to what people look for from a handset. With the HTC One offering camera innovation and a premium design, the iPhone’s unadulterated class and solid performance and the Samsung Galaxy S4 top specifications, they are certainly three of the best handsets around, and it may well be down to one particular feature that sways it, depending on the desired usage.

Thanks to Dan Grose of Phones 4u, which has some of the latest mobile phone contracts.

Mercedes-Benz is adding to the accessory range for their new CLA, bringing the total selection to more than 170 high-quality items. The latest features and additions include multimedia systems, custom design options and extra storage packs.

Personalising your Mercedes-Benz has never been simpler – the brand is known for offering substantial options and the CLA is no exception. Design accessories are provided under the Mercedes-Benz Sport Equipment banner, encompassing door sill panels, custom-fit spoilers and new wheel styles. There are also items available from the AMG sport range, such as trademark body kits and lighter alloys.

For Mercedes drivers with an iPhone 4 or 4S, the Drive Kit Plus specifically for the handset makes it easier to connect with the car. Siri’s voice control can still be used, and the sat nav from Garmin includes real-time traffic information via the internet. Another navigation option is the Becker MAP PILOT upgrade for the audio system, which works through the CLA’s existing colour display. You can even connect it to your laptop via USB to keep it updated with the latest downloads.

When it comes to lifestyle products, there are even more personal items on offer. Drivers who choose the limited CLA Edition 1 can match the car’s yellow upholstery stitching with an identical nail varnish.

As you’d expect, every genuine Mercedes-Benz accessory for the CLA is designed to maintain the model’s high performance and safety. Each item goes through rigorous testing and development – and the manufacturer’s standards are far above the legal minimums.

BlackBerry may not have spent millions marketing its new QWERTY device, the BlackBerry Q10, but during its launch last weekend the handset achieved record sales figures in the UK. The BlackBerry Q10 specs impressed enough for the UK release to be a total success.

Corporate buyers and exporters in the UK queued for hours to get their hands on dozens of the keyboard-based BlackBerry Q10, which runs the firm’s BlackBerry 10 software. London law firm Clifford Chance were amongst those showing their interest and ended up with 1,600 handsets made up of Q10 and the Z10 devices.

While BlackBerry is yet to confirm how many units were actually sold and how its sales compare to those recorded for the firm’s 2013 flagship, the Z10, it has been reported that stock of the Q10 was having to be delivered every hour to keep up with demand.

This will certainly come as great news to the Canadian manufacturer as it suggests that its core of very loyal business users have been holding out to snap up as many Q10’s as possible.

Keeping it low-key – Although the Q10 was unveiled alongside the full touchscreen Z10 earlier this year, the firm openly admitted that it wouldn’t be dedicating much of its marketing budget to promote the QWERTY device.

The firm in fact only went so far as to announce on Twitter the day before that the Q10 was going to launch, which raises the question of had BlackBerry put more effort into promoting the Q10 could sales figures have been even more impressive?

Industry watchers have estimated that around 2,000 units were sold in the first 90 minutes of the Q10 going on sale, with all stock shifting off the shelves in about six hours.

Thorsten Heins, BlackBerry CEO told Bloomberg that sales of its latest device are expected to be in the “tens of millions” range and that the firm has “quite some expectations” for its future success.

Time for a change – The Q10 is a huge step away from the firm’s previous QWERTY offerings, generally baulked at due to their small displays and low-quality cameras (to name but a few things). It’s thanks to an impressive spec sheet that the Q10 has really come in to its own and in turn enhance the ease and efficiency of using the physical keys.

The BlackBerry Q10 specs include a 2,100mAh battery, 16GB of internal storage, 2GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel camera, 1.5GHz dual core processor, 3.1-inch super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen and of course the BlackBerry 10 OS.

Peter Misek, an analyst at Jefferies group, said there’s been “more apparent buzz” around the Q10 compared to that generated by the launch of the Z10, just a few months ago. The Q10 is also expected to debut in the US at the end of May, but after the Z10 received a lukewarm reception it will certainly be interesting to see how well one of the world’s leading smartphone markets takes to this QWERTY device.

The Canadian firm has also recently confirmed that even more BlackBerry 10-toting handsets will launch sporadically throughout the year, as the firm looks to covering all segments of the market.

BlackBerry’s UK managing director Rob Orr said: “there will absolutely be more BlackBerry 10 devices throughout the year”. And, if the Q10 continues to prove popular the smartphone world could well be seeing even more QWERTY creations from the brand in the very near future.

Thanks to Sarah Hazelwood of Dialaphone, a great destination to buy mobile phones. You can also see an earlier article showcasing one of the best BlackBerry Q10 vs. iPhone 5 reviews to date.

With TV commercials blanketing the airwaves about new smartphones, such as the Blackberry Z10, that allow users to share their screens with others to show photos, some people might want to learn about an app that is more advanced and delivers even better functionality to iOS devices for free – DabKick. This app will deliver screen sharing on iPad and iPhone.

They just had a very successful Demo Mobile event and came in second place in the voting (out of 20) for best new mobile technology. And to keep the momentum going, today DabKick received a major update that provides even more features and functionality to the app that offers a whole new way for people to communicate via the iPhone.

DabKick is a free, mobile communications app that allows people to interact live with friends and family while watching videos, showing photos and listening to music together. This unique app creates a fun, in-person experience that allows friends to instant message and talk like they are on a walkie-talkie while sharing media instantly over their phones, just like they both were right next to each other looking at the same screen.

Today’s DabKick 4.1 update includes the addition of a new “Music Layer” that allows users to access friends’ songs and listen to them together, invite friends to listen to songs while they also voice chat/text at the same time and listen to songs together while seeing photos in a live session.

DabKick also launched new “Social” features today including the ability to add friends and interact with them using an anonymous “DabName”, discover new people from the “Popular Dabbers” list and add them as friends, and see the streams of DabKick friends to explore what their friends are “Dabbing”.

Have you given DabKick a try, and what do you think about the new features contained in v4.1? You can download the app for free on iTunes.

With a Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker remake for the Nintendo Wii U expected in late 2013, Zelda fans will be getting ready to test out the new title and compare it to the original and very popular version made for the Nintendo GameCube back in 2000.

However, Nintendo will also be relying on Wind Waker to win new gamers around to its newest console, the Wii U – and will do this by selling gamers on the brilliance of the GamePad.

A little background info on the Wii U Gamepad – For those who have somehow managed to miss the marketing hype surrounding the new console, the Wii U GamePad is the innovative new multi-functional controller for the Wii U. It has a resistive tablet touchscreen that is optimised for single touch as well as input from the Wii U stylus (although it doesn’t need the stylus to be operated) and on-board digital keyboard. It is at once a game controller and a TV remote and it has some impressive built-in features, such as a headphone jack, on-board microphone and 1.3 MP camera. There isn’t really much it can’t do, and it has the potential to change the face of gaming completely.

The Wii U GamePad and Zelda: Wind Waker – Although Nintendo has promised to improve the graphics of the original game and bring the new title to life using the console’s HD capabilities, one of the biggest changes in the new and improved Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker is the way players will actually play the game. Rather than the traditional design of the GameCube controller, players will now be using the Wii U’s Gamepad, which promises a very different experience.

While we don’t know exactly how the GamePad will work with the new Wind Waker title, we can get a few clues from other games. For example, in the Nintendo 3DS remake of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the most popular 3DS game with the possible exception of the Professor Layton series, players could enjoy a more immersive dual screen experience. Player menus, maps and quick-slotted items were all moved down to the second screen, clearing the top screen of distractions which could ruin the game’s immersive experience. In the new Wind Waker played on the Wii U, an HD TV screen will be where the main action of the game takes place, whilst the GamePad’s resistive touchscreen will house everything else.

Turning our attention to the New Super Mario Bros. U game, we get another hint as to how the GamePad could be utilised for the new Wind Waker. As well as allowing many multi-player options, the game can be played on the GamePad alone, meaning that the TV can be freed up for family viewing. Similar options could be included in Zelda: Wind Waker, along with the integration of up to four Wii Remote controllers.

You can also read about how the Wii U Zelda wait spawned Wind Waker HD instead.

Gamers and frustrated travellers alike can now access a new mobile game from a luggage shipping provider, which takes a swipe at greedy low-cost airlines and their confusing luggage policies, high excess baggage fees and hand luggage. Available in iTunes and Android app stores, as well as on Facebook, Mickey O’Greedy’s Luggage Swindle is a tongue-in-cheek game developed by SendMyBag. It provides a fun way for travellers to air their frustrations at these airlines’ antics.

With the playability and additive lure of Pac-man, Mickey O’Greedy’s Luggage Swindle allows players to play as Mickey, using a greedy grab hand to catch travellers with luggage, each time bagging ‘cash’ in the game. High scores can lead to discount vouchers on baggage shipping with SendMyBag and a passport-style leader board means fans can interact with each other and play competitively.

SendMyBag founder Adam Ewart said: “We wanted to develop a fun game that could be played by travellers of all ages, whilst they’re sat in the airport or on their travels. It can also be played simply by those who want to know what it’s like to be the one handing out the charges! The leader board offers the competition element, meaning it can be shared among friends and family. We’re really pleased at how it’s developed and we hope that Mickey O’Greedy is a character that the whole travelling nation will love.

“The game is fun, but is designed to highlight a problem which is far from enjoyable; the frustration felt by travellers as a result of confusing baggage rules and high imposed fees, which has almost reached fever pitch. It was the catalyst for founding SendMyBag, and our main aim is to bring affordable and reliable luggage shipping to travellers. The service has been really well-received since our inception almost two years ago and we’ve seen a huge growth in users. This is down to a combination of travellers looking for a fairer deal on luggage shipping and also the convenience of a door to door service.”

Convenience is a big issue; multiple check-in desks are being replaced with a single bag-drop queue, baggage carousel waits are growing and onward transport with luggage and sports equipment can be tricky. Sendmybag’s service collects luggage prior to travel, and it will be awaiting the traveller on arrival at their destination. Its standard and express services operate worldwide and to send a 30kgs suitcase or set of golf clubs within Europe typically costs under £30.

Visit iTunes and Google Play app stores now to download Mickey O’Greedy’s Luggage Swindle or play on desktop via Facebook.

Feel free to read more news about Android apps and iOS apps.

Have you ever been in the frustrating situation when you want to make a phone call but can’t as you are in a phone signal blackspot? Make these time-wasting, stress-inducing ordeals a thing of the past with the liGo Bluewave. This exciting new device is the latest and greatest way of integrating your mobile phone with your landline – a stroke of pure genius.

Although it may look like nothing to write home about aesthetically, from a technologically standpoint this gadget is in fact capable of revolutionising the way we communicate, making it more efficient and reliable.

Essentially the LiGo Bluewave Mobile Hub syncs up your mobile phone with your home phone telephone system. This ultimately makes your home phone into an extension of your mobile phone. All you need to do is register up to three Bluetooth mobile phone to the liGo Bluewave and then you are good to go – you can make and received calls on your home phone using standard or mobile methods as well as with VoIP services. It is incredibly easy to install and at only £100, you will make back the money you would be spending on traditional landline calls.

Another noteworthy perk of this unassuming piece of kit is the remarkable sound quality without any risk of phone signal blackspots. You can watch the video above this article to see how you’re able to make and receive mobile calls from your home phone.

The liGo Bluewave is the must-have piece for maximising and revolutionising your home telephone system.

Thanks to Rebecca.

Since the early years of Jobs and Wozniak, Apple has thrived on innovated and reinvented consumer products. Take for example the Macintosh 1, at the time of its release pc’s were hard to use and hard to navigate around but then Apple saw a gap in the market, an easy to use and easy to navigate PC, simple operating system and a simple controlled interface using a mouse which Xerox had invented but Apple reinvented.

After the Mac, no one thought Apple could release another revolutionary product, never mind three. First the iPod in 2001, the iPhone in 2007 and the iPad in 2010 and all linking to three key elements simplicity, ease of use and design, which Apple have nailed, but since Android has stepped up its game, Apple have come under scrutiny.

The iPhone and iPad are amazing devices nonetheless but haven’t changed much in design or hardware, iOS has had barely any changes in 6 years and the design of the products has not changed considerably. It has to be said that Apple’s design is fantastic but they need a refresh and also they have the largest range of mobile and tablet apps available today.

So what do Apple need to do to step up their game – First of all it has to be a total overhaul of iOS, they need to add quick settings, themes and a lot more to catch up on android. Release a killer feature or product, we’ve all seen it before, they revolutionized the PC, Phone and the way we listen to music and if anyone is going to add another amazing product it will be Apple.

The above image shows a concept of a bigger iPhone, which more images can be found in this article.

Last of all it is variety, Apple need to have bigger size phones but have variety, maybe three iPhone 6 / 5S models including a 4-inch, 4.5 inch and a 5-inch and have them available in colors.

So, if Apple does not release something killer this year I think they will lose their market share but it is Apple so we never really know.

Article thanks to Eoin O’Boyle.

Let’s hope when the iPhone 6 finally sees a release date, it would do so with a lot more variety. What killer product or feature would you like to see Apple launch in 2013/2014? You can also read about how uncertainty over an iPhone 6 release date can damage Apple.

Lost Photos, the Mac app that combs your email account for image files, is available for free all day today and tomorrow. This is the third time Space Inch has made Lost Photos free as part of a promotion. Each time Lost Photos has reached number one in the Mac App Store Top Free App Chart.

Lost Photos, currently featured in the May edition of Real Simple Magazine, has received positive reviews in several major publications and received 5 stars from 77% of Mac App Store users (356 total reviews). Over 80,000 users have downloaded Lost Photos since August 2012.

The app now supports any email address ending in gmail.com, yahoo.com (or yahoo.ca, yahoo.co.uk and other country-specific domain extensions), me.com, mac.com, aol.com, btinternet.com, charter.net, cox.net, att.net, xtra.co.nz, ymail.com or rocketmail.com, and any email account routed through Google Apps. Users can easily send photos to Facebook, Twitter, and email, or import to iPhoto.

Have you downloaded Lost Photos, and if so how do you rate it? Leave a comment and feel free to share your story about losing a photo. Visit lostphotosapp.com to find out more.