Smartphone industry is growing rapidly, every manufacturer seems to bring a phone that no one has ever seen, but its true that the era of buttons on a phone seems to be an old-fashioned. The word smartphone has transformed a phone with a piece of palm size touch screen. For a time back, Apple, Samsung RIM have been the favorite choice for customers while Microsoft was a bit slow, but surely they we attracting customers.

Today we have the new Nokia Lumia 920 with us to to review, the Finnish manufacturer’s first stab at smartphone which runs on Microsoft Windows Phone 8 operating system and a very-high end camera under the hood.

Nokia Lumia 920 Design:

Lumia 920, a phone that is available in vibrant colors, the reason was supposed to be as smartphone market which was dominated only with gray or matte black tones, or more if you go you could find a pebble blue, whereas as Lumia brand was introduced with colors and vibrancy. Likewise 920’s sister model Lumia 820 & Lumia 620 turned up to maximum factors as 920 is being available in eye-watering colors like yellow to red, white, gray, black. Lumia’s biggest fans might not have turned up with red yellow type colors but it still gives a good taste and people welcomes them.

The phone sits on a polycarbonate shell which not only has affected with the colors, but the internal display can also be adjusted according to exterior. On the phone icon’s turn to different colors scheme with an option of background in black on white only. I must say its striking design will surely get an attention when pull out in crowd.

Apart of the common smartphone design, Lumia 920 posses the same, with volume up down buttons on the right following up with a lock/unlock and a camera button, the large capacitive 4.5” Gorilla glass touch screen with windows button at the bottom of the screen. The charging & sync port right at the bottom of the phone. On the top of the phone is 3.5mm headphone jack along with Micro sim card slot.

Lumia 920 is little heavy and fat while holding. Along the Nokia’s recent line-up, this smartphone is build quality is fantastic and feels good to hold in hand – The Big Phone. The 185g phone is not at all slim & light in design and you can’t simply forget it in your pocket , but still it stands out of crowd.

Nokia Lumia 920 Better:

Nokia Lumia 920 is a 4.5” touchscreen model runs on state of the art latest Windows Phone 8 giving 1280×768 of resolution with PureMotion HD+, ClearBlack, Sunlight Readability Enhancement and Corning Glass 2,0. Although the phone is much big and bulky as compared to Apple’s latest iPhone 5. Overall, Lumia 920 offers best viewing and touchscreen experience indoor as well as outdoor. Alongside we tested the touchscreen  with gloves and yes it does work as advertised.

The 920’s is beating its heart on a Qualcomm Snapdragon Adreno 225 running on 1.5GHz processor speed which is quite efficient to fuel the overall smartphone functionality. 1GB of RAM comes on board, while the phone has 32GB of storage space with no space for extended memory (microSD card).

Nokia Lumia 920 Camera & Video Performance:

Now comes the most interesting part of the phone that was really worthy to review. Much could be written on Lumia 920 camera, However it does not have a 41-megapixel sensor or the oversampling technology which was made famous by Nokia 808 PureView, so we are not sure to which hardware of PureView technology has been advanced and put forward out here. But surprisingly, the camera stands out of the crowd compared to others.

The two majors things that Nokia Lumia 920 camera does better than other high-end smartphones out there is the photographs taken under low-light condition. The images really comes to better light through the powerful camera. In order to test these conditions we have taken side by side images with iPhone 5 and Lumia 920, results were in favor of Lumia’s low-light photography.

                                                      Image taken from iPhone 4

                                               Image taken from Lumia 920

The next part comes with image stabilization and we can sure that Nokia’s technology is lightyears ahead from others. Same comparison was carried out with a video made from Lumia and competition, whereas it resulted like day and night. Lumia 920’s optical assembly uses tiny springs across the lens which helps to absorb shocks and results are stunning. We normally take videos on the move, and the output feels like a shaky video, you will be surprised with the result video while on the move made with Lumia 920.

Finally the Windows Phone 8 has a different concepts of camera lenses, which lets you click your best shot in whatsoever light condition. Nokia Lumia 920 comes with Bing Vision, Cinemagraph most likely the Panorama and Smart Shoot lenses to capture different shooting moods  and requirements.

Closeup Mode on Lumia 920

Night Mode on Lumia 920

                           Day light photograph with Backlight Mode on Lumia 920

Nokia Lumia 920 Web Browsing:

The Nokia Lumia 920 web browsing experiences stands with Internet Explorer & search powered by Bing. A noticeable change for many users is the search bar placed at the bottom rather than the traditional bars at the top. Tabs, recent, favorites, refresh, back all buttons are found here. 

The browsing experience seems to be at the speed of light, the pages respond more quickly. The text displayed is quite sharp and crispy especially for white background page, although Lumia 920 does not support flash.

If you love Bing, then you might be impressive with its search, although like me if you are a Google fan then you have to dive into Internet Explorer settings and navigating to advanced settings and there you can change your default search provider. The choice remains all yours.

Nokia Lumia 920 Battery:

NFC technology is getting common nowadays and so does Lumia 920 also comes with NFC besides a Bluetooth. The battery is 2000mAh, as Nokia says it is enough for 400hours of standby, 6 hours of video playback and 67hours of talktime, with 10hours on 3G.

The notable feature is Lumia 920 charging mode, as its processor is so-called ‘Inductive charging’ which requires the unit to rest on a charging pad, rather than attaching it with a charging cable. So this is a unique feature and is quite charming getting user hassle free with charging cables and adapters.

Nokia Lumia 920 Price in UAE:

In Dubai Nokia Lumia 920 is going on sale for AED 2299/- There are many bundle offers running on the phone from retail shoppers, deals website as well from Etisalat & Du telecoms.

User comments on Nokia Lumia 920 Design:

Below are the comments collected from the users who had first time hand’s on experience with Lumia 920:

its quite big and heavy phone, the design of the phone is bulky where as there is some extra space beneath Windows button, if reduced would definitely help in getting a less weight and  more compact design.

I got shocked when I tried to fill Lumia 920 music gallery with my favorite songs and some of them was unable to play, while it was playing perfect on iPhone.

The phone experience some delay when changing the view between landscape and portrait under photo gallery.

HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today announced the UAE launch of its new flagship smartphone, the new HTC One, first and exclusively with du, benefitting from the telco’s 4G LTE network.  Crafted with a distinct zero-gap aluminum unibody, the new HTC One introduces HTC BlinkFeed, HTC Zoe and HTC BoomSound, key new HTC Sense innovations that reinvent the mobile experience and set a new standard for smartphones. 

The new HTC One smartphone is the beginning of a journey that will revolutionize the smartphone space. We are introducing game-changing technologies that push the boundaries of smartphone accomplishments further than ever before,” said Jon French, Vice President, HTC MEA. “The new HTC One gives our consumers what they want: easy access to everything that’s important to them. Every aspect of the new HTC One, from its aesthetics to its user interface and groundbreaking technology, was designed because we listened to our consumers, and to the market.

Since HTC’s inception, we have sought to partner with leading organizations to further expand upon our offerings. These collaborations are carefully selected to boost our user experience, and we are proud to have partnered with the UAE’s vibrant and dynamic telecom provider, du, for the launch of the new HTC One,” said Mohamed Kais Zribi, HTC MENA Regional Director. “This partnership sees the coming together of two like-minded brands who share the same vision and philosophy of delivering the highest level of customer experience, as well as a harmonious merging of complementary technologies with the new HTC One and du’s 4G LTE network.

We chose to partner with HTC for the launch of the new HTC One because of the synergy between our brands. We share the same desires to create customer-centric products; we are driven by innovation and seek to drive change in our respective fields,” said Yasser Al Yousuf, Director – Premium Personal Market, du. “The new HTC One is among the first LTE phones to be launched on our 4G LTE network, giving customers the ideal platform to enjoy data consumption upto 100 Mbps in the UAE.

The new HTC One will be available in the UAE in both LTE and 3G connectivity options with 32GB internal memory. 

HTC BlinkFeed: A personal live stream right on the home screen

At the centre of the new HTC One experience is HTC BlinkFeed. HTC BlinkFeed is a bold new experience that transforms the home screen into a single live stream of personally relevant information such as social updates, entertainment and lifestyle updates, news and photos with immersive images so that people no longer need to go to separate applications to find out what’s happening.  HTC BlinkFeed aggregates the freshest content from the most relevant and interesting sources, giving it to people at a glance, all in one place, without the need to jump between multiple applications and web sites.

To enable this new dynamic approach to the smartphone, HTC will provide both local and global content from more than 1,400 media sources with more than 10,000 articles per day from some of the most innovative media companies, such as the AOL family of media properties, ESPN, MTV, Vice Media, CoolHunting, Reuters,  Al Jazeera, and many others. For more information on HTC BlinkFeed’s content partners, visit the HTC Blog.

HTC UltraPixel Camera with HTC Zoe

The breakthrough HTC UltraPixel Camera redefines how people capture, relive and share their most precious moments. HTC Zoe gives people the ability to shoot high-res photos that come to life in three-second snippets.  These Zoes, photos and videos are then displayed in a unique way that brings the gallery to life and transforms the traditional photo gallery of still images into a motion gallery of memories.  It also automatically creates integrated highlight films from each event comprised of Zoes, photos and videos set to music with professionally designed cuts, transitions and effects. These highlight videos can be remixed or set to different themes, and can be easily shared on social networks, email and other services.
    
To enable this innovative camera experience, HTC developed a custom camera that includes a best-in-class f/2.0 aperture lens and a breakthrough sensor with UltraPixels that gather 300 percent more light than traditional smartphone camera sensors.  This new approach also delivers astounding low-light performance and a variety of other improvements to photos and videos. In addition, the perfect self-portrait or video is just a tap away with an ultra-wide angle front-facing camera which supports 1080p video capture. Multi-axis optical image stabilization for the rear camera also helps ensure video footage smoother whether stationary or on the move. HTC UltraPixel camera adds many other features and effects such as enhanced 360′ panorama, time sequencing and object removal.

HTC BoomSound

The new HTC One offers the best audio experience of any mobile phone available today. HTC BoomSound introduces for the first time on a phone, front-facing stereo speakers with a dedicated amplifier and an amazing full HD display that immerses people in music, videos, games and the YouTube clips they love. Beats Audio integration is enabled across the entire experience for rich, authentic sound whether you’re listening to your favorite music, watching a YouTube video or playing a game.

HDR recording uses advanced dual microphones and audio processing to capture clean, rich sound that is worthy of high-definition video footage.  Phone calls sound great on HTC One thanks to the addition of HTC Sense Voice, which boosts the call volume and quality in noisy environments so that conversations come through loud and clear.

Metal Unibody Design

Wrapped in a zero-gap aluminum unibody and sporting a brilliant 4.7”, Full HD (1080p) screen, the new HTC One features the latest Android Jelly Bean operating system and LTE network technology to offer blazingly-fast browsing in a package that combines premium design with breakthrough build quality.

Available in stunning silver and beautiful black, the sleek and crafted aluminum unibody sits comfortably in the hand and showcases HTC’s unique antenna technology, which helps people achieve a crystal clear signal. The display also resists scratches and reduces glare, whilst offering incredible 468ppi resolution and rich, natural colors.

Nokia Pakistan introduced the highly anticipated Lumia range powered by Windows Phone 8 in the country today. The device portfolio which was unveiled here consists of flagship device Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 820 and Nokia Lumia 620.With the latest range of Lumia Windows 8 devices, Nokia Pakistan is all set to lead the change for the Windows Phone ecosystem with its Lumia differentiators.

Speaking on the launch, Alessandro Lamanna, vice-president marketing – IMEA (India, Middle East, Africa) at Nokia said,

We are focused on redefining the future of smart devices and continue to invest towards delivering truly compelling experiences to consumers across price points. With the launch of Lumia Windows Phone 8 range, we aim to usher an era of unique innovations in the smart phone market. The announcement today is yet another giant leap in the remarkable progress we have made against our strategy announced in February 2011.” He further added, “We are working with partners across the board to take the Lumia experience to more and more consumers faster. The roll out of not two, but three devices marks not just our intent and agility, but also reflects our commitment to our consumers in Pakistan. With a range of accessories and partnerships to bring wireless charging outside the home, we are also boosting wireless charging into the mainstream. All this innovation adds up to one thing – it’s Time to Switch to Lumia!

Commenting on the occasion, Salman Siddiqui, country lead – Channel Sales, Microsoft Pakistan said,

With Windows Phone 8 we created a new way to think about smartphones, one that puts people at the center. With the same look and feel, the same technology core and cloud service, Windows Phone is built to work seamlessly with Windows 8, you can learn it once and use it everywhere. From Tablet to PC to phone, it is all there for you whenever and however you want it. Nokia has done a phenomenal work to bring Windows Phone to life with truly stunning hardware, there is a phone for everyone, these phones are colorful, different and diverse.

At the occasion, Arsalan Zia Qureshi, head of corporate sales (South), Mobilink, added,

Mobilink continues to remain at the forefront of bringing the latest in cellular technology to our customers. The launch of the Lumia series together with Mobilink adds to the long range of Nokia handsets that our customers have been able to reliably purchase from Mobilink’s selected business centers. Mobilink’s partnership with Nokia ensures that our customers have access to the latest cellular technology at competitive prices and bundled with the most attractive offers.

Nokia Lumia 920

Nokia Lumia 920 includes the latest advances in Nokia PureView imaging innovation. Using advanced floating lens technology, its camera takes in five times more light than competing smartphones without using flash, making it possible to capture clear, bright pictures and video indoors and at night. It also introduces optical image stabilization for the clearest, brightest pictures and video even when shooting indoors or at night.  Additionally, Nokia Lumia 920 is the first integrated wireless charging smartphone, with the technology built right into the handset.

All of these features won numerous accolades for the handset such as Gizmodo Australia – Best Mobile Phone of 2012, Readers Choice Award, International Forum Design, Germany – if Award for Outstanding Design, Mashable – Top 25 Tech of 2012, The Next Web – Best Smartphones of 2012 among others. Nokia Lumia 920 will be available in yellow, red, black, and white.

Nokia Lumia 820

Nokia Lumia 820 is a stylish, mid-range smartphone that delivers high-end performance in a compact package. Microsoft’s unique productivity offerings also make Nokia Lumia 820 the obvious smartphone choice for any type of business.  While the Nokia Lumia 820 has the same uni-body look and feel as the high end Lumia smartphones, it comes with exchangeable shell covers in a range of vibrant colors, including the option to add wireless charging. Like the Nokia Lumia 920, the Nokia Lumia 820 also boasts the world’s most sensitive touchscreen and Nokia ClearBlack display technology, ensuring easy visibility in the brightest sunlight. Nokia Lumia 820 will come in red, yellow, cyan, white and black.

Nokia Lumia 620

More fun and more youthful, the Nokia Lumia 620 uses a new dual-shot color technique to deliver a variety of striking color and texture effects.  With five different exchangeable shells to choose from, people can adapt the look of their Nokia Lumia 620 to their own personal taste and style. With NFC support, the Nokia Lumia 620 can easily share and receive content by tapping with compatible devices. Nokia Lumia 620 will come in magenta, yellow, cyan, white and black.

Wireless charging

Nokia also announced a wide range of wireless charging partnerships and accessories, each designed to meet the needs of different people. These include:

• The quirky Nokia Recharge Pillow by Fatboy that provides the perfect place to lay down your Lumia for a power nap.
• The sleek and minimalistic Nokia Wireless Charging Plate and the Nokia Wireless Charging Stand that are extremely simple to use come in different colors to match your Lumia.
• JBL PowerUP for Nokia, the world’s first wireless charging docking station featuring NFC and Bluetooth connectivity in old-fashioned retro styling.
• The JBL Play UP Portable, a portable speaker specially made to complement Lumia smartphones. It uses Bluetooth and NFC to wireless stream music from a Lumia.

All the Nokia Lumia WP8 devices come packed with signature Lumia features that deliver the best experience on the WP platform.

The competition has been organized to gather innovative ideas from the youth about mobile phone applications which they would want to have in their devices.

Nokia Pakistan collaborated with Talentidols.com, a competition portal & a product of KalSoft FZ LLC to launch the Big Idea Big App Competition as part of its Nokia Ideas Project campaign.

As a result of its partnership with Talentidols, Nokia Pakistan sought to generate original and creative ideas for mobile phone applications in return for some exciting prizes which include Nokia handsets and sizeable cash prizes. The idea was to stimulate the intelligent minds of Pakistani mobile phone lovers and ask them to present an app idea which they would like to see developed and used in their mobile phones.

“We are extremely excited to work with Nokia Pakistan by presenting a competition platform for the Pakistani mobile phone enthusiasts to come forward and present their app ideas on the Talentidols platform”, said Touseef Ikram, Country Head, Talentidols, KalSoft. “People here love competition, they love prizes! It is no wonder that we have original app ideas pouring in as I speak.”

Nokia Pakistan is thrilled with the response which the Big Idea Big App competition has received. Commenting on the success of the competition, Rabia Nizami, Head DX, Nokia Near East said,

“The Big Idea Big App competition has been a tremendous success as a plethora of app ideas has been received over the course of a month. We aim to foster the penetration of S40 platform and provide our customers with apps which can take their experience to a whole new level. Our fruitful partnership with Talentidols has been instrumental in garnering the attraction of youth from all over Pakistan.”

The competition is scheduled to continue till 15th January, 2013 after which a jury panel will decide the top three winners. The winning ideas will be automatically selected for the Nokia Global Ideas Project while the participants shall represent Pakistan in a major global event by Nokia. With so many app ideas coming in the alliance between Nokia Pakistan and Talentidols promises to be a winner in the future as well.

Android spyware wreaking havoc with the platform’s phones is everyday news these days, but for iPhone spyware to conjure the same with arguably more disastrous effect is definitely not something that one would normally expect. iPhone, the iOS smart phone, is oft extolled for its near foolproof security and impenetrable features, which has resulted in security expectations soaring towards the sky not only among the Apple buffs but among the tech gurus as well. Even so, the unexpected has surfaced and an iPhone malware has been discovered that threatens to take over your phone, like an old school bad guy in a superhero movie. Will Apple be able to don the suit of Superman or Batman and save the day for its fans? That, only time will tell; however what is undisputed is that this latest malware scare has upset the ‘Applecart’ on many a level.

Something Fishy

Bloomberg were the first to file in this catastrophic news for Apple that sent shockwaves in the tech realm in the lead up to arguably the most anticipated smart phone release in the history of mankind – iPhone 5. The malware, titled FinFisher spyware, has been unleashed up by Gamma Group from the UK, and is being touted as spyware that can take over many mobile devices, iPhone and BlackBerry included. It can work as an iPhone tracking software or BlackBerry spyware – depending on the platform and the phone – to stealthily track the location of the phones, keep a track of voice calls and emails. And it also has the ability to turn the microphone on and record everything that is said while conversing with someone via the cell phone or even if the phone’s merely lying down and recording the surround sound.

Basically what FinFisher is fishing into – pun of course intended – is the privacy of the targeted user, who would be monitored thoroughly through this spyware. Ranging from their movement, their private data, their personal dealings, anything and everything would be under this demon’s gun.

Further Fishing

Researchers from the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs have been exercising their little grey cells with regards to FinFishing and the extent of its fishing maneuvers. It’s the Citizen Lab wherein samples are being dissected and theories being formulated to unravel the myriad layers of this spying behemoth. After thorough research, the word is that there are many people that are carrying tools for surveillance in their pockets and these tools allow the users to switch the microphone of the targeted phone remotely and convert an average iPhone into a proper tracking device.

The University’s research results are in synchrony with that of the promotional material that Gamma has been spreading around to promote the FinFisher product titled FinSpy Mobile. FinFisher products can stealthily, covertly, (insert another mysterious adverb), monitor computers and cell phones. Not only that, these products also have the capability of recording keystrokes, remotely turn on cameras, intercept calls on Skype.

Hooking it Out

This latest barrage of features is particularly dangerous because by logging key strokes, not only is the privacy of the user under threat but so is their monetary security. A keystroke logger logs every singly key that is typed on a keyboard onto the hacker’s screen through the internet and hence both the passwords of your social networking or email accounts, and your bank accounts would be under the cosh as FinSpy products vie to hook out your privacy.

Similarly remotely turning on cameras on an iPhone – or a BlackBerry for that matter, with a quintessential BlackBerry spyware (download blackberry spy) maneuver – can jeopardize the privacy of the user, and would aid the hacker in keeping tabs on their target in a multitude of ways. And also, there are few better ways of intruding in on the private dealings of a person than intercepting their Skype calls – it could lead to privacy repercussions of both the personal and business fronts.

The Trap

Every fishing technique requires enticing the target into being hooked, and in FinSpy tojan’s case it is a case of the user clicking on a link and then downloading malware in lieu of opening up what the link ostensibly led to. Gamma is saying that it is as simple as sending a link that might appear to be from a phone maker headlined with a message that could be something along the lines of: “install this update, to make your system secure.”

Microsoft has been advising Windows mobile users to avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading software from these links. BlackBerry has also been making similar noises, asking its users to download apps only from trusted and Nokia has followed the same stratagem. iPhone – and Google as well – the biggest sufferer of this malware episode has remained quiet thus far as it mulls over putting together this cart that has been tumbled over by this iPhone tracking storm.

Natalia David has made quite a name for herself in the arena of technology writing. Her comprehensive work has earned her the status of a technology specialist in the eyes of readers who can count on her work to stay in touch with the latest happenings around the technology industry. You can also follow her on twitter @NataliaDavid4

Nokia today announced the Nokia Lumia 510, a smart and modern entry-level smartphone. Featuring a bright, 4-inch display, the Nokia Lumia 510 makes the unique benefits of Lumia and Windows Phone even more affordable.

"With the Nokia Lumia 510 we continue to meet our commitment to bring Windows Phone to new, lower price points," said Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia Smart Devices. "People who use Windows Phone quickly realize how much more intuitive it is than other smartphone platforms, and Nokia Lumia is the best embodiment of the Windows Phone experience. With the Nokia Lumia 510 we’re looking forward to welcoming more people into the Windows Phone experience."

Following on from the success of the Nokia Lumia 610, this latest addition to the Nokia Lumia range comes in five vivid colors for a fun and personal way to enjoy Windows Phone.
Windows Phone is different to other smartphone platforms thanks to Live Tiles, making it easy to see incoming messages and updates; People Hub, which brings together contacts and updates from across social networks into one location, and access to Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer 9 on the mobile.

Unique Lumia experiences also make the Nokia Lumia 510 unlike any other entry-level Windows Phone. Downloading the Camera Extras app provides exclusive digital lens functionality to go with the five megapixel camera and built-in autofocus. Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive and Nokia Transport also offer the most comprehensive smartphone location and navigation experience available.

The Nokia Lumia 510 will be available in red, yellow, cyan, white and black. Nokia estimates the retail price for the Nokia Lumia 510 to be around USD 199, excluding taxes and subsidies. Sales are planned to begin in November 2012, starting with India and China, and followed closely by other Asia-Pacific countries and South America.

In addition to a large and vivid capacitive touchscreen, Nokia Lumia 510 boasts of Snapdragon processor along with 256MB RAM 4GB Mass memory and 7GB free Skydive storage.

After the first sneak preview of Microsoft Surface Tablet here in Dubai Gitex 2012, Microsoft has finally revealed the price of surface tablet which comes with Windows RT, However there will be different options and prices accordingly, but the default Microsoft Surface RT tablet starts from $499.

Microsoft stand at Dubai Technology Week Gitex 2012

Microsoft Surface Tablet Price:

The default Surface RT tablet comes with a 32GB of built-in hard drive, you can also get 32GB Surface with a Touch cover with a price tag of $599, the last and third option is a 64GB Surface Tablet along with Touch Cover retails for a price of $699.

The price list of the tablet from Microsoft also adds additional accessories to go on sale on individual basis as the Touch Cover for $119.99 the Type Cover for $129.99. The company claims the availability of the devices later by this month until Windows 8 launches, the pre-order is expected to go live soon.

Watch out the commercial ad for Surface:

Smart phones have been the economy’s one great hope during the last few years of stagnation. In the course of a few short years, these phones helped to trigger a revolution in technology, with app creation quickly becoming a trendy and profitable business.

Unfortunately for smart phone fans, it looks like the phenomenon might be drawing to a close. Recent reports suggest that smart phone innovation is beginning to slow down, according to Information Week. The implications of such a development could be staggering, especially given the current fragile nature of the economy. The good news is innovation isn’t slow for all phone companies; some are growing stagnant at a faster pace than others.

The decreasing innovation of smart phones could negatively impact other businesses associated with the industry. Cell phone accessories — such as cases, screen protectors, headphones, memory cards etc. — could see sales dip with the decline of the smart phone. However, that doesn’t mean the accessory companies will stop making or selling cool complementary products.

iPhone 5

Now that Apple is firmly in the post-Steve Jobs era, customers can expect a slowing down of innovation. While current head honcho, Tim Cook, adamantly denies that his company is starting to go stagnant, the latest model of the iPhone suggests otherwise. New features will include a larger touch screen and a speed-up in LTE networking. These are certainly nice improvements, but they aren’t exactly groundbreaking. Remember how amazed everyone the touch screen was unveiled, along with a multitude of new apps? That sense of wonder didn’t accompany the unveiling of the the iPhone 5.

Lumia 920

Perhaps even less impressive than the upcoming iPhone is the Nokia Lumia 920 Windows phone. The big boast surrounding this flagship smart phone? You can use the touch screen while wearing gloves. While cold-weather tech junkies may applaud this development, it’s still a bit disappointing that they cannot expect more from Microsoft’s newest model.

The app arena has also slowed down for Microsoft, with the only big release being City Lens, a new augmented-reality app that is already proving popular with hardcore gamers. Virtual reality is considered the new frontier of smart phone technology, but the developments in this area have been underwhelming thus far.

Droid Razr

Google is trying to impress with a new line of Razrs — the Razr M, the Razr HD and the Razr Maxx HD. Again, there’s not too much to get excited with these new phones, unless you are truly obsessed with lengthening your phone’s battery life. For those of you anxious for an Android update, you’ll have to wait a bit longer for the new Android Jelly Bean 4.1, because it’s not featured on any of the new Razrs. Until then, you’ll have to be satisfied with a shopping spree for cell phone accessories. If nothing else, your new Droid Razr should at least look cool!

The lack of innovation in the world of smart phones may be disappointing for those accustomed to the constant innovations that have dominated the tech world since the first iPhone was released. But, as some argue, the lightning-speed innovations couldn’t have lasted forever. And there is always the off-chance the current decline is simply the mobile industry hitting a plateau. Perhaps a new breakthrough will appear by the end of 2013. Otherwise, you’ll just have to adjust to a slower pace of innovation.

Christopher Campbell During his undergraduate college days, Chris sold wireless services and hardware for one of the major providers. He combines that with his journalism degree to write about cellular phones, wireless networks, smart phones and other technology.