New data has come to light proving that the Nokia Lumia 920 is still holding its own, at least in terms of sales in the Windows Phone market place. Despite not exactly breaking any records and coming in relatively close to its siblings, the Nokia Lumia 920 is nonetheless a clear winner over the likes of the HTC 8X and various other popular Windows Phone devices.

According to research by AdDuplex, Nokia accounts for an impressive 80% of the total Windows Phone market, while the remaining 20% is populated by HTC, Samsung and Huawei. As far as the breakdown of Nokia devices goes, the Lumia 920 is still the market-leader with a share of 14%, the Lumia 800 takes silver-medal position at 13% while the Lumia 710, 610, 820 and 620 come in at 13%, 11%, 8% and 7% respectively.

By contrast, HTC managed to garner a share of just 4% of the market – a less than astonishing achievement given the HTC 8X taking Windows Phone 8 flagship status.

In terms of the Windows Phone versions being used, Windows Phone 8 continues to display a slow but steady climb from relative obscurity with 43%, though the majority 57% still use Windows Phone 7. Rather than a knock to Windows Phone 8 however, this is being viewed more as the result of buyers in large numbers taking advantages of Windows Phone 7 device clearances and price cuts. the

As far as the overall Smartphone market goes however things aren’t exactly as glowing as they could be, at least for Microsoft. Data shows that with the ongoing rise of Android and Apple’s iOS in the first and second place positions respectively, Windows Phone as a whole isn’t even nibbling at their heels with a comparatively depressing 3% or less.

Hoping to score WWDC 2013 tickets? You and about a million others, though according to some it’s becoming a case not of what you know or how you invest your efforts, but how well you’re connected and/or your location.

Back in 2011, it took just 12-hours for Apple’s shiny-new World Wide Developers Conference to sell out, though by 2012 this has come down to just two-hours. Demand is off the scale and with only 5,000 or so seats to go around, you’re looking at a situation where anyone that goes about it candidly has a better chance of hitting the lottery jackpot and being struck by lightning on the same day…it ain’t gonna happen.

And let’s not forget that this year the whole world is waiting to see what Apple is going to do next – not because we’re so excited about their next wave of products, but more about how on Earth they’re going to win back critical and consumer faith.

Developers have admitted they’re well and truly on edge, with most having set up multiple quantities of every single notification system in the book in order to be the first to know when tickets go on sale. But given the fact that this is what they’re all doing, none really have much of an advantage.

Technically, the best and perhaps the only way of guaranteeing a seat is to either know someone that’s connected to the WWDC 2013 event itself, or another that’s happy to sit and hit the ‘refresh’ button about 8,000 times a day so as to be right at the front of the queue when the official WWDC 2013 tickets page goes live.

There’s not much help with the former, but the latter is apparently covered by WWDC Blast – a service which according to those behind it uses “proprietary technologies and engineered redundancy at every level of our stack ensure that when WWDC tickets go on sale, we’ll be the first to know. And when we know, you’ll know”.

You have to ask yourself though – given the fact that most of the important stuff will be streamed live over the web and ever last nugget of wisdom will be blogged and Tweeted about 30-seconds after being voiced, is it really worth so much hassle? Not to mention the $1,500 ticket price?

It might be true to say that the e-reader market isn’t quite as obsessed with specs and features as the hardcore tablet PC brigade, but there’s at least one feature that matters in a pretty big way and that’s the screen…for obvious reasons. Which means that for equally obvious reasons we could be looking at a winner in the form of the Kobo Aura HD, which has taken the crown for the highest-resolution screen of any e-reader on the market today.

Available as a strictly limited edition release, the Kobo Aura HD was crafted with “the world’s most passionate book lovers” in mind and will launch for just $169.99 – preorders are already being taken. Packing 1,440 by 1,080 pixels into its 6.8-inch screen, the Kobo Aura HD’s 265PPI pixel density is by rights leaps and bounds ahead of the competition – including the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite.

According to Kobo, the now market-leading Aura HD serves up “30 percent more reading surface and the closest experience to print-on-paper — showcasing text and high-resolution images beautifully.”

They also state that the Aura HD will be the fastest e-reader on the market today by at least 25%, packing a nifty 1GHz processor under the hood. It’s 4GB of closet space can be bumped up with microSD and for those looking to take their reading to extremes, Kobo claims it will be good for up to two months of reading from just one charge.

If all of the above holds water, the e-reader bar has just been raised to an all-new extent.

Kobo is of course understandably proud of the Aura HD and has passed up no opportunity to sings its praises…often rather creatively.

“To us, the Kobo Aura HD is the Porsche of e-readers and is designed for those in the driver’s seat of their e-reading adventures,” according to Kobo device general manager Wayne White.

The release date for the Aura HD has been revealed as April 25^th for the UK and Canada, with US launch details to follow.

Despite being one of the most heavily-publicized and discussed pieces of kit in the history of the consumer technology market, Google Glass is somehow also one of the most elusive and mysterious. Barely a day goes by when we don’t see or hear about Google Glass in the press, but as far as actually getting our hand on one or seeing a pair of the things laid bare…not even close.

Lately however the picture is starting to become a little clearer and details are slowly creeping out as to exactly what we might expect from Google Glass. Chances are that Google’s 2013 I/O event next month will bring the device into the spotlight, but in the meantime we’re hearing that the Explorer Edition versions of the device have at long last started shipping to those who ordered them almost a year ago.

And what’s more, Google has finally gifted the world with a rundown of some of those all-important specs and features delivered by Google Glass.

So, what do we know about the specs of the specs?

Well, the Google Glass support page confirms that the device will ship with 16GB or storage space and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera that’s good for 720p video capture. As far as the display goes, Google states that the tiny screen will actually look the same as a 25-inch HD if viewed from 8-feet away, which technically speaking is pretty modest. The battery fitted will apparently last all-day…which is rather vague…and sound is transmitted by that always creepy-sounding bone conduction technology.

Google Glass can be charged via micro USB which is also used for data transfer, and rounding off the specs comes the revelation that it will be compatible with Android version 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich and up.

Not bad for a pair of glasses, but surely we can’t be the only ones looking at all of the above and with a bit of a mid-range question mark. Not that we’d have expected the first set of glasses like these to run circles around the biggest players on the Smartphone market, but given the fact that the main camera is for all intents and purposes one of the primary features of Google Glass, 5-megapixels seems a bit weak…if you ask us.

For the last couple of years, Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) has been the primary platform upon which new-generation versions of iOS have been officially unveiled and their respective release date detailed made public. This year’s 2013 WWDC is expected to follow suit, though for the first time Apple’s upcoming software updated – iOS 7 – is carrying a rather staggering amount of weight on it shoulders.

As the advance continues among the Android, Windows Phone and now the BlackBerry 10 camps, iOS is finding itself not leading the market by name alone, but with an incredible amount to prove.

The good news however is that Morgan Stanley analyst Kate Huberty is confident that this is exactly what iOS 7 will accomplish with the unveiling of a new “killer app” at WWDC 2013. If there’s ever been a time and a place for Apple to remind the world exactly what took the brand to the top in the first place, its coming by way of the keynote address at WWDC 2013 in June.

As far as specifics go in terms of this supposed “killer app” details are thin on the ground at best – Apple not being one to give our even a scrap of information until good and ready. However, there are two pretty likely suspects already swirling around the ranks of the rumor mill and they are Apple’s iRadio streaming music service and the long-overdue Mobile Wallet app.

Now, technically speaking Apple didn’t pioneer the concept of either of the above and will thus be joining such markets as a newcomer. But then again, Apple also didn’t invent the Smartphone or the MP3 player either and just look at what they managed to do with the iPhone and the iPod.

It’s not a case of getting there first – it’s a case of getting it right.

Technically speaking therefore, iOS 7 and the iPhone 5S expected to launch alongside or shortly after it have every chance of bringing Apple’s name back to its former glory and serving up a much-needed reminder that Tim Cook and Co. really do have what it takes to innovate with the best of them.

As far as Xbox 720 rumors go, most projected specs and features are by rights the kind of things we’re already very excited about.

Very.

However, there is one particular sticking point that just won’t go away and from whichever side you look at it from, it’s one of the worst, most hideous ideas in the history of console gaming.

Will the Xbox 720 really launch as an always-online console?

What started as a vague rumor is now becoming quite terrifyingly possible, with more experts and analysts by the day jumping on the bandwagon and backing the notion as plausible. The theory is that an always-online Xbox 720 could curb piracy and prevent the trade of used games, adding up to more in the pockets of Microsoft and its partners.

But even taking these points aside, there are still dozens of very valid reasons why the Xbox 720 should not, must not and hopefully will not launch as an always-online console…and here’s three of them:

Poor Internet Speeds

Most take super-fast broadband for granted, but what about the millions that are still forced to cope with 24/7 slower speeds and frequent service brownouts? Technically speaking, an always-online Xbox 720 would immediately alienate a massive market segment as chances as the masses won’t be willing to bump up their connections just for the sake of the new Xbox.

System Maintenance

And then comes another biggie that comes in the form of inevitable periodic system and network maintenance from Microsoft. As and when they need to tweak and refine the networks, it won’t be a case of rendering a few features inaccessible for a few hours/days, but rather millions of Xbox 720s outright. Forgivable? Not even a bit!

The PS4 Alternative

Last up, there’s the pretty glaringly obvious point to raise that the PlayStation 4 that’s set to launch around the same time will not be always-online, will need demand an internet connection and will not prevent the use of resale games. As such, the millions not too won over by the above two points will all likelihood flock to the doors of Sony and see Microsoft learning a lesson the hard way.

A lesson we all could have taught them months ago…

Most of us were at least a little shocked to hear reports that the recently released BlackBerry Z10 was being returned to retailers in quite massive quantities. However, it seems that none were more shocked than BlackBerry itself, with the company now having asked the Ontario Securities Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission to look into the reports that BlackBerry called “false and misleading”.

The future of BlackBerry is at present on something of a razor’s edge and this is certainly not the best time for damning criticism to be voiced without backing.

According to a report published by research group Detwiler Fenton this last Thursday, the volume of BlackBerry Z10 Smartphones being returned to retailers across the US had skyrocketed out of control. The news of course didn’t bode well with BlackBerry’s investors and triggered a sizeable share sell-off.

The group behind the report, however, appears to be standing by its claims.

Having almost met its rather bitter demise after a catastrophic couple of years, the company formerly known as Research in Motion practically banked its entire future on the success of the BlackBerry Z10 – soon to be followed by the QWERTY keyboard Q10. And as far as BlackBerry executives are concerned, the Z10 has so far been an astounding success story and such slanderous reports have no justification.

“Sales of the BlackBerry Z10 are meeting expectations and the data we have collected from our retail and carrier partners demonstrates that customers are satisfied with their devices,” according to BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins speaking after last week’s report.

“Return rate statistics show that we are at or below our forecasts and right in line with the industry. To suggest otherwise is either a gross misreading of the data or a wilful manipulation. Such a conclusion is absolutely without basis and BlackBerry will not leave it unchallenged.”

BlackBerry Q10 preorders have already kicked off in the UK and Canada ahead of a late April release date, though a launch for the US market is yet to be confirmed.

How about a Microsoft Surface Watch to take a little of the negative attention away from the Surface Pro and Surface RT for a while? A bit of a head-scratcher admittedly, but it’s looking more likely by the day that this is exactly what we’re in for.

To call it a Surface Watch might be a little creative and/or presumptuous, but what’s abundantly clear is that Microsoft is looking to take on the likes of Apple and Samsung in the newest of new technology segments. Yep, along with Apple’s iWatch and the Samsung Galaxy Watch, new reports have come to light largely confirming that the Redmond software giant is having another crack at mainstream consumer hardware.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is right now in the process of studying and working out design specifics for a new wave of wearable technology products. Citing supply chain sources, the WSJ suggest that components for such devices have already been shipped and are currently being put through their paces by Microsoft’s designers.

The news comes just weeks after it became clear that Apple and Samsung are in something of a frenzied race to the finish line, with their respective iWatch and Galaxy Watch devices.

As none of the three companies have yet offered a single word of confirmation on the project, it remains a subject of pure speculation for the rumor mill to do its bidding with. However, while specs, features, price tags and ultimate release date details are non-existent, what can be surmised pretty solidly is that the biggest names in the business clearly consider the Smartwatch and other wearable computing the future for the industry.

It also remains unknown as to whether these watch-like devices would function as independent and fully-connected Smartphones in the own right, or whether they would have to be paired with the relevant iPhone, Window Phone or Android device in order to operate.

It’s really no secret at this stage that Microsoft’s Surface Pro and Surface RT Tablet campaigns have for want of a better word flopped. And in a pretty big way. Going to extremes can work and often does, but both the Pro and the RT were so glaring short/far from the mark in terms of what consumers were actually looking for, we were gifted with a defining illustration of when it doesn’t work.

In fact, the only thing that for many is keeping the idea of the Surface Tablet alive as 2013 ticks forward is talk of a Surface Mini release date before the end of the year. The theory here being that Microsoft is lignin up a 7-inch Mini Surface Tablet running Windows RT or Windows Blue and launching for a price folk are actually willing to pay.

By rights therefore, a far cry from its two predecessors.

Sadly however the Surface Mini…assuming it even exists…won’t launch in a vacuum and along with dozens of other mini-tabs expected to land this year, the iPad Mini 2 is also looming on the horizon. And at the risk of heading neck-deep into the usual cliché of comparing every damn product on the market to Apple’s creations, the iPad Mini 2 nonetheless serves as a perfect illustration as to why the Surface Mini might do ok, but isn’t going to take Apple’s crown.

Apps

Right off the bat, no matter how many apps Microsoft manages to pull from any number of dark crevices between now and then, the iPad Mini 2 will run circles around the Surface Mini in this department. And given the fact that most buy mini-slates for the use of apps above all else, this is a pretty big one-up for Apple over Microsoft.

OS

Then comes the OS and while Microsoft Blue might indeed be a worthy platform, it won’t have nearly the pedigree or maturity of Apple’s iOS. What it will have however is the odd bug or two to say the least, along with the responsibility of convincing the world that Windows 8 and RT are not in fact a bit crap.

Ecosystem

Last up, Microsoft’s Surface line by rights doesn’t really have an ecosystem as it stands as while Windows Phone and desktop versions of Windows 8 etc. might be compatible, it’s hardly the all-singing, all-dancing family Apple has going on with iOS. And is this likely to change by the end of the year? Of course not.

Good luck to the Microsoft Surface Mini therefore – I reckon it’s going to need it.

So the biggest news on the gaming front in the UK this week is that the Sony PlayStation 4 has been officially opened for pre-orders, which is by rights the second best thing to an actual launch of the thing. It’s funny though – Lord only knows how many PlayStation 4 units have been reserved online ahead of the expected fall release date and yet not a single one of us has yet seen anything more than the console’s controller.

It’s always a testament to the pedigree of a product when you’ll happily back it with your cash before even have a clue what it will look like and exactly what it will do!

As such, demand at UK supermarket giant ASDA has been off the scale just as expected, with the retailer having made it one of the most tempting buys of the decade so far by asking just a measly £20 deposit with the balance to be paid upon the PS4’s launch. And as far as winning over floating voters goes, knowing you’ve a PS4 on the horizon for just £20 is a pretty nifty way of swaying you over from the Xbox 720 camp.

For some reason ASDA all seemed to think it necessary to add a further deal-sweetener – as if the PS4 wouldn’t sell itself millions of time over without so much as a nudge. Nevertheless, they’re promising a discount code that will be sent only to those that have placed a PlayStation 4 pre-order, which can then be used after its release date rolls around.

Probably more important than any of that however is the way in which PS4 pre-order customers in the UK will be given firsts dibs at the thing by ASDA as chances are when shipping begins there will be some pretty epic backlogs and delays to take into account.

“The current expected date of release made by Sony is Christmas 2013. ASDA make no Guarantees that this is correct or will not change and Asda shall not be held responsible if Sony change or delay the release date of the Sony PlayStation 4 in the UK and or limit stock,” according to ASDA officials not wanting to take the blame for the inevitable chaos.

As far as the price of the PlayStation 4 goes however, neither ASDA nor Sony has yet offered a single clue so for now it’s a case of sitting tight and praying initial demand isn’t capitalized on with an eye-watering price.