MUSTARD PR’s Top 5 Tech of the Week

Missed the big tech stories this week? Don’t fret…we have it all here for you in our latest Top 5 Tech of the Week.

Enjoy!

1. Partnership with Sharpe and Foxconn could potentially see the launch of Apple TV
It has been a much speculated topic over recent time and now the case of Apple releasing a TV set is being re examined after an Asian source claimed the US company is working with manufactures Sharp and Hon Hai to test designs for a high resolution screen TV.

Apple has always been known for testing numerous product designs on a regular basis, however according to persons connected with Taiwan’s Hon Hai, Apple have been running tests on various TV designs “for a number of years”, suggesting the plan is a long term one.

2. Google Maps finally on iOS and straight to #1
It has taken months of disputing and couldn’t of come at a better time, but finally Google have released its native Maps on iOS. After the recent disappointment and negative publicity surrounding Apples iOS 6 Maps, this manoeuvre seemed to be planned perfectly as the app is already the number one most downloaded app on Apple’s marketplace, seven hours after it became available on Thursday 13th December.

Worth checking out cnet’s video review here:

3. Facebook updates its apps for iOS and Android whist ditching HTML5
Dramatic changes this week were made to the social network giant Facebook. The decision to introduce a new Android 2.0 version and updateD iOS version was made following much criticism surrounding the HTML5 native/webview app, which Mark Zuckerburg claimed was one of Facebook’s biggest mistakes.

The new release of Android 2.0 promises to be just as much of a success as the iOS launch back in August last year, with the key being speed. The retooling of the app makes for a faster launch as well as quicker notifications, timeline and pictures are displayed almost instantly as images are no longer opened via Jave heap. Since being introduced to Google Play store on Thursday 13th December has already become number one in the ‘Free Apps’ category with a three and a half star rating.
We will keep you up to date on any further upgrades to Facebook and its mobile applications.

4. Google+ gets Christmas started launching 18 new features
Just as Christmas is nearing and most organisations are winding down for the break, Internet sensation Google has today launched 18 new features on the ever-growing social media platform Google+. The new features intend to improve quality of mobile, photo, event and hangout, with the aim of sharing and communicating becoming easier and more fun than ever.
The app aims at improving mobile by allowing users on Android the opportunity to modify features including profile editing, improved posting tools and new content notifies.

5. UK leads world in mobile web use thanks to Facebook
Britain has become a gadget-obsessed nation, watching more television online, spending more on internet shopping and using smartphones and tablets to access the web more heavily than any of the world’s leading economies, according to new research.

A seeming obsession with Facebook, Twitter, watching Gangnam style clips on YouTube and using online music services has seen UK consumers download a record 424 megabytes of data each per month on their smartphones and tablets. The figure is almost 60% more than a year ago. Much of the increase in use of mobile devices, especially smartphones, has been driven by the popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, with 40% of UK adults accessing their profiles on the go.

British 18–to 24-year-olds are proving to be the world’s top mobile social networkers, with 62% accessing their profiles from smartphones and tablets, a higher proportion than any of the countries analysed in the report.