According to research firm Fiksu, Top 200 free app downloads for the iPhone have fallen to 4.45 million per day in March compared to 6.35 million per day in February, a 30% decrease in one month. The last time app downloads were at similarly low levels was in October 2011, when app downloads were 4.91 million per day.

Another factor contributing towards lower downloads could be the recent change in developer policy implemented by Apple in March, whereby developers were warned that anybody caught using bots to their apps (to boost the chart ratings for their apps) will be disqualified from the official Apple developer program.

“With the novelty factor of the iPhone 4S launch and the holidays well behind us, and no other events in March to spark discovery, March’s download dip was expected,” Micah Adler, Fiksu CEO, said in a statement.

While Sony and Nintendo are quite concerned about Apple taking a big chunk of the portable gaming market, I think they should be more worried on the non-portable side of gaming. Currently, the PS3 and Xbox 360 are enjoying a large base of hard core gamers but think about this for a second – what’s stopping Apple from entering and eating this market?

Let’s start with the hardware. The new iPad with its quad core GPU is already capable of powering a display that is even higher in resolution than a full HD display. So it is safe to say that that the next version of Apple’s SoC, the A6, will be a fairly capable piece of silicon that should be able to deliver at least the same quality of games that the 7 year old Xbox 360 and 6 year old PS3 currently do. Apple is already using a cut-down version of the A5 CPU on Apple TV so upgrading to a full A6 SoC on the next version of ATV won’t be much of an issue.

The next thing Apple needs is a gaming controller which they obviously don’t have at the moment. However, one of the articles from Anandtech suggested that Apple is indeed working on a gaming controller for iOS. While many people might start thinking in the direction of an iPad or iPhone, remember Apple TV is also based on iOS. Apple can easily utilize Bluetooth for pairing up the controller to Apple TV- maybe even use the latest low powered 4.0 standard already present on the iPhone 4S.

Last and certainly not the least, you need a gaming ecosystem. Guess what? You already have that in the form of App Store- much like Microsoft has Xbox Live and Sony has SEN. Games like Infinity Blade and Epoch are pushing non-casual gaming on the iOS further and further and with studios like EA and Ubisoft, Apple already has support from the gaming industry. In fact, there are rumors of Blizzard entering the iOS market; and then a supposed visit by Tim Cook to Valve adds fuel to the fire, even though Gabe Newell denied it.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who can see all the pieces of the puzzle coming together. At $99, the Apple TV is even more affordable than a $160 Nintendo Wii and becomes an impulse purchase. Games on the App Store are also much cheaper than their console counterparts- yes, I know they are cut-down or alternate versions but last-year devices can play games like Max Payne so imagine what next year’s silicon will bring?

So don’t be surprised if Apple repositions the Apple TV as not just a multi-media player but also a full blown system capable of playing games that are as good as the current-gen consoles games.

Ever wish that you could properly use your iPhone for a video conference? Or maybe for some awesome time-lapse photography?

Well a little KickStarter campaign is out to change that with Galileo, a robotic iOs controlled device that offers infinite rotation capability for your iPhone. You simply slide your iPhone into Galileo, and then control it with an iPad or another iOS enabled device.

The introduction video on the campaign page looks promising – while I don’t think you want to be sliding your iPhone under a car to check for oil leaks, it certainly will improve things for video conferencing, spying on your kids, and taking some great photos from otherwise difficult angles.

The project set out to raise $100,000 of funding, but has already reached a staggering $597,500 with funding to end by this weekend. Check out the video and project page here – for a backing of $85 you can get your hands on a Galileo when they hit production.

There has been a lot of talk on whether RIM should exit the consumer market and focus purely on the enterprise- a segment that they are really good at. While it’s true that RIM’s market share in consumer devices has globally been shrinking, it is still the best messaging device out there.

It’s no secret that I’ve been an advocate of BlackBerry Smartphones for a while and yes, I feel the pain of users who are envious of the slick UI and Apps that the iPhone and Android devices sport. So like most users in the UAE, I carry two phones with me and one of them is always the BlackBerry. The other phone keeps switching between an iPhone and whatever device that I am currently reviewing but the BlackBerry is a constant.

The reason I do that is because, as I mentioned in the intro, nothing comes close to being as good of a messaging device as a BlackBerry. The keyboard on RIM’s devices are insanely good and come in very handy, especially in a non-English speaking world where you mix and match words from multiple languages. Even my two year old iPhone doesn’t always get it right with auto-correction and no matter what one says, a full hardware keyboard continues to offers the best typing experience.

There is no denying that RIM is awesome on the enterprise-side, especially with their compression and security which not only helps careers utilize less bandwidth but also makes your device less expensive to use (through data charges) and makes the battery last longer due to lesser usage. That kind of technology would be incredible on an iPhone- especially if you add BBM to that mix, but do keep in mind that the reason that Apple does so well is because their control the entire software and hardware aspect of their products. RIM needs to continue doing the same.

So I don’t think RIM should exit the consumer device space. Their numbers might be shrinking in the rest of the world but they are doing really well in the Middle East where BBM has replaced text messaging for most. For a slick UI and apps, we need to wait for RIM to release the BlackBerry 10 OS and hope that they really hit one out of the park. And make a device that looks like the concept picture posted on top. I still have faith.

Worried about dents and scratches on your precious iPhone? Tired of always forking out screen protectors and cases to protect your prized purchase?

Well look no further than the iPhone cover designed by Marudai Corp, which the company claims is so tough, it’s bulletproof. Here’s a quick peek at what the cover looks like:

Putting this altogether is no easy feat – the iPhone is first placed in a protective case, and then the steel backing and aluminum front are bolted together. Why on earth you’d want to carry around a steel brick with you is always up for debate, but if you’re extra paranoid about something awful happening to your iPhone, this $650 case can put your mind at ease.

Just don’t drop it on your foot.

Nokia held a media roundtable in Dubai recently to introduce their PureView 808 Smartphone featuring a 41 mega-pixel camera. Yep- it’s the phone that was the talk of the Mobile World Congress show this year.

Mr. Vesa Julita, Nokia’s Global Head of Smart Devices introduced us to the PureView 808 by mentioning that Nokia was getting tired of the Mega Pixel race in the Smartphone market and decided to take care of it for once and all by releasing a camera with technology that is miles ahead and will competitors years to catch up. He mentioned that Nokia has been working on this technology for over five years now and has based it on the following three factors:

1) High performance sensors
2) Image processing algorithms
3) Precession optics

On top you see the massive PureView 808 Sensor with competing ones below it.

The Pureview 808 is the first product to feature this new technology and as Tuula Rytila, Senior VP, Portfolio and Business Management hinted, we should expect to see this in more upcoming Nokia phones- so don’t be surprised to see it on a Windows Phone 8 based Lumia phone in the near future as well.

While I was allowed to take pictures from the Nokia PureView 808, I was asked not to share these pictures as the device is still work in progress and the image quality will be further tweaked. Thus, the best I can show is the screen of the PureView with the picture I took from it as well as my iPhone 4S. You can immediately tell that the PureView has a wider-angle lens than the iPhone 4S but for anything above and beyond that, you will have to wait.

Following the roundtable, Mr. Vesa was kind enough to sit down with me and talk a little bit more about this exciting new device from Nokia and technology behind it.

In the ‘I’d do anything for an iPad’ department today comes a disturbing story of a teen in China who sold his kidney to buy a new iPad and iPhone.

As reported by Reuters, the boy received about $3,400 for his kidney, while the defendant who arranged for the transplant received a whopping $35,000.

The teen hails from the province of Anhui, which is one of the poorest regions in China. When the boy’s mother found him using Apple products, she asked where he had gotten the money from, to which he admitted selling his kidney. The tragic outcome of this bizarre incident is that the boy is now suffering from renal deficiency.

Authorities are still conducting further investigations into the case.

Jailbreaking was once the stuff that hackers and tech enthusiasts used to brag about. But in recent times it’s become fairly simple to jailbreak your phone to make it do all kinds of interesting things.

That’s the idea behind a new video that’s surfaced which shows over 100 different things you can do on a jailbroken iPhone. Now we’re not ones to endorse jailbreaking your iPhone, but the video looks quite polished in convincing users to jailbreak, so it’s up to you to decide if you want to go poking around in your phone or not.

Do you support jailbreaking or do you think it’s a waste of time and danger to your phone? Let us know in the comments below!

The Huawei Honor U8860 Smartphone landed in our offices a few weeks back. For those who are wondering what a Huawei is and how do you pronounce it, I can try and answer the first one as the debate on the pronunciation is still on in our office. Although not very well known in the Middle East consumer space, Huawei is a huge company with offices in more than 140 countries and deals mostly on the Government/Corporate side providing high-end information and communications technology (ICT) solutions. Recently, they decided to enter the consumer space and that they made some notice at the MWC show in Barcelona last month by showcasing the fastest quad core smartphone based on their own chip. Sadly, that is not what we have with us today for reviewing but fear not as the U8860 does have a few tricks up its sleeve.

Packaging and Design

Packaged in a grey box that is slightly bigger than your standard Smartphone packages from HTC and Apple, the U8860 comes with the usual suspects- a USB cable, a plug and a headset. A quick start guide is also included to get the novice user up and running.

The Huawei Honor U8860 gets no points in the design department and let me show you why before we talk about it.

As you can see, the design of the unit is heavily inspired by a small unknown device from a not-so-well-known company based in Cupertino. It is so much alike that my aunt who already owns a white iPhone got confused when she saw it sitting on a table a few feet from her. So although Huawei will not win any awards for design, at least the construction quality of the U8860 is fairly decent. Although there is a bit of a creak on the back cover- common amongst devices with removable back covers, overall the device feels pretty solid in your hand and should be able to survive a small fall or two.

Specs and Performance

The Huawei Honor U8860 has specs that can be found on a mid to high-end Android based Smartphone of today. Based on a single core Qualcomm 1.4GHz SnapDragon CPU and Adreno 205 GPU, the U8860 should be able to handle everyday tasks without much issues. The following table compares the U8860 to some of the recent Android devices we have reviewed along with how well it did on the SunSpider benchmark (remember, lower scores are better as this is a time based benchmark)

UI and Apps

Like Samsung and HTC, Huawei has also chosen to implement a custom UI on their Android based U8860 and it’s pretty good actually. If you have ever used a custom ROM based on MiUi on your Android device, then the U8860 will be somewhat familiar to you. You can define four icons on your dock and also create folders and place widgets on your screens. Huawei adds colorful icons and adds a custom keyboard that supports Arabic- something that is not a part of stock Android pre 4.0. The following video shows you the user interface for the device.

As you can see from the video, the device is fairly quick at launching and moving between applications and home screens. I found the keyboard to be not as good as the stock one found on the latest version of Android (Ice Cream Sandwich) but nevertheless, it supports Arabic.

Camera

The Huawei Honor U8860 features two cameras like most modern Smartphones. The front one is a 2MP shooter while the back one is 8MP with autofocus and an LED flash. Sadly video recording is restricted to 720p @ 30fps. The following shot is a sample taken from the back camera of the U8860. The image has been resized but quality is kept at 100%

As you can see, the shots are decent in quality. The camera captures a good amount of detail but the colors appear a bit dull. You can go to digital zoom upto 4x but the quality of pictures degrades quite a bit.

Overall Usage & Conclusion

For everyday usage the Huawei U8860 works well. The call quality is just fine and so are the volume levels. I didn’t have anyone complaining on the other side of the line and I could hear everyone as clear as any other phone. The unit operates at a fairly cool temperature most of the times as well- although I did notice it getting a bit on the hotter side while charging and using- but that is true for many phones.

One of the best things about the U8860 is the battery life. With a massive 1930mAh battery, expect the U8860 to provide you with the best battery life on an Android device. It certainly proved to be one of the longest lasting Android device that I have tested on late by giving me almost two full days with my usual usage of having push email enabled, listening to some music, taking a few pictures.

Oveall, the U8860 is a pretty decent Smartphone. It is well constructed, has a nice display, performs quite well and lasts you quite a long time between charges. Its priced at AED 1,500 making it extremely well worth for what you’re getting and thus earns our recommended product award.

As grand as it may sound, Apple’s new iPad is a game changer and it is all about pixels. Sure, a better camera is nice as is quad core graphics. But undoubtedly the star of the new iPad is the retina display. I suspect it will also be the one thing in the new iPad that will take the iPad-line into the future.

I’m actually writing this on the new iPad connected to a 23-inch Apple Cinema Display and an Apple Bluetooth keyboard. There is a SD card adapter as well as USB adapter laying on the desk, completing the setup. It is truly amazing what I can accomplish with this gear.

It offers probably 90% or more of the functionality of a Mac, and that remaining 10% I don’t need all the time. In addition it offers some clear benefits over a Mac, like all day battery life and portability that not even the smallest MacBook can match.

Sure, I can’t expand the storage, but with access to a 50 GB online DropBox I’m not sure it matters much. And by SSH-ing into a virtual server I have access to the full flexibility and power of a Linux server right from the comfort and convenience of my iPad. Finally, when I need something that doesn’t run on the iPad, like access a website that requires Flash, I can remotely connect to my office Mac and do what I need to do.

But back to the issue of pixels. I’m not sure I can adequately explain just how gorgeous the 2,048 by 1,536 pixel display is. It’s a miracle that so many pixels have been packed into an area as small as just 9.7 inches.

Since the pixels are so small, text looks crisp, photos look amazing, and apps – at least if they’re developed for the retina display – look supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

I truly can’t make out individual pixels and that’s a first for me I think. Even on the 23-inch Cinema Display it all looks very smooth and crisp at the same time.

So what about competitors?

I don’t see any coming anytime soon. Even if there would be an Android tablet, for example, launched soon, there will not be many apps for a very long time. Just look at the meager selection of Honeycomb apps in Google Play now. This is one area where Apple’s advantage is even bigger than it is when it comes to the hardware and software of the device itself.

So even if you have no intention of ever buying an iPad, you just simply have to experience one.

At first glance it may seem like Apple didn’t do much to update the new iPad compared to the previous generation.

However, that would be missing what’s staring you right in the face – or not as it may be – that the new iPad is the first device that will make us forget about pixels.

And that makes it a game changer, one that even Steve Jobs would have been proud of.

Photo courtesy of Emran Kassim.