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As we approach the upcoming World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) from Apple this morning, many questions are flying around about what we should expect from the technology giant, and one of the main items of speculation, of course, is the new iPhone. Will it be the iPhone 5S released first this summer, followed by a potential release of an iPhone 6 in the fall? Will the ‘Home’ button finally be cast aside, as was suspected for the iPhone 5? When will they launch iOS 7, and will it already be integrated into the new devices? These and many other questions will be answered shortly, but let’s take a look at what the rumor mill thinks will happen.

Due to the ease of scratching that came along with the iPhone 5, there may be a plastic/metal hybrid material that makes up the case for the new phone(s). This could be based on the easy-to-scratch problem, but some also say it could just be used to make a cheaper, budget iPhone to distribute at a later date. Remember, the company has said repeatedly that cheaper versions of the iPhones were on their way, and it appears that we will continue to wait for that as well. Storage may upgraded in these phones as well, possibly up to 128GB. They put that technology into an iPad, so it seems feasible that it could be incorporated here as well. The screen will most likely get an update, too, hopefully to 1080p Full HD resolution, and the camera is rumored to perhaps have a 12-megapixel sensor, which would be a significant upgrade from the 8MP in the iPhone 5.

Other rumors swirling about include wireless charging, an upgraded quad-core A7 processor, and possibly even Gaze Detection Technology, where the device would be able to tell if you are currently looking at the screen or not. Alas, we’re going to have to wait a few more hours to find out all the juicy details, but one thing’s for sure: we’re all hoping that the announcements Apple makes today will be mind-blowing, earth-shattering and knee-buckling. With all the technology that other companies are putting out right now, they need it.

*Thanks to Antoine Brieux, Federico Ciccarese, Abel Verdezoto and
Nowhereelse Designs for the concept images*

With the latest release/update of Mozilla’s Firefox browser, an interesting (and kind of hidden) feature is available for all you crazy kids with your social networking and your Facebooking. Firefox has introduced a pairing with Facebook to incorporate a messenger right in the sidebar of the browser. It looks similar to the sidebar we all some of us use when logged in to the actual Facebook site, and it performs in the same way as well. Not that we don’t flip back to that glowing blue tab every minute and a half as it is, but now, thanks to this new partnership, we won’t have to as much…

Allowing us all to work on (or surf) other things on the Interweb while still being able to know what everyone we care about is up to is a big boost for Firefox’s continued popularity. Since Facebook has agreed to be the guinea pig (of sorts) for this trial experiment, it suggests that the likes of LinkedIn, Twitter and other popular social media networking sites will be interested to see how this all plays out. Having just been released today, there’s obviously not a ton of feedback. Yet. Give it a few days and we’ll see what the public’s reaction is to this newfangled interweaving. Just wait.

As you can see, this tool could prove ridiculously useful to those of us that waste way too much time jumping all over the place, trying to sort out our tabs to see what we’re missing throughout the world. If too many social media outlets become involved, though, will out screen just become a massive retinal explosion of updates, with no regard to the feelings of non-social sites, who have struggled and performed valiantly for years? I suppose only time will tell us the answers to these (very important) questions, and we will, as you well know, be much better off for it.

(Oh, and there are some other new features and updates with Firefox, but so what?)

After last month’s new “rebranding” effort by Microsoft, one designer apparently didn’t feel the look was up to par, and decided to do something about it. The look is so much sleeker, the new font looks more professional and the overall feel of Microsoft as a brand jumps up a few points with Andrew Kim’s updated design concept.

I’m sure that Microsoft is very comfortable with keeping their look the same, which may be part of the problem for the company. Innovation and driving your company forward is what gets people initially to your brand, and it’s a big part of what keeps them coming back for more. Let’s take a look at the evolution of the Microsoft logo over the years:

While the new logo is certainly an improvement over the original logo from 1975, it just doesn’t say anything about the company’s willingness or desire to move FORWARD. If Microsoft wants to really try to give Apple more and more competition over the coming years, this design concept (or anything else that was somewhat original) would have been a great way to start out.

Now, take a look at Andrew Kim‘s entire concept for rebranding Microsoft, and be the judge yourself.

As Alex Williams of TechCrunch says, “Windows is over. It’s outdated. It represents the past. Windows Phone and Surface are hindered by the Windows brand.” Alas, we’ll just have to see how their “new” logo works out…

(Thanks to Andrew Kim & Minimally Minimal for the design concept link!)

This guy has some of the most fantastic Photoshop tutorials anywhere on the web. He’s a Senior Creative Director for Adobe, and his tips and techniques for using the best design programs on the web are legen…wait for it…DARY. Ladies and gentelmen, Mr. Russell Brown.

The Paper Texture Panel is a great Photoshop add-on, and he’s got tons of tutorials, links, podcasts and more. Check this guy out if you haven’t already…

Well, let the theories begin. After the recent announcement that Facebook had purchased the popular camera app Instagram for $1 billion, it seems as though a wave of haters have popped up, and are convinced that Instagram as we know it is finished. Now, I have no idea what Mr. Zuckerberg plans to do with his new app toy, any more than the haters do, but can’t we wait and see what he does with it first?

I understand everyone thinks that Facebook is taking over the world or the internet or our collective social lives, but the ratio of complainers to people that love their Facebook is pretty skewed. Everyone complains when there are changes made to your page, or “Timeline” is introduced, or whatever the next new FB creation happens to be, but 2 weeks later no one can remember what it used to look like, and they LOVE whatever the new design or improvement is. And I suspect Instagram will be no different.

Sure, the way the photos get uploaded may differ, or how they get to your respective social networking sites may vary slightly, but you’re still going to get to take the cool pictures with the cool filters, aren’t you? I think this may be a good thing for Facebook to integrate, and we will see soon how one of the most popular apps in the world is going to be affected. Of course, Facebook could completely destroy Instagram as we know it, too (just in case) – I guess we’ll just have to keep snapping away and see what happens…

image courtesy of Diesel Laws