Two of the biggest companies in smartphone cases OtterBox and LifeProof are now one big happy family. OtterBox today announced that it has acquired LifeProof and it’s 250 employees and is now merging the brands together with it’s 650 employees worldwide. Details of the acquisition have not been disclosed as OtterBox is a privately owned company. For the time being LifeProof employees will stay put in their San Diego facility .

OtterBox was founded in 1998 and LifeProof in 2005 and is a DBA of TreeFrog Developments, Inc.

“The joining of OtterBox and LifeProof is a way to combine two great brands and provide customers with even more great products, services and choices for smartphone accessories,” OtterBox CEO Brian Thomas said. “Both companies are successful because we foster an environment where everyone takes pride in being part of a culture that knows how to identify opportunities and grow them quickly. Our goal in this acquisition is to create more value for our customers than we ever could have generated while operating individually.”

There is no doubt that iOS is in desperate need of upgrading. It has been around too long in it’s current state. Android and more specifically Windows Phone have a much more intuitive and modern look. Apple even borrowed some of Androids notification goodness in iOS 5. Now it seems that Apple may borrow some of Microsoft’s Metro UI flava for it’s own in the upcoming release of iOS 7. 9to5Mac is stating that multiple sources are claiming the new interface and general design will be “very, very flat”. While other sources are stating that the new design "loses all signs of gloss, shine and skeumorphism"

Jony Ive, who is now in charge of the iOS design team is said to favor the Metro minimalistic style and bring elements of that UI into Apple’s new UI that should be previewed at the WWDC 2013. Macrumors has a pretty cool mockup of the new UI and I can already tell you I am not a fan. What makes the “flat” style work on Windows Phones is that it is now tunable to your own desire by being able to make the truly live tiles bigger or smaller and move them around at will.

If these formerly called icons could be more like Android widgets and have the scalability of Windows Phone I think it would be more of a hit. It is also being stated that the "new panels [that] swipe from the left and right side of an iOS device’s display."

So it could very well possibly be that iOS 7 falls flat in a good way, but Apple better have something more up it’s sleeve than the mocked up image or it could find it’s not so shiny new UI falling flat in a bad way.

The popular Android personal assistant has not come to the iPad and iPhone but I don’t look for it to replace Siri anytime soon. Even though I have a love hate relationship with Siri there is a deeper integration that with Google Search which is where Google Now is buried. First thing is to fire up your iOS device and head to iTunes and either download or update Google Search. Once downloaded and you fire it up, the Google Search screen is pretty boring. At the bottom of the screen there are some notifications that you can lift up (swipe) and will display multiple cards. The cards will appear based off your location results and selections for example with sports and teams. When you are done with a card you can swipe it the heck out of there. Which is kind of neat. I’m still working with Google Now for iPad but so far I am pretty underwhelmed and the Android experience with Google Now is much better.

Looks like the iOS 7 rumors are in full swing and today we have some tasty tidbits suggesting that iOS 7 is being delayed and that Apple is pulling OS X 10.9 engineers to help sort it out and get it back on track. iOS 7 which is supposed to be a complete overhaul from basically the same UI introduced in 2007 with the first iPhone. These engineers are also said to have “some sort of polarizing filter” to hide their phones from spying eyes.

All around the internet, rumors are suggesting end of 2013 for the roll out. So does that mean Apple rolls out a new OS on an iPad? The iPhone 5S, the ho hum upgrade from the iPhone 5 is said to be in production in the second quarter and release in June or July. Obviously we will not see iOS 7 on that device. So does Apple then roll out iOS 7 on an iPad? Then update the iPhone 5S and previous models? That doesn’t make sense either. It would seem more logical to roll out iOS 7 on the iPhone 6 which would not be expected until 2014 with a mid year iPhone 5S. So is Apple letting info out that they are putting more engineers on it to break the ice that it will not be out until 2014?

I have been using the iPhone for several years not since the end of Windows Mobile and my patience for lack of innovation is dwindling. I have been satisfied temporarily because of the Evasi0n Jailbreak released for the iPhone 5 up to iOS 6.1.2. Getting my Cydia on and diverting UI frustration with hacking has been fun up until Apple plugged the hole in iOS 6 with their latest release of iOS 6.1.3 which renders the current Jailbreak useless. However, since this OS update from Apple really was more for maps in Asia and plugging the security hole for jailbreakers, there is no reason to update. There is said to be several exploits being held back for future iOS updates that have some substance instead of burning them up on weak updates like iOS 6.1.3.

Digressing a little further from iOS 7 rumors and my thoughts with hardware, I am still underwhelmed. I am hoping that iPhone 5S fixes the camera issues and perhaps makes good on a larger iPhone 5S and brings a new lower cost iPhone version with more colors and less expensive build quality. I think the build quality on the iPhone 5 suffered when they lightened up and it does not have that same feel as the 4S did. Further, the larger length screen did not make that big of difference for that I thought it would. I use voice to text more often now because the width of the screen is really restrictive for larger people’s hands. I understand Apples theory of one handed operation but I just don’t think it is as big a factor as perhaps it once was. I don’t look for anything but a slight upgrade on the iPhone 5S but perhaps another hardware and form factor update on the iPhone 6 will usher in iOS 7 as well in 2014.

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I get tons of emails a day from developers and marketing companies asking me to post their apps. Unless it is really cool, we don’t post too much because it buries the top news and reviews. Today however I get an email about an app that you have to pay to snooze a little longer in the morning! It’s called Shredder Alarm Clock for iOS and is available for the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. The app is free and has a nice user interface and layout. But the developer has thinks that getting you out of bed in the morning would be more effective if you had to pay to snooze a little longer! The app comes with some free minute packs but I am assuming it will run out pretty quick. So here we go folks, the dreaded in app purchase. That’s right, to get more minute packs you have to pay $0.99 for a 30 minute pack, 5 bucks for 170 minutes, and $10 dollars for 333 minutes! Seriously? I am not paying to snooze and I especially hate in app purchases.

With the Holiday weekend coming up, I think a lot of people are looking forward to the extra sleep, but come Monday, how much would you pay to snooze a little longer before having to go back to work or school?

Apple has jut released iOS version 6.1.3 that you. An now download that contains various bug fixes and a maps update for Japan and other Asian locations. Turn by turn directions and 3D landmarks. There are also some security holes plugged up so if you are one if the many who have taken advantage if the evasi0n jailbreak then you better hold off for a while until it is verified to work. There was rumors that this version of iOS deals with the vulnerability that was exploited to allow the jailbreak. If you are an owner of a jail broken iPhone 5 with iOS 6 better hold off a while.

As mad as the purple haze issue makes me, and the way Apple has handled it for the most part, the thought of this article with “Purple Haze” just made me head on over to the Jimi Hendrix channel on Slacker and renew my admiration for this guy musically. There is no telling how many guitar players are trying to cut their teeth by playing some Hendrix. Even the great Satch, Joe Satriani is only where he is at because of Jimi. What a legacy to leave behind and talent your legacy would inspire. So is this where I say I digress? Always hated that phrase.

So I have bitched about the iPhone 5’s purple haze camera issue since day one. The highly annoying purple haze is caused by light reflecting off your camera’s module when holding your camera at an angle towards bright light. The infuriating part of the flaw is that Apple simple states you are holding your camera wrong. In a sense they are right, if you held it at a different angle the issue would not occur. There are also some shielding techniques you can use that will help with the purple haze as well. Never had the issue on my iPhone 4S and it was an excellent camera.

So where Apple has stumbled, a crafty App Developer can prosper.  Camera Fix by )! design srl claims that they have an app that will help resolve photos you have taken that have the purple haze on them. It does not fix the actual issue. So it is a filter that is specially designed to deal with this issue. It also has some other filters you might like to use. I am not a huge fan of filters myself, I would rather the camera just work, but that’s just me. The App cost $0.99 which is not a lot of money, but I could not get myself to buy it because of the principle of the whole thing. Not paying $0.99 for something that should have worked in the first place.

Head on over the App Store if you want to try out Camera Fix.

[via Redmond Pie]

If you are looking for a visually stunning game with lots of action to play on your iPhone or iPad, then check out Infinity Blade which is free right now at the App Store. This Epic Game has you pitted against the God King and all his Titans. There are lots of weapons, armor, helmets, shields and magic rings that you need to master to become stronger and beat the higher ranking Titans and the God King himself unless he beats you and you start a new bloodline all over again. This game has been updated several times with lots of new levels and Titans to contend with. It is a great precursor for Infinity Blade II which is even better than the first. At the low cost of free this is a no brainer, go grab yourself a copy and even challenge your friends in the Arena!

Get it by Clicking Here

Not too long ago were treated by Adobe when they made their still powerful CS2 available for free to everyone. I actually still use CS2 because of the ability to use layers and it simply still does everything I need it to do. The problem was that I use my laptop less and less now that I have an iPad and exchange for my emails. As a sales and marketing professional, the majority of my time is spent on the phone and answering emails. But occasionally I still need to do some editing for articles and advertising of course, working here at Mobility Digest. Back in December, Adobe released Photoshop Touch for the iPad which included layers and some other handy options. Today however Adobe has released Photoshop Touch for smartphones with layers. iPhone and Android fans can now take advantage of this software for $4.99 which is half of the amount Adobe asks for the iPad or tablet version at $9.99.

Here is some of the things you can do with Adobe Photoshop Touch for smartphone users:

+Enhance images using popular Photoshop features such as layers, selection tools, filters, tonal and color adjustments
+Apply effects and add graphical text for endless creative possibilities
+Edit images as large as 12 megapixels with layers
+Combine images together quickly using the Scribble Selection feature, and easily refine your selection with the Refine Edge tool
+Automatically sync images to Adobe Creative Cloud™ with free 2GB of storage

Adobe Photoshop Touch for phone is immediately available in the Apple App Store and Google Play for US$4.99. For iOS devices, the app requires iOS 5, iPhone 4S and iPod touch 5thgeneration; Android phones must run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or later.

One of my must have apps is MapMyRide+ as an avid cyclist. At my ripe old age it is hard to find the strength and energy to ride fast so I have to also rely on technology and equipment. First and foremost, I took everyone’s advice and bought the best bike I could for the money I had. A Trek Madone carbon fiber. What a difference. But I was soon finding myself at a stand still and not getting faster as I had hoped with training. So next I got a bike computer with cadence. Another huge difference maker! Keeping my RPMs steady and not pedaling out of control or too slow made a huge difference. There was just one thing left and that was a way to look back on my ride and look at my strengths and weaknesses. That where MapMyRide for iOS comes in. This was the last little thing I could get other than blood sweat and tears to improve my ride. The app has a ton of features but I use it to see my course ridden and then use the split separator to see what mile I was the fastest and what miles I was slow. Then I can compare them to the climbs and see how bad I sucked on the hills.

MapMyRide+ is the paid app version that is ad free and gives you a few other special features the freeware version doesn’t like camera support and music in app controls. Right now it is 50% off from $1.99 to just $0.99. I really like the app and recommend it.