As each year passes the respective mobile operating companies like Amazon, Google and Apple are trying to push you further and further towards their own offerings. It is becoming clear that at some point in the future you may be forced to make a decision.

So over the next few months I’m going to try using first up Apple and iOS exclusively and then I’ll do the same experiment with Google and android.

So firstly I moved all my pim information into the iCloud and switched my email too. Then I looked at all the iCloud settings and turned everything on from bookmarks, notes, documents, photos, photostream, apps,movies and books. I also turned on iMessage and FaceTime.

So what did all this mean. Welll what I found was no matter what I was on using, (Mac, iPad, iPhone or Apple TV) everything was synced across all the devices without any effort. Also I was able to make a face time call from any device and make that to any other type of device at the other end. In addition with iMessage I could either use my iPhone or iPad to send a text message to another iPhone user. If I took a photo on the iPad or iPhone it would appear on all the other devices with no intervention from myself. It would also be sorted in month order as well on iPhoto on the Mac. If I bought any media (music film app) it would download and install on any of my devices. If I saved a new bookmark on my iPhone that same bookmark would be on my iPad and Mac. If I created a new calendar, contact or a note, again this would be synced across any device. In fact what I’m finding is the Apple syncing and management between all the devices is extraordinarily simple and fantastic to experience.

No wonder people find it difficult to change for one operating system to another.

Time have compiled 57 of the worst moments in tech in 2012.

Some absolute classics.

2013 is only a few days away and rumours and leaks of new devices have already hit the web.

My thoughts on what we can expect to see in 2013 are thinner, faster, and better finished devices. The cameras will all be bumped up in value to around 13mp. NFC will be presenting nearly all devices. Software regardless of platform will receive more polish. The smartphone of 2013 will nearly perfection in terms of hardware and software integration.

So are we looking at hardware going stale where innovation is not viable or possible. Maybe. But there is hope that Samsung’s bendable screens might make an appearance, maybe in the S4 or Note 3. The bendable aspect is clever, but more importantly the screens are meant to be unbreakable. Or virtually. Now that would be useful. Apple could look at utilising liquid metal more than just the sim ejector tool and make a unibody phone. That won’t happen until after the 5S. Part of me wonders if Apple will move to 2 handsets in 2013 but that’s never happened before. Perhaps Apple will offer a range of colours for the iPhone making it more of a fashion accessory. RIM’s new BB10 handsets will arrive. I’m sure they will be ok maybe even great. But whose going to buy them.

So with tough bendable screens a possibility, the next innovation needs to arrive in battery life. If any company can make a slim phone with a week long battery duration this would be a killer feature.

And then we move out of phones and into smart glasses and watches. Just imagine out shopping with the wife, but instead of being bored, you are actually watching Die Hard 90 through your glasses. Maybe that’s 2014. What do you think?

Before in app purchases arrived, you bought an app or game and that was the price you paid. Updates would arrive, sometimes adding some new features, but you knew where you stood on the financial front. Move forward a few years, and we now have in app purchases.

Well we actually have a greed driven in app purchase system and here is why –

1) Freemium – these games really make me sick. There are meant to be free to download and play, but they are certainly not free to play. In fact, these game cost to keep playing and will end up normally costing you the earth. What we need with these games is a range of estimates from the developer as to the true range of costs it would require to finish a game. Problem is with some freemium titles, you have to spend the same amount of money each time you play the game.

2) Games – some games cost money and have in app purchases but without buying these you cannot finish the game. These should be banned, or as above a note in the game description informer the buyer how much is needed in total to be spent to finish a game. Using in app purchases to add a substantial new levels, or purchase optional items that have no impact on the gameplay like a new outfit for your character are fine. What I have found is games bought for £3 are suddenly switched to a new financial model, like freemium or a heavy use of in app purchases. That’s wrong.

3) Apps – in app purchases can be used wisely whereby you get a fully functional app at a low cost, but to add some optional features costs a little bit more. This is fair and reasonable. Two examples of this done well is pcalc and flightradar24 pro.

I really think all the companies with app stores need to monitor abuses with the in app purchasing system. At the moment I believe it has killed off gaming apps due to the excessive use.