It's time to take a look back at all things tech from the past month - from the rumours surrounding today’s expected iPhone 5 unveiling to Wikipedia's black out… It's that time of the month again, fellow broadband lovers, where we look back and see what exciting tech news August had to offer. So make yourself a brew, sit back and read on to find out what was hot in the world of tech last month …
iPhone 5…fancy a date?
So you've heard the rumours that the iPhone 5 is on its way - but the big question is when? As Apple beavers away on its next offering, the internet rumour mill has been well and truly in overdrive about when exactly we'll all be able to get our hands on this tech goody.Pundits reckon September 21st looks most likely to be the date for the iPhone 5 to be hitting the shops, a prediction that’s likely to be proved right or otherwise at this evening’s Apple event at the at the the Yerba Beuna Center for the Arts Theatre, San Francisco.. Such predictions are based on a whole range of factors - from increases in component orders, to Apple employees being banned from taking holidays during the week of 21st-30th September. One thing’s for sure though, the Apple Store is down for maintenance which certainly suggests something significant’s on its way. Some are even suggesting a recent problem affecting Apple’s iCloud service is something to do with the preparations for this evening’s unveiling, Find out for sure by tuning into Macworld’s live coverage of the event at 6pm GMT tonight.
Mozilla Firefox 15's got game
Gamers, listen up - Firefox 15 has been released specifically with game development in mind. The new desktop browser reduces memory usage, features an improved JavaScript engine and brings WebGL enhancements that allow web applications to take better advantage of your computer’s graphics capabilities. Just check out this demo and you’ll see what we mean:
Couple that up with some super-fast fibre optic broadband and you'll be gaming for days - chuffed?
Everything Everywhere goes 4G
Ofcom gave mobile telecom provider ‘Everything Everywhere’ the nod to use its existing bandwidth to launch fourth-generation - or 4G - mobile service last month. Today saw the first of these 4G networks switched on in London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Bristol, with further cities expected before the end of the year,
Pinterest open to all
Popular visual networking site Pinterest has finally opened its doors to everyone. Previously an invite-only site, Pinterest saw more than 10 million users sign up within the first nine months, making it the fastest growing site ever. Now you don't have to wait for an invite to drop into your inbox to get in on the pin board-style fun, it's time to start pinning all that pretty stuff you find on the internet.
Daily deals from Amazon
Move aside Groupon, Living Social and Itison…there's a new daily deals site in town. Retail heavyweight Amazon is now emailing daily deals to users in London so they can snap up a bargain or two from the comfort of their own couch.
Apple becomes most valuable company…ever
Is there anything Apple can't do? The iPhone, iPod and iPad maker smashed Microsoft's previous record as the most valuable company in history, with its market value rising to £397 billion in August. The tech giant's shares also rose to $665.15 on the New York Stock Exchange, and experts reckon rumours surrounding the iPhone 5 have fuelled Apple's recent success.
Google hit by biggest fine..ever
And while Apple celebrated its success, Google beat a record of its own - the search king was fined £14.4 million by the US Federal Trade Commission for purportedly circumventing privacy protections of consumers using Apple’s Safari web browser. This is the highest ever single fine the FTC has handed out to a company for a civil violation..
Lights off at Wikipedia
The popular online encyclopaedia found itself in the dark after some severed cables shut down the site for nearly two hours at the start of August. While inquisitive web users scratched their heads as the unanswered questions mounted up, Wikipedia grabbed the opportunity to remind users it could always do with a little more cash. "[The Wikimedia Foundation] has a constant need to purchase new hardware. If you would like to help, please donate," the error message said. That brings us to the end of what’s been a busy August in the world of tech. What's your favourite tech story from the last month? What do you expect will be making big waves over the coming weeks?