Blog Posts by Marc Saltzman

While not as bustling as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the annual CTIA Wireless conference shines a light on the mobility space, in particular.

Whether it's consumer-based products -- like new smartphones, tablets, laptops or accessories -- or B2B technologies, the showroom floor usually has a number of impressive products from companies big and small -- and this year's event in New Orleans was no exception.

More than 1,100 exhibitors were spread out over 300,000-odd square feet of showroom floor space at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

I discuss a few highlights in the following video, including a laptop with no trade-offs, a smarter smartphone, a portable and wireless hard drive and a special coating that waterproofs your gadgets from the inside-out (take that, toilet).

It's been a wild week packed with breaking tech news and industry rumours and speculation — particularly surrounding Apple and its products.

What's that? Missed the headlines? No worries, we break it down for you in bite-sized summaries so you can get your iFix.

Apple television a reality

The long-rumoured Apple iTV — a big-screen smart television loaded with Apple tech — looks to be the real deal.

Terry Gou, the head of Foxconn, slipped the news during a Shanghai press conference, reports the China Daily. Gou said its Taiwanese company was preparing its facilities to start producing Apple's television, though "development or manufacturing has yet to begin," says the China Daily article.

Foxconn is the world's largest maker of electronic components and manufacturer of the Apple iPhone and iPad, among other products like Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and Amazon Kindle.

Said to be Steve Jobs' last breakthrough product, iTV is rumoured to have access to the App Store and iCloud,

Whether or not Android devices should have antimalware software is a hotly debated topic among security professionals.

Some believe it's not necessary — the incidences of reported issues of smartphone or tablet attacks are relatively low — while others say problems are on the rise and it's simply not worth the risk.

The short answer is you don't "need" special security software on your Android phone in order to use it. But be aware there are some associated risks if you choose not to install any security software.

What are these risks, you ask?

Because the Android platform is based on the "open-source" Linux operating system, the Google Play store (formerly Android Market) doesn't have as rigorous a vetting process like you'd find with, say, Apple's "walled garden" approach at the App Store.

As a result, there have been a few instances of Android applications ("apps") that contain Trojan spyware or viruses. Some have infected the user's smartphone, impacting its performance, while

You can file the new FarFaria app into the "Why didn't I think of this?" folder.

The iPad app can best be described as Netflix for children's books. That is, after a free 30-day trial, you pay $3.99 a month to have unlimited access to a wide range of kid's books, designed for those aged 2 through 9.

While the selection could stand to be broader and more familiar — though 100 books is not a bad start -- FarFaria excels not just in its concept but in its execution.

Developed by Intuary, FarFaria books can be found in one of two ways. One is a map of a fantasy world and each continent or island is based on a specific book theme, such as Animal Kingdom, Fable Hills, Fairytale Forest, Adventure Island, and so on. As you'd expect, when you tap on one of these locations you'll only see books from that specific genre (GoodLand, for example, offers books with themes like honesty, love, confidence and determination).

The second way is to tap the Featured tab and see what books are new and

Music lovers, listen up.

If you enjoy rhythm-based music games -- like Guitar Hero, Rock Band, DJ Hero or Tap Tap Revenge -- you might want to tap your way through the just-released Dance Legend app from TuneWiki.

Ideal for dance music fans, this free game for iOS (iPad, iPhone and iPod touch) and Android devices lets you create real dance moves with your fingertips, be it the "Running Man," "Moonwalk," "Wave" "Side Step," "Kid and Play" or "Duggie."

While the game has a steep learning curve -- younger or novice gamers might give up before they get the swing of it -- this free download can be fun and challenging for those who stick it out.

The idea behind the game is simple: You're a dancer who wants to rack up as many points as possible. In order for your dancer to perform the moves correctly, you need to closely follow the on-screen patterns. For example, you may see a white dotted line jet across the screen in a half circle or it might be four shorter vertical lines cascading down

What does solving a Rubick's Cube, making beef jerky and curling your hair with a straightening iron all have in common?

They're just three out of many hundreds of guides available bundled in the new (and awesome) Snapguide app for iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

Consider it a collection of "how-to" guides — but not from professionals. Instead, Snapguide is a community-driven app that encourages everyday folks to share something they know how to do.

For example, you can learn to bake a cake in a coffee mug, open a beer bottle without an opener, tie a necktie or perform a magic trick to wow friends at a party. Find out how to roast coffee beans, take a screenshot on your iPhone or make your bed like they do at hotels.

Each guide offers a step-to-step lesson that contains photos and/or videos, along with written descriptions at the bottom of the screen. It's not quite YouTube — most guides have 15 to 20 still photos and only one or two videos (if any) — but this method is still powerful

If it hasn't happened to you (yet), it has to someone you know: a cellphone accidentally dropped into a toilet or sink.

Yes, for a device we carry everywhere, these things happen more often than you think.

If you have the courage to fish it out of the toilet (er, it's highly recommended you don't try to flush it down), what should you do after you're left with a sopping wet smartphone — after scrubbing your hands clean, that is?

Well, before you ditch the device and pay your carrier (or confront your boss) for a new one, here's a simple trick that might mean saving some cash — and embarrassment.

Step 1: Take the device out of the water as soon as possible. The longer you keep it underwater, the less likely you can fix it.

Step 2: Don't turn on the device to see if it still works as you can damage the smartphone by short-circuiting it.

Step 3: Make sure the phone is off and take out each of the components, such as the battery (if you can), memory card and SIM card.

Step 4: Lightly

If you think it was easy for Tiger Woods to clinch top spot in the Arnold Palmer Invitational — his first PGA Tour win since the fall of 2009 — put your clubs where your mouth is in the new Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 ($59.99; rated "E" for "Everyone").

But like Tiger's real-world comeback, the new video game has its share of challenges. If you can get past the shortcomings, you'll find a somewhat rewarding golf simulation for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

As with past golf games from EA Sports, you can play as or against Tiger in a handful of accurately-modeled championship courses, including Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, TPC Sawgrass and The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in South Carolina. It's also the only video game that lets you vie to wear the Masters green jacket at Augusta National. Along with Tiger, you can choose to play as more than 20 golf pros, including Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson (who shares the cover of the game with Tiger) and newcomers to the franchise, Luke