2017 Tech Report: Apple iPhone 7 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus - Auckland Repair and Unlock

Last year was an eventful year for Samsung, and that’s putting it mildly. August saw the release of the much-anticipated Galaxy Note 7, which blew the competition out of the water — quite literally, as the phone was soon blacklisted from entire countries and banned from major airlines after it revealed a nasty habit of catching fire in owners’ pockets.

Not to worry, though; Samsung is a ginormous company, and it has a second chance to regain consumer trust with the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. So how does Samsung’s latest flagship stack up against Apple’s latest, plus-sized headset? We lauded the latter device in our iPhone 7 Plus review, but here, we examine how its flagship features compare with those of the Galaxy S8 Plus. Read on to find out which smartphone is right for you.

Read the rest of the article here.....  


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So, which is the best tablet option for you? Apple iPad Pro vs iPad Air 2. Auckland, New Zealand, Dr Mobiles Limited, iPhone Repair, Takapuna 0800429429

Anyone in the market for a high-end iOS device has to decide between the iPad Air 2 with a 9.7-inch display and the new iPad Pro with a 12.9-inch one. The latest model also has a significantly faster processor and more RAM, but comes with a much higher price tag as well.

We’re extensively used both tablets and so are ready with advice on choosing which is the best option for a wide array of potential users.

Build and Design

The main difference between these two is obvious: the iPad Pro is close to twice as big as the iPad Air 2, and is significantly heavier. Getting into specifics, the Pro is 12.0 x 8.7 x 0.3 inches (306 x 221 x 7.0 mm), which makes it 4 inches wider, and 3.3 inches taller than the Air 2. It weighs 1.6 pounds (299 g), so it comes in at 0.64 pounds more.

iPad Air 2 beside iPad Pro
The new model needs that extra bulk to fit in a display that’s 78% larger than the one in Apple’s former flagship tablet. So the main question anyone debating between these two products needs to answer is, do I need the extra screen space?

Display

The Pro has 78% more screen area. In fact, the short edge of the Pro’s screen is almost exactly the same length as the long edge of the Air 2’s.

There a similar difference in resolution: the Pro’s is 2732 x 2048 while the Air 2’s is 2048 x 1536. An important thing to keep in mind here is that while the resolutions are different, the pixel densities are the same, as both models have 264 pixels per inch. This mean that while one has a much larger screen area, the quality of the screens are almost identical.

Apple has drawn criticism for releasing a tablet with “Pro” in its name that is essentially just a larger, faster version of its predecessors. The company’s response is that the bigger screen completely changes the ways this computer can be used, making it much more productive. There is some justification for this.

iOS 9 introduced side-by-side multitasking, allowing two applications to be shown on the screen simultaneously, and the iPad Pro takes full advantage of this feature. It’s an ideal platform to, for example, have an Excel spreadsheet open next to a Word document or email.

This can also be done on the iPad Air 2, but it’s simply less practical on a 9.7-inch screen, especially when compared to the Pro’s display. Multitasking on the Air 2 display is much more cramped. With the Pro, each window is not that much smaller than the iAir 2’s entire screen. This makes the iPad Pro the most productive tablet Apple has ever released.

Beyond productivity, another area where bigger is always better is watching video. The Pro’s larger display is undoubtedly a superior way to keep take in a movie or TV show. The Air 2 is still good for this, but the Pro is better. It’s also better than a traditional laptop at this because there’s no keyboard permanently in the way.

There are areas where the iPad Air 2 provides a better experience because it is smaller. The Pro does not make the best eBook reader; it’s so large that it’s a bit unwieldy, like reading a coffee table book, while the Air 2 is a great way to read eBooks. And many casual games look a bit silly by being super-sized: playing Bejeweled with each jewel nearly an inch across is hardly ideal, for example. Once again, the Air 2 does a great job with these same games.

With the Pro sitting on a table, the on-screen keyboard is a good way to enter text, and the same is true of the Air 2. However, the Pro is not nearly as good a solution as its smaller rival when held between the two hands in landscape mode because the keyboard is too wide to thumbtype, and Apple left the Split Keyboard option out of this model. While it can be done with in portrait mode, the tablet is very top heavy. All in all, the Air 2 is a better alternative for typing while holding the device up.

To summarize, those who are just looking for a computer to look at web sites while they’re watching TV, or read their email while on vacation, probably won’t see much advantage from the larger display. It’s great for casual use, but not ideal for productivity. On the other hand, the iPad Pro’s screen makes it a much better option for those who want a productivity tablet, but it’s not the best for most casual uses except watching video.

Buttons, Ports, and Speakers

Both the iPad Pro and the iPad Air 2 have the same minimal selection of physical buttons, and use the large Home button located on the front for most tasks, as well as serving as a fingerprint scanner.

Another area the Pro has drawn criticism is that Apple didn’t use any of the extra space to add additional features, especially a removable memory card slot and/or a video-out port. These complaints are well deserved, as these are features that are standard in most other tablets designed for professionals, like the Microsoft Surface Pro 4.

Instead, this new model has exactly the same ports as the iPad Air 2, most notably the Lightning Port. While this can be used to add the feature people are asking for — with accessories like the Leef iAccess microSD card reader and Apple’s Lightning Digital AV Adapter — these aren’t as convenient as the same features would be if they were built into the Pro.

Although these two models tie when it comes to buttons and ports, that’s not the case for speakers. The Air 2 has a pair located on one edge, but the Pro has four, with two on the top and bottom edges of this tablet. Not surprisingly, these produce far more sound and help make the Pro an outstanding way to watch movies and TV.

Accessories

The Pro is the first device with Apple’s Smart Connector, so keyboards can be attached to one edge of this tablet to power the accessory. The Air 2 can also use clip-on keyboards that use the short-range wireless networking standard Bluetooth. Each of these options has advantages. Keyboards that use the Smart Connector will never have to be charged, and there’s never any delay in typing — Bluetooth keyboards shut themselves off after a few minutes of not being used in order to save their batteries, and waking them up takes a few seconds. Bluetooth keyboards, on the other hand, don’t have to be physically touching the tablet at all times to work, so they can be positioned at whatever distance and angle the user finds convenient.

The Apple Pencil is a pressure-sensitive pen stylus designed for artists to draw on the iPad Pro, but there are pressure-sensitive pens that can connect to the Air 2 over Bluetooth. The main difference in this area is therefore the Pro’s larger display, as drawing, painting, and sketching is generally better on a bigger surface.

As discussed, there’s no removable memory card slot in either model to add capacity, but there is a range of accessories that connect to the Lightning port to handle this job. Among these are the SanDisk iXpand, a flash drive that can bring up to 128GB of storage, and the Leef iAccess, a microSD card reader for iOS devices. These can be used with either the Air 2 or the Pro, so neither has an advantage.

Performance

Every new iPad is faster than its predecessor, and the iPad Pro is no exception. Last year’s iPad Air 2 sports Apple’s 1.5GHz dual-core A8X 64-bit processor, while the latest model has a 2.26 GHz dual-core Apple A9X 64-bit chip, which offers double the memory bandwidth as well as storage performance that’s twice as fast.
Our benchmark testing bore out the performance difference: the Pro scored 5411 on the multi-core portion of Geekbench 3, while the Air 2 pulled in a 4529 on the same test. While benchmarks don’t tell the whole story, and the Air 2 is definitely a speedy computer, the Pro is noticeably faster. It’s often just the difference between one doing something really, really fast and the other doing it almost instantaneously, but there is a difference.

Even more important that processor speed for day-to-day performance is the Pro’s 4GB of RAM versus the 2GB in the Air 2. This provides far more capacity for holding numerous running applications; In our daily use of the newer model, apps and web pages can sit in the background for hours without being automatically closed to make more room for foreground tasks.

The Air 2 has a decent amount of RAM, especially when compared with the original iPad Air’s measly 1GB, but the Pro’s 4GB gives it a real advantage.

It’s possible the iPad Air 3, which at this point exists only as a rumor, will have the same A9X processor and 4GB of RAM and so offer comparable performance, so those who are considering the Pro just for the extra power might want to wait for Apple’s next 9.7-inch tablet.

Apple offers the Air 2 in 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities, while the Pro comes in either 32GB or 128GB capacities. This gives those considering the smaller model more options.

Software

Both the iPad Pro and the iPad Air 2 run iOS 9.1, the latest version of Apple’s operating system for tablets and phones. They come bundled with the same applications, including free versions of the iWork and iLife Suites.

So, aside from the benefits and disadvantages for running various types of applications that come from the larger or smaller displays that were discussed earlier, these two devices come out as a tie in software.

Wireless

The iPad Pro and the iPad Air 2 have identical Wi-Fi capabilities: Wi‑Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac); dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz); and MIMO. They also both support Bluetooth 4.2.

All versions of the Air 2 are available with optional cellular wireless data, including 4G LTE, but that’s not true of the Pro: Apple only offers a cellular-enabled option with the 128GB version.

So there’s a tie between these two in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but those who are looking for cellular data have more options with the Air 2.

Camera

Apple put the exact same front facing and rear facing cameras in the iPad Air 2 and the newer iPad Pro, but there is a difference: while the Air 2 is a bit too big to be really practical as a camera, the Pro is ridiculously too large.

On the other hand, the Pro is definitely better for video conferencing because of its large display. Thanks to improvements in iOS 9, a FaceTime video stream can “float” above other applications, allowing someone to work with two other apps while still chatting. This is something that’s also possible with the Air 2, but everything is much less crowded on a 12.9-inch screen.

Battery Life

Users of both of these devices can expect long battery lives, but the iPad Pro takes it to a whole new level. In tests with the Geekbench 3 benchmarking tool, the 9.7-inch model lasts for, on average, 8 hours 41 minutes before needing a recharge. In our test of the 12.9-inch model with this benchmarking software, the iPad Pro lasted exactly 16 hours.

This gives Apple’s latest and largest a significant advantage in battery life.

Conclusion

The decision between an iPad Pro and iPad Air 2 comes down to how the tablet will be used, as each is better at some tasks than its rival.

The Pro’s large display makes it ideal for displaying two applications side by side, making this the most productive iPad ever. That same screen, with the help of a set of strong speakers, make it very well suited for watching video.

The Air 2’s smaller, lighter form factor makes it a better option as an eBook reader, and for playing casual games. It’s definitely the more portable of the two, and those who don’t need side-by-side multitasking, or don’t regularly watch video on their tablet, should go with this model.

Anyone who plans to use their tablet as a laptop alternative really should strongly consider the Pro. While a 9.7-inch screen is large enough for heavy use, a 12.9-inch one is just a better alternative. The opposite is true for those looking for a light-duty computer, as the Pro is too bulky for daily use for anyone who isn’t going to get a real benefit from it.

That said, those who are looking for a tablet that can do double duty as a TV in a dorm room or small apartment might prefer the Pro no matter what other types of tasks it will be used for.

Value

The base model iPad Air 2, with 16GB of storage, is $499, making it a good value compared to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 and similar devices. The base iPad Pro has 32GB of storage and sells for $799, which puts it in-line with other large screen models like the Microsoft Surface Pro 4.

But not surprisingly there’s a significant difference in cost between these two. The prices for the Air 2 and Pro go up depending on amount of storage and the addition of cellular capabilities, but the larger model is always $250 to $300 more. This means that only those who feel they need one or more of the additional capabilities of the iPad Pro should choose it.


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Which Apple Watch should you choose? #iphonereair, #drmobiles, #0800429429,

Saturday, 23rd January, 2016

Apple Watch has been on sale for almost a year, with new models added to the line up a few months back in September 2015. There are numerous models to choose from, with three main ranges available, two sizes in each range and multiple straps, making choosing the right one for you quite tricky.

With the additional models, there are now 12 models to choose from in the Watch Sport range alone, 20 models in the Watch range, eight models in the Watch Edition range and 10 models in a new Hermès range. Yes, 50 standard models in total, and if you mix and match by adding extra straps to the first three ranges, this figure quickly goes up.

Of course, it doesn't just come down to which model you like the best in terms of the design because the one we like the most costs over £10,000. And no, we aren't joking. This feature aims to make it easy for you to see what models are available, how much they cost and what the differences are between them all in order to find the right one for you and your budget.

Apple Watch Sport

The most affordable of the three ranges is the Apple Watch Sport. It costs £299 for the 38mm version and £339 for the 42mm version.

There are 12 models available comprising of four aluminium body colours, 38mm or 42mm sizes and various straps that come with respective models. All the Apple Watch Sport models come with a Sports Band included in the price, but you are restricted to the band Apple choose with each model.

For example, the new rose gold 38mm model comes with a Lavender Sports Band. If you wanted a White Sports Band or another colour instead, you'd have to pay extra £39, rather than swap it out.

Apple Watch

The Apple Watch models are the mid-range Apple Watch, opting for stainless steel body over the Sport's aluminium. The Apple Watch models start at £479 for the 38mm model and £519 for the 42mm version, both of which come with a Sports Band as the strap.

As we mentioned, there are 20 models available in total and as with the Apple Watch Sport, if you want a different strap, you'll have to pay more. For example, a Classic Buckle or Milanese Loop rather than a Sports Band will set you back £559 for the 38mm and £599 for the 42mm.

Top of the Apple Watch range is the 42mm Space Black stainless steel case with a Space Black Link Bracelet, which costs £949.

Apple Watch Edition

The Apple Watch Edition is the most expensive of the Apple Watch models available and as we said, it comes in eight models. The cheapest in this range is the 38mm 18-carat rose gold model that comes with a Sports Band and costs £8,000 in the UK, while the 42mm model costs £9,500.

Interestingly, the priciest models of this range are both 38mm options rather than 42mm. There is an 18-carat yellow gold model and an 18-carat rose gold model in both 38mm and 42mm but there is a £1,500 price difference.

The 38mm options come with Modern Buckles in Bright Red and Rose Grey respectively, while the 42mm models come with Classic Buckles in Black and Midnight Blue respectively. Despite the 42mm normally costing more however, the 38mm models are £13,500, while the 42mm are £12,000.

Apple Watch Hermès

The Apple Watch Hermès is only available in selected locations and as you may have guessed from the name, it is a specifically-designed Apple Watch that has been created in collaboration with Paris fashion brand Hermès.

There are 10 models to choose from, as we mentioned, and along with a special Hermès watch face, the Apple Watch Hermès models also feature leather straps handmade by the fashion company's artisans in France. Each Apple Watch Hermès has the Hermès logo on the underside of the watch body, as well as on the strap. You can read our hands-on here.

There is the Double Tour model for the 38mm size only, which comes in four strap colours and wraps twice around the wrist. The Single Tour model comes in 38mm and 42mm options, with the 42mm available in two colours and the 38mm in three colours. The last model is the Cuff, which is only available in 42mm and the Fauve colour. It features a strap within a strap. Prices start at £1,000 with the most expensive Apple Watch Hermès hitting £1,350 so significantly less than the Apple Watch Edition, but a little pricier than the mid-range.

Straps

There are six straps available for the Apple Watch, each of which is compatible with all three of the main ranges.

The cheapest is the elastomer Sport Band that comes in 16 colours and costs £39. The Milanese Loop, which is a flexible magnetic stainless steel mesh, costs £129, as does the traditional-designed Classic 

Buckle that comes in two colours.

The Leather Loop is a soft, quilted leather that conceals magnets for quick fastening and adjustment. It comes in four colours and also costs £129, but it is only available for the 42mm model. The alternative for the 38mm is the Modern Buckle with two-piece magnetic closure that also comes in four colours but it's a little more expensive at £209.

The most expensive strap is the 316L stainless steel alloy with custom butterfly closure Link Bracelet, which comes in black and silver, and costs £379.

Best Apple Watch and strap combinations

Let's quickly do the maths: the cheapest Apple Watch Sport is £299 (38mm) and the cheapest strap that isn't a Sports Band is £129, a total of £428. That's £50 cheaper than the most affordable Apple Watch, which starts at £479 (38mm) and also has the Sports Band.

If you can live with the aluminium body rather than stainless steel, then the Sport is cheapest route and with the newer aluminium colours, it's an appealing route now too. For example, you could get the 38mm rose gold Apple Watch Sport with Modern Buckle for £508, which is a lot cheaper than the £13,500 lookalike. Granted the materials aren't as premium, but we're talking about £13,000 extra dollar in your pocket here.

Another good combination is the Space Black Apple Watch Sport 42mm with the Space Black Link Bracelet. The body costs £339 and the strap, which is now sold separately costs £449, for a total of £788. The black stainless steel option costs a total of £949 with the Space Black Link Bracelet so you save around £160 opting for aluminium over stainless steel.

The Watch Sport and its additional colours make the Apple Watch more accessible, but be prepared for splashing some cash if you want to upgrade it with a more premium strap as they don't come cheap and are therefore the Sport isn't always the better option.

 
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2011 Cell Phone News Update: Sony Ericsson XPERIA active launched the USA, $340 unlocked!

The folks at what will soon be simply Sony have released the XPERIA active here in the United States this week officially, complete with protection against elements of all kinds and connectivity on AT&T – though you’ll be purchasing the device off-contract at first. This 1GHz single-core processor toting Android device has a 3-inch HVGA display that’s scratch resistant, Wi-fi connectivity (or AT&T 3G if you wish), wrist strap, compass widget, heart rate and pulse monitoring apps, and a lovely orange coloring around the edges of the chassis. All this and a 5-megapixel camera for $340 unlocked – seem like your next device of choice, or has Sony dropped a brand new completely impenetrable brick?


While it’s important to trust your instincts on this, there’s always a celebrity sports person to call up on the device you’ve just purchased to ask if you’ve done the right thing – in this case, it’s tennis superstar Maria Sharapova and her strange skull-cap haircut. It was back a few months ago that this commercial first appeared, teasing us all with claims that this device would change your sports-loving life. Have a peek at what Maria has to say about this little monster:
Then have a look at a much more superior glimpse at this device, complete with 3D vibrations that’ll make it seem like this device is certainly the one you want if you’re heavily active on the daily. Note that what they’re trying to tell you here is that this device is both dust-proof and water resistant and that it looks lovely flipping around in space. Also of note: this device is on Sony Ericsson’s list of devices that’ll receive the software update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich inside 2012. Fun!

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2011 YEAR IN REVIEW (news, events, people, world, auckland, mobile, phone, repair)

The top search term of 2011 wasn't a person or a news event. It was a technological marvel.

1. iPhone

No other product or brand has developed a greater cult following than the iPhone. In 2011, Apple made joining that cult a lot easier. After four years, the obsession has become the year's most searched term on Yahoo!. Apple lowered prices, signed up more carriers, and made the iPhone a world phone. Although fanboys were disappointed there would be no iPhone 5 this year, the 4S upgrade was enough to spur record sales -- again. If technology leaps and bounding sales weren't enough, the iPhone got some credit in helping bring down regimes. It also symbolized the vision of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died the day after the new phone was announced.

Most Valuable Company
In August, Apple's popularity and increased sales made the company the most valuable in the world, as it surpassed Exxon's $331 billion market cap at $337 billion. Its glory was short-lived, as Apple sank back to second place after a rare third-quarter earnings disappointment. Even so, Apple generated the kind of fervor Exxon never had (unless you count the fury over the Exxon Valdez spill). For months, bloggers, industry experts, and consumers speculated that the next iPhone upgrade would be significant. Rumors flew over what the iPhone 5 would look like and offer, including a better camera, a bigger screen, and even mobile payment system technology. But in the end, the newest iPhone didn't get a number change but an additional letter, becoming the iPhone 4S. Apple hasn't revealed what the S stands for, but many have guessed Siri, speed, storage, or Steve Jobs. The iPhone 4S set a company record, receiving more than a million preorders in 24 hours. Besides a host of new features, the iPhone 4S is available in an unlocked version, as well. Chinese mobile carrier China Mobile said it reached 10 million iPhones on its network without being a registered carrier. The most talked-about 4S feature is Siri, a personal assistant that talks back to you. Using voice-recognition technology that adapts to your natural speech, Siri can respond to questions (searching the Web when it doesn't know the answer), create location-based reminders, and even have a conversation with you when you're bored, which has spun off a "Siri says the darnedest things" meme with websites, blogs, and articles.
The iPhone 4S arrived during a time of transition and mourning for Apple. Jobs had resignedjust over a month before the launch of the iPhone 4S, and he passed away the day after the announcement. Tim Cook made his debut as CEO with the upgrade announcement andconducted the press conference without much of a glitch. Attendees noted, however, that without Jobs, the atmosphere wasn't as electric as it had been in the past. The iPhone's global reach was clear when people tweeted condolences from as far as Asia and the Middle East. Fans made memorial sites at Apple Stores worldwide. It was noted that iPhones helped protestors in the Middle East record events to send to other countries and media outlets. The videos helped fuel discontent and to rally a world to their side. Apple's decision to sell unlocked iPhones meant that international consumers would no longer need to turn to third-party auction sites to buy one.
Apple showed that it knew how to do business even without Jobs at the helm. The phone's faster processing and download speeds were draining the battery too quickly. Apple acknowledged the problem soon after the launch and promised to release a software update. Before users could even download the newest iOS update, though, rumors were again in full swing about what the iPhone 5 would be like. It's said to have been the last project for Jobs, and significantly different than the current models. The big question is whether Apple's huge cult following can continue without Jobs behind the design and engineering. With the iPhone 5 rumored to arrive in early summer or fall 2012, fans and Apple investors are eagerly awaiting the release, hoping that the company will survive and even thrive without its visionary. 

  

2. Casey Anthony

On July 15, 2008, Cindy Anthony reported her granddaughter, 2-year-old Caylee, missing. The toddler lived with her grandparents and her mom, Cindy's wild-child 22-year-old daughter, Casey, in an unassuming four-bedroom home in Orlando, Florida. Cindy told police that she hadn't seen her granddaughter in a month and that Casey hadn't been around much, either. The Casey Anthony of that time was an unemployed mom who had never finished high school, never attended college, and never held a steady job, but she claimed to have done all three. She lived off her parents (her father, a former police officer, told the FBI she stole money from them) and had Caylee at age 20 but didn't know who the father was. Casey suffered from seizures in 2007, but no definite medical cause was found; her mother suggested the seizures were a possible explanation for Casey's bizarre behavior after Caylee's disappearance. In July 2008, she was accused of stealing money from a friend, Amy Huizenga, and was found guilty of check fraud. Casey's troubling background began to emerge as U.S. media coverage of Caylee's disappearance intensified. Her car smelled like death, her family reported to the 911 operator. Casey claimed that "Zanny the nanny" had been taking care of her daughter, but the sitter turned out to be a figment of her imagination. She lied to the police about working at Universal Studios, confessing the truth only after she led authorities to her "office" to show them around. But beyond her jarring web of lies, who was Casey Anthony? People dug into details online, searching for Casey's party pictures, MySpace page, diary entries, and more, but Casey herself wasn't talking -- and she hadn't proved particularly credible. Investigators learned of Casey's messy relationship with her mother partially through her grandmother, who wondered "if [Casey] hated her mom more than she loved Caylee." Casey's love life was jumbled, too. She's never publicly named Caylee's father, and theories abound about who and where the guy is. (Cindy Anthony told People magazine that Caylee's dad was "killed in a terrible car accident.") For the first year or two of the baby's life, however, Casey's then boyfriend Jesse Grund claimed to play the daddy role. The extremes of Casey's deceit aside, what was it about this case that stoked the public's interest to such an obsessive degree? The disturbing reality is that kids go missing -- and are sometimes even killed -- every day, often by parents. Among industrialized countries, the United States ranks highest in child homicides. And, sadly, children killed by their mothers make up 3 out of 10 murders.
Part of the media frenzy could be attributed to TV journalist and firebrand Nancy Grace, who built her name on the missing and the murdered. The former prosecutor claimed to take a "victims' rights" stance on cases she covered, but throughout 2011, Grace acted like she was leading a Casey Anthony witch hunt. She was adamant in her belief that Casey killed Caylee, and she appealed to viewers' emotions instead of focusing on the evidence, which was spotty. With Grace's ongoing verbal assaults against Caylee's mom, the public interest shifted from the child to Casey: her looks, her penchant for partying (she entered a "hot body" contest while Caylee was missing), and her snowballing cover-ups. Compounded in the public eye, these factors seemed to point to a motive. In the media, Caylee's death was presented as having happened simply because she was in her mother's way, an obstacle to Casey's carefree life. The tabloids denounced it as a tragic example of a mother's ultimate betrayal, calling Casey "the most hated woman in America." In July, a latex mask of Casey's mug -- dubbed "the most frightening mask on the planet" -- sold for $1 million on eBay. For many, Anthony became the living, breathing antithesis of everything expected of mothers in general (our culture demands that moms be doting, even sacrificial). Casey Anthony, flying in the face of this convention, transformed into a ghastly embodiment of the monstrous mom.

The Casey Anthony circus encompassed many themes that intrigue Americans, especially women: missing kids, unsolved mysteries, forensics, family dysfunction, and mother-daughter relationships. It was a juicy, real-life tragedy more dramatic than the craziest episode of "CSI" or "Law & Order: SVU." Perhaps that's why, when it came to Casey Anthony, we just couldn't get enough. 

3. Kim Kardashian

Some countries have royal weddings. Americans deal in reality.

The one-woman empire called Kim Kardashian married New Jersey Nets power forward Kris Humphries, and a few searches referred to the collective union as "Kris Hump." A celebrity's romantic past is never forgotten, which is why some people checked out the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star's first union with music producer Damon Thomas and her later romance with R&B singer Ray J. Still, the hitch seemingly went without a hitch, replete with diamonds ($15 million), flowers ($2 million), celebrity guests (nearly 400), cake (10 tiers and 6 feet high), cameras (E! aired the "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event"), and a People magazine cover. All in all, much of the extravagance (reportedly $10 to $30 million) was actually subsidized by vendors cashing in on the publicity -- and, later, notoriety. A record 72 days later, the bride filed for divorce. People trained their online searches on "Kim Kardashian marriage problems," "how much did Kim Kardashian's wedding cost," and "how much is Kim Kardashian worth." Quickie celebrity weddings aren't unusual -- after all, Britney Spears undid her vows in 55 hours. Then again, that price tag didn't reflect an over-the-top celebration you'd expect of, well, the 1%. Kris Jenner, mother of the Kardashian brood, claimed her daughter and soon-to-be-ex son-in-law didn't make a dime from the wedding, and that payouts from the People cover (anywhere from less than $1 million to $2.5 million) and TV special ($15 million) went right back to the bill. Not that the bride's family couldn't have paid for the wedding, given their $65 million family earningssalary is $12 million, about six times the groom's basketball paycheck.  from the reality show "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," fashion and perfume lines, and marketing deals. The bride's 

 salary is $12 million, about six times the groom's basketball paycheck.

That kind of financial planning might've helped ease reports of slipping credibility: A poll released two days before her wedding ranked Kim among the 10 least trustworthy personalities. That didn't sway her 10,000,000th Twitter follower (yup, that's seven zeroes), who joined on September 26. As for her professional future, Kardashian -- famous for being herself -- had been working not as herself but as a co-star in Tyler Perry's comedy, "The Marriage Counselor," due out in 2012. Perry's box-office record might save her from a better fate than her music video or her wedding. The first, according to Marie Claire, was "sunk without a trace ... quickly buried by execs," until "Jam (Turn It Up)" inevitably turned up online and sparked claims that the song had been meant for charity and presumably not for public consumption. Then again, the missteps let fans do what the Kardashians do best: tell the painful truth with affection. On the star's Celebuzz blog, englishrose commented on March 2: "Kim! I admire you tons and your [sic] like my role model! Always supporting you hundred per cent of the way. But I don't wanna say this but I'm speaking what I feel honestly, this song doesn't do you any justice I don't think, I totally get this must have been extremley nerv racking! [sic] But I'm not feeling you in this song!!!

I think your [sic] better than this!! Loads of love from England!! xxxxxxx."

As for the quickie divorce, paris33 posted November 2: 
"hi kim. first of all i'm a major fan of urs. i think what a lot of fans love about u is that ur genuine and u dnt show off ur money viciously. HOWEVER watching the wedding fairy tale episodes i saw a very materialistic side 2 u... also kim i was ur number one fan HOWEVER u have majorly lied to ur fans right now, as i know for a fact E! gave u an amazing deal in order to record ur wedding!!! it is a fact. also u didnt give hello magazine ur wedding photos for free did you ?? therefore there was a profit made. i do Not in any way believe ur dole purpose of the wedding was money but please dont lie to ur fans who do not do anything but support u. i wish u all the luck. but lies arnt going to gain our support back xxx."

4. Katy Perry

• From tongue-in-cheek singer/songwriter to full-fledged superstar, Katy Perry has blasted into the pop stratosphere in 2011 -- and has the stats (and hair) to prove it.
  While she didn't win any Grammys, despite having been nominated for the past three years, Perry climbed ahead of some of the top names in music this year. She received the most 2011 VMA nominations (nine) and took home three awards, including Video of the Year for "Firework." Even more impressive, she tied with Michael Jackson for having the most singles from the same album hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. If her sixth single, "The One That Got Away," climbs to No. 1, it will crown Katy Perry as the new record holder.And the record breaking didn't end there: In digital downloads, Perry dominated the competition, being the first artist to reach 4 million downloads for four songs from the same album (five songs total, including "I Kissed a Girl" from her previous record) and the first to have more than 300,000 downloads in one week for four singles.
  Perry's candy-coated makeover for her "Teenage Dreams" album helped grab people's attention to earn her spot in this year's Top 10 list. Though her hair is naturally blond, her detour from her signature jet-black 'do has moved on to a slew of color changes. This year alone, Perry has gone black, blond, red, and lavender. She sported an electric-blue wig last year, but this year her color changes were done on her real hair. Her chameleon coif and consistently fun performance and red carpet looks put her right alongside daring celebrity fashionistas Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj.
  Unlike most other pop stars, Perry kept an endearing balance of coy, sexy, and goofy. She created a 13-year-old '90s alter ego named Kathy Beth Terry, complete with nerdy oversize glasses, headgear, braces, scrunchies, and a Twitter account. She committed to the persona in the weeks leading up to the release of her "Last Friday Night" music video that featured '80s stars Debbie Gibson and Corey Feldman, '90s hitmakers Hanson and Kenny G, and, of course, the Internet's own girl Friday, Rebecca Black (whose reviled tune made Yahoo!'s 2011 Obsessions list).
  The singer expanded to a triple threat this year, honing her acting skills by making a guest appearance on "How I Met Your Mother," appearing in a cameo in "The Muppets," and voicing the character of Smurfette in "The Smurfs." That last gig earned her a nod for the 2012 People's Choice Award for Favorite Animated Movie Voice.
  What's in store for the next year? Perry already leads in People's Choice Award nominations No news has been announced about a new album or another tour (only one stop has been scheduled for 2012 so far). The married singer has expressed interest in having children, saying "that's one of the reasons you get married," but she's "not sure it's time yet." Not to make any predictions, but a break between tours and albums could just be the perfect time.
  
  5. Jennifer Lopez

• Downsizing for "American Idol," even for a judicial chair, was a risk. The pop-culture phenomenon, stale and at a crossroads, was increasingly irrelevant. Past wins didn't seem to translate into long-term success. The best days, people thought, were in the past. Wait, the Fox reality singing competition or Jennifer Lopez? The celeb broke out across all platforms early in her career, going platinum for her albums and earning box-office credibility. Lately, though, she'd been stagnating, and her determination to stick to working-class roles in an era of fantasy blockbusters wasn't paying off -- especially during the dark Ben Affleck period.
  Add that the music and movie industries aren't particularly gallant to women of a certain age. A 2011 film study found that speaking roles went to men 67% of the time, and the ratio of men to women in behind-the-scenes creative power was 5 to 1. A lawsuit was even filed in October against Internet Movie Database (IMDb) for publishing the birth date of an actress without her permission: "In the entertainment industry," the complaint reads, "youth is king. If one is perceived to be 'over-the-hill,' i.e., approaching 40, it is nearly impossible for an up-and-coming actress, such as the Plaintiff, to get work as she is thought to have less of an 'upside.'" Music is even more lopsided: Women make up less than 5% of all music-industry producers and engineers, who can make an artist's sound and shape his or her career. But taking a small-screen gamble was one that many 40-something actresses take, and it paid off this year for Lopez. Despite Steven Tyler's snaking the limelight, Lopez helped revive the show's rating, dampened her diva rep (especially with an "Idol" breakdown), ended her Billboard Top 10 dry spell, snagged endorsement deals, was named People's Most Beautiful Woman of 2011, and ramped up her average daily buzz about 56% -- and that was just in the first quarter. The second quarter wasn't so kind. Lopez announced her divorce days before her 42nd birthday. The rumors focused on Marc Anthony's relationship with his "Hawthorne" co-star Jada Pinkett Smith, which he denied. The ending of Lopez and Anthony's 7-year-old, turbulenttwo high-profile movies and renewing her "Idol" contract. More confirmation of her comeback and middle-class appeal: Even after the separation, her clothing line (separate from Marc Anthony's) helped the bottom line at Kohl's. Lopez ended up on magazine covers, including Vanity Fair and Glamour, which named her one of its women of the year. In an interview with Jane Fonda, she revealed that she fired a manager who told her to lose weight: "'I was just so infuriated that somebody said you couldn't have a little extra meat on you -- because I was by no means fat!" That kind of outspoken accessibility, as well as the occasional sentimental outbreak, may be the key to the Bronx-born celebrity's liability. Her net worth is valued at $250 million and reflects not inheritance, but a hard-working ethic that a working stiff can understand.
  
  6. Lindsay Lohan

Hollywood has too many stories of promising child actors who sank into a haze of addiction and anonymity.

Lindsay Lohan hasn't had the luxury of neglect. An inexhaustible celebrity-news cycle and her own self-promotion have kept her in the public eye. While attention hasn't lessened, patience may have: Last year, a spate of headlines focused on her downfall, and continual online searches landed the star on the Obsessions list. This year, courtroom dramas, parental dysfunction, and that elusive comeback landed Lohan in the Top 10 Searches. This year started off promisingly, as Lohan wrapped up a 90-day rehab treatment at Rancho Mirage. She packed in three truisms in one New Year's tweet: "Today is the first day of the rest of my life 'The future depends on what we do in the present.' -Mahatma Gandhi...One step at a time...." About a month later, Los Angeles prosecutors filed a felony grand theft charge against her for swiping a $2,500 necklace from L.A. boutique Kamofie & Company. Her defense -- that it was a loan -- seemed less important than the "skin-tight, Kimberly Ovitz-designed 'Glavis Albino' minidress" she wore to court. (Then again, the uproar gave her a platform from which to describe the front-page attention to her clothes as "absurd.") The $35,000 that the jewelry store received for selling the surveillance tape cast doubt on the case, but Lohan was sentenced to house arrest.
How much patience could Lohan followers have with her comeback? One go-to example is Robert Downey Jr., the poster child for recovering talent. He dominated the '80s and '90s, a leader among a coterie of actors that included the late River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, and Brad Pitt, before being out of commission for five years. Downey, who has always had a way with words, used frightening ones to describe his addiction to a judge, back in 1999: "It's like I have a shotgun in my mouth, and I've got my finger on the trigger, and I like the taste of the gunmetal." The plea didn't sway the judge, who ordered him to serve prison time. He returned, relapsed, was championed by Mel Gibson, and is now back to ruling the box office.

Lohan's curriculum vitae doesn't quite compare to Downey's pre-arrest output, and 2011 marks five years since her first DUI arrest (following her parents' divorce). There have been signs of a comeback: self-parody, talk of proving herself, a standing ovation on "The Tonight Show," talk of accountability, an artsy ad, court settlements, and an overseas modeling gig.

In an it-could-go-either-way decision, the 25-year-old signed up for a Playboy photo shoot and interview for the magazine's January/February 2012 issue. Her mother assured the fans that it "went well" before her daughter's rep had a chance to gush that it was "fantastic." But the year has had too many rumors of rejections (no "Superman" villain role) or wobbly deals (John Gotti biopic), a rehab assault lawsuit, self-comparisons to Marilyn Monroe, her community-service absenteeism, her frequent-flier status at the Los Angeles courthouse. Her parents didn't help, either, from her troubled father's public frets about the condition of his daughter's teeth (proof that she was smoking meth or crack, he worried) to her mother's memoir, which dished about her daughter's substance abuse. Unlike Britney Spears, whose father seemed responsible enough to take conservatorship, Lohan doesn't appear to have that kind of familial recourse. In a year that focused a lot on motherhood extremes -- tiger moms, stage moms (like Kim Kardashian's mother, Kris Jenner), and the infamous Casey Anthony -- Lohan exemplifies how a brilliant, promising child can spin out of control. Lohan's plenty old enough to take care of herself, but in many ways she's still that Disney child star who needs the wise adult and maybe a magical car to yank her back onto the right path. 

7. “American Idol”

When Simon Cowell left "American Idol" in 2010 -- after what was widely considered to be the show's worst season ever, generating relatively low record sales for winner Lee DeWyze and runner-up Crystal Bowersox -- many punters assumed the show was doomed. Cowell himself may have counted on the show failing without him, when he proclaimed that his new venture with old "Idol" crony Paula Abdul, "The X Factor," would garner "Idol"-esque ratings of 20 million or more. (Turns out he was about 9 million off.) Too many changes kept the Fox reality singing competition from being the same show we knew and loved: two new judges, Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, replacing Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi; an in-house mentor and music producer, Jimmy Iovine; a new record-label affiliation (Iovine's Universal Records); a new time slot; lightning-round semifinals eliminations; even a lower age limit. This was "American Idol"?
Somehow, "Idol" didn't just survive; it thrived. The show's rebound in 2011 may have been boosted by the return of executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, who had helmed the show during its glory years before leaving in 2008. Everyone involved experienced a career resurgence. J.Lo, whose career had been in semi-freefall after she was dropped from Sony Music, became a superstar again with top 10 hits and a new title: People's Most Beautiful Woman. Tyler became America's unlikely new sweetheart, with a hot-selling autobiography; a solo single featuring Nicole Scherzinger; and his expletive-riddled one-liners about little devils, paint chips, and unspeakable acts with waterfowl becoming national catchphrases.

But still, the real stars of Season 10 weren't the judges or producers; they were the contestants. The top 10 were a diverse and talented bunch, and five of them -- winner Scotty McCreery, runner-up Lauren Alaina, third-place dark horse Haley Reinhart, fourth-place rocker James Durbin, and pop diva Pia Toscano -- landed record deals.  McCreery's debut album in October broke all sorts of country-music sales records, proving that "Idol" was far from a fading franchise and could still produce bona fide stars. Alaina also fared well, debuting at No. 5 on the Billboard chart. Durbin's first album came out the same day as his predecessor Chris Daughtry's third, and Reinhart placated impatient fans with an adorable "Baby It's Cold Outside" Christmas duet with her memorable "Moanin'" duet partner, Casey Abrams. Of course, Season 10 was far from perfect. Many viewers griped that the judges were toothless pushovers, telling the contestants they were need  "beautiful" and "in it to win it" when what they really needed was candid, constructive criticism. The season was packed with unjust eliminations -Abrams, Durbin, and powerhouse Toscano, in ninth place -- that had viewers crying foul, tossing accusations of vote tampering and complaining that voters were biased against female contestants.

But no "Idol" season is complete without juicy scandals and shockers. In every way, Season 10 delivered in spades. 

8. Jennifer Aniston

America's sweetheart Jennifer Aniston is enjoying her little cloud of search popularity floating at the top.  We love everything about her.  We want to know about her hair, her clothes, her apartment, her love life, her plans -- everything.  To us, she is anything but uninteresting, and we'll jump to her defense in the blink of a pretty blue eye. This year Jen kept us busy living vicariously through her glamorous life.  She found love, bought a lush new apartment in the Big Apple, released a new perfume, got a tattoo, made three movies and a viral video, and enjoyed the spotlight of red carpets and awards ceremonies.  And, of course, she changed her hair at least twice.
In February, fans were riveted when she cut off a few inches of her long, layered hair. And when she darkened it for her role in "Horrible Bosses," people started whispering about whether she was showing a bad-girl side.  The obsession with Jen's lovely locks is so great that when she wears two bobby pins it becomes breaking news.  While Jen as a whole ranks No. 7 in overall searches, her hair styles sit comfortably this year at No. 3 among celebrity hair style searches. Of course, the biggest buzz this year has been over her new, happy love life.  She's been dating screenwriter Justin Theroux ("Tropic Thunder," "Iron Man 2") since May, and the pair have been seen snuggling together in every tabloid this side of the grocery aisle.  Rumors started circulating in late summer about a possible pregnancy after she seemed extra voluptuous to some at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards. She quashed the rumors, stating that she had gained a little weight while quitting smoking. Some were still not satisfied, and lifted an eyebrow when they noticed the star was not finishing her drinks fast enough at certain galas. The actress impressed critics in 2011 when she diverged from the usual casting for her saucy role in "Horrible Bosses" as a sex-crazed, deranged dentist tormenting her assistant, played by Charlie Day.  In July, after back-to-back movie filming ("Just Go With It," "Horrible Bosses," and "Wanderlust"), the star announced that she is planning to take a bit of time off from acting to regroup and focus on other projects. So, who exactly helped promote her to the No. 7 search spot? As it turns out, she is just universally lovable.  The gender search divide is split 40/60 between women and men, respectively, and she is searched for fairly widely by people of all ages, though her highest percentage is 23 among her peers in the 35 to 44 age range. Jen's popularity keeps ticking along like the steady heartbeat of our love of Hollywood.  Sometimes it flies off the charts and sometimes it slows down a bit, but it's always there.  It's somewhat surprising that after a "decade of hotness," this is her first year breaking into our Top 10. 

9. Japan Earthquake

On March 11, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck northeast Japan and lasted about five minutes. The temblor, registered as the largest to hit Japan and as the fourth largest in the world since 1900, unleashed ocean waves that reached all the way to the United States. The Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami registered a death toll exceeding 15,000, and it's uncertain what effects that radiation from the crippled Fukushima nuclear reactors will have in the coming years. All this made the quake and tsunami among the most monitored online events of 2011. Natural disasters trigger Web searches on the degree of devastation. People looked up individual Japanese cities, towns, and landmarks: Fukushima emerged early as a place of concern. Videos just hinted at the calamity of water and fire that swept away entire towns. The 2004 Indian Ocean quake had been an appalling lesson in a tsunami's catastrophic power. For hours after Japan's earthquakes, searchers monitored the tsunami warnings issued throughout the Pacific. Many sought maps of the region to pinpoint not only the epicenter but also the waves that went out at 500 mph. Residents in coastal regions prepared for the real possibility of a tsunami coming to their shores. Japan's disaster also triggered general preparedness concerns at home. The quake also spurred research into past disasters in Haiti, Sumatra, Alaska, and Chile. As people discovered, much as the Chilean earthquake slightly shifted Earth's axis, the Tohoku quake shortened the day by 1.8 microseconds. Online focus shifted quickly to recovery, relief, and the ongoing potential nuclear disaster. Concerns about its effect on the world at large trended high, as did questions about other power plants around the world. Japan's own history with radiation exposure from World War II atomic bombs as well as other nuclear plant disasters resonated online. As the Fukushima crisis wore on for weeks, people sought answers to questions like "what does radiation do to the body," "thyroid," "how to protect yourself from radiation," "iodine tablets radiation," "Germany reactors," "Japan nuclear leak wind patterns," "Geiger counters," "California nuclear power plants on a map." Concern about the food chain persisted, and USA.gov set up a special page addressing such concerns.

The impulse to give was immediate. In addition to prayers, which also became a Twitter trending term, questions on how to help through rescue efforts and donations emerged on day one. The Chronicle of Philanthropy noted that donations lagged far behind those for Katrina and Haiti in the first seven days, although the unfolding storyline of nuclear disaster likely distracted people's attention. Also, unlike Haiti, Japan has a relatively strong independent infrastructure. Tellingly, concerns about the world economy pushed financial queries up after the quake, as market watchers tried to measure how the disaster would affect an already unstable global marketplace. The disaster did bring belated recognition for one selfless act: Searches for Hurricane Katrina surfaced, as news got around on how much Japan had been a leading donor to that U.S. disaster.
Inevitably, such calamities trigger a search for meaning -- in superstitions as well as science -- as people try to grapple with why such disasters occur.  In addition to lookups for "Nostradamus predictions" and "apocalypse," people looked into the supermoon phenomenon: On March 19, the moon made its closest sweep past Earth in 18 years. An astrologer had predicted on March 1 that lunar proximity would trigger storms, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami occurred two weeks before that supermoon. 

10. Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden didn't just top the list of the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists. The al-Qaida leader was already on the agency's Most Wanted Fugitive list when the attacks came on September 11, 2001, spurring the creation of a separate list.

His entry is notable for two things: one is minor; the other, confounding. His name is spelled "Usama," a not-so-straightforward consequence of transliteration vs. romanization that has made people wonder online, "Usama or Osama?" The second is that his suspected crimes, listed under "Caution," are the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, which killed more than 200. Several other plots, including the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, the White House, and the Pentagon, may be inferred from the single line, "Bin Laden is a suspect in other terrorist attacks throughout the world." As the head of the FBI's chief fugitive publicity unit said in 2001, "To be charged with a crime, this means we have found evidence to confirm our suspicions, and a prosecutor has said we will pursue this case in court."
Except there will be no trial. On May 1, 2011 -- four months shy of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 -- a Navy SEAL team penetrated bin Laden's compound in Pakistan and killed him in a firefight. More details of that mission would surface in "SEAL Target Geronimo" by former SEAL commander Chuck Pfarrer, in which he wrote that the death of "Bert" -- the Sesame Street nickname for bin Laden; "Ernie" was his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri -- took 90 seconds. But on Monday, May 2, the day when most Americans woke up to the news of his death, all that was known -- and perhaps all that mattered at the moment -- was that the perpetrator of 9/11 was dead. Searches, some disbelieving, surged about the circumstances ("when was Osama killed," "when did bin Laden die," "is Osama really dead," "Obama speech bin Laden," "Navy SEALs kill bin Laden"). Others wanted proof of death ("pictures of Osama bin Laden dead body, "pictures of Osama bin Laden dead," "pictures of dead bin Laden," "pictures of Osama dead," "Osama dead body"). A few checked the FBI's Most Wanted List for a status update -- and sure enough, the red banner "Deceased" was there below his photograph. With news covering the military raid, the only question people really had left was regarding the "bin Laden mansion." The 38,000-square-foot, three-story house known locally as Waziristan Haveli wasn't palatial by American standards. It was worth about 20 million rupees, or $250,000, a "middling area" by Pakistani real estate standards. The compound was cluttered, its pantry shelves and refrigerator stocked with some Western brands like Nestle, Pepsi, and Coke. There was no Internet, no landline -- but, as the New York Times pointed out, it was "hardly the spartan cave in the mountains." The settings might not surprise his first wife, Najwa Ghanem, who, according to the book "The Looming Tower," had married bin Laden when he was a "rich Saudi teenager," but then had to live "life on the run, deprived, often in squalor." Speaking of his wife, of lesser interest was the "Osama bin Laden family," especially his wives, children, and the niece who had posed for GQ six years earlier and disowned any connection. Bin Laden, from a big family with 53 siblings and stepsiblings, was known to have at least six wives and 20 children. One of his sons, Khaled, died in the raid; another, 20-year-old Hamza, escaped.

The only thing left, besides the clamor over proof of death, would be his deep-sea burial. The USS Carl Vinson took his corpse -- washed, wrapped in a white sheet, and placed in a weighted bag -- and "eased" him into the North Arabian Sea after performing Islamic rites. If there would be a shrine, it would not be on any soil.

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