The iPhone 4S official arrival in China is slated for January 13, dispelling all prior rumors of other release dates, Apple’s latest smartphone will also flood the markets of 20 other countries, including Senegal, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Bolivia.

And although the myriad delays were undeniably frustrating, this is the fastest an iPhone’s ever exploded onto the world market:

Two months ago, Brian White of Ticonderoga Securities said he expected the iPhone 4S to reach China before the end of the calendar year.

Today, White noted the Chinese iPhone 4S launch, but maintained that his projection of a faster iPhone 4S rollout had come true.

As we expected, this represents the fastest iPhone launch in Apple’s history with availability in over 90 countries,” White told clients in a short research note today.

The new gadget will run you something in the neighborhood of 5000RMB ($793) – similar to the 2010 iPhone 4 (and much lower than those 11,000RMB options back in October.) They’ll of course be equipped with Siri, the voice-input AI – but still no Mandarin comprehension (or anything besides French, English and German.)

Take a peek at the nutso lines for the iPhone 4S in Hong Kong here, or read plenty more about Apple in China here.

You can find the new smartphone at all Apple stores, as well as select China Unicom, China Mobile and possibly even China Telecom outlets in the near future. But beware potential knockoffs from other stores, which may have recently resuscitated the formerly flat-lining shanzaiphone industry.

With the projector function turned off, buyers can also use the device to charge their iPhone (it adds 100% to the life of the phone’s battery).

Japan-based accessory maker Sanwa Supply started selling the 400-PRJ011 in its online store, a DLP micro projector that slides onto an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S. The device comes with a 2,100mAh battery, which takes about five hours to fully charge and provides enough juice for 2.5 hours of projector usage.

Sanwa says the projector produces images with 640×360 resolution, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and up to 65 inches in size. The device weighs 103g and also features internal speakers that can be used in addition to those in the iPhone. Sanwa is selling the 400-PRJ011 for 19,800 Yen (US$260).

Apple also selects its own favorite applications, and one of our preferred apps, Instagram, won the honor of being Apple’s “iPhone App of the Year.”

the company’s annual lists detailing of the top selling apps, music, TV shows, movies and podcasts for the year.

This year, the biggest winner on the apps front was Angry Birds, which ran away with the number one spot on the iPhone and iPad in all categories except top free iPhone app, which was awarded to Facebook.

Angry Birds, which is available on iOS as both a paid and free application, not only dominated the year-end lists as the number one download in several cases, it also occupied additional slots on multiple lists for its spinoffs, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio.

Several other games also appeared on the year-end listings, including Fruit Ninja, Cut the Rope, Tiny Wings, Doodle Jump, Plants vs. Zombies and more.

In terms of non-games, consumer-friendly brands like Netflix, Facebook, Skype, Kindle, Pandora, CNN and Twitter, plus Apple’s own Pages and GarageBand, made the list.

As for Apple’s editorial picks, it was Instagram as the favorite for iPhone, and photo app Snapseedfor the iPad. Runners up for the “app of the year” title included VidRhythm (iPhone), Band of the Day (iPhone), djay (iPad) and Jamie’s Recipes. (iPad).

Game of the year went to Tiny Tower (iPhone) and Dead Space for iPad.

The new i’m Watch is currently available to preorder for €300 and shipping will commence on the 30th January 2012.

the launch of the world first true smart watch you will be pleased to know its creators have now released a quick demonstration video revealing a few more of the watches features and functions.

The has been designed to connect to iPhone, Android and all possible future smartphones.

Allowing you to touch, drag, swipe or pinch its touchscreen to navigate and use the applications.

It can also be used as a  powerful speakerphone.

leaving the hands free for more important or amusing tasks.

The i’m watch will be powered by a a Freescale IMX233 application processor and equipped with a 1.54 inch TFT touchscreen display with a resolution of 200 x 200 pixels and fitted with 4GB of built in storage, 64MB of RAM.

Its internal battery 450mAh Li-Po battery will provide about three hours on speakerphone use or up two days in standby.

No less than 323 Apple patents list Jobs among the inventors responsible for them.

Now the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is honoring the Apple founder with a dedicated exhibit.

The late Steve Jobs has been hailed as a brilliant businessman, marketer, and visionary.

He was also an prolific inventor, if the number of patents bearing his name are any indication.

The Patents and Trademarks of Steve Jobs, Art and Technology that Changed the World puts Jobs’ patents on display in the USPTO’s National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum.

Conceived by the nonprofit Invent Now, the exhibit has a look that’s instantly recognizable  30 giant size iPhones, lined up screen to screen in a simple rectangular formation, like a military salute designed by Jonathan Ive.

Most prominently, Samsung has been engaged in patent wars with Apple over how closely its Galaxy products mimic the design and operation of iPhones and iPads, as shown in this infographic.

To a lesser extent, Nokia, Motorola, and even LG have tussled with Apple over patent infringement.

The Jobs exhibit kicked off Nov, 16 and is on display until Jan. 15, 2012. Located in the atrium of the Madison Building on the USPTO’s campus in Alexandria, Va.

it’s free to attend during the museum’s regular business hours.

Among the patents Jobs is credited with, Method and apparatus for use of rotational user inputs, which essentially patented the iPod clickwheel.

Voicemail manager for portable multifunction device, the basis for the iPhone’s visual voicemail; and 13 separate patents on product packaging alone.

New Mobile App Enables VoIP Calling From the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch for Small Businesses Using eVoice(R).

Customers can now make & receive calls over a data connection from anywhere in the world without using carrier plan minutes.

MARKETWIRE via COMTEX, eVoice(R), a “Radically Better PhoneNumber” and brand of technology leader j2 Global Communications, Inc.

Announced availability of its latest mobile application for Apple(R) devices.

Now, owners of Apple’s iPhone(R), iPad(R) and iPod touch(R) can make and receive phone calls via a WiFi connection or a 3G/4G network using VoIP.

This saves precious cell phone minutes while helping to reduce the chance of dropped phone calls.

Additionally, the new eVoice Mobile App enables iPhone users to keep their personalphone number private by maintaining a separate eVoice line for business use on the same device.

Smart phones and tablet devices are becoming more powerful every day and are starting to replace desktops and laptops as the business tool of choice,” said Mike Pugh, vice president, marketing for j2 Global.

With eVoice and its new app, people can detach themselves from their desk and still conduct business.

Without worrying about cell phonecoverage issues or dwindling minutes.

Essentially, the new eVoice Mobile App transforms an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch into a multi-purpose business phone system with powerful features, including:

Make and receive phone calls via a WiFi connection or 3G/4G network

using VoIP.

24/7 auto attendant to answer and route inbound calls professionally.

Multiple extensions for employees, including intercom functionality.

Enhanced voice mail service with transcriptions and audio files sent

to email or text.

Advanced call handling features including call screening.

According to a survey of small and mid-sized business owners conducted by The Business Journals (a division of the American City Business Journals) earlier in 2011, and reported in a press release posted on smallbiztrends.com.

The use of desktops and laptops is decreasing while the use of smart phones and mobile applications is on the rise.

Thirty-seven percent of SMB owners surveyed have used a smartphone or a PDA in the past year a 10 percentage point increase over the previous year.

Another survey conducted in 2010 by market research firm Techaisle found that one-fifth of the small businesses in the U.S., U.K., Brazil and Germany surveyed used iPads.

eVoice Mobile App helps solve the problem of dropped calls in environments notorious for poor connectivity.

Such as a subway, train, basement office or a rural home office.

Many of these locations often have good WiFi connections even when 3G/4G networks are unavailable.

Utilizing the eVoice mobile application with a WiFi connection.

The Artefact Group has come-up with this concept (WVIL) camera that has a touch interface like the iPhone.

Wireless capabilities and changeable SLR optics.

It is a sign of how the iPhone user interface is becoming the preferred way of interacting with digital devices.

And while this is the right way of thinking about the camera of the future, it is unlikely that this kind of camera will succeed.

Instead what is going to happen is that with powerful new processors and graphics.

We are going to see the acceleration of the software enabled camera revolution.

Which will give us access to many of the SLR capabilities.

The Lumia 800 and the Lumia 710 are the first fruits of the Microsoft-Nokia alliance, a high-stakes gamble in a daunting battle with Apple, Google, and others for relevance in the fast-growing mobile-computing market.

Troubled cell-phone maker Nokia today made a long anticipated move to recapture a share of the fiercely competitive smart phone market with the launch of two handsets running Microsoft’s Windows mobile software.

Over the last five years, Nokia has experienced a dramatic reversal in fortunes.

The company once dominated the high-end phone market with its Symbian-powered phones, but Apple’s iPhone and devices running Google’s Android have jumped ahead.

Nokia still sells many low-end phones, especially in developing countries, but this market could disappear as more powerful devices proliferate.

Time is also running out.

Amid fierce competition, sales of Nokia smart phones fell 34 percent in 2010, but sales of its low-end phones also fell 16 percent.

The company’s market value has halved since February, and third-quarter results showed its smart-phone sales down 38 percent compared with last year.

The new Windows phones were unveiled during company CEO Stephen Elop’s keynote speech at the Nokia World event in London.

“We are signaling our intent right now, here today, to be today’s leaders in smart phone design and craftsmanship,” said Elop, a former Microsoft executive who signed the partnership deal with Microsoft in February.

The hardware unveiled by Nokia offered few surprises, however.

The Lumia 800 design is identical to that of the Nokia N9.

Inside it is a 1.4-gigahertz processor and 512 megabytes of RAM, which lags behind the dual-core chips boasted by the iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy 5.

The Lumia has a 3.7-inch AMOLED 800-by-480 screen that sits under curved glass to give it a raised effect, and an eight-megapixel camera with an f2.2 aperture lens that will let in more light than most other phones, although the lack of a front-facing camera may put off those who use video calling.

The phone is 12 millimeters thick, which is bulkier than the latest Android phones.

In a swipe at other manufacturers, such as HTC and Samsung, that have already launched Windows phones, added “Lumia is the first real Windows phone.”

Fujitsu introduced one of the world’s smallest document scanners.

The new, ScanSnap S1100 scanner transfers printed, drawn, or written information to a PC or Mac computer and also supports direct interface to Google Docs, Evernote and other cloud applications.

The Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 thus enables customers to easily manage documents on their desktop, in popular offsite offerings or both.

Users can facilitate access for themselves or others anytime.

Anyplace via a device platform of their choice be it PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, Blackberry, or Windows and Android Smartphones.

ScanSnap S1100 provides an intuitive mobile document-capture concept that is consistent with every member of the ScanSnap family.

The intelligent ScanSnap software (included) ensures a seamless electronic workflow by generating searchable PDFs, images, e-mail or contact data, as well as editable Microsoft Office files for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

The Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 captures up to eight A4 pages per minute and can also scan embossed plastic cards, ID cards, business cards or A3 documents without a hitch.

“The ScanSnap S1100 smart design allows for quick processing of documents on a conference table, at a client’s desk, or forwarding notes to anyone from a car, train or plane.

Two intelligently designed flaps offer the option of straight feed or automatic reverse for scanning both sides.

Closed, they protect the robust device during transport as does its hard finish casing.

Users on the go need not worry about power cords and international plug adapters because the device does not require any one USB cable is all that’s needed.

The smallest and lightest member of the Fujitsu ScanSnap family weighs a mere 350 grams and measures just 273 x 47 x 34 mm, making it compact enough to fit in almost any notebook bag,

Once again, we feed that insatiable demand for iPhone 5 information, this time with unintended leaks from Case-Mate of some telltale iPhone cases.

Accessory makers have a noted track record of exposing form factors of new Apple devices ahead of schedule, so it’s entirely possible that a new Case-Mate product page depicting an “iPhone 5 Barely There Brushed Aluminum Case” is, in fact.

Showing us the design of the next iPhone that’s expected to be unveiled and launched in the coming weeks.

You can also tell that the iPhone is thinner, wider, and it’s tapered with a teardrop shape.

We feed that insatiable demand for iPhone 5 information, this time with unintended leaks from Case-Mate of some telltale iPhone cases.

In case these look just like ordinary cases to you, notice that the iPhone within (iPhone 5?) has an aluminum back rather than the glass back of the iPhone 4.

That’s in keeping with what we’ve seen before, so let’s add this to the huge pile of evidence that the iPhone 5 will indeed be different from its predecessor.

Meanwhile, whoever the poor soul at Case-Mate is who posted these pics is probably currently being called onto the Apple carpet.

Whether we’re looking at the iPhone 5 inside these colorful cases is mostly speculation, but Case-Mate inadvertently provided one piece of evidence, the rapidity with which this product shot was removed from its site.

In its place on the Case-Mate site is this less informative page, reassuring prospective customers that the new cases will arrive at the same time the iPhone 5 does.

Will have access to the iPhone design before it’s officially released to the public.

Given the plethora of leaks we’ve seen during this run-up to the iPhone 5′s release, we’re thinking that from now on, cases for any new iPhone will be further delayed, to such an extent that no case maker in China or elsewhere.