iPhone 4S has many competitors. Some weaker than others, but many would agree that Samsung Galaxy SII has been quite up to par with iPhone 4S. With the newest Samsung heavy weight, Samsung Nexus and its newest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, iPhone and Apple fans are eagerly expecting a new iPhone 5 to hit the shelves and perhaps more importantly, show the rest of the world where technology can and should be.

Following is a benchmark showdown of Samsung Galaxy Nexus and iPhone 4S or rather ICS vs iOS5. At least, well in the browsing experience.

Using browsing benchmarks Sunspider Javascript Benchmark 0.9.1 and Rightware Browsermark, Samsung Nexus toped iPhone 4S. Motorola Droid Razr followed closely behind leaving the rest in the dust. Now let’s take a look at some graphics benchmarks. Here is a result of GLBenchmarks 2.1 Egypt test:

As we can see iPhone 4s outperforms Nexus two fold. In the real world things may be a different, but as these two tests go, iPhone 4S still holds out well.

Most iPhone apps on the App Store are either for free or cost some $1-5. But did you know that there are apps for hundreds of dollars, too? I didn’t know it until I accidentally stumbled upon an app that cost about $1000. Then I started looking for other expensive apps and found several others, too.

So here they are – the most expensive iPhone and iPad apps ever:

1. PDR Quote

PDR Quote by Labra PTY LTD. is the cheapest app among the most expensive ones for the iPhone – it costs only $349.99. As you could have guessed, this is business management software, and it allows you create professional quotes and invoices in the field of vehicle repair right from your phone.

I’m not into vehicle repair business, but I guess this app has to be really cool; otherwise it wouldn’t cost $350.

2. MATG – SAP BusinessOne

MATG - SAP BusinessOne by MyAccountsToGo is the next app in my list of most expensive iPhone apps, and it costs $449.99. I guess all business people including sales representatives, marketing and finance executives, know what the SAP BusinessOne financial management system is; now they can access all the info from this system from their iPhones and access the info about the customers, transactions, items and so on.

3. iRa Pro

Unlike the first two apps from my list of 5 most expensive iPhone apps, iRa Pro by Lextech Labs, priced at $899.99, isn’t designed for business people and has more to do with the security industry. It delivers your video command center to your smartphone, so you can watch live videos shot by your cameras directly on your iPhone – wither many videos at the same time, or one full screen video. If you, for example, own a shop, you can place cameras there, and whenever you go, your iPhone will always show you what’s going on in your shop and how the consultants you’ve hired are working. Cool, isn’t it?

4. iVIP Black

iVIP Black designed by iVIP Ltd. is also known as “The Millionaire’s App.” Have you ever heard about iVIP Treatment? It’s when you get VIP treatment (presents, room upgrades, priority access and much more) in a number of partners of iVIP (including luxury restaurants, hotels, theatres, casinos and so on), and of course the app helps you find those partners nearby.

iVIP Black is the premium version of iVIP; it’s available for Apple’s devices only (so the owners of WP, MeeGo, Symbian or Android phones can’t have it no matter how rich they are), and it costs $999.99, and you can start using it as soon as you earn your first £1 million. So hurry up!

5. BarMax CA

Of course, an expensive app designed for millionaires to attract more attention is cool, but for the same $999.99 (it’s the iPhone’s price, just think about it!) you can get an app that will help you study and acquire some useful knowledge. I’m speaking about BarMax CA by BarMax LLC – the most complete bar exam prep course made by Harvard lawyers and the best iPhone developers. It includes lectures for 12 subjects, tests, flash cards, calendars and task lists to help you and to keep you organized and much more.

So this is one of the most expensive iPhone apps in the world at the moment, and it’s one of the few apps that is really worth that money, since it will give you the most valuable thing in return – knowledge.

Have you ever tried any of these expensive apps for the iPhone? Let us know!

If you enjoy exploring, learning, and doing, at least as much as you like
gaming, you may be pleasantly surprised that you there is, as they say, an
app for that – or rather, several apps. We take a look at five great iPhone
apps that take advantage of the multimedia possibilities offered by the
platform, giving you a mix of visuals, sound, and interactivity to keep your
interest.

Aurasma (iPhone 3.2 or later, iPod Touch or iPad 2; requires iOS 4.0 or
later; free download)

Aurasma, billed as the world’s first visual browser, brings you augmented reality. That is, take the physical world, and add the internet: point your
phone camera at an object or landmark, and be given more information,
instantly. This can be facts and figures – tourist info, perhaps, as you
could get from Google Maps or a good GPS app – but it can also be
user-generated content of all kinds, from adverts to miniature movies that
someone decided to upload and link to the image your camera sees. Aurasma
analyses the picture and checks for related content, rather than being
purely location-based. There’s not much content, yet, but what there is, is
fun and often surprising. Definitely worth it for free.

Shazam (iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad; requires iOS 3.0 or later; free
download)

Shazam been around for a while, but if you don’t already have this incredibly
useful free app on your phone, you should. Shazam uses the device’s
microphone to scan a piece of music as you hear it – whether it’s being
played on the radio or TV, or in the taxi or bar you’re in – then rapidly
tells you what song it is and who plays it. You even have the option to buy
the track immediately on iTunes. Fantastic.

Stanza (iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad; requires iOS 3.0 or later; free
download)

Stanza is the critically acclaimed free e-reader app. If you don’t have a
dedicated e-reader like the Kindle, grab Stanza for your iPhone instead, for
almost as good an experience. In some respects it’s arguably better than the
Kindle – we like the way it handles PDF files better than the Kindle, for
starters (and you can create your own PDFs on a Mac or PC and upload them to
your phone easily enough, if you have work- or study-related documents you
just need to read, and want in an easy format). It comes with 50,000 free
out-of-copyright ebooks already, via Project Gutenberg. You can buy more
through the app itself.

Last FM client (iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad; requires iOS 3.0 or later; free
download)

The popular free, personalized radio service Last.fmis now available for iPad. Take
your playlists, and your friends’, with you wherever you go, so long as you
have a 3G signal.

Mapster (iPhone 3.2 or later, iPod Touch or iPad 2; requires iOS 4.3 or
later; £2.99)

Add multimedia to any map with Mapster. If Aurasma gives you augmented
reality, Mapster gives you augmented maps, letting you draw on them, add
photos and panoramic shots, add songs, etc. Record or plan your holidays or
other trips, or measure walking and running routes. It’s compatible with
everything from Google Maps to iTunes, so you can import both maps and
multimedia files, then combine them at your whim.

Apple is still in the lead when it comes to apps, with more apps on the App
Store than any competing service like Android Market or Windows Marketplace.
With new developments like quad-core and facial recognition most likely
heading to the iPhone in 2012, app developers will have a whole new world of
potential to play around with. The superior app experience offered by Apple
is why it is almost certain that iPhone mobile phone deals will
remain the most popular for the coming year and beyond.

Jonah Lomu is a true rugby superstar. Wicked Witch Software has just released a Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge Mini Games for iPad and iPhone. This 3D most addictive rugby game game authentic sounds and astounding visuals. There are many modes to choose from like: Competition, Endurance, Last Chance, Count Down and a Bonus Time.

Learn to be quick with your feet trying to get away from attacking opponents as you’re trying to snatch and bring down your next ball to the ground. Read this review of Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge Mini Games in iPad Site or download Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge: Mini Games for iPad or iPhone for just $0.99.

Now that the Android Market has stopped trumpeting its 10 cent App Sale to celebrate 10 billion downloaded apps, we can look back on 2011 with Distimo ‘App Year In Review’ But it isn’t just about Apple; 2011 witnessed a 400% rise in the number of available Windows Phone apps, while iPhone apps downloads in the US have been in decline for almost the entire year, despite a spike just after the launch of the iPhone 4S.

And volume aside, top-grossing iPhone apps still generated four times more money than Android’s premium applications. In fact iPad apps alone brought in twice as much ker-ching as Android apps Begging the question – is this a case of quality besting quantity? Or are Android apps just better value? Head on over to Distimo to see the full report.