Recommended Reads on the Mobile Beat This Week

Bad Apple
This Slate story explains how Apple’s new bulbous battery case for the iPhone is the latest example of the company trying to make too many people happy–something the writer argues may be leading to Apple “losing some of the qualities that once made people so irrationally happy about it.”

Virtually There: The Hard Reality of the Gear VR
The Verge published a thoughtful piece that explores the usefulness of Samsung’s Gear VR headset.  

Can’t Put Down Your Device? That’s by Design 
A piece in the New York Times discusses how websites and apps are purposely designed to keep us glued to our screens, browsing and clicking away.

A Review of the $10 Walmart Phone: Better Than Nothing, but Not by Much
This fun review from Ars Technica gives an in-depth look at a super cheap Android-running smartphone, the LG Sunrise.