With Apple's addition of Multipeer Connectivity Framework to the fray with iOS 7, apps like FireChat - which offer nearby chat services in a peer-to-peer-like infrastructure - have continued to thrive. An interesting new app, which works in a similar way to FireChat, offers a little twist in that you can also check in on the conversations of others and, as the name suggests, also use it to trash-talk anonymously.
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This year, Apple is expected to finally take the wraps off the elusive iWatch, which will compete with the likes of the Pebble and Samsung's multitude of wearables already on the market. Add the fact that Google has just showcased the Android Wear dev kit, and you feel that it's perhaps even crucial that Apple does finally cave so as not to allow rivals to get a significant advantage. But actually, the iWatch wouldn't be the first time the Cupertino's designers dreamed up a watch bearing the famed logo, as this very intriguing throwback from the eighties demonstrates.
Last week, we reported on the culture of fake iOS device chargers, along with the potential perils of using them. As some folks have learned, saving a few bucks can often cost hundreds in repairs for broken devices and also damage caused by subsequent fires and minor explosions as the shoddy build quality shows its true colors. Here, we show you how to spot a phony, and also, what you should do next if your charger is a potentially dangerous copy.
If you're trying to find some decent apps, the chances are you're looking for both quality and value. Many apps out there are available for free, but by and large, the very best ones are paid, and so almost by default, those that temporarily ditch their price tag are often worth considering. Here, we run through a list of some of our favorite apps gone free for free on iOS, and if you like a freebie, be sure to join us after the leap.
When it comes to mobile data plans, most of us are tethered to some kind of contract, and if you want a half-decent smartphone thrown into the bargain, these monthly agreements can prove costly. FreedomPop has long since sought to shake the market up by offering basic smartphones for a one-off fee, and continued monthly minutes, texts and data for free. More recently, the company has opened its doors to the more lucrative iPhone range, and now, last year's flagship Galaxy S4 from Samsung has also been added to the ever-growing roster.
Amazon has been leading the way on the freebie front just lately, and now comes arguably one of the best deals we've seen yet. For downloading five designated free apps from the Amazon Appstore, you can accrue 1000 Amazon Coins, which, in turn, equates to $10 to spend on any app or in-app purchase you like!
Ever since the release of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8, Apple has been actively drafting in certain iOS features to its desktop software, and although we're still quite a way off a completely unified OS, this appears to be the direction that the Cupertino outfit is headed. Even though it's both useful and infinitely convenient to have the likes of iMessage available at desktop level, a new iOS app called Notifyr shows that this amalgamation of platforms can be taken even further by pushing any and all iOS notifications to the desktop.
Even though Samsung is renowned for releasing a bunch of spin-off devices after every new flagship, we naturally thought that the South Korean company might skip the Galaxy S5 Active this time around. After all, the Galaxy S4 Active's main draw was its dust and waterproof nature, and given how the standard Galaxy S5 is already both of these things, we naively touted the demise of the Active. However, a new video showcasing the Galaxy S5 Active in full working order suggests otherwise, and as well as being more rugged than its just-released cousin, is notably different in a few other departments, too.
A Dutch-Moroccan hacking firm called Doulci claims to have successfully bypassed iOS 7's iCloud Activation Lock, allowing the gang to unlock iPhones that would otherwise be completely blocked by the Cupertino company. Given the 400 million strong user base of iCloud, this is a particularly worrying revelation, and since Apple's robust iCloud infrastructure has never been breached in this way, the repercussions could be significant.
Even though applying an iPhone lock screen wallpaper is as simple as moving and scaling, it's fair to say that not every image or photo looks good as a background. In fact, because you're dealing with limited space and various UI elements including the clock and unlock slider, it's often rather difficult to find an image that seems to just work, but thanks to an appropriately-named app called Lockscreen Wallpaper Designer, you can easily turn almost any image into a beautiful backdrop.
