As a user of all three of the major mobile platforms in almost equal measure, one element of Google's Android that I particularly enjoy is the fact that widgets are abundant. Neither Windows Phone nor iOS support custom widgets natively, but thanks to the jailbreak community, those on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch have been able to indulge in recent times. A very promising new tweak on the scene by the name of ProWidgets allows iOS device users to enrich the experience of using Apple's mobile OS with a bunch of great widgets, and not only are they functionally sound and infinitely useful, but also aesthetically in-keeping with the look and feel of iOS 7.
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Following the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S5 at Mobile World Congress, HTC's March 25th unveiling of its next flagship handset seemed a fair way off. Now, though, we're just a few days away from seeing what the Taiwanese vendor has planned, and while it would be nice if the company could throw in one or two surprises, the diligence of the tech community has seen most of the key details already unraveled before now. Adding to the stack of info we've collected on the so-called HTC One 2, Nowhereelse.fr has posted a series of comparison images, pitting a dummy version of the upcoming device up against industry titans such as the iPhone 5s, Galaxy S4 and Xperia Z2.
For the first couple of months of this year and some time prior, Flappy Bird had taken a stronghold on many iOS and Android users looking for a casual game to keep them entertained. Consumed by the tricky physics involved, the title was both challenging and frustrating in equal measure, but with the game seeming to leave players reeling in anger rather than feeling any kind of accomplishment, developer Dong Nguyen took the decision to remove it from the iOS App Store, as well as Google Play. After recently hinting that Flappy Bird might make a dramatic return, though, he has now confirmed that it will be re-entering the fold at some point in the future, although "not soon," according to his Twitter feed.
With so many innovative products out there intended to help you keep your treasured devices free from the scrapes, scratches and bumps that they may encounter on a daily basis, it's little wonder that the makers of these cases and covers are short on ideas for unique sales pitches. A company by the name of Sir Lancelot's Armor launched an interesting product this week in the form of the Holy Grail - an iPhone case comprised of bulletproof glass - and although it was never stipulated that the film would itself be bulletproof, the guys over at Ars Technica couldn't resist putting it to the test.
Yesterday, Google announced Android Wear, a modified version of its famed operating system tailored specifically for wearable devices. Having pushed out a Developer Preview of the Android Wear SDK, folks have already been checking out the beta Android Wear software therein, and one in particular - Android enthusiast Dom Esposito - has given us a video walkthrough of the smartwatch-ready OS. Check it out right after the leap!
There has been a noticeable increase in the number of apps, devices and peripherals catering to the health and fitness-conscious of late, but a new product by the name of ToneFone, created by British company DesirableBody, has taken things to the next level. Playing on the idea that we spend far too much of our time with our devices in hand, the ToneFone essentially weighs down your iPhone, doubling it up as a dumbbell, and we can't for the life us, decide whether it's about the craziest idea for a phone case we've ever seen, or a mere stroke of genius.
In the run-up to the release of any high-end device, there's always a certain level of excitement and anticipation, and with speculation having suggested that the iPhone 6 will be notably larger than any previous Apple smartphone, it's no wonder that analysts are already projecting a spike in upgrades and Android switchers. The iPhone 6 concepts have been arriving thick and fast, but today's effort from the folks of ConceptsiPhone has simply blown us away, packing a 5.5-inch edge-to-edge display into an undeniably beautiful form factor.
If you're accustomed to the tiled interface of Windows Phone 8, you'll be aware of how easy it is to change the color of the theme / accent to whatever you want. Well, almost anything; for while one can accent the user-interface with a bunch of exotic colors ranging from cobalt to crimson, there's no immediately apparent black option. If you've spent some time rootling around your device's settings, you may already have discovered how to inject the jet-black finish upon the UI, but if you haven't and would like to know how, below you'll find a little tutorial covering the steps.
Having been purchased by Google three years ago before being recently offloaded to Lenovo for almost $10 billion less, you might have forgiven Motorola for losing a little of its get-up-and-go, but today's announcement of the Moto 360 - the first confirmed smartwatch to be running on its former overlord's Android Wear software - indicates that Motorola is far from beleaguered by the unsettling corporate movements, and still has a great deal to offer the mobile market. The device itself, which looks a digitized version of a traditional wristwatch, will be available at some point in the summer, with Motorola - like Google - currently focusing its efforts in developing the ecosystem.
With Samsung having already announced the Gear 2 and Gear Fit smartwatches at Mobile World Congress, it was only going to be a matter of time before the other big names in tech joined the fray, and amid ongoing rumors that Apple will drop its elusive 'iWatch' product later this year, Google has gone ahead and released the Developer Preview of its 'Android Wear' SDK. As the name implies, this particular flavor of the search giant's open-source platform is designed specifically for wearables, and the Big G also took the opportunity to reel off a bunch of manufacturers, including Motorola and HTC, that will begin releasing wearable products using the software later on this year.
