As well as trying to sell the idea that its Glass project is a revolutionary invention, Google is also introducing a tried-and-tested product that makes a great deal more practical sense in the form of Google Play Music. Killing two birds with one stone, the Mountain View-based company has brought official Play Music support to Glass, meaning Explorers can now, if they so choose, enjoy the sweet sound of their favorite tunes through the Glass Accessory Store's extortionately highly-priced ear buds.
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Although the PlayStation 4's lack of backwards compatibility threatened to spill over into hysteria, Sony promised that Gaikai, a service recently acquired by the Japanese company, would allow gamers to enjoy PlayStation 3 titles via cloud streaming, and now, it has been revealed that the service will also be launched on the PS3 and PS Vita. Although the Vita had been looking like a bit of a dead horse - particularly given the popularity of mobile gaming via smartphones and tablets - its integration with the often record-breaking PS4 could bring a new lease of life to the handheld, and Gaikai support will certainly do its cause no harm.
Google's Project Glass is perhaps the most exciting thing to manifest from the search giant since the original Nexus 7 made waves last year, and even then, it's difficult to justify including a small, cheap tablet in the same sentence as a product that could prove to be game-changing. The Explorer Edition has gone down well with creative types, and in the past month or so, we've seen Google expand the beta testing to bring more interested parties into the fold. Now, it has been made known that Glass Explorers can purchase a second pair of the geeky spectacles, and with the refreshed model of Glass having only been released in October, the development process appears to be moving through the gears.
PayPal is used by millions as a convenient way to send money around the world. The eBay-owned company is seen as the de facto payment method for transactions through the Web's favorite auction site, but in recent times, we've seen a marked effort from PayPal to expand its range of services. As a part of this movement, PayPal has today launched its very own digital gift store, and although it plans to work with many companies and merchants in the future, the launch of the service sees Apple as its main partner.
The holiday season deals kicked off this weekend and for large parts of today due to Thanksgiving, and with more festivities coming up during the next couple of weeks, it's a great month to be a tech fan. In the spirit of things, Apple has announced that it will ship items for free up until and including December 22nd, without any minimum spending requirement. Also, the company revealed the latest dates one can order certain items for receipt before December 24th, while extending its returns policy to January 7th for items purchased from November 1st to December 25th.
By the exceedingly high standards Samsung sets itself, the release of the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 this year haven't quite lived up to standards for some people. Both devices remain two of Android's most celebrated handsets, but with competitors stepping their games up and the Korean giant seeming to coast in the eyes of many, we've already heard some big promises of next year's marquee Sammy handsets pushing the envelope. Following on from some recent nuggets of info, it looks as though there could be a vastly improved 20-megapixel camera on the way with the forthcoming Galaxy smartphones, and although the number of megapixels is just a footnote in the story of a camera, Samsung's desire to impress would suggest it's more than just bluster.
The days of Microsoft releasing one new version of its Windows OS every few years are long gone. With the introduction of mobile devices into the frame - albeit somewhat belatedly - the Redmond, Washington outfit has moved to an annual release cycle akin to Apple. With Windows 8.1 following last year's drop of Windows 8, we haven't really heard a great deal about what's coming up next, however, Mary Jo Foley - renowned for leaking information about Microsoft - has come through with the news that the forthcoming edition of the famed desktop / tablet platform is codenamed ‘Threshold’.
Windows and OS X have been competing for years in the battle of the two major desktop platforms, and although Windows has been comfortably ahead since the beginning of time, Apple's Mac operating system has certainly made some headway in more recent times. Microsoft's Windows 8.1 and OS X Mavericks 10.9 are the latest entrants to the market, and although, as noted in the headline, Windows 8.1 has just sneaked ahead of Mavericks in terms of reach, the latter's 2.42% market share has now surpassed that of each of its predecessors.
We already heard earlier from Sony's UK chief that the PlayStation 4 will probably not enjoy the kind of longevity of its 7-year-old predecessor, with Fergal Gara noting that the changing ways in which consumers are accessing games and gaming services will dramatically shorten cycles . This is contrary to Microsoft, which believes the Xbox One will last out a decade, but EA Studios executive VP Patrick Söderlund has waded into the argument by suggesting that he expects both the new Xbox One and PlayStation 4 to remain flagship for five to six years.
All respectable soccer fans will have heard of, and played many of the annual FIFA Football (soccer, futbol, or whatever you call it locally) releases over the past couple of decades, and now, the sport's governing body has come through with an official news app. Dedicated to keeping fans in the loop regarding all of the goings on the world of football, it's a free download for those on both iOS and Android, and you can catch all of the relevant details after the jump as well as the direct download links.
