It's fair to say that, while the rear-facing cameras of mobile devices seem to be improving vastly with each year that goes by, the front-facing snappers are used sparingly due to their vast inferiority. In fact, video calling aside, you'd have to be pretty mad to take any snaps or record any clips using your smartphone or tablet's front shooter, but a brand-new sensor from Omnivision could see this trend well and truly bucked.
JoinedJuly 11, 2011
Articles5,945
Reporter.
Samsung always seems to derive a degree of utility from showing tech fans exactly how some of their most celebrated devices came to be, and having been treated to as much with a Galaxy S4 clip a couple of days back, HTC has sought to get in on the act as well. Although the Taiwanese outfit will have its work cut out in catching the latest handset in a series that has continually perched itself atop the pile in the smartphone industry, there's a real feeling that the company has outdone itself this time around with the One, and if you're as fascinated by this beautiful device as we are, you can check out HTC's Design Story clip after the leap.
Having established that a significant portion of those adopting the Windows Phone platform will be doing so from Google's Android, Microsoft has created a ‘Switch to Windows Phone’ app which aims to make the process as painless as possible. I must admit, when I first saw it, I thought it was shameless plugging bordering on propaganda, but having delved beneath the surface, it does appear that the Redmond's main objective here is to lay the foundations for a smooth migration over to the tiled realms of Windows Phone 8.
To help prospective Glass owners understand how to use the wearable tech when eventually released, Google has released a how-to video clip detailing the ins and outs of owning one of the most sought-after new gadgets in tech. At present, only developers, creatives and competition winners are lucky enough to be actually experiencing the digital spectacles firsthand, but with the eventual consumer launch firmly in mind, the Big G looks to be grooming techies in anticipation for next year's end-user launch.
Rockstar Games has just released three more trailers of its upcoming Grand Theft Auto 5 title, once again offering fans of the series a firsthand look at some of the stunning and visuals and animations set to make the cut for the September release. Despite the initial spring GTA 5 release date being pushed back considerably, Rockstar has done its utmost to keep everybody just as interested, and as well as these new teaser clips, the developer/publisher is also running a casting competition for five lucky winners to be featured in the game itself!
With Siri having been the flagship feature of iOS 5 and Apple Maps, to a notably less welcoming reception, theoretically comprising the marquee feature of iOS 6, Apple has certainly laid the foundations for what's being described as aggressive in-car integration with the forthcoming iOS 7. Whilst in-car chargers, device holders and Bluetooth connectivity facilities are not uncommon accessories available to the roadworthy mobile device owner, it would appear Apple would like to tap into this market with its own solutions.
According to an internal Apple memo obtained by 9to5Mac, the original iPhone will soon become 'obsolete' in the eyes of the Cupertino company, with those looking for service or repairs at Apple Retail Stores or mail-in AppleCare Repair Centers unable to do so in most places. It is natural for an Apple product to become 'vintage' or 'obsolete' after five years, but there's a certain significance, dare I say poignancy attached to this particular progression, for the device is about as iconic as anything Apple has ever released.
Spotlight search, although not a feature of everybody's iOS-navigating repertoire, is still seen as an important feature of Apple's mobile OS, and although relatively one-dimensional at stock level, the jailbreak scene has certainly found plenty of uses for the native search feature. Those of you who've used Alfred for OS X will be more than aware of its strengths when it comes to speeding up the process of finding exactly what you want, and one Cydia developer has taken the strengths of Alfred and sought to implement them into Spotlight.
Some very interesting information pertaining to Apple's iOS 7 has emerged today, which will see reasonably thorough makeover retaining many familiar aspects whilst "flattening" much of the user interface, as reported before. Although, as 9to5Mac reports, the changes will be some of the most significant the software has seen in its lifetime, it is also reckoned that users will have little trouble adapting to the changes.
If you found the Samsung Unpacked launch event of the Galaxy S4 to be somewhat cheesy, what you witnessed was actually theatrical mastery compared with what the poor folks of India have been burdened with from the Korean company. Now granted, the company is feeling a bit patriotic having seen compatriot PSY's 'Gangnam Style' become the most-watched, most-liked video in the history of YouTube and indeed, t'internet, but the smartphone vendor really shouldn't have gone as far as to bring it's own, ahem, 'Samsung Style' adaptation for the Indian launch of the new flagship. But regrettably, it did.
