The ability to run custom launchers on Android devices is something that, to many, gives the Google platform the edge on its competitors. We feature plenty of launchers here at Redmond Pie, each of which tends to offer its own unique quirk, and and today's offering is no different. Named SF Launcher, it is currently in early alpha stage, but already bears the hallmarks of a very promising home screen alternative.
JoinedJuly 11, 2011
Articles5,945
Reporter.
Despite being a paid service in a sea of free alternatives, Microsoft's Xbox LIVE remains the most popular online hub of all the high-end consoles. At $60 for a year's service, it offers fairly good value for money, and for a very limited time, you can get a twelve-month subscription for just $35.
Google's Nexus 10 tablet has hit the ground running in tablet space, with the majority of consumers and reviewers giving it the proverbial seal of approval. It features a dual core Exynos 5 processor to keep things ticking over, and while, all told, it does a fairly good job in doing so, it does struggle to cope with the 2560×1600 display. At a time when quad-core processors are ever becoming the norm, it has been suggested that Google may be planning to slap the revered tablet with a quad-core SoC later on this year.
jOBS, one of two movies based on and around the life of one Steve Jobs, is set to release later this year, and to mark the occasion, the movie's leading actors Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad will kick off Macworld next week. The movie was the first to be announced, and Kutcher (Jobs) and Gad (Steve Wozniak) will be representing two of the Cupertino company's co-founders, and their impromptu visit to the annual Macworld/iWorld conference will no doubt ramp up intrigue in jOBS prior to its April release.
Samsung fans have plenty to look forward to this side of the summer, and the Korean company's Vice President has stepped out and confirmed the Galaxy Note 8.0 is to be unveiled at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2013, which commences from 25th February. Perhaps the biggest date in the tech calendar besides CES, we'll be seeing plenty of new and exciting mobile gadgetry at the big event in little over a month, and although the Galaxy S IV will not be rearing its head late next month, Samsung's VP JK Shin has noted it will be arriving 'soon'.
Of all the far-fetched rumors we've been fed of the purported "iPhone 5S" these past few weeks, this latest one really takes the biscuit. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities foresees the Apple's purchase of AuthenTec paying dividends with the seventh-gen smartphone, with the Cupertino finding a way of implementing some description of fingerprint sensor into the home button.
One of the great advantages of using Android over, say iOS, is the ability to use home screen alternatives, otherwise known as custom launchers. They take all manner of forms, and offer a range of features, with some going for sheer features, while others seek to alter the general look and feel of an Android smartphone or tablet. In the case of the Bazooka Launcher, aesthetics are very much the order of the day.
Considering the iPhone 5 was launched all the way back in September, I don't think it's unreasonable we begin talking about its eventual successor. The analysts certainly don't mind, having speculated about the "iPhone 5S" for at least a month now, and one such analyst - Peter Misek of Jefferies - has been at the heart of it. Today, he's chimed into the argument once more, noting to investors that two iPhone prototypes are currently being tested by the Cupertino company.
Despite the defiant claims of the major smartphone companies that they're not copying each other (despite litigation finding evidence to the contrary), there's little doubt that the market's handsets - by and large - tend to follow the trends of one another. One feature that seems to have unfortunately died out, is the once-popular BlackBerry / Nokia LED notification light. Particularly useful if you find even the vibrating alert to be a tad obtrusive, it allows your device to communicate a notification without any sound whatsoever. While the OEMs appear to be neglecting a feature many of us would like to see return, the commendable work of those over at XDA-Developers has lead to something of a solution in the form of ButtonLED, which turns your hardware button into a makeshift notification light.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II may have been the biggest selling title since, well, Modern Warfare III, but Activision hasn't gotten to the top of the gaming tree by resting on its laurels. As such, the publisher will be releasing a DLC pack at the end of this month for those rocking Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, and as you can probably gather, it features numerous new maps, modes and weapons in order to maintain the seemingly infallible captivation gamers have with the rampant CoD series.
