After months of rumor and speculation, the iPhone 5 finally hit the retail market at the end of September, but while the device itself launched without so much as a hiccup (save those well-documented yield and production issues), its accompanying firmware was not so fortunate. iOS 6 had also generated a fair amount of coverage during the course of the year, and although Apple's decision to press ahead with its own in-house Maps offering in place of the old faithful Google iteration was initially seen as brave, the move quickly emerged as a strong candidate for tech fail of the year.
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Samsung has brought an interesting product to the table in the Samsung Galaxy Camera, but unfortunately, its walkthrough video of the new product makes 13 minutes seem like 30, which doesn't bode well for consumer excitement in the device itself. The clip runs through some of the camera's many great features, and it will be intriguing to see just how many units this thing manages to shift.
The iPad is a great product, but like all great products, it doesn't come without its fair share of flaws. Despite single-handedly helming the tablet market for the past two-and-a-half years, we could all pick out issues we'd like to see resolved, and one of the most obvious is the relatively poor speaker design. With the iPhone, the speakers are positioned along the bottom, meaning whichever way you lay it down, the audio - albeit slightly tinny - can always be heard. The iPad's speakers are located on the back of the device, and even though Apple has improved the sound quality through generations of its flagship slate, pushing sound out in the opposite direction doesn't cut it for a device of the iPad's caliber.
Whilst the idea of controlling all elements within the home from one device is a concept with futuristic overtones, it's not as though the tech isn't already in place, and one can easily find an app for a smartphone or tablet to open curtains, unlock doors, or more recently, control colorful lighting. With this in mind, Savan Kotecha - music producer for the X Factor, has laden his home in gadgets and contraptions that play nicely with his favorite iOS device - the iPad. He's spent a sum total of $80,000 (and counting) to turn his Hollywood pad into what looks like a geek's dream, and a great deal of his electrical compliances are now controlled from the comfort of his iPad.
Facebook is the world's foremost social hunt, and as such, is a great place for people to discover new music, movies and other such content. Sensing this, Mark Zuckerberg's company has teamed up with Apple to add iTunes digital gift certificates to its roster, and as well as allowing users to buy iTunes Store credit for friends, said user can also make recommendations as to what the recipient should spend that credit on.
In light of the recently-released fourth-gen iPad, which succeeded the iPad 3 after just seven months as Apple's flagship slate, it's certainly refreshing to hear that the Surface tablet - created, of course, by rival Microsoft - will be getting an incredible four-and-a-half year shelf life, with support and updates for the product eventually scheduled to end on April 11th, 2017.
Thanksgiving weekend may have been enhanced by the Black Friday savings on offer, but as many of you will be aware, the deals have not yet ceased. After Black Friday comes Cyber Monday, and with so many big-money savings, it can be hard to keep track. Here, we run through some of the best offers from the companies you like to purchase from, so if you have any money left, check out the Cyber Monday options after the break.
Black Friday's name stems from the opportunity businesses have to turn a profit, or remain in the black, by making huge sales to customers enticed by the savings on offer. That's all very well for the companies, but on a personal level, it's important we too keep our heads above water, and as we collectively drag ourselves from the financial meltdown of a few years ago, we should take all the help we can get in maintaining financial stability. To mark Black Friday Weekend, we've had a little hunt through some of the best money apps available for iOS, and for all-round performance and ease-of-use, Budget with Back in Black has emerged as one of our favorites.
HTC has had a pretty difficult year all told, but with the Windows Phone 8 duo in the 8X and 8S now making their way to market, and a recent licensing agreement reached with Apple, things are certainly looking up for the Taiwanese company. The HTC One X+ on Android offers an even beefier list of specs than the original One X released earlier this year, which wasn't exactly underpowered in itself, and if you want to have even more fun with your One X+, you'll be pleased to learn that the all-in-one toolkit has just been released for the device.
Microsoft has made no secret of the business acumen of Windows 8 and products such as the Surface. We've already seen this model marketed with Emirates Airlines, an upmarket company already seen to be embracing the Redmond company's technologies, and while Emirates could have gone all tablety long before now, it waited for the "security and robustness" provided by Microsoft. The idea of Windows 8 tablets and products being the, secure, go-to option for businesses has taken a bit of a hiding today, though, with the news that British bank Barclays has forked out at least £3.3 million to purchase 8,500 iPads, a move said to be a part of "improving the customer experience."
