Google's Android Wear platform is nearing maturity, and following the I/O developers conference, devices are already beginning to ship. Thus, it should come as little surprise to see the Play Store stocking up with content related to the wrist-based OS, and having already seen a few standalone apps, custom watch faces have also started popping up.
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Apple has passed on the message to developers that it will be removing all CloudKit data from its servers as of Monday, July 7th. This is not out of the ordinary, and in fact, regularly occurs around the time that iOS and OS X betas arrive, and anybody running iOS 8 beta or OS X Yosemite Developer Preview with data stored in the iCloud Photo Library, Mail Drop or iCloud Drive will need to retrieve it over the next couple of days.
We cannot, it seems, help but get carried away by voice assistants, and even though Microsoft joined the party extremely late with the introduction of Cortana earlier this year, the amount of hype it has generated for the software giant will certainly do Windows Phone's cause no harm whatsoever. Having already been compared a dozen times to Google Now and Apple's Siri, Cortana has had the benefit of watching and learning from both, but while the Halo-based voice assistant has clearly borrowed from its two longer-serving rivals in many departments, Siri is now looking to Cortana for inspiration.
Even before the arrival of the Galaxy S5 back in April, there was always a lingering feeling that Samsung was also plotting something better, perhaps even offering the metallic finish that so many have craved. The Galaxy F, as it has been referred, has not escaped the headlines despite the release of the Galaxy S5 LTE-A, and now, we have yet another alleged sighting of this most elusive of smartphones. Check out the snap, as well as all of the other details we have on the device, after the leap.
It has long since been suspected that Apple would come through with its very own brand of smartwatch, and this year, there's a genuine feeling that the company will finally bite the bullet and introduce the elusive product. Given Google's announcement of Android Wear at the beginning of the year, followed up at last month's I/O conference with more details and the announcement of Samsung's Gear Live, it would appear crucial that Apple doesn't allow its rivals to much leeway, and with the Cupertino's first major wearable set for release later on in the year, the company has just secured the services of TAG Heuer's Sales Director.
Although the headlines have largely been dominated by the iPhone 6, we're also expecting Apple to roll out a refresh for both the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display at some point during the fall. Hitherto, we've seen quite a few mockups offering a glimpse into some of the new features, including an improved Touch ID fingerprint sensor for each, and now, thanks to some high-res images, we can take an even closer look at how the iPad Air 2 stands up against its would-be predecessor.
We do our level best to keep the deals rolling through, and yet again, we're back with a bunch of great freebies for those in ownership of an iOS device. There are seven in total, so join us inside, where you'll find all of the relevant details and of course, those all-important download links.
Google's new Android L may only be at preview stage, with the fact that it hasn't even been given a proper name yet being a testament to this, but nevertheless, we're already seeing some encouraging signs of improvements that have been made. Namely, the company is shooting for an all-new "Material Design" language, which is set to give the interface a more layered, vibrant feel, and although we're still quite away from the end user release, I'm sure many of you cannot wait to run Android L on your devices. If you don't fancy going ahead and installing the preview on the Nexus 7 or Nexus 5, then thankfully, there's a theme floating about that allows you to achieve a similar look on your current handset.
Although Apple and Samsung regularly drag one another through the slog of the courtroom in quibbles over patents and whatnot, these two keenest of rivals also like to take digs at each other through advertising. Whether a new product is being released or has been around for several months, both Apple and Samsung like to point out the flaws of their adversary's product lines, and now, the Korean Galaxy maker has taken a pop at the iPhone's battery life.
Facebook has, in more recent times, sought to diversify its range of mobile apps, and in doing so, decided to separate the messaging component the official Facebook into a standalone, Facebook Messenger app. The move has worked very much to the benefit of the Facebook experience as a whole, but while the iPhone version has been knocking around for quite a while, the iPad version has been conspicuous by its absence. Now, though, the Menlo Park firm has rolled out a version tailored to Apple's prized tablet, and below, we've got all of the details.
