Nokia, which was recently acquired by Microsoft, has long built great smartphones, particularly those of the Lumia variety. But while the market has been enticed by the sleek, funky designs and top-notch rear-facing camera technology, most have been put-off by the Windows Phone OS, which is nowhere near as evolved as, say, Android.
If you've been on an airplane in the last ten years, then the chances are you're already well aware of some of the rather overzealous restrictions that are being enforced upon air travellers. Mothers forced to prove that baby milk is indeed just that by drinking it is a story we've all heard before, but now it seems that the US Transportation Security Administration isn't content with just making sure liquids are as they appear, anymore.
The next major version of Android, dubbed as ‘L’ (Lollipop?) was announced by Google at its I/O developer conference in San Francisco. Android L brought with it a ton of new changes, most of which are for developers. But the user-facing end got a neat facelift too, and as ever, we took the latest OS from the search giant for a spin on a Nexus 5, and couldn’t help comparing it with last year’s offering, Android KitKat.
It's only going to be a matter of time until every major appliance in the home is connected to our mobile devices in some fashion. We already have kettles that can be switched on via a mobile app; intelligent thermostats that evolve and become more capable based on our behaviors as well as lighting systems that can be altered directly from a companion app to suit or moods at any given time. The possibilities are pretty much endless.
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.
With as much technology infiltration as we have in our daily lives today, it becomes quite a challenge to truly protect and maintain your privacy and data security. It’s not just the inherent risk with technology and software bugs, either; we willingly expose our personal identification information to a number of parties in order to use their services. Take the newest discovery, for instance, where it has been found out that an Android phone that has its screen turned off and is connected to Wi-Fi network, can actually be actively browsing the user’s location history to anyone who’s interested in listening.
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.
Great news for all Android Wear device owners out there: Google has just added to the momentum of the Wear freight train initiative by introducing the official Android Wear companion app for tablets and smartphones. The new app has been designed and developed to act as an intermediary piece of software that connects the user's phone or tablet with the Android Wear hardware, which at the moment will be either the Samsung Gear Live or the LG G Watch. The app is available to download immediately from the Play Store.
This year's Google I/O was undeniably one of the more interesting and fruitful Google gatherings that we've seen for some time. In the middle of the plethora of announcements made during the keynote we managed to get an insight into Project Volta, Google's latest internal crack at singling out a weakness within its Android platform and fixing it. Last year it was Project Butter that stole the limelight by attempting to make animations within Android run at 60 frames-per-second. This time around the Volta team will concentrate attention on various aspects of Android in an attempt to improve battery life. The good news? Early investigations into Android L suggests that the hard work is proving fruitful.
Samsung's flagship release for 2014, the Galaxy S5, launched in a blaze of glory back in April, with many quick to pour praise on the great camera and display features. But while the device's early sales figures made for happy reading for all connected with Samsung, the UK numbers tell a story in which the iPhone 5c - Apple's so-called "entry-level" model of iPhone - managed to outsell the all-new GS5, with both the 5c and the Cupertino's flagship 5s each shifting more units for the Galaxy S5 for the month of May.
