Google Glass may be the most exciting product to hit the scene in the past couple of years, but due to its relative infancy, still has quite a way to go before it can be considered anywhere near the finished article. But in the last few days, we have seen Google stepping up its efforts to prepare the face computer for the consumer market, and following the release of Glass prescription frames and lenses, the search company has also unveiled a hard case for the digital frames.
The major smartphone vendors are in a constant battle to outdo each other when it comes to the marquee features of new releases. Apple certainly upped its game with the iPhone 5s, delivering, among other things, Touch ID, and although, for a while, it appeared as though Samsung might counter with an iris scanner for the Galaxy S5, an app leak suggests that the Korean company will instead seek to emulate its bitter rival by including a fingerprint sensor. This would, if true, tie neatly in with a report from early last week that also suggested the S5 would take this route.
Google has, for the first time, showcased a series of mini-games designed specifically for use with its Glass project, in a move that the search giant hopes will inspire developers into creating some interesting, exciting, and cutting-edge titles tailored to the face computer. If Glass is ever going to offer any kind of appeal to fans of casual games, though, one suspects that devs will need to vastly improve what Google has mustered, with the company's collective of mini-games hardly rousing even a flicker of entertainment.
Sometimes an accessory pops up that has us all scratching our heads. We've no arguments that accessories have their place, taking existing hardware and either enhancing existing features or creating new ones. Accessories are just fine, but sometimes they fall wide off the mark. Sometimes we just can't quite get our heads around who thought they were a good idea, let alone who actually signed off on making them into a real, shipping product.
Although certain areas of the tech world seem drunk with excitement about Google's Glass project, there remain plenty of questions regarding the device's viability as a consumer product. Price, for example, is one area that could make-or-break this emerging technology once it enters the end-user later this year, but cost alone is not the only hurdle. Those accustomed to wearing normal, prescription lenses cannot comfortably utilize Glass due to its lack of support for those in need of visual aids, but today, those in ownership of the beta Explorer Edition (v2 only) can select from one of four different styles of prescription lens made available by Google for an additional $225.
Well, we didn't see that one coming! A report from industry sleuth Eldar Murtazin suggests that Google may cease its popular Nexus line of smartphone and tablet from next year. Instead, Murtazin says, the Big G will focus instead on re-releasing pre-existing devices as Google Play Edition models, running on stock Android and without any OEM bloatware.
One of the prime difficulties with moving to a new phone or upgrading your existing device is all the valuable data that you leave behind in the old one. Thankfully, we’ve come such a long way in the world of smartphones that it isn’t that much of an issue any more, as third party solutions allow you to achieve that with relative ease, even though it’s a hassle. Things become really interesting (and difficult), however, when you decide to move between platforms, especially from iOS to Android.
On a Monday morning, trying to get to work and stuck in seemingly endless traffic, the thought of simply driving through everyone and everything in our way becomes rather appealing, if a little impractical and infinitely dangerous. Luckily, we've outlets like the popular game Carmageddon, allowing us to control that pent up anger and road-rage in a safe, digital manner. An enthralling title from the get-go, it has just gone free for Android users over at the Play Store, so if you like the idea of a game that rewards running over pedestrians and moped riders, this one's certainly for you!
Most users of digital devices containing some kind of storage will be aware that the quoted capacity doesn't usually tell the entire story. But once we've established that 16GB does not equate to the full 16GB, why do some devices only offer 8GB of available storage out of the box, while others offer 12GB+? Well this is due mainly to the firmware (and often, considerable bloatware) that some companies like to throw in, and as is portrayed in a rather nice infographic by tech market researcher Which, Samsung's flagship Galaxy S4 is the worst culprit for adding extra software.
Apple may have enjoyed a successful 2013 with the iPhone 5s in particular, smashing first-weekend sales records for a smartphone, but even with the impressive number of units shifted, the Cupertino company only has to look at BlackBerry or Nokia for a reminder of where complacency can lead. Thus, with the dust having settled on that major smartphone release, Tim Cook's men are out to discover how iPhone buyers feel about their purchase, specific features like Touch ID, as well as rivaling products like Android. Taking the form of a rather long survey, it looks as though the fruit company is seeking thorough, enlightening feedback in its quest for an even more fruitful 2014.
