There are a number of reasons why developers and end-users alike would want to take an image of what's on their display, but while screenshots can be useful in certain scenarios they are also very limited. The latest Android KitKat SDK has introduced a way for developers to easily record what’s on the device’s display, but how easy is it for that functionality to feed back to users? Thanks to CyanogenMod 11 and the new screencasting app it's actually very extremely easy - if you meet certain criteria that is.
Samsung's Galaxy S4 is the company's current flagship, and since its release in the spring, many millions of units have been sold. With so many in the wild, it's only natural that some should develop faults, but with all the extensive testing carried out by Samsung to ensure that users aren't put in any danger, GS4 owner Richard Wygand was stunned to wake up next to his device bellowing smoke and flames.
Earlier on in the year, Google made a move which some people deemed clever, some foolish. With the expertise that comes with being one of the world's largest software companies, Google doesn’t have the best credentials when it comes to hardware production. The answer? Purchase an already existing, well thought of, manufacturer. In this case, Google purchased the then-struggling Motorola Mobility to head their mobile device production.
Security and general privacy tends to be of paramount importance to most mobile device users, and with very good reason. But while the battle to steer clear of the unscrupulously-intended, non-niceties of the mobile world are well documented, one company obscures its potentially dangerous spying app under a veil of legitimacy.
Although we're relatively well informed as to the progress of Google Glass's development, we haven't had much of an insight into the numerous different designs we've already been promised by the Big G and its partners. The current Explorer Edition, for example, does not work with prescription lenses, leaving those in requirement of visual aids unable to fully use the wearable tech - if at all. As such, designs to facilitate the specialized lenses are being worked on, and one Google manager looks to have accidentally leaked snaps of one pair of prescription Glasses for the world to see. The shots were hastily removed from sight, although not before the Web could grab and share them for the rest of us to ogle over.
Although Android is, due to its open source nature, seen as a target by many hackers and individuals that wish to steal information for illicit purposes, the Google Play Store is, at least in theory, as safe as most other app portals. After all, it is moderated by Google to ensure that apps comply with the rules and terms of service, and anything suspect is usually disposed of in a swift and timely manner. But one app by the name of Brightest Flashlight, which requires no further description, appears to be keeping users in the dark about how it collects user location data before sending it to third party ad firms.
Google Glass looks set to become a piece of technology of many uses, and although many of use have already seen and enjoyed watching how the Big G's face computer will capture video, run all kinds of different apps and generally enhance our lives, New York artist David Datuna has used it to create a unique, and captivating interactive piece of artwork. The large canvas consists of the American flag covered in thousands of eyeglass lenses, but in a twist, there are hidden cameras powered by the ever-so-tiny Raspberry Pi computer, allowing those picking up the linked Glass devices at the Art Basel gathering to view a live feed of those checking out the artwork.
Every new smartphone seems to be following the same set of rules: bigger display, better processor, improved camera and a few extra mAhs of battery life to tide us over. But not every OEM is following the archetypal new handset policy. The Russian makers of YotaPhone have expressed their interest in going against the grain by teasing a dual-screen handset featuring an LCD on one side and an eInk (think Kindle Paperwhite) display on the other, and after months of nothingness, the devices is finally being released throughout many parts of mainland Europe.
Although there are plenty of action-adventure titles available for gamers to enjoy, Assassin's Creed is arguably the most popular franchise, and having made a name for itself on console and PC, Ubisoft has just pushed Assassin’s Creed: Pirates for iOS over at the App Store, and Android on Play Store. The publisher made it known a few months back that the mobile version was on its way, and now, the simultaneous release for both of the two major ecosystems is upon us.
Square Enix has previously been guilty of teasing mobile gamers by announcing that the much anticipated Final Fantasy VI would be coming to mobile sometime "this winter". Developers and publishers are often understandably reluctant to commit to concrete launch dates for fear of having a spanner thrown in the works and subsequently having to renege on that promise. The winter is now well and truly upon us, and although we haven't yet been blessed with an actual release date, Square Enix has used the annual Jump Festa expo to release two official screenshots of the visuals that gamers can expect on iOS and Android when the title launches.
