Every year in December, the Google Play Store picks the best apps of the twelve months previous, and today, the time has come for the 2013 round-up. With the end of the year quickly approaching, we're going to be seeing a lot of these "best of" lists, and although you mightn't agree with every single one of the Play Store picks, there's still bound to be at least a few gems in there for everybody to appreciate.
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.
Android 4.4 KitKat gone down about as nicely as its sweet and chocolately name implies, and already, Google is plotting a minor update to its flagship operating system in the form of Android 4.4.1. The reason behind this impromptu release is to improve the performance of the Nexus 5 camera, and as you would imagine, Android 4.4.1 is only specific to the LG-made Google smartphone.
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.
Early benchmark results are often a good way of discovering whether a new device is being tested out, and with talk currently rife regarding Samsung's next batch of flagship smartphones, benchmarks found over at GFXBench could already show the full list of specs of the Galaxy S5. The S4 only arrived in the late spring, but with sales having not reached expectations, the Korean company is said to be working doubly hard on its eventual successor. According to the GFXBench results, the device will boast the latest and greatest Android 4.4 KitKat, a Snapdragon 800 processor clocked at 2.5 GHz as well as a potentially jaw-dropping 2560 x 1440 resolution, or 2K HD display.
Famous faces make for great advertisement fodder when the right celebrity is used to promote a product, and with Samsung's strange, enigmatic promotion of Galaxy devices through a lengthy football (soccer)-themed campaign, picking a star like the legendary German forward Franz Beckenbauer to be head coach of the so-called 'Galaxy 11' seemed an informed decision.
VSCO Cam has long since been regarded among the best photo editing apps for those on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and today, it makes its long-awaited debut over at the Google Play Store. As you'd expect, most of the iOS app's powerful features are present on the Android iteration, and provided your device is running 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or newer, you can now enjoy one of the most powerful photo utilities on the mobile market.
In some capacity or another, most of us find ourselves streaming content between devices, and with mobile devices becoming smarter with every new generation, it becomes that little bit easier to beam video, music and other content right to our TV sets. The CyanogenMod team, which suffered a minor setback last week when its CyanogenMod Installer app was pulled from the Google Play Store, has long since expressed interest in helping push the boundaries of streaming, Koushik Dutta, famed developer behind CM, has created a nifty little Android app that allows users to stream content to an abundance of set-top box devices including Apple TV, Roku, and Sony's new PlayStation 4.
CyanogenMod 10.2 final based on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean has been released. This marks the end of CM based on Jelly Bean and work on CM 11 Android 4.4 KitKat has been started.
As well as trying to sell the idea that its Glass project is a revolutionary invention, Google is also introducing a tried-and-tested product that makes a great deal more practical sense in the form of Google Play Music. Killing two birds with one stone, the Mountain View-based company has brought official Play Music support to Glass, meaning Explorers can now, if they so choose, enjoy the sweet sound of their favorite tunes through the Glass Accessory Store's extortionately highly-priced ear buds.
