Virtualization is a concept that has grown very rapidly in the last decade, especially amongst casual, home users. It makes sense, too, considering that the hardware available to the average user these days is capable of running multiple instances of an operating system with ease, even if you need a high-end machine for that. Also, the segregation of operating systems themselves has grown to a point where you do tend to want to try out the offerings of one, but don’t really want to switch your primary OS, where again virtualization comes to the rescue. The same concept has been trickling down to smartphones as well.
For any smartphone user who owns an Android-based device and is slightly geekish, rooting comes as naturally as eating, sleeping, and other basic human instinct. Not only does it unlock the true potential of your device, but also makes it possible to run several apps that otherwise are out of question. Android, in this regard, also holds a great advantage over its fruity counterpart, iPhone, as the open source nature of the former makes it much easier to gain root level access on the device. The fact that Android developer community is huge doesn’t hurt either. Thus, whenever a new device comes out, people expectantly wait for the developers to work their magic and provide root methods. Now, it turns out, that you don’t have to even wait for the actual device to come out, because renowned developer Chainfire has rooted Samsung Galaxy S4 with a fully working auto-root mechanism.
Yes, you read that right! We're giving away a brand-spanking-new 8GB version of Google's celebrated Nexus 4 smartphone to one lucky Redmond Pie reader, and if you don't want to miss out on this great opportunity to snag one of the industry's most revered handsets from Google, then check out the full details of how you can enter after the break!
Rumors of a “Facebook Phone” have been making rounds in the rumor mill for years, with many believing that there is a gap in the market waiting to be filled for a strong social media-powered smartphone. And today, HTC took the wraps off their HTC First Android powered smartphone which will come laced with Facebook Home right out of the box. We got all the details right after the break.
We're just a few moments away from discovering exactly what Facebook's new home on Android actually entails, and if you want to watch a live stream of the event based at the social network's California headquarters, we've got an embedded link coming up after the break as well as a quick run through of what we expect from the event itself.
Way before smartphones became popular, users spent most of their time using applications on their computers, with some web browsing on the side. Despite the growth of the Web over the last few years, it turns out that the habits of users are still much the same: choosing locally installed apps over websites. This is even true on smartphones, according to a study performed by an American market research company. More details can be found after the jump.
As part of the continuation of its "legacy" in carrying Galaxy devices before any other, AT&T has just confirmed the prices of the 16GB and 32GB variants of the Samsung Galaxy S4. News that the 32GB version would set consumers back $249 upfront may have surfaced some time ago, but today, the company has stated that the 16GB storage option version will only cost $199. Since the Galaxy S4 arrives complete with its very own microSD card slot, consumers are less likely to agonize over the decision as a prospective iPhone or HTC One buyer might, but if you do wish to opt for the smaller of the two, you can save yourself $50 in the process.
The native ability of most mobile devices to take screenshots can be incredibly useful, particularly if, like us, you're in the business of reviewing apps and games. As you may have noticed from some of our jailbreak posts, adding a device-like frame can turn a boring old capture into a beautiful, lifelike impression of a device in action, and although Photoshop skills tend to be required for these kinds of edits to be made, you can now add such frames natively on both iOS and Android. We've found two of the best apps in Screenshot - Frame Maker for iOS and Device Frame Generator for Android, and if you'd like to visually enhance some of your screen captures, check out the lowdown on each after the break!
Shane Warne is one of the great ambassadors of international cricket. His talents and charisma have helped make him one of the most recognizable sportspeople on the planet, and with such a big personality, we shouldn't be too surprised to learn that the leg-spin bowler has endorsed his very own game for iOS and Android. More details, as well as those all-important download links, are coming up right after the break!
Android Jelly Bean 4.2 is inarguably the best version of Google's mobile OS to date. As well as being almost as smooth as its Cupertino rival thanks to the heavily-publicized Project Butter, it provides a vast array of functions which many users on older generations could usually only dream of. However, considering the vast majority of Droidsters are on older software, and with some of the more antiquated handsets having little to no hope of seeing any of Jelly Bean's niceties any time soon, developer AntTek has sought to bring one newer feature to those languishing on Android 2.1 - 4.1. Named AntTek Quick Settings, it brings Jelly Bean's useful quick setting feature to any device running on the aforementioned software versions, and with no root required whatsoever, this one is truly accessible to everybody.
