For Linux-based operating systems, especially Android, bootloaders are more like a double-edged sword. On one hand, you’d want an unlocked one, because that will enable opening up your device to all sorts of modifications, including gaining root/super user access, but at the same time, an unlocked bootloader also means a potentially vulnerable smartphone or tablet that’s open to malicious attacks. With the amount of new apps that the Play Store gets on a daily basis, it’s also hard to figure out whether an app is truly what it claims to be, or some developer with the intent of stealing your personal information that’s unleashed a Trojan horse in the guise of an otherwise-innocent-looking application. Thus, the risk of remaining exposed stays lingering above you.
Windows Phone 8 is on the up these days accompanied by fantastic devices like the Lumia 920, but it seems to be the emerging Firefox OS that is gathering interest as a newcomer to the scene. Although extremely early builds of the operating system have been released for those daring enough to try it out, not many people have witnessed it in the flesh, that is until it appeared on a mysterious smartphone during a CES event.
If you’re looking for yet another way to enjoy your mobile Android games, NVIDIA has just announced a new portable console that is worth looking at. Project SHIELD is NVIDIA’s take on the portable gaming market: it features a full-sized gaming controller, the latest version of Android and PC connectivity.
In the world of Android, and modern smartphones in general, apps are what define how useful the device is going to be. The popular phrase, “there’s an app for that”, might’ve been notorious for Apple’s iOS platform, but it holds pretty true for the rapidly-growing Android operating system as well. No matter what the hardware capabilities of your device are, unless you supplement them with the right apps, it’s going to be pretty much useless. Android, as a mobile OS, has matured a lot over the years, adding features and useful gimmicks to the AOSP as the versions have evolved. One particular thing, however, that remained pretty much unchanged, was the way how you launch apps on your Android smartphone or tablet. Other than introducing the recent apps list in the newer iterations, Google hasn’t really changed app-launching method, and hence, you have to usually hit the Home button and start a new app from the launcher itself.
My primary camera for day-to-day photos remains my smartphone, for various self-explanatory reasons. It’s portable, has a high-quality lens with reasonable detail and post processing, comes with significant storage space, can shoot high-definition videos, is easy to carry around, and stays with me no matter where I go, allowing me to capture moments wherever and whenever I want. The truth is, smartphones, especially the high-end ones, have revolutionized how we look at amateur digital photography. While nothing beats a true DSLR camera, or even a normal dedicated point-and-shoot one, smartphone cameras have upped the game a few notches recently, and if you consider Nokia’s PureView 808 to be any indicator of what’s to come, with its 41MP sensor and outstanding photo quality, things definitely seem to be headed in the right direction.
Google offers a bunch of fantastic apps at stock level for Android users, and Calendar certainly falls into that category. However, it's far from perfect, and a third-party offering by the name of Agenda rather novelly helps you keep track of everything at a glance - presenting both your weekly and daily to-dos in the same convenient pane. Having been knocking about for iOS for a long while now, Agenda finally arrives for Android, and where a year or so ago, a port from iOS to Android or vice versa would result in a second-grade product, the version made for those on Google software is just as good.
With this year’s CES just around the corner, the world wide web is rife with speculation surrounding the possibilities of what we will see during the event. Various arms of Samsung Electronics are already confirmed to be exhibiting their works at CES, with a number of teasing videos whetting our appetites for a potentially big announcement during the trade-show, but could this leaked image show us exactly what to expect from the Samsung Galaxy SIV ahead of any possible announcement during CES?
If you like gaming, but haven't the time, space, or dedication to invest in a games console from the likes of Nintendo, Microsoft, or Sony, enjoying high-end games on your HDTV is something you probably don't get to do that often. But never fear, because one group of Kickstarter enthusiasts have not only got your back, but are looking to revolutionize the way many of us enjoy gaming on the big screen with small, portable console capable of running Android games on a TV.
Thanks to the thriving nature of the Android community, most issues pertaining Google's mobile OS take very little time to be fixed. The likes of XDA-Developers are key hubs in ensuring Droidsters can enjoy the smoothest possible experience, on any given device, and Senior Member lambgx02 has come through with the Seeder Entropy Generator to prevent persistent gaming lag on a deluge of Android devices, notably the Nexus 7. Details after the break.
Happy new year! If you are among the thousands of people who has included weight loss in their new year’s resolutions, or making more friends, or travelling, an app for their smartphones will definitely be a tool that they should consider. Fig is a new tool that makes it easy to improve your health by taking a few simple everyday steps.
