As many of you already know, Android 4.1 Jelly on the Google / ASUS Nexus 7 uses a mix of tablet and phone user interfaces. The home screen launcher is fixed in portrait mode with virtual buttons at the bottom like the Galaxy Nexus, but when you go into landscape mode for landscape-oriented apps / games like Dead Trigger, the virtual buttons are placed at the bottom unlike the Galaxy Nexus. This is a completely new mix for UI (with respect to placement of virtual buttons) that has never been seen before on Android tablets; Google developed this specifically for the 7” tablet form factor.
If you happened to walk into a store and saw the Nexus Q sitting on the shelf for sale, you might want to consult a salesperson to actually find out what the elegant black orb does. Unlike smartphones or tablets that lend their visuals to their functionality, or the Apple TV unit that gives away its function in the name, the Nexus Q is a visual enigma that hasn't really gotten the consumer technology world convinced.
The smartphone industry is one of the most fiercely contested in tech space, and although Windows Phone 8 will bring Microsoft well and truly into the fold, the battle is currently fought between Google's Android and Apple's iOS platforms.
In terms of technology, we're heavily reliant on insider information and the typically "unspecified" sources in order to gather intel, but often, indications of new features are right under our noses. When a new software feature arrives in Android or iOS, the foundations are usually laid long before that, and it's down to us to do the digging and uncover them.
Google means business with Android these days. That's not to say it didn't before, but since the company's Google I/O conference recently it has become clear that the people at Google are beginning to understand what it takes to make a premium smartphone. It's not apps, and it's not handsets. It's the feel of the operating system.
One of the great things about having devices like smartphones and tablets is the ability to constantly update the standard functionality of the gadget by downloading and installing additional apps which are available through marketplaces like the iOS App Store and Google's own software market, the Google Play Store. In some instances it is possible to acquire installations from other sources, but for the mainstream user, the official app hubs prove more than sufficient with over 1.2 million combined apps available on the two largest sales platforms.
Android Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) has now been superseded by Jelly Bean (4.1), but that doesn't mean to say some consumers are not waiting for an OTA update of the older iteration for their device. HTC's Desire HD is a pretty useful device in terms of specs - despite its age - thus most owners presumed their treasured device would inevitably see the new firmware.
Because of its relatively open nature, Android apps tend to be much more flexible and powerful than iOS apps. I’m not talking about games like Angry Birds or social networking apps like TweetDeck or Facebook, I’m talking about apps like DroidSheep, Faceniff, WiFiKill and Network Spoofer that can wreak havoc through advanced attacks on other, unsuspecting Android smartphone users.
The legal issues between Apple and Samsung show no sign of letting up, and whilst we're growing a little tired of the entire debacle, we're also learning more and more about two of technology's most influential companies.
Final Fantasy is one of the longest-serving and most popular role-playing titles on any gaming platform, and having been given a warm welcome on Apple's iOS, the title has just been made available for those running Google's Android.
