You can't really call yourself a gamer unless you have sampled the joys of Max Payne. Originally released more years ago than we care to remember - we're all getting old now, you know! - the game sees ex-DEA and NYPD cop Max Payne seek revenge for the murder of his wife and daughter.
Smartphones of today are the ultimate examples of convergent technology: these gadgets take high-resolution photos, record full HD video, play games, music, videos, browse the web, check email and act as a GPS navigation device* when the need arises.
In this fast paced world that we live in, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that if we can find a way to complete a task in a shorter period of time, we will more than likely grab it with both hands. Programmers and coders love to write scripts which automate repetitive tasks, and where possible, we all get our computers to do the leg work for us so that we don't have to. But what about users of smartphones? Surely, they should be able to benefit from time saving techniques?
The Apple iPhone is no doubt a beautiful example how an almost-perfect design can help make a product great. The first iPhone in 2007 was a triumph for Sir Jonathan Ives and his team, but perhaps one of those most memorable and iconic parts of the iPhone is the slide to unlock feature on the lock screen which has been made famous by Apple. Before the iPhone was released, mobile phones generally featured some kind of two button combo to lock/unlock the device, but Apple managed to change that, and have since featured the same swipe gesture in their iPod touch device as well as the iPad.
The latest version of the Android operating system, known as Ice Cream Sandwich, was originally displayed to the world in May of last year before being showcased on the Galaxy Nexus smartphone in five months later in October. Four months down the line and it seems that only approximately 1% of Android devices are running versions of Android 4.0, bring about big concerns and showing that the adoption of the latest OS has been a lot slower than expected.
Just a couple of days after the public release of the root for Motorola’s DROID 4 Android smartphone, a developer over on XDA-Developers has managed to put together and nice, handy tool for the device that provides a variety of system-level functions under one window. Check it out after the jump!
If you open up any glossy magazine in recent times, you will be more than familiar with designers and artists’ ability to magically transform the aesthetics of a person or object to make it look glamorous. I think the industry term for this is ‘airbrushed’ and seems to be used frequently on scantily clad models.
Ever since Apple bought Siri and released it as part of the iPhone 4S, folks from the Android and Windows Phone camp have been looking to replicate its never-before-seen ease of use and tight integration with system apps. We’ve seen some nice alternatives like Dragon Go! and Speaktoit, but they just aren’t at the same level as Siri. Dragon Go! integrates with dozens of online services, but forgets system apps. Speaktoit is very flexible and does work with some system apps but has a unpolished look to it and require touch input (so it isn’t good for hands-free use).
Android’s amazing flexibility lets enthusiasts replace just about every facet of their device’s software. You can flash a completely different version of Android (custom ROMs) for a completely new experience, or fine-tune things by installing your own launcher, keyboard, dialer, contacts etc. to ensure that your device looks absolutely unique and works the way you want it to work.
Of all the various flavors of Linux available to those looking for an open-source platform from which to compute, Ubuntu is by far the simplest to install - allowing even the most hapless noob to download and enjoy.
