With so many different ways of measuring how well both Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems are doing, it's almost impossible to work out just which is on the up and which is on the decline. If you throw enough figures at something then you can always make then read what you want them to.
To celebrate the launch of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace in 3D, producer Lucasfilm has released a fun app for Android users named Darth Maul Me.
Not even the two outgoing CEOs of RIM would argue that the company's ill-fated BlackBerry PlayBook tablet was a success. In fact, as far as tech flops go we'd argue that it's right up there with the HP TouchPad.
In a move which is sure to draw comparisons to the Cydia store which exists on jailbroken iOS devices; tablets and phones running the Android operating system are set to get an unofficial application store which will be home to all of the applications which have been rejected or banned by Google, as well as modifications and custom ROMs. The iOS App Store is notorious for being tightly monitored by Apple, with the Cupertino company having the last say over what gets accepted for sale. Finding software which is available for Android devices outside of the official marketplace has never been particularly difficult, however, it looks set to become a whole lot easier.
Apple and Samsung, Samsung and Apple – it’s all starting to get a little tedious now, wouldn’t you agree? In season two, episode three of the ongoing spat (we’re not counting really), Apple complains that the unlock mechanism on the Galaxy Nexus is in violation of its iconic ‘Slide To Unlock’ patent.
The ongoing patent ware between Apple and Samsung has been promising to brew beyond control since September 2011 when Apple notched notable rulings over the Korean giants which related to the sale of certain Samsung tablet devices. It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with who is actually launching lawsuits against who in the mobile industry, with Apple and Samsung continuously going at each other and Motorola Mobility also being dealt a blow recently with the ITC making an initial ruling against their suit against Apple.
For those of you uninitiated, CyanogenMod is an aftermarket custom firmware for Android, opening the door to a bunch of useful features otherwise unavailable in untouched stock firmware including FLAC playback, theming, and incognito web browsing.
With Wikipedia having extraordinarily blacked-out today in protest against the SOPA and PIPA anti-piracy bills, social sites have temporarily become hubs for surfers to vent their frustrations - particularly those reliant on the world's largest online encyclopedia in order to complete college/school assignments.
Hulu, the popular video streaming site, is something of a revelation. Paired with e-film guru Netflix, you can enjoy endless video content catering for pretty much all of your entertainment needs.
You could be forgiven for just automatically assuming that every mobile device user owns a smartphone of some sort. For the last 4 years I have become so used to being engrossed in my iPhone and upgrading each year to the newest device that I sometimes forget to stop and actually realize that not everyone has made that transition yet from a standard mobile phone. To the non-clued up user who is looking to purchase a new cell phone, the world of smartphones could seem pretty daunting with devices offering pretty much the same core functionality, with the difference being the software which powers it.
