With Apple's 2012 Worldwide Developers Conference all done and dusted for this year, the residents of San Francisco could be forgiven for thinking they could get back to a little bit of normality without a plethora of developers and programmers buzzing around. Unfortunately for them, they may need to wait a little longer as iOS and Mac OS X developers have left, the Google I/O conference is about to descend on the Moscone Center in seven days time.
The Apple versus Samsung debacle has been going on for a considerable amount of time, and with so much back-and-forth between the tech giants regarding who stole which patent, it's quite easy to lose track.
Revealed in late 2011, Siri the personal assistant has become one of iOS’ most recognized features at least on the latest iOS devices. It was updated recently at WWDC 2012, bringing new features such as being able to take queries regarding sports and movies, Facebook integration and support for the new iPad.
The tablet market is heating up, folks! The iPad continues to dominate it because of its sweet starting price and strong feature-set and now, other manufacturers are trying to come up with ways to beat it. Whether its Microsoft’s promise of a desktop-level experience with Windows 8 Pro on its Surface tablet or Amazon cutting down on extraneous features to get the starting price down to $199, everyone’s trying something.
Although Android is the most commonly used mobile ecosystem on the market, it's not without its fair share of caveats. Aside from the scores of malware outbreaks plaguing Google's mobile OS, there's also the long-standing issue of audio latency.
The latest version of Google's Android operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich, has been on the receiving end of an award for its user experience, something that we would not have put any money on happening just a year or so ago.
One of the expected outcomes of WWDC's opening keynote event was the removal of Google Maps from iOS, with it being replaced by Apple's own in-house solution that not only gives the Cupertino firm more control over the maps experience, but also knocks Google out of its stride on one of the world's most popular smartphones and, let's not forget, tablets.
Microsoft's latest Windows 8 operating system has been getting a lot of attention and causing waves in the technology world over the last few months, attention that has intensified in recent weeks thanks to the release of the Release Preview that pretty much shows us what to expect when it hits the shelves. With Windows 8 featuring the much loved Metro-style interface, users are not only excited about getting their hands on what represents the next step for Microsoft, but also keen to see what software is produced by third-party developers.
Google's Nexus movement is set to get into sixth gear later this year, with reports suggesting five different smartphones landing on November 5th. To add to the rumor mill, images have surfaced which claim to depict a Nexus tablet.
Although Android is renowned for being the most customizable and moddable mobile ecosystem, gaining root access still adds an extra dimension, allowing you to get even deeper into your device's inner working for much more full-on customization.
