Apple and Samsung have been through the courts numerous times, and although proceedings do often descend into farce with playground-like slander aimed in both directions, a UK judge has really sent Apple back to school. With the Cupertino company having dragged Samsung's name through the mud with claims the Korean company copied the iPad design for its tablets, the British Judge has ruled Apple must publicly state that Samsung did not plagiarize the design.
CyanogenMod is the most popular aftermarket custom firmware (AKA custom ROM) on Android for one very important reason: it receives constant support from the community, enabling owners of old smartphones to try out the latest versions of Android and allowing owners of the latest smartphones to ditch their smartphone manufacturer’s custom skin for a more vanilla Android experience.
The smartphone sales war is definitely heating up. While Apple set the tone of the modern smartphone market when they released the iPhone - which was essentially the first "modern" smartphone - back in 2007, Google were quick to release Android, which would eventually overtake the iPhone in market share. Speaking of overtaking, should a Reuters poll prove to be accurate, it would appear that premier Android OEM Samsung may have overtaken Apple in smartphone sales in Q2 of this year.
Unveiled late last month at Google I/O 2012, the Nexus 7 is one of the most well received tablets since the iPad 2. Critics are absolutely loving the Nexus 7 because it offers the features of a $500 tablet – quad core processor, a gig of RAM, HD display, long lasting battery life, powerful graphics etc. etc. – at just $199. Combine all that with the latest version of Android, 4.1 Jelly Bean, and you get the best in Android tablet experiences today.
As well as acquainting herself with many an iPhone 4S user over the past nine months, Siri has yielded much additional airtime as the stare of many a parody video. Whether it's been in solving a domestic argument or testing the sensibilities of a rather irate Scotsman, Siri has starred in all manner of viral clips.
Google Glass, despite being shrouded in mystery, is one of the most exciting-looking gizmos around. Various video clips have surfaced which showcase its abilities, with the Project Glass team flirting with every possibility in a bid to turn their sci-fi-esque gadget into a real-life, marketable product. Hitherto, we haven't been offered much information with regards to how everything works, and nobody outside the development team has had a chance to try them out, but a patent application made by Google offers us something of an insight as to the frameworks of its secretive Project Glass.
Apple has been without relent in its pursuit of Google and Samsung, claiming patent infringements on a grand scale. Judge Lucy Koh last week dished out a ban on Galaxy Nexus sales to the Big G, and the web company duly obliged, removing the device from its Play Store. Earlier this week, the device returned, packing in Android Jelly Bean 4.1, a move which is said to amend any issues with regards to the claims Apple made in court, but having followed this Apple vs. Anybody debacle for quite a great deal of time, it should be of no surprise that the Cupertino company has not quite finished yet.
The Ouya games console, which paints itself as something of a dream machine to modders and developers, has become the fastest-grossing Kickstarter campaign in just a few short days, and at the time of writing, has just passed the $4.5 million mark with over 35,000 backers. Not bad going really, considering the initial target was a comparatively-meager $950,000, and with the device, which is pronounced "ooh-yah", taking up a great deal of column inches right now, the future looks bright for the $99 console.
As avid followers of the mobile industry here at Redmond Pie, we've grown used to seeing how casually Apple dishes out lawsuits to competitors, berating patent infringement here and there, and our favorite: blatant plagiarism. Of course, it's not all one way traffic, and the likes of Samsung and HTC have dealt with their fair share of suits from Cupertino, California; but these seem more in retaliation than anything, and it does appear Apple's rivals will do anything to avoid the fruit company's wrath.
The Nexus line of Android smartphones is known for the pure Android experience that they offer, their direct support from Google and, more importantly for flashaholics, unbridled support from the Android developed community. These devices often get rooted and have a custom ROM ready before their public release. The latest example of this is the Nexus 7 tablet that has its bootloader easily unlocked, root access easily gained and custom recovery easily flashed.
