iOS 7 has brought quite a few obvious new features, designed to have an instant impact on the functionality and usability of Apple's mobile OS. Yet, as is the case with CarPlay, for example, not everything that the Cupertino has thrown into its latest software is for its immediate benefit, and even though you probably haven't heard about it, Apple added a little something called Multipeer Connectivity Framework into the fold. The intriguing technology allows multiple devices - which needn't be connected to the Internet - to interact in a manner known as mesh networking, and by utilizing connectivity in the form of Wi-Fi networks, peer-to-peer Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, users can connect in a daisy chain-like manner, to various ends.
As Google's Chromecast continues its expansion to other countries around the world, the company appears to have begun to refocus its energies into the little HDMI dongle. Offering buyers a way to get video and audio onto a television via both Android and iOS devices, Chromecast is almost an alternative to an Apple TV for those that don't need the kinds of features that particular product offers.
Even though, at stock level, the general appearance of iOS isn't all that customizable, Apple's mobile operating system has long since supported personalized backgrounds. But while the introduction of dynamic wallpapers have added an extra dimension to proceedings, a new tweak in Cydia called springPage takes things a step further. As its name vaguely implies, springPage allows you to set your wallpaper on a per-page basis, so while the rigmarole of scrolling through pages of icons and folders can often be a tedious one, this tweak will let you inject a little variety.
iOS 7.1, which Apple finally released to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users earlier on the month, brought with it a plethora of changes and enhancements including improvements to Siri, iTunes Radio and the introduction of CarPlay. But where iOS 7.1 giveth, iOS 7.1 also taketh away, and as well as plugging the Evasi0n jailbreak, the latest firmware also appeared to prevent a mistake of a feature that allowed for nested folders on the home screen. Now, though, there's a handy little workaround, and although it does require a little bit of extra effort, still does the same job.
Apple’s recent introduction of iOS 7.1 plugged jailbreak exploits that made the previous Evasi0n untethered jailbreak possible, and as such, jailbreakers have had to either stick with a preceding iOS 7.0.x release, or upgrade and forgo their access to Cydia. However, even though the pre-iOS 7.1 efforts by the Evad3rs team were commendable, it doesn’t mean that the hard work has ceased, and seasoned hacker Winocm has just posted a video of iOS 7.1 booting untethered.
Apple has always been extremely keen to show the world some of the amazing and innovative ways how an iPhone or iPad can be used. The Cupertino based company is rightly proud of the fact that the iPad is used extensively in the education sector by teachers and students. Tim Cook and his marketing team are also willing to wax lyrical about the fact that the likes of NASA and multiple airlines across the world have found a great way to introduce the award-winning tablet into their daily routines. A group of researchers at Stanford University have now created a simple iPhone accessory that thrusts Apple's smartphone into the medical world by allowing almost anyone to get a greater insight into the human eye.
Back in January, an interesting infographic emerged comparing the actual amount of storage space our smartphones offer versus the quoted capacity, and it showed that Samsung's Galaxy S4 was the biggest culprit for filling devices up with bloatware. Conversely, the iPhone 5c offered the most storage for a 16GB device, and the release just yesterday of a new 8GB iPhone 5c has thrown up the fascinating statistic that in terms of actual storage, the 16GB Galaxy S4 is a mere 3.7GB ahead of Apple's new 8GB iPhone 5c.
As a user of all three of the major mobile platforms in almost equal measure, one element of Google's Android that I particularly enjoy is the fact that widgets are abundant. Neither Windows Phone nor iOS support custom widgets natively, but thanks to the jailbreak community, those on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch have been able to indulge in recent times. A very promising new tweak on the scene by the name of ProWidgets allows iOS device users to enrich the experience of using Apple's mobile OS with a bunch of great widgets, and not only are they functionally sound and infinitely useful, but also aesthetically in-keeping with the look and feel of iOS 7.
For the first couple of months of this year and some time prior, Flappy Bird had taken a stronghold on many iOS and Android users looking for a casual game to keep them entertained. Consumed by the tricky physics involved, the title was both challenging and frustrating in equal measure, but with the game seeming to leave players reeling in anger rather than feeling any kind of accomplishment, developer Dong Nguyen took the decision to remove it from the iOS App Store, as well as Google Play. After recently hinting that Flappy Bird might make a dramatic return, though, he has now confirmed that it will be re-entering the fold at some point in the future, although "not soon," according to his Twitter feed.
With so many innovative products out there intended to help you keep your treasured devices free from the scrapes, scratches and bumps that they may encounter on a daily basis, it's little wonder that the makers of these cases and covers are short on ideas for unique sales pitches. A company by the name of Sir Lancelot's Armor launched an interesting product this week in the form of the Holy Grail - an iPhone case comprised of bulletproof glass - and although it was never stipulated that the film would itself be bulletproof, the guys over at Ars Technica couldn't resist putting it to the test.
