Earlier on this month, Apple announced that it was closing in on a monumental 50 billion app downloads since the App Store's inception, and to commemorate the occasion, would be offering 50 lucky winners the chance to win some serious prizes.
The general consensus on the current state of iOS is that Apple's mobile operating system has stagnated somewhat, and there's certainly a considerable amount of more interest than usual with regards to what exactly Apple is cooking up this time around. In addition, several sources have suggested Apple will also be bringing a budget iPhone at some point in the very near future, and resident concept maker Martin Hajek has once again come through with another rather interesting "iPhone mini" design, which also incorporates a rather enlarged iOS interface by Dámaso Benítez.
Just when you thought it was safe to enter into the Photography section of the iOS App Store without fear of stumbling across yet another filter based camera app, the guys over at Realmac Software have something that will surely divide opinion. The majority of iOS users will more than likely be familiar with the company's existing Clear for iPhone app that took the App Store by storm and later made an appearance on OS X, but it's their latest Analog Camera creation that is grabbing the attention at the moment, and we love the whole idea, too!
Ah, concepts. It seems a day can't go by without some sort of iPhone 6 or iOS concept being thrust into the public domain, and not all are actually that great.
Tweaks that make it easier and quicker to launch apps from the iOS lock screen seem to be something of a booming sector at the moment. Cydia has seen more than a few new tweaks that add new ways to quickly launch apps from the lock screen, often by replacing the stock 'Slide to Unlock' method of getting into a device.
Concept videos are a dime a dozen at the best of times, but when everyone knows that a new iPhone is just a few short months away, things tend to heat up. Everyone with a passing interest in design and Apple seems to want to throw together a concept video or produce some renders that show what the next handset may or may not look like. We see them, and we move on.
The camera of the iPhone has seen many improvements over the past few generations, and with the device regularly taking the coveted position as the most-used snapper on image enthusiast site Flickr, it's no wonder many have previously dubbed it the world's favorite camera. Things have certainly come a long way since the very first iPhone in terms of functionality, image quality and detail, and to offer some perspective on just how much the shooter of the iconic smartphone has advanced in six years and through six generations, Lisa Bettany has pieced together a very interesting comparison.
We've seen quite a few iOS 7 concepts during the past couple of months, and given that the general consensus seems to be one of Apple's mobile being real need of some rejuvenation, this should perhaps come as no surprise. We have been steadfast in its tracking of these concepts, and today, we have come across a modest, but perhaps realistic concept design based on what Apple will have been able to achieve by the time WWDC 2013 comes around.
According to statistics released last year by Nielsen, the average U.S. smartphone user keeps 41 apps on their device, and since those figures were collated quite some time ago, we can safely assume that the number is probably higher today. With 41+ apps, it's impossible to utilize all of them in equal measure, and thus, most of us have our favorites. Unfortunately, some take this favoritism to the next level and begin to develop addictions, particularly on apps linking us to our favorite social networks on-the-fly, and if you find yourself checking Facebook or Twitter a little more frequently than is perhaps healthy, there's a tweak that might help you refrain from such addictive behavior.
As has been well-documented since the announcement of the Galaxy S4, yes - it is made from plastic; that's been established, that's a given. But while the plastic exterior may place it below the likes of the iPhone 5 and HTC One in the minds of those looking for a handset of superior build quality, it doesn't necessarily make the Galaxy S4 cheaper to build. In fact, while many have accused Samsung of "scrimping" on the outer shell, the Korean company actually spends more per handset than Apple does with the iPhone 5 - a testament once again to just how much high-spec hardware is packed into the latest and greatest Galaxy S revision.
