Android versus iOS is a discussion that people never get tired of. It seems that within every comment board, social network or forum on the internet, there's a good chance you'll come across an iOS user trying to convince an Android user to use their platform, or vice versa. It's clear that users are extremely passionate about their operating system of choice (some more so than others), but for that reason it's important to show how the latest additions to each platforms stack up against each other. In this case, we're talking about the new iPad mini 2 with Retina Display, which was rather sneakingly released by Apple this past week.
Apple's iOS is certainly not short of success stories when it comes to turning little known developers into household names. We perhaps wouldn't put ZeptoLab into the same bracket as the likes of ngmoco, but it certainly knows how to make a good iPhone and iPad game. With Cut the Rope, ZeptoLab showed that big games can come from arguably small premises.
The Zelda-like genre of game has been immensely popular since the days of the Nintendo 64, a widely celebrated console that spelled the end of the old blow-the-cartridge-and-insert routine. Since then, the mobile industry has rigorously sought to emulate what was a truly engrossing game in its era by releasing a series of similar adventures.
In May, Google revealed that its “All Access” music app would be hitting iOS, and since the search giant also noted that it was just a few weeks away, we expected to be grooving to some of our favorite songs through the service by summertime. Although it did seem as though the Android maker had completely forgotten about those on Apple's mobile OS, we now know this not to be the case, as the Google Play Music app has just hit the iOS App Store. Full details, as well as that download link, can be seen after the fold.
BBM for iOS has just received an update over at the App Store, bringing with it support for the iPod touch and the Wi-Fi only iPad. More details as well as direct download link can be found right here.
Apple's well-documented redesign of its mobile OS with iOS 7 seems to have gone down rather well with iDevice users, and although most of the Cupertino company's apps were updated shortly following its September release, today, iBooks and iTunes U have been added to the list. Complete with the flatter graphics throughout, both of the apps now looks as though they belong, and although there aren't really any other alterations to report besides, it's good to see that Apple is continuing its strive for uniformity.
The lack of significant inventory for Apple's latest flagship products should be a familiar story by now. Over the last few years, we have seen multiple iPhone and iPad launches that have ended in disappointment due to stock related issues for those looking to get in on the action on day one. A large percentage of consumers who tried to get their hands on the gold iPhone 5s on launch day ended up extremely disappointed, and it looks like the same situation is occurring for those wanting to purchase the new iPad mini 2 with Retina display. To make sure we don't make a trip to the Apple Store only to be left disappointed, there is now the option of an unofficial tracking solution that shows in-store pickup stock of the new iPad mini 2 with Retina display.
Retina Display iPad mini 2, iPad mini 1 and iPad Air's complete size, weight, browser speed and gaming performance test demonstrated in the video embedded below.
With the announcement of the iPhone 5s last month, the feature many were talking about was the new gold color configuration on offer. Naturally, some held out hope that the iPad range would follow suit, but while both the Retina iPad mini and iPad Air both got such niceties as the A7 processor and M7 motion coprocessor, the lovely goldness seems to have been reserved for the company's flagship smartphone at this point in time.
Whenever a new device is released to market, the benchmark tests begin almost instantaneously. Today, the iPad mini with Retina display made its long-awaited debut, and although it still appears in very short supply, it has already been put through its paces and compared with some of the other marquee devices in the iOS product line. As it transpires, it's almost identical to the iPhone 5s in terms of speed, although both the iPad mini 2 with Retina display and the Touch ID-enabled handset fall slightly behind the iPad Air, which is faster than both.
