The Google Search app for iOS has just been bumped to v.4.0.0, and even though it's not quite the major update that the version number perhaps implies, the Big G has still packed quite a few significant tweaks into this latest release. Google's Now service operates in a much smarter fashion, offering the ability to link passages of speech without continual prompting through the "OK Google" command, and overall, the Search app is just more enjoyable to use.
We know how much you guys like a freebie, and so today, we've yet another round-up of some of the best iOS apps to have shaken off their usual price tags. If you want to take full advantage of these great apps whilst they're absolutely free of charge, then be sure to check out the list below.
Apple's reported acquisition of Beats Electronics for the tidy sum of $3.2 billion mightn't have been officially confirmed as yet, but if new information out of Japan is to be considered, it looks very much as though Apple does indeed want to increase its interest in the audio market. Apparently, the Cupertino company is looking to bake high definition (HD) audio playback into its upcoming iOS 8 software, which would also see the company introduce a higher fidelity, "HD-ready" Lightning connector and improved in-ear headphones to match.
Whatever eventually happens with regards to the iPhone 6, the so-called "iWatch" and the many other Apple products that are supposedly going to appear later on in the year, the new iOS 8 software will no doubt prove integral. So far, we've heard that it will pack Healthbook, an iTunes Radio app, and several other new features as well as improvements to pre-existing services like Maps. If any enhancements are in the offing for Control Center -- which, itself, only arrived with September's iOS 7 -- then we certainly hope that they'll take at least some cues from this concept below.
For most Android owners, transferring data the old-fashioned way is fairly easy. The majority of devices are equipped with microSD card slots, and data can easily be moved to and from a smartphone or tablet. iPhone users don't have this luxury, but we have, in recent times, seen a marked increase in the number of removable storage peripherals available from third parties. Now Hyper - a revered maker of iAccessories - has come through with the iStick, a MFi (Made for iPhone) gadget that features in-built USB and Lightning connectors.
You would think that Apple's iPhone 6 was releasing imminently given the immense amount of coverage that Apple's forthcoming smartphone has commanded during the past couple of months. But as many analysts and commentators have already noted, it is the fact that it may finally compete with rivaling devices for sheer size that the world cannot get enough of the next big thing out of Cupertino. For a little more perspective on the iPhone 6 - as if ever it were needed - below you can check out a comparison of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 versus HTC's just-released One M8 handset.
When it comes to implementing new and emerging technologies, Apple is notorious for dragging its heels. It wasn't until the iPhone 5, which arrived in late 2012, that the Cupertino's smartphone finally saw 4G LTE, and while there has been talk in the past of the iPhone getting Near Field Communication tech, otherwise known as NFC, this has also yet to materialize. Perhaps it should be seen as something of a formality, then, that new reports indicate that the iPhone 6 will offer NFC as standard, with a deal also apparently having been struck between Apple and China UnionPay.
With the way things are going, it's debatable whether Apple will need to announce the iPhone 6 officially at all, with all the important bits of information already beginning to circulate around the internet, and with months to go before Apple's execs take to the stage to announce what we all expect to be the iPhone 6, we're already starting to form quite the picture about what they will be there to show to the world.
Gaming on iOS is no longer a mere novelty, but serious business, with the processing power and GPUs of the iPad, iPod touch and iPhone capable of pumping out some impressive graphics and performance. But in order to truly test the mettle of these modern-day gaming maestros, you must play a title that really showcases their strengths, and Infinity Blade II is perhaps the best example of just how near console-quality entertainment can be enjoyed on-the-fly. Usually priced at $6.99, it's now dropped to just 99 cents, so whether you're partial to a sword fight or just want to see how pretty this awesome title looks, check the details after the jump.
Everyone loves a bargain, and we're no different here. That's why when we find out about games and apps that are free for a limited time, we just can't help but share that fact with your good selves. Think of it as a civic duty, if you will.
