When Facebook added Chat Heads to its apps the addition was greeted by both excitement and derision in equal measure, but for those that use them, Chat Heads are a must-have feature. Those who use the right flavor of Android will have access to Chat Heads system-wide, but those of us using iOS devices like iPads and iPhones aren't able to do the same thanks to Apple's stranglehold on how things work when an app is closed. It's a trade-off that we make, but it's safe to say the idea of having instant access to Chat Heads no mater what app is in use would be appealing to many.
If you've been involved in the jailbreak scene for a number of years then it's highly likely that you'll be familiar with a number of the more popular tweaks that still grace Cydia with their presence. Thousands of iOS device owners, including myself, regularly take advantage of latest jailbreak techniques purely to get their hands on a couple of "must have" packages. The Barrel tweak, developed by Aaron Ash, is one of Cydia's more well-known and used tweaks and has sat in a class of its own for a number of years - until the arrival of Cylinder by Reed Weichler.
App developers are always dreaming up innovative ways to take advantage of the improving technologies at their disposal, and RoomScan, over at the iOS App Store, is quite unlike anything we've previously stumbled across. In a nutshell, this nifty little utility can automatically map out a floor plan of a room after being held against its walls for just a few seconds. Find out how this intriguing app works its magic, as well as how you can get hold of it, right after the break.
With the mobile world having been moving towards LTE for a long time, Apple was quite late to the party, adding an LTE radio to its smartphone range with 2012's release of the iPhone 5. But while we're grateful for carrier updates bringing LTE in many built-up areas, it stands to reason that some may wish to switch to 3G, or even revert to 2G. If you're jailbroken, there's a fairly simple way to disable LTE, reinstating the 3G toggle and subsequently opening the door to 2G, and we've got the guide below that shows you precisely how it's done.
It's an accepted fact that lithium-ion batteries - by their very nature - will degrade over time. Even if you buy a smartphone and it manages to live up to the outlandish, exaggerated claims made by the manufacturer with regards to how long it can run between charges, we know that after a year or two, retention will decrease considerably. A new power bank, which goes by the name of the BatteryBox, aims to change the current state of play with a revolutionary, energy efficient 'BatteryOS' that prevents degradation and keeps powering your devices efficiently - even five years after you begin using it.
The Evasi0n tool, which offers iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users on iOS 7-7.0.6 an untethered jailbreak, has just been updated to version number 1.0.8, adding belated support for iOS 7.0 build 11A466. Full details can be found below.
Comic book-based movies are currently in vogue, and in the run-up to each new theatrical release, we tend now to see an accompanying title for mobile devices. With Captain America: The Winter Soldier soon to hit the box office, the customary mobile edition has just hit the iOS App Store, as well as Google's Play Store for those on Android. We've got all of the details, as well as those all-important download links, coming up after the fold!
The Philips Hue range of smart bulbs is seen by many as a great gateway into the world of home automation. We really wouldn't argue against that, and with plenty of geeky types telling us at every turn that we should join the home automation revolution, it seems that turning our lights on and off using our smartphones or with the help of a schedule is something we really are going to have to get used to.
It seems that someone at Facebook likes nice round numbers, because the social network has released Facebook Messenger 4.0 for iPhone and Android. Big new updates are great, except when they're not big at all, which is certainly the case with Facebook Messenger. See, the app has seen its version number bumped to the lofty number of 4.0, but do the changes warrant a new point-0 release? Probably not, no.
While Spotify and Rdio are taking over from iTunes when it comes to the kids' favorite way of consuming music, we're told by just about everyone younger than us that the real way to get a music fix is to use YouTube. Full of music videos as well as the odd unofficial recording, YouTube has become a huge video-based music jukebox for many, with the added benefit of it being absolutely free. Really, what's not to love?
