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.
If there's one good metric showing what proportion of users are running a particular operating system, or which version thereof, then it's website statistics. Every time someone visits a website, all kinds of data is exchanged and one of the things logged by the server hosting the website is the operating system used, and which version. It's interesting stuff.
It's no secret that Apple and Samsung are far from the best of friends. In fact, it's fair to say that they don't like each other at all, one bit, which is probably why Samsung's entire advertising campaign for any new smartphone seems to revolve around bashing the iPhone more than bigging up the latest and greatest from South Korea, see the latest Galaxy S4 TV ads, for example.
Nokia has sought to address the shortcomings and limitations of the Windows Phone platform by packing immensely good cameras into its high-end devices, and the fact that the Lumia 920's snapper is still widely considered the best in the business is a testament to that fact. Nokia's so-called 'PureView' technology with OIS is back for another round in the upcoming Lumia 928 handset, which looks a modest refresh on the current flagship, and to show you just how good the 928's shooter is, Nokia has put together a little comparison video pitting the camera against that of the Samsung Galaxy S III and Apple's iPhone 5 in low lighting conditions.
It may have only been a number of days since Apex Dev Team launched Velox for iPhone tweak into the jailbreak world, but it seems that it has already been accepted as one of the best and popular tweaks we have seen in a long while. Adding swipe gestures onto native app icons with the intention of bringing additional functionality into a folder window is obviously an extremely good idea. So good in fact that it has already started inspiring developers to build add-ons for Velox which offers functionality that doesn't exist with a standard installation of the tweak.
