Anyone who is an avid user of the top of the range smartphone or tablet such as the iPhone 4S, iPad or the new Google Nexus 7 tablet will appreciate the difference that a beautiful looking app can bring. Functional apps are all well and good, after all, we expect a purchase or download to fulfill its purpose but an app that does what it says on the tin while looking beautiful pushes the user-experience to a new level.
With Apple actively working on the sixth-generation iPhone which is likely to see a public release towards the end of this year, users of older generation devices like the iPhone 3GS and even the original iPhone could be forgiven for thinking that the time has come to look for an upgrade or purchasing a more up-to-date unit. The core functionality of the iPhone has remained stable since 2007 but the hardware has greatly improved with each release, with the most notable changes coming in the form of the Retina display with the iPhone 4 and incremental processor and memory upgrades.
Touch is a now the dominant method of input for mobile devices. Although touchscreen based devices have existed for a long time, they were popularized and made user friendly with the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 and iPad in 2010. In his original iPhone keynote, Steve Jobs categorically stated that if the device requires a stylus, you’re doing something wrong. And we tend to agree with him to some extent, emphasis on extent.
Research In Motion's BlackBerry OS is clearly struggling to maintain relevance in the current consumer market, but with all three of the major mobile operating systems having taken steps to implement some description of voice-recognition functionality, it appears BlackBerry will also be joining the party, too.
Sparrow, the creator of those very popular iOS and OS X applications, has just been acquired by Google, in a move which will certainly raise more than a few eyebrows. Sparrow has dedicated its existence on making some altogether great apps for Apple's platforms, but it is the Big G that has decided to swoop for the start-up, and Sparrow will now join the Gmail team to "accomplish a bigger vision."
Considering that the Cydia store is packed to the rafters with tweaks and packages that span across multiple aspects of Apple's mobile operating system, it is always a nice treat to see an offering land in the repositories that offers something slightly different and exists solely to enhance a part of the operating system that has often been overlooked in the past. The CallTap tweak, may not be feature packed but it does offer some useful functions.
Apart from having a sense of glee and excitement every time we unlock the device, one thing all iOS device owners have in common is the fact that we have to contend with the environmental elements on a daily basis. Once upon a time, we used to gauge the weather based on the time of year and what season we were in, but those days are long gone with mother nature becoming increasingly erratic over what weather conditions she dishes out.
The 2012 Olympic Games are nearly upon us, and although it's a great festival and celebration of the human form pushed to its physical limits, there's also the small matter of the medals. As all countries involved look forward to what will undoubtedly be a great spectacle, many will be hoping their nation manages to not only do well, but bring some medals home in the process.
After two teaser trailers, The Dark Knight Rises mobile title is now rolling out for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users around the globe. The motion picture also hits cinemas today, and will conclude the trilogy of Christian Bale's Batman.
The next phase of the continual trials between Samsung and Apple are expected to kick off in the US on July 30th, but as has been the case previously, no-nonsense Judge Lucy Koh ordered both parties to try and resolve their differences by means of a mediation meeting. According to an article previously accessible over at The Korea Times, Apple head honcho Tim Cook met with Samsung execs Choi Gee-sung and Shin Jong-Kyun on July 16th, but no agreement could be reached.
