Even though playing Angry Birds is seen almost as a rite of passage for all new smartphone users, maker Rovio's presence in the world of entertainment now spans a far greater playing field than that very simple, addictive original title. Numerous spin-offs have ensued, and with products ranging from plush toys to phone cases and an Angry Birds movie in the pipeline, the Finnish outfit is easily among the most successful developers in mobile space. Today, the company has announced Angry Birds Go!, a racing game bringing Mario Kart-like fare to those annoyingly endearing little creatures. It will launch on December 11th, and we've got all of the details for your after the break!
With Apple having recently dropped its big software update for iOS, it's now Microsoft's turn to come through with some big announcements for those on its own smartphone platform, and today, the software maker has unveiled the details of Update 3 for Windows Phone 8. Included will be support for 1080p displays and quad-core processors, two features that have become the de facto standard for high-end handsets, and with a new Driving Mode also thrown into the mix, the future does look somewhat brighter for the struggling ecosystem.
While it's true that the iPhone release that we recently endured is perhaps the biggest thing to happen in technology in the month of September, gamers would no doubt offer a dissenting word on the subject.
Today's modern smartphones wear so many hats that it's often hard to truly compare them against each other. While it's true that at their core they are all indeed mobile phones, some are more like point and shoot cameras with built-in smartphone capabilities and others are powerhouse computers with a camera attached. When you're making your buying decision, many things have to be taken into account, but it's a fact of smartphone life that we are all taking photos on a daily basis, especially if you happen to be hooked on Instagram-ing everything you go near.
Voice assistants such as Siri have certainly risen to prominence over the past couple of years, and many companies beside Apple have tried to implement similar technology into their products. Microsoft, fresh from its purchase of Nokia's devices and services division, is reportedly plotting to do exactly that in constructing a voice assistant for Windows Phone currently codenamed 'Cortana.'
Well that didn't take long. Just hours after Apple announced the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, some of its competition is already beginning to launch the first attacks aimed to poke fun at the devices.
With the third Samsung Galaxy Note almost upon us and LG having just revealed the gigantic Optimus G Pro, the phablet season has well and truly arrived. Nokia, one of the few companies yet to delve into the world of preposterously large smartphones (or tiny tablets, depending on your point of view), is rumored to be plotting its inaugural effort with the Lumia 1520, and today, an alleged snap of what appears to be a working unit has been spotted in the wild.
Oh Nokia, you're so funny. You might not be able to sell smartphones to many people, but you sure know how to make an ad that has us giggling behind our non-Nokia branded devices.
Although Nokia has long since been fighting an uphill battle in the mobile industry by choosing to jump on the back of Microsoft's Windows Phone 8, one cannot fault the companies endeavors with regards to devices. As well as the fleet of devices previously available on Windows Phone 7, the Finnish outfit has released a fleet of great handsets over the past twelve months such as the Lumia 920, aluminum-laden Lumia 925, and the 41-megapixel marvel that is the Lumia 1020. With the middle of the market also covered and the company still dropping its fair share of dumbphones, there's one key area of the smartphone spectrum still untried from Nokia's point of view, but according to reports out of My Nokia Blog, the company is preparing an entry to the emerging collection of so-called 'phablet' devices.
WhatsApp is one of the most popular cross-platform messaging apps and today, the company has delivered a solid update for the main platforms. The changes, which span iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry OS and Symbian, include a new feature which allows you to record and send a message with just one tap, making the whole service just that little bit more pleasurable. You can catch all of the details after the break!
