Tomorrow is the big day when Apple will push the big red button after which the final release of iOS 8 will be available to all iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users around the globe. And in order to prepare our readers for the big update, we’ve outlined a handy guide which will ensure that the whole process will go smoothly for everyone.
We're back once again with another handful of great apps and games to grace your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. There are five in all, worth a grand total of twelve bucks, so be sure to check them out after the leap!
The only surprise about the Chinese designed and manufactured Sophone i6 is that it's taken exactly a week after Apple's media event to get into the public eye. The Chinese smartphone industry has a reputation for being quick off the mark when it comes to producing copies of leading industry devices, so it's no surprise that this unapologetic iPhone 6 clone is now available. We can only imagine that the manufacturers behind the Sophone are the first in what will be a long line of Chinese companies to produce a similar offering in the coming weeks.
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus offer a myriad of exciting new features, but while the 8-megapixel rear-facing camera has been improved, it still doesn't boast the kind of functionality laid on by rivaling handsets. The Samsung Galaxy S5, for example, shoots video in 4K, something that you cannot do on an iPhone. However, thanks to a new third-party app, you can do so even on the iPhone 5s, although the only catch is, said app costs a cool $1,000. Yes, you read that correctly. One. Thousand. Dollars.
By and large, jailbreaking is a relatively safe affair to perform, and as long as you abide by the precautionary steps that must be taken when opening areas of the ecosystem ordinarily shut off by Apple, you're generally safe. However, given that third parties can access root files, things can sometimes go horribly wrong, and with the jailbreak scene having been afflicted by two widespread incidents in the past five months, another piece of malicious software is said to be capable of stealing your Apple ID and password to buy apps without your consent.
Apple's close relationship with U2 has been long-standing and, from an outsider's point of view, pretty harmless. Indeed, the fact that the Irish band's latest album Songs of Innocence was to be released for free as an iTunes exclusive was clearly a win for the consumer. The move, which was announced after Apple's iPhone 6 event last week, presumably meant that U2 fans could get their fill for free - excellent - while non-U2 fans could just skip the release. Much to the surprise of just about everyone outside Apple, though, the album was pushed out to just about everyone with an iOS device, much to the bemusement of those who don't happen to like U2.
As well as its usual, dev-only Developer Previews of OS X Yosemite 10.10, Apple has also released a couple of betas, which public users with Apple IDs can install and check out on their Macs. Today, the third OS X Yosemite beta has been rolled out, and as well as details on how and where to download it from, we've also got the low-down on all the changes made in this latest release after the break.
UK mobile retailer Phones 4u has entered administration, and while this is a disaster for all associated with the company as a whole, it's also a bit of a headache for those who happened to place an iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus pre-order with them.
As tech consumers, we've something of an affinity to voice assistants, particularly new ones. The massive fuss made when Apple dropped Siri a couple of years ago was equaled by the fanfare surrounding Windows Phone 8.1's Cortana, and while Microsoft's effort is naturally a more refined, well-rounded and personable feature than Siri was at launch, Cortana remains a work in progress. In fact, right now, Microsoft is attempting to spread Cortana beyond the confines of Windows Phone and onto the other major segments of its ecosystem, and a new Windows 9 screenshot offers a sneak peek of how it may eventually take shape on the desktop and tablet.
Mojang, the company behind the ever-popular Minecraft, has just been snapped up by Microsoft for $2.5 billion. The deal, which was heavily rumored throughout last week, sees Mojang as the ideal purchase as it attempts to build and increase its gaming portfolio, and given that the software giant has nothing it its repertoire remotely close to Minecraft, the purchase does make a great deal of sense.
















