Apple has already received plenty of plaudits for the way it has worked to try and reduce the number of iPhone thefts in big cities, but a newly discovered patent application shows that the firm isn't resting on its laurels. Instead, if we're reading this Thursday's patent application right, Apple is working on technology that will analyze usage patterns in order to discern whether a device is in the hands of its rightful owner.
Apps are what make the world go round, of that there's little doubt these days. A look at any of the app stores and their download figures should set aside any thought to the contrary. We love apps as much as anyone else, and we'd argue possibly a tad more, too. All apps are great, but we really love apps that go free for a limited time, which is why we feel it's our civic duty to make sure that you, the dear reader, get to take advantage of such temporary price drops.
We come across tons of new apps on a daily basis for different platforms, and some of them go beyond their advertised features and provide a few extra seconds of entertainment. We’re talking about Easter eggs here, if you’re on the same page as us.
We live in a time where even the faintest cellular - or data signal - is considered a blessing for our communication needs. Take that away from someone’s life and panic ensues.
Sports and fitness giant Nike may have made the internal decision to discontinue the fabulous FuelBand hardware in favor of exploring health and fitness based software solutions, but that doesn't mean the company has abandoned the thriving community it has worked so hard to amass. The FuelBand will be sorely missed by many who used the wearable on a daily basis, but NikeFuel, the universal method that the company invented to measure and incentivize user activity, is still going strong, and can actually be swapped out for real-life Nike products at a secret branded vending machine.
The iPhone 6 may be grabbing all of the recent headlines due to its impending announcement, but spare a thought for those who prefer to stay away from Apple's smartphone lineup and only look to the Cupertino company for their tablet needs. The iPhone 6 may be the biggest release planned for this year, but it certainly won't be the only Apple product we'll see land on shelves across the world. A new concept, and one that chooses to ignore the smaller form of the iPhone, concentrates on what could potentially be in store for consumers when Tim Cook lifts the lid on the third-generation iPad mini.
With iOS 8, Apple is finally opening avenues to app developers that were previously restricted territory, allowing accessing to certain APIs like the system-wide extensions, Touch ID and keyboards, making it possible for apps to be better integrated throughout the system rather than remain in their isolated silos, and thus making possible an experience that’s similar to the freedom that you get on Android, iPhone’s largest competitor.
The jailbreak world can often be a dark and murky one, so when you hear about the biggest and arguably most popular repository of jailbreak apps being hacked, you tend to take notice. That's what happened very recently, with the BigBoss repo apparently falling foul of hackers.
Microsoft might have spent most of this year's BUILD developers conference discussing future software endeavors, but the company also took the opportunity to take the wraps off the Surface Pro 3. Despite its pedigree, it's fair to say that against the likes of the Apple iPad, the Surface line-up in general has its work cut out, but here, we pit the latest and greatest Microsoft slate up against the Surface Pro 2, in an attempt to assess how far the software giant has come along.
Even though Apple is thought to have several hardware products for release this year, the next-gen iPhone is naturally hogging the spotlight. We've been tracking its progress for several months now, hunting for any clues or evidence regarding features, pricing and availability. But with the manufacturing process now said to be in full flow and leaks appearing on a daily basis, it's quit hard to keep track of everything, but thanks to the infographic you see below, you can get yourself up to date in a matter of just a couple of minutes.
