Following on from earlier reports that Apple, among a string of other companies, was planning on opening up a store on location at New York's upcoming World Trade Center Mall, it has now been all-but confirmed by independent reports that this will indeed be the case.
This year is being billed as pivotal in recent tech history for a variety of reasons. Some are touting it as the year of the smartwatch, while others have it down as the year of face-worn gadgetry thanks to the likes of Facebook-owned Oculus VR and Google Glass. But in the near future, it may also be remembered as the point at which smartphones became incredibly cheap, with chip maker ARM suggesting that in the next couple of months, an Android handset could break the sub-$20 mark.
Photo-centric apps for mobile devices are ubiquitous, and if you're an iPhone user, you'll likely have noticed that the App Store is packed to the rafters with utilities touting superior editing and tweaking functions. Adding a it of blur, black-and-white overlay or a vintage frame are all fairly solid ways of rolling back the years, bringing a traditional feel to our photos, and Pocketbooth, which stylizes snaps in the traditional photo booth manner, has just gone free!
Being the huge tech fans that we are, we're more than just a little excited about the OnePlus One smartphone. Combining the tried-and-tested formula of high-end specs and low price, the CM-running device is sure to be a hit when it makes it to market. Speaking of market, Oppo's spin-off company decided to promote its handset using the fairly common tactic of encouraging would-be early adopters to film themselves smashing up their iPhones. Some refused, while others played ball, and the winners, as you'll see in the clip below, went above and beyond the call of duty.
Off the back of recent reports regarding an iOS bug that allowed a hacker to potentially access encrypted email attachments, it has now emerged that a further flaw, existent through Siri, allows users to bypass lock screen security and make calls or send SMS messages using the Apple voice assistant.
In the very latest Apple vs. Samsung court battle, the latter was ordered to pay its rival damages to the sum of almost $120 million, but as one might perhaps have anticipated, the Korean company is having none of it. John Quinn, Samsung's lawyer in this particular case, has noted that the Galaxy maker will request that the award of damages be reduced to zero, which is a rather brazen step given the size of the initial award.
Before Flappy Bird, it was all about Rovio's Angry Birds, and now, the Finnish entertainment company has come through with a new title that offers similarly challenging physics to the recent cult mobile hit. Called RETRY, it requires you to intricately direct a small plane through a set of obstacles, and in checking out the 50-second launch trailer below, you'll see precisely where its gets its name from.
As we draw closer to the eventual unveiling of the next-generation iPhone, it appears that Apple isn't quite done yet with its currently available hardware. With WWDC 2014 just around the corner, it's widely accepted that Apple will make some interesting and extremely important announcements regarding iOS 8 and the progress that has been made on its first wearable device. However, Tim Cook and his team is remaining cautiously tight lipped about the next iPhone, which could have something to do with the fact that insiders are suggesting Apple is about to hold an ‘enormous’ iPhone upgrade event this week.
The idea of the Find My iPhone feature, which allows a user to remotely track down a lost, stolen, or otherwise misplaced device, is great in theory. But as one district attorney and ex-police chief describes, a victim being able to track down and locate a thief can, in some cases, lead to a violent confrontation that puts both parties at risk of serious injury.
It has recently become apparent that Apple plans to make a concerted push into the health and fitness market this year, with reports suggesting that the Cupertino company will introduce a "Healthbook" suite with iOS 8. This feature is set to tie in closely with the company's inaugural smartwatch effort that we've also heard a great deal about, and as per a report from Reuters, the fruit company may be planning to build a dedicated, third-party-supported, App Store-like hub for fitness-related services.

