Not content with already having singlehandedly cornered the music recognition market, Shazam has just updated its iOS apps to include some new music streaming integration that will see users able to identify and then listen to entire tracks without ever having to leave the comfort of the Shazam app.
At the I/O Developers Conference, Google took the opportunity to unearth several new products, and among them was Android L, the next major release of the company's flagship mobile OS. Much was made at the time, and since, of the so-called 'Material Design' that would see the the interface overhauled from the ground up with layering and other effects helping to make the operating system feel more alive and active. The UI, it was also said, would be a lot more clean, and below, you can catch a pretty decent glimpse of how some of the search company's own apps like apps like YouTube, Gmail and Maps may eventually look.
Beats Electronics, which was recently acquired by Apple, has enjoyed an immensely successful first few years in business, and while its hardware arguably offers premium audio quality, there's no doubt that the company's ties with music and popular culture have helped it to reach the dizzy heights of being Apple's largest ever acquisition. As well as music, an industry in which founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine are heavily invested, football / soccer players have certainly helped to broaden the appeal of the brand, and now, Beats has returned the favor by presenting Germany's World Cup-winning squad with some 24-carat gold Beats Pro headphones.
Even though Apple makes every new iOS device considerably better than the last and, by some miracle, thinner and lighter than the preceding model, one common quibble that consumers have is in the waning battery life. Even though the likes of the iPhone and iPad excel in most departments, battery retention is not one of them, and as such, users are often left with a well-built, stylish, and feature-rich device that won't power up. Apparently, though, Tim Cook's company is joining forces with Intelligent Energy in a collaborative effort that may see iDevices, as well as other products like the MacBook, keep going for up to a week by embedding fuel cells into them.
Apple's iPad is among the most coveted in the tablet game, and given that the Cupertino outfit is credited with forging this now-lucrative market, this is to be expected. However, while it's a well-made device - as is the case with most hardware out of Cupertino - the nickel element of its metal finish is apparently causing irritation on the skin of young children coming into contact with the slate.
For a good while now, it has been suggested that Samsung would be coming through with a device finished in a more premium, perhaps metallic material. The Korean outfit has stuck faithfully with polycarbonate through the Galaxy generations, and although the sales figures would suggest that, at a consumer level, this isn't a problem, there's definitely a growing faction of Samsung fans that would love something a little more substantial. With the likes of the iPhone and HTC One series having catered to those with a thirst for the stronger stuff, it now looks like Samsung will finally cave, and according to a new report, the so-called "Galaxy Alpha" will be announced next month.
Ingress, Google's intriguing augmented reality title for Android, has just made its début on the iTunes App Store, allowing iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users to get a piece of the action. It's free of charge, and below, we've got the details and download link so be sure to join us right after the break!
The jailbreak community is still recovering from the release of the Pangu untether for iOS 7.1.x, with many incompatible tweaks having been updated in compliance with the newer firmware. Activator, a tweak central to the Cydia scene as a whole, has just been given its customary bump to support the latest software, so if your device has been given the Pangu treatment and you'd like to call upon the services of Activator, join us after the break for all of the details.
It seems that the 5.5-inch Apple iPhone 6 "will it, won't it" saga is set to continue. Apple is widely expected to continue the development of the iPhone by introducing a new 4.7-inch model as well as a larger 5.5-inch "phablet" variant which will appeal those individuals who love a larger display. The question surrounding the release isn't whether or not the purported larger device exists, but whether Apple and its supply chain partners are able to flawlessly manufacture the parts necessary for the device in the required quantities. According to Ming-Chi Kuo - a well respected industry analyst from KGI Securities - the larger in-cell touchscreen panel and the redesigned metal casing that forms the exterior of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 are proving to be problematic, meaning that a launch could be pushed back to 2015.
FCC filings were once a great way of getting a sneak peak at what Apple is working on, but those little leaks have become more and more rare of late. One has been picked up in the last day or so though, and it's all about iBeacons.
