This year's Google I/O may have been dominated by the search giant's grand unveiling of Android L, but there were still plenty of other major announcements besides. Notably, the $35 Chromecast dongle, which turned the streaming market on its head when it first released back in 2013, would support Android Mirroring a la Apple's AirPlay Mirroring, and following the annual developer conference, we couldn't wait to give it a whirl. Having rolled the feature out earlier on this week, many Chromecast-owning Droidsters have jumped on this new feature, but unfortunately, it's rather limited with regards to the devices that it will stream from. Thankfully, though, there's a relatively painless workaround.
Thanks to the rife speculation regarding the iPhone 6, the burst of iWatch-related fanfare we found ourselves caught up in earlier this year has largely died down. But despite being consumed by the prospect of two larger handsets out of Cupertino later on this year, we've still a keen eye out for Apple's first wearable, and if you were hoping to get your hands on the device at launch, new reports of delays and production issues suggest that you might have a hard time in doing so.
It seems almost certain that the next-gen iPhone's front panel will be comprised of sapphire glass, with Apple apparently looking strengthen up a feature prone to shattering. As for sapphire glass's credentials as a robust material, we've already seen via the key and knife test that it can hold its own, and so now, as ever, the time has come for the car test.
BlackBerry may well be scrambling for some sort of relevancy in the smartphone world, but it seems that some people just wont let their BlackBerry Messenger, or BBM accounts die. Announcing its first beta release of BBM for Windows Phone, BlackBerry took to its blog in order to claim that it had received an "incredible number of requests for BBM to come to Windows Phone."
When Apple started extending the previews of songs that were longer than 2 minutes and 30 seconds back in 2010, licensing was a big factor in reason that not all songs received the updated 90 second previews at the same time. Now, Apple appears to be reducing some of those previews to just 30 seconds, no matter the length of the song, across both the desktop and mobile versions of the iTunes Store.
On a daily basis, we seek to bring you guys the very best deals on apps and games for iOS and Android, and today, we're back with another five titles for iPhone and iPad users. You guys know the drill, so join us below, where you'll find the details, original prices and of course, those download links.
With Apple reportedly toying with the idea of bringing its own fleet of smart home products in the near future - a speculative project that may or may not see the light of day - more and more companies are looking to stake a claim to this emerging market. Google's acquisition of Nest has sparked a marked rise in start-ups relating to smart home technology, and Beddit, which started off as an IndieGogo campaign raising over half a million dollars last year with its sleep monitoring pitch, has since benefited from the guidance of established outfit Misfit. Today, we get an insight into 'Beddit', the fruit of this collaborative union between Misfit and Beddit, and on first impression, it's a product that could truly revolutionize the way we approach sleepy-time.
Google is renowned the world over as the foremost search company, but it's also an advertising juggernaut that accounts for a large portion of the ad revenue across the Web. Its AdWords service pulls in billions of dollars per year in revenue, whilst also allowing companies, blogs and sites to advertise, and in a continued attempt to cater to iOS as well as its own Android platform in terms of apps, has just dropped AdWords Express for iPhone and iPad. In addition, the Big G also rolled out YouTube Creator Studio for its iOS-rocking contingency.
Assassin's Creed is among the most popular franchises the gaming industry has ever seen, and like most series of this magnitude, has sought to expand its audience to encompass the thriving mobile gaming market. Assassin's Creed Pirates, which puts you in the shoes of young captain Alonzo Batilla, is a very enjoyable title that, ordinarily, would set you back $4.99. However, for a limited time, it's absolutely free, and if you welcome the prospect of a well-made, immersive title consuming a lot of your time, then we've got the details - as well as that all-important download link - coming right up after the jump!
Apple has just rolled out version 11.3 of its iTunes app for Windows and Mac, bringing a bunch of notable new features as well as the customary performance tweaks. Details, as ever, can be seen after the fold.
