iOS 8 beta is officially out in the wild, and as the tech world continues to dissect the new features, many have chosen to hold off and wait for the official, end user release. Given that beta software is, by its very nature, generally buggy - there's also that $99 annual fee for a Developer pass to contend with - and when you weigh up these caveats, it's easy to see why some have chosen to pass on the unfinished builds. But if you're holding off for purpose of preserving your jailbreak, you can actually enjoy an iOS 8-like experience thanks to the abundance of facilitating tweaks already available, and although it's not quite like the real thing, it's the next best thing for the time being.
Scarcely a year has gone by since the social network's inception that at least one privacy-motivated backlash hasn't beset Facebook, and given that the Menlo Park firm is now selling your search history to help advertisers better target you with specific products, you have to say that the adverse reaction in some quarters of the tech community is self imposed by Zuck and his firm this time around. But while this is almost entirely bad news for some concerned Facebook users, there is a silver lining in that you can opt out should you so wish, and here, we're going to show you how.
When Apple announced OS X 10.10 Yosemite at WWDC last week, the Mac finally received a version of its operating system that more closely resembles some of the design philosophies that iOS 7 brought to the iPhone and iPad. Just like when Apple updated its mobile operating system last year, Yosemite will usher in a new look for all of Apple's first-party apps, which means that third-party developers will need to start looking at making their own apps fit the overall look and feel of the new OS.
Google's chocolatey KitKat 4.4.x flavor of Android is seen by many as a rather incremental bump on 4.3 Jelly Bean, and as such, there's a real sense of anticipation surrounding what's next from the search giant's flagship mobile OS. According to reports and leaks, the next version is currently being referred to simply as "L" at its current developmental stage, and as per some more recent coverage, the so-called "Quantum Paper" movement underpinning the entire process will seek to bring uniformity to Google software in general - irrespective of device or platform.
Before Apple announced iOS 8 at WWDC, there had been plenty of chatter that a new split-screen mode was on its way to the iPad which would allow two apps to run side-by-side in a similar way to the feature offered by Microsoft's Surface tablet. As the opening keynote of WWDC came and went, no mention was made of this rumored feature, but now that iOS 8 is in the hands of developers, mention of the split-screen mode has been found throughout the Software Development Kit that Apple provides.
Rumors of Amazon being in talks to launch its own music streaming service have been around for some time, and with the news that Apple has bought Dr. Dre's Beats Music, it's clear that the music streaming business is one that everyone wants to be in. As of a few hours ago, Amazon is also in the music streaming game after Amazon Prime Music went live on the Web.
Finding good apps on the iTunes App Store is a bit of a tedious task at the best of times, and while developers regularly throw out promotional deals, tracking them down can be as arduous as tracking them down. But we're always monitoring the situation here, hoping to stumble across a real gem offered considerably lower than the usual RRP, and occasionally, we strike gold with a freebie. Today, a $12.99 app has just hit that magical zero-dollar price tag, and below, we've got all of the details - including that all-important download link.
One of the major improvements Apple added with the iPhone 5s was to boost its low-light credentials by adding the so-called "True Tone" dual-LED flash, but even though this has undoubtedly enhanced the quality of snaps captured in dark places, there's always room for improvement. After all, there's only so much that Apple can do to improve the device itself, and third parties - Olloclip, for example - have regularly demonstrated how the point-and-shoot experience can be stepped up a notch or two. The new Nova iPhone light offers a bigger, more versatile LED light that can be readily configured, and if you're accustomed to taking snaps at times when light isn't at a premium, it's the kind of accessory that you will need in your arsenal.
The developers behind numerous third-party keyboards for Android rejoiced at Apple's announcement that iOS 8 would allow them to expand their reaches to the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch communities, and now, TouchPal has thrown its hat into the ring with a demonstration of its gesture-heavy offering for the fruit company's imminent software update.
There's no doubt that the iPad Air, released late last year by Apple, was the best upgrade to the company's tablet line-up since the original slate hit the scene back in 2010. With its slick, iPad mini-like form factor and high-end specs, it seemed miraculous that the Cupertino company had managed to squeeze so much hardware into such a svelte package, and now, its forthcoming successor, the iPad Air 2, is apparently about to go into production.
