Wherever a new technology or product is emerging, you can bet that Samsung isn't too far behind, and in-keeping with the company's tradition of building something for every single corner of the digital market, a new patent filing indicates that the Korean outfit is prepping a competitor to Google Glass. Unlike its Mountain View-based rival's ongoing development in this field, the patent suggests that it will be mounted on only one side of the face, although in terms of functionality, it seems as though it will operate in a very similar manner to the Big G's face computer.
With a substantial interest in the tablet market through its Kindle Fire range, it's looking very much as though Amazon's next objective will be to deliver its very own smartphone. Just last week, we heard reports that said device would feature a 3D display, and now, a bunch of intriguing details - including the handset's supposed tech. specs - have just been leaked into the wild.
A couple of new leaks have emerged today that may once again offer clues as to what we should expect of the so-called iPhone 6. Given that the model packing a 5.5-inch display has been hit by delays, we're anticipating that Apple will deliver a new handset with a 4.7-inch panel around September time, and an interesting apparent leak of the device's front panel seems to back this notion up.
With Google clearly feeling extremely confident about the future of Glass, and with a whole heap of new users likely to come on board, Google has announced that Glass Updates are back. Owners of the powerful Glass headset will be able to update its firmware later this week and receive a number of powerful updates that should boost the overall Glass experience for end-users.
The iOS Messages app may have benefited greatly from the introduction of iMessage, but in terms of features, hasn't quite evolved as much as some users - this one included - might have liked. As soon as the Evasi0n jailbreak was released a few months back, many iOS device users flocked to the message-enhancing utilities available via Cydia, including the very popular BiteSMS, and if you're looking for an easy way to create and deal with messages without having to continually consult the native stock app, then you may wish to check out a nifty new tweak by the name of auki.
Even though Samsung's just-released Galaxy S5 will serve as the company's biggest smartphone release of the year, it certainly won't be its last, and as with every major Galaxy handset, we're anticipating a slew of follow-up devices. The Galaxy S5 Zoom, which will likely include some major camera-centric features in order to serve the growing group of wannabe photographers, has been detailed in several leaks during the course of the past few weeks, and now, Samsung has sent out an invitation to an event on April 29th in Singapore that could well see the device finally showcased to the world.
The developer preview Of Windows Phone 8.1 is now out there for all to try out and assess, and even though the Cortana voice assistant seems to be the main talking point, Microsoft has thrown in many more useful features besides. Along with the Action Center, wallpaper support and other such niceties, it looks as though the software giant has included support for Apple's Passbook passes, which can be read and comprehended via Microsoft Wallet.
It's an accepted fact that Apple changed the face of the smartphone industry with the introduction of the iPhone back in 2007, and even though it has only been seven years, it feels as though we've always been tapping home screen icons and gesturing our way through interfaces. Not only did the iPhone completely turn the market on its head, but Google's in-development Android interface - which didn't, at the time of the Apple smartphone's announcement, support touch input - also had to be completely re-thought.
Early on last month, Apple announced CarPlay, the final, official branding of the 'iOS in the Car' feature first announced last year. With the necessary software having been rolled out to iPhones via the iOS 7.1 update, we're now awaiting the release of the first fleet of CarPlay-ready production automobiles, but while the likes of Mercedes and Volvo plan on integrating the feature as a part of the manufacturing process, specialist audio company Alpine is reportedly plotting its very own aftermarket console effort.
In the run-up to Windows Phone 8.1's announcement at the start of April, we heard that Cortana, Microsoft's answer to Siri and Google Now, would take elements of both pre-existing voice assistants and combine them into the best all-round voice feature in the mobile industry. Since the BUILD dev conference, we've heard a great deal about how wonderful Cortana supposedly is, although until we've seen it up against its two major adversaries, there's no telling just how it holds up. With the release of the developer preview of Windows Phone 8.1 today, though, we finally get to see first-hand if Cortana can compete with its more established peers, and the Cortana vs. Siri vs. Google Now video embedded below reveals all!
