The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S5 has a lot going for it. It's big, it's fast and it's got more sensors than NASA. Those sensors do all kinds of things, but it seems the old fashioned microphone may be at the center of one particular party piece, and it's a party piece that Samsung has kept rather quiet.
A neat new thermometer, which plugs directly into a mobile device's headphone jack, can provide immediate and accurate readings of the temperature in your specific location - a marked improvement upon the GPS-based estimates that most of us are accustomed to. The Thermodo, brainchild of Robocat (of Haze fame), is compatible with both iOS and Android, and although certain handsets are already equipped with such facilities as standard, this compact package is both reasonably-priced and practical for those that aren't.
It's not something we've ever done ourselves, but we've got a sneak suspicion that it's happened to more people than are willing to let on. We are, of course, talking about people walking into things while they're sending text or instant messages. Granted, we've done it when inebriated, but never when trying to use our phones!
Even though the iPhone 6 isn't expected to arrive until September time, there's been a notable spike in the frequency of new details relating to the Cupertino's next big thing. From what we've heard, 'big' is the operative word here, with a 4.7-inch model apparently allied to a larger configuration packing a 5.5-inch display, and thanks to a leaked image via Chinese social network Weibo, we may have our first legitimate look at the device's rear shell.
You may remember the schematics leaks from a few days back, which supposedly gave us an insight into what Apple was planning with the next iPhone, aptly named the iPhone 6. But while it was certainly questionable as to whether the documents actually shed any light upon the enigmatic device, renowned designer Martin Hajek has turned the sketches and dimensions into some beautiful conceptual renders.
Everyone is an expert these days. With smartphones getting better and better cameras, there really is no good reason for anyone to take a bad photo on an iPhone, Galaxy S or HTC One device anymore. The same goes for video.
You may remember that not too long ago now we told you about Winocm and how he had managed to dual boot his iPad 2 with iOS 6 and iOS 5. In fact, he was so sure that people probably wouldn't believe that he'd done it, he released a video on YouTube showcasing the feat. He even went so far as to release a further video showing that the same iPad 2 could also be forced to triple boot, with iOS 7 thrown into the mix. We're not really sure that the word 'impressive' does any of that justice.
For many, the jailbreak scene all comes down to one particular tweak. Auxo, created by the folks at A3Tweaks, has been around for a while now, and very popular it is too. Pre-iOS 7, Auxo was the tweak to have if you wanted to take the poorly implemented iOS multitasking system and turn it on its head. Post-iOS 7 though, we've all been waiting impatiently to see what an updated version would look like.
Currently, the latest version of Google's Android is 4.4.2 KitKat, but it looks now like an Android 4.4.3 update is on the horizon. There have been plenty of leaks to corroborate this, and having trawled through endless Chromium code, Android 4.4.3 running on both the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 have been discovered.
When Facebook added Chat Heads to its apps the addition was greeted by both excitement and derision in equal measure, but for those that use them, Chat Heads are a must-have feature. Those who use the right flavor of Android will have access to Chat Heads system-wide, but those of us using iOS devices like iPads and iPhones aren't able to do the same thanks to Apple's stranglehold on how things work when an app is closed. It's a trade-off that we make, but it's safe to say the idea of having instant access to Chat Heads no mater what app is in use would be appealing to many.
