Flappy Bird, Threes and Clash of Clans is definitely what’s happening in the iOS gaming world at the moment. The addictiveness and challenging nature of Flappy Bird has ensured that it still remains installed on millions of iOS devices, even though the developer has permanently removed it from the App Store. The popularity of the annoying little bird has managed to provide a ray of hope as indie developers and small game studios try and compete with the larger development houses. As one bird disappears from the mobile gaming world, it looks like we are set to welcome in a whole new family of mischievous aves in the form of a new Angry Birds Stella courtesy of Rovio.
As we keenly await the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S5 later on this month, new reports out of the company's native Korea have implied that as well as the imminent flagship, Samsung plans on releasing a handset with a wraparound display later on this year. Although the TouchWiz maker likes to keep the flow of handsets constant throughout every year, only two - the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note - tend to stand out among the also-rans. However, the prospect of a first Samsung smartphone packing this unorthodox display would certainly grab the headlines, and if it is in line for a launch at some point in 2014, would likely upstage both of the current flagship ranges.
We've heard from a number of sources that Apple is planning two larger iPhones for release in 2014 - one with a 4.7-inch display and another packing a decidedly-extensive 5.5-inch panel. But after seeing just how carried away folks got with the so-called iPhone 5 in the run-up to what eventually amounted to the iPhone 4s, it's always good to have some physical evidence - however vague - to corroborate the incessant claims. Shots of a new rear-shell leak, along with an alleged iPhone 6 prototype, have just leaked into the wild, and from the looks of it, the iPhone 6 will carry a similar design language which we’ve seen in the iPad Air.
If you've ever wanted to change the keys on your iOS keyboard to a funky shade of blue, well, you're in luck, because a little tweak by the name of BlueBoard does exactly that.
The Galaxy S5 will be revealed in a couple of weeks at Samsung Unpacked 2014, which is scheduled to take place just before the opening of this year's Mobile World Congress, but while we've a rough idea of the tech specs, the Korean mobile giant has done a pretty good job of keeping the device itself under lock-and-key. Being tech fans, we're simply itching to see what's in store, and designer Jinesh Shah has cooked up a visual image of the device that not only offers a rough guide as to the form factor, but also takes into account recent TouchWiz icon leaks to present a neat, conceptualized UI to go with it. Check it out after the fold!
Although Windows Phone, as discussed earlier, is a struggling ecosystem in mobile space, the devices currently being churned out for the platform are every bit worthy of recognition. Nokia, even before it was acquired by Microsoft, provided a continual stream of great handsets for WP users to behold, and has today unveiled yet another addition to its high-end line-up. The Lumia Icon, which will launch on Verizon Wireless in The States, packs a similarly high-end performance to that of the established releases like the Lumia 1020 and 925, and as the Finnish company's first major release of the year so far, we'll be looking at the key specs and form factor after the break.
Apple's iPad Air may well be revered as the sleekest, lightest, thinnest, most powerful and indeed the most elegant full-sized tablet so far from the Cupertino giant, but even looking at more practical aspects, such as the battery life, the new iPad Air is peerless. Which looked at battery retention rates for a range of top-level tablets, testing common activities such as video playback and Web use to determine which slab could hold out the longest, and on both counts, the iPad Air came out on top.
Steve Jobs' passing has left a significant void in the world of technology, particularly at Apple, the company he co-founded and led from near-collapse to the force it has become in the modern Digital Age. As well as the Walter Isaacson biography and the forthcoming Sony movie, there are numerous, clips, quotes, and, of course, products that serve to remind us of just how influential Jobs has been in the technology industry. But the story of Jobs and Apple goes way back, long before the iPod and the MacBook, and a time capsule, first discovered back in 2013, contained some of his older belongings, including a Lisa mouse. Today, for the first time, photos have been released offering a visual of some of the capsule's contents.
Time and time again we witness companies putting together ad campaigns that highlight appealing aspects of their products, but how many are actually prepared to stand by those claims? It appears that Sony is on a mission to prove to the New Zealand population that its latest personal MP3 player is indeed waterproof, and have even brought a specialist advertising agency on board to try and get the message across. In conjunction with Auckland based DraftFCB, Sony has concocted the Bottled Walkman campaign that validates the waterproof claims by selling the latest Walkman MP3 player submerged in a bottle of water.
2014 will undoubtedly be a huge year for online gaming. Individuals interested in online first-person multiplayer action have been waiting patiently for Titanfall to become available, especially after its first magnificent outing at Gamescom last year. Thankfully, that wait is almost over with the latest teasing trailer for the much-anticipated title confirming that the initial beta program will kick off on St. Valentine’s Day, February 14th.
