As ever, we're back with a fistful of great apps just gone free on the App Store, and if your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch is notably bereft just now, then this would be an ideal moment to stock up. There are three in total, and given that they would ordinarily set you back a total of $9, this is definitely a freebie bundle you won't want to be missing out on!
Although, as a male, I don't frequently encounter the issue of missing an important call because my phone is lost inside my handbag or purse, I do know that this is an issue affecting a large portion of the female population. To combat this, start-up Ringly has developed a nifty smart ring that offers customizable Bluetooth notifications, flashing different color LED lights and vibration patterns dependent on the nature of the alert. Not only is it highly functional, but it's a very stylish, inconspicuous gadget, and with a flexible, color-coded notification system, it looks a very well thought-out product.
iOS 8 has given Apple a chance to showcase what it has in the pipeline for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users, as has been noted ad nauseam by commentators throughout the blogosphere, the Cupertino outfit has borrowed quite a few long-standing Android features in creating this very appealing software update. But while the likes of third-party keyboard support and widgets have been available over at the Google Play Store for a good few years now, it looks as though Apple will also be grabbing one of its major adversary's newer quirks in the form of Google Now's find my car feature.
For all of the great strengths associated with the Apple iPhone - from the seamless operating system to the regularly solid camera - the Cupertino's most prized asset does have its fair share of faults. The battery, for one, is regularly highlighted as a weakness, and of all the features that users would like to see greatly improved, the battery retention tends to be right up there. Although we expect the next batch of iOS devices to offer larger battery capacity from a hardware standpoint, software optimization also plays a pivotal role, and as per new findings from one iOS 8 beta user, Apple will be introducing a multitude of new features to help users conserve those precious droplets of juice.
When Sony launched the PS Vita TV in Japan late last year, it looked like it could be the product that we'd all been expecting to come from the folks at Apple. A little box that plays TV content as well as top-class games? Where do we sign up?
Companies aren't daft about making money from existing hardware, so it should come as little surprise that Sony has found a way to repackage the PS4 in a way that might, just might have existing PS4 owners thinking about picking up a new console all over again.
Late last week, we heard that Apple was internally testing a Control Center feature that enabled users to customize the experience similarly to the manner in which iOS 8 would enable share sheets to be tweaked at the discretion of the individual. That tidbit was based on information found in the first beta build of iOS 8 available to developers, and now, the same source has indicated - with evidence - that Apple is working on a notably funkier alternative UI, complete with alternate font and an undercurrent of orange and purple.
With E3 commencing today, it's all about the games, and with Microsoft having spilled the details on a bunch of eagerly-anticipated titles including Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Halo 5, it's almost Sony's turn to take center stage and unleash some announcements of its own. If you're a PlayStation fan and have been eagerly awaiting news, you'll be pleased to learn that Battlefield Hardline has just arrived as a beta to the PlayStation Store, and with a simultaneous beta also rolling out for PC, fans of the immensely-popular franchise will be able to aid the process of creating yet another great installment.
A couple of weeks back, it was reported that an individual, operating under the pseudonym 'Oleg Pliss', was conning iOS device owners in Australia out of hundreds of dollars using a very simple but effective scam using Apple’s Find My iPhone infrastructure. Initially, it was reported that Apple's iCloud infrastructure had been compromised somewhere along the line, but with the Cupertino outfit having swiftly stepped out and refuted these claims, it now appears that the group behind the well-organized scheme has finally got its comeuppance.
Apple prides itself on its relatively good record of preserving security, but despite ongoing efforts to ensure that public releases of iOS and OS X are as stable and water-tight as possible, we're often reminded that software, inherently, is not infallible and that inevitable, faults will arise. The headlines have, for the past week, been largely dominated by talk of the upcoming iOS 8, but as Apple looks to pipe on the improvements, a new flaw within the current iOS 7 has just been unearthed.
