When the iPhone 5s first arrived in September, the feature that many were drawn to was the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and although some were quick to dismiss the new implementation as a gimmick, it has very much established itself as a well-crafted security asset. Given that, for such a new feature, Touch ID is already very reliable, it stands to reason that we would want to use something similar for our password needs on a more universal scale, and thanks to a little jailbreak tweak called UnlockID, Mac users can call upon Touch ID for their desktop password-entering needs.
Rather than simply releasing a flagship device and resting on its laurels, Samsung always seems determined to release as many spin-off versions as possible, and on a day that has seen the Galaxy Note 3 family extended with the Note 3 Neo and Neo LTE+, the Korean company's other marquee handset has been presented with yet another color option. The Galaxy S4 "Black Edition," while cutting a dark figure next to the many other colors and variations of the sought-after smartphone, also boasts a fake leather rear cover like the Note 3, so if you've been waiting for this combination of a jet-black S4 and faux leather finish, your wish has finally been granted.
Reddit is a great place for folks to create and join various societies relating to a myriad of topics, and with jailbreaking being so incredibly popular - especially given the recent Evasi0n / P0sixspwn breaks for iOS 7 and iOS 6 respectively - the jailbreak subreddit is currently thriving. Obliging to a request from Redditors to reveal which jailbreak tweaks that he had installed on his own iPhone, Jay Freeman - better known as Saurik, creator of Cydia - reeled off a long list of some of the most popular and long-serving tweaks available. It's a very interesting insight, and although you might half expect, in the usual ironic manner, that Saurik's iPhone would contain very few Cydia-sourced alterations, in this case, the opposite is true.
Spotify is an immensely popular audio streaming service, boasting a mammoth 20 million songs with more being added all the time. But while some artists have amassed millions of plays apiece, around one-fifth of the extensive library has never been heard - at least, not through Spotify. This equates to, as those with solid math skills will have already established, around four million tracks collecting dust, and it is at this point that Forgotify, a service that has collected all of these unheard tracks, steps in. The site, which doesn't appear affiliated with Spotify, lets you sign in and listen to some of these forgotten 'gems,' and whether you want to discover new artists or simply help with the initiative, you can log right in now and get listening!
Launch Center Pro, which works as something of a makeshift launcher for iPhone users, has enjoyed incredible success thanks to its slick, minimalistic interface and support for a wide range of apps and shortcuts. Now, for the first time, it has been rolled out for the iPad, and with an interface tailored for the increased display real estate, it's every bit as good as the Launch Center Pro we know and love.
When it comes to technology, plenty of folks out there - whether they'd like to admit it or not - are partisan fans of a particular company or product. Some of the most fiercely-contested rivalries in the modern digital era involve Apple, be it versus Microsoft at desktop level or against Android in the mobile arena, and as such, the Cupertino company has its fair share of fanboys. Today, an entertaining little clip has hit the Web courtesy of the guys over Vooza, and gives a rather humorous take on what happens to these Apple fanboys when the company they so worship is running one of its famed keynote events. Check out the video after the jump!
To win any war, sometimes you have to fight dirty, and while this might be a bit of a loaded term to describe Microsoft's latest marketing ploy, it's fair to say that the proverbial gloves are well and truly off. The Redmond company is trying hard to sell you its new and improved Xbox One, and if you happen to be in ownership of the PlayStation 3, then it is especially interested in your custom. So much so, in fact, that those trading in their PlayStation 3 at any US-based Microsoft Retail Store can save $100 off the purchase of the One, which arrives with the second-gen Kinect as standard.
Last week, we brought you the news that SwiftKey was sort of coming to iOS in the form of a note-taking app, and today, it's officially available to download. Because of Apple's stingy API, developers of core apps like SwiftKey Keyboard cannot get into the guts of iOS and deliver a true replacement key-tapping experience, but for those seeking a more efficient way to make notes on their iOS device, SwiftKey Note can now be grabbed from the iOS App Store. Details after the break!
If you're looking for a way to improve the functionality of your iOS Messages app but don't feel like shelling out for BiteSMS for iPhone, there are plenty of decent alternatives out there. Couria, which is currently available in beta, is one such tweak, offering a neat Quick Reply and Quick Compose system for a more efficient way of dealing with messages. At this point in time, it's free of charge, and having been tailored for the relatively new iOS 7, looks very much like a native feature.
Now that the hectic release period is over, and the holiday push is just a memory, all attention has now turned to what 2014 may or may not have in store for Microsoft's Xbox One. With gamers already desperate for new titles to play and with some Xbox services still to go live for the new console, every morsel of information is being greeted with both excitement and skepticism in equal measure.
