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.
If you've been involved in the jailbreak scene for a number of years then it's highly likely that you'll be familiar with a number of the more popular tweaks that still grace Cydia with their presence. Thousands of iOS device owners, including myself, regularly take advantage of latest jailbreak techniques purely to get their hands on a couple of "must have" packages. The Barrel tweak, developed by Aaron Ash, is one of Cydia's more well-known and used tweaks and has sat in a class of its own for a number of years - until the arrival of Cylinder by Reed Weichler.
The new HTC One M8, which was announced on Tuesday by its Taiwanese manufacturer in both New York and London, looks a solid improvement upon its predecessor, the HTC One M7. Released last year, the M7 was subject to much critical acclaim, and while significantly improving upon it looked a rather difficult task, it's fair to say that the M8 enhances the feature-set with relative aplomb. The build quality is the most immediately obvious improvement with the new handset, and thanks to a new drop test, we get to see just how much stronger this year's flagship is when challenged by its older brother.
Even though we're quite a long way from a release, it's hard not to get just a little bit excited about the iPhone 6, particularly given the reports of two new, decidedly larger devices arriving later this year. The speculation pertaining to a duo of new devices boasting 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch display sizes has been incessant, but in a twist, some new sketches appear to suggest that a couple of lower-end, 'iPhone 6c' devices will also arrive with similar display size configurations. What?
App developers are always dreaming up innovative ways to take advantage of the improving technologies at their disposal, and RoomScan, over at the iOS App Store, is quite unlike anything we've previously stumbled across. In a nutshell, this nifty little utility can automatically map out a floor plan of a room after being held against its walls for just a few seconds. Find out how this intriguing app works its magic, as well as how you can get hold of it, right after the break.
With the mobile world having been moving towards LTE for a long time, Apple was quite late to the party, adding an LTE radio to its smartphone range with 2012's release of the iPhone 5. But while we're grateful for carrier updates bringing LTE in many built-up areas, it stands to reason that some may wish to switch to 3G, or even revert to 2G. If you're jailbroken, there's a fairly simple way to disable LTE, reinstating the 3G toggle and subsequently opening the door to 2G, and we've got the guide below that shows you precisely how it's done.
It's an accepted fact that lithium-ion batteries - by their very nature - will degrade over time. Even if you buy a smartphone and it manages to live up to the outlandish, exaggerated claims made by the manufacturer with regards to how long it can run between charges, we know that after a year or two, retention will decrease considerably. A new power bank, which goes by the name of the BatteryBox, aims to change the current state of play with a revolutionary, energy efficient 'BatteryOS' that prevents degradation and keeps powering your devices efficiently - even five years after you begin using it.
We've all got our pet hates. Some people can't abide those who smoke, or perhaps have a particular disdain for anyone that bites their fingernails. With us, it's people who shout when talking on their phones.
Oculus had already caused a storm in the start-up community having generated a strong following on Kickstarter, but it was the acquisition earlier on this week by Facebook for $2 billion that really thrust the virtual reality gadgeteer into the spotlight. With a current emphasis on gaming, Mark Zuckerberg made it clear that he has big plans to integrate Oculus' VR technology across the wider digital spectrum, revolutionizing the way we communicate and interact with the world around us. Today, a neat concept by Chaotic Moon has thrown up an interesting idea, showing a user navigating through a virtual shopping mall using a VR headset, and giving an early insight into just how Zuck and co. might eventually utilize Oculus.
Those of us that use social networks on a regular basis are well aware of the fact that even though we frequently delete status updates, tweets, photos and other such fodder, they're probably stored in a vault somewhere to incriminate us at some point in the future. But in the case of Facebook, messages you thought you deleted by hitting that 'x' button in the corner have actually just been archived, and as such, are still easy to go back, recover and re-read. If you want to find out how to locate this secret archive and recover your messages which you thought soared into oblivion, we've got a little tutorial below.
