The announcement of the Galaxy S5 seems like an age ago, but with almost one month having passed since Samsung took the wraps off its latest Android humdinger, we're now just a couple of weeks from retail. During the past few days, UK carriers Three and Vodafone have offered the all-important details regarding the S5's pricing and availability on British shores, and now, US-based AT&T has done likewise. For those wishing to tether themselves to a contract with North America's foremost mobile operator, the Galaxy S5 will be available from April 8th with an up-front cost of $199, and pre-orders are being taken as of now.
The wearable tech industry is currently experiencing something of a boom, and even though this week's headlines have been dominated by the news of Google's smartwatch endeavors with Android Wear, its Project Glass face-worn computer still generates plenty of interest. Currently in beta, many developers have the Explorer Edition in their possession, with Google hoping that they can go ahead and create some great apps, and one company, Layar, has showcased a neat-looking augmented reality Glassware app that can scan magazines, recognize adverts, and subsequently relay relevant information to the user.
The introduction of the radically-redesigned iOS 7 brought a shock to the system of many everyday iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users back in September, but after the previous year's Maps fiasco and the subsequent shake-up this led to in the iOS design team, the techies among us saw it coming. With Jony Ive's influence now apparent throughout the company's mobile OS, we fully expect OS X to follow suit given Apple's craving for uniformity, and designer Danny Giebe has presented us with a concept idea of what this may look like.
Following the release of iOS 7 and the subsequent untethered jailbreak from the Evad3rs team, the Cydia community seems to be exuding an air of professionalism and creative thought, and having covered iOS tweaks for a number of years, I have been generally taken aback by the marked improvement in the quality and thoroughness of tweaks this time around. Rather than releasing tiny alterations that deal with one small feature or snag, developers have sought to completely modify the way entire apps and features behave for the better, and Aria, a new tweak over at the BigBoss repo, gives the Music app something of an overhaul.
Apple’s recent introduction of iOS 7.1 plugged jailbreak exploits that made the previous Evasi0n untethered jailbreak possible, and as such, jailbreakers have had to either stick with a preceding iOS 7.0.x release, or upgrade and forgo their access to Cydia. However, even though the pre-iOS 7.1 efforts by the Evad3rs team were commendable, it doesn’t mean that the hard work has ceased, and seasoned hacker Winocm has just posted a video of iOS 7.1 booting untethered.
Earlier on this month, Microsoft revealed that it would be taking the wraps off DirectX 12 at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco this week, and true to its word, the software maker has delivered the goods. The landmark release, which offers several improvements to the graphics and gaming API, supports a plethora of the software maker’s major platforms, including the Xbox One, mobile, and of course, PC. Catch the full details right after the leap!
Android KitKat 4.4, introduced by Google late on last year, brought with it an abundance of useful features, but due to the fragmented nature of the ecosystem, not everybody on Android has been able to enjoy its numerous perks. In fact, only a very small fraction of the Droid-wielding faithful have tasted the chocolatey, delicious new flavor, but thanks to the dedication of a wider community, those on older firmware needn't miss out on all of the new features. The Immersive Mode, for example, turns the process of using any one of you favorite apps into a full-screen experience, and now, thanks to a third-party app, you don't need to be on KitKat 4.4 to take advantage.
After an extensive period of rumor and speculation leading up to the MWC announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S5, we're now on the cusp of its release. The device, which is expected to hit shelves on April 11th, packs a bunch of new perks, including a gold color configuration and fingerprint sensor, but there's more to the flagship device besides these rather showy features. To underline this point, the Korean electronics giant has released the Galaxy S5 Experience app, which allows those contemplating an upgrade to get a better idea and general feel of the device's various apps and services.
Twitter is today celebrating its eighth birthday, and to mark the occasion, has introduced a new feature allowing users to find their first ever tweet. As the regular Twitter users among you will know, going back in time through your feed can be a cumbersome experience, and often, going right back to the beginning requires the intervention of a third-party utility. No more, though, for the new tool not only lets you check your own very first Twitter musing, but will also track down the first tweet of any other user of The Twitters, and we think it's pretty cool.
Having announced the Moto 360 straight after Google showcased its new Android Wear OS, the company made a strong statement of intent as far as the smartwatch market is concerned. Not only does the former Google subsidiary wish to make its mark on this evolving area of mobile space by being among the first to release a wearable gadget running on Android Wear, but it has come up with a very attractive product in the process, and if you wish to check the Moto 360-ready version of the Android Wear OS, an APK has now surfaced that allows you to emulate the experience on your Android device.
