Here at Redmond Pie HQ, we place a great deal of value on working hard and getting the job done. We would never condone frivolously boycotting your responsibilities and commitments in favor of pursuing some other kind of more interesting leisure activity. However, we do make a few exceptions to that rule, one of which is that it's actually alright if the leisure activity involves spending some extremely important alone time with the Xbox One and Xbox LIVE. We can't get you out of work or family commitments, but thankfully the Xbox Doctor’s Note service has you well and truly covered.
Samsung's extremely popular Galaxy S4 smartphone has been slightly relegated to the back of our minds in recent times. There's no denying that the South Korean company produced yet another premium piece of kit when the S4 was launched, however, subsequent iPhone 5s and Nexus 5 releases have not only overshadowed Samsung's flagship device but also made it look somewhat dated. With rumors already starting to circulate regarding next year's Galaxy S5 release, it was only a matter of time until something like this gorgeous next-generation Galaxy concept materialized.
The guys over at iFixit are at it again. After the detailed PlayStation 4 teardown, the team has now turned its attention towards Microsoft's Xbox One. After delighting gamers for a total of eight years, the fabulous Xbox 360 workhorse has now been retired to be replaced with the Xbox One, but what will the iFixit teardown specialists think of the Redmond company's latest hardware release? Although the clinical teardown operation is still a work in progress, the team has already found some great news for end-users that should make prolong the lifespan of the console, and an interesting fact on how the new console will avoid the red ring of death issue, which plagued the original 360 console.
Taking part in an impromptu FaceTime call is becoming an increasingly popular event during musical events. First we had Beyoncé taking an iPhone out of a fan’s hand and talking to her friend through FaceTime during one of her performances. Now we have the news that Nine Inch Nails’ frontman Trent Reznor invoked a FaceTime call with one of his friends during a show in Las Vegas. Although FaceTime itself is an extremely emotive way to communicate, the feeling was further heightened by the fact that the friend in question is currently suffering from terminal colon cancer.
Android users around the globe rejoiced when Google announced that an additional array of smartphones would be benefiting from the KitKat update in the "coming weeks". Google took their usual stance of not going into any great detail regarding when specific hardware would be able to get the upgrade but it seems that weeks will actually be more like months for HTC One owners. Not exactly the longest wait that Android owners have had to endure, but still not exactly ideal for those itching to experience Android at its finest.
We've already spoken about our high hopes for what Apple's iBeacon may turn into and we've made no bones about the fact that it may be the best kept secret of iOS 7, considering it got little to no press when the mobile operating system launched a couple of months ago. It seems that some people were paying attention though, and hot on the heels of Major League Baseball's decision to trial iBeacon at ball parks, department store Macy's is also putting Apple's location aware technology through its paces at some of its own stores.
Tweetbot may be best known for its presence on iOS thanks to it being possibly the most popular Twitter app on the platform, but what some may forget is that Tweetbot has also got a home on the Mac after Tapbots brought the popular app across to the desktop. It's been chugging along nicely ever since, and today received a sizeable update that brings one or two features that will be useful to anyone who happens to be using OS X Mavericks 10.9.
Microsoft's "Scroogled" campaign, a series of ads that takes on Google's products and services regarding policies and privacy, has been running for around a year now, and today, the company has taken things up a notch or two by making Scroogled memorabilia available over at the the Microsoft Store. Ranging from mugs to items of clothing bearing the Scroogled mantra, it seems that the software maker's smear campaign is far from over, and if you happen to be an advocate of the movement, now you can even have yourself a (lousy) t-shirt.
Sony is currently in the process of bringing a little additional joy to PlayStation 4 owners by rolling out its 1.51 firmware. An earlier post on the PlayStation blog had teased about the imminent release of the updated firmware claiming that it would be available "later today". Now that the time has arrived, Sony has flipped the switch of pushing the required update to PS4 consoles.
Apple's iOS Newsstand app has been around since iOS 5, and ever since, there has been much rumor and speculation pertaining Google's alternative effort. During the past couple of weeks, reports have increased considerably, with a general feeling that a release would be imminent. Today, the time has come for the app to make its official debut over at the Play Store, and naturally, it also signals the demise of the now obsolete Play Magazines and Currents apps. Details, as ever, can be found after the break.
