It has been well documented that neither Samsung's Galaxy S4 nor its 'phablet' Note 3 have exactly surpassed expectations in terms of reception and sales figures, when compared to its direct rivals out in the market, of course. Many have complained that both series have become stale and in need of some rejuvenation, but as the Korean outfit prepares the S5 and Note 4 for release at some point next year, there's a little treat for those in ownership of the Galaxy Note 3. For current owners and those planning to purchase the larger-than-life handset, the company behind it is offering $50 of Play Store credit to load up on goodies, and although it does happen to be one of the priciest devices on the market, fifty bucks for apps, games, music and such is still a pretty decent offer.
Mobile processors have improved dramatically over the past five or so years, and it's now not uncommon for some of the top-end smartphones to boast the kind of power usually seen in notebooks. Qualcomm has been a major influencer of this effort to bring more power to our pockets, and following on from the announcement of its Snapdragon 800 SoC earlier on this year, the company has just taken the wraps off its successor - the Snapdragon 805. While the number change implies meager tweaks and upgrades, it brings the interesting advancement of by way of support for the Ultra-HD standard, potentially paving the way for 4K smartphones and tablets in the next couple of years.
Following hot on the heels to recent updates to its iBooks, iTunes U and Find My friends apps, Apple has released its very first version of the Apple Store app designed specifically for iPad. Some Apple aficionados will feel that the launch of an iPad variant of the popular shopping app is entirely overdue, others will be of the opinion that it has arrived just in time for the festive holiday shopping season. Regardless of public opinion, Apple can be extremely proud of this latest release as it features a gorgeous minimalist design that provides a seamless shopping experience to users.
LG's decision to design, manufacture and release a smartphone with a curved display may seem like nothing more than a gimmick to some consumers. But LG themselves will understand that the existence of a curved display on the G Flex is initially nothing more than a novelty, but while it doesn't bring any real substance to the device the same can't be said for the self-healing properties of the rear case. One of our biggest fears of smartphone ownership is scratching it almost instantly. Thankfully, it seems as though LG has eradicated that issue with the G Flex, which as the video shows, can even recover from a malicious knife gash.
Back when Google announced its new Nexus 5 smartphone, the company promised that fans of the device would be able to pick up two rather important accessories sooner rather than later. Both of those accessories can now be ordered from the Google Play Store, meaning those wanting to pick up either a wireless charging station or one of Google's bumper cases can now spend to their heart's content.
Mobile gaming is slowly but surely moving away from dedicated gaming devices and towards multipurpose ones like tablets and smartphones, which is born out by the fact that the top apps across stores like the App Store and Google Play tend to be of the gaming variety. There's only one problem with playing what some would call 'proper' games on a small, touch-based device though and that's the fact that there's not tactile feel or more simply, no buttons. Depending on the kind of game being played, that may or may not be an issue.
Google Glass goes through good and bad spells. Sometimes Google's wearable technology is front and center, very much in the limelight and showing us all where computers of tomorrow may take us. Other times, Glass feels like something of an afterthought, or perhaps Google's hobby rather than something that it truly believes will be the future of how we receive information when on the move. Today is very much the former, with Google offering developers a sneak peek at its Glass software development kit, called the Glass Development Kit, or GDK.
Apple has finally updated its Find My Friends app for iOS, bringing with it a brand new and refreshed look for iOS 7. More details and download link can be found right here.
If there's one thing people like to do, it's compare sales metrics for smartphones. Potentially one of the best ways to ascertain just how well a device is selling when compared with its peers, average selling prices show just how willing buyers are to pay substantial amounts of money in order to get their fingers on the latest and greatest technology from their manufacturer of choice.
Sony's PlayStation 4 finally released last Friday, and since, early adopters have been getting to grips with the market's first next-gen console. The Xbox One is incoming, and whilst some remain on the fence regarding which to go out and purchase, one of the key advantages the PS4 has - save being more powerful and already available - is the fact that costs $100 less than its forthcoming adversary. A teardown of the PlayStation 4 suggests, however, that Sony is making very little - if any - money on the new console, with research firm IHS estimating that it costs $381 to build.
