2014 is shaping up quite nicely as The Year of the Smartwatch, and with Samsung already having announced the Gear 2 and Gear Fit at last month's Mobile World Congress, we're expecting at least two of the mobile industry's other big names to follow suit in the coming months. As well as the Apple 'iWatch,' which has been referenced in numerous leaks and concepts running back a few years now, Google also rumored to be developing a smartwatch of its own. Today, for the first time, we've an insight into its purported specifications.
Back in December, we got word that FOX would be teaming up with TinyCo to develop the very first official mobile game for the long-running series Family Guy. Having been on our screens for so many years, it would seem strange that an animation of Family Guy's stature hasn't been handed its very own title before now, but for fans of Seth MacFarlane's iconic comedy show, the teasing screen captures released on Thursday are sure to whet the appetite.
CarPlay, a term Apple uses to describe its all-new, in-car operating system, was showcased heavily last week at the Geneva Motor Show by the likes of Volvo and Ferrari. Since then, we've seen the Cupertino company drop iOS 7.1, bringing official CarPlay support to the iPhone, and with most of the pieces now seemingly in place, we're just waiting on the manufacturers to come through with the release of compatible automobiles. But while it has seemed, hitherto, like users would probably have to buy a new car in order to take advantage of CarPlay, Pioneer may be poised to develop CarPlay integration for upcoming systems, as well as those already installed.
Apple's AirPlay is one of the more prominent examples of Apple's 'it just works' ecosystem and is arguably the best reason to own an Apple TV. Being able to take audio and video from an iOS device and throw it over to a big-screen TV or audio system is the thing of dreams, and the fact it works so well just adds to the mystique.
A report we featured a short while ago, which alluded to cloud-focused, mobile versions of both TextEdit and Preview, indicated that Apple is planning on making some big changes to the way devices interact with iOS 8. Following on from those earlier tidbits, a newly-leaked screenshot on China's Sina Weibo appears to further substantiate the claims that the two apps are in development, showing off their icons along with a further Healthbook app and a Tips icon.
One of the trade-offs of remaining on a pre-iOS 7.1 release, which many have done in order to preserve their jailbreak, is that, of course, you don't get to enjoy the various new features that Apple has thrown in with the update. However, seasoned developer Ryan Petrich has sought to offer jailbreak fiends a taster of what's new by releasing an iOS 7.1-ified calendar tweak by the name of Gregorian.
Apple may have only recent announced CarPlay - formerly iOS in the Car - but there's already plenty of positive news for the Cupertino based company. A number of high profile manufacturers have already committed themselves to integrating Apple's tech in their vehicles this year, and it looks like that list is set to continually grow as time passes. Toyota, the world's largest car manufacturer based on sales volume, has confirmed via an official blog post that it will introduce vehicles with Apple CarPlay compatibility.
It's not the first time that it has happened, but that doesn't make it any less humorous when a celebrity's smartphone endorsement backfires. After all, we all like it when giants fall, do we not?
It has only taken the best part of 18 months, but VideoLAN has finally come through on its promise to tailor its famed VLC media player for users of Microsoft Windows 8 / 8.1. Finely tuned for seamless integration with the tiled interface, VLC for Windows 8 is now available to download, although unfortunately for Windows RT users, the RT edition is not quite ready.
Here's how you can calibrate your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch battery for maximum performance. A complete step-by-step on how to do so can be found here.
