We first heard a few days back that Apple would begin an iPhone trade-in program around the time of the release of the next-gen handsets, a move designed to boost general sales of the device from the company's own retail stores rather than partners. Today, the service has come into full effect and now, consumers will be able to trade-in their old devices in part-exchange for a gleaming new handset.
The Moto X has gotten the smartphone industry just a little bit excited, no less because it's the first real collaborative effort between Google and Motorola since the search giant stumped up a whopping $12 billion to acquire its new subsidiary. The range of features, the (almost) pure Android experience, and the seemingly unlimited customization of the device's aesthetics have made it a real talking point, but since it has only been released in the United States, not many have yet been able to get their hands on it. To see how it copes with wear and tear, the guys at Phone Buff have given the device the hammer and knife treatment, and although not perhaps the kind of instruments any smartphone will encounter frequently, responsible shoppers will definitely want to check to see how the Moto X copes when put to the sword.
Android is a fantastic mobile operating system, and continues to become one of the biggest forces in mobile software out on the market. As is the nature of Android, everybody seems to want a slice. Whilst this means that we, as consumers, have a large product base to choose from, it also means we get lumbered with a huge amount of manufacturer bloatware. Without a doubt the worst feature of the Samsung Galaxy S4, in my opinion at least, happens to be the user experience that Samsung TouchWiz provides. HTC Sense 5 isn't any better either, and don't even get me started on Motorola's MOTOBLUR from some years back.
Samsung is busier than most when it comes to releasing new devices, but while the South Korean company offers dozens of smartphones and tablets, the main topic of conversation right now pertains a supposed smartwatch effort. The Twitter handle @evleaks, famed for getting hold of snaps and information about new products prior to their showcasing, has done it once more with the alleged Galaxy Gear smartwatch, releasing what appears to be a screen capture of the Android interface of the device's "Galaxy Management" companion app.
Although Instagram has taken the mobile world by storm over the past couple of years - enough so to prompt Facebook into shelling out a cool billion dollars to acquire it - Yahoo!-owned Flickr is a veteran of the photo-sharing game. It may not boast the kind of popularity of the app founded by Burbn Inc., but it does offer an altogether more full-on experience, rather than the simple crop-and-filter job offered by Instagram. Flickr's position as the true service of choice for photography lovers has been outlined once again today in an update for the iOS app, which now offers a very robust set of editing tools for pro and wannabe photographers alike. More details can be found after the break.
Despite the fact that BlackBerry looks in more than a spot of bother just now, the planned effort to bring the famed BlackBerry Messenger service, or BBM, to Android and iOS is still going ahead as planned. Whether owners of said devices actually require this impromptu resurrection of a dying brand - particularly in light of services like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger - remains to be seen, but by the looks of a new landing page on the Canadian arm of the company's website, the wait is almost over.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is almost here, and Rockstar Games, the developer-publisher of the popular franchise, is doing its level best to generate even more hype in anticipation of the September 17th launch than there already is. While naturally dismayed by the news that 40+ hours of the game's famed music content leaked online last week, the company's mission to feed Grand Theft Auto 5 fans plenty of teasers continues, and with several GTA 5 trailers of the title already having been released, including the GTA 5 online gameplay video, another official trailer of the lively Los Santos-based title has just been uploaded to YouTube.
With the third Samsung Galaxy Note almost upon us and LG having just revealed the gigantic Optimus G Pro, the phablet season has well and truly arrived. Nokia, one of the few companies yet to delve into the world of preposterously large smartphones (or tiny tablets, depending on your point of view), is rumored to be plotting its inaugural effort with the Lumia 1520, and today, an alleged snap of what appears to be a working unit has been spotted in the wild.
While much of the US is now 4G LTE-compliant, the UK is still in the preliminary stages, and on the eve of O2 and Vodafone's official 4G rollouts, network operator Three has taken the opportunity to announce its own plans for faster data. In a real turn up for the books, Three, a company renowned for going against the grain by being the only network to offer truly unlimited connection over 3G+, will be sticking to its favorable ethos for those currently subbed to those packages, meaning those enjoying uncapped data right now will be able to do so when 4G rolls out.
Yesterday, Apple TV added several new services to its roster, including the Disney Channel, VEVO and the Smithsonian Channel, among a plethora of others. Continuing in that vein, sports fans today get their fill with the news that WatchESPN's content - which was a part of Apple TV 5.3 update - has been expanded once more, brining both ESPNews and ESPN Deportes to the fore. With a wide selection of ESPN services already available through Apple TV even before this update, the Apple set-top is really growing in its appeal to the sports lovers, and with both ESPNews and ESPN Deportes also hitting the WatchESPN app for iOS, those on the iPhone and iPad can also join in the fun.
