OS X Mavericks brought with it a great blend of new feature additions mixed perfectly with enough power-saving ability to make the operating system a great option for Apple's desktop and notebook using consumers. However, with the initial seed of a new OS there is always going to be a few bugs that managed to slip through the pre-release controlled beta test. If you are one of those perturbed users who has been experiencing some difficulties with the native Mavericks Mail app working alongside a Gmail email account, then hopefully today's Mavericks update will offer up a solution to those woes.
The Galaxy S and Galaxy Note line of smartphone / phablet have both been very successful for Samsung, but while they are both a couple of the mobile industry's most powerful devices, neither of their cameras are particularly awe-inspiring. The Korean company, it has been reported, will looking to atone for this issue with next year's flagships, and just this week during its analyst day, Samsung confirmed that the cameras of the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 will be significantly improved.
We are now dangerously close to the official launch of the PlayStation 4, and although we've a fairly good idea of the games that will be available from the get-go, it has taken a while for Sony to reveal some of the apps. Today, the wait is finally over, with the Japanese company having outlined eleven confirmed apps for the console on launch day. We'd expect many to arrive shortly thereafter, but with the likes of Netflix, Hulu Plus and more ready for prime time, those looking to kick back with some streaming content will not be left unattended to.
Star Wars: Tiny Death Star first made its debut a couple of weeks ago in Australia, and after some delay, has now gotten its release for iOS and Android in the United States. The title, which does get the LucasArts stamp of official approval, has been created as a collaborative effort between Disney Mobile and Nimblebit, and if you're a fan of Star Wars and would like to enjoy an 8-bit epic based upon the legendary sci-fi franchise, then look no further than Star Wars: Tiny Death Star.
Of the next-gen console launch titles, Battlefield 4 is - along with Call of Duty: Ghosts - the one that gamers are perhaps most looking forward to enjoying on the new hardware. As the gaming faithful continues to make decisions regarding whether to get the PlayStation 4 or the Xbox One, it does appear that Battlefield 4 fans will be getting some exciting Kinect integration should they choose the Microsoft console. The new and improved motion sensor will allow Battlefield 4 players to perform real-life, real-time peeking and leaning throughout, as well as using its voice detection feature to process voice commands.
It's commonplace for tech companies to mock competitors in ad campaigns, although in the mobile industry, it's usually between arch-rivals Samsung and Apple. The Cupertino company has today bore the brunt of some ribbing from a different source, though, with Amazon's new Kindle Paperwhite ad taking a not-so-subtle pop at Apple's iPad. Since, as we learned just yesterday, the Kindle Fire HDX can more than hold its own against the new iPad Air (read: display is far superior), perhaps Amazon has a little lee-way to sound off, and although this compares the Paperwhite's readability versus the iPad, it does seem as though Amazon is emerging as a real force in tablet circles.
Pebble's Smartwatch is credited with kicking of the current smartwatch boom. Having taken off on crowdfunding site Kickstarter and yielded the backing of over 80,000 interested parties, some of the bigger names in the tech game have rumored to be joining the fray, but while Samsung's Galaxy Gear remains the only fruitful release thus far, the Pebble continues to cement its place as market leader. As part of a significant update to the wearable gadget and its accompanying apps, Pebble has announced some key updates to the corresponding iOS app, as well as support for gesture-based controls.
Both of Apple's major operating systems - iOS for mobile and OS X for Mac - have been the subject of heavy updates these past couple of months. The introduction of iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks has meant that many apps, including the iWork family of utilities, have been altered rather significantly. But while some have been pleased with the changes made to the Cupertino company's famed productivity suite, which consists of Keynote, Numbers and Pages, many of the purists have been bemused with the apparent decision to omit some long-standing key features. As ever, they've been inundating the Support Forums with their complaints, to the point at which Apple has now announced some of the important features and changes to be made to iWork in the near future.
Call of Duty has come under scrutiny in recent years, with critics quick to point out that each new version is merely a rehash of the previous, and that Infinity Ward / Activision is simply milking what has certainly become something of a cash cow, and the $1 billion made in 24-hours is there to prove it. But now, as YouTube user satantribal has pointed out, there may be a great deal of truth in this claim, since it looks as though the same cut-scene from Modern Warfare 2 has been reused with the all-new Call of Duty: Ghosts. A side-by-side video clip from both titles has been thrown together by the YouTuber that you can check out below, although it'd be a little cruel on some if we didn't throw in a customary spoiler alert.
The excitement around the launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One is beginning to reach fever pitch. The two consoles are all set to go head-to-head with one another for holiday shopping season supremacy, but for a lot of us the real delight is going to be in the gaming titles that will accompany the console hardware.
