The rare, fully operational Apple-1 we reported as going to auction earlier on this month has just gone under the hammer, and in news that will certainly stun the vast majority of the technology world, has managed to fetch a whopping $671,400.
Samsung may have only just got the Galaxy S4 out the door, and recently we've seen leaks of the Galaxy S4 mini, but it seems that the company has more new toys to show us after invites went out for a 'Samsung Premiere 2013 event.' More details can be found right after the jump.
iPhone’s similar home screen, which hasn’t changed much aesthetically since the very first generation, can get pretty boring very quickly, and the ability to theme the home screen to your liking remains one of the top reasons for a lot of people to jailbreak their iDevice. Thankfully, Android doesn’t natively suffer the same limitation, and even if you don’t have root access on your Android smartphone or tablet, the variety and sheer number of home launcher replacement apps available in the Play Store is enough to keep one busy for quite a while. We keep experiencing new launchers that come to our notice every now and then, and ones that we find worthy, we bring to our readers’ notice. Well, here’s one that I personally loved, going by the name of Smart Launcher in the Google Play Store.
Samsung today accidentally gave the world a sneak peak at a smartphone that we've all pretty much known was on the way, and that phone is the much talked about Galaxy S4 mini.
One of the highlights of Google's I/O, particularly for those with an affinity to Samsung-made devices, was the news that a variant of the flagship Galaxy S4 would be arriving on stock Android, bypassing all the crap additional extras Samsung likes to bundle therein. Now, rumor has it that HTC could be planning a similar move with its flagship ‘One’ smartphone, which currently ships with an overlay of bloatware including Sense 5 and the divisive BlinkFeed. The report, if true, would certainly appease the purists who like a 'clean slate' of Android when they purchase a new device, and given how unconfirmed sales figures have placed the HTC One in a strong position against the Korean company's latest and greatest (selling one unit for every two Galaxy S4s), it's a move that would help the Taiwanese vendor keep tabs on its strongest rival.
Microsoft has really sought to change the way consumers go about computing by bringing products like the Surface to market, as part of a wider plan to help the world adjust to its vastly reshuffled Windows 8 interface. To help make the transition to the Windows 8 product line just that little bit easier, the software maker has been continually offering bespoke products and peripherals designed especially for the job, such as the Wedge Touch Mouse and Keyboard announced last year. Today, the Redmond is back with some equally interesting accessories; a new "Sculpt" range of mice sporting their own Windows Start buttons.
Google I/O was expected to play host to the grand unveiling of Android 4.3, but despite a number of key announcements pertaining to the search giant's flagship ecosystem, the next version of Android remained firmly off the agenda. Following the news (or lack thereof), many sources then went along with the story that Android 4.3 release date could be set somewhere around summer this year, and today, that notion has been offered a degree of legitimacy with the sighting of the bumped software running on an LG-manufactured Google Nexus 4.
Google may be all set to bet the bank on Google Glass, but all the rumors suggest that Apple is set to come up with its own wearable technology, but not of the spectacled variety. If all the analysts are right, then Apple is set to announce a watch based on iOS. If they're really right, then it'll be an iWatch.
Although many key details pertaining to Apple's forthcoming iOS 7 remain under wraps, one seemingly certain alteration will be the removal of the skeuomorphic elements that have been a hallmark of the fruit company's mobile operating system from the get-go. Jony Ive is said to be heavily involved in revamping the look and feel of iOS this time around, and with former iOS Senior Vice President Scott Forstall now out of the picture, the Cupertino's lead hardware designer now has free reign on the software side of things, too. In addition to the deluge of reports we've seen and heard recently regarding the supposed flatness of iOS 7, sources in the know have informed 9to5Mac that iOS 7 will be, and I quote, “black, white, and flat all over.”
Widgets make the world a better place, and luckily for those on Android, the Play Store is awash with them. Depending on which apps and features of a device you use most commonly, tailoring one or a number of home screens to your exact requirements is very easy thanks to the multitude of accompanying widgets available.
