Custom home launchers allow Android users to really customize their device's home screen beyond stock, and although there are many out there, only a dozen or so are regarded among the elite. It is without question that Apex Launcher must be considered a part of that group, and today developer Android Does has brought in some interesting improvements and enhancements in bumping the popular home screen alternative up to version 2.0. As you would expect from a point zero update, there are plenty goodies thrown into the bag, including, most notably, deep integration with Apex Notifier. Details after the break!
A couple of days back, we learned that nightly builds of CyanogenMod 10.1 for Galaxy S4 had become available to those owning the aforementioned mighty device. Such has been the work ethic of the CyanogenMod team, that today, CM10.1 has gotten release candidate for select devices. As long-time users will know, the release candidate is the version dropped prior to the final release, and so provided no major issues are found here, it's fair to presume that an official, final release of CM10.1 may not be too far off.
Facebook's first foray into the Android modding world, Facebook Home for Android, has caused something of a stir in the smartphone world. It has led some people to rave about an otherwise mediocre handset in the HTC First, and it has even caused one jailbreak tweak to be launched that brings Home-liked Chat Heads to iOS.
After a bit of a rollercoaster ride last year with the constant developments in the Apple vs. Samsung cases, the fire looks to be reigniting just in time for the summer. Although the two tech titans are at loggerheads in several different cases being fought across the world, the main battle is being contested near Apple's home turf in San Jose, California, and in accusing Google of improperly withholding potentially incriminating information, the Cupertino-based company has requested that Judge Paul S. Grewal forces the Big G to hand over source code information pertaining its flagship mobile OS.
Although many of us treat our smartphones and tablets as consumption devices for gaming, watching movies and reading books, they are also vital hubs of information, reference and productivity. When planning the day ahead, it's always nice to be able to check the weather at a glance, but often, I find, apps and widgets don't always update as they should, and even if they do seem to be in sync with the present time, they only offer vague coverage of the surrounding town or city.
It's no secret that Apple and Samsung are far from the best of friends. In fact, it's fair to say that they don't like each other at all, one bit, which is probably why Samsung's entire advertising campaign for any new smartphone seems to revolve around bashing the iPhone more than bigging up the latest and greatest from South Korea, see the latest Galaxy S4 TV ads, for example.
Nokia has sought to address the shortcomings and limitations of the Windows Phone platform by packing immensely good cameras into its high-end devices, and the fact that the Lumia 920's snapper is still widely considered the best in the business is a testament to that fact. Nokia's so-called 'PureView' technology with OIS is back for another round in the upcoming Lumia 928 handset, which looks a modest refresh on the current flagship, and to show you just how good the 928's shooter is, Nokia has put together a little comparison video pitting the camera against that of the Samsung Galaxy S III and Apple's iPhone 5 in low lighting conditions.
It may have only been a number of days since Apex Dev Team launched Velox for iPhone tweak into the jailbreak world, but it seems that it has already been accepted as one of the best and popular tweaks we have seen in a long while. Adding swipe gestures onto native app icons with the intention of bringing additional functionality into a folder window is obviously an extremely good idea. So good in fact that it has already started inspiring developers to build add-ons for Velox which offers functionality that doesn't exist with a standard installation of the tweak.
The Galaxy S4 may have only just been released by Samsung, but already, the Korean outfit appears to be planning a whole host of spin-off versions of its flagship handset. As with last year's release of the S III, which eventually spawned a multitude of different variants, Samsung is looking to widen the appeal of the Galaxy S4 with a sparse line-up. Following in the footsteps of the already-speculated Galaxy S4 Mini and a further, waterproof / dustproof model, SamMobile reports that the company is preparing a Galaxy S4 Zoom, complete with a 16-megapixel camera.
Windows 8 is far from long in the tooth, but that hasn't stopped Microsoft from getting the ball rolling on the next release of its ever popular operating system. Windows 8.1, codenamed Windows Blue, is penciled in for a release later this year, with testing still ongoing inside Microsoft.
