As has been well-documented since the announcement of the Galaxy S4, yes - it is made from plastic; that's been established, that's a given. But while the plastic exterior may place it below the likes of the iPhone 5 and HTC One in the minds of those looking for a handset of superior build quality, it doesn't necessarily make the Galaxy S4 cheaper to build. In fact, while many have accused Samsung of "scrimping" on the outer shell, the Korean company actually spends more per handset than Apple does with the iPhone 5 - a testament once again to just how much high-spec hardware is packed into the latest and greatest Galaxy S revision.
Seeking to find brand new Apple products at a cut-price is a very difficult game to be involved in, but in a rare glimmer of hope for those trying to save a little of that hard-earned cash, Best Buy is running a series of deals on the MacBook Air as a Mother's Day special. Some specifications of the ultra-slender notebook have been dropped by as much as $100, and with a further $25 saved by entering the code MOM25, you might even be able to treat your mom (or yourself..) to a shiny new MacBook Air this Mother's Day.
Nokia's success depends very much on the Windows Phone platform it has leant so heavily on these past couple of years, and having ditched its own Symbian software in favor of the pretty, if still emerging Microsoft mobile operating system, it stands to reason that the continued promotion of WP8 is as much the Finnish outfit's responsibility as it is Redmond company's. To help keep Lumia smartphones ticking over when connecting to the mains is not an option, Nokia has thrown together a rather beautiful portable charger, which notably, takes the shape of a Windows (Phone) 8 Live Tile.
The majority of the technology conference talk might be currently centered around Apple's WWDC 2013, and the goodies that it might bring, but we shouldn't be forgetting about the annual Google I/O event that begins on May 15th. To celebrate the fact that the doors of the Moscone will be imminently opening, Google has pushed out some fairly significant updates to the official I/O conference app for Android devices.
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.
