The announcement of Steve Ballmer's retirement and the multi-billion dollar acquisition of Nokia has managed to keep the roller-coaster ride - that is modern Microsoft - ticking along nicely. Today brings some fresh and positive news regarding the Windows operating system. Microsoft's latest iteration of Windows will be officially launching around the world on October 18th, but customers can make sure they get Windows 8.1 at the earliest opportunity with pre-orders of the OS now available.
Apple has managed to pull off the recent introduction of iOS 7 without too many issues. The initial traffic from user downloads managed to cause a small amount of server downtime in the first few hours of availability, but other than that, it has been relatively plain sailing for the Californian giants. It's probably unreasonable to expect that a major overhaul of an operating system would launch without any service affecting bugs at all, and those iOS 7 converts who have been experiencing iMessage related issues should soon see a permanent fix winging its way to their device through an over-the-air update.
U.S. president Barack Obama has, in a live address discussing the shutting down of the government, compared downtime and site issues with Obamacare and healthcare.gov to the launch of a new Apple product. Whenever the fruit company does release a new gadget - particularly when said gadget just so happens to be an iPhone - the Apple site tends to grind to a halt, with the frenzy of shoppers flocking to stores causing all manner of disturbance besides.
It's well known that Samsung has a pretty sizeable budget for purpose of marketing and advertising, and with the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear smartwatch having recently been announced and subsequently released worldwide, the Korean outfit will doubtlessly be putting some of that vast wad to good use. The ball is already rolling with the first major ad for these two major releases, and in a break from convention, features some strange, borderline creepy puppets. Check it out after the break!
Our mobile devices enable to complete all manner of tasks we'd never have even dreamt possible just a few years back, and although we're not quite at the stage where our smartphones can drive our cars for us, a new app called TireCheck allows you to gauge the pressure of your car's tires in a convenient fashion. With a ready estimate of how much money you're throwing away by rolling around with under-inflated tires, the app will compel you to take the appropriate action while also saving you a pretty penny in the process.
New smartphones hit the market every couple of weeks nowadays, and although a large portion of them tend to be run-of-the-mill, some of the mobile industry's big companies like to make a bit of a statement with certain releases. This year, Samsung has done exactly that with the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3, both of which feature, among many other things, a new-look, intuitive lock screen. Unless you're in ownership of either of the Korean company's marquee releases, it's likely you've simply been admiring from afar, but thanks to the admirable work of the folks at XDA-Developers, you can enjoy this neat little feature on your own device.
If you're an Android fan who is eagerly awaiting the release of the next-generation Nexus smartphone, then prepare yourself to feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The latest image that we are seeing flying around the web could potentially be the clearest and best quality leak of the device that we have seen to date and pretty much shows us exactly what's in store for the Nexus 5 - at least aesthetically.
Seldom does a new release of any software pass without a few teething issues, and iOS 7 has been no different. With a few lock screen security problems having been fixed with the minor iOS 7.0.2 update last week, some users have been reporting of their iTunes Store app crashing since updating from iOS 6. Luckily, there are some fairly painless fixes available, and you can check the details after the break!
Emoji emoticons can, so long as they're not used to excess, be an enhancing feature of a text-based conversation, and although Android's open-source nature means it's rather easy to add third-party emoji packs at the drop of a hat, things aren't so straightforward on iOS. Luckily, as with previous iterations, there's a hidden emoji feature within iOS 7, and while most obscured treasures tend to require a jailbreak before they can be used by the masses, this one takes seconds to uncover on a stock device.
iOS 7 may have already made its ceremonious entry into the market, and save a couple of complaints about vertigo and motion sickness thanks to the new animations, the vast majority of consumers have adapted well to the new software.
