Apparently, a certain Jeff Williams got his hands today on a used Nexus 4 from a Googler – which was purportedly running Android 4.3. What was immediately discarded as a hoax turned out to be true just hours later, when certain individuals well-versed with Android helped Jeff get a system dump of the build that was there on his Nexus 4. From there, it was merely a matter of minutes to reach to a point where anyone with a Nexus 4 can play around with the “leaked” build and experience Android 4.3 before official release.
One of the biggest challenges faced with using a Windows Phone device is the lack of customization options. The operating system is beautifully designed, there’s no denying that, but there’s pretty much nothing that you can do to spice up your Windows Phone experience. In Microsoft’s OEM partners, Nokia remains the only one that has had any luck changing some aspects of the operating system, but only within certain limits. Now, it seems that independent developers have taken it upon themselves to come up with concept apps that could actually serve as a guideline for Microsoft (or Nokia, for that matter) to understand how it’s properly done. Meet Nokia sWiPe, a new app debuted for free on the Windows Phone store that vitalizes the concept of a notification center on Windows Phone, as well as borrowing certain features from the likes of MeeGo. More past the jump.
It has long since been rumored that the next-gen iPhone may include a fingerprint sensor on the Home button, but a new Apple patent published today suggests it could in fact be integrated into the device's display. Every new iPhone must have its marquee feature, and with the fingerprint sensor set to take this weight upon its shoulders this time around, it would seem Apple has been hard at work preparing the implementation for prime time.
If this post makes next to no sense, we apologize in advance, but we're sure you'll forgive us just this once when you realize why. See, we've just learned that VideoLAN is set to bring VLC player for iOS back to the App Store, and as if that wasn't already great news in itself, here's the kicker; it's coming back tomorrow.
Microsoft is well known for throwing out deals to entice users into long-term adoption of its flagship products, so it should come as no surprise to see the Redmond outfit use a free Xbox LIVE subscription as leverage for those signing up to Office 365. The productivity suite has been the subject of heavy promotion of late, and if you were tempted to subscribe to Office 365, you now have twelve more reasons to go ahead and take advantage.
The HTC One has been a true competitor in the high-end Android game these past few months, but since it also has a high price to suit its stature and quality of build, not all fans have been able to run out and make the purchase. If you've been sold by the One's design but don't want or need such a high caliber of smartphone, you may be interested in the HTC One mini, which after umpteen rumors, has just been officially announced by the Taiwanese company.
The thing about Android that I love and appreciate the most is the fact that almost every area of the OS is customizable, all the way from the appearance and outlook to the actual working of the device, down to CPU speed and voltage controls. That said, there is always, almost invariably, room for “something more”. We have the ability to set custom DPI values for individual apps thanks to ROMs like Paranoid Android, allowing the user to experience a tablet UI on a phone with an abnormally large screen. Why not have more for individual apps as well?
As a continuing sign that Google means business when it comes to getting the best experience for its products onto iOS, the search giant and social network has today offered up a sizeable update to one of its most popular apps for the iPhone and iPad; Google Chrome.
Newly leaked photos appear to show the budget iPhone's rear shells alongside a colorful iPhone 5 for comparison. More details can be found right after the jump.
Whenever a big company announces an impromptu special event, chins begin wagging as to what products or services said company will be bringing to the table. With the incessant talk of a follow up to the ASUS-manufactured Nexus 7 arriving soon, it's more than likely the Android community will begin talking and speculating about its possible announcement this time next week.
