Smartphones and tablets, while often lambasted for their lack of durability in dealing with those everyday mishaps, certainly appear to be getting stronger as we saunter on through the generations. But perhaps some of today's revered gadgets are, in fact, a lot more robust than we'd give them credit for, and in the case of one Apple iPad that inadvertently found itself in a head-on collision with an automobile, the device actually seemed to come off better than the car itself. The owner of the iPad in question accidentally drove off while leaving the Apple slate atop the roof of their car, but as it flew off and towards the vehicle behind, the impact left the device embedded within the bumper.
With services such as Instagram and Facebook being so popular, it's strange to think that before the day of the smartphone and its umpteen megapixel cameras, we used to place images in physical photo albums and flick through them from time-to-time. Although times have changed considerably in the photography industry, plenty still regard actual photos and albums as part of the 'real' experience, and as such, we've seen a growing number of apps offer the shipping of images on canvas, in a frame, and even on fridge magnets. KeepShot for iPad is another following a similar trend, and allows you to easily create your own Photo Book in-app which is then subsequently shipped right to your door.
Smartphones are supposed to make our lives easier, and although, in some cases, the opposite is true, apps and ecosystems are progressively becoming more seamless and automated as time goes on. Whereas once upon a time, we'd have to turn our Wi-Fi off whenever we left the house, and remember to turn it back on when we arrived, things seem to take care of themselves. With that theme in mind, Bluetooth and Wifi Unlocker seeks to make your Android-using experience just that little bit less taxing by automatically unlocking your device when connected to a recognized Bluetooth or Wi-Fi device.
Further to the earlier reports from an analyst that the next-gen iPhone could arrive with as many as three different sizes of display, Japanese blog Macotakara has also waded into the debate, suggesting the so-called "iPhone 5S" may retail in three colorways. Citing a trusted source, the report alludes to a third color joining the current black and white variants, although doesn't offer an insight as to what this color might be.
Spring is here, and the analysts are out in force with all kinds of predictions and estimations pertaining to Apple's upcoming major products. According to a series of previous reports, Apple's one-per-year iPhone release cycle could be finally breached in 2013, with many reckoning the Cupertino company to be readying two separate devices. This sentiment has been echoed today by Topeka Capital's Brian White, who believes the device will retail in "at least" two different screen sizes, in a move said to help counteract the vast range of choice offered by Android-powered handsets.
Like many jailbreakers, one of the very first tweaks I install upon jailbreaking a device for the first time is SBSettings. Its effortless toggling of any and every major setting within iOS is a commodity that cannot be enjoyed at stock level, but it's certainly something quite a few of us would love to see right off the bat. Designer Ran Avni certainly seems to concur, and has dared to dream with a very elegant design bringing toggles for alarm, orientation, Wi-Fi and others right to the home / lock screen.
Google's Play entertainment store has lost 60,000 apps from its roster since last month, in what appears to be a move to combat widespread spam and low-quality apps. As reported by TechCrunch, it looks as though the vast majority of this mass cull didn't abide by Google's anti-spam policies, and were subsequently taken away. Although it's likely some of that number were pulled by the developers behind them, the disproportionately high figure of removed apps suggests the Play Store has been subject to the search giant's spring cleaning.
The Google Play Store app for Android has just been updated, and features a brighter, card-based interface from which users can more easily source new content. For a long time, the Play Store has presented Droidsters with a decidedly dark look, but the lighter aesthetic really helps accentuate the card-based theme, and the official rollout is now underway.
Since last year, Google Glass has taken the tech world abuzz as the next big innovation in mobile technology. These glasses, when worn, allow users to carry out tasks that are currently only possible on smartphones, all through an augmented reality layer placed on the user’s eyesight. If you have been wondering how this technology actually works under the hood, a German artist has put together an infographic that clearly illustrated the inner workings of this new futuristic device.
One of the primary advantages Android users have over their iOS-using peers, is the ability to install countless widgets. Whereas the iOS home screen isn’t particularly customizable without a jailbreak, the same department of any two random droids can look worlds apart thanks to the wonder of widgetry. It’s not all just about the look, of course, since these widgets can be effective sources of information / controls, and so it would stand to reason, then, that we may want to use them at anytime, and from within any app. Overlays, created by a veteran member of the XDA-Developers forums , does exactly that, and with plenty of options and features within the app itself, it’s a must-have for anybody with a staunch reliance on widgets. More details and the oh-so important download link can be found right after the jump.
