It's been rumored to be on the way for quite some time, but Google flicked the switch that sees YouTube's new paid channels go live. More details can be found right after the jump.
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.
BlueStacks, the company behind a series of apps allowing consumers to run Android apps on a variety of platforms, is about to stake a claim to the apparently lucrative microconsole gaming market, rivaling products such as the Kickstarter phenomenon that is the OUYA gaming console. Having seen just how quickly BlueStacks Android App Player has become a household name thanks to its ability to facilitate the running of Android titles on OS X, Windows and others, it was perhaps only a matter of time before the company looked to expand, and having seen how much hype the OUYA has generated in its short, crowd-funded life, has come up with an alternative device in the form of the GamePop.
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.
Hitherto, we have been under the impression that Apple would be offering its next smartphone release the "5S" moniker, following the same, 'tick-tock' release cycle as demonstrated over the course of the past few generations. However, new inventory listings sourced from UK carrier / retailer Vodafone suggest the device may make the jump to "iPhone 6," which, at least in theory, would bring a stronger array of changes than the "incremental" ones we had been expecting with the iPhone 5S.
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!
Apple's products are sometimes said to sell themselves, but sometimes they need a little help along the way. Showing products in the right light can be half the battle during the early days of a product's life cycle, and that's where a good photographer comes in. Apple has one of those, and he’s great, and has been interviewed in detail. Check out the video right after the jump.
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.
If there's one good metric showing what proportion of users are running a particular operating system, or which version thereof, then it's website statistics. Every time someone visits a website, all kinds of data is exchanged and one of the things logged by the server hosting the website is the operating system used, and which version. It's interesting stuff.
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.
