At last week's I/O dev conference, Google made a whole host of announcements, among them a potentially Spotify-killing update to its Music service. Named "Google Play Music All Access," the new streamer boasts an impressive catalog of tunes right off the bat, but as is typically the case for fledgling Google products, it remains available only to Android users at this moment in time. But, as is often the case in these circumstances, a workaround has been created for those on Apple's iOS, so if you're rocking an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and were looking for a peek at All Access Music, a recent update to the popular gMusic app will enable you to realize your dreams.
It may have taken twelve months from announcement to reality, but Microsoft's Surface Pro has finally gone on sale in the UK today. Microsoft announced a few weeks ago that a collection of countries would see the Surface Pro arrive by the end of May. Today, it was the UK's turn and Microsoft is celebrating by devoting the company's UK website's home page to the new tablet.
Historically, PC gamers have lauded it over their console playing counterparts, claiming that their hugely expensive graphics cards are light-years ahead of the latest and greatest console hardware. It's the way it's always been, and it's made it possible for some truly impressive PC gaming graphics.
Microsoft has really been on the offensive over the past few weeks in the tablet world, having taken a series of swipes at Apple's iPad in an attempt to rejuvenate the Surface's flagging start in the Cupertino-dominated market. With the company chairman, co-founder and former CEO Bill Gates having already stepped out recently to note of the iPad's frustrating interface, the Redmond company is currently running an ad campaign in an attempt to point out the exact reasons why consumers should choose Windows 8 tablets over iPad. Just a short while ago, we saw the Windows maker use Apple's Siri voice recognition software to poke fun at the market leader, and following on from that is another ad showing just how much more productive one can be when using Windows.
Keeping our smartphones charged up for when we need them most is something we're always considering, subconsciously or otherwise. As such, the third-party accessory market makes an absolute killing in flogging docks, retractable cables, charging mats, juice packs, and other such products. Considering there are so many different types of charging accessories available, you might have thought the scope for innovation in this field was somewhat limited, but iLoveHandles' "Trunk" Lightning cable for the iPhone 5 proves this not to be the case.
Whenever a landmark title emerges after a lengthy wait, those responsible for developing and publishing the game in question often extend their efforts for those die-hard fans whose lives have been on hold in the weeks, months and years prior to the release. Avid fans have had a bit of a turbulent experience all told, with a bunch of awe-inspiring teaser clips and images leading to the disappointment of GTA 5 release date getting a Spring-to-September push-back. Still, undeterred, GTA 5 evangelists only have a couple of months left before the game is released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and in advance of this, Rockstar Games has revealed some interesting details pertaining to the Special Edition and Collectors Edition packages.
Microsoft has set about spending its huge advertising budget by launching a new TV ad that uses Apple's Siri to compare Windows 8 on tablets with Apple's iOS on an iPad. The ad, which also feels oddly like one of Apple's own, even features the Siri voice we've all come to know over the last couple of years.
It's quickly becoming a case of another day, another iOS 7 concept, and aside from the supposed flatness, improvements to Maps and recently revealed integration with social hunts such as Vimeo and Flickr, precious little is known of Apple's forthcoming edition of its famed mobile operating system. All will of course be revealed at next month's WWDC 2013, but until the calendar finally crosses the line for June 10th, all we can do is hope, predict and anticipate.
The battle between Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One is already heating up nicely and we don't even have proper release dates for either of them yet! One area that it appeared that Sony's new machine may have the edge was support for the next standard in HD – Ultra HD. With Sony confirming that the PS4 will indeed support 4K Ultra HD for video only (no gaming!), all eyes were on Microsoft during its big Xbox One reveal, only for 4K to be conspicuous by its absence.
Samsung's ads have been known to be a little weird in the past, and its press events can be just as bad. Lest we forget the infamous Gangnam Style moment that led to a Bollywood actor prancing around on stage like Psy. For a company so large, you'd think it could afford one or two advertising specialists wouldn't you?
