Windows 8 has a fair share of unique features, the top of the list being the new Modern UI that the multi-purpose OS for both tablets and desktop/notebook computer carries. The Modern UI wasn’t just about looks; it brought with it a whole new genre of apps that brought about a completely new look to how you’d operate on your Windows 8-based hardware. Granted, the Modern apps are more suited to the touch interface of a tablet (or maybe a hybrid device), but the Windows Store is teeming with them, and some of them are actually quite useful, especially those that come officially from the Redmond company itself. One such app of interest is the native Mail client that comes bundled with Windows 8.
Instagram is frequently mentioned as one of the many common apps yet to make its way to Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, but as users continue to wait for the Facebook-owned app to make its way to the Windows Phone Store, several competitors have emerged looking to offer snap happy WP users a way of sharing snaps with friends and family. Joining the likes of Eye 'Em in the ranks of so-called 'Instagram killers' comes Photoplay, a relatively new app was published to the Windows Phone Store little under a week ago. Compatible only with the newer breed of Windows Phone (8) at this point, a version for the older WP7.x is currently in the works, and with its clean, sleek interface fitting in rather nicely with the look and feel of the Redmond company's mobile OS, it certainly has great potential.
Apple's iMessage was first introduced along with iOS 5 back in late 2011, and has since processed many billions of messages between iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and OS X Mountain Lion users worldwide. But whilst celebrated for being secure, efficient, and generally reliable, a new-found vulnerability demonstrates just how easily one can be attacked by floods of messages in a DoS-esque manner, to the point where the app locks up and becomes unusable. Many Apple developers, including jailbreak gurus such as iH8Sn0w and chpwn have been targeted in a spate of attacks, and although the culprit’s origins are rather unknown, it's worrying just how easily the attacks were conceived. More details right after the jump.
Facebook's 'new home on Android' announcement on April 4th could, if the latest reports are to be believed, take the form of a home screen dedicated to the social network. The WallStreetJournal has learned that next week's event will give us an overview of the home screen which will apparently "display content from users' Facebook accounts on a smartphone's home screen." More details after the jump.
The Clock app which comes bundled with iOS has quite a few functions, but is used primarily by iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users for its ability to set reliable alarms. Of all the areas of Apple's revered mobile operating system, it's one that doesn't require a great deal of attention in upcoming revisions since it - barring one or two hiccups - does exactly what is required of it. But the jailbreak community is not known for settling, and developer GSquared has created a tweak by the name of AlarmDisplay Pro which uses your Clock app's icon badge to present alarm information at a quick glance.
Apple may already be the big player in online music sales, but it currently has no dog in the music streaming hunt, with the likes of Spotify and Pandora ruling the fledgling market. That doesn't mean that the Apple juggernaut isn't looking to crawl its way into the space that has already proven unpopular with music labels.
In order to heighten the appeal to its flagship Galaxy S III, Samsung released the aesthetically similar, scaled-down version S III Mini late last year. Those who take a close look at a devices tech specs will have noticed that, in actuality, the similarities between the Galaxy S III and the cheaper, smaller offering end at the design and name, but that hasn't stopped the Mini from yielding strong sales since. Never one to baulk at a tried-and-tested success, Samsung looks set to offer a similar product in follow-up to the forthcoming Galaxy S4, with reports today suggesting the Galaxy S4 Mini will arrive almost immediately after its flagship counterpart.
In what must be filed as an especially speculative report, Pocketgamer claims to have gotten word from game developers that Apple may be planning to announce some description of standalone controller / joypad in the near future. The Game Developers Conference at San Francisco's Moscone Center concludes today after five days of new and exciting exhibitions and announcements, but under the surface of awards and revelations, it has been revealed that Apple may have been holding hush-hush meetings at the event to discuss its controller endeavors.
Apple's 'tick-tock' smartphone release cycle, which involves releasing all-new devices intermittently and dropping a refreshed, aesthetically identical model in-between, has worked wonders for the company hitherto. Following the successful release of the iPhone 5 last Fall, it's largely expected Apple will follow it up with an iPhone 5S this summer, continuing the familiar pattern of the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4S by offering a modest spec bump. According to the latest report, the new device could be coming a lot sooner than many may otherwise have anticipated, with the report touting a June 20th launch followed by shipments beginning in July.
One of Android’s biggest complaints, or rather, complaints related to the smartphone and tablet OS, is the relatively poor battery life, where most users find it hard to even make it through one full day on a single charge. For this very reason, there exists a slew of battery saving and optimization apps not just in the Google Play Store, but also all over the XDA-Developers forum. Most of these apps deliver what they promise, and are generally very functional. However, there is always room for some new contender in such a market, especially if the approach that it takes is different (and new) compared to existing ones. One similar app in this category is Optimus Battery Saver.
