The Windows 8 umbrella of products are definitely promising, but one thing that has been quite clearly lacking thus far is number and selection of apps. The interface itself is generally lauded by those using it, but apps have been a nagging issue, and as the world still waits for a Windows 8 Facebook app, one third-party developer has given a little false-hope, if you will. Windows 8 and Windows RT owners have been pining for official Facebook support, and while neither Microsoft nor Facebook seem to be offering any straight answers, an app entitled "Facebook" made an impromptu entry to the Windows Store today. Unfortunately, despite looking every bit the real deal, it has turned out to be the brainchild of Pearl Apps LLC.
It seems just like yesterday when those 12 bells chimed and 2012 was welcomed with hopes of a prosperous and exciting 12 months ahead, but in just under 3 weeks time that feeling of deja vu will be setting in once again as the curtain closes on another year and we get ready to see what 2013 will bring us. Considering the importance of social media in our lives and the continuing rise in popularity throughout 2012, it's likely that a large portion of us have interacted rather extensively with Facebook during the course of this year, which is something that they are keen to celebrate by offering us the chance to see our 2012 in review directly from our Facebook profile page.
China may have garnered itself the unwanted label as one of the knock-off capitals of the world, but there are an increasing number of companies - particularly in the mobile - looking to establish themselves alongside the global big boys like Samsung, LG, and Apple. One such outfit is Oppo, and if its just-announced Find 5 smartphone is a sign of things to come, the aforementioned market-leaders should be more than a little concerned. The device packs in the kind of features we're expecting of the Samsung Galaxy S IV, with 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC, and a whopping 2GB of RAM. To top it off, it runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean!
The technology industry and mobile space is awash with startups who are striving to create the next big product or service. Some have ambitions to succeed as a viable company with measured growth and expansion, whereas some have their sights up straight from the beginning and are hoping for rapid growth and a buy-out from one of the industry’s big boys sooner rather than later. Grokr is one of the latest startups in the mobile industry, who are attempting to make a splash by releasing an iOS app that attempts to bring Google Now type functionality directly to Apple's mobile devices.
The rumors and speculation surrounding the potential design and development of an actual Apple branded high-definition TV set don't seem to be going away, with additional fuel being added to the fire this morning, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that Apple have been testing a number of different physical designs that could ultimately be used to produce their first HDTV. We've been hearing murmurings over the last 12 months which never really went away about a potential TV set from Apple, but the speculation seems to be gathering pace at an accelerated rate recently.
The Mozilla team has been busily updating and improving its revered Firefox browser, with more frequent release cycles in place to ensure it maintains competitive with the likes of Google's Chrome. As planned, the foundation has released version 1.0 of the Firefox OS Simulator, and by means of a blog post, Mozilla has also introduced per-window private browsing via the Firefox Nightly channel.
It wasn't that long ago when iOS users only really needed to worry about backing up their device contacts if their device of choice was an iPhone, but with the introduction of iMessage and the subsequent ability to send messages across iPhones, iPads and iPod touches, it is now more important than ever to ensure that all contact information is backed up securely. Having the information backed up ensures that changing devices will never cause a contact information based issue, with all of that data being immediately available at your finger tips regardless of the type of iOS device you own.
If you're a regular follower of our coverage here at Redmond Pie, there's a pretty good chance you're into your jailbreaks. As most of you will probably be aware, progress on an iOS 6 untethered jailbreak has been steady, but trying at times, and although the usual dev suspects have been plugging away, Apple's robust security enhancements have made things just that little bit trickier than ever before. So you can imagine our amazement when a group by the name of "Dream JB" took the scene by storm by not only claiming to have found an iOS 6 untether, but set a date for its release. Unfortunately, like most things that seem too good to be true, it would appear this is nothing more than the elaborate ploy of a hoaxer, with various established and credible modders and developers having already stepped out to refute the very notion of "Dream JB."
Angry Birds started off as nothing more than a catchy, quirky title for iOS, but in a few short years, has quickly evolved into a billion-dollar franchise. With five titles having now been released on a number of platforms, and products ranging from speakers and phone covers to plush toys, it was only a matter of time before the story of how the birds avenged the pigs would hit the box office. Announced today, an official Angry Birds movie will arrive at some point in 2016, and John Cohen, producer behind hit flicks such as Despicable Me, will oversee the production of the Rovio-funded movie.
iPhone 5 Tops TIME Magazine’s Gadget Of The Year List, Galaxy S III Doesn’t Even Make It To The List
The iPhone 5 has, much like all of its predecessors, released to a frenzy of eager consumers. In the vast playing field that is the mobile market, the iPhone is arguably the most sought-after, and according to the annual TIME Magazine list of this year's greatest gadget releases, also the best. The iPhone 5 is not only first Apple smartphone to offer 4G LTE, but also the only release hitherto to go larger than 3.5-inches with the display, and having scrutinized the device alongside a bunch of other heavily-lauded gizmos, TIME has concluded it as being the Best Gadget of 2012.

