One of the perceived downsides of the smartphone industry is the monopolization of devices through carrier locking. At point of sale and when you sign up to a contract with a carrier, it's understandable, but thereafter, getting a handset unlocked can be a trying, if not impossible process. If you want to check whether your device is unlocked for use on any network, a nifty online service completely has your back, and not only is the website incredibly easy to use, but if you're on Android, there's also an app available to download over at the Google Play Store. More details after the break.
The Windows Phone Store is missing quite a lot of apps just now, and although we're not all hipsters with a compulsion to take a square photo before filtering and sharing, Instagram has been mentioned ad nauseam as the sort of app Microsoft needs on board if its fledgling ecosystem is to go the distance. As Windows Phone users still continue to wait and hope for an Instagram app, and unofficial offering by the name of Instagraph is best attempt we've seen at emulating the experience, allowing for photos to be uploaded to the network right from within the app. It looks promising, and although we had better hold off the celebrations while the approval process runs its course, Windows Phone users could be just a short while away from being able to edit and upload their images straight from their handset.
Following the news that Apple had plugged the Evasi0n untethered jailbreak for A5+ powered iPhone 5, iPad and other new devices with the release of iOS 6.1.3, it was a case of being back to square one for those purchasing these new devices. Anybody running iOS 6.1.2 or earlier can jailbreak across the board, but if iOS 6.1.3 taught us anything, it's that the cat is never too far behind the mouse, and will eventually get clawed. Usually, this is a demoralizing period of time, yet although there is of course no untethered jailbreak just yet for the very latest firmware, we have already seen plenty of very encouraging signs for future firmware releases.
The recently confirmed Windows Blue appears to be the internal name for Windows 8.1 rather than Windows 9, according to multiple sources. More details on this after the jump!
We're just a couple of days away from Facebook's special press event at its California headquarters, and following on from the earlier report that the social network would be bringing forth its own Facebook-orientated launcher, resident spoiler evleaks has come through once again in producing a render of what is alleged to be the HTC device it will initially be primed onto.
Firefox has been one browser that has improved a lot over time, and while Internet Explorer continues to receive the negative feedback from users across the globe, Mozilla’s offering has actually grown into a worthy contender against almost any internet browser, most notably Google Chrome. Mozilla’s focus towards bringing the best of the best to its users continues, and with the release of Firefox 20, they’ve brought some much needed (and appreciated) enhancements to their already popular browser. The new Firefox 20 has not only been released for desktop systems – including Windows, OS X and Linux – but also for Android, albeit with a slightly different change log. Let’s take a look at what’s new and improved just past the fold.
We're now in April, and every year, without fail, the early spring sees the rumor mill gather a significant amount of steam where Apple is concerned. As well as the next-gen iPhone, talk of the Cupertino company releasing a low-cost iPhone at some point later this year has also been fairly rife, and according to The Wall Street Journal, the fruit company will begin producing the next iPhone, dubbed the 'iPhone 5S', at some point during this quarter. As the S moniker implies, the device is likely to take a very similar, if not identical shape to its predecessor, and The Journal is also touting the device for a summer release.
The jury may still be out on whether 3D viewing is to be a significant part of the technology industry moving forward, or whether in fact it's just a novelty feature to be enjoyed from time to time. If you're of the opinion that yes, 3D viewing is a key part of digital viewing in future, then you may be interested by the creation of a Singapore-based bunch of researchers, who've developed a special type of film that can help mobile displays output in three dimensions.
Further to the earlier reports that AT&T would begin taking pre-orders of HTC One handset on April 4th, it has also been revealed that the device will cost $200 as opposed to $250. Moreover, the device will be available on the carrier as of April 19th, meaning it will in fact retail before Samsung's Galaxy S4 hits US shores, and at $200, it would be 20% cheaper up-front than its main Android rival.
Over the last few years, we have seen a number of companies release accessories for the iPhone that have the sole aim of providing a better sound output experience. Be it listening to music on the phone, watching movies downloaded from iTunes or just flicking through what's available on YouTube, the outputted sound quality and volume is one of the most important parts of the device's media capabilities. We've seen large dock based devices, smaller portable accessories and plug-in headphone attachments, and now thanks to Kickstarter, we are seeing what could possibly be the smallest amplification device in the form of the iPlifier. And to be quite honest, the accessory is not exactly rocket science either. More details after the break.
