If you pay attention to the official murmurings within Apple, then they will still swear that the Apple TV unit is merely a hobby to the company that doesn't detract focus from more important products like the iPhone and iPad. However, unofficially speaking, it seems that Apple are paying a lot more attention to the little black puck set-top box, something that will become more evident when the next software update goes public, thanks to the addition of the Bluetooth support that we have been expecting to see for quite some time.
In its early stages, Android wasn't a great platform. It's main problem was lag, but in the past twelve months, Google's mobile operating system has become a much smoother, much more streamlined experience. Of course, Project Butter isn't the only positive enhancement presented to Android recently, and the introduction of many new features and apps - particularly Google Now - have been defining factors.
Apple's iPhone 5 may have been a hit with consumers, but with those looking to take photos on the moderately-improved camera, the issue of purple haze has really put a dampener on proceedings. To be fair, the iPhone 5 isn't the only culprit - the new Google Nexus 4 has also seen similar issues - but despite Apple initially claiming consumers were simply holding their devices incorrectly when taking a shot, it's something that the smartphone industry needs to tackle as a whole. The case makers have attempted to amend the issue in the meanwhile, and while the camHoodie did a pretty decent job of removing that mauve mist from our snaps, the App Store developers are now trying their hand at sorting the problem.
Android users can boast something over all other smartphone platforms – the ultimate choice of keyboards. As the mobile operating system from Google has matured over the years, the stock input method that is a part of the AOSP has also gained more and more capabilities, becoming handsome enough to become the daily driver for many users. With Android 4.2, the Swype-like gesture typing has indeed taken things to a whole new level, putting to shame the offerings of its competitors like iOS and Windows Phone, for instance. However, nothing is ever perfect – not so much in the ever-evolving world of technology anyway – and this is precisely why the Google Play Store is riddled with alternative keyboard and voice input methods, each with its unique set of features.
Apple's iPhone 5 was predicted to be the biggest smartphone release of the year, and so has proven to be the case. The first weekend sales eclipsed that of any other handset released in 2012, but despite high demand, yield issues have prevented the Cupertino company from producing the numbers to adequately meet demand. Initially, those looking to order the iPhone 5 from Apple's online Store were met with a wait of up to four weeks, but with that wait having recently been slashed to one week, the latest and greatest Apple smartphone is now listing as "in stock" in a handful of countries.
One of the larger reasons for a lot of people – who are technically sound enough to opt for a free alternative like Linux – to continue using Microsoft Windows, is the platform’s wide support for applications, and, in particular, games. For even casual gamers, Windows is perhaps the sole choice, owing to the fact that the vast majority of games are available on the said platform, and Mac and Linux continue to trail far behind in comparison when it comes to the number of available titles. For this reason, it makes sense that almost all versions of Windows are capable of running most titles, whether they’re legacy classics or modern-era high-end shooters.
As those of you well-travelled will be more than aware, the business of checking in, collecting luggage, waiting around and dealing with cancellations, gate changes and unforeseen delays tends to be part and parcel of the whole experience of catching a flight. To make things easier, there are an abundance of helpful apps purporting to keep us as informed as we need to be, and one of the most popular - FlightBoard - has just gone free for a very limited time only.
Best Buy is well known as an establishment through which you can usually strike a pretty good deal, and while the prices of Apple gadgets do not tend to fluctuate - no matter who is retailing them - unless a newer edition of said device is on the horizon, you can now nab yourself a cool $25 Best Buy gift card by purchasing an iPhone 5 from the retailer's online store.
As well as creating exciting new titles for gaming fans on smartphones and tablets to enjoy, developers and publishers are seeing more and more value in simply porting old classics through to mobile devices. Not only does a re-release / port press on the nostalgic buttons of those who previously enjoyed said title, but it also forges an all-new army of fans, and the news of Final Fantasy IV arriving soon on iOS and Android will do exactly that once more.
New and exclusive features are aplenty in the swiftly-evolving world of Android, but thankfully for those don't have the latest device and / or firmware version, the modding community is on hand to deliver those new niceties to those rocking an older device or software. For example, the Galaxy Note II has brought with it a very exciting, infinitely useful multi-window feature, but unless you happen to be in ownership of the phablet sequel (or an S III running the currently OTA-ing Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2), there's no way for you to enjoy this multitasking marvel; or at least there wasn't until today.
