Apple's Safari browser takes pride of place on every single Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch on the market, and although it is perhaps not as strong in terms of features as the likes of Google's Chrome or Firefox by Mozilla, it's the Web-surfing utility of choice to many. The thought process behind the naming makes complete sense, as it offers users something of a Safari across adventurous - sometimes dangerous - but immensely informative medium of the World Wide Web. It has emerged, however, that Apple's flagship browser was frighteningly close to being given the less flattering name of "Freedom" which, as well as alluding to countless famous songs, might well have rendered Apple the subject of ridicule.
Flipboard is lauded in the mobile industry as a prime example of how the touch interface can make the gathering and reading of content as pleasurable as possible. The app flows like a magazine both aesthetically and functionally, and while Apple's iPad has been supported from the get-go, Flipboard has dragged its heels in bringing support for those on a wide selection of Android tablets. Today, however, the wait is over, and having only recently launched a series of new features for its iOS app, Flipboard has now been tailored to those wielding a tablet of the Google software variety.
If you are into fast cars, and regularly find yourself tuning into the Formula 1 races taking place across the globe, there's a high chance you also enjoy playing F1 games on your console, computer, or mobile device. If you're an F1 fan whom happens also to be in possession of a Mac, you're in luck, as Feral Interactive - the firm behind the annual F1 titles on a variety of platforms - has announced that F1 2012 is now available to those on OS X, which was announced back in October.
Whenever Apple take the opportunity to add new frameworks and features into iOS, it always opens the door for jailbreak developers to build new and interesting tweaks that take advantage of the new additions. The release of iOS 6 saw Apple extend their initial Twitter integration to support Facebook and Sina Weibo as part of the new Social framework within the iOS SDK, a move that has resulted in the creation of the QuickShare for ActionMenu package available now on the Cydia store.
It has already made a huge impact on the console gaming world, with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions proving to be extremely popular, and now the fantastic Borderlands 2 game from 2K Games is available to purchase and download on the Mac App Store. The game has been published by well-known developer Aspyr Media who is currently offering a festive price reduction for those who grab the game during the holiday season period, meaning that potential gamers can grab Borderlands 2 for the Mac now, with 25% off the standard price going forward.
Windows has been the most popular desktop operating system for years, and by the looks of it, will continue to be so, despite the fact that Windows 8 had raised a lot of eyebrows over its rather bizarre feature set. I have expressed my liking for the Redmond giant’s latest iteration of the operating system, but even someone like me can’t help but question some of the obscure choices that Microsoft made while designing Windows 8.
This holiday season and beyond, we’re going to be bringing you more hands-on reviews of the products you love, and whether you’re in the market for a new device, peripheral or accessory, we’ll be featuring many of the market essentials here at Redmond Pie. Now, the iPhone 5 is one of, if not the most sought-after gadget on the market at present, so what better place to start, we thought, than to get on the hunt for some of the most interesting, quirky and robust cases for the revered handset. Heading off the series of cases for the sixth-gen Apple smartphone is the BookBook from Twelve South.
If you cast your minds back to the month of June, you may remember the news of Google's decision to acquire the powerful mobile productivity suite Quickoffice for an undisclosed fee. All told, things have been pretty quiet since then, but today, Google has made Quickoffice for iPad free to Apps for Business customers. In addition, the search giant also stated that free Android and iPhone versions would be coming soon, which although promising, all but wipes out any possibility of Quickoffice hitting the comparatively less-used BlackBerry and Windows Phone platforms.
Microsoft may be planning to bring its revered Office productivity suite to a bunch of new devices in the near future, but hitherto, a service by the name of CloudOn has allowed consumers to use the software on their mobile devices. Today, CloudOn has been updated to version 3.0, and among the refinements in usability, it now boasts support for the iPhone, iPad mini, as well as the Google / ASUS Nexus 7.
VLC media player is considered the de facto media player of choice for those who want a feature rich media player that can handle any format. Having used VLC for nigh-on ten years on a variety of platforms from Windows XP to iOS, and in that time, it has - in its various forms - played everything I have thrown at it with aplomb. Now, the VideoLAN team behind VLC want to make a version in-keeping with the tiled interface of Windows 8, and in order to gather the funding for this “Modern” take on the iconic app, has begun a Kickstarter campaign.
