We live in an age now, whereby if we don't have our smartphones by our side, we feel somewhat naked. Most of us check our devices more than we'd perhaps like to admit, and with notifications coming through from numerous apps at any given time, keeping on top of them all can be something of a headache.
The Nexus 7 from Google has been a real breath of fresh air to the tablet market. Not only does it offer a solid performance on Android Jelly Bean, but its low price has lured in many consumers into grabbing a device they perhaps wouldn't have been able to afford. Google outdid itself by dropping the price of the popular device earlier this week, and while this will no doubt increase general consumer interest and subsequent sales, it has left those who paid the original prices feeling a little underhanded.
Getting apps onto an Android device just got a little easier, with a free Windows app being released that makes installing APKs as easy as dragging and dropping them.
The latest game from Rovio, Angry Birds Star Wars, has proven to be a real hit with iOS gamers, as the new release reached the top of the App Store charts in less than three hours, setting a new record in the process.
When you're living off a franchise as big, a name as pivotal, and an anticipation level as colossal as that of Halo 4's, you expect sales figures to be pretty impressive. One of the first titles to release on the original Xbox, the Halo series has maintained its momentum, and so much so in fact, that it managed to shift an unbelievable 3.1 million units in its first day alone.
Whether you're into Siri, Google Now, Tellme, or Samsung's S Voice, there's little doubt that voice-recognition technology has made great strides in the past year or so. Consumers remain a tad unconvinced, and at present, the standard of voice implementation is certainly not a deal-breaker to most, but like the first grainy VGA cameras we used to see in our mobile phones, we do have a nagging feeling we're soon to become reliant.
With over one billion active users, there is no denying that Facebook is the largest social network on the planet, but if you compared the web based experience today with the experience that actually first launched with Facebook back in 2004 then it would be barely recognizable. Like any popular site or service, Facebook has evolved over time to meet increasing demand and has added - and sometimes removed - features that they believe will be beneficial to users. It seems that the latest addition to the social network could come in the form of a threaded comments system that stands a good chance of causing chaos on profiles if it gets through the user testing stage.
The iPhone 5 has been out in the wild for approximately seven weeks now, and considering Apple is still having difficulty replenishing stock levels, we can safely assume that it can be classed as yet another commercial success for the company. The fact that units are flying off the shelves doesn't mean that the device is without its problems, a few of which have already come under intense scrutiny. One of them was a software glitch that affected the keyboard and folders in certain circumstances, but it looks like Apple could have some further display issues on their hands that fall under a hardware remit.
The Samsung Galaxy Note II is a very inviting device. Once you've got over the intimidation of it's phablet form factor, you can begin to enjoy some of the perks an incredibly large display brings, and the Multi Window feature of the new Samsung smartphone epitomizes the usefulness of the 5.5-inch Super AMOLED HD display.
It wasn't that long ago when we brought you the news that Apple had set up a dedicated charitable giving page using their iTunes payment infrastructure to collect donations from the public on behalf of the American Red Cross. The system was put in place to allow Apple account holders to make a financial donation to the charity to help with the ongoing relief efforts as an aftermath of Hurricane Sandy without the need to create any additional login or provide payment data to external parties. In an internal email sent to Apple employees, Tim Cook has outlined his company's commitment to the cause with a $2.5 million donation of their own.
