Microsoft confirmed today at the 11th annual J.P Morgan Tech Forum at CES that the company had sold 60 million copies of Windows 8 so far, including both OEM sales and upgrades on existing machines, putting it on a similar trajectory as Windows 7 three years ago. Undoubtedly, after all of the criticism, the new operating system is off to a good start since its launch this past October.
For the last few years, a common story in the rumor mill has been a possible lower-cost iPhone in order to serve customers who are not able to put down hundreds of dollars on the current standard-range one. While this story has been one and off over the last 4 years, there is a new report that suggests that Apple is beginning to take this possibility quite seriously.
The world of tablets is certainly evolving at an unprecedented rate, and what better place to catch a glimpse of the future of the tablet market, than the Consumer Electronics Show? Panasonic has wowed onlookers by unveiling a stunning 4K Windows 8 tablet at CES 2013, and the guys over at TheVerge have had the privilege of a little hands-on. Packing a 20-inch display, it's said to be aimed primarily at photography aficionados, while an included optical stylus permits the user to smoothly operate Windows 8 and make precise alterations to photos.
For Linux-based operating systems, especially Android, bootloaders are more like a double-edged sword. On one hand, you’d want an unlocked one, because that will enable opening up your device to all sorts of modifications, including gaining root/super user access, but at the same time, an unlocked bootloader also means a potentially vulnerable smartphone or tablet that’s open to malicious attacks. With the amount of new apps that the Play Store gets on a daily basis, it’s also hard to figure out whether an app is truly what it claims to be, or some developer with the intent of stealing your personal information that’s unleashed a Trojan horse in the guise of an otherwise-innocent-looking application. Thus, the risk of remaining exposed stays lingering above you.
It's always intriguing to see how the look, feel, and function of some of our treasured gadgets can be vastly manipulated when a bit of nous and creativity is applied. Apple’s iPhone is amongst the trickiest to modify with respect to both hardware and software, but no challenge is unsurmountable, it would appear, for the rampant iPhone5mod team. Last week, the Chinese company came through with the quirky magnetic case, which trebled up as a gaming controller and a keyboard for the iPhone 5, and today, the outfit famed for its iPhone conversion kits has outdone itself once more with the Translucent Mod Kit.
Imagine you have just bought a brand-new smartphone and just a few days later you spill an entire mug of coffee over it, or drop it in the sink. Generally, you’d have to beg your manufacturer’s support staff to have it replaced, but now there is a much easier and convenient option to make sure this never happens in the first place: Liquipel 2.0.
This past Monday, we reported on a jailbreak for Windows RT that allowed it to run apps available outside of Microsoft’s Windows Store. The Redmond company has now come out, not to condemn the jailbreak, instead simply to confirm that it poses no security threat.
We here at Redmond Pie are always interested in innovative new ideas and gadgets that take an already fantastic piece of kit and push the boundaries by making it that little bit better. What could be better than a fully functional iPhone that comes complete with a new accessory designed to give the premium Apple device a little more power? Kickstarter is often home to designers and developers who are keen to get onto the accessory market with such trinkets, and thankfully, it hasn't let us down this time with the MAUZ smartphone attachment.
Facebook is on the modification path once again and are currently in the early stages of rolling out some Timeline based changes that will see profiles adopting a new single-column based Timeline setup. Facebook is hoping that the changes will provide a less cluttered user experience and allow those affected members to not only find and locate their favorite pages a lot more easily, but also promote communication between those they are connected with.
Speculation has been mounting over the last few weeks about the possible release date, aesthetics and technical specifications of the next-generation iPhone. Apple will be delighted with the fact that the iPhone 5 proved to be an extremely popular purchase during the festive season, with some analysts predicting that sales will ultimately surpass the company's top-end predictions. To add to the speculation; new reports are now suggesting that Apple could be planning on pushing out a new iPhone by June of this year, potentially with high-end and low-end model releases.
