Those who prefer to sit behind a Windows or OS X powered computer sometimes forget that there is a whole community of users across the world who prefer to step away from the mainstream operating systems and instead choose to use a version of Linux, with one of the most popular one being Ubuntu. Ubuntu offers a fantastic user experience to those who choose to use it, but unfortunately, it doesn't always offer compatibility with applications and programs, with the extremely popular Netflix app being a prime example of this problem.
Our computers, notebooks, tablets and smartphones are like mystical libraries of endless possibility, enabling us to carry out almost any task with ease. Despite offering a wealth of information and communication, we often call upon our personal gadgets and machines for the simplest of queries. Whether it be a calculator to perform a basic sum, a clock to tell us what time it is, or a weather update to plan a perfect picnic, we get much of this information from those aforementioned entities.
Nobody likes to think of themselves becoming old, but eventually, most of us - the luckier ones perhaps - are going to get there. While we may not envisage what we'll eventually look like as mature beings, many of us are planning for it, and incase you needed a visual reminder to help keep you motivated, Merrill Edge - the brokerage wing of the Bank of America - has you covered with its web app - Face Retirement.
Our lives have become so constantly connected that any given time, we could be using one of multiple devices or computers, all of which are capable of allowing us to complete different tasks. Our smartphones and tablets are probably the most likely candidates for being the hardware that we carry around with us on a day-to-day basis, and although they are extremely powerful pieces of kit, using an iPhone or iPad does come with its limitations. For those that have ever found themselves browsing passionately through the web on their iPhones and coming across a great URL that links to a must-have download, then you will know the pain of not being able to get it right at that point in time. Thankfully, there is a solution in the form of Transloader for iOS and OS X.
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.
