Every now and then a rather unique and gorgeous looking installation comes along for mobile operating systems that seems to be a must have download. That would certainly seem to apply to the Real Widget offering on the Google Play Store that is available for Android smartphones running Android Ice Cream Sandwich or above. The widget itself promises to offer the look, feel and styling of Windows Phone directly on the home screen of an Android device.
There have been a number of packages landing in the Cydia store that offer alternative ways to handle the banner notifications that were introduced by Apple as part of iOS 5. There was a definite need for the notifications system to be changed and the introduction of banner notifications is a step forward but some users feel they need to be made bigger to display the full text or have some additional customization options applied to them. If having the alert of the title read out to you in a Siri voice was on your wish list then the TitleSpeak package is probably right up your street.
The original HTCLock tweak has been on the Cydia store for quite some time and has managed to rake up thousands of downloads from those who wanted to tweak the iOS lock screen to have a little bit more of the HTC Android flavor in it. Implementing the highly regarded HTC design on the iPhone and iPod touch obviously proved popular as it changed the default behavior and added the option to invoke a number of apps without having to unlock the device first. The same developer has now continued on with that tweak and released the HTClock Pro version that bundles in additional features and enhancements.
The official launch of Windows 8 may still be weeks away but that hasn't stopped developers from getting themselves and their apps ready in time for the big launch, with the fantastic MetroTwit Twitter app being the latest to get an update. A number of online and physical retailers are starting to offer pre-order discounts for those who get their Windows 8 upgrade orders in early as well as multiple hardware manufacturers starting to take initial orders for Windows 8-based PCs and notebooks.
Photography based apps are ten-a-penny on the App Store with new creations seeming to pop up everyday that pretty much offer the same point and shoot then add filters functionality. Some of them differentiate themselves through the user interface or offering variable social sharing channels but it generally boils down to being the same app with the same feature set just wrapped in a different skin. The Mirrorgram app for iPhone and iPod touch stays true to that feature set but then also adds a unique little twist of its own that acts as the apps core functionality.
Anyone who happens to own a Mac will more than likely be familiar with The Unarchiver application that seems to be the de facto standard for uncompressing zip and other archived files. Other apps obviously exist but The Unarchiver seems to be able to handle any type of file that is thrown at it with minimal fuss. The Archives iOS application for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad has been created based on that OS X application and offers the same functionality, power and handling capabilities of its Mac based sibling.
Apple took it upon themselves to improve certain aspects of the camera hardware with the release of the new iPhone 5 but those changes obviously don't affect those who are using an older generation device like the iPhone 4S. Thankfully, Apple have pushed a rather notable change to the Camera application with iOS 6 that allows users to capture rather engaging panorama photographs with their existing hardware.
Although a lot of developers are yet to accept it, it isn't a coincidence that the most popular and well-received apps for mobile devices are ones that look great and are simple and intuitive to use. Smartphones and tablets generally provide a limited landscape and usage area, and it is important that the user-interface lends itself well to the functionality of the app to provide a great experience for the user. After all, they are the ones who matter most. The HoloNotes note-taking app for Android-powered devices is one such example on Google's mobile platform that definitely ticks those boxes.
It doesn't take a genius to work out that the iPhone 5 has been received with great enthusiasm from consumers. Apple is already struggling to stock out their inventories in order to fulfill backlogged orders and a large number of official Retail Stores still don't have any to offer to consumers three weeks down the line.
The Windows steam train is definitely in full flight and with Microsoft looking forward to the October 26th launch date of Windows 8 and their new Surface tablets, the time has officially come when consumers can start pre-ordering upgrade copies of Windows 8 Pro from a variety of selected retail outlets for $69.99.
