When I switched over from iOS to Android as my daily driver, the first thing that I ensued was the quest for battery optimization. It’s no hidden truth that iOS beats Google’s cute little droid hands down in this arena, and if someone claims otherwise, they might want to try reaching out to the likes of Guinness World Records or something, for that matter. Nevertheless, despite the platform’s own shortcomings, there are always steps that one can take to maximize the potential that the Li-ion cells in the back of your handset have to deliver.
This Black Friday, Apple's iPad and iPhone dominated when it came to buyers' choice of which device to sit down with in order to place their orders, according to a new report.
Black Friday's name stems from the opportunity businesses have to turn a profit, or remain in the black, by making huge sales to customers enticed by the savings on offer. That's all very well for the companies, but on a personal level, it's important we too keep our heads above water, and as we collectively drag ourselves from the financial meltdown of a few years ago, we should take all the help we can get in maintaining financial stability. To mark Black Friday Weekend, we've had a little hunt through some of the best money apps available for iOS, and for all-round performance and ease-of-use, Budget with Back in Black has emerged as one of our favorites.
We're becoming increasingly reliant on our mobile devices to run many of our daily errands; so much so, in fact, that it can often be difficult to keep track of everything we've done. There are plenty of event-tracking apps available right now over at the App Store, but none do them quite like Last Time, a handy utility app for the iPhone.
Mobile phones with great cameras have been around for a good many years now, and while the units mounted atop the likes of Apple’s iPhone 5 and 4S, Samsung Galaxy S III or Sony Xperia lineup have been nothing short of impressive, Nokia PureView 808’s 41-megapixel shooter had, indeed, taken smartphone photography to a whole new level. Add to the mix the powerful noise reduction algorithms that these cameras come with, the variety of photo applications they have their disposal, and the connectivity for wireless and cloud sharing that they offer, makes one absolutely believe that this is the future of general photography, no matter what point-and-shoot cameras might have you believe.
HTC has had a pretty difficult year all told, but with the Windows Phone 8 duo in the 8X and 8S now making their way to market, and a recent licensing agreement reached with Apple, things are certainly looking up for the Taiwanese company. The HTC One X+ on Android offers an even beefier list of specs than the original One X released earlier this year, which wasn't exactly underpowered in itself, and if you want to have even more fun with your One X+, you'll be pleased to learn that the all-in-one toolkit has just been released for the device.
Prior to the release of the iPhone 5, Samsung promised the smartphone would be added to the ongoing patent dispute, and since that point, both companies have taken it in turns to name as many of the other's devices as possible. With this weekend being Thanksgiving and all, you might think both companies would take a break, have a little turkey, and enjoy watching the customers flock to stores to grab the limited deals. Apple is not known for taking anything lying down when it comes to intellectual property, though, and in viewing Friday as just another day, took the opportunity to add more of Samsung's devices to the ever-increasing list of claims.
Both LG Display and AU Optronics are currently supplying the displays for Apple’s new iPad mini tablet, but with AU reportedly having some production issues, it's looking as though LG is carrying much of the burden. The report surfaces from the hit-and-miss DigiTimes citing the usual "sources familiar with the matter," and although the two companies are considered the “main display suppliers," it would seem the vast majority of iPad minis are packing a screen manufactured by LG.
With the likes of Apple and Samsung dominating the smartphone industry in the last few years, there has been a lot of attention lavished on Nokia over the last couple of weeks as we wait patiently to see if their flagship Lumia 920 device can make any kind of substantial impact in the mobile space. Early indications suggest that the Windows Phone 8 powered device has been received extremely well by consumers but could this be due to the physical design of the device or could the embedded software be a major part of the appeal? Nokia's lead designer Marko Ahtissari has taken a few minutes to share his thoughts on the product and what he calls a "really beautiful balance between the digital and the physical".
The iOS App Store is home to pretty much every genre of apps a user can think of, but if mashing up different types of music is your thing and creating new tracks from old, then the iMashup universal app could be worth serious consideration. Music lovers of all levels can use the app to experiment with music stored directly on their iOS devices to create unique and interesting mashups that should only take minutes to create. With powerful features that are almost bordering on professional lines, iMashup should provide entertainment for any sort of music lover.

