Angry Birds started off as nothing more than a catchy, quirky title for iOS, but in a few short years, has quickly evolved into a billion-dollar franchise. With five titles having now been released on a number of platforms, and products ranging from speakers and phone covers to plush toys, it was only a matter of time before the story of how the birds avenged the pigs would hit the box office. Announced today, an official Angry Birds movie will arrive at some point in 2016, and John Cohen, producer behind hit flicks such as Despicable Me, will oversee the production of the Rovio-funded movie.
iPhone 5 Tops TIME Magazine’s Gadget Of The Year List, Galaxy S III Doesn’t Even Make It To The List
The iPhone 5 has, much like all of its predecessors, released to a frenzy of eager consumers. In the vast playing field that is the mobile market, the iPhone is arguably the most sought-after, and according to the annual TIME Magazine list of this year's greatest gadget releases, also the best. The iPhone 5 is not only first Apple smartphone to offer 4G LTE, but also the only release hitherto to go larger than 3.5-inches with the display, and having scrutinized the device alongside a bunch of other heavily-lauded gizmos, TIME has concluded it as being the Best Gadget of 2012.
The iPhone 5 was a landmark release by Apple for a variety of reasons, and as well as finally breaking the mold of a 3.5-inch display, it was also the very first time in which the Cupertino included 4G LTE into one of its handsets. The iPad 3, which launched back in March of this year, was the very first Apple device to offer the next-gen cellular chip, and with the release of the sixth-gen smartphone just a couple of months ago, Apple's LTE market share has gathered a little more steam - climbing to an impressive 27 percent.
The stock iOS lock screen can probably be described as functional rather than anything exceptional, but considering it is such a small section of the operating system as a whole. it manages to get the job done quite effectively. The Binary Clock tweak that has just landed in Cydia is one of multiple packages that aim to bring a little bit of life and extravagance to the lock screen, and although a number of developers have pushed out binary based packages in the past this release is one of the best and more polished creations that we have seen.
Xbox 360 owners around the world should find themselves a seat, cancel all of their upcoming appointments and prepare themselves for an Xbox LIVE download blitz, as Microsoft has announced that more than 40 new entertainment based apps will land on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace in the coming days. The Redmond based company have announced that they are committed to launching a total of 43 new apps between now and the Spring of 2013, with a large portion of the new app releases hitting the market immediately. Although some territories may not see the new additions for the next few days as they propagate through the system.
In a move almost contemporaneous with Instagram's significant update for iOS, Twitter has announced its intention to integrate photo filtering into its iOS and Android apps. Instagram's effortless application of a varied range of filters have made it a huge hit with point-and-shoot photographers, and it's a hit Twitter simply cannot miss.
Since being acquired by Facebook for close to a billion dollars all those months ago, it's fair to say Instagram hasn't changed a great deal. The tried-and-tested method of facilitating photos, filters, comments and likes hasn't gotten any less popular as we approach the end of 2012, and today, Instagram has pushed out a couple of new features to keep Instafans happy-snapping.
Everybody uses USB flash drives. No matter how kitted-out your setup is, no matter how advanced your assault on the wires is; if you're saying you don't have a USB flash / pen drive at least tucked away somewhere for emergency data transfer, then, well, you're a liar. They may be convenient, useful, and in the case of mine, washing machine-proof, but that doesn't mean to say we wouldn't like to see more functionality. Wireless-ness would seem the natural progression, and King Jim has come through with such a product, naming it the Paketta.
The collaborative effort of Google and manufacturer ASUS, the Nexus 7 tablet is one of the most popular Android devices on the market at the moment for a variety of reasons. It has power, style, and a price many can relate to; not to mention the fact it runs on the vastly-improved Android Jelly Bean. But the Nexus 7 hasn't only proved to be a hit with the general consumer, modders and developers have had a field day, and despite Google's decision not to include a microSD card slot, users have still had a lot of fun toying with the innards of the Nexus 7's software. Today, things have gotten even better courtesy of XDA-Developers member Tasssadar, with the introduction of a multi-boot tool for the coveted slate, and as ever, we've got the full details after the jump!
Deals from retailers are plentiful at this time of year - particularly on electricals - and Amazon has joined in with the festive fun by pushing a spectacular deal on one of its own-branded products. The Kindle Fire HD is a fine example of a tablet combining good, solid features with a respectable price tag, and for one day only, you could save a whopping $50 off the price of the 8.9-inch configuration.
