When Google announced Android 4.2 last month, a lot of people were left unimpressed, mainly because it was an incremental update and not really something that would cause a lot of bells and whistles. Nevertheless, the update did bring a few fresh additions to the Android ecosphere, including the likes of Notification Quick Settings, Gesture typing (trust me, it’s not Swype), Photo Sphere, improvements to Google Now, Miracast support, multiple user accounts for tablets, and more.
Navigating through apps is probably one of the most important aspects of using software on devices like the iPhone or the Galaxy S III. Being able to move to new interfaces, use the features within the app and then navigating back to where we came from is extremely important, but we sometimes take for granted how this is achieved. Android fans generally appreciate the dedicated back button that exists on devices but iOS fans generally need to rely on developers incorporating the navigation methodologies or hope that an app is built around a navigation controller that automatically applies a back button to go to the previous location.
The coming days and weeks represent an extremely exciting and important time for Google and their manufacturing partners, with the official release of a wave of new Android based devices set to go live imminently. The recently announced LG Nexus 4 smartphone, the Samsung Nexus 10, and the new variants of the already heralded Nexus 7 will be available in the marketplace extremely soon and will no doubt cause a spending spree amongst the Android loving community. To make things a little more exciting, testers are starting to see Android 4.2 Jelly Bean pushed through to their test units of the aforementioned devices.
Wow. That was unexpected. In an interesting development today, Microsoft today announced that President of Windows and Windows Live division Steven Sinofsky is leaving the company with immediate effect. Julie Larson-Green is said to be taking over his place at Microsoft.
Apple has kept the developer betas of iOS 6.1 coming in thick and fast, and with iOS 6.1 beta 2 having just been seeded by the Cupertino company, we're here with the usual jailbreaking details. It is - as ever - a tethered break, and it'll only work with iOS devices susceptible to the Limera1n exploit, so those running A4 or earlier. If you own an iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPad 3/4 or iPad mini, or a fifth-gen iPod touch, you won't be able to participate, since none of them can be jailbroken on iOS 6. If you're rocking an iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, or iPod touch 4th-gen and wish to jailbreak on the latest dev beta, you can do so with ease.
If you are a music aficionado who loves nothing more than combining the latest musical technology to produce and record cutting-edge tunes then it looks like Apple and Fender Squier may just have released the perfect product for you. All of this release talk surrounding new iPhones and iPads is all well and good, but for some people the power is really in the accessories that are released to accompany the Apple's mobile products, and they really don't come any more entertaining that a USB-based Stratocaster guitar.
If there’s one thing that Android makes really good use of, it’s the notification panel. Evolved quite a lot over the new versions, the biggest use I find for the notification drawer (apart from viewing the actual notifications, of course) is quick access to system toggles, which have become so much of a norm that manufacturers are including more and more customized solutions in their stock offerings. Then, there have been AOSP based ROMs like CyanogenMod, MIUI, AOKP etc., that have put as many as 15 toggles in the notification tray, making it almost entirely unnecessary for a casual user to venture inside the Settings menu. With Android 4.2, Google itself seems to have taken a liking to the whole idea, adding versatile quick settings controls in the same drawer. Open source has its advantages, and while your device may not be rocking Android 4.2 yet, you can get a taste of what the toggles feel like, right now.
Scott Forstall was recently relieved of his post as Senior Vice President of iOS software at Apple, and will now serve in an advisory role until his eventual departure from the Cupertino in early 2013. While exact details as to why Forstall has been deemed surplus to requirements have yet to be properly revealed, it's widely believed he had a fiery personality which didn't sit well with some of his colleagues, and after allegedly refusing to apologize for the dire Maps app of iOS 6, it's thought Apple felt it better to remove Forstall from the executive team.
Apple should make iTunes available across the Android and Windows Phone platforms, according to the man affectionately known as Woz.
During the course of the next few months, its fair to say gaming fans have got it pretty good. Halo 4 has just released, and having sold in record numbers, Call of Duty: Black Ops II is ready to make its annual assault on the sales charts. On top of that, Rockstar Games have gotten GTA fans all hot and bothered about the prospect of Grand Theft Auto V, and after months of teaser screenshots, the developer finally began taking pre-orders last month for the release in early 2013. With gamers now under no illusions about when GTA V will be making its way to market, Rockstar has reverted back to its old tactic, so without further ado, here's your latest batch of screenshots.
