The fabulous Nexus 7 has only been released for a very short time and already it has managed to win over most of the doubters with its impressive specification and overall pleasurable user experience. The device itself feels like a premium build product, and the integration of Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean provides the perfect companion quad-core Tegra 3 processor which Google and ASUS have packed under the hood.
If you are the kind of individual who goes out and spends hundreds and hundreds of dollars each year on devices like the iPhone and iPad, and also happen to own a Mac, then the chances are that you actually appreciate a little bit of luxury in your life. Say what you want about Apple as a company, but regardless of whether you love them or hate them, there are very few people who could comprehensively argue against the fact that their products are built of the highest standard and feel like premium items.
Google paints its Wallet services as the future of shopping transactions, and using the power of NFC, or Near Field Communication, it has certainly shown much promise. The lack of a few important features is largely attributable to its infant state, but today, the Big G has given Wallet a pretty big update, offering support for all major credit and debit cards.
Microsoft's Windows Server 2012 has finally been completed and released to manufacturing, thus all the manufacturers of server-based equipment will be able not only to pre-install it on certain devices, but tweak all hardware and software to work in perfect compliance with the new Server edition.
Despite Apple's incessant efforts to win an injunction banning sales of Google's Galaxy Nexus, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has rejecting the Cupertino company’s claims, and the device - manufactured by South Korean electronics giant Samsung - will continue to retail.
Windows 8 has just been released to manufacturing, as expected; Microsoft recently revealed that this would happen at the beginning of August. What does this mean? Well, the OS has been finalized, and the final build is being sent out to OEMs/partners as we speak.
The last couple of days have brought some good news for iOS device owners who happen to love consuming visual media in their spare time. Yesterday we told you that Apple TV units in the United States went under a silent update to bring the Hulu Plus service to users, allowing specific content from network partners to be streamed through the unit to a connected HDTV. Amazon is never a company who want to be left behind or excluded and have released their Instant Video app for the iPad for immediate download.
As many of you already know, Android 4.1 Jelly on the Google / ASUS Nexus 7 uses a mix of tablet and phone user interfaces. The home screen launcher is fixed in portrait mode with virtual buttons at the bottom like the Galaxy Nexus, but when you go into landscape mode for landscape-oriented apps / games like Dead Trigger, the virtual buttons are placed at the bottom unlike the Galaxy Nexus. This is a completely new mix for UI (with respect to placement of virtual buttons) that has never been seen before on Android tablets; Google developed this specifically for the 7” tablet form factor.
When Siri first arrived back in October of last year along with iOS 5, it was certainly something of a novelty, with users keen to get their hands on the iPhone 4S-exclusive feature and test its limitations. In nine short months since, there have been many significant advancements in digital voice assistants in general, with Samsung, Google, and even Microsoft keen to get in on the act.
If you happened to walk into a store and saw the Nexus Q sitting on the shelf for sale, you might want to consult a salesperson to actually find out what the elegant black orb does. Unlike smartphones or tablets that lend their visuals to their functionality, or the Apple TV unit that gives away its function in the name, the Nexus Q is a visual enigma that hasn't really gotten the consumer technology world convinced.
