Google have already proved that they are onto a winner with their iOS version of the popular Chrome web browser. Immediately after release the application was downloaded so many times it forced its way to the top of the paid app charts and has hovered around that spot ever since, picking up a large number of positive reviews on the way. The simplicity of the browsers user interface mixed together with the ease of use and built-in user gestures makes it an extremely positive experience for users.
Google means business with Android these days. That's not to say it didn't before, but since the company's Google I/O conference recently it has become clear that the people at Google are beginning to understand what it takes to make a premium smartphone. It's not apps, and it's not handsets. It's the feel of the operating system.
There is one big story in Mac software right now, and that's OS X 10.8, Mountain Lion. Available for less then twenty dollars via the Mac App Store, the update to Mountain Lion is all geared around building on top of your current, working system. If you're like us though, you probably like to have a nice clean install of your operating system every once in a while, but the Mac App Store doesn't always make that the easiest thing in the world.
A new game has been released for the iPad and iPhone that ties right into the upcoming Total Recall movie remake. Set around the storyline you may be well versed in, the game weighs in at over 150MB and is available to download now.
Apple has finally given the people what they want by taking the plunge and releasing OS X Mountain Lion onto the Mac App Store. And judging by the mounting reviews, it seems to have been greeted with extreme positivity. With that being said, we all know that you can't please all of the people all the time, and it was always going to be the case that there would be some unhappy campers with certain aspects of the release. As part of Mountain Lion 10.8 and also as part of the OS X Lion update, Apple has made a few changes to their Safari web browser taking it to version 6 and in turn removed some much loved features.
When it comes to bootleg products, no nation does them better - or should we say worse than China. The world's most populous country is responsible for the good, mainly bad, and usually ugly of the knock-off market, and the most recent is the i-move, which takes Xbox popular Kinect and morphs it into a new console.
Android Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) has now been superseded by Jelly Bean (4.1), but that doesn't mean to say some consumers are not waiting for an OTA update of the older iteration for their device. HTC's Desire HD is a pretty useful device in terms of specs - despite its age - thus most owners presumed their treasured device would inevitably see the new firmware.
Because of its relatively open nature, Android apps tend to be much more flexible and powerful than iOS apps. I’m not talking about games like Angry Birds or social networking apps like TweetDeck or Facebook, I’m talking about apps like DroidSheep, Faceniff, WiFiKill and Network Spoofer that can wreak havoc through advanced attacks on other, unsuspecting Android smartphone users.
The tablet market is one which is arguably already sewn up. It's already done. Dead. Finished. It's already Apple's. Or is it? With Apple undoubtedly heading the charts in and around the $500 price bracket, there is plenty of room for manufacturers to play below that mark. As the netbook market showed years ago, if you can make something cheap, people will buy it, regardless of whether it's any good or not.
The legal issues between Apple and Samsung show no sign of letting up, and whilst we're growing a little tired of the entire debacle, we're also learning more and more about two of technology's most influential companies.
