Before Wi-Fi and 3G became the norm, do you remember how much hassle it was updating your mobile device? There was none of this over-the-air (or OTA) business, and in order to get those essential new features, you had to connect your device to your computer, and often wait several hours for it to work its "magic."
With a slew of great new smartphones, tablets and even a new operating system in the form of Jelly Bean (4.1), Android has received plenty of good press over the past couple of months. In fact, there's been such a buzz about Google's mobile OS, that it's easy to forget just how many reported malware outbreaks threaten to jeopardize everything the Web company is attempting to build.
Back in July, it was reported and later confirmed that the Verizon variant of the Galaxy S III would come with a locked bootloader due to the company’s concerns over it “preventing Verizon Wireless from providing the same level of customer experience and support” as they have apparently established before.
When the Samsung Galaxy Note first arrived last year, quite a few people didn't really know what to make of it. I mean, it looked a great deal like a smartphone, and operated as such, but the sheer size of the device categorized it as something different. The unofficially dubbed "phablet" device has, despite lacking conformity, been a rousing success, and consumers are now looking forward to its successor, set to be announced later this month at Samsung's IFA conference.
There were plenty of question marks raised when Samsung first announced its eagerly-awaited Galaxy S III device, the most puzzling being the lack of a black version. Invariably, the black version of a smartphone is the standard, with colors like white and, as Samsung calls it, "pebble blue," being options for those looking for something a little edgier.
The introduction of app markets like the iOS App Store and Google's Play Store have undoubtedly been a fantastic addition to the mobile space and have allowed developers to have their software housed and showcased with minimal effort. One of the underlying issues of having so many apps in one place is the visibility, or lack of it, of certain products, meaning it can be extremely difficult for users to find what they are looking for in some cases even though the store is broken down into a set of categories.
The majority of the iOS community will more than likely be familiar with the work of French iOS security researcher Pod2g. For the better part of this year, the iOS security enthusiast has been working hard on finding and exploiting various bugs in iOS that have led to the production of jailbreaks for various iOS devices. He has also been seen out in the wild at various security conferences, including the HITBSecConf and has been nominated for a Pwnie Award for his kernel exploit that was used in the Corona jailbreak.
New reports claim that Apple is giving the Apple TV another refresh, with DVR capabilities coming to the little black box according to the Wall Street Journal.
Need for Speed is one of the most exciting driving titles on the market. If you like tooling around in super cars, injecting them with subhuman doses of nitrous before bursting corners and markers at light-speed, then you've more than likely played at least one iteration of Need for Speed, and the next in line - Need for Speed: Most Wanted - won't be breaking from that mold for anybody. In fact, it's one of those enthralling motor-based gaming series where very little braking is actually done at all, and although it can be quite repetitive in terms of gameplay, the missions and achievements always keep drivers coming back for more.
The popularity of powerful and extremely capable mobile devices like tablets and smartphones has risen exponentially over the last few years and things like keeping in touch with friends and colleagues via email, instant messaging or texts has never been easier. It has also meant that we are now free to delve into our favorite game no matter where we are or quickly access news bulletins from all over the world without so much as a second thought. But what does it mean for our professional productivity?
