If you're a developer, an Android device is like steak to a lion, offering an unrivalled amount of scope for fun to be had. The latest iteration of Android - Jelly Bean - is still in relative infancy, but already, modders and developers have been sinking their teeth into the new OS.
I must confess, when it comes to my iOS devices, I'm a bit of an app fiend, and with 64GB of storage space on my iPhone and iPad, I see no reason to delete anything - even if I don't regularly use an app. As such, I have a few hundred different apps and games on each, and although I have a rough idea of which I utilize the most, there's no way of keeping an accurate record of which I use, and for how long.
Japanese blog Macotakara reports the next-gen iPhone is now in production over in China, with the device expected to launch this fall. As has been the case with most of Macotakara's reports, this one cites "reliable Chinese sources", and if true, would seem to corroborate the notion that the sixth installment to the iPhone series will launch in September / October.
The fact our mobile devices offer various types of connectivity is a wonderful thing, since it allows us to connect to the web with relative ease, lessening the need to open a notebook or fire-up a desktop computer. The convenience doesn't come without its drawbacks, however, and if, for example, you leave Wi-Fi connected indefinitely, you'll find your battery isn't as accommodating as it perhaps should be.
XBMC, the free, open source cross-platform media player extraordinaire, will soon be arriving at the Google Play Store, the company has confirmed in a blog post on its site. Although mobile iterations of software tend to be considerably watered-down, XBMC is said to be a fully-fledged, feature-rich port, and will be available for Android tablets, smartphones, or set-top boxes.
Last month, we notified you of the soon-to-drop Dark Night Rises game, a supplementary offering to the final edition of Christian Bale's Batman trilogy. The title will release for both Android and iOS, both of which are expected to arrive next Friday, 20th July - a day after the movie hits the cinemas worldwide.
Social network usage has rised exponentially over the past few years. Most of us actively use 2-3 social networks every day - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram for example. It is, then, a little strange that iOS' Contacts app hasn't evolved much, if at all since 2007. Contacts apps on Android and Windows Phone 7 are particularly powerful when you compare them with Apple's offering. Contacts on WP7 are deeply integrated with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. You can open up a contact in the app and see all their latest updates and uploaded personal information, contact them via these networks without ever having to launch dedicated apps. Now, you can enjoy the same level of integration on iOS, albeit in the form of a third-party app. Check it out after the jump.
Apple has a strange knack for adding and omitting iOS features between devices in an almost arbitrary fashion, with some apps and elements present on one, missing from another with no particular rhyme or reason. For example, the iPad doesn't have the native Stocks app present on the iPhone, and while this isn't too much of a big deal (as well as a slew of apps, there are many ways to search on line for the market trends, for instance), it remains a bit of a head-scratcher.
Apple has been without relent in its pursuit of Google and Samsung, claiming patent infringements on a grand scale. Judge Lucy Koh last week dished out a ban on Galaxy Nexus sales to the Big G, and the web company duly obliged, removing the device from its Play Store. Earlier this week, the device returned, packing in Android Jelly Bean 4.1, a move which is said to amend any issues with regards to the claims Apple made in court, but having followed this Apple vs. Anybody debacle for quite a great deal of time, it should be of no surprise that the Cupertino company has not quite finished yet.
When developers are in the process of coming up with ideas for tweaks to create for jailbroken users to take advantage of, it is generally accepted that they are either created for use on the iPhone, the iPad or both the devices. Apple's iPod touch is generally classed as an iPhone without the phone part, meaning what works for the iPhone will also be compatible with the iPod touch.
