We could probably create a 'law' - along the lines of Godwin's law or Murphy's law - that states that with every iPhone release, there will be multiple rumors about it being designed with a larger screen. Of course, the upcoming, next-generation iPhone is no exception. Reuters has covered a rumor stemming from South Korean publication the Maeil Business Newspaper, which states that the next iPhone will have a 4.6" Retina Display screen.
The Android OS is obviously one of the most advanced mobile platforms out there, available across a broad range of devices from various manufacturers with the option of choosing from hundreds of thousands of additional apps from third-party developers. The standard features that ship with Android - especially with the current offering which is Ice Cream Sandwich - are more than enough to entice even the most demanding of users to move across to Android, but when those features are combined with additional applications and widgets; the whole experience becomes even more attractive to consumers.
If there is one thing that owners of Android phones laud over their iPhone owning friends, it's the ability to use their handsets as external storage for their computers. Plug an Android phone into a computer, flick a switch and the device appears just as if it was a thumb drive.
There's been much talk of late regarding Apple's expansive bank balance. As opposed to making a large acquisition like Google or Microsoft with its $100 billion kitty, the fruit company decided a share repurchase program would be a forward-thinking way to utilize some of that eye-watering wealth.
When it comes to mobile apps, the people in the know generally agree that keeping it simpler is the way to go. In fact, one widely used design model for developers is the Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) method which encourages designers and developers to make their creations as simple as possible. Mobile devices function differently from their desktop or notebook counterparts as they don't have as much screen real estate to take advantage of and need to function perfectly through a touchscreen interface.
Although the response from tech enthusiasts regarding the Windows 8 Consumer Preview has been altogether positive, this hasn't stopped some developers from altering things around - in particular, trying to recover features lost from Windows 7.
If you have a smartphone or a tablet, you most certainly must’ve observed how it charges slowly through a USB connection than through when it is connected to an AC power outlet. I’m not really sure why this is the case (it has something to do with how USB ports draw less power), but chad0989 over on popular Android development forums XDA-Developers has found a way to get AC outlet-level fast charging on Galaxy Nexus through a USB connection by using his kernel patch.
Have I mentioned how Android is really good with context-sensitive apps? Just a few days ago we covered Timeriffic which allowed users to set custom WiFi/data, ringtone and notification, media/system volume settings based on the time of the day. One area where Timeriffic lacked was in its inability to set profiles based in other contexts.
Apple's recording breaking product, the new iPad, is not even a week old yet, but that hasn't stopped a subset of users picking up faults with the third-generation device. The new iPad officially went on sale last Friday, with Apple announcing in the last few days the they managed to ship a staggering three million units within the first weekend, making it the most successful iPad launch to date. Users have been queuing up outside Apple Stores in the hope of getting their hands on the tablet which features an A5X dual-core processor, a 5 mega-pixel rear camera and a beautiful high-resolution Retina display which contains a whopping 3.1 million pixels.
It seems that now the new iPad has been officially launched and available for almost a week, it is Samsung’s turn to be subjected to the never-ending rumor mill. In particular, attention is being paid to the Korean giant’s up and coming Samsung Galaxy S III device which will take over from the extremely successful S II model, with Samsung hoping it will fly the flag for the company in the twelve months after launch. We were originally all set to see a preview of the S III at the Mobile World Congress last month, but Samsung chose to delay that in favor of unifying the global launch of the device later in the year.
