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.
A new app for Android smartphones is designed to add a little flair and control to a fundamental part of the operating system: multitasking. Called Taskbar Switcher, this free app is available for download now from the Android Market / Google Play Store, or whatever Google is calling it today!
While the iPhone 4S has, hands down, the best camera on a smartphone today, HTC’s last flagship device - the HTC Sensation - is no slouch. It takes sharp 8MP stills and Full HD 1080p videos.
Like most mobile device features, the idea of having a camera as a standard feature wasn't one that occurred overnight. Many years of quite terrible cameras passed, amid cries of "it will never stick", "who needs a camera all the time?", and, the ironically overused "it's just a novelty feature".
If you're an avid console gamer and like your crime-fiction, the chances are you've played L.A. Noire, or at the very least, heard of it.
The Samsung Galaxy S III is undoubtedly the most anticipated Android smartphone of this year. After the back-to-back successes with the record-breaking and award-winning Galaxy S and Galaxy S II, there are high expectations from the next in line, and from the rumors and reports floating around the interwebs, Samsung is all set to deliver!
Such is the popularity of smartphones and mobile devices that there seems to be some kind of survey, experiment or report for every single aspect of the mobile technology industry. Just so you understand, we aren't complaining about this as these reports and experiments generally provide some extremely insightful information which can sometimes mold the way users operate their devices. In the last few years we have seen not only mobile devices, but mobile software burst onto the scene and become a multi-billion dollar industry almost overnight. Ecosystems such as the iOS App Store and the Google Play serve up billions of downloads to consumers, consisting of all different types of apps.
