Smartphones of today are the ultimate example of the convergence of technology. These devices act as a camera, music player, video player, internet communications device, a phone and, in relation to this post, a powerful torch.
You only need to stop for a second and have a look at the number of smartphone devices and tablets available in the marketplace to understand just how popular mobile devices are becoming in our everyday lives. For seasoned users of these devices, the ownership decision generally isn't a difficult one as they tend to have their preferred manufacturers and preferred OSes and will only deviate if something exceptional enters the public domain. However, for those who may be new to the smartphone or tablet ownership, the decision about what device or OS to opt for can be somewhat overwhelming.
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.
