Some things are just never going to happen. Some things are just highly unlikely. With Steve Jobs around it was unthinkable for Apple to bring the iTunes Store to Google's Android mobile platform, but in a post-Steve Jobs world, it's looking increasingly possible that those packing non-Apple hardware could be able to buy songs from iTunes.
The mobile world, particularly those with an eye for a decent camera, were well and truly amazed by the 41-megapixel PureView snapper that Nokia packed into last year's Lumia 1020, but since then, no competing vendor has really stepped up to the plate with anything capable of challenging with the 1020's shot-taking prowess. Now, though, Oppo has just taken the wraps off its Find 7 handset, and although it only packs a 13-megapixel sensor in the form of the Sony IMX214 CMOS, its advanced software technology means that it's actually capable of taking 50-megapixel photos.
With Samsung having already announced the Gear 2 and Gear Fit smartwatches at Mobile World Congress, it was only going to be a matter of time before the other big names in tech joined the fray, and amid ongoing rumors that Apple will drop its elusive 'iWatch' product later this year, Google has gone ahead and released the Developer Preview of its 'Android Wear' SDK. As the name implies, this particular flavor of the search giant's open-source platform is designed specifically for wearables, and the Big G also took the opportunity to reel off a bunch of manufacturers, including Motorola and HTC, that will begin releasing wearable products using the software later on this year.
It's not uncommon, as has been the case over the past couple of months, for talk of the next iPhone to begin swiftly following the release of the current model. But while we've only seen tentative upgrades in terms of the Apple smartphone's form factor since the original handset arrived in 2007, the talk of two new devices - the larger of which may pack a display in excess of 5.5 inches - has raised more than a few eyebrows. With this in mind, ISI analyst Brian Marshall not only believes that we'll see unprecedented numbers of consumers upgrading to the new, larger model, but he also foresees scores of Android users jumping ship as Apple finally decides to go big.
We've already seen the many ways in which Android can run, process apps and push games on platforms such as Windows and OS X, but from later this year, we may see it make the jump to Windows Phone, in turn creating the very first dual-boot Windows Phone / Android devices on the market. At present, those with an affinity to both Microsoft and Google's respective mobile platforms need to own two mobile devices in order to enjoy using each, but according to The Times of India, native company Karbonn Mobiles will soon begin shipping Windows Phones that also support Google's Android.
Nokia X has been rooted successfully, and can now run Google apps, Play Store and more. More details and photos showing off the device can be viewed here.
It seems that Google may have just fallen foul of one of the pitfalls of having engineers running the company rather than people that are more adept at giving a politician's answer to some tough questions. Google's head honcho of Android, Sundar Pichai, has been in attendance at this week's Mobile World Congress, and it seems he's given a very interesting answer to a mildly interesting question.
With the likes of the Apple iPhone 5s and Samsung Galaxy S5 now offering fingerprint sensors, the smartphone industry has become increasingly sci-fi - a tad more James Bond, if you like - in recent times. But for a truly secure experience, one would need much more than these emerging, albeit reliable implementations, and this is where airplane maker Boeing steps in, with a smartphone offering the kind of robust security features that only a government agency - or indeed, a government agent - would require.
Earlier on today, Nokia announced three new Android-based devices in the form of the Nokia X, Nokia X+ and the Nokia XL. As you might imagine, getting any decent amount of time with these new devices is rather difficult, but here, we present an exclusive brief overview of the Nokia XL - the largest of these three new specimens.
My my, what a day today! Just hours before the official unveiling of the Galaxy S5 at MWC, we finally have live images leaked for the upcoming Android flagship from the Korean smartphone and consumer electronics manufacturer, Samsung. And boy, do these images have a story to tell.
