Linux enthusiasts rejoiced at the news that Canonical would be bringing Ubuntu to the mobile realm, and although it was promised a developer preview would be available for the Galaxy Nexus at some point early this year, it now looks as though the Nexus 4 will be joining it. From 21st of February, anybody in ownership of either device will be able to get a first look at the OS, which is set to release at some point in October, and although developers may not be leaping out their seats in excitement, it's hard not to take at least a fleeting interest in its progress.
If you have been a loyal user of Skype, you have likely run into the hurdle of reaching a user when they are offline. While sending SMS messages often does the trick, sometimes a video message is just more convenient. The good news is that Skype has begun rolling out this feature in the form of an update for its Mac, iPhone and Android client, with support for other platforms such as Windows coming very soon.
Bump, the sharing app for Android and iOS, has been updated on each platform, with the takeaway feature being the ability to 'bump' files to a computer. It is often the case with the more popular apps that both the Android and iOS versions are given updates at around the same time, and while the iteration for Google's platform now stands at 3.4.9, the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch incarnation of the app has been, erm.. bumped to version 3.5.6.
For avid smartphone users, these aren’t just devices for fun and entertainment. While smartphones are great at serving multiple purposes for making our lives generally easier, a lot of users opt for productivity apps designed for specific purposes. One of the most popular category in this genre are note-taking apps. Since all of use continuously have so much to remember – when to make a call, sending out that high-priority email, shopping lists, daily tasks and so much more – notes are a great way to keep track of what you’ve done, and what remains to be tended to.
The latest speculation from the tech world suggests that Apple have a dedicated team of over 100 people working on the design, development and marketing of their purported iWatch. Backers are starting to receive the first shipments of the fantastic Pebble smart watch that managed to attract over $10 million worth of funding through the Kickstarter initiative. It seems that intelligent watches are all the rage at the minute, which is why it is quite staggering that we are set to see the world's first independent smart watch introduced in mid-April. And boy does it pack a punch.
A new beta has been released of WhatsApp Messenger for Android featuring, among other things, a new, Holo-style theme much better suited to the general look and feel of Android in general. The app has, hitherto, looked like a straight port of its iOS cousin, but with the security issues of yesteryear now having been resolved with WhatsApp Messenger for Android, the developers behind the popular app can now focus on aesthetics and features.
Gestures are one of the most innovative ways (yet) to interact with any device that supports human interface input. Almost all modern devices, be it smartphones, tablets (that includes the iPad, too), or modern ultrabooks, support some form of gesture input. And for good measure, too, because using that, you can easily get things done that would otherwise require some form of button input, tapping on the screen, or navigating through the system otherwise. Being a long time user of the iPad, I can testify that the multi-touch gestures are, indeed, a blessing.
After the spec'd-out One X and One X+ failed to make the desired impression on an Android user base concerned primarily with Samsung-branded handsets, HTC is back with a new flagship device, and is doing its level best to gather some momentum behind it. The HTC One, which has been the subject of quite a few carefully-engineered leaks, is going to be showcased very, very soon - on February 19th, in fact - and in anticipation for its special launch event in New York City on that very date, the 'quietly brilliant' Taiwanese manufacturer has been running special promo page (complete with a countdown timer) on its Web page.
File management is one of the most important elements for any sophisticated computer system. I don’t know about you, but I love the fact that Windows 8 has made file management so much easier and user friendly than any other previous version of the operating system. Akin to a computer, our smartphones and tablets today, too, have become sophisticated portable computers that can handle a variety of file types. Then, as with any Linux-based system, you need a clever file management system to get a lot of things done, including (but not limited to) making root-level changes to the operating system itself. In fact, a lot of areas of the operating system remain inaccessible if you cannot gain a proper file management software.
Electronic Arts has announced that the third release from its popular Real Racing series will be landing at the Google Play Store for Android, and the App Store for iOS, as of the 28th February. The iPhone 5 launch gave us a glimpse of things to come from Real Racing 3, but while the snippets appeared remnant of Gran Turismo, fans have had to wait quite a while for a solid release date. Now, the wait appears to be almost over, and by the end of the month - provided no unforeseen delays crop up - the mobile arena's favorite racer will be back for a third lap.
