Google means business with Android these days. That's not to say it didn't before, but since the company's Google I/O conference recently it has become clear that the people at Google are beginning to understand what it takes to make a premium smartphone. It's not apps, and it's not handsets. It's the feel of the operating system.
One of the great things about having devices like smartphones and tablets is the ability to constantly update the standard functionality of the gadget by downloading and installing additional apps which are available through marketplaces like the iOS App Store and Google's own software market, the Google Play Store. In some instances it is possible to acquire installations from other sources, but for the mainstream user, the official app hubs prove more than sufficient with over 1.2 million combined apps available on the two largest sales platforms.
Because of its relatively open nature, Android apps tend to be much more flexible and powerful than iOS apps. I’m not talking about games like Angry Birds or social networking apps like TweetDeck or Facebook, I’m talking about apps like DroidSheep, Faceniff, WiFiKill and Network Spoofer that can wreak havoc through advanced attacks on other, unsuspecting Android smartphone users.
The tablet market is one which is arguably already sewn up. It's already done. Dead. Finished. It's already Apple's. Or is it? With Apple undoubtedly heading the charts in and around the $500 price bracket, there is plenty of room for manufacturers to play below that mark. As the netbook market showed years ago, if you can make something cheap, people will buy it, regardless of whether it's any good or not.
The Olympic Games, held in London, England this year, will certainly be the highlight of the sporting calendar. Despite Wimbledon, EURO 2012 and many other big sporting events currently in full flow, none will quite live up to the glorious, diverse, and immensely entertaining Olympics. Living in London, the media has talked about little else over the past year, and as exciting as it is for us on a national level, most of the world will - in one event or another - be tuned in to a chunk of the coverage.
The long standing Asphalt series of racing games are amongst the most popular games on mobile platforms such as Android and iOS. Combining some of the established mechanics of games like Ridge Racer and Burnout, the games are known for their fast-paced, arcade-style racing, standard-setting graphics and awesome roster of licensed supercars from some of the world’s biggest names in the automobile industry.
Although we’re in the middle of an Apple related mayhem with their earnings report to Wall Street and the final release of OS X Mountain Lion to the Mac App Store, we mustn't forget what is going in other parts of the technology world. It wasn't that long ago when the Google team took to the stage during the first day of the I/O conference in San Francisco and introduced us all to the Nexus 7 and the Nexus Q hardware. In the weeks following much after the event, it seems to be the former device which is getting all of the attention, but the Nexus Q is getting its game up in the form of a dedicated app for Android devices.
Samsung's newest device, the Galaxy S III, has received a new OTA update internationally, removing the local search feature that has proved so controversial of late. Samsung has taken another step in its preemptive work to try and avoid Apple's legal juggernaut from being able to get another of the Koreans' handsets banned from sale.
Before Ice Cream Sandwich, manufacturers put their Home, Menu, Back and Search buttons in different order just to differentiate themselves from one another. Companies like Samsung even went head and removed the all-important Search button* altogether which results in a different Android experience.
Two new Smart Cover-like Nexus 7 cases have been outed by a UK accessory retailer, with the two protective options both featuring similar magnet technology that allows the tablet's screen to be turned on or off based on the case's position and orientation.
