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.
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.
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.
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.
With the Nokia Lumia 900 set to launch at the back end of next month, the Finnish company is hoping that the Windows Phone powered handset will make a large impact on the American buyers. The Nokia Lumia 900 is the latest in the Lumia family of handsets to be launched and will be seen as the flagship device of the range featuring premium features, including 4G LTE technology and will hopefully be available for AT&T customers in the United States in the next six weeks.
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.
Dropbox is everyone’s favorite cloud storage, backup and syncing service, and for good reason: it is fast and secure, supported on a wide variety of platforms, free space is given away on a regularly basis and, well, it just works.
