One of the perceived downsides of the smartphone industry is the monopolization of devices through carrier locking. At point of sale and when you sign up to a contract with a carrier, it's understandable, but thereafter, getting a handset unlocked can be a trying, if not impossible process. If you want to check whether your device is unlocked for use on any network, a nifty online service completely has your back, and not only is the website incredibly easy to use, but if you're on Android, there's also an app available to download over at the Google Play Store. More details after the break.
Following the news that Apple had plugged the Evasi0n untethered jailbreak for A5+ powered iPhone 5, iPad and other new devices with the release of iOS 6.1.3, it was a case of being back to square one for those purchasing these new devices. Anybody running iOS 6.1.2 or earlier can jailbreak across the board, but if iOS 6.1.3 taught us anything, it's that the cat is never too far behind the mouse, and will eventually get clawed. Usually, this is a demoralizing period of time, yet although there is of course no untethered jailbreak just yet for the very latest firmware, we have already seen plenty of very encouraging signs for future firmware releases.
We're now in April, and every year, without fail, the early spring sees the rumor mill gather a significant amount of steam where Apple is concerned. As well as the next-gen iPhone, talk of the Cupertino company releasing a low-cost iPhone at some point later this year has also been fairly rife, and according to The Wall Street Journal, the fruit company will begin producing the next iPhone, dubbed the 'iPhone 5S', at some point during this quarter. As the S moniker implies, the device is likely to take a very similar, if not identical shape to its predecessor, and The Journal is also touting the device for a summer release.
The jury may still be out on whether 3D viewing is to be a significant part of the technology industry moving forward, or whether in fact it's just a novelty feature to be enjoyed from time to time. If you're of the opinion that yes, 3D viewing is a key part of digital viewing in future, then you may be interested by the creation of a Singapore-based bunch of researchers, who've developed a special type of film that can help mobile displays output in three dimensions.
BlackBerry has spent the past year preparing and reinventing itself for another serious assault on the smartphone market, and although the company did try sticking with the old formula and essentially flogged a dead horse for far to long, the company looks ready to be taken seriously again. BlackBerry 10 looks like an intuitive, innovative operating system much more in line with the likes of iOS and Android, and with the BlackBerry Z10 certainly strong enough to hold its own against many of the market's considered elite, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company is looking for customers once more.
There was some debate as to whether it was the iPhone 4S, or indeed the iPhone 5 that should be considered in Apple folklore as Steve Jobs' "last project" before his untimely passing back in October 2011. Just as we thought the next era of Apple would see the company attempt to find its feet without its most influential scholar, Apple's government liaison has revealed that the next two generations of iPhone have long since been developed, and that in actual fact, both were designed before Steve Jobs succumbed to his illness.
The jailbreak scene is not only invaluable for all those practical tweaks that enhance the functionality of iOS, but also a great wealth of resources to those looking to freshen up the look of their iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Color Keyboard, as we first reported on when it was introduced back in 2011, lives up to its name by allowing you to create all kinds of interesting looks to your keys, and a currently free theme by the name of "Dashing" is one of the best CK themes we've seen to date.
Google's Maps is by far the navigation utility of choice not only on the company's very own Android platform, but also iOS, where millions of iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users have downloaded the search giant's third-party offering from the App Store. Why do we all love Google Maps so much? Well, besides being one of the most accurate and feature-rich experiences in the field, it is also incredibly easy to use, and the swiping, tapping and pinching gestures make the whole process pretty seamless. Thanks to mobile device enthusiast Carl Sednaoui, we've got a little video demonstration of a feature many of you may have missed within Google Maps, which allows users to zoom in and out effectively using a little-known one-handed shortcut.
When the iPhone first launched back in 2007, it came with a number of default apps that were bundled with the software we now know as iOS. Native Messages, Mail, Stocks and Calculator apps have all stood the test of time as Apple continue to iterate through firmware versions with each new device, but one of the more popular but less frequently discussed is the fantastic and visually appealing Weather app. If you are one of the many jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch owners running iOS 6.0 or above, you will be happy to know that the popular WeatherIcon tweak is now compatible with the latest firmware version.
For those among us who regularly use the native Camera app on the iPhone to capture images, chances are that you are constantly looking to the App Store and Cydia for the latest and greatest app or tweak to take your photography to the next level. The release of iOS 6 saw Apple take on third-party panorama apps by implementing their own capture facility within the Camera app itself, which is a feature that has now been extended thanks to the LLBPano tweak within Cydia.
