Canonical assembles a team of experts to help Ubuntu crack the mobile market
Although Ubuntu for phones looks great, it’s going to be very tricky for Canonical to get any real foothold in a mobile market utterly dominated by iOS and Android devices. Even coming close to competing with BlackBerry and Windows Phone seems like a pipe dream at this point.
To help realize its ambitions, Canonical has put together a Carrier Advisory Group (CAG) to guide and shape the Ubuntu operating system for mobile devices.
Freemium developers are doing it all wrong
Am I naive in thinking that Freemium-based games should blow your socks off with an amazing gameplay experience during your first taste of the free game period?
This certainly doesn’t seem to be the case given nearly all the titles I'm seeing so far. What I’m invariably experiencing is a title that’s unremarkable, often tedious and bland by all measures, with the expectation for you to pay money to make it slightly more bearable.
Will you be installing Windows 8.1? [Poll]
On June 26 Microsoft will release a preview of Windows 8.1. The OS refresh is designed to make the operating system easier to use, address some of the concerns that users have, and persuade doubters to finally make the switch.
Windows 8.1 fixes issues and introduces some welcome new features, including the return of the Start button, boot to desktop, the option to have multiple apps on screen at once, Internet Explorer 11, the ability to turn the lockscreen into a photoframe, as well as various Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and security enhancements.
Take a look at the revamped Store in Windows 8.1
If you downloaded a leaked build of Windows 8.1 you’ll have noticed quite a few changes to Microsoft's new operating system, but there are still a lot more tweaks and features to come in the official preview build which will be released on June 26.
One of the new features is a revamped Windows Store, but unfortunately this wasn’t available to explore on the leaked builds. I say "wasn’t" because as of today you can now access and browse the store, and even download apps.
Vodafone UK’s new Smart Mini gives you the power of Jelly Bean for just £50 -- contract free
Great news for British Android lovers. If you’re in the market for a new mobile phone, but money’s a little tight right now, Vodafone’s new own-brand Smart Mini could be just what you’re looking for.
One of the cheapest Android smartphones around, the device is understandably pretty low spec with a 3.5-inch 480 by 320 display, 2-Megapixel camera, 1GHz processor and 4GB of internal storage.
Hey Microsoft, here’s another ball! Try not to drop this... oh
If I worked for Microsoft, and my sole job was to come up with products that divided opinion and alienated many previously loyal users, I reckon I would be due a promotion about now.
While some divisions within Microsoft are doing a great job (Bing and Outlook.com spring to mind), you have to wonder what the bloody hell is going on when the tech giant is able to so badly foul up not only Windows but Xbox too.
Google wants you to know it has nothing to hide
Google was one of numerous tech companies implicated in last week’s PRISM scandal, and despite issuing a carefully worded denial, many people still believe the search giant provides the NSA with unfettered access to its servers.
Unhappy with the situation, Google has written a letter to the offices of the Attorney General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, asking them to give the company permission to publish in its transparency reports at least some information about the FISA national security requests it receives. This will prove, Google hopes, that it complies with legal requests, but no more.
You won’t be going through THAT windshield! Gorilla Glass coming to cars?
If you’re the sort of person who views a seatbelt as an inconvenience, you might soon have to reconsider your stance as according to Jeffery Evenson, senior vice president of Corning, the firm’s durable Gorilla Glass could start appearing in vehicles within the next 12 months.
Corning’s scratch resistant Gorilla Glass can already be found in 1.5 billion electronic devices, including the Apple iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One, but it’s not just the strength of the glass that might appeal to automobile makers.
The iOS 7 features Apple didn’t mention at WWDC
There’s no question that iOS 7 is a sexy looking mobile operating system. Jony Ive and his team have done a fantastic job of reinventing and modernizing the interface, but the great news for fans of Apple products is iOS 7 isn’t all style and no substance.
Apple ran through a lot of the new or improved features yesterday, including Control Center, AirDrop, Photo app, Siri (with added Bing!), iOS in the Car, FaceTime Audio, and iTunes Radio. But there were features that Craig Federighi, SVP of Software Engineering, didn’t mention but which appeared on a slide in the background.
Apple reveals all new iOS 7 -- ‘defines an important new direction’
We all knew that Apple would be revealing a redesigned version of its mobile operating system today at the 24th Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, and we've just been treated to an in-depth look.
As was widely reported, the Jony Ive designed iOS 7 has a flatter, functional design and the skeumorphism -- faux wooden bookshelves, green felt and the like -- that was a central theme in previous versions of the operating system is no more.
Apple reveals OS X 10 Mavericks -- no, seriously, that’s the new name
Live at WWDC 2013, Apple's Craig Federighi has just announced the first new non-cat named version of OS X 10.
After admitting Apple had run out of Lion variations, and making a joke about calling it OS X 10 Sea Lion, he revealed OS X 10.9’s real title -- Mavericks (named after the surfing location in Northern California rather than Tom Cruise’s character in Top Gun). Which is probably the worst name of any operating system ever. Even worse than Windows Me.
Watch the Sony PlayStation E3 press conference here, LIVE
The Xbox One has been grabbing all the headlines lately, and not all for the right reasons, but Sony will be hoping its next gen gaming console draws at least some of the limelight today when we finally get to see what the fabled machine looks like and find out more about what it has to offer.
At the E3 press conference Sony is expected to reveal the home entertainment features of the console, and of course we’ll get to see some of the games for it. You don’t need to fly or drive to LA to watch the conference as we’ll be streaming it right here, live.
What to expect from Apple at WWDC 2013
Apple events are always preceded by rumours and occasional leaks, so we usually have at least a rough idea of what to expect prior to the keynote. There haven’t been any major leaks ahead of this year’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference which could mean one of two things -- there’s nothing really big coming, or there’s something so big to be announced, security is super tight.
We do know some of what Apple CEO Tim Cook will talk about when he takes to the stage later today, and we have a good idea of what else might be announced, so prepare to get excited for the following…
Is it going to rain? The BBC’s new weather app can tell you
The BBC’s weather predictions tend to be reasonably accurate, and now you can check the corporation’s latest forecasts on a new app available for iOS and Android.
When you launch the app it detects your location and tells you what the weather is like where you are, providing details such as high and low temperatures, current conditions, humidity, visibility and wind speed.
Microsoft demos the new Windows 8.1 Start button -- is it what you were hoping for?
The good news for many frustrated users of Windows 8 is Microsoft is bringing back the start button in Windows 8.1. It might not operate in quite the same way as the Start button does in previous incarnations of the operating system, but at least it’s there.
Microsoft released a teaser video a couple of days ago which highlighted many of the new features to look forward to in the OS refresh, but the Start button wasn’t among them. The software giant did however, demo the button -- and the improved interface -- at Computex 2013, and a video captured by NetworkWorld shows our little clickable friend in action.