Apple‘s annual Worldwide Developers Conference starts in just one week, and to help attendees prepare for the week-long event, the company has released a WWDC app that includes all sorts of information that should prove useful for conference goers. The app includes session info, videos, and maps of the convention floor at Moscone West.
The app works on both the iPhone and iPad, and it lets attendees keep track of all the different sessions that are taking place, including when and where they’re happening. The maps are essentially layouts of Moscone West, and it gives users a visual view of where sessions are taking place, and they can help attendees find their way around if they ever get lost.
The app also provides videos of the sessions for those who want to watch a session over again, or for those who aren’t able to make it to the conference. They can also be great for attendees who weren’t able to go to some of the sessions, as they’re are plenty of them, and some of them even overlap with one another.
One of the more interesting sessions that will be going on during the conference is a talk with Bill Nye the Science Guy who will be leading a session called “Twenty Years Exploring the PB and J (Passion, Beauty and Joy) of Science. That should be rather interesting, and other notable speakers during WWDC also include Star Trek actor LeVar Burton, and director JJ Abrams.
WWDC kicks off next week on Monday, with an opening keynote from CEO Tim Cook and company. That’s the time when we should be seeing some new hardware from Apple, including new Macs, as well as iOS 7, which designer Jony Ive has taken over the reigns for recently. Of course, no one is positive as to what Apple will announce, but we’ll be their live to report back the details to you as they happen.
Basically, the LG Optimus G2 has been appearing before back in early May. The design indeed looks like the LG Optimus G Pro with its rounded corner as LG is unlikely to ditch the rounded corner for another design.
The latest leaked image showed the alleged LG Optimus G2 where the upper part of the device showed clearly to the camera. If you compared the old image, both devices having the identical design.
There is a speaker together with a front-facing camera on the LG Optimus G2. These features also available on the LG Optimus G2 that was leaked earlier.
Both devices could be the LG Optimus G2 or other unannounced device from the Korean company.
When Google announced their Google Play Music All Access service, some wondered if services like Spotify would survive. For at least one customer, it won’t. I will likely take the leap once the service makes the move to iOS… if a few assumptions prove true.
Sundar Pichai told the audience at the All Things D conference that they’d likely release a version that runs on iOS. Since many Spotify users install the app on both iOS and Android devices, Google has to follow through and get their music app through the rigorous Apple iTunes App Store screening process, something they couldn’t do in the early days of some other apps. Google Voice, and more recently Google Maps, hit snags. If Google does release an iOS version, those of us who use both platforms will find Google Play Music All Access service more enticing, despite the horrible name.
Here’s a comparison of the two systems.
Price
Google offers the service for about $10, but those who sign up in May or June can get it for $8. That’s $2 less than Spotify Premium costs. Spotify offers three tiers: a free version for computer only, one for $5/month that works like the free version but without ads and then the Premium tier that works on a phone or tablet and lets users download playlists for offline listening. Google Play Music All Access doesn’t have an offline function. Heavy listeners, or those with skimpy data plans, should seriously consider this before switching. But most users won’t see the lack of offline listening as a hurdle. At 5GB/month on AT&T we never approach our limit, even with moderate streaming.
To sign up for the discounted service on Google head over to Music.Google.com. After just 5 months the savings will afford listeners the equivalent of a free month.
Music Selection
Selection could stop some users from making the switch. Spotify boasts 20 million songs while Google Play Music All Access only promises 18 million plus. Who cares who has the most? It’s important that they serve up the songs a subscriber wants to hear. Not surprisingly, both featured the current Billboard top ten hits.
If a service offers this obscure title, then listeners can confidently assume their favorites will show up in the library.
There’s an obscure silly song by a Christian Ska group called Sonseed that I use to see how deep the collection goes. If a service offers up the whimsical but obscure son Jesus is a Friend of Mine, then it’s likely to include the most popular as well. Both services found the song and every other song we looked for.
App Quality
Spotify’s Android app showing the Dave Brubeck Hits jazz playlist ready for download
The final nail in Spotify’s coffin will come in the form of the Google Play Music All Access iPhone and/or iPad app. First, it must offer both and they must function well. A measly $2/month isn’t enough to convince me, if finding music in the app feels like getting dental work. Based on the current Android app and other iPhone and iPad apps from Google, we’re hopeful that they will deliver. But we’ll wait to see before we take the jump permanently.
Video game industry analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush predicts Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony will cut prices on existing video game consoles at E3 next week as the industry prepares for the next generation of consoles.
According to CNet in a note to investors Pachter said he expects Sony and Microsoft to drop the price of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by “at least $50.” Pachter also believes Nintendo will cut the price of the last-generation Wii to $99 from the current $129.99 bundle it currently offers.
Pachter also predicts that Nintendo will cut prices of the Wii U by at least $50. Nintendo currently offers Basic and Deluxe editions of the Wii U for $299 and $349, respectively. If the company doesn’t offer a price cut on the consoles Pachter believes it will instead opt for bundling more games with the consoles.
The Deluxe edition of the Wii U currently comes with a free copy of Nintendo Land, though the Basic edition has no packed-in software. Nintendo doesn’t have many games to choose from for a bundle, however, as the console has a relatively small library of games at the moment.
Nintendo previously said it has no plans to cut the price of the Wii U console as it believes the price for the the console is fair. The company hasn’t commented on new possible bundles, however.
Price cuts for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 make sense for Microsoft and Sony as both will shift their focus to their next generation consoles at E3 this year. For Microsoft a price cut will help it reach its goal of selling 100 million units of the Xbox 360 over its life. A price cut for the PlayStation 3 will help make Sony make good of its promise of a ten-year lifecycle for the console.
On June 10 Microsoft will share more about the games it has planned for the Xbox One and Sony will finally show the PlayStation 4 along with new games. On June 11 Nintendo will present aNintendo Direct that will talk about the future of the Wii U.
Apple appears to be closing deals left and right to get everything in place for a reveal of a music streaming service at WWDC 2013 on June 10th where we also expect to see iOS 7. Apple could pair this service with Siri for a leg up on the entrenched competition.
Apple’s music streaming service, which many outside the company are calling iRadio, would reportedly offer a streaming radio experience similar to Pandora and the free version of Spotify.
Over the weekend news arrived from multiple sources that Apple landed new agreements from Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group, though the company is reportedly still at the table with Sony and Sony ATV. The news comes fromThe NY Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Apple could use Siri and iRadio in iOS 7 as a weapon against music services that distract from iTunes.
While Apple’s iTunes and iPod are often credited with kicking off the digital music boom (along with rampant online downloading) the company behind the iPhone remains a non-player in the latest trend of streaming music on personalized Internet radio stations and subscription music services that give users access to a vast library of music.
Apple may be late to the game, but it could offer deeper integration with the iPhone, Siri and the rest of the iOS operating system than competitors. Apple CEO Tim Cook claims Apple is planning to open iOS to some extent, but similar claims from Apple in the past were nothing more than empty promises.
If Apple launches iRadio at WWDC 2013 as part of iOS 7, or even as a standalone service available later that week, the company will likely play up support for Siri. Siri cannot currently control music services like Pandora, Spotify and the forthcoming Google Play All Access for iPhone app.
Apple could allow users to quickly play a favorite radio station with Siri while driving, much like Zooey Deschanel asked Siri to play Shake Rattle and Roll in her Siri ad.
In an ode to the iPhone’s early days as a mobile music player Apple highlights music in the latest iPhone ad to hit airwaves. While the iPhone 5 – Music Everyday ad doesn’t talk about iRadio or any music streaming service the ad sets the stage for a new music feature to arrive and offer more music on the iPhone.
Rumors suggest iRadio will offer a music streaming service like Pandora and the free version of Spotify which let users pick an artist or a song and listen to similar music. The service will reportedly be free and could push users towards buying tracks on iTunes. At this point the iRadio service doesn’t appear to be an unlimited on demand music service like Google Play All Access, Spotify Premium and Rhapsody.
A new Samsung Galaxy S3 bug could end up costing users money on their monthly bill thanks to an overactive built-in browser that is reportedly downloading more images than it needs.
This bug, which is part of the built-in browser downloads more images than it should, resulting in higher data usage and longer load times according to a new report from researchers at the University of Massachusetts.
This report found that the Samsung Galaxy S3built-in browser was slower and made more requests for data than other browsers on WiFi and on cellular data networks. Because of a problem with the browser, the Galaxy S3 downloaded more images, resulting in a downloads of 3.5 times more than a desktop browser in one test.
The good news is that the technology causing higher downloads is not widely used yet, and avoiding this is as simple as picking a new browser like Chrome.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 uses 3.5 times as much data on certain websites according to a new report.
Tech21 reports that researchers discovered the issue while testing a benchmark tool on Wikipedia using multiple devices and browsers.
When the Samsung Galaxy S4 encounters a webpage using the srcset tag, it downloads all the images available instead of just downloading the one it needs. The srcset HTML attribute is designed to allow devices like a smartphone, tablet or high-resolution notebook to download the right size image for the screen to deliver a better look as well as faster downloads.
In some cases, the Galaxy S3 bug would request too many image downloads over a cellular network and cause page load errors. In one test, Internet Explorer downloaded 600kb of information while the Galaxy S3 browser downloaded 2.1MB of data.
Researchers found the bug on the international Samsung Galaxy S3 and the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S3. In the test both devices were reportedly running Android 4.2.2, which is interesting because we are still waiting for the official update to Android 4.2.2 on the Galaxy S3.
Users can avoid any of these issues by switching to a new browser like Google Chrome for Androidwhich users can quickly make the default browser. In addition to this change, Samsung should have time to fix any issue here before the mass rollout of srcset. Chrome still offers a better user experience with tab syncing to the desktop so tabs are always at hand and the ability to keep login information synced between devices.
Researchers will share the study this week at a conference, which may shed more light on the issue.
iOS 7 is Apple's next operating system for its iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad devices and is expected to launch in September alongside a new iPhone, iPad, and probably iPod touch, but what's to be expected of the new operating system, what do we want from it, and what are the rumours saying?
When is the iOS 7 release date?
Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, has already confirmed that we will be hearing plenty about iOS 7 at WWDC, the company's annual developer conference in San Francisco that kicks off on the 10 June.
Once the new OS is out in the open we expect developers to get it shortly after so they can start taking a closer look at how they can benefit from the new features and, if history serves us well, it will be released to the general public some time in September.
Will it come to my current iPhone or iPad?
Yes. That's not the official answer of course, but there is no reason to believe that it won't be available for the iPhone 5, iPad mini, and iPad 4. If you've got an older device you might not get all the headline features, as your phone, tablet, or MP3 player might not have the right bit of hardware. When iOS 6 launched it wasn't available for the first iPad for example. Likewise Siri isn't available on the early iPhone's because the hardware inside just isn't powerful enough.
Is iOS 7 already being tested?
Yes. Pocket-lint has seen web traffic from devices running iOS 7. Those devices where being used in Cupertino, the home town of Apple's headquarters.
But don't just take our word for it. TechCrunch has also reported that Onswipe, a New York-based company that helps web publishers customise their websites for the tablet interface, has found large droves of users using iPhone's with iOS 7 installed. The users were based mainly in San Francisco and Apple's home town of Cupertino.
What do we know for definite about iOS 7?
We know, following Scott Forstall's departure in 2012, that the design of the newest version of Apple's operating system has been overseen by Jonathan Ive.
At a recent conference in California Tim Cook noted Ive was "really key" to do the redesign.
According to reports, there is no new learning curve and several core fundamentals of iOS will remain the same, including the Lock and Home screens. Several of Apple's native apps will get new icons and redesigned tool bars, tab bars and other features in the update.
Ive dislikes something called skeuomorphism, or mimicking real life objects in digital design. iOS does a lot of this, using paper textures for iBooks or a leather effect for the calendar. Expect the majority of this to go with iOS 7.
Vimeo and Flickr
Rumours also point to Flickr and Vimeo being heavily integrated into the operating system in a similar way to Twitter and Facebook. Vimeo quick sharing is already supported in OS X Mountain Lion and the rumours are the same sharing options will now be available in iOS 7.
Apple Air Drop support added
Apple is currently testing versions of iOS 7 internally that include the AirDrop WiFi-direct file sharing tool from the Mac reports 9to5Mac.
The feature already available in OS X Mountain Lion will let you share files between devices by creating an ad-hoc connection between the two letting them share photos or contact details. AirDrop is expected to will work between two iOS devices and potentially between an iOS device and a Mac.
iRadio
Quoting sources familiar with the matter, both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal are reporting that Apple will launch a streaming radio service at WWDC and possibly for iOS 7 users only.
The feature is expected to take on Spotify and Pandora and still in the process of getting the go ahead from the music labels. An iRadio service doesn't need to be apart of iOS 7, but it would be a good way to convince people to update their software on the phone, and ensure that there is a steady, but progressive take up from Apple users rather than everyone overloading the system at once.
More open
Apple's CEO has also suggested that the new iOS could be a lot more "open" than previous outings. What that exactly means at the moment is anyone's guess, however some are hoping that it means greater API support for developers and the chance for apps like Swiftkey to be installed on the operating system to improve the keyboard.
What other people want from iOS 7?
Goldman Sachs team of equity analysts led by Bill Shope is hoping for all of the above and much more.
In an open letter to Apple published on Business Insider the company says that Apple needs to add more to iOS that just a new lick of paint:
"A UI overhaul alone is unlikely to be enough to excite investors in our view, so we would hope to see some critical updates and enhancements for iOS services and the broader ecosystem. In particular, we believe iCloud and Siri are in need of an overhaul as competitors seem to be surpassing what were once novel enhancements to the iOS platform.
"In particular, we would hope to see that Apple has made it easier for third-party developers to leverage iCloud syncing, and believe it would be helpful to understand how many consumers are using iCloud’s paid services as opposed to just an update on the raw number of registered users. As for Siri, we had once assumed this would be a key enhancement for the platform and a powerful competitive advantage for Apple, but persistent technical glitches and limited integration with third-party services seem to be detracting from this feature’s promise. We believe updates to third-party support for Siri and performance improvements would be positive catalysts at the event."
While it is still in the planning phase, however, can Apple learn anything from its two main competitors: Windows Phone by Microsoft and Android by Google? Here are 11 things we like from both operating systems that we would love to see in the new iOS 7.
1. Windows Phone People hub
The People hub is Microsoft's contacts app and is a really easy way of keeping track of what your friends, colleagues or family are up to. You can create groups of people to see quickly what they are doing on social networks without having to open each individual app like Facebook or Twitter. Android offers similar integration. Apple has all the right elements, iOS 7 just needs to pull them together.
2. Windows Phone contact cards
Another great Windows Phone feature is Microsoft's way of joining all the dots when it comes to social on your phone within the contacts card. We aren't just talking about linking the relevant emails and Facebook addresses to the right person, but the ability to dive within that contacts card and see a history of the emails you sent, the photos you shared with each other, and even the social messaging you've done. At the moment iOS 6 isn't very share friendly.
3. Android's Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth toggle buttons
Turing on or off Wi-Fi on Bluetooth can be a faff on iOS because you've got to dive into the settings to get things done. On Android it's usually simply a case of swiping down to switch stuff on and off to save battery, with both Motorola and Samsung making this really easy. For iOS 7 we would love to have the ability to place an icon on the homescreen that shortcuts to power settings.
4. Windows Phone and Sony Xperia Z power-saving modes
Both Android and Windows Phone offer power-saving mode to ensure you've got just enough juice in the phone to make that call for the taxi when you've missed the last train home. For iPhone all you've got is Flight Mode, which turns everything off.
5. Windows Phone's clean look
We believe Sir Jony Ive already has this one covered, but it's 2013. Apple needs to ditch the faux leather and yellow legal paper. Why is it yellow anyway? Windows Phone's interface is clean and sharp, and while Android does still have its "shame" moments, the Roboto typeface makes it a lot cleaner.
6. Android's multi-tasking
Single screen apps are great, and we aren't suggesting Apple should opt for the Samsung two apps per screen approach in iOS 7 - especially not on the iPhone 5 - but coming up with a better way to switch between apps other than double tapping on the home button would be welcomed by heavy app switchers. If you have ever tried to use Skype, email, Safari and maps all at the same time, you'll know what we mean.
7. Windows Phone smart tiles
Letting your app do something more with the icon than show you just a number when there is a notification is one of the great tricks of Windows Phone. Apple, yes please.
8. Windows Phone's interactive homepage
The Windows Phone ability to change the lock screen image on a daily basis is really nice, especially if you are bored of looking at the same pics of your kids day in day out. With great apps like Flickr, Instagram and others, Apple's iOS 7 could really benefit from this here to keep things fresh and interesting.
9. Android's quick sharing
Apple lets you share certain things with certain services, but only if it's approved them first. Android, on the other hand, lets you share virtually anything with anyone all by a simple button that can adapt to how you share. Whether it is SkyDrive, G Drive, Dropbox, Box.net, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, Android doesn't care. Just think of the sharing possibilities you would have if iOS 7 offered the same thing.
10. Android Widgets
If you've used Android, or even seen it, you'll know how Android users love their Google search bar, or that big clock with the weather on it. iOS doesn't have any of this, and while some will say it's a big waste of space, the idea of having widgets letting you see information for a specific service is welcomed by many. Just think, iOS 7 could have a big Siri button on screen all the time. Would that make you use it more?
11. Windows Phone and Android Notifications
Both operating systems offer a better notification method than iOS at the moment. Something that will hopefully change in iOS 7. Please.
PopCap has finally lifted the lid on the forthcoming sequel to its hugely successful vegetable and corpse mash-up tower defence game, Plants vs Zombies 2. It has also released a trailer, giving a glimpse as to what to expect when it hits iPad, iPhone and iPod touch on 18 July.
The gameplay has been enhanced, but is similar to the original - with the player having to lay plants with different powers on a map to stop ever-advancing, brain-eating zombies. However, the sequel has been built from the ground up "as a live service", although no further details on what that entails have been released as yet.
PopCap has revealed some of the key new features, however, including new worlds with new levels, plants and zombies. Plus, there are new touchscreen power-ups which "break the fourth wall", allowing the player to interact with the zombies directly.
One of the biggest changes with Plants vs Zombies 2 is that it will adopt a freemium model. The game will be a free download on iTunes with additional items and upgrades available through in-app purchases. The developer does stress, though, that every level will be playable without payment, as will the ability to face every zombie.
"It's about time," said Allen Murray, senior producer for Plants vs. Zombies 2. "We're confident that players will see the love and attention we've put into this game. We've created wild new ways to experience the plants and zombies you know and love as well as packing the game with tons of completely new content, and we're still hard at work coming up with even more cool stuff that will keep Plants vs. Zombies 2 fresh and evolving in the months and years following launch."
Apple may be avoiding the short-range NFC, or near field communications, wireless protocol for yet another generation of the iPhone when the company debuts the iPhone 5S. According to leaked information pertaining to iOS 7, Apple will instead use its AirDrop technology, which allows file transfers over the WiFi protocol that’s already present in all generations of the iPhone.
AirDrop, a local peer-to-peer wireless file sharing software, was introduced by Apple with the debut of Mac OS X Lion. The company may be porting that software to the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch with iOS 7, according to a report on Mac Rumors, to allow iOS users to share files wirelessly in the same way.
Sources say that the AirDrop functionality is currently integrated into the standard iOS share menu. AirDrop will work between two iOS devices and potentially between an iOS device and a Mac. The feature will make it easier than ever to transfer, for example, a photograph or document from one person’s iPhone to another person’s iPad.
While iCloud synchronization works well for sharing photos and documents between two iOS devices owned by the same person, the AirDrop feature will allow seamless individual file exchanges between iOS devices belonging to different people.
This would allow for local file exchange without requiring Internet connectivity. And though AirDrop works with WiFi, it could be used over a WiFi ad-hoc connection between two devices, like tethering, which would not require a base station, modem, or router to be present.
For iOS and OS X users, this means increased compatibility as WiFi is present on all devices running these operating systems so you won’t need to upgrade your PC to share a file between phone and Mac, and you don’t need your friend to have an NFC iPhone to share a file with them either.
Think of the Batmobile and chances are you think of the Tumbler. Despite being about as far away as you can get from the original 1960s Batmobile, the Tumbler is just as iconic.
Pocket-lint was among the few lucky journalists who managed to set eyes on the Tumbler at a recent Windows 8 event and it was just so stunning, we figured an eyes-on was in order.
Before we even get started on the details of the car however, first a word on the engine. In real life the Tumbler sounds just as you imagine it would from the movies, that is, utterly insane. Firing it up for the first time, we were almost deafened by the noise it managed to make. Think F1 car and then some. It's funny really as it doesn't need to sound particularly special, as audio for the car will have been fixed in post production, but we got the impression its designers wouldn't be happy if it wasn't loud.
Now to a bit of Tumbler history. Christopher Nolan himself was originally the mastermind behind its look, designing a model from Play-Doh. Nolan however has since described his model as "more like a croissant than a car", so the real design likely came from production designer Nathan Crowley's models.
The Tumbler was meant to fall somewhere between a tank and a Lamborghini in terms of looks and for the most part, we think it does. The version we saw up close was painted in the camouflage you see in the Dark Knight Rises. It looked incredible. The detailing on the paintwork, down to all the small scratches and scuff marks, means that it's a car which looks like it really has been through everything Bane can throw at it.
Unfortunately we weren't able to take a peek inside the Tumbler, which is fair enough, as it would ruin some of the mystery behind the car. What we could spot however was a pair of gigantic gas bottles mounted at the back. Both are clearly used to ignite the Tumbler's rear-mounted afterburner flame.
We should also add, we only noticed the gas tanks when looking directly down the tube for the afterburner, exactly when the Tumbler was started up. The feeling you get when you expect your face to be melted via a large jet of afterburner flame is one we haven't experienced before. Thankfully no fire was involved.
Up close, the Tumbler is a fairly big and daunting thing. It sits about 4.5 metres long and 2.7 metres wide, which is big. Amazingly, despite weighing more than 2 tonnes, the huge 5.7-litre GM V8 will catapult the thing up to 60mph in just 5.6 seconds. We can't begin to imagine what that might feel like.
Our favourite touch was the fact the Tumbler fuelled up like any normal car. On the right hand side of the car is a pair of fuel caps, one fake, one real. You can literally fill the V8 straight from there. This means if you fancied it, you could pull up he Tumbler in your local Shell garage, which would be quite a sight.
Also unusual is the Tumbler's front suspension and wheel set-up. Based loosely around off-road trucks used for racing in the desert, it features no front axle, with a truck axle for the rear. We imagine it doesn't handle hugely well, although it has been used in some fairly impressive stunts throughout the Batman movies.
The whole front section of the car is possibly the most impressive part. The lower cockpit which Batman slides down into in order to protect himself from explosions and machinegun fire, looks very impressive. It's also strange to see the clever one-directional glass fitted to each window, as you can't see inside the vehicle at all, yet occupants can see everything outside.
Okay, so it's not technically the Batmobile, as Nolan's film never refers to it as thus, but without doubt, this has to be the most impressive ride Batman has ever sat behind the wheel of. In real life, it's just as amazing.
The long-rumoured Firefox OS-powered tablet has now been made official. Revealed at a Foxconn press event during Computex 2013 in Taipei, the tablet emerged sat on a desk next to a Foxconn employee.
While there are absolutely no details whatsoever as to the tablet's internal specifications, its presence is definitely confirmation of Firefox's tablet plans. Irritating that we can't know more, but we have reached out to Mozilla and will be posting more the moment we know it.
Foxconn just announced a partnership with Mozilla in order to help push and produce its Firefox OS powered smartphones and tablets. This just-revealed tablet could be one of the first devices that Foxconn produces.
From the pictures, the tablet looks to have an 8 or 10-inch screen, but doesn't appear quite as high resolution as some of the flagship competition. This, however, is just speculation and could turn out to be quite the opposite.
"Currently, Foxconn is executing on a vision of 'eight screens, one network, and one cloud' with all our strength. Besides the native advantages of hardware manufacturing, Foxconn is also developing a brand new integrated approach to providing hardware, software, content, and services." said Young Liu, general manager, Foxconn Innovation Digital System Business Group.
Is this tablet one of the eight screens? Fingers crossed.
Mojang's best known for the indie blockbuster Minecraft, but today heralds the launch of the open beta for its new game, Scrolls. It's been a long time coming, and the title itself was the focus of a courtroom squabble, as much as Notch would've liked to hash out the early roadblock in a rocket-filled arena. While it's admittedly not "feature complete," you can test your card-battling skills in casual and ranked online match-ups. The card trading forum is up and running, as is the in-game store for bolstering your deck using gold earned through triumph, and "shards" purchased with real dough. You can tweak your deck using the builder, and 25 trials are available off the bat to school you in strategy. Access to the open beta will cost you $20, £13 or 15 euros, but really, you're buying the full game early, as all future updates will be free to beta adopters. The purchase page isn't live just yet, but it'll be available to download for PC and Mac at some point today. Hit the source link to brush up on the mechanics if you can't wait to attack the trials, or check out the trailer below for a quick fix.
Though the Facebook Home UI has largely been criticized and the HTC First, the first smartphone to ship with Facebook Home embedded, has been a flop, the experience working with Facebook may have given HTC a new perspective on approaching its smartphone user experience.
One of the things that the HTC First did right was allow users to turn off the Facebook Home UI all together, which leaves consumers with a stock Android experience devoid of any tweaks or UI changes in a situation that mirrors that of Google’s Nexus experience. HTC ported the lessons that it learned with the HTC First in creating an HTC One Nexus Edition and the company is remaining open-minded about the option for existing One owners to disable Sense.
Moreover, what this experience really demonstrates is that Android smartphones are at a point where users need reliable, accessible drivers to download to enable specific hardware features.
Lessons ‘First’
It’s perhaps this exploration that’s allowing HTC to be more open about its experiences. Though the company has stubbornly shipped many of its smartphones with its proprietary HTC Sense user interface, in a bold move since announcing the HTC One Nexus Edition alongside Google HTC is now saying that it may be open to accommodating early HTC One adopters with a Sense-less ROM in the future.
The company is leaving room for interpretation in its statement to Pocket-lint: ”We’re taking a look at what, if anything, makes sense for early adopters of the One who want a stock Android experience.”
HTC also gave a similar comment to The Verge as well about potentially releasing a ROM for existing HTC One owners to disable Sense.
Though the HTC One may become the first HTC flagship with the option for users to run a native build of Android or the HTC Sense UI, the move was first enabled by Facebook on the HTC First.
A ‘Sense’-ible Off Button
Having the option to turn off the HTC Sense UI may be a better option for consumers than buying the developer-centric HTC One Nexus Edition as it will still allow users access to HTC’s built-in features at will. While the Nexus Edition may not have access to the HTC Zoe software that makes use of the HTC Ultrapixel camera as HTC gives the nod to Google’s default camera app, or the Beats Audio driver to power the BoomSound speakers, the option, if implemented like HTC First with Facebook Home, to turn on and off Sense could still allow users to access the hardware features if they wanted.
These hardware features are an important part of the HTC experience on the HTC Oneas it allows HTC to differentiate its phone from rivals. The Ultrapixel camera allows low-light photography and the Beats Audio provides a warmer, more balanced sound experience for consumers than on competing smartphones.
Without these features, HTC would be competing in a smartphone commodity part, but the HTC One is larger than the sum of its part thanks to the hardware and the software drivers that power the hardware features.
And while the Nexus experience doesn’t allow consumers to tap into HTC’s software, an on/off switch like the HTC First could allow consumers to easily switch to Nexus mode for an unencumbered experience while enabling Sense to take advantage of key features.
The Need for Drivers
And while drivers for PCs are largely confusing and a test of patience as conflicting drivers more than likely create far worse problems to diagnose, Android is at a point where manufacturers should be able to release software drivers for specific hardware features.
Image via about.com
For example, while some users may desire a Nexus experience on the One, they may also want the ability to run the same Nexus experience with Beats Audio enabled. Though Beats Audio profiles aren’t part of the native, vanilla Android experience, HTC could allow its advanced users to enable Beats Audio through a software driver installation to activate the feature. How about the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition? There are sensors for temperature, humidity, and barometer. Those sensors may not get enabled by the vanilla Android OS, but they can be activated via advanced drivers if users choose.
These options really need to be there, and it shouldn’t be an either-or proposition. As it stands, if you choose a vanilla Nexus build, you lose some key features. If you choose the key features, you’ll have to choose manufacturer bloat-ware. In the future. Android’s flexible architecture ought to be maximized to allow users to customize the features they want from the hardware that is presented to them.
Sources say that the AirDrop functionality is currently integrated into the standard iOS share menu. AirDrop will work between two iOS devices and potentially between an iOS device and a Mac. The feature will make it easier than ever to transfer, for example, a photograph or document from one person’s iPhone to another person’s iPad.
These hardware features are an important part of the HTC experience on the HTC Oneas it allows HTC to differentiate its phone from rivals. The Ultrapixel camera allows low-light photography and the Beats Audio provides a warmer, more balanced sound experience for consumers than on competing smartphones.