You are probably well aware of that Apple has now introduced its latest version of their mobile operating system, iOS 7. This update brings with it a massive overhaul to the design of the OS, and also introduces several new features along the way.

Some of these features are new to any mobile OS, while others have existed in competing platforms for a while now.

For those that are curious about what iOS 7 introduced, and how they compare to features found on existing operating systems, CNET has created a pretty awesome comparison chart that tells you just that:

* As mentioned by a reader below in the comments, BB10 also has an “Update All” feature. *

As you can see, most of what is introduced with iOS 7 can be found on competing platforms.

You could take this to mean that iOS 7 is playing catch up when compared to its competitors. In some ways, this is true. While iOS is a smooth-performing OS with a lot to love, feature wise it isn’t always at the bleeding-edge.

Of course in typical Apple fashion, they didn’t just take what competitors did and directly copy it. All the new features in iOS 7 are uniquely Apple in implementation, even if Apple wasn’t the first to introduce such a feature. This includes items like AirDrop, multitasking previews and the new, improved notifications center.

At the root, iOS 7 is more of a cosmetic change than a major revolution, but it’s modern design is certainly a welcome change.

You will notice that at least one of the new features listed in the chart doesn’t have any listed alternative outside of iOS, and that’s the password-protected reset, which is part of Apple’s new Activation Lock. What does this do exactly? Basically it is designed to make it harder for thieves to do anything with your phone, once it is stolen. If a thief tries to mess with your phone, wipe it and reuse it, they won’t be able to do so without the proper credentials (such as iCloud login).

Of course similar methods exist for Android, through 3rd party security software, but this is fully integrated solution.

So is iOS 7 a worthy upgrade for those coming for iOS 6? Yes, it certainly seems that way. It is fast, fluid and has quite a few changes in store. That said, no it isn’t necessarily worlds above the competitors when it comes to features, as shown by the chart.

Still, if you like iDevices and iOS, you are going to love what Jony Ive and team has in store for you. What do you think of iOS 7 based on what you’ve seen so far, like it or not?

Source: CNET

The post How Do iOS 7 Features Compare to Android, WP8 and Blackberry? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

We will see smartphones running Tizen OS starting to hit the market in the coming months. The OS is backed by the Linux Foundation, Samsung, and Intel. Now it seems the chip maker has been busy developing the company’s own UI overlay, codenamed “Obsidian”, for Tizen. There is also talk that it could eventually be used on Android devices as well.

A leak has brought out pictures and videos which allow us to take a peek at Obsidian. The work on it is certainly not finished, but we can see some of its unique features.

As you will see in the video below, there’s slide-to-unlock on the lock screen and also “Life magazine” text. We saw the same thing on a Samsung reference Tizen device earlier. The apps are seen as boxy, closely-packed icons. It is similar to the flat designs of Windows Phone and Android (no iOS skeuomorphism here).

There will always be three buttons at the bottom of the screen: phone, messages and people. A single swipe left from the apps screen will take you to a single contact screen, and one more left swipe and you get to the contacts list. To alert notifications an app icon will be rotated 45 degrees and there will be a red notification at its bottom. Opening clock and settings or other apps will reveal a quick-view pane at the screen’s bottom with a button to fully open the app.

The Obsidian UI will reportedly run over Tizen 2.0 and the company’s reference device with the UI will be codenamed Josephine. But keep in mind that nothing is official at the moment.

[Source]

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We are not sure about what is going to happen to NOOK, but that discussion can wait. What’s important now is that Barnes & Noble, as they have been doing for the past few months, have again made their NOOK tablets more appealing via an awesome price drop.

Running through Father’s Day, June 16, you will be able to pick up their 8GB NOOK HD for $129 and the tablet’s 16GB version for $149. That’s a discount of $70 on the Android tablet which is coming with a 7-inch 1440×900 display, 1.5Ghz dual-core TI OMAP4470 processor, 1GB RAM, and microSD card slot among other features.

The NOOK HD+ will be available for $149 (16GB) and $179 (32GB); a whopping discount of $120. Just to remind you, the Android slate features a 9-inch 1920×1080 display, a 1.5GHz dual-core TI OMAP4470 processor, 1GB RAM, microSD card slot and more.

And also, the slates now have access to Google Play. So you can check out more than 700,000 Android apps & games.

You can pick up your choice from Barnes & Noble bookstores and on NOOK.com. So are you getting the device? Still confused? Head here if you are interested in comparing pricing.

[Source]

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While, AMD is just venturing into the world of Android, Intel has had big plans for the OS for a while now. What we have here is a new reference tablet from the company dubbed the Bay Trail-T, and it features the company’s “Silvermont” quad-core Atom processor.

The device with the Bay Trail chip, which weighs 611 grams and has about the same thickness as the 3rd/4th generation iPad, has a 10-inch 2560×1440 resolution display. The guys over at AnandTech were lucky enough to play with the slate which apparently was running both Windows 8 and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

According to Intel, Bay Trail’s capabilities include 2X the CPU and 3X the GPU performance compared to Clover Trail and very improved battery life. And of course they have also promised cheap tablets most of which should fall between $200 to $300 price range.

We will certainly be waiting for a product from tablet makers with Silvermont Bay Trail CPU. What about you?

[Source]

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We know that you guys like the Best Apps of the Week articles we post on all Fridays. Now we have a quick prediction for you. The list on one of the Fridays this summer will include the upcoming game from Eidos Montreal and Square Enix, Deus Ex: The Fall. It seems to be an awesome one.

The new game is just for mobile devices and is a side-story to Human Revolution. It is coming with characters from the novel Deus Ex: The Icarus Effect and it begins where that story ends.

As you will see in the video below, the game, which is set in 2027, is surely looking great when we think just about games on mobile devices. You will be playing as Ben Saxon, a former British SAS mercenary. To control movement, there are dual onscreen analogs. And you can tap the screen to throw a grenade or interact with the environment.

Deus Ex: The Fall will be released this summer for the iPhone and iPad. It will cost $7. Although they have confirmed that it’s coming to Android, there haven’t been any hints about when it will arrive. The waiting game will be difficult, right?

Check out the video to take a peek at what’s coming your way.

[Source]

The post Deus Ex: The Fall For Android And iOS Coming Soon (Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

It’s Friday, Friday gotta get do… sorry, I really am. No more Rebecca Black references, I promise.

If you are a regular here at MM, you already know what time it is! It’s Friday, I’m hopped up on coffee, and it’s time for another “Best Apps of the Week!” As in usual fashion, we take a look at 5 Android and 5 iOS apps that are considered some of the most interesting apps that were released during that week.

So without further ado, let’s get started:

Best Apps of the Week – Android

Best Apps of the Week – iPhone & iPad

Summing it all up….

Nothing more to see here! Did you agree with our picks, or did we live out a vital new app that you feel should have made the cut? Let us and other readers know about them through the comments below.

The post Best Apps of the Week (6/7): A Look at New Apps for iOS and Android appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

AMD has may be finally ending their Windows OS exclusivity and could eventually design chips to run Google’s Android and Chrome OS in PCs and tablets. The chips will likely be based on x86 and ARM architecture.

We have seen Windows tablets with AMD’s Z-01 and Z-60 tablet chips. But those slates didn’t perform well on the market. Moving to Android is certainly good for the company. Earlier AMD said that they had no interest in Android, but it appears like they have recognized how quickly the tech world is shifting away from Windows.

Lisa Su, AMD senior vice president and general manager of global business units, said “We are very committed to Windows 8; we think it’s a great operating system, but we also see a market for Android and Chrome developing as well“.

There have been no hints regarding when the Android tablets will be launched, but AMD’s latest comments make it clear that they are actively interested in working on such devices. Meanwhile, cheap Windows 8.1 and Android tablets with Bay Trail chips from AMD’s rival Intel will be available sometime in the near future.

[Source]

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At present, millions of dollars are earned by armed groups in eastern Congo by selling conflict minerals. They use this money for buying more weapons, which are used for brutal violence to continue controlling the mines. The minerals that they trade end up in electronics such as mobile phones and laptops. Dutch firm FairPhone intends to change this situation with their new smartphone made with conflict-free tin and tantalum.

They have met their goal of 5,000 pre-orders for the device which will start to ship within Europe this October. The handset, with dual-SIM support for GSM networks, features a 4.3-inch screen, a quad core CPU, an 8 MP cam, 16GB of internal storage, and an almost stock Jelly Bean, though you can go for any other OS.

Those specs are certainly not the best out there, but their intention is to spread the message for more ethically made electronics. The handset is repairable and they have used materials from artisanal mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which are not run by armed groups. Though the device is not 100% conflict-free, due to the complexities of supply chains, this is surely a good start. They might even be able to launch the device with a case made of recycled plastic.

And the company also cares for those who make the device. They have promised a “living wage” and improved overall working conditions for factory workers who assemble the phone.

If interested, you can pre-order the device here. It costs €350 (about $458). For each phone sold, €3 will go to Closing The Loop, a UK-based foundation which aims to maximize electronics recycling.

[Source]

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While the 7 inch tablets are becoming more popular these days due to affordability and being more portable, some prefer bigger real estate. If you are one among them maybe you should check out Toshiba’s three new ten-inch Android tablets: the low end Excite Pure (seen above), the Excite Pro, and the Excite Write.

The Excite Pure is not that exciting specs wise, but it’s also just $299.99. The slate is coming with 1280×800 display resolution and features the Tegra 3 SoC, 1GB of memory, and Android 4.2. There’s only a 16GB model, though MicroSD card expansion is available. You will also find a 3MP rear camera and a MicroHDMI port.

The Excite Pro’s display is 2560×1600, same as the Nexus 10 (16GB costs $399), and it’s coming equipped with NVIDIA Tegra 4, Android 4.2, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of standard storage (MicroSD is there), an 8 megapixel rear camera, MicroHDMI, and stereo speakers from Harmon Kardon. It will retail for $499.99, the price asked for the 16GB Xperia Tablet Z.

The Excite Write, as you can see above, will be available with a stylus, a 1024-point pressure sensitive one, which unfortunately does not dock into the slate’s housing. The device is coming with notation-focused apps and Gorilla Glass 2. The rest of the specs are similar to the Excite Pro. The Write will retail for $599.99, $100 more than the Note 10.1′s introductory MSRP.

The tablets will be available at U..S retailers and from Toshiba’s website next month. So, are you excited about any of these Excites? If you want, you can compare the new Excites with other 10 inchers out there by heading here.

[Source]

The post Toshiba’s New 10 Inch Excite Tablets appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Acer is at the Computex event with their latest smartphone, the Liquid S1. The device features a massive 720p 5.7-inch display, the same as the one on the ZTE Grand Memo, and it is running Android 4.2.

The device is coming equipped with a Mediatek quad-core 1.5GHz processor and 1GB of RAM, along with 8GB of storage expandable up to 32GB through microSD. It has an 8MP back cam and a 2MP front one, and there’s also a replaceable 2,400mAh battery which, according to Acer, will allow the handset to last a day.

There are two SIM card slots, but no LTE folks. There are no hints regarding a US release (it probably is not coming), but they have said that the device is headed to Asia and Europe. It will be available in white and black in Q3 across France, Belgium, Netherlands, Ukraine, Russia, UK and Germany with a price tag of 329 euros (around $427).

That screen size means that it will be a bit difficult for single handed use, though it weighs 195g, just 15 grams heavier than the Galaxy Note II, and apparently feels light in the hands. And it has a matte finish black plastic on the back and the sides have contoured aluminum grips, so you will get a good grip.

As you will see in the video, which comes to us courtesy of Engadget, the UI is almost a stock one. There are some additions to the software, such as the pop-up window which will be revealed when you hold down on the multitask button.

They have also unveiled their Iconia W3 which is the first 8 inch Windows 8 tablet. It features Intel’s dual-core 1.8GHz Atom Z2760 processor, and 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. Check out the video below to take a peek at the slate.

[Image Source]

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