| In Depth: Sony Xperia Z3: what we want to see Jun 3rd 2014, 14:25, by James Rogerson 
It seems like the Sony Xperia Z2 has barely been available any time at all and yet already there are a few rumors circling around the Sony Xperia Z3. That's not entirely surprising, the smartphone world is fast moving at the best of times and while most companies bring out one flagship a year Sony has started releasing one every six months or so, which means the Xperia Z3 may not actually be all that far off. In fact, early rumors point to a launch as soon as August, while also claiming that the Xperia Z3 will have a metal frame, just like its predecessors, except that this time around it will be coated in PVD, which should make it more environmentally friendly, corrosion and scratch resistant and give it increased impact resistance. The same source (Chinese site IT168) claims that it will have a 2.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, 3GB of RAM and an Adreno 420 graphics chip clocked at 500MHz. However it will apparently only have a 1080p display. The source even supplied some images which supposedly show the phones super-slim metal frame. 
However Twitter tipster DooMLoRD disagrees slightly, claiming that the Xperia Z3 won't have a Snapdragon 805 chip, which suggests it will instead be stuck with the same Snapdragon 801 chip as the Xperia Z2. But he does say that it will be just 7mm thick, which fits with the slim line frame images we've seen. According to DooMLoRD the Xperia Z2 will also have a new design and slim bezels and will be out in September, not August as the initial rumors suggested. That's all we've heard so far but with the Z3 potentially launching just a few months from now we expect that more leaks and rumors will start pouring in soon. In the meantime, this is what we want to see: A sleek designThere's no denying that the Sony Xperia Z2 looks good with its metal frame and glass back, but it also looks a bit industrial and its angular design can make it uncomfortable to hold. Not to mention the fact that the large bezels above and below the screen detract from the otherwise premium design and make the whole handset bigger than should be necessary. 
So for the Xperia Z3 we'd love to see more curves and smaller bezels. The good news is that we may well get that, as one of the rumors doing the rounds is that the Z3 will have slimmer bezels and a new design. Improved 4K video recordingThe Sony Xperia Z2 can record high quality 4K video, but the phone gets worryingly hot in the process and longer videos can cause it to crash, so hopefully Sony will sort out these quirks for the Xperia Z3 or the 4K functionality may remain little more than a novelty. More powerWhile the Sony Xperia Z2 is certainly a powerful phone there are times when it struggles a little, such as when using Background Defocus on the camera. Its Geekbench 3 score also puts it a little behind the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8, so a bit more power would be desirable. With so little time between the Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z3 we can't realistically expect a huge difference here, but giving it a Snapdragon 805 processor and a slightly faster clock speed would surely help as perhaps would some software optimisations. A 5.2-inch screenThis might seem an odd thing to wish for given that the Xperia Z2 already has a 5.2-inch display, but smartphone screens are growing at a worrying rate. While there's certainly a market for phablets we're not convinced that 5.5-inch screens and above have the same mass market appeal as say 4.7-5.2 inch displays. 
5.2 inches is a good size. It's big enough to comfortably watch videos, play games and browse the web and is still just about compact enough to operate with one hand. Any bigger and it risks becoming cumbersome, so we hope Sony resists upping the screen size again. More built in storageSure, the Xperia Z2 has a microSD card slot and we fully expect the Xperia Z3 to follow suit, meaning that storage isn't a huge issue. But it would still be nice to have a decent amount built in rather than feeling like a microSD card is essential from almost day one. The Xperia Z2 only had 16GB of built in storage and we'd like to see the Sony Xperia Z3 double that at the very least. Better battery lifeThe Sony Xperia Z2 already has great battery life by smartphone standards but smartphone standards just aren't good enough. We want a phone that can last all week and while it's not realistic to expect that from the Xperia Z3 we'll take any improvements we can get. A QHD displayLG has brought Quad HD (QHD) smartphone displays to the mainstream with the LG G3 and while it's questionable how much difference it really makes on screens this size it's certainly a selling point. Now any phone that doesn't have a QHD display risks being unfavourably compared to the G3, so Sony won't be doing itself any favours if it sticks with a 1080p screen.        |  | Google has started to roll out Android 4.4.3 KitKat Jun 3rd 2014, 13:37, by John McCann 
If you're in possession of a Wi-Fi-only 2013 edition of the Nexus 7 you're in luck, Google has started pushing out the over the air (OTA) Android 4.4.3 update to the slate. Not every Nexus 7 tablet may have received the OTA KitKat update just yet, so if you're still waiting hold tight and it should be with you in the coming days. Google launched factory images of the Android 4.4.3 update for the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 earlier this week, so we expect the OTA to arrive very soon. Only a matter of timeWe checked our in-office Nexus 5 and there was no sign of the update just yet. It looks like, on a visual layer at least, there isn't a great deal of change on Android 4.4.3, with a refreshed Phone app the only difference currently reported - although you can expect various behind the scenes improvements.        | | WWDC2014: 10 big things you need to know about OS X 10.10 Yosemite Jun 3rd 2014, 13:19, by Gary Marshall 
10 big things you need to know about YosemiteThe new OS X, OS X 10.10, will be called Yosemite (sadly it's named after the place rather than the Looney Tunes cartoon character). There's a brand new interface, some impressive new features and the odd prospect of Macs becoming rather large and expensive iPhone accessories. Here are the ten biggest things about OS ten ten point ten. 1. It's got a brand new interfaceYosemite has new typography, a flatter design and lots of translucency. Some observers have rightly pointed out a resemblance to iOS 7; other less kind observers have equally rightly pointed out the similarities to Windows Vista. The dock looks like a single block of frosted glass, the icons are flatter and the title bars are translucent like Safari on iOS 7. Translucency is used throughout to emphasize content; for example, in messages the messages themselves are on solid backgrounds but the message list is translucent. There's good news for pro app users too: there's a new dark mode that turns the menu bar and other elements dark grey to match the darker interface of apps such as Aperture and Logic Pro X. 2. It's got Windows Vista's SidebarApple calls it Notification Center but we're not fooled: the presence of app widgets in the slide-in panel means it's a 2014 take on the old Windows Sidebar. The Center provides an at-a-glance Today view, just like iOS, and there's a second list of app notifications and other key information. 3. Spotlight does much moreSpotlight looks rather like the excellent Alfred app: instead of popping out of the top right corner of the screen it takes pride of place in the center, providing easy access not just to files but to Wikipedia, your apps, to maps and associated Yelp reviews and any other content you might be interested in. It displays results as inline previews and looks rather nifty. 4. Mail works"Email works now" isn't much of a boast, but it solves a problem for a lot of OS X users. The revised Mail app focuses on the basics - fast fetching, not hiding sodding messages for no good reason - and also includes a nifty feature called MailDrop. It's designed to prevent email attachments from being bounced, and if you send mail with huge attachments - up to 5GB - to a non-OS X user they'll get a download link instead of a file attachment. Mail also gets MarkUp, which enables you to scribble on and annotate images you send in messages. It works on PDFs too. 5. Stream smarterThe new Safari promises two additional hours of Netflix before your battery runs out. It also features significantly faster web app performance, and it's been given a redesign too: the interface has been condensed to a single bar. When you click in the address box your favorites appear in an iOS-style grid. There's an iOS-style sharing menu too, and private browsing is now available on a per-window basis instead of putting the entire browser into private mode. Apple also promises easy subscriptions to RSS news feeds, which it ditched after Safari V.6. #6-#106. It has excellent iOS integrationThe new Continuity feature looks fantastic if it works as well as advertised, which, given iTunes' ongoing inability to find our iPhones when they're RIGHT THERE, is by no means guaranteed. Continuity makes your Mac and iOS devices part of one big happy family. Jobs you start on one device can be finished on another; for example, you can start composing a message or document on an iPad and bring it up on your Mac, and vice-versa. Communications are shared too: SMSes sent to your phone can be read and replied to on your Mac, and you can use your Mac as a speakerphone for your iPhone via an instant, zero-configuration hotspot that works even if the iPhone is charging in a completely different room. Apple's strategy is clear here: it's making iOS and OS X look more alike and work better together, but its mobile and desktop operating systems remain distinctly different beasts. Maybe that'll change if the rumored ARM-based MacBook Air ever makes it out of Jonathan Ive's lab. 7. iDisk is backWell, almost. The new iCloud Drive looks awfully like Dropbox and works in much the same way, enabling you to store and synchronize any files you like between Mac, iOS and PC. iCloud gets a new pricing structure too: the first 5GB is still free, but 20GB is a reasonable 99c per month and 200GB is $3.99 per month. 8. AirDrop works properlyIf you were flabbergasted by AirDrop's inability to share between Macs and iOS devices, you'll be delighted to discover that there are no such problems in Yosemite. 9. There's no sign of SiriWhile the revamped Spotlight does much the same on OS X as Siri does on iOS, there's no sign of the much-rumored Siri integration in Yosemite: unlike in iOS 8, it seems that you won't be able to control your Mac with a cheery "Hey, Siri.". 10. It'll be free this autumnLike Mavericks, Yosemite will be a free upgrade this autumn (or a free download right now if you're one of the WWDC attendees). If that's too long to wait there will be a free public beta this summer - and interestingly, that's the first time there's been a public beta of OS X since the very first version back in 2000. That one cost money, but this time the beta will be free. We can't stress enough the importance of patience here: while dodgy downloads of Yosemite will no doubt appear online in a matter of hours, it's early beta software that isn't intended for use on people's everyday computers.        | | Sony Xperia T3 goes big and beautiful, but it's no flagship Jun 3rd 2014, 11:12, by James Rogerson 
Sony's just taken the wraps off a new smartphone dubbed the Xperia T3. It's an upper mid-range offering with a stainless steel frame and a 5.3-inch 1280 x 720 TRILUMINOS display with a pixel density of 277ppi. That doesn't seem all that great considering Sony appears to be pushing the screen as one of its main selling points. Still, the build seems more promising, as not only does it have a premium edge but it's slim and light at 150.7 x 77 x 7mm and 148g. Solid specsThe Sony Xperia T3 should be reasonably powerful too, thanks to a 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor and 1GB of RAM. Then there's an 8MP camera featuring Exmor RS for mobile complete with a bunch of Sony's shooting modes such as Timeshift burst and Social live. 
The Xperia T3 also packs a 1.1MP front facing camera and can record video in 1080p. There's 8GB of storage to play with along with a microSD card slot and the phone runs Android 4.4 and supports 4G and NFC. Rounding out the specs there's a 2500 mAh battery which Sony reckons provides a talk time of up to 12 hours and 46 minutes. All in all it doesn't sound bad on paper, but specs can be deceiving and its appeal or lack thereof will largely come down to the price, which hasn't been announced yet. Still, with a global launch set for the end of July we should know more soon.        | | Updated: HTC One E8 is a plastic M8 minus the Duo Camera Jun 3rd 2014, 07:00, by John McCann 
There have been many rumours surrounding an all plastic version of the HTC One M8, and while it was touted as the One M8 Ace the smartphone has finally been announced as the HTC One E8. The two main changes on the One E8 from the original M8 are its polycarbonate body and the 13MP camera on the rear, replacing the Duo Camera on the firm's flagship device. On the inside things remain pretty much the same with the HTC One E8 packing a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage, microSD slot, Android 4.4 KitKat with Sense 6 and 2600mAh battery. The front of the One E8 sports the same 5-inch, full HD display, 5MP snapper and dual Boomsound speakers for a great viewing and listening experience. More girth, less weightAt 146.42 x 70.67 x 9.85mm the One E8 is slightly thicker than the 9.4mm M8, although it does weigh less at 145g - compared to 160g. You'll be able to pick the One E8 up in four different colours; white, red, blue and grey and it's compatible with HTC's DotView case. The grey model will also have the choice of a silver or gold ring around the rear camera. 
It's an interesting move by HTC - with the One Mini 2 already on sale and the larger, plastic Desire 816 propping up the middle market, it feels like a bit of over saturation for the range. This is something we've come to expect from Samsung, but HTC has been leaner with its phones over the past few years. When it comes to price, the HTC One E8 will set you back 2799 Chinese Yuan in China - that's around $450, £270, AU$480 - and makes the handset incredibly good value. If the One E8 does make its way to the likes of the US and UK the prices will be a little steeper than the conversions thanks to taxes, but it's still on track to undercut the One Mini 2.   | | Analysis: Apple wants the iPhone to be the only phone you'll ever need Jun 2nd 2014, 21:34, by Gareth Beavis 
It seems a bit obvious to say that the Worldwide Developers Conference should be primarily about developers, but today Apple gave the thousands of expectant attendees more than they bargained for. The theme at WWDC might have seemed fragmented as it unfolded - lots of different new services on offer, and many different paths being walked down - but when you step back and put it all together you realize: Apple wants your iPhone to be the absolute center of your home and family life. Imagine Apple's ideal house next year: a home that's got digital locks, garage doors and thermostat all connected into the iOS system using HomeKit. An iPhone 6 for either parent with the TouchID sensor that's now been opened up to a range of new applications. Kids with their iPads, iPods and iPhones all linked to one central Family Share account. Suddenly you've got not just one, but six people locked into the Apple ecosystem. Want to get into your house? Better have an iPhone, or you're going to be throwing a Galaxy phone through the window to break in. Fewer broken piecesOf course, the trick here is getting enough people to fork out the cash needed to create this kind of house, and it's not going to be cheap. Apple doesn't quite have the market share it needs to achieve this kind of dominance easily (although it's not far off) which helps explain why Tim Cook was so keen to play up the fragmented nature of Apple's competitors. He highlighted how many more users had upgraded to the new version of iOS or OS X, with 40 million upgrades to Mavericks and 90% of iOS users on the new version of the platform. In comparison, Microsoft has only 14% of users on Windows 8, and Android 9% on KitKat. It's telling that numbers weren't involved in the presentation - it's reported that 200 million copies of Windows 8 have been sold already, so Apple was really highlighting the potential Microsoft needs to exploit. Perhaps it's a different story with Android, and that's why Google is working so hard to unify the variety of operators using its platform. You'll see 'Powered by Android' on start up screens for new devices from now on, and if Android Silver comes to pass, we'll have a range of high-end phones which will be as next-gen ready as Apple's iPhone range is. But Apple did have one little extra treat that might help its cause in persuading whole families to switch to its new integrated home vision, and it came towards the end of the conference. 
The biggest cheer of the keynote was reserved for the announcement of Swift, Apple's own programming language, to make it easier and quicker to create high-quality apps for its platform. This means fewer mistakes, more creativity and a greater number of developers sticking around who might have been swayed by the larger number of Android devices to cater for. And the addition of Metal, Apple's new layer between games and iPhone/iPad hardware that will allow near-console quality gaming on these portable devices, also got a massive whoop as it was announced - developers were genuinely enthusiastic about having these new tools to play with. A couple of guys behind me were seemingly dazed by what they'd seen, claiming this was a big (and useful) to the process … admittedly, they were in a room full of Apple fans, but there was a sense that Cook's team had created something that would again push mobile device performance forward. The Apple home of the future might not be something that appears in many houses for the foreseeable future, as it will require a lot of investment in a new ecosystem. But if you're a developer, suddenly the locked-down iOS system seems wide open: cameras, TouchID, gaming, health and keyboards have suddenly become fair game, and in doing so Apple has done enough to mirror the popular features of Android and gives it a great platform to launch the iPhone 6 on.        | | Opinion: What iOS 8 might reveal about the iPhone 6 Jun 2nd 2014, 21:28, by Marc Flores 
Apple announced iOS 8 today at WWDC 2014, but as we expected, no real hints about the iPhone 6. With better notification handling, widgets in the notification center, enhanced photo editing, third-party keyboards and more, was there anything about iOS 8 that hints at what the iPhone 6 might look or feel like? No. We were hoping that something about iOS 8 would give us clues about the iPhone 6 - maybe something that hints at a better camera or bigger display. Anything to satiate our curiosity and borderline unhealthy obsession with iPhone 6 rumors. 
Unfortunately, we have nothing except all the cool features iOS 8 will have. Maybe we're not so unfortunate after all. If we were to take a step into fantasy land, which is what we always do when we entertain rumors, we can probably anticipate an improved camera in the iPhone 6. Perhaps somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-10 megapixels for more detailed photos. A better imaging sensor and optics would help tremendously, and would go hand-in-hand nicely with Apple's big leap forward with its Photos app. After all, image editing in Photos has been drastically improved, and more photos are accessible through the cloud now than before - all with your iPhone or iPad. 
Another feature on iOS 8 that we know we'll love is the option to install third-party keyboard. Swype is my favorite keyboard on Android, and I have been dying to have it ported over to iOS. This is great. This might also mean that the iPhone 6 could have a bigger display. After all, more keyboard options, especially ones like Swype or Swiftkey, help a lot when your phone's display is bigger. For entertainment's sake, we can also say that the display will get larger and retain very high resolution thanks to the upgrade in speed and graphical power. Otherwise, these upgrades would've made little sense for the current displays. Lastly, as apps get bigger and we take more photos and videos than ever, we could see a larger-capacity iPhone. Perhaps it's not hard to imagine a 128GB iPhone, and I know many of us would love that. After all, the cost of memory gets cheaper every year, and if the iPad can have it, why not the iPhone? Otherwise, everything iOS 8 offers is going to work well with iPad models and the iPhone. For that reason, it's hard to pinpoint anything that could lead to obvious features on the iPhone 6. Besides, Apple is smarter than that, and it's not going to give anything away. But as leaks have gotten better over time, the iPhone 6 might look like the leaked photos we've already seen. The iPhone 5, for example, was hardly a surprised when it was announced. It's a little bigger, it looks like it might be slimmer, and the edges have gotten their curves back. 
What's more important than anticipating what the iPhone 6 will look like is what I jokingly called the "Androidification of the iPhone." I never thought I'd see widgets on iOS, and now here they are right in the notification center. The news of third-party keyboards was a pleasant surprise, too. Additionally, Siri will behave a little like Google Now, and that's a good thing. Moreover, interactive notifications make handling things like text message more like what other manufacturers are doing on Android. The ability to interact and respond to notifications immediately is great because you don't have to leave an app to handle them. What's more important is the trend and direction of smartphone OSes. Windows Phone 8.1 took on a pull-down notification system like Android and iOS, and iOS is now taking some cues from Android, too. Eventually, there will be fewer big distinctions from OS to OS. They'll still look different, and behave a little differently, but the experience between them all will share big similarities. Perhaps that's good news since it means the overall user experience will only get better. I think that's more important than wondering what shape the iPhone 6 will take and whether it will look prettier than the last version. Allow me to spoil that for you: it probably will, and it'll be marginally better than the iPhone 5S in most ways. There.        | | Early view: 12 top iOS 8 features you need to know about Jun 2nd 2014, 19:36, by Gary Marshall 
12 top iOS 8 features: 1-6Tim Cook says that iOS 8 is "a giant release", and he isn't kidding: from the way your iOS device handles photos to the way you handle your everyday messages and calls, iOS 8 looks like it's going to be a big upgrade. Some of the changes are relatively small - we doubt the prospect of seeing your recent and favourite contacts in the multitasking screen or seeing the iPhone's tab view on Safari will massively change your life - but others are a lot more exciting. Here are the features you'll care about. Interactive NotificationsYou're in the middle of something and a notification pops up. Instead of forcing you to leave the app you're in, iOS 8 enables you to process notifications without exiting the app. You don't even need to unlock your device. Instead, a quick swipe displays your options: accept and decline for calendar notifications, a text entry field for SMS messages and so on. More Spotlight resultsSpotlight search is taking on a more Siri-like flavour: in addition to the contents of your phone it can look for points of interest, app store results, iTunes songs (both in your library and in the wider iTunes catalogue), cinema listings and anything else you might conceivably be looking for. Messages, Group Messages and Self-destructing messagesSMS messages are no longer limited to iOS devices packing SIM cards: if an SMS is sent to you, you'll be able to see it and reply to it on your iPad too (and on your Mac). Group messages have been given a major update too. You can add people to and remove them from active conversations, share locations, see any images and attachments shared in the thread and best of all, turn on Do Not Disturb on a per-conversation basis if things are getting too chatty. One of the most interesting new features is inline voice and video messaging, which enable you to send a quick voice or video clip that self-destructs at a time you choose. Smarter SiriSiri gets its own version of "OK Google": "Hey, Siri" invokes Siri whenever you're within earshot. It boasts Shazam song recognition and the voice recognition engine now streams, so you can see the recognition as it goes along rather than wait until you've finished speaking. Siri gets 22 new dictation languages too. Family SharingIf you've ever set up an iOS device for the kids you'll know how much of a pain it can be when you want to share a single iTunes account with the whole family. No more. Family Sharing enables you to share your purchased content and shared media with up to six family members, and in a nice touch you can be asked permission when the kids attempt to spend half your wages on in-game Smurfberries. And while we're on the subject of sharing, AirDrop now works between iOS devices and Macs. The Health appIt's not called Healthbook any more and there's still no sign of the iWatch, but the rumoured health application is pretty much what we expected: it's a way for various third party devices, from Fuelbands to dedicated hospital apps, to share health data with your iOS device. Apple promises that it will carefully protect your privacy, so apps will only be able to access health data you give them explicit permission to use. Here's hoping this one attracts more third-party support than Passbook did. 12 top iOS 8 features: 7-12iCloud DriveiCloud gets new storage options - 5GB free, 20GB for 99c per month and 200GB for $3.99 per month - and new, simpler photo editing tools, and it also gets what looks rather like a Dropbox-style file system that enables you to share data between apps. Edits are saved back to iCloud drive so they're available on your Mac, other iOS devices or Windows PC. ContinuityIf this is as good as it looks, it's going to be amazing. With Continuity, your iOS devices and Macs know where they are and what you're doing, and you can hand over from one to another - so you can start writing an email on your iPhone and finish it on your Mac, or view a web page you've been looking at on Mac Safari and see it on your iPad. In a really nice touch you can use your Mac as a speakerphone for your iPhone, even if your iPhone is in a different room charging. Predictive typingWe've seen predictive typing on other platforms, of course, but Apple's version is context aware - so if you're replying to a message suggesting dinner or a movie, your typing suggestions will include "dinner" and "movie", and if you're replying to a tedious work message the available suggestions will use tedious work terms. iOS 8 will also, at last, support third party keyboards. More efficient MailiOS Mail gets a few new gestures that make processing mail easier: you can swipe to mark messages as unread, swipe a bit more to flag them or swipe further still to delete them. There's also an interesting solution to the problem of multitasking in Mail: if you want to refer to other messages while you're composing mail you can swipe the message down, browse your email to read or copy, and swipe it back up when you're ready to continue. That'll make complex replies on iOS much more convenient. Smarter home appsThe new HomeKit API is designed to make iOS the hub for all kinds of smart home equipment. Instead of multiple apps doing their own thing, Apple has created a platform for locks, lights, cameras, doors, thermostats, plugs and switches that groups devices together and controls them via Siri - so telling Siri "ready for bed" would turn off the lights and heating, arm the alarm and kill the TV. If HomeKit is widely supported it could turn out to be a very big deal. MetalThe new Metal graphics system delivers console-quality gaming on iOS devices, and the demos were genuinely jaw-dropping. Metal is iOS-only, which could mean developers writing more iOS-exclusive titles and not porting them to other platforms.        | | WWDC 2014: iOS 8 release date and device compatibility revealed Jun 2nd 2014, 18:57, by Michelle Fitzsimmons 
Apple's iOS 8 won't be here for a few months, but if you're excited about the possibility of HealthKit and other improvements over iOS 7, you will be able to access it on a number of devices. Releasing in the fall, iOS 8 will work with most of Apple's newest phone and tablet releases. They are: iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, iPod Touch 5th generation, iPad 2, iPad with Retina display, iPad Air, iPad mini and the iPad mini 2 with Retina display. 
Developers can grab iOS 8 as a beta starting today along with the beta of OS X Yosemite, the newest version of the OS for Macs. Conspicuously absent from the list above is the iPhone 4, which will probably make like many obsolete phones and die a slow, quiet death that only a few old-tech holdouts will notice.        | | WWDC 2014: iOS 8 bursts on the scene with Health, widgets, a smarter Siri and more Jun 2nd 2014, 18:33, by Kate Solomon 
iOS 8 is here! Well, it's not - you won't get it on your phone or tablet until the fall but Apple has at least outlined what goodies you can expect when the time comes. The release has enhancements for both iPhone and iPad, and though the "Healthbook" name didn't come to fruition, Apple is going on a health kick with its updated mobile OS. HealthKit is an API for developers that lets various health and fitness applications live in one place, the new Health app. All together, HealthKit-housed applications create a composite profile of your well being accessible within Health. HealthKit and the Health app essentially act as a centralized storage locker for health info gathered from numerous applications, such as Nike. Third-party applications will have access to HealthKit data, but Apple assured users can choose what info is shared with what apps. HealthKit's openness is indicative of another feature headed to iOS 8 ; third-party apps created for the system will be able to share data with one another via new Extensibility tools. This marks a dramatic shift for Apple since it has up until now kept iOS applications shut off from one another. Like all other iOS releases, iOS 8 will be free when it's out later this year. Photo fantasticWith iOS 8, Apple is making it so photos are available across devices, ensuring you never loose edits or access to images when you switch from iPhone to iPad. There are also a number of new Photos editing features to be found. When lightening up an image, the new iOS 8 Photos app will automatically adjust other settings to create an all-around improved picture. Edits will stick from iPhone to iPad thanks to iOS 8's iCloud Photo Editing access. 
While images can be shared across iPhone to iPad, Apple is also working on a solution for Yosemite on Macs that will be available later this year. Thanks to Extensibility, photo-editing apps will be able to embed their filters and editing tools into Photos. Users can then apply the tools to their pictures and videos without having to import them from the third-party application. Siri gets smarterSiri as been given a brush up for iOS 8; with a "Hey Siri," holler, you can wake the ol' girl up and get her working. With the help of Shazam's recognition software, Siri can also now identify songs and be used to make iTunes purchases. Up to 22 languages are now Siri-comprehendible, and thanks to streaming voice recognition, the sound waves that appear on the iPhone screen should match what you're saying in near-real-time. Message, Spotlight and keyboard improvements Messages is smartening up in iOS 8 as well. Now, users can set Do Not Disturb alerts in group messages, leave a thread whenever they like and drop other participants from a conversation. Users can share their location within a thread as well, and a map becomes visible if you want to see where your friends (really) are. Attachments are also easier to view at a glance. iOS 8 comes equipped with a tap to talk feature, cutting out the steps needed to vocalize what you're virtually trying to say. Taking a cue from Snapchat, iOS 8 also introduces self-destructing in-line voice and video messages for those times you don't want to leave a trail. 
Spotlight for iOS 8 offers suggestions when you type in a place, event or whatnot. Now, instead of a straight search result, you may be shown part of a Wikipedia page, directions and more, depending on what you're looking up. A more predictive keyboard called QuickType comes loaded in iOS 8 with support for a string of native languages and the promise that it emulates your personal typing style. Additionally, iOS 8 will work with custom keyboards imported from third-party applications, including popular Android solution Swiftkey. Apple is adding a feature that's sure to lure back some burned by the iMessage fallout; SMS and voice calls will be accessible on users' Macs just as they are on an iPhone. You'll need Yosemite on your Mac to communicate this ultra-mobile way, but if you have the National Park-themed OS and iOS 8, you're golden. AirDrop also now works between iOS and Mac OS X devices, which, like the above, is part of a larger effort to bring continuity between the mobile and desktop operating systems. Family sharingNo, it's not part of some US-carrier data plan. iOS 8 family sharing lets users share purchased iTunes goods and photos with up to six family members. Parents have control over purchases their kids try to make in that they can approve them or not, so no need to worry Little Johnny will blow it all on Tiny Zoo. More iOS 8 featuresThere is a refined notification center for iPhone, but even more impressive are interactive notifications. These let users stay within an app while replying to texts and other alerts just by swiping down. On an iPad, users can peak a bird's eye view of all their tabs as well as enjoy a side bar within Safari. The internet client has also been souped up. Managing Mail has also become easier; swiping slightly on a message will let users flag it with color-coded indicators while swiping all the way deletes the message. Conveniently, users can also now access other inbox messages while composing an email. Finally, iOS 8 now supports third-party widgets in the Notification Center. This marks the first time widgets wiggle to Apple's mobile operating system. Though not on the homepage, users can interact with widgets straight from the Center, biding on eBay items and the like.        | | T-Mobile pushes Android 4.4.3 to Nexus phones and tablets Jun 2nd 2014, 18:30, by klee 
Apple isn't the only one dropping in some fresh new software for mobile devices. T-Mobile is pushing out Android KitKat 4.4.3 to the Nexus 7, Nexus 5 and Nexus 4 that will land as an over-the-air update today. The next version of Android KitKat brings a few security enhancements but isn't a major boost. The update could fix some of KitKat's current buggy annoyances including devices rebooting unintentionally as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity issues. Importantly for Nexus 5 handsets, 4.4.3 might finally fix the blue camera tint problem that's plagued Google's flagship smartphone for so long. Coming down the pipeWhile T-Mo has only advertised a few things coming with the 4.4.3 update, a few weeks prior a rumored leak suggested it might sport a revamped dialer. A leaked screenshot suggested Android's built-in phone app would feature a modernized card UI over its old list of contacts. Once 4.4.3 comes, we can expect the newest version of Android will start making their way to the latest crop of smartphones including the HTC One (M8).   | | WWDC2014: Apple unveils Enterprise upgrades for iOS 8 Jun 2nd 2014, 18:12, by Juan Martinez 
Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering at Apple, unveiled iOS 8 with new features designed specifically for enterprise developers. Upgrades include automatic device enrollment and enhanced data protection. iOS 8's Device Enrollment program automatically configures devices for the enterprise. Devices purchased by enterprises will arrive to the user fully loaded with relevant mail, apps and calendar installations. To provide more enhanced security for mobile enterprises, iOS 8 features expanded data protection that will cover third party apps. Enterprise support has also been updated to include per message S/MIME, managed books and PDFs. iOS 8 for the enterprise will include VIP threads that allow users to generate notifications on a per-email-thread basis. Users can also enable automatic replies for out-of-office messages. Ninety-eight percent of the Fortune 500 uses iOS, Federighi said.   | | WWDC 2014: You can now receive SMS texts and calls on your Mac Jun 2nd 2014, 17:54, by Lily Prasuethsut 
Apple began its 2014 Worldwide Developers Conference with the announcement of Mac OS X Yosemite and continued on to talk about ... continuity. "It starts with AirDrop - it now works between iOS and the Mac," Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering at Apple, explained. AirDrop makes transitions between iOS and Mac seamless while Handoff helps your devices see each other using proximity awareness; you can to swipe up from a Mac or iPad and see the info from one device and "hand it off" to another. The new lock screen icon on the lower left allows you to swipe up and keep working on your iPad in real-time to do things like compose emails on a Mac and finish it off on an iPad, or complete the last bits of a Keynote presentation on an iPhone and hand it over to the Mac for a presentation. Another new feature is Instant Hotspot, for automatic configuration by close proximity, or recognized devices. Using your Mac as a phone?With Yosemite, your Mac can now accept calls, show SMS text messages and even use the computer as a speakerphone. This works when the phone is in another part of the house as well, and you can even dial phones. The Mac is basically now very, very aware of what you're doing on the phone and uses its capabilities, too. To demonstrate, Federighi called Dr. Dre, of the recently acquired Beats company, to welcome him during the conference. iMessages gets an upgrade Federighi also noted that, "the next thing we wanted to handle was SMS." More specifically, your SMS and other non-iMessage messages can now sync across all of your Apple devices and you will now be able to make and receives calls from your Mac running the new OS X Yosemite operating system. "We love iMessage, but we have these green bubble friends," he joked. "You know they have inferior devices."        | | Buying Guide: The 10 best phablets in the world today Jun 2nd 2014, 12:00, by James Rogerson 
The 10 best phablets: 1-5Our hands might not be getting any bigger but our phones certainly are. As flagships like the LG G3 and OnePlus One creep up to 5.5 inches, phablets are starting to resemble small tablets, arguably filling the roles of both a smartphone and a slate. If you think that one device is better than two, or just have really big hands, then there is a growing selection of phones to suit and these are the ten best. 1. Samsung Galaxy Note 3Samsung was one of the first companies to jump on the phablet train and its most recent one, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, is not only one of Samsung's best phones but the best phablet money can buy. The faux-leather rear is divisive at best, but with a powerful 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and 3GB of RAM it's one of the highest performing handsets around, while its 5.7-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display is sharp and impressive. 
It's also on the small side, at least as far as phablets go, which makes it easier to hold than some competing devices, while the inclusion of a stylus makes it a joy to use. Add in an impressive battery life and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 really is a phone that has it all. Great as a phone, even better for media and productivity, high powered and it keeps on going all day. 2. Samsung Galaxy Note 2While the Galaxy Note 3 now sits at the top of Samsung's phablet range it's still worth considering the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. At 5.5 inches it's a little smaller than the Note 3, in fact with the likes of the LG G3 now rocking 5.5-inch displays it's debatable whether this can even still be considered a phablet, but it was certainly thought of as one when it launched 18 months ago. 
Its screen is only 720p and its quad-core 1.6GHz processor and 2GB of RAM are starting to look more upper mid-range than high end, but in practice its performance is still impressive while the Super AMOLED screen produces vibrant colours. It also has great battery life, just like the Note 3, and with a microSD card slot and 4G support it's well equipped. More importantly though, while the Note 3 retails for around £450, the Galaxy Note 2 can now be had for just £320, making it a comparative bargain. 3. Nokia Lumia 1520If you want a Windows Phone phablet your options are limited, so it's a good thing that Nokia delivered the complete package with the Nokia Lumia 1520. With its massive 6.0-inch 1080p IPS LCD display it's a beast for media consumption, while a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM ensure slick performance whether you're watching an HD movie or playing a demanding game. 
While it's made of plastic it feels very solidly built and comes in at a slim 8.7mm thick, giving it an attractive, premium look and feel. In typical Nokia fashion it also has an impressive 20MP camera and before long it should get an update to Windows Phone 8.1, which should keep it feeling fresh and up to date for a while longer. At 6 inches it's undeniably on the large size. One handed operation will be a non-starter for most people and it can feel a little unwieldy as a phone, but that makes it superb for media and web browsing, so it's arguably worth it. 4. Sony Xperia Z UltraWhile no other phablet has managed to match the might of Samsung's Galaxy Note range, the Sony Xperia Z Ultra certainly comes close. At 6.4 inches it's monstrous in size and that's both a blessing and a curse. It's a true tablet replacement, as it's not all that much smaller than a 7-inch slate, but that of course makes it wildly impractical as a phone. Still, if you really want an all-in-one device this will do it and size aside there's a lot going for it. The Xperia Z Ultra has a premium build with a glass back and it's super slim at just 6.5mm, so it looks good and compared to most other phablets it looks very good. 
It's also water and dust resistant and has a powerful 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM, so it's almost as beastly as the Galaxy Note 3. Its screen makes it a great portable movie player too, not just because of its size, but also because it's high resolution (1080p) and has natural colours. And with all that movie watching you're going to be giving the battery a workout, so it's a good thing that its 3050mAh juice pack is up to the challenge. The only real let down is the camera, in fact, to quote our review we're "astounded with how bad it is". If it weren't for that there might be a new phablet king on the block. 5. Oppo N1While all the aforementioned phablets are great, they're also all big names. If you want something that no-one else has and that's a little different then consider the Oppo N1. It ticks all the boxes that we'd expect from a high-end phablet, with a 1.7GHz quad-core processor (albeit a Snapdragon 600 one), 2GB of RAM and a 5.9-inch 1080p screen. Plus it has great battery life, so you can comfortably use it as both a communications device and a portable media player without fear of it dying. 
But it also stands out in various ways. Aside from being made by a little known company there's the fact that its 13MP camera swivels, so you can use it for selfies as well as other things and the results are impressive. Then there's the fact that it's packed with various gesture-based shortcuts, which can be entered from the screen or from a touchpad on the back. The N1 also officially supports CyanogenMod, so you can install a full featured version of the Android-based OS with ease and without voiding your warranty. The 10 best phablets: 6-106. Samsung Galaxy MegaWhen it comes to phablets, Samsung is mostly known for its Note range, but it's also released the Samsung Galaxy Mega, a curious proposition which has a bigger screen than any Note but rather more middling specs. Its 6.3-inch display makes it good for media, but it's only 720p, so it can't match many of the other devices on this list for quality. It has a microSD card slot but it only comes with either 8 or 16GB of storage, so it's not equipped for masses of movies and games out of the box, so in many ways it feels like a device of half measures. 
The specs meanwhile settle on the mid-range, thanks to a 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor and 1.5GB of RAM. The 8Mp camera is similarly middling. So in other words it's not a device that's likely to wow you, but it's a solid, dependable performer with one of the biggest smartphone screens around. 7. LG G FlexIf you want something even more eye-catching than the Oppo N1 then you'll struggle to do better than the LG G Flex. As the name suggests, the G Flex has a curved, flexible screen. While the curve is arguably a bit of a gimmick it does make the 6-inch screen more manageable and it will certainly impress onlookers. Its 13MP camera can take some great snaps too and it has a long lasting battery, which is arguably even more important for a phablet than a normal smartphone, given the increased media use it's likely to get. 
Plus it's as powerful as you could hope, with its 2.26GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM. It's not all good news though. The screen is only 720p and while it's technically flexible it doesn't sound very happy when you attempt to flatten it. 8. HTC One MaxWe were huge fans of last year's HTC One, so when we heard that the Taiwanese firm planned to turn it into a phablet we had high hopes, but sadly the HTC One Max didn't quite live up to them. It has a similar design to the HTC One, with an aluminium back and dual front-facing Boomsound speakers and at 5.9 inches it has a phablet sized screen. It even ups the battery size and adds a microSD card slot and fingerprint scanner. Great, right? 
Well, it would be, but that fingerprint scanner is poorly implemented, while the microSD card slot is located underneath the back cover (which is now removable). A removable back cover can be a good thing but it spoils the unibody design that we fell in love with on the HTC One and the battery still isn't removable, which is a shame. Then there's the fact that while the screen is bigger, HTC hasn't taken advantage of that. Other phablets often have styluses or multi-window modes, but this is just an oversized HTC One, complete with the same, now slightly dated specs. It's not a bad phone by any means and it's still one of the best looking phablets around, but it feels like a missed opportunity. 9. Nokia Lumia 1320The Nokia Lumia 1320 seems like a bit of a missed opportunity too. Essentially it's a mid-range alternative to the Lumia 1520. Like the 1520 it has a 6-inch screen, but the 1320's one is only 720p and the handset is chunkier and less premium than its sibling. It's also a lot less powerful, as it uses a 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and 1GB of RAM. Its 5MP camera is far worse and it only has 8GB of built in storage, though there is a microSD card slot. 
None of which is necessarily a problem, as it still has a decent screen, its battery life is great and despite the lower specs its performance is still fluid. The problem is that while it's not overly expensive at around £230, you can get the Nokia Lumia 1520 for less than £100 more and it's a substantially better handset. Still, if your budget won't stretch that far then the Nokia Lumia 1320 is a solid option, particularly if you specifically want a Windows Phone handset. 10. Huawei Ascend MateHuawei was always going to have an uphill struggle on its hands with the Ascend Mate, going up as it is against the might of Samsung, Nokia and Sony. It passed the first hurdle by equipping it with a big 6.1-inch IPS LCD screen, putting it in genuine phablet territory. It's a decent screen too, with great viewing angles and good colours. The phone also has a battery which just keeps going and going and while the 8MP camera won't be winning any awards it's capable of some solid photography. 
But despite making big claims about the power of its custom 1.5GHz quad-core processor, the Ascend Mate turned out to be laggy in use, while it's also uncomfortably large and heavy and only has 8GB of internal storage, though that can be expanded with a microSD card. Ultimately there's nothing that bad about it, especially as you can now get it for a shade over £200, but there are plenty of better phablets out there.   | |
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