iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iTunes 10 for Windows, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
Symptoms
If an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is not recognized in iTunes on
Windows, the Apple Mobile Device Service (AMDS) may need to be
restarted. Alternatively, you may see the following error when
connecting your device:
"This [device] cannot be used because the Apple Mobile Device Service is not started."
Updated Top free Android apps for your phone or tablet
Top free apps for your Android phone or tablet
The open source nature of Google's OS means there are plenty of fantastic apps for Android to be found.
And most of the good stuff on Android is free, thanks to the work of developers who do it for love alone.
So here's our pick of the top free Android apps you should install.
You can find more great apps at Top 200 best Android apps.
Also why not check out our video of the top 10 free Android games?
1. Seesmic
There
are many Twitter apps on Android - and Twitter itself shook up the
scene with the launch of its own-brand app - but we're sticking with Seesmic.
Offering support for multiple accounts, a home page widget showing
latest tweets and an incredibly slick and professional design, it's one
of the finest examples of app development out there today.
Facebook for Android
is lacking in features compared to Facebook itself, but a recent update
added Inbox support to the Android app, finally allowing its users to
communicate in almost real time. The app's fast and stable, with a
simplicity that reminds you of the old days when using Facebook used to
be bearable.
3. National Rail Enquiries
After the original free, third-party National Rail apps went paid-for, National Rail has finally brought out its own free app. National Rail Enquiries
enables you to check live train times, plan your journeys, and get
notifications of delays. On first use, the app prompts you to enter a
home and work train station, and then you can use the 'Get me home'
button to see the next available trains.
4. UK Jobs
Hey,
times are hard and you've got to pay for your oppressive monthly mobile
phone contract somehow. Offering a fully searchable database of current
UK job vacancies, UK Jobs, which pulls in its data from independent employment site 1job.co.uk is, a slightly cumbersome but useful and non-governmental tool.
5. Hotmail/Outlook
Microsoft has teamed up with developer SEVEN to offer an official Hotmail app
for Android, which gives users a simple, clean interface, push
notification support and even lets you manage multiple Hotmail accounts
from within the app. If your email needs haven't yet been assimilated by
Google, it's a useful option. It's since been rebranded as the Outlook app, in keeping with Microsoft's changes to its mail site.
A
stunning app that renders Patrick Moore obsolete, by using your phone's
orientation tools to give you an accurate representation of the stars
and planets on your screen. Point your phone at the sky, then learn what
constellations are visible and if that's a UFO or just Venus. Google Sky Map even works indoors, if you're not keen on getting cold.
7. Layar
The stunning augmented reality app Layar
has recently gone commercial, adding an online shop that allows users
to buy AR content such as travel guides, local house price apps and much
more. But you're still able to use the numerous free Layers to pop data
up over real-world locations, delivering a satisfying futuristic
experience.
8. Foursquare
The social media darling Foursquare
is represented in fine form on Android, with the Google app offering
easy one-click check-ins, integrated Google Maps for a seamless
Google-branded experience and home page shortcut options to all your
favourite places.
9. WordPress for Android
WordPress for Android
started out as independent creation wpToGo, before WordPress decided it
liked it so much it bought it up - hiring the maker to develop it
in-house. It's very feature-packed, with the latest version offering
full integration with other apps, letting you spin content and send it
directly to the app for easy updating. It could do with more image
insertion tools, though.
10. Google Goggles
A bit of a novelty, in that Google Goggles
lets you take photos and have Google analyse them and come back with a
search results page for what it thinks you're looking at. However, the
app's main use is as a QR code reader, which lets you scan barcodes for
quick access to apps and whatever data people choose to embed in the odd
little data squares.
Yes, the same Winamp
from a decade ago. It's had an Android app for some time, with recent
updates adding support for iTunes, Mac syncing, plenty of music
streaming options, new release lists and Shoutcast integration for radio
support. It's a fine, free media player.
12. Samsung ChatOn
There
are plenty of messaging tools on Android, but Samsung's beats many of
them by offering multi-platform support - with clients even available
for older Samsung non-smart feature phones. It could be the ideal way to
keep in touch with an out of touch relative. More "with it" users will
be able to use its drawing, image sharing and social networking
features.
13. Skyfire 3.0
The
USP of the Skyfire browser is that it supports Flash content, popping
up a little window when it detects an embedded YouTube video or
something similar. The actual Flash business is handled by Skyfire's
server, which does all the computery stuff, then sends the file to your
handset. A bit clunky on slower Android phones, but it works like a
dream on models with faster processors.Despite the arrival of Flash with
Android 2.2, this is still relevant for those on phones and Android
versions not able to support Adobe's Flash Player.
14. BBC News
While the BBC's Android iPlayer app is a bit on the disappointing side, the corporation's BBC News app
is much more refined. There's a stylish grid-based front page, plus
you're able to swipe from left to right to switch between stories in
your chosen specialist category. A recent update also added a couple of
Home screen widgets, too, plus the ability to submit your own news tips,
as if the BBC was a small blog clamouring for content.
15. RAC Traffic
An official production of the motoring organisation, RAC Traffic
is dead simple - it guesstimates your location via the mobile signal,
then pops up the current traffic alerts for your area. It's much better
than having to listen to the radio for the odd update about arterial
blockages.
16. Swype
The
odd line-drawing alternate keyboard Swype is a love-it or hate-it kind
of thing, with the significant amount of re-learning required to make
the most of it quite offputting to some users. Once you're familiar with
the idea, though, it's genius - with advanced prediction options
further speeding your line-typing. Swype is not available through the
Android Market - the only way to install is is via a direct download from the maker.
17. Evernote
After the Android version of Dropbox, the next best solution for keeping all your 'business' in one place is Evernote
- which lets you stash and sync all your text notes, voice memos and
files on your phone and access them through a desktop computer.
18. Flickr
As well as supporting Flickr
uploading, this app also lets you capture photos from within the app
and comes complete with a set of filters, so you can hipsterise your
life with ease. It supports sharing with Twitter and Facebook as well,
so your other, non-photo-nerd friends can enjoy the results of today's
snapping session.
19. Last.fm
The subscription-based thrills of Last.fm
open up a world of music streaming on your mobile. You have to 'buy in'
to the odd Last.fm way of organising things and suggesting new music,
but if you're easily led and not restricted by bandwidth it's a superb
tool.
20. Google Maps Navigation
An absolute must-get. As long as you have Android 1.6 or above, the latest update to Google Maps
introduces turn-by-turn voice navigation, simultaneously devastating
the satnav industry while boosting the in-car dashboard dock/charger
accessory scene. Route calculations are done at the outset of your trip,
minimising data transfer en route and keeping you on target even when
the GPS signal drops. It's amazing, it works, and it's free.
The Buffalo Sabres have announced that the team’s official mobile
application has been re-released with several new features for iPhone
and Android. Fans who used the application last year will be able to
download an update to access the new, expanded version.
The free application – which can be downloaded now on iTunes and the
Android Market – was initially released prior to the 2011-12 season and
designed to keep fans connected to the team through their mobile
devices.
All of the functions from last season’s release remain in the current
version of the application, which now features an even more robust
selection of searchable statistics, expanded in-game statistics and
enhanced Sabres content, including features and blog posts from
Sabres.com.
Completely new to the application is the Fantasy Five™ Game, a brand
new interactive game that will allow fans to select Sabres players for
upcoming games and compete against other fans for prizes.
Key App Features:
Live, real-time statistical information during the game including on-ice game stats
Instant alerts for goals, game-specific events like end of period, and breaking news stories
Team schedule with the ability to purchase tickets directly from app
Get the FREE official Edmonton Oilers Mobile app on your Windows Phone, Android, BlackBerry, iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad now!
Stay in touch with the Oilers with real-time news, video, radio, scores,
stats, standings, highlights and much more – anytime, anywhere. Don't
miss a moment with live streaming press conferences and post-game
interviews and get a little extra with exclusive coverage only available
on the app starting this week!
iPhone/iPod Touch Users
Search for "Edmonton Oilers Mobile"
in the iTunes Store or click here to download.
**This version is now updated to be optimized for iPhone 5.
Android Users
Look for “Edmonton Oilers Mobile”
in the Android Market or click here to download.
NOTE 1: BlackBerry app is supported by Storm 2, Torch
9800/9850/9860, Torch 2 9810, Bold 9650/9700/9780/9900/9930, and Curve
9350/9360/9370. BlackBerry 9900/9930 is now supported. Your BlackBerry not listed? Fill out our form and we'll try and get it built as soon as we can!
NOTE 2: We are also working on a version for BlackBerry Z10 and hope to have that released before next season.
he tab bar is a dock of buttons anchored at
screen bottom, giving your audience a menu of options to choose from.
The result is a tidily categorized app, with its primary features
explicitly listed and labeled. Unlike the undifferentiated pile of cards
in flat-page apps, the tab bar's categories divvy an app into neat
silos. Tap a tab—one of the tab-bar buttons—to
jump directly to the associated screen, and the tab lights up to reflect
where you are in the app.
Urbanspoon uses a tab bar to offer five different ways to approach a
restaurant search. The screens for the Shake, Browse, and Scope tabs are
shown here from left to right.
You can display anything you like behind each tab, but it's most helpful
to plan tab-bar organization around the different types of activities
or information your app offers. The screens associated with each tab can
(and often should) have their own independent interface style, each one
tailored to fit the specific content or tools at hand. The built-in
Clock app, for example, features four very different ways to work with
time, each behind a dedicated tab: World Clock, Alarm, Stopwatch, and
Timer. These screen designs vary widely; all of them are tuned to the
specific needs of the current activity. The effect is that each of the
features behind the tabs behaves almost like an independent app, a
useful way to think about planning tab-bar categories.
Rather than focusing on tools and functions, as Clock does, tab bars can
also be used to offer different perspectives on the app's information.
Restaurant finder Urbanspoon, for example, organizes its tab bar around
five different ways to browse and discover local tables. Each of these
five tabs will eventually lead you to the same type of content—where to
go for dinner tonight—but in very different ways. "Shake" spins the
app's slot machine to find a nearby place at random; "Browse" lets you
burrow through restaurants by various criteria; "Scope" visualizes
nearby eateries; and so on. Likewise, news apps frequently use tab bars
to offer options for filtering articles according to various
characteristics (latest, popular, saved, topics, search, and the like).
As these examples illustrate, tab-bar navigation is ideal for letting the user choose among modes of operation
tailored to specific features, information, or even states of mind ("I
can't think of a restaurant, pick one for me"). A tab bar summarizes
what your app does; it's a series of miniature advertisements for how
the app can help. Tab bars make for efficient navigation, since they
take people directly to specific screens to perform specific actions,
but they require careful planning by the designer. The tab bar should
offer a set of options that match up neatly to specific and common
missions your audience has in mind when they launch your app.
At its simplest, tab-bar navigation can lead to a collection of simple
single-screen displays, like the Phases screens you saw in the last
section. More commonly, though, tabs lead to screens that in turn lead
to additional screens, which means there's an additional layer of
subnavigation nested within each tab. Urbanspoon's Browse tab, for
example, uses a scrolling list to drill down into a directory of
restaurant listings—that's tree-structure navigation within a tab. The
stock navigation models aren't mutually exclusive, in other words, and
you can mix and match, even in the same screen to provide subnavigation.
You'll explore these mashup possibilities further.
The standard code Apple provides to create tab bars comes with certain
rules. The tab bar always appears at the bottom of the screen, 49 pixels
high. Each button includes a text label and an icon. Design your own
icon, or use one of the several stock versions that come with the
operating system. The buttons vary in width depending on the number of
buttons you include, expanding or compressing to fit the available
space. Just don't expect to squeeze lots of buttons in there; tab bars
have a five-button limit. If you try to add six or more, the tab bar
automatically sprouts a More tab in the fifth position, leaving room
only for your first four tabs and bumping any additional tabs to a
separate screen. Tap the More button to see the remaining buttons. This
overflow screen of extras automatically comes with an Edit button, and
tapping it lets you customize the first four icons shown in the tab bar.
Drag an icon down to your preferred slot in the tab bar, and poof, it
settles into its new home, replacing the previous icon.
The More screen lists the tabs that don't fit on the tab bar. Here, the
New York Times app offers section-specific content from its More screen
(left). Tapping a section name in that screen takes you to a list of
articles from that section. Customize the tab-bar icons by tapping the
Edit button (circled), which reveals an icon view (right) that lets you
drag your favorite sections to the tab bar.
Avoid the More button. When you sweep key navigation elements behind the
More button's curtain, you add more than just an extra tap. You ask
users to remember what options are back there, a brain burden that might
seem trivial but will inevitably cause those hidden features to go
overlooked and underappreciated. One of the tab bar's big advantages is
that it puts your app's key features front and center—easily scanned,
clearly labeled, and just a tap away from any screen. The More button
undercuts that at-a-glance utility, burning one of the precious five tab
slots in the process. The ability to customize the tab bar from the
More screen is, in theory, a nifty trick to minimize the five-tab
limitation by letting users choose their favorite tabs from the
overflow. Unfortunately, testing reveals that most users don't know
about that standard feature, rarely trying the Edit button on the More
screen.
Stick to the five-tab limit. Not only do you dodge the More button, but
the constraint encourages you to sharpen the definition of your app and
the key features it offers. Five primary navigation elements make for a
manageable structure for your audience to remember and understand. Keep
it easy and don't make them think too hard about what your app does. Be
frugal with the number of top-level features and screens you offer. If
you find that you need more than five navigation categories, then the
tree-structure navigation model may be better for your app since it
adapts more gracefully to a larger number of categories.
Tab Bar
Pros
Cons
One-tap access to all of the app's main features
Clearly labeled menu advertises primary features, shows current location
Only five tabs can be displayed at once
Absorbs significant screen space on all (or most) screens of the app
The tab bar is a commitment. Its 49-pixel height takes up over 10
percent of the screen and typically appears on every screen of your
app—a chunky piece of interface chrome. You're not absolutely obliged to
put the tab bar on every screen of your app, though. It's appropriate
to remove the tab bar on screens that need full-screen treatment—ebooks,
photo slideshows, or document readers, for example—or that require
additional controls that would otherwise crowd out the content, like the
media controls in the iPod app's Now Playing screen. But the tab bar's
sturdy reliability is one of its virtues, allowing fast leaps across the
app's various features, and it's best to keep the tab bar planted on
most if not all screens of your app.
The built-in iPod app drops the tab bar (left) from the Now Playing screen (right) to make room for the playback controls.
The Xperia Z is Sony’s latest, most advanced smartphone to date.
However, in a world full of iPhones and Galaxys, does it really offer
much to separate it from the competition? Keep reading as we lay it all
out for you.
Design
The Sony Xperia Z is a ginormous bit of kit – there’s no getting away
from that fact. However, it’s also amazingly slim, measuring just 7.9
millimeters thick and weighing in at a very respectable 146 grams,
making it quite comfortable to carry.
Height-wise, however, it’s still quite a handful and may feel
slightly unwieldy if you have small hands, as your thumb won’t easily
reach some of the menu options located at the top.
While looks are subjective, we think the Xperia Z is a very polished
and handsome looking device that will surely catch a few admiring
glances for its slick, monolith form.
What really separates the Xperia Z from the competition, however, is that it’s certified water and dust resistant.
With Ingress Protection ratings IP55 and IP57, the Xperia Z can
withstand being submerged in one metre of water for up to thirty minutes
and won't easily get clogged up inside too.
The handset also features a Dragontrail glass front and back to keep
scratches and scuffmarks to a minimum. We dropped the review unit
numerous times for “test purposes” and the front panel received only the
smallest of scrapes.
Suffice to say, these are all very impressive credentials for what is
essentially a very high-end smartphone. Naturally, this makes the
Xperia Z an ideal choice if you’re prone to - or even worried about -
dropping your handset a lot – be it on the ground or in a tub of water. 7/10
Hardware
Display and processor
The Xperia Z has a five-inch full HD Reality Display with an
eye-popping 441 pixels per inch density that’s over a 100 higher than
even the iPhone’s Retina Display.
Better yet, it uses Sony’s latest Mobile Bravia Engine 2 video
processor, offering a silky smooth framerate that really brings movies
to life. The touchscreen itself is incredibly responsive, providing an
enjoyable experience in every situation we’ve come across.
The only thing letting it down is a less-than-stellar viewing angle
and a contrast ratio that we wish were higher to take advantage of those
extra pixels.
Under the hood, Xperia Z straps a brawny 1.5GHz quad core Snapdragon
S4 Pro processor that keeps things ticking over smoothly and handles
both multimedia and multitasking with aplomb. 8/10 Camera
As with most Sony smartphones, the Xperia Z has a very impressive
camera too. At the back it has a 13-megapixel autofocus shooter,
equipped with LED flash and the new Exmor RS sensor that takes great
snaps in low-light conditions. Basically, it’s perfect if you live in
Britain.
We’re particularly impressed by how fast the autofocus is and how the
lens is able to keep with up with fast movements without breaking a
sweat.
Of course, like most high-end kits, the Xperia Z records videos in
full HD and ups the ante with High Dynamic Range (HDR) video recording
as well, which should please any keen videographer.
At the front of the handset is a 2.2-megpaixel webcam, which also
offers 1080p HD recording and is great for making video calls too. 9/10 Connectivity and extras
In terms of connectivity, the Xperia Z is packed with options. Chief
among these is Near Field Communication – aka NFC – which lets you use
the handset to pay for low-ticket items – say coffee or travel – by
simply swiping the handset over an NFC reader.
Although it’s still early days for NFC, with most major handset
makers adopting the technology, it’s bound to become standard
eventually.
There’s also Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n and Wi-Fi Direct for fast
wireless data transfer. And there’s DLNA support and Wireless TV out too
to let you wirelessly stream video on the handset to a compatible HD
television.
In terms of storage, you have 16 gigabytes onboard to play with, plus a microSD slot to expand that further.
Last but certainly not least, the Xperia Z is 4G ready, which means
it will work with the high-speed network standard out of the box. 9/10
Interface and software
The Xperia Z runs on the latest Jelly Bean version of Google’s
Android operating system, which means it has all the newest features and
improvements the platform has to offer.
It also comes with Sony’s bespoke user interface slathered on top,
but a good thing is that this is not as heavily customised as
proprietary skins on some other Android handsets and is much closer to
what you expect from the vanilla edition of Android.
To unlock the screen you swipe upwards, which has a rather neat
blinds-like animation. You also have two shortcuts, which you can tap
and swipe sideways to jump straight into an application.
Inside, there are seven home screens, which you can personalise with a
host of widgets, apps and themes to really make the handset your own.
Apps can be organized using folders, while many of the widgets can be
resized as you see fit. You can also change the appearance of the
homescreen using themes and wallpapers.
For the most part, the software on the Xperia Z is pretty much what
you expect if you’ve used an Android smartphone before. However, it also
packs some great Sony apps such as Music Unlimited, Walkman and
PlayMemories – plus all the best Google apps and services like Gmail,
YouTube and Maps installed out of the box.
Of course, the real action is at the Google Play store where you’ll
find hundreds of thousands of great applications, as well movies and
music to download - all of which should run with a real sense of snap on
the Xperia Z thanks to its powerful processor and ample memory. 7/10
Verdict
The Sony Xperia Z is a brilliant handset. It’s crammed with
cutting-edge technologies - not least of which is a gorgeous screen, a
brawny processor and a fantastic camera.
Of course, the fact that it’s water and dust resistant too also
deserves serious consideration when you’re thinking of spending a
substantial amount of money on a new handset.
If you’re in the market for a truly high-end smartphone, you can’t go wrong with the Xperia Z. Thanks to O2 for supplying the handset used in this review.
Samsung Galaxy Note 3: flexible display ruled out by production problems?
Phablet won’t break cover with bendy screen tech
Excitable forecasts that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 could debut a
ground-breaking flexible screen look wide of the mark today, amid
reports that Samsung is battling production problems with bendy display
technology.
According to ETnews, the phone-maker is struggling to maintain the
quality of the display and ensure it is resistant to exposure to
moisture and oxygen, both of which are kryptonite for OLEDs.
To overcome the problem, Samsung is working on alternative encapsulation tech to make its flexi-screens more robust.
However, with development likely to take more than a matter of
months, the signs are that the flexible display won’t be a fixture when
the Note 3 lands later this year, kyboshing the hopes of anyone hoping
for a radical new look approach to shake up the increasingly homogenous
state of smartphone design.
The news comes amid separate reports that the Note 3, which is expected to drop in the third quarter will see Samsung break with form and ditch the range’s plastic frames for a metallic exterior.
Assuming we can believe what we’re told – and some have claimed the story was little more than a plant by HTC’s PR team - the move to premium materials was inspired by glowing reviews for the HTC One’s build quality.
Earlier rumours suggest that the Note 3 will also pack a 6.0” full HD
AMOLED display, 4G LTE support, a quad-core processor and a
13-megapixel camera.
.
Excitable forecasts that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 could debut a
ground-breaking flexible screen look wide of the mark today, amid
reports that Samsung is battling production problems with bendy display
technology.