15
Apr
unnamed (2)

Press, arguably the most well-designed Reader client of them all, got a sizeable update today. It's the "biggest update yet," in fact. Climbing up to version number 1.2, Press got some useful new features. Though this update isn't the one with which Press migrates to "a new backend syncing solution" as it is promised to do once Reader takes its final breath, it's definitely an update worth looking at.

First up, Press now has widgets, both large and small. The small one is basically an unread count, while the larger can show top articles from your "all unread" list or a specific subscription list within your account.

04
Mar
2013-03-04_11h20_36

Now that Android has matured to the point of being solid in its own right, manufacturer skins don't rely so much on fixing the problems with the OS as they do creating their own platform. In order to differentiate from the competition, the new Galaxy S needs to do things the One series doesn't. While HTC focuses on improving its audio and visual performance, Samsung is attempting to boost its wow factor by improving on its eye-tracking technology. At least, if the rumors are true.

Speaking to a New York Times blog, an anonymous source (allegedly a Samsung employee) told the publication that the new Galaxy S IV would include a feature that will track a user's eyes to determine when they've reached the bottom of a page and automatically scroll to reveal more text.

04
Jan
tilelaunchertiny

Whether you use Windows Phone or not, chances are at some point you're going to have to get used to the concept of tiles. Microsoft's putting them everywhere. On your Xbox, PC, tablet... They're unavoidable. If you like  the idea of tiles over icons, though, here's an app you might want to try out: Tile Launcher Beta. While it's not quite a clone of the MS-borne smartphone interface (for example, you can still have a custom background), it does place brightly colored squares on a continuous scrolling homescreen.

tilelauncher1 tilelauncher2 tilelauncher3

You know...it kinda grows on you. While I've never been a huge fan of the Windows Phone interface as is, the tiles here are pretty slick and, as in the left-hand screenshot above, with some custom icon tweaking they can be made to look gorgeous.

25
Sep
voxeltiny

You seen one top-scrolling space shooter, you've seen 'em all, am I right? No, as a matter of fact, I am not. Voxel Invaders is here to prove that. Take a look at the trailer below and you see that the game starts off simple enough. Some nice, 3D-ish graphics adorn an otherwise banal battleground. Or so it seems. Until around ten seconds into the video, when the world shifts and we see things from a whole new perspective.

It's not just a plane change here, either. Voxel Invaders incorporates elements from a variety of different retro and modern game styles for an elaborate experience.

20
Aug
wm_P20110820011113

Last week, I traded my Google I/O Chromebook for an ASUS Eee Pad Transformer/keyboard dock combo and started exploring the fascinating laptop/tablet hybrid. Overall, my impressions so far are more positive than I thought they would be, and I'll most likely end up selling the 3G XOOM that has none of the features the Transformer with the dock have to offer. The only problem with the Transformer that I've experienced is a relatively poor battery life compared to both the XOOM and the Tab 10.1, which I can't explain yet... but I'm getting carried away.

After my exploration of the Transformer was complete, I noted 2 annoyances - the absence of the dedicated app switcher key on the dock, which was conveniently present on the Samsung keyboard dock I tested earlier this month, and the absence of the familiar scrolling area on the touchpad that I got so used to on my laptop.

06
Jun
sensation
Last Updated: July 31st, 2011

Having had the HTC Sensation in-hand for about a week, our unit has developed some troubling issues with its touchscreen. Namely, the panel often misses first presses, and also struggles with fast brushing movements.

The first issue results in great frustration when typing, as auto-correction of words does not work without the first letter. It also means you often have to tap several times on icons on the homescreen to launch an application.

With the second problem, the malfunctioning results in very choppy scrolling, in the app drawer or in Twitter applications such as TweetDeck. Frequently the touchscreen will register a brushing touch as a press, and will select whatever your finger happened to be passing over at the time.