OS X Mavericks 10.9 Developer Preview 7 Released

Apple has just released the 7th Developer Preview of their latest operating system for the Mac, OS X Mavericks 10.9. The new update, carrying the build number 13A569, is aimed towards developers for testing purposes and can be downloaded from the Mac App Store or Mac Dev Center.

OS X Mavericks 10.9 was announced back at WWDC this year, and is the first time in years when Apple decided to break away from their naming-an-OS-after-a-cat convention.

OS X Mavericks 10.9 Developer Preview 7 has been released today two weeks after the announcement of Developer Preview 6 that brought iBooks to the big screen of the Mac.

OS X Mavericks carries the same design ethos which we’ve become acquainted to over the years, and most of the changes in the OS are all under the hood. The design language mostly remains unchanged when making the transition from Mountain Lion to Mavericks, unlike iOS 7, which is a major design overhaul when compared to any prior versions of iOS.

Developer Preview 7’s release notes do not reveal much about the update, therefore it’s a safe bet to say that it is more than a big fix and performance improvement update. Though Apple has added a bunch of new wallpapers which will also likely be part of the final release.

It is very important to note here that this update is meant for devs only. If you’re a casual beta tester, keep in mind that this is not, in any case, a primetime ready build, and different bugs and roadblocks are to be expected.

Despite being the 7th release in its beta cycle, we wouldn’t really classify this build as a daily runner on your Mac. You’ve been warned!

As we mentioned at the beginning of this post; OS X Mavericks 10.9 Developer Preview 7 can be downloaded as a free update from the Mac App Store, provided you have one of the previous developer previews installed. Also, you should be a registered developer with Apple in their Mac Dev Program to get access to the beta bits. But you already knew that, right?

OS X Mavericks 10.9 is expected to be available this fall, and if we’re lucky enough, we might also see a bunch of new Intel Haswell powered notebooks from the Cupertino company as well.

Google & KitKat – Four Fingers, Two Videos And One Nexus 5 Leak

It’s been a pretty big day for Google. It all kicked off when the Android maker announced via Google+ that the next version of Android would be called Android 4.4 KitKat. The first time that a brand name has been used for one of Google’s famous sweet inspired version names, KitKat is more than just a title.

As the day has progressed it has become clear that Google and KitKat have entered into a partnership that will help the confectionary brand as much as it will Google with special limited edition chocolates being sold giving buyers the chance to win Google Play credit or a shiny new Nexus 7. Is this the start of a new era in product branding?

But things haven’t stopped there. KitKat has since posted a video, and it’s a doozy.

Extolling the virtues of ‘KitKat 4.4,’ the ad does what is fast becoming the norm for anyone that isn’t Apple – it pokes fun at the iPhone maker.

Following the now infamous video techniques of the boys and girls from Cupertino, KitKat even got their own British man to take the place of Jony Ive, and if we’re honest he does a pretty good job of it. The impostor explains how KitKats work perfectly in both landscape and portrait as well as many other Apple-isms. It’s probably the best spoof ad we’ve seen, so top marks to KitKat for that, even if the idea of cloning Apple ads is getting a little long in the tooth at this point.

The video releases didn’t stop there though, and the second to appear is rather more important. This time Google wanted to show off its new KitKat-shaped figure that has been installed outside the search giant’s offices. Every time a big new release of Android comes along, a new figure comes with it. This time though, Google looks like it may have slipped up.

Towards the end of the short video, which involves lots of Googlers looking far too excited about a large KitKat-shaped model, one person is seen taking a photo of the object. While that’s nothing to write home about, it’s the phone that he is using that has caught everyone’s attention.

With a ‘Nexus’ logo running vertically down the middle of the device’s rear and a larger camera lens than we have previously seen on a Nexus device, the internet is abuzz with the suggestion that Google has accidentally leaked its own Nexus 5 device.

Assuming Google didn’t do it on purpose – and we wouldn’t be surprised either way – this could be rather embarrassing for the company. Still, at this point it can’t be too long before the new Nexus handset is announced, and with Apple announcing its new iPhones next week, Google has done a stellar job of stealing the news cycle on the same day that Apple sent out invites for its September 10th iPhone event.

Let the battle commence!

(image credit: BBC)

Microsoft Explains Why It Bought Nokia

Hot on the heels of the news that Microsoft has spent $7.1 billion on Nokia, the company behind Windows Phone has had a go at explaining the acquisition by releasing a typically Microsoft PDF. With Nokia not exactly setting the world on fire with its handsets, and coming fully loaded with its own problems, the once proud phone manufacturer was already working extremely closely with Microsoft and with all its eggs in the Redmond firm’s Windows Phone basket, talk of a buyout has been doing the rounds for a long time. The fact that it actually happened has still come as a surprise to many, however.

Almost sensing that fact, Microsoft has set about explaining its decision to splash the cash, and it’s not just because they wanted Stephen Elop back at Microsoft!

While Microsoft is pleased that Windows Phone is now sitting in the number 3 slot when it comes to mobile operating systems, the company says that it will continue to provide solutions for both iOS and Android. That said, it believes that it cannot afford to rely on either platform too heavily in case either Apple or Google make changes to their solutions that lock Microsoft out in the future. With that in mind, having its own hardware and software could potentially be an important situation for Microsoft to be in.

Microsoft also says that, owing to the strength of the competition, it needs to offer a top class alternative to iOS or Android, and controlling the hardware is one of the ways that it can achieve just that. It’s an approach that Apple has famously taken since Steve Jobs returned to the company way back when, and it’s one that Google also seems to understand – the Nexus line and Motorola’s acquisition is the company’s way of trying to keep control of Android in some small way. Whether it succeeds is open to debate, though.

The way we see it is quite simple. Nokia needed Microsoft long term, and Microsoft wanted not just the hardware chops that Nokia possesses but also its huge war-chest full of patents. Nokia is believed to hold some of the most important patents in the industry, and now they’re Microsoft’s. In a game where patents can make or break a product release, having a stash of your own can come in very useful indeed.

Of course, Microsoft having tighter control over Nokia hardware is all well and good, and it arguably already had as much control as it could want via the existing deal in place between the two companies, but the real issue isn’t the hardware but the software. You could put Windows Phone on an iPhone 5 or Galaxy S4, but it would still have the same problems that it has on any current Windows Phone device – the ecosystem.

If Microsoft can get that sorted out quickly though, things could get really interesting pretty quickly. Whether Nokia can help it do that though, we’re not really sure.

(Source: Microsoft)

Vivid Blue HTC One And HTC One Mini Announced, Available Later This Year

HTC One has received accolades of commendation for being an extra-elegant device, and indeed, if you hold it just once, it’s hard to not fall in love with the amazing flagship that the Taiwanese manufacturer has come up with. To make matters more interesting, the company has announced the Vivid Blue variant of the device, aimed to be released for “selected markets” according to official sources.

The new color variant, scheduled for release later this year for both HTC One and HTC One Mini, will be made available to the chosen markets in the last quarter of the year, as per HTC’s official statement on the matter.

The innards of the device aren’t going to change from the existing models, and what’s going to be really different is the lovely blue hue that surrounds the phone. Even from the images, it stands out and speaks class.

In other details, the device will continue to carry the Beats Audio branding, albeit with the lighter shade of gray, and will feature a black bezel around the screen. Rest of the device is blue, and encased in a unibody aluminum shell. The rims of the device remain shiny and reflective, while the edges carry a slight matte look and feel.

In all fairness, the Vivid Blue color carries a very similar look and feel to what we saw in theGlamour Red HTC One variant, which was released several weeks ago. However, thanks to the metallic shell, the feel of the device in your hand would be significantly improved and more elegant.

HTC One Mini in Vivid Blue also carries the same design features of the original version, where the plastic edges now carry a metallic look and feel, too. For a smaller, cheaper variant, this device is definitely more appealing to the average user, and is evident even from the official images supplied.

The move to release a new color variant, along with the choice of a cool blue version, further proves that color choice can definitely influence a buyer’s decision. It’s the same move that Apple did with the white iPhone, and with the imminent release of iPhone 5C, which is rumored to be available in different colored shells, shows that both the companies are heading in the right direction. As more devices embrace the market, the competition for dominance thickens between Android and iOS, and it’s small factors like this that can differentiate between a winner and a loser.

SNES Emulator For iPhone And iPad Sneaks Into The App Store, Download Now Before It’s Pulled

Every once in a while, an app finds its way into the App Store that isn’t quite as it seems. We’ve seen flashlight apps that are actually back doors into tethering in the past, but it’s been a while since we saw something particularly daring. After all, as soon as someone in Cupertino notices what’s going on, there’s a 99.99999% chance that the app’s going to get pulled with extreme prejudice.

So, with that in mind it’s with a wry smile and a little giggle that we tell you about a app called Remote File Manager that is currently residing on the iOS App Store.

First off, stop reading this now and go and install Remote File Manager on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. It’s less than a dollar, and you’ll thank us for it afterwards. It’s OK, we’ll wait. You take your time.

Done? Good. What you’ve just downloaded, according to the App Store’s description of Remote File Manager, is an app that lets users connect to services like Dropbox and browse their files. If they really want to, they can also view those files and mess around with zipped up files, too. But if they do, they’re sort of missing the point, and here’s why: Remote File Manager is also an SNES emulator in disguise, and a rather good one!

Keeping that fact nice and quiet, the app’s developer managed to get the thing past Apple’s App Store testing people and it’s now available for purchase. All users need to do is upload their SMC formatted SNES ROMs to their Dropbox account and voila, they can play them via the Remote File Manager app. What’s more, it actually works rather well!

As if that wasn’t good enough news for you, the story doing the rounds online right now is that the app even works with some third party game controllers, including the popular iCade. For just $0.99, it’s well worth downloading before someone at Apple gets wind of what’s going on and it gets pulled double-quick.

Happy SNES-ing, everyone!

(Download: Remote File Manager for iOS on the App Store) (Image Credit: Enemyplayer [Twitter]) Thanks, Xavier for sending this in!

1080p Windows Phone 8 User Interface Screenshot Leaks From Nokia ‘Bandit’

The folks over at the Evleaks Twitter account are nothing if not prolific. Often the first to leak screenshots, spy shots and specification lists, Evleaks is one of the go-to places for finding out about unannounced smartphones, and they proved once more that they should be on everyone’s follow list today.

Whilst everyone else is still pondering the acquisition of Nokia by Microsoft, the Evleaks guys have released a new screenshot that will be of interest to fans of both the Redmond company and the latest company to be assimilated into it.

Nokia is believed to be working on a new Windows Phone-powered handset that will be announced this month, codenamed Bandit, or the Lumia 1520 as some people are calling it. Packing a 1080p screen, the new device will be the first to Windows Phone device to feature a 1080p screen, and that means that Windows Phone itself will need an update – something Microsoft is working towards with Windows Phone 8. We hadn’t seen anything to show how the Windows Phone home screen would perform on new, higher resolution devices with larger screens – until now.

The latest leak by Evleaks shows what they claim to be a screenshot from the new Bandit handset that Nokia is currently getting ready to announce, and it gives us our first insight into how Modern will use those extra pixels. In short, it’ll offer more icons, which is no great surprise to anyone.

Looking at the screenshot, Windows Phone 8 will follow the same icon layout options as its predecessor, with small, medium and large icons available for users. By contrast, Windows 8.1 on the desktop will be getting a new wider icon option, but at this point it doesn’t look like that will be making the jump to Microsoft’s smartphone platform.

Also new in the screenshot is an app called Storyteller. There is absolutely no information on this currently, but we have a sneaky suspicion that it will involve photos and location data in order to build a timeline of sorts. Useful, if you like that kind of thing.

Nokia is expected to announce the new phone alongside a Windows RT tablet device at an event on September 26th. We will keep you updated as soon as we get our hands on new details.

(Source: Evleaks [Twitter])

iPhone 5C Release Date And Design Reaffirmed By New Case-Mate Leak [IMAGES]

With Apple having sent out official event invites for their September 10th iPhone event only a while back, there’s little doubt left that Apple will in fact be debuting two different iPhone models this fall, including the iPhone 5S and the cheaper iPhone 5C. Now, we have what can only be termed as an almost-confirmed leaked image of what the latter, the iPhone 5C, would look like, courtesy of Evleaks.

The leak basically showcases the iPhone 5C protective casings from Case-Mate, the famous maker of iPhone and iPad cases for earlier and on-the-market devices. Alongside the case itself, the leaked images also show a mockup iPhone 5C, combined with a very specific release date and time, giving even more credibility to the rumors that have been circling the Web pertaining to the release.

One of the leaked images basically shows off a flip case for the iPhone 5C, which has the capability of not only protecting the front and back of the device, but also holding it horizontally for landscape viewing of content. Coupled with the iPhone 5C’s 4-inch display, this would make a perfect combo for watching media and movies on the Retina display.

Evleaks also suggests that the estimated shipping date would be “9/20/2013 8:00:00 AM”. While we’ve seen multiple leaks and rumors that corroborate with the Sep. 20 release date, the 8:00 AM timing is new, but not that surprising, since it makes sense to make the device available early in the day. It might, however, also be the case that the hardware will become available sooner than the accessories, although it’s difficult to predict in advance.

The second leaked image suggests a more bumper-like construction, combined with a translucent plastic back covering, ensuring that your device is protected from the sides and the back. The color, albeit on the feminine side, is still catchy, and resembles Case-Mate’s classic elegance that the company made its name for.

The iPhone 5C is supposed to be the budget, low-cost sibling of the iPhone 5S, aimed towards catering the smaller and less expensive markets. The device is expected to be announced on September 10, alongside the iPhone 5S and the final version of iOS 7.

(Source: Evleaks [Twitter])