Articles by Jonathan Charles
Nokia CEO Stephen Elop Seemingly Confirms Windows Phone 8 Devices
September marks the beginning of the iPhone season. However, Nokia recently announced an event on September 5, a week before Apple's rumoured iPhone 5 event. Sources expect Nokia to announce new Windows Phone 8 devices.
HTC One X Gets Minor Sense Update as HTC Preps Jelly Bean
HTC appears to be sticking to its promise to bring Jelly Bean to confirmed devices by the end of August. HTC recently confirmed that its One family of devices will get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean as the Sense user interface gets a minor update.
YouTube App for PS3 Releases, Seems Similar to Xbox 360 Counterpart
When YouTube released an app for the Xbox 360 as part of the media service blowout in the 2011 dashboard update, it suffered from buggy browsing and failures to load content. YouTube's new PlayStation 3 app seems to have similar problems.
Halo 4 Specializations Grant Players Game Modifiers Like Never Before: The Details
Speaking to IGN, 343 Industries Designer David Ellis ran through Halo 4's Specializations - in-game bonuses players can unlock upon reaching level 50. Halo 4 will offer 8 specializations in total, with 2 immediately available at launch.
Galaxy Note 2 Launch Approaches As Galaxy Note 10.1 Releases in UK
Samsung confirmed on Twitter that the company's Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet will be released in the UK on August 16. Samsung is probably going to launch the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 during August as well, so consumers are advised to wait until the event finishes before making purchase decisions.
Angry Birds 'Back to School' Update Will Have Players Blowing Bubbles
As summer draws to a close, kids prepare to return to school. Angry Birds Seasons, the series of themed expansion packs to the popular game, continues to offer new themed features. The new update, called "Back to School," includes a pink angry bird that can spout bubbles.
iOS 6 Beta Includes 'Wi-Fi Plus Cellular' Option For Avoiding Dropped Signals
New features in iOS 6 beta include an option to enable Wi-Fi and cellular connections simultaneously, called "Wi-Fi Plus Cellular". The feature aims to address the possibility of a Wi-Fi connection dropping before a cellular connection appears, to provide a seamless transition across types of connection.
Darksiders 2 Releases August 14: Here's Everything You Need To Know
Darksiders 2 is now available in the U.S. and will arrive in Europe on August 21, 2012. The sequel to 2010's well received Legend of Zelda rival expands on the original game with greater weapons customization and larger dungeons.
Wii U Release: December Launch May Spread to Australia
Recent rumors suggest that Europe could get the Wii U, Nintendo's next generation gaming console, in December rather than November as previously expected. Australia could also see a Wii U release during the final month of 2012. Manufacturing issues were cited as the cause of the delay.
Zynga Wanted Fez on Mobile, Polytron Refused
Zynga, synonymous with Facebook games and accessible titles on mobile platforms, offered to port indie darling Fez to mobile devices, according to developer Polytron.
Wii U GamePad Could be Halting Manufacturing Process, Affects European Launch Date
Aside from "by the end of 2012," Nintendo remains quiet about a release date for Wii U. While the console is expected to be released around November - Wii U titles from a GameStop database apparently will release from November 2012 - European customers could see a delay.
HTC: 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Updates Complete by August End
In reply to a user's question on Facebook, HTC confirmed that the phone manufacturer will release Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on confirmed devices by the end of August.
5 iOS 6 Features We Want Gone
The highly-anticipated iOS 6 is seen as an indicator of where Apple wants to take its mobile operating system in light of Android's advances. Most speculation and commentary has focused on features Apple should implement, but what features should it remove?
Halo 4's Next-Generation Successors Looking to 'Kick Some Ass,' Designer Confirms
In an interview with the Independent, 343 Industries' Lead Game Designer Scott Warner recently spoke about 343 industries' approach to a gaming franchies previously synonymous with Bungie.
London 2012 Closing Ceremony Live Stream: When and How to Watch Online
The London 2012 Closing Ceremony start time schedule is 4pm EST. It is expected to be a star-studded event, featuring performers such as Adele, the Spice Girls, and members of the iconic Queen and Pink Floyd. Members of the royal family, including the Queen, is expected to attend the closing ceremony.
Halo 4: Franchise Director Says 343 is Working with Fans to Deliver Success
With the upcoming Halo 4 release, 343 Industries faces the monumental responsibility of delivering the next major entry in a franchise which has become synonymous with its developer, Bungie. On the Halo Waypoint blog, Frank O'Connor, Franchise Development Director at 343 Industries, recently wrote a letter summarizing the game's development cycle.
London 2012 Soccer Final Brazil vs Mexico: When and How to Watch Live Stream Online
With just a day to go before the end of London's Olympics, tension are high before the gold medal soccer clash between Brazil and Mexico, sure to be a fierce rivalry. Brazil came into the Olympics as the soccer favorite, and commentators expect the team to take gold. If victorious, Brazil looks to win its third gold medal in soccer; a victory in today's match would give Mexico its first soccer gold. Mobilenapps.com has a run-down of where viewers can watch the action.
Metro Rebranding Could Simply Be 'Windows 8': Why?
Microsoft's dispute with German retailer Metro Group has forced the company to remove all references to Metro in Windows 8 and reconsider the branding for Microsoft's new tile-based user interface. Although Microsoft has not officially announced a replacement name yet, sources speaking to ZDNet claim that it could be "Windows 8".
Windows 8 "Hackathon" Tasks Developers to Populate Windows 8 Store During Week
Steve Ballmer famously reiterated the importance of "developers, developers, developers, developers" to the press when referring to program support for Windows, inspiring this popular YouTube remix. The mantra seems to have carried over to Windows 8, with Microsoft organising a large, virtual app "Hackathon" to populate the Windows Store.
CyanogenMod 9: Now 'Stable' For Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich-Based
CyanogenMod 9 is highly anticipated in the Android hacking community, and excitement is about to rise a notch with the announcement that Version 9 of the mod is "stable" for Google's Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
Xbox 360 Top-Selling Console July 2012: 203,000 Units Sold, 49 Percent Market Share
Microsoft announced in the latest NPD numbers that its Xbox 360 gaming console has sold over 200,000 units, becoming the top-selling console for the month and continuing its strong momentum (June 2012 marked 16 months as the best-selling console).
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim For PlayStation 3 Gets 1.7 Update
PlayStation 3 gamers have not had a smooth ride with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but Bethesda is giving the user base much-needed attention; it has released the 1.7 update for PlayStation 3. The 1.7 update mainly features bug fixes; it also includes the 1.6 update.
Google’s Search App Aims to Replace Siri: The Details
Despite Siri's inconsistencies when picking up accents, Apple provided a degree of humanity to the voice assistant. Google has announced in a blog post that its search app is set to receive similar features.
Nova Launcher Brings Jelly Bean to Ice Cream Sandwich Devices
If a mobile device is still waiting on the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update, NovaLauncher may offer a quicker option than waiting for an original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Nova is not the first launcher to move to Jelly Bean: Apex launcher recently updated with similar improvements, including performance improvements to 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Whether the launchers offer better performance on certain devices remains to be seen through testing.
Xbox 720: Releasing Pre-2014 Microsoft Job Posting Suggests
A Microsoft's employees' reference to the "new Xbox," thought to be referring to Microsoft's next-generation console, was a misunderstanding. After the news broke across the web, Microsoft explained that the statement referred only to an annual fall Xbox 360 update including Xbox Music, video and games on Windows 8, and the second screen app Xbox SmartGlass. However, Microsoft has narrowed down the release date for its next-generation console: before 2014.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Developer Apparently Leaks Almost Everything
An associate producer on Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has apparently leaked information on just about everything in the upcoming shooter. From the campaign to multiplayer weapons and modes, here are the details.
iOS 6: 5-Row iPhone Seems Likely With iPhone Simulator Revealing New Resolution
A 4-inch, or near, screen for the iPhone 5 is all but confirmed. Leaked devices and hardware components suggest that Apple is heading for a larger form factor, and a modified screen resolution in the fourth beta of iOS 6 reveals a home screen with 5 rows of icons.
