Been away this week? Not to worry – you can catch up on those big tech stories you missed right here, in our weekly tech roundup. Microsoft Windows 8 tablets, word on the new Call of Duty subscription service, Apple iCloud and more abound this way.
June, 2011
Spotify has long been the music streaming service of choice in the UK and most of Europe, but remains unavailable in the US. Rumour has it the Sweden-based company is plotting its invasion of America at some point later this year – but Apple may be about to stamp out any chance of widespread Stateside success. iCloud could kill Spotify before the latter even launches.
Want an app happy smartphone but don’t feel like signing your life away for the next 18-24 months? No problem: there’s a whole bunch of Pay As You Go Android phones heading your way in the near future. We take a look at them all here.
In light of the recent events in China where a 17 year-old boy reportedly sold his kidney to pay for an iPad 2, we thought it might be fun to entertain a similar proposal for an Android tablet. Let’s be clear, as much as we love tech there’s not a chance we’d condone this type of behavior. Here’s your top three reasons not to sell your kidney for an Android tablet.
The next wave of multi-core mobile processors destined to fill our smartphones and tablets is upon us. Texas Instruments, by way of a press release, introduced its new TI OMAP 4470 multi-core application processor this afternoon. Sporting two ARM Cortex-A9 MPcores running at a blistering 1.8GHz and two ARM Cortex-M3 cores, this beast of a chipset lays dual-core competitors to rest.
The iPhone 4′s camera is pretty damn amazing (feast your retinas on our sample photos for proof), but as with any mobile phone snapper there’s lots of room for improvement. That’s where the iShuttr steps in: it’s a case that adds external controls and a powerful xenon flash.
Attention all PlayStation Plus subscribers get ready for free games, discounts and new exclusives. Sony has come forward this afternoon via its PlayStation Blog to lay out the groundwork for a two phase push to restore its premium online gaming service above and beyond our wildest dreams. Let’s recap the content arriving today.
Less than a week out from E3 and we’re already hearing rumbling of big changes headed our way via Microsoft’s Xbox 360 team. The gaming console is reportedly scheduled for a Xbox Live overhaul, one which includes a new classification level: Diamond. Along with the current perks of Xbox Live Gold, Diamond will add some exclusive IPTV services.