2014 was a good year for phones. We not only saw solidreleases from the usual suspects, but a few of Androids underdog contendersfinally stood up and revealed themselves as solid manufacturers. Sony had theZ2 and Z3 and LG unveiled the G3 to great appreciation. HTC and Motorolacontinued apace with their respective new approaches and even Apple shookthings up by doubling its premium iPhone offering and upping the size of itsscreens.
It was also a year where the Chinese phone makers started tomove in on new territory. Huawei, OPPO and new manufacturer OnePlus releasedsome impressive phones for a lower price than their more-established (in somemarkets) competitors.
So, what can we expect from 2015 and what do we alreadyknow? Its all rumour and speculation for the most part, but based on past historythere are some pretty strong bets we can make.
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After a good deal on your mobile plan? Theres alwayssomething going if you look around. Or, if that sounds like a lot of work, takea look at our list below.
We'll do our best to keep things as recent as possible, but as an added precaution be sure to check the 'last updated' date at the top of the article.
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Solve puzzles, travel to space, and unleash your psychic potential in this week's best Mac games!
These recent Mac games may require some strategic thinking. Would you prefer to fly a spaceship into uncharted territory? Or would you like to delve deep into a dark psychological narrative? Choose your own adventure from what's on offer here.
The classic board game Fox & Geese has been around for hundreds of years, and this digital spin on the timeless favorite adds a ballroom dance aesthetic. A fox in a full suit cuts quite the formidable figure, but don't be fooled by his dashing dance he's a trickster. The game includes local cooperative play if you'd prefer to face off against a friend rather than the AI.
There have been a lot of twists on the Space Invaders genre, but the aesthetic of Super Star Path has the joyful, colorful feel of a Bejeweled or a Candy Crush. Enemy ships explode into gems, which can be collected to earn ship upgrades.
I've always wanted psychic powers, but navigating the ethical quandary of whether I should use them might prove difficult as it does in Quantum Conscience, a visual novel with a mind-reading protagonist. You can use your powers to either help or hurt the people around you, but deciding on the "right" choices when you always have the upper hand in all of your relationships can be quite a tricky task.
This Duende Games release, featuring appropriately eerie sound design by GRYPT, navigates themes of suicide and existential dread. Explore a foreboding concrete world lit by dim streetlights in this first-person horror experience.
Pixel art is not dead! It's merely gone underground in this fan-funded dungeon crawler, influenced by the modern trends of procedurally generated RPGs while still embracing a distinctive old school visual aesthetic. The game also includes local co-operative play, for those who prefer exploring areas and trawling for treasures in tandem.
Have any new releases for the Mac struck your fancy? Let me know what I missed.
Apple wants to replace some hard drives in a number of its iMac models for free, due to a failure issue reported in some of those systems.
If you own a 27-inch version of the iMac with a roomy 3TB hard drive, you might be able to get a free replacement for that drive. The company has quietly started a replacement program for those systems.
Here are the details, as revealed on Apple's website:
Apple has determined that a very small number of 3TB hard drives used in 27-inch iMac systems, may fail under certain conditions. These systems were sold between December 2012 and September 2013. Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) will replace affected hard drives free of charge. Apple is contacting affected iMac owners who provided a valid email address during the product registration process to let them know about this program.
If you have an iMac that fit the requirements of the replacement program but have not gotten an email, you can go to Apple's site and enter the PC's serial number to see if it is eligible. Apple adds that if you have an iMac that fits the replacement program, and have already paid for a hard drive repair or replacement before now, you may be able to get a refund.
Australia is a country that is in love with new mobile phones. Were well passed the point of wondering when everyone will buy a phone, with the number of active phone subscriptions now much higher than the number of people living in this country.
But there is a feature of this industry that tech savvy people know, and it is saving them hundreds of dollars every year.
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