Gameloft has released their latest hit game, Asphalt 8: Airborne, on two new platforms. Launched initially on iOS and Android, the game is now also available on Windows Phone 8 and even Windows 8.1.

We reviewed Asphalt 8 when it was initially released and found it to be pretty enjoyable, although in some ways, not as much as its predecessor, which is still a really fun game. Having said that, Asphalt 8 is a marked improvement in terms of visuals and should be great on Windows 8.1 with a powerful desktop GPU (it wasn’t very smooth on mobile). Read more »

Facebook has released an update to the Facebook Messenger app for iOS and Android that brings with it a complete overhaul of the UI. The design clearly looks like it was made for the new iOS 7 but carries over to the Android version as well.

At launch you’ll notice that the older dull gray and Facebook blue colors have been replaced by bright white and a brilliant blue combination. There are no more gradients and drop shadows anymore and the UI has a clean, flat UI that is consistent with the rest of iOS 7. Read more »

Sony has released a new PlayStation App for iOS and Android devices, designed to help you connect with your PS4 console from anywhere. With this app you can see your PlayStation Network friends, see what they are playing, compare trophies and also chat with them.

You can also receive notifications, game alerts and invitations on the app and can use your phone as a mobile keyboard to enter text on your PS4, much better than doing it through the controller. Read more »

Last year, when Apple replaced the Google Maps application on iOS with their own Apple Maps, the company was blasted by everyone, including Apple fans, to the point where Apple had to issue an apology to customers and highlight other mapping apps in the App Store. A year later, however, things are looking a bit better.

Over the past year, Apple Maps usage has increased sharply whereas Google Maps has seen a corresponding drop, according to a survey by comScore. Read more »

Admit it, we all love watching unboxing videos. Anyone who is excited about technology just can’t resist the allure of watching your favorite gadget being removed from its brand new packaging and laid out next to all the other contents of the box.

It seems Sony is well aware of this fetish of ours, which is why they have gone ahead and made their own unboxing video before the console hits the shelves and customers get a chance to do it for themselves. Read more »

Last year’s Rayman Jungle Run was an absolute riot. It has pretty much everything you could ask for: Terrific gameplay, great visuals, superb music and simple controls.

Naturally with such a big hit on its hands, Ubisoft decided to follow it up with a sequel. The new Rayman Fiesta Run brings essentially the same gameplay in dozens of brand new levels with updated visuals and characters. Let’s see how it fares compared to its predecessor. Read more »

Mobile devices have infiltrated the gaming segment in a big way to the point where they are now the primary gaming platform for a lot of people, even if they don’t realize it yet. We now have games from all genres available on the mobile platform. But while several of them try to emulate console gaming experience on the small screen, some are designed from the ground up for the touchscreen.

I have said repeatedly in the past that it is this category of games that interests me the most. The joy of playing a game designed with the attributes of the touchscreen in mind and actually takes advantage of it rather than being crippled by it is quite something. Device 6 for iOS is one such game, and today we are going to take a close look at it. Read more »

Popular keyboard app for Android SwiftKey has released an update that allows you to change the size and layout of the keyboard in many ways. First of all, you can now select from five different sizes for the keyboard to one that suits the size of your phone or tablet’s display the best.

Secondly, you can also alter the layout of the keyboard. You can have the traditional layout, split layout where the keys are split from the middle to make typing on easier on larger devices and a compact, one-sided layout, such as the one first seen on the Note II, that lets you type singlehandedly without having to stretch your thumb. Read more »

Google has updated the Android version of the Hangouts application with several new features. As we have seen on the Nexus 5, the Hangouts app now supports SMS and MMS, which means you can send and receive text messages from within Hangouts and they will appear along with your Hangouts chats. Unlike the Nexus 5, however, you can disable the SMS/MMS functionality if you want and continue using the stock messaging app on your phone.

Another addition is the ability to set your mood. You can now choose from one of the Hangouts emoji as your mood that gets displayed to anyone who messages you. You can also choose to announce the device type you are messaging from (phone or PC) or whether you’re in a call. Lastly, you can now also insert your location and animated GIFs in a chat. Read more »

Ubisoft has released the successor to the terrific Rayman Jungle Run on iOS and Android. Called Rayman Fiesta Run, the new game brings brand new levels, revamped visual design and music to the much loved gameplay.

We reviewed Jungle Run back when it came out on iOS and had loved the incredible visuals, fast paced gameplay and amazing music. Fiesta Run maintains the single tap gameplay mechanism, where all you have to do is use a single finger to tap on the screen to jump at the appropriate moment and not have to worry about any other controls. This is great for touch devices as too many controls makes the experience worse, not better and one of the reasons why Jungle Run was so well received. Read more »

Archos has launched a new large Android tablet, the 101 XS 2. It has a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 resolution IPS display and Archos Coverboard keyboard that snaps magnetically to the tablet and acts as a cover, keyboard and a kickstand.

On the inside is a quad-core Cortex A9 CPU clocked at 1.6GHz and Mali 400 MP4 GPU, 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage space with microSD card. The tablet has 2 megapixel cameras on the front and back. It runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Read more »

Google Helpouts is a brand new service from Google that will let you get help on any topic you want from real people over the internet through a video call. The service offers you a bunch of topics to choose from and you can also type in what you need help with.

Helpouts then presents you with options that match your query. You will see a list of Helpouts that you can choose from that best match your query, with the name of the people who will be conducting the call. You can start a Helpout call with the person immediately or schedule it for later. Read more »

Nikon has announced a new member of their high-end FX format DSLRs. The Nikon Df straddles the line between a classic Nikon camera designed around the lines of the old Nikon ‘F’ series of 35mm film cameras and a modern day DSLR.

On the outside, the Df is all retro. The body is made out of magnesium alloy and leather. On the top sits a roof mounted pentaprism with a hotshoe. The camera comes with a smattering of mechanical dials to adjust everything, from ISO to exposure compensation, release mode and exposure mode and a body mounted shutter button with threaded release port. Read more »

One of the key UI changes in the new Android 4.4 KitKat is the presence of the Moto X style translucent navigation and notification bars on the homescreen that allows the wallpaper to shine through. Turns out though, it’s not something everyone will be getting, even if you have a Nexus device.

In a rather Apple-esque move, Google has decided to disable the translucency effect on the Nexus 10 tablet, citing performance issues. The Android source code for the tablet states quite clearly ‘Translucent status & navigation bars perform poorly on this device’ and the value of the effect is set to ‘False’. Read more »

Flipboard has updated the iOS version of their apps with several minor changes. First of all, the app has been given a new look for iOS 7, with some parallax scrolling effects and a flatter UI. The app has also improved performance and just works smoother and faster on all devices.

Another addition is on-screen alerts. Now the app will show alerts on the homescreen when you have updates for your feed so you don’t miss anything. The app also shows additional tiles on the larger display of the iPhone 5, 5c and 5s compared to older iPhones. Lastly, you can now change text size within the app. Read more »