Age of Geeks: Tech updates, tech updates, tech updates

Columns April 2, 2014

Spring is here and so is an array of devices and apps from the technology world. It’s that time of the year when lot of updates get pushed out, at least for Android devices. During the last two weeks we also saw the release of significant devices, apps, and updates.

All new HTC ONE (M8)

So, the Taiwanese manufacturer has released the successor of last year’s flagship HTC ONE cell phone. The phone packs five-inch, full HD resolution. On first look, the HTC One (M8) appears to be a solid upgrade from its predecessor, in terms of build quality. Keeping the industry standards in mind, the phone has the best hardware, but lacks in camera department. For some reason, HTC took a gamble by placing just a four-megapixel camera in their flagship device, which is far below the industry standard. Hit or miss? We’ll soon found out.

LG G2 Kit Kat update

The phone that built the base of the almighty Nexus 5 is finally getting the update to the latest Android software 4.4, a.k.a. Kit Kat. So, it’s about time that LG’s flagship phone finally gets the bells and whistles of its counterpart, Nexus 5, which was lucky enough to get the first updates. G2 is on contract with the Canadian carriers Bell and Rogers, who are now getting the update. If you haven’t got the update yet, it should be just around the corner.

HTC BlinkFeed coming to all devices

BlinkFeed is HTC’s feed aggregatorĘthat displays yourĘsocial network updates, calendar events, news, music, and other content all in one place. With HTC BlinkFeed you don’t need to open multiple apps to see what’s going on; all of your content is gathered together in one convenient stream. HTC has kept this wonderful app to itself for a long time, but has decided to try the app’s fate with other devices as well sometime in the future. The company is working on a SDK, which will allow other devices to work with it. At the moment it’s only available on the HTC M8, but this exclusivity won’t last for long.

The end of Last.fm

After going paid subscription-only last year, Last.fm recently announced that its subscription radio streaming service would no longer be available. However, users will still be able to stream music from Last.fm using Spotify.