Author: James Thornton

Top Halloween special offers for iOS and Android

Halloween is upon us and this means tons of special offers in mobile app stores. During the holiday, many developers normally drop their prices on their iOS or Android apps and games, or even offer them for free.

If you’re an Android user then be sure to check out the Amazon AppStore app, which is running a week-long Free App of the Day promotion on several spooky titles. Free games include Slashing Pumpkins, Wonder Witches, The Haunt and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

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8 reasons for switching to Windows Phone 8

Windows Phone 8 has been launched today as Microsoft beefs up its mobile operating system with some useful new features. But is it worth switching to Windows Phone 8 from iOS or Android?

Softonic’s expert mobile editors from across our network of international sites feel that there’s plenty within Windows Phone 8 to make it worth considering. Read our favorite features of the new operating system and find out what is tempting us to make the switch to Microsoft’s new operating system. For a full list of the new features in Windows Phone 8, check out Microsoft’s official page.

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Essential eBook apps for the iPad mini

ipad mini iconApple has today announced its compact new tablet, the iPad mini. The device, launched at a special event in San Jose today, boasts a 7-inch display and will run iOS 6.

With a price of $329 the iPad mini is significantly more expensive than the likes of the Nexus 7, Amazon’s Kindle Fire, and the Nook HD. However, that extra cash should not only get you a more solid, quality feel in terms of design, but also a tablet device that delivers a great reading experience.

The small form factor of the iPad mini will be great for reading eBooks. Given the range of excellent electronic book and magazine apps available for iOS, the iPad mini has the potential to be the best eBook reader on the market, beating even the Kindle Fire in terms of quality. If you’re planning to get an iPad mini, and you’re a book lover, be sure to grab these apps to power up the device into a super eBook reader!

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New emoticons added to WhatsApp for Android

WhatsApp Messenger for Android has been updated, improving its support for emoji emoticons. Not only has the emoticon menu been improved, but a whole bunch of new icons have been added to the collection.

The emoticons interface in WhatsApp 2.8.5310 has been tweaked to make it easier to use. The emoji icon categories are now displayed as tabs along the top of the interface and can be browsed by flicking left and right. In this new Android version, there’s a recently used emoticons tab for quicker access to your commonly-used icons.

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The best apps to install on your iPhone 5

The iPhone 5 has only been available since last weekend and it’s already sold millions of units. If you’re one of the lucky ones to have bought Apple’s new phone, or if you intend to get one in the near future, you might be wondering what apps to install on it.

At the moment, we haven’t seen any significant new apps exclusively for the iPhone 5 – but there are plenty of existing applications that will take advantage of the new capabilities of the new device and the iOS 6 update. Here’s our recommendation of the best apps to install on an iPhone 5:

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Angry Birds spin-off Bad Piggies released for iOS and Android

Bad Piggies, the new game from the creator of Angry Birds, has been released today for Android and iOS devices. The mechanics-based puzzle game casts the evil pigs from Angry Birds in the lead role for the first time – but is Bad Piggies any good?

The idea of Bad Piggies is to make the construction at the top of the hill, then release the vehicle towards the goal line. As it flies down the hill you can use the objects you attached to help manipulate the craft and guide the pigs to the stars and ultimately to the goal.

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Find out how long you spend on Facebook per day

How do you deal with a Facebook addiction? The first step is to recognize that you have a problem. There’s a very simple way to check how much time you spend on the social network, using a program called Facebook Runner. Then you can decide whether or not you have an addiction that needs to be addressed.

Facebook Runner is a browser extension that monitors your Facebook activity whenever you’re on the site, telling you exactly how long you’re on it. Facebook Runner can be set to appear under your name on the home screen and logs different information about your Facebook usage.

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Editors’ choices: 8 best new features of iOS 6

The release of the new version of iOS today will bring with it a host of great new features. If you’re planning to get an iPhone 5 or iPad Mini, or upgrade your existing Apple device to iOS 6, you’ll be able to do much more with your Apple smartphone or tablet than you could up to now.

We’ve known about the new features of the latest operating system for some time, and you can read in more depth in the guide to what’s new in iOS 6 we published after Apple’s WWDC 2012. A full, final list of every change can be found on the Apple iOS 6 site.

But what are the changes in the new operating system that will really make a difference to our day-to-day use of iPhones and iPads? We asked the mobile experts from across Softonic’s international network of sites to explain the new iOS 6 that will have the biggest impact on their usage of Apple products.

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Essential guide to what’s new in iOS 6

iOS 6 post banner

A new iPhone means a new iPhone operating system – and iOS 6 promises to be the best yet. Even if you’re not getting the iPhone 5, you should still be able to upgrade to iOS 6 and in enjoy the benefits of a richer smartphone experience.

We’ve put together a series of posts about iOS 6 to help you find out what’s great about the new operating system, what’s not so good, and how you can upgrade your Apple device to the new OS. We’ll keep this post updated with any new iOS 6-related stuff as we publish.

Get YouTube back on your iPad running iOS 6

How to get Google Maps on iOS 6

9 hidden features in iOS 6

iOS 6 allows users to opt out of targeted ads

How to set up Do not Disturb in iOS 6

Editors’ choices: 8 best new features of iOS 6

iOS 6 features don’t work everywhere

Apple announces release of iOS 6 and new iTunes

Search problems blight new App Store in iOS 6

YouTube and Google Maps removed from iOS 6 by Apple

Android 4.1 vs iOS 6 vs Windows Phone 8

Impressions of iOS 6: Maps

WWDC 2012: Apple announces iOS 6

The best and worst iOS 6 rumors

How to manually install iOS 6

How to hide iPhone photos and videos using NQ Mobile Vault

Have you got photos and videos stored in your phone’s album that you’d rather people not see? Then you should go download NQ Mobile Vault, a mobile app that lets you move ‘sensitive’ images and videos to a safe, password-protected vault, for your eyes only.

Vault has been available for Android for a while, but the app has now been released on the App Store for iOS devices. It doesn’t have all the functionality of the Android device (you can’t secure contacts or messages, for example), but it does support movement of photos and videos from your photo album to the secure vault.

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