Apple inventing technology for touchscreens to measure hard or soft touches

Apple is looking to make responsiveness and accuracy on their touch devices even more precise. A new patent for technology that will be able to tell the amount of pressure applied on its capacitive touchscreens and whether the display is receiving a hard or soft press. This new force sensing application will likely extend the range of interaction we have with iPads and iPhones beyond the tap, swipe, pinch and hold gestures we have today.

Source: AppleInsider

Nokia releases the first Windows Phone 8.1 handsets

Windows Phone 8.1 is the biggest change to Microsoft's mobile OS and it will come as a free update to all Windows Phone 8 devices this Summer. Nokia is releasing two new devices that will feature the revamped OS from the get-go. The Lumia 930, is the new flagship device featuring a 5-inch, 1080p display and will be powered by a Snapdragon 800 processor and a 20-megapixel PureView camera. Two new low-cost Windows Phones, the Lumia 630 and Lumia 635 (pictured above), which bear many similarities to Nokia X, will feature single as well as dual-SIM variants and be priced under US $200.

Mum's the word on Canadian availability. Just like the Nokia Icon, the Lumia 930 doesn't seem headed to Canada just yet. We're hoping to see the Lumia 630 or 635 brightening up the Canadian landscape sometime soon.

Microsoft tries to gain traction for Windows, OS will be free for mobile devices

Microsoft wants to make sure its Windows operating system gets out there more. According to Engadget, the company has announced that hardware makers will gain free access to Windows if they plan to use it on smartphones, tablets with screens under nine inches, and on Internet of Things gadgets. Let’s see how this strategy pans out for them.

Gmail mobile version could let you pin or snooze emails

If these new features ever get out of the test version of Gmail for Android, then you might soon be able to snooze unwanted emails or pin important messages to the top of your inbox. Imagine being able to put away those unwanted bills until you need to pay for them. Or have that important work email always on top. Geek.com also spotted Finance, Travel, and Purchases tabs into the interface. We’re not sure if Google will ever make this feature public but it does make us excited about the possibilities.