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I expected Apple to jump on Leap Motion first, not ASUS

Chris Davies, Jan 3rd 2013 Discuss [26]

If you can judge a technology’s wow-factor by how much it’s accused of being vaporware, Leap Motion‘s gesture-tracking was a hit from the off; companies jumped on the idea, though it’s perhaps a surprise that the first should be ASUS, not Apple. The matchbox-sized gadget – which can track the movement of ten fingers individually, and 200x more accurately than kit like Microsoft’s Kinect – will soon be integrated into Windows 8 PCs from ASUS, according to a new deal announced today. Microsoft’s OS certainly loves fingers, but Apple’s moves to blend the best of OS X and iOS arguably make it and Leap Motion more obvious bedfellows.

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My Hope for 2013: Some Small Company Successes

Don Reisinger, Jan 1st 2013 Discuss [30]

I’m fed up with the technology industry. As great as some products are from companies like Apple, Samsung, Sony, and Microsoft, there are countless devices and services in the wild that come from no-name firms that have been ignored.

There was a time in the technology industry that it didn’t matter how much a company had in its marketing budget. If a company’s products were really great, they would be discovered by the tech addicts out there, and then eventually shared with the rest of the world. It was our job as tech lovers to find the good stuff and tell the “average consumer” why they needed something special.

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Predictions for Google’s Android in 2013: Freedom for All!

Chris Burns, Dec 31st 2012 Discuss [3]

At the start of 2012 the folks at Google were seeing their beloved Android mobile operating system being used on more iPhone clones than we’d care to discuss – near the turn-over to 2013, big manufacturers like Samsung and HTC have made their own hero lines the likes of which Android has never known. What we saw in 2012 was recognition of the model that has worked for Apple extremely well since all the way back in 2007 – a focus on the ecosystem rather than on the individual specifications of any one device. This will continue in a very big way through 2013 with manufacturers holding up a single torch – like the Motorola RAZR brand – to keep themselves lit up brightly.

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Which Console Maker Will Win the Next-Generation Battle?

Don Reisinger, Dec 29th 2012 Discuss [50]

The Nintendo Wii U has kicked off a new generation of consoles. The device, which comes with HD graphics that can about match those we have from the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, will likely be joined by vastly more powerful PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 consoles at some point in the next year or so.

Once those devices launch, it will be time to handicap the marketplace. Which console will succeed? Which console will fail? And perhaps most importantly, which console will win the next-generation battle?

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Why 2012 was a great year for gaming

Eric Abent, Dec 24th 2012 Discuss [8]

2012 was an interesting year in many respects, but it was a particularly interesting year for gaming. 2012 had its share of ups and down, but looking back on the year as a whole, I’d say that it was ultimately good for gamers, developers, and the industry in general. A lot happened throughout the year, and even though we saw vitriol from gamers climb to pretty frightening heights in some cases, there were some pretty cool things happening that you may not have noticed. Needless to say, if 2012 was any indication, then 2013 should be one of gaming’s biggest years yet.

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How Popular Is the Wii U, Really?

Don Reisinger, Dec 22nd 2012 Discuss [268]

I have a Wii U. And although I find its motion implementation quite fun at times, and the addition of a second screen a good idea, I haven’t played it at all in the last couple of weeks.

I decided to conduct an informal poll with other people I know who also own a Wii U. I asked them if they’ve been playing with the console much since its launch. Nearly every person said that they played it somewhat heavily in the first week after launch, but little after that.

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Why the Dual-Screen TV Experience Does Nothing For Me

Don Reisinger, Dec 21st 2012 Discuss [11]

With the launch of Nintendo’s TVii service for the Wii U, the idea of dual-screen entertainment in the living room is coming center stage. Wii U owners will need to decide if the concept of viewing not one, but two, screens to enjoy entertainment in the living room is really for them.

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BlackBerry 10 jumps the shark with tiered service fees

Chris Burns, Dec 21st 2012 Discuss [8]

Those of you out there with a BlackBerry device know better than anyone that the platform carries with it not just support from the carrier, but from teams of restless developers and software heroes working with RIM, as well. This week at their third-quarter 2012 earnings call the heads at RIM released information on how BlackBerry 10 will deal with the Service Fees that are associated with RIM offering support to users all along their contracts with carriers – and the news is not being received well.

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Instagram took the lazy, sneaky way out

Chris Davies, Dec 21st 2012 Discuss [4]

Congratulations, internet: your often-ugly filtered photos are safe. Instagram‘s decision to backtrack on its contentious Terms of Service changes have rolled back the clock to how things used to be, the halcyon days of another usage policy you didn’t actually bother reading. Maybe it’s a victory for a vocal user-base, but it also seems a missed opportunity for a legitimately useful change in how our rights are expressed in an age where the cloud has become all-pervasive.

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Google didn’t sell Motorola Home so much as it gained Arris

Chris Burns, Dec 19th 2012 Discuss [3]

If you’ve been watching Google over the past few months (or years if you watched closely), you’ve been seeing them move closer and closer to a fully armed and operational battle station made to take on the smartphone universe top to bottom. What we’ve just seen this evening here in the USA is a trade (though they call it a sale) between Google and the broadband media technology company known as Arris with “Motorola Home” being given to Arris in exchange for $300 million in Arris shares and a seemingly much more significant monetary lump sum ($2.05 billion) – but hear this: Google will own about 15.7% of Arris at the close of this transaction: this could potentially be much more important than the TV Set-top business they’ve just sold.

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Amid Instagram Madness, What Terms of Use Should Take for Granted

Philip Berne, Dec 19th 2012 Discuss [5]

In all the hubbub around the new Instagram Terms of Service, there is one refrain that keeps repeating. It’s one I’ve heard plenty of times before, and it’s the reason I was hesitant to even tackle this issue. I see plenty of pundits saying that I must be an idiot if I did not read the original Terms of Use. I should always read the Terms of Use. What was I expecting? These policies have always already been spelled out in the Terms of Use.

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