I often look at Apple and what it has been able to accomplish over the last decade with amazement. Who would have thought that a technology company – especially one that was extremely close to failure – could become the world’s most valuable firm? But Apple has. And with over $100 billion in cash on hand, the chances of it going back to the old days of failure and despair seem unlikely.
After its annus horribilis of 2011, HTC‘s year is looking considerably better. A solid reception to the One series and a potentially key deal to be the face of Windows Phone 8 – seized right under Nokia’s nose, no less – is the dressing around hardware that is finally compelling: attractive, competitively priced, not embarrassed in specifications. Now, with the HTC One X+, there are signs that HTC is addressing its last big blot on the score-sheet: cloud services.
I’m an Android user. I love my Samsung Galaxy S III. So why am I punching my details into the iPhone 5 reservation site every day? For the past week or so I’ve been using a borrowed iPhone 5, tracking how it holds up – and where it falls short – to the Android experience I’ve grown accustomed to. During that time I’ve been frustrated by Maps, impressed by the camera, and generally had my expectations of iOS shaken up some. It’s always good to mix up the status-quo every so often, too, and along the way remember that there’s more than one way to skin a metaphorical cellular cat.
Nintendo’s Wii U will be launching with an ample number of video games to whet your appetite.
According to the venerable game company, a whopping 23 games will be available for the Wii U when it launches on November 18. New Super Mario Bros. U will of course be the leading title, but several third-party developers have also chipped in with games of their own.
The tablet market is heating up, and for once it’s not Apple, or Google, or Samsung doing the shaking, but booksellers Barnes & Noble. The new NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ may carry the same name as B&N tablets of before, but they’re worlds apart in hardware and clarity of software ecosystem. Not content to chase Amazon and Apple on price alone, there’s an apparently legitimate attempt on B&N’s part to tune each model to the audience most likely to be interested in it, rather than chasing some imaginatively aspirational but likely non-existent “perfect” consumer.
Every Apple launch has a sting in the tail, and for iPhone 5 and iOS 6 it’s Maps. Ditching Google Maps and instead turning to a self-made alternative makes sense in terms of longevity, but it meant hitting reset on what had come to be relied upon as a solid and predictable user experience. Apple was going to have to take a PR hit at some point, there was no escaping it. The step back in detail from Google Maps, which has had years of refinement, to the first-gen Maps app of iOS 6, is unavoidably obvious, particularly to those outside of US cities.
A war is brewing in the mobile space.
No, that war isn’t Apple against Samsung or Google versus Microsoft. Those battles have been raging for months, and chances are, they won’t end anytime soon. The latest – and perhaps most vicious battle – is now being waged between Apple fans and Samsung fans.
After an exceedingly long wait, Nintendo announced recently that the Wii U, its next-generation console, will launch on November 18 in the U.S. The Basic Set will set customers back $299, while the Deluxe offering will cost $349.
For those who haven’t spent too much time focusing on the Wii U, the console will ship with HD graphics – a major omission in the Wii – as well as 8GB or 32GB of onboard storage, depending on the version customers pick. Add that to the touchscreen-equipped GamePad, support for Wii remotes, and a traditional, Pro, controller, and consumers will find the whole package Nintendo is offering.
Much has been made about Nintendo’s decision to launch a new Wii this year. The Wii U, which allows for gaming both on the television and the controller, is reportedly ready to hit store shelves in November, just in time for the busy holiday season.
Unfortunately for Nintendo, however, the discussion about the Wii U has been more likely to center not on the console’s features, but on its chances of being overshadowed by hardware from the likes of Microsoft and Sony.
If you look on Amazon or head over to Best Buy, you’ll find a slew of televisions available. Better yet, you’ll find that many of them are discounted right now. Retailers realize that the summer is a tough time to sell televisions, and getting customers in the door with some deals is a great idea.
As enticing as it might be right now to buy a new television, you shouldn’t do so.
If each tech show has an unofficial theme, then IFA 2012‘s must be Windows 8 tablets. Microsoft’s new OS – in both full 8 and pared-back RT forms – has shown up on touchscreen hardware from all of the main manufacturers, each trying slightly different combinations of size, specs and accessories in the hope of standing out from the crowd. Options are great, of course, but are there signs that Microsoft’s tablet desperation is rubbing off on its OEMs?
I can’t believe I’m going to do this. I’m going to defend the right to own guns. You see, I’m a liberal. I’m more liberal than you are. I don’t care how liberal you think you are, I’m more liberal than you. But I also pride myself on my ability to change my mind with a reasonable argument, so there are a few positions on which I agree with conservatives. Teacher’s unions, for one thing, are pure evil. I know that from my experience working in public schools, where my job was made much harder by teachers who were resting on union protections and doing a horrible job. On gun ownership, as well, I’m confounded to say that I tend to agree more with the right-wing than the left.
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