Category: Mobile Computing

Is this how Android dies?

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Gordon Kelly, via Forbes. Samsung’s seemingly baffling TouchWiz strategy suddenly makes sense. While even Samsung fans decry TouchWiz’s heavy handedness, it achieves its aim perfectly: hide Android from mainstream users. Meanwhile the company has studied Apple well, swamping would be (and arguably better) rivals with superior advertising spend. Meanwhile apply TouchWiz to Tizen, throw in Android app compatibility, patch obvious gaps with the TouchWiz app infrastructure it has been building and come the launch of a Tizen running Samsung Galaxy S6 most users outside tech circles would struggle to tell the difference. Samsung would have maintained its sales and gained

Reviewing the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet

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Sony continue to iterate their Android line-up to good effect. I reviewed the Xperia Z2 Tablet over the weekend, and while owners of the first Z Tablet don’t need to be looking yet for an upgrade, anyone looking to the market for a new ten-inch Android tablet should seriously consider this tablet. …every piece of hardware is about compromise, and Sony has made different decisions to Samsung, Amazon, and Apple with the Xperia Z2 Tablet. Those decisions (go for a thin design, focus on media consumption, and beef up the IP55 and IP58 protection) have created a distinctive tablet range

Artists are a really important audience for the Surface Pro 3

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Gabe reviews the Surface Pro 3 over on Penny Arcade, through the eyes of a digital artist: So my honest opinion right now is that I’m frustrated with the device. It’s so close to being perfect that the problems it has feel especially maddening. If it just performed a little better! If they just hadn’t put that button right there! Grrrr. MS is going to be using me as a sort of artist guinea pig from what it sounds like. They will be bringing me new devices with some special options that they think may resolve my problems. As soon

Reviewing the Samsung Galaxy S5

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I’ve spent some time with the Samsung’s Galaxy S5 (and the Gear 2 smartwatch), and the three-part review can be found over on Forbes. Last year’s Galaxy S4 felt a safe bet of a device. It continued Samsung’s smartphone plans, and the familiarity helped the sales. Iterating the Galaxy S5 was the easy option that would ensure nobody’s job was at risk. Like a Ford pick-up truck, this smartphone is a workhorse that gets the job done. That approach trades the impact of a fashionable and cutting edge device, it trades away the idea that you are an innovator and