Month: September 2013

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 ⇥ engadget.com

In happier Samsung news, while I think the enormity of this phone is atrocious, the faux leather back at least proves the “smartphones can only look like the iPhone” crowd wrong.

But, much like the LG G2, the Note 3 has a use-limited feature: 4K video recording. Yes, you can buy a 4K TV to watch your home movies on, but they’re still extremely expensive. 4K content availability is limited to whatever is preloaded onto the server that comes with the TV, and whatever you record on your phone: hardly enticing. Finally, either this video is going to be extremely compressed, or you’ll only be able to record a few minutes. What’s the point in that?

The Samsung Galaxy Gear ⇥ theverge.com

Remember how those leaked images were just a prototype, and how the final product would appear much more finished? Turns out that’s not the case. Vlad Savov, the Verge:

There’s a tangible lag to anything you do with the Gear, while the swipe gestures are hard to figure out and do different things depending on where you are in the menus.

A bulky watch with four exposed screws on its face, combined with an unfathomable interface? Sounds great. And there’s more:

Most of all, however, I find it hard to justify spending the $299 asking price on an accessory like the Galaxy Gear. It’s too dependent on its parent device for functionality — which will cost you a fair amount too — and, like all other smartwatches, fails to truly live up to the “smart” part of its name.

I firmly believe that between this and Sony’s SmartWatch 2, also announced today, the smartwatch idea is undercooked. The category right now is full of crappy phones for your wrist which still requires a smartphone for control, and they look extremely ugly. And they’re expensive, to boot.

Lots of people will pay $300 for a watch. Millions of people will pay $300 for a smartphone. I doubt many people will pay $300 for a product that implements both features poorly.

Apple’s Newest Architectural Design Revealed at Mall ⇥ ifoapplestore.com

In the past decade-plus of Apple retail stores, the company has obviously changed the architectural language of their standalone stores; consider the radical changes between Ginza and the Upper West Side stores, or even between the two iterations of the Fifth Avenue Cube.

Their mall stores have inherited some of these changes in a more subtle way (see Market Mall before and after). But this language evolution appears to try to consolidate some of the changes and make it more consistent for both flagship stores and those in malls.

Google is Defragmenting Android ⇥ arstechnica.com

Today’s edition of “smart solutions to problems that ideally shouldn’t exist” has just been posted. Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica:

Calling Play Services an “app” doesn’t really tell the whole story. For starters, it has an insane amount of permissions. It’s basically a system-level process, and if the above list isn’t enough for whatever it needs to do next, it can actually give itself more permissions without the user’s consent. Play Services constantly runs in the background of every Android phone, and nearly every Google app relies on it to function. It’s updatable, but it doesn’t update through the Play Store like every other app. It has its own silent, automatic update mechanism that the user has no control over. In fact, most of the time the user never even knows an update has happened. The reason for the complete and absolute power this app has is simple: Google Play Services is Google’s new platform.

Very clever, a little bit creepy (“it can actually give itself more permissions without the user’s consent”), and something which will help level the Android playing field for both Google and developers.

But if we’re playing the “Play Services is Google’s new platform” game, it’s worth mentioning that Play Services is not open source.

Apple Event Announced ⇥ loopinsight.com

I suppose that was a bit cruel. There is an Apple event next Tuesday at 10 AM Pacific, however, where they will likely introduce the real iPhone 5C. Prepare for the inevitable over-analysis of the invitation.

Sony Attachable Mobile Lenses ⇥ youtube.com

These products haven’t been announced yet, but the “mobileleaks” YouTube channel has posted a promotional video for them. Unlike something like an Olloclip, these aren’t just lenses; with a full CMOS sensor inside, they’re more like cameras that require a smartphone for control.

With people increasingly shooting photos on their phones rather than with a dedicated camera, Sony’s concept seems quite clever. It appears to be only a little clumsier to attach than an Olloclip, though, it is substantially larger. It’s not going to be cheap, but it’s a Sony camera, so it’s probably going to be worth it.

Microsoft to Acquire Nokia’s Devices and Licenses Businesses ⇥ microsoft.com

Big news while I was sleeping. Microsoft PR:

Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will pay EUR 3.79 billion to purchase substantially all of Nokia’s Devices & Services business, and EUR 1.65 billion to license Nokia’s patents, for a total transaction price of EUR 5.44 billion in cash. Microsoft will draw upon its overseas cash resources to fund the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014, subject to approval by Nokia’s shareholders, regulatory approvals and other closing conditions.

€5.44 billion is roughly equal to $7.1 billion, making Google’s $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola look even more overpriced. Also, if you’re betting on Stephen Elop as the new Microsoft CEO, things are looking pretty good for you.

This is Samsung’s Galaxy Gear Smartwatch ⇥ venturebeat.com

Remember what I said on Friday?

The challenge all of these “smart” watches need to overcome is to position them as a piece of both function and fashion, substance and style. WIMM’s first attempt, the One, is ugly, and when has Samsung ever produced a truly beautiful mobile product?

There are ankle monitors that look more elegant than this.

There’s nothing for Samsung buyers to fear, though; next year’s model will certainly look like a knockoff of the rumoured Apple watch.

Update: GigaOm claims that these images represent a prototype. Seems odd for a marketing firm to produce a promotional video not featuring the final product, though.

The Anatomy of an Iconic CEO Firing ⇥ techpinions.com

Patrick Moorhead, TechPinions:

Unless you were on vacation in Alaska last week, you know that Microsoft announced that CEO Steve Ballmer would retire in 12 months and that a special board committee had been formed to find his replacement.  The departure was positioned as voluntary, but there has been a lot of pontification and doubt about that claim.  I personally doubt CEO Steve Ballmer left voluntary and believe he had some pushing from the board. 

Google’s New Policies ⇥ blog.inner-active.com

These policies should be a huge boon for users and developers alike, especially the crackdown on apps which send spammy emails, push notifications, and text messages.