MWC 2016: The most important products announced so far
We are just past the half way point at Mobile World Congress 2016, which has so far given us smartphones, tablets and Internet of Things solutions in abundance from some of the industries biggest players.
If you haven’t been paying attention for the last couple of days, here’s a quick round up of some of the big stories you might have missed.
Enterprises have no protection against mobile malware
Mobile enterprise security firm MobileIron has released its Q4 2015 Mobile Security and Risk Review, discussing the threats and risks that enterprises face in their mobile deployments.
The report reveals the worrying find that more than 50 percent of enterprises have at least one non-compliant device, creating a broader attack surface for malware and data theft.
Microsoft's Surface Book goes on sale in the UK
Surface Book, Microsoft’s hybrid laptop/tablet combo, officially launches in the UK from today.
If you're not familiar with it, the device has a detachable screen, a hinge that divides opinion (some people think it looks great, others hate it), and enough power to suit most users’ needs. It has a 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen display with a 3:2 aspect ratio that makes it great for getting "real work" done.
Is Apple iPad Pro too big? [second in a series]
"Look up, waaaaaay up" is a phrase familiar to Canadians of a certain age, who watched "The Friendly Giant". The kids program aired from 1958 to 1985 on CBC, which our TV antenna grabbed from the local affiliate across the border in New Brunswick (I'm from Northern Maine). There's something about iPad Pro's enormity that makes it feel more like something the Giant would use.
My question this fine Friday: Is iPad Pro too big? For the majority of potential buyers, my answer is unequivocally yes. I don't see a product made for the majority. Whatever Apple's post-PC ambitions, iPad Pro is more a proof-of-concept for future laptop replacement. However, for the few -- creators looking for larger digital canvas -- iPad Pro offers much. For the many, the first version will work out the kinks, such as getting the app platform placed, for mass-market successors. Warning: Embracing the expansive tablet may make switching to something smaller nearly impossible. Size matters, and sometimes larger is better.
My Apple iPad Pro adventure begins [first in a series]
The first thing you notice about iPad Pro is the size. The tablet is ginormous. Its 12.9-inch screen lays before you like a chalk slate -- a blank canvas demanding typed text or drawings made with Apple Pencil. Yet something also feels wrong about the thing. During the so-called Steve Jobs era, refined designs were smaller -- like iPod nano. Apple is no stranger to larger; 27-inch iMac today or 17-inch MacBook Pro of yesteryear are examples. Perhaps. But there's big, and BIG.
The giant tablet arrived around 2:50 p.m. PST on Groundhog Day 2016, marking a bold computing adventure for February: Using iPad Pro as my primary PC, and hopefully only one. Perhaps you read my recent obituary to Apple love lost and might wonder why buy anything Apple? I like to experiment and am paid to try out new things (so you won't have to). By sheer size, PC replacement -- not companion -- is the only sensible use for iPad Pro. Can it meet the demands? I want to find out.
VisionTek unveils Waterproof Bluetooth Mini Keyboard for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS
While many people type with on-screen keyboards every day, let's be honest -- a physical variant can be much better. Typing on a piece of glass fails to give the user true feedback, which can lead to typos. Even worse, auto-correction on those typos can create messages that are not only wrong, but potentially embarrassing. On a smartphone in particular, the smaller screen means a smaller keyboard -- that can be frustrating.
Luckily, Bluetooth keyboards have been a godsend in this regard. While a smartphone or tablet are primarily consumption devices, a good wireless keyboard can make them productivity powerhouses too. Today, VisionTek unveils a new such Bluetooth keyboard. This wireless input device has one really cool feature that sets it apart from many -- it is waterproof.
In defense of Microsoft: there was no Surface failure at the NFL playoffs
Brace yourselves: I'm about to stick up for Microsoft. While I'm happy to criticize the company for its failings (and maybe kick it when it's down from time to time), complaints that cropped up over the weekend seem completely unjustified. I'm talking about this weekend's NFL playoffs.
I'm far from being a football (or indeed sport of any description) fan, but my news timeline has been filled with headlines about how Microsoft suffered embarrassment when its Surface tablets (now famously used on the sidelines and mistakenly referred to as iPads) failed during the Broncos-Patriots game. Except the problems that led to an information blackout was absolutely not the fault of Microsoft, or its Surfaces.
Australian university to hand out Surface 3 to students
Microsoft is doing its best to push its line of Surface products out there to businesses and students, even getting prominent placement in NFL games (though announcers still sometimes refer to them as iPads). The Surface Pro is on its 4th generation, but for those who don't need quite as much power, there's the Surface 3 which has a smaller screen and isn't as capable, but which costs a fraction of the price of its bigger siblings and still runs Windows 10.
It's perfect for education uses, which is why Western Sydney University in Australia is handing out 5,000 Surface 3 slates to its students.
Microsoft CMO hints at 'breakthrough' Surface phone
Microsoft is doing something about its smartphones business and according to the company’s CMO, it is something revolutionary, shocking, breathtaking.
I’m not being cynical here, I’m just reporting -- that’s the best part.
Another delay and a major price increase -- is it time for Microsoft to kill the Surface Hub?
The Surface Hub looks cool. The giant wall-mounted Surface, aimed at businesses, comes in two sizes -- 55-inch and 84-inch -- and boasts 100 points of multitouch, up to three simultaneous pen inputs, dual 1080p front-facing video cameras and a four-microphone array. And the larger model has a 4k touch-screen display that refreshes every 8.33 milliseconds, which is faster than the human eye can detect.
But here’s the problem. Seven months ago Microsoft said the Surface Hub would be available to order in 24 markets -- including Australia, North America, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, and the UK -- from July 1, with a shipping date of September 1. But then five months ago, based on "strong demand" it delayed things (with no word of a ship date) and then a month later said orders would start shipping on January 1 2016. But guess what? They won’t.
A Surface phone might just be what Windows 10 Mobile needs
Even though it already has a smartphone line, rumors suggest that Microsoft wants to release a smartphone under the Surface brand. It may sound a bit far-fetched, but this might just be what Microsoft and Windows 10 Mobile really need to become a serious contender in the high-end smartphone market.
While Surface tablets are increasingly more appealing, following the introduction of Surface Pro 3, the Lumia line is proving to be increasingly less attractive in consumers' eyes, as proven by its tiny 1.7 percent market share. Moving an upcoming flagship product from a fading to an up and coming brand starts to make a whole lot of sense.
Inateck MP1305 iPad Pro/MacBook sleeve [Review]
If you’re suffering a touch of deja vu looking at the photo above it's probably because my colleague Mark Wilson reviewed Inateck's similar sleeve for the Surface Pro earlier this year.
This one is designed for the iPad and MacBook fraternity and features a neat fold over design that allows it to act as a stand for the device as well as a sleeve to protect it. It has a smaller pouch in front of the main one and here are a couple of pockets on the back, one of which is big enough to take CDs. It also comes with a separate little pouch containing a cleaning cloth and which is big enough to take a mouse. It's not really suited to carrying bulky mains adaptors around though, so you’ll need to charge your device before you go out.
Apple's Tim Cook calls Microsoft's Surface Book 'Deluded'
There’s no question that Microsoft’s new Surface Book laptop/tablet hybrid has divided opinion. Some people love it, while others remain unconvinced, especially with regard to the high price and unconventional hinge. It’s very much designed as a rival to the MacBook Pro, and during its launch Microsoft made this clear by declaring its new device to be twice as fast as Apple’s offering.
So is Apple worried about the competition? Not so much. The company’s CEO Tim Cook took a swipe at the device earlier today while talking to students at Trinity College, in Dublin.
Apple's giant iPad Pro goes on sale this week
After years of rumors regarding a super-sized tablet, Apple finally took the wraps of its iPad Pro two months ago. The new device has a 12.9 inch screen, with a 2,732 x 2,048 resolution and 5.6 million pixels.
If you’ve been thinking of buying one, the good news is the device will be available to order online from Wednesday and will be in stores later this week.
Microsoft launches website to help MacBook users switch to Surface Book
While I am not a huge fan of the Surface Book, some people apparently are. You see, the high-priced hybrid computer is, according to Microsoft, selling well. Could Apple fans be converting?
The Windows-maker is clearly targeting Mac users with this offering, as it constantly compares it to the MacBook Pro. Just in case Microsoft is successful in converting a few OS X users, the company has launched a new website titled 'Making the switch: MacBook to Microsoft Surface Book', to help with the transition.
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