Microsoft: Windows is superior to Android for government and education needs
A new white paper compares Android and Windows devices for use in the public sector and education. It looks at four areas it considers critical -- ease of use, security, productivity and lifecycle -- and finds Windows devices to be the "superior choice".
The paper says there are "significant challenges and issues with Android" and that Windows devices "offer better security and utility, enabling new usage models AND more productive users, while giving IT flexible deployment options to evolve the existing infrastructure and in some cases even produce savings as no new processes need to be developed". But since the white paper comes from Microsoft, those findings are unsurprising.
Google releases a refreshed Quickoffice for Android and iOS -- for free
When I bought the first-generation iPad in 2010, I intended to use it for taking notes in college classes. Unfortunately, the iPad didn't come with an office suite and Microsoft's was not available. And so, I was forced to try a bunch of alternatives. Ultimately, I found one that stood out among the rest -- Quickoffice. I found it to be complete and a pleasure to use.
While my iPad is long gone, Quickoffice has followed me to Android with great results. However, Google bought my beloved Quickoffice in June 2012 and I became very nervous. My concern was that the software development would cease under Google's leadership. I am happy to say that my concerns were for naught -- Google announces today that QuickOffice has been updated and is now free.
NVIDIA announces the Tegra Note -- Nexus 7 killer?
When the original Nexus 7 was released, the Android community was abuzz with excitement. You see, not only was the tablet inexpensive, but it packed NVIDIA graphics for games. The graphics company name is synonymous with gaming, and made the tablet an intriguing option. However, Google snubbed the company to instead go with Qualcomm's Snapdragon for its second-generation Nexus 7. Rather than give up, NVIDIA has chosen to go head-to-head with Google's Nexus 7 with the all-new Tegra Note platform.
"It embodies the NVIDIA brand -- from our hardware and software (right down to OTA updates), to our industrial design, accessories and network of partners in game development. It elevates the abilities of our partners, so they can provide tablets packed with innovation and features at prices they may not have been able to deliver on their own. In turn, NVIDIA gains access to their deep sales and distribution expertise in regions worldwide", the company states.
Update your iPhones and iPads! Apple releases iOS 7
Anyone who manages to get their hands on an iPhone 5c or iPhone 5s on Friday will find that it comes with iOS 7 pre-installed. But if you’re not planning on investing in new hardware, head over to Apple's update server right now and you can grab yourself an upgrade free of charge.
The OS revamp is available as of 10am PST / 6pm BST, and if you jump on the download straight away you may well find it a slow and frustrating experience as the world and its dog tries to do exactly the same. But hang on in there... it'll be worth the wait.
Apple gives iCloud.com an iOS 7 makeover
Today is iOS 7 day! But there is more than just a new operating system for your iPhone, iPad and iPod to look forward to; Apple also has a redesigned iCloud website for you to use. Unsurprisingly the new design takes heavy inspiration from the look of iOS 7, mimicking the floaty, layered styling that graces the new mobile OS.
Log into your account and you'll immediately be greeted by a muted, blurry background, over the top of which various icons appear to float. Apps including Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Notes, Reminders and Find My iPhone all now sport the iOS 7 look, but the beta editions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote retain their older design. It looks as though there might still be a little work to do -- not all icons have been redesigned, for instance.
Apple and Samsung tablet users just want to have fun
Half of all tablet device screen time is spent on entertainment activities, such as playing games, reading books, watching live TV or listening to music and radio, according to a recent end-user survey by research group Gartner.
The other half is divided between communication (26 percent), such as sending emails and visiting social media sites; production activities (15 percent), such as editing videos and writing blogs; and finding information (9 percent), including checking the news and weather and researching products and services.
Microsoft, end the stupid roll outs, just release stuff!
If there's one thing that I wholeheartedly dislike about the tech world it's being told about a brand new product that really appeals, and then having to wait ages for it. It's like that someone who told me about it wants to toy with me, psychologically torture me and, when I couldn't care less about that new and shiny thing, give it to me. Of course, I'm now blowing things out of proportion, but I want you to understand, at some level, how it feels when I'm entrusting part of my tech life to Microsoft.
For some incomprehensible reason, in 2013 Microsoft is still using the expression "rolling out". It defines a vague date of availability for any new changes that it announces. How outdated is that? You may think that Microsoft's roll outs have a specific role, of insuring extra stability and providing a seamless transition, to the new version for its users. But that is, in my opinion, such a pathetic excuse that only a two-year old who is baited with candy by his parents might be inclined to believe.
Google acquires file transfer service Bump
Today Bump becomes the latest addition to Google's portfolio. In a blog post, Bump CEO David Lieb reveals that the company has been acquired by the search giant. Bump is known for two tools -- the eponymous Bump file transfer service, and Flock for sharing photos.
But it is the Bump transfer app that is most famous, making it possible to shift files from one device to another with a gimmicky bump together -- using "a matching algorithm" rather than NFC. The blog post assures users that "Bump and Flock will continue to work as they always have for now", and it is the "for now" part of this announcement that is intriguing. Google has yet to make an announcement of its own, so it is not yet clear whether Bump's tools will live on under the same name, get rebranded, or disappear into Google's fat folds.
Smartphones to cannibalize tablets, but it's the PC getting eaten
Tablets are where the growth is right now, with sales of touch devices eating away at the market share of traditional PCs. But that’s not the only cannibalization going on in the tech world. The iPad mini certainly impacted on sales of the standard-sized iPad upon launch. And with the line between tablets and smartphones becoming increasingly blurred, market analysis firm IDC predicts large-screen (5+ inch) smartphones will start to gnaw away at the smaller (7-8 inch) tablet market from 2014.
"The device world has seen several iterations of cannibalization impacting different categories, with the last few years focused on tablets cannibalizing PC sales," Bob O'Donnell, Program Vice President, Clients and Displays, observes. "Over the next 12-18 months, however, we believe the larger smartphones, commonly called 'phablets', will start to eat into the smaller-size tablet market, contributing to a slower growth rate for tablets".
Happily living with two mobile operating systems
I have vague memories of Windows Mobile from some previous life...it's like a nightmare that I can't escape, though I am pretty sure it was a dream in that dark, distant era. Fast-forward to today and I have found myself torn between two mobile operating systems and thankfully neither is that early CE-based mess that Microsoft pushed on customers and businesses lapped up -- when they were not swayed by BlackBerry.
Since those heady days I have settled down to Android, as many of my colleagues here use. However, I cannot help but stray my eye to other possibilities and Windows Phone 8 intrigued me enough to take a shot. The hardware and software (I'm using the Nokia Lumia 928) grabbed me, but the lack of apps did not. Still, it proved smooth and usable. My Galaxy Nexus was set aside, becoming a glorified MP3 player because I cannot live without Google Music All Access or Beyond Pod.
Apple reveals iPhone 5S -- the rumors were true
There were so many leaks prior to today's announcements at Cupertino that we pretty much already knew what to expect. Apple has taken the wrapper off the latest version of the iPhone and the company has stuck to its recent release schedule of following up a major iPhone with an S edition -- the iPhone 5S. Visually, things are very much the same as before, but in addition to black and white models, there's also the light gold colored model -- colors we now know should be referred to as space gray, silver and gold.
The promise to "brighten everyone's day" seems to have meant not only an addition to the color options for the iPhone 5C and 5S, but also new features. While the 5C retains the same processor as in the 5, the 5S boasts a new A7 processor which is the world's only 64-bit chip in a smartphone. iOS 7 has been re-engineered as a 64-bit operating system, but the chip is capable of running 32-bit and 64-bit apps. Apple claims the processor is double the speed of the iPhone 5 according to the graph they showed. And the processor now supports OpenGL|ES 3.0, the same as Nexus 7.
9 reasons why Windows Phone 8 leaves me cold
Just like Brian (despite his niggles), Android is my mobile operating system of choice. I was once a diehard iOS user -- my old iPhone 3GS is still one of my favorite phones of all time -- but I've also been known to experiment with other mobile platforms.
Back in the days before smartphones, I had handsets from Nokia, Sony, Samsung, LG and numerous others that have been lost in the mists of time. My first smartphone was a rebranded HTC handset going under the guise of an Orange SPV M3100. It ran Windows Mobile, had a slideout keyboard and was amazing.
The top new gadgets of 2013 and the ones we're still waiting for
With the launch of a new iPhone on the horizon you can almost sense the forming of a queue each time you go past an Apple store. But Apple isn't the only company with new products either already launched or in the pipeline. In fact 2013 has been something of a bumper year for technology releases.
The FinancesOnline website has produced a handy infographic showing this year's stand-out gadgets and those that are still to come. In the smartphone market most of the interest was at the top end. HTC and Sony joined the premium smartphone battle with new products this year with the Google Nexus 5 still to come.
Seagate wants to stick a spinning hard disk in your tablet
The best and fastest computer upgrade I ever made was when I went from a hard-disk to a solid-state drive. It greatly improved my boot speed and overall performance. However, with great speed came a great decrease in storage space. At the time, I had gone from a 2TB HDD to a 90GB SSD.
However, sometimes storage is preferable over speed, in which case a spinning HDD is more cost effective. Seagate, realizing an opportunity in this respect, today announces the 500GB Ultra Mobile HDD for tablets. According to the company, the drive is "designed exclusively for mobile devices. Integrated with the Seagate Mobile Enablement Kit which includes Seagate’s Dynamic Data Driver software technology, the new storage solution delivers up to 7-times the storage capacity of a traditional 64GB tablet with the same power, performance and reliability of a flash device".
Lenovo reveals Vibe X smartphone and S5000 tablet -- for some of the world, at least
Lenovo is making a lot of announcements at Berlin's IFA. After unveiling an impressive list of ultrabooks, the company went on to show that it has yet more to offer those in the market for a portable device. The S5000 is the latest tablet to be added to Lenovo's range, and size and weight are the interesting figures here. At 246g it is lighter than the Nexus 7 and at 7.9mm thick, it is also slimmer than Google's 7-inch baby.
Running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on a quad-core 1.2GHz Media Tek 8389 processor, Lenovo claims the 7-inch tablet's 3450mAh battery will power eight hours of Wi-Fi browsing sessions or six hours of HD video watching on the 1280 by 800 screen. Storage can be expanded through the "On the Go" USB port and Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available when the tablet is released some time in Q4 2013.
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