Will Shanklin
It seems like every other week there’s a new rumor about an upcoming iPad mini or Nexus 7 with a sharper display. Customers love small tablets, and they love “Retina” displays, so their impending marriage is naturally a hot topic. But it’s easy to forget that Amazon already has a medium-sized tablet with a razor-sharp display. Let’s see how that "tweener" – the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 – sizes up next to Apple’s smaller iPad mini. Read More
Come one, come all – step right up! Make your own smartwatch! Apple’s doing it, Samsung’s doing it, and so can you! Okay, maybe it isn’t quite that common, but it’s almost comical how many big companies are reportedly working on smartwatches. The latest company, Microsoft, knows a thing or two about being late to the party ... maybe it wants to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Read More
Compare the music industry of the 90s to the music industry of today, and you’d be hard-pressed to find many similarities. Digital distribution turned it all on its head. But just in case iTunes, Spotify, Rdio, Pandora, and YouTube weren’t enough of an overhaul, another familiar name is set to launch its own music app. Brace yourself for Twitter Music. Read More
You didn’t think the Galaxy Note II was the last word, did you? That Samsung’s 5.5-inch phablet had filled the last gaps between smartphone and tablet? Think again. If the Note is two parts smartphone, one part tablet – the huge Galaxy Mega flips that around. Let’s see how the two versions of the Mega (Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3) compare. Read More
Apple’s approach to public relations is pure genius. Hold a handful of media events every year, but otherwise stay silent. It makes the company a blank canvas. And countless fans, blogs, and media outlets will paint that canvas as they see fit. Thus we have reports like this, of unannounced Apple products with unannounced release dates being “delayed.” Silly? You bet. But let’s take the bait anyway, and see if there’s anything to it. Read More
Could the 7-inch Surface tablet be Xbox themed?
Microsoft’s Surface tablets have been a mixed bag. The Pro version is a beast of a tablet, with slick hardware and Ultrabook power. But the RT model has a barren app selection and a confusing, bipolar operating system. With this less-than-stellar launch, it’s no surprise that Microsoft has something new in the oven: a smaller 7-inch Surface tablet. Read More
When PC sales slumped last year, a common line of thinking was “wait for Windows 8.” Well, we waited ... it came ... and now things are even worse. International Data Corporation (IDC) just released global shipment data for the first quarter, and PCs celebrated Windows 8’s arrival by having their worst quarter ever. Read More
Apple often speaks of a “post PC era.” Microsoft talks about a “PC plus era.” Each company is framing the future around its strengths, so believe what you will. Whether post or plus, though, mobile computing is here to stay. And if Microsoft wants Office to remain the industry standard, it'll eventually need to offer it on the biggest mobile platforms. Just don't hold your breath for that. Read More
Apple likes simplicity. It has a simple product line with simple brand names, simple designs and simple-to-use software. This obsession has served the company well. But there is one area where it could afford to have a bit more complexity. I’m talking iPhone screen size. Apple’s rivals have shown that one size most definitely does not fit all. It’s time for Apple to join them and stop pretending that it does. Read More
![HTC CEO Peter Chou is treading water (original images: Shutterstock [1] [2])](http://images.gizmag.com/hero/htc-struggles.jpg "HTC CEO Peter Chou is treading water (original images: Shutterstock [1] [2])")
