Thursday Tech Roundup

Google I/O

Hot on the heels of recent Apple and Microsoft events, Google are this week staging their I/O Developers conference. The highlight of the event so far is the introduction of the Google ASUS Nexus 7 Tablet. This is positioned as competition for the Amazon Kindle Fire, but unlike the Fire - Google can at least be bothered to release it in the UK at what looks to be a very reasonable £159.00 for the entry level model.

Also announced were Jellybean which is the latest version of Googles Android OS, and a major overhaul of the Google Play Store where you can now buy films, TV shows and magazines.

Windows Phone 8

After announcing "Surface", their very sleek looking stage for Windows 8 - Microsoft have wasted little time in presenting the latest version of their Windows Phone OS. Codenamed "Apollo", Windows Phone 8 will update the existing Windows Phone 7 interface to bring it more in line with the full Windows 8 product that will run on PCs' laptops, and of course tablets - including obviously the Surface.

The Redmond based tech giant are going all out to streamline their impressive emerging range of software and hardware. The only down side of Windows Phone 8 is that existing Windows Phone 7 users will be unable to update to it, but will get a minor update to a version called Windows Phone 7.5.

Best of the rest

In other news, it is rumoured that when Apple launch iOS6 later this year that the Apple TV will get an update to include more native Apps. For users in the UK - it would be nice to see things like Sky Go and BBC iPlayer included. We'll have to wait and see how this unfolds.

Sticking with Apple for the moment, the Cupertino giant has finally suceeded in getting a Samsung product banned in the US - at least for the time being anyway. Samsung have been told to stop selling their Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet whilst yet another patent dispute is sorted out between this pair of petty squabblers. Where will it all end?

Samsung can console themselves in the meantime however in the knowledge that their latest smartphone - the Galaxy S3 has been an absolute runaway success. So much so that they are struggling to meet consumer demand.

I checked one out in a mobile phone store recently and I personally didn't like it as much as the S2, and also thought it was just too big. It's practically a tablet. However, plenty people seem to want one and that's all that counts as far as Samsung is concerned.

Rounding things off, and Facebook are rumoured to be working on a complete overhaul of their much used but little loved iPhone App. We'll have to wait and see what happens here but no matter how good or bad it turns out to be - you can sure that people will find a way to complain about "not yet another Facebook change". There's just no pleasing some folk is there!

And that's it folks! Share and enjoy!
Peter

Scratching the Surface

Microsoft revealed their new Tablet Device yesterday at an event in Hollywood. CEO Steve Ballmer took to the stage and introduced us to "Surface".



It is not the tech giants first attempt at dipping their toes into the tablet market. Way before Apple put their stamp all over tablets, Microsoft had tinkered with their own products with pretty underwhelming results.

In fact, Microsofts entire history at producing their own consumer hardware products has not been very successful to say the least. The only exception to this of course would be the unbelievably popular XBOX.

So hopefully they will have learned from some past mistakes and this product will be the first genuine competitor to the amazing iPad. iPads dominance has yet to be seriously challenged. The Kindle Fire and Blackberry Playbook don't compare to the Apple device, nor do any of the Android tablets that have been released so far.

Microsoft have dared to be different here though, and their interface is the first one on a Tablet that doesn't seem to be trying to be an iOS clone.

Two versions were demonstrated at the event. One thinner tablet running Windows RT, the new version of Windows 8 that uses the new British "ARM" low power processors, and another thicker device running the full Windows 8 and using traditional Intel chips.

The devices come with a stand and a magnetic attachable keyboard which looks very nice indeed. So far, no release date or pricing structure have been announced but I would expect this to be sometime later this year so that sales can be made with Christmas in mind!

So what will consumers make of this product? Well, first and foremost Microsoft will have to make their pricing structure competitive with the iPad to tempt customers away from Apple.

Ease of use will also be a big factor. iOS is so easy to use, and although my initial tests of Windows 8 (on a Dell Inspiron Duo Touchscreen device) have left me impressed, I think it will take users a bit of time to feel comfortable and at home with the interface. There are a few new multi touch gestures to get the hang of, but once you get used to those it is pretty easy.

Microsofts secret weapon here may be the fact that both Windows 8 versions on this device give you the ability to do anything you can on a Microsoft PC or Laptop. You also get USB ports. The iPad is truly amazing, and if you put your mind to it you can make it do almost anything you need. However, there are still occasions where it won't do something you need and you have to power on your PC or laptop which is frustrating. The Microsoft Surface could change all that.

Time will tell how successful the Microsoft Surface will be. I for one think it has a place in the market, and will be keeping my eye on pricing when it is announced. My early prediction will be that iPad will still dominate as iOS is the nicer interface to use, but Microsoft will make an impact here due to the features it will offer that iPad won't.

Apple WWDC 12 Highlights

Each year, Apple holds it's World Wide Developers Conference - and this years event started on June 11th in California. Day 1 kicked off with a keynote speech from Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is now a familiar figure at such events since the passing of Steve Jobs.





Although Cook is not as charismatic as Jobs, he always speaks very passionately, eloquently, and obviously from the heart - and he was excited to introduce a series of speakers representing Apples finest. Here's a brief rundown of what they had to tell us;

Macbook Pro

Phil Schiller announced a new series of MacBook Pro laptops feauturing Apples now famous Retina Display. The device is built around flash storage for maximum performance and reliability, and includes Ivy Bridge Processors, and USB 3.0 ports. It's 25% thinner than the last model and very light. These are going sell like hot cakes.





Mountain Lion

Any laptop is only as good as the software it runs, and Mac OS X has received an update which Apple are calling Mountain Lion. Mountain Lion introduces some new features that iOS users will already be familiar with, such as iMessage, Notification Centre, and iCloud integration. This is a logical evolution for Mac OS X and it continues to bring it closer and closer to iOS in its features and capabilities. In time, they will surely merge into one and the same platform.



iOS 6

This was the part of the keynote that I was waiting for however. As impressive as the new Macbooks and Mountain Lion obviously are, in truth I can't ever see me wishing to buy any sort of laptop ever again. The tablet market is simply going to explode in the very near future, and the ongoing development of platforms like iOS will play a key part in this and in my opinion will ultimately kill off the laptop once and for all.





Scott Forstall took to the stage and introduced us to just a few of the 200 new features of iOS 6;

1). Facebook Integration - In the same way that iOS 5 had Twitter baked in, iOS 6 will have Facebook all over it. You'll be able to post photos to Facebook directly from the Camera Roll and Photo Stream, and also like Apps directly from the App Store. Facebook and Twitter will also now be accessible via Notification Centre.

2). Apple Maps - Apple are in a mood with Google, which is not surprising considering what they did with Android. So it was only a matter of time before they dumped Google Maps from iOS and replaced it with something else.

Apple have partnered with Tom Tom on their new Maps App and it looks very nice indeed. It features turn-by-turn navigation, 3D maps and Siri integration among other things. The Flyover feature, which displays highly-detailed 3D models of famous cities around the world was pretty much the highlight of the iOS 6 demonstration.

3). Safari - Also available on the new Mac, iCloud tabs will now be enabled via iOS 6. Using iCloud tabs you can view all open Safari tabs across all of your iCloud devices. In addition to this there is now a photo upload tool supported by the browser.

4). Siri - Apples Voice Assistant has been updated too. Siri can now launch Apps, and answer questions about movies, restaurants and sports. In addition to this, Siri will now also be available on The New iPad.

5). FaceTime - FaceTime will now work over a cellular connection. How effective it will be over 3G networks will remain to be seen and this feature may only serve to highlight the continuing delay of the evolution of 4G LTE technology (especially here in the UK).

6). Phone - Believe it or not, the iPhone can actually be used to make and receive calls (who would have thought)? The Phone App has one or two new features. These include the ability to reject an incoming call with a button which directs you to either send the caller a quick text back, or set a reminder to call them back when you can.

You can also set your phone to Do not Disturb mode to avoid being woken in the night by calls or alerts. This feature does have settings that can be altered to allow important calls to get through to you on a second attempt however - which is a useful feature.

7). Passbook - Passbook is a new App that will store all of your digital tickets, boarding passes, store cards and coupons in one easy-to-access app. For example, you can have your Starbucks Pass on there and use this to get your Coffee when you go into any Starbucks. This App is an early indication that the next iPhone could very well include NFC (Near Field Communiciation Technology) which will basically turn your phone into a payment device.

Overall Conclusions

Nice work by Apple as usual and I find myself very impressed. The new Macbooks are available right now and OSX Mountain Lion is coming very soon at the very reasonable price of $19.99.

iOS 6 beta is available to Apple Developers right now. I was briefly tempted to pay the yearly £59.99 Apple Developers membership so I could get my hands on it immediately, but ultimately I have resisted and will wait for it to be released in the autumn of this year. My guess is that things will follow a similar pattern as last year, with iOS 6 released in early October along with "The Next/New iPhone". I for one can't wait!

And that's Apple WWDC 12!

Share and Enjoy!

Peter

I wish I was Walt Mossberg

If you haven't heard of Walt Mossberg, then clearly you don't bleed "all things technology" as I do!

Mr Mossberg is a Personal Technology Columnist for the Wall Street Journal and in partnership with his fellow Journal columnist Kara Swisher, Mossberg created, produces and hosts the Journal's annual D: All Things Digital conference in Carlsbad, CA, in which top technology leaders, such as Bill Gates, appear on stage without prepared remarks, or slides, and are interviewed by the two columnists. Mossberg and Swisher also co-edit the All Things Digital web site, which includes his columns, her blog and other posts.

Source for above text from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Mossberg

Now, up until a couple of years ago - my career in IT was just that, a career. But this has evolved into a passion and a hunger for new and emerging technology, and information on the same. I simply cannot satisfy my thirst for the subject. This is the primary reason for the existence of this very blog. Would I like to reach a wider audience than I do with it? I'd be lying if I said no, in fact I aspire to that very goal - but I basically enjoy writing these posts in the hope that at least one person will find them informative and useful.

Walt Mossberg basically has my dream job it has to be said. He has certainly worked very very hard to get there though - that is beyond question, and if I possess a tenth of his knowledge on Information Technology, then I think I am doing pretty well!

This years D: All Things Digital conference has just taken place, and I for one have been thoroughly educated and entertained by the videos of the various speakers in attendance. These have included Tim Cook, Ari Emanuel, Sean Parker, and Mary Meeker. There was also a very nice tribute to the late Steve Jobs with remarks from those who knew him well. I really wish I could have been at the conference as it would have been quite an experience. Maybe one day perhaps.

In the meantime, I'll keep reading and learning, and being entertained by people like Walt Mossberg, and who knows - maybe one day I'll get to sit in one of those red chairs and talk to some very cool and influential people in this exciting and ever changing world of technology. I can dream can't I!

Windows 8 Release Preview is released

Microsoft have made the latest beta version of Windows 8 available to download. It's called Windows 8 Release Preview and you can download your copy from Techspot.

http://www.techspot.com/news/48837-windows-8-release-preview-is-out-download-now.html

I wasted no time downloading it and have configured it as a Virtual Machine using Oracle Virtual Box.

First impressions - it seems a lot more responsive than its predecessor (Windows 8 Consumer Preview) and this is good. There seem to be one or two new metro apps available as well and I only expect the App Store to get better and better in the coming months.

One of the new Apps I have discovered in the Store is Tweetro for Twitter. I haven't had much of a chance to play around with it yet, but it looks pretty good.

The People Hub seems much improved too and I was easily able to add Facebook, Twitter, Google, and LinkedIN accounts to this App.

So, another positive step forward on this platform by Microsoft from where I stand. It only increases the anticipation of the full product launch (and all the new compatible tablet hardware to go with it), and this is still rumoured to be in October/November this year.

And that's Windows 8 release Preview! Share and Enjoy!
Peter

State of the Mobile Nation

There is so much happening in the world of mobile technology right now that even a complete gadget geek such as myself finds it hard to keep up. So I hope you will find the following a handy review of the headlines that have made news so far in this sector in 2012, and what we can still expect to see as the year progresses;

1). Google buys Motorola

This is particularly interesting to me as it could ultimately turn out to be a big game changer. Historically, Google has not got involved with hardware. Its Android OS is Open Source and freely available to all developers and manufacturers. HTC and Samsung are the most notable tech giants who sing from the Android hymn sheet when it comes to their smartphone devices. Apple have iOS of course which is completely proprietary - meaning it can only be used on Apple Hardware. Could this purchase be an early indication of Google considering a similar path? It's hard to imagine Android being closed off in such a way - especially when Google and Samsung in particular seem to have such a strong partnership.

However, saying that - Google CEO Eric Schmidt used to be on the board of Apple, and was even present onstage at the launch of the original iPhone. Things can change very quickly though. The Apple/Google relationship went sour when Google created Android - with Steve Jobs claiming it was stolen software and vowing to go to "thermo nuclear war" with Google over it. The suits and counter-suits are continuing to this day!

Those in the know however, suggest that Googles primary motivation for this purchase was to improve their own weak patent base. Motorola seemingly held some very useful patents, and Google have no doubt seen the opportunity to acquire some very valuable intellectual property to strengthen their position in their ongoing war with Apple.

Time will tell how this one turns out - but if I were Samsung right now, I may be wishing that I had beaten Nokia to Microsofts door to get on board with the fast emerging Windows Phone platform. I have a sneaky feeling that Google and Samsung may not be such good buddies in a year or so down the line.

2). The New iPad arrives

Apple launched its 3rd generation tablet device in April and called it "The New iPad". For me, even as an Apple Fan - this model feels like it's been put out for the sake of it. The iPad2 was significantly better than the original iPad. It introduced a thinner form factor, front facing camera, and the A5 Processor to note a few features.

The new iPad on the other hand is thicker, has a 5mp camera as compared to the 8mp camera on the iPhone 4S. It doesn't have Siri, but it does have a new A5X chip, quad core graphics and a retina display (meaning that the human eye is unable to discern individual pixels on the touchscreen). The design is almost identical to the iPad2 (apart from being thicker as I said). The price remains the same and you can also still pick up a new iPad2 for $100 less in the US, and £70 less here in the UK.

Overall, a disappointing stop gap for me! Do I still want one at some point though I hear you ask - of course I do!!! I don't know why, I just need it!! And so do millions of other people it seems - as predictably the new iPad has been a major success. Unlike the smartphone market, Apple is still very much King of the Tablets. There is nothing to touch the iPad, and until Windows 8 Tablets start arriving on the market - nothing will.

3). Samsung Galaxy S3 is launched

In fact, the UK launch date for this device is today. The S3's predecessor (the Samsung Galaxy S2) has been an enormous success and has catapulted Samsung ahead of Apple as the worlds largest Smartphone Manufacturer. Samsung are getting such a fanbase for their phones that I hear that people have actually been queuing (Apple Store style) for them overnight as they simply cannot wait to get their hands on the latest "King of the Android Phones". I've not seen an S3 yet. Ironically, I only got to play with an S2 for the very first time yesterday - and I have to admit that I liked it. Early reports on the S3 suggest that it will continue to help Samsung dominate this market. The only reservation I have heard about it so far is that the plastic case makes the build feel a little cheap. I will certainly check one out when I get the chance though that's for sure.

4). The new iPhone is coming

Surely, it has to this year doesn't it? Last year, Apple disappointed millions when they failed to release the iPhone 5, and instead launched another iPhone 4 with an extra set of antennas, Siri, a better canera, and iOS5 - and called it the iPhone 4S. And like the mugs we are, we all got one and made it the best and fastest selling iPhone so far. I swear, Apple have built up such a unique brand loyalty over the past couple of years that they could release practically anything and we would buy it.

That being said, I don't think they can get away with such an obvious stop gap again this year. With the release of their S3 today, Samsung have basically sat back and said "over to you Apple - let's see what you've got", and I for one expect them to respond with something special. I predict that the next generation iPhone will launch in October this year with a completely new design and with iOS6. There have been rumours of a bigger screen which concern me slightly as I prefer the size of the iPhone screen I must admit. Apart from that, who knows what we can expect. I have heard the possibility of a liquid metal casing, and an edge to edge screen, no home button - the rumours just go on and on. Until you see Tim Cook and Phil Schiller on a stage with it though - don't believe anything!

5). Microsoft are doing a Madonna

Microsoft have been quiet the last couple of years I feel. Sure, they put out Windows 7 but there has been very little fuss about this, and most people these days seem to be talking about Apple, Google, Samsung, Smartphones, Ultrabooks and Tablets. Microsoft have seen their revenue from sales of PCs drop very drastically as a result of their rivals launching the "Post PC Era".

All the while though, they have been quietly reinventing themselves, and later this year - Windows 8 will arrive. If you have read any of my posts to date on Windows 8, then you know that I am very excited by it. The Windows 8 tablet version could very well emerge as the first serious competitor to the iPad. I love my iPad as you know, but there are still things that I cannot do on it - and when this happens, I have to power on a laptop and that is frustrating. I believe Windows 8 tablets will change this, and take the Post PC Era to a whole new level. You will have all the benefits of a touchscreen device - without some of the restrictions and obstacles that you face on the iPad. I for one will be keeping my eye on this. We were planning to change our home laptop at some point but now I think we will wait until we can replace it with a suitable Windows 8 tablet device. In fact, I don't want to buy a device with a physical keyboard ever again if I can help it.


6). Best of the rest

I've been impressed with the look of the Nokia Lumia - although I haven't had the chance to take a proper look at one as yet (I wish I was important enough for manufacturers to send me their phones so I could test them out)! I expect their partnership with Microsoft to flourish over the next couple of years however.

HTC remain pretty strong in the smartphone market too. The HTC One is their flagship phone at the minute and it looks pretty good, although maybe not as good as a Samsung. HTC have a mixture of Android and Windows Phone running on their devices which I find a little strange. They do seem to have their own dedicated fan base too though and I expect they will continue to do well.

The Sony Experia range also looks very good - but Sony don't seem to be making much impact in this or any other market these days to be honest. They are very much playing second fiddle to the smartphone giants of Apple, Samsung and HTC.

And that's about it. I hope you've enjoyed this little run through. If you can think of an event, or device that I've omitted that you think is important or will make a big impact this year - then please let me know!

Peter

Tech Review - Ubuntu

Ubuntu, in the words of its creators is "the worlds favourite free PC desktop Operating System". I first started seeing the word Ubuntu when I started looking at Oracle Virtualbox (previously reviewed on this blog). Anyway, curiosity got the better of me so I headed over to http://www.ubuntu.com/ubuntu to learn what I could about what turns out to be a very impressive Operating System.

I quickly got the idea of what Ubuntu was all about and decided I wanted to test it for myself. Oracle VirtualBox seemed the perfect way to quickly get an Ubuntu installation going and it wasn't long until I was setup.

I have to say I am very very impressed. Ubuntu is completely free, has built in security, free updates for life, an App Store, a music store, and some native apps including Firefox for web browsing and Thunderbird Client for Email.

The App Store is easy to use, and they also have Apps for iOS and Android which includes a personal cloud feature called Ubuntu One. In addition to this, they have Apps that do that same as Word/Excel/Powerpoint (albeit scaled down) but once again completely free.

And that's about it really. I can't say much more about Ubuntu - except that I really recommend you check it out if you are looking for a good free alternative to running Windows OS. Ubuntu is quick, stable, nicely designed and I think it will only get better and better. I take my hat off to the people behind it!

And that's Ubuntu!
Peter