Category: Articles

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Petition to keep “Cortana” as the name of Microsoft’s Voice Asisstant.

halo-4-cortanaHere’s a petition I can wholeheartedly support.

We recently found out that Microsoft was working on a Google Now / Siri competitor, and we also know that the code name for the project is ‘Cortana’, which is a terrific little nod to XBox fans. Cortana is the name of the AI which aids players in the popular HALO franchise of video games.

Well, people know a good thing when they hear it and an industrious Halo and/or Windows Phone fan has left a suggestion on Microsoft’s official feedback site. ‘Keep Cortana as the Name of the Personal Assistant’ is already over 1500 votes, and I was proud to add my name to that list.

Microsoft has always had a reputation for lacking synergy between the various teams working on various products and services. This could be a nice, if a bit tongue in cheek, way to signal some cooperation between the XBox, Windows, and Windows Phone teams.

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Appropriately, Twitter announces IPO with a Tweet

twitter logo

What else would you have expected?

The long rumored Twitter IPO looks like it might be happening. Now the dance of managing expectations begins. They need to drum up excitement about their public offerings, but they can’t go overboard like Facebook. It’s an extremely delicate balance. How do you get investors to open their wallets without getting them overly hyped up. We’ll see if Twitter can figure out the formula where other services have faltered.

Fittingly, they announced this long anticipated industry news with a tweet:

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Ask Juan: How useful are 41MP pics from the Lumia 1020 when uploading to Facebook, Instagram, etc?

nokia lumia 1020 pureview camera test video samples somegadgetguyA wonderful question from one of my YouTube viewers, Will F.

“What are your thoughts about the images with respect to sharing? At sharing size (Facebook, etc), only so much detail is really visible. It seems like the 1020 would be overkill in these situations, especially since you have to do a little extra work to get the full size images off of the phone. My only real gripe about this phone is the slow shot-to-shot time.”

Let’s take a look at some pics from the 1020, and see if we can address Will’s concerns about the camera!

Click here for high definition video samples from the Lumia 1020!

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I Ask YOU: Why Do We Need 64-Bit Processors in Phones?

apple a7 and m7 processors 64 bit somegadgetguyNo seriously folks. I don’t get it, and I need your help to understand.

Why do we need 64-bit processors in our phones?

First Apple announces 64-bit will be included in the iPhone 5s, and now Samsung says they’ll be getting in on the trick in 2014. As best as I could understand, one of the primary reasons we moved to 64-bit on desktops and laptops was to allow us to use more than 4GB of RAM.

Are there other advantages I’m not aware of? Might this be a preemptive move for some future technology? I’m nonplussed…

Drop me a comment. School me folks!

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OLYMPUS New OM-D E-M1 Flagship Camera to arrive in October

Olympus-OM_D-E-M1Hello sexy.

I’ve recently started taking a warming to Oly’s audio gear, and now they’re sprucing up their flagship camera with some new tech under the hood. Having held the previous OM-D, it felt like a near perfect balance of SLR and range-finder with performance matching my favorite APS-C cameras from Nikon and Canon.

The new OM-D E-M1 features an improved 16.3 MP image sensor paired up with Oly’s fastest TruePic VII image processor. These in conjunction with their M.Zuiko lenses should provide for excellent photo and video output. TruePic VII supports 10 frames per second RAW capture for up to 41 shots, and improved auto-focus should help insure those pics are clear and sharp.

Olympus-OM_D-E-M1_rear

I’m really curious to see how the improved Image Stabilization works in conjunction with Micro 4/3rds lenses. OIS is built into the camera, as opposed to Canon where OIS has to be built into the lens. This means you can keep your lenses smaller, and ALL lenses will be stabilized, even fast primes, which usually don’t have stabilization on traditional SLR platforms. Oly’s Multi-Motion IS buffers against movement from five different directions for both photos and videos.

Also being added to the tech is built in WiFi. This is something I’ve long criticized the camera industry, that in recent years, many cameras still required large bolt on hotshoe or battery grips to add WiFi. The E-M1 skirts this by building it directly into the camera. Scan a QR code on the camera screen, and your phone will automagically pair with the free ImageShare app to mirror the camera’s live view for control on your phone!

All of this new gear built into a splash resistant, freeze resistant, dust-proof shell. Expect the OM-D E-M1 to drop in October for $1399.

Full PR after the break.

Continue reading “OLYMPUS New OM-D E-M1 Flagship Camera to arrive in October”

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Apple’s Crisis of Confidence: Consumer Perception and Stock Market Response

tim cook apple logoBefore I dive into this, I need to make it clear that I don’t hate Apple. I used to be an Apple product specialist working a JIT contract for DOE facilities in New Mexico. This was during the dual socket days of the PowerMac G5. It was a glorious machine, and I used to adore Apple. As Apple walked away from markets and product lines that I cared about, that adoration became a loving competition. The recent glory days of the company provided me a terrific nemesis as I moved over to Windows 7 computers and Android Phones.

Following Tuesday’s unveiling of the iPhone 5C & 5S, I came to an unsettling realization: I’m worried about Apple.

See, my world as a tech enthusiast and writer just doesn’t make sense without a powerful Apple, and the company which was on display during this last keynote was anything but powerful.  Continue reading “Apple’s Crisis of Confidence: Consumer Perception and Stock Market Response”

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Zagg Ahead of the Curve with new Accessories for iPhone 5S & 5C

zagg accessories iphone 5c 5s somegadgetguyI wonder if accessory manufacturers will continue to consider Apple a “safe bet”. The iPhone 5 is only getting a one year run, and the 5S will probably only get a one year run. You used to be able to count on at least two, if not three years of sales for a new model of iPhone.

Anywho, Zagg is getting out ahead of the curve by announcing their new line up of iPhone accessories for the 5S and 5C. A lot of their announced line up are universal products like iFrogz headphones and Zaggsparq portable batteries, but their terrific InvisibleSHIELD screen protectors are ready to go, and we’ll see a pair of case options. The iFrogz Chemistry is a slim cushioned bumper featuring bright colors and designs, and the Zagg Arsenal will be one of the slimmest rugged cases available for the iPhone 5S.

Full PR after the jump!

Continue reading “Zagg Ahead of the Curve with new Accessories for iPhone 5S & 5C”

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Rumor: Nokia to launch Lumia 1520 on September 26

nokialumia1520leaknew9_1020_verge_super_wideI’m not a big fan of rumor posts, there’s enough real stuff to actually play with that I don’t like getting bogged down by speculation. This rumor comes courtesy of @evleaks however, and they’ve been pretty good about not engaging in wild speculation regarding gadget leaks…

The timing on this seems pretty legit. We know Microsoft is gearing up for a couple big moves over the next couple months, including dropping a new Surface and the public release of Windows 8.1. Updating Windows Phone with a killer Nokia phablet would fit into that release line up nicely.

More news when we get actual news.

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