More thoughts on Google's new Nexus line up

Morning all.

It's Monday and I'm tired. I'm so tired in fact that I'm thinking of quitting my job just so I don't have to go in today. I'll likely regret it a few hours later but it's a risk I'm willing to take. Meh.

Anyway, on to more interesting fare. Despite Sandy's best efforts Google still managed to showcase it's latest Nexus line up yesterday and I'm sure if you look anywhere on the net you'll find heaps of information concerning the newly revealed Nexus 4 and Nexus 10. Naturally, being a phone groupie and all, I approached near completion (eww) upon seeing video footage of the devices, especially the Nexus 10 tablet, which at $100 cheaper than the iPad 4 in the US (Likely to be somewhat similarly competitively priced here in the UK) will 100% be my tablet of choice going forward.

I was also all fired up to purchase the Nexus 4 as well but since yesterday I've had a little time to let my excitement temper itself. This is a classic example of a device I want but don't need. Let me just state now that this has nothing to do with the phones lack of and LTE radio. While this may be a major blow for some people I live in the UK where LTE has literally just rolled out and doesn't look set to see widespread availability any time soon (For more on why the Nexus 4 lacks an LTE radio you guys should read an article called Slow Lane by The Verge's Dieter Bohn and Nilay Patel which offers incredible insight into the situation.)

The Nexus 4 is undoubtedly a beauteous, marvel of a phone but I currently rock a GSM Galaxy Nexus and let me tell you, she isn't don't with me yet. My nexus is indeed rooted, running only a stock ROM. It is however boasting the revered Franco Kernal that coupled with Jelly Bean's Project Butter means that the thing absolutely flies. Also while I know the screen is no longer head of the pack it's far from as antiquated as many tech enthusiasts would have you believe.

What I'm trying to say is while I'm certain that the Nexus 4 is an improvement over my current daily driver in every way conceivable, for somebody like me who doesn't exactly have cash to burn it's an update I can happily afford to miss. Especially considering that with my current Nexus I'll still be able to enjoy all the goodies Android 4.2 has to offer when it arrives. Now if you don't currently have a Nexus phone and you're due for an upgrade then I'd advise you consider the Nexus 4. There are a plethora of great devices currently available and on the horizon so the choice is yours but this would be my recommendation to you. What Google is doing at the moment is just more exciting than it's rivals and something you would not regret being a part of. I don't want to devalue the strides Microsoft are currently making but I think they need to find they're feet first in today's mobile space before we see something truly special emerge from Windows Phone 8 or Windows RT.

Anyway that's enough for today. I'm off to quit my job. Until next time.

Windows Phone Gr8!!

Yesterday I subjected my patience and calm to the internet equivalent of Chinese water torture by sitting through an interminable live stream of Nokia’s highly anticipated Windows Phone 8 line up debut. Was it worth all the buffering, page refreshing and stop-starting?

In a word. 

F*CK YEAH! 

Okay, two words.

So there I was, at my desk at work, past the point of caring whether or not my supervisor could see my screen or not and strapping myself in for what turned out to be an even more exciting product reveal than I expected. Stephen Elop and crew really showed their ambition with this one and it does seem as if the Nokia/Microsoft partnership may just bear some sophisticated and highly profitable fruit.

Nokia debuted both the Lumia 820 and the Lumia 920 as expected, and my, what pretty devices, the 920 in particular. Gotta say. Loving the yellow guys. Luh-ving the yellow!

The Lumia 920 sports a  4.5 inch HD+ curved glass display with a resolution of 768 x 1280 (They’re calling it PureMotion HD+…because they can I guess), a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual core processor, a 2000 mAh battery, an 8 megapixel Pureview shooter, wireless charging and without a doubt most importantly of all, GLOVE COMPATIBILITY BITCHES!!

Dude this is huge for me! A major pet peeve of mine in regards to touchscreens in general was the need to remove your pinky from the snugness of a glove as blistering winds howled down from the mountain-tops and licked your flesh with the promise of frostbite just so you could cut the goddamn rope! Okay so there may not be any mountains in London but you get where I’m coming from. It’s a wonderful innovation and one that I assumed would have simply been overlooked. I guess that’s why they make the tech and I write the blog.

All in all it was a great day for Nokia, Microsoft and Windows Phone 8. My only real criticism with the event was the complete lack of an ETA and pricing for the devices. It kind of makes the entire reveal a little redundant as it serves to illustrate a lack of intent from a company supposedly committed to taking a final stab at the mobile market and developing a global fan base of loyal consumers.

Nevertheless, Nokia have revealed two great flagship devices that could see them catapult to the top of an ever more competitive market. Will the timing of the announcement prove controversial considering those other guys are set to strut their stuff next week. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Sayōnara

Time of the month. iPhone 5 and Nokia's Windows Phone 8

It’s going to be a busy month. Apple look set to launch the new iPhone and although I personally am not a huge fan of the company as a whole I’m hoping they can at least pull something entirely unforeseen out of the bag, for theatricality’s sake at least.

I mean what I’ve seen thus far is nothing short of underwhelming. iOS 6…I mean…really?....that’s it? And as for that mock up design demonstrated in a recent video on tech nirvana The Verge, well, the less said about that particular disappointment the better. Don’t get me wrong I wasn’t expecting any radical changes design-wise but I can’t help but feel a little deflated. Let’s hope those guys got their intel wrong on that one.

But hey, do not mistake me for a dead-eyed cynic. I’d love nothing more than for Apple to prove me wrong here. Innovation is always great for the field (as is competition by the way Apple….just so you know…) so here’s to my naivety showing and here’s to Apple shocking the world with a time-travelling super-phone that cooks omelettes and cure’s cancer. But come on people, I can’t be the only person out there that has the sneaking suspicion that these guys have run out of ideas. Google have refined the user experience wonderfully with their Jelly Bean update making the system far more enjoyable to use than iOS and the likes of Samsung continue to up the stakes in the field of sheer power and hardware (if not build quality.)

Apple will really have to pull something out of the bag on the 12^th of September. Something with more stomach than Facetime, Siri or a simply a prettier screen. Something, dare I say it, revolutionary. Whether they can or not…..well…we’ll have to wait and see.

Also I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention the highly anticipated iPad mini right!?........*silence*……..Now that that’s done we can move on.

On the other end of the spectrum Nokia look set to come out guns’a’blazin’ with the Lumia 820 and the Lumia 920, the first in their range of Windows 8 devices. I’ve always wanted to love windows phone and Nokia have a special place in my heart seeing as a Nokia 3210 was the first mobile I ever owned and one of the best! I played around with the Lumia 900 and couldn’t help but think that with a little refinement and little time Microsoft would have something truly special in their arsenal. The OS is an absolute joy to use and something incredibly refreshing in today’s market however I couldn’t get on board with the screen resolution and the dire/expensive market place. The design of the Lumia 900 itself though is phenomenal and judging from leaked pictures (yes, okay, again from The Verge) it’s great to see that Nokia have applied that wondrous unibody to its new line up and from what we can see it looks thinner and even sexier than before!

Also said to support high resolution screens, multiple core processors and wireless charging these phones are set to be great flagships for Windows phone 8 if no doubt underappreciated by the mass market in general. Apple’s new iPhone is dropping and It’s hard to compete with a company that has that kind of influence on the general public but hey, I know who I’m rooting for!.....well….until the next Nexus phone :)

Peace and love!