Author: Joe Wilcox

Apple by Joe Wilcox
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You’re Looking at What Isn’t

iPad Pro sales started today, and the tablet is available to buy at my local Apple Store but not to see or handle. There are no display models. That was the situation around 5 p.m. What amazed me: How many people bought sight-unseen. In the five minutes I looked around for the 12.9-inch tab, Apple staff sold three (if not more). Do these people understand just how big this thing is?

Stranger still, the two accessories that deliver differentiating benefits—so-called Pencil and Smart Keyboard—won’t ship for three or four weeks. The overly-large tablet isn’t good for artists or as a laptop replacement without either input device. All this while Apple marketing touts their major benefits. 

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Society by Joe Wilcox
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Take the Pledge and Stay Off the Internet This Saturday

You spend too much time online. Take a break from the Net on November 14th. Show us all that you aren’t a connected device junkie—that you can step out into the real world and enjoy fresh air and sun, and prove your ability to talk to real people face to face (pack the breath mints!).

Aren’t your thumbs tired from texting and Facebook Liking? Don’t your eyes need a break from squinting at flat-screens? If you must stare at a screen, make it a big one—catch an early matinee. Take the pledge to give up the Internet for one hour. You could even go 90 minutes. Turn off the PC, smartphone, or tablet. Join others taking the challenge. Let’s everyone start at 8:45 a.m. PST and commit to staying offline until 9:45, or later. You’ll feel better for it. 

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Gear by Joe Wilcox
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TAG Heuer Connected makes Sense?

In a post to Google+ this AM, journalist Kevin Tofel asks: “Who else doesn’t think many people will buy a $1,500 Android Wear watch simply because it’s made by TAG Heuer?” His question is spot on. The timepiece maker introduced its new line of smart wristwear earlier today.

I see TAG Heuer Connected differently. The high-end brand is carried in fine jewelry stores everywhere. This watch will make Android Wear visible to millions of buyers who might never see the platform. Demographically, many of these same people might never encounter or consider purchasing Apple Watch, either. 

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Gear by Joe Wilcox
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Sennheiser Momentum 2 First Impressions

In middle age, my ears can’t tolerate booming bass any longer. Seems like amped lows is the state of audio design, and this is unfortunately standard among wireless cans.  That’s one reason I use Grado Labs’ Rs1e reference headphones, which give better balance across the range, particularly warm midrange and highs.

But the RS1e means a cord, which largely inconveniences my digital lifestyle. I would rather listen to music, podcasts, and such while on the move in the apartment, or elsewhere. My last set of Bluetooth cans delivered way too much bass, and I sold them when buying the Grados. Last night, after reading professional and purchaser reviews, I bought a pair of Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 wireless headphones from Amazon, My quick, out-of-box impressions follow. 

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Apple by Joe Wilcox
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The iPhone 6s Doppelgänger

Without even turning on the HTC One A9 (which I haven’t yet), the physical similarities with iPhone 6/6s are unmistakable. The smartphones share striking design ethic, separated by the shape of the home-button fingerprint sensor, placement of the rear-facing camera, and left-side SIM and microSD card slots. But these differences aren’t immediately obvious.

My question: Is this the Android for people wanting the iPhone 6s look but something more flexible than the iOS platform? If there is truth in marketing, HTC’s tag lines reveal much: “Design worth imitating”, which while referring the company’s One legacy also could be interpreted as backhanded praise or even fist-to-snub about Apple’s device, which some could argue imitates earlier One models. “Power to choose”—customization and personalization options not offered on fruit-logo handsets. 

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