Category: Gear

Apple by Joe WilcoxMay 9, 20147:11 pm

Phablets hang Tim Cook’s Ass to the Wind

Analyst punditry is exhaustive about why tablet shipments declined during calendar first quarter 2014. Apple missed Wall Street consensus by about 3 million iPads. Tech-Thoughts analyst Sameer Singh expected tablet shipments to exceed PCs during the first quarter, and that didn’t happen. But major reason why is significant.

He writes today: “As of now, we can assume that ~20 percent of all smartphones shipped have screen sizes large enough to become acceptable substitutes for tablet computing tasks”.

Gear by Joe WilcoxJan 10, 20143:15 pm

Twenty-Fourteen isn’t Year of the Chromebook

There are reasons why I am so obnoxiously loud about bad news reporting tactics. NPD innocently kicked off a writ-storm about 2014 being year of the Chromebook. A Dec. 23, 2013, press release observes strong Chromebook commercial channel sales of preconfigured desktop and notebook PCs.

Looks like NPD pulled the PR—I can’t find it—over this whole “year of #chromebook” meme; it’s a blog and press echo chamber that continues to boom. Goddamn, my ears hurt. Even The Register, of which I expect much better, misquotes the NPD press release, too. That 21 percent market share figure refers to commercial U.S. channels only, not the entire market.

Apple by Joe WilcoxNov 4, 20134:03 pm

iPad Air is the Best Tablet

Sometimes there is revolution in evolution. That’s my surprising reaction to iPad Air, which Apple started selling on November 1. This is simply the best tablet I have ever used. Period. The fruit-logo company wisely chose to resist reinventing the wheel and build a vehicle around four instead.

For people who complain—and there are many—that Apple’s newest 9.7-inch tab shows waning innovation, let me correct the record. You are oh-so wrong. iPad Air is an amazingly refined piece of art—like a sculpture chiseled to perfection. iPad 3 and 4 are unpolished bricks by comparison. More importantly, anyone looking for a tablet to largely, or completely, replace a Windows PC or Mac, Air is it.

Gear by Joe WilcoxOct 5, 201310:53 pm

Moto X Developer Edition is Amazing

HTC One is by far the best smartphone I have ever owned. Yet, mine went on Craigslist yesterday and to a mechanic a few hours later; he responded to the listing. Then I paid off the remainder owed to T-Mobile.

Why? After saying I wouldn’t, I bought Moto X Developer Edition. In terms of customer experience, the phone and everything else that goes with it, Moto X is light years ahead of any other mobile to come into my possession—that’s a whole lot of phones over the years. iPhone doesn’t come close.

Gear by Joe WilcoxAug 25, 201310:08 am

The Problem with Moto X

I remain concerned about Motorola’s choice to launch Moto X with AT&T—the carrier that failed with HTC First (the Facebook phone), like Verizon did with Microsoft Kin, which were targeted at similar audiences. I don’t have Moto X. Motorola graciously provided BetaNews with a review unit, and my colleague Brian Fagioli has that one. A second isn’t available, which is perfectly reasonable.

So my only experience is the AT&T store, yesterday. The sales display impresses. There is a demo phone, iPad with flashy sales info, and selection of back covers so buyers can see exactly what they get if choosing to customize. Cards for the 16GB and 32GB models are there. Grab, pay, and go to Moto Maker site to personal and order the phone.

Gear by Joe WilcoxMay 3, 20135:59 pm

I Love Chromebook Pixel but It Doesn’t Always Love Me

When I reported the original iPhone launch in June 2007, there was sense of history among the people waiting to buy. Several shared similar sentiment: That we would all look back in five or 10 years and see the mobile as a defining moment in computing. They were absolutely right. I feel similarly about Chromebook Pixel, not that as many people appreciate what it represents compared to the larger number of folks rushing to purchase Apple’s smartphone.

Google’s computer is an acquired taste, and so delish you don’t easily go back. But there’s a Vegemite quality. Most people wouldn’t eat the spread, but ask those who do—they can’t live without it. Likewise, Chromebook Pixel isn’t for everyone, but is for me and possibly could be for you, if given a chance.

Gear by Joe WilcoxMar 8, 20138:35 pm

Chromebook Pixel isn’t for Everyone, but It could be Right for You

Fourteen days using Google’s first computer, my decision is made: I would buy one and will someday (income taxes are brutal, so my options are limited short-term). I firmly believe that most buyers willing to spend $1,299 (32GB WiFi) or $1,449 (64GB 4G LTE) will be satisfied with Chromebook Pixel. That’s because I presume they wouldn’t dole out that much without really examining how the computer would fit their lifestyle; also, Google seeks the same people coming from Windows who might buy MacBook Pro 13-inch.

Seven days ago, in my hands-on review, I looked at the overall experience and price benefits from the perspective of hardware. Here, I start to answer larger question: Can Pixel be your main and only machine? For most people, the answer is an unequivocal “No”. But “most people” isn’t Google’s target market.

Gear by Joe WilcoxFeb 28, 20139:50 pm

Chromebook Pixel Review

Chromebook Pixel is an enigma. A misfit. Some critics call it a miscalculation—that Google created a pretty kit that offers too little value for the high price. For sure, $1,299, or $1,449 for the model with LTE, is more than most people pay. According to NPD, the average selling price of laptops at U.S. retail was $640 in January.

But some people do pay more. Apple laptops start at $999 and, according to NPD, the ASP was $1,419 last month. Unquestionably, I see Chromebook Pixel as priced against Macs, and after using Google’s laptop see it targeted at the same professionals who value Apple notebooks. The question any potential buyer should ask: Is Pixel worth spending as much as Google asks? I will answer that question in several parts—this initial review is first.

Samsung by Joe WilcoxSep 27, 20128:59 pm

I’m a Chromie Now

Four months ago, I put aside (and later sold) MacBook Air for the Samsung Series 5 550 second-generation Chromebook and never looked back. They say three times is a charm, and that proves true with my third foray using a laptop running Chrome OS. The first two proved life-changing, as I adopted a partial cloud computing lifestyle. Now I live a vigorous, charmed cloud life, which includes Android embrace.

Chromebook isn’t easy, because it demands a thinking reset. I had to put aside concepts about everyday computing, fear of losing Internet connection and perceptions about hardware configurations and what’s good enough performance value. Something else: When I started this journey, in December 2010, Chrome OS wasn’t good enough, because there weren’t enough supporting cloud apps. That has changed dramatically, because of Chrome Web Store and how much desktop-like utility Google now brings to cloud services like G+ or YouTube.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 22, 20114:55 pm

Picture Perfect

I enjoy the camera on the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone so much, my Fujifilm FinePix X100 is on Craigslist. I just don’t have time to dedicate to photography, and the camera I have with […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 1, 20117:23 pm

Spider at Dusk

I was out looking for my daughter’s cat and saw a huge spider in a web. Believe it or not, I snapped this with the Nexus S smartphone.

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 9, 20115:25 pm

Luminox A.1847 Field Chronograph

On Aug. 1, 2011, I sold my 11.6-inch MacBook Air to a friend. I let him pay in Amazon bucks (e.g., gift certificate), which I used to buy my daughter a LensBaby fisheye lens and […]