Monthly Archive:: September 2015

So, they're really pushing ahead with integrating Microsoft services into every part of Cyanogen OS. I wonder at what point peddling these Microsoft services is going to somehow make CyanogenMod (the other side of the Cyanogen coin) worse.

In case you haven't figured it out by now: Cyanogen is aiming to get acquired. They're not in it to build a long-lasting company and deep ties with customers; they're in it to get acquired for a lot of money and bail. As a user, I wouldn't bet on this horse.

If you see someone bringing up Jobs' stylus remarks in relation to the iPad Pro, they blew it.

I talked about this before, and this pattern is really, really frustrating.

It's been a long wait, but SailfishOS 2.0 has been released - only for early access users right now, but since everyone can be an early access user, that's a moot point. SailfishOS 2.0 overhaul the entire user interface to supposedly make it simpler. Another major change is under the hood - the operating system is now ready for different screen sizes, since the Jolla tablet can ship any moment now.

The update is installing on my Jolla right now, so I don't have much to add for now. I'll most likely add the SailfishOS 2.0 phone experience to my Jolla tablet review.

Apple held its usual September event tonight, and it unveiled three major new products: a new Apple TV, the iPad Pro, and the iPhone 6S/6S Plus. The new Apple TV is effectively the old Apple TV, but with Siri, applications, and a funny-looking remote. It looks fun to use, but it's nothing revolutionary and most likely won't change the TV landscape as much as Apple wants it to.

Apple also made a big fuss about gaming on the new Apple TV, but since applications cannot be larger than 200 MB, don't expect much from this. Then again, Apple showed off a 100% Wii Sports rip-off as the big new thing in gaming, so I'm betting on Apple still not really having a clue about gaming.

The iPad Pro, on the other hand, is literally Surface. Like, there are no ifs and buts - it's literally an iPad Surface. It's got a 12.9" display, a crazy-fast processor and graphics chip, a foldable, Surface-like keyboard cover, and a stylus/pen for ink. It, of course, makes great use of the new Aero Snap and Windows 8.x multiwindow features introduced with iOS 9. The base model is fairly cheap, but much like the Surface, once you add the keyboard cover and pen, prices go up substantially.

Speaking of the pen, Apple drapes it in all sorts of annoying Apple-isms, but it does actually look fairly advanced - closer to top-of-the-line Wacom stuff; this isn't the stylus that came with your Palm device. It'll be great for artists, but much like the Surface's pen, I just don't see a use for it any other application.

Lastly, Apple unveiled the iPhone 6S and the 6S Plus, and it's got some really, really cool stuff. The Force Touch and Taptic engine stuff from Apple's latest trackpads and the Apple Watch is built right in, now dubbed 3D Touch (...eh), and it's used to add a number of new interactions into iOS on the 6S. You can gently press on, say, an e-mail, and it'll show you a quick preview, or press a bit harder and open it fully. This also works for application icons, where it'll open a menu with often-used actions for that application.

Think of it as Quick Look for applications. It will be open to developers, so you can expect all kinds of cross-application functionality, which is really welcome on a mobile platforms so heavily focussed on apps-as-islands. I really like this new feature, and I can't wait to start using it (I'm buying the iPhone 6S early October).

And, unimportant to most but I just want to mention it: it comes in an awesome new colour that I'm totally going for. And, as always, it'll have a faster processor, a better camera, and so on - all the usual things you can expect from a new flagship.

So, not only did Jolla split into a separate software and a separate hardware company (never a good sign), now its co-founder and frontman has left the, uh, ship as well.

You don't need a lot of brain cells to figure this one out.

Everything's for sale.

For many people, their phone isn't a status symbol, or it's just something they don't care about at all - as long as it makes calls and pulls some light duty, they're happy. I really dislike how these phones and its users tend to be portrayed in the media - almost as if these people are stupid, silly, or dumb for not wanting the latest iPhone or Galaxy phone. Elitist nonsense.

Like I said, it's Android week in the technology world right now, but I'm not going to write a new post for every Android phone being thrown onto the world stage to be forgotten in a week. Instead, I'm going to focus on a few that I think are particularly interesting, and I'm going to start with Sony. The company has unveiled its Xperia Z5 line and it has to be said - the Z5 Compact, the Z5, and the Z5 Premium are absolutely gorgeous.

The Z5 Premium is a monster of a phone - it has a 4K display, which equates to 3840x2160 pixels and a ppi of 806. Pure insanity. Sony claims all three phones - even the Premium - get 2 days of use on a single charge. They look fantastic, but for some reason, nobody seems to buy Sony smartphones.

Moving on, Lenovo unveiled a bunch of smartphones, and I think one of them might be of interest to many of you.

Lastly, there's a new company - lead by former Apple CEO John Sculley - who also unveiled two brand new Android smartphones. The company's called Obi, and their first two phones are the SF1 and SJ1.5. I'll be honest here - I want these phones' babies. They look fun, quirky, and different, and represent a welcome change from the boring, metallic, cold, hospital-esque stuff we get from other phone makers. They got decent specs, too.

That being said, it's a startup - big name co-founder or no - and there's no information on availability and pricing yet, so for all I know, they're never going to be heard from again. Also, as with all the phones mentioned in this post, they're not running stock Android, so don't expect timely updates.

Still, these are some interesting phones.

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I'm actually a very tiny, tiny little bit 'excited' about Samsung's (...eh) new smartwatch, the Gear S2. It looks pretty decent, seems to have a better input method than laggy touch (Wear) or a finicky jog dial nobody uses (Apple Watch), and the software - that's Tizen, so an alternative operating system! Right? Right? - looks nice, and seems to work well too.

I can't believe that upon first inspection, this Gear S2 actually seems like a really well-designed and well-thought out product, considering we're dealing with Samsung here. This thing still isn't watch enough for my personal taste, but there's no denying that Samsung seems to have done a decent job here.

I hope I get to play with one soon.

Great article. I found this paragraph especially interesting:

Aside from the obvious fact that I can relate to the remark about translators, the author touches upon something that I benefit from every day. I always feel that being multilingual (just Dutch, English, German, some French, and a basic grasp of ancient Greek and Latin - relatively limited when compared to true multilinguals) makes it easier for me to express myself. Being able to use words, concepts, ideas, structures, and conventions from foreign languages and incorporate them into my Dutch - even if only in my inner monologue - allows me to describe objects, concepts, and situations in a more fine-grained, and therefore, more accurate manner (accurate to my perception, which does not mean "more correct" in more absolute terms).

I appreciate how ridiculously pretentious this sounds, but I do firmly believe this is true: being able to understand, read, write, and speak multiple language makes me better at language.

I'm no programmer - something I like to repeat as often as I can to make sure everyone knows where I'm coming from on the subject of programming - but I get the idea that programming is not very different in that regard. That is, being able to program in multiple programming languages will make you better at programming, and not just in the sense that you will be useful in more situations (you can find a job both as a Java and an Objective-C programmer, for instance), but also in the sense that knowledge and experience in programming language Abc will give you new and different insights into programming language Xyz, allowing you to use a certain language in more unconventional ways that people with knowledge of fewer languages might not.

As much as language is an expression of culture, a programming language is an expression of how a computer works. Both contain within them invaluable knowledge that cannot be easily expressed in other languages - and as such, they are invaluable in preserving knowledge, both culturally and digitally.

Nextbit, a company founded by former Android engineers from Google, HTC, and others, has unveiled its first smartphone. The Robin has a pretty unique and fun design, but the major selling point - they claim - is that the phone intelligently manages its limited storage by offloading lesser-used or unused stuff (content and applications) to the internet. An interesting strategy in the current climate of privacy wariness - especially since these more boutique Android phones tend to be for technologically inclined users, who will be more aware of these issues. One also has to wonder how well this will work and how reliable it'll be, considering the company's young age.

As for specifications:

Decidedly midrange for a phone that's on Kickstarter right now and will (supposedly) ship in January.