Tag: iPhone 5S

What’s the bigger story: Microsoft buys a phone, Android likes candy, or Apple is having a meeting?

Yesterday there seemed to be technology news all around, with each company hoping to trump the other it seems. In the morning we woke up to find that Microsoft is finally doing something many folks say should have been done long ago, or at least now they are copying Google instead of Apple, by purchasing a phone company. Much like Google bought Motorola, or technically Motorola Mobility I guess, Microsoft has decided to buy Nokia. Not a huge surprise to many, but maybe a little too late to the smartphone playground to matter is what others think.

In other news, Google has decided it doesn’t like pie, but instead prefers candy, saying that their next operating system that will probably take years to be implemented across devices (Yes, that is a dig at the Android system taking too long to be implemented across carriers) will not be called Key Lime Pie as was widely rumored, but somehow Google Android is teaming with Nestle and calling the next version of the Android OS, well, KitKat.

Then, of course, trumping them all, and on the news this morning with nary a story about Microsoft nor Android, is the final tech story from yesterday, that being Apple announcing their “Media Event,” under the tag-line “This should brighten everyone’s day.” Yup, in one of the worst kept secrets Apple officially announced their event for September 10th where they will undoubtedly announce their new line-up of iPhones, including the iPhone 5s which may or may not have a fingerprint sensor, and the iPhone 5c which may or may not be cheaper and in many colors.

Poor Microsoft, a victim of Apple ruining their headline. Google throwing out a story that seems like “We just need something out there.”, and Apple trumping them all with a story everyone knew was coming. The next question is will Samsung’s announcement of a watch trump them all if they announce it today?

I guess this answer probably centers around your OS loyalty, but in the end I plight: What’s the bigger story: Microsoft buys a phone, Android likes candy, or Apple is having a meeting? I leave the watch for later.

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Are Smartphones Getting Too Big?

Back in the day I managed a Radio Shack in lovely Rantoul, IL. It was a nice store, near the Chanute Air Force Base that was eventually closed, and at the time cell phones weren’t small. Yes, they sold a truly portable phone, but down there in the country cell phone towers weren’t nearly as prevalent as they are today, and whenever someone came in hoping to buy the small phone I had to tell them that most of the time the phone wouldn’t work, the cell phone signal was too week, so in order to have the protection and convenience a cell phone could give they really needed to have a bag phone. They were sad. They wanted small. They wanted something they could put in their pocket. They wanted cool even if it cost them a few dollars more, and they couldn’t afford it.

Oddly there seems to be a bizarre shift in the cell phone world, back to big, at least you would think so if you check out some of the headlines, especially the latest from USA Today: “New 6.3-inch Samsung phone approaches tablet size.” Yes, the convenience and protection of a cell phone is getting back to needing a bag to carry it with the Samsung Galaxy Mega!

Me, I’m an Apple guy and love the fact that they haven’t gone crazy with trying to make a phablet, as it would be. Not that they might not in the future, but I like that my phone fits in my pocket and for the larger stuff, i.e the video viewing, book reading, and immersive games, there is the iPad or the iPad Mini. Is it that hard to carry both? While I understand the desire for people to have everything all-in-one as it would be, I also feel there is a convenience factor for the idea of a phone. To me it seems practical enough: It makes calls, I can check email, I can read a book if I really wanted to, I can watch a movie, I can play games, and I can take pictures or video without looking like a doofus holding up what amounts to something the size of a sheet of paper blocking the view of those behind me so I can get a lousy picture of Rick Springfield at the country fair. On that note, I believe there are two kinds of people: Those that use their iPad sized device to take pictures and video, and those that make fun of the people using their iPad sized device to shoot pictures and video.

People made fun of the iPad when it came out, mocking it’s size, pretending to hold it up to their head like an iPhone to make phone calls even though the device wasn’t a phone. Oddly enough some smartphones are getting to be exactly that size, and people will look exactly like those in the pictures when making a call. For me, bigger is not always better, at least in terms of my cell phone. I like the convenience, I like the protection, and I like that it fits in my pocket. So, with that, as the world eagerly awaits Apple to announce their new iPhone 5S and 5C in the coming weeks, the thing we do know is it won’t be a phone the size of a tablet. Maybe Apple is behind the curve on this one and people want an iPad they can hold up to their head, make a phone call, and carry in a bag? I guess retro might really be in this year! Welcome back, bag phone!

Alright, enough rambling, let’s get to the plight: Are smartphones getting too big?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!