Design
Apple’s latest magical device – the iPhone 4S – arrived with a healthy dose of fanfare, but just a few weeks later there has been a growing number of complaints regarding the shorter battery life.
In the tech blogging world, an incident like this is often the kiss of death for some gadget manufacturers, but thus far Apple doesn’t seem to be getting skewered like Sony, Nokia, or Samsung usually do.
Are you a geek who is under this impression? Why are we so willing to turn a blind eye? Is this blatant favoritism for a beloved company? Or is this just our misinformed perception? Come voice your opinions in the comments below!
by Bob November 9, 2011
Tags: Apple, iPhone 4S, Nokia, Samsung, Sony
Cars
With summer quickly fading away, it’s sadly now time to put away the sandals, raise the top back up on the convertible, and start putting away the grill. Fall is arguably one of the most beautiful seasons, but there is no question that is also slower paced, less temperate and generally less engaging.
Thankfully there are plenty of toys that will keep us occupied no matter how dreary things get after the leaves change. Here’s some of the best we’ve seen most recently.
Read more »
by Bob October 13, 2011
Tags: Amazon Kindle Fire, Barbour, BMW, Canon, Fall fashion, Porsche, Porsche 909 Pipe, Sony Personal 3D Viewer, Wacom Inkling
Design
Can you take a guess as to which cell phone is the greenest? Where many tech geeks only seem to care how ‘cool’ their cell phone looks when they pull it out at some hipster gathering, global companies are working on refining their environmental impact (whether for altruistic or economic reasons).
According to a recent study by GoodGuide, where nearly 500 phones were tested, several well known companies came up on top – though one was notably missing (here’s looking at you, Apple).
Read more »
by Maria September 22, 2011
Tags: GoodGuide, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson
Design
Our friends at Gizmodo always come up with good ideas, and their list of top 7 tools to make the office suck less is no different. But we though we’d chime in with our own suggestions that may at times be less subtle, slightly braver, certainly silly and yet no less possible.
Check with your boss before buying any of these, of course. If you are the boss, we hope you have a sense of humor.
Read more »
by Maria September 19, 2011
Tags: 04i, DuneCraft, Gizmodo, IdeaPaint, Magnif, The Spoon Sisters
Electronics
Most of us are ill prepared for disasters. Just consider how most of us panic when – for example – a storm is on its way. We rush to the local grocery store, pick up highly perishable foods that we can never finish, or head to the hardware store to pick up ‘one of everything’. It’s simply not efficient.
While there will always be things you need to purchase on the fly, here is a list of things you may want to keep stored away so you are always ready for the unexpected.
Read more »
by Bob September 16, 2011
Tags: Breitling, Coghlans, MAGLITE, Red Cross, Victorinox, Yaesu
Design
We don’t want to burst your bubble and remind you that the end of summer is upon us, but it is our duty to keep you prepared for every season and weather change. For many of you out there, autumn will mean fewer sunny skies and more rain in the forecasts, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay in and avoid emerging from your cave until months later.
Here is some essential rainproof gear that will help you tackle all of the challenges that Mother Nature will throw at you in the coming months.
Read more »
by Maria September 6, 2011
Tags: Dosh Wallet, GustBuster, Hunter Boots, JakPak, Opulent Items, Sony Cyber-shot TX10, Sony W Series Walkman MP3 Player
Design
Summer is the time to gather with your friends… and show off your new toys of course.
If you are looking for the next big thing to inspire jealousy as well as ‘oooh’ and ‘aaaah’ from those you wish to impress, here is our list of the must have gadgets – for boys.
Read more »
by Maria April 20, 2011
Tags: Amazon Kindle, Design gadgets, Fiik Big Daddy, Jawbone Jambox, Jetlev-Flyer, Kikuichi Santoku Knife, Nintendo 3DS, Noteslate, V.I.O POV.HD, WilliamsWarn Personal Brewery, Zojirushi Cool Bottle
Design
Do you buy the whole ‘violence in video games causes violence in real life’ argument? Many of us believe that senseless violence in videogames is most likely worthless, and if something is indeed disturbing then one should exercise his or her right to turn it off. But pointing fingers is never productive.
That being said, there are many videogames that lack violence and are exceptionally good, as well as video games that use violence but have another message hidden underneath. Here are some picks for the games can do a lot of good for the development of people of all ages.
Read more »
by Maria April 16, 2011
Tags: bully video game, nintendo, playstation, rockstar video game, tetris, video games, wii sports, yakuza
Design
The biggest complaints we ever hear about Apple often have to do with its larger than life status. The story is indeed incredible – a scrappy, innovative company launches, kicks out its founder, who then returns to save it from the brink of extinction and take of the computing world with colorful computers, portable music players, phones and now tablets.
It’s the stuff of novels and movies, and whether you call it ‘too good to be true’, it’s just like reading ancient cultural mythology now. You just need to take a leap of faith.
An article on GigaOm about Apple turning 35 brought up some good points about how Apple’s story will continue. Where is Apple to go in these rapidly changing times? Will keyboards be replaced with rapidly advancing touch screen interfaces? Will we forego physical media like discs completely and move to The Cloud? What about this supposed ‘post-PC’ world we are entering? And how will Apple stay ‘revolutionary’? It’s possible that none of these questions really matter – like all of the questions about the Dharma Initiative polar bears on ‘LOST’, they are only just distractions from what is really important.
But wait, to digress – yes, audience debates do fuel the story’s presence and enhances the mythology. Tech geeks will argue with each other as to why Apple products always seem to be a half a generation behind other companies. Design purists will tout the exceptional industrial design and honor Apple’s achievements of the past, present and future. Marketing wise, there is no argument to the contrary the Apple has done an incredible job over the years. Since their ‘Think Different’ campaign over a decade ago (‘1984’ doesn’t count since there was a big gap of nothing after that) they have been able to keep the brand in the forefront of people’s minds in a positive light.
And now back to what is important – like all good stories, the crux, the ‘core’ (excuse the apple pun) is not about all of the technical mumbo-jumbo or what we think is important. It is ultimately about the protagonists’ journey – and its growth and maturation from one entity to another. And in this case, the protagonist is two-fold – Apple and of course Steve Jobs. Without speculating about his health here, we are facing the inevitable close to Steve jobs’ reign SOMEDAY, and this story of Apple (call it a chapter, or the book) will end with his departure from the company.
What will happen then? Well if history truly repeats itself, Apple will continue to grow and become a dominating force in the technology and electronics industry (not just ‘computing’ or ‘phones’) world like Sony and Panasonic before it, and go through peaks and valleys until the general public begins to think of their products as… stale. Buyers have proven to be finicky, and have turned their backs to many popular brands and their products in the past. And again without Steve Jobs at the helm, they will have to wait for a successor – and only luck and time will reveal who can fill those shoes.
The end is inevitable. And then a new contender will arise. A new story will emerge. And all will be revolutionary once again.
by Bob April 11, 2011
Tags: Apple, Panasonic, Sony, Steve Jobs, The Cloud
Loading ...
