• Microsoft’s Surface Tablet Early Reviews Round-up

    // Gradly // blog, Gadgets, iPad, Microsoft, News, Rants & Raves, Reviews, Tech. No Responses

    Microsoft's Surface Tablet Early Reviews Round-up

    Microsoft’s Surface Tablet Early Reviews Round-up

    And the early reviews for Microsoft’s new Surface tablet have begun stacked up, giving us a glimpse of whats Microsoft has its up sleeves in the tablet business. Judging by the hands-on, it seems the Surface is not going well for Microsoft primarily with the obvious lack of apps, buggy software and other awkwardness:

    TIME:

    My 48-year-old eyeballs have no trouble telling the difference between iPad Retina text and the Surface’s ClearType — but overall, the Surface’s screen is one of the best I’ve seen on a tablet.

    The screen, incidentally, is 16:9, an aspect ratio designed with Windows 8′s panoramic interface in mind. It lets you see more apps without panning, and is well suited to the feature that allows you to snap a widget-like version of one app on the side of the primary program you’re using. Microsoft thinks Surface buyers will use the tablet mostly in landscape mode; it works in portrait orientation too, although the aspect ratio leaves it looking like a small-but-tall magazine.

    NY Times:

    Yes, keyboard. You know Apple’s magnetically hinged iPad cover? Microsoft’s Touch Cover is the same idea — same magnet hinge — except that on the inside, there are key shapes, and even a trackpad, formed from slightly raised, fuzzy material. Flip the cover open, flip out the kickstand and boom: you have what amounts to a 1.5-pound PC that sets up anywhere.

    This is nothing like those Bluetooth keyboard cases for the iPad. First, the Touch Cover is much, much thinner, 0.13 inches, cardboard thin. Second, it’s not Bluetooth; there’s no setup and no battery hit. The magnet clicks, and keyboard is ready for typing. Third, when you want just a tablet, the keyboard flips around against the back. The Surface automatically disables its keys and displays the on-screen keyboard when it’s time to type.

    The Verge:

    It does the job of a tablet and the job of a laptop half as well as other devices on the market, and it often makes that job harder, not easier. Instead of being a no-compromise device, it often feels like a more-compromise one.

    There may be a time in the future when all the bugs have been fixed, the third-party app support has arrived, and some very smart engineers in Redmond have ironed out the physical kinks in this type of product which prevent it from being all that it can be. But that time isn’t right now — and unfortunately for Microsoft, the clock is ticking.

    BGR:

    Imagine booting up an iPad for the first time, seeing the OS X desktop exactly as it appears on a MacBook, and then finding out you cannot run any OS X software on the device. As odd as that scenario sounds, that is exactly the situation Microsoft is facing with the next-generation Windows OS…

    …At 1.5 pounds, the Surface’s weight falls very close to that of Apple’s iPad despite the tablet’s larger display, and Microsoft says that the 10.6-inch display size is perfect for a device that is as much about content creation as it is content consumption.

    Gizmodo:

    In the end though, this is nothing more than Microsoft’s tablet. And a buggy, at times broken one, at that, whose “ecosystem” feels more like a tundra. There’s no Twitter or Facebook app, and the most popular 3rd party client breaks often. The Kindle app is completely unusable. There’s no image editing software. A People app is supposed to give you all the social media access you’d ever need, but It’s impossible to write on someone’s Facebook wall through the People app, Surface’s social hub; the only workaround is to load Internet Explorer. Blech. Something as simple as loading a video requires a jumbled process of USB importing, dipping in and out of the stripped-down desktop mode, opening a Video app, importing, going back into the Video app, and then playing. What.

    PC World:

    The Surface RT’s 1.4GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor and 2GB of system memory handle their workloads without drama. Gesturing through the OS itself is fast and fluid. Ditto browsing in Internet Explorer. Websites load extremely quickly, and when you scroll rapidly down pages, screen redraws have no trouble keeping up…

    …Regardless, performance in hard-core applications probably won’t even matter, because the Windows RT desktop is locked down: You will never be able to install Photoshop, traditional PC games, or any other code we typically define as “PC software.”

    BuzzFeed:

    I’ve been waiting a long time for somebody to produce tablets and phones that are lock, stock and barrel better than what Apple’s been making since the first iPhone. Every year, somebody gets closer. Surface doesn’t get close enough. The thing is, Surface is supposed to be so much more than just Microsoft’s iPad alternative, the Other Tablet. It may very well be one day. It has everything it needs to be that. But today it’s just another tablet. And not one you should buy.

  • iPhone 5 Early Reviews Are Overwhelmingly Positive

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Design, Gadgets, iPhone, Rants & Raves, Reviews No Responses

    iPhone 5 Early Reviews Are Overwhelmingly Positive

    iPhone 5 Early Reviews Are Overwhelmingly Positive

    Against or the haters, early reviews for the iPhone 5 are up now showing and overwhelmingly positive, praising its thin and light design, fast processor and LTE 4G speeds, and larger 4-inch display. Apple’s 2x speed and battery claims seem accurate. The new Lightning connector seems to be physically nice, though there is disappointment there is no speed improvement in syncing as compared to the old sync cable/connectors.

    Her are some of the more interesting points collected from early reviews. The iPhone 5 will officially launch on September 21st.

    Engadget:

    The iPhone 5 is a significant improvement over the iPhone 4S in nearly every regard, and in those areas that didn’t see an upgrade over its predecessor — camera, storage capacity — one could make a strong case that the iPhone 4S was already ahead of the curve. Every area, that is, except for the OS. If anything, it’s the operating system here that’s beginning to feel a bit dated and beginning to show its age.

    Still, the iPhone 5 absolutely shines. Pick your benchmark and you’ll find Apple’s thin new weapon sitting at or near the top. Will it convince you to give up your Android or Windows Phone ways and join the iOS side? Maybe, maybe not. Will it wow you? Hold it in your hand — you might be surprised. For the iOS faithful this is a no-brainer upgrade. This is without a doubt the best iPhone yet. This is a hallmark of design. This is the one you’ve been waiting for.

    SlashGear:

    Competition between mobile platforms keeps the industry moving and innovating. That can often present itself as a surfeit of innovation: feature upon feature, piled high in an all-singing, all-dancing device. Right now, the iPhone 5 has the best balance of everyday usability and performance, without the distraction of functionality that is clever but unintuitive. It’s an area in which Apple excels, and it’s the reason the iPhone 5 is one of the best smartphones on the market today.

    The Telegraph:

    Specificationists will say that with the iPhone 5 Apple is now behind its rivals in terms of features but in truth it’s hard to think of a feature offered elsewhere that the average person – as opposed to the tech obsessive – really needs. NFC is not sufficiently widely used, wireless charging is nice but still requires a charger plugged into the wall and most people get along fine without removable storage. The iPhone 5 is a great smartphone made even better. It’s fast, lightweight and backed by the largest application store for any device. It’s also probably the most beautiful smartphone anyone has ever made.

    Wall Street Journal:

    Apple has taken an already great product and made it better, overall. Consumers who prefer huge screens or certain marginal features have plenty of other choices,but the iPhone 5 is an excellent choice.

    T3

    Given that iPhone 4S users can upgrade to iOS 6 and do just about everything the iPhone 5 can do, and that Android users can get similarly impressive handsets for less dosh, we reckon the smart money won’t all be going on a new iPhone this year, even if the mass market can’t get enough of it. It’s good, very good. But it’s no longer the best around.

    Time:

    The bottom line, in case it isn’t clear already: The iPhone 5 is one terrific smartphone. Ignore the naysayers — even without any awesome technological breakthroughs, it’s a sizable improvement on the iPhone 4S. For many upgrades, LTE alone will be worth the price of admission.

    How does it stack up against the Galaxy S III, the current champ among Android phones? It’s really not that complicated a question. The Galaxy does more stuff; the iPhone 5 does somewhat fewer things, but tends to do them better. (And when the iPhone doesn’t do something right out of the box, there’s often an App Store app that will.)

    In other words, it boils down to a basic decision: features or polish? Only you can decide what’s important to you. It’s obvious which one Apple cares most about — and the iPhone 5 is the most artful, pleasing expression of its priorities yet.

    TechCrunch:

    Two other elements of the iPhone 5 that have already gotten a lot of press are the new EarPods and the new Lightning connector. I’m a big fan of the EarPods as they fit my ears almost perfectly — though I know that’s not the case with everyone. I can also hear bass for the first time with standard Apple earphones. They may not be the best earphones money can buy (nor should anyone expect them to be at $29.99 — or free with the new iPhone), but they’re a huge improvement over the old ones….As for the Lightning connector, it is what it is. A lot of people are upset that they’re going to need adapters for their old accessories. But that’s the price of progress. The Lightning connector is tiny compared to the old 30-pin connector, and the ability to plug it in with either side facing upwards is nice. I’m also not going to miss the pocket lint build up in the long port at the bottom of the iPhone.

    New York Times:

    If you have an iPhone 4S, getting an iPhone 5 would mean breaking your two-year carrier contract and paying a painful penalty; maybe not worth it for the 5’s collection of nips and tucks. But if you’ve had the discipline to sit out a couple of iPhone generations — wow, are you in for a treat.

    Bloomberg:

    The result is a phone that’s compact and feather-weight, yet, thanks to the materials used in its aluminum-and-glass body, conveys a sense of solidity and feels great in the hand. It also comes with newly redesigned headphones called EarPods that are the first ever from Apple that don’t either immediately fall out of my ears, hurt or both.

    Cnet:

    The iPhone 5 is the iPhone we’ve wanted since 2010, adding long-overdue upgrades like a larger screen and faster 4G LTE in a razor-sharp new design. This is the iPhone, rebooted.

    The new design is flat-out lovely both to look at and to hold, and it’s hard to find a single part that hasn’t been tweaked from the iPhone 4S. The iPhone 5 is at once completely rebuilt and completely familiar.

    Pocket-lint:

    Instead Apple has created a phone that the millions of current iPhone users will want to upgrade to. iPhone owners will love it, enjoy all those new features, and appreciate all the hard work, design, and engineering that has gone into it.

    The iPhone 5 is a phone that makes you feel safe. A phone that you know exactly how to use as soon as you take it out of the box and that is perfect for a huge number of people.

    It’s a phone that, until you start craving the iPhone 6, will serve you very well indeed.

    CBC:

    Given the iPhone 5’s sales expectations, it’s clear that many consumers just don’t care about the pricing. It’s simply a must-have gadget.

    Other manufacturers’ phones have newer, more innovative technologies in them – wireless charging or near-field communications that allow for data sharing by tapping phones together – but few if any inspire the obsessive devotion that Apple does.

    Few have also been able to bundle everything together – music and video content, hardware, software and apps – into a simple and elegant total package. The iPhone 5 may not be terribly innovative, but it does deliver that package better than any previous Apple product, and better than just about any other smartphone.

  • iPhone 5 is a Hit or a Miss?

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Gadgets, iPhone, My Take, Rants & Raves 1 Response

    iPhone 5 is a Hit or a Miss?

    iPhone 5 is a Hit or a Miss?

    Apple has successfully shaped the future for what the modern phone must look like since the debut of the original iPhone back in 2007 and ever since they go on building upon that success, and unsurprisingly, the new iPhone 5 is the finest Apple mobile device yet.

    Building upon that success is the case with every iPhone announced and this is the safe shelter for haters to bash every new entry released.

    An all-new Design?

    For all the ranters out there that can’t help themselves but touting the iPhone 5 as disappointing. What have you been waiting for exactly? An all-new design? Could anyone think of a better design than the current one? A circular, a cubic or more rounded-corner design that end up looking ugly/weird compared to other Apple products? Or they would like Apple to bring a totally disastrous design or whatever help bring down the company success? Apple is not going to revolutionize the phone every time and then.

    Apple will not bring a different design for the sake of difference, Apple will make new designs only and if only they get better concepts than the past and current ones. Remember, Apple’s main strategy: Don’t fix what is not broken.

    If the original iPhone was a wheel, why should Apple be bothered to reinvent the wheel over and over again, think about that this way, Apple will make the wheel better, efficient and more durable and this is what Apple doing year after year with iPhones.

    NFC or Wireless charging?

    Apple is indeed experimenting these technologies long time before as we previously came across a set of patents related to both technologies. Despite what Apple marketing exec Phil Schiller explained, Apple is not going to introduce these technologies until its time to bring them in full charge. Judging by Apple history, the company spent a lot of time, actually, many years before they unveil their devices and services, including iPhone, iPad, etc..

    If Apple chose not to include NFC, then it isn’t time yet, we can speculate, maybe adding the feature will demand more battery, still fragmented standard, security concerns, Google investment in the industry hasn’t paid off yet, but, against all odds, Apple still has a good alternative, Bluetooth 4.0 that they can fully utilize,

    The new earpods, for instance, were in the works since 3 years, and this time was the perfect moment to unveil the new accessory. Apple will bring the devices when its ready, unlike the other competitors who rather have no issues delivering half-baked devices or services (Microsoft with Windows RT Surface tablet, Google Glass, Sony’s floating touch technology, Samsung’s flexible display, to name a few).

    Why Apple will not please your appetite?

    As I said before Apple has different strategy up its sleeves, they will not fix what is not broken, the human nature always sees things broken and wants to change things even entirely.

    Apple keeps walking in the same pace, with or without your desire.

    Why I don’t care about competitors?

    Let me go straight, I hate people comparing different features between mobile devices, I know this is vital to choose you phone by comparing different devices but this is not what I’m referring to. I mean when they tell you stuff like, hey look, Galaxy S3 has NFC, Droid Razor is the thinnest, etc

    The whole set of comparisons such features with other competitors are misleading and pointless. I don’t care if the Galaxy has the panorama shooting capability before, because the matter is beyond that, I’ll not buy a phone for a single feature like Nokia PureView tech for instance if the device as a whole doesn’t satisfy my needs, those devices lack the majority of Apple offerings in terms of the experience as a whole that just got better by introducing the iPhone 5, Apple is much more than NFC or a set of features its an ecosystem which competitors struggling to match, they hardly going after every leak and patent to copy or get ready for what Apple brings to the world and yet they can’t catchup with Apple because iPhone isn’t just a device it’s part of Apple ecosystem that just works.

    Apple yet failed to impress many?

    Apple keynotes and new devices are no longer bring thrills to people due to amounts of leaks that proved accurate. Keep you eyes shut and don’t read rumors and I bet you, you will get amazed by Apple each and every time.

    But wait, who else other than Apple will tell you that they spend 3 years working on the new earpods, who else will tell you the science behind the band cutout, who else will tell you about photographing their assembly process with 29 megapixel cameras to ensure that a machine picks the exact inlet from 725 unique cuts? It’s only Apple that makes the ordinary stuff look so extraordinary.

    Its still 326 ppi?

    Of course the Retina display first introduced in iPhone 4 was a major industry changer and the companies are now competing to bring the more-dense concept to their displays. The amount of pixels is just perfect and Apple will not again challenge the 700,000+ Apps developers to upgrade their Apps for the sake of few extra pixels.

    But, Apple updates the iPhone every year?

    This is true, Apple will make consumers happy for at least 2 years, people are not forced to upgrade each and every year, for instance, iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S and maybe iPhone 4 are still killer devices. Unlike other competitors, Samsung, Nokia, HTC, etc who drops devices randomly every time and then with different screen sizes and different flavors (actually they are testing to find out what sells better) leaving the old devices-users unsupported.

    Apple care about their old iPhones, even the retired iPhone 3Gs is getting the new iOS 6.

    What went wrong?

    The whole lightning-USB adapters stuff are way expensive. No one wants a gadget to connect a gadget to a gadget after all.

    Was the iPhone 5 a hit or a miss?

    “Hit” the link here to watch the full Apple iPhone 5 keynote

  • Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes 15 Minutes Gameplay

    // Gradly // blog, Games, Metal Gear, News, Rants & Raves, Superheroes, Tech., Trailer No Responses

    Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima celebrating the 25th anniversary of the game series

    Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima celebrating the 25th anniversary of the game series

    celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Metal Gear series, game creator and designer Hideo Kojima attended PAX today to showed off 15 minutes of the first gameplay footage from his upcoming game. Though running on a PC, Kojima stated that the footage was comparable to what would be seen on the PS3 version of the game.

    Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes Big Boss/Naked Snake

    Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes Big Boss/Naked Snake

    Kojima first talked about the engine that powers Ground Zeroes, the Fox Engine.

    “There are a lot of amazing game engines out there — CryEngine, Unreal — but we wanted to get in there and tweak things ourselves,” Kojima said through a translator. Kojima Productions wanted to make their game development more efficient, he explained, in terms of creating a cross platform game engine that also supported cloud-based technology.

    “You can use it to make an FPS, an adventure game like Uncharted, or something on rails,” Kojima said, including an open world game – which is the genre he’s making now.

    The demo begins with an in-engine, real-time cinematic set in a rain-drenched prison camp, and ably shows off FOX Engine’s advanced shader, lighting, and particle effects.

    “We’re not going to say that it’s Metal Gear Solid 5,” Kojima said after the demo, “but it is a prologue.” Kojima also confirmed that the demo was running on PC hardware that was similarly equipped to PS3, and that the final game should closely resemble the demo video.

    Kojima also confirmed that he is personally creating Ground Zeroes.

    “I want to make it clear that Snake is back, but I’m also back.”

    Check out the video below: