Links
The Fading "Real Computer"
Office, messaging and verbs - Benedict Evans
When people talk about productivity - about PowerPoint and Excel and how Google Docs and the cloud will or won't kill them, or messaging and the cloud, or how you need a PC for 'real work' - I'm reminded of CC Baxter and his Friden
goodies
Goodies: July 14
Good morning eveyone! It's a beautiful, steamy summer day here in the midwest. Supposedly my employer is okay with people wearing shorts, but I'm still not comfortable enough to be that casual at work. Maybe come August when it gets really hot.
The news that hit me the hardest this past
tech
Apple Makes Profits, Everyone Else Fights for Scraps
The Wall Street Journal reports Apple earned 92% of the profits in the smartphone market last quarter:
Apple Inc. recorded 92% of the total operating income from the world’s eight top smartphone makers in the first quarter, up from 65% a year earlier, estimates Canaccord Genuity managing director Mike Walkley. Samsung Electronics Co. took
podcast
Bite Size Tech #10: I Don't Want to Have to Talk About Privacy Again
This week's show hits FBI Director James Comey's insane comments on iOS security, whether you should install the iOS, watchOS, and OS X betas, and how Target is trying to stay relevant by modernizing their tech offerings.
Game
Nintendo Legend Satoru Iwata Passes Away at 55
On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer. - Iwata at GDC 2005
Nintendo released a very brief statement today to announce the unexpected passing of Nintendo of America CEO, Satoru Iwata. Iwata had a spectacular career at Nintendo,
Links
Moving Forwards by Moving Back
Marco Arment responds to his own "Functional High Ground" article from the start of the year:
The entire decline of software quality that I felt in January wasn’t all due to a single buggy network-lookup service — but, unbeknownst to me at the time, a lot of it was. And that huge
Links
Don't Hate the Real People Who Work at Your Least Favorite Company
7,800 jobs is nothing to joke about - Peter Cohen for iMore
This week Microsoft announced plans to cut almost 8,000 jobs, mostly associated with Microsoft's smartphone division. Some in the tech press took no time at all to exclaim that Microsoft's smartphone ambitions were dead, and I saw more
tech
The Global PC Market is Shrinking Quite a Bit
Global PC market shrinks 11.8% year-over-year:
With shipments totaling nearly 16.4 million PCs in 2Q15, the U.S. market shrank -3.3% from the same quarter a year ago. Although most vendors saw volume decline, gains from Apple and Lenovo helped limit the overall decline.
As someone who has been following
watch
10 Impressions After Almost 3 Months with Apple Watch
The first few days with the Apple Watch were a whirlwind of excitement and exploration. I wrote up some first impressions over the first few days with the Watch. Now, 76 days into my Apple Watch experience, here are some more impressions.
1. I’ve worn it everyday
Yes, I have worn my Apple Watch
ios
Should You Install the iOS and OS X Public Betas?
I'll once again open this post like I always do: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
However, my "NOOOO…" is a little more mild this time compared to my suggestions for the first 2 iOS and Os X betas. Below I lost my recommendations for whether you should install each beta for the iPhone, iPad, and
Instapaper Rolls Out InstaRank 2 for More Varied Reads
Instapaper rolls out InstaRank version 2:
Today, we’re excited to announce the release of InstaRank v2, an update to our InstaRank algorithm, which identifies popular, high-quality content across Instapaper. In this update, InstaRank will retain its focus on identifying high-quality content but with an added emphasis on discovering great material from less
Links
Google Releases Material Design Lite for Web Developers
Google has released Material Design Lite, which is just a few CSS and JavaScript files that enable deb designers to easily tap the looks and feel of Material Design.
I have just begun to poke around with it, but it seems like it's going to be a great tool for developers who are
Microsoft Won't Give Up on Mobile
Satya Nadella email to employees on sharpening business focus
I am committed to our first-party devices including phones. However, we need to focus our phone efforts in the near term while driving reinvention. We are moving from a strategy to grow a standalone phone business to a strategy to grow and create a vibrant
Game
Sony's New PS4 Destiny Bundle
Limited Edition Destiny: The Taken King PS4 Bundle Out This September – PlayStation.Blog
The package will include a white Destiny-inspired 500GB Limited Edition PS4 system and a physical copy of Destiny: The Taken King Legendary Edition, which includes Destiny, Expansions I and II, and The Taken King.
I really liked the original Desitny PS4
goodies
Goodies: July 7
Good morning, everyone! We had some crazy storms here in Illinois last night, but we've survived and come out the other end in one piece. I may or may not have gone out to get tacos in the middle of the madness because, you know, tacos. I think they were worth it.
Here&
Game
TIMEframe is Out Today on Steam
TIMEframe looks quite interesting, even though it appears to be a pretty slow experience. I've embedded AngryCentaurGaming's early review of the game. I like his reviews in general, but beware there is some mild NSFW language.
ios
iOS is 90% There, but That Last 10% Hurts
It's amazing how much you can get done on a smartphone in 2015. For the last couple weeks, I've been away from my Mac for almost half of each week and my life goes on just fine. I'm not a casual computer user either; I have a very active
Links
Blackberry Seriously has the Worst Smartphone Differentiator
Is this BlackBerry’s First Android Phone? - Techcrunch
Posted by the endlessly resourceful Evan Blass (aka evleaks), the photo shows a device that appears to have curves on both halves of its display — not unlike Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge. It’s said to be called the BlackBerry “Venice”, though that’s likely a codename.