opinion
Evernote's Current Dip
Eugene Kim over at Business Insider (I know, I know) has piece on Evernote’s fall from grace in the tech world.
Depending on where you stand, Evernote is either a sinking ship or a maturing company going through a normal transition cycle. But most people we spoke to seem to agree that the company
opinion
Data is Square (or Why Round Smart Watches are Just a Fad)
We seem to be at a fork in the road when it comes to smart watch design. There is a serious debate out there about whether smart watches should be round or square. The two major players in the smart watch era have already broken down different paths with Google’s partners going all in
opinion
I Don't Think Your Review is Very Accurate
Near the end of 2014 I wrote a review of the Misfit Flash and in 2015 is is one of my most-read articles on the entire site. There are about 50 different “Misfit Flash…” searches that can lead you to my review, so I guess I hit the topics people are curious about. And
Links
I Didn't Know I Wanted to Block Ads Until I Found Your Site
Nilay Patel writing for The Verge:
You might think the conversation about ad blocking is about the user experience of news, but what we're really talking about is money and power in Silicon Valley.
Nilay is correct that this is all a big chess match that’s about more than just readers and
opinion
Explaining our tech obsessions to non-tech people
I have gone back and forth with people many times about how expensive Apple products are and how it’s irrational to buy them when there is tech that is just as good and does all the same things which cost half the price. This argument was always frustrating because I didn’t have a
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
Links
No, the Law Isn't Optional
Simon Maloy writing for Salon on some conservatives' claims that religion protects them from following the law:
“I was not elected Governor of Arkansas to surrender all our rights as citizens to an all-powerful federal autocracy,” Orval Faubus declared in a 1958 speech resisting the Court-mandated racial integration of public schools. “It
opinion
A Quick Thought on Yesterday's Monumental SCOTUS Decision
To summarize Beth Birchler (my awesome wife)
The best part of all this is that the people who tried so hard to make marriage equality illegal are the very reason it’s legal today.
The Supreme Court didn’t just decide that marriage equality is the new law, they (and all the other state courts)
opinion
Reintroducing Myself to Android
I bought myself a Moto E to use as my reference Android device. It’s a pretty solid phone for the sub-$100 price point. It’s also running a near-stock version of Android Lollipop, and will get updates in a fairly timely manner when Android M rolls out this fall.
I sometimes badmouth
opinion
Life with a 16GB iPhone (Not Great, Bob!)
I need to vent just a little.
Life with a 16GB iPhone is nearly impossible! Frankly, I don’t know how anyone does it. I have 2 games installed (Alto’s Adventure and Desert Golfing, for those interested) and 48 apps from the App Store. I think that’s a pretty reasonable number of apps
opinion
Is HoloLens Really Microsoft's Vision of the Future?
I watched some of Microsoft’s BUILD keynote today and saw some pretty nice stuff coming from the company. You have to like the move completely away from Internet Explorer (although you have to wonder if this is a “rose by a different name” situation) and their aggressive moves with Microsoft Visual Studio may help
Links
There Has Never Been One Best iPhone Size for Everybody
Manton Reese - No Perfect iPhone Size
The lesson from all these switches couldn’t be more clear: there’s no longer one perfect iPhone for everyone.
I hate to disagree with Manton, because I think he’s really smart, but there has never been one perfect iPhone size for everyone. For the longest time there
opinion
Samsung Finally Made Another Great Phone
I have a tendency to give Samsung a hard time on this site. I’m definitely not alone in this endeavor, though. For years Samsung has been the whipping boy for Apple fans the world over. They’re an easy target, after all. They aren’t very original, they have brash marketing that gets under
opinion
Tidal's Terrible Messaging and Gloomy Future
Jay Z relaunches Tidal with music’s biggest artists as his co-owners - The Verge
Before today, that premium tier was the only one TIDAL offered. This morning it introduced a $9.99 service with standard definition audio, which will pay just the standard royalty rates. The double royalties only get paid on streams for
opinion
How Many Great Android-exclusive Apps Are There?
Chris Lacy makes some of my favorite Android apps. Action Launcher was by far my favorite launcher and Link Bubble was an awesome alternative take on a mobile browser. I like the guy.
Tonight he tweeted this:
Nuzzel is one of the few truly worthwhile exclusives iPhone had over Android. Until now. https://t.co/
opinion
Apple Watch Isn't a "Real Watch", It's Something Better
"Sure, CDs sound more accurate than vinyl, but vinyl is more romantic and has a warmer sound than your digital music."
"MP3s are convenient and easy, but CDs sound better. Real music lovers will stick with plastic."
"Streaming services are an amazing value, but don't you want to
Game
First Impressions of Nintendo's Move Towards Mobile
Yesterday Nintendo announced that they were going to start making games for mobile platforms (presumably iOS and Android). Some greeted this news with excitement, feeling their opinions had been vindicated. Others pumped the brakes a bit on their excitement. After take 24 hours to think about it, I’m more in the latter category.
I’
opinion
Who Will Think Highly of You?
I had a situation at work yesterday where I had to do something uncomfortable. Long story short, I had to give some hard feedback on someone’s performance. I don’t think anyone truly likes doing this, but it’s a part of the job. It’s also something that I really struggled with when