Is Apple rattled by Samsung? Let’s hope so

Monday, March 18th, 2013

Defensive, prickly and occasionally flat-out disingenuous, Apple’s attempt to swing undecided buyers to the iPhone is great news. For Android users, it confirms that the long wait for an alternative mobile platform that you can bring home to your parents is almost over. Apple’s anti-Android potshots are an indication that Android has finally come of age for consumers.

That’s good news for everyone. If Apple now sees Android as a real threat, it will have to find ways to stop users drifting away. In the long run, Apple on the back foot should mean nicer, better-value products. In the short term it means snippy, linkbait anti-Android marketing barely worth the HTML it’s written on – but still, Apple’s rattled. That can only be a good thing.

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Samsung just cut Google out of Android

Friday, March 15th, 2013

In this month’s PC Pro, our Talking Point asks whether Samsung’s Galaxy brand is now bigger than Google? Had we written that after last night’s launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4, I suspect the conclusions would have been rather different.

Make no mistake: Samsung just shafted Google. The company spent about 10% of last night’s launch event talking about the new hardware, and the remainder of “the show” unveiling a phalanx of new services, many of which fall into direct competition with Google’s own. Android has effectively become a piece of open-source firmware on Samsung’s latest handset, not the money-generating gateway to services that Google intended it to be.

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Greatest Hits of MWC 2013

Sunday, February 24th, 2013

With the world’s largest mobile technology show about to take place in the sunny environs of Barcelona. it’s time to kick off something new for our coverage of the show this year: PC Pro’s Greatest Hits of MWC 2013. It’s our pick of the best products and technologies on show at the event. Nine products will walk away with a Greatest Hits award, and as ever we’re looking for our readers’ help in picking the winners.

If you see a product you think deserves to be considered, then make a comment on this blog by midnight Tuesday 5 February (UK time). In addition to five products earning the Greatest Hits accolade, we’re giving away four awards in the following specific categories:

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HTC One review: first look

Wednesday, February 20th, 2013

HTC hasn’t made a ground-breaking handset in a few years, but first impressions suggest the HTC One is a welcome return to form.

We’ve been hands-on with the new phone, and the One makes a superb first impression. Its body is constructed entirely from aluminium, with two diamond-cut bands that contain the aerials. The good looks are matched with excellent build quality – the 143g device feels as sturdy as anything Apple or Samsung can muster. (more…)

Samsung Series 7 Chronos review: first look

Thursday, January 10th, 2013

Don’t be fooled by their similar names: the Samsung Series 7 Chronos couldn’t be more different to its much smaller sibling, the Series 7 Ultra. This is a 15.6in behemoth designed for the heaviest of duties – Samsung uses the phrase “ultimate performance for professional creation” – and that’s obvious from the moment you pick it up.

That said, compared to other 15.6in laptops, the Chronos is quite light: Samsung claims it weighs 2.35kg. Mind you, it also claims that it’s just 20.9mm thick – we’ll have to measure it with the office callipers when the final sample arrives in the office, but we suspect it’s closer to 30mm at its fattest point.

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Samsung Evolution Kit, smart TV and the colliding worlds of phones, PCs and televisions

Thursday, January 10th, 2013

CES has always been associated with TV, but this is the first year I can recall so many companies’ press conferences and announcements being dominated by the big screen that sits in our living room. Hell, they’re even upgradeable: we saw the Samsung Evolution Kit, which upgrades the “brain” in your TV so you can use this year’s big features.

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Samsung Series 7 Ultra review: first look

Tuesday, January 8th, 2013

Have no doubt: the Samsung Series 7 Ultra is a premium laptop. Indeed, Samsung slam-dunks this point by including the phrase “Samsung Premium” on the Ultrabook sticker here at CES 2013. It needn’t have bothered: the feeling of quality is obvious as soon as you pick up the solid aluminium body, with no plastic underside to spoil the effect.

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The techs to watch in 2013

Monday, December 31st, 2012

With the January sales looming, you might be wondering whether it’s time to grab a bargain, or whether you should  hold out a little longer and see what technologies the new year brings. I’ve been closely watching the industry in 2012, and keeping track of announcements for the coming year – and below you’ll find my predictions of what’s going to happen in various areas of technology in 2013.

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Samsung Galaxy Camera review: first look

Friday, September 7th, 2012

Windows 8 was the OS on everyone’s lips at IFA 2012, but Google’s Android OS popped up in the most unusual places. In addition to its range of Windows 8 tablets, Samsung embraced its eccentric side and unveiled its Android 4.1-powered snapper, the Galaxy Camera.

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Samsung Ativ Smart PC and Ativ Smart PC Pro review: first look

Monday, September 3rd, 2012

Following hot on the heels of its Windows RT-powered Ativ Tab, Samsung seized the IFA 2012 moment and unveiled two full-sized Windows 8 tablets, the Ativ Smart PC and its pricier cousin, the Ativ Smart PC Pro.

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