On Digital Trends: Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition Review
Liken the Nexus devices before it, the Google Edition GS4 is available unlocked directly from Google. It’s also expensive at $650 since it’s not subsidized by a specific carrier. The price tag isn’t the only thing that may stop many potential buyers short. Because as joyful as it is to have stock Android on the Galaxy S4, it also means that the smartphone’s signature features are now gone as well. Is the trade-off worth it?
On Digital Trends: Paper rules: Why borrowing an e-book from your library is so difficult
Four years in, borrowing an e-book from your local library is still a difficult and confusing process that varies wildly depending on what kind of e-reader or device you own. And once you finally figure out how to borrow a book, there are other frustrations. …
So why is it so hard to borrow an e-book? It’s because none of the companies involved are working together. The e-reader makers, library lending software developers, and the publishers are all working at odds and it’s us who suffer. E-book library lending is broken.
On Digital Trends: BlackBerry Z10 Review
The expectation that BlackBerry would deliver a phone far out ahead of the competition is unrealistic given how far behind the company fell. But not every phone needs to be ultra groundbreaking in order to be a good phone and draw in customers. Look at Windows Phone, which may have alienated potential users with its boxy design. The Z10 is a good phone, but not cause for fireworks. And it’s still more suited to people in business suits than your average Joe.
On Digital Trends: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch Review
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon is undoubtedly one of the best Ultrabooks of the past year. Not only is it rugged enough for the rigors of the road-warrior life, it also offers a bigger screen than most of the competition without sacrificing the slim and small body. And, of course, the ThinkPad keyboard is among the best you can get on any laptop.
On Digital Trends: This tablet stand may kill you in your sleep
The first time we saw the spider-like Life-Phorm all-in-one positioning device it reminded us of those Facehugger things from Alien. It’s the kind of gadget that looks like it might spring to life while you’re sleeping, scurry across the floor, and go eat a baby. Or maybe it’s a pawn in a larger Decepticon plan to take over the world and get some Energon cube. We don’t know, and we can’t be certain, but in the meantime, it will hold your tablet, smartphone, or camera in a variety of helpful positions!
On Black Enterprise: Review Roundup: Two Ultrabook Picks for Mobile Professionals
Road warriors and mobile professionals are attracted to the ultrabook category in part to their slim and light design, powerful performance and relatively affordable price. Many consumer ultrabooks have impressive chops but lack key features that business users need. If you’re stuck trying to decide between a consumer or business model, this one’s for you.
Just a short note to say that Tecca, one of the best technology websites I’ve ever read, is shutting down this week. I’m so very sad about this, it’s hard to express. Even before I joined the Tecca team I admired the website. I loved the mix of tech news and reviews with space and science stuff and the geeky… Read more →
On Liliputing: Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Tablet Review
The Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Tablet balances portability, productivity, and power well, and does so at a decent price. This one is definitely for the small business crowd, entrepreneurs, or consumers who want a long-lasting tank of a laptop with an excellent keyboard.
Several months ago, Tumblr users who had a browser extensions called “The Missing e” installed loaded up their dashboards and came across this message: The message uses a lot of scary words — browser hack, privacy, data loss — meant to rattle the less clueful. Then it presents users with a silly choice: uninstall the ‘hack’ right now or forfeit… Read more →
New thing: Linkspams. Every week (usually on Friday) I’ll post a collection of the tech news I find most relevant or interesting plus all the stuff I wrote. I’ll keep it down to 20 links most of the time, maybe less. Let me know what you think! Stuff I Wrote Review: Samsung Series 7 Gamer offers monster power at a… Read more →