On Liliputing: Will smartwatches help tablets replace smartphones?
Given the success of smartwatches on Kickstarter (if not in the marketplace just yet), I’m hoping that developers jump on this bandwagon hard and make some awesome apps. Not just because I like the idea of a Dick Tracy-esque device on my arm, but because it could be the thing that makes the tablet phone possible.
Just a year ago I was complaining about how it was still an annoying multi-step process to get short fiction from my favorite magazines onto my mobile device of choice. Back then it was my eReader. These days I read on a tablet, but only because none of my eInk eReaders has the versatility I need for what I do.
The tablet I use everyday is a 7-inch Galaxy Tab, which is the perfect size for tableting, according to me. The two apps I use to grab short fiction are the official Google Reader app and Pocket (used to be Read It Later). Sometimes I have to use the browser. Read more →
Earlier this summer, Google announced the newest version of the Android operating system, dubbed Jelly Bean. The moment this new Android became official I started seeing posts pop up on tech blogs attempting to answer the queston: When will my phone get Jelly Bean? Before that you could find hundreds of posts attempting to answer a similar question: when will… Read more →
Last week Google announced that their podcasting app, Google Listen, will soon be kaput. For those out there that use the app this is sad news. (Personally, I never liked Listen.) If you’re looking for a replacement or trying to find a good Android podcatcher in general, you should check out DoggCatcher. DoggCatcher isn’t free like Google Listen. And $4.99… Read more →
On Liliputing: Google’s beta culture infecting the hardware side of the business
Remember last week when I said that Google was moving its habit of beta launching software, getting tons of users, killing it, then resurrecting elements as different software had now moved into the hardware realm? We’ve now reached the “kill it” stage with the Nexus Q.
At CES I saw several really drool-worthy products, but the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga was among the best, no question, no hesitation. When the company demoed it for us the first time I was immediately impressed and also immediately aware that I needed one of my own.
This isn’t the first time I’ve had this reaction to a Lenovo product. And I’ve been burned in the past. I’ve seen some amazing notebooks and tablets teased and promised at CES only to receive news later that they wouldn’t be coming to market, after all. They swear this is not the case for the Yoga; it’s just waiting for Windows 8 before it can ship to customers. I begrudgingly believe them. Read more →
In my preparation for the BlogHer conference (which was awesome!), I wanted to put together several ways to share my contact information with the people I would meet. I have traditional paper business cards, of course. But since I’m a digital geek girl, I also poked into my contact card on my phone and looked into ways I could share… Read more →
I’ve typed some variation of this sentence dozens of times over the past few hours, yet typing it again still feels very odd: Today is my last day at Laptop Magazine. Yep, I’m leaving my post as News Editor after almost exactly two years in that position. No, I am not going to This Is My Next like all the… Read more →
As you may have seen if you’re following my Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr, I’m doing a regular column for Book Country now. (By the way, Book Country is an excellent hangout for genre writers. Not just SF/F, but mystery, romance, etc. Get critiques, get writing advice, meet new people, it’s pretty awesome.) The column will focus on tech for writers… Read more →
I know that I’ve neglected this blog for a long time. It’s mostly due to being so busy at work. But since it was time to dump my old theme — which was pretty, but a complete mess code-wise — I decided to reinvigorate the blog and get a new design going. I can’t take credit for all of this… Read more →