Tech News Roundup for Monday, 9/30/13

In this series we round up the technology-based articles from around the web that have caught our eye in the last week. Have something we should know about? Send us a note!

In Case You Missed It

Everybody Chill Out - I Got This [Derek Gelinas]

Weekly Roundup

• With all the hoopla surrounding the gold iPhone 5s, would we put it past Apple to not make a gold iPad mini? Well, that may just be in the works [Pocketnow]

• What were the changes your lowly iPad or Android phone could bring down an airliner? Not much. The airlines think so too. [The Verge]

• Blackberry is in dire straits. Losses upon losses, not helped by sales of the Z10 have it teetering on the edge. [ZDnet]

• If you use Google's Chrome browser you may have seen a change in the way you access your Chrome apps. Here's what's been changed. [PCWorld]

• So, what do you think? Absolutely hate the way Chrome switched all of your stuff around? Here's how to put back. [Computerworld]

• Evernote unveils a company-branded marketplace in the hopes you'll live the 'Evernote Lifestyle'. How about a fancy Evernote backpack? Or perhaps a $75 stylus? [The Verge]

• As Google celebrates its 15th birthday, it's set to release an update to the iOS Google Search app that will bring cross-platform notifications from your Android device, iPhone, and iPad. [9to5 Mac]

• If the news that Blackberry may be on the teetering edge of non-existence wasn't enough, T-Mobile plans on trimming down its lineup of Blackberry devices in the coming months. [All Things D]

• Gold, gold, gold. It's all about the gold. Samsung wants in the the gold phone craze too, and has plans for its Galaxy S4 line. [Laptop]

• Amazon announced the next lineup of its Kindle Fire tablets. Its somewhat creepy Mayday help service brings actual humans directly to your tablet. [The Verge]

• A favorite of this writer, Roku updates its lineup of streaming media players. [The Verge]

• The Haswell processor is beginning to make its way to laptops and desktops, known for its power-saving amenities. Apple got into the game with the announcement of its refreshed lineup of Haswell-based iMac's [MacRumors]

• Gizmodo goes hands on with Microsoft's refresh of the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets. [Gizmodo]

• Fans of the T-Mobile version of the Moto X who aren't happy with the camera's performance get a little love from Google with a fix chock full of camera enhancements [Engadget]

• Well what do ya know? A hacker group has claimed to bypass the iPhone 5c's fingerprint scanner. How did they do it? [CNet]

• If all the bad Blackberry news wasn't enough, they've signed a deal to go private valued at 4.7 Billion. [Techcrunch]

Odds and Ends

Did you ever wonder what it was like to sit in line at an Apple store waiting to be one of the first to get your hands on an iPhone 5s? Indie film maker and one-time Apple whistle blower Casey Neistat and his team take his film camera to the Fifth Avenue Apple Store in Manhattan for a little side line fun.

(Credit: CNet)

The Darkside of the iPhone 5s Lines

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Everybody Chill Out - I Got This

Disclaimer: Derek Gelinas is a guest writer for TechXaminer. He is an Android fanatic who co-founded Carbon ROM, runs OSX, Linux, and Windows environments, and is generally cranky. His rants do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TechXaminer, though it is his personal belief that they would be better off if they did.

So the iPhone has this fancy new fingerprint scanner. Everyone, predictably, has their panties all a-twist about it. "OMG THAT'S NOT REALLY SECURE WE HAVE TO CRACK IT TO PROVE iPHONE IS BAD," or something to that effect. This shit again? Really? Must be September!

To the surprise of no one, someone found a way to beat it. Of course it was beaten - anyone who knows even the slightest bit about biometrics knows that fingerprint security is pretty far down the "things you can use to secure a system" totem pole. It can be beaten. We know that. We've always known that. Big whoop, I watched "Sneakers" too. Just because you can beat it doesn't mean you don't need to put in a good bit of work. You're gonna need the print - easy enough - and you're gonna need the time to scan it, print it in high res, etc. You're going to need to want to do it.

Which brings me to my next point. It doesn't matter. Not one bit. In fact, it's still a fantastic feature, and one that I hope we see in the Android world soon. Do you know many people who bother with a screen lock? Of course you don't. It's a giant pain in the ass and even enthusiasts can't be bothered. I can't even imagine the supreme effort of will it would require to get even one of my family members to use it. They don't care and they never will.

Now, those same people who love using iPhones but can't be bothered with a lock screen have a way to lock their phone with zero effort. Is it going to stand up to a focused attack? Hell no. Will it keep their idiot friends, coworkers, or your average thief from accessing your personal data? Yup. And here's a secret - that's all it needs to do. Remember face unlock? Not exactly hard to fool, and it isn't going to really keep anyone out really wants in. I don't recall the Android community tripping over themselves to attack that, though. It wasn't even implemented well - no one uses it because the damned thing only works under basically perfect conditions. The fingerprint scanner is no different - it just works better. Unless there was an epidemic of phone thieves running around wearing other people's cut-off faces that I didn't hear about, there won't be a sudden increase in fingers being chopped off, either. Anyone with data that requires real security isn't going to be relying on a stupid thumbprint.

And let's not fool ourselves about security, my Android brethren. How many of you are running a custom ROM? I don't care if you're using a lock screen or not - your phone isn't the tiniest bit secure when anyone can boot into your bootloader and flash anything they want.

Look, I'm an Android guy. Touchwiz and Sense make me want to throw my phone out the window onto train tracks, where it will hopefully be peed upon by a luddite hobo before being atomized by a passing bullet train. As far as I'm concerned, stock Android and open source are where it's at. So I get it. I'm basically a fanboy for Android. But here's the thing, guys - we're not the underdog anymore. Android is huge. It's advanced as hell. It has better and more features than iOS in many ways. Jumping all over the latest iPhone to show how clever and superior we are only serves to make us look like assholes. It brings the whole level of the conversation down. Some people like their iPhones - pretty sure that doesn't make them iSheep. (note: Windows phone and Surface users, on the other hand, are fair game. I hate those guys.)

Maybe Apple oversold the fingerprint scanner a bit. There's a shocker - that's kind of their thing, man. It doesn't mean that from an engineering and user perspective they don't have a real winner on their hands. The iPhone just got a whole lot more secure in real-world conditions for their users, and that's awesome. Will it stand up to targeted attacks? No. I'd wager very very few devices would. What it will do is make the user experience better, and that's the whole point. That's good for all of us.

So please, shut up about it.

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Tuesdays at the Polls: Have you installed a custom Android ROM?

In this weekly feature we want to give our readers the opportunity to provide some point-and-click style input on some of the questions we have been pondering. Got a great poll idea? Drop us a note!

One of the many positives of the Android community is the custom ROM scene. ROMs are independently organized builds of Android that have been tweaked to offer an alternative to the OEM versions available for many Android phones. Using the opensource code provided by Google, developers are able to build their own custom versions of Android and tweak features to their heart's content.

Arguably the biggest such ROM, CyanogenMod, announced this past week that it will become a legitimate company and will be available on the new, N1 flagship from Oppo. Many of us techies consider ROM flashing a novelty at this point, and can do it in a couple of hours, but I've had several non-tech friends ask me about them recently. Installing a ROM is pretty risky for a novice and many may not see the point. This poses my question this week: Have you ever taken the plunge of installing a custom Android ROM?

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Tech News Roundup for Monday, 9/23/13

In this series we round up the technology-based articles from around the web that have caught our eye in the last week. Have something we should know about? Send us a note!

iPhone 5c/5s and iOS 7 Link Favorites

12 New and Hidden Settings in iOS 7 [Macobserver]

20 Apps That Look Great on iOS 7 [Mashable]

iOS 7-optimized apps start hitting the App Store; here’s a running list of updates [9to5 Mac]

Living with iOS 7 [Macstories]

The best hidden features in iOS 7 [The Verge]

The iPhone 5c Review [Anandtech]

News You May Have Missed

• Nuclear options: Microsoft was testing Surface Phone while Nokia experimented with Android [The Verge]

• Google acquires sharing service Bump [Androidcentral]

• New leaked shots of LG Nexus show KitKat startup screen, other details [9to5 Google]

• Samsung Galaxy Gear up for pre-order from AT&T, priced $299 [Androidcentral]

• Nexus 4 16GB now out of stock on Google Play, too [Androidcentral]

• Verizon reportedly won't activate Google's Nexus 7 on its network (update) [The Verge]

• YouTube adding offline viewing to mobile apps [The Verge]

• iPad mini 2 case pictured in space gray for first time ever [BGR]

• BlackBerry reportedly preparing to lay off up to 40 percent of workers [The Verge]

• BlackBerry postpones launch of BBM for iOS and Android [The Verge]

Odds and Ends

How about this video from the YouTube channel of Stuart Edge? They do a couple of good deeds and catch the reaction of restaurant servers as they receive $200 tips. Touching to say the least.

Tipping Servers $200

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Xamination: Verizon Moto X Hands On

Guest Xamination by Andrew Clausen for TechXaminer (@guruandrew)

Moto X (Verizon): the “mid-range” phone that isn’t so mid

I’ve seen reviews that have thrown around “iPhone killer” and “the best Android phone ever” and other hyperbolic phrases that hype Motorola’s Moto X up--you sites know who you are. But I’m not going to do that because frankly, that cheapens what the Moto X is.

The Moto X is a phone that helps you with everyday needs and predicts what you are doing and acts based on that. Truly, it is a phone that actually tries to make your life easier.

Now, that’s not to say it’s JARVIS from Iron Man or anything like that, but it’s good at what it does.

Specs

Before we talk about any of the pros of the Moto X, let’s talk about what people are calling the phone’s biggest con: specs.

It has a Qualcomm MSM8960Pro Snapdragon that is dual-core and clocked at 1.7 GHz. It also has an Adreno 320 GPU to help with graphics. It also has 2GB of RAM. That may not look like a whole lot on paper, but this phone is fast, make no mistake. It runs as smooth as any phone on the market and with the added GPU, it runs games pretty smoothly as well.

Android really just doesn’t need a souped up quad-core beast, at least not yet.

Screen

The second big con: its screen.

The Moto X comes with “only” a 720p AMOLED screen. Sucks right? 

No! Are you kidding? What in the hell do you need 1080p for on a 5-inch screen? The difference is pretty much indiscernible to the human eye at that size. Just like on the other end, you can’t see the benefits of 4K resolution below 60-inches, so why buy it?

Now, if you want to debate why AMOLED isn’t as good as other technologies, then alright. I won’t argue with you. But this screen is solid and has a pixel-per-inch of 312, which means the image on the screen still looks pretty damn good.

You’ll also be glad it’s AMOLED because of Active Notifications.

Software Features

Now let’s start talking pros.

Active Notifications is by far the most useful software addition I’ve ever seen. It’s so good, I wish Android built it into source and then found a way to do it on all phones.

Unfortunately, the feature needs an AMOLED screen (lighting up individual pixels is hard, y’all) so that it doesn’t waste battery power like turning on your whole screen.

This feature saves you from having to constantly turn your screen on to do common things like check the time (who needs watches) and see summaries of messages you’ve received, all with little battery consumption.

And then there’s Touchless Controls.

You can do a lot with the device without ever laying a hand on it (insert Motorola TWSS joke). With Google Now being a very usable feature now, it can do most simple tasks like set alarms/reminders, send texts/emails, make calls, etc. by simply saying “Ok, Google Now.” Once you train the phone, it will only respond to your voice.

(It’s also still an awesome bar trick to ask it questions like how tall Lebron James is or how tall the Empire State Building is, now you just don’t need hands)

The Moto X also comes with Motorola Active, which, when activated, will know when you’re sleeping and silence the phone (except for favorites or when someone calls twice within five minutes); know when you’re driving and automatically make calls on speaker and read texts aloud; and know when you’re in a meeting (using Google Calendar) and silence your phone then too so you don’t end up being “that guy.”

Active isn’t always useful, but it’s a nice touch that has potential.

Hardware

This is a beautifully built device. It’s solid, feels great in your hand and is pretty light. When torn down by iFixit, they said it had the precision in its build that they only see in Apple phones.

Does that mean it’s an “iPhone killer”? No. But it means that finally someone is putting the time and craftsmanship into designing a phone that Apple does, and they’re known for great hardware, of course.

The phone has a very Google feel to it, as it should, being the first phone from the joint Motorola/Google company. But it doesn’t feel cheap. In fact, it feels like $199 is a steal. 

I haven’t dropped mine yet (trying not to since it’s my personal one), but I feel like it would take a hit pretty well. It doesn’t have a removable battery, so it’s locked shut with no backdoor per say, but isn’t unibody.

Camera

It’s hard to say about the camera. It’s better than my Galaxy Nexus so it’s great right now for me. But is it better than the other phones? That’s the question. I can’t say confidently yet, either way.

Sometimes it takes amazing pictures, sometimes it’s like having the ‘ol GNex back. It’s very bi-polar and that hurts its rating. But it shows it can take great pictures and I’m wondering if a software update could help. The hardware aspect of the camera I think is great, now the software has to catch up.

It’s kind of a cop-out here, but it’s an interesting conundrum.

Conclusion

This is the best phone that is currently available right now. It isn’t too big like the HTC One, it doesn’t have features you’ll never use like the Galaxy S4. It does feel like the middle of all the “greats” but brings in the best of each to create a great experience. 

Is this biased? Of course. But it’s a review and this is my opinion. However, I also strongly believe that the phone for you is what fits your needs, not mine.

That being said, this phone is a solid bet, on any carrier. Also, if you’re on Verizon like me, it’s a better bet than the Droids (unless you need the super battery of the Maxx). Everything is the same, just with a design team behind it. Win-win.

There are always other, sometimes better phones on the horizon. But this phone is making the statement that its time for the spec-wars to end and to start making truly great quality Android phones. Stop with all the flashy features that are purely for show and start making features that are useful in everyday life.

That’s why the Moto X exists.

To steal from Verizon’s multimillion dollar advertising, that’s why the Moto X DOES.

(Photo credits: Geoffrey Brackman)

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Tech News Roundup for Monday, 9/16/13

In this series we round up the technology-based articles from around the web that have caught our eye in the last week. Have something we should know about? Send us a note!

iPhone 5c/5s Hands On Roundup

Apple iPhone 5s hands-on (update: video) [Engadget]
Apple iPhone 5s hands-on video and impressions [The Verge]
Hands-on with the new 64-bit A7-powered iPhone 5s with new M7, camera features & Touch ID [Apple Insider]
iPhone 5C Hands On: Your Budget iPhone [Mashable]
A tale of two iPhones: Hands-on with the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C (update: video!) [Ars Technica]

Weekly Roundup

Roku for Android app allows streaming of video to set-top box – from some devices [9to5 Google]
Roku plays catch up to Google's Chromebox.

T-Mobile Moto X variant now available from Motorola for $599 [9to5Google]
T-Mobile subscribers now have access to the Moto X, but only in white and black for now.

LTE Nexus 7 now available from Google Play [Androidcentral]
The popular Nexus 7 tablet now with LTE connectivity.

Hands on with Apple's iPhone 5c and 5s [Computerworld]
Apple revealed the iPhone 5s and 5c last week. Computerworld has a hands on.

PayPal to offer hands-free payment through smartphone app [Computerworld]
Users of the Paypal service now have more options to pay via their smartphones.

iOS 7 is available on September 18 for certain devices [Gigaom]
Along with the announcement of the iPhone 5c and 5s, Apple will release iOS on Sept. 18.

Wall Street hammers ‘clueless’ Apple over high iPhone 5c price [BGR]
What do you think? Is Apple's 'low end' iPhone too expensive?

Video: Apple shows off new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c key features [BGR]
Official Apple videos showing off the iPhone 5s and 5c

Amazon's next-gen Kindle Fire HD revealed in leaked photos [The Verge]
The secret is out. Amazon's next Kindle Fire HD smiles for the camera

Haswell signs up four new Chromebooks [Cnet]
Thought the Google Chromebook was dead? Think again...

Our best look yet at a possible Nexus successor [Androidcentral]
The best evidence yet that a follow up to the Nexus 4 is coming

Gold HTC One appears on the heels of iPhone 5s [Android Community]
If Apple can do gold, why can't HTC?

Twitter #Music tries again with new Spotify app [The Next Web]
Did you know that Twitter #Music even existed? Spotify tries to help.

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Tuesdays at the Polls: The next iPhone... do you want one?

In this weekly feature we want to give our readers the opportunity to provide some point-and-click style input on some of the questions we have been pondering. Got a great poll idea? Drop us a note!

Today's Apple event is all but a keynote away from unveiling the newest iPhone(s). Rumors have flown in the last few months of what new features the new model will bring, and many believe that this will be the first time Apple releases two different editions of the smartphone. From iOS 7, to a fingerprint reader, the allure of a new iPhone always gets the tech community's attention.

Let me preface this by saying I don't want this to turn into an iOS versus Android post. This poll is simple. Are you interested in buying the new iPhone? That's it. Yes? No? Maybe? Getting to clicking below to let us know!

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OEMs are looking at the smartwatch all wrong

Smartwatches are all the rave in the tech world at the moment. Every OEM in the industry seems to be racing towards an unmarked finish line of having the first "real" smartwatch. The truth is the smartwatch is nothing new. Sony, Motorola, and Fossil have all had a previous turn in this market. So why have we still not seen a successful model?

The problem with the trend thus far is the manufacturers are looking at the watches from the perspective of the wrong market. Watches are not a piece of technological wonder. They are a fashion statement. They are the ultimate accessory with functional purpose. OEMs should be making this the first hierarchy of need when considering a smartwatch. If the thing looks like a brick on a rubber band, then no one will be interested in what smartphone-like features it has on board.

Many have argued that the smartwatch will not officially arrive until Apple produces one. I tend to believe this statement is a correct one. Apple has a knack for making their devices look like something a jeweler would be proud of holding. Say what you want, the iPhone 5 is still one of the best pieces of industrial hardware design on a smartphone. People want to own an iPhone. It is a fashion accessory just as much as it is a phone.

Smartwatch makers have two huge hurdles to be successful. One, convincing consumers that they actually need a smartwatch. And two, recognizing that their biggest competition is the likes of Citizen and Rolex. The latter may be the opposition that provides the push to overcome the necessity issue. Making a fashionable product, that people would wear regardless of the added functionality, may just be the key to make the market a legitimate one.

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Tuesdays at the Polls: Possible buyers of BlackBerry?

In this weekly feature we want to give our readers the opportunity to provide some point-and-click style input on some of the questions we have been pondering. Got a great poll idea? Drop us a note!

With the revelation of a Nokia purchase by Microsoft, one of the more imminent assumptions is that BlackBerry may not be far behind in being acquired. Many companies have been rumored (including Microsoft) in the past few years of having interest in BlackBerry, but so far, no one has pulled the trigger. However, there must be corporations with enterprise roots who would find some sort of partnership favorable.

Could Dell make a play on the handset maker to regain some mobile market share? Is Cisco looking for another purchase to add to its portfolio? Could Lenovo be interested in increasing their footprint? Or does a dark horse like IBM make a move? Get to voting in this week's poll!

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