Newsletter Archives

• Would you pay less for hardware without updates?

  Posted on June 22, 2017 at 03:19 CDT by Kirsty • Comment in the Forums

  Some smartphones come with an unaffordable price tag, and some of those phones don’t even come with good backup service or a long product life expectancy. The cost to purchase often far exceeds the benefits of ownership, if all you want is a mobile phone. The market offering of phones that are just a mobile phone has shrunk dramatically in the last few years, with smartphones being the market leader.

  Michael Horowitz’ June 20th article “Are Android bug fixes worth $510 when buying a phone?” addresses this and goes into the security risks which some cheaper smartphones face, as they do not share the same update schedule given to pricier models.

  Most cheaper models have older OS versions, and one even came with pre-installed monitoring (spyware). The question becomes, is the risk of not updating worth the extra cost of buying hardware that is updated more often? The after-sales service also figures in the long-term cost of ownership.

  Your decision will depend on how you plan on using your smartphone – if phone calls and SMS are your only uses for the device, a cheaper phone may well suffice, but if you plan on doing online banking, accessing cloud documents and online shopping, that might not be such a smart idea.

  Reported life expectancy of a smartphone is less than two years. Even if it does last longer than that, obsolescence often catches you out – think of an iPhone 4 that still works to communicate, but would you want to connect it to the internet now? Its iOS doesn’t work for secure apps any more, and it can’t be updated… planned obsolescence, presumably. Even if you have apps installed, access to them may be blocked. Either you buy a newer model, or just use it as a phone.

  Michael’s article on computerworld.com is an interesting read.

  Other Android, Mobile phone, Security Updates

• Win10 usage up slightly, but Android’s rolling over

  Posted on May 1, 2017 at 08:05 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Where have all the Windows 10 machines gone?

  InfoWorld Woody on Windows

  Windows News Android, Windows 10 usage

• StatCounter: Android now more popular than Windows, worldwide

  Posted on April 3, 2017 at 09:49 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  StatCounter reports Android has overtaken Windows for the first time in internet usage. Meanwhile Win10 usage nudges upward while Edge slips – and Win10 now outdraws Win7 in the US. Big changes. But take the statistics with several grains of salt.

  

  Details in Info World Woody on Windows.

  Windows News Android

• Will Google let Android apps run on Chrome?

  Posted on April 25, 2016 at 08:46 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Paul Thurrott has an interesting take on the topic, based on a report by Ron Amadeo on Ars Technica.

  The goal is simple: Allow any Android app to run on ChromeOS, or on the Chrome browser. Yes, the Chrome browser running in Windows, too.

  If Google can pull it off, it’ll be a game changer.

  Windows News Android, Chrome

• Paul Thurrott endorses Android platform “for the Windows guy”

  Posted on April 1, 2016 at 14:33 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  I, too, have a Nexus 6P, and I’ve been using Google Fi. It’s a very nice combination.

  Paul’s discovered yet another reason to go with Android over iOS – the upcoming treatment of Notifications in the Win10 Action Center. Apparently Win10 can be set up to show your Android phone notifications in the Action Center, and any notifications you dismiss on your phone will, in turn, be dismissed from Win10. I’m hearing that things will work the other way, too – dismissing on Win10 will also dismiss on the phone – but that brings up the immediate question of whether Win10 notifications will appear on attached phones. I certainly hope not.

  Time will tell if the implementation will be as slick as described, but the idea that I can see my phone’s notifications in the Win10 Action Center is a compelling feature.

  ‘Course my wife still likes her iPhone. Hard to argue with that.

  Windows News Action Center, Android

• Barnes & Noble takes on Microsoft’s Android patents

  Posted on November 22, 2011 at 00:05 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Finally, a company stands up to MS – and look at what they’ve found!

  InfoWorld Tech Watch.

  Microsoft News Android, Barnes & Noble

• Will Apple’s “Slide to Unlock” patent stomp on Android or Windows 8?

  Posted on October 26, 2011 at 22:02 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Short answer: No.

  But the long answer is quite interesting, I think.

  InfoWorld Tech Watch.

  Other, Windows News Android, Apple, Slide to Unlock, Windows 8

• Microsoft makes Google look silly in the Android patent wars

  Posted on August 4, 2011 at 22:41 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  What on earth were they thinking?

  InfoWorld Tech Watch.

  Microsoft News Android, Google, patent

• iPhone 5 poised to take off

  Posted on August 3, 2011 at 06:13 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  The iPhone rocket is poised to leave Android and the rest in the dust.

  Amazing upside. See my InfoWorld Tech Watch article.

  Other Android, iPhone

• Another Android manufacturer caves to Microsoft patent pressure

  Posted on June 30, 2011 at 06:26 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Microsoft really is trying to get a stampede going.

  Smart lawyers.

  InfoWorld Tech Watch.

  Microsoft News Android, Microsoft patent, stampede

• Microsoft makes more on Android than Windows with smartphones

  Posted on June 1, 2011 at 21:34 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Interesting numbers.

  Check out my InfoWorld Tech Watch post.

  Microsoft News Android, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone

• Android 2.1 gets Skype – but if you’re in the US, it’ll only work on WiFi

  Posted on October 6, 2010 at 12:54 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Interesting development in the Android world.

  You know that Android’s taking over the phone market, right? Okay, I’m exaggerating a little bit. But only a little bit. I really like my little Samsung Android phone.

  Anyway, if you have Android 2.1 or later (2.2 or later, if you’re using the Galaxy S), you should download the Skype app and play with it. Free calls to other Skypers, free IMs, cheap everything else. The usual Skype shtick. Details on my Infoworld Tech Watch blog.

  Other Android
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