The desperate struggle for third place
Few people remember third place. Whether in sport, science or business, there’s little glory attached to the bronze medal. But two multinational giants, BlackBerry and Microsoft, are straining to be the third player in the burgeoning smart phone market. The latest figures from
Google goes all in on music
Among the plethora of announcements at Google’s annual I/O developer event was one that should have music fans excited. The company is launching Google Play Music All Access, a streaming music service, beating rival Apple, which is said to be planning a similar product, to market. However, the
Windows 8 is not Microsoft’s New Coke moment
A piece on US technology website ZDNet earlier this month, written by columnist Steven Vaughan-Nichols, suggested that Windows 8 represents Microsoft’s “New Coke moment”. Others quickly jumped on the idea. The Financial Times led with a story on the subject, saying the fact that Microsoft
Prime time, all the time
It’s not much to look at — sleek, black and about the size of two decks of cards – but this little box may represent the greatest threat the television industry has faced. A large part of this threat is explained by the logo embossed discreetly on the top of the box – a stylised apple missing a single bite
Google Glass points to computing’s future
Last year, Google announced something extraordinary: it was working on a wearable computer. Geeks around the world immediately began salivating at the very thought. Earlier this year, the company began sending early versions of the device to developers and technology commentators. Reactions have ranged
Toshiba Excite 10: not too little, just too late
Android-powered tablet computers are getting better with each generation, and Toshiba’s are no exception. The AT300, also known as the Excite 10, improves on the uninspiring Thrive range that preceded it but this still feels like a device that’s trying to catch up with the opposition
Review: Sony’s Xperia Z raises the bar
With Samsung and Apple dominant in the smartphone wars, Japan’s Sony has had to battle for the Android scraps with companies like HTC. With the Xperia Z, however, the company has done a superb job of catching up with the frontrunners and, in certain respects, even overtaking them. Unveiled
Twitter, Apple whistling to new tunes
Social networking site Twitter is expected to launch a new music discovery application this weekend, while Apple is reportedly finalising deals with major labels before entering the streaming music space to take on Spotify and Pandora, which are a growing threat to the iTunes Store. There’s a
All eyes on centre court
Samsung’s new top-end smartphone, the Android-powered Galaxy S4, has set the benchmark that other manufacturers, especially Asian rivals such as Sony, HTC and Huawei, are going to have to beat in 2013. The S4, launched at a no-expense-spared event in New York two weeks ago, packs the sort of technology into its
The irony of Samsung’s dominance
Let’s make a mobile OS that will rival Apple’s iOS, and let’s give it away for free. Clever thinking by Google, at the time. As of early 2013, Google’s Android operating system has come to dominate smartphones worldwide, with Samsung taking the lion’s share of this dominance. The irony is
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