Laptop Mobile Specs: Odds and ends

Showing posts with label Odds and ends. Show all posts

Once upon a time, if you wanted a low cost laptop there was only Windows. A few laptops with a Linux based operating system would also be sold, or the more techie buyers could buy a laptop with DOS on board, and install their favorite Linux distribution. But for the most part, if you wanted a low cost laptop, you had only Windows.

Things have changed a lot in the past four years.

iOS. Most laptop buyers really did not need a laptop. Roughly half of a laptops bulk is due to the keyboard. So Apple yanked out the keyboard, used the smartphone operating system and came out with the iPad. Those in the past who would buy a netbook, which were decidedly poor in terms of build quality can get a very nice Apple iPad with a premium aluminum and glass finish starting at Php15,990.

Some would argue that a netbook is better, since it has a keyboard and can run Windows apps.

Anyone who used the keyboard a lot would eventually buy a real laptop. Typing on those small low quality keyboards netbooks came with was never very comfortable. I know. I owned two, replacing the first with a second model which promised a better keyboard, than I junked the netbook altogether realizing that that frame was simply to small to create a great keyboard. In addition, Apple iPad's, can also be equipped with keyboards.

As for Windows software. Most people wont miss it with over 300,000 iPad apps... which cost less than Windows apps.

Android. Google has followed Apple into the tablet arena, and these days you can find fast tablets with HD displays starting at Php3,990.

Mac OS X. Many of us still need a laptop. While all Macbook's are premium products, Macbook's are cheaper than ever. The 11.6-inch Macbook Air starts at Php46,990. That is the lowest price for a Macbook ever. However instead of a white plastic MacBook that screams entry level, the cheapest MacBook today is a the most portable MacBook Air, which many would select even if they had a larger budget.

While looking at making the transition from Windows to Mac OS X, you may want to take a look at iWorks too. It is a lot cheaper than MS Office.

Chrome OS. Chrome OS devices have yet to land in the Philippines, so it is not a good choice for the consumer. But if you are one of the growing number of companies or entities migrating to Google Apps, importing a large number of these low cost laptops, starting at US$199 might be worth the effort.

Microsoft, and its Windows and Office products, are still a force to be reckoned with, but it is no longer the near monopoly it used to be. What is nice is that the new order was not created by EU restrictions or anti-monopoly laws, but by innovation, smart supply chain management (here is one to you, Tim Cook) and the free market.

Three out of four smartphones sold last quarter was an Android phone. Android's share in the smartphone market was 75%, up from 59.1% on the same quarter in the previous year. This is pretty impressive given that the new Android's don't start showing up till the second and third quarter of the year.

Apple sold more more iPhone in the first quarter of 2013, as compared to the same quarter in the previous year, but its market share took a sharp dip, from 23% to 17.3%. Without a new iPhone planned till the September 2013, its numbers will probably continue to fall this quarter. This probably also explains all the iPhone promos we are seeing in the Philippine market today.

Windows Phone has managed to get 3.2% of the smartphones sold in the first quarter of 2013. While this is much higher than the 2% market share it obtained in the same quarter in the previous year, the market share obtained so far is too small for the platform to have a significant impact. Windows Mobile, Microsoft previous mobile operating system had 23% percent of smartphone sales in 2004, and held 14% of the market in 2008, until Microsoft announced that it was coming out with a new operating system in 2009.

Still with new low cost offerings like the Nokia Lumia 520 and the Huawei Ascend W1, there seems to be the possibility that Windows Phone will have a major breakout this quarter.

BlackBerry market share in Q1 of 2013, dropped to 2.9%. With this BlackBerry relinquishes the third spot to Windows Phone. We have to wait another quarter to see whether the new BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 will change the fortunes of this former premier smartphone maker.

Looking at the best LTE smartphones in the market, the Samsung Galaxy S4, it feels just a bit too big. It feels great in hand. The size of the display is not a problem. But at nearly 137 mm tall and 70 mm wide, I will have a hard time keeping it in a belt pouch or my pocket when wearing my suits and the slim jeans I am fond off.

The Sony Xperia Z is a lovely phone, but that is even taller and wider, and with its blocky body, feels much larger than that Galaxy S4 in hand. The HTC One is narrower than the Galaxy S4, Xperia Z or Xperia ZL, but is a tall 137.4 mm.

One step below the flagships you have the Xperia ZL. The Xperia ZL is shorter 131.6 mm length, so it does fit a bit better in a belt pouch. The plastic case also feels better in the hand than the glass case of the Xperia Z. Overall, at 131.6 x 69.3 x 9.8 mm, the Xperia ZL is looking like one a good option for a 5-inch smartphone. LG's Optimus G is just about the same size as the Xperia ZL.

Scaling down in size does not really result in a more compact smartphone. The Xperia ZL really is not all that much bigger than the 4.6-inch Xperia ZR and the Xperia SP. The 4.3-inch Xperia V is much narrower at 65 mm, as compared to the Xperia ZL, but only a bit shorter at 129 mm. The length really bothers me more than the width.

Going on the other extreme, the 4-inch iPhone has a display 10% smaller than what I have been using for the last three years. Still, it is a nice compact 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm.

On the Windows side of things, the 4.3-inch Nokia Lumia 820 looks nice at 123.8 x 68.5 x 9.9 mm, although I am not sure I want a phone with a WVGA resolution.

From RIM... the 4.2-inch BlackBerry Z10 is all 130 mm tall.

Did I miss out anything?

Sitting in between the tall 137 mm Android's and the 123.8 mm, the 131.6 mm Xperia Z is looking like the best all around choice. Would appreciate any input before forking out my hard earned money.

Undoubtably, between Smart Communications and Globe Telecom, the former has a fair lead in the deployment of LTE technology. The problem is, they do not have a clear LTE policy yet. If you got a new Apple iPhone 5 last year, you had free LTE until April 30, 2013. The LTE "promo" has been extended to June 30, 2013.

If you are planning to get one of those nice new LTE handsets, like a Samsung Galaxy S 4 or Sony Xperia Z, you also get LTE connectivity till June 30, 2013, after which time what Smart does next is not clear.

Notice the fine print "Until June 20, 2013"

In the case of Globe Telecom its regular data plans are also LTE plans.

Basically, if you are like me, you are a Smart Subscriber about to renew his contract, it is pretty confusing at Smart right now. It feels like Smart is not sure what it wants to do with its LTE plans, and unfortunately they are leaving their customers uncertain of whether they will have to spend more in the future to maintain LTE connectivity. The uncertainty about plan pricing, minor data billing issues plus changes in retention policy makes Globe Telecom suddenly look a lot more inviting.

If you want to be sure that you get a Smart plan with LTE, without having to pay more in the future, you can avail of the Sony Xperia V or ZTE T82 which come with LTE Plans. The Apple iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S 4 and Sony Xpreria Z come with 3G Unli Data Plan with free LTE until June 30, 2013.

When the promo ends, it looks like you will have to pay Php1,000 over and above your current plan to maintain LTE connectivity.

Sony has released a software update for its Xperia Z flagship. The new update is supposed to improve image quality. Thanks to pbatacan of TipidCP, we have a set of comparison shots. To the left are the pictures before the update, and to the right, the images taken after the update.

Apple sold 19.5 million iPad's during its second fiscal quarter of 2013. That is a healthy 65% year on year growth. But the numbers are actually give Apple reason to worry.

iPad mini cannibalizes iPad sales. Of the 19.5 million iPad's sold by Apple in its second fiscal of 2013, 12.5 million were iPad mini's. That's about 64%. The problem with that figure is that year on year, 9.7-inch iPad sales dropped from 11.8 million in Apple's second fiscal quarter of 2012, to 7 million in the same period this year.

Basically, 12.5 million iPad mini sales, came at the cost of 5-6 million 9.7-inch iPad sales.

65% growth is sluggish in a market which has a year-on-year growth of 142.4%. While Apple increase sales, year on year by 65%, its share in the market dropped to 39.6%, from 58.1% for the same period in the previous year. This seems to indicate two things. The market for tablets is big. But the bigger market is for cheaper tablets.

What the numbers spell for the cheap iPhone? When people talk about a cheap iPhone, I am not sure what they are talking about. Apple keeps three generations of iPhone's in manufacture at any given time, so at present you have the iPhone 5, 4S and 4 all for sale. I do not think anyone suggest making an iPhone with specifications lower than the iPhone 4. This nearly three year old design with its single core processor is hard pressed to keep up with budget Android's and Windows Phone's these days.

A cheap iPhone would probably mean a new model, which is cheaper than the current flagship, but more current than a two year old model. Basically, a cheaper iPhone would replace the iPhone 4, but have better specifications to make it a more attractive choice.

The problem with this, is that it will really just replace an existing option, and it might even cannibalize sales of the iPhone 5 and 4S, like the effect the iPad mini had on the full sized iPad.

What the numbers say about the market in general. There is a big market for smartphones and tablets. When Apple entered this market, it was probably hoping it could maintain what Nokia and BlackBerry has been doing for years. Keeping the lions share of a small, but premium priced smartphone market. Nokia and BlackBerry captured the market and were able to keep prices high because there was no viable "other" operating system.

Than came Android. With Android, anyone could build an Android phone or tablet. The result. Instead of Apple having to fight to win a smaller but premium smartphone market, it has to face a new market. One, much larger than Apple ever envisioned, but where the smartphone and tablet are cheap.

This is Apple's conundrum. As the market gets bigger, mainly by offering cheaper products, it share in the smartphone and tablet market gets smaller. Apple will make tons of money, even if its market share in smartphones and tablets drops below 20%. It would be a healthy company with half of that. Or it could try to reach for a broader market with more low cost offerings, which would mean lower margins. This is probably more worrying for the tech giant.

In the long run Apple's apprehensions go beyond that. With more and more Android devices in the market every day, developers might start to prefer that platform. If that happens, iOS might follow the path of the Mac.

Source of data: IDC

While Windows RT have not been a smashing success, in part because the full PC version of Windows 8 runs well on tablets. Windows 8 itself has been labeled a failure by many sectors, with a 14% drop in PC sales year-on-year. However, the two criticized operating systems have been a success for Microsoft in a very important arena. Windows 8 and Windows RT have captured 7% of the tablet market in Q1 2013. While, this might not be a roaring success, it is a firm foothold in the largest growing category of consumer electronic devices.

Remember the first Google Nexus phone, the HTC built Nexus One? It looks like the phone is ending its life as an Astronaut.

As part of a new project to lower the cost of satellites, NASA successfully launched NASA's 10cm-cubed CubeSat Satellites. The CubeSat's are constructed from commercial off-the-shelf components, which each satellite costing between US$3500 and US$7000 to build. To keep the costs down, unmodified smartphones are used as the computer for the satellite. Three Android powered HTC Nexus One phones get the honor of powering the first CubeSat's.

They Nexus One's are equipped with a larger lithium-ion battery pack and a more powerful radio for transmitting data. Other than that, it really is just an off-the shelf Android phones. The phone camera is even used to capture and transmit images.

I was pretty sure I would be picking up a Samsung Galaxy S4 to replace my HTC Desire HD. Now, I really feel like maybe taking ONE more spin with HTC.

Source: CNET Australia

Yugatech has published the long anticipated review of the Samsung Galaxy S4 i9505. You will recall that Abe Olandres was invited to the Galaxy S4 launch in New York. To get the scoop on the Galaxy S4 follow this link.

Image is from Yugatech's review and used with the site owners permission.
No republication of this image should be made without the permission of Yugatech.

The real story is not the new smartphone. In truth, there are plenty of Galaxy S4 reviews. More important is what the review represents. A local blog, was invited to, and was given pre-release units for review. The significance of the worlds largest smartphone manufacturer taking notice of a Philippine based publication is not lost on me. Philippine blogging just moved up a notch, a big one at that.

Well done Samsung. Well done Mr. Olandres.

I was reading an article in PC World, entitled When the PC is obsolete, how will you do this, and this, and this. There have been many other similar point of view expressed recently. Unfortunately, this is an illustration of how a significant portion of the tech media seems to be, more and more, out of touch with the real world.

If you develop software or write for a living, whether it be a novel, a ten page product review or even a short post like this, you won't want to do it on a tablet. At least not yet. But if you read a novel, or a ten page product review or this post, do you really need a laptop or desktop to do that?

On this humble blog, each post is read hundreds, and some posts, thousands of times. One writer, hundreds of readers. For a large publication, one writer and hundreds of thousands of readers. For a bestseller novel, one writer and millions of readers are their compared to readers. For a new piece of software, you have one to several dozen developers, and a ten million downloads.

Basically, for each productive PC, you will have hundred, thousands or millions of consumption PC's.

Windows RT is Windows for ARM devices other than smartphones. Rather than using the Windows Phone 8 operating system for tablets, Microsoft develop a new one. This gives Microsoft three operating systems. Windows Phone 8 which is designed for use with ARM processors and for use on smartphones. Windows 8 which is designed for use with x86 (Intel and AMD) processors and for use on desktops and hybrid devices. Windows RT which is designed for use with ARM processors and for use on tablets and hybrid devices. All three versions of Windows use a common interface, and porting applications from one to another is supposedly not too difficult.

The approach taken is different from Apple, which has a mobile operating for phones and tablets in iOS which is compatible with ARM processors, and a desktop operating system which is compatible with x86 processors. The approach is also different from Google, which has Android for phones and tablets, and Chrome OS for desktops. Android and Chrome are compatible with both ARM and x86 processors.

The advantage of ARM was that it was the lower cost solution, and had good battery life. ARM processor also did not have the power to run a full desktop operating system. The death of Windows RT is due mainly to two factors:

1. Intel has closed the gap with ARM. Intel Atom processors can run the full Windows 8 operating system on a tablet, and give battery life more or less equivalent to other tablets. Basically, why run RT and when can run full Windows 8. With Intel's new Haswell, the need for Windows RT will be even less.

2. Microsoft kept too tight a control of ARM. Microsoft imposed tight controls on the development and production of Windows RT devices. All Windows RT devices were designed in cooperation with Microsoft. All Windows RT devices were built to strict design and hardware specifications provided by Microsoft. Three participating ARM chip makers were only allowed to partner with up to two PC manufacturers to develop the first wave of Windows RT devices. Qualcomm partnered with Samsung and HP, Nvidia with Asus and Lenovo, and Texas Instruments with Toshiba. Additionally, Microsoft partnered with Nvidia to produce its own Windows RT tablet, known as Surface.

Acer and Sony did not participate, whether by decision of Microsoft or the OEM's, I do not know. HTC was not allowed to build a Windows RT tablet. Lower cost ARM component manufacturers were also left out.

The end result was only five Windows RT devices being released, with Toshiba canceling their offering before launch. Effectively, there are only four left with Samsung canceling their ATIV Tab after release.

Acer built a Windows 8 tablet, and so did Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung. These devices matched the prices and the features of the five magical Windows RT devices. Windows RT on ARM might actually have been able to provide lower cost Windows devices.

Windows RT already had the daunting task of trying to take out the Apple iPad. The end result was a situation where instead of Windows RT competing with the iPad and Android tablets, Windows RT's first competitor was Windows 8. Apple iPad's and Android tablets, were at a different and lower price point all-together.

Basically, when you read about that booming tablet environment, most of it is being done be devices that cost less than Windows RT and Windows 8 tablets. For Windows 8 tablets, this is to be expected. They are premium products which will be the choice of those who need Windows XP/Vista/7 compatible software on a tablet.

Windows RT, needed mass acceptance to succeed. Without a large user base it would not be able to attract app developers. Without a large app ecosystem, it really has little hope of competing with the iPad.

In sum, Intel rendered Windows RT irrelevant with advancements in its processors. Microsoft rendered Windows RT irrelevant by creating a environment for its development which resulted in it coming into the market as a premium product.

Microsoft has the most operating systems, and many OEM partners, collectively they have not come out with a single product that can match the price of an Apple iPad 2. Never mind the iPad mini, Android and Kindle tablets sold cheaper than that. Instead Microsoft, leveraging MS Office, tried to go head-on with the Apple iPad Retina, and its 300,000 app ecosystem.

The scariest message Windows RT send Microsoft is that, "We can live without MS Office."

Smartphones these days are getting to the point where everything is fast and capable enough. While buying a more expensive smartphone brings improvement in speed and display quality, these things are getting to the point that the average user cannot tell the difference all that much.

The average used wont notice the difference between the Qualcomm S4 Pro on a Google Nexus 7 and the fast Qualcomm S600 on the HTC One. The HTC has the sharpest resolution of any phone with a 4.7-inch display with a staggering 1080 x 1920 resolution. In every day use,many users may not notice the difference between the HTC One and its Full HD display and the 4.7-inch HD display (768 x 1280) display of the Nexus 4.

So while we pony up more cash for the fastest phones and the sharpest displays, more and more, the phones other features are becoming more important. Personally, the one thing I appreciate most about newer phones is better and better cameras. I no longer buy a compact digital camera, as a secondary camera to a DSLR (or DSLT).

GSM Arena has an excellent tool to compare phone camera image quality and looking for a replacement for my current phone it is a useful tool for making a buy option. The tool can compare up to three phones at a time.

Using the tool I compared the average 8 MP shooter on the Nexus 4, with the improved 13 MP camera on the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the 4 MP Ultra Pixel camera on the HTC One.

Scaling the pictures down to match the test resolution of the HTC One as 3 MP, which is something you are likely to do when uploading images to the Internet or sending them by mail, the 4 MP camera on the HTC One looks disappointing, while 13 MP camera on the Galaxy S4 produced the best result.

The results are the same on the ISO 122333 Chart. The 13 MP camera on the Samsung Galaxy S4 seems to have the best low light capabilities, in addition to providing the sharpest images.

The MiniX NEO X5 is a Android device designed to be plugged into your LCD TV. It plugs into your TV via a HDMI port and connects to your Internet connection either via WiFi or a LAN cable, converting your TV into a desktop.

Out of the box the MiniX NEO X5 comes with Android 4.0.4, Ice Cream Sandwich, but it is upgradeable to Android 4.1.1, Jelly Bean. The MiniX NEO X5 is powered by a dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor with Mali 400 graphics and 1 GB of RAM. This makes is as powerful as a Samsung Galaxy S II. Basically, what was state of the art in 2011. Storage is 16GB, which can be expanded via a SD Card slow or it can be connected with external storage to a USB port.

The MiniX NEO X5 comes with a small remote control, but is primarily designed to be controlled by a keyboard and mouse or a gamepad. In addition to the USB port supporting USB-on-the-Go, it has an IR receiver and Bluetooth to connect to your peripherals. Apps from the MiniX NEO X5 are downloaded from Google Play. Since these apps are designed for a touchscreen, not all will work optimally with a keyboard and mouse.

The MiniX NEO X5 is priced at Php3,999.

This...

...or this.

This post was inspire by Joanna Stern and Kevin Tofel's discussion on Twitter.

The worse than expected decline in the sales of traditional desktop and laptop computers has spurred a lot of debate on the Web recently. What is the culprit? It really is not too hard to understand. A comparison of two products will explain this phenomenon easily enough. Lets compare the Apple iPad 64 GB with the 11.6-inch Apple MacBook Air 64 GB.

Price. The iPad WiFi 64 GB will cost you Php33,900 at the local Apple Store. The 11.6-inch MacBook Air 64 GB will set you back Php46,990. In this first round, the iPad wins the day by a cool 13K. The question is, can the 11.6-inch MacBook Air 64 GB make up for a 13K deficit?

Winner: iPad

Display. The iPad 64 GB has a 9.7-inch display as opposed to the 11.6-inch display, and following the bigger is better theory, the 11.6-inch MacBook Air wins that aspect of this category. But this is only part of the story. The smaller iPad display has a sharp 2048 x 1536 resolution display, against the 11.6-inch MacBook Air 1366 x 768 display. Overall, I think most of you will agree, the higher resolution gives the iPad the edge.

Winner: iPad

Portability. The 11.6-inch MacBook Air is "razor" thin being just 0.67-inches at the thickest point. It is also terribly light at 2.5 pounds. Still, this feels thick and heavy compared to the iPad's 0.37-inches and 1.44 pounds.

Winner: iPad

Battery Life. The 11.6-inch MacBook Air has a battery that will last up to five hours. The iPad will run up to 10-hours on a single charge.

Winner: iPad

Apps. The iPad App Store has over 300,000 dedicated iPad apps. Apple does not post on its website how many apps there are in it MacBook App Store. Two years ago, there were 30,000. I think it is fair to say, the iPad has more available apps.

Winner: iPad

Keyboard. The MacBook Air has a nice keyboard. The iPad has none out of the box. You can add a keyboard to the iPad, but it still wont be as nice as the keyboard on the MacBook Air.

Winner: MacBook Air

Score:

Apple iPad 64 GB: 5

11.6-inch Apple MacBook Air 64 GB: 1

Many of you will point out that there are other things I should look at like USB or Thurderbolt ports. Other will see I should give the iPad another win for having more and better cameras or having an LTE option available. I think, most of the market sees it my way, with the six categories I selected being what most buyers will consider.

Simple math. The big news today is that PC sales dropped for a fourth quarter in a row. IDC estimates the drop at 14% while Gartner own estimates say PC sales slumped by 11% last quarter. This post-PC era news has been the subject of debate for two years. Some blame Windows 8, others blame OEM's for lack of innovation. It is a confluence of many things, but really, it is simple math.

From the consumer users perspective, assuming you had twenty buyers who would have replaced their existing PC this year, what they might do would look something like this. Lets says 17, buy a personal computer, as planned adding it to their smartphone or smartphone and tablet combo. Two, decide to pick-up a tablet and decide they don't need a PC anymore. One, maybe someone who has been using netbooks for the past five years, decided that the smartphone alone is just enough. Twenty potential buyers, and seven sales. You have a 15% drop right there.

Look around you. Out of ten friends who own PC's, has not at least one given up the PC for a slab? Out of twenty people you know who are PC owners, has at least one basically moved their entire computing experience to a phablet of smartphone?

With first time buyers, the situation will be different all-together. Your children will probably be getting a smartphone or tablet as their first PC. They may still buy, or you may buy them, a PC later in life when they have to write a thesis or do some more serious work. But definitely, your children, well their entry into the PC world will be delayed a decade or so by the tablet.

PC's are expensive. Locally, our bang for the buck tablet is the Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt. A 7-inch with a HD display (1280 x 800) and a quad core processor running on Android Jelly Bean. That will set you back, Php3,999, or about US$99, inclusive of the local value added tax. The cheapest PC I have seen on retail shelves as of late is the 10.1-inch Lenovo S110, with an Intel N2800 processor. It is priced at Php10,299, and at the price ships with a DOS CD.

PC software is expensive. Adding an OEM copy of Windows 8 (SL) on the Lenovo S10 would push up the price to Php14,500. That copy of Windows 8 (SL) cost more than the Cherry Mobile tablet. Adding Microsoft Home & Student 2013 would set the buyer back another Php5,750. That brings up the price of my new but obsolete netbook to Php20,250! A total of Php9,951 on software.

It is pretty hard to spend Php9,951 on software at the Android Marker or the Apple App Store. Quick Office Pro for either an Android tablet or iPad will cost you less than Php900. Productivity software for Windows cost more than Android or iOS. PC games cost more than games for Android or iOS.

The PC is a premium device in a world, where the tablet is more stylish. OEM's building around the Windows 8 ecosystem have not created anything compelling enough to justify the staggering difference in prices of hardware and ecosystem.

Unless Microsoft, and Windows software developers drop the prices of software radically, this is not going to change soon.

Do Microsoft and other Windows developers need to see the light? Microsoft could start to drastically reduce the prices for Windows and Office. But this may be counter productive. Even in the post-PC world, you expect 250 million+ PC's to ship each year. If Microsoft and Windows developers cut the cost of Windows and Windows software by half, it won't double PC sales.

Go from a software company to a tech company. Two hundred fifty million of anything is a big market. If Microsoft had to improve profit, its best approach would be to cut out it OEM partners. Build it's own hardware. Basically, cut out the middle man and keep all the profits in the shrinking market to yourself. It could be like Apple. Apple could have just 25%

Now that would be the real nightmare for Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer, Asus & Co. Maybe these companies best look into their own plans about finding an alternative operating system.

When I look at all the Windows 8 touch "hybrid" designs that have hit the market, I really only like one: Microsoft's own Surface Tablet. The keyboard cover allows you to carry the keyboard with you all day without the penalty of lugging around more weight. Basically, it weighs as much as your typical tablet protective case. The simple kickstand incorporated into the Surface tablet allows for a light keyboard since it does not have to anchor the tablet in place. It is an ingenuous design.

Sales have not been great so far, with about 1.5 million Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets sold to date.

This is not too hard to understand. Windows RT was a mistake. It look good when it came out, but Intel quickly proved its low powered Atom processors could run Windows 8 fine. This kind of made Windows RT redundant in Microsoft's operating system line-up, with Windows RT being the less attractive sibling. The Surface Pro, well it is too expensive to be a volume seller.
Microsoft Surface Pro, is more configurations might make a substantial impact on the market, with versions with HD displays (1366 x 768) and lower powered processors (Atom's and Core i3's) bringing options at more price points. More sizes (8 to 12 inches) could also attract more buyers.

Microsoft could get into the hardware business seriously and make a whole range of Surface tablets, but that would not sit well with their OEM partners.

What Microsoft could do to offer a wide selection of Surface type tablets, without causing a rebellion in the ranks of its OEM partners, is to sell keyboards. Basically, have it OEM partners build their own surface type tablet compatible with Microsoft branded keyboards and similar designs under license from Microsoft. The connector between the tablet and the keyboard should be standardized so that you can select any "Surface" type tablet from one company and a keyboard from any other company.

With this simple stroke and viola... Microsoft could become a serious player in the tablet game.

Well... its Saturday morning and I have not had my coffee yet.

Gartner estimates that sales of traditional personal computers to fall to 271 million units by 2017. Traditional personal computers would cover desktops, all-in-one PC's, laptops and netbooks. This would be 94 million less than the estimated 365 million PC's shipped in 2011. The main reason for the decline in PC sales is the rise of the tablet. An estimated 116 million tablets were shipped in 2012. Gartner expects this number to hit 468 million by 2017.

Gartner apparently also sees the rise of "Ultramobiles", sales of which are expected to hit 96 million units by 2017. I am not sure if we will see the return of the Ultra Mobile PC, but Gatner is the expert. I suspect, the Ultramobile's as defined by Gartner would be Intel x86 tablets.

This trend is not too hard to understand.

Tablets are becoming the cheapest personal computing platforms ever made. Decent tablets can be purchased for a third of the cost of the derided netbook.
Tablet operating systems, are simpler, coupled with their touchscreen interfaces make them easier to learn for first time users. Children, easily interact.
The application ecosystem for tablets is also less expensive than the personal computer.
Having ditch the keyboard, tablets are more portable than a laptop, smaller 7-inch tablets being even more portable
Keyboard docks or covers can give tablet laptop like functionality
With Windows 8 tablets can now run traditional PC apps

In terms of the high estimated demand for tablets, one other factor should be considered. Tablets are really not designed to last more than two years. For most models, batteries cannot be replaced. While the typical laptop or desktop stays with its two to five years, owner original owner, and after that gets a second life in the surplus market, tablets will wind up being retired every two to three years.

Going back to the growing trend to tablets, when you factor things all these things together, laptops would still appeal to users looking at 12-inch or larger displays. In the same way that desktops survived the laptop era, laptops will survive the rise of the tablet.

A evolution in the current mobile ecosystem may bring an end to traditional dektop as we know it. As smartphones and tablets become more powerful, we might see a revival of the Lapdock and similar concepts. With accessories converting smartphones and tablets into laptop and desktop replacements, we may see the end of the traditional desktop.

I would not worry to much, it really more an evolution of the personal computer than the death of the desktop.

Right now, the important thing is computing will be getting to more people than ever. Even the netbook could not achieve the low price points the tablet has reached. A tablets cannibalize laptop and desktop sales, it also brings to computing to more people than the laptop or desktop could ever reach.

When the Google Nexus 4 was announced last October 2012, one bit of news which was surprising is that it would not come with LTE. The low US$299 to US$349 price, was enough to quell any disappointment It was a mid-level phone, in terms of display, camera and wireless connectivity, with the latest processor and graphics chip in the market. The cutting edge processor inside would guarantee that the phone remained a competent platform for the two years or so Google plans to support it.

Now the Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon chipset inside the Nexus 4 does have a system-on-chip modem inside. The official reason given for now making the Nexus 4 an LTE device was to cut on cost. According to LG, which manufactures the Nexus 4, a signal amplifier and filter was not provided with this phone, and that is where costs were cut.

My own opinion on this, was the Nexus 4 LTE capability was castrated so as not to compete with LG's own Optimus G, the Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC One XL and the other flagship phones of Google's OEM manufacturers.

Now, the Nexus 4 is almost six months old, cost of manufacture have gone down, and a new generation of Android flagship phones are on the way. Might it be time to give the Nexus 4 a mid-life upgrade?

Personally, I would like my next phone to be a Nexus. But with my contract up in June, I am sure will not wait till the end of a year for the next Nexus phone to get here. A LTE version of the Nexus 4 would be the kind of thing that would make me willing to forego the awesome camera and blistering speed of the Samsung Galaxy S4. True, such a device would appeal to a small market, but it is that market which contributes to Android development.

The Nexus 4 is the geeks phone, and it just does not feel right without LTE.

Many a desktop user has complained about Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system migrating to a user interface more suitable to a smartphone or tablet. They do not see the big picture.

If you are old enough to remember the days before the internet, the personal computer was a tool for work and than a gaming device. When the internet became part of our daily lives, computer sales took off. One day, everyone would have a personal computer. This is still true today, but the definition of what is a personal computer has changed.

For some people, a smartphone alone will be enough to meet their personal computing needs. Others, finding a smartphone insufficient, would select or add a tablet to their stable of devices. Desktops and laptops will eventually be relegated to their status of prior to the advent of the Internet age: machines for work.

IDC estimates that this year tablets will outsell traditional desktops. By the end of 2014, tablet sales will surpass laptop sales. Nearly three smartphones are sold today, per desktop of laptop sold. All this means, is in two years time, desktops and laptops will make up just about one in every five computers sold.

In what has been dubbed as the Post-PC era, you find Microsoft which once held a 90% share in personal computers, now looking at holding a 90% share in one in five personal computers sold within two years tie. That is really just an 18% share of all personal computers. Holding on to that 18% share is going to be harder in the Post-PC era.

Microsoft's stranglehold on the personal computer market, was secured by the fact that is was the center of application development. Pretty much all software developed was Windows compatible, with only a fraction of the software developed for Windows also being released for Mac OS and Linux. If you wanted a computer that could run your work related applications, and your entertainment applications, a Windows computer was the ultimate jack-of-all-trades.

This is the raison d'être for Windows 8 is to maintain this status. With Windows Phone 8, Windows RT and Windows 8, Microsoft is hoping to get a substantial share of the smartphone and tablet market... the segment which will soon comprise four in every five computers sold. With a substantial share of the smartphone and tablet market, apps would be created for Windows Phones and Windows Tablets, could be easily ported for Windows desktops and laptops.

If Microsoft is unable to break into the smartphone and tablet market, it will find itself holding on to the lions share of the traditional desktop market, but stagnating app development for desktops in general would further threaten its postion. The app ecosystem that has made Windows dominant for so long, would cease to exist.

As the traditional personal computer retreats to becoming a work device, consumer software development will focus on Apple's iOS and Google Android. Less and less consumer software will be developed for desktops. In this environment, operating systems like Mac OS, Chrome OS and the various Linux distributions will find it easier to compete with Windows. When desktops and laptops are no longer expected to be multi-faceted devices but rather dedicated business machines, it is of little importance whether or not you laptop can run Starcraft III.

Those claiming that Windows 8 tablet centric interface will be the death of Windows on the traditional desktop are missing the point. The failure of Windows Phone and Windows 8 on the tablet is what would sound the death knell for Microsoft's desktop operating system.

Samsung announced two versions of its Galaxy S 4 phone, one with the Exynos 5 Octa and the other with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, it was believed that the Exynos 5 Octa be compatible only with 3G networks. The LTE model would ship with Qualcomm's LTE-capable, quad-core Snapdragon 600.

That was apparently wrong. Both the Exynos 5 Octa and Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 version of the Galaxy S support LTE. So why make two versions. Speculation is that Samsung cannot make enough Exynos 5 Octa to meet the demand.

GSM Arena benchmarks show the Exynos 5 Octa outperforming the and Qualcomm Snapdragon 600. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 could be a little more power efficient since the LTE modem is a System-on-Chip solution, while the Exynos 5 Octa most likely has a separare chip for the LTE modem. On the other hand, the Exynos Octa 5 uses two pair of quad core chips. One for intensive operation and a more power efficient second quad-core chip for less intensive tasks. This might be enough to match or out perform that Qualcomm version.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 version of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 performed very impressively in the battery life tests. Will be on the lookout for battery life tests of the Octa 5 Samsung Galaxy S 4.

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