So, I gave up a long time ago on Windows phones and Windows 10 Mobile when I just couldn’t find a good way to keep up with my ebook reading. There was a slew of other things I couldn’t do on the platform, but the lack of a decent Kindle reader was the kicker. Nevertheless, […]
Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore kind of misses the point about Windows 10 Mobile
July 31, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Microsoft: “Use the Phone That’s In Your Pocket”
May 26, 2015 by Leave a Comment
This video previewing Microsoft’s upcoming Phone Companion app for Windows 10 seems to summarize Microsoft’s strategy when it comes to smartphones. At about the 3:10 mark, Joe Belfiore (Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President, Operating Systems Group) says: Today, people have this expectation that they’ll be able to take whatever device they have and have all of their […]
Is Microsoft Giving Up on Smartphones? (Updated)
April 27, 2015 by 1 Comment
Update: Paul Thurrot reported this morning (4/28/2015) that Microsoft “will most likely announce this week that it will enable customers to run Android apps on their Windows 10 phones, tablets and PCs.” That’s pretty strong language, and Thurrot has connections. I doubt that he’d state it so firmly, and write such a strongly-worded post in […]
Stuck in Windows (on Phone) Limbo
April 22, 2015 by Leave a Comment
In what would have seemed a shocking development to me a year ago, I’m carrying an iPhone 6 as my daily driver. I’ve written about this before: after using Windows Phone and iOS for a few months each, I’ve lost my taste for Android. No offense intended to any Android fans, but my Nexus 5 […]
Lessons From Going Cross-Platform
March 2, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Here’s the industry’s dirty little secret: each major platform, be it iOS, Android, or Windows/Windows Phone, is good enough to be considered life-changing technology. Yes, users tend to favor one platform over another, to the point of fandom and complete ignorance of the other two, and that’s just fine. These things are intended to enhance […]
The iPhone 6 from an Apple Hater’s Perspective
February 11, 2015 by 4 Comments
No, I Don’t Really Hate Apple Okay, so I’m not actually an Apple “hater.” I admit that I’ve been pretty harsh towards Apple for the past few years, but I really dislike this use of the word–to me, hate is something reserved for the worst things in the world; merely strong dislike and harsh words […]
Amazon’s Kindle App: Everything That’s Wrong with Windows Phone
February 10, 2015 by 6 Comments
As I’ve mentioned before, I prefer Windows Phone. I like its workflow, as epitomized by the People hub where I can access all relevant information about a person, from the typical contact info to their social media updates to our entire contact history, all in one place. I like the at-a-glance information provided by the […]
The Tech Chat’s Future
December 11, 2014 by 5 Comments
I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus over the last few weeks, dealing with some personal items and trying to figure out what direction to take with The Tech Chat. I’d decided to focus on Microsoft technology back in June, which has become a much more nuanced decision given Microsoft’s push to provide productivity […]
Microsoft on Every Device (Updated: Office Mobile Now Free)
October 28, 2014 by 3 Comments
Update: When I hitched my wagon to Microsoft here at The Tech Chat, I did so because the Surface Pro 3 convinced me that they’re doing some exciting and strategic things to become relevant again. Their decision, announced today, to offer Office Mobile for free to consumers (no longer requiring an Office 365 subscription to edit […]
Is Apple Growing or Just Upgrading? (Updated)
October 21, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Update 1/28/2015: So, Apple’s Q1 2015 (fiscal) financial results are in, and they had their best quarter ever. Maybe any company’s best quarter ever. They generated $74.6 billion in revenues, $18 billion in net profit (wow), and sold 74.5 million iPhones at a higher average price per unit (thanks to the iPhone 6+, of course). […]