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Talk Mobile Platforms
Talk Mobile Platform WeekThe best things you said
We've been saying from the start that Talk Mobile 2013 would be about moving the discussion beyond specs and that it was time to talk about what really mattered. And that's exactly what we did for platforms week - there are specs, sure, but let's talk about how much they matter, if at all.
Platforms Week Recap
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Platform Week Recap
It was meat and potatoes time for Talk Mobile: platforms was the topic. Spanning everything from hardware to software to services, Talk Mobile Platforms week was easily the most engaged set of discussions we had so far. It really encompassed the ethos of Talk Mobile: stop talking about the specs and let's talk about what really matters.
Your feedback is tremendously important to us and is helping us to continue shaping and refining Talk Mobile into the very best product we can provide. As always, there's a comments box down below for you to let us know what you think. Good or bad, we want to hear it!
Our goal with Talk Mobile from the start has been to spur on greater discussions in the community, and we're absolutely thrilled with the comments and conversations that have come as a result. There are a lot of great comments, and we're going to take a few minutes here to highlight what we think to be the very best. You'll find them below, and those we've picked as winning comments will be receiving some awesome prizes (keep an eye on your email)!
And because we're the quantifiable data sort of crowd, we've also got a reader survey for platforms week, and by simply filling it out you can be entered to win a $100 gift card to Best Buy. Sounds like a win, no?
Talk Mobile 2013 Week Four: Mobile Platforms
Day 1: Gigahertz, megapixels, and millimeters - do specs matter at all?
Day 2: My OS is better than your OS
Day 3: If your head's not up in the clouds, where is it?
Day 4: Not yet there: the problems with mobile apps and media
Day 5: The bright, foggy future of mobile computing
Gigahertz, megapixels, and millimeters - do specs matter at all?
In a world full of octocores, 6 inch screens, and 1080p I think it's odd that the only thing not advancing in leaps and bounds is the battery.Armada's thoughts on which specs matter
In my opinion hardware specs (processor, RAM, GPU, etc) matter the most in future-proofing your phone. Almost every smartphone runs really well when it's released. But how will it run in a couple of years when the new apps or the OS updates require more resources? This is especially important if you're a person who keep a phone for a full 2-year contract, or longer. jean15paul's thoughts on which specs matter
Day One Winning Comment!
The specs matter, but don't. They matter because I like to know what I am paying for, a list of the internals and specifications of the phone/tablet makes me more comfortable in making an informed decision and spending hundreds of dollars on a piece of technology. But then on the other hand, they don't matter because it is about the user experience. So to me the ones that matter most are the ones that dictate the physical attributes of the device more than what is on...Illustrator Joe's thoughts on how much specs matter
My OS is better than your OS
I wouldn't call piles of features a marketing gimmick. Any feature is useful if incorporated seamlessly with the OS. Many of the more popular features found on mobile devices these days were at one time considered a gimmick (voice recognition, swipe style keyboards, office document editing on small displays, built in compass, etc).DenverRalphy's thoughts on piles of features
A lot of both. Most features are gimmicky, but there's a few (usually the ones that are understated) that become extremely useful. Some gimmicks become useful features an OS update or two down the road. Of course what's a gimmick or not can change based on perspective. BenRoethig's thoughts on piles of features
Day Two Winning Comment!
The best thing is that everyone has choice. Everyone argues over whose platform is better but it depends on which one suits you best. Its great to be a witness to this technological race.pmich's thoughts on piles of features
Day 3: If your head's not up in the clouds, where is it?
Google - hands down. I subscribe to Google's Drive and it's amazing. I can upload videos and watch them as youtube vids. I can edit docs, save pictures, listen to music, and back up my phone. It really works well. The new enhancements to google+ are amazing as well.mstrblueskys's thoughts on who builds the best cloud services
I think when you ask this question, you also have to consider WHAT it is that is floating in the clouds. And for that, I have to say it is Skydrive. MS Office is totally the unquestionable industry standard for business documents. And to have skydrive baked right into your OS *AND* Office for a seamless experience puts it at a different level. It is amazing to make notes in OneNote on my phone and then open OneNote on my desktop...AccentAE86's thoughts on who builds the best cloud services
Day Three Winning Comment!
I think Google still has the upper hand here, but they win not by quality, but more of quantity. They have the more comprehensive cloud solution compared to others.Alex_Hong's thoughts on who builds the best cloud services
Not yet there: the problems with mobile apps and media
The only thing I can buy here (in Pakistan) on iTunes are apps, nothing else. No movies, no songs no nothing. It's the same with Google. The only thing available from the Play Store are apps. No music, magazines, books or movies. Don't even get me started on Windows Phone. Not only do they have only about 150k apps in total, but in regional stores they have even less.ammarmalik2011's thoughts on regional restrictions
All kinds of eBooks ! I have a Motorola XOOM & I thought I can use Google's book store to get books & magazines like my sister & mom does in their iPads (via iBook & newsstand) , but turned out there are "Regional Restrictions" & I can't open the app let alone use it ! & now I have a stupid app I can't use or uninstall.... UghIceDree's thoughts on regional restrictions
Day Four Winning Comment!
I would like to use the same streaming and download services I enjoy here in the US when I am in another part of the world. It was frustrating that I couldn't use Netflix, and had restrictions on what I can download when I was in Malaysia. If nothing else, at least allow for a base amount of services worldwide.Jacques's thoughts on regional restrictions
Day 5: The bright, foggy future of mobile computing
I want a future where my 7 hour battery life actually lasts 7 hours instead of 3-1/2. When it comes to to the devices themselves I'm getting to the point where they do what I need them to do and I'm pretty satisfied there (after some evolutionary fine tuning). From the phone, something a little more resilient than we have. I'm not so sure about them getting much smaller because after the iPhone 5, there's a point to where it becomes to... BenRoethig's thoughts on the phone of the future
Battery that can last days with even the heaviest of use. That seems to be the one main area holding phones back. We essentially have mini computers in our pockets, now all they need is better battery life and phones would be just about perfect. Premium1's thoughts on the phone of the future
Day Five Winning Comment!
The phone of the future goes hand in hand, leverages and amplifies two categories of things: cloud services and "things" in physical proximity. I want the cloud to know more about me, but in a comfortable, non-creepy way. I want more of the digital assistant thing, for example a cloud email that interprets my communications and adds them to my calendar and notifications. We need everybody, and particularly our governments, to think in terms of open data and web services that can be leveraged by...duncanwilcox's thoughts on the phone of the future
Conclusion and what's next!
Mobile hardware has changed and evolved and re-revolutionized themselves more faster in the past few years than at any time in the history of computing. We've gone from clunky resistive touchscreens with poor battery life, minimal storage, chunky cases, and slow wireless to blazing fast processors and radios hooked up to big brilliant high-resolution capacitive screens with battery life that can exceed a entire day - or two.
Mobile software too has exploded, perhaps more so than hardware. The operating systems have had to keep pace with this rapidly-advancing hardware, bringing us multitouch interfaces, live tiles, widgets, rich notifications, voice interaction, predictive retrievals, and so much more. Much of what we take for granted in a smartphone today was the stuff of science fiction not that long ago.
This is all hooked up to cloud services that are ever-expanding in their size, scope, and capabilities. More and more of what we do is moving to the cloud, and that's enabling new functionality never before thought possible.
With the platform discussion out of the way, next week we're moving on to discussing enterprise and security. How do you use your phone at work? How do you keep your data secure? Can you at all? It's a whole new discussion, and though occasionally terrifying, it's one that needs to be had. That's what we do at Talk Mobile!
And, as in week's past, it's now your turn. We want to know: what did you think of Talk Mobile Platforms week? Tell us what you loved, what you hated, what you want to see more of, less of, and changed. Whatever you want - we're listening, because the floor is yours.
