Can Apple Still Prevail in Smartphones?

Apple released its very first iPhone back in 2007. It is well known that this was the smartphone that changed the whole game. Three years later, the winning tablet, the iPad, was unveiled before our eyes. It fair to say that Apple revolutionized the smartphone and indeed, the mobile industry. There are reports that Google had to redesign their Android prototype (which resembled a QWERTY blackberry) after they saw the first iPhone. Okay! but with all that, the question to ponder is this: will that reign last much longer?

Towards a Better Internet in Africa

The lack of fast, affordable and accessible internet is a problem facing most of Africa. One of the main reasons for this is the widespread lack of dependable power supply that plagues most African countries. This in turn raises the cost of operations for the internet service providers. A bit of a catch-22. But the lack of internet has far reaching negative implications.

Appstores + Discrimination = Piracy

The internet is a wonderful thing. It has facilitated unimaginable forms of interpersonal communication. It allows people separated by great distances to talk to and see each other in real time. It also enables people that are not in the same physical location to collaborate in real time. In the same vein, it has enabled lightning-quick access to information; libraries, encyclopedias, journals, magazines, films and music are available on the internet. It has also presented myriad economic opportunities by spawning a hitherto unimaginable industries such as online casinos and has opened up  participation in foreign stock markets. All in all, it has fostered a global economy and has brought lent new credence to the phrase: global village.

Au revoir Detective Carter

Whether life imitates art or art imitates life, one thing is evident: some of us fail to learn from our costly mistakes.

While Finch's genius and intelligence are unquestionable, he has failed to learn from a costly mistake he made earlier. His ego got in the way of sound reasoning and it resulted in the death of his best friend, Nathan Ingram.

One would have thought that he had learnt from that mistake. Alas, his ego prevented him from acknowledging the obvious truth. Had he listened to Root's logical suggestion, Detective Carter would still be with us today.

On the other hand, it's only realistic that one of the main characters would buy the farm at some point. The team has had one too many close shaves to keep getting away. That being said, I'm glad it wasn't Fusco. I love his character. Who would have guessed that Det. Carter would be joining Officer Lasky and Agent Donnelly pretty soon!

Quick Thoughts on Android 4.4 KitKat

Android 4.4 had been unveiled and released. Let's get right to first impressions. All in all, I would call it an iterative update. Though there's a lot of new stuff going on under the hood, visually, it mostly a collection of tweaks; many of which have been available for years from third party developers and custom ROMs.

The iPad is a Tablet

Before any premature conclusions are formed, understand that this is not an appraisal of the iPad. The title above is as literal as it gets; the iPad is a tablet. So why am I stating the obvious? Well, in some circles, it would seem the obvious is not so obvious. This is about many online retailers that choose to categorise the iPad differently from all other tablets. I have observed this trend for quite some time now and it is upsetting to see more stores emulate this folly. 

 

Choosing a Name for the Upcoming Nexus Tablet

With the world waiting on the refresh of Google's Nexus 7 tablet, what will this refresh be called?

Names like Nexus 7 2 are just as foolish a name as Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0

Nexus 7 HD is a superfluous name seeing as the original is also HD albeit 720p HD.

Christening it The New Nexus 7 will be repeating the foolishness of Apple with the iPad 3.


Using Nexus 7.2 will just confuse people into thinking that the screen is 7.2 inches.

So what will it be called? Here's a thought: The Nexus 8. I think this makes the most sense. But then again, a name like the Nexus 8 is not without its pitfalls.

+Joss Benyon suggested the name Nexus 7+. That seems to be the best name so far. I think it's quite brilliant.

+Hau Tran has also asked the important question of what the Nexus phones would be called after the sixth iteration?

As for the real name, we'll find out soon enough.

Update
Alas, it's  the New Nexus 7. Not the best and wisest naming/branding.