Apple iPhone 4S (64GB, black, Sprint)

The good: Apple's iPhone 4S has a faster processor and an upgraded camera, all the benefits of iOS 5, and a useful and immensely fun voice assistant. Call quality on the Sprint model is admirable, and the data speeds, while certainly not 4G, get the job done.

The bad: It's about time we get a larger screen.

The bottom line: The iPhone 4S isn't the king of cell phones, but it's part of the royal family nonetheless. Even without 4G and a giant screen, this phone's smart(ass) voice assistant, Siri, the benefits of iOS 5, and its spectacular camera make it a top choice for anyone ready to upgrade.

 

 

On November 10, 2011, Apple delivered iOS 5.0.1, which promised to fix the battery life issues affecting some users. The update also fixed a security flaw that allowed third-party applications to add unapproved features.

For the first time since the iPhone was born four years ago, a new model didn't arrive in June this year. The wait set the iPhone 5 rumor mill frothing to overflow, so when the iPhone 4S arrived as an incremental upgrade, fanboys commenced an Internet-wide rending of garments. Some critics grumbled that they didn't get more, and I sympathize...kind of. Yes, the lack of 4G is disappointing. And yes, a totally new design would have been fun. But this is hardly the first time that Apple has chosen to make a subtle upgrade. Remember the iPhone 3GS?

The truth is that the 4S brings healthy improvements to an already excellent device. iPhone owners finally get a 64GB model and a better camera, the dual-core processor delivers more speed, and Siri, the iPhone 4S' personal assistant/robot friend/gofer, adds a new and sassy experience. iOS 5 also trots out changes big and small, and we're glad to see Sprint join the Apple family with a true world phone. So while the iPhone 4S isn't the Jesus phone, it's quite enough for plenty of other people-- more than a million, actually.

Not everything impressed me. I'd prefer a slightly larger screen and my list of iPhones misses remains hefty. Performance on the Sprint model is satisfactory. We encountered slower 3G data speeds than on the Verizon phone, but Sprint has a slight edge in call quality. Remember that there will be a discernible difference between the 4S versions (just like we found with the AT&T and Verizon iPhone 4S) so it's important to choose your carrier wisely.

In the end, the decision to buy an iPhone 4S will depend on your current carrier contract. If you aren't eligible for an upgrade with a rebate, I don't think the new features are worth paying full price (at least $500). But if you can upgrade with a discount, or if you're a Sprint customer waiting to get your hands on the iPhone for the very first time, there is enough here to warrant a switch. Sure, there's the chance that a better "iPhone 5" will come next June, but that's a long time to wait. Besides, in the cell phone world, something better is always around the corner.

Design
As I said, the iPhone 4S is indistinguishable from its predecessor. For the most part, that's fine with me. Having lived through the thin phone craze started by the Motorola Razr, I'm not aching for a slimmer device. Granted, the 4S can feel bulky at times, but I continue to enjoy its solid feel in the hand (something that's not always there with skinny phones). I don't have any problems with the handset's general aesthetics, either. A thinner phone may be prettier, but it's what's inside that really counts.
 

                               

(The iPhone 4S' design is unchanged from the iPhone 4. That's fine with us, except that we'd like a larger display.)

I also can live without some of the rumored "iPhone 5" features, like a wider Home button and a curved profile. The Home button has never plagued me, after all, and I'd prefer to rest the phone flat on a table and tap away. The glass back continues to concern me a bit, particularly after seeing a handful of iPhone 4s fall to their doom. That shouldn't be an issue if you have a case, of course. But speaking of which, some iPhone 4 cases will not fit on the iPhone 4S because Apple moved the ambient light sensor. So if you're looking to dress your 4S, make sure the case fits perfectly before buying. And if you need suggestions, Executive Editor David Carnoy has a few.

My real design gripe is that the iPhone's display is beginning to look rather small when compared with some of the Android competition. Keep in mind that the iPhone's screen has remained at 3.5 inches since the first edition appeared in 2007. At that time, it was plenty big, but as smartphone screens have crept above the 4-inch mark, I now consider 3.5 inches the bare minimum size for a high-end device.

Absolutely, the Retina Display remains stunningly beautiful (as do many Super AMOLED screens), but its size isn't always practical for in-car and hands-free use. Even worse, it can get rather tiring watching a full-length film with the iPhone perched on your airline seat tray table. How much bigger would I want? Nothing too big--the 4.5-inch displays on some Android models are a bit ridiculous--but something in the range of 3.75 inches or 4 inches would be a Goldilocks just right. I'll leave that up to the next iteration of the phone.

At the iPhone 4S' unveiling, one of the biggest elephants in the room was whether the company would mention any differences to the antenna following the iPhone 4's "antennagate." Yet, when Apple VP of Marketing Philip Schiller took the stage, he revealed that the iPhone 4S has two antennas that it can choose between to find the best signal (more on that later). Even if you can't see any changes on the outside, it appears to fix what I found to be a very real problem.

                              

                             (You'll also see the same virtual keyboard.)

Basic features
 

The 4S inherits all the standard iPhone features from the preceding models, including the calendar, voice memos, weather and stock apps, the various clock features, Google Maps, the compass, text messaging and e-mail, and the Notes app. The iPod player is there as well; the 4S splits your music and video libraries into two separate icons. In another change, the 4S also offers an upgrade to Bluetooth 4.0. Though still a growing technology, Bluetooth 4.0 uses less power and will enable the iPhone to talk to small battery-operated devices like Nike+ sensors and fitness machines at the gym. For more on Bluetooth 4.0, check out this deeper dive from Nicole Lee.

Siri
 

The feature that Apple is touting most is the new voice assistant called Siri. It doesn't completely replace the current Voice Control feature--that's still there if you want it--but it certainly does a whole lot more. Basically, Siri both follows commands and answers your requests for information. For example, you can check the weather, ask for a contact's address, set up a reminder, get directions, and ask for obscure trivia. You speak to a robotic female voice (you can't change her identity) and access the feature by holding down the Home button (just as you do to access Voice Control). It uses both your location and a Google search to find a response, so you will need to have a Wi-Fi or cellular connection. The feature is in beta mode and supports English, French, and German. More languages will come later. 

                           

   

Siri may just wind up being your best friend. But be warned: she has an attitude.

 On my very first pass the day the 4S was announced, I asked for the next day's weather, the mileage between Cupertino, Calif., and Seattle, a reminder to book air tickets to Chicago, and the capital of Canada. It responded to most of my questions and commands quickly, but it flaked on finding that Ottawa is the capital of our neighbors to the north (according to Siri, she "didn't have enough information"). I'm not sure why that was a problem for her; Siri uses Wolfram Alpha to check facts, which has information on the Canadian city.

On my next pass I tried asking the time in Hong Kong, the current date, where I could get the best burrito by the CNET office, and if Brian Tong is the coolest person ever. It answered the first two questions without any problems, but poor Siri didn't understand our question about Brian. And this time, she did identify Ottawa correctly.

I meant the question about Brian as a joke, of course, but Siri is quite adept at answering a range of queries. When I asked about the best local burrito, she used GPS to give me a list of nearby taquerias with rankings. Yet, not all questions for a preference turned up a good answer. Asking for the best camera, for example, just gave me a list of camera stores. I'm not being critical, since the information Siri delivered was useful--except for listing a Japanese restaurant as a burrito joint--but it is worth noting. On the other hand, Siri didn't hesitate to tell me the best cell phone on the market. "The one you are holding," she replied. Yeah, she can be a bit sassy. I've explored Siri further in this post.

By all means, Siri is a fun and useful feature. Like with FaceTime on the 4S, I got a big kick out of it around the office and I imagine that lots of other people will, too. Over time, I wonder just how much I'd use it, but features like this can surprise you. I asked the same question about FaceTime and I ended up using that pretty frequently while traveling. The challenge for Apple will be to fully integrate hands-free technology. You will be able to activate Siri with a Bluetooth headset (no word on if you can do it with a wired headset), but I understand that car integration is "coming." Given the abundance of hands-free driving laws, it's important that Siri is fully accessible to drivers while they keep both hands on the wheel. Also, it's important to note that even when your phone is locked with a passcode, Siri is usable without entering the code. That means that anyone could use your phone to send a text message, access your calendar, or make a call. You can disable this security flaw in the Settings menu, but bypassing the code is the default option.

Camera
 

The iPhone 4's 5-megapixel camera was already great--especially when you add a third party app--but the iPhone 4S' is significantly better. The 8-megapixel camera offers autofocus, flash, f/2.4 aperture lens, and a backside-illuminated CMOS sensor that allows 73 percent more light than the previous sensor and should deliver better low-light performance. A hybrid IR filter is also onboard for better color accuracy. Apple also claims the new camera performs 33 percent faster than the iPhone 4's camera, and the A5 processor has a built-in image processor that adds face detection and 26 percent better auto white balance.

From the start I noticed a difference in image quality over the iPhone 4's camera. Colors were brighter, and the focus was a little sharper with a bit less pixelation. Not surprisingly, the camera also does better in low light, though flash continues to be a little overpowering at times. Here's an in depth look at how the iPhone 4S' camera compares with the iPhone 4. And for more photo fun, Senior Editor Lori Grunin compared the iPhone 4S to the Canon PowerShot 100 HS. 

Battery life
 

Despite the more powerful processor, the company claims that the smartphone will be able to provide 8 hours of talk time over 3G, 14 hours over 2G, 6 hours of browsing over 3G, 9 hours via Wi-Fi, 10 hours of video playback, and 40 hours of music playback.

The promised battery times are impressive, but manufacturer promises can be just that: promises. Though the Samsung Epic Touch 4G and Motorola Droid Bionic had rated talk times of 8.7 hours and 10.8 hours, respectively, the Samsung lasted a less stellar 7 hours in CNET Labs tests and the Droid Bionic went for just 7.55 hours. In talk time battery life tests, the Sprint iPhone lasted a very respectable 9 hours and 13 minutes. The other carriers' phones may fare differently, so we'll be testing them separately. For media features, the 4S delivered 8.2 hours of video playback and 64 hours of audio playback.

Since our review posted, some iPhone 4s owners have come forward to complain of poor battery life. According to those owners, their phones will last just a few hours, even when the phone is in standby mode. I tried leaving the 4S unattended for 24 hours with GPS, Wi-Fi, notifications, and Bluetooth on. As I long as the display was off, it didn't drain faster (83 percent full to 71 percent) than an iPhone 4 with similar settings. On the other hand, the battery would deplete quickly over the course of half a day with the display on. I also found that during "real-world" testing, where I was multitasking with several features running in the background and the display on, the battery didn't drain abnormally fast. On November 2, 2011, Apple admitted that "a small number of customers have reported lower-than-expected battery life on iOS 5 devices." The company also said that it was issuing a fix in the form of a software update.

Conclusion
 

Android fans are right: the iPhone 4S adds features that competing smartphones introduced months ago. But that misses the point. It doesn't have everything, but Apple's attention to the user experience remains unmatched. Some consider that focus a worthy trade-off for a regulated and locked-down device, while others prefer more control. Apple's philosophy isn't necessarily right, but it may be right for you. And if so, the iPhone 4S won't disappoint.

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Apple iPad (March 2012, 16GB, Wi-Fi, black)

                   Priced At: $499.00 to $589.00

The good: Apple's new iPad includes a stunning new screen, matched by a quad-core graphic processor and the world's largest app and media store to feed it content. There's a proper 5-megapixel rear camera now, with 1080p recording quality. Optional 4G data from AT&T and Verizon afford an uncompromising mobile experience.

The bad: The new iPad is slightly heavier than last year's model; apps and movies optimized for the screen might take up more space; and ports for HDMI, USB, and SD require adapters.

The bottom line: With a host of improvements--faster graphics, 4G wireless options, a better camera, and a gorgeous high-res screen--the latest iPad cements its position at the head of the tablet pack.

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HP adds Ivy Bridge-based all-in-one PCs

Hewlett-Packard's all-in-one PCs and a couple of towers are getting the first Ivy Bridge chips.

Touch-based all-in-one designs put the electronics behind the screen and function like a large tablet. They are a big target market for quad-core Ivy Bridge chips.

(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)

Hewlett-Packard has joined the Ivy Bridge festivities with new quad-core all-in-ones.

The Palo Alto, Calif., company has bulked up its consumer desktop line with three all-in-ones (AIO) powered by Intel's third-generation "Ivy Bridge" quad-core processor. That chip was rolled out on Monday.

Two of the new models, the Omni 220qd and Omni 27qd, are traditional AIOs -- that is, they don't have touch-capable screens. The TouchSmart 520xt comes with a touch screen.

HP also announced tower systems, the Pavilion HPE h8t and the Pavilion HPE h9t Phoenix. The latter is the company's most powerful Pavilion platform to date.

 

Ivy Bridge Now 3rd Gen Intel Core Processor -- and in HP PCs

There’s been a lot of talk about codename, “Ivy Bridge”. But forget codenames, the 3^rd generation Intel® Core™ Processor is official and here. For those that haven’t been paying attention, it’s all about faster overall CPU performance and better processor graphics on Intel motherboards– that’s the high-level breakdown of what it means.

The “how” is the interesting part. Well, interesting to nerds like me, at least. All this improvement is happening because Intel now shrinks down its manufacturing process to 22 nanometers.  You see, Intel operates on what’s known as a “tick-tock” cycle. At the “tick” in the cycle, Intel introduces a new fabrication process. Last time, it was “Clarkdale” processors reducing Nehalem processors to 32 nanometers back in 2010. Well, it’s time for the next “tick.”

Why is going smaller, better? Well, let me put it this way: Better power efficiency and then some.  The 22nm design helps...

• Reduce average power by up to 20%
• Reduce die size
• Raise the transistor count from 1.1B to 1.4B transistors and as a result just about double performance on visually-intensive activities.

In plain English: For desktops that means you’ll find faster CPUs that can do more and cost less. For laptops, you’re looking at better battery life without having to give up performance to get it.

Something that really matters to me though, is the upgraded graphics on-board the motherboard. We’re talking DirectX 11 support with Intel integrated graphics. That is a big deal. It means that while discrete GPUs will remain king, you’ll be able to find svelte systems (even small laptops) that could potentially keep better pace. Translation: GAMES ON SMALL PCs! OK, personal biases aside, that extra horsepower will mean more machines can edit video – or stream 1080p content (and did I mention, “play games?”) with ease. An old buddy of mine over at Intel was also quick to point out that Quick Sync Video 2.0 is especially handy. It allows mainstream users to work with video much more easily. (Way faster video encoding / decoding. If you want to learn more about it, check it out here.)

So, after this quick description, you’re probably wondering: “Where will I find the new Ivy Bridge architecture?” Fair question. For starters, here are the Desktops that you’ll find 3^rd generation Intel® Core™ processor first appearing in the….

• HP Omni 220qd
• HP Omni²⁷ qd
• HP TouchSmart 520xt
• HP Pavilion HPE h8t
• HP Pavilion HPE Phoenix

All right, so you might notice the lack of laptops mentioned in this post. Well, unfortunately we can’t share that information with you quite yet, but it kinda goes without saying that we have a couple cool little creations on the way. Soon.

In the meantime, feel free to ping me with questions about 3^rd generation Intel® Core™ processors finding its way into HP gear that I am allowed answer. As always, I’m here for you!

Want a slick video breakdown? Intel has you covered in what I like to call "Honey, I Shrank the Intel People"....

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Stage set for Windows 8 hybrid, iPad showdown

So, will that be a Windows 8 hybrid or iPad? That may be one of the bigger choices facing consumers in the next 12 months.

Intel's convertible/hybrid Windows 8 concept.(Credit: Intel)

Apple's CEO Tim Cook may have just thrown down the gauntlet to the Windows camp about nothing less than the future of portable computing.
Cook dismissed the idea of a hybrid MacBook-iPad device, during the company's second-quarter earnings conference call this afternoon. "You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those things are probably not going be pleasing to the user," he said.
The toaster-refrigerator hyperbolic metaphor aside, it just so happens that Intel has begun to push the Windows 8 laptop-tablet hybrid concept. And it has even built a demo unit to prove the point (see photo above).
Intel's newly appointed PC chief, Kirk Skaugen, devoted a few minutes to the Ivy Bridge-based concept device in a keynote speech at an Intel conference in Beijing a couple of week ago.
So, Intel -- and no doubt its coterie of PC partners -- obviously think this is viable. And an important segment of the future Windows 8 market.
Intel's pitch has been consistent: in "consumption" mode, it's a tablet and in productivity mode it's a standard laptop. The "best of both worlds" argument.
Of course, it's good for Intel because those Windows 8 hybrids will use the latest high-performance Ivy Bridge processors -- or Atom "Clover Trail" silicon.
And there are plenty on the way. "There are a number of compelling of hybrid and convertible designs in the pipeline," a source familiar with future Intel-based Windows 8 devices told CNET.

(Credit: Apple)

But getting back to what Cook said. He went on to cite a Forrester Research study that forecasts 375 million tablets sold in 2016.
"I could not be happier with being in the market," Cook said referring to the iPad. "Now in terms of the market itself, IDC and Gartner and Forrester had some numbers out there...Forrester is 375 [million], somewhere around there. And so basically they're in the mid-300s, which is about where the PC market is today," he said.What will a tablet look like in 2016? The distinction between a tablet, a hybrid, and a PC will likely get a lot murkier. "Hybrid devices...that feature a keyboard and touch do qualify as a tablet," according to Forrester's report.And who's to say that Apple won't do something along the lines of a hybrid eventually -- and maybe Apple is just waiting so it can get the design right.But in the more immediate future, Windows 8 device makers will try to trump the tablet with a best-of-both worlds play. Bring it on.

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Best 5 laptops

Apple MacBook Pro Fall 2011

Best mainstream laptop
A MacBook Pro is a significant investment, especially when adding in optional upgrades. Cost aside, there's not a better choice (there are, however, some close ties) for an all-around powerhouse that will work in the home, the office, and in between.
Price: $1,679.95 - $1,799.99 (check prices)

Read full review

 

MacBook Air Summer 2011 

Best thin 13-inch laptop
The latest version of the 13-inch MacBook Air vastly outperforms its predecessor, and can finally be called suitable for mainstream use, instead of relegated as a niche product.
Price: $1,498.00 - $1,599.00 (check prices)
Read full review

 

 HP Folio 13 

Best Windows ultrabook
The HP Folio 13 is the best of the bunch in terms of performance, price, and ergonomics, provided you can live with a less-than-razor-thin design. This laptop is targeted at small businesses but it's really for anyone who wants a reliable ultrabook that isn't a MacBook Air.
Price: $899.99 - $1,379.99 (check prices)
Read full review

 

HP Envy 15 (winter 2012)

Best midsize Windows laptop
HP's Envy line has always been a reliable high-end PC laptop line, and this new redesign adds some useful features, such as a volume wheel, while keeping the upscale look and feel.
Price: $1,099.99 (check prices)
Read full review

 

HP Pavilion dm1z

Best budget ultraportable
There have been plenty of 11-inch AMD-powered ultraportables this year, but HP's Pavilion dm1z was the first, and this updated version puts it back in the lead in this crowded category.
As Reviewed: Pricing not available
Similar Model Starting at: $399.99
Read full review

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Adobe makes the CS6 sales pitch

What kind of software can you buy $2,600? Creative Suite 6, arriving in May with a long list of new features for those dealing with photo, video, Web sites, and publishing.

Adobe Systems first showed a few paws, then a tail, then a couple ears and some whiskers -- but now the company is letting the complete Creative Suite 6 cat out of the bag.
After a series of sneak previews and early announcements, Adobe now is detailing the full CS6 line, the meat and potatoes of Adobe's business. It's important to a large number of people involved with photography, videography, design, and publishing on the Web or on paper, and it's set to be arrive within 30 days, Adobe announced today.
But CS products aren't cheap, so Adobe must periodically add something new to keep people coming back. This time around, Adobe is adapting CS6 for more advanced Web design and publishing on mobile devices, and it's got a major new way to buy the products for $50 a month, the new subscription plan called Creative Cloud. For CS3, CS4, and CS5.x customers, Adobe is offering an introductory offer of $30 per month.
The subscription includes a lot more than the CS6 Master Collection, including an 20GB Dropbox-like online file sync service, Lightroom for photo editing and cataloging, Adobe's new Edge and Muse tools for designing Web pages in the HTML5 era, the Touch apps for tablets, Web site hosting, and a tablet publishing service.
But for the traditional set, Adobe also is continuing to offer its perpetual-license model for the narrower CS6 line. The all-encompassing Master Collection CS6 costs $2,599 new and $549 to upgrade; the more basic Design Standard costs $1,299/$299; and the Production Premium and the newly consolidated Design and Web Premium options each cost $1,899/$399.
What exactly is Adobe throwing into the mix to attract customers? Plenty. Here's a breakdown, and Adobe's list of top items is at the bottom of the story.

Photoshop CS6
The updated Photoshop comes with a darker interface and a number of features. For one thing, its brainy content-aware tools are a notch brainier for filling in backgrounds or stretching features automatically. For another, it gets a more more sophisticated video editing that's now in the ordinary version of Photoshop, not just standard.

Photoshop CS6 adds new "content-aware" tools for making up image data automatically when objects are removed or elongated.

(Credit: Adobe Systems)

And it's got a lot of new hardware acceleration for better performance. Blur effects can be used to selectively focus on one patch of a photo or to simulate the currently vogue tilt-shift lens effect. And an adaptive wide-angle filter lets people fiddle with photos to get more natural-looking perspectives.
By itself, Photoshop costs $699 new for the standard version and $999 for the Extended version that adds 3D graphics and other features. It also can be used for $20 a month with an annual subscription or $30 per month for a month-to-month subscription.

Premiere Pro
Adobe's video-editing tool gets a radically simplified user interface that puts the video itself front and center rather than relegating it to panels encrusted with buttons and menus. The panel for managing video clips lets videographers scrub through videos and set the in and out points on the spot for faster work.

Premiere Pro CS6 gets a streamlined interface and a retooled panel at lower left for organizing and trimming video clips.

(Credit: Adobe Systems)

Keyboard-oriented editors also get new controls for trimming video clips to a precise length, After Effects' Warp Stabilizer feature has been built in to correct for camera shake and rolling shutter problems, and the software can handle any number of cameras for multicam shoots. Laptop users will be pleased to know that the hardware-accelerated Mercury Playback Engine now supports higher-end new MacBook Pro models, too.

After Effects
This program is for video editors who need to add visual effects, composite multiple videos together, and build motion graphics -- think of the logos that fly across a TV screen as the big game is starting up. The big new feature here is caching that dramatically improves performance. A memory cache and a disk cache mean that once AE effects such as color changes are calculated, they can be reused as a foundation when adding other effects; previously, the software would have to recalculate every layer each time a new one was added. Adobe hopes the new approach will lower the barriers to experimenting with new looks.
Another new feature is the 3D camera tracker, which computes the position in 3D space of the camera used to shoot the footage based on the 2D motion in the video. Knowing that position means it's easier to perform effects such as creating shadows from 3D text added to a scene.

The new Prelude
Yet another video-editing facet is handled by a new program called Prelude. It's designed to get an early start on video editing by letting editors ingest video right after it's shot, tag it with metadata such as comments linked to particular moments in the footage, and assemble rough cuts out of collections of clips. Rough cuts can be handed off to Premiere Pro for more refined work.

The new SpeedGrade
Another new package is SpeedGrade for color-grading video, which means applying a particular color and tonal look. It works in conjunction with Premiere Pro and After Effects, and entered the suite via Adobe's acquisition of Iridas. The software can give digital footage a film-like look through presets or custom settings.

Illustrator
For designers working with vector art, the chief change in the CS6 version of Illustrator was made under the covers. Adobe moved it to a 64-bit foundation and Mac OS X's Cocoa interface, a transition Photoshop already made with the CS5 generation. One of the big advantages of Illustrator's shift is the ability to handle larger, more complicated illustrations with numerous elements. "We can take advantage of all available memory," said Brenda Sutherland, Illustrator product manager.

Illustrator CS6 gets an overhauled tracing tool to convert bitmap graphics to vector graphics.

(Credit: Adobe Systems)

Also in Illustrator is a new utility to convert bitmaps such as photos into vector art. "I'm happy to say we got rid of Live Trace. We replaced it with a brand-new feature that has much better results and a much simpler user interface," Sutherland said.
Illustrator also has a tool for creating tiles that can be linked together into repeating patterns such as wallpaper, wrapping paper, or screen backgrounds.

InDesign
This software for layout has been updated to be more adept at digital publishing, not just paper. New "liquid page rules" let designers designate elements of a page as anchored or movable so a layout can automatically adjust to different screen sizes or shifts from portrait to landscape orientation on tablets.
For more dramatic reworking, a tool called the content collector serves as a beefed-up version of copy and paste. A designer can use it to harvest elements from one design that then can be placed quickly onto another.

Adobe's list of CS6 and Creative Cloud prices and components

(Credit: Adobe Systems)

Flash Professional
Flash Pro is at a crossroads, because the Web is moving away from Flash. It remains widely used on personal computers as a way to deliver streaming video and casual games, but faced with Apple's iOS ban, Adobe ditched an effort to spread it to mobile devices. Flash Pro is far from over, though; the CS6 version can be used to create self-contained apps for iOS and Android that use a Flash foundation called AIR that's built into the app. One of the big new features in the latest AIR is Stage3D, which enables use of hardware-accelerated 3D graphics useful in games.
And Flash Pro is beginning to embrace the Web standards such as HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS that are displacing Flash Player. Flash Pro CS6 can use a plug-in called CreateJS that helps adapt Flash content so it'll run using a browser's JavaScript engine.

Dreamweaver
Adobe's Web site design software, Dreamweaver, is getting more attention with the prominence of HTML5 and the host of increasingly capable related Web standards. With CS6, the software works better for creating adaptable pages that work on everything from smartphones to personal computers, said product manager Scott Fegette. "Dreamweaver CS6 makes it easier for multiscreen [with] a movement called responsive design," he said.

Dreamweaver CS6 gets new abilities for Web page layouts that can be set to fluidly adapt to different screen sizes.

Also new in Dreamweaver is support for CSS transitions, a standard that can add pizzazz to Web pages through animated effects to Web page elements.
Not part of CS6, though are two new tools for Web design, Edge and Muse. Muse is geared for designers who want to make Web sites without having to learn how to code, while Edge is for creating interactive Web sites powered by Web standards.
Adobe is just wrapping up Muse, and Edge is coming later in the year. Each will be available through a $15-per-month subscription or through the larger Creative Cloud subscription; Muse will be subscription only, but Adobe hasn't decided yet how exactly how to sell Edge. Closer integration with other Adobe software is possible with Creative Suite 7, said Scott Morris, senior marketing director for Adobe Creative Professionals.
For now, though, Adobe hopes customers will lean toward the Creative Cloud option.

(Credit: Adobe Systems)

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (8GB)

 

Priced At: $249.00 to $249.99

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 delivers a mostly pure Ice Cream Sandwich experience for only $250. The tablet also trumps the Kindle Fire in extras by including dual cameras, expandable memory, and TV remote-control functionality.

The bad: The screen doesn't look as pretty as other PLS displays, and its camera performance is lacking compared with other tablets in the line.

The bottom line: The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 offers an excellent value and a full Android 4.0 experience that no other tablet can currently match for the price.

I guess we have Amazon to thank for proving that you don't need a premium tablet to be successful. While Samsung tried competing on the premium tablet front for the last year and will continue to do so, it's finding this strategy to be more difficult than anticipated.
With the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, the company is, thankfully, learning from its mistakes and taking a price cue from Amazon by offering a full-featured tablet for $250. The market isn't stagnant, though, so will Samsung actually have time to capitalize before more powerful and still cheap alternatives enter the fray?

Design
The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 sports a slightly altered design from the Tab 7.0 Plus, but you'd be hard-pressed to notice those differences at first glance, unless of course you're as intimately familiar with the Plus as I am.
The shape and weight are about the same with some slight dimensional differences. The new tablet's outer plastic shell spills a bit into the bezel at the right and left sides and the power/sleep button and volume rocker are more pronounced and feel slightly more responsive. Also, the IR blaster is a bit larger than the one on the Plus.
Aside from that, they're pretty much physically identical. The Tab 2 7.0 is fairly thin, although not Tab 7.7-thin. It's also comfortable to hold, with smooth, rounded corners. Samsung identifies the color that covers the back of the tablet as "titanium silver," which seems apt enough.

The Tab 2 7.0 retains the Tab 7.0 Plus' thin design.

	Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0	Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus	Amazon Kindle Fire	Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7
Weight in pounds	0.74	0.76	0.9	0.74
Width in inches (landscape)	7.6	7.6	7.4	7.75
Height in inches	4.8	4.8	4.75	2.25
Depth in inches	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.37
Side bezel width in inches (landscape)	0.76	0.74	0.78 (power button side), 0.6 opposite side	0.68

The microSD card slot allows you to add an additional 32GB of storage on top of the built-in 8GB. Samsung provides 50GB of free Dropbox storage for a year on top of that. The door to the microSD slot is easier to open now and doesn't get stuck as often as the Tab Plus' did.

Take that, Kindle Fire! With expandable memory up 32GB, you shouldn't have to worry constantly about running out of space.

The 2-megapixel front camera from the Plus has been replaced with a VGA one here, but the rear is still rated at 3 megapixels, albeit sans an LED. Thankfully, each camera is located in the upper left corner when you hold the tablet in landscape, thus allowing them to avoid unwanted fingers creeping into the camera frame when taking a picture.

The 3-megapixel back camera honestly takes pretty crappy pictures.

Equidistant from surrounding dual speakers on the right sits a dock connector, and the left edge houses a headphone jack and microphone pinhole. The ambient light sensor sits about an inch away from the front camera on the bezel. However, the ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the tablet's brightness when auto brightness is turned on is calibrated too sensitively. When typing, my hand would occasionally cover the sensor making the screen darken. This was so consistent (and annoying) that I was forced to turn off auto brightness on the tablet while I used it.
Sadly, as with most Samsung tablets, there's no HDMI port, requiring you to purchase an adapter if you'd like to play video from your tablet on your TV.

Software features
Possibly the biggest selling point (other than its price) of the Tab 2 7.0 is that it ships with Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.3 to be precise) installed, making it the first Samsung tablet to do so.
Samsung's TouchWiz UI skin is of course included and comes with custom Samsung apps like Music Hub, Media Hub, and Game Hub, a built-in screenshot app, and the Mini Apps tray located on the bottom of the screen. Tapping it brings up a tray of apps consisting of a calculator, notes, calendar, music player, and clock. However, the most useful of these is still the task manager, though which you can quickly kill any app running in the background; this comes in handy when apps become otherwise unresponsive.
The basic look and design of ICS are retained, just with a TouchWiz skin and a few extra shortcuts for quickly turning off Wi-Fi, GPS, screen rotation, and so on.

Peel's Smart Remote app
The IR blaster found on the Tabs 7.7 and 7.0 Plus makes its way to the Tab 2 7.0 and, in conjunction with Peel's included Smart Remote app, helps turn your tablet into a remote control for your TV. Peel can take the place of your cable or satellite channel guide and display a list of shows currently playing locally on your cable or satellite provider's channels. Go to the currently playing tab and click on a show, and your TV switches to the appropriate channel. Peel does a great job of holding your hand initially through a step-by-step setup wizard. The setup only requires that you know your TV's manufacturer's name, your cable/satellite provider, and your ZIP code. Thankfully, Peel spares us from having to know any more detailed information; however, be aware that Smart Remote does not work with regular monitors, only TVs or monitor/TV combos.
Once it's set up, you can browse shows by category, mark shows as favorites, or prevent shows you'd rather not see on the list from showing up again. Thankfully, Smart Remote now syncs with over-the-air listings, but its accuracy as to which shows and channels were available to me left a bit to be desired.
Navigating the interface took some getting used to, but was easy enough to pick up; however, I took issue with the method by which cable TV screen menus are controlled by the interface. Peel went with a swipe interface that requires you to flick the screen in one of four directions to highlight different menus. While this method works and after some time could be gotten used to, I would have much preferred more-direct directional controls.
As I learned with the Tab 7.0 Plus and Tab 7.7, Smart Remote's accuracy is very closely dictated by the information cable and satellite providers choose to release. So, while the Smart Remote guide might indicate that "Law & Order" was on right now on Channel 12, selecting it didn't always take me to the appropriate channel. In addition, sometimes the channel wasn't available to me or there was a different show on the channel at that time.
While Peel's Smart Remote is still missing some features, it's well-implemented overall. However, I'm still waiting for Hulu and Netflix integration, and an actual search feature would be useful. Also, while I found that the remote reliably functions from 10 to 20 feet away, performance is definitely more reliable within 8 feet. Also, the tablet does not handle obstructions like coffee tables as well as my normal remote does, requiring you to be much more precise when aiming it.

Hardware features

The Tab 2 7.0 houses a 1GHz dual-core OMAP 4430 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage. Tablet mainstays like 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi support, Bluetooth 3.0, and GPS are included as well as gyroscope, accelerometer, and digital compass support.
The two speakers on the bottom of the tablet deliver typically "OK, I guess" tablet-quality sound that gets a bit staticky and distorted if you increase the volume too much.

Performance

The Tab 2 7.0 uses the same PLS-based panel tech the Plus does, running at a resolution of 1,024x600 pixels. I consider that resolution middling for a 7-inch screen, as some run as high as 1,280x800 pixels and look considerably sharper doing so. The Tab 2 7.0's screen clarity isn't bad, but it doesn't reach the pixel-dense heights of other 7-inchers, like the Thrive 7-inch.
Also, either there are different tiers of quality when it comes to PLS panels, or Samsung really didn't devote much time or effort to calibrating the Tab 2 7.0's color. Compared with the 7.0 Plus, its screen looks noticeably greener and colors appear washed out.

Tested spec	Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0	Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7	Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus	Amazon Kindle Fire
Maximum brightness	379 cd/m2	110 cd/m2	214 cd/m2	424 cd/m2
Default brightness	150 cd/m2	51 cd/m2	0.17 cd/m2	147 cd/m2
Maximum black level	0.31 cd/m2	0.0049 cd/m2	0.17 cd/m2	0.45 cd/m2
Default black level	0.12 cd/m2	0.0049 cd/m2	0.04 cd/m2	0.15 cd/m2
Default contrast ratio	1250	10,408	1,250	980
Maximum contrast ratio	1,222	22,449	1,258	963

When swiping through screens and navigating menus, the screen matches the sensitivity of some the most responsive Android screens out there, like the Transformer Prime. Also, apps launch without delay and settings menu options appear readily after tapping them.
Web and app download speeds matched most other Android tablets when within 5 feet of our test router and even when up to 20 feet away the connection retained much of its strength. While scrolling through Web sites was smooth, there was a noticeable degree of clipping as the processor attempted to keep up with its rendering duties. Nothing that broke the experience, but it was definitely noticeable.
Thanks to its hardware scalability, I used Riptide GP as a games performance benchmark. Depending on the speed of the tablet's CPU, Riptide GP will deliver a noticeable increase or decrease in frame rate. Thanks to its faster 1.2GHz dual-core Exynos 4210 CPU, the Tab 7.0 Plus renders the game with a high frame rate that looks to approach 60 frames per second. The Tab 2 7.0's TI OMAP 4430 CPU, in comparison, fails to come close to that performance. It's not choppy and it's pretty consistent, but it's just not as buttery-smooth.
In 2D games like Angry Birds Space, we didn't notice any performance difference aside from slightly slower load times on the Tab 2 7.0.
As mentioned, the Tab 2 7.0 has a front-facing VGA camera and a 3-megapixel back camera. Compared with the Plus, the difference between images and video recorded on the front camera was quickly apparent. A picture of my face taken with the VGA camera, for example, lacked many embarrassing and detailed blemishes, while a similar pic from the Plus' 2-megapixel retained many of my facial "features" I'd rather people not see.
The 3-megapixel back camera fared better, capturing more details, but the Tab 2 7.0's pictures still looked washed-out and lacked contrast. While the 7.0 Plus' camera took a longer time to focus, it resulted in higher-quality pictures.
720p video playback from outside sources was smooth and crisp; however, try as I might, 1080p video files would not play on the tablet, though Samsung claims it's compatible with the format.
Our Tab 2 7.0's battery drained fairly quickly with normal use over the course of several hours. Check back soon for CNET Labs official battery results.

Conclusion

Though it gives up a few things to get there, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0's very competitive $250 price does a great job of making you ignore those sacrifices. However, there may be tablets on the horizon that could shine a light on corners Samsung cut.
The Asus Memo 370T is, as of this moment, still slated to be released in the second quarter with a higher-resolution screen, an 8-megapixel camera, and a quad-core Tegra 3 CPU. All for the same $250 price. There's also the rumored $150-$200 Tegra 3-powered Google Nexus tablet possibly coming in July to consider as well.
That said, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is out this month, on April 22, while the aforementioned tablets have yet to receive concrete release dates.
The $200 Kindle Fire is available now, however. The Tab 2 7.0 is $50 more than the Fire, and doesn't give you full access to Amazon's impressive content ecosystem. On the Tab 2 7.0, books, magazines, and newspapers are accessible via the Kindle app, and you can stream or download Amazon's Cloud Player music, but "free" Amazon Prime books aren't available, nor is any Amazon video content. With the Tab 2 7.0 you can stream movies through Netflix or rent them on Google Play, but there's currently no way to purchase TV shows on Android, unless through a Kindle Fire. Still, that might be worth the trade-off for Amazon fans who want the Tab 2 7.0's extra features. Expandable storage, Bluetooth, IR blaster, dual cameras, microphone, and GPS isn't a bad deal for just $50 extra.
There's something to be said for convenience, though. Once your Amazon account is installed on the Fire, you can begin consuming all of your books, video, and music immediately, rather than deal with different apps and log-ins during your initial setup. It may not sound like a big deal on paper, but it's one of those intangible conveniences you only truly appreciate once you've reset your system a few times.
Also, Amazon has been very consistent with Kindle Fire updates, making many useful and tangible performance and interface improvements. Meanwhile Samsung tablets launched last year are still waiting for ICS. Something to consider when making your decision.
The Fire is a simply a gentler introduction into the world of tablets that's relatively safe, controlled, simple, and convenient. If that sounds appealing and you don't care about cameras, and 8GB of storage sounds like all you'll ever need, then the Kindle Fire is your best bet.

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Meet Google's secret weapon for fighting Apple and Microsoft

(Credit: Photo by: Jason Hiner/CNET)

Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha pulled off one of the most difficult things to do in the technology industry: He surprised people at a press conference.
When Jha took the stage at the Consumer Electronics Show 2011 and revealed the Motorola Atrix smartphone and the "Lapdock" that made it act like a laptop computer, it sent reporters scrambling. They expected the unveiling of the Motorola Xoom, the highly anticipated and already-leaked first official Android tablet to take on the Apple iPad. But, it was the Atrix and the Lapdock that stole the show.
Was this a hybrid smartphone/PC, the veritable missing link of computing? If so, how did it work?
The key was Motorola's homegrown software called "Webtop" that made the Atrix act like a computer once it was docked. When Webtop launched with the Atrix two months later, the obvious question was how Motorola beat platform giants Microsoft and Apple to the converged smartphone-PC device?
The answer is complicated but fascinating, and on the eve of Motorola Mobility's merger with Google, it leaves the combined companies in an enviable position. The success of Android has established Google as a key player in mobile computing devices, and once consumers and business users start looking to consolidate their many devices, Webtop could make Google the company that's best positioned to make that consolidation possible.
CNET and its sister site TechRepublic interviewed current and former Motorola and Google employees as well as industry experts to explain how Webtop emerged from a brainstorming session to become, potentially, a major weapon in the fight for dominance in the next generation of computing platforms. What emerged from our reporting is a clear picture of a technology that disappointed initially but may be about to spring into the mainstream.
The idea of using a phone as a fully functional computer has been around for more than a decade, of course. In the late 1990s, former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates often said a phone would eventually replace the big PC towers. More recently, Apple CEO Steve Jobs declared the arrival of the "Post-PC" era in 2010, as the iPad's surprising popularity began to erode overall PC sales.
Still, neither Microsoft nor Apple have made the leap to using their smartphones as PC replacements. That gives Motorola/Google a lot of running room as it waits for final regulatory approval from China.

The Secret Weapon

Webtop started in mid-2009 with a handful of engineers in Motorola's Sunnyvale, Calif., lab thinking about how they could get past the frustration of the mobile Web browsing experience.
"There are Web sites that simply don't work without a mouse," said Sean Chau, Motorola's chief software engineer. He and his engineers wanted to make that exasperating mobile experience a thing of the past. "It was just a few folks getting together and saying, 'What can we do?'"
Once they settled on a rough concept of a dockable phone with a desktop environment and a full Web browser embedded inside, Chau's team quickly "hacked something together."
Great idea. But the fate of the project hung on whether Chau could sell it to their CEO, Jha. First, Chau sent Jha video clips that showed the user experience for Webtop on very early prototypes. Then he explained in phone conversations that Webtop was meant to give a docked smartphone the "full Firefox browser including download and upload support, full Adobe Flash for desktop, and multi-window multitasking," said Chau. "At a high level, the key positioning was maximizing the user experience of your cell phone with a keyboard, mouse, and large screen."
Finally, Chau met with Jha and presented him with working prototypes. He showed how right-click, copy-and-paste, the scroll wheel, and window resizing all worked in Webtop just like they did on a PC.
Jha connected with the concept. "The moment he saw those demos, he wanted to go for it," Chau said.
Webtop would later be tied to the Atrix smartphone since the two products arrived in the market at the same time. But at that point, "We were working on Webtop before an Atrix ever existed," Chau said.

From the Motorola press conference at CES 2011, this photo shows the Atrix in a desktop dock with Webtop running on a standard monitor.

(Credit: Jason Hiner/CNET)

Just as Webtop was starting to take shape at Motorola at the end of 2009, AT&T sent out a confidential RFP to its smartphone hardware partners asking them to submit their best concepts for a "game-changing" Android device.
It was a proverbial "pivot" moment for AT&T. It wasn't offering any Android phones and its exclusive agreement with Apple for the iPhone was going to end in December 2010. What's more, AT&T's Windows Mobile and BlackBerry devices were running out of steam and it needed something it could put a lot of promotion behind. On Motorola's side, it had just launched the original Droid in partnership with Verizon. The Droid was the first Android 2.0 device and it was already a hot seller. The rest of the wireless industry suddenly wanted in on Android.
The match made sense. Motorola and AT&T execs had a private meeting in Las Vegas at CES 2010, where Motorola showed off its idea for a new device codenamed "Evora." AT&T liked what it saw and over the next two months the two companies went back and forth on details. In time, Motorola introduced the idea of adding something new to Evora called "Virgil" (the codename for Webtop). The Motorola team was excited about Virgil, but AT&T executives? Not so much.
It was time for another Chau demo. This time he had to convince AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega. Chau flew to AT&T headquarters in Atlanta and went through his Webtop dog-and-pony show. The AT&T chief was hooked. "We've got to have this," Chau recounted de la Vega saying. "Webtop is something best experienced," Chau added. "It's hard to describe over the phone or even in slides. We did much better in person showing working prototypes."
Once AT&T was on board with the "Virgil" concept, the stage was set for the Atrix to become a spotlight-grabber.
By March 2010, Sprint and HTC were hogging the Android headlines at CTIA Wireless 2010 with the new HTC EVO phone and AT&T and Motorola needed an awnser. The Atrix was fast-tracked. A top phone launch usually has a lead time of 12-18 months in order to line up marketing and finish product development. The Atrix was shortened to about six months to get it ready for the holiday season. For the Webtop team, that meant dropping everything on their long-term development of the OS and focusing on getting the software to work on this one phone.
There were snags. One of the biggest was RAM. It turned out the phone was going to need way more RAM than even the most high-end smartphones in order to load Webtop alongside Android. Chau's team had to appeal to CEO Jha to get it.
"Without Sanjay's push, we wouldn't have gotten the RAM we needed," said Chau. "It's not cheap. We needed that kind of financial and organizational support."
Jha also had to provide the funding and executive backing for the special laptop docking device that the team was developing. It was going to be slim and slick, but it was going to be expensive to produce and it would have to be priced fairly high. But, the Motorola team thought that it would generate far more buzz than just a glorified desktop dock that attached to a monitor, mouse, and keyboard. There were already phones that were starting to connect to HDTVs (including the EVO). Jha agreed.
"Sanjay really pushed on the Lapdock," Chau said.
All the pushing worked. By the fall, the device moved into the testing stage and AT&T invited 10 CIOs from Fortune 500 companies to get a demo of the Atrix and Webtop. The consensus: You've got a winner if you integrate Citrix, an enterprise technology that allows companies to host desktop apps like Microsoft Office on servers and users simply connect to those servers and then run the apps from there.
Around the same time Citrix came up at the CIO pow-wow, AT&T told Motorola that it wanted to change the new device to add chips for HSPA+, its speed-boosting 3G service (AT&T would later spin it as 4G). This was a response to Verizon, which was about to launch LTE, a true 4G service.
The thinking was that if AT&T's flagship Android device went to market without the fastest wireless chips, customers wouldn't think it as a high-end device. AT&T and Motorola had a decision to make: Launch in time for the holiday season or delay the product to add Citrix and HSPA+? They bet on the two big additions and pushed the launch back to CES 2011 in January.
The launch was a success. Webtop caught the entire tech industry by surprise. Competitors didn't have anything like it. Both CNET and Engadget named the Atrix the "Best of CES" in smartphones.
My headline at the time was:
Breakthrough device of CES: Motorola Atrix = Phone + PC

The Motorola Atrix and the original Lapdock were unveiled at this January 2011 press conference at CES.

(Credit: Jason Hiner/CNET)

The problem with Webtop

There was a hitch: The first version of Webtop was awful.
But, it was awful in the same way that Android 1.0 was awful. It was awful in the way the original MacBook Air was awful. You didn't want to use it right away, but once you tried it, you had a feeling that it was bursting with promise, and a sense of inevitability.
Unfortunately, Webtop could be so slow that it was practically unusable if you wanted to work with it for more than about an hour. It could lag at doing simple tasks like launching the Web browser or opening the Android app window that allowed you to use your mobile apps from within Webtop. Even though the Atrix was the first major smartphone to sport 1GB of RAM, it still felt unbearably sluggish in Webtop mode. Ultimately, Webtop was 1.0 software and it felt like 1.0 software.
Still, plenty of corporate customers decided to run trials. A year later, Motorola reports the number of companies testing Webtop devices has grown significantly, but none of these companies are willing to talk about it. (That's never a good sign.) While neither AT&T nor Motorola will release numbers on the sales of the original Atrix, it's safe to call it a disappointment. It generated tremendous buzz and got a lot of positive reviews from the tech press. But that was a grade on a curve, based more on potential than the device itself.
Nonetheless, as Google nears finalizing its acquisition of Motorola, the tide may be turning on sales of Webtop devices, and that could set up a huge opportunity for Google and Android to use Webtop to launch a full frontal attack on Apple and Microsoft.

What will Google do?

Webtop recently has made several big strides. After the tepid reception of the Atrix, Motorola launched Webtop on several other devices on multiple carriers during 2011: The Photon (Sprint), the Droid Bionic (Verizon), and the Atrix 2 (AT&T). Then, at the end of the 2011, Motorola quietly rolled out Webtop 2.0, tucked into the Motorola Droid Razr, a stylish, high-end LTE phone on Verizon.
Webtop 2.0 had several key improvements:

• An updated version of Firefox.
• Offline syncing for Google docs.
• Webtop's App Bar became customizable.
• Added the ability to see the battery life of both the phone and the dock simultaneously.
• Improved the management of phone and dock charging.
• Added VGA video-out capability (the common port used to connect to conference room projectors and many computer monitors).
• Added support for more PC expansion ports.

This screenshot of Webtop 2.0 shows the Mobile View app, which is used to access all of the phone's apps and settings while it is docked.

(Credit: Jason Hiner/CNET)

After launching the updated version of the Webtop software in the Razr, Motorola unveiled a new version of the dock called the Lapdock 500 Pro that sported a 14-inch screen, a Web cam, a VGA video port, SD card slot, Ethernet jack, headphone jack, and even a set of Android shortcut keys on the keyboard. This made Webtop + Lapdock a much more viable PC replacement.
While the original Lapdock was thin, slick, and brushed metallic, the Lapdock 500 Pro had a more utilitarian look in the mode of a MacBook Pro or a business-class HP laptop. Most importantly, Motorola finally got the price right. The original Lapdock was $499. Motorola sells the Lapdock 500 for $349, but the price at Amazon and other retailers is $249. Verizon regularly runs specials where sells it for $149 when a customer buys it with a Motorola smartphone.
While AT&T eventually cooled on Webtop and the Lapdock after the disappointing sales of the Atrix and Atrix 2, Verizon, perhaps a better fit because of its Verizon Business division, carried on.
Verizon also looks at Webtop and the Lapdock as more than just an enterprise product. The carrier thinks it could be a tool for consumer technophiles and individual business professionals. In February, Verizon put a lot of promotion behind Webtop and the Lapdock by giving them a prominent spot in its Droid Razr commercials.
Verizon declined to comment on the sales numbers of its Webtop-powered phones or the Webtop accessories, but everyone I've spoken with at Verizon has been very familiar with the Lapdock and generally upbeat about it.
In March, I spoke with a sales representative at one of Verizon's large retail locations and asked if they were carrying the LapDock 500. He said the store was selling it, but since the new commercials started running the store was having a hard time keeping them in stock. However, smaller Verizon stores that I called said that they only sold the Lapdock 500 as a phone order item and didn't have any in stock.
Michelle Gilbert, public relations manager at Verizon Wireless, said, "We tend to see more business customers who travel a lot purchasing the LapDock 500 Pro."

He also said that there's no virtualization involved. The bottom line: It would be relatively straightforward for Google to integrate Webtop into the native Android code without complicated software engineering. And, by the time Google would pull this off in the next major release of Android, dual core hardware will be standard on virtually all smartphones (with quad core on high-end smartphones), providing the power Webtop needs to run smoothly.

There's another x-factor: Google's ChromeOS. ChromeOS and Webtop are very similar animals. If you look at Google's Chromebooks and Motorola's Webtop + Lapdock, you see browser-centric operating systems based on Linux. It's all about giving users a fast, slimmed-down laptop experience. It lets you get on the Internet and access all of your Web apps and services in a traditional computer browser with a mouse and keyboard, but without all of the extra overhead and distraction of a full operating system like Windows or Mac.
Chromebooks have never taken off, of course, and from a technical standpoint ChromeOS and Android have no connection or integration. That's where Webtop comes in. Webtop could become the bridge between Android and ChromeOS. Google could merge the Webtop and ChromeOS teams, take the best of both of code bases -- the speed of ChromeOS and the fuller experience of Webtop -- and emerge with an empowered version of ChromeOS that is now integrated into Android.
In the smartphone war against Apple, this would give Android a feature the iPhone likely will not have any time soon. Appealing to consumers? Maybe. Many of them could replace an ailing old Windows PC with a dockable Android smartphone.
Appealing to business customers? Absolutely. Most companies are moving business apps to either the cloud or private browser-based apps. Webtop-enabled Android devices -- if they are well-orchestrated -- could take a big bite out of the corporate sales of Windows.
But it's no slam dunk. The fragmentation of Android and the fiasco of Android updates has shown that Google is not yet a master of working with hardware partners, and adding the complexity of a dual-purpose device will demand even stronger leadership from Google. It's going to have to get tougher and more persuasive with hardware makers.
There's also the question of convincing hardware partners -- many of whom would be cannibalizing sales of their own Windows PCs -- to get on board with this converged strategy. The best argument that Google will be able to make will be that the hardware makers can replace low-margin PC sales with high-margin mobile accessory sales (docks).
Perhaps the biggest problem is Webtop brain drain. In February, Webtop's biggest champion, Seang Chau, left Motorola just as U.S. and EU regulators were approving the Google deal. Chau jumped to Microsoft to lead the mobile division of Skype. While Sarah Gaeta, Motorola's director of product management for Webtop, said no one else has left the Webtop team, the loss of Chau was a body blow.
Google is still unwilling to talk about the trajectory of Webtop and how it could shape the future strategy of ChromeOS. But last Fall when Google announced that it was buying Motorola, it said, "The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem."
We're about to see how much they really mean it.

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Monetize your blog with Google Affiliate Ads for Blogger

When you share your words, thoughts and photos on Blogger, you are sharing your passions with the world. Sometimes, you’re passionate about brands or products. Starting today, you can make money by promoting relevant products in your posts, gaining income for each new customer you introduce to your favorite brands.

This is a new way for you to monetize your blog, giving you control over the advertisers and products you promote, and better connecting your readers with the things you love.

 To get started, go to the Earnings tab on Blogger, and click “Get Started”. If you have an existing AdSense account and the content of your blog matches available ad categories, you're already set. Select an affiliate ad from the “Advertiser Products” widget that appears in the Post Settings panel in the post editor. If you don’t already have an AdSense account, sign up.

When you post about a brand or product from a featured advertiser, the Google Affiliate Ads for Blogged widget will help you to display an affiliate ad in your blog, which can be a text link, a product image, or a banner. You may earn commissions when someone clicks on your ads and makes a purchase on the advertiser’s site, going beyond “payment per click” to “payment per action” and extending the influential relationship you have with your audience.

Get started with Google Affiliate Ads for Blogger today to monetize your blog and bring your readers to the products you love.

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Facebook Updates Android App: 1.9 Adds Photos, Message Sharing From Home Screen

Facebook has released an update to its Android app today that should give users of the social network on Android devices a more integrated and instant experience — and takes Facebook another step closer to making its mobile app experience more like the one people have when using the social network on the web.

Specifically, the new version lets users share photos and messages direct from the home screen of their devices, and it includes several features that had been in the standalone Messenger app.
Facebook for Android 1.9, according to a blog post from Facebook software engineer Frank Qixing Du, also integrates several features that had been in Facebook’s separate Messenger app. These include the ability to see when your friends are online or on their mobile devices; the ability to add people to a group conversation; and a more intelligent contact list, sorting it by the people you interact with most.
After updating the app, camera shortcuts and messaging shortcuts will also appear in your Android app tray, as shortcuts separate from the Facebook app itself:

As before, you will also be able to upload photos, track what your friends are uploading and writing, and look up the phone numbers of your contacts.
So far, the reviews in the Google Play app store have been mixed. On the minus side, several are pointing out that there is now some confusion between Facebook’s Camera and Messenger apps, and those that users would have already had — the native Android apps. Also these new additions take up extra space for now. On the plus side, there’s strong praise for the new design and better Messenger integration.

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Facebook Allows File Sharing With Rollout Of .Edu-Exclusive “Groups For Schools”

With today’s rollout of college collaboration tool “Groups For Schools”, Facebook gets nostalgic for Zuck’s Wirehog and lets students share un-copyrighted files up to 25mb. Soon all U.S. colleges and then those around the world will be able to create groups for dorms, classes, and clubs that can only be joined by people with that school’s “.edu” email address. The idea is that you’ll share more nerdy or racy content if it’ll only reach your classmates.
We broke the news in December of Facebook first testing Groups For Schools at Brown and Vanderbilt, but it’s made several tweaks, including easier messaging between classmates and a better-converting onboarding flow that shows your friends who are already signed up and auto-creates groups for your dorm, clubs and more. If Facebook gets serious about file sharing it could become a dangerous competitor to Dropbox.

A few details on the new file sharing capability. Groups For Schools users can click an “Upload File” button above the news feed. It accepts files up to 25mb in size, but no .exe files are permitted to prevent malicious programs from going viral. Other students can download the files straight from the news feed. To avoid legal issues, Facebook monitors for and disallows copyrighted files, so this won’t become your new source for MP3s and pirated movies, and leaves a somewhat sketchy gap for Dropbox to fill.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s pre-Facebook project was a peer-to-peer file sharing service called Wirehog, but it didn’t have such protections. It was part of Facebook until early 2006 when Sean Parker “put a bullet in that thing” to prevent Facebook from getting shut down for copyright infringement the way his previous company Napster did. Now Facebook will surely be watching to see if file sharing is a hit, and could roll it out to all users or look to acquire someone in the space if people love it. Dropbox might be a bit big, but a small tech + talent acquisition could go down. Facebook already has what it needs, though, as it bought file sharing service Drop.io in 2010, along with its founder Sam Lessin who went on to create Timeline.

Facebook has saturated much of the market for college students. So if it can’t get more users in this key demographic, it wants them to engage more. Back when I joined Facebook at Stanford in early 2004, people felt like they could share anything because it would only be seen by others at our school or the few others allowed on the service. You could also list your specific courses on your profile, which was a great way to find and friend people you met in class. With time, though, Facebook opened to all schools, and then everyone, students got worried about discussing parties or nerdy physics homework, and Facebook lost some of this engagement.

Groups For Schools could emulate this now-lost safe haven. Anything you post within the Groups For Schools section for your college can only be seen by other students who’ve authenticated through their .edu email address. That means no worries about parents, young siblings, or potential recruiters seeing your drunken frat party photos. It will also spare your friends back home from geeky news feed stories about you looking for people to study with. Students who want access when Groups For Schools reaches their university can sign up here.

This all follows a trend Facebook has been trying to foster: share more with fewer people. That’s why it created Smart Friend lists, put privacy controls into the news feed publisher, and launched the standard Groups feature for everyone. The same way that Facebook started by rolling out to colleges, then companies, Groups For Businesses could be on the way. That means companies like Yammer and products like Google Docs better study up, because Facebook’s social graph-equipped Groups could put them to the test.

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