Last month, Microsoft announced Windows 11, the evolution of and replacement for the six-years-old Windows 10. The new version will be released later this year (some reports speculate it might be in October) as a free upgrade to Windows 10. Panos Panay, Microsoft's Chief Product Officer and the executive in charge of Windows, posted a narrative of features to expect in the new OS. He speaks of "simplifying the design and user experience," noting: It’s modern, fresh, clean and beautiful. … [Read more...] about Will Windows 11 be the most beautiful Windows yet?
Hardware
Review: AAWireless gives you wireless Android Auto in your car
If there were a product available right now that lets you connect your phone to your car to use Android Auto without a USB cable, would you go for it? I would, and did, with a simple yet powerful device called AAWireless that does just that - lets me use Android Auto in my car with the phone being connected wirelessly. I've been a huge fan of Android Auto for some years as the primary method of planning car journeys with Google Maps and navigating to where I want to drive: I follow the … [Read more...] about Review: AAWireless gives you wireless Android Auto in your car
Samsung Galaxy Book S Intel review: laptop winner
The bottom line summary from my review of the Samsung Galaxy Book S Intel laptop: Super light and thin clamshell laptop.Powered by an Intel hybrid Core i5 processor designed for smartphone-like battery life while running regular 64-bit Windows 10: handles with ease typical business applications such as in the Microsoft 365 suite, streaming video, participating in video conferencing with Zoom.Crisp, sharp and colourful 13.3" touchscreen display powered by Intel UHD integrated graphics. It has … [Read more...] about Samsung Galaxy Book S Intel review: laptop winner
FIR 187: It may be a Car but it Sounds like a Starship
With this September 2019 episode of The Hobson and Holtz Report or FIR 187, Shel and I discuss a handful of notable, even memorable, topics and include a segment we recorded two weeks beforehand in Winchester when we were together during Shel's UK trip. Automotive is a star feature of our discussion with a detailed exchange of views and thoughts on news out of the US about regulatory developments regarding electric cars, specifically on the sound they make. Which is a thing that concerns … [Read more...] about FIR 187: It may be a Car but it Sounds like a Starship
A shout-out to Samsung for great customer service
I'm a big fan of Samsung's products especially their Galaxy series of smartphones. My first Samsung smartphone was a Galaxy S3 in 2012. That was followed by an S4 and then an S6. I'm now on a Galaxy S8. The next one might be an S10 as it looks like I'm an even-number kind of Galaxy user, if I go for another Samsung model again. Which, by the way, is not a guarantee with the likes of Huawei and other emerging manufacturers offering leading-edge tech and compelling user experiences often … [Read more...] about A shout-out to Samsung for great customer service
Emerging tech:
Your bookmark for 2019
"We know from human history that developments in technologies over the centuries, ranging from the Industrial Revolution through to the invention of the automobile, then airplanes and so forth, the landscape of progress is littered with human casualties. People die because of these things being tested."
A provocative statement, the first thing you hear in episode 1 in the third season of the Digital Download podcast that I did with host Paul Sutton last month in which we discussed emerging … [Read more...] about Emerging tech:
Your bookmark for 2019
Spectacular opportunities coming in the digital economy says Gartner
The latest emerging technologies report from Gartner, announced last week, contains a wealth of analysis and prediction about what technologies will be the drivers of the digital economy during the coming decade. While many of the technologies cited by Gartner will already be familiar - they include artificial intelligence, the connected home, machine learning, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, augmented reality and virtual reality - the focus is very much on the relationships … [Read more...] about Spectacular opportunities coming in the digital economy says Gartner
How to put AI into cognitive perspective
Among the big topics that will dominate the news in 2017, a prominent one will undoubtedly be artificial intelligence or AI. It's a huge topic, one that gathered momentum in 2016 to grab our attention and showcase both opportunity and risk with news and opinion often focused on a dystopian future that has plans to eliminate jobs currently done by human beings and replace them with robots. (Or maybe not.) Wherever you look, there's so much differing opinion on the impact of AI and … [Read more...] about How to put AI into cognitive perspective