As we kick off another Monday in what looks to be the calm before the storm, another slow week punctuated by bursts of breaking news. Yes, it's the last week of August as summer winds down.
And although we missed last night’s deadline for this post (sorry, we finally went to go see Batman, which was after our all-night horror movie marathon on Saturday), it’s still time for this week’s Editor’s rant and ramblings.
The positive aspects of negative thinking
We’re of course still dealing with the ramifications of the Apple-Samsung court decision. Here at Windows Phone Central we’ve been a bit quiet on the matter for a few reasons. For one, the decision about a permanent injunction against Samsung won’t be decided until September 20th. Two, Samsung will appeal the case and three, no one really knows if this will benefit Microsoft and Nokia.
That last part of course is what everyone is “reporting” on today, which of course translates to speculation. Don’t get us wrong, the decision for Apple here against Samsung certainly looks promising but Android has a lot of momentum these days and stopping that or slowing it down will be difficult. The court case also did not touch upon the top-selling Galaxy S3 from Samsung as that does not appear to violate any Apple patents. So what does it mean when such a momentous court decision doesn’t affect the one device that is currently selling gangbusters?
Samsung knew they were in trouble with the Galaxy S series, which is why they changed it ever so slightly as to avoid Apple’s grasp. The S3 is still a threat to Windows Phone and Samsung can reposition themselves along those lines.
Interestingly, even if the reality of the situation does not yield to Microsoft’s favor, the tech media is playing up the story so much for Microsoft and Nokia that it may just cause a shift in people’s perception. In other words, Windows Phone is getting a lot of great coverage now because it is a solid, realistic alternative to Android that has little to no legal risk to it. We're okay with that spin.
In the end, this court case may be just be the PR boost that Windows Phone 8 needs as it jumps from the racing gates in a few weeks. But it remains to be seen if OEMs will actually shift their strategy. Like with most things in technology, they will follow where the crowd and hypes goes.
Related: Android Central vs. iMore podcast
Bring it on (Nokia Edition)
With just over a week before Nokia is expected to reveal numerous new phones, things are heating up around here.
News is starting to solidify around the notion that Nokia will announce two, maybe three phones next week including two for AT&T and one for T-Mobile. AT&T are expected to get the high-end ‘Phi’ phone featuring a giant 4.7” HD display an dual cores in addition to the ‘Arrow’, which is a mid-range phone.
That mid-range phone is also expected to land on T-Mobile and eventually Verizon later this year.
The question is, will you folks be excited? We’re already hearing rumblings that the Lumia 800/900 design is getting old for some of you and you want something more “dramatic” to come from the company. We’ll toss a poll up shortly to get your feelings on the matter. We’re actually okay with such a move for now only because we really like the 900 so much.
Either way, we’ll be there live on September 5th to cover the event and hopefully get some hands-on time with the new devices, so make sure you call-out sick that day to join in the fun.
The Horror
Odds and ends
Regarding the site, we have Rich Edmonds back and hopefully rested from his 23rd vacation of the year. That means we’re back up to full staff this week, working hard on bringing news stories and original content to you folks.
We do have some upgrades coming in the forums in a few weeks—that’s in the planning phases now along with some site and app updates. Needless to say, it’ll be an exciting September for many reasons.
Speaking of oddities, to answer the question that I keep getting on Twitter: yes, I now have a Mac device, specifically a MacBook Air.
I’ll wait for you to stop cringing then I’ll explain.
First and perhaps more pertinently, I have not “switched” from a PC.
Long story short, I was given this device through my job and as a technology geek, I never turn away shiny new gizmos (would you?). I know very little about Apple OSX—in fact, virtually nothing—which is why I’m using it off and on with my Lenovo T420S. But I recoil when people say “well, that means you’re a Mac user now”. No, I’ve been using PCs for 20 years and a Mac for about 4 weeks.
Regardless, I think it’s my job in technology to be familiar with competitor’s hardware and software. It’s the same reason I have a Galaxy Nexus next to my Windows Phone—so I can do my job better by not writing in a vacuum.
So if you were expecting me to be a purist because of ideological reasons, you’ve come to the wrong site. I’ll use whatever someone puts in front of me but in the end, I’m still a PC (and Windows Phone) user by choice.
Maybe next week I’ll share some of my Pros/Cons I see with OSX Mountain Lion and the MacBook Air hardware.
Trust me, it's far from bunnies and rainbows.
Oh and Batman? Really liked it. Bane was delightfuly evil. Although I did find myself agreeing with him a little too often...
