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Monthly Archive:: December 2014

24/192 music downloads and why they make no sense

In the past few weeks, I've had conversations with intelligent, scientifically minded individuals who believe in 24/192 downloads and want to know how anyone could possibly disagree. They asked good questions that deserve detailed answers.

I was also interested in what motivated high-rate digital audio advocacy. Responses indicate that few people understand basic signal theory or the sampling theorem, which is hardly surprising. Misunderstandings of the mathematics, technology, and physiology arose in most of the conversations, often asserted by professionals who otherwise possessed significant audio expertise. Some even argued that the sampling theorem doesn't really explain how digital audio actually works.

Misinformation and superstition only serve charlatans. So, let's cover some of the basics of why 24/192 distribution makes no sense before suggesting some improvements that actually do.

The article is from 2012, but it's still an interesting insight into these highly technical matters few of us understand properly.

MB Chronowing by Hewlett-Packard smartwatch review

My feelings about the Michael Bastian MB Chronowing are positive, but my larger feelings about the smartwatch segment are still reserved. I will be the first person to announce that "we have made it" with a truly appealing smartwatch that will be a good buy for most consumers. Smartwatches right now are products that do work, have some downsides, and that show incredible promise for the future.

This smartwatch differs greatly from Android Wear devices or the Apple Watch - but it's an interesting approach nonetheless. It looks a lot more like a traditional watch than the aforementioned two, which could certainly have its place. The Apple Watch looks far too techy and computer-y to me (it's essentially Apple cramming an iPhone onto your wrist, warts and all - the Windows PocketPC of smartwatches), whereas most Android Wear devices still need a lot of work (the bugs!).

This intermediate approach bridges the gap between a proper, classic watch and the techy stuff we see from Apple. This device sits on the classic watch end of the spectrum, whereas the Moto 360 sits closer to the modern end of the spectrum. The Apple Watch goes far beyond that, leaving the classic watch behind, trying to sell us a miniature smartphone on our wrists, just as Samsung is doing with the Gear S - with all the miniature, finnicky and convoluted controls that come with it.

I bought a Moto 360 last Saturday, and while I certainly like it - it's a fascinating feat of engineering and a lot of fun to play with - I still fail to see the need for a miniature smartphone on your wrist. Android Wear allows for proper, full applications, but the display is just too small for these to be of any practical use. The notification stuff, however - the very centerpiece of Android Wear - is amazing, and you won't realise until you wear one of these for a while just how liberating it is not to fumble around for your smartphone while out and about. For someone like me, who runs his own translation business and is always available to my clients, this is just great.

I don't believe, however, that a smartwatch should do much more than handle notifications, which makes the application-centric approach of the Apple Watch so incredibly puzzling to me. But then, I'm guessing Apple is a lot smarter than me, and apparently they believe there's a market for a tiny iPhone with finnicky applications and controls on your wrist.

I can't wait to find out how this one pans out - which one will come out on top? Google's minimalist approach, or Apple's everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach?

AnandTech’s Android 5.0 Lollipop review

AnandTech reviews Android 5.0 Lollipop, and concludes:

I think Google really hit the nail on the head with Android Lollipop. It evokes the same sort of feeling that the release of iOS 7 did, without some of the negative experiences that followed. Getting a brand new interface is always exciting, as it can dramatically change how it feels to use your phone. Moving from KitKat to Lollipop still provides you with a familiar Android experience, but it almost feels like getting a brand new phone in a way. There's a brand new UI, and big improvements to performance. But unlike the upgrade to iOS 7, Android Lollipop hasn't plagued my devices with application crashes and other bugs. In fact, I haven't really noticed any significant bugs at all after upgrading to Lollipop, which says a great deal about the work Google has put into testing to make sure things are stable.

My experience with Android 5.0 Lollipop on my Nexus 5 have been almost entirely positive. It's still Android, and it won't magically draw people away from iOS, but as a whole, it's a huge leap forward over what came before.

More Chromebooks sold to US schools than iPads in Q3

According to the latest data from IDC, Google, for the first time ever, has overtaken Apple in United States schools. The research firm claims that Google shipped 715,000 Chromebooks to schools in the third quarter, while Apple shipped 702,000 iPads to schools. Chromebooks as a whole now account for a quarter of the educational market (via FT).

IDC says that the lower-cost of Chromebooks when compared to iPads is a huge factor for school districts. Chromebooks start at $199, while last year's iPad Air, with educational discounts applied, costs $379. The research firm also says that many school corporations prefer the full keyboard found on Chromebooks instead of the touchscreen found on iPads. Some schools that use iPads, however, supply students with a keyboard case as well, but that only further increases the cost of iPads compared to Chromebooks. IT departments also tend to favor Chromebooks because they are simpler to manage when compared to iPads.

The US education market is important to Apple, so it's remarkable to see Chromebooks do so well there. In the meantime, here in The Netherlands, I've still yet to see one in the wild.

The Puzzlephone is a modular cellphone

Google's Project Ara isn't the only hope for phones with replaceable and upgradeable parts. Finland's Circular Devices is developing an alternative concept called the Puzzlephone, which breaks the handset down into three constituent elements. The phone's Spine provides the LCD, speakers and basic structure, its Heart contains the battery and secondary electronics, and its Brain has the processor and camera modules."

The concept of a modular smartphone seems to be attracting more attention. Interesting.

Huawei: “Nobody made any money in Windows Phone”

One area Huawei is unlikely to return to, unless the market changes: Windows Phone.

Huawei produced two models running Microsoft's smartphone OS before it said it was putting its plans for future Windows Phones on hold.

"We didn't make any money in Windows Phone," Kelly said. "Nobody made any money in Windows Phone."

Of course nobody is making any money with Windows Phone. Why do you think Microsoft had to rescue the failing smartphone business from Nokia?

Linux Mint 17.1 released

Linux Mint, one of the most popular desktop Linux distributions, has released the latest version in their 17.x series. Mint 17.x is a long term support series that will be supported through to 2019 and is binary compatible with Ubuntu 14.04. The launch of Linux Mint 17.1 includes a number of new features and small improvements. Software updating and kernel selection have been improved. The MATE desktop edition ships with two working window managers, Marco for basic funtionality and Compiz for visual effects. The Cinnamon edition of Mint also features some improvements, particularly more keyboard short-cuts and reduced memory usage. Both editions of Linux Mint feature a pastbin command which makes it easy to share image and log data on-line.