"An Apple Turnover, A Samsung Challenger and Android Wear."
by John S LES
Yes, yes, yes...I normally have some kind of picture to "eye please" your reading. However, not with this quick article. This is Summer 2014 and ohhh what an interesting two months it has been so far in the gadget world!
First, for a couple of months now, Apple has "leaked" that they will be making some sort of announcement of a new iPhone 6 by next month - this August - which is unusual in their pattern of new announcements for the past 8 or 9 years. They usually wait until September or late in the spring to do such. For those of you who have read my earlier articles on the reasons why Apple is making such a deviant change of their Standard Operating Procedure - let me just say it's because Apple has finally "blinked"! In spite of what most Americans and other countries think, Apple is still not the most popular smart phone in the world, Android, namely Samsung still is. If you want percentages in the world, still think Apple about 17 % and Samsung about 69%.
Long story short, it appears that Apple has finally blinked. I remember reading comments from iPhone users a year ago rejoicing that their phone wasn't as big as the Android phones ever growing size. Now it looks like they won't have a choice anymore after this August. Apple finally has given into the demands of the market. Consumers want bigger phones because as as users grow older, our eyes can see easier on the bigger screens. Again, I wrote about this back in October 2013. So that's twice in less than a year that Apple conceded on two major issues. I actually believed that had Apple conceded on these issues two years ago, they would be holding a 40% stake in the world wide market instead of 17%. Their 5s, released this last October, which had superseded their original iPhone 5 (the shortest lifespan in Apple's iPhone history) is now going to be superseded in just a mere 10 months time.
So goes the pace of the high tech smart phone world.
Next, there's a new gunslinger in town...well, he's not so new. But he has bellied up to the bar and is ready to take on the monster that is now Samsung. LG's new G3 phone already seems to have the specs to knockout Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 from last fall. LG has always trailed Samsung in the mostly battery life, but has always held up strong in their specs. Now after a couple of years of close calls, they finally have a bemoth of a challenger. Samsung will have no choice but to come out with a Galaxy Note 4 pretty soon in order to dwarf this new arrival. I have a friend who owns the LG G2, and all I can say is that it too is a monster of a phone. To now know that the G3, dwarf's the G3 is mind boggling. These aren't phones anymore. These are handheld, HD television clarity mobile devices. Here's a review from TechnoBuffalo: The LG G3 review
Lastly, the two new Android Wear watches. One made by LG and the other made by Samsung. Both watches appear to be nice for what they do, however, both are watered down versions of both the Samsung Gear, Neo and Gear 2. Yes you can now get the blessings of wearing a watch that will work with any Android phone across the board. Yes you will also get waterproof watches that work well with all Android applications. However, you do not get a camera. You do not get any new innovations. You still have to charge these phones at least once a day. Check out this video review from The Verge: Android Wear review
I'll keep my original Galaxy Gear watches for now.
