Triplicate Thoughts

The internet is raging. After seeing some stunning renders based off of leaked images posted by evleaks , almost everyone was let down by HTC when they finally saw the HTC One M9 unveiled at MWC 2015. There's no getting around how similar the M9 looks like the M8, prompting many to call it the M8s as a reference to Apple's now famous "s" iPhones which use the exact same body as the previous year's model. The M9 is definitely an evolutionary upgrade over the M8. It's the third generation of the reborn One brand that started with the M7 two years ago. So is it really that bad for the M9 to look so similar to the M8? Are the hardware and software improvements enough to justify making a brand new phone using the same design? After watching several videos and reading a few reports, here are my initial impressions of the HTC One M9.

Source image: BGR " The best or most important thing owned or produced by a particular organization ". That is the definition of a flagship. For smartphone manufacturers, it's the phone that receives the most marketing, has the best software features, the best hardware specs, the best after sales software support, so on and so forth. Typically, smartphone manufacturers release one flagship a year, and if you use Android, this wasn't really a problem. In fact, it still isn't. With various flagships released each year from several different OEMs, everyone's needs were all pretty much covered. If one OEM's flagship didn't suit you, you could still choose from any of the other flagships from other OEMs. But as we've been seeing lately, the market is growing at such a rapid pace that OEMs are no longer satisfied with releasing just one flagship a year any more. Android OEMs would normally release one main flagship a year, and fill out their portf...

Two cameras. Feature or gimmick? Image: Android Central Last year, I asked what's the difference between a feature, and a gimmick . In the end, I differentiated between the two by saying that a feature is practically useful, while a gimmick is not. I shared my thoughts on some of the current features offered by various flagships at the time, including BoomSound, Touchless Control, and wireless charging. As Android hardware is plateauing on the specs sheet, OEMs are forced to try to innovate in other ways, be them software additions to Android like Knock Code, or unique hardware additions on their phones like Duo Camera. I have some thoughts on some current "features" of smartphones in the market, and not all of them are useful if you ask me.

Image: HTC Now that all they hype has died down and I've had some time to gather my thoughts, here's the follow up to my first impressions of the Xperia Z2 and the Galaxy S5 - my first impressions of the HTC One (M8), which from here on out will just be called the One. This post will actually be easier to write, as the press embargo on the One has already been lifted. While my thoughts on the Z2 and S5 were all based merely on hands-on videos and early impression articles, my thoughts on the One will be based on actual reviews, which are already on the web thanks to HTC's eagerness to quickly release the One in select markets (more on this later). So what do I think of the successor to the best smartphone of 2013 ? Can the best be improved? Or is it all downhill once you achieve "perfection?" My thoughts after the break.

Image: Google+ Malaysian's are getting more and more invested in mobile technology. The days of Blackberry's and Sony Ericsson's have long gone. Nowadays when you walk out in public, it's a common sight to see people with iPhone's, Galaxy's, iPads and various Android tablets. I've even seen a few people using tablets as phones, unfortunately. Nonetheless, the mobile market is booming in Malaysia, and Google did what Google does best - use their collected data from search to paint a picture of how the market looks.  ++ Insights by Google Malaysia  posted some interesting statistics last month, sharing with Google+ users the pattern of search queries relating to smartphones in the last three months of 2013. From this data, we can see what the most popular smartphones in the Malaysian market currently are, and also when interest in those phones peaked. You might be surprised at some of the conclusions that can be drawn from this data.

Image: Evolllution One of the best things about the Android ecosystem is that as consumers, we have plenty of choice. We have a variety of manufacturers to choose from, as opposed to iOS where you only have the iPhone, or WP8 where the only good option is Nokia's Lumia devices. Or even BB10 where you only have phones from BlackBerry to choose from. With Android, there is pretty much a phone for every type of person. Each OEM that makes Android devices is good at something different, which is why we have different devices made suitably for different types of people. They each have their own strengths, and of course weaknesses. That is what this post will be about - highlighting what I think is each Android OEMs strengths, and weaknesses.

Nexus 5 coming on October 28th! Not. Image: Pocket-Lint If 2013 taught us anything about the mobile industry, it's that when someone has a good idea an idea which people perceive as good, competitors will follow. Some of these ideas really are good, like HTC's front-facing BoomSound speakers, or Motorola's near-stock skin which allows for quick updates, but for some reason, nobody else seems to be following these ideas. But other ideas, which turned into trends within the industry didn't really make much sense to me. Which is why I wish they would stop as we enter 2014, or at least be changed in a way so that they do make sense. Most of these trends are " me too" trends, where OEMs do what others are doing just so they can say "we have that too!" , without actually putting much thought into their products. I hope OEMs actually think for themselves in 2014 instead of carrying on with these trends.

What will we see from the Android army in 2014? Image: iDownloadBlog 2013 was a good year for Android OEMs in general. Smartphones have made huge leaps forward from their 2012 predecessors. Smartphones from every major Android OEM are pretty much neck and neck in terms of performance, they each have their own strengths (and weaknesses) and Google have refined Android to the extent that you pretty much can't go wrong with any phone you buy. In the past couple of years, there have been some fairly consistent trends in the Android ecosystem. Some OEMs keep doing the same things which we come to expect, while others keep surprising us with things we never thought possible. A couple of months ago I wrote about what I expect from smartphones in 2014 , specs wise. This time I'm taking a more focused approach, and will share with you what I think we will see from each of the major Android OEMs in 2014.

Who's your pick for OEM of the year? Image: Phone Arena We're at the tail end of 2013, which means another year of product releases in the mobile industry is coming to an end. Well, technically the product cycles for 2013 have already ended, with all major Android OEMs having already announced their line-up for 2013. We've had some great products this year, some more spectacular than others. Some OEMs have surprised us with their flagships, and even with some other unique devices as well. My list of top OEMs for 2013 will not be based on any measurable metric; it will just be based on what I consider to be great contributions to the industry. It's not going to be solely based on who sold the most phones, who made the most profit, who made the "best" devices or anything of that nature. Of course I will take some of that into consideration but in my eyes, the best OEM needs to do more than just make and sell great products, they need to challenge the marke...

Motorola recently unveiled the Moto G , initially rumoured to be a "cheaper" version of the Moto X for the international market. And while it is less powerful than the Moto X, and significantly cheaper, it's not really a poor man's Moto X , no it isn't. If you ask me, the Moto G is Motorola's effort to redefine the mid-range smartphone market, the same way the Moto X was intended to redefine what we call a "high-end" flagship. As was mentioned at the event, consumers looking for a smartphone but who can't (or won't) spend the high amounts of money a flagship demands are restricted to two poor options; buy a new but cheap phone with outdated hardware (and possibly software), or buy an outdated flagship, which usually are still quite expensive. The Moto G aims to solve this problem by offering a phone that is both highly affordable, while at the same time highly respectable on paper. Motorola's approach to hardware and software, and thei...

Why would you reject a phone? Image: BGR Everyone talks about the phone(s) they own. Why they bought it, what they love about it, how it fits nicely into their daily routines etc. But as we all know, choice is one of the many strengths of the Android ecosystem. You have several OEMs to choose from, each with their own hardware and software features that make their devices stand out. HTC has BoomSound, Samsung has removable batteries, Sony has water resistance, LG has rear-mounted buttons, Motorola has Touchless Controls and so on. There is something for everyone, and that's why I love the Android ecosystem. While everyone has a favourite OEM, I'm sure they would've been tempted to try out something from another manufacturer. Or maybe you are not loyal to any particular OEM, and so you regularly switch between them. In any case, we all have a list of phones that we almost bought. Or phones that we short-listed but ultimately went with something else, and that is what t...

 Image: Droid-Life Our smartphones are really amazing pieces of technology. We take them for granted. We really do. We always find things to complain about , that we forget just how much they are already capable of. Lost in a city and need some directions but too shy to ask a stranger? Use Maps and find your way. Need to convert units in a recipe you are trying out? Use an app on your phone or just Google it. Need to take a quick note but don't have pen and paper? Take a note on your phone. Yup, we take our phones for granted. But sometimes, these pocket-sized devices truly do remarkable things. Like, newsworthy things. Things that don't always happen. And that's what this post is about. These are some of the most incredible things to have happened that involve modern smartphones. 

Thanks for everything buddy. Image: Talk Android So the Nexus 5 is finally official, and many consumers are already getting their hands on the device , just one day after Google announced the phone. Props to Google for a smooth launch after last year's problems with the Nexus 4. For those of you who don't already know, I'm getting the Nexus 5 when it becomes available in my country to replace my current HTC One X. It'll be my second Android phone and my second Nexus device, after the Nexus 7 (first gen). I recently wrote a post highlighting a few things that excite me about the upgrade , so this time I'm looking back to the past. I'll look back at how I felt when I first made the switch to Android from iOS, how I felt during the first few days and weeks of using my One X. First impressions are important and after 3 years of using iOS, the experience of using my first Android device was important. It would mould my perception of Android and help me determin...

Upgrade time!! The Nexus 5 is coming. Soon. Like real soon. We may not know much about KitKat yet, but everything about the Nexus 5 as a phone is pretty much confirmed, including dimensions, design and internal components (specs). Leaks have been plentiful, and I'm willing to bet that most of them were pretty accurate, which is why I'm confident enough to write this post. As everything about the new Nexus is already out there, I've been comparing it to my current phone, the HTC One X. As I've said in the past, I want the Nexus 5 and will get it when it becomes available to me in my country. So how does it stack up to my current daily driver? Well it's better, that's to be expected. There are several things about the upgrade that I am particularly looking forward to, which is what I want to share with you today.

Galaxy S5? Image: Pentagon Post The smartphone industry is probably the most rapidly advancing industry in the world of technology. I mean look back at the phones from just two years ago. The standard Android smartphone back then probably had a WVGA (800x480) display, a dual-core processor and a 5MP camera. Flagships nowadays have FHD (1920x1080) displays, quad-core processors and 13MP (even 20MP and 41MP) cameras. The technology in smartphones is evolving at such a rapid pace, that phones generally look outdated on the spec sheet after just one year, or even worse, a few months. Earlier in the year, almost everyone on Google+ would recommend getting the HTC One, Xperia Z or the Galaxy S4. But now? People normally recommend getting the LG G2, Xperia Z1 or the Note 3. Like, phones from just 6 months ago are no longer worth getting. But that's a rant for another day. As we approach the end of the year, with the Nexus 5 (that's what I'm calling it until it's official...

Image: Morton's Weblog HTC has had some pretty historic moments. It had many firsts in the industry like the first Android device , the first Nexus device , and the first 1080p device from a major Android partner (second to the Find 5 by Oppo). Even my first Android is a HTC device, the HTC One X. Whenever I see people talking about their favourite smartphones of all time, HTC devices are usually mentioned. When it comes to phones with great build quality, again you will find that HTC phones are mentioned quite often, most recently thanks to the HTC One. With so many great moments in the industry and one of the best phones of 2013 , why then is HTC in such deep financial trouble ? Some people are even saying that HTC could possibly end up like Nokia , BlackBerry and Motorola , i.e., be acquired by a larger corporation, like Lenovo . Where did HTC go wrong? How did a company that was once the king of Android get dethroned so brutally? I have a few thoughts, which I think most...

Air View - a gimmick, or a legitimate feature? Image: Dial A Phone Over the last few product cycles, the word "innovation" has seen its significance dwindle quite a bit. Almost every "new" feature is said to be an innovation by OEMs trying to sell their product. But when it comes to journalists, reviewers and consumers like you and I, we tend to say that "features" nowadays are not innovations, but merely gimmicks.  When is a feature a gimmick? Are all features gimmicks? What's the difference? If we were to look at textbook definitions, a feature is " a distinctive attribute or aspect of something ", while a gimmick is " a  trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or business ". Now if you ask me, as far as smartphones go, these two definitions are practically synonymous. All distinctive attributes of a smartphone were put in there by the OEM with the sole purpose of attracting attention and business, right? So...

Image: Team-Android I've been very critical of Apple in my blog. It started out when I shared the reasons why I fell out of love with the iPhone and iOS . I then followed that up with my thoughts on how WWDC 2013 was more of the same , vindicating my decision to leave the platform. I then wrote what was to be my most popular and most +1'd post, which highlighted the reasons why I think Apple are one of the most hated tech companies in the world . On the other hand, I've written nothing but positive articles when it comes to Android. Like my favourite announcements from I/O 2013 , and the top 5 things I love about Android . So to prove that I am not a blind fandroid , and I am indeed aware of the shortcomings and weaknesses of my favourite platform, this post will be about the top 5 things I dislike about the best mobile platform in the world. Yes, this will be difficult to write.

Unedited image: Howard Forums Not too long ago, I asked you how far do you think the Android spec wars will go . At the time, it seemed like Android OEMs would just keep pushing the limit, and events at IFA show no signs that the war is coming to an end, with phones running on  3GB of RAM and housing cameras capable of 4K video recording , despite the fact that many people don't even have 4K screens to watch the video on. From an OEM perspective, it seems that the war will continue for quite some time yet. But what about from our perspective, the consumer? Do we want the war to continue? Do we need it to? My current phone is the HTC One X, HTC's flagship from 2012. Now for me, my upgrade path is clear; get a phone with a better screen (1080p), a better processor (Snapdragon 600 at least), more RAM (1GB just ain't enough anymore), and a larger battery ( 1800 mAh is freaking tiny! ). Those are the most important for me, hardware wise. But what about people who already ...

Image: Howard Forums A few days ago, LG blew past current display technology standards and introduced the world's first QHD (Quad HD) smartphone display; a 5.5", 2560 x 1440 display, which comes in at a mind-blowing 538ppi. Current flagships boast only 1080p displays with ppi around the 400+ mark. Saying only 1080p seems a bit weird to me. I mean, 1080p displays on a pocket-sized device is an amazing feat of technology. Just last year, the standard was 720p, which on a smartphone display, is already beautiful. Then 1080p displays became the norm, and the consensus was that you will only notice the difference between a 1080p display and a 720p display if you put them side-by-side and look really closely for differences. Most people will be quite happy with a 720p display, including me. Up to a certain threshold, more pixels just don't make a difference. This is the concept behind Apple's Retina Display. A display that has enough pixels that the human eye can...