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In each issue of Distro, Editor-in-chief Tim Stevens publishes a wrap-up of the week in news.
There are times when you need to stay strong, ignore the criticism and do what you know is right. Then, there are some times when the masses are right and listening is the smart thing. With Windows 8, Microsoft made many radical changes, not the least of which being the deletion of the fabled Start button. This week we got our first taste of that operating system's first major update, Windows 8.1, and it includes a number of notable upgrades and improvements. Perhaps the most notable? The return of a Start button. Well, sort of.
It's now called a "Start Tip" as it isn't a proper button, but you can click on it and bring up the tiled Start Screen interface. So, the Start button is back, but not the Start menu. That's fine by me, as I don't think hidden, contextual elements make much sense in a keyboard-and-mouse environment. And the other tweaks are nice, including a far more comprehensive Settings section, a functional lock screen and, finally, the ability to adjust the size of applications that you've snapped to either side of your screen. Maybe in Windows 8.2 we'll get fully resizable windows!
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc
Sony CEO Kaz Hirai had some good news to deliver on stage at D11 -- for US fans, at least. According to him, the Xperia Z, which currently serves as the company's flagship smartphone, is expected to arrive on a US carrier shortly. Unfortunately that's the extent of the details Kaz was willing to offer up, as we expect he wants to give the unnamed operator the opportunity to make the announcement itself. With that said, we have our suspicions that T-Mobile may be involved, thanks to its recent appearance in the FCC with T-Mobile radios. He did, however, mention that this success story is in part thanks to the company's increased marketing efforts in this part of the globe. We'll keep you updated with the news as it trickles out.
Update: David Beren from TmoNews grabbed a few shots of the Xperia Z with T-Mo branding, which certainly adds credence to our suspicions that the Z will wind up with the UnCarrier.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sony
Via: AllThingsD
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Afer being asked by AllThingsD's Walt Mossberg whether Google SVP Sundar Pichai saw the need for more privacy, Pichai said that he wants to bring several of the security and privacy options that users already see on Chrome across to its mobile platform. "When we did Chrome, we invested in incognito mode. Now you can do that on the phone [through the Chrome app]."
"You're completely not signed-in, and we don't know anything about you... We do want more things like that, though. From a security, child safety, etc. standpoint. Chrome OS lets you be a guest user. We're working on things like that on Android." Unfortunately he didn't elaborate on any timeframe or anything more detailed, but it looks like Google is taking those privacy concerns on board. Who knows, perhaps we'll see something incognito-ready on the next big Android update.
With all this talk of stock Android on your favorite smartphones, we'd be forgiven for thinking it might be the end of the road of Google's Nexus brand of tablets and phones. But at today's D11 conference, Google's SVP of Android, Chrome and Apps, Sundar Pichai, has said that it will continue to make them and that, "the goal behind Nexus was to guide the ecosystem. But that will continue as well." So that's stock Android on Samsung's Galaxy S 4 and the HTC One, the Moto X and more Nexus devices. The company's keeping busy.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Google
Sundar Pichai has taken on quite the role expansion since he sat in the famed red chair during last year's D10 conference here in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Back in March, he took over the Android duties from Andy Rubin, and led a significant portion of the keynote during this year's Google I/O conference. Today, he'll sit down with hosts Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg in order to discuss the future of Chrome, Android, apps and perhaps the universe as we know it. Join us after the break as we cover every... last... word.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Google
We can't argue that the Tesla Model S is not only a great achievement in the EV industry and a looker as well, but there are still a lot of people unconvinced by the $70,000 sticker price ($60k, if you count the tax credits). CEO Elon Musk is definitely aware of that particular concern, and stated tonight at D11 that there's a very good chance we'll see Teslas in three years for half the price -- and 20 percent smaller, to boot. Speaking with Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg, Musk mentioned he started the company with a three-step strategy to get to mass market, with the Roadster and Model S being the first two steps. The third step, naturally, would be to offer options that are more affordable: according to Musk, "I think every major product needs at least three iterations to get to the mass market -- I know cellphones have had much more than that." While we wait for 2016-17, we'll start saving some of our pennies, but fortunately we may not have to pinch all of them.