Microsoft's Band vs the Apple Watch →

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The Band has also added a new sensor trick or two, most importantly a barometer to track elevation. That joins the built-in GPS, sleep tracking, calorie counting, notifications, and the other previously available features mentioned above. It’s also got more robust Cortana integration, both because talking to your wrist feels like the future and because it’s a much easier input method that tapping that tiny display.

There are sport-specific features here as well. Microsoft exec Lindsey Matese noted that the Band makes for a capable digital caddy, able to know where you are, your distance to the green, the calories you’ve burned, and your heart rate. It can even generate a score card after you’re done, an experience Microsoft first detailed in August but will be a headlining feature of its new hardware. For athletes more concerned with oxygen debt than par fours, the new Band can even measure VO2 max.

Ever since I acquired the iPhone 6s Plus, I'll admit that the temptation to buy an Apple Watch is reaching it's fever levels but at the same time, my desires for what it lacks is what is keeping me.

Come in stage right, Microsoft's latest Band. It comes closer to Garmin's 920XT in terms of fitness capabilities. Essentially, all these new additions for a price that is less than Apple's offerings is what makes the Band enticing. If Microsoft can make a band do this, I'd hope that the Apple Watch v2 could too. The wait... Ugh...

Untill then, when and if I start up training again, Garmin's one year old 920XT will have to do.

 
 

Microsoft's Surface Book is Exciting →

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Tablet mode becomes possible because the battery and Intel Core processor are built into the screen half of the hybrid laptop, while that high-powered GPU is in the keyboard base. The idea is that you’d use the device in laptop mode, while connected to that graphics processor, when playing games, editing video, or typing. When you want to use it as a less-powerful clipboard-size tablet, it detaches from that GPU-packed base for lighter tasks. You can also re-attach the top half of the device display-side up for “draw mode,” which gives you access to that GPU and screen at the same time, albeit with a little more bulk.

That's one way to upend the new iPad Pro's graphics (or lack there of) capabilities. It's interesting to see the benchmarks coming out in November and December. Where's my Skylake enabled Retina MacBook Pro Apple?

 
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Austin Mann Reviews the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus →

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Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) for video is hands down the most significant improvement in the iPhone 6s Plus camera upgrade. The 6 Plus has OIS for stills (mainly helpful with low-light photos), but it wasn’t active when shooting a video or time-lapse. Now, with the 6s Plus only (not the 6s), we have active stabilization of all video and time-lapse content and the improvement is dramatic.

The time-lapse piece at the top utilized the Optical Image Stabilization significantly. The ability to create stable time-lapses anywhere, anytime, opens up so many doors. I can't wait to see what everyone creates with this.

If you had any doubts about going with the iPhone 6s Plus, they should all be absolved with Austin Mann's thorough review.

Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program Is Perfect →

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PSA from AppleInsider

If you're a U.S. customer, you plan on upgrading your iPhone in less than two years, and you aren't interested in T-Mobile, Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program is your best bet, hands down. Carrier installment plans are too restrictive and confusing, while Apple's offering is simple, streamlined, and will let you get a new iPhone every year at no extra cost to you, outside of the ongoing monthly payment plan.

If you upgrade every year, this is an interest free loan with Apple Care+. Just do it and make sure to order this Saturday for a delivery by the 25th of this month! Also, iOS 9 is out on the 16th. 

"Everything Has Changed"

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Apple really pulled out all the stops with this update. For one, the megapixel and processor boost then the 3D touch. Count me in. If you don't believe me, take a look at the photos from the iPhone 6s! Also, yes, if you want Optical Stabilzation, you'll have to opt in for the 6s Plus. Now if I could decide which case to get.

note: I'm still using an iPhone 5 at the moment so an upgrade was due a year ago

Websites Sharing All Your Data

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I've always wondered why over the years or so that one of my favorite websites started to get bogged down by excessive loading times. Now I know exactly why and no it's not your old iPhone / Android phone model.

Holy crap. It took over 30 seconds. In the end, it fetched over 9.5MB across 263 HTTP requests. That's almost an order of magnitude more data & time than needed for the article itself.

Just to put this in some rough perspective: Assuming I had a 1GB / month data plan, I could visit sites like The Verge about 3 times per day before I hit my cap. If I'm lucky, some or most of this will get cached between requests so it won't be quite that bad. In fact, another report tells me that a primed cache yields 8MB transferred - so maybe 4 visits per day.

Read his entire analysis and tell me what you think. It's mind boggling really.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II Debuts with an 80% from DPReview →

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After over a year and half without even a rumor, Olympus dropped their successor to their wonderful OM-D E-M10. Appropriately dubbed the Mark II, this replacement boasts a slurry of advancements and upgrades that make this the ultimate starter camera. Don't take my word for it but if you pair this with the Panasonic Leica SUMMILUX 25mm f/1.4, which by the way is the only lens that I've been shooting with on my OM-D E-M5, you'll have yourself the best duo that is out right now in that price range. Do it and check out the delicious f1.4 bokeh paired with the right body!

The E-M10 II is well-suited for those moving up to a more capable mirrorless camera and don't need the weather-sealing of the E-M5 II. The E-M10 II is also an attractive choice for those seeking a lightweight second camera. Either way, the E-M10 II offers a lot of camera for the money, and is well worth considering. DP Review

Exposing Holes and Shortcuts in Android

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First this (via Reuters):

The change came after security researcher Joshua Drake unveiled what he called Stagefright, hacking software that allows attackers to send a special multimedia message to an Android phone and access sensitive content even if the message is unopened.

then this:

Samsung Vice President Rick Segal acknowledged that his company could not force the telecommunications carriers that buy its devices in bulk to install the fixes and that some might do so only for higher-end users.

Samsung and telecoms taking care of only the top...maybe. And if you use the HTC One Max X and utilize the fingerprint reader (via The Guardian):

Researchers from FireEye have found that data that could be used to clone a user’s fingerprint was stored as an unencrypted “world readable” image file on HTC smartphones.

Four security researchers discovered that the image file, which is clear replica of a user’s fingerprint, could be stolen by rogue apps or hackers.

“While some vendors claimed that they store user’s fingerprints encrypted in a system partition, they put users’ fingerprints in plaintext and in a world readable place by mistake,” the authors wrote. “On the HTC One Max X the fingerprint is saved as /data/dbgraw.bmp with a 0666 permission setting (world readable). Any unprivileged processes or apps can steal user’s fingerprints by reading this file.”

This is why Apple does what it does. I can't say never, but so far, they really are winning when it comes to security and protecting its users.

As Expected, Apple Watch Chips Away at Traditional Watch Sales →

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The market for watches that cost less than $1,000 is most at risk, as consumers in that price range have indicated they’re the most likely to buy an Apple Watch, Levin said. Sales of watches costing between $50 and $999 registered drops in June, the biggest being a 24 percent decline in timepieces from $100 to $149.99, according to NPD’s data.

This is huge. I'd go as far and say it's a significant swing in the market especially in light of all the newcomers such as Marc Jacob and Nixon. This is their territory.

I'm for Ubiquitous Encryption. Are You? →

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We believe that the greater public good is a secure communications infrastructure protected by ubiquitous encryption at the device, server and enterprise level without building in means for government monitoring.

I'm a strong supporter in encryption especially in light of the OPM hacks and United Airlines hacks.

Finally, and most significantly, if the United States can demand that companies make available a duplicate key, other nations such as China will insist on the same. There will be no principled basis to resist that legal demand. The result will be to expose business, political and personal communications to a wide spectrum of governmental access regimes with varying degrees of due process.

The perfect point.

iOS 9 and Apple Maps →

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I mapped my way to several familiar destinations to gauge whether the trains and routes Maps suggested were the quickest and most efficient ways to end up at my destination, and they were. Bonus time-saving feature: Apple Maps shows you where subway entrances are in flyover mode, which is incredibly useful. Grand Central Terminal has several entrances, but if you don’t know where the closest one is, you could end up walking several blocks out of the way. Now entrances are helpfully marked “Entrances” (so simple, so necessary) in Maps.

photo courtesy of Macworld

photo courtesy of Macworld

If there's one thing I'm excited about iOS 9 this year, it's the HUGE improvment to Apple Maps. Now how about you start unbundling all these app updates from their respective OS updates so we can see a steady upgrade / bug fix over the months instead of waiting a year? Or better yet, installing a operating system update just for app bug fixes. Thanks!

I'm Actually Excited About Windows 10 →

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Happy and engaged" is one of those talking points you hear a lot from Microsoft. Myerson used it nine times in our hour together. But behind the PR-approved phrasing is a simple truth: it’s been a long time since Windows users have been either, and Microsoft needs to fix that. It’s as good a North Star as any, especially when your product development cycle is founded on taking user feedback seriously. If Microsoft can make people love Windows again, then the rest — developers and apps — is easy.

Head on over to The Verge's awesome piece on the story behind Microsoft's Windows 10 and tell me it doesn't get you a little excited.

It's been over a decade since I've used a Windows PC in an everyday setting, but I'm admitting here and now, I'll be looking up some Lenovo notebook options loaded with Windows 10 this fall. Maybe even an Alienware or Razer laptop as long as SkyLake gets into the mix already. Or even Intel's latest storage technology. That would be awesome! Now, about those bug fixes.

Verizon Adds Over 800k 4G Smartphone Users →

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Customer defections, also known as churn in the telecommunications industry, for Verizon's wireless postpaid business dipped to 0.90 percent versus the 0.99 percent estimated by FactSet.

Verizon said it added 842,000 4G smartphones to its postpaid customer base in the quarter.

Does this number include those that were already non smartphone subscribers? Just wait until Apple releases the iPhone 6S / Plus S next quarter. I'm betting that all those iPhone 5 & iPhone 5S users will upgrade.