The Biggest Winners & Losers In 2012
January 9, 2012 by Gordon
Filed under Features & Editorials, Guide
I take a look ahead at who will rise and who will fall over the next 12 months.
The Biggest Winners & Losers In 2012
- By Gordon Kelly (for TrustedReviews)
- 07 January 2012
With CES nearly upon on (the intrepid TrustedReview team flies out today) andMobile World Congress next month the technology landscape hits the ground running every year. So who is likely to make the winners circles in 2012 and who will wish theMayan prediction was actually true? Let’s break down our four major categories:
TVs & Entertainment
2012 looks set to be the year television gets a much needed shake-up. We railed against the Idiocy of Smart TVs in January last year and in 2012 these fragmented, unintuitive devices look set to make way to the same mobile platforms which have dominated smartphones. The big news is the rumoured Apple television, but this has a Q4 timeframe and remains vapourware until we hear more. Until then expansion of the Apple TV media player will be crucial. Much like iPods are gateways to iPhones, the Apple TV is a cheap access point to iOS and potentially an Apple television and App Store access is surely inevitable. Siri voice control and using iOS devices as touchscreen remotes seem obvious future attributes as well.
As a unified platform Google and Android won’t be far behind with interest in Google TVagain rising. Both Google and Apple are rumoured to be interested in bidding for Premier League TV rights too and their app store video content already provides a mass of on-demand content. As with smartphones it seems their platforms hold the key to television’s evolution with only Microsoft’s united phone, PC and Xbox infrastructure likely to represent a challenge.
As such the losers could well be everyone else, at least by 2013. Hardware makers like Sony, Samsung and LG – already Android handset partners – are set to adopt a similar manufacturing only role over time (plus the inevitable third party Google TV skins). This isn’t to say these companies lose out financially, but their control over the sector certainly hands over to the platform makers while they squabble over hardware differentiators such as the impending clamour for OLED and glasses-free 3D. Likewise Sky’s vice-like grip on broadcast content seems only to have a shelf life for as long as it takes the UK time to attain ubiquitous high speed Internet connections.
Winners: Apple, Google, maybe Microsoft
Losers: Traditional TV manufacturers as hardware margins squeeze & platforms unify
Continue Reading for Cameras, Laptops & tablets, mobile phones, gaming and social networking.
The Biggest Tech Stories of 2011 & Why
December 31, 2011 by Gordon
Filed under Features & Editorials, Guide
We take a look at the 10 biggest tech stories of 2011 and round-up the rest in what proved a year of shocks.
The Biggest Tech Stories of 2011 & Why
- By Gordon Kelly (for TrustedReviews)
- 31 December 2011
It is hard to sum up the technology landscape in 2011, but the word which dominates our minds is “shock”. So here in no particular order (except for one) are what we found to be the biggest developments of a turbulent 12 months.
Microsoft Partners With Nokia
Just one month had passed before one of the biggest shocks of the year: Microsoft’s exclusive agreement to put Windows Phone on all Nokia smartphones. No figure for the deal was formally announced, but industry talk puts it at an initial £1bn with numerous clauses that could see this figure skyrocket. The price was understandable given the risk is all on Nokia’s side having found its feet too late and it could easily become one of the biggest stories of 2012 with persistent rumours Microsoft will simply buy Nokia’s phone division in the coming months.
A deal would make sense for all sides with Nokia absolving itself of its troubled unit and returning to its networking history and Microsoft finally evolving its business model to challenge Apple’s hardware/software unity. Our money is on a deal being done and Finland not worrying too much.
Google Buys Motorola
Microsoft wasn’t the only company suggesting it has long term hardware ambitions. In August out of the blue Google bought Motorola for $12.5bn. Like Microsoft the Android owner insisted the buy had nothing to do with starting its own handset line, but Google hasn’t been slow in showing manufacturers “how to do it” in the past. With the company’s frustrations growing at the ubiquity of Android skins we wouldn’t be surprised to see continue an iPhone-esque strategy of releasing at least one flagship handset on an annual basis. Of course the real motivation for the purchase was said to be patents and with Motorola having over 17,000 we wouldn’t doubt that. The deal saw Google both strengthen its legal stance and protect partners while gaining new hardware capabilities at the same time. A smart deal by a smart company.
Continue Reading to find out why Patent Wars, Riots & Social Media, PSN Hacking, Facebook Timeline, Android 4.0, Windows 8 supporting ARM, Carrier IQ & The Death of Steve Jobs all made our list as well as a look at the Best of the Rest.
The Gadgets NOT to Buy This Christmas
December 19, 2011 by Gordon
Filed under Features & Editorials, Guide
The festive season is a minefield of ageing and immature products. I tell you what you should avoid and what will prove a sound investment.
The Gadgets NOT to Buy This Christmas – Tablets
- By Gordon Kelly (for TrustedReviews)
- 19 December 2011
Christmas is coming and if you know your tech then you know the golden rule: buy your gadgets as late as possible. The logic is simple: prices are always falling and new products are announced every week. At TrustedReviews our reason d’être is helping you make wise purchasing decisions and there is no easier way of doing that than by checking out our 2011 Awards winners. That said sometimes it is equally important to spell out what NOT to buy so if you don’t want the gloss knocked off your presents within months of purchase we suggest extreme caution with the following categories…
Apple and Android Tablets
Our first category is also likely to be the most controversial. Tablets are seen as the must-have product this Christmas, but despite being comfortably into their second generation of devices we suggest you wait a little longer – no matter which device you have your heart set on.
Yes, believe it or not, this is doubly true of the iPad 2. Apple’s all-conquering tablet has redefined the sector, its array of tablet-specific apps is unparalleled and despite rivals with better cameras and faster hardware it still performs as well as any. The problem is the iPad 2 is now 10 months old and Apple refreshes its products roughly every 12 months. This means buy an iPad 2 this Christmas and you’ll be looking on enviously by February/March. Is the iPad 3 worth waiting for? We can tell you what you need to know and all signs point to yes, so stick to gift certificates.
The same is true for Android tablets. There are notable highlights such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Asus Eee Pad Transformer, but none come with the latest and most important version of Android to date: v4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Furthermore while Google has already shipped the first ICS handset in the shape of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus we await a timeframe for ICS tablets and formal commitments from many tablet makers that their existing products will be upgraded.
If you must go down the tablet route the safest bet is the exceptional Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime. Launched this week it combines powerful hardware with stylish and practical accessories and Asus has committed to bringing ICS to the Prime as soon as possible – however the tablet will only be available in the UK from January.
To learn why you should also avoid LCD eBook readers, 3D televisions and more and to learn what areas are safe to splash the cash continue reading…
Spotify Can Replace Your iPod
May 23, 2011 by Gordon
Filed under Copywriting, Features & Editorials, Guide
In an experiment for TrustedReviews I find out if music streaming services are ready for the big time… find an extract below.
Spotify Can Replace Your iPod.
- By Gordon Kelly
- 23 May 2011
Apple’s iCloud is the talk of the Internet, with it strongly expected to be the company’s long awaited music streaming service, but could there already be a streaming service capable of replacing Apple’s increasingly outdated iTunes and iPod model? We decided to run an iPhone experiment: goodbye iPod, hello Spotify.
The Terms
It couldn’t have been simpler. Remove all iPod music from an iPhone and move 100% to Spotify. Could we survive like this or are the theoretical benefits far removed from reality?
Why did we choose the iPhone and Spotify? Well, the iPhone bit was easy – we had one to hand, it is utterly ubiquitous, and of course it’s on this device that the iCloud is surely to be most thoroughly integrated. As for Spotify, again it is the most ubiquitous of the streaming services, with one of the largest music libraries. We could just as easily have chosen the likes of We7 or Napster, or indeed smart radio services like Last.fm and Pandora, though we’ve never quite seen the latter as true personal listening alternatives.
Two weeks on the results are in.
The Upsides
The only way to describe removing all the music from your iPod is to compare it to a spring clean. That feeling of terror from what you have discarded, quickly followed by the relief and excitement of a clean slate. The amount of music we all carry around which we never listen to is huge and the instant creation of space is liberating. READ ON
The 7Gbit WiFi Poised to Change The World
November 6, 2010 by Gordon
Filed under Copywriting, Features & Editorials, Guide
The evolution of WiFi has been frustratingly slow, but a white knight is now on the horizon. My latest feature for TrustedReviews investigates ‘WiGig’, a stunning new standard which could stretch bandwidth to 7Gbit. A sample is below and – as ever – if you enjoy what you read… READ ON
The 7Gbit WiFi Poised to Change The World
Much like the paper which still dominates our so-called paperless offices, there remain a heck of a lot of cables in a supposedly wireless world. The problem is being wired has always been faster than going wireless, or it was…
Back in May the tech sector got itself hot and bothered about a truly next generation standard: ‘WiGig‘. The reason was simple, a fantasy-sounding WiFi technology (bandwidth of up to 7Gbit – 7,000Mbit) had suddenly become strikingly real after its technology gained the formal backing of the WiFi Alliance. This is the group which holds the global ‘WiFi’ trademark and controls the ‘WiFi Certified’ programme which has dominated every mainstream WiFi standard to date.
This week WiGig significantly strengthened its hand again by gaining the support of VESA (the Video Electronics Standards Association) to co-develop the wireless specification of DisplayPort using WiGig technology. On top of this WiGig chose to announce the finalisation of its application specs meaning the lock down of display interfaces and PC peripherals. It also added a new supporter in the shape of AMD, though this is no biggie when the likes of Intel, Microsoft, Samsung, Dell, Toshiba, Nokia, Nvidia, NEC, Cisco and influential chipmakers Broadcom and Atheros are already on its board of directors. If the tech world was hot and bothered before, it is positively panting now.
Consequently we pulled up a virtual chair alongside WiGig (Wireless Gigabit) Alliance Board Member and Chairman of VESA, Bruce Montag who is also on the Senior Technical Staff at Dell (show-off). So if you’re wondering how close is WiGig to being market ready, what hurdles still lie ahead and is it all too good to be true then we have the answers.
Verve Scans – 3D HDTV TV Supertest
October 4, 2010 by Gordon
Filed under Copywriting, Features & Editorials, Guide
After a wonderful holiday in Malta, I came home to find Bright Publishing has sent me scans of my 3D HDTV Supertest for Verve along with permission to publish them on my blog. Usually you can only read Verve travelling business class and above on the Eurostar or the UK’s main airports, so this is a generous gesture and allows me to illustrate the style with which this new and exclusive magazine has been put together.
My scans are below, clicking on them will bring up full size images which makes the text readable. Feedback appreciated as always.
Are Apple’s New iPods A Deliberate Botch Job?
September 4, 2010 by Gordon
Filed under Copywriting, Features & Editorials, Guide
Opening paragraphs reprinted with permission by TrustedReviews. If you wish to read my full feature you’ll find it here.
Are Apple’s New iPods A Deliberate Botch Job?
On Tuesday Steve Jobs announced the next generation of iPods, a new shuffle, nano and iPod touch. Widespread predictions were largely spot on and brought the usual reaction of excitement fused with modest frustration and a general agreement that Apple’s infamous marketing hyperbole remains as strong as ever, despite the iPhone 4 antenna climb down. Since Tuesday, however, I’ve been hit with a nagging sense of irritation which you may or may not share: is everything Apple announced that day a botch job?
Certainly I don’t expect everyone to agree with this viewpoint and it would be a boring world if you all did. In fact our very own Andy Vandervell describes them as “pretty tantalising” and Hugo will mount a spirited defence of iTunes’ Ping on Monday so I’ve a fight on my hands. Then again, let’s see if you can follow my logic because Apple frequently receives a great deal of adulation and this time I’m not entirely convinced it’s deserved…
The Future of Printing
May 17, 2010 by Gordon
Filed under Copywriting, Features & Editorials, Guide
Even the word sounds boring: printing.
Yes our world may not be the paperless environment we were led to believe it would be by now, but certainly the printing industry is feeling the squeeze of Cloud computing and ever more mobile devices. Even wave after wave of company email signatures warn against environmental impacts of printing.
So how will printing survive? Should it survive? I spoke to Brother UK marketing and sales director Phil Jones who not only had an answer, but also a genuinely exciting vision for the printing industry as a whole. ‘Exciting’? Printers?! Just watch…
Guide: Should You Take a Tablet?
May 2, 2010 by Gordon
Filed under Copywriting, Features & Editorials, Guide
Originally published on the TalkTalkBlog. Reprinted with permission from TalkTalk.
Tablets are the talk of the technology sector, a seemingly exciting middle ground between smartphone and laptop. Apple, Dell, Toshiba, HP and Asus have all committed to the form factor and it is expected to challenge netbooks as the new must-have product of 2010. So with wave after wave of tablet marketing hype set to hit us between now and Christmas the big question is: should you buy one?
The Weight of History
I’d love to give you a one word answer, but the question is more complicated than that
. Why? Because until recently the tablet was a largely abandoned idea, a product type which had clocked up failure after failure. Most famously Apple had tried with the Newton in 1998 and Microsoft was foiled in 2006 with the UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC). In fact the closest any practical form of ‘tablet’ has come to success is as a laptop hybrid where their lids are modified to swivel 180 degrees and be folded back onto the keyboard screen size up. TheThinkPad X Series has long offered this, but its appeal is decidedly niche. The pure form of tablet was dismissed long ago as ‘cool but impractical’ and that was that.
The iPad
So what changed? Apple changed. After years of speculation the company finally announced its
Newton avenger in January, the ‘iPad’. For all intents and purposes it is little more than a 10in iPod touch with extra power and it was ridiculed by everyone from the technology press to mainstream comedians. The iPad even got its own Downfall parody. One group wasn’t laughing, however: PC makers.
What they realised was A
pple had managed to capitalise on the ease of use intrinsic to the iPod touch and iPhone and bring it to a sector capable of competing with cheap laptops. Never before had basic entry level computing (email, web browsing, media consumption) been made so simple and accessible to the general public at truly affordable prices. Forget having to learn Windows, Mac OS X or Linux, the iPad can be used by a two year old. PC makers realised if consumers around the world bite then Apple will have made the Nintendo Wii of computers.
The Reponse
The response from Apple’s rivals has been fierce. They are making tablets which capitalise on what the iPad lacks: a web camera, industry standard connections like USB and HDMI, expandable storage and multi-tasking (a major omission which will be addressed by the much publicised iPhone OS 4.0 software update due later this year). Billions of dollars are being poured into a market which just a few months ago barely existed, but the bigger question is: Should it?
The Pros and Cons
For all intents and purposes, no. The primary reasons tablets failed so many times in the past are still painfully present. In fact they always will be. Most obvious is a tablet requires two hands to hold securely yet two hands to operate effectively and it cannot stand up on its own. Oh dear. Furthermore, while tablets are smaller than laptops and slightly lighter than netbooks, they can’t be carried in a pocket so require an additional bag anyway. As a form factor it actually appears to fall short of the convenience of smartphones and the practicality of netbooks. Argument over.
Or is it? You see the appeal of tablets goes beyond logic because they appeal to our inner child. They tie into that futuristic vision of a single sheet of glass delivering all the information and services we could ever need. As children we didn’t dream about bulky desktop computers or laptops with their physical keyboards, we dreamt about tablets. Captain James T Kirk would never be seen holding a imaginary laptop on the deck of the Starship Enterprise, he swiped at mocked up plastic tablets before passing them off dismissively to a subordinate nearby. Of course had to pass them off, tablets are unwieldy and impractical!
That said the failure of past tablets has just been their impractical form factor, but equally because they failed to live up to our futuristic visions for them. With modern technology and – most importantly – modern finger friendly interfaces, they now can.
The Bottom Line
I started out writing this post in order to tell you whether you should or shouldn’t buy a tablet, but I’ve come to realise this is an impossible task. I’m a professional technology journalist, a critic, an analyst who looks at things logically and weighs up the pros and cons. I’d argue tablets are pointless, ridiculous creations worthy of every parody thrown at them and you’d be better off sticking to a smartphone and a netbook or laptop. Yet the appeal of owning a tablet isn’t formed from such considered roots. For those feeling the innate urge to buy a tablet, whatever I say won’t stop you, it has been hardwired into your DNA for years now. For those who are flummoxed by them, I can understand why.
The bottom line is tablets are coming yet again and they will divide consumer opinion like never before. As for me, I’m sticking with my laptop until everything becomes holographic.
Pitching to Journalists
March 29, 2010 by Gordon
Filed under Copywriting, Features & Editorials, Guide
I should have posted this a lot earlier: an interview I conducted with RunMarketing in November last year.
Contacting journalists can be a daunting prospect if you’re new to approaching the media. However, building up strong relationships with the media is critical to overall marketing success and is a must for any business. To help understand how small businesses and start-ups can best approach the media, RunMarketing spoke to freelance journalist and blogger Gordon Kelly.
Click to listen to this episode (right click and save to download)
For more on writing press releases and pitching to media, visit RunMarketing’s Resources page.