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Just played with it, and I think it’s excellent. It actually feels very similar to MetroTube, but I find it a bit cleaner and faster to navigate. The mobile site was functional, but a native app is still better, and Microsoft did a nice job with this one.

10 days ago on Windows Phone finally gets a full YouTube app with playlists and sign-in support 1 recommend

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I don’t think it’s fair to compare this to netbooks or ultrabooks considering it’s running a different architecture and OS with very different capabilities. Yes, I realize it’s all Windows, but an x86 netbook could do far more than this, albeit poorly.

I saw the headline and got excited thinking it was a Haswell machine…good battery life on ARM isn’t exciting when we’re talking about Windows RT because it’s so behind in functionality. A true x86 ultrabook with great battery life will be truly newsworthy, because if Intel can compete with ARM on horsepower and battery life, I’m not sure we even need Windows RT anymore, and the poor Windows Marketplace app situation becomes much less of a barrier to entry.

16 days ago on Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 review: a netbook by another name

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While I think a flatter UI will be an improvement compared to all the gradients, curves and textures of the current iOS, I do wonder what the average user will think. Like it or not, iOS’s current style is definitely distinct and iconic (no pun intended), while Android and Windows Phone have their own looks. Apple will need to make sure they don’t just look like an Android clone (even though I prefer that look to iOS). A lot of people are excited about this, and with the design talent at Apple, it will probably look great. But it could still be a jarring change for everyone who’s come to associate the skeumorphic style with Apple.

17 days ago on Apple exploring iOS 7 email and calendar overhaul, says Bloomberg

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Welcome back, Paul! Even if the experiment wasn’t everything you hoped it would be, I really enjoyed following you through it. It seems like the year flew by.

17 days ago on I’m still here: back online after a year without the internet

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The IDC conclusion about Windows 8 being a failure because of the decline in PC sales was a bad case of mistaking correlation for causation. While I certainly believe Windows 8 hasn’t helped in the way that Windows 7 did, I think the bigger reason for sagging PC sales is the fact that the specs race is slowing and for most people, the PC they bought several years ago is still more than adequate. I’m something of a power user (do a fair bit of HD video editing) and the Q6600-based desktop I built over 5 years ago is still good enough for me. My ULV Toshiba laptop from a few years ago is still fine as well (sans crapware), and runs Windows 8 just fine.

Having said that, I do think Microsoft needs to rethink their approach to blending the tablet and desktop experiences. I like Windows 8 in theory, and even like a fair number of things about it in practice (I’m running it on 3 computers at home), but there’s no denying that the “metro” interface is generally inferior to the traditional interface for non-touch devices.

22 days ago on Six months on, Windows 8 sales are a mystery 3 replies 5 recommends

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Seriously, Verge? I love you guys, but you could at least try to veil your disdain for Microsoft. Here’s another take on the same data:
http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/18/technology/enterprise/microsoft-earnings/index.html

After all the hand-wringing about Windows 8 single-handedly destroying the PC market, you’d think the fact that it’s responsible for a nice growth in Windows profit would at least be worth considering as a counter-point.

30 days ago on Microsoft profits increase to over $6 billion in Q3 2013 despite flat Windows revenue 2 replies 23 recommends