Should waterproof phones epitomise the #bestofSony?

Looking over each of the major OEMs, one can arrive at certain areas they individually excel in with their current batch of devices - what with Samsung and their innovative *cough* gimmicky features, Motorola and battery life, HTC with design and sound, and LG for being a blend of both Motorola and Samsung with a considerably smaller amount of cheese in comparison with the latter.

If we turn to Sony, "waterproof" springs to mind, but if Sony were to hypothetically go down the drain tomorrow, would that kind of work really be worth carving into their headstone alongside their countless other accolades?

Reasons to Crave the Moto X - Size and Portability

Proof of interest in a phablet market is becoming increasingly apparent in more public spaces, and we've reached that stage where the mere sight of any iPhone display prior to the iPhone 5 registers on our 'cute-o-metre' (though the same could be said about the latter as well).

We've sat by, watched and even participated in this "bigger is better" mentality - which has extended equally to the numbers clocked on a processor and its cores. We've not been the only ones who have observed this however, and Motorola and Google have set out to make us reconsider whether we really should be caught up in the spec race.

Motorola believes their Moto X presents itself as a viable alternative in a world of smartphone sameness, and the titans already on offer, and while the Moto X doesn't shine in numbers on a sheet of paper, its objective is to wow users in its real world performance, use and personalisation. Part of this real world use factor boils down to the fit of a device in the hand, and the ease with which is can be taken places and used with little hassle. The size of the Moto X and portability is one of the reasons the device appeals to me, and what I'm sure will be many others. 

Next Nexus OEM - If it’s good enough for Google, it’s good enough for us.

As is often the case, if we’re not thinking about the devices we have, we’re thinking about what’s next - and the question of who will be making any of Google’s upcoming Nexi, and their design and specs are always a talking point for Android enthusiasts.

The Nexus smartphone is most significant, as it often introduces changes to the OS - via adjustments to UI and the inclusion of a host of new features. It’s for this reason, we gather on social media, in online communities, forums and boards to speculate as to which OEM will take the honours of developing and producing the hardware that encapsulates Google and the direction of Android.

It’s no wonder then, that we may be upset (to use the word loosely), if we discover a Nexus we've been holding out for is being built by an OEM we aren't too fond of.

Fusion ROMs - Mixing Features from OEM Skins with Vanilla Android

Flashing custom ROMs based on stock Android has been a fascination of mine from the moment I first rooted and flashed CM7.2 to my Defy. There's a certain appeal associated with being able to customise a device to reflect ones' personal tastes, and I'm sure it's shared by many whom read this very piece.

But it's not always the case that we want to part with certain features within OEM skins - even if they're only small features which please us. Take, for instance the Circles widget on Motorola handsets as of late. This particular Motoblur widget has captured the attention of countless individuals within the community, and has brought about a slew of imitation circle widgets in attempt to satisfy our burning desire for what is otherwise "just a widget".

eBooks or Hard Copies?

In this increasingly digitally affiliated world we live in, there's been a great brouhaha surrounding the future of books and the nature with which we'll continue to consume and read them. As tablets and eReaders continue to permeate the public sphere. The topic of who prefers what with regards to the format of books has been a consistent topic of discussion and for good reason - each pose their own individual pros and cons.

Rant: People who use voice assistants public

With Motorola and Google's (though it should be the other way round) push for "Touchless Control" as one of the Moto X's significant features, it's got me thinking: "how comfortable do you feel using a voice assistant in public?"

Thoughts on Google Play Music All Access

Almost day dot since its being made available in Australia, I've been utilising a little service called "Google Play Music All Access". It mightn't be news to anyone who reads this, but it's essentially a pay-by-the-month music subscription service, much like Spotify - only users are able to combine music into playlists in conjunction with their own music library "locker", which can comprise of up to 20,000 songs.

I admittedly was apprehensive before I decided to take Google's 30 day free trial plunge, not because it was free - or that I was too stingy to fork out $9.99 a month, which is the current going rate for first subscribers, but because I was concerned I wouldn't be able to live without it.

What do I mean by that? Well, I've made no attempt to hide that I still often use my iPod either when I'm out and about, or at home on a cheap twenty dollar stereo dock. The reason being was because it was easy first and foremost, and it was offline. "Offline" is a key word here, because streaming music while out and about has its nasty drawbacks (as I will mention later on). Having all my own music on me was a major plus, along with a few favourite TV shows. But all good things have to come to an end unfortunately, and sometimes for the better. My iPod classic has a meagre 29GB left of its 149GB it shipped with. I've been meaning to move on for some time now - and Play Music does a fair job of filling that void.