TechBytes is a weekly dose of tech news gathered into one post! I will be putting articles that I’ve written from the past few days, related articles from various sites in the web, and tech videos!
Thoughts on #MadeByGoogle
Google finally did it. It is now going head-to-head against Apple. They just launched their new hardware last week and it is a huge move. This is going to be a big test for Apple if they still have the chops to do extraordinary things. Apple still has the advantage though. It has been the master of hardware, software, and services working together. Google’s just starting out. Even Samsung can still push their marketing muscle to beat Google’s new products. We’ll see how fast Google can learn. I hope the Pixel can gain momentum and interest for Google’s hardware so more and more people get to experience them.
I am really interested in Google’s connected home stuff. Google WiFi can potentially be a great solution to solve WiFi. Google Home can be a way for most people to get into Google Assistant. The problem is with how Google wants ALL of our data, even those that we’ve never handed out before. Do we really want Google to have all our data? I sure don’t! Yeah yeah, Google has some of my data now. The fact that they want more of it is clearly trading our privacy for a better experience from Google.
Let’s just hope that no serious problem can come out of this.
JUST STOP IT, Samsung!
Seriously, can Samsung ever stop catching fire for their Galaxy Note 7s catching fire? Apparently not. Samsung is just being stubborn as to explaining why this is happening in the first place. It also reached a point where they knew that replacement Galaxy Note 7s were on fire and they didn’t tell anyone! Who in the right mind would do such a thing? This is INSANE! At this point, even what Ramzy said in our podcast about getting a cheaper replacement Note 7 wouldn’t make sense!
Samsung should just stop selling the Note 7 (which they did) and make sure this would NEVER happen again with the Galaxy S8 next year. With Google selling their own phone now, Samsung better play it safe next year. The task will prove to be difficult though as Apple is doing the much-needed redesign of the iPhone for its 10th anniversary.
Good luck, Samsung. You’ll need it.
Stories on the Blog
Google’s Apple-Like Push
Here’s everything you need to know about Google’s hardware announcements and what I think about them.
5 Great Things About the OPPO F1s!
I recently got a chance to attend OPPO Philippines’ event on their latest smartphone: the OPPO F1s! Read more to find out what those 5 great things I talk about!
Globe Tattoo LTE Mobile WiFi Unboxing!
I was really excited when I finally got this device! If you’re looking for the best mobile internet experience that Globe has to offer, then check out my unboxing of the Tattoo LTE Mobile WiFi!
Cherry Prepaid’s Good News for Cebuanos!
Looking for an affordable way to connect to the internet AND enjoy more and more calls and texts? Then Cherry Prepaid has something for you! Check out my post on it to see what they can offer you!
Featured Podcasts
BloggerBanters – On the latest episode, the discussion went from talking about exploding phones and Narcos to the wild, wild world of Philippine politics. I encourage you to listen to this since Ramzy, Carlo, and I get really passionate about these things. Haha.
Enjoy.
Ctrl-Walt-Delete – This is seriously one of my favorite podcasts right now. If you want a highly entertaining podcast that is also highly informative, then you should check this podcast out from The Verge. Hosted by Nilay Patel, The Verge’s Editor-in-Chief, and Walt Mossberg, Executive Editor at The Verge and Editor-at-Large at Recode. The newest episode is about how Google’s hardware push affects the biggest tech companies today.
Stories Around the Web
Forget about Pixel and Nexus, where’s Android One?
I haven’t been thinking about Android One for a while until this article came up. It’s an interesting read. Android One was supposedly the solution to affordable bloatware-free Android phones. What happened?
Samsung’s unprecedented recall of the Galaxy Note 7
(The Verge)
This Galaxy Note 7 fiasco has really gone off the rails. Check out this stream of stories from The Verge to see how this all started until the point that Samsung is stopping sales of this exploding phone.
High disparity in Asia’s broadband connectivity
Despite a lot of improvements in our internet speeds, people here in the Philippines still can’t afford even the most basic of internet services. Check out the infographic shown in the link.
Google just totally ignored its biggest Android fans
(Todd Hasselton, TechnoBuffalo)
What really sucked about the Pixel phone announcement was that it ended the Nexus program. This also meant that hardcore Android fans have to cough up at least $650 for the latest and greatest from Google. Bummer.
Not OK, Google
Google is about to embark on a journey to be a full vertically integrated company. Are we willing to trade our privacy for this wonderful Google experience?
This is it for this week’s edition of TechBytes! Is there anything you would like me to add here? Sound off in the comments below!
I never tried Samsung phones but not interested to it. I just the like design of their phones and aside to that nothing makes me impress to buy those phones. I’ve read a lot of news regarding Galaxy Note issues and this one “fire”.
I wish to be in your podcast sir! 😀
not a fan of Samsung phones ever since. and then that Galaxy Note 7 fiasco happened. samot! anyway, i enjoy listening to podcasts. looking forward to listening to your podcasts in the future. 🙂
I hope so too!
It’s a tragedy, really, because the Note 7 was quite a decent handset, explosive tendencies aside. Any lessery company would’ve died a while ago, but Samsung’s lucky to be a tech giant. But it’s still gonna have a huge impact on their future sales though as their brand has now been tarnished for good. I hope they manage to rise and make up in time. It’s always better to have competition.
Yeah. But Google’s already here to play. Let’s see if that will have any impact on the smartphone landscape. 🙂
I just hope samsung would make an excellent move to cover up their lapses and gain back the momentum. But still samsung is the tech giant manufacturer that even apple use to be a major client not until they have these irritating patent cases where apple switch suppliers of their screen displays to LG and Sharp…i dont really know and i dont give too much fuss about it.
But yeah, with google now is into the game, samsung should do better.. and i think this is the plan of google all along with the purchase of motorola mobility patents – to bite este beat apple. Hahaha
I’m not really into tech but I guess note 7 is Samsung’s biggest flop as of this time. Too bad this happened given that they’ve already established a reputation.
Privacy issues also bother me. I hope nothing tremendously damaging results from Google “playing” it with lots of innovation this time. As for Samsung, they better have a superb crisis communication plan. Big businesses encounter a crisis from time to time. The important thing now is how Samsung plans to bounce back. Good luck to them!
Hey, Macho Techo! Samsung will retreat this year and attempt an other world domination campaign in 1 year. By then though, they might be trying to kill Google and not that fruit tech company that you love. 😉
They said when you read an informative article like this, you will as well learn a lot. I’m not a technical kind of person when it comes to gadgets and everything that deals with technology. Pero just after reading your blog post, I’m learning. Natingala bitaw ko sa Samsung ngano nag ka problema sila, I’m a Samsung user for 4 years. Maka shock lang! Karon di nako Samsung lover. Hahaha
The reason why I don’t try to keep up with new gadgets is that
1) New releases are unstable. I know that because I experienced trying to solve bugs (for a printer UI) even months after it was released. It’s obviously very stressful and, at some point, we had to investigate why certain bugs solved themselves. Haha.
2) New gadgets are not exactly “new”, per se. Development takes years and by the time it is out, it’s already old tech. Haha.
Good thing I heard the Note 7 news before I decided to buy new phone. Apparently, Note 7 was my first choice because of its features – waterproof, dustproof – but no thanks,. Buying one means buying an explosive. Hahaha! Really hope Samsung does something to recover this mess.
Hopefully mu-make bawi ang Samsung sa mga nahitabo sa Note 7 for the upcoming year. Sayang, mag-Note 7 raba unta ko hihi
Can’t imagine enough how people who suffered from Google’s faulty product are actually going on right now. But I heard (from the tech store clerks in Ayala) that Samsung already replaced their Note 7 with new and unfaulty ones. Haha. If it doesn’t fire up anymore, I hope it doesn’t suck on a different way though. Haha.
Yeah, pero wala nay selling of Note 7. Dapat i.uli tanan.
When i read about this article and seeing some videos that samsung note 7 explode. Thanks for this jullian
Google has conquered the world. They will continue to do so. Hahahaha!
Love,
http://www.channelmarie.com
This is a good series! Keep up the good work, Jullian!
It’s really unpredictable for a flagship to be out in the market, like what happened with Samsung.. But being SAMSUNG, I think they could still catch up with the market still. I am no fan of Samsung but I know they know the game.
I hope they will bounce back aftee the issue they are having.
I have never owned a Samsung phone ever. And with the problem they had with their Samsung Note 7, samot wa nako ganahi mag Samsung. Pixel is full of potential. Hopefully nindot gyud siyag performance. ?