Quick Review : Samsung Galaxy S4 Active

*There will be repetition as we are talking about the same Samsung Galaxy S4 with a design tweak.

Pros
+Sturdy design and ruberised on the top and bottom
+Smart add-ons to UI like Smart Stay, +Smart Pause, "Smarty Pants"...kiddin
+Hard keys are a great advantage and you won't be having accidental clicks like what we have in S4
+Camera is good and has Aqua mode for splashes I think...
+Battery life is good but still need to carry a spare battery
+Removable battery, this is a huge win and I use an additional battery during heavy usage.

Meh
÷TFT display is bright but feels washed out
÷Smart UI add-ons tries to be "over smart"
÷Takes more time to snap the back cover in place and still you will miss out something.
÷Hardware design is OK
÷Black Samsung Galaxy S4 is actually Gray which actually kinda sucks.

Cons
-Bloatware
-Buggy responsiveness
-Samsung UI needs help. Its that bad.

Bottom line
_The phone feels great on hand and is sturdy unlike the S4. Its slightly thicker but i can live with that. Design is a bit off but bearable. The phone is great on paper similar to the S4 and leverages the Android ecosystem which is a huge win but the amount of bloatware makes the overall experience bad. Its basically a S4 with Muscles.

Quick Review : Sony Xperia Z ultra

Pros
+Great Quality build
+Software seems like ICS even though its using Jelly Bean. Very less modification from stock UI.
+Camera is good
+Battery life is good but still need to carry a spare battery. Stamina mode is genius
+Great specs on paper and performance.

Meh
÷Using anything to write is just ok as it was buggy most of the times.
÷Screen is ok not great
÷The SIM / SD card slot need some work to close it completely.

Cons
-The size will turn you off
-Camera sucks and there is flash!
-Buggy responsiveness
-Notification short cuts are fixed unlike what other player are doing.

Bottom line
_The phone is great on paper and great on looks and feel. The big turn off was the size, I thought I would start  to fall in love with it but failed miserably. I couldn't carry may tablet with me as it felt weird to carry similar sized devices. If they are onna release a 5" version of this design, I am on it!

Quick Review : Samsung Galaxy S4

Pros
+Great display
+Smart add-ons to UI like Smart Stay, +Smart Pause, "Smarty Pants"...kiddin
+Camera is good
+Battery life is good but still need to carry a spare battery
+Removable battery, this is a huge win and I use an additional battery during heavy usage.

Meh
÷Smart UI add-ons tries to be "over smart"
÷Hardware design is OK
÷Black Samsung Galaxy S4 is actually ÷Gray which actually kinda sucks.

Cons
-Capacitive buttons are a huge mess. You keep accidentally touching them and you gotta watch your YouTube clip all over again!
-Bloatware
-Buggy responsiveness
-Samsung UI needs help. Its that bad.

Bottom line
_The phone is great on paper and leverages the Android ecosystem which is a huge win but the lack of good design and the amount of bloatware makes the overall experience bad.

Quick Review : Nokia Lumia 925

Pros
+Great Camera
+Camera apps from Nokia
+Fast UI, Windows is the only OS that is hardware independent
+Great hardware, feels greats as well
+Keyboard is one of the best

Meh
÷Descent battery, needed to carry a battery pack
÷Internet explorer, its OK not great
÷Alternative apps for Instagram, Klout and so on. Its good not great.
÷Whatsapp notification is kinda buggy
÷Lack of Google services
÷Here Maps
÷Bing

Cons
-Lack of apps, but bearable
-Lack of customization. Changing live tile colors is not considered one of them
-Getting to the app you need takes time, a lot of scrolling and swiping. Wished if -Bing could double up for Universal search.

Bottom line
_Camera is one of the best features of this phone and can make up for all what Windows Phone is lacking. Hardware design is one of the best I've seen.

Hello Moto!

15000+ strong, one year later! Sermonotes marching on!

Will Plastic prevail over Metal?

Two Android titans are bound to release any time soon in the Month of April. Who will emerge the Victor and who will be the Victim?

The return of Infra Red...

Infra Red technology used to used primarily for controlling you entertainment systems, air conditioning and so on. It was a part of the mobile technology back in the 90's and early 2000's but vanished with the advent of Bluetooth as a better alternative.

Today, with the introduction of HTC One & Samsung Galaxy S4 one thing is clear. Mobile tech companies are seeing the benefits of IR back in their device.

I would't be surprised if I see Apple releasing a typewriter later this year.

Third wave of Apple with iWatch and how Nike has a part to play

The future of wearable tech is bright and recent new related to Apple's next big thing the iWatch and Nike not building Fuelband for Android does have a link. Tim Cook is a huge fan of Nike's Fuelband and he has been trying to work together with them in making technology an integral part of an iUser's life. There was even a patent that Apple submitted few months ago on a shoe related technology.

There is something going on and I believe this is going to be Apple's next wave.

Ubuntu might be the future

Watch Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth explain Ubuntu's mobile strategy and what it offers industry partners.

Wearable Technology and Apple

The wildly successful iPod Nano' square design was discontinued and a new design was called in. People were perplexed as to why didn't Apple pursue the square design where people found innovative ways to make it into a watch, locket, workout buddy and the list goes on.

Did Apple miss something or did they see something?

Wearable technology is on the rise and with Nike releasing its Fuel band, Jawbone  releasing its Up and Google's Glass Project, we do see the trend of devices becoming more than just for information consumption.

Apple never started anything new but instead improved on what was existing and stagnant. In this case, will Apple pioneer this or does it improve on something that's already existing?

That we'll have to wait and see.

The Verge : Windows 8 fails to reverse declining PC notebook salesduring holiday season

Microsoft sent a wrong message with the all new Windows. It felt like they were all some how getting their act together in a sinking ship.

http://t.co/TUKW6bRO

Steven Sinofsky finds a job and starts a blog

"Learning by Shipping" is the name of the new blog by Sinofsky. He states...

The title comes from something impressed upon me early in my career, which is that learning as an engineer comes from the process of starting, then finishing, and iterating on products–getting products to market and putting the broad feedback loop to work.  The teams and processes used to create products are critically important and fun to talk about relative to shipping and learning as we search for the best approaches to use at a given time.

Similar jobs great speech on hybridization and intersection, Sinofsky believes innovation is at the intersection of technology and social science. He is going to try out blogging and see what effect its gonna bring about. Hope he can bring in his thoughts and perspectives on product development and the process of bringing new products to market from his vast experience.