Nearing the
half-year mark as CEO, Satya Nadella issues a call for change. But he
tells CNET News, one thing that won't change is the future of Xbox at
Microsoft.
Microsoft CEO Satya NadellaIn case you still had any doubt, it's no longer Steve Ballmer's Microsoft.
Nearly six months into his tenure, CEO Satya Nadella issued a broad-brushed call for change at Microsoft in a 3,100-word note he sent to employees Thursday morning urging the rank-and-file to improve the corporate culture and "obsess" over customers.
Although
his memo did not offer specifics, Nadella also promised that Microsoft
would "flatten the organization" while creating "leaner business
processes."
That's for another day. More immediately, think of
this as Nadella's most visible attempt to publicly stamp the direction
of the company he began leading last February.
"I used this as a
good opportunity for me to just mark the passing of one fiscal year
into the next and make sense of the changes," Nadella said in an
interview with CNET, during which he described the need for Microsoft to
redefine, if not expand, the concept of user productivity.
"The
real emphasis for us is what's our soul and contribution in this
mobile-first, cloud-first world. And that's where redefining
productivity and rethinking platforms is a core sensibility we have,"
he said, adding that he wants Microsoft to think about it more
ambitiously.
"At the end of the day, it's all about culture -- you
kind of eat your strategy for lunch if you don't have a culture that
reinforces what you want to have done," he said.
The following is an edited transcript of the interview. Q: I think you missed your true profession. You wrote one hell of a lead, as we say in journalism.Satya
Nadella: I want the least number of decision makers. We want to empower
people to get more things done and also give permission to question
orthodoxy. So it's not about being static, or here are a few changes and
that's it. I want us to be able to say, "Look we can change. And we
should change and don't be beholden to any of our past." Because the
nature of work is changing.
At
the core of the products we build, I want to think about productivity
centered around people. I don't want to think about OneDrive and
OneDrive for Business as two things. I want the system to think about it
on behalf of me. There are some documents that are my personal
documents that should go to OneDrive; there are documents that are Word
documents that should go to OneDrive for Business. That should all be
quote-unquote, auto-magic. That's the kind of innovation we should be
able to contribute to, and that's what we're pursuing Your note also seems to be a declaration that Xbox isn't going anywhere, that it's staying with Microsoft?Nadella:
I wanted to be very, very explicit about how a large company -- and a
successful, large company -- like ourselves can have a core and should,
in fact, have a core and also have ambition to do a few other things
where we can have high impact. And to me, I'm so glad to have Xbox as a
franchise, especially at a time when gaming is becoming even more
important -- as a digital life category and in the mobile world. The
most time spent? Games. The most money spent? Games. Xbox is one of the
most revered, loved brands in games. I look at that and say I want that
team to be super ambitious about gaming...It doesn't matter that it's
not core to productivity. In fact, there's so much technology transfer
that actually happens. Take all the speech recognition that we have in
Skype. It came because of Kinect on Xbox. But that's not the reason that
I'm in Xbox. We're in Xbox because we want to win in gaming, delight
customers in gaming, and want to grow that fan base. I wanted to make
that explicit because I think it's OK for a large company like ours to
be proud of things where we are having a high impact outside of the
core. Are you still thinking over whether to keep Bing?Nadella:
Bing to me is a core part of task completion and productivity...A lot
has happened underneath Bing where a lot of Bing technology is now a
significant part of a lot of what we do in Azure and Office 365, so
that's what I wanted to reference (talking about it) as part of the
core. You're coming up on six months on the job. I think a
lot of people would be curious to know: What's been your biggest
surprise so far?Nadella: The thing that I've found is this
hunger for being clear on what is it that is our soul, our core, and
that unique contribution and sense of purpose that we can make -- and
have a bold ambition around it. There were a lot of things. It's not as
if we're suddenly doing things completely differently. But the cool
thing is, I love the fact that people are getting galvanized and much
more clear about "Oh wow, yeah that's right; we can think about
platforms and productivity differently." We should not, in fact, think
about our own efforts in fractured ways, but let's put the user in the
center and bring things together so that we harmonize it for the user.
We
have a lot of work ahead of us. At the end of the day, I'm not a
believer in memos but a believer, obviously, in products that draw
inspiration from what we said we would do. And I see good progress in
the last six months about work that was started even before I started as
CEO . That's been good, and now I'm feeling great about our pipeline. What's your sense: Do you think Microsoft's ahead or behind in each of the categories where the company operates?Nadella: Think about it. We're 39 years old and here we are on Techmeme
every day, every week. There's something right about this place. How
does one be relevant in such a broad way across digital life and digital
work? There are so many new competitors. In my own 22 years at
Microsoft, I started competing with Novell and Lotus. It's just
different. Now we have new competitors. It's great. I have a lot of
respect for these new competitors. Some places we're ahead, some we're
behind -- but we're in it. We're in the mix. And we're a profitable
company. So I'll take our hand any day of the week. But at the same
time, like I always say, this industry has no respect for any past. So I
want us to be on our toes and forward-looking and aggressive and
ambitious. But I feel it's our time when it comes to thinking broadly
and ambitiously about productivity and platforms.
This quick and simple tip will help you charge your Android, BlackBerry, iOS, or Windows Phone device faster.
We
have all been there, it's 9 p.m. and you're suppose to meet a friend in
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The GoodWhile minor, the small upgrade to the stock CPU in Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air results in improved performance. The multitouch trackpad is still the industry's best, and even better, the 13-inch Air now starts at $999, which is $100 less than the previous model.
The Bad Newer features such as touchscreens and higher-resolution displays are still missing. The ultrabook competition is catching up, in terms of design.
The Bottom LineIf you own a MacBook Air from the past couple of years there's really no need to upgrade, but a small spec bump and minor price cut make the most-current Air even more attractive.
The now-familiar MacBook Air hasn't seen a design overhaul in several generations, and the small update to the 13-inch and 11-inch models released in April 2014 does nothing to change that.
The current MacBook Air models differ from the 2013 versions in that the base model uses a 1.4GHz Intel Core i5, an upgrade from the previous 1.3GHz processor. More significantly, the 11.6-inch MacBook Air now starts at $899 (from $999) in the US and at £749 (from £849) in the UK, while the 13.3-inch version now drops to $999 (from $1,099) in the US and to £849 (from £949) in the UK. List prices in Australia are AU$1,099 for the 11-inch and AU$1,199 for the 13-inch model.
We've tested the new 2014 versions, and found their performance to be slightly improved. (Some have seen different results, owing to Apple using SSDs from multiple manufacturers in Airs, but our tests all fall in line with expectations from this small CPU uptick.) There's certainly no reason to upgrade if you have last year's MacBook Air. Instead, the price cut is the big news here, making this an even more viable option for midprice laptop shoppers.
While the lower price is a plus, the lack of significant performance improvement and the static physical design remind us that the Air is overdue for a more radical overhaul. Balancing out those two factors, our rating remains the same, and the remainder of this review is essentially unchanged from the 2013 version. Both the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs are still universally useful laptops that are largely frustration-free, but that also lack some of the latest bells and whistles (edge-to-edge glass, touchscreens, higher display resolutions) you may be looking for.
Like the 2013 Air, this model has an Intel Haswell-generation CPU, and also Intel's improved HD5000 graphics. It's still not anything like having a discrete GPU, as in the 15-inch Retina Pro , but with game services such as Steam and EA's Origin now being Mac-compatible, it may make some small inroads for OS X gaming.
The 2013 Air also added 802.11ac Wi-Fi , a new standard that will slowing working its way into wireless routers, as well as Apple's AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule hardware. If you have an 802.11n router, which is a much more likely scenario, this may not help you, but it's a nice piece of future-proofing.
Battery life remains a big selling point, and when you consider the cost of the base model has come down from $1,199 to $999 in two years, the 13-inch MacBook Air is, despite not being the newest design on the block, still one of the most universally useful laptops you can buy.
PC GEEKBOX
Apple MacBook Air (11-inch, 2014)
Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 2014)
Lenovo Yoga 2 (13-inch)
Price as reviewed
$899
$999
$899
Display size/resolution
11.6-inch 1,366 x 768 screen
13.3-inch 1,440 x 900 screen
13.3-inch 1,920 x 1,080 touch screen
PC CPU
1.4GHz Intel Core i5 4260U
1.4GHz Intel Core i5 4260U
1.6GHz Intel Core i5 4200
PC Memory
4GB 1,600MHZ DDR3 SDRAM
4GB 1,600MHZ DDR3 SDRAM
4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHz
Graphics
1,536MB (shared) Intel HD Graphics 5000
1,536MB (shared) Intel HD Graphics 5000
1,792MB (shared) Intel HD Graphics 4400
Storage
128GB SSD
128GB SSD
500GB+16GD SSHD
Optical drive
None
None
None
Networking
802.11a/c wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
802.11a/c wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
Operating system
OSX 10.9.3 Mavericks
OSX 10.9.3 Mavericks
Windows 8.1 (64-bit)
Design and features
The MacBook Air keeps the same external look as the previous couple of generations, a look that still rivals the newest ultrabooks, although some systems, such as Sony's Vaio Pro line , are getting thinner and lighter without sacrificing much in the way of productivity.
Both the 11-inch and 13-inch versions of the MacBook Air still have the same thickness, ranging from 0.11-inch to 0.68-inch. Spread over the larger footprint of the 13-inch chassis, the 13-inch version still feels satisfyingly thin.
The Vaio Pro 13 next to the 13-inch MacBook Air.
As with previous versions, the rigid aluminum construction makes the Air feel sturdy enough to just throw it in a bag and carry it along with you without a protective case or sleeve, and it's interesting to contrast the aluminum unibody construction here with the lighter carbon fiber in the aforementioned Vaio Pro. I'd still trust the Air and its unyielding lid more in a throw-in-your-luggage field test.
The backlit keyboard and trackpad are the same as on the previous models, and the trackpad especially remains the standard by which all others are judged. Many other laptop makers have moved to larger clickpad-style touchpads, but we have yet to find a touchpad that comes close to this for multitouch gestures. The pad is again hinged at the top, allowing the entire pad to click down, and we strongly suggest going into the Preferences menu and turning on all of the tapping options for further ease of use.
It will be interesting to see how Apple's user interfaces develop in the face of bothWindows 8, which tries (not always successfully) to reinvent the entire concept of working with a computer OS, and the upcoming OS X Mavericks update . For now, flicking around with three-and-four-finger gestures on the MacBook trackpad remains the most seamless way to swap between windows and applications, at least in my experience.
Unlike the 11-inch MacBook Air, the 13-inch screen is still not a 16:9 display. The screen area also lacks the edge-to-edge glass over a black bezel found in theMacBook Pro; instead the screen is, as in previous years, surrounded by a thick silver bezel.
On the positive side, the native resolution of the display is 1,440x900 pixels, which is slightly better than the 1,366x768 you find in many 13-inch laptops, although even midpriced models are quickly switching over to 1,600x900 or even 1,920x1,080, and premium systems are adding higher-than-HD displays.
The GoodThe LG G3 has a great camera, a brilliantly sharp display, a snappy quad-core processor, and a flat UI that makes Android 4.4 look good. LG's flagship has also improved on the previous model -- the new G3 comes with a removable battery and microSD card slot, both things the G2 lacked.
The Bad The new QHD display with its 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution is quite a power-hog, so the phone will barely last you a day without a charge.
The Bottom LinePossessing the right blend of features and design, the G3 finally gives LG the right phone with which to challenge Korean rival Samsung.
starsLG has always played second fiddle to Samsung in the smartphone market, especially in Korea, but it looks like its latest flagship, the G3, could cause a major upset. Early reports from Korea show the G3 selling like hot cakes, outdoing Samsung's Galaxy S5 by three times in the initial launch period.It's not hard to see why. Unlike the Galaxy S5, which shows a more conservative approach in its design, LG's G3 goes bold with a new high-resolution QHD (2,560x1,440-pixel resolution) display, as well as adding a laser-guided autofocus for the camera.That's not to mention the other design changes that address the issues of the previous flagship, such as the addition of a microSD card slot and removable battery. With a cleaner, toned-down redesign of the UI (it's running a reskinnedAndroid 4.4 KitKat), the LG G3 has what it takes to be a top-ranked flagship smartphone for 2014.
The G3 is set to debut globally soon in the UK, US, and Australia. In the UK, the phone will be available on July 1 with a likely price of £490. In Australia, the 16GB version of the phone will go for AU$799, and in Singapore, the 16GB model will retail for S$868 (around AU$690, £410) without contract, while the 32GB will go for a slight markup of S$928 (AU$740, £440). We'll update this review when we have information about availability and prices in the US.
Design Sporting the same rounded corners and slim bezel as the G2, the LG G3 keeps the same buttons on the rear as well. Instead of the glossy plastic found on the G2, though, LG has given the G3 a metallic-looking back.
LG says the rear cover is mostly plastic (to allow wireless charging to work), but it added a metal film to give it that shiny, polished look. The result is a very premium finish, and Samsung should pay attention here. While the dimpled rear cover of the S5 was a marked improvement over the glossy finish of the S4, the G3's back cover conveys a more luxurious feel that you normally get from metal phones such as theHTC One M8 or the Apple iPhone 5S.
Unlike the LG G Flex, though, its surface has no healing capabilities, so if you accidentally scratch the rear, you'll have to live with the battle scars.
As mentioned earlier, the power button and volume rocker are all found on the back. LG has done this for a few phones now, and while it takes some getting used to, it's actually a pretty good tweak. The keys have a textured pattern that differentiates them from the rear cover. It's also easy to reach the buttons when holding the phone with one hand. There's no need to stretch your fingers to power off the device (especially if it's on the top).
The 13-megapixel camera is located right above the rear buttons, and on the left is the Laser Auto Focus feature, which uses an infrared laser beam to measure the distance between the camera and the intended subject of your picture. On the right is the dual-LED flash.
The best part of the G3, however, has to be that there simply aren't any buttons. Unlike the S5, which has a physical home button, the G3 uses onscreen keys instead. This means that the 5.5-inch, 2,560x1,440-pixel-resolution screen grabs all of your attention, and the superthin bezel enhances that experience, making the phone appear to be "all screen."
Design
The G3's display has an eye-popping 538 pixels per inch (ppi), while the iPhone 5S stops at 326ppi. That's 65 percent more pixels than Apple's handset, by the way. But does this really matter? In short, no. You'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between a normal full-HD display and the QHD of the G3. The only time you could really see the difference would be if you were to put a drop of water on the screen and take a close-up shot. I did that with the Oppo Find 7, which has a 5.5-inch 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution display, and compared it with an Oppo Find 7a, which is a Find 7 with a 1080p screen. Thus, the difference in this shot is similar to what you'd see between an LG G3 and a regular full-HD phone -- barely perceptible to the naked eye.
On the right is the Oppo Find 7a's display: at 100 percent crop, you can see the pixels. You can barely make them out on the Find 7 on the left, and the Find 7 is the G3 equivalent here with a 2,560x1,440-pixel display.
But as CNET editor Andrew Hoyle found in his in-depth look at the G3's display, the G3's QHD screen has more natural color tones than the S5's screen (which has a warmer color cast). In the end, though, having a 1440p display is more about bragging rights for marketing than any actual visual improvement.
Located above the display is a 2.1-megapixel camera for taking selfies. (LG has also included a few features to make that process easier, but more on that later in the review.) LG has borrowed a page from Apple's book of tricks: the 3.5mm audio jack is located at the bottom of the phone, next to the Micro-USB jack.
Overall, I found the build quality to be pretty solid; the phone is easy to grip. The 8.9-millimeter-thin phone sits comfortably in the palm, but because of the width of its 5.5-inch display, it's often easier to to type with both hands.
Software features
The G3 comes with a redesigned Android 4.4 user interface (UI) that's very clean and flat. This new look is very familiar -- I've seen similar UIs from Asus and HTC, but that's not to say that LG's efforts are copies. According to LG, the G3's UI has been tweaked to keep things simple; instead of adding more features with each iteration, LG has decided to pare it down somewhat.
The new UI is clean and flat.
For example, instead of having 16 camera modes, LG checked its data and got rid of the modes that were used less than 1 percent of the time, leaving just four of the more frequently selected ones.
The GoodThe Beats Solo 2 on-ear headphones are sturdier and better-sounding than the original Solos, with somewhat more balanced sound and strong, tight bass. They offer a relatively comfortable fit and have an inline remote and microphone for making cell phone calls. The headphones fold up to fit in a nice carrying case (included).
The Bad Fairly pricey; some people may find they fit too snug.
The Bottom LineThese Solo 2 may not win audiophile hearts and ears, but for its intended audience -- namely, folks who are looking for a fast, exciting headphone with lots of high-quality bass -- this is an excellent on-ear headphone.
The Solo 2 looks a lot like a mini version of Beats' revamped over-ear Studio (2013) headphone. For starters, the earpads have been redesigned with swankier materials that make the headphones slightly more comfortable and should hold up better over time. Those pads do offer a slightly tighter seal to prevent sound leakage, as well as better noise isolation form the outside world.
The Beats Solo 2 comes in a variety of colors.
Like the new Studio, the Solo 2, which weighs in at 7.2 ounces (205 grams), is built more sturdily and has no visible screws. The curve of the headband has been changed to deliver a snugger, more ergonomic fit too. At times, it can feel a little too snug, and while this is relatively comfortable for an on-ear model, it's certainly not the most comfortable on-ear I've tested (I prefer the Beyerdynamic T51p andBose OE2, which has been updated to the Bose SoundTrue On-Ear). And for the record, I found both the over-the-ear Beats Studio and Studio Wireless more comfortable.
The headphones fold up (but not quite flat) and come with a soft carrying case and a detachable cord with an inline remote and microphone for making cell phone calls. (It's worth noting that the cord color matches the headphone color, which wasn't the case for the Studio Wireless I reviewed.) This on-ear model doesn't have the active noise-cancellation of the step-up Studio and Studio Wireless models.
Performance
I personally wasn't a fan of the original Solos and thought they were overpriced and lacked clarity. As with the new Studios, Beats has tamped down the bass a little and gone with a somewhat more accurate sound profile with better detail -- that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of bass, but it isn't as hyped.
After I tested the headphones for a few days, I handed them off to Steve Guttenberg, who writes our Audiophiliac blog. Steve had a similar view on the headphones and felt the bass was better balanced with the midrange and treble than it used to be (in the original Solo). But, he said, no one would accuse the Solo 2 of being mellow.
Could a 61-page children's book unlock clues about Amazon's plans for its mysterious launch event? Jessica Dolcourt read it to find out.
A children's book is certainly a unique way to welcome spectators to Amazon's event.
Beyond any hints contained within an invitation, companies don't often send journalists clues about product launches ahead of the event. And certainly not in the form of a children's book.
A note affixed to the book's front cover, tied off with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' printed signature, says it all:That jolt of confusion, followed by curiosity, and perhaps even delight is exactly what Amazon was going for in mailing "Mr. Pine's Purple House" to attendees of its June 18 product launch in Seattle, Wa. In fact, standing out among the crowd is the story's entire premise, and Amazon's strategy for dazzling mobile industry-watchers when it at last unveils its mystery device.
We're excited that you'll be joining us next week in Seattle. Enclosed is my favorite childhood book -- Mr. Pine's Purple House. I think you'll agree that the world is a better place when things are a little bit different. See you soon.
Bezos' note emphasized the penultimate sentence by coloring it the same shade of purple as the house that the titular Mr. Pine eventually paints in his quest to differentiate his domicile from the other homes on the same street.
Does this mean we're in for a purple smartphone? Probably not -- that would be too obvious, and bypasses the book's main point, which is one of individualism and expression, and of inspiring others by daring to be different.
Indulge me (and Bezos) with some choice passages. " 'A white house is fine,' said Mr. Pine, 'but there are FIFTY white houses all in a line on Vine Street. How can I tell which one is mine?' "
And later, after the deed is done: "Everybody on Vine Street came to look at Mr. Pine's purple house. No one had ever seen a purple house before."
Whatever it is, Amazon's device claims to stand out in the crowd.
Amazon's dangling carrot is clearly that its device has a wow factor that other cookie-cutter products lack. A teaser video depicts users declaring the device to be "awesome," "amazing," "very real life and uncomparable [sic], and "pretty damn intuitive."
Most rumors suggest that the mystery device in question is Amazon's smartphone at long last, and that its "flawless and seamless" feature that "moves" with you is a 3D experience, whatever that means. We do know that Amazon is working with sensors -- that was one detail the company asked about on its invitation request form for members of the public.
Whatever the jaw-dropping feature may be, you can bet that Amazon won't have it exclusively for long before rivals start integrating it into their own products. In fact, Amazon would do well to consider the cautionary scene contained within "Mr. Pine's" very (purple) pages:
"What a very pretty purple house," said Mrs. Green. "I will paint my house, too!"
"OH, NO! NO! NO!" said Mr. Pine. "Not FIFTY PURPLE HOUSES, all in a line on Vine Street!"
Good luck, Amazon. In this cutthroat, fast-reacting industry, 50 purple houses are exactly what you get.
Hot on the heels of the Solo 2, the sequel to its uber-popular on-ear model, Beats has now introduced the Powerbeats 2 Wireless, a Bluetooth version of its Powerbeats sports earphones.
The original wired Powerbeats have been on the market for a while, but got a boost in recent years thanks to basketball star Lebron James promoting them in a memorable US television ad. Beats says the new model has been inspired by James, and he is credited as a "co-creator."
At $200 (around £120 and AU$210, with official UK and Australian prices yet to be announced), the Powerbeats 2 Wireless is a pretty pricey headphone. But that may not bother you if you're looking for a comfortable, lightweight Bluetooth sports headphone that performs well.
The earphones are sweatproof -- but not waterproof -- and come in white, red, and the black you see here. In many ways they're reminiscent of the earlier, corded Powerbeats, with the same ear hooks that help keep the headphones securely on your head.
Here's what you get in the box.
These new hooks have some bend to them (they're pliable) and you can customize the shape to fit around your ear better. A three-button inline remote and microphone are built into the cord for making hands-free calls and skipping tracks forward and back, as well as adjusting the volume.
The headphones come with a few different sized of silicone eartips. Beats reps told me that, depending on the eartips you choose, you can opt to go for a tighter seal or leave some breathing room to let ambient noise in for safety reasons. Many people like to be able to hear cars coming when they're running or biking.
That said, because of the way the headphones are shaped -- and the way my ears are shaped -- I wasn't able to get a really tight seal with any of the eartips, so I was always left with a slightly more open fit. When that happens, you do lose a little bass, but the only time I found the looser fit to be a problem was when I was in an environment where there was a lot of noise -- the New York City subway, for example.
The headphones charge via micro USB.
Overall, I liked the way the headphone fit and you can adjust the cord length with the little crimp that's included. From a sound standpoint, as I said, despite the inability to get a tight seal, I thought it performed well for a Bluetooth headphone.
It plays loud and has relatively clean, aggressive sound that's filled out with rich bass that thankfully isn't overpowering. That seems to be Beats' MO with its new headphones: scale back the bass a bit while punching up the treble detail. As with the Studio Wireless and Solo 2, I wouldn't call this a balanced headphone, but it is more balanced than last-generation Beats headphones.
You can adjust the length of the cord.
This is a Bluetooth 4.0 headphone that's firmware upgradeable and charges via micro-USB. It gets about 6 hours of playback from a single charge, which isn't great, but that's about what competing products like the Plantronics Backbeat Fit deliver. Beats says that a 15-minute "quick-charge" gives you an hour of non-stop playback. Unfortunately, the headphone doesn't automatically shut off when disconnected from your phone's Bluetooth.
I spent some time with the headphones in the gym, both lifting weights and running on a treadmill. In all, despite a few small shortcomings, I was fairly impressed and came away thinking that the Powerbeats 2 Wireless is one of the best wireless sports earphones, combining strong sound with a shape that should comfortably fit most people. That makes it a pretty safe pick in a category (wireless earphones in particular) that doesn't have a lot safe picks.
The ear hooks are bendable, which allows you to customize the fit.
The only problem, of course, is that it's expensive. Overall, this feels more like a $150 headphone, but hey, Beats has gotta pay Lebron and all those other celebrities, so $200 it is.
The Beats Powerbeats 2 Wireless is available this month (June), with broader distribution in July. I'll post a full review after I test it a little longer and we do some jury testing among other editors.
Samsung's latest Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab S, takes direct aim at the iPad with units that are both thinner and lighter -- despite offering larger screen sizes -- for the same price as Apple's iconic tablets.
The new Samsung models add to the already dizzying array of tablets from the Korean giant available at different price points, sizes, and across two different product lines: the consumer-focused Galaxy Tab and the more productivity/business oriented Note line, which includes a stylus.
And while all new tablets always come out of the gate with the iPad in their sights, the Galaxy Tab S seems to have a leg up on its earlier Samsung siblings, at least from a specs and value perspective.
Same price as the iPad, but thinner and lighter
The Galaxy Tab S comes in two colors -- Titanium Bronze and Dazzling White -- and two sizes, a smaller 8.4-inch model and a larger 10.5-incher. Due to ship in early July, they'll retail for $399.99 (£349 ) and $499.99 (£449) respectively.
Prices sound familiar? Yes, the iPad Mini Retina (16GB) starts at $399 while the entry-level Air (16GB) goes for $499. The shape and screen sizes of the iPads don't correspond exactly to the two Tab S slates, which have a widescreen format, but they're in the ballpark.
Both Tab S models measure 6.6mm thin.
The Tab S models weigh slightly less than their iPad counterparts, with the Tab S 8.4 coming in at 10 ounces or 294 grams (compared to the Mini Retina's 331 grams) while the Tab 10.5 tops the scales at right around a pound (465 grams), or 4 grams less than what the iPad Air weighs.
Thickness? The Tab S measures in at measly 6.6mm compared to the iPads' 7.5mm. And I can tell you that both Tab S models feel very slim in hand - just as the iPads do - and share some of the same design elements as the Galaxy S5, most notably the dimpled back, which has its supporters and detractors (I happen to like it).
First AMOLED tablet displayBeyond the operating systems -- the Tab S runs Samsung's version of Android 4.4 (KitKat) -- there are differences, of course, and Samsung is highlighting them, even it never mentions the iPad or Apple by name. That's kind of weird, but it's very Samsung to do battle with an enemy that's quite visible yet invisible at the same time.
The biggest talking point -- or selling point if you buy into Samsung's marketing -- is the Tab S's display. It's the first Super AMOLED display to appear on a Samsung tablet and it's the first thing that stands out when you pick up the devices.
Its 2,560 x 1,600 pixel resolution (16:10 aspect ratio) equates to 2x HD or 2K TV (as opposed to 4K TV). The iPad Air, by comparison, has a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution with 264ppi density, so you'll be hard-pressed see any difference in sharpness. But AMOLED is known for having deeper blacks (higher contrast ratios) and richer colors. Samsung says the Tab S has a 100,000:1 contrast ration, which is 100x greater than traditional LCD displays.
Samsung says its new AMOLED display offers deeper blacks and richer colors.
In my brief hands-on time with the products, I wasn't able to whip out an iPad to compare it to the Tab S, but that AMOLED display does have plenty of pop to it, and the short video demos I watched looked impressive. (Samsung says the number one thing people do with their tablets is watch video, followed by surfing the Web and social networking).
Samsung wouldn't let me take the tablet outside, but it says its "advanced outdoor visibility technology makes on-screen content look bright, natural, and easy to view." The display is also "adaptive" and will adjust to certain lighting conditions and applications, just like the Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone. A few different "professional" manual presets are available, too, including AMOLED Cinema and AMOLED Photo.
Battery life is rated at 11 hours of continuous video watching (for both tablets), which again, is slightly better than the iPad's rated battery life of 10 hours of continuous video watching.
There's an 8 megapixel back camera with flash.
To help manage battery life, the Tab S runs on Samsung's own Exynos 5 Octa, an octa-core mobile CPU that splits duties between a 1.9 GHz quad-core processor and 1.3 GHz quad-core processor. We're still trying to track down exactly what flavor Exynos 5 Octa is in Tab S, but it does not appear to be a 64-bit chip (the iPad Air runs on the 64-bit A7 chip).
All that said, in my short trial, the Tab S felt zippy and it does support simple multitasking (Samsung refers to it as multiwindow, where two apps share the screen at the same time), a feature currently available on the Galaxy S5 smartphone. Samsung was also highlighting SideSync 3.0, which allows you to connect the Tab S to your Galaxy S5 (via WiFi Direct) to transfer files and make calls from your tablet using your S5 as a conduit.
Expandable memory Like the iPad, the Galaxy Tab S base models come with 16GB of built-in memory (and 3GB of RAM). In fact, that's the only memory configuration that will be available at launch, but if there's one key difference between the Tab S and the iPad, it's that the Tab S has a microSD card slot for adding memory -- it accepts cards up to 128GB. That makes memory expansion is much more affordable.
I didn't get a chance to take any pictures with the tablets, but you do get an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera (with flash) and a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video chats. I was told the Wi-Fi is 802.11 a/b/g/n with dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and MIMO and there'll be forthcoming versions with a 4G LTE cellular data option (add $100 or £100 for the 4G LTE models).
Samsung's SideSync 3.0 feature.
In terms of extras, you get some stuff you may or may not want. The one hardware extra is a fingerprint scanner, the very same one found on the Galaxy S5. However, there's no tap-to-pair NFC technology (I don't find it to be a terribly useful, but some people do).
Samsung has also included a Tab S-optimized version of its "free" music service Milk and itsPapergarden, a magazine subscription marketplace (as you might expect, Samsung says the content is both tailored to and designed to look good on the Tab S's AMOLED display).
For better or worse, Galaxy Gifts, a service that hawks promotions from entertainment, productivity, and news providers, is also part of the Galaxy ecosystem, and on the Tab S it includes one-year free of Gogo In-flight Wi-Fi access (up to 36 segments), a 12-month subscription to Bloomberg BusinessWeek, 6-month trial subscription to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington post, 3-month subscription to The New York Times, 3 months free Sirius XM Radio, and 3 months free subscription to Audible. This is another carry-over from the Galaxy S5 phone.
Two different sizes and colors.
Accessories One thing Samsung seems to have learned from Apple is that when you launch a tablet, it's important to have some accessories for it out of the gate. As you might suspect, the Tab S works with the Gear 2(Samsung talked a lot of about seamless connectivity with other Galaxy devices). But consumers will also get to choose between three slim covers: the Simple Cover, Book Cover, and Keyboard Cover.
What's interesting about the Simple and Book covers is that literally snap onto the tablet. The Book cover has a built-in magnet and folds into a stand with three angles to choose from.
The Tab S in its Keyboard Case.(with other cases in the background).
I got a chance to play around a bit with the keyboard cover and it seems pretty nice. It's customized for the Tab S and share the same design themes, including the dimpled back. It had a solid feel to it and the keyboard was laid out nicely.
I only saw the three covers, but apparently Samsung will also be serving up a standalone Bluetooth keyboard, S Action Mouse, USB LAN Hub, a power saving cable and portable battery packs. (SeeSamsung debuts Galaxy Tab S cover accessories and Bluetooth keyboard for more info.)
Final first thoughts When you sort through all the "special" features and marketing messages, what you're left with is a slickly designed, zippy Android tablet with a very nice screen and an expansion port for additional memory.
While the Galaxy Tab S doesn't have the iPad's aluminum unibody design, it does manage to come across as a premium tablet, though not necessarily as premium as the iPad.
The question, of course, is how the screen truly stacks up against the iPad's (we'll be doing comprehensive comparisons as soon as we get our review samples). It may very well come out the winner, but for me anyway, beyond the screen, the Tab S's biggest selling point is its expandable memory option. For about $35 more, you'll be able to turn the Tab S into an 80GB tablet, for a total of $435 or $535. Last I checked, the 64GB iPad Air cost a whopping $699.
While other manufacturers are messing about, slowly tuning and tweaking plug-in hybrid systems and waiting to see which way the market shifts, BMW has been toiling away to do something more radical, launching an entire new brand focused on alternative means of propulsion. Its first release from the "i" brand, the i3, is a little EV city car that impressed us when we got a chance to test it out last year. For its next trick, the company created something completely different. It's a bit more traditional in some ways, far more radical in others.
It's the i8, a plug-in hybrid designed from the ground up to be just that: a plug-in hybrid. It offers two motors, the more traditional being a 1.5-liter, three-cylinder, turbocharged, gas-powered lump that pushes 228 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque through the rear wheels. (It's a variation of the motor in the Mini Cooper.) In the front is the so-called eDrive motor, a tweaked version of that found in the i3, here producing 129 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. This time it's also running through a two-speed transmission, while there's a six-speed auto box at the rear. (The i3 needed only a single gear.)
But wait, there's more. To make up for the turbo lag caused by the oversized impeller mounted on the 1.5-liter, a similarly up-rated starter has been installed that not only provides for battery charging and start/stop functionality, but can act as "eBoost" to fill the torque gap when accelerating quickly. This provides another 11 horsepower and 37 pound-feet of torque.
All-told, between the two main motors, the car offers 357 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, but not all the time. Fully-charged (which takes just 90 minutes on a Level 2 charger, or 3.5 hours in a standard 110 outlet), you can cover up to 22 miles at a top speed of 75 in eDrive mode, using just the electric motor. Comfort mode is the default setting, which uses both motors as needed, while a sport mode is there too, which always has the rear motor running and ready.
When it isn't needed for power, the 1.5-liter engine acts as a generator, maintaining the 7.1 kilowatt-hour battery pack that runs along the spine of the car. Batteries sit where a driveshaft would normally be in an all-wheel-drive car, but here you get all the benefits of power on all four corners without a transfer case sitting in the middle, causing friction losses. At least, that's the theory, but sadly our testing was limited to dry asphalt in perfect weather. Hopefully we'll be able to try out the AWD in conditions with less grip in the future.
So how does it drive? To answer that you first must get into the thing, which requires a bit of technique. Not unlike slotting into an '80s supercar your best avenue of approach is to fall backwards into the seat and then pivot your legs in over the wide, high door sill. From here, it's a bit of a reach to pull the scissor doors down, but they close cleanly and with a satisfying thud.
Front seats are comfortable and have basic power adjustment, but they lack the sort of infinite customization found on BMW's more traditional sedans and coupes, not even offering adjustable lumbar support. (Rear seats, meanwhile, are perfectly suitable for small children and circus performers.) The cabin is somewhat simple looking, rather more familiar than the relatively exotic accommodations afforded by the i3, but clean and mostly well put together. Materials feel very good, and controls fall easily to hand. However, we can't help but be disappointed by the lack of storage in here. There are no door pockets (for obvious reasons) nor even a glovebox. All you get are a pair of small, shallow compartments in the center console suitable for a wallet, a phone, and little else. (There's also a small trunk in the back that'll manage an overnight bag. Maybe two.)
A standard shifter sits between the seats for toggling gears, rather than the dashboard twist mechanism found on the i3, and there are also paddles mounted to the wheel for when you want to try and boss the transmission around. The wheel itself is comfortably fat and leather-wrapped, sitting before an LCD display cluster that offers plenty of info. It also changes from blue to orange when you toggle Sport mode. Sporty.
Where the Chevy Volt makes an awful, groaning sort of sound when the motor spins up, the i8's engine actually sounds good.
We started in eDrive mode, however, and the experience there is quite good. There's plenty of power for zipping into openings in city traffic if you like, and even a short highway jaunt wouldn't be out of the question. Shift into Comfort, or put your foot all the way to the floor, and the gasoline engine lends a hand. This isn't all too dissimilar to the Chevy Volt, but where the Volt makes an awful, groaning sort of sound when the motor spins up, the i8's engine actually sounds good.
Mind you, there's some digital trickery going on here, a microphone in the engine compartment serving to pipe engine sounds in through the car's stereo system. This sort of shenanigans is a bit unfortunate, and unfortunately cannot be disabled, but to reluctantly give credit where credit is due, it works. In Sport mode, give the car some throttle and you'll be greeted with a surprisingly throaty growl that you wouldn't think could come out of such a pint-sized lump. It passes the "windows down in the tunnel and gas it" test with ease.
As does the acceleration. In Sport mode the car is plenty peppy, not offering anywhere the poke of BMW's higher-powered sports sedans, but giving a nice blend of EV-style throttle response and gasoline-powered speed. If only the transmission would keep up. In our brief drive, even in "manual" mode, the car up-shifted when it wanted and refused to downshift even with the digital tachometer showed plenty of room to do so. It's not a car to be hurried in this fashion.
We can't help wonder how much better this car would be with tires that prioritized grip over rolling resistance and fuel economy.
In the twisties, the i8 does an admirable job of hiding its 3,285 pounds, but is ultimately let down by relatively skinny 215/45 R20 tires up front. (245 section-width at the back.) The car dives into corners readily, but it isn't long before the Bridgestone Potenzas are squealing uncomfortably and the front is washing away. It's a gradual, progressive sort of thing, an almost reassuring signal that you've found the limit, but we can't help wonder how much better this car would be with tires that prioritized grip over rolling resistance and fuel economy.
Speaking of fuel economy, the i8 is rated at a remarkable 94 miles-per-gallon in Europe. The EPA hasn't weighed in just yet, but don't expect to get anywhere near that if you drive aggressively. In a day of admittedly hard driving, we averaged just 22.6 mpg, a figure that would likely be easily achievable even in something like an M3, never mind any of BMW's diesel offerings.
Again, that was driven hard, and we'll withhold judgement on this thing's claims to being an economical sports car until we get to live with one for a few days and give it the proper review treatment, but that figure is admittedly a bit disappointing, even for hard driving. The price, too, is something of a bitter pill: $135,700 to start, though unlike a traditional BMW there won't be many options to drive the price up from here. It's a very well-equipped car.
And a great looking one, too. From a distance the silhouette is almost traditional, but look closer and the details are striking. Most dramatic is what BMW calls a "stream flow wing" at the rear, with channels cut into the fenders and swooping under the rear glass. BMW tuned every surface of the thing to an extreme degree, offering just a .26 coefficient of drag, the slipperiest BMW ever. That's the same as a Toyota Prius, for the record, and very close to that of a Tesla Model S.
But is the exotic look and drivetrain enough to justify the exotic price? We look forward to reporting back after we've had enough seat time for a proper review.
