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Tech News & Commentary
Bill in Baton Rouge, Louisiana listens on Talk 107.3 WBRP asked us: “I was calling to ask about your thoughts on a Windows Phone. I currently have an iPhone and Verizon really screwed me by telling to upgrade my OS. I have the 4S, and they told me I needed to upgrade it to the new OS to fix some issues. Now the phone is just absolutely terrible. Verizon has me locked into a contract, so I can’t afford to pay full price for a new iPhone, so I was thinking about a Windows Phone and wanted your thoughts on those.”
Bill, Don’t do that to yourself… Here’s the thing about Windows Phones: they’re fine! Yes, they’re trying too hard, they’re trying to appeal to gamers with the name “Cortana” when their real demographic is people who asked for the cheapest option, they’ve given their phones a memory obliterating 41 megapixel cameras, they’ve had some issues with overheating phablets, but overall the phones are ok… the problem 
is that they are what they are, and that’s all they may be.
Had you asked in 1999, that would be fine, but now people expect their phones to evolve and do more over time and Windows Phones likely won’t, sooner or later you will start running into apps you want that you won’t be able to find, and this is why: the operating system is ok from the screen out, but it’s far, far behind their competitors from the screen in.
Developers haven’t shunned Windows Phone because it has a small market share, that makes it less appealing, but it’s not the only issue, the bigger issue is that it requires a gargantuan amount of work to do things that other platforms do effortlessly (for example: streaming a radio show, or transferring a recorded file…), the APIs are extremely weak and incomplete, and changing that will take Microsoft a long, long, long time even if they actually try to change it. On top of that, they have to try to stay up to date with their competitors’ advances too, which makes matters even more difficult.
For now, you should buy a Windows Phone if you’re happy with what the operating system does today, and you don’t expect your phone to do what others do. Windows Phone users generally like the user interface, it’s just the clunkiness behind the scenes that makes things complicated, and really it’d probably better for you to consider either another iPhone or an Android Phone if you’re interested in keeping up with others.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
“This Week in Tech History” Weekly Feature with Chris Graveline
Facebook Participation: “Have you ever Binge Watched a TV series — watching between 2-6 episodes of the same TV show in one sitting? What show(s) and was it worth it? How many episodes did you watch @ one time? Why did you do it? Did you pig-out in front of the TV or Computer?”
Dave – I spent part of my weekend binge watching “House of Cards” in an effort to catch-up because Season 3 starts this next weekend. So many friends always want to talk to me about this show and I hadn’t been watching it. So far … very interesting and I’m told that Season 2 is even better! More binge watching to come!
Rick in Pembroke Pines, FL – Orange is the New Black. When I first watched it, I covered all two seasons in basically 2 or 3 weeks, watching only at night and on the weekends. I’m ready to start a riot to demand season 3 now, though!
Daniel in Sparta, TN – I binge watched the first season of House of Cards.
Frank from Cleveland, Georgia listening on our new Affiliate there, News-Talk 1350 WRWH – I did that with “Walking Dead”. The biggest problem was that you get used to watching when YOU want to see it, especially several at a time. And then … the new season starts and you have to WAIT for the next episode now! It’s no longer On Demand, unless you wait until afterwards, but then your friends spoil it for you by telling what happened.
Eddie in Tulsa, OK – My wife and I binge watched Breaking Bad and many others. We do it because the “wait” you have to do until next episode is unbearable! If you binge watch the show you can then find out what happens next and continue on with it. We always watch it in front of the computer. The great high with binge watching comes at a cost, the low of your show ending.
Will in Portsmouth, NH – I binge watched Archer! He is a horrible human being but very entertaining. The only downside is that when you run out of episode you have to wait around forever for new ones!
Guest Segment:
Kate McLeod, Vice President of Discovery – The Grommet
discovers products everyday by makers worth supporting. Explore their stories.
CEA Update:
The 2015 South by Southwest Festival is kicking off next month in Austin, Texas. And the Consumer Electronics Association’s Bronwyn Flores is here to tell you about the top tech policy event to attend at “South By” – in this week’s CEA Update.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Education.Com: Several “Brainzy” 12-month codes for online early-learning programs for math and reading. If you’ve got Kids … you WANT one of these!
TurboTax: Several online codes good for one free federal and state Tax Return and e-file for Deluxe, Premier or Home & Business via TurboTax.com
The Grommet: iRoller liquid-free touchscreen display cleaners to remove smudges, fingermarks & dirt from your Smartphones, Tablets and other electronic devices.
OkiDokeys: Complete SmartPhone Operated Smart Lock for your home – including wristband & key FOBS
G-Technology: Several 500GB 7200 RPM Touro S High performance portable Hard drives with easy & local Cloud Backup and in a variety of colors!
NanoTech: Several UltraFlix Gift Cards for 4K Content, like movies and a ton of other cool stuff. Let us know if you have a 4K Ultra HD TV!