The IT World is Hotting up!

A Bunch of New Technology is On the Horizon

Microsoft will be releasing a bunch of Windows 8 devices:  The new Nokia Windows 8 Phone on September 2^nd followed by the new Windows 8 PC operating system and Surface Tablet on 26^th October.

Apple will be releasing their iPhone5 together with a mini iPad on 12^th September.

Google together with their newly acquired subsidiary Motorola, will be launching the Motorola Droid RAZR HD phone on September 5^th.

Way Forward?

If you are not a specific manufacturer’s fan boy, then this is going to get really confusing!

Each of the Big Three will now have an Operating System, a Smart Phone and a Tablet! This is the first time that these three players have had such a head-on product range.

The one player who has been left out is the ailing Research in Motion who make the Blackberry phones, although they do have a new operating system in the pipeline, scheduled for release in 2013.  This may be too little too late and we may see Blackberry disappear further into the mire before the update can have any effect.

Which way should you go?

In most cases it boils down to personal preferences, in some cases choice is dictated by corporate requirements and sometimes choice is dictated by the devices.

If one does not rate the similarity of use as important, then apart from corporates, anything can be a mix and match, but you will probably end up with a bag of licorice all-sorts, and, as always happens with licorice all-sorts, there will be one colour that you hate!!!

The best bet is to go with Tablet and PC from the same manufacturer.  So, iPad + iPhone, Windows 8 + Windows 8, or Android + Android.

Unless you are in the habit of doing a lot of data input on the phone, the choice is less stringent, although navigation may become a bit confusing when moving between devices.

In the case of non-Apple products, in addition to models, one has the further choice of manufacturer.

Apart from Microsoft, other companies will be releasing Windows 8 tablets and Windows 8 Smart phones.  Similarly there are many Android device manufacturers from which to choose.

While the iPad has been around forever, the Surface is a brand new animal and the demos look quite exciting, so I would be tempted in that direction.  It would also, maybe, convince me that Metro is cool J.

Oops, not allowed to call it Metro any more – it’s now called Windows 8. 
Oops^{2 –}  hot off the presses, apparently it’s Metro again!
I’m going just call it 0rtem.

Meantime while we’re all waiting, as a Microsoft Partner with early access, I’ll be downloading and installing the release version of Windows 8 over the next few days.

As my Chinese friends keep wishing me, I suspect I will be living in Interesting Times!