‘Features & Opinion’ Archives
Opinion: Where next for the netbook? »
Having shown potential to be the next step in mobile computing the netbook now appears to have been a mere stop-gap. Adam Maguire wonders where does the device-type go from here or whether it is destined to decline. When the Asus EeePC first appeared it was a revelation. The idea of having a functional laptop with the footprint of a small ...Read On »
Opinion: Why is gaming still a second-class hobby? »
Much has been made of gaming's move to the mainstream but in reality the hobby is as frowned upon as ever, says Adam Maguire. Roger Ebert has admitted he was wrong to say gaming could never be art; but not because he has changed his mind. Instead the legendary film critic has said it is an opinion he still holds, albeit one he should have ...Read On »
Opinion: Kin’s demise a warning for Nokia »
Microsoft's attempt to juggle two mobile platforms - the Kin and Windows Mobile - failed this week with the merging of the former into the latter. The sooner Nokia realises it needs to do the same the better says Adam Maguire. When Microsoft unveiled the Kin in April of this year a lot of people asked how it fit into the upcoming launch of ...Read On »
Feature: Cyberpsychology »
Facebook's success is purely psychological according to an Irish academic and it may be its undoing too. Adam Maguire finds out more. Changes to its privacy policy has led some Facebook users to threaten to quit the site for fear of having their personal information made public without their permission. However many other users seem ...Read On »
Feature: Demise of the desktop »
Desktop computers are being squeezed out of homes and workplaces by laptops – but they can survive as a niche player, writes Adam Maguire. As an increasingly rare sight on retailers’ shelves, in people’s homes and even around the office, it is clear that the desktop computer is dying. So what is driving the demise of this once ...Read On »
Opinion: Don’t video call us, Steve, we’ll »
Steve Jobs suggested Apple was pioneering video call technology when introducing Face Time but all they did was perfect the pointless, says Adam Maguire. It was by far the biggest stretch of Steve Jobs' Reality Distortion Field yet when he likened Apple's Face Time software to technology from Star Trek and The Jetsons, saying he had spent ...Read On »
Opinion: Microsoft need not fear Apple’s market »
Microsoft may have lost much of its sheen but it is far from a company in trouble, says Jason Walsh. Once the belle of the technology ball, Microsoft has been having a tough time of it lately. Never-ending problems with its X-Box hardware, internet initiatives continually eclipsed by Google and Facebook and now its old enemy Apple has ...Read On »
TeicTat: The Acer Liquid E Ferrari »
The power you feel in your hands as you control a special piece of human engineering. The stares as passers-by spot the iconic bucking horse upon the sharp red body. The exhilaration as the wind rushes through your hair. Yes, you may be waiting for a bus on a breezy day but you've got your Ferrari-branded phone to set you apart from the ...Read On »
Opinion: People aren’t as bothered by privacy as »
For all the hand-wringing about Facebook's privacy changes it appears that very few users actually care all that much, writes Adam Maguire. Today is 'Quit Facebook Day', the moment when the anger against Facebook's privacy chances comes to a head in the form of a mass exodus from the website. Or at least that was the plan. Looking at the ...Read On »
Opinion: Google TV? How about Google Games »
Google's announcement that it would bring Android to TV sets changes the game significantly, not least by putting the search giant head-to-head with games console makers, says Adam Maguire. The announcement that Google would make a TV platform has been met with quiet interest as the industry tries to gauge exactly what this will mean for ...Read On »
