The word geek is a slang term originally used to describe eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast or a person obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit, with a general pejorative meaning of a "peculiar person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual, unfashionable, or socially awkward".[1]
Although often considered as a pejorative, the term is also used self-referentially without malice or as a source of pride. Its meaning has evolved to refer to "someone who is interested in a subject (usually intellectual or complex) for its own sake".
The word geek is a slang term originally used to describe eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast or a person obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit, with a general pejorative meaning of a "peculiar person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual, unfashionable, or socially awkward".[1]
Although often considered as a pejorative, the term is also used self-referentially without malice or as a source of pride. Its meaning has evolved to refer to "someone who is interested in a subject (usually intellectual or complex) for its own sake".
The iPhone improves every year in two ways: through a big hardware launch every September.
Everyone knows that new iPhones come every September. But three months earlier, Apple's annual WWDC developers conference gives an early preview of changes that's arguably just as important to iPhone owners: a peek at the next version of iOS.
On Monday, we'll get our first look at iOS 11. And considering that it's the iPhone's tenth anniversary, it's safe to say that expectations are high. What will Apple dream up to match the rumored overhauls in the iPhone 8 hardware? After polling my CNET colleagues, here are our best guesses...and what we want to see after iOS 10.
native to Amazon Echo and Google Home, it'll be necessary to upgrade Siri anyway. (Better Siri on Apple Watch would be appreciated, too).
Improve the front interface
The app-and-folder-and-four-icon-dock design of what we see on the iPhone has stayed the same for years, and really isn't much different from the original iPhone in 2007. Apple could re-think how apps are presented and organized, which would help our hundreds of scattered apps on our phones right now. That also goes for the lock screen, which shows widgets but isn't enough of a live dashboard to essential at-a-glance info.
Multi-user modes and logins
There needs to be a kid-friendly mode for iOS: for iPads it's an overdue must, and iPhones it would be a huge help to let kids browse safely -- and play Pokemon Go without having access to mom and dad's emails and Facebook. Guest modes and family modes, school-use modes. Android has it, Chromebooks have it, Windows has it, Amazon has it. iOS sorta-kinda already has these things too, but they're buried in accessibility options or for school administrators only. Come on already, Apple: Put these features front and center and make them easy to use.
Re-do the dock
Only four apps? And why aren't there quick-access ways to find other bits of information or frequently-used files at a touch? The dock's basic design seems due for a change.
More animated, live icons
"Clock" is still the only animated icon on iOS. WTF? At least put the live temperature on the weather app. Or figure out some other indication besides the red "unread messages" flag. Lots of missed opportunities here.
Re-think Notifications
iOS 10's notifications feel chunky and stick to the top of the phone longer than they feel welcome. Sometimes they're even hard to swipe away. A better way of managing and presenting notifications is in order, considering how ever-present they've become in everyday phone use.
Be a little more proactive
Google Now and Assistant services push suggestions and can intuit reminders without necessarily adding them in. Putting too much of that in iOS could be a mistake, but iOS needs more system-wide awareness and suggestive smarts.
Add a dash of AR and AI
Maybe, rephrase that as "have the iPhone camera do more clever things." Like Google Lens or Samsung's promised Bixby features, Apple's own machine learning could combine with the camera to recognize or process what the iPhone sees. That could involve AR, or be of assistive use for accessibility purposes. Or, maybe the camera could help "remember" what it sees as appointments, notes, or web links.
Build a better connection to Apple Watch
The Apple Watch's one app to sync and manage notifications and watch faces means it's not always easy to send music to the watch, or pick things you'd like to pop up on your wrist later. Maybe Apple could re-consider a more seamless relationship.
Make iPad feel like its own thing
Fit more apps on-screen, improve split-screen modes, and treat iPad more like the Macbook alternative versus Just a Large iPhone. For more on that, read this.
(John Falcone, Jessica Dolcourt, and Jason Parker contributed to this story.)
native to Amazon Echo and Google Home, it'll be necessary to upgrade Siri anyway. (Better Siri on Apple Watch would be appreciated, too).
Improve the front interface
The app-and-folder-and-four-icon-dock design of what we see on the iPhone has stayed the same for years, and really isn't much different from the original iPhone in 2007. Apple could re-think how apps are presented and organized, which would help our hundreds of scattered apps on our phones right now. That also goes for the lock screen, which shows widgets but isn't enough of a live dashboard to essential at-a-glance info.
Multi-user modes and logins
There needs to be a kid-friendly mode for iOS: for iPads it's an overdue must, and iPhones it would be a huge help to let kids browse safely -- and play Pokemon Go without having access to mom and dad's emails and Facebook. Guest modes and family modes, school-use modes. Android has it, Chromebooks have it, Windows has it, Amazon has it. iOS sorta-kinda already has these things too, but they're buried in accessibility options or for school administrators only. Come on already, Apple: Put these features front and center and make them easy to use.
Re-do the dock
Only four apps? And why aren't there quick-access ways to find other bits of information or frequently-used files at a touch? The dock's basic design seems due for a change.
More animated, live icons
"Clock" is still the only animated icon on iOS. WTF? At least put the live temperature on the weather app. Or figure out some other indication besides the red "unread messages" flag. Lots of missed opportunities here.
June 2, 2017 - Written By Alexander Maxham
This week, Andy Rubin’s new company, Essential, announced their first smartphone. It’s technically named the Essential PH-1, and it’s meant to “fix what’s wrong with Android”, but does it really? It’s still a smartphone with a pretty hefty price, and it doesn’t really do much that other smartphones don’t already do, or have already tried. One of the main selling points behind the Essential Phone is the fact that it has very minimal bezels. But if you look towards the top of the phone, there’s a cut out in the screen for the front-facing camera, which looks odd, and for those with OCD, it’s going to be a problem. It also has magnetic connectors on the back of the phone for connecting accessories and such, a lot like Moto Mods. So that’s also something that isn’t “new,” so one has to wonder whether this phone is really essential?
The Essential Phone is going to be priced at $699 when it does actually become available. For those that aren’t hardcore Android fans, they are going to wonder how a brand new company can pop into the smartphone space and create a smartphone that has a $699 price tag. Since the smartphone space – especially in the US – is already very crowded, and it’s tough for companies even with smartphones at half that price, to actually sell well. But Essential has Andy Rubin behind it. And Andy Rubin was the founder of Android Inc., which was then sold to Google and the rest is history. So if there’s anyone that knows Android, and possibly what’s wrong with it, it would definitely be Rubin. But $699 is still going to be a tough sell for the Essential Phone, especially since they aren’t going to be selling this through carriers (or even retail partners).
Looking at the specs for the Essential Phone, it does have all of the high-end hardware you’d expect, including a 5.71-inch 19:10 ratio display, which has a bit of an odd resolution of 2560 x 1312 which is just below QHD resolution (QHD is 2560 x 1440). It’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There’s also two cameras on the back, both are 13-megapixel cameras, one being RGB and the other being a monochrome sensor. The front-facing camera is a 8-megapixel shooter. All powered by a 3040mAh battery inside. So it does stand toe-to-toe with every other smartphone coming out this year, but the vast majority of the market won’t know what this phone is or that it exists, and that’s going to make it a tough sell for Essential as well. Not to mention the fact that they have no history for support or updates. But with Rubin behind the scenes, updates should be pretty fast.
The Essential Phone appears to be running stock Android, perhaps with a few changes – similar to what Motorola has been doing. Essential didn’t talk much about the software, but did state that they were “fixing what’s wrong with Android” so there should be some changes from stock Android. Obviously, we’ll have to wait until the phone is available (and review units sent out) to find out what’s really new and different here. It is running Android Nougat, which is the most recent version of Android, at least right now until Android O launches in a few months. The software can truly make or break a smartphone, and since it is running a somewhat odd aspect ratio display, Essential has likely made some adjustments at the system level to handle that. Not to mention the camera placement that is basically in the middle of the screen.
So is the Essential Phone really essential? Not really, at least not from the information that’s available right now. There’s no doubt that it’ll be a great smartphone. It seems like the smartphone that a bunch of Android fans would put together, and that’s basically what Essential is made up of – although Rubin is much more than just an “Android fan.” Putting in some incredibly high-end specs, with a great looking build and stock Android. It is really what Android fans dream of. And while the accessories will definitely set it apart from the other smartphones out there. Like that 360-degree camera – which Essential says is the smallest in the world right now – that just snaps onto the back of your phone, not even covering up the dual-camera setup on the back, which is actually really cool.
Essential will have a tough road ahead if they are looking to pick up a decent chunk of the smartphone market. There are so many players out there right now, and Samsung is eating up the majority of the smartphone market, along with Apple. Both of which are established brands, and do quite well at advertising their devices. However, there are some similarities to OnePlus with Essential. OnePlus launched the OnePlus One at a pretty low price, however, which is not what Essential is doing. And now, a few years later, OnePlus has grown quite a bit and actually has a small chunk of the market. And this is all without putting out ads on TV’s and such, like Samsung does. Also without tying up with the carriers, so there is a chance for Essential to excel here, but it’ll take some work.
The Essential Phone is a good looking smartphone, and it’ll likely sell a bit, but it’s not really that “essential.” If you want something that can have accessories snap onto the back of it, Motorola has a slew of phones that already do this, and are a bit cheaper. Like the newly announced Moto Z2 Play. It’s going to be a good option for plenty of people out there, and only time will tell whether the Essential Phone really becomes an essential piece of the Android market, or Android smartphone choices. Currently, there’s no word on when the Essential Phone will actually launch, we only have the option to reserve one right now, not even pre-orders. But it likely won’t be long before it’s available.
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