Why Smartwatches, Glasses and Other Wearable Tech are No Gimmick

When you hear the term "wearable technology," you very likely think of one, or all, of these things: Google Glass, fitness trackers such as Fitbit and Nike+ or smartwatches including Pebble and Samsung's new Galaxy Gear.

There's good reason for that; these gadgets are some of the most popular examples of wearable tech today. But they're far from all the category entails. And the many analysts, VPs, product development reps and evangelists who spoke at a panel on wearable technology at CTIA's MobileCon 2013 event this week all believe that wearable tech, or just "wearables," will become a part of everyday life as much as smartphones and mobile apps have.

The specifics and timeframe on the predictions in the panel varied widely, but every speaker is confident that wearable technology isn't a passing fad.

Redg Snodgrass, co-founder of Stained Glass Labs, a "group of forerunners for the wearable computing movement," spoke during the MobileCon panel. He breaks the current wearables market into three divisions: Smart clothing, smart glasses and smartwatches.

Snodgrass, who was wearing a BASIS smartwatch during his presentation, says the wearables markets will face some of the same challenges the smartphone space did in the past years, including fragmentation. But unlike in the consumer smartphone world, Apple isn't leading the charge.

In the wearable market, "instead of being follower, Samsung is the leader. Apple is going to be the follower." (Samsung recently released its Galaxy Gear watch. Read my take on that device here.)

Putting User Data to Use via Wearable Technology
The MobileCon Wearable Tech panel was broken into two parts: one based on data collection via the various sensors embedded within wearable gadgets (the "input") and the second on presenting the data to users in valuable and, perhaps more importantly, actionable ways (the "output").

Most popular wearable gadgets today are based on the principle of collecting data from the users and then presenting it via the gadget itself in real-time or via a Web interface later on to show more granular information or trends over time. The gadgets available today are also fairly simple, packing similarly simple sensors such as pedometers. Most are companion devices to smartphones. Some take advantage of other sensors built into those devices, including accelerometers and GPS.

The majority of panel members seem to agree that for the time being, and for the next few years, wearable technology will come in the form of "companion devices" designed to work with smartphones. The Galaxy Gear and Pebble smartwatches, two of the most popular devices in the category, are both designed to work with smartphones, as are Fitbit fitness trackers.

"It doesn't always make sense to replicate the sensors in phones," according to Marco Della Torre, VP of business development at BASIS Science, maker of the BASIS smartwatch.

Della Torre says his company's watch is unique in that it's not just about motion sensors. BASIS is working hard to make a device that's functional but also aesthetically pleasing while focusing on how to truly motivate and engage people with the data its device collects.

Users have varying degrees of health and wellness levels. Some are very analytical and want granular data, while others just want very simple metrics, according to Della Torre. The challenge is providing value to the full range of users, he says. The BASIS watch itself provides real-time metrics at a glance, and the associated Web interface lets users dig into data as they see fit.

Sam Massir, director of business development, wearables, at InvenSense, says his company is working on developing smarter algorithms. One significant area of focus for InvenSense is activity recognition. The idea is for devices to automatically recognize a user's current activity so they don't constantly have to interact with a watch or other wearable.

"We're trying to solve activity recognition on the wrist," Massir says. "We don't always want to be looking to the phone. Algorithms can help. The smarter the algorithms, the higher the classification can be."

Beyond Fitness Trackers
Though many upcoming gadgets will likely including fitness-tracking functionality, the wearable technology movement is about more than just that

Theo Forbath, VP of innovation strategy at Frog Design, an "innovation firm" that worked with Apple in the 80s, spotlighted a couple of noteworthy potential uses for wearable technology, including an RFID wristband that's being used at Walt Disney World to enable cash-free purchases, reduce wait time in lines and otherwise improve the customer experience. Forbath also mentioned a "smart diaper" from Huggies that notifies parents, via Twitter, when babies need changing, as well as an "AirWaves" smart face mask that's designed for use in smoggy or polluted cities and can automatically upload environmental metrics from specific locations to the cloud.

Thanks largely to Google Glass, countless companies are working on smart glasses. For example, Epson -- traditionally known for its projectors and related technologies -- released the Moverio BT-100 glasses in the United States last year. The Moverio BT-100 projects a virtual display in front of users' eyes and enables a variety of augmented reality uses. The glasses run Android, and Epson is actively courting developers to create content for the device, according to Ana Jen, Epson America's director of strategy, research and new products.

Jen says the Moverio BT-100 glasses offer "twice the glass for half the price" as Google Glass. (The Moverio glasses cost $700.) And they're different because their dual projectors enable a full-screen display, instead of Google Glass single-eye "monocle," Jen says.

The Epson glasses are designed for both consumer and enterprise use. For example, in cities or locales where people don't have much living space, the glasses can simulate personal displays for watching movies or other video in cramped areas. The gadget is also well suited for augmented reality gaming, Jen says. Meanwhile, a number of developers have created enterprise applications designed to help service techs repair complicated machinery using AR tech; assist factory workers fill complex orders and follow detailed instructions while freeing up their hands, and help people monitor or access hard-to- reach places using remote-controlled drones, according to Jen. (Check out the above video for a look Jen's overview of the Moverio BT-100 glasses and visit the related YouTube channel for a look at some of the apps.)

Another company that's built a Google-Glass-rival is Optivent. Jean-Baptiste Su, Optivent Advisor, says his company's "monocle" glasses offer a display that's three times the size of Glass, with a higher resolution and brighter display. Su predicts that these three things - display size, resolution and display brightness - will be key to the success of smart glasses.

Wearable Technology Barriers to Success
Google Glass, Epson's Moverio BT-100 and Optivent's ORA glasses all have one thing in common: They're awkward and often goofy looking. Jen went as far as calling Moverio BT-100 a pair of "glasses only a mother could love."

It's clear that many early adopters and tech-enthusiasts have embraced wearable tech, but a number of barriers still stand in the way of widespread mainstream adoption, not the least of which is appearance.

All of the MobileCon Wearable Tech panel members agree that one significant barrier to success for wearable technology is battery life or power management.

"Battery technology is one of the limitations in this industry," said BASIS's Della Torre.

Amar Kendale, VP of strategy and market development at MC10, a startup focused on wearable development, agrees. He suggests that many future wearable devices will not have displays and will instead rely on their companion smartphones for visual output.

"Liberation from the screen and buttons can give you better battery life," Kendale says. "But you still need to transmit," so battery optimization will be key.

Stained Glass Labs' Snodgrass says battery consumption is a major issue, as is device temperature. Skin temperatures can heat up small devices, which can lead to cancer-related concerns, he says.

Justin Butler, a business development representative with Misfit Wearables, which makes a display-less activity monitor watch called Shine, says "we don't think we should measure battery in days but in months."

Shine gets four to six months of battery life, according to Butler, and it doesn't need to be charged thanks to its coin cell battery, which can easily be replaced when it's dead. http://www.misfitwearables.com/

Another battery-related challenge, according to Epson's Jen, is that devices require more battery power as they get new, advanced functionality. So battery management technology must constantly evolve, she says.

In addition to battery-related challenges, wearable technology needs to overcome the barrier of cultural acceptance. Today's wearable technology looks like, well, wearable technology. Most of the gadgets arent exactly discrete or unobtrusive. That can be a major turnoff. Myriam Joire, product evangelist with Pebble, thinks the "art of the watch" has largely been lost in smartwatches and that there's a big opportunity for smartwatch makers to bring back some of that art. Aesthetically pleasing wearable tech could go a long way toward adoption, according to Joire.

"Somebody needs to do what Apple did for smartphones with wearables," said Joire.

Smart glasses could use some more "art," as well, and Epson's Jen is well aware of this. In fact, she hints that a much better looking version of the Moverio glasses are in the works and could be announced as soon as January, at the 2014 CES.

"Acceptance is huge," says Optinvent's Su. "And smartwatches are the first step toward this wearable world where we're heading."

Finally, cost is another significant barrier to success for wearable technology. If the average consumer is going to embrace wearable tech, it needs to be relatively affordable. Many of the most popular fitness trackers can currently be had for less than $200, and some are available for less $100, which makes them particularly well-suited to be holiday gifts. This is one reason that fitness trackers are becoming so popular.

The challenge of reducing the price of smartwatches and smart glasses is a more formidable one. But overcoming these challenges could lead to a breaking point in wearables.

Like any new technology, wearables will take some getting used to, according to Samsung's VP of Product Planning and Product Marketing, Nick DiCarlo.

"Mainstream adoption has to do with things soaking in," DiCarlo said. "That kind of cultural soak is really important."

Whether you're a doubter or an early adopter, it's clear that wearable technology is the next hot thing in gadgets -- and all signs suggest it is here to stay.

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The Rise of Social Media as a Career (Infographic)

Few years ago, calling yourself a "social media manager" would likely have been met with a confused look and the assumption that you waste your time goofing off on Facebook. But over the last few years, careers in social media have exploded as companies realize the value of reaching their customers on the medium where they spend most of their time.

According to data from LinkedIn compiled by social marketing platform Offerpop, there has been a remarkable 1,357 percent increase in social media positions posted on LinkedIn since 2010.

For more on the rise of social media jobs, take a look at the infographic below:

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Dell Launches OS Migration Tool As Windows XP Expiration Looms

Dell Launches OS Migration Tool As Windows XP Expiration Looms

Dell (NSDQ:Dell) launched an OS migration tool Tuesday that aims to ease the move from Windows XP as the support cutoff date looms and upgrade migration paths get harder to navigate.

Dell's Windows Migration Fast Forward Service supports the migration of up to 5,000 PCs and offers "modules" for image engineering, inventory, application compatibility testing, application packaging, deployment planning, process automation and field deployment. This gives customers the flexibility to choose the package of services that best fits their needs while streamlining the process to save time and money, Dell said.

The Windows Migration Fast Forward Service, according to Dell, is an affordable and fast way to transition to Windows 7 or Windows 8.

[Related: HP Launches XP-To-Windows 7 Migration Offensive ]

Windows XP, which is set to lose Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) support for patches and updates in April 2014, in August made up 33.7 percent of all PCs worldwide, or 37 percent of all systems running Windows.

"This is an industrywide issue that many of our customers are dealing with right now," said Kevin Jones, Dell's vice president and general manager, infrastructure and cloud computing services, in a statement. "Our goal is to provide organizations of all sizes with an efficient migration solution. The Windows Migration Fast Forward Service adds to Dell's complete suite of migration offerings that make upgrading to Windows 7 or Windows 8 fast, simple and affordable."

Dell, Round Rock, Texas, declined to share pricing information when asked by CRN.

With the release of Windows 8.1, upgrade options are narrowing for Windows XP users. The latest guidance comes from Microsoft spokesperson Brandon LeBlanc, who said in an official company blog that "Windows 8.1 is not designed for installation on devices running Windows XP or Windows Vista."

Last year, Microsoft recommended Windows 8 as an upgrade for XP owners. Its most recent recommendation makes Windows 7 the only upgrade option for XP users. According to Microsoft, the deadline for the end of mainstream support for Windows 7 is January 2015 and the end of extended support is 2020.

Dell's Fast Forward Service includes cloud-based tools that can monitor a system's progress as it upgrades, according to Dell.

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Galaxy Note 3 deep-dive review: A plus-sized phone with perks and quirks

Samsung's new big-screen phone has a lot of great qualities, but a handful of issues keep it from reaching its full potential. So is it the Android device for you?

Citizens of the smartphone-using world, hear this: When it comes to what you carry in your pocket, size definitely matters.

Just look at Samsung's new Galaxy Note 3. The device is the latest in a line that brought big back into style -- and now, plus-sized phones are a category all their own.

Lucky for Samsung, size isn't the only thing that sets the Note 3 apart. The phone's S Pen stylus opens the door to some interesting and innovative ways of interacting with a smartphone -- and this latest model offers some meaningful improvements over its predecessors in both form and functionality.

While the phone has plenty of attractive qualities, though, it also has some noteworthy downsides. So all considered, is it a phone worth buying?
Galaxy Note 3
Galaxy Note 3

I've been living with the U.S. model of the Note 3 for several days to find out. Read on to see what the new Note is actually like to use in the real world -- and whether or not it's the right device for you.

(The Galaxy Note 3 is available now on AT&T for $300 with a new two-year contract, Sprint for $250 with a new two-year contract, and T-Mobile for $0 down and a two-year $29.50/mo. payment plan. It'll be available on Verizon starting October 10 for $300 on contract. U.S. Cellular has said it will sell the phone sometime in October as well but has yet to announce any specific pricing or availability details.)
Body and screen

It may seem obvious, but it has to be mentioned: The Note 3 is a large device. Like, really large.

At 5.95 x 3.12 x 0.33 in. and 5.93 oz., the new Note is significantly bigger than any standard-sized smartphone. As such, it's not going to be for everyone: The device can be rather uncomfortable to hold in one hand and even more awkward to hold up to your ear for a call. Depending on your gender and pant preferences, it'll range from being uncomfortable to carry in your pocket to impossible to fit in it at all.

That's not by any means to say it's an outright bad form; these days, plenty of people prefer a plus-sized device that's able to provide the benefits of a smartphone and the screen space of a tablet. I'd simply suggest stopping by a brick-and-mortar store and holding one for yourself to see how it feels to you.

For owners of past-generation Galaxy Note devices, the Note 3 certainly won't seem outrageous; in fact, it's pretty darn close to the same size as last year's model. And thanks to slimmed down bezels, it packs a beefed-up 5.7-in. display, up from the 5.5-in. screen on the Galaxy Note 2.

At about 386 pixels per inch, the Note 3's 1080p Super AMOLED display looks fantastic: Details are sharp and colors appear rich and brilliant. Display aficionados may note that the display looks somewhat oversaturated -- as Samsung devices often do -- but for the vast majority of smartphone users, this thing's gonna be a treat for the eyes.

AMOLED screens in general tend to suffer in sunlight more than their LCD counterparts, but Samsung has made some significant strides with the Note 3's display: Thanks in part to ramped-up brightness capacity, the Note 3's screen remains perfectly viewable even in the glariest of conditions. To my eyes, it doesn't quite match the outstanding outdoor visibility of a top-of-the-line LCD-packing phone like the HTC One, but it's not at all bad and marks a massive leap forward from past Samsung products.

The Galaxy Note 3 has a silver plastic trim that's made to look like metal around its perimeter. A volume rocker lives on the left side, while a power button sits on the right. On the phone's top is a 3.5mm headphone jack and on the bottom is a special USB 3.0 charging port that doubles as an HDMI out-port with the use of an MHL adapter.

The inclusion of USB 3.0 is a nice touch: The phone charges ridiculously fast when you use the included USB 3.0 cable and wall adapter, and the port can provide extra-speedy data transfers if your computer supports USB 3.0. The Note works with regular micro-USB cables, too -- you just plug them into the right side of the port -- though you obviously won't get the faster charging and data-transfer speeds when you go that route.

The Note 3 has one small speaker on its bottom edge, to the right of the charging port. The sound quality is decently loud and clear by smartphone standards, though nothing to write home about.

Next to the speaker is the slot for the phone's S Pen stylus -- a highlight of the device that I'll get to in a minute.

Design and build quality

First, let's talk design, shall we? Samsung has long suffered the wrath of many a reviewer (myself included) for its cheap-feeling plasticky constructions. With the Note 3, the company is clearly trying to step things up and provide a phone with a more premium body.

In some regards, it's succeeded: The Note 3 ditches Samsung's long-favored glossy plastic back for one with a textured faux-leather finish. The material feels softer and more pleasant to the touch and has a less toy-like (and fingerprint smudge-attracting) appearance than what I'm used to from Samsung. It's still a bit on the chintzy side -- thanks mainly to the somewhat tacky fake stitching around the panel's perimeter -- but it's definitely an improvement over past Samsung products.

That said, it's all relative, and the Note 3 still feels less thoughtfully designed than devices like the HTC One or the Moto X. When I peeled off the phone's thin back panel, for instance, the covering for the camera lens popped right out. I had to futz around with it to get it back in place, bending its flimsy-feeling metal support legs to force it to stay attached before putting the cover back on.
Galaxy Note 3
When the reviewer peeled off the phone's thin back panel, the covering for the camera lens popped right out.

The phone's physical Home button, meanwhile, is slightly loose and subtly shifts around with each pressing, often looking crooked as a result (something other early users have also noticed). These kinds of things just don't scream "premium build" to me.

Speaking of buttons, the Note 3 uses the same odd and dated hybrid button setup Samsung has long clung onto, with a physical Home button flanked by capacitive Menu and Back buttons (the former of which was phased out of the Android platform years ago). This design choice results in some meaningful downsides when it comes to user experience, ranging from hidden and hard-to-find options to an awkward contrast in button sensitivity, especially when using the S Pen.

The setup also forces an almost comical number of inelegant workarounds. You long-press the Home button to get to the Android app-switching tool, for example, and double-press it to get to Samsung's S Voice voice-control utility. You long-press the Menu button to load Samsung's S Finder search app and long-press the Back button to load Samsung's own Multi Window multitasking tool. A single press of the Home button, meanwhile, will usually take you to your home screen -- except if you're already on your main home screen, in which case the same action will pull up the Note's integrated news-viewing application.

Got all that? Yeah -- me neither. It's not exactly what you'd describe as user-friendly design.
Under the hood

The Galaxy Note 3 runs on a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor along with 3GB of RAM. That kind of horsepower should result in flawless performance, but -- as we've seen with other recent Samsung devices -- the Note 3 suffers from some baffling performance imperfections.

For most tasks, the phone is plenty fast: App loading and multitasking are generally fine, and Web browsing is satisfyingly smooth and swift. But the phone has occasional lags and jitteriness, and just doesn't feel as snappy as other devices in real-world use.

The worst offender is the Note's Gallery app: I regularly counted five to 12 seconds from the time I tapped the app until it was fully opened and ready to use. The same sort of delay was present when tapping folders within the Gallery. Given the phone's hardware capabilities, this is a pretty clear indication to me that Samsung's software is doing something wrong.

The Note 3 does perform admirably in the realm of battery life: The phone's 3200mAh battery -- which, in a move that'll delight hardcore power-drainers, is removable and replaceable -- always managed get me safely from morning to night. Even on days when I had moderate to heavy use -- as much as four hours of screen-on time with half an hour of phone calls, half an hour of video streaming, and a few hours of scattered Web browsing, camera use and social media activity -- the Note 3 consistently had around 30% of its charge left by bedtime.

All U.S. models of the Galaxy Note 3 ship with 32GB of internal storage, which leaves you with about 23GB of usable space once you factor in the operating system and various preinstalled software. The phone also has a microSD card slot that lets you add up to 64GB of external storage.

The Note 3 supports near-field communication (NFC) for contact-free payments and data transfers. It also has an IR blaster for controlling your TV and other remote-based electronics. The Note doesn't support wireless charging, though it appears Samsung will sell a separate Qi-enabled case that'll provide that functionality.

While the Galaxy Note has full LTE support, the model I tested was connected to Sprint's network -- which has pretty spotty coverage in my area -- so data speeds weren't great for me. Voice calls sounded fine, though; I was able to hear people with zero distortion and the lucky souls with whom I spoke reported being able to hear me A-OK.

Cameras

The Galaxy Note 3 comes with a 13-megapixel main camera that's capable of capturing great-looking images. I did notice a fair amount of noise in some shots that were zoomed in at full resolution, but for most common uses of smartphone photos -- like online sharing and standard-size printing -- the Note 3's camera should more than meet your needs.

The exception is in low-light conditions, where the Note 3 -- like most smartphones -- struggles, especially compared to a low-light-optimized device like the HTC One.

The Note 3's camera interface is easy enough to use, if a little bloated with silly and gimmicky features. All in all, it's quite similar to what we saw on the Galaxy S4.

There are, however, a few Note 3-specific camera qualities worth noting:

The Note often seems to stick on a "Processing" message for a few seconds after capturing a photo. This can be annoying when you're trying to capture photos fast.

The phone's "burst" mode, in which you can capture multiple shots rapid-fire by holding down the shutter button, was also a bit finicky in my experience and sometimes wouldn't activate.

The Note 3 has a new camera mode called Surround Shot, which is Samsung's version of Google's 360-degree Photo Sphere feature. This was a curious omission in the Galaxy S4; it's nice to see it showing up here.

The Note 3 is capable of capturing 4K resolution videos, but since most people don't have TVs or displays that support that resolution, the capability probably won't mean much for you in practical terms at this point -- aside from getting files that take up a massive amount of space on your smartphone's storage.

The Galaxy Note 3 also has a 2-megapixel HD front-facing camera for all your selfie-snapping and video-chatting needs.
The S Pen

Even if you're convinced you'd never want a stylus, a few days with the Galaxy Note 3 might just change your mind. The phone's S Pen is a fun and potentially productivity-boosting element of the device that goes a long way in setting it apart from the competition.

The pen's actual construction, not surprisingly, isn't its greatest strength: The stylus is plastic and feels light and insubstantial, almost to the point where you fear that squeezing it too hard might cause it to snap. Its single button is also hard to find by touch alone, since the pen feels the same on its top and bottom edge.

But once you get used to its form, the S Pen is packed with power. Pull the pen out of the Note 3 and you'll immediately see a new pie-chart-style menu called Air Command on your screen; this new element helps make the stylus feel more like a core part of the Note experience than it ever has before.
Galaxy Note 3
The Air Command menu gives you easy access to a handful of primary S Pen functions.

The Air Command menu -- which you can also summon anytime by clicking the pen's button while holding it over the screen -- gives you easy access to a handful of primary S Pen functions. The most useful is Action Memo, which lets you jot down quick notes with the pen. You can either save them for later reference or convert them into action-oriented tasks, like shooting a handwritten phone number into the Phone app for dialing or converting a handwritten note into a ready-to-send email.

What's vexing, though, is that Action Memo is treated as a separate entity from S Note -- the more fully featured note-taking app for S Pen use. Notes written in Action Memo are not accessible in S Note; instead, they're saved in a separate area that's accessible only by tapping an unlabeled icon in the Action Memo app.

Confusing overlap aside, the separation between the two apps is frustrating because S Note offers the option for automated syncing with Evernote, which makes all of your handwritten notes available and searchable from any mobile device or PC. The syncing has been seamless and instant in my experience, but any notes taken in Action Memo -- which, remember, pops up as part of the Air Command menu while S Note does not -- aren't included.


The Note 3 itself does a good job of letting you search through handwritten notes on the device with its S Keeper function. I also really like its system-wide handwriting-to-text functionality: Anytime you're in a text field, you can hover the pen over the screen and tap a special icon to input text by writing. The Note converts your handwriting into regular text and puts it right into your document, email or whatever you're composing.

Even with my embarrassingly sloppy penmanship, the system did an impressively good job at deciphering (most of) my words. Particularly with longer messages, I often found it quicker to input text like that than by using a traditional on-screen keyboard.
Galaxy Note 3
Action Memo lets you jot down quick notes with the pen.

Unfortunately, the handwriting-to-text functionality doesn't work everywhere, as it's supposed to; I encountered a handful of apps, including Chrome, Twitter and Google Drive, where I couldn't get the handwriting-input icon to show up. That inconsistency was irksome.

While some of the other S Pen functions struck me as more gimmicky than practical, the stylus also holds serious value for artists or anyone who wants to sketch or scribble on the go. The Note 3 ships with a version of Autodesk's Sketchbook software that shows off the pen's excellent accuracy and pressure sensitivity. And while the bundled Polaris Office app does a poor job at stylus-based PDF markup, programs such as RepliGo PDF Reader ($3) or the fully featured OfficeSuite Pro ($15) work well with the pen for that purpose.

Last but not least, Samsung has included a smart feature called S Pen Keeper that sounds an alert on the device anytime it's separated from the stylus by a certain distance. It kept me from leaving the pen behind on a couple of occasions; you just have to be sure to head into the phone's settings and enable it right away, as it's deactivated by default.
The software

The Galaxy Note 3 runs custom Samsung TouchWiz software based on the Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) operating system. Aside from the aforementioned S Pen elements, it's essentially the same user interface and feature set present in the Galaxy S4.

There are, however, a handful of new features in the Note 3's software:

Samsung's Multi Window multitasking feature has a few new tricks up its sleeves. The feature -- which lets you split your phone's screen in half and have two apps open and visible at the same time -- now allows you to drag and drop content between windows. With certain programs, like chat services, it also lets you have two instances of the same app open side-by-side.

With the Note 3's large screen in particular, I found Multi Window to be both cool and useful for times when I wanted to write an email while referencing a Web page, for instance, or look something up in Chrome while watching a YouTube video. Even if you only use it once in a while, it's a valuable option to have.

The Note 3's new news-viewing tool, My Magazine, is unnecessary and annoying. It's basically just a custom-branded and dumbed-down version of Flipboard, and it's integrated into the Note at such a core system level that it's hard to avoid and easy to launch by mistake.

Excellent Google services take a back seat to subpar Samsung alternatives on the Note 3, even more so than on past Samsung devices. The Note 3 has system-wide access to the shoddy S Voice app, for instance, but not the far superior native Android Voice Search tool. And there's no longer a system-wide shortcut to get to the frequently praised Google Now intelligent assistant.

From a corporate-goal perspective, it's not difficult to understand Samsung's motivation in promoting its own services over Google's -- but from a user-experience perspective, given the sharp drop in quality, it's disappointing.
At a Glance
Galaxy Note 3
Samsung
Price: $300 at AT&T, $250 at Sprint, $300 at Verizon Wireless (starting October 10) with a new two-year contract; T-Mobile for $0 down and a two-year $29.50/mo. payment plan; U.S. Cellular sometime in October (no price yet available)
Pros: Excellent display; USB 3.0 for fast charging and data transfers; microSD slot for storage expansion; good battery life; superb pressure-sensitive stylus with accurate handwriting-to-text functionality
Cons: Hardware design feels cheaper and less premium than other smartphones; dated button configuration; inconsistent performance with occasional stutters and delays; bloated user interface; sporadic software errors

I've encountered semi-regular software glitches while using Samsung's S Pen apps and functions -- usually several seconds of black followed by a force-close error. This kind of thing absolutely shouldn't happen with native software on a new phone. I can only hope Samsung addresses these issues with an over-the-air update soon.

I'm not going to spend much time talking about the Note 3's user interface, since it's largely unchanged from the Galaxy S4, but I will say this: You're getting Samsung's standard mishmash of clashing colors and inconsistent elements. You can, at least, cover up some of those sins with a custom Android launcher such as Nova Launcher, Apex Launcher or Action Launcher Pro. I tested the Note with each of those apps, and all the S Pen-specific enhancements -- and even general Samsung-added software features like Multi Window -- were accessible and worked fine in the third-party environments.
Bottom line

The Galaxy Note 3 is a standout device with plenty of perks. It has a large, gorgeous screen, fast USB 3.0 charging and data transfers, and a microSD slot for storage expansion. It also has a superb stylus that's full of interesting potential for productivity and creativity alike.

The Note is held back, though, by some troubling issues. Despite improvements over past models, the phone still feels cheaper and less premium than competing products; its dated button configuration creates awkward usage scenarios that detract from the user experience; its performance is imperfect and its software is bloated and visually inconsistent.

Still, the Note 3 has a lot of good things going for it. If you want a plus-sized phone, the new Note is hands-down the best product you can buy today. And if the functionality of a stylus appeals to you, you'll be absolutely thrilled with what the S Pen can do.

Just be sure you're okay with the compromises those benefits require.

---

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Microsoft Research: Secret tags in 3D-printed objects, hooked to the Internet of Things

Microsoft Research is working on InfraStructs, secret tags embedded in 3D-printed objects, which are read by terahertz scanners, and could one day be part of your 3D-printed gaming accessories hooked to Internet of Things.

While people ponder why Microsoft's Nokia bid is either great or terrible for the company's future, Mashable pointed to five Nokia patents that Microsoft should pursue to "get creative with future Nokia phones and bring some real innovation back to the mobile marketplace." The shape-shifting phone and kinetic energy harvester to let motion keep the battery charged are cool, but Microsoft has had plenty of cool tech ideas that it simply didn't bring to fruition.

Remember the Microsoft Surface multimedia coffee table? Instead of those, consumers can either DIY to build such a table, or settle for Microsoft Surface tablets.

Many gamers were excited about IllumiRoom, and Microsoft researcher Andy Wilson showed off a hands-on IllumiRoom demo at SIGGRAPH 2013 in July. However, that cool tech is not happening either, according to Albert Penello, head of product planning for Xbox One.

"I wouldn't expect you'll see that," Penello told AusGamers. "It's very, very cool tech but it's, like, for a consumer, it requires projectors and things. It's really super-neat if you're in the lab and you've got Microsoft money and you could totally set up this awesome lab, but... we looked at it, but for an average customer it's, like, thousands of dollars [for the set up]."

Parental controls are neither new, nor especially innovative, but GeekWire pointed out a Microsoft 'quieting mobile devices' patent. It would provide a parent dashboard on phones that would allow parents "to set restrictions, grant accesses, and allocate information to the other family members in a family group." Slashdot took it a step farther by adding, "Microsoft also proposes equipping parents' phones with 'biometric detection' to thwart kids who try to circumvent 'Big Mother'."

Microsoft needs to stretch its imagination if that is indicative of what it believes to be innovation. Some Microsoft researchers are doing exactly that, by trying to make Superman's x-ray vision a reality to see into 3D-printed objects that could be tied to the Internet of Things. To accomplish this, they are tapping into the terahertz band, the wavelengths between microwave and infrared on the electromagnetic spectrum.

You might note, however, that engineers at UT Dallas have already designed a "superpower" chip that acts as a terahertz scanner, allowing smartphones to see through "walls, wood, plastics, paper and other objects."

A Microsoft Research paper, "InfraStructs: Fabricating Information Inside; Physical Objects for Imaging in the Terahertz Region" [pdf], was also presented at SIGGRAPH 2013 by Andy Wilson. He has worked on numerous Microsoft Research projects, such as the surface-computing project prototype that later morphed into Microsoft PixelSense - something you might be interested in if you wanted to DIY a multimedia coffee table.

"The InfraStructs project pioneers techniques for reading unique identifiers embedded within 3-D printed objects." Although that might sound a bit like Yawnsville, future applications have the potential to be very cool. IEEE Spectrum dubbed it "DIY spycraft with 3-D printing."

Microsoft Research reported:

Wilson sees potential uses for InfraStructs beyond manufacturing. He sees the concept applied in future applications such as customized game accessories with embedded tags for location sensing; tabletop computing with tangible objects sensed through other objects beneath them; and, when the technology becomes more portable, mobile robots with THz range finders that can recognize objects in the surrounding area.

Wilson added, "Down the road, a program reads the object, and embedded within the object are further instructions, perhaps even code that can be read and compiled to further interrogate the object. There's been some work in this direction using RFID tags. We talk about 'the Internet of Things,' and I would argue this fits into that vision."

Microsoft Research potential future applications for InfraStruct tags

The image above was captioned with this explanation: "Potential future applications for InfraStruct tags: (a) Mobile robots with THz range finders that also recognize objects in the environment, (b) customized game accessories with embedded tags for location sensing and the ability to image occluded parts of the user, (c) tabletop computing with tangible objects sensed through other objects beneath them."

Like all technology, terahertz scanning could be used for good or for evil. Regarding safety and privacy, the research paper states [pdf], "As THz radiation can penetrate many common textiles, privacy is a consideration for applications that scan the human body. Skin tissue is reflective and can potentially reveal human anatomy from beneath clothing. The ethics of using THz imaging for human interaction remains an issue to be addressed."

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Windows 8 Update: New Kindle takes on Microsoft Surface 2 in workplace

Windows 8 Update: New Kindle takes on Microsoft Surface 2 in workplace
Also, nobody but Microsoft will touch Windows RT, Bill Gates gets his purple wish

The new Kindle Fire HDX tablet is giving Microsoft's Surface 2 a run for its money as a business device even though the Surface 2 won't be available until next month.

Kindle HDX can view Microsoft Office applications via OfficeSuite Viewer, can grab emails from a corporate Exchange server via ActiveSync, prints wirelessly and supports Bluetooth keyboards and mice.

It can be brought under the purview of AirWatch, MaaS360, Citrix, GoodTechnology, and SOTI mobile device management platforms to control network configuration, security, feature controls, inventory and to manage apps.

IN PICTURES: Quick Look: Microsoft’s new Surface family and accessories

BACKGROUND: Microsoft brings longer battery life, faster processors to Surface

FEATURES: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2: On battery life, colors and 'lapability'

It supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and LTE (from AT&T or Verizon).

The company promises more: hardware device encryption, VPN support, single sign-on via the Amazon Silk browser that comes with the device and support for digital certificates.

Amazon provides Whispercast, a Web tool for distributing apps and documents.

With an 8.9-inch screen in the large model, the device is smaller than the 10.6-inch Surface 2. Other features the Surface 2 has that Kindle HDX doesn’t: a full Microsoft Office suite and Windows 8.1 with its VPN, access control and a feature called Workplace Join that enables connecting to Windows Server environments.

Still, Amazon is pushing its new device, available in December, as workplace friendly.

The price for the 64GB Kindle with LTE is $579, and without LTE it’s $479. The 64GB Kindle without LTE is $549, and no word on what the version with LTE will cost when it comes out next year.

Depending on how well the Android-based Kindles sell this holiday season, IT departments with BYOD policies could start seeing them show up in the office. Android-based tablets sell much better than Windows RT tablets.

Has the Surface 2 Mini been announced already?

CNET reports that based on analysts’ information, Microsoft is working on a 7.5-inch Surface 2 due out next year. It ties that together with an earlier Microsoft statement that Windows RT is based on ARM processors for their built-in mobile broadband support, indicating the Mini might have broadband.

This week Microsoft promised a Surface tablet next year with mobile broadband. Perhaps this is the Mini. What the company said doesn’t rule it out: “We didn't talk about it today, but Surface 2 will be launching an awesome LTE SKU early next year!” says Microsoft’s Surface vice president Panos Panay in a Reddit chat.

Microsoft sews up the Windows RT market

Now that Dell has dumped its own XPS Windows RT tablet, Microsoft is the only hardware vendor using the platform, which is a bundled hardware-software package based on ARM chips that hasn’t seen much uptake in its first year of existence.

That means that if Microsoft hadn’t decided to make its own hardware, likely nobody would be selling Windows RT right now. Given that pure hardware vendors know a thing or two about what sells, Windows RT has received a resounding thumbs-down.

Microsoft announced a blade cover/keyboard this week when it unveiled its upgraded Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets that could offer some interesting possibilities for programmers.

The blade shown off by Microsoft is a snap on touchpad very much like a Touch Cover 2 keyboard only it’s embossed with a 16-key number pad and three sliders for mixing music.

But given that the Remix Project is based on the basic keyboard hardware, it seems programmers could write code for it that would do something else besides typing characters and mixing music – perhaps drawing and painting, controlling industrial equipment, whatever.
Opening up an API for the keyboards and turning it loose on developers would no doubt generate a lot more possibilities.

The color purple

The Verge recalled that last year just after Windows 8 launched a Microsoft ad showed a hypothetical Bill Gates text to Steve Ballmer, suggesting a purple Type Cover keyboard for Surface tablets. This week, Microsoft announced a purple Type Cover.

Gates still has clout.

Here’s the ad, with Gates’s text shown at 13 sec.

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8 hot IT skills for 2014

8 hot IT skills for 2014

When it comes to overall job prospects for IT professionals, 2014 will look a lot like this year, with 32% of companies expecting to increase head count in their IT shops, compared with 33% in 2013, according to Computerworld's annual Forecast survey.

But while demand will remain steady overall, there have been a few changes in the skill sets most desired by hiring managers. Unemployment "is probably close to zero for people with high-demand skill sets," says Michael Kirven, founder and CEO of Mondo, a technology resource provider. Employers in search of top skills, he says, need to be prepared to move fast. "If you want them, you can be 100% sure there are at least two other firms that want them, as well," he says.

1. Programming/application development

" 49% of respondents said that they plan to hire for this skill in the next 12 months.

" Last year's ranking: No. 1

As it did in the 2013 Forecast survey, programming/application development tops the list of hot skills, although just under half of the 221 respondents said they will hire in this area, compared with 60% last year. Scot Melland, CEO of Dice Holdings, parent of IT jobs website Dice.com, concurs that software developers are the most sought-after technology workers and notes that they enjoy one of the lowest unemployment rates around -- just 1.8%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It's no wonder, then, that respondents to the Computerworld 2014 Forecast survey named developer and programmer job openings as the most difficult to fill. The hottest specialties within that category, Melland says, are mobile development expertise and experience building secure applications.

Carbonite, an online backup service provider, expects to find a tight market for software developers and engineers as it shifts its business model to focus on the needs of small businesses, says Randy Bogue, vice president of talent at the Boston-based company. "While there are a lot of experienced software developers in the Boston area, there are just as many technology companies looking to hire them," he says. "We find this while looking for front-end developers, user experience engineers, mobile developers and pretty much any other software development position."

Lucille Mayer, CIO at BNY Mellon, also expects to have difficulty finding developers. The financial services company has several hundred openings, mainly in New York City and Pittsburgh, and about 40% of those are in development. Another 30% are in infrastructure, 20% are for business analysis/project management positions, and 10% are in management.

"Demand is high for skilled developers with three to five years' experience and a service delivery orientation," says Mayer, who is particularly interested in people with object-oriented development experience. Also important is finding people from diverse backgrounds, with diverse ideas and perspectives, she says.

Hospitality giant Hyatt is transitioning from a reliance on third-party service providers and aims to bring more development talent in-house. "We're looking to hire people who embrace agility and speed to move ideas to prototype and production quickly," says Alex Zoghlin, Hyatt's global head of technology.

2. Help desk/technical support

" 37% of respondents said that they plan to hire for this skill in the next 12 months.

" Last year's ranking: No. 3

Help desk/tech support remained near the top of the list, moving up from No. 3 last year. Melland says that's an encouraging sign for the economy and the overall hiring outlook. "Organizations mainly add help desk and tech support when they're adding workers and expanding their technology infrastructure," he says. Also contributing to demand for support technicians is the fact that many companies are bringing the help desk back in-house after outsourcing that function; that's partly a response to the proliferation of mobile devices and company-provided Web services. Because of the complexity of such setups, "it's important for support staff to really understand what the company is doing, which argues for having this function closer to home," Melland says.

After several years of running a lean support function, Wolverine Advanced Materials in Dearborn, Mich., plans to hire a few help desk staffers in response to business growth and a decision to provide ITIL-based service management, says James Bland, network manager at the automotive materials supplier. "There is growth in the company, so we're more confident in hiring," he says.

3. Networking

" 31% of respondents said that they plan to hire for this skill in the next 12 months.

" Last year's ranking: No. 8

Demand for networking skills jumped to No. 3 from eighth place last year. This correlates with the results of a recent survey by IT hiring firm Robert Half Technology, in which 55% of the respondents named network administration as the skill

The need for wireless connectivity is probably behind the interest in networking professionals, Melland says. "Demand for people with wireless networking experience is up 9% year over year," he says, and the unemployment rate for network and systems administrators is 1.1%.

Charles Whitby, lead network analyst at the Medical Center of Central Georgia, says growing use of wireless medical devices is definitely fueling his workload. In addition to the increased network traffic they produce, those devices require a lot of troubleshooting -- as is the case when, for example, their firmware needs upgrading but it hasn't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, he says.

Meanwhile, at Wolverine, Bland is looking to offload some networking responsibilities so he can concentrate on more strategic issues.

4. Mobile applications and device management

" 27% of respondents said that they plan to hire for this skill in the next 12 months.

" Last year's ranking: No. 9

With mobile devices proliferating in both the corporate and consumer worlds, it's little wonder that mobile skills catapulted toward the top of the list, from No. 9 last year. And because of mobile's relatively new status, it's also not surprising that Computerworld survey respondents named mobile expertise the third most difficult skill to find, after development and BI/analytics skills.


Which of these skills do you expect it will be most difficult to hire for?

Among respondents who expect an increase in IT employee head count in the next 12 months

Programming/application development 32%

Business intelligence/analytics 21%

Mobile applications and device management 17%

Project management 14%

Security 14%

Source: Computerworld Forecast survey; base: 221 IT executive respondents; June 2013

Mobile app development is "a huge initiative" at PrimeLending in Dallas, says CIO Tim Elkins, and it will be a key hiring area next year. In addition to expanding its Salesforce.com development ranks, the mortgage provider hopes to hire two or three mobile developers, he says. PrimeLending's first mobile app is designed to enable its business partners -- real estate agents and builders -- to view loan statuses; its next one will be for consumers.

Elkins anticipates difficulty finding mobile developers and is therefore training a couple of current staffers to fill the need. "Salesforce.com developers are really tough to find because of the high demand, and so are mobile developers," he says.

Mobile expertise is also a priority for Hyatt, and Zoghlin says the company is trying to fill niche roles to ensure a consistent strategy across areas like mobility and user experience.

5. Project Management

" 25% of respondents said that they plan to hire for this skill in the next 12 months.

" Last year's ranking: No. 2

While project management fell from its No. 2 position last year, it is considered a highly sought-after skill. Melland says that Dice has found demand for project managers to be second only to demand for software developers/engineers, having risen 11% from last year. That uptick, he says, is another positive sign for the economy as a whole, because it indicates that companies are willing to pursue strategic projects.

Mondo's Kirven attributes the demand for project managers to renewed interest in complex, strategic business-technology initiatives. "IT has historically been graded based on the success or failure of projects, so [companies are] making heavy investments in the business analyst/project manager layer," he says. "These people need to be able to talk to developers about technology and the right solution, but they also need to put on their business hat to gather requirements and prioritize needs and translate that into a programmable effort for IT."

6. Database Administration

" 24% of respondents said that they plan to hire for this skill in the next 12 months.

" Last year's ranking: Not ranked

Database administration -- which didn't even make last year's list -- will be hot in 2014, likely because of interest in big data. Kirven concedes that the term big data is a catch-all for everything companies want to do with the burgeoning stockpiles of information they store on internal systems and, increasingly, collect from sources such as social media sites, the Web and third parties. Much of the interest in big data originates in marketing, which wants to learn as much about customers as possible.

"Oracle DBAs, data architects -- these people stay on the market for about an hour until they're hired," Kirven says. "People are looking for that person who can build a logical data map of their systems and aggregate relevant data so they can analyze and report on it."

DBAs with experience moving pieces of the IT infrastructure to the cloud will be highly sought after, says Melland, noting that demand for cloud skills is up 32% from last year.

To help kick off PrimeLending's big data initiative, Elkins says he is seeking systems analysts, developers and DBAs to integrate data from third parties, with the goal of easing the mortgage process. "Mortgages have been like a big black hole, with a lack of transparency and a lot of sitting and waiting," Elkins says. "Our focus in 2014 is to give consumers more control and an experience with mortgages that they've never had before."

7. Security Compliance/Governance

" 21% of respondents said that they plan to hire for this skill in the next 12 months.

" Last year's ranking: No. 4

Security expertise seems to show up on every list of hot IT skills, and Melland says interest in cybersecurity will further drive demand, which is up 23% from last year. "It's one of those skills that falls into a lot of job types, like network engineering, software development and database architecture," he says. Respondents to a recent Robert Half Technology survey said security jobs are among the most challenging to fill, in addition to application development and database management positions.

With the increase in malware and cyberattacks, security has become a No. 1 priority for PrimeLending, which doubled its security staff this year, from four to eight people, Elkins says.

8. Business Intelligence/Analytics

" 18% of respondents said that they plan to hire for this skill in the next 12 months.

" Last year's ranking: No. 5

With the volume of global data predicted to expand by a factor of 44 from 2009 to 2020 and reach 35.2 zettabytes, according to IDC, companies are eager to gain a competitive edge by developing sophisticated analytics capabilities. Although BI/analytics is still considered a specialty and therefore has fewer postings than other job categories on Dice.com, Melland says it's the third fastest-growing skill area on the website, and demand is up 100% from last year. Analytics expertise is scarce, ranking second among the most difficult skills to find in the Computerworld survey. Accordingly, these professionals command high salaries, often into the six figures, Melland says.

At Wolverine, management's demand for data-driven insights is growing, so Bland is looking for people with BI skills who are also familiar with the Plex Systems ERP application, which the company uses. "We would definitely like to get more information out of [our ERP] system, so someone with BI experience would be great," he says. "We'd like to provide more information in a more timely manner so the business can be more proactive." Hyatt, says Zoghlin, is similarly looking for people "who can make analytics usable and useful for customers and colleagues."

Forecast 2014

Looking Beyond Tech Skills When Hiring IT Workers

Technology skills aren't the only factor to consider when assessing candidates for IT jobs. Employers should also consider applicants' interpersonal skills to ensure new hires will be effective in the workplace. The two most important characteristics, according to the Computerworld Forecast survey, are the ability to collaborate (cited by 66% of the respondents) and the ability to communicate with business users (62%). This comes as no surprise to Scot Melland, CEO of Dice Holdings. "So much technology is being used in every part of the organization that you need people who are good communicators," he says.

James Bland, network manager at Wolverine Advanced Materials, says those are skills he will seek in new hires. "I want to empower our users to know how IT can help them be more efficient and get their job done," he says, and that can happen only when IT helps translate systems capabilities into something the user can put to good use. "You can implement the best systems in the world, but if people don't understand what to do with them, they're useless," Bland says.

Lucille Mayer, CIO at BNY Mellon, says a customer-service mentality is a must. "Our IT department is called Client Technology Solutions, and every one of us has a client customer, whether it be internal or external," she says. "A service orientation and being customer-focused, collaborative and a great communicator is essential."

An important communication skill is speaking the language of various business domains, such as marketing, sales and finance, Melland says. In fact, according to Michael Kirven at Modis, employers are increasingly seeking people with knowledge of business disciplines in addition to tech skills, whether it's an HTML5 developer who understands the supply chain in retail or a Java developer with experience in financial derivatives trading systems. "Specialization can really drive innovation," he says.

At PrimeLending, it's all about cultural fit. "We hire for culture first," says CIO Tim Elkins. This is particularly true at the leadership level. "If we're going to hire a new manager, it's not just a matter of whether they're a good leader but whether they can adapt to our style," which Elkins calls "servant leadership" -- meaning leaders are called to serve, not order people around.

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