Pocketnow Weekly 105: OnePlus One review, Fire Phone hands-on, Microsoft's future and more

The big guys have enough time in the limelight. It seems every week we're spending 80% of the podcast talking about the huge players in the mobile space, along with their commensurately huge smartphone and tablet offerings. While we're not ignoring those established forces in this episode, we are devoting a bit more time to newcomers: from Amazon to OnePlus to a little firm called GoTenna, there's a lot going on in mobile's lower echelons, and we're going to chat about it on today's show.

Also on the agenda: a new segment designed to cater to Michael Fisher's penchant for whimsical looks into the past, called (what else?) "Nerdy Nostalgia." We'll talk about AMPS, the analog cellular network that laid the groundwork for today's digital domain, a network shut down years before young Taylor Martin was even a gleam in Best Buy's eye. Plus, we address a big backlog of listener mail on this episode, some of which has spent months in the wings waiting for Joe Levi the Android Guy to make his triumphant return to the podcast!

Sound like fun? Yeah, we thought you might say that. Join us live on the air at 2pm Eastern (click here for your own local time) for Pocketnow Weekly 105, and shoot questions to podcast [AT] pocketnow [DOT] com if you just can't bear to wait for the Q&A. See you then!Pocketnow Weekly 105

Recording Date

July 18, 2014

Hosts

Michael Fisher

Taylor Martin

Stephen Schenck

Joe Levi

Podcast Rundown

Sponsor

(00:02:26)

The Pocketnow Weekly is brought to you by Swappa, a marketplace for buying and selling gently used, fully functional mobile devices. Pay them a visit, and tell 'em Pocketnow sent you!

Announcements

(00:03:22)

Amazon Fire Phone hands-on

OnePlus One review: a great phone, if you can get it

OnePlus One invite giveaway: we have a winner!

Thought Thread

(00:21:46)

Listener Marves Rivas kicks us off with a question relevant to our interests:

One thing I'm starting to find annoying is the command "Ok Google" because when I'm watching tech reviews and you hear it 2-5 times in a video, Google Now activates every single time. Do you think Google will let you change this command later on?

-Marves Rivas

News

(00:29:44)

Microsoft to repurpose planned Nokia X Androids as WP models

Windows Phone 8.1, Lumia Cyan updates heading out

Apple and IBM team up for iOS enterprise partnership

Samsung teams with Lionsgate for tablet-first trailer release

Google Play edition hardware sees deep discounts

Blackphone: BlackBerry "betrayed its customers"

GoTenna accessory frees your smartphone from the cellular network

Nerdy Nostalgia

(01:07:05)

A segment about remembering. This week's installment: the Advanced Mobile Phone System, a.k.a. analog cellular, and the magic of extendable antennas. (Thanks to Untethered for the inspiration.)

Listener Mail

(01:37:50)

E-mailed submissions from Joseph Scheidler, Nachiketa Ramesh, BygSii, Paul Woolacott, Matthew Nichols, and Vijay V.

Music

It may just sound like a ringtone to you, but our transition music track ("Radiation") is a real song, from a real album, by a real artist: Ali Spagnola. You can download that album, along with many others, at Ali's website here, visit her YouTube page here, and follow her on Twitter here!

•

Thanks for listening. See you next week!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The big guys have enough time in the limelight. It seems every week we're spending 80% of the podcast talking about the huge players in the mobile space, along with their commensurately huge smartphone and tablet offerings. While we're not ignoring those established forces in this episode, we are devoting a bit more time to newcomers: from Amazon to OnePlus to a little firm called GoTenna, there's a lot going on in mobile's lower echelons, and we're going to chat about it on today's show.

Also on the agenda: a new segment designed to cater to Michael Fisher's penchant for whimsical looks into the past, called (what else?) "Nerdy Nostalgia." We'll talk about AMPS, the analog cellular network that laid the groundwork for today's digital domain, a network shut down years before young Taylor Martin was even a gleam in Best Buy's eye. Plus, we address a big backlog of listener mail on this episode, some of which has spent months in the wings waiting for Joe Levi the Android Guy to make his triumphant return to the podcast!

Sound like fun? Yeah, we thought you might say that. Join us live on the air at 2pm Eastern (click here for your own local time) for Pocketnow Weekly 105, and shoot questions to podcast [AT] pocketnow [DOT] com if you just can't bear to wait for the Q&A. See you then!

Pocketnow Weekly 105

 

Recording Date

July 18, 2014

  

Hosts

Michael Fisher

Taylor Martin

Stephen Schenck

Joe Levi

 

Podcast Rundown

 

Sponsor

(00:02:26)

The Pocketnow Weekly is brought to you by Swappa, a marketplace for buying and selling gently used, fully functional mobile devices. Pay them a visit, and tell 'em Pocketnow sent you!

 

Announcements

(00:03:22)

Amazon Fire Phone hands-on

OnePlus One review: a great phone, if you can get it

OnePlus One invite giveaway: we have a winner!

 

Thought Thread

(00:21:46)

Listener Marves Rivas kicks us off with a question relevant to our interests:

One thing I'm starting to find annoying is the command "Ok Google" because when I'm watching tech reviews and you hear it 2-5 times in a video, Google Now activates every single time. Do you think Google will let you change this command later on?

-Marves Rivas

 

News

(00:29:44)

Microsoft to repurpose planned Nokia X Androids as WP models

Windows Phone 8.1, Lumia Cyan updates heading out

Apple and IBM team up for iOS enterprise partnership

Samsung teams with Lionsgate for tablet-first trailer release

Google Play edition hardware sees deep discounts

Blackphone: BlackBerry "betrayed its customers"

GoTenna accessory frees your smartphone from the cellular network

 

Nerdy Nostalgia

(01:07:05)

A segment about remembering. This week's installment: the Advanced Mobile Phone System, a.k.a. analog cellular, and the magic of extendable antennas. (Thanks to Untethered for the inspiration.)

 

Listener Mail

(01:37:50)

E-mailed submissions from Joseph Scheidler, Nachiketa Ramesh, BygSii, Paul Woolacott, Matthew Nichols, and Vijay V.

 

Music

It may just sound like a ringtone to you, but our transition music track ("Radiation") is a real song, from a real album, by a real artist: Ali Spagnola. You can download that album, along with many others, at Ali's website here, visit her YouTube page here, and follow her on Twitter here!

•

Thanks for listening. See you next week!

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.