Is That a Laptop in Your Pocket

What’s Old is New Again…

Not every step forward is a step up, and so I can’t be the only one that sort of misses physical keyboards on smartphones. They were ubiquitous in the era of Blackberries and Sidekicks, but fizzled out almost all at once as screens got larger and devices got ever slimmer.

You can almost certainly expect not to see a keyboard listed among the features of the next flagship devices from Samsung or Apple, but in case you also have a soft spot for the time when the laptop and smartphone were as close as they’ve ever been, these Bluetooth keyboards are pretty darn slick.

Every one of these sleek little devices slips neatly into a pocket so you can take it on the go, and features a special coating to keep it protected from the spills and debris of everyday life. They even come in an array of stylish colors because hey, phones do now so it’s important.

…And What’s New is Even Newer

But if you really want to make your smartphone into the most productive device possible, using it as a full size laptop is definitely the way to do it.

This convenient little device plugs into your iOS device to display and control apps, websites, office tools, and more on larger screens in the crisp 1080p HD that discerning modern users demand.

Android users never fear, there’s a solution for you too. The Mirabook is a laptop-style command unit that docks with your device to give it all the functionality of a portable PC.

It’s available for preorder right this sentence, so if you’ve ever dreamed of a true all-in-one device that fulfills all your day to day digital needs, the gap between smartphone and computer may finally be bridged.

A Less Lawless Internet

If you’ve noticed a lot of new privacy agreements in your favorite apps, it’s not your imagination.

Many of the most popular resources are fundamentally changing the way they operate in order to comply with new EU guidelines, and since it’s pretty expensive to develop a specific version of an app for every region in which it will be used, in many cases these changes take effect across the board.

The updated guidelines, known collectively as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), are designed to force companies to keep better control over your personal data in the wake of several high profile breaches, leaks, and other flavors of failure for these multinational online services.  For further reading on the impact of GDPR, this CNET article goes into further detail.

News Cleanse

Okay, so you may have noticed that in that last segment I found out about a major update to the way connected software providers interact with their users only after the changes took effect.

That’s just kinda what happens when you resolve to take a week’s vacation from the 24-hour news cycle…it’s difficult for a number of reasons, about the only thing I’ve been able to keep consistent tabs on is the NBA playoffs.

Perhaps the need for daily updates on everything in the world is a bit of an addiction, they say it’ll get better, but in the meantime I’ve had to take some fairly drastic measures to keep up my commitment.
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The Last Word

Well, that’ll do it for this week’s insightful edition of Brad’s Blog! Sorry for the delay, getting started after a Monday holiday is always a little tricky.

I’ll try to be back on schedule next week since I won’t have an excuse, but feel free to drop me an email if there’s something you feel should make it past my news embargo.

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