HowWouldYouChange
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How would you change the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display?
Many will bristle at the implication, but as the MacBook Air inspired the Ultrabook, mainstream laptops will likely seek to ape the Retina Display MacBook Pro, sorry, MacBook Pro with Retina Display. The clunky name aside, it seems that the next generation of devices will ditch disc drives and Ethernet ports in favor of pixel-dense displays and reduced weight. But did Jonathan Ive's trash can get too full? If you've been using one, do you still ache for those phantom limbs, or is it peaceful on that side of the river? Folks, for the last time this year, we're inviting you to share your thoughts and feelings on how you'd change the MacBook Pro with Retina Display, and from all of us, have a Happy New Year.
How would you change Sony's Xperia Ion?
While Sony undergoes its transformation under Kaz Hirai, there's a suspicion that many of its divisions have just been treading water. Take the Xperia Ion, for instance. The company's AT&T LTE flagship shipped in June, yet still carried the dead weight of Gingerbread as the albatross around its neck. Sony's engineering prowess produced sleek hardware, a cracking display, good camera and it was priced at $99 -- but was that a draw with a two-year-old operating system and 2011-era internals? Probably not. But if you were in the minority who bought one of these, what do you think? If you were sure Sony's engineering gurus were reading your every word, what would you tell them to do differently next time?
How would you change Sony's Xperia U?
The most exciting things in life, we are told, are measured not by the kilo, but the gram. Is that the case with Sony's Xperia U? The runt of the company's mid-year litter has an unspectacular camera, adequate internals and a middling five-hour battery life, and yet somehow, it's more than the sum of its parts. Combine that with the sheer charm of the unit, and you can't discount it as just another unexciting Sony phone. You've had nearly half a year to live cheek-by-jowl with this handset, so why not tell us what you love, what you loathe and what you'd change?
How would you change the ASUS Padfone?
It's a phone, it's a tablet, it's ASUS Padfone! Possibly the maddest gadget concept we've seen in a while, this phone-in-a-tablet-dock is both surprisingly charming and surprisingly useful. ASUS might have rushed to replace the "half-finished" original version (the heavily redesigned Padfone 2 emerged a few months afterward), but let's talk about the OG unit here and now. What did we like, what we didn't, and what, most importantly, would you all change?
How would you change the Huawei Ascend P1?
2012 was the year Huawei stepped out of the OEM shadows and make a "name" for itself. That hasn't been the smoothest process, but political wrangling aside, what about the phones themselves? Huawei's Ascend P1 has a slender body (and a chubby camera module), marred by a flimsy plastic shell and 4GB of on-board storage. However, it more than made up for its failings in the performance stakes, but what did you think about it? Did you buy one, and if so, what would you change?
How would you change the Samsung Galaxy S III?
When we reviewed Samsung's Galaxy S III in the simple, gentle days of May, our reviewer wasn't sure it would win out against HTC's One X. In the intervening six months, however, the Korean behemoth has battled to the top of the smartphone world and shipped 30 million of its 2012-era flagship to consumers worldwide. But what about the phone itself? You've had half a year to burrow deep into this device and find out what you love and what you don't. It's How Would You Change time, folks, you know what to do.
How would you change Panasonic's Eluga?
Oh Panasonic, you went to all of the trouble to develop these new phones, dream up a hilarious name and just months into the project, gave up and left Europe in a big sulk. Now it's time to begin the investigation about what killed the Panasonic Eluga. If you bought one, what did you like and loathe about it -- and for the rest of us, what factors meant it never found its way on your Christmas list? You never know, maybe Panasonic's listening, hoping that just one person tells it that they love it.
How would you change Jawbone's Big Jambox?
In the ever-shrinking world of tech, for a company to release a jumbo-sized variant of a product is something of a novelty. Jawbone's Big Jambox has taken a few courses of steroids, with natty design language and 15-plus hours of battery life. We were certainly fans of the unit, although its audio can get a bit on the shaky side when you turn it up to 11, but that was just in the confines of our review. What's it been like to use this thing on a regular basis for the last six months? We're asking you to place yourselves in the stylish shoes of designer Yves Behar and tell us what you'd have done differently.
How Would you Change ASUS' Transformer Pad TF300?
ASUS' Transformer Pad was tucked in beneath the Transformer Prime in the company's range of hybrid Android tablets. The only problem however, was that the company forgot to really differentiate the two -- with only a few hours less battery life the real distinction. But how has it been for you to live with? Did you get used to its slightly fiddly keyboard, have you been as smitten with it as our reviewer? Step into Jonney Shih's shoes and tell us what you'd suggest he does differently when next year's model comes out.
How would you change the Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight?
Barnes & Noble's Simple Touch with Glowlight was here long before Amazon's glow-in-the-dark offering, and has found its way onto plenty of your nightstands. We thought it was great, except wishing it was cheaper and had 3G, and since the company has remedied the former if not the latter gripe. However, has the last six months of reading been totally blissful for you? We're inviting you to place yourself in the hirsute shoes of CEO William Lynch and tell us what you'd change if you were in charge.
How would you change HTC's Titan II?
Let's imagine you shunned purchasing a Lumia 900 in favor of HTC's Titan II, the company's final Windows Phone handset before its colorful reinvention. You were probably drawn to that 16-megapixel camera, but given the tight restrictions imposed by the operating system, there's little else to separate it from its kin. The question is, what would you have done differently? How Would You Change asks you to share what you'd wanna see, should the company ever build the Titan III.
How would you change Nokia's Lumia 900?
While this regular feature is called How Would You Change, in the case of Nokia's Lumia 900, it seems more apt to change the question to "What Killed It?." The flagship was designed to break the US from its traditional indifference to the company, yet only 600,000 users took the plunge. Firstly, despite its low price and smooth performance, it had mediocre specs and a middling display, while customers were outraged when the incompatible Windows Phone 8 and the Lumia 920 supplanted it half a year later. This week, we're asking you to play armchair Elop and tell us what you'd have done differently if they'd asked you.
How would you change the HTC One X?
Flagship phones are tricky customers when it comes to How Would You Change. Often, they're handsets that have every feature thrown against the wall as companies see what sticks with customers. Hovering on the blistering edge of technology, it would seem there's very few things wrong with (staff favorite) the HTC One X -- although perhaps that makes any glaring that more notable. What we'd like you to do is place yourself in the position of HTC's design mavens and work out what omission they could or should address when it comes time for a sequel.
How would you change SMS Audio Sync by 50?
Rap singer, philanthropist, actor and high-end sound designer, truly Curtis Jackson is the Aristotle of our day. Of course, it's his latter profession that brings him to the coveted pages of How Would You Change, as we delve into his SMS Audio Sync by 50 wireless headphones. When our in-house audio maven strapped them to his head, he found that $400 price tag to be a little steep given how messy the overall experience was -- with features like "Thumpp" bass boost only available when connected via dongle and other features absent unless you buy more accessories. Our reviewer hoped that Version 2.0 would iron out all of those creases, but how about you? What suggestions would you like to send to the venerable 50 Cent about how he can improve these high-end cans?
How would you change Samsung's Rugby Smart?
Samsung's beefy Rugby Smart is probably the best rugged smartphone it's easy to lay your hands on. However, its preoccupation with being able to take a beating means there's not much going on in the specs department -- with performance that's not pedestrian, but infuriating. The question we're asking you, however, is does its super-cheap price and build quality make up for being straight-up nasty to use? Would you have stumped up an extra fifty bucks to get a better CPU (or just to banish TouchWiz from the device?). Mobile phone companies want to know what'd compel you to buy this device, over all the others in the world so why not tell them in the comments below?
How would you change the Lytro?
Few products make everyone here at Engadget quite as giddy with excitement as Lytro's light-field camera. Given how regularly we need to photograph things, we were desperate to know if this was going to revolutionize the way we snapped pictures. It had more than a few things going for it, innovative product design, great engineering, it was fast, responsive and had a great UI. However, the pictures themselves were of a low resolution, and the depth-of-field trickery only works with extreme close-up-and-background shots where you can mess around with your bokkeh. As nice as it is in theory (and practice, on a well-lit day), it's certainly not going to replace your DSLR any time soon -- but given that the company's presumably working on version 2.0 of the device, what would you suggest they tweak?
How would you change the Pantech Burst?
While ZTE and Huawei commence an assault on the high end of the market, companies like Pantech are nipping in behind to hoover up the budget space. When we reviewed the Pantech Burst, it was $50 on contract, but now can be picked up for $0.99. What do you get for less than a dollar? Stellar battery life (for an LTE phone), performance that easily matched a Samsung Skyrocket and LG Nitro HD more than compensate for its flaky capacitive buttons and weak camera. But, does the price justify turning a blind eye to its flaws? For a handset that costs less than a decent cup of coffee, what would you really change?
How would you change Canon's PowerShot G1 X?
Canon's brutally designed PowerShot G1 X eschews flowing lines for angular, boxy lines that may only appeal to fans of Le Corbusier and The Smithsons. However, that harsh body covers a camera aiming to bring DSLR performance in the body of a compact. There are sacrifices, however -- the optical viewfinder is useless, low-light performance isn't good enough and it's got a high price tag. Despite its failings, it managed to win over the heart of our reviewer when shooting pictures in good light. If you own one of these, how do you find it? Could you use it instead of a DSLR, or was the project misguided from the start? Let us know, in the comments below.
How would you change the Sony Z Series Walkman?
Sony's Walkman Z had a frustratingly delayed journey to western shores, and when it arrived it offered a solid, if uninspiring portable media player. It certainly bested the competition in some areas, but the easily-chipped bodywork and closed-off Walkman apps that wouldn't play nice with Google Music didn't help those already invested in the rival service. Still, those you were desperate to avoid buying an iPod Touch who splashed out on one of these, how did you find it? If Kaz Hirai was asking your opinion on how to build the world's greatest Walkman PMP, what would you say?
How would you change the Motorola Droid 4?
Verizon's first Android flagship reveled in its brutal design and geeky touches, but times have changed. The Motorola Droid 4 has shed the neckbeard, put on a suit and is now aimed at the niche enterprise set. When we reviewed it, we wondered if times hadn't changed, with the Nexus phones usurped the Droids at the pinnacle of the Android ecosystem. The phone itself isn't bad, apart from that weak PenTile display, but does it really need to exist nowadays? Share your thoughts and feelings about how you could improve it in the comments below.
