HWYC

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  • How would you change Sony's Xperia ZL?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    06.29.2014

    At first blush, you'd be forgiven for asking what Sony's Xperia ZL was for, given that it was the less fancy version of the Z. The dowdy sibling turned out to be a lot better than expected, however, with nicer ergonomics, even at the expense of the waterproofing. Unfortunately, by the time the ZL was announced, the HTC One (M7) and Galaxy S4 had arrived onto the scene. So, let's pick apart the ZL and ask: was it a case of bad timing, or did Sony simply not do enough to warrant equal billing with its rivals? Head on over to our forum and share your thoughts.

  • How would you change the OUYA (founding backer edition)?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    06.22.2014

    OUYA was one of Kickstarter's biggest success stories, and in a way, we all felt a little chunk of pride. After all, this was a console that the community had created, which would topple Sony and Microsoft's duopoly at the top of the gaming market, all for just $100. The higher the promises, and our expectations rose, however, the further they had to fall. When our Tim Stevens reviewed the first edition of the hardware, he found that the controller and UI fell far short of what was expected. The game library was nothing to be excited about, and the company is now offering its games store on other platforms -- somewhat negating the point of the console in the first place. So, our question to all of you is this: had you been sat in those initial meetings with Julie Uhrman and Yves Behar, what would you have told them to do differently?

  • How would you change the Roku 3?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    06.15.2014

    When we're recommending media streamers, our first thought is always toward the Roku 3. After all, it's got the best features of the Roku 1 and 2, a motion gaming remote and, slightly belatedly, now even supports YouTube. Our question, if you choose to accept it, is what you'd want Roku to add for a (theoretical) Roku 4? For our part, we'd love to see native live TV support, so we wouldn't have to switch between that and the Chromecast during the World Cup. Got a better idea? Come to the forum and share it.

  • How would you change Intel's Next Unit of Computing?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    06.08.2014

    What is Intel's Next Unit of Computing? It's far too bulky to be an Intel-hewn alternative to the Raspberry Pi or Arduino, nor is it powerful enough to be designed to replace a low-powered desktop. Sitting awkwardly between the two, we imagine that plenty of you bought one of these for curiosity's sake, but have you used it? What projects did it fit into, and how easy was it to use? Share your experiences of this over at our forums, you never know, some Intel engineers might even be listening.

  • How would you change the HTC One (M7)?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    06.01.2014

    Wouldn't it have been great if we'd covered last year's HTC One just before the replacement arrived? Clearly. Since the calendar didn't work out like that, however, let's instead take this moment to commence a post-mortem on one of the most critically acclaimed handsets of 2013. Garnering a 92 point Engadget store, a fantastic low-light camera and that amazing body, let's face it -- everyone was envious of this hardware. But has your experience been as flawless as that of our reviewer? Join the forums and share your feelings on the subject.

  • How would you change the Chromebook Pixel?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    05.25.2014

    What's the point of a halo device? After all, it's designed to grab headlines and eyeballs more than it is a device that'll be used by consumers. We put Google's $1,500 (yup) Chromebook Pixel through its paces and found that its limited functionality couldn't justify the ridiculous price, even if it was beautifully made and gorgeous. But what about you? We're faintly sure that someone out there bought one of these things, possibly as a museum piece, so why not tell us just how much you liked or hated the experience? Dive on in to Engadget's product forums and talk us some Chromebook.

  • How would you change Sony's Xperia Z?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    05.18.2014

    Sony's been trying to reinvent itself, and in doing so, is hoping that we can put these turbulent last few years behind us. Nowhere is this more evident than in the company's smartphones, like the Xperia Z. The Z was the first "omnibalance" phone, and the first not to be associated with the company's former partnership with Ericsson. It brought along a 1080p display, water resistance and, surprisingly for a phone significantly more expensive than a Nexus 4, pretty crappy battery life. That fact alone was enough for it to register a measly 80 score from our reviewer, but did you agree with them? This is How Would You Change, where you're encouraged to leap onto our forums and talk us some smartphone.

  • How would you change Lenovo's ThinkPad Tablet 2?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    05.11.2014

    When it comes to Windows laptops, Lenovo has the knack of making some of the best. It's a talent that the company has put to good use in its tablet and hybrid devices, like the ThinkPad Tablet 2. When we reviewed it, we'd have handed it an editor's choice -- if we did that sort of thing. Great battery life, fantastic keyboard dock, a great pen and wide viewing angles, what more could you want? Admittedly, the Bluetooth was a bit wonky, Pen support too, and the USB port didn't support external drives, but was that enough to turn you away? This is How Would You Change, where we ask people to... well, clue's in the name, really.

  • How would you change Nokia's Lumia 620?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    05.04.2014

    When Nokia launched the Lumia 620, it looked as if the company had perfected the formula for what an entry-level smartphone should be. The hardware and performance was great despite the slow internals, Windows Phone 8 worked well and it was priced to move. A year later and the Moto G may have supplanted this as your go-to budget device, but we want to know your feeling on what the last 12 months with the 620 has been like. What do you love, what do you hate, and what would you change?

  • How would you change Samsung's ATIV Tab?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    04.27.2014

    I don't normally discuss products that I've reviewed on How Would You Change, but I'm making an exception for Samsung's ATIV Tab. The Korean company pondered the merits of launching the device right up to its debut, and swiftly axed any US expansion before it could get off the ground. As one of the first Windows RT devices, it came with a hobbled operating system, but the hardware was staggeringly good. Unfortunately, it's rare that anyone actually splashed out on this unit, but I'm still asking anyone who owned one of these units to chip in. Come to the forum and share your experiences of using the ATIV Tab. What did you like, what did you hate and what would you have changed?

  • How would you change Blackberry's Z10?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    04.20.2014

    With the advent of touchscreen smartphones, BlackBerry lost its position as king of the mobile world. In response, the company bought QNX and hibernated, plotting a reinvention centered around BlackBerry 10. When the business emerged with the Z10, everyone knew that this was the device that the company's future relied upon -- and we know how that ended up. When we reviewed it, we found that every element of the hardware was solid, adequate and pleasing. Unfortunately for BlackBerry, nothing stood out as being better compared to the devices that launched in its stead, nullifying any attention the handset's big launch had garnered. It's been just over a year since the Z10 launched, so we thought we'd ask all of you what it's been like living with this device. Hop over to the forums and let's chat some BlackBerry.

  • How would you change the Pebble?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    04.13.2014

    Talk about Kickstarter and, inevitably, Pebble will come up. The smartwatch received over $10 million in funding, and was one of the biggest success stories to come from the site. What's interesting, however, is that the minimalist aesthetic carries over into the feature set -- offering nothing more than the odd notification and music control, and yet nailing it totally. The aim of this discussion, however, is to ask what you think and feel about the unit now that it's been strapped to your wrist for the better part of a year? So why not head over to the forum and share your experiences.

  • How would you change Nintendo's Wii U?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    04.06.2014

    The Wii was, undoubtedly, the success story of the previous console generation, encouraging millions of novice gamers to wave their arms around like a crazy person. The Wii U's big gimmick, touchscreen gaming, made plenty of sense, considering the quantity of mobile and DS users out there, but it never seemed to take off in the same way. Launching well ahead of the Xbone and PS4, the general opinion of our reviewer was that it simply wasn't ready for the big time, and sales seem to have backed that up. A year has passed now, so it's high time that we asked you what Nintendo should have done differently? Sign up at the forums and talk us some change.

  • How would you change the Nexus 10?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    03.30.2014

    It's a 10.1-inch tablet with a 2,560 x 1,600 display, and that's all we need to know. Google's Nexus 10 may have been the Galaxy Tab that everyone wanted, but what did our reviewer think of it? Sadly, strapping a laptop-class display onto a tablet doomed the device's battery life, making it last around three hours less than its closest rivals. Did that deter you from buying one? We doubt it, so why not share your feelings about this product over on our forum?

  • How would you change's Sony's NEX-5R?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    03.23.2014

    Most camera geeks agree that Sony needed to make up for the NEX-F3, and that it did so with style by producing the NEX-5R. When we placed this in the hands of our in-house camera guru, he was "thrilled." In fact, he described it as one of the best compact ILCs of 2012-2013, and that people should keep it in their mind the next time it came time to buy a camera. The question that needs to be asked, however, is did our man Honig get it right? If you're a shutterbug who put one of these through its paces, then share with us your impressions and feelings over on the forum.

  • How would you change the original Surface?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    03.16.2014

    At the tail-end of 2012, Microsoft launched the Surface with Windows RT, a gorgeous, homegrown tablet that was meant to be a productivity-focused alternative to the iPad and Android tablets. Unfortunately, the device didn't sell anywhere near as many as then-CEO Steve Ballmer had predicted, which some believe is what caused him to lose his job. However, the Surface has lingered around, and we're sure many of you bought one when the price was cut. The question for you all to answer now is: what about it would you change? Tell us all, over on the forum.

  • How would you change HTC's 8X?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    03.09.2014

    It seems like forever ago that HTC was making Windows Phone devices, but it's not even been a year. HTC's 8X earned plenty of praise for the fantastic performance, build and battery life - not to mention the display and camera. The downside, of course, was Windows Phone 8, which, at the time, was still too young to hit the spot for our tame phone reviewers. But what about you? We guess that plenty of you would have picked up this phone, so share with us your experiences and what, if anything, you would have changed.

  • How would you change the Galaxy Note II?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    03.02.2014

    In just three years, the Galaxy Note has grown from a niche device to a must-have, which is almost as eagerly anticipated as Samsung's Galaxy S flagships. When we placed the Galaxy Note II in the hands of our tame phone driver, they had nothing but praise for the handset. Oh, except for its sky-high price, that is. But what of you, we ask? What particular things did you love or loathe about this particular slab of glass and plastic? Share your experiences on the forum.

  • How would you change Motorola's RAZR i?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    02.22.2014

    Here's how it is: Intel is king of the PC hill, but in smartphones and tablets, you're more likely to be using an ARM chip. For a tech behemoth to be beaten by a tiny firm in Cambridge is unacceptable, so Intel started cranking out mobile chips to redress the balance. For the Droid RAZR i, Motorola scooped out the guts of the RAZR M in favor of Intel's Medfield chip and an "Intel Inside" sticker on the back. When we reviewed it, we found that it was fine at meeting similar mid-range devices head on, but that was about it. But what about you, gentle readers? What did you think? Why not head over to the forum and share your experiences with this device.

  • How would you change Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite (2012)?

    by 
    Daniel Cooper
    Daniel Cooper
    02.16.2014

    Gone are the days when, if you wanted to read a book in bed, you'd need to take a torch with you. Nowadays, as long as you've got a Kindle Paperwhite, the books will happily illuminate themselves. The device's even front-lighting and engineering outshone the rival Nook, even if it had a slender 2GB of on-board storage and wasn't as comfortable in the hand. But if you've been toting one of these around for the last year, why not tell your friends and colleagues what it's been like? Head on over to our forum and begin the discussion.