Digital Media
Where Windows Phone has SkyDrive and the iPhone 4S has iCloud, Android handsets have Google+, which in mobile app form provides a handy way to automatically upload all phone-based photos to Google's cloud storage.
more When it comes to automatically pushing phone-based pictures to the cloud, no one has Apple beat: With the iPhone 4S and an iCloud feature called Photo Stream, Apple's users have a best of breed solution that just works, and does so automatically. It's not without quirks, however, so if you want to take best advantage of this solution, please read on.
more Here are the Audible books and Kindle eBooks I read and recommended on the Windows Weekly podcast this past year.
more Microsoft's smart phone platform is arguably the most innovative and usable of the lot. But when it comes to integrating with cloud services for digital photos, Windows Phone falls curiously short of the competition where it matters most.
more Now that smart phones have decent cameras, many people won't need to carry an additional gadget with them all the time. But we're also going to want to make sure those memories we record get properly archived, at home on Windows PCs, and in the cloud via connected services.
more Amazon Cloud Player, Apple iTunes Match, Google Music all offer interesting options for digital music enthusiasts, and all work well with Windows. Less obviously, perhaps, they can work together in interesting ways, too. I'm particularly intrigued by the notion of managing my music collection in the cloud rather than on a single PC desktop. And with these services, that's become more possible than ever before.
more Apple's new iCloud service is the most compelling and complete consumer oriented cloud computing service available today, offering deep integration between Apple's devices and the company's other products and services. iCloud is a no brainer for any iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad user, and that's true whether you're a Windows or Mac fan.
more This year, Apple skipped its September music event and instead discussed its iPod updates at an October event that also saw the launch of the iPhone 4S. From a hardware perspective, little has changed since last year. But two of the iPods, the touch and the nano, see significant software updates.
more As the basis for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, iOS is installed on hundreds of millions of devices, a platform that constitutes one of the single biggest competitors to Windows there is. So it should come as no surprise that iOS 5, the latest version of this software, is a compelling, evolutionary update that all iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users are going to want to download and install as soon as possible.
more I spent much of today writing a 4000 word analysis of yesterday's Apple iPhone 4S event. But I'm not going to publish it: There's just too much to complain about. Instead, let me just recap the highlights.
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