One thing we look for when reviewing phones and computers and pretty much anything with an operating system of any sort is how much extra… “stuff” the OS comes with from the manufacturer. You know… bloatware, those apps, add-ons and “skins” over the base OS that you don’t want, don’t need and now have to get rid of. Which can take up a lot of time.
Which is why we are happy to hear that Lenovo is ditching their own user interface on future smartphones, like the upcoming K8 Note phone, in favor of the plain old base Android OS as supplied by the folks as Google. Lenovo brass told Gadgets 360 that after hearing from users who didn’t like their “Vibe Pure UI,” they’re ash-canning it completely. That’s a pretty bold step, but one we respect. We just hope other device makers follow suit. Soon.
I Spotify with my Microsoft eye…
Seems like music streaming service Spotify is popping up everywhere these days, and now you can add one more device to the list of things that will allow you to rock out to your latest Discover Weekly playlist: The Microsoft Xbox One. Multiple sources are now saying the Spotify is coming to the popular game console once internal testing wraps up, although when that will happen exactly is not specified.
Spotify has made itself comfortable on several other gaming platforms already, including Sony’s PlayStation models, so this isn’t exactly unexpected. We’ll start gaming 24/7 and let you know when the app pops up for real…
A little more light might’ve helped
It’s Friday at long last and, also at long last, the long-simmering movie adaptation of Stephen Kings Dark Tower magnum opus arrives in theaters today, but sadly, the news is not good.
Early reviews are not kind and the all-knowing Tomato Meter on Rotten Tomatoes is currently trending in the teens, which does not bode well for a strong weekend at the box office. In case you haven’t read the books – yes, the eight books – the story focuses on an evil guy known as the Man in Black, who is being pursued by a Gunslinger (the good guy), in a sort of inter-dimensional world that is accessed by a young lad living in modern day America.
Originally, the movie adaptation was going work across several entries, like Lord of the Rings, but then someone had the bright idea to compress all those books into something just under two hours, which might leave some plot points… underserved. DT movie critic Phil Hornshaw got an early look at the film and has a complete review, so if you’re a giant King fan, hey, your evening is set. If not, well, here’s hoping the upcoming TV series does a better job of things.
We’ve got more news on our Facebook page and YouTube channel, and be sure to tune in to this week’s DT podcasts: Close to the Metal (computers and such) on Tuesday, Trends with Benefits (general tech shenanigans) on Thursdays, and Between the Streams (movie and TV topics) every Friday.
