"The Verge" is Biased towards Apple, a Lesson for Reviewing and Comparisons

Reviewing technology is a very difficult task, along with reviewing anything else. I, for one, know how difficult it is to actually write reviews that are actually good reviews(taking a look back at my older posts and reading them, I actually did feel quite stupid.). Often times when reviewing stuff you will have to compare them. You will have to record every important detail and even the smallest ones that don't seem to matter. You must use ALL of this information to write and create a good review and comparison. There is no way around this.

So what happens when you DO shortcut around this? Meet The Verge.

The Verge is a technology news network where they review and compare everything tech related, as well as deliver news articles about real-life stuff happening in the world, as well as discussions about science, arts, cultures and various other things.

But one thing about the way they review and compare tech, one that really irks some people a lot, is when they compare Apple's products to other companies' products.
They are biased towards Apple, and all of their products.

Let's take a look at one of their comparisons...

Right off the bat, you can see that they are favouring the iPhone 6 plus more than the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in terms of how the size affects the feel in your hand. However what you can also see is that the iPhone 6 Plus is the same size, if not bigger than, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

Something doesn't look right, and this is a term called "bias."

Bias is defined as "prejudice in favor for, or against, a thing, person, or group, usually in a way that is considered unfair."

It's basically when you make a review or informative speech about one company's product compared to another company's product, but you repeatedly state that company A's is better than B's, to a point where it feels like it's not even truly considering what the other company's product specs are.

And when making reviews, you have to be careful that you don't look biased towards something, because that can land you in big trouble, with reputation, and if you are running a big network, like CNET and their bias accusations towards Microsoft, it can actually prevent you from doing some tasks like choosing the "Best of CES 2013" in CNET's case.

But back to The Verge. So while they are praising Apple like they're their god, many Android users are in an uproar due to their constant ignorance to some popular Android phones.

This didn't go unanswered though, as Vlad Savov made an article about his bias towards Apple... and that's why you should trust him?!?

As if the title didn't aggravate me enough, the second paragraph had definitely got me considered that he had no idea what he was talking about. I'll put a pic of it to show you what I mean.

So off the bat, he admits he makes biased decisions. But he tries to explain why he makes biased decisions. While some people may just take offense and rant about how he admits he's biased, I got angry because he a) doesn't know what bias actually means, and b) he uses parts of facts about bias that actually explains why people .

First off , he explains how "this is the whole point." Sir, the "whole point" of reviewing, comparing tech and eventually picking "the best phone in the market today" is about taking data like specs and features, putting it into consideration and choosing a phone BASED ON WHAT MOST OTHER PEOPLE WOULD LIKE ABOUT THE PHONE, NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT THE PHONE.

Because of this, The Verge was often considered biased towards Apple, because they fail to see things about stuff they're reviewing in the eyes of other people. Sure, they have different people working as different reviewers, but they all seem to lean towards all of Apple's products.

But one of the things that make Vlad's article seem bad was that he had confused the definitions of "bias" and "preference."

Preference means to like something over others. Compared to Bias, "prejudice in favor for, or against, a thing, person, or group, usually in a way that is considered unfair", there is a very big difference, especially in the way people would talk if they were preferring something, or biased towards something.

Let me give you an example if I were to prefer something or to be biased towards something, in this case, the iPhone 6 Plus.

PREFER: ...The quality of the iPhone 6 Plus definitely takes a step forward in some cases, as it's really light, really thin, and brings back rounded edges to give a better feel in the hand. Of course, this also makes it a bit hard to hold considering rounded metal edges would allow for a greater chance of the phone slipping out of your hand and dropping it, plus the reduced mass in your hand, and I definitely would have preferred a chamfered edge better, but those who really need a lightweight phone with a low profile could work with it. The thin aluminum case also gives way to the phone bending, but assuming you don't try to do origami with it, and you update to the next version of iOS 8 and it's new features, it should be one of the best phones to try.

BIASED: ...The iPhone 6 Plus is an amazing phone/tablet hybrid, and completely blows the others out of the way. The new light sleek design allows for greater comfort in your hand, and compared to other Phablets out there, this one isn't as awkward to hold in one hand. The new OS is definitely an improvement, giving it tons and tons of new features that would give Android a run for it's money. The iPhone 6 Plus is definitely one of the best phones to buy.

You can see a bit of a difference, as the first paragraph clearly outlines the good and bad of the phone, pointing out things that some people like and things some people don't like. It also warns you about the bending flaw, and the next update of iOS 8 since the current one has bugs, and stating it's "one of the best phones to try", as opposed to "one of the best phones to buy".

The Biased paragraph continuously states that it's the better phone, even though it's missing a lot of information, as well as views of the phone in some people's eyes. It completely missed the fact that Android actually had most of the "new" features that iOS 8 has, plus it states that "it's one of the best phones to buy", leading to people actually buying the phone without trying it first.

Now that I've given you some examples, let me point out the rest of the flaws in Vlad's article, and if you did not get anything from my examples, hopefully you'll see the problems I'm going to point out.

"To prefer cyan over hot pink is a bias" No, it's not. It's a preference. To prefer cyan over hot pink because you just like cyan better is a preference. To prefer cyan over hot pink because you're a guy, and you are more attracted to blue stuff like cyan is a bias.

"Do you like the feel of soft-touch plastic better than aluminum, rounded corners better than chamfered edges, or stock Android better than it's skinned cousins? All these are forms of prejudice"

No, these are not forms of prejudice. These are, again, preferences, and are not biased. And prejudice means that these are opinions based on little to no actual experience or reason, basically like saying "I like iOS better because I've never tried any other phone other than iPhones, so I think other OS's like Android and Windows Phone are stupid compared to iOS." That's biased prejudice, because you've never tried any other OS, and automatically assume that other phones are stupid even though you've never tried them before.

"Your hands can be a source of bias, too! The only way to judge the size and comfort of the latest phone is by reference to your own dimensions; thus, someone like Shaquille O’Neal might describe a 5.5-inch phone as small while I deride it as being too large."

This is where pointing out information that some people may like is a must in reviews. Even though you may have small hands and can't reach all of the phone's screen does not mean you have to say it's too large for anyone to handle. That is biased because you assumed it's too large for anyone to hold/handle because you can't hold/handle it properly. If you had said that "it's too large for me to handle it, however it may not be a problem for those with large hands", it's not bias, and it informs people of the large phone size as well.

And "reference to your own dimensions" isn't the only way to judge the size and comfort of a phone. You can very simply hold a stand near a busy place asking people a bit of their time to hold a phone, ask them if it is comfortable or not, and record the data.

And one more paragraph to sum it all up:

First, we don't want you to complain about it's bad parts. We want you to STATE bad parts to know WHAT PARTS WE DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE PHONE, helping us decide if we want to buy it or not. We also want you to STATE good parts about the phone, so we know WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT THE PHONE, for the same reason.

Second, by applying your biased opinions, you make yourself, your brand, your overall reputation decrease as you constantly prove you are unworthy of writing good reviews. As your comments flood with hate, don't ya think you should try and make things better?!?

Third, you can't just "feed the thing to a machine for it to determine a numerical score." In the end, the quality of a phone is based on the consumer, but a reviewer's job is to outline the specs that people will like, outline the specs that people won't like, give your opinion, and what people would think of it too. THEN it's job done.

Anyways, long post aside, I hope you've learned a thing or two, share this to others to let them know about The Verge(or as some people call them, iVerge), and if some people you know actually listen to what The Verge says about Apple's products, share this to them so they can think twice before buying a new iPhone or giving other phones a shot.

--GameKiller

iPhone 6 Reports of bending, "Wave", and update withdrawals

So if you're into Apple's products, you should have heard about iOS 8, the new iPhones, and most of the "revolutionary" changes to iOS. As a new Android user, I had no reason to buy the new iPhone, but now it seems like I have even more reason not to.(Sorry, Apple fans.)

One of the big reasons why the new iPhone won't have a spot in my pocket is because it will permanently bend if I do. Literally.

The image above is Unbox Therapy's Lewis Hilsenteger bending his brand-new iPhone 6 with his bare hands.

Reports of iPhone 6's bending in people's pockets absolutely flooded the internet, giving birth to the new #Bendgate. As a result, Lewis decided to try bending his iPhone 6 with his hands, and ended up warping his phone. As an attempt to try and bend the phone back, he ended up cracking the screen, which doesn't use Apple's new Sapphire display.

Of course, people don't usually try to fold their phone in half, but even just putting your phone into your pocket, nevertheless putting it into your back pocket(a bad idea in general), can warp the screen by just a bit. Even when the difference is small, the phone's tendency to bend just gets worse with use.

The big reason why this happens is because to cut down on weight and size, they had to reduce the actual metal case with a thin sheet of aluminum. This gives way to a very malleable phone, and ultimately, a bent one.

Although this isn't my second reason why I'm not buying the iPhone 6, this is a bit that I definitely did not want to pass up.

A hoax ad for an iOS exclusive called "Wave".

So users on various websites have spread this hoax about microwaving your iPhone updated with iOS 8. By upgrading to the latest iOS version, you can charge your phone using a household microwave oven.

...Guys, what were you thinking?! I get it, it sounds pretty cool, but looking back did you have ANY COMMON SENSE TO THINK THAT PUTTING AN ELECTRICAL DEVICE INTO A BOX FULL OF MICROWAVE RADIATION WOULD TOTALLY NOT COOK YOUR PHONE?!

This is why people go to school, guys...

And my third bit, which is probably why I won't buy a new iPhone is because the new iOS update CRIPPLES your phone.

For some reason, the new update will render your phone unable to make calls, and the Touch ID finger scanner will be glitched up and unusable.

Apple has stated that they will release an update as soon as they can, but did not reply to their complaints about their new phone bending...
But these glitches only seem to be mostly on the iPhone 6 and 6 plus, and is not confirmed if they are on other devices as well.

Overall, this makes the iPhone 6 probably one of the biggest disasters in phone history, probably reminiscent to Windows Vista's various bugs.

So have you ever had your iPhone 6 bend? Have you ever been tricked into nuking your phone? Share this to your friends and laugh as they weep over their freshly-roasted iPhone 6!

--TheGameKiller

Is the iPhone 6 worth it?

So I know I'm a bit late on this whole deal, and I know I'm posting this two days before the actual release of the phone, but I just want to talk a bit about this whole thing.

So another year passed, and Apple decided to release a new iPhone, as if that's not new. What is new is that they have redesigned the whole look, performance, and overall quality of the device, as well as slapped on a very troublesome price tag.

But what makes this phone such a big deal? Perhaps more than the other iPhones?
The truth is, that they used a lot of new stuff, with one or two small gimmicks. The first thing you've probably heard about the iPhone 6 is that it uses a new glass called Sapphire. While using Corning Gorilla Glass on the iPhone 5 was definitely a smart move, Apple decided to design a new glass called Sapphire. This glass was supposedly planned for use on the new iPhones, reports have stated that "Sapphire was never intended for use on the iPhone 6", and "hasn't even been decided for use on new phones yet." Even if you search for the specs, you would only see "shatter resistant".

Another few gimmicks were that they redesigned the whole look of the phone. They switched from a chamfered edge back to a more curved look, and moved the power button to the side for the first time, like a few of the Samsung Galaxy phones. I honestly don't know if was to draw attention, or to just give a fresh look, but whatever it was, they were definitely trying to do something with this new design.

One big gimmick was that the new iOS 8, which the phone already has pre-loaded. Many of you would look at the new software and think "hey! some of this stuff is actually pretty new and cool!" And for Apple fans, this will be true. For Android users however, this would've been cool. Two years ago.
Most of the new stuff that iOS 8 will deliver was actually already in most Android phones. Be able to read your own PDF files in your phone? You used Google Docs. Auto enhance your photos? You used Google Photos. Record video or send photos to friends? You used Hangouts, or Snapchat, or pretty much any messaging service. As iOS 8 rolls around, you start to realize that most Android users probably won't even need this software, or this phone in general.
Don't believe that this new software update has the exact same thing as Android two years ago? Check this out.

However, this only compares software, not hardware.
The new iPhone sports a much more powerful processor, and a much better camera that rivals any other phone out on the market right now.
Even the software itself runs amazingly fast on this, proved in iOS 7 on the iPhone 5s.

But ultimately, we have to come to a conclusion. And my conclusion is that this phone is great for those who are already using iPhones as their main phones.
This also explains why Apple diehards will be Apple diehards and keep saying that these phones are the best, although many Apple fans will just stick to iOS just because of it's simplicity.
Android users will almost always want to stick to Android because of its versatility, along with Google's versatility. On Android, you can customize whatever you wanted out of your phone's software, with home screens, to 3rd party keyboards, you could even rice your phone and customize your OS.
But Apple fans love iOS because it's simple, it's mostly user-friendly, and it's very easy to get the most out of your software, even though Apple dictates how the system will be run.

Anyways, thanks for checking this out. Share this with your friends to see if they would want to consider the iPhone, or give Android a try for themselves.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter @OTheGameKillerO!!

Mojang got bought by Microsoft? Microsoft's story

So, we all know what's up: Mojang got bought for $2.5 billion, Microsoft now owns Minecraft, and they have total control over what they want out of it. Is this the end for us all?

Probably not, and despite Microsoft's tragic mistakes in the past, I still think that they'll be able to pull this one through.

To explain Microsoft's reasoning behind this, I'll give you a lot bit of their history.

So Microsoft buys Mojang, and Minecraft for that matter, for the sole purpose of promoting their own products.
Think about it: most of Microsoft's profits are from the Xbox franchise. They specifically aim for the gamers, and more specifically, the young gamers. Since Minecraft is one of the, if not the most popular video game among young gamers. So Microsoft says "hey, we should totally have Minecraft on our console!" and that spawned the console editions for Minecraft.

But they didn't stop there. Even though they were gaining money from Minecraft: Xbox 360 edition, they wanted to appeal to the ones who are a bit older than the Minecraft kiddies. Teenagers, are obsessed with smartphone tech nowadays, they're on Instagram, they're on Twitter, they're on Facebook, every social media site out there(except the ones that are dead).

They had tried several times to appeal to the adolescent age, who are on their phones all the time, so back in May 2010, they released a phone, called the Microsoft Kin.
Do you know this phone? If you do, then you would know that this is the worst fail in all of phones, period. But it's actually sad to see that they had so much hype in on this, they had billions of dollars in research put into this, and went as far as to keep it secret from the public, calling this phone "Project Pink", repeatedly signing off all work discussions #TMDP for "Truly, Madly, Deeply, Pink". I guess this was to try to see if anyone would leak this to spice up interest for the phone?

Anyways, what they ended up selling was a complete disaster of a phone. First of all, these weren't designed to be smartphones. They were made for texting and social networking, and lacked many apps that most smartphones had like a calendar app. They didn't even had an app store, so what you got was what you got. To use your phone properly, you had to register it on the Kin Website, where you can also store pictures and stuff...? I don't know much, but this was a big fail it itself, because this site was mandatory to keep these phones running.

 Verizon stopped selling the phones for poor sales, versions of the phone got their price slashed down to almost free, and production stopped. The entire thing was scrapped, the website shut down, and the phones not only rendered obsolete, but unusable now. Looking back, you can sum it up as MS spending billions of dollars, only to find themselves FORTY EIGHT DAYS LATER to say "yep. Nevermind."

Which brings us back to 2014, where they now sell Nokia phones, with Windows Phone OS. To be honest, all of their gimmicky stuff, with Windows 8's design seemingly slapped onto every device they sell, plus Cortana, a competitor to Apple's Siri, who also is the AI from Halo.

However, this still isn't going to cut it. Compared to iOS and Android, these are nothing compared to the simplicity of an iPhone and the seemingly endless possibility of an Android phone.

And this brings us here, when Microsoft is deciding whether to buy Mojang *click or nah.

The truth is, Microsoft needs more consumers in the market, and buying Mojang will allow them to update Windows Phone with the game that everybody wants. This doesn't just promote their phone however, this also promotes their income.
If Minecraft continues to grow at a steady rate, Microsoft can use this as a gold mine. This game has grown as much as to create a lifestyle, multiple fanbases, wikis, clothing, and much more. And Microsoft can profit from this. Provided they don't screw something up.

Not only that, but this can also mean the start of Minecraft 2.0, a sequel to pretty much the same game... I don't know much, but it really seems like a copy of the same game with a two slapped on the end of the title.

But again, provided they don't screw things up, Minecraft will still be as good, just owned under a different name. Yes, this change is definitely scary to some people, and jokes can be made about Minecraft 2.0 like "the exact same items that look slightly different" and such.

The only thing I do hope Microsoft will do is to continue to support Mojang. They are the ones who are pretty much the founders and sole supporters of this game, and without them working on Minecraft, it feels like a part of it would leave, and never come back. Not only that, but Minecraft may lose the Mojang style that they had so deeply etched into this game.

Overall, I'm excited to see what will come out of this, and I will definitely keep you guys posted on this one.
Anyways, thanks for reading this, I know I still haven't been able to update a lot, I feel like I'm a makeover failure when it comes to doing YouTube videos and blogging more, but I'm going to try and do this more often, for your pleasure.
Be sure to drop a like and share this to your friends, so that they can see why this whole thing started.

--TheGameKiller