Firstly, this is not supposed to be a extensive review, this is just a editorial containing my personal comments and opinion. So this is the Windows Phone that I have been sent to try out. It’s the HTC8X and I have to say that in terms of design it’s beautiful however when it comes to functionality this is where I start to see some issues.

Talking about the design first of all, if you can see just how thin, slim the phone is. It feels good to hold in the hands and it has a plastic/rubber feel to it, I’m not too sure what the definition of the casing is but it feels good in the hands. It’s somewhat larger than the iPhone however that is not a issue, in fact its very much works in favour of that phone. It has a eight megapixel camera on the back and there are a series of buttons such as volume up and down keys however they are very flush and you do have difficulty in pressing the buttons.

In terms of display, the screen it is beautiful, it’s the only word to describe it. In fact Windows 8 is a beautifully designed and refreshing operating system. iOS looks somewhat stale compared to Windows Phone 8 and as I have mentioned previously I hope Apple learns from what Microsoft has done. Then menus, fonts, colours are just superb. I was blown away by the operating system. In terms of functionality there is a lot I can achieve however there are some significant downfalls. Dictation is something I use a great deal especially on my iPhone and iPad, Windows Phones dictation is somewhat daggy and it takes some getting used to and does not recognise half of the words that I have spoken. This is a major problem for me and is one of the reasons why I cannot use Windows Phone as my primary operating system. Also text abbreviations are missing, this is standard on the iPhone, especially useful for frequent text which expands abbreviated terms that I use on a frequent basis for blogging, for example. However there is a lack of text abbreviations on Windows Phone, another reason why I am unable to use this as my primary phone.

The camera is sufficient at best. The pictures are adequate, however I think my iPhone takes better photographs. Very much more impressed with the quality on my iPhone and indeed on my iPad. However taking a photograph is fast and effortless and I can share the picture quite easily Using email and various social network feeds.

These are just some of the issues and opinions of using the Windows Phone. I will comment throughout the week other expenses. I have tried my best to like the phone, I think that design is awesome, how about functionality wise it’s just not working for me. My views may change as the week goes Bye.

I hope Microsoft continues to develop Windows Phone operating system because I think, given time, this will definitely be a contender for the iPhone, certainly I hope dictation and text abbreviations are both improved and built in.

As always I’m dictating this editorial on my iPad.

You know, the iPhone is a traveller’s dream. There are some fantastic uses that I can get from the iPhone. I often frequent various countries and with that in mind my iPhone comes in real handy. Take the planning, I will either book flights on my iPad or iPhone. Automatically confirmation of my flights are emails to my mobile device and I keep them and they using dropbox. I also use Siri to update me on weather conditions and also sunset and sunrise times. In addition I use the awesome tripboss app which helps me with both my itinerary and costs prior to my travels. On the flight I use my iPhone to listen to music and watch movies or anything else of entertainment on my iPad. I also use apps to update me on the status of the flights, very useful for informing me whether flights are on time, delayed or at worst postponed.

Once I reach my final destination my iPhone will keep me monitored on weather conditions, update me on my emails and naturally I can update Facebook and twitter accordingly. It’s also great for when I’m on the beach and I can listen to my music collection And of course make calls. The battery on my iPhone five is reasonable so I’m not needing a charger all that time, however with previous iPhones I’ve always taken a third party charger with me.

These are just a a few examples of how my iPhone helps me in my travels and as I mentioned also my iPad.

I’ve been reading and hearing a lot about the new game Hundreds and imore have done a great review. “Hundreds is a new puzzle game by Semi Secret Software where the goal is to make enough of the circles in each level to grow to at least 100 points total between them. But here’s the catch, when a circle is growing, it becomes very volatile and cannot make contact with anything while being grown. If a collision occurs, it’s game over.”Read in full

More talk on the iPhone Mini. “According to Strategy Analytics, Apple may respond by launching a smaller and cheaper smartphone - the iPhone Mini. However, it is not expected to be available before 2014. We expect Samsung to slightly extend its lead over Apple this year because of its larger multi-tier product portfolio,” Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston said.” Read in full

Great iOS 14 concept, if it’s true it would be interesting to see how this develops and what iPhones would be included. But it does look fresh and contemporary, clearly you’ll be able to do even more with your iPhone. Very user friendly. More details.

Photograph taken using my iPhone X.

I’ve not done a PalmAddict post for a little while and considering the site is over 20 years old I thought let’s upload some posts, especially as I’m coming across some interesting aspects of mobile computing. Anything I personally find interesting I’ll post. Any apps I find interesting, again I’ll upload, press releases I find relevant, yes I’ll post. Let’s see whete this goes. In the meantime, have a good Sunday.

One of my favourite apps is Evernote, maybe I shouldn’t say it but it houses a lot of my personal data from all important passwords to important documents. I pay a subscription so I can access it offline. I also upload receipts that I need to submit or indeed important letters that are either personal or hold importance. I also use Evernote for news snippets or articles that I see online that I wish to retain for future reference. It took me a while to take advantage of Evernote but I have to say that it’s become one of my most frequently used apps. More details on Evernote is here.

I still love the camera on my iPhone X and it takes awesome photographs. This picture taken with my iPhone X on a trip this week.