<ul><li><keyword id="11901183" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="samsung-galaxy-a52s-5g" source="Orion">Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G</keyword> is the company’s latest mid-range 5G smartphone.</li><li>It comes with the Snapdragon 778G processor, 64MP quad cameras, a Super AMOLED display and a 4,500mAh battery.</li><li>Here’s our detailed review on the Galaxy A52s 5G.</li></ul><keyword id="10591" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="samsung" source="Orion">Samsung</keyword> overhauled its midrange and budget smartphone segment with the revamped Galaxy A series and Galaxy M series. It currently offers multiple smartphones covering all different price segments giving consumers various choices which are also sometimes quite confusing. The Galaxy A smartphones differ from the Galaxy M phones with more focus on aesthetics. Samsung’s most recent launch in this series is the Galaxy A52s 5G, a midrange 5G smartphone. It’s an upgrade over the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/checkout-samsung-galaxy-a52-mobile-phone-review/articleshow/81756538.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Galaxy A52</a> that launched in India at the beginning of this year. The Galaxy A52s comes in the same design but with 5G, a faster processor and some upgrades under the hood. Samsung also offers the Galaxy A52s 5G at a much higher price of ₹35,999 for the base model. We used the Galaxy A52s 5G for a couple of weeks, and here’s what we think about this phone. Design, form factor The Galaxy A52s comes in a slim and light plastic body. I personally liked the form factor a lot as the phone is easy to use with one hand but it’s not too small or big at the same time. The phone is also more on the lighter side so it’s easy to carry around. We got the black colour model of the Galaxy A52s but if you want your phone to stand out more than you can go for the light violet, mint or white colours. It also has a matte-like finish at the back that tends to attract a lot of fingerprint smudges. <div type="image" title="samsung" msid="87814407" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The Galaxy A52s 5G features a 6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Display The Galaxy A52s 5G features a 6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display. It also has an Infinity-O notch cutout for the camera. Samsung phones usually offer one of the best displays even in the mid-range segment. The Galaxy A52s 5G has a really good display with colours looking bright and rich without being an overkill. The 120Hz refresh rate really adds to the overall display and smooth scrolling experience. If you switch to the 60Hz refresh rate you will feel a difference but it doesn’t really affect the overall experience. Cameras With the Galaxy A52s 5G you get a quad-camera setup featuring a 64-megapixel primary sensor, 12-megapixel ultra wide angle lens, a 5-megapixel macro lens, and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. We tried out the Galaxy A52s 5G’s cameras in different lighting scenarios and it unsurprisingly performed the best in daylight. It can nicely capture colours and also does a good job of keeping objects in focus. You’ll have to manually choose the 64-megapixel camera mode which produces better and more natural colours but prepare for a slower camera app. <div type="image" title="img (30)" msid="87814549" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Low-light camera sample.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Low-light photography on the Galaxy A52s 5G still needs a lot of work. There’s a lot of noise in photos captured in the evening and at night. It’s after post-processing that the photos turn out to look decent but don’t expect great results. <div type="image" title="img (31)" msid="87814562" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Macro mode camera sample.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> For selfies, it houses a 32-megapixel front camera. You’ll get good selfies with the Galaxy A52s 5G but the phone tends to still add that slight beautification even with no optimisation. The macro mode was also quite impressive in capturing details. The Galaxy A52s 5G also has many features to play around with like Single Take, built-in Snapchat filters, super slow motion video recording and AR doodles. Performance, battery life The Galaxy A52s 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G processor with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The phone’s performance is quite an upgrade over the Galaxy A52 as it ran smooth during regular usage as well as multitasking. You can easily shuffle through multiple apps with ease and not face any noticeable stutters or slowness. We also tried a few games like Among Us, and Genshin Impact. With graphics set to the highest, there are noticeable lags and stutters. But it can easily handle light games like Among Us. The phone does tend to heat up a little bit while gaming but it’s quite normal. <div type="image" title="img (33)" msid="87814597" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G has a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> In terms of battery life, the Galaxy A52s 5G will last you throughout the day even if you put in a few hours of streaming and some gaming. On regular usage, it can even go for a day and half. While it does support 25W fast charging, Samsung ships a 15W adapter with the Galaxy A52s 5G. With this charger, the phone takes almost two hours to fully charge. One thing to highlight about the Galaxy A52s 5G is the massive bloatware that the phone arrives with. In addition to the default Samsung apps and Google apps, there are many other pre-installed apps including Glance for the lockscreen. Setting up the phone is also not very smooth with too much intrusion from Samsung. Yes, these apps can be uninstalled but it can really spoil the user experience. Verdict The Galaxy A52s 5G offers a decent performance overall. But it faces stiff competition from smartphones that are priced around the same. Also, the Galaxy A52s 5G seems to overcut its price as you can get the same and even better performance from phones like the OnePlus Nord 2. If you’re looking for a phone worth your money then we wouldn't recommend the Galaxy A52s 5G. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-galaxy-s22-series-launch-date-specifications-and-everything-you-need-to-know/articleshow/87643657.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Samsung Galaxy S22 series: launch date, specifications and everything you need to know</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-galaxy-s21-fe-may-not-be-launched-in-india-despite-s20-fes-success/articleshow/87600837.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is expected to launch in January 2022</a>

Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G review — Too little for too much

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">ShutterstockYou can delete pages from a PDF on a Mac using Preview.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>You can easily delete pages from a PDF on your <a href="http://bestbuy.7tiv.net/c/196318/614286/10014?subId1=bitht_112119_delete-pages-from-pdf-mac&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fapple-macbook-pro-13-display-with-touch-bar-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-128gb-ssd-latest-model-space-gray%2F5998700.p%3FskuId%3D5998700" rel="nofollow">Mac</a> using the Preview app once you've downloaded or created the document. You can also add pages to a PDF in two ways. </li><li> A PDF can be a great file format because the content of the document is locked, making it ideally suited for documents that will be shared, such as resumes, reports, or presentations.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>PDFs are the best way to share documents that you want to ensure reach their intended audience, without accidental corruption or intended alteration. This is why PDFs are so popular for resumes, professional reports, pamphlets, and so many other files that feature text, graphics, or a blend of the two.A PDF can be opened on a <a href="http://bestbuy.7tiv.net/c/196318/614286/10014?subId1=bitht_112119_delete-pages-from-pdf-mac&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fapple-macbook-pro-13-display-with-touch-bar-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-128gb-ssd-latest-model-space-gray%2F5998700.p%3FskuId%3D5998700" rel="nofollow">Mac</a> or a <a href="http://bestbuy.7tiv.net/c/196318/614286/10014?subId1=bitht_112119_delete-pages-from-pdf-mac&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fmicrosoft-surface-pro-x-13-touch-screen-microsoft-sq1-8gb-memory-128gb-solid-state-drive-wifi-4g-lte-matte-black%2F6375623.p%3FskuId%3D6375623" rel="nofollow">PC</a> and will look just the same, another major benefit. But while the text and graphics remain the same as when a PDF was created, PDFs are not entirely static documents. There are myriad features you can use to enhance them, like added text boxes, signatures, and doodles, and you can also always delete pages or add new ones.To delete a page from a PDF on your <a href="http://bestbuy.7tiv.net/c/196318/614286/10014?subId1=bitht_112119_delete-pages-from-pdf-mac&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fapple-macbook-pro-13-display-with-touch-bar-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-128gb-ssd-latest-model-space-gray%2F5998700.p%3FskuId%3D5998700" rel="nofollow">Mac</a>, use the Preview app.<h3>Check out the products mentioned in this post:</h3><h4><a href="http://bestbuy.7tiv.net/c/196318/614286/10014?subId1=bitht_112119_delete-pages-from-pdf-mac&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fapple-macbook-pro-13-display-with-touch-bar-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-128gb-ssd-latest-model-space-gray%2F5998700.p%3FskuId%3D5998700" rel="nofollow nofollow nofollow nofollow nofollow nofollow nofollow nofollow nofollow nofollow nofollow nofollow">MacBook Pro (From $1,299.99 at Best Buy)</a></h4><h4><a href="http://bestbuy.7tiv.net/c/196318/614286/10014?subId1=bitht_112119_delete-pages-from-pdf-mac&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fmicrosoft-surface-pro-x-13-touch-screen-microsoft-sq1-8gb-memory-128gb-solid-state-drive-wifi-4g-lte-matte-black%2F6375623.p%3FskuId%3D6375623" rel="nofollow nofollow nofollow nofollow nofollow nofollow nofollow nofollow">Microsoft Surface Pro X (From $999 at Best Buy)</a></h4><h2>How to delete pages from a PDF on a <a href="http://bestbuy.7tiv.net/c/196318/614286/10014?subId1=bitht_112119_delete-pages-from-pdf-mac&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fapple-macbook-pro-13-display-with-touch-bar-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-128gb-ssd-latest-model-space-gray%2F5998700.p%3FskuId%3D5998700" rel="nofollow">Mac</a></h2>1. Open the PDF document on your Mac computer using Preview.2. Click on the page to be deleted in the left-hand sidebar, then click on the "Edit" tab in the top menu bar, and then click "Delete." If you initially don't see the sidebar in Preview, click the window icon in the upper-right corner of the screen below the red, yellow, and green buttons, and click "Thumbnails."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Steven John/Business Insider" title_caption="Click the window icon in the upper-right corner if your sidebar doesn't appear." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dd5c367fd9db27655609dbb-960/deletepdf2.jpg"></a>Steven John/Business InsiderClick the window icon in the upper-right corner if your sidebar doesn't appear.</div></div></div>3. You can also click on the page you want to delete and then just hit the "delete" key on your keyboard.If you want to add pages to your PDF, there are two ways to do it. <h2>How to add pages to a PDF on a Mac</h2>1. To add a blank page to your PDF, open it in Preview.2. Then, click "Edit" in the top toolbar.3. Then, hover over "Insert" and select "Blank Page." This will add a blank page that you can later add various media to as wanted.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Steven John/Business Insider" title_caption="The inserted pages will go after the page selected on the left-hand column." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dd5c329fd9db276ea4176b7-960/deletepdf3.jpg"></a>Steven John/Business InsiderThe inserted pages will go after the page selected on the left-hand column.</div></div></div>4. To add a page or pages from another PDF, click "Edit" and then hover over "Insert" and select "Page from File…"<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Steven John/Business Insider" title_caption="Click " Page="" from="" File="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dd5c38cfd9db279736c7ff9-960/deletepdf4.jpg"></a>Steven John/Business InsiderClick "Page from File…"</div></div></div>5. Now find the PDF you want to add a page from in the Finder window that pops up and click the blue "Open" button. However, note that this will add all pages of that PDF to your document, so it might be time to put your new PDF page deleting skills to work.<h2>Related coverage from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/tech-how-to">How To Do Everything: Tech</a>:</h2><ul><li><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-turn-off-autocorrect-on-mac">How to turn off autocorrect on your Mac computer in 4 steps</a></h3></li><li><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-delete-paypal-account">How to delete your PayPal account on your Mac or PC</a></h3></li><li><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-sync-notes-from-iphone-to-mac">How to sync Notes from an iPhone to a Mac through iCloud, so your notes are always up-to-date</a></h3></li><li><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-download-steam">How to download Steam on your PC or Mac, and gain access to the internet's largest collection of games</a></h3></li><li><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-google-authenticator">'What is Google Authenticator?': How to set up Google's two-step verification software to secure all of your Google apps</a></h3></li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/bi-intelligence-daily?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_subscription&amp;itm_content=apple&amp;itm_campaign=bi-intelligence-daily"></a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/safest-walk-ice-penguin-2017-2">The safest way to walk on ice is to impersonate a penguin</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

How to delete pages from a PDF on your Mac computer, or add pages in 2 ways

One of the great things about Android is the vast number of apps and games available for download. There are millions of free apps spread across categories. While many apps may just be alternatives of a popular app, there are enough quality apps that cater to the needs of most people. The Android world is diverse when it comes to both hardware and software. While this brings in options, it can also cause problems for app developers who have to code their apps to run on several different combinations of hardware as well as software. As a result, apps can sometimes end up <keyword id="8345628" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="crashing-on-android" source="Orion">crashing on Android</keyword>, more so when compared to iOS. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Why do apps freeze or crash?" comment="subhead" text="Why do apps freeze or crash?">Why do apps freeze or crash?</cmsannotation> There can be multiple reasons why apps to freeze or crash, especially when you consider the wide range of chipsets, screen resolutions, custom skins on Android smartphones. One reason could be low memory or a weak chipset. Apps can also crash if they are not coded properly. Sometimes the reason could also be the custom skin on your Android phone. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How to fix apps that keep crashing on Android" comment="subhead" text="How to fix apps that keep crashing on Android">How to fix apps that keep crashing on Android</cmsannotation>? There can be multiple ways in which you can fix an app that keeps crashing on your Android smartphone. 1. Force stop the app The easiest way to fix an app that keeps crashing on your Android smartphone is to simply force stop it and open it again. To do this, go to Settings -&gt; Apps and select the app that keeps crashing. Tap on the app’s name and then tap on ‘Force stop’. Now try opening the app again and see if it works well. 2. Restart the device Another way to fix apps crashing on your phone is to simply restart the device. Restarting the device will kill and then restart the processes that are run by the system as well as other apps. Apart from this, it also clears the memory when you restart the device, which can helps. To restart the device, press and hold the power button. Now tap on restart. Some phones may not have the restart option, in which case you will have to power it off and switch it on and restart the phone manually. 3. Clear app data If the first two steps don’t help, you can try clearing the app data. Go to Settings -&gt; Apps and select the app and tap on ‘Clear data’ or ‘Clear storage’. This will delete all the data saved in the app and you will have to set it up once again. This method generally works for most apps. 4. Reinstall the app If clearing the app data does not help, you can try to reinstall the app. Simply uninstall the app and download it from the Play Store again. 5. Check app permissions Newer versions of Android allow you to deny permissions requested by apps. While apps should ideally work even when you deny permissions, some badly coded apps can simply refuse to run if you don’t grant them all the requested permissions. While we recommend you find alternatives to such apps, sometimes it may not be possible. In such cases, you will have to check app permissions and grant the ones requested by the app. Go to Settings -&gt; Apps and select the app. Now tap on ‘Permissions’ and grant the ones you had denied earlier. 6. Keep your apps updated App developers keep pushing out updates to their apps. These updates contain bug fixes which should solve <keyword id="8345630" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="app-crashing" source="Orion">app crashing</keyword> issues as well. As such, it is recommended to keep your apps updated. 7. Clear cache Android apps can build up large caches based on usage. While Android is designed to manage this on its own, sometimes clear cached data could drastically improve the performance of your phone as well as apps. To clear app cache, go to Settings -&gt; Storage and tap on ‘Cached data’. Tap on okay when the dialog box pops up. 8. Free up storage space Apps can sometimes crash when the storage space is not adequate. You will have to clear up your storage space by deleting unwanted apps and files. Go to Settings -&gt; Apps to uninstall unwanted apps and games. 9. Factory reset When nothing works, you can try resetting your device to see if it helps. Go to Settings -&gt; About phone and tap on ‘Backup and Reset’. This will delete all the data on your device, so make sure you have a backup before you proceed further. See Also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/how-to/how-to-play-cricket-on-google/articleshow/75425726.cms">How to play doodle cricket on Google</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/how-to-recover-deleted-google-activity-on-android/articleshow/71289926.cms">How to recover deleted google activity on android</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/how-to-check-laptop-configuration/articleshow/69914646.cms">How to check your Laptop model and configuration</a>

Why do my apps keep crashing on Android, How to fix it

Victims of the Uvalde, Texas, elementary-school shooting include 19 children and 2 teachers who died trying to protect their students

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image">AP Photo/ddp/Clemens Bilan,FilePaul the octopus fishes shells out of basins that stand for Ghana, left and Germany right in June 2010.</div></div>A psychic cephalopod named Paul gained international fame during the 2010 World Cup when he accurately predicted the outcomes of all six of Germany's matches.
Paul, who resided at the Sea Life Aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany, chose his teams by placing food into or retrieving it from one of two glass cases, labeled with the teams' logos, which keepers lowered into his tank. Paul nailed every aspect of Germany's performance in South Africa, including a shocking win against Serbia, according to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/jul/09/psychic-octopus-paul-picks-spain">The Guardian</a>. 
Technically, Paul's divination started during the Euro 2008 tournament, but his performance during the last World Cup made him a household name. In fact, some Argentines, so upset over his guess of Germany's win, even threatened to cook and eat Paul, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/germany/7877152/Germany-v-Spain-Psychic-octopus-Paul-unfazed-by-death-threats-says-keeper.html">The Telegraph</a> reported. 
"Common octopuses like Paul are very intelligent. We equate their intelligence with that of a dog, and they love problem solving and figuring things out," Fiona Smith, head of animal care at Paul's facility, told <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/7877034/World-Cup-2010-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-Paul-the-psychic-octopus.html">The Telegraph</a>. 
And he didn't confine his omnipotence to just soccer. Paul started weighing in on football and basketball games too, before his death due to old age in October 2010. Since Paul's passing, other oracle octopuses (rudely named Paul as well) have tried to take his spot. But none have proven as successful. We'll never forget.
Today, Paul makes a triumphant return today as the <a href="google.com">Google Doodle.</a> Watch him scratch his haloed head over the outcome of Brazil and Mexico's match.

A 'Psychic' Octopus Named Paul Correctly Predicted Matches During The 2010 World Cup

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Matt Weinberger/Business InsiderThe Surface Book with Performance Base is a small but powerful upgrade to the original Surface Book.</div></div></div>When I first tried the Surface Book, Microsoft's first-ever full-fledged laptop, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-surface-book-review-2016-4">I thought it was just shy of perfect</a> - fast, responsive, with a touchscreen display that actually lifts off the base to become a tablet. So imagine my pleasant surprise when Microsoft announced the <a href="https://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Surface-Book-with-Performance-Base/productID.5074012200">Surface Book with Performance Base</a>, a new model that's basically the same as the old model, but with some extra horsepower under the hood and a much longer-lasting battery.Like the original Surface Book, it's simply a great laptop beyond even the gimmicky detachable display: It's fast and responsive, with a touchscreen, a Surface Pen stylus, a killer keyboard and the best non-Apple laptop mouse touchpad I've ever used.After a week or so with the Surface Book with Performance Base, my big takeaway is simple.If you're one of those Apple fans who <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-macbook-touch-bar-vs-microsoft-surface-studio-2016-10">felt burned by the direction taken by the newest MacBook Pro models</a>, this might just be the Surface Book for you.<h2>More power</h2>The model of Surface Book with Performance Base that Microsoft provided for review sports a 1TB hard drive, an Intel i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics card. It's the top-of-the-line model, with a $3,300 price tag. (The entry level for the Performance Base models is a full stack of Benjamins cheaper at $2,300.)That extra power makes a difference even in everyday use. I like to have a lot of tabs open in Google Chrome, and the new Surface Book keeps up with aplomb. It even plays graphics-intensive games like "Gears of War 4" with no problem (though not at the highest graphical settings), which I couldn't say about the original Surface Book.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Matt Weinberger/Business InsiderThere are two minor aesthetic changes to the Surface Book with Performance Base, both pictured here: A slight raise in the ridge where the keyboard meets the hinge, and a slightly different charger. It's about as small as small changes get.</div></div></div>Plus, the extra battery life is very nice. Microsoft claims 16 hours of battery life while watching video with the Performance Base - I couldn't test that; there are only so many seasons of "Game of Thrones" you can watch in a week. But I definitely got between 7 and 10 hours of heavy usage with it between charges.This comes at the cost of a slight increase in weight, from 3.34 pounds for the original model up to 3.63 pounds with this one.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Melia Robinson/Business InsiderLike the original Surface Book, pictured here, the new model's screen detaches to become a standalone tablet.</div></div></div>In short, it's exactly like the original Surface Book, but better. Until the rumored, full-fledged Surface Book 2 pops up next year, it's the best version of what I consider the best laptop out there, Apple or otherwise.<h2>Versus Apple</h2>In a lot of ways, the Surface Book with Performance Base versus new-model MacBook Pros comes down to taste. If you like Windows 10, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-macos-sierra-vs-windows-10-2016-11">which I do considerably</a>, it's kind of a no-brainer. If you're attached to Apple and its MacOS, this may or may not sway you. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Steve Kovach/Business InsiderApple's new-model MacBook Pros sport a touch-sensitive strip.</div></div></div>But from a technology perspective, there are three very good reasons to consider a Surface Book versus Apple's new MacBook Pro models, especially when you factor in the Performance Base:<ul><li>Apple won't release a touchscreen Mac, opting instead to release its new MacBook Pros with the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-your-first-look-at-the-touch-bar--the-biggest-change-coming-to-the-macbook-pro-2016-10">Touch Bar</a> - a touch-sensitive strip above the keyboard. Not only does the Surface Book have a touchscreen; the screen actually detaches to become a tablet that's perfect for doodling or doing creative work.</li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-macbook-pro-why-no-sd-slot-phil-schiller-2016-11">Apple removed the SD memory card reader on the new MacBook Pros</a>, leaving photographers and other audio/video professionals in the cold.</li><li>The Surface Book with Performance Base has more raw computing power than the MacBook Pro: Microsoft promises that it's twice as powerful as the 13-inch MacBook Pro model. I don't know about that, but at least on paper, it's got more processing power.</li></ul>So, bottom line, the best gets better. And if you're an Apple fan looking for a change and you can afford something priced starting at $2,399, you should at least take a look at the Surface Book. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hands-on-with-microsofts-new-paint-3d-2016-10">Here's what it's like to use Microsoft's new Paint 3D</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="5ocWEyNzE6d_wr6ul8ilq4GETyeYF_c3" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Microsoft's new souped-up Surface Book laptop is way more 'Pro' than any of Apple's newest MacBooks

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">GoogleGoogle has 2,000 employees housed throughout its quirky London offices.</div></div></div>Google is gearing up for a bevy of big announcements next week. The tech giant is expected to launch two new flagship smartphones, <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/google-nexus-5x-and-6p-box-leaks-2015-9">the Nexus 5x and Nexus 6p</a> - and likely alongside them, Android Marshmallow, the latest update to its mobile operating system (OS).The company is Californian; the lion's share of its 57,000-strong workforce is based in America. Its London operation, with just 2,000 employees, is a relative minnow.But in collaboration with Google's teams in the States, London contributes a surprising amount to Android. If you've ever used the Chrome browser on your phone - thank London. If you've watched a video on Google Play - that's London. Made use of Android's enterprise functionality? London. Used text-to-speech? London. If you've ever even Googled something on your Android smartphone - that, in large part, is London.<h2 class="p1">Google's London Android team pre-dates Android</h2>There are currently around 300 engineers working on Android in London. This mobile team's presence dates back nearly a decade, before even the commercial release of Android. In the pre-iPhone era, when operating systems like Symbian were cutting edge, a team in London was helping build Google's apps like Google Maps and Search for the platform.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">GoogleOne of the more informal rooms in the office.</div></div></div>"Then the world changed, of course," Andrei Popescu, head of Android engineering in London, tells us. "[With] the introduction of the iPhone and Android we shifted focus here in London, and we built an Android engineering team." Since then, it has grown significantly - from the 100 engineers in the city when Popescu joined in 2007, to the 700-odd Google has today.From early on, <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> developers have helped tackle mobile web browsing. In early versions of Android, before a mobile version of Chrome was available, there was a separate "Browser" application. The UK helped build this. The UK was a key part of the push to launch Chrome for mobile - and after it was introduced, in 2012, London helped develop it too, and continues to today. "Every time you use Chrome on your device, please think of us too!" Popescu says.<h2 class="p1">The US and the UK work hand-in-glove</h2>Of course, this work isn't done solo by any means. There's a close level of collaboration on almost all projects between the US and the UK office. Take the search bar tool on Android devices. The app is built in London, but the British engineers have worked closely with the entire global Google Search team, as the results are served by the same engine.Or look at the Play Movies app. Again, the app and video rendering engine itself was built by engineers in London. But again, a back-end team in the US is responsible for the system that serves the content to the app.How much freedom does the London team get? Senior leadership Mountain View ultimately signs off on projects and ideas, Popescu told me. "Of course, we are given the freedom to experiment, the freedom to propose ideas." He cites a fun feature introduced this year on Android Wear, Google's operating system for smartphones. Users can do a quick doodle on the screen, and the software will try to identify what emoji they are drawing <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/05/28/draw-emoji/">and "auto-complete" it for them</a>. This is then sent to user with Android Wear whose device has been paired with the sender.The idea was dreamt up in London, pitched to Mountain View, signed off, and subsequently built back in London.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">GoogleVisitors to Google's offices are invited to guess who the bathtub belongs to.</div></div></div>Android Wear, like Chrome on mobile, is another area where London makes significant contributions - the engineering director for Android Wear works out of one of the London offices.On that note, I ask, how does Popescu feel about sales of Google wearables to date? Apple has yet to break out sales figures for the Apple Watch, its debut smartwatch, but research firms believe it is significantly outselling Android Wear devices. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/android-wear-apple-watch-google-advantage-developers-2015-4">According to one estimate</a>, it managed to sell more units in a single day than Google did in an entire year."These are early days for wearable technology, Popescu says. "We're doing our best to make the best possible wearable platform and I think it's very early in the process to talk about numbers." (It's also worth noting that in the early days, iOS used to dramatically outsell Android too. In 2009, the first full year commercial Android devices were on sale, <a href="http://digithoughts.com/post/21428797724/android-and-apple-smartphone-sales-2007-2012-by">iPhone sales beat them around 3:1</a> - but Android has since ballooned into the undisputed dominant global mobile operating system.)While most projects involve working closely with the US, there are some exceptions to this rule. Milena Nikolic, who heads up the Google Play Developer Experience team in London, tells me she has worked with her team on two features that were built entirely within London.The first is "Store Listing Experiments," a kind of A/B testing for developers looking to add their apps to Google Play, Google's app store. App builders can now test multiple images, descriptions, icons, and other variables with customers to see what resonates, and use the data to optimise their marketing. The other is beta-testing - letting developers release their app to a limited pool of users via Google Play, before it's ready for a broader public release.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">GoogleMilena Nikolic and Andrei Popescu work on Android in London.</div></div></div><h2 class="p1">Google's European outpost</h2>London's 300 Android engineers comprise Google's largest team working on the mobile operating system outside of the United States. (Another significant overseas office is in Tokyo.) The search giant has commissioned <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/google-asks-thomas-heatherwick-to-design-its-new-1-billion-london-hq-2015-6">British designer Thomas Heatherwick to build its new £1 billion London HQ</a> after then-CEO Larry Page reportedly dismissed a previous proposal (that included a climbing wall and running track) as "boring." But for now, they remain nestled in an office a stone's throw from Victoria train station.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">GoogleYes. That's a bus.</div></div></div>It doesn't have <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/googles-office-slides-2012-5?op=1">the infamous slide</a>, but it's otherwise classic Google: Douglas Adams' bathtub sits in the lobby. The lower half of a double-decker bus doubles up as a meeting space in a corridor. Employees can kick back in dedicated gaming and music rooms. Areas are named after famous computer scientists.London has a "natural history of mobile development," Popescu says. Previous investment from Symbian, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson has produced "a tradition of people who are good at mobile operating systems, programs for mobile devices. [With] four of the world's best universities, the level of education in this city is outstanding. Finally, London is a true international city that attracts the most brilliant people from all over the world."Are there any differences in culture between Google's offices in the States and in Britain? Nikolic, who visits the US several times a year for work, has one example: The UK has a stronger after-work socialising culture. "In California, the different thing is everyone is kind of driving to work, so that just changes the dynamic a little bit." Employees tend to "sit in their car and drive off somewhere in Silicon Valley" after work.In London, Googlers are more inclined to retire with their co-workers to a pub.<h2 class="p1">Preparing for launch</h2>"It's always exciting, it's a very buzzing period," says Popescu of the imminent launch of Android Marshmallow. "In general with Marshmallow we've taken the approach that we want the whole release extremely polished - not that we didn't have polished releases before."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">GoogleOne of the games rooms in Google's Victoria office.</div></div></div>What should we expect? Performance improvements. "Slickness." Better battery life. The optimising compiler "at the very heart of Android" has been built upon in the UK. "[It's] not a visible feature in the sense that the end user might notice, but overall that results in better performance. So if your experience is better running Marshmallow, then that's something we will have done here."Although Marshmallow will likely launch in the coming weeks, you shouldn't expect to see it on your smartphone right away. Handset manufacturers, not Google, are responsible for pushing the update out to their users - meaning it's likely to see a slow and staggered launch over the months ahead. Lollipop, Android's previous update, was finalised in November 2014, but <a href="https://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html">official figures</a> show just 21% of Android smartphones are running it.(In contrast, <a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2015/09/21iPhone-6s-iPhone-6s-Plus-Arrive-on-Friday-September-25.html">Apple claims that</a> 50% of iOS devices upgraded to iOS 9, its most recent OS, within a week of its launch.)Is this fragmentation frustrating? "I think it's different," Popescu reasons. The company does offer tools to maximise compatibility for apps, and keeps core API's up-to-date for everyone. "We have something like 400 OEM partners ... 4,000 different types of device ... the last number of active users is about 1 billion. I think this model has served us pretty well."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">GoogleGoogle's perks: Pretty great.</div></div></div><h2 class="p2">Storm clouds brewing</h2>Along with Marshmallow and a new batch of smartphones, there's a more ominous event on the horizon for Google in Europe: Regulatory scrutiny.The search giant is currently facing an antitrust investigation by the European Commission over allegations that it has abused its dominant position in search and on Android to promote its own products over those of its competitors. On Friday, two days after I met with Popescu and Nikolic, Bloomberg reported that <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/google-antitrust-us-android-report-2015-9">the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the US was in the early stage of looking into Android over antitrust claims</a>.Google strongly disputes the European allegations. (A spokesperson declined to comment to Business Insider about the Bloomberg report.) <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/google-released-a-report-detailing-how-it-helps-businesses-in-europe-2015-9">It recently held an event in London</a> in which it set out how its services act as a "Growth Engine for the UK's Economy.""We're engineers, so I think first of all the thing that's at the top of our minds is the features we're working on and the next version of our operating system we're working on," Popescu tells me. "We're working on an open source operating system that we're making freely available to everyone ... I think everyone feels proud of what they're doing, and I don't think anyone would work on it if we felt like we were doing something wrong." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/android-features-apple-iphones-dont-have-iphone-google-2015-9">These are the features that make Android phones superior to iPhones</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="BicHJrdzpTGQGwdhd6Z_-PRYY3JAAmQk" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

The inside story of London's contribution to Android

With over 1.2 million apps, Apple's App Store is home to some of the best apps in existence. And yet the process of searching and discovering them is incredibly frustrating unless you know exactly what you're looking for.
The App Store's issues with search and discoverability is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-app-store-is-ancient-and-outdated-2014-7">something we've written about in the past</a>, but Apple has yet to make any major visible changes to remedy the issue.
It's a complex problem, and it helps to see a concrete example of how muddled searching for an app has become, which is exactly what app developer Gedeon Maheux has done.&#xa0;
Maheux is the co-founder of The Iconfactory, a software development studio that created the popular Twitter app "Twitterrific," which launched in the App Store in 2008.
"For small developers like myself, a potential customer's ability to find your app on the App Store is critical," Maheux <a href="http://gedblog.com/2014/12/15/how-broken-is-discovery-on-the-app-store-this-broken/">writes in a post on his blog</a>. "If customers can't easily discover and download your software, your app (and indeed your business) has little chance of survival."
To prove his point, Maheux posted a list of the results for when he types in the word "Twitter" in the App Store search bar on his iPhone. "
"To make the list easier to parse, I've called out all apps that allow a user to directly read AND post to Twitter in bold," Maheux writes. "Everything else is either a game, a utility, or some other social network enhancement."
Here's the list of what comes up when you type in "Twitter" on the App store.
1. Twitter 2. Instagram 3. Framatic 4. Tweegrow 5. Pick Jointer 6. Happy Park 7. Crop Pic 8. Wayze Social GPS 9. Flipboard 10. InstaCollage Pro 11. Symbol Keyboard 12. Find Unfollowers 13. Cool Fonts 14. Symbolizer 15. Big Emoji 16. Get Followers 17. Framatic Mess 18. Alarm Clock HD 19. Textgram 20. Hootsuite 21. Emoticon Art 22. Textizer Fonts 23. 4 For Follow 24. Pixable 25. Just Unfollow 26. Unfollow for Twitter 27. ColorEffects 28. Photobooth 29. G-Whizz 30. New Cool Text 31. Google+ 32. Step 33. Tweetcaster for Twitter 34. Vine 35. Camera Awesome 36. InstaEffect Effects 37. Emoticons and Emoji 38. TwitBoost Pro 39. PickGram 40. Insta Scrapbook 41. SpaceEffect 42. Orbs 43. MB2:YouTube 44. Facetouch HD Light 45. Paper Toss Friends 46. Vodio 47. Frame UR Life 48. HayWire Text Free 49. Nimble Quest 50. InstaCollage Pro 51. TweetBoost Pro 52. Right Behind 53. Emoji&gt; 54. Follow Tool for Twitter 55. Color Cap 56. Emoji for iOS 8 57. Camera+ 58. Emoji Emoticons 59. Text2Pic 60. Emoji 2 Emoticons 61. Fonts-Cool Font Maker 62. Echofon Pro 63. LiPix Pro 64. Alarm Clock HD 65. Smilebox Moments 66. Everypost for Social Media 67. Google Apps Browser Plus 68. Clipchat 69. VPN Express 70. ÜberSocial for Twitter 71. You Doodle 72. TweetBot 2&#xa0;(iOS 6) 73. Stocks Live 74. Stocks Live Essentials 75. GameFly 76. Trendyful 77. Oz Quake 78. Buffer for Social Media 79. Yahoo! News Digest 80. Wefollow for Twitter 81. TweetBot 3 82. Photo Notes HD 83. Emoji Art and Text 84. Find Unfollowers Pro 85. Followers for Twitter 86. Follower Boost for Twitter 87. Color Effects FX HD 88. Double Ball 89. TwitGrow for Twitter 90. Twittelator Pro&#xa0;(iOS 6) 91. Emoji Art 92. TwitBoost Pro for Twitter 93. Jedi Lightsaber 94. Get Followers for Instagram 95. Aqua Emoji Keyboard 96. Bloomberg 97. Emoji for Messaging 98. Facely HD for Facebook 99. Timehop 100. Twitterriffic 5 101. IFTTT 102. FollowBoost for Twitter 103. Hyperlapse for Instagram 104. Freebie 105. PhotoFrame 106. Text Pics Free 107. Funimate 108. Followers + for Twitter 109. Emoji Keypad 110. Follower Plus 111. TweetBoost 112. Wow Followers for Twitter 113. Table Top Racing 114. TwitBird Free for Twitter 115. Singing Texts 116. Dice World 6 Free 117. Cool Frames and Picture Effects 118. Bamboo Wallet 119. JustFollow for Instagram 120. Twitter Check 121. TurboBoost for Vine 122. PhillyD Official 123. Hybrid Fonts 124. Mixgram 125. Color Zen 126. Keyboard Pro 127. Symbol Keyboard 128. Tweetlogix for Twitter ... 148. Echofon for Twitter ... 167. TweetList (iOS 6)
Maheux's list shows that Apple's search alogrithm shouldn't be based strictly on popuarlity or number of downloads, but by relevance. Otherwise, you're left to sift through dozens of apps like "GameFly," "Alarm Clock HD," and "Jedi Lightsaber."
&#xa0;
Apple has made attempts to fix this issue. In 2012, it&#xa0;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/report-apple-acquires-app-search-engine-chomp-2012-2">acquired Chomp</a>, an app search engine that allowed users to search for apps based on function and use instead of simply by name.&#xa0;In 2013, Apple&#xa0;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-did-apple-buy-topsy-2013-12">acquired data analytics firm Topsy,</a>&#xa0;an official Twitter partner that has indexed hundreds of billions of tweets since Twitter's launch.
It is widely speculated that both Chomp and Topsy will be one day incorporated into Apple's App Store search, but there hasn't been any noticeable improvement yet, and meanwhile developers like Maheux are worried and waiting.
To read Maheux's full blog post, <a href="http://gedblog.com/2014/12/15/how-broken-is-discovery-on-the-app-store-this-broken/">click here.</a>

Apple's App Store Has A Big Search Problem, And This Developer Has Proof

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>The <keyword id="1880069" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kindle-fire-hdx">Kindle Fire HDX</keyword>.</div></div></div>Amazon crowned itself the king of tiny tablets two years ago with the launch of its original Kindle Fire. It marked the first time you could buy a decent tablet for hundreds less than Apple's iPad. It wasn't a home run, but it's rock-bottom price appealed to enough people to make the "Fire" brand just as recognizable as "iPad".
This year, Amazon is getting ready to release its third generation of Kindle Fire tablets, the Kindle Fire HDX. It has a slightly redesigned operating system based on Google's Android, plus a special feature called Mayday that will connect you with a customer service representative live on your screen at the push of a button. For free.
You can buy the 7-inch version of the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Fire-HDX-Display-Wi-Fi/dp/B00BWYQ9YE/ref=sr_tr_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1381678087&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=kindle+fire+hdx">Kindle Fire HDX starting October 18</a>. A larger version with an 8.9-inch screen goes on sale November 7.
<h2>The New Fire</h2>
As far as capabilities go, not much has changed with the third-generation Kindle Fire. The software is based on Google's Android system, but Amazon has stripped out all of Google's apps and services in favor of its own. That means you have to download apps from Amazon's app store, which has a tiny selection of about 85,000 apps when compared to the nearly 1 million apps you'll find on "regular" Android tablets. It also means there's a lot missing, especially when it comes to popular Google services like Google Maps, Gmail, and YouTube.
The biggest problem with previous Kindle Fire models has been buggy software, but this new version, which Amazon calls Fire OS 3.0, is much smoother and less glitchy than before. The design is a bit different than your typical tablet with a group of app icons. Instead, you get a "carousel" view of apps, movies, books, etc. that you've recently used or viewed. (You can access your entire collection of content by using the navigation bar at the top of your screen.)
But like its predecessors, the Kindle Fire HDX is a pitchman that tries to entice you to buy more stuff from Amazon at every turn. Whenever you hover over a recent app, book, video, etc. on your home screen, the tablet provides suggestions of similar stuff you may like to buy.
Are you reading the Steve Jobs biography? Maybe you'd like to buy the one about Einstein next. Angry Birds fan? There are about a dozen different versions of that for you to buy.And of course, there' easy access to Amazon.com, where you can buy anything from paper towels to iPhone cases.The tablet is constantly encouraging you to dip into the bank and buy more stuff from Amazon. Some might find it annoying. Others might find it helpful. But those recommendations and the ads you see on the lock screen (which can be removed if you pay an extra $15) are part of the reason why you can get the Kindle Fire HDX for just $229.
The biggest new feature in the Kindle Fire HDX is a built-in customer service tool called Mayday. Tapping the Mayday button connects you directly to an Amazon customer service representative via video chat. He or she appears in a tiny window at the bottom of your screen and can take control over your tablet if need be. The Amazon rep can't see you, but he or she will ask for your name, email address tied to your Amazon account, and billing address to make sure you are who you say you are.
(And they're very strict about this. When I told the Amazon rep my name was "Steve", she did her best to get me to "perhaps give her another name similar to 'Steve'" since I'm listed in Amazon's system as "Steven".)
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image">AmazonMayday on the Kindle Fire HDX.</div></div>Mayday did work as advertised. After pressing the call button, I was connected with an Amazon customer service rep named Tara within a few seconds. Tara was super polite and helpful, and she showed me how she can doodle on my screen just like NFL announcers do when they're drawing over an instant replay. I asked Tara some basics like how to check if my apps were up to date and how to find content stored on my device. I couldn't stump her, and she walked me through everything, drawing on my screen and showing me what she was about to do before doing it.
Of course, the irony here is that tablets are supposed to be intuitive, user friendly, and simple. You shouldn't need a helper on your screen to tell you how everything works if the device was designed properly in the first place. But hey, technology is scary for a lot of people! And it's pretty cool that Amazon has invested so heavily in customer service that it has real humans waiting to help you out 24/7 at the push of a button. That's much better than running down to the Apple Store and waiting forever for a Genius to help you.
The Kindle Fire HDX is a great tablet if all you want to do is consume content from Amazon, but it's still pretty weak beyond that. Without the Google services you find on other Android tablets, you're stuck with Amazon's apps for email, calendar, and Web browsing. Those apps are satisfactory, but not nearly as robust as what you can get from Google. For example, the Amazon email app can sync with your Gmail account, but search and other functions are still pretty limited.
The tablet's hardware is still top notch though. The HDX's 7-inch screen is sharper than the relatively weak display on Apple's iPad Mini, so videos, games, and text look much better. From the front, the HDX looks nearly identical to last year's version, but Amazon has changed up the design on the back, giving the tablet an angular design that fits comfortably in your hands. The power and volume buttons have also been moved to the back, which I found pretty cumbersome to use. Even after a week of using the HDX, I still found myself accidentally pressing the power button instead of one of the volume buttons and vice versa. It's a poor design choice. Battery life was pretty good at about six or seven hours per charge, but still much less than the 10 or so hours you get with the iPad Mini.
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
The Kindle Fire HDX is Amazon's best tablet yet. But I don't think it's the best you can buy if you're looking for something smaller and cheaper. It's great if all you want to do is consume stuff directly from Amazon, but it doesn't have the same app selection and capabilities rival tablets like Google's Nexus 7 (which costs the same at $229) and Apple's iPad Mini do.Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.

REVIEW: The New Kindle Fire Is Amazon's Best, But Still Not The Best Tablet You Can Buy

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image">AP</div></div></div>
In six years Apple's App Store has turned into a massive business. 
In 2013, it did $10 billion in gross revenue. For context, Facebook did just under $8 billion revenue in 2013. In an average month, there are 2 billion apps downloaded. 
And yet, the App Store is in many ways a mess. 
We spoke with a dozen developers about the current state of the App Store. They say that as it's ballooned to 1.2 million apps, Apple has been slow to innovate. The App Store is basically the same as it ever was. 
The number one complaint we heard over and over again was that the search process was broken in the App Store.
"The App Store is still broken in terms of discovery," said Ouriel Ohayon, CEO and founder of app discovery and promotion platform AppsFire, and former editor of TechCrunch France. "The App Store is a huge catalogue that has been able to grow the ecosystem. But the reality is that most developers still struggle to find the right engaged user, and most users still struggle to find the right app."
Fixing the App Store is not a trivial matter. Developers are getting ~$7 billion per year from Apple's App Store. Their livelihood depends entirely on the success of their application in the App Store.
From Apple's perspective, it needs to keep developers happy lest they run to Google and the Play Store. As Apple competes with Android, one of its key advantages is the the ability to retain developers who are making brilliant mobile applications. Without those people, Apple risks losing the platform war to Android.
We reached out to Apple for comment on this story, but didn't get a response. 
<h3>Search And Discoverability</h3>
"Search in the app store currently sucks," said Erez Pilosof, the developer behind Hop. Hop is an email app that reorganizes email into a chat-like messaging format. "If you search for Hop in the App Store, you get lots of stuff that isn't remotely connected to email. Something in the search is really weird and is not working. Apple should be able to be smart enough to put some context into search."
We tried searching for Hop, and the first result was Doodle Jump. It took us 23 swipes before we landed on the Hop email app. 
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image">Screenshot</div></div></div> 
It's not just smaller apps like Hop that are hurt by the App Store's weak search functionality.
When Facebook's new Snapchat competitor Slingshot launched, simply typing in "Facebook" wasn't enough to bring up the app. Even though the internet was buzzing about the app, typing in "Slingshot" brought up multiple pages of apps related to the word, requiring users to flip past at least four pages to find the right app.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right" style="width:214px"><div class="image">Business Insider</div></div>Today, when you type in "Slingshot" it's the first result, but the ranking of results appear to rely mostly upon the overall number of downloads, giving little consideration to what's hot or trending.
Apple has made attempts to fix this issue. In 2012, it <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/report-apple-acquires-app-search-engine-chomp-2012-2">acquired Chomp</a>, an app search engine that allowed users to search for apps based on function and use instead of simply by name.
In 2013, Apple <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-did-apple-buy-topsy-2013-12">acquired data analytics firm Topsy,</a> an official Twitter partner that has indexed hundreds of billions of tweets since Twitter's launch. It is widely speculated that both Chomp and Topsy will be one day incorporated into Apple's App Store search, but there hasn't been any noticeable improvement yet. 
Fixing how search works within the App Store is a tough issue to tackle. Due to the App Store's sheer size, many apps share a similar name, spelling, or keyword, which makes sifting through pages of obscure and aging apps a pain, especially when you have a specific app in mind.
"The term that's gone around is App Store rot," said David Chartier, head of marketing at AgileBits, the development team behind popular password management app, 1Password. "Some of the changes to Search are good, but they don't address that problem well. Old apps shouldn't be in the store anymore. Apps that haven't been updated in the last X number of years, they could get a check or some notification that the developer needs to update their app in a given timeframe."
Basically, it's an issue of keeping things fresh and relevant for the user when they're on the hunt for a new app.
"I think a little more contextual awareness could help," said Chartier. "I'm not entirely sure how to solve that problem, but there are some pretty simple indicators - like when apps are gaining coverage in the media - that could help filter apps to the top."
That said, <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2013/03/01/how-google-searches-30-trillion-web-pages-100-billion-times-a-month/">Google indexes 30 trillion web pages.</a> And it does a pretty darn good job, so Apple should be able to handle 1.2 million apps.
"The potential in terms of search is insanely, insanely powerful," said Hillel Fuld, Chief Marketing Officer of team communications app Zula. "But contextual search is very weak ... Apple should be able to understand my intention and surface that. Google is amazing in that on the web."
Just as Google draws upon a user's past search history to personalize search results, Apple could also introduce some sort of personalized recommendation feature that could directly feed into search, adding a wealth of context.
"What the App Store is missing is personalization, an App Store that is right for each user," said Ohayon. "They tried in the beginning with Genius, but it wasn't being used and it was failing. Now they're replacing it with Explore, but there is no way to get personalized recommendations."
Amazon is a good example of a hybrid model combining curation and and personalization that works well and isn't annoying. Google has also integrated personalized recommendations into its Google Play app store - it's the first thing users see when they open the app.
By not asking users which apps they like, Apple is missing out on tailoring the App Store experience to the individual user while simultaneously building a contextual framework for search.
<h3>Featured Content And Curation</h3>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image">iTunes</div></div></div> 
One of the biggest problems with the App Store is that it uses a dated model for surfacing new applications. 
On a podcast, Benedict Evans, partner at Andreessen Horowitz, had the perfect analogy for the current state of the App Store. He says it's like what <a href="http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2013/8/15/app-stores-portals-and-discovery">Yahoo used to be during the internet boom</a>. Yahoo was just a page that updated when a new website came online. That seems like madness today, and yet it's the exact model Apple has in place with the App Store.
The App Store's Featured page is where Apple can highlight apps it deems well-designed and innovative.
Landing a spot on the Featured page is an instant boost in exposure and downloads, but there are plenty of beautiful and unique apps that are released that don't get featured too. And since there's no way to pay to be featured, it's often tough for apps that don't break into the top charts to not fall by the wayside.
It's a problem often solved by creating a stunning app that's engaging and innovative, but for fledgling developers and smaller teams without a history of feedback from Apple, it can be a tough code to crack.
Speaking with the development team behind the angle-drawing game, Angular, it became clear that developers would like a "Fresh" or "Trending" division of the Featured page solely for new developers.
"Fresh is more of a democratic system," said lead Angular developer Adrit Lath. "If your app is good, it will make it to the top. If there were some similar-staged process for the App Store, that would be great. I like that process of promoting good content."
Apple has introduced an "Indie Game Showcase," but this only focuses on one "popular" indie app and its development team; there's still no space for new developers to call their own.
<h2>Advertising</h2>
In 2010, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/quattro-confirms-its-been-bought-by-apple-2010-1">Apple paid $275 million for Quattro Wireless,</a> a mobile advertising company. At the time, the idea was to provide an iOS-focused mobile ad network to make sure developers could make money on free apps. Google, with its expertise in advertising, was a threat to the App Store. 
Apple had the right idea, but it never really committed to mobile advertising. Developers have gone other routes to advertise.
Big-time developers spend millions on advertising to gain visibility via social media, which increases exposure and leads to higher downloads and a movement up the App Store ranking. The paid app advertisements that show up in your Facebook or Twitter stream are a good example of popular ways for developers to promote their app.
Since fledgling startups usually have only a fraction of the marketing budget of established app studio, this makes it extremely difficult for indie developers to compete.
Apple could, and perhaps should, offer paid search listings in the App Store. It could, and perhaps should, offer paid slots on the front page, but developers with small budgets would be shut out by the big players.
In the absence of an easy, organic way to climb the charts, developers are going with alternative, less than ideal methods.
"What other shadier companies are doing - and this is really depressing - they pay people to rank the app," said Hop developer Erez Pilosof. "You can spend literally $5,000 and climb up the chart. I think Apple should fight that hugely, because it's really really frustrating."
Pilosof points out that the current expanse between obscurity and making the Top 10 or Featured list has driven developers to purchase fake 5-star ratings on the internet's black market, which can bump an app high enough in the rankings to receive enough legitimate exposure to keep up.
It all goes to show that marketing, honest or dishonest, is now a huge aspect in determining which apps break into the spotlight, but with few avenues for recognition, it's actually distracting development teams from what developers should be focused on: making the best possible app they can.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right" style="width:267px"><div class="image">Business Insider</div></div>Storehouse co-founder and developer Mark Kawano, who was also Apple's former design lead for iPhoto, disagrees with those overly concerned with marketing and gaining exposure, stating that app quality should remain the focus.
"Just focus on building the best app possible," said Kawano. "Marketing and distribution is definitely something to consider, but from a bird-eye perspective, the best apps do surface still."
That's an idealistic view of the App Store. It's also not uncommon to see apps shoot up the charts that make you scratch your head, such as "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood," or joke apps such as Flappy Bird, Toilet Time, or Fatify, which are often downloaded and quickly deleted once the hype dies down.
In theory, the Top Charts should serve as ladder rungs toward a spot on the Featured page, but the combination of sillier viral apps and old-time favorites weighs the browsing experience down, and it's just not a great way to discover apps that are raising the bar.
In the last six years, many users have foregone the App Store experience all together, relying on word-of-mouth through social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook to discover new apps, and that's exactly what Apple should be afraid of.
The App Store should be as effortless and intuitive way to search the world's apps, large or small, and a jumping off point like Google instead of the point-of-sale cash register it currently is.
No one doubts that Apple has ushered in the era of the app, but Ouriel Ohayon, AppsFire founder and former editor of TechCrunch France, says that there's plenty of work to be done.
"The only thing that has changed in the App Store is that we went from 1 app to over 1 million apps," said Ohayon.
It's time for Apple to catch up.

Apple's App Store Is An Ancient And Outdated Mess - Here's What Has To Change

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">Business Insider </div></div></div>Amazon's first smartphone, the Fire phone, hits stores June 25, and comes bundled with a free year of Amazon Prime, which includes free shipping on thousands of items as well as a growing selection of free movies, books, and music.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos introduced the phone at its launch event by saying that the company decided to try something completely innovative and different.
The Fire Phone certainly is different thanks to its 3-D effects and camera mode that can automatically identify real-world objects, but it's still missing essential apps and services the iPhone and Android phones already have.
I gave the Fire a test-run over the weekend to check out what it had to offer. 
<h2>Using It</h2>
The Fire phone has two main hyped-up features: Dynamic Perspective, which allows the phone to react to how you hold, view, and move it, and Firefly, which can scan objects like books, movies, posters, QR codes, and household goods to give you more information about them.
Dynamic perspective gets showcased right off the bat through the phone's lock screen: It comes with 19 different interactive options that are undeniably cool, especially the first time you see them. Although they're a good introduction to what dynamic perspective can do (images on the screen appear to have depth, and the scene shifts as you move your phone), most people probably don't really care about what their lock screens look like. The feature comes in handy mostly for navigating the phone's interface and in games.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image">Business Insider </div></div></div>
When you first get the phone, it takes a little while to get used to the one-handed gestures possible with dynamic perspective. You can tilt the phone side-to-side to reveal additional panels and up or down to auto-scroll, or angle it slightly it to reveal "layered" information, like Yelp reviews when you're looking at restaurants on a map.
After playing around with the phone for several days, I found myself using the gestures about 60% of the time, and just swiping the rest of it. I'd imagine that it's one of those things that you'd become more adapted to the more you used it though, and definitely valuable if you want to be able to do more with only one hand. 
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image">Business Insider</div></div></div>
Dynamic perspective really shines when it comes to games, though. I found "Snow Spin," a game that lets you use your head to control the path of a little snowboarding penguin, completely charming and immersive. Yes, you will look ridiculous playing, but it's unlike any other smartphone game experience out there. 
<a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&amp;p=irol-newsArticle&amp;ID=1949755&amp;highlight=" target="_blank">Amazon also just announced a list</a> of some other apps that take advantage of feature, and released two new games from its own Amazon Game Studio. The promise seems to be that there are more to come, too. But that's a lofty promise. There's very little incentive for developers to start making special games for a brand new smartphone platform with 0% market share. As we've learned over and over, developers still prefer to make the best apps for iPhone first, then Android, then everything else.
The phone itself also takes advantage of dynamic perspective in fun, subtle ways: Every app icon on the phone looks like it has depth when you tilt it. The on-off switch in the Wi-Fi part of the settings pops out like a real button, and you can "visit" 3D-looking landmarks through maps. None of these factors would be your main motivator to buy the phone, but they prove that Amazon was paying attention to the details.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">Business Insider</div></div></div>Another design quirk is its Enhanced Carousel. Although you can rearrange your apps just like you would on a more traditional smartphone, the carousel lets you scroll through the ones you've recently used, and, in some cases, take action right from the homescreen.
Generally, I liked using the carousel, but the format was definitely more useful for some apps more than others. Email was great because I could see (and respond to) recent messages. The calendar app let me check out everything that I had going on each day at a glance.
It would be amazing if Twitter or Facebook eventually integrated parts of their timelines into the home screen too. As is, you just get suggestions for other apps you can download.
As far as Firefly, Amazon boasts that it can recognize and give you information about over 100 million items, as well as recognize web addresses, phone numbers, or QR codes. Although I didn't find myself naturally using Firefly very often, there is something thrilling about watching your phone figure out what you're looking at. I found it most useful for identifying music, easily dialing a phone number that I had on a business card without having to type it in, and checking whether a physical book was also available for Kindle. Power users, on the other hand, might love it for scanning products to see if they're cheaper on Amazon than in-store.
Like the easy integration with Amazon Prime services, Firefly will encourage Amazon fans to spend more money, by making purchases completely seamless.
Like Amazon's Kindle Fire tablets, the goal of the Fire phone, and especially the Firefly feature, is to keep you locked into Amazon's world of shopping. And because it lets you compare prices of real-world objects to what Amazon sells them for, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazons-new-phone-enables-showrooming-2014-6">the feature is a showrooming nightmare</a>.
Finally, there's Mayday, a feature that lets you hit a call button and have a live video chat with an Amazon representative if you have any trouble with your phone. The Amazon rep can even doodle on your screen to walk you through what you're supposed to do.
To be honest, I didn't need to use Mayday once. In fact, I totally forgot about it until my editor was reading this review and asked what I thought about it. So, that either means I'm a tech genius or the Fire phone is so easy to use you won't need Mayday at all. (However, Steve Kovach used Mayday when he <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/kindle-fire-hdx-review-2013-10">tested the newest Kindle Fire tablet last year</a> and found the Mayday representatives to be quite pleasant.)
Here's what it looks like when you use Firefly on a book:
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image">Business Insider</div></div></div>
In summary, the new software features in the Fire phone are pretty nifty, but they likely won't offer enough to entice people to buy Amazon's phone over a normal Android phone or iPhone.
<h2>The Basics</h2>
The first thing you notice about the Fire phone is how great the screen looks. It has a 4.7-inch screen, which is slightly larger than the iPhone 5S, which has a 4-inch screen. It also has an HD 1280x720 resolution that looked great even when I was playing with it outside.
For as great as the screen looks, though, I wish Amazon offered a "phablet"-sized, 5.7-inch option like Samsung's Galaxy Note 3. I've been using a phablet for months, and am addicted to the increased real estate. Since content consumption is hard-wired into the Fire's very existence - I watched more Prime Instant Videos in the last three days than I ever have before - it really feels like its screen should have a bigger option.
The other issue I had with the Fire phone was that, because it's running a modified version of Android, I couldn't download some of the apps that I usually would. Four of my basics - LinkedIn, Snapchat, Venmo, Secret - aren't available for the Amazon Fire yet. And if you use Google services like Gmail and Google Maps, you're out of luck. It's frustrating.
The camera, however, was a definite pro. My photos looked great, and it came with a host of fun editing tools baked in. For the selfie lover, you can whiten your teeth, reduce red-eye, and get rid of blemishes with a few easy swipes, while also futzing with your contrast and saturation all in one fell swoop. Plus, the magnetic headphones really didn't get as tangled as the model Apple ships with its iPhones.
<h2>The Math </h2>
One of the biggest surprises when the Fire phone launched was the price. Rumors had pegged it as dirt-cheap, but it rings up at a more standard $199.99 with a two-year contract from AT&amp;T. You can also get it for $650 through 24 monthly installments of $27.09. With that, though, you get a free year of Prime (usually $99), 32 GB of memory instead of 16 GB, and unlimited free online photo storage. How does that measure up to other options out there? Prime gets you free two-day shipping on many items from Amazon, access to thousands of free streaming movies and TV shows, and over 1 million streaming songs.
The Fire phone is about $100 cheaper than a 32 GB iPhone 5S, which you can get on contract for $299, and the same price as a 16 GB Samsung Galaxy S5, which is $199.99 on contract, and comes with the option to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sandisk-Memory-Samsung-Everything-Stromboli/dp/B00JAKH0F4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1406040273&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=micro+sd+card+for+galaxy+s5" target="_blank">buy 64 GB more memory for $43.95</a>.
The free Prime membership is definitely huge, but if you didn't already have one, be warned: I can almost guarantee that you'll end up spending the difference on new stuff (<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-amazon-needs-a-smartphone-2014-6" target="_blank">and Amazon thinks so, too</a>).
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
Overall, the Fire phone is a solid deal: You get all the smartphone basics, with some added bonuses, for a price that's in line with the market. Neither the gesture controls nor Firefly are life-changing, but they're fun and useful.
The GIFs in this review don't do dynamic perspective justice: Go to an AT&amp;T store if you're interested to check them out for yourself. If you are obsessed with Amazon and want to make it even easier to buy stuff off it or like to watch a lot of movies or shows on-the-go, buying the phone makes a lot of sense: You're essentially paying $100 for Prime and a phone built to take advantage of it.
However, if you care about getting the latest apps and services or having a big screen, you might want to consider other options. 
This is a phone for folks who only want to live in Amazon's world and don't need access to the latest and greatest apps and services rival devices offer. I suspect most people don't fall into that category though.

REVIEW: Amazon's New Fire Phone Has Some Fun Features, But You're Going To Miss All The Best Apps

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Corey Protin/Tech Insider</div></div></div>One of my colleagues said it best when he saw me with the new Galaxy Note 7 for the first time."Wait, that's the new Note?"He was expecting something bigger. And uglier.It's a sharp contrast from a few years ago, when the Note series was seen as an oversized, bulky alternative to the iPhone - something that was almost universally panned by reviewers.That's not what the Note 7 is.The Note 7 is the most beautiful phone I've ever used. It has more thoughtful features (waterproofing!) than the iPhone. It has a larger screen than the iPhone 6 Plus, yet it's still smaller and easier to hold. And even with an eye-popping $850 price tag (on sale August 19), it's worth every penny if you want the best of the best.Samsung practically invented the phablet category. Now it has perfected it.The Note 7 is absolutely a phone you should buy. It isn't just a great Android phone. It's a great phone, period.<h2>The most beautiful phone ever made</h2>Last year, Samsung leapfrogged Apple's design with the Galaxy S6. A year and a half later, it's perfected every aspect of its phone design with the Note 7. While everyone else is chasing Apple's designs, Samsung is now in a class of its own.I've been an iPhone 6 Plus user for almost two years now. I've grown used to its extra bulk, changing my habits to the point where I take it out of my pocket and lay it on the table so it doesn't jab into my hip when I sit down. I've learned to stretch my fingers to the max so I can operate it with one hand. I've given up on trying to hide the giant bulge it makes in my jeans pocket.I had none of those problems with the Note 7.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Corey Protin/Business Insider</div></div></div>Even though the Note 7 has a slightly larger screen (5.7 inches versus the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus), Samsung was able to shave off every millimeter where it counts. The Note 7 is significantly smaller than the iPhone 6 Plus, making it feel much more comfortable in your pocket and even better in your hand.And then there's the curved screen, which is now a staple in Samsung's flagship phones. The Note 7 is unique in that it's made from two identical pieces of curved glass fused together with a metal band. It's perfectly symmetrical, making it feel thinner and lighter than it actually is.That curved screen isn't a gimmick either. Although there are limited features for the curved portion of the screen like swiping over to pull up a tray of your favorite apps or contacts, it's mostly just there to look nice and give you the impression that the screen has no bezels at all. That's good enough for me. I suggest turning off all the extras and just enjoying how good this thing looks. It's one of the best displays ever put on a phone.There's only one downside to the design. The glass on the back is a magnet for scratches. Over the last week, I've accumulated two scratches on the back of my Note 7, even though all I've done is keep it in my pocket or on my desk at work. If you want to keep your Note 7 shiny and scratch-free, I strongly recommend buying a case.<h2>The best hardware</h2>Samsung is a much different phone maker today. Just a few years ago, it was pushing wild features like touchless gestures and more camera modes than you could possibly use. And it was all packaged in an unattractive plastic body.That was the old Samsung. The new Samsung is focused on the thoughtful features that matter the most. The Note 7 has it all: waterproofing, wireless charging, fast charging, the best camera ever put in a phone, and removable storage - all inside that gorgeous glass design.It's a phone that can do it all without compromising anything.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Corey Protin/Business InsiderThe Note 7 has a USB C plug, the new standard for charging.</div></div></div>Like other Note phones before it, the Note 7 also comes with the S Pen stylus, which you can use to doodle or take notes. This year's model has an improved S Pen with a sensitive tip that feels more natural to write with. There's also a cute new feature that lets you grab portions of videos and turn them into GIFs.I've never been a huge fan of the S Pen, and I kept it tucked away in its slot for most of my time with the Note 7. I realize there are plenty of Note fans out there who like it, but I'm glad it's just a hidden accessory, not something essential to the phone.Just like the Galaxy S7, the Note 7 can survive under a few feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Yes, even the S Pen is waterproof. And yes, the phone can still get wet if the S Pen slot is open. This doesn't mean you should go swimming with the Note 7, but you don't have to worry about using it in the rain or accidentally dropping it in the toilet. Or you could always pour champagne on it, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5aF23XpBwU">Lil' Wayne style</a>.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Corey Protin/Business Insider</div></div></div>The other key feature in the Note 7 is the new iris scanner, which takes an image of your eyes with an infrared light and stores it securely on the phone. You can use the iris scanner to unlock the phone, just like you would with the fingerprint scanner. It also lets you access a new secure folder, where you can store private photos, files, and apps that only you can access.I was initially intrigued by the iris scanner, but it's a lot better in theory than in practice. Although it's more secure - Samsung claims it only works with the user's living eyeball and can't be spoofed like fingerprints can - it's also an impractical way to unlock your phone. The iris scanner doesn't work well in bright sunlight (it failed on me at the beach last weekend), and it's not as convenient as clicking the home button and resting your fingerprint on the sensor to unlock the device. With the iris scanner, you have to power on the phone, swipe to unlock, and awkwardly hold the phone close to your face while staring into an interface that looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. Not exactly seamless.I think the iris scanner's best hope is to serve as an extra layer of protection for security-minded companies and governments that want employees to keep stuff in that secure folder. It's a clever feature, but falls short of being a game changer.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Corey Protin/Business InsiderThe S Pen stylus.</div></div></div>The Note 7's camera is the same one that comes with the Galaxy S7, which launched earlier this year. The only difference is the camera app's interface has been cleaned up slightly, making it easier to use. Even with the rapid pace of camera innovation in phones, no one has been able to top Samsung's latest camera. It's the best smartphone camera in just about any condition.Battery life is excellent too. Even with a slim body, the Note 7's battery is large enough to get you through more than a day. It also comes with wireless charging, which works with any standard wireless charger. You can also enable fast charging if you use one of Samsung's charging plugs or wireless charging pads. Battery life is the one feature that matters most to just about everyone, and it's insane that Samsung is the only premium smartphone maker that takes it so seriously.<h2>One critical flaw</h2>If there's one big weakness to the Note 7, it's the software powering it. Samsung likes to make big modifications to Android, which often gums up the experience. That said, the interface is definitely a lot cleaner in the Note 7 than it's been in previous Samsung phones. Still, Samsung has a horrible record of keeping its phones updated with the latest software, and there's no guarantee you'll be getting the new Note features a year from now.On top of that, the Note 7 also comes bogged down with extras from carriers here in the US. I tested the T-Mobile version, and had to spend the first few minutes clearing away all the T-Mobile branded junk from my home screen. Plus, Samsung has its own suite of apps for email, calendar, etc. on top of all the Google versions of those apps. I'm not a fan of making users juggle two different apps for all the same tasks.The software isn't a deal breaker, but compared to the consistency and of iOS and its rock-solid ecosystem of apps and updates, it's enough to still give the iPhone a very slight edge over the Note 7.<h2>Conclusion</h2>Smartphones have gotten to the point where you can get a lot of phone without spending a fortune. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-cheap-phones-buying-guide-2016-8">As little as $400</a> gets you a device with a nice camera, beautiful screen, mobile payments, and even a fingerprint sensor.So if you're going to spend twice as much, you'd better be getting your money's worth. The Note 7 is one of the few premium phones available that justifies its high cost.Here's the real kicker: Even though the Note 7 comes with 64 GB of storage, Samsung will give you the option to get a free 256 GB memory card when you buy the phone. That's an insane value. No other phone this good gives you that much storage at this price. (You also have the option to get a free Gear Fit fitness tracker, but I wouldn't recommend it. Storage is much more important than a gadget you're likely to get bored of after a few days.)Overall, the Note 7's biggest weakness is its software. It's not great, but it's good enough. Aside from that, when it comes to hardware and design, Samsung has cemented its position as the leader in the smartphone world. The Note 7 is the best phone the company has ever made, and one of the first you should consider buying. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-s7-water-resistance-iphone-2016-2">The one Samsung Galaxy S7 feature that blows the iPhone out of the water</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="ttcGgzMTE6vwk-t5kFddhoVk44Flz6PY" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Samsung's new Galaxy Note 7 is the most beautiful phone ever made

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Steve Kovach/Business Insider" title_caption="The Surface Pro 3." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/538494e66bb3f73d76dfdb95-960/img_8795-1.jpg"></a>Steve Kovach/Business InsiderThe Surface Pro 3.</div></div></div>For an hour last week, Microsoft's head of Surface, Panos Panay, spent an hour trying to persuade an audience of tech journalists and analysts that, finally, Microsoft built your dream device: the Surface Pro 3.
It's a full PC when you need to get work done and a tablet when you want to do casual stuff like browse the web or play a game. Why buy a $1,000 laptop and a $500 tablet when one device can do it all for a little over $900? After all, over 90% of tablet owners still use a laptop.
Plus it's lighter and thinner than the MacBook Air, all while boasting comparable or better specs. There's a brilliant 12-inch touchscreen. A silent fan. A pen for doodling and taking notes.
Doesn't that sound like something you'd want to buy?
It's the same story we've been hearing since Microsoft introduced the first Surface tablets nearly two years ago. Microsoft just did a better job at pitching this time. Unfortunately, that pitch is still an oversell. The Surface Pro 3 pushes us closer to that dreamy all-in-one device, but we're not quite there yet.
The Surface Pro 3 is available for preorder now starting at $799, but you'll need to spend an extra $130 for the optional but essential keyboard cover. (More on that in a bit.) It ships in August.
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/surface-pro-3-features-2014-5">Click here for photos of the Surface Pro 3 &gt;&gt;</a>
<h2 dir="ltr">What Is It?</h2>
From a hardware perspective, the Surface Pro 3 is downright impressive. It's a marvel that Microsoft was able to squish all the guts of a full PC into something so thin, light, beautiful, and durable. The screen resolution pops. Slap on the keyboard cover, and you're ready to crank through Office documents and Outlook emails.
It's wrong to compare the Surface Pro 3 to other tablets, especially on price. This is a PC disguised as a tablet, not a tablet pretending to be a PC. And that's why the Surface costs significantly more than your typical tablet. Think of it as a MacBook Air competitor, not an iPad competitor.
At 9.1mm, the Surface Pro 3 is only a hair thicker than the iPhone 5S. Without the keyboard cover, it weighs 1.76 pounds, which is heavy by tablet standards but very impressive for a fully featured PC.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Steve Kovach/Business Insider" title_caption="The Surface Pro 3 is only slightly thicker than the iPhone 5S." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53849d14eab8ea163cf4b401-960/microsoft-surface-pro-3-1.jpg"></a>Steve Kovach/Business InsiderThe Surface Pro 3 is only slightly thicker than the iPhone 5S.</div></div>
If you buy Microsoft's Surface docking station, you can hook the tablet up to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse, making it a replacement for your desktop PC, too. It also comes with a special pen that you can use to convert handwriting to plain text and quickly copy and paste items. The pen connects to the Surface via Bluetooth, and a double-click of the button on the end wakes the tablet up and automatically launches OneNote, Microsoft's note-taking app.
The keyboard cover got some improvements, too. The touchpad is bigger and bit more responsive. There's a magnetic strip on the edge that connects to the bottom bezel of the screen, which props the keyboard to a more comfortable typing angle. (Previous versions of the Surface forced you to type flat on the table, which felt awkward.) Microsoft claims that new keyboard angle helps the Surface work better in your lap, too.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Steve Kovach/Business Insider" title_caption="The keyboard cover now props up to a comfortable typing angle." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/538494e66bb3f73a76dfdb97-960/img_8796.jpg"></a>Steve Kovach/Business InsiderThe keyboard cover now props up to a comfortable typing angle.</div></div>
<h2 dir="ltr">What's It Like?</h2>
The Surface Pro 3 is the best Windows 8 machine you can buy. But don't take that as a compliment.
When I was in the Boy Scouts in elementary school, I won first place in the "turtle race" at the Pinewood Derby. The slowest car. The best of the worst. I got a trophy and everything.
That's what it feels like calling the Surface Pro 3 the best Windows 8 machine. It's a sad award for being at the top of the lowest class. It's not the hardware that's the problem, but Windows 8. Despite Microsoft's improvements over the last year and a half, Windows 8 is still clunky and difficult to use. You're forced into two operating systems, one for touch and one for the desktop. That also means two web browsers. Two email programs. Two settings menus to slog through. Let a newbie try Windows 8 for 15 minutes and she'll be screaming for the simplicity of iOS.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Steve Kovach/Business Insider" title_caption="Desktop mode on the Surface Pro 3." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/538494e769bedd727fdfdb95-960/img_8803-1.jpg"></a>Steve Kovach/Business InsiderDesktop mode on the Surface Pro 3.</div></div></div>This is my third Surface review, and it's the third time I have to say the same thing. The Surface Pro 3 is a mediocre tablet and a mediocre laptop. Put those two together, and you have a pricey device that still isn't as ideal as using something more traditional.
That said, if you enjoy Windows 8, you're definitely going to like the Surface Pro 3. It's the first device you should consider buying if you want a Windows machine. I may not think it's the optimal operating system, but if you want a gadget that truly can do everything (although not perfectly), the Surface Pro 3 will work out nicely.
What really bakes my noodle is that Microsoft spent so long trying to persuade everyone that the Surface Pro 3 is a laptop replacement, but still charges you an extra $130 for the keyboard cover. If someone tried selling you a regular laptop without a keyboard, you'd laugh and go spend your money somewhere else. It's like selling a car without wheels.
And the keyboard isn't that great. The keys are plasticky and cheap-feeling. The touchpad is a disaster. Two-finger scrolling is a frustrating mess, and I often found myself randomly highlighting text on web pages when I didn't mean to. Plus, even though Microsoft promised the Surface Pro 3 will sit sturdily in your lap, the keyboard is still too flimsy and nowhere near as good as using a normal laptop.
Battery life was also disappointing. Microsoft claims you can get about 8 hours, but I was only able to get about 5. That's not great, considering laptops like the MacBook Air can get over 10 hours per charge.
The biggest improvement to the hardware is the kickstand. It's now fully adjustable, so you can prop the tablet to whatever angle is most comfortable for you. (The last Surface's kickstand only had two configurations.) It can lay almost flat now, which is probably nice for artists who want to sketch on the device with the pen accessory. In that respect, the Surface Pro 3 matches a regular laptop nicely.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Steve Kovach/Business Insider" title_caption="The kickstand is fully adjustable." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/538494e6ecad04ad62dfdb95-960/img_8798-1.jpg"></a>Steve Kovach/Business InsiderThe kickstand is fully adjustable.</div></div>The Surface Pro 3 performs better as a tablet, but its size cripples any chance at the ultra portability we've been spoiled by with competing tablets, including <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/surface-2-review-2013-10">Microsoft's own svelte Surface 2</a>. The Surface Pro 3 is almost a pound heavier than the iPad Air, and the larger 12-inch screen isn't very comfortable for kicking back on the couch or train so you can casually read an e-book or stream a Netflix movie. If you're looking for a tablet, an iPad, Kindle Fire, or Google Nexus 7 is much better. The Surface Pro 3 is just too big and the battery life is just too weak compared with the competition.
<h2 dir="ltr">Conclusion</h2>
If you like Windows 8 and use Office a lot, then the Surface Pro 3 is the perfect device for you. It's the ideal manifestation of what Microsoft believes Windows 8 should be, and you're going to love it if you buy into that vision.
But for everyone else, Microsoft hasn't fulfilled its promise of building a device that can do it all and do it all well.
That said, there's still hope. The Surface team proved the laptop isn't finished evolving. It showed us that we're inching closer to a world where yes, maybe we don't need to lug around two or more devices when one will suffice.
We're not there yet, but boy are we close.

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