Apple vs. Google: New Devices for Fall 2014

This week I’m going to review the most notable tech releases that have happened this fall. I’ve already talked about the new iPhone 6, but there’s been so much more since then!

So let’s look at the other spectacular releases that have arrived in recent months:.

Google’s Nexus 6

Google released the latest model in the popular Nexus line. The Nexus is my favorite Android phone line because it’s influenced directly by Google to work seamlessly with the Android operating system. Unlike Apple, Google doesn’t have control over every device that Android is installed on. This means that the Android phone experience can be dramatically different from device to device. The fact that Google has worked with Motorola to create this smartphone means that it will work perfectly with the new operating system.

The Nexus 6 is following the trend of “phablets” (phone + tablet = phablet) because of its massive size. It’s even larger than the iPhone 6+. It has a giant 6-inch screen and awesome specs such as a 13 megapixel camera, quad core processor, and a super-fast Adreno 420 GPU processor.

Beyond the size factor, there’s the giant 3220mAh battery which has an incredible charging ability which allows you to charge your phone for 15 minutes and get 6 hours of usage. With that large of a battery, you could go over 24 hours of high usage on a full charge.

Google’s Nexus 9

Google also released their new tablet the Nexus 9, with an 8.9-inch screen and 64bit processor. It has double the size battery of the Nexus 6, at 6700mAh, and an 8 megapixel camera.

Both the Nexus 6 and 9 will be running the newest version of Android Lollipop, which has a much sleeker design and allows multiple users on a single device. This means that you can have a separate login for your kids if they want to play games on your device. Or you can have two separate accounts for yourself and your spouse. Or perhaps you just want to keep email accounts and apps separated between two accounts.

I’m really excited to try out these two new Nexus devices. Their specs are off the charts and they definitely look like stiff competition for the new line of Apple devices. I will say though that there is the lack of a fingerprint scanner (which can be found on the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the latest iPhones). These Android devices do however have full NFC (that is, near-field communication) which allows you to do tons of tasks in short range such as send large files or even make changes to another phone.

Apple’s iPad Air 2

Apple has updated their iPad line to include the iPad Air 2, which is thinner than its predecessor. I’m still not sure why Apple thinks slimmer devices are better but that aside, this new iPad has a blazing fast A8x processer along with an M8 motion co-processor. The M8 is used to do things that involve motion, such as counting steps, reading the barometer, and caclulating the position of your phone using gyroscopes. It’s the thing that allows you to run with your phone, stabilize images, and play games that allow you tilt your device.

The iPad Air 2 also has an 8 megapixel camera that has the ability to take burst pictures and slow motion video. 

Apple’s 27-inch iMac

Next out was the next iteration in Apple’s desktop line, the iMac 27inch This new 27” iMac rocks a 5k display. This type of resolution is unheard of. To put it into perspective, 4k is used to show movies at a movie theatre! 5K is more than 7 times standard 1080p HD that you see on almost every TV on the market. I’ve had a chance to check out this new iMac and it’s pretty awesome!

It has killer specs like an i5 Intel processor, 1TB driver, and an AMD Radeon R9 M290x graphics card to power that giant screen!

Apple Watch

Way back when Apple released their new iPhones they also released an Apple Watch to pair with these new phones. This watch is unique in that it requires you have an iPhone for it to work properly. I was really intrigued by the user interface which uses a dial to zoom in and scroll in and out of apps.

The watch is designed to be an extension of your phone, allowing you to read text messages, check status’s of a workout, and maybe even see what time it is!

I will say this watch was built with fitness in mind. It acts as monitor all day by recording your physical activity. This is a part of Apple’s overall health movement which is slowly rolling out with the release of iOS 8. Essentially it’s an aggregator of other health apps, but I foresee the Apple Watch being a huge player with the amount of data it can log about you.

The Apple Watch also comes in a bunch of different designs. There’s an 8-karat gold version, an aluminum sport version, and a stainless steel version. I’m very interested to see these when they come out officially in early 2015.

As amazing as all of these Apple releases have been, I will say that I am disappointed that there isn’t a new version of the Apple TV. I personally think Apple is working on something in regards to home automation, but time will only tell.

So what did you think of all the new products released this fall? Are you an Apple or Android user? Why? Let us know in the Comments section of this episode or post your thoughts on Facebook QDTtechtalker.

Well, that’s it for today! Be sure to check out all my earlier episodes at quickanddirtytipstech-talker. And if you have further questions about this podcast or want to make a suggestion for a future episode, email me at techtalker@quickanddirtytips.com.

Until next time, I’m the Tech Talker, keeping technology simple!

Nexus 6 image courtesy of Google.com. Apple Watch image courtesy of GSMarena.com.