Daniel Bader, Andrew Martonik, Hayato Huseman and Michael Fisher attend MWC 2019.
Hey! If you're reading this, it's probably because you clicked on some link, somewhere — perhaps on our homepage, or through Twitter or Facebook, or even possibly by searching for something on Google and coming across this article with a title that says 'Big things are happening!' and got curious. Whatever way you got here, I appreciate it.
I haven't done one of these in a while, and it's something I really missed. We used to do them on a weekly basis, every Sunday, a rotating crew of AC editors talking about whatever they wanted — from smartphone leaks to subjects a bit more personal. The idea of an editor's desk column isn't new — it's a regular occurrence in magazines and many newspapers — but its roots feel entangled in a time before social media. It's a very analog, organic way of speaking directly an audience, less an editorial than a state of the union, imbued with the understanding that there's a relationship, or at least an understanding, between reader and writer.
Which brings us to this column. We're going to be returning to weekly editor's desk columns, recounting things that are happening in the broader Android world and, on a smaller scale, at Android Central and Mobile Nations itself. I realize that a lot has changed in both respects over the past few years — Android has matured, as have the handsets that are released bearing its name. And Android Central as a brand has evolved, shifting the way we do our jobs. We're focusing on more product categories and producing content in ways that wouldn't have been common five or ten years ago. What hasn't changed is how passionate we are about the things we write about — editorials, news, reviews, how-tos, buyer's guides. All of it is imbued with an absolute fervor for helping people find and use the best products out there.
Baby enjoying the finer things in life, like a good mechanical keyboard.
Part of the reason the Editor's Desk column fell by the wayside is personal: I had a kid. The early days and weeks of taking care of an infant are really all-encompassing: these tiny things need a lot of attention. My phone became a timer, a calendar, a camera — anything but the fun stuff. It immediately turned into a tool and then, as the months went on, a camera. That's still true today, and it's a fantastic test of a new phone; is it good enough to capture an always-moving infant in bad lighting at odd angles? Having a baby also forces you to enjoy your weekends, or to defer projects, or to spend less time in your head. It's a blessing and a curse. The fatigue is all-encompassing; I fell asleep standing up more than once (though thankfully I wasn't holding my baby at the time).
But the product releases didn't slow — if anything, they intensified. I traveled to Barcelona for Mobile World Congress in March right after the Galaxy S10 was announced and we got to see a bit more of the Galaxy Fold and go hands-on with the Huawei Mate X. It's funny to think about those two announcements in retrospect knowing what would happen in those narratives in the subsequent months. The Galaxy Fold is a huge question mark for 2019, while the Mate X could be scuttled entirely depending on what happens with sizzling U.S.-China trade war.
On the software side of things, Google's developer conference wasn't as bombastic this year as it has been in the past (though the hardware announcements made up for it), but I think Android Q is a step in the right direction for an operating system that's less about major year-over-year changes as it is about tightening up the nuts and bolts of what makes a mobile OS so good already. We've been covering what you can expect from the update if and when your phone gets it (Pixel phones should get a final version in August) in a series called Android Q features you'll love.
Our Apple friends get their developer conference next week, too. WWDC takes place tomorrow, June 3, at 10am PT / 1pm ET. Expect lots of unsubstantiated jabs at Android in the opening moments, along with new versions of iOS, macOS, and all the others. iMore has a breakdown of all the logistics if you want to check it out, along with a massive preview.
Our Windows Central colleagues just finished a busy week covering all the crazy laptops and chip announcements at Computex, and in a couple of weeks, they head to Los Angeles for E3. The fun never stops around here.
So back to AC. We're investing in bringing more news, more video, better reviews, smarter analysis, and better buyer's guides. And we're so damn happy that you're along for the ride.
Until next week, enjoy your weekend!
-Daniel
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