Pocketnow Weekly 090: Windows Phone 8.1 Cortana, Galaxy S5 sales & more

Published: April 3, 2014, 9:42 p.m.

Microsoft gets itself a striking new digital assistant, Nokia prepares sharp new smartphone hardware, Samsung and HTC kick off a new round of rasslin', and Pocketnow team members start an informal book club! It might be a scatterbrained itinerary, but at least it's action-packed – and that's just scratching the surface of this week's epic two-hour mobile technology podcast. Join us as we debate the merits of Windows Phone 8.1 Cortana, the forthcoming Nokia Cyan update, and the Samsung ATIV SE before moving on to non-Build topics ranging from BoomSound to smartphone waterproofing ... not to mention some very thoughtful (if somewhat dense) listener mail! It's all there on episode 090 of the Pocketnow Weekly ... so mash those cans on, turn the volume up and rip the knob off: we're here to talk tech, and it's gonna get awesome. Send feedback, questions, and requests to podcast [AT] pocketnow [DOT] com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google Plus  to stay apprised of the latest episodes. Tell your friends about the show so we don't have to do a telethon to stay on the air. Join our forums to offer topic suggestions and more. And thanks for listening!Pocketnow Weekly episode 090 Recording Date 04/03/2014 Hosts Michael Fisher Stephen Schenck Taylor Martin Adam Doud Podcast Rundown Windows (00:11:52) Microsoft announces Windows Phone 8.1 at Build 2014 Cortana is a big win for Windows Phone Nokia confirms Cyan update for summer Nokia announces Lumia 930, 630, 635 Nokia Lumia 1820 rumors show Snapdragon 805, QHD display Samsung ATIV SE rumors get specific Android (00:59:53) HTC One M8 review updated HTC happily admits to "benchmarking optimization" HTC One M8 sales seem to be off to a good start Initial Galaxy S 5 sales solid, claims report iOS (01:26:05) The iPad Mini with Bluetooth keyboard is better than I imagined Could you go tablet-only for a day? Listener Mail (01:34:39) Sam Ling wonders why Google Now can't have a little personality; Alex asks if there's really a future for mobile gaming; Charlie McKenna invites us to speculate on the prospects for future waterproof smartphones; and Julian Wang has a bone to pick with Taylor Martin (and everyone else criticizing the HTC One M8's camera).  Music The Pocketnow Weekly's transition music (the track used between its News and Feature segments on some episodes) is a track called "Radiation" from the talented Ali Spagnola. You may recognize the tune as one of the preloaded ringtones from your Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus, or Nexus 4 - but it's a real song, from a real album. You can download that album, along with many others, at Ali's website here, or visit her YouTube page here! • Thanks for listening! Tune in again next week! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.