What’s the best way to enjoy this column? With a big cup of Kona.
I like good coffee. Anyone who knows me well knows that I obsess about it. Good beans, a high-quality grinder, and time. Patience. Every morning, I stumble downstairs, boil some water in my well-used Hario gooseneck kettle, and proceed with the ritual: grind, weigh, pour-over. It takes five minutes, longer than many people are willing to wait for good coffee, but to me it’s a rule, not an exception. There is nothing better than that first sip of bright Kenyan coffee as the sun pours in through the blinds, the radio on in the background, sounds of voices familiar and present, comforting.
I think everyone needs these rituals to look forward to each day, to fill in the gaps between the rote and mundane.
I also play dodgeball. It’s something I’ve done for almost ten years, and I’ve broken almost that many fingers (often the same one multiple times). It’s always a conversation starter — “Like the movie?” No, nothing like the movie. Better! — but it’s also an entirely different world than my day-to-day. I get to leave my pinging phone in my bag for two hours, and channel my troubles into a winning score on the court. Cliché, sure, but there’s a reason exercise is the best thing you can do for anxiety.
We are publishing fewer articles overall, with an emphasis on quality over quantity.
As the Northern Hemisphere cools, and the days shorten, I have to remember to really appreciate the rituals, the breaks in the norm, and the opportunities to pull away from the myriad screens that keep me tied to my work, and increasingly my friends and family, day after day.
You’ve seen some of that realignment of thought on Android Central since I took over as Managing Editor, publishing fewer articles, with an emphasis on quality over quantity. In the next few weeks, you’ll see an even greater emphasis placed on individual writers (with some big announcements), and a new approach to news that will hopefully find a compromise between the news ticker (that we admittedly rolled out too early) and the high-quality analysis you expect from a site of AC’s reputation and influence.
As I said in my introduction, my mandate is to make Android Central, and Android as an idea, more broadly accessible to everyone. We already have Jerry doing an amazing (AMAZING!) job delving into the parts of the ecosystem in a way that is both accessible and comprehensive. I’m so excited to read his Saturday column every week, and you should be, too.
Many people just want to know which phone to buy at a certain budget, or what case to get for their brand new Droid.
But many people just want to know which phone to buy at a certain budget, or what case to get for their brand new Galaxy S6, or Moto G4. AC should be accessible and valuable to those who arrive randomly after fastidiously making their coffee in the morning, or returning from the gym, or hanging with friends. People whose phones are a part of their day, not their entire day. I love that we can, and will, cater to both audiences.
We have a busy week coming up. IFA is just around the corner, and you’ll start seeing a trickle leading into a flood of announcements from almost every company whose tendrils even graze the Android ecosystem. Last year we got new smart watches from Samsung, new phones from Huawei and Sony, and some pretty big surprises. I’m excited to see what these same companies have learned in 12 months.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy your week!
Daniel
