ZTE Open and Firefox OS

I thought I would give Firefox OS a try, I have used Android and iOS previously and I was interested in another operating system to play around with.

I had also tried an early version of Ubuntu Touch. I'll probably discuss this another time, but needless to say I was rather underwhelmed and expected a bit more but I'm sure this will be smoothed out over time.

Certainly Firefox looks an interesting prospect, and I like the way it works. I have to say they seem to have nailed the webapps more effectively than the current Ubuntu offering.

The device was cheap, but actually operated efficiently. Any device that has web access can view these type of webapps and it is surprising how good many are, after being so used to using native apps.

I am awaiting a big update promised by Mozilla any time soon; I think it is perhaps fairer to comment when that update has been released.

The Wii U

The Wii U

I thought I would kick things off with a few words about the new Nintendo Wii U.

This is a hugely underrated console, with much to offer if only pure horsepower of a new device is overlooked. It is the innovation of the device, its peripherals and the quality of the games that take advantage of those innovations.

I have to admit the biggest weakness of the Wii U has been the lack of games, not lack of innovation. However Nintendo appear to be addressing this at last, and there are some good titles out now, and some good ones on the horizon.

We are also waiting for the "TVii" option to be activated, so hard to say what this will bring, but Nintendo really need to pull their finger out and get these services activated.

But the concept works very well. Having kids, it is great to be able to play games, or watch films and TV shows on both the TV screen and the Wii U screen. The screen itself is a decent size and is quite acceptable for both gameplay and TV viewing. It is just a shame that the range is so small between the console and and handset. It would be great to be able to take the controller to another room to play games or watch TV or a film.

For kids below a certain age this console is ideal, and unlike the other next generation of consoles, will support 7 years' worth of original Wii games and the peripherals. So few people will need to invest in too much more hardware such as controllers, if they already own an original Wii. For older kids I understand the fervour towards the new consoles from Sony and Microsoft. Both will deliver a truly next-generation experience though how much better than the current consoles remains to be seen. But for these older kids and current console fans, I'm sure these consoles will deliver. But this is a different market, one which Nintendo are not targeting.

So good luck to all, and I do hope the Wii U manages to claw back some decent support from both you and I as players and the software houses pushing through new games.