Some blogs are awesome because of the single personality behind them – like last week’s featured blog, a website really can become an extension of the person behind it. But they can also be an incredible platform for mixing up personalities, views and interests, and that’s exactly what this week’s Blog Star does. Please help me welcome the truly massive Pocketnow.
What is it?
Pocketnow has been around for over a decade now, which makes it one of the best established mobile technology blogs. When it started, it was all about Pocket PC – but now they cover all platforms, making it one of the best places to go for an all-round mobile tech view.
Who runs it?
Contributors to the blog range from technology professionals to graphic designers and at least one actor. As the blurb on their YouTube channel says: “We’re more than just a tech site; we’re a collection of diverse personalities making great videos about the things we’re most passionate about.” The best place to meet the team is in Pocketnow Insider, an ongoing series of articles looking at what makes them tick – including longest standing editor and windows expert Adam Lein.
What we love about it
The reviews and comments are in depth, consumer focused, and stashed full of videos, images and product comparisons to illustrate their point. The team are very aware of the diverse spread of interests of their senior writers – and they’re willing to play on that. Scroll through their blog listings and you’ll spot titles like How Pocket Cloud Editors Use the Cloud and What Pocketnow Editors think of the Lumia 1020. This is where several editors share their thoughts and views on different topics. The great thing about this? Simple. They don’t always agree. You, the reader, get to make up your own mind.
Of course we generally want hard facts when we’re reading about technology – what does product x do, is it reliable, is it cool? But the speculation can be just as potent – what’s coming next, will it change what I do, will it be cooler? Pocketnow has a great Rumours section, where upcoming (well possibly, maybe) products and developments are discussed. Take a scroll and you may even spot one or two Nokia related rumours in there, not that I can confirm or deny any one of them!
And the prize for quirkiest quote in a video review goes to: “Like a sweet 80s mullet, the 1020 is all business in the front, party in the back.”
What’s its stand out feature?
The Pocketnow videos and podcasts win hands down for me. Their YouTube channel is massive. At time of writing it has 394,389 subscribers and has enjoyed more than 176 million views since it launched six years ago. It’s easy to see why. Their video reviews and product stand offs are polished and intelligent – and they clearly invest enough time to make step up from back bedroom video to professional web TV. Keep a regular eye on their three minute daily video updates, two hour weekly audio podcasts and since January their regular Hangouts and you’ll be armed with all the mobile technology knowledge you need.
Hooking up beyond the blog
It’s when you start to track these guys down outside the main blog that you realise just how well they judge what their followers want. Their 394,389 YouTube subscribers are joined by another 67k on Twitter, 62k on Google Plus and 53k on Facebook. For my money it’s well worth joining that club.
In the world of technology, today’s big thing is so often out of date by tomorrow breakfast. What do you think is the secret of websites like Pocketnow, which are still getting bigger and better a decade on?