The rise of The Verge corresponds with the slow death
of Engadget and other tech blogs who had glorious days. The Verge is founded
by ex-Editor-in-Chief of Engadget and other Engadet’s core members in
November 2011. New as it is, I am already checking it everyday for new reviews
and long-forms features. The website is beautiful, showcasing Flip-like designs, putting
each article in distinct, variant squares instead of text-based hyperlinks. The
product review page is quite refreshing too – I love the tiny links on
the left side of the page that can take me to different sections within the
article (e.g. hardware, software, display…). Most importantly, it’s
a visual driven website with large, hi-def pictures and videos. The pages are
not 100% reader friendly though – you will find the disgusting “1,
2, 3” at the bottom of some long articles that break one article into
many to boost the number of clicks.
Perhaps it is not coincidence that AOL is the headmaster of
both Engadget and TechCrunch, both of which are failing and overtaken by new
ventures formed by its departing employees. Makes you wonder about the timing
of yesterday giant’s final fall. But I am not expecting an ear-piecing
thud there, I would image the subtle sound of wind slowing blowing away the
ashes of whatever is remained of the giant.
Also, Brian Lam, the former editor of Gizmodo, founded a new
gadget website called Wirecutter
last year. It is the opposite of Gizmodo – bullshit-free, clean, to the
point. I am happy to see the demise of Gizmodo (and all the filth and noise it
brings) quickened by likes of Wirecutter.
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