Tech Roundup: Aug 24, 2012
Microsoft is on the verge of a total transformation and after rebooting Windows, Windows Phone, Office and Outlook, the Redmond based company has unveiled its new logo; the first change in 25 years and the fifth since its beginning in 1975. Embracing the Metro err... Modern UI style, the logo features four multicolored squares “to express the company’s diverse portfolio of products,” according to Microsoft’s brand strategy manager Jeff Hansen who also added that “the symbol is important in a world of digital motion”. The tech giant is gearing up for a series of big releases including Windows 8 (Oct 26), Windows Phone 8 (next month) alongside new versions of the Office and Xbox services in the coming months.
As Apple’s share price skyrockets (at $667.21, Aug 24 10PM IST) with the iPhone and iPad Air / Mini rumors gaining momentum, the company has hit a humongous market capitalization of $620 billion, breaking Microsoft’s record ($618 billion) way back in 1999. The latter is worth $256.7 billion today, almost $400 billion less than what it was 13 years ago.
Google’s public policy director Pablo Chavez has said that patent wars are not helpful to innovation and to the consumers in general. Ah finally, here is some sane talk regarding all the patent brouhaha but it’s quite incongruent considering Motorola’s (now a Google subsidiary) fresh patent litigation against Apple. What do you think?
Apple and Samsung are baying for each other’s blood in what can be called as the patent war of the century, but there is another case involving the ‘Universal Search’ feature which is making some new noise. Galaxy Nexus, the device in question, was temporarily banned and now the court hearing the case is deliberating on whether to ban the device during the ongoing trial.
Samsung has been belittling the success of the Nexus device claiming it had captured only 0.5% of the mark and hence stating Apple wasn’t harmed by the ‘minuscule’ sales of the phone. However, Apple states it was one of the high-end smartphones aimed straight at the heart of iPhone. Whatever be the case, the sales figures prove that the nexus phone is one niche product catering only to nerds and developers.
Google has normally announced its new Android flavors in tandem with a new product, a phone or a tablet. This year it has already unveiled its Nexus 7 tablet running the latest Android version Jelly Bean. But that doesn't mean the company isn’t planning to refresh its flagship phone. According to latest rumors, the Galaxy Nexus will be beefed up to have an 8 MP rear camera (from the previous 5 MP) and a 1.5 GHz dual core processor. Codenamed ‘Superior’, it is putatively having support for SD card as well, a feature absent from the previous Nexii phones.
Apple vs. Samsung trial has entered its fourth week and jury deliberations have begun. But a different take on the patent tussle looks at what could be the consequences of the verdict. A victory for Samsung could result in competitors settling for Apple’s designs for their devices while an Apple win would force them to think out of the box to work-around Apple’s designs. Interesting right? Which way do you prefer? Check out the full article from Forbes Tech.
If you were an Android smartphone user and if I were to ask you the most frustrating problem with your phone, what would be your answer? Possibly, lack of an upgrade path to the latest Android version? If so, you are not alone. As a previous Android phone user myself, I had many times been peeved about this. If the phone doesn’t come with stock Android, chances are slim that your phone manufacturer will upgrade to the latest version (it will definitely get one upgrade and at the max two, but not forever); unless of course you decide to break the warranty by opting for custom ROM’s like CyanogenMod.
Fragmentation is certainly plaguing Android, and Google seems to have finally realized this. In an interesting development, the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) has started an experiment in which it is trying bring in direct support for non-Nexus devices and it has got flagged-off with a Sony Xperia S. Sony’s support has also been very reassuring in this regard. Does that mean these non-Nexus devices will also get the latest Vanilla Android software? We’ll have to wait and watch.
Do you hate Instagram, the popular app used to apply filters on photos? If so, here’s a cool app which you will definitely like – Normalize. As the name suggests, the iOS app reverses the effects applied to such altered photos to get back the ‘normal’ look. The app is now available on the iTunes App Store for 99 cents.
Book lovers in India rejoice! The Amazon Kindle Store is finally here. With over a million books, the store is at present the largest ebook store in the country. The books are aggressively priced (in rupees) and titles from Indian authors are also in the offing. The Kindle e-reader is out for sale as well and is priced at Rs. 6,999 for the starter version. The store can be accessed at http://www.amazon.com/kindlestoreindia.
We are almost certain as to how the upcoming iPhone will look, thanks to a rumor mill overdrive. Now the latest leak from a Chinese accessory vendor features a snapshot of how the new dock connector cable will look like although the photo in itself doesn’t reveal the dock connector side of the cable clearly. Meanwhile, LG Display has reportedly begun mass production of touch screens with in-cell technology to be included in the next gen iPhone according to the Wall Street Journal.
The first two weeks of September are already full with a slew of product announcements from Nokia, Motorola and Apple. Now Amazon too has joined the party! Rumors of the next Amazon Kindle Fire have been making rounds for quite some time and as if on cue, the company is holding a press event on September 6th. Seems like Amazon wants to steal the show from Apple’s iPad Mini / Air (if at all it gets announced)!
Do you use the Facebook app on your Android phone or on your Apple iDevice? How annoying is the experience for you? If not, you must be one amongst the lucky few! For the majority, the common issues affecting both the Android and iOS versions include – slowness (slower than the mobile version in fact), excess of bugs and totally conflicting notifications. That’s a whole lot of problems, especially when things are increasingly going mobile. You might wonder isn’t it bad for a platform boasting of almost a billion people (almost half of them accessing via mobile devices) to not have a decent working app.
Well, Dirk de Kok of Mobtest blog gives us some insight into this. According to the article, the technical reasons for the slowness stem from the fact that app uses a mix of HTML and REST (an XML format) to display content, which apparently uses a component that lacks JavaScript support to speed up the fetch. And as for inconsistent information being displayed, it’s to do with the multiple requests that are made from the app to get your messages, friend requests and other notifications. May sound a little Greek and Latin to a layman, but nevertheless you can read the post here. Coincidentally, the new Facebook update for iOS ditches HTML 5 in favor of Apple's native Objective-C language.
Google / Android:
Minor Chrome OS update revamps app tray and adds option to save files directly to Google Drive.
Google Play Store gift cards announced at $10, $25 and $50 denominations; available only in the US for now.
Android Ice Cream Sandwich update rolling out for 2011 Sony Xperia line up.
Sony’s budget smartphone Xperia J leaks ahead of IFA event; runs on Ice Cream Sandwich.
LG's quad-core Android flagship smartphone prototype leaks; to be unveiled at IFA next week, according to AndroidMX.
Apple / iOS:
Chrome for iOS update brings social sharing capabilities; allows Facebook, Twitter and Google+ integration.
Mac OS Mountain Lion software update (10.8.1) out now; mainly contains bug fixes.
Microsoft / Windows / Windows Phone:
Windows 8 promotional upgrade offers available now; to last till Jan 31, 2013.Skype for iPhone and iPad updated with photo sharing capabilities.
Nokia to announce two Windows Phone 8 Lumia handsets on September 5; tentatively titled Arrow and Phi.
Social Media:
Facebook debuts Sponsored Results (or ads) in its top search box; redesigns Messages page.
Microblogging site Tumblr removes friend finding feature through Twitter following similar moves by LinkedIn and Instagram; blames it on the latter’s tighter API guidelines.
Facebook for iOS gets native support; drops HTML 5 support to bring in speed improvements.
US’s Federal Trade Commission approves Facebook’s purchase of Instagram, weeks after nod from the UK’s Office of Fair Trading.
Google+ update brings circle and user specific notifications turn-off feature.
Other:
Camera manufacturer Nikon announces its first Android 2.3 powered 16-MP camera Coolpix S800c; boasts of email capabilities and full access to Google Play Store. Do we have a contender to Nokia PureView here?
Fair Labor Association releases a report detailing the device manufacturer Foxconn’s progress in improving the work conditions.
Sony Mobile to shift its headquarters to Tokyo, to slash almost 1000 jobs.
Tech Roundup is a weekly recurring feature on the latest trends in Technology.
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| Microsoft logo over the years |
Google’s public policy director Pablo Chavez has said that patent wars are not helpful to innovation and to the consumers in general. Ah finally, here is some sane talk regarding all the patent brouhaha but it’s quite incongruent considering Motorola’s (now a Google subsidiary) fresh patent litigation against Apple. What do you think?
Apple and Samsung are baying for each other’s blood in what can be called as the patent war of the century, but there is another case involving the ‘Universal Search’ feature which is making some new noise. Galaxy Nexus, the device in question, was temporarily banned and now the court hearing the case is deliberating on whether to ban the device during the ongoing trial.
Samsung has been belittling the success of the Nexus device claiming it had captured only 0.5% of the mark and hence stating Apple wasn’t harmed by the ‘minuscule’ sales of the phone. However, Apple states it was one of the high-end smartphones aimed straight at the heart of iPhone. Whatever be the case, the sales figures prove that the nexus phone is one niche product catering only to nerds and developers.
Google has normally announced its new Android flavors in tandem with a new product, a phone or a tablet. This year it has already unveiled its Nexus 7 tablet running the latest Android version Jelly Bean. But that doesn't mean the company isn’t planning to refresh its flagship phone. According to latest rumors, the Galaxy Nexus will be beefed up to have an 8 MP rear camera (from the previous 5 MP) and a 1.5 GHz dual core processor. Codenamed ‘Superior’, it is putatively having support for SD card as well, a feature absent from the previous Nexii phones.
If you were an Android smartphone user and if I were to ask you the most frustrating problem with your phone, what would be your answer? Possibly, lack of an upgrade path to the latest Android version? If so, you are not alone. As a previous Android phone user myself, I had many times been peeved about this. If the phone doesn’t come with stock Android, chances are slim that your phone manufacturer will upgrade to the latest version (it will definitely get one upgrade and at the max two, but not forever); unless of course you decide to break the warranty by opting for custom ROM’s like CyanogenMod.
Fragmentation is certainly plaguing Android, and Google seems to have finally realized this. In an interesting development, the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) has started an experiment in which it is trying bring in direct support for non-Nexus devices and it has got flagged-off with a Sony Xperia S. Sony’s support has also been very reassuring in this regard. Does that mean these non-Nexus devices will also get the latest Vanilla Android software? We’ll have to wait and watch.
Do you hate Instagram, the popular app used to apply filters on photos? If so, here’s a cool app which you will definitely like – Normalize. As the name suggests, the iOS app reverses the effects applied to such altered photos to get back the ‘normal’ look. The app is now available on the iTunes App Store for 99 cents.
Book lovers in India rejoice! The Amazon Kindle Store is finally here. With over a million books, the store is at present the largest ebook store in the country. The books are aggressively priced (in rupees) and titles from Indian authors are also in the offing. The Kindle e-reader is out for sale as well and is priced at Rs. 6,999 for the starter version. The store can be accessed at http://www.amazon.com/kindlestoreindia.
We are almost certain as to how the upcoming iPhone will look, thanks to a rumor mill overdrive. Now the latest leak from a Chinese accessory vendor features a snapshot of how the new dock connector cable will look like although the photo in itself doesn’t reveal the dock connector side of the cable clearly. Meanwhile, LG Display has reportedly begun mass production of touch screens with in-cell technology to be included in the next gen iPhone according to the Wall Street Journal.
The first two weeks of September are already full with a slew of product announcements from Nokia, Motorola and Apple. Now Amazon too has joined the party! Rumors of the next Amazon Kindle Fire have been making rounds for quite some time and as if on cue, the company is holding a press event on September 6th. Seems like Amazon wants to steal the show from Apple’s iPad Mini / Air (if at all it gets announced)!
Do you use the Facebook app on your Android phone or on your Apple iDevice? How annoying is the experience for you? If not, you must be one amongst the lucky few! For the majority, the common issues affecting both the Android and iOS versions include – slowness (slower than the mobile version in fact), excess of bugs and totally conflicting notifications. That’s a whole lot of problems, especially when things are increasingly going mobile. You might wonder isn’t it bad for a platform boasting of almost a billion people (almost half of them accessing via mobile devices) to not have a decent working app.
Well, Dirk de Kok of Mobtest blog gives us some insight into this. According to the article, the technical reasons for the slowness stem from the fact that app uses a mix of HTML and REST (an XML format) to display content, which apparently uses a component that lacks JavaScript support to speed up the fetch. And as for inconsistent information being displayed, it’s to do with the multiple requests that are made from the app to get your messages, friend requests and other notifications. May sound a little Greek and Latin to a layman, but nevertheless you can read the post here. Coincidentally, the new Facebook update for iOS ditches HTML 5 in favor of Apple's native Objective-C language.
Google / Android:
Minor Chrome OS update revamps app tray and adds option to save files directly to Google Drive.
Google Play Store gift cards announced at $10, $25 and $50 denominations; available only in the US for now.
Android Ice Cream Sandwich update rolling out for 2011 Sony Xperia line up.
Sony’s budget smartphone Xperia J leaks ahead of IFA event; runs on Ice Cream Sandwich.
LG's quad-core Android flagship smartphone prototype leaks; to be unveiled at IFA next week, according to AndroidMX.
Apple / iOS:
Chrome for iOS update brings social sharing capabilities; allows Facebook, Twitter and Google+ integration.
Mac OS Mountain Lion software update (10.8.1) out now; mainly contains bug fixes.
Microsoft / Windows / Windows Phone:
Windows 8 promotional upgrade offers available now; to last till Jan 31, 2013.Skype for iPhone and iPad updated with photo sharing capabilities.
Nokia to announce two Windows Phone 8 Lumia handsets on September 5; tentatively titled Arrow and Phi.
Social Media:
Facebook debuts Sponsored Results (or ads) in its top search box; redesigns Messages page.
Microblogging site Tumblr removes friend finding feature through Twitter following similar moves by LinkedIn and Instagram; blames it on the latter’s tighter API guidelines.
Facebook for iOS gets native support; drops HTML 5 support to bring in speed improvements.
US’s Federal Trade Commission approves Facebook’s purchase of Instagram, weeks after nod from the UK’s Office of Fair Trading.
Google+ update brings circle and user specific notifications turn-off feature.
Other:
Camera manufacturer Nikon announces its first Android 2.3 powered 16-MP camera Coolpix S800c; boasts of email capabilities and full access to Google Play Store. Do we have a contender to Nokia PureView here?
Fair Labor Association releases a report detailing the device manufacturer Foxconn’s progress in improving the work conditions.
Sony Mobile to shift its headquarters to Tokyo, to slash almost 1000 jobs.
Tech Roundup is a weekly recurring feature on the latest trends in Technology.
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