Tech Roundup: Mar 10, 2013
Facebook redesigns News Feed to boost its revenues:
Facebook and redesign share a strange relationship, for every time the social network tried to change something, things began to get more convoluted, only ending up confusing users big time. The company now seems to have learnt a lesson for the better. The overall design is simple and consistent with other platforms (Android and iOS apps) alongside an enhanced focus on imagery. The photos occupy a bigger area in the feed, which by itself has been categorized depending on the content shared (music, photos, games etc.). Comparisons with Google+ are inevitable and well they are for the good! The update is expected to be rolled out to the entire one billion plus user base in the forthcoming weeks. Along with it expect bigger ads on your main news feed, after all Facebook is a business!
Microsoft fined by EU for antitrust case; Google and Opera behind the tip-off:
The European Union finally has decided to fine Microsoft to the tune of $732 million USD for failing to display a browser choice screen on Windows 7 SP1 running PC's due to an unforeseen technical error. It may be noted that the European Commission began its investigations last July and found that the company had indeed violated its 2009 antitrust agreement. However Financial Times has an interesting backstory, according to which it was Google and Opera who tipped the EU over the absence of the browser ballot screen. "Google and Opera informally pinged the EU to let them know that Microsoft was in violation of the browser ballot agreement," reports Neowin on this matter. Now that's what you call SCROOGLED!
Samsung Galaxy S IV rumours begin to swirl:
We are less than a week's time from the launch of the much awaited Android smartphone from Samsung and as usual rumor mills are churning out speculations in full swing. The New York Times opened them all by revealing that the smartphone will track the user's eyes to scroll content, which was later corroborated by Sammobile although the screenshots were from a Galaxy S III running Android 4.2.1 (thereby suggesting those features are coming to the third generation Galaxy as well).
Soon followed the AnTuTu benchmarks which have more or less confirmed the following specs: an octa-core Exynos processor (unveiled at CES 2013), 2 GB RAM, 4.99-inch screen and a 13 MP rear camera. Sammobile managed to land a scoop after a tipster informed them of a floating touch technology, Green PHOLED display and wireless charging being incorporated in the handset. Though the floating touch thing is not entirely new (Sony already had it with Xperia Sola), the rest of the specs suggest that we may have a killer of a smartphone! One bummer though, the phone will still be made out of plastic.
What's in a name!
Can you even think of Apple's iPhone being called by any other name? But according to former Apple ad man Ken Segall, the tech giant came up with several 'bizarre' monikers like TelePod, Mobi and TriPod for its iconic product - TelePod because it added a futuristic twist to the conventional telephone; Mobi being a shortened version of 'mobile' and TriPod because the phone combined features of a telephone, iPod and internet all into one device. But what may surprise most is the revelation that the name 'iPad' was also a strong contender along with the rest of them!
Mars Curiosity rover on road to recovery after computer glitch:
Curiosity may be busy sampling rocks on the barren Martian planet, but the rover suffered a software glitch that forced it go into backup mode after its primary computer demonstrated symptoms of data corruption. While the causes are still being investigated, it is being said that cosmic rays (or basically radiation) could have been the most likely culprit. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has also confirmed that full scale operations will be resumed by next week.
Samsung unexcited by Windows 8 RT tablets; calls Windows 8 no better than Vista:
Korean manufacturer Samsung is no doubt enjoying a great market success. While its Android powered smartphones are reigning supreme, the company seems to be relatively unexcited about Windows RT and has consequently decided not to offer its Ativ S Windows RT tablet in US and Europe. The decision was reportedly made after the Korean conglomerate surveyed retailers and found there was little demand for Samsung Windows RT products, reports the Verge. Apparently things don't here. Samsung's Jun Dong-soo, the head of memory chip business, also took his turn to take a dig at the Windows 8 operating system stating the Windows 8 system is no better than the previous Windows Vista platform. Granted Windows 8 has failed to excite the PC market in the so called post-PC era, but these sharp words are sure to sting where it hurts!
In other news:
Facebook and redesign share a strange relationship, for every time the social network tried to change something, things began to get more convoluted, only ending up confusing users big time. The company now seems to have learnt a lesson for the better. The overall design is simple and consistent with other platforms (Android and iOS apps) alongside an enhanced focus on imagery. The photos occupy a bigger area in the feed, which by itself has been categorized depending on the content shared (music, photos, games etc.). Comparisons with Google+ are inevitable and well they are for the good! The update is expected to be rolled out to the entire one billion plus user base in the forthcoming weeks. Along with it expect bigger ads on your main news feed, after all Facebook is a business!
Microsoft fined by EU for antitrust case; Google and Opera behind the tip-off:
The European Union finally has decided to fine Microsoft to the tune of $732 million USD for failing to display a browser choice screen on Windows 7 SP1 running PC's due to an unforeseen technical error. It may be noted that the European Commission began its investigations last July and found that the company had indeed violated its 2009 antitrust agreement. However Financial Times has an interesting backstory, according to which it was Google and Opera who tipped the EU over the absence of the browser ballot screen. "Google and Opera informally pinged the EU to let them know that Microsoft was in violation of the browser ballot agreement," reports Neowin on this matter. Now that's what you call SCROOGLED!
Samsung Galaxy S IV rumours begin to swirl:
We are less than a week's time from the launch of the much awaited Android smartphone from Samsung and as usual rumor mills are churning out speculations in full swing. The New York Times opened them all by revealing that the smartphone will track the user's eyes to scroll content, which was later corroborated by Sammobile although the screenshots were from a Galaxy S III running Android 4.2.1 (thereby suggesting those features are coming to the third generation Galaxy as well).
Soon followed the AnTuTu benchmarks which have more or less confirmed the following specs: an octa-core Exynos processor (unveiled at CES 2013), 2 GB RAM, 4.99-inch screen and a 13 MP rear camera. Sammobile managed to land a scoop after a tipster informed them of a floating touch technology, Green PHOLED display and wireless charging being incorporated in the handset. Though the floating touch thing is not entirely new (Sony already had it with Xperia Sola), the rest of the specs suggest that we may have a killer of a smartphone! One bummer though, the phone will still be made out of plastic.
What's in a name!
Can you even think of Apple's iPhone being called by any other name? But according to former Apple ad man Ken Segall, the tech giant came up with several 'bizarre' monikers like TelePod, Mobi and TriPod for its iconic product - TelePod because it added a futuristic twist to the conventional telephone; Mobi being a shortened version of 'mobile' and TriPod because the phone combined features of a telephone, iPod and internet all into one device. But what may surprise most is the revelation that the name 'iPad' was also a strong contender along with the rest of them!
Mars Curiosity rover on road to recovery after computer glitch:
Curiosity may be busy sampling rocks on the barren Martian planet, but the rover suffered a software glitch that forced it go into backup mode after its primary computer demonstrated symptoms of data corruption. While the causes are still being investigated, it is being said that cosmic rays (or basically radiation) could have been the most likely culprit. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has also confirmed that full scale operations will be resumed by next week.
Samsung unexcited by Windows 8 RT tablets; calls Windows 8 no better than Vista:
Korean manufacturer Samsung is no doubt enjoying a great market success. While its Android powered smartphones are reigning supreme, the company seems to be relatively unexcited about Windows RT and has consequently decided not to offer its Ativ S Windows RT tablet in US and Europe. The decision was reportedly made after the Korean conglomerate surveyed retailers and found there was little demand for Samsung Windows RT products, reports the Verge. Apparently things don't here. Samsung's Jun Dong-soo, the head of memory chip business, also took his turn to take a dig at the Windows 8 operating system stating the Windows 8 system is no better than the previous Windows Vista platform. Granted Windows 8 has failed to excite the PC market in the so called post-PC era, but these sharp words are sure to sting where it hurts!
In other news:
- New study reveals bees can detect flowers' electric fields to distinguish between them.
- North Pole may become ice free by 2059 due to global warming; to make way for a potential shipping route.
- Planet Earth at its warmest state in 11,300 years; past 10 years hotter than 80 per cent of the last 11.3 millenia.
- Hubble refines the age of the oldest star Methuselah to be around 14.5 billion years (plus or minus 800 million years).
- Microsoft planning next iteration of Windows Phone later this year for the holidays.
- Apple's much speculated iWatch to run on iOS; will come later this year, reports Bloomberg.
- Samsung Galaxy S III and Note II suffering from passcode security flaw.
- Oracle issues emergency patch for Java's latest security flaw; investigating five new vulnerabilities.
- Apple's market cap goes below $400 billion USD for the first time since January 2012.
- Google Maps for iOS gets its first update; offers contact integration among several other niceties.
- Evernote to add 2-factor authentication in the wake of recent hacking attempt.
- Google Play celebrates first year of rebranding.
- Sony launches its flagship Android smartphone Xperia Z in India for Rs. 38,990.
- Apple trying to move away from Samsung by roping in Intel to produce chipsets for its products.
- Google's Motorola layoffs 1200 employees in USA, China and India.
- Nokia reveals that Microsoft could be prepping its own in-house smartphone.
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