Tech Roundup: Apr 14, 2013
[A weekly feature on the latest trends in Science & Technology.]
Microsoft, Oracle, Nokia et al up in arms against Google:
Microsoft, Oracle, Nokia et al up in arms against Google:
Ever since Google's acquisition of Android back in 2005, the open-sourced operating system has become incredibly popular, feature-packed and has gone from strength to strength to emerge as a stiff competitor to Apple's closeted iOS. In the time this happened, others like Microsoft's Windows Mobile, Nokia's Symbian and BlackBerry's (previously RIM) BlackBerry OS lost ground and even their comeback attempts with a redesigned mobile operating system (Windows Phone and BB10) are yet to pay off. In case of Android, with the OS more or less being a conduit to Google services (Who doesn't use Gmail, Google Maps etc.?), the whole setup smells antitrust according to Microsoft, Oracle, Nokia and others who have filed a fresh complaint in the European Union alleging that this sort of bundling gives unfair advantage to the search giant.
"The group’s lead counsel, Thomas Vinje, referred to the Android OS as a "Trojan Horse" aimed at deceiving partners, monopolizing the mobile market, and controlling consumer data," writes Jeff Blagdon for The Verge. While there might be a ring of truth in this, let's not forget that Microsoft was fined by EU to the tune of €860 million for abusing its monopoly to bundle Windows Media Player along with its Windows operating system and later fined an extra €561 million for failing to include a browser choice screen on PC's running Windows 7 SP1. Now is it some sort of a tit for tat?
"The group’s lead counsel, Thomas Vinje, referred to the Android OS as a "Trojan Horse" aimed at deceiving partners, monopolizing the mobile market, and controlling consumer data," writes Jeff Blagdon for The Verge. While there might be a ring of truth in this, let's not forget that Microsoft was fined by EU to the tune of €860 million for abusing its monopoly to bundle Windows Media Player along with its Windows operating system and later fined an extra €561 million for failing to include a browser choice screen on PC's running Windows 7 SP1. Now is it some sort of a tit for tat?
Facebook Home officially out on Play Store; hit by poor reviews:
Facebook's latest attempt to make its users live in the virtual world of social networking went live on the Google Play store last week. Since the announcement, Home has been predictably met with privacy concerns and the company was quick to assuage any fears stating that the launcher has the same level of access as its official app (which means it can access your location data unless of course you explicitly turn it off). That the Facebook overlay looked clean and simple didn't dissuade people from writing off poor reviews on the Play Store when it debuted on April 12. Probably it was too simple?
Users seem to be frustrated by the lack of customization (isn't that the whole point of Android?) and the overall Facebook centricity thus making it quite difficult to find rest of the phone's features. It seems to even override security features like password protection. Check out the reviews here. But one must understand that Facebook Home isn't for every one. It's only for those who are really onto the social network (and probably too lazy to even open the app). The rest can uninstall Home and enjoy the customization that Android offers. That said I would say this is just the first version of the app and you need it give it some time. Facebook has kind of vowed to add more features on a monthly basis; that could mean widgets and other stuff could start showing up soon (along with ads!). Whether all this can revolutionize the launcher business remains to seen.
Google offers tools to manage your digital afterlife:
We all have many online accounts and who's to manage all of them after our death? Google's Inactive Account Manager allows you to set up time-out periods of inactivity (from 3 months to a full 1 year), upon expiry of which you can opt to download all of your Google data (from Google Takeout), send it to a trusted friend or a close family member and even delete your account completely. Of course, Google ensures you are just inactive (and not really dead) on Google by alerting your secondary email address. That's so thoughtful of you, Google!
In other news:
- Android's unified messaging service Babel detailed in leaked screenshots.
- Google Play Store 4.0 update goes for a major Google Now like makeover; nearly 60,000 low-quality apps shown the door in February.
- Popular news app Pulse officially acquired by LinkedIn for a 90 million USD.
- Taiwanese handset maker HTC reports dismal quarterly earnings as it copes with a delayed launch of HTC One.
- Microsoft's Windows XP, Office Suite 2003 and Internet Explorer 6 enter their final year of official support.
- Yahoo! reportedly in talks with Apple over tighter integration of its services in iOS.
- Global PC sales tumble 14 percent YoY as Windows 8 fails to gain traction; the sharpest decline since 1994, says IDC.
- Samsung announces the world's largest smartphone Galaxy Mega with a colossal 6.3-inch display; to attract the budget-conscious.
- Twitter's music discovery app Twitter Music goes live as Apple prepares to launch its internet radio service to take on Pandora and Spotify.
- Microsoft working on a 7-inch Surface tablet, reports The Wall Street Journal.
- Popular social news reader app Flipboard crosses 53 million users; 500,000 magazines created in two weeks.
- Microsoft Outlook to get 2-factor authentication.
- HTC One launched in India for Rs. 42,900.
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