Tech Roundup: Apple iOS 7, Project Loon & More
[A recurring feature on the latest trends in Science & Technology.]
Apple WWDC reveals iOS 7, Mac OS X Mavericks and Mac Pro:
The colorful logo of WWDC 2013 should have said it all! Apple did unveil a much needed refresh to iOS 7 (demoed only for the iPhone), but surprisingly reactions were polarizing. The interface, designed under the helm of Sir Jony Ive, eschews skeuomorphism in favour of a simple uncluttered, yet jaw-droppingly gorgeous, design. "I think there is a profound and enduring beauty in simplicity, in clarity, in efficiency. True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation, it’s about bringing order to complexity," said Sir Ive in a movie shown at the launch.
There are sure some inconsistencies when it comes to the choice of icons for the home screen apps, and as well as those within them. Some icons worth mentioning are the Settings, Compass, Camera, Game Center, and of course Safari which has come under the harshest criticism. Though the underlying operating system remains the same, there are a slew of new additions like animated wallpapers, control center, better multitasking, activation lock and a beautiful parallax effect that brings about a feeling of depth (talk about flatness!).
Apple iOS 7 has no doubt drawn a lot of comparisons with Windows Phone, Android, HTC Sense, MIUI, WebOS and even third-party apps like Mailbox (check it out here and here) with respect to its feature set implementation, but it has put them all together in a nice elegant manner, don't you think?
For an exhaustive side-by-side comparison with iOS 6, I recommend you read this piece written by Matt Gemmell. But let me remind you this is just a beta, and things could very well change before the actual launch this fall. The other major announcements of the keynote were the Pandora-like radio service iTunes Radio, a refreshed Mac OS X Mavericks with support for tags, multiple displays, iBooks and Apple Maps, MacBook Airs with Intel Haswell chips, and a new Mac Pro. Oh by the way did I forget to add that Siri now comes with default Bing integration? Deal with it!
BalLOON-powered Internet for everyone:
Google, after having almost done with Glass, has trotted out its next ambitious venture aptly titled Project Loon. The internet has forever changed the way we interact with others, and has grown to be a powerful medium for disseminating information particularly in times of emergencies and natural calamities. Yet for the millions residing in rural and remote areas, access to this technology can be largely impossible due to various infrastructural and economic reasons.
Enter Project Loon that aims to solve the problem by sending network-enabled balloons up the sky to an altitude of 20 kms above Earth's surface (technically the stratosphere) to which users can connect using a special ground antenna that communicates with the balloon's transmitter to receive signals. The solar-powered transmitters in turn connect to a ground station that's hooked to the global internet via an ISP to relay data. The pilot experiment was recently carried out in New Zealand, and Google eventually plans to have thousands of balloons in the stratosphere. Catch the technology behind Project Loon in this awesome YouTube video.
Samsung Galaxy S4 update addresses storage issues:
Samsung has released an update to the Galaxy S4 smartphone that frees about one gigabyte of space and adds the ability to move apps to SD card, in addition to bringing a translucent status bar, a new toggle for Smart Pause, HDR video recording and improved legibility. The update is a whopping 343 MB, so make sure you are not blowing up your mobile internet plans!
New human body part discovered!
Isn't that interesting? The latest addition is a new layer in the human cornea which is just 15 microns thick. Named as Dua's layer (after the scientist Harminder Dua), it was discovered during an electron microscopy scan of the cornea, which was previously known to have only five layers. "This is a major discovery that will mean that ophthalmology textbooks will literally need to be re-written," Dua says. "From a clinical perspective, there are many diseases that affect the back of the cornea which clinicians across the world are already beginning to relate to the presence, absence or tear in this layer."
In other news:
Apple WWDC reveals iOS 7, Mac OS X Mavericks and Mac Pro:
The colorful logo of WWDC 2013 should have said it all! Apple did unveil a much needed refresh to iOS 7 (demoed only for the iPhone), but surprisingly reactions were polarizing. The interface, designed under the helm of Sir Jony Ive, eschews skeuomorphism in favour of a simple uncluttered, yet jaw-droppingly gorgeous, design. "I think there is a profound and enduring beauty in simplicity, in clarity, in efficiency. True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation, it’s about bringing order to complexity," said Sir Ive in a movie shown at the launch.
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Apple iOS 7 has no doubt drawn a lot of comparisons with Windows Phone, Android, HTC Sense, MIUI, WebOS and even third-party apps like Mailbox (check it out here and here) with respect to its feature set implementation, but it has put them all together in a nice elegant manner, don't you think?
For an exhaustive side-by-side comparison with iOS 6, I recommend you read this piece written by Matt Gemmell. But let me remind you this is just a beta, and things could very well change before the actual launch this fall. The other major announcements of the keynote were the Pandora-like radio service iTunes Radio, a refreshed Mac OS X Mavericks with support for tags, multiple displays, iBooks and Apple Maps, MacBook Airs with Intel Haswell chips, and a new Mac Pro. Oh by the way did I forget to add that Siri now comes with default Bing integration? Deal with it!
BalLOON-powered Internet for everyone:
Google, after having almost done with Glass, has trotted out its next ambitious venture aptly titled Project Loon. The internet has forever changed the way we interact with others, and has grown to be a powerful medium for disseminating information particularly in times of emergencies and natural calamities. Yet for the millions residing in rural and remote areas, access to this technology can be largely impossible due to various infrastructural and economic reasons.
Enter Project Loon that aims to solve the problem by sending network-enabled balloons up the sky to an altitude of 20 kms above Earth's surface (technically the stratosphere) to which users can connect using a special ground antenna that communicates with the balloon's transmitter to receive signals. The solar-powered transmitters in turn connect to a ground station that's hooked to the global internet via an ISP to relay data. The pilot experiment was recently carried out in New Zealand, and Google eventually plans to have thousands of balloons in the stratosphere. Catch the technology behind Project Loon in this awesome YouTube video.
Samsung Galaxy S4 update addresses storage issues:
Samsung has released an update to the Galaxy S4 smartphone that frees about one gigabyte of space and adds the ability to move apps to SD card, in addition to bringing a translucent status bar, a new toggle for Smart Pause, HDR video recording and improved legibility. The update is a whopping 343 MB, so make sure you are not blowing up your mobile internet plans!
New human body part discovered!
Isn't that interesting? The latest addition is a new layer in the human cornea which is just 15 microns thick. Named as Dua's layer (after the scientist Harminder Dua), it was discovered during an electron microscopy scan of the cornea, which was previously known to have only five layers. "This is a major discovery that will mean that ophthalmology textbooks will literally need to be re-written," Dua says. "From a clinical perspective, there are many diseases that affect the back of the cornea which clinicians across the world are already beginning to relate to the presence, absence or tear in this layer."
In other news:
- Human genes cannot be patented, rules US Supreme Court; calls DNA a product of nature.
- India to overtake China as the most populous nation in the world by 2028.
- Sony and Microsoft officially set the launch date for their game consoles; PS4 cheaper by a 100$ than Xbox One.
- Google consolidates Maps by acquiring social mapping startup Waze for 1.1 billion USD; US Consumer Watchdog calls for antitrust probe.
- Samsung unveils camera-centric smartphone S4 Zoom.
- Social network Facebook follows Twitter; adds #hashtag feature!
- India to discontinue telegram services from July 15.
- Apple considering low-cost iPhones of varying colors, reports Reuters.
- Amazon launches Kindle Fire HD and Paperwhite in India.
- Sony to unveil 6.44-inch Xperia ZU (U for Ultra) phablet.
- Microsoft Office debuts on the iPhone.
- Nokia planning a New York event on July 11 to unveil the PureView Windows Phone.
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