Tech Roundup: Nokia Lumia 1020, Typewriters & More
[A recurring feature on the latest trends in Science & Technology.]
Microsoft is in close cahoots with NSA, reveal latest documents:
The Guardian in its latest revelations on the US mass surveillance program has reported that tech giant Microsoft worked closely with American intelligence agencies in allowing them to intercept user communications even before they were encrypted. According to files provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden, this circumvention allowed the agency unfettered access to Outlook (including Hotmail), Skype and its SkyDrive cloud service as part of the PRISM program.
At a time when Microsoft is busy painting the town red with adverts that scream 'Your privacy is our priority', it is an irony no less (SCROOGLED?). Redmond has refuted the allegations stating it is legally bound to comply with requests for user data and "we take our commitments to our customers and to compliance with applicable law very seriously, so we provide customer data only in response to legal processes."
Meanwhile Russia returns to typewriters!
Probably spooked by the recent spate of snooping disclosures, Russia's Federal Guard Service has decided to literally go back in time to put data leaks in check by resorting to typewriters. "From the point of view of ensuring security, any form of electronic communication is vulnerable," says Nikolai Kovalev, former head of the Federal Security Service. "Any information can be taken from computers. Of course there are means of protection, but there is no 100% guarantee they will work. So from the point of view of keeping secrets, the most primitive method is preferred: a human hand with a pen or a typewriter."
Optical lattice clock can redefine the second:
Remember the SI units? Well as per the International System of Units, a second is defined as the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium 133 atom. Atomic clocks, based on regular oscillations of caesium atoms, have been the standard way of measuring time since the sixties, but tests on a new alternative have proved to be even more precise. Called optical lattice clocks, they employ laser beams and oscillations of strontium atoms for calculation and are so accurate that they lose just about a second every 300 million years (thus three times more accuracy than the atomic clocks). Is it time to redefine the second?
Behold the Nokia Lumia 1020, the Windows Phone PureView smartphone:
As a previous Nokia Lumia device owner myself, there's no denying that Nokia has been instrumental in making the Windows Phone platform what it is today. With BlackBerry BB10 failing to cure the ailing Canadian handset maker, prospects still hold bright for Microsoft's mobile operating system to emerge as the third viable alternative to iOS and Android. Not long back I wrote a post about making sense of the next Windows Phone from Nokia. Things have changed a bit since then. Windows Phone 8 brought in more capabilities such as multi-core processor support, customizable Start screen, and Nokia has managed to stand out with Lumia centric apps that bring about genuine feature additions to the phone.
The trend continues with the newly unveiled Lumia 1020, which has to be one of the most leaked phones in recent times. Packing in a 4.5-inch display, dual-core processor and WP8, its headlining feature is the 41MP rear camera - something that was long anticipated since the launch of 808 PureView phone. In addition to letting you capture photos at 35MP and 38MP resolution, the Lumia 1020 can be accessorized with a camera grip and a tripod mount making it a full fledged camera.
If lack of third-party apps on WP8 is a concern, Nokia managed to woo Flipboard, Path and Twitter's Vine all right. Here's hoping the rest follow suit!
Apple App Store has revolutionized the Web:
While on the matter of apps, you know what, on July 10, 2008, Apple launched the App Store for iPhone (alongside iOS 2.0.1), an online store to browse and purchase apps from third-party developers. Little did we know that this could forever change the way we interact with the Web. These days there are apps for anything and everything. From booking flights, making purchases to interacting with friends, apps have indeed come a long way in taking technology closer to people. Five years seem so short, but it's nothing short of revolutionary!
HTC One S reminds once again of Android's ills:
Android's headache is fragmentation and OEM's are bent on aggravating it! And HTC One S is the latest victim of this. The Taiwanese manufacturer has announced that the 4.3-incher will remain on Android 4.1.1 and not receive any future updates. But what's surprising is that the phone is just 15 months old. C'mon HTC, now you really need to rethink your strategy!
Google Maps redesign hits Android; rests Latitude:
Google's navigation solution for iOS debuted last December with a design makeover, and after months the same update has landed on Android with a cleaner interface that's consistent with the design aesthetic Google has been adopting of late. The update also offers better navigation, integrated restaurant reviews and a new explore function which lets users browse through hotels, restaurants, pubs and cafes in a specific location. But the lack of offline maps was met with public censure, forcing the company to add the feature within hours of its debut. Latitude, a service that allows users to share their location with friends, has been killed in favour of Google+ (what else!) and notably absent from the update is the My Maps feature, which can be however accessed in a roundabout way as explained here. Sometimes what Google does is beyond bafflement!
Motorola Moto X is a phone designed by you; ends up as a damp squib:
Just like the Nokia Lumia 1020, Motorola's Moto X Phone has been the subject of rumour-mills for a while. The Google subsidiary itself let the cat out of the bag by unleashing a marketing campaign under the tagline "Designed by You. Assembled in the USA", which led to further speculations as to the nature of personalization offered. But it turns out that Motorola will let customers select a colour for the back of the device, add an engraving, and an option to upload a photo that will be set as the default wallpaper when it is shipped. Meh, so much for the hyperbole! While hardware customization can be pretty much ruled out, I would really prefer an option to ship with stock Android (without any OEM skin!). That would be good, don't you think?
In other news:
Microsoft is in close cahoots with NSA, reveal latest documents:
The Guardian in its latest revelations on the US mass surveillance program has reported that tech giant Microsoft worked closely with American intelligence agencies in allowing them to intercept user communications even before they were encrypted. According to files provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden, this circumvention allowed the agency unfettered access to Outlook (including Hotmail), Skype and its SkyDrive cloud service as part of the PRISM program.
 |
| Microsoft's Your privacy is our priority ad (Image: Microsoft) |
Meanwhile Russia returns to typewriters!
Probably spooked by the recent spate of snooping disclosures, Russia's Federal Guard Service has decided to literally go back in time to put data leaks in check by resorting to typewriters. "From the point of view of ensuring security, any form of electronic communication is vulnerable," says Nikolai Kovalev, former head of the Federal Security Service. "Any information can be taken from computers. Of course there are means of protection, but there is no 100% guarantee they will work. So from the point of view of keeping secrets, the most primitive method is preferred: a human hand with a pen or a typewriter."
Optical lattice clock can redefine the second:
Remember the SI units? Well as per the International System of Units, a second is defined as the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium 133 atom. Atomic clocks, based on regular oscillations of caesium atoms, have been the standard way of measuring time since the sixties, but tests on a new alternative have proved to be even more precise. Called optical lattice clocks, they employ laser beams and oscillations of strontium atoms for calculation and are so accurate that they lose just about a second every 300 million years (thus three times more accuracy than the atomic clocks). Is it time to redefine the second?
Behold the Nokia Lumia 1020, the Windows Phone PureView smartphone:
As a previous Nokia Lumia device owner myself, there's no denying that Nokia has been instrumental in making the Windows Phone platform what it is today. With BlackBerry BB10 failing to cure the ailing Canadian handset maker, prospects still hold bright for Microsoft's mobile operating system to emerge as the third viable alternative to iOS and Android. Not long back I wrote a post about making sense of the next Windows Phone from Nokia. Things have changed a bit since then. Windows Phone 8 brought in more capabilities such as multi-core processor support, customizable Start screen, and Nokia has managed to stand out with Lumia centric apps that bring about genuine feature additions to the phone.
 |
| Nokia Lumia 1020 |
If lack of third-party apps on WP8 is a concern, Nokia managed to woo Flipboard, Path and Twitter's Vine all right. Here's hoping the rest follow suit!
Apple App Store has revolutionized the Web:
While on the matter of apps, you know what, on July 10, 2008, Apple launched the App Store for iPhone (alongside iOS 2.0.1), an online store to browse and purchase apps from third-party developers. Little did we know that this could forever change the way we interact with the Web. These days there are apps for anything and everything. From booking flights, making purchases to interacting with friends, apps have indeed come a long way in taking technology closer to people. Five years seem so short, but it's nothing short of revolutionary!
HTC One S reminds once again of Android's ills:
Android's headache is fragmentation and OEM's are bent on aggravating it! And HTC One S is the latest victim of this. The Taiwanese manufacturer has announced that the 4.3-incher will remain on Android 4.1.1 and not receive any future updates. But what's surprising is that the phone is just 15 months old. C'mon HTC, now you really need to rethink your strategy!
Google Maps redesign hits Android; rests Latitude:
Google's navigation solution for iOS debuted last December with a design makeover, and after months the same update has landed on Android with a cleaner interface that's consistent with the design aesthetic Google has been adopting of late. The update also offers better navigation, integrated restaurant reviews and a new explore function which lets users browse through hotels, restaurants, pubs and cafes in a specific location. But the lack of offline maps was met with public censure, forcing the company to add the feature within hours of its debut. Latitude, a service that allows users to share their location with friends, has been killed in favour of Google+ (what else!) and notably absent from the update is the My Maps feature, which can be however accessed in a roundabout way as explained here. Sometimes what Google does is beyond bafflement!
Motorola Moto X is a phone designed by you; ends up as a damp squib:
Just like the Nokia Lumia 1020, Motorola's Moto X Phone has been the subject of rumour-mills for a while. The Google subsidiary itself let the cat out of the bag by unleashing a marketing campaign under the tagline "Designed by You. Assembled in the USA", which led to further speculations as to the nature of personalization offered. But it turns out that Motorola will let customers select a colour for the back of the device, add an engraving, and an option to upload a photo that will be set as the default wallpaper when it is shipped. Meh, so much for the hyperbole! While hardware customization can be pretty much ruled out, I would really prefer an option to ship with stock Android (without any OEM skin!). That would be good, don't you think?
In other news:
- CERN celebrates 1 year of Higgs boson discovery; says more work underway to ascertain its properties.
- Voyager 1 spacecraft discovers a transition zone at the end of solar system.
- UK, France and Spain privacy watchdogs urge Google to change one privacy policy; suggests an opt-out or else face fines.
- India takes first step towards its own navigation system dubbed Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS); first satellite launched into orbit.
- Computer mouse inventor Doug Engelbart passes away.
- Iran gets its own state-run email service.
- Apple applies for iWatch trademark in Japan fueling smartwatch rumors.
- Sony and LG's next flagship Android smartphones, Honami (codename) and Optimus G2 respectively, readying for launch.
- First ever Firefox OS phone ZTE Open launched in Spain.
- Lenovo emerges the top PC maker as shipments continue their worldwide slide.
- Android Jelly Bean share surpasses Gingerbread for the first time.
- Google Chrome 28 for Windows adds rich notifications, blink rendering engine.
- Apple and Amazon amicably settle 'app store' lawsuit as the former's App Store turns five.
- HP attempting to make a comeback in the smartphone race with a 'differentiated experience'.
- Windows 8 overtakes Windows Vista in market share.
- HTC One Android 4.2 update now rolling out.
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