Tech Roundup: KitKat 4.4.1, Human DNA & More
[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]
Google bumps KitKat to 4.4.1 with camera fixes in tow:
Android KitKat, already on 1.1% of all Android devices, has a ton of features and a new Google Experience Launcher, but what it still couldn't fix with the Nexus 5 was the camera, which was met with mixed to unfavourable reviews across the board for its slow auto-focus and shutter lag. Now five weeks later, Google has released KitKat 4.4.1, promising that the update "improves the camera with faster focusing, especially in low light, faster white balancing, for truer colours, the ability to pinch-zoom the viewfinder in HDR+ mode and less shutter lag", among other improvements. But do you still feel there could be room for making KitKat the perfect mobile operating system? Android Police's most awesomest breakdown is here to help! Can't believe Google, for all the overhaul, is still sticking to the Gingerbread styled text entry for the security PIN setup.
HTC One Mini banned in the UK after Nokia patent win:
These patent wars never seem to end! After having forced HTC to change the microphone and radio on its HTC One handset, Nokia seems to have secured a patent win by taking the HTC One Mini off shelves starting Dec 6 in the UK. With the One still facing a potential sales ban, the judge overseeing the case felt prohibiting the sales of both its flagship model and the Mini could end up further damaging the Taiwanese manufacturer that's already beset with declining sales of its handsets.
Oldest discovered human DNA 'muddles' our origins:
A new study published in Nature has revealed the oldest human DNA ever to be discovered. Dating back about 400,000 years, the fossil, a thigh bone found in the Spanish cave of Sima de los Huesos, shatters the previous record of 100,000 years. Interestingly the new discovery has only succeeded in making the evolutionary puzzle of humans much more complicated. Based on fossil evidence gathered so far, Neanderthals and Denisovans, our ancient cousins, were thought to have resided in Europe and Siberia respectively. But the paleontologists, to their surprise, found the Spanish bone remains to be more genetically closer to the Denisovans, suggesting the two species could have mixed with each other. "Our results suggest that the evolutionary history of Neanderthals and Denisovans may be very complicated and possibly involved mixing between different archaic human groups," says Matthias Meyer of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, lead author of the study.
Newly discovered exoplanet is anything unlike you've seen before:
Astronomers on the look out for new habitable planets in the universe have discovered planets made of diamond, or with oceans of liquid oxygen, but this new discovery has left them baffled: an alien planet (named HD 106906), that's 11 times massive than Jupiter, has been found orbiting a Sun-like star at a distance that is 650 times the average distance between the Earth and the Sun. The existence of such planets raises fascinating questions about the formation of planetary systems, the researchers add.
HIV returns in two patients considered virus-free:
Two Boston patients thought to be cured of HIV after a bone marrow transplant have shown traces of the virus in their blood once again, say researchers. Back in July, the patients had tested negative for the immunodeficiency virus following a treatment regimen similar to Timothy Brown, who was cured of the virus in 2009 by a bone-marrow transplant with cells that were resistant to HIV. Although in this case the cells weren't resistant to the virus, both the patients were free of it for months even after antiretroviral treatments were stopped. Researchers said that while the news was unfortunate, it wasn't totally unexpected, and that it shows how persistent the virus can be.
In other news:
Google bumps KitKat to 4.4.1 with camera fixes in tow:
Android KitKat, already on 1.1% of all Android devices, has a ton of features and a new Google Experience Launcher, but what it still couldn't fix with the Nexus 5 was the camera, which was met with mixed to unfavourable reviews across the board for its slow auto-focus and shutter lag. Now five weeks later, Google has released KitKat 4.4.1, promising that the update "improves the camera with faster focusing, especially in low light, faster white balancing, for truer colours, the ability to pinch-zoom the viewfinder in HDR+ mode and less shutter lag", among other improvements. But do you still feel there could be room for making KitKat the perfect mobile operating system? Android Police's most awesomest breakdown is here to help! Can't believe Google, for all the overhaul, is still sticking to the Gingerbread styled text entry for the security PIN setup.
HTC One Mini banned in the UK after Nokia patent win:
These patent wars never seem to end! After having forced HTC to change the microphone and radio on its HTC One handset, Nokia seems to have secured a patent win by taking the HTC One Mini off shelves starting Dec 6 in the UK. With the One still facing a potential sales ban, the judge overseeing the case felt prohibiting the sales of both its flagship model and the Mini could end up further damaging the Taiwanese manufacturer that's already beset with declining sales of its handsets.
Oldest discovered human DNA 'muddles' our origins:
A new study published in Nature has revealed the oldest human DNA ever to be discovered. Dating back about 400,000 years, the fossil, a thigh bone found in the Spanish cave of Sima de los Huesos, shatters the previous record of 100,000 years. Interestingly the new discovery has only succeeded in making the evolutionary puzzle of humans much more complicated. Based on fossil evidence gathered so far, Neanderthals and Denisovans, our ancient cousins, were thought to have resided in Europe and Siberia respectively. But the paleontologists, to their surprise, found the Spanish bone remains to be more genetically closer to the Denisovans, suggesting the two species could have mixed with each other. "Our results suggest that the evolutionary history of Neanderthals and Denisovans may be very complicated and possibly involved mixing between different archaic human groups," says Matthias Meyer of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, lead author of the study.
Newly discovered exoplanet is anything unlike you've seen before:
Astronomers on the look out for new habitable planets in the universe have discovered planets made of diamond, or with oceans of liquid oxygen, but this new discovery has left them baffled: an alien planet (named HD 106906), that's 11 times massive than Jupiter, has been found orbiting a Sun-like star at a distance that is 650 times the average distance between the Earth and the Sun. The existence of such planets raises fascinating questions about the formation of planetary systems, the researchers add.
HIV returns in two patients considered virus-free:
Two Boston patients thought to be cured of HIV after a bone marrow transplant have shown traces of the virus in their blood once again, say researchers. Back in July, the patients had tested negative for the immunodeficiency virus following a treatment regimen similar to Timothy Brown, who was cured of the virus in 2009 by a bone-marrow transplant with cells that were resistant to HIV. Although in this case the cells weren't resistant to the virus, both the patients were free of it for months even after antiretroviral treatments were stopped. Researchers said that while the news was unfortunate, it wasn't totally unexpected, and that it shows how persistent the virus can be.
In other news:
- The United Nations begins to use drones for the first time to monitor rebel activity in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- USA's National Security Agency is reportedly collecting 5 billion cell phone records a day, new Edward Snowden documents reveal.
- Two new cases of H7N9 Bird Flu confirmed in Hong Kong; an additional 19 people quarantined.
- Ethiopia unveils first phase of its space exploration program run by Ethiopian Space Science Society.
- The Internet has run out of four-letter dot-com domain names.
- Windows PC's affected by new CryptoLocker ransomware that encrypts your files until you pay a ransom.
- Instagram sends out invites for a Dec 12 event; may unveil private messaging like Snapchat.
- Apple's latest tablet offerings iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display go on sale in India, as iOS 7 adoption rate hits 74% among its compatible devices.
- Online retail giant Amazon testing drone delivery service Amazon Prime Air.
- Jolla's Sailfish OS to be available for install on Android devices.
- Twitter begins targeted advertising based on users' Web browsing history.
- Amazon's Indian competitor Flipkart offers over a lakh ebook titles for Rs 99 or less.
- Google News mobile website for Android and iOS gets a long-overdue design revamp; rolling out in the coming days.
- Samsung Chromebook launched in India for Rs 26,990, following the Acer C720 and HP Chromebook 14 in October.
- Russia's dual display smartphone cum e-ink reader Yotaphone goes on sale.
- Newsweek returns to print after switching to digital-only format last year.
- Apple acquires Twitter analytics startup Topsy for over $200 million.
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