Tech Roundup: Philae, The New Microsoft & More
[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]
Philae rendezvous with a comet; makes history:
History was made when European Space Agency's Philae lander, carried by Rosetta spacecraft, made the first-ever touchdown, albeit a little bouncy one at that, on comet 67P aka Churyumov–Gerasimenko's nucleus after departing Earth more than 10 years ago on 2 March, 2004. Sent with an aim to study the composition of cometary material, the 6.4 billion kilometre sojourn through the Solar System culminated over the weekend after the lander bounced twice on the comet's surface post its first touchdown before finally settling at the base of a cliff, thus unfortunately blocking the solar panels from getting full sunlight. And having used up all its power reserve, it has now entered into a state of hibernation. "It has been a huge success, the whole team is delighted," said Stephan Ulamec, lander manager at the DLR German Aerospace Agency. "Despite the unplanned series of three touchdowns, all of our instruments could be operated and now it’s time to see what we've got."
There's a lot to like about the new direction of Microsoft:
Microsoft! Hearing the word comes across as a whiff of fresh air these days. First came Skype Qik, a new "cross-platform" mobile video messenger for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. Then the surprise "strategic" sync up with cloud storage platform Dropbox, letting the service's users to seamlessly access, edit and manage Office documents without having to even leave their cloud(s). Despite Microsoft's OneDrive directly competing with Dropbox on the cloud front, this partnership, underscoring CEO Satya Nadella's mobile-first cloud-first approach, is a win-win for both the companies in terms of making Office gain new audience at the same time offering a rich user experience to Dropbox users.
But the announcement that it was making Office for iOS and Android free (it's already free on Windows Phone) for non-businesses sent the Internet into a tizzy. This is particularly a smart move considering how its competitors Google and Apple are increasingly foraying into the productivity realm with Google Docs and Apple iWork. Not to forget the threat posed by Google Chrome OS either, which sort of forced the tech giant to offer Windows OS to OEMs for free early this year. It would be nothing short of disastrous if the current generation kids grew up completely shunning Office! Lastly, it has also opened Skype for Web as a Beta, following the footsteps of Firefox and Google Hangouts that use WebRTC for video chats and voice calling without having to install a separate plugin.
Amazon and Hachette bury the hatchet over ebook pricing war:
Putting an end to what was a protracted months-long battle, online etailer Amazon and publisher Hachette anticlimactically announced they have patched up and signed a new multi-year agreement. This follows Amazon's similar agreement with publisher Simon & Schuster last month. Though specific details are not known, it's said that Hachette got what it wanted, thus giving it full control over setting ebook prices. The deal is expected to take effect starting early next year. Amazon, which has always favoured low prices for the digital goods it sells through its website, at one point even tried to put pressure on the publisher by delaying shipments of hard-copies of its books much to the displeasure of authors who slammed the tech giant of indulging in anticompetitive practices.
In other news:
Philae rendezvous with a comet; makes history:
History was made when European Space Agency's Philae lander, carried by Rosetta spacecraft, made the first-ever touchdown, albeit a little bouncy one at that, on comet 67P aka Churyumov–Gerasimenko's nucleus after departing Earth more than 10 years ago on 2 March, 2004. Sent with an aim to study the composition of cometary material, the 6.4 billion kilometre sojourn through the Solar System culminated over the weekend after the lander bounced twice on the comet's surface post its first touchdown before finally settling at the base of a cliff, thus unfortunately blocking the solar panels from getting full sunlight. And having used up all its power reserve, it has now entered into a state of hibernation. "It has been a huge success, the whole team is delighted," said Stephan Ulamec, lander manager at the DLR German Aerospace Agency. "Despite the unplanned series of three touchdowns, all of our instruments could be operated and now it’s time to see what we've got."
My #lifeonacomet has just begun @ESA_Rosetta. I'll tell you more about my new home, comet #67P soon… zzzzz #CometLanding
— Philae Lander (@Philae2014) November 15, 2014
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| Microsoft Lumia 535 (Image: Microsoft) |
Microsoft! Hearing the word comes across as a whiff of fresh air these days. First came Skype Qik, a new "cross-platform" mobile video messenger for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. Then the surprise "strategic" sync up with cloud storage platform Dropbox, letting the service's users to seamlessly access, edit and manage Office documents without having to even leave their cloud(s). Despite Microsoft's OneDrive directly competing with Dropbox on the cloud front, this partnership, underscoring CEO Satya Nadella's mobile-first cloud-first approach, is a win-win for both the companies in terms of making Office gain new audience at the same time offering a rich user experience to Dropbox users.
But the announcement that it was making Office for iOS and Android free (it's already free on Windows Phone) for non-businesses sent the Internet into a tizzy. This is particularly a smart move considering how its competitors Google and Apple are increasingly foraying into the productivity realm with Google Docs and Apple iWork. Not to forget the threat posed by Google Chrome OS either, which sort of forced the tech giant to offer Windows OS to OEMs for free early this year. It would be nothing short of disastrous if the current generation kids grew up completely shunning Office! Lastly, it has also opened Skype for Web as a Beta, following the footsteps of Firefox and Google Hangouts that use WebRTC for video chats and voice calling without having to install a separate plugin.
Amazon and Hachette bury the hatchet over ebook pricing war:
Putting an end to what was a protracted months-long battle, online etailer Amazon and publisher Hachette anticlimactically announced they have patched up and signed a new multi-year agreement. This follows Amazon's similar agreement with publisher Simon & Schuster last month. Though specific details are not known, it's said that Hachette got what it wanted, thus giving it full control over setting ebook prices. The deal is expected to take effect starting early next year. Amazon, which has always favoured low prices for the digital goods it sells through its website, at one point even tried to put pressure on the publisher by delaying shipments of hard-copies of its books much to the displeasure of authors who slammed the tech giant of indulging in anticompetitive practices.
In other news:
- China, the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, enters into a rare agreement to curb CO2 emissions by 2030; United States commits to cutting its emissions by 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.
- News curation agency Associated Press hits back at USA's FBI and CIA "following revelations that an agent in Seattle portrayed himself as an AP journalist during a criminal investigation."
- Fresh outbreak of Ebola reported in erstwhile Ebola-free Koinadugu district of Sierra Leone and Mali; total number of deaths stand at 5,506 as of November 14.
- Android 5.0 Lollipop now rolling out to Nexus devices and Moto X, G smartphones.
- Social microblogging site Twitter says there are 500 million people who visit Twitter's properties but don't sign in; said to be planning new features to target this group.
- Popular PC, handset and tablet maker Lenovo rips off Apple iPhone 6 design with China-only S90 "Sisley"; even the wallpaper looks similar!
- Microsoft unveils a 5-inch mid-range Lumia 535 smartphone with its own branding for the first time.
- Instant messaging app WhatsApp introduces double blue check marks to indicate if the recipient has actually read your message; makes it optional on Android following backlash.
- Russian memorial to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is dismantled after CEO Tim Cook comes out as gay.
- YouTube announces its much-awaited music streaming service Music Key; offers a convenient way to "listen to music without ads, to keep playing music videos even if you lock the screen or start using another app, and to play music even if you’re not connected to the Internet" for US$ 9.99/month.
- Samsung takes on Apple's location aware indoor positioning system iBeacon and Mac OS/iOS's Continutity with Proximity and Flow.
- Apple's yet to be released smartwatch cum fashion accessory eyeing a spring 2015 release.
- Facebook's Messenger hits 500 million monthly active users; drops a new app called Rooms to connect with users across the world via anonymous chatrooms.
- Search giant Google working on a cross-platform service called Copresence "aimed at letting nearby Android and iOS devices communicate with one another in a variety of ways, exchanging files, photos, directions, messages, or other content", according to Android Police.
- Microsoft stops selling Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate versions of Windows 7 and Windows 8; Windows 8.1 to be the default version.
- Maker of fitness trackers Fitbit says it's in no rush to integrate with Apple's new HealthKit fitness platform; Apple responds by yanking off all Fitbit products from its online store.
- Google unveils invite-only Inbox; a new email solution a la Mailbox to achieve that elusive Inbox Zero!
- Popular music and podcat-sharing platform SoundCloud introduces ads to pay content creators and musicians; strikes licensing deal with Warner Music Group.
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