Tech News Weekly Update 11/4/11

Posted on April 10, 2011 by admin

Facebook Smartphones To Take Over The World

We’ve mentioned this before but it looks like Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to have Facebook virtually integrated into smartphones will be far more wide-reaching than previously expected.

HTC has been the smartphone’s driving force behind this development and, speaking at an  HTC press event to announce the HTC Salsa and HTC ChaCha, Zuckerberg said that “…..you can expect dozens of phones with deeper integration than ever before.”  The type of integration being talked about is, for example, the instant messenger service being Facebook’s by default and news feed items appearing on the home screen.

HTC feels this may be the future of some of its product lines – phones are powered by Android and feature their Sense UI.  HTC has said it welcomes developers integrating their own third party applications into Sense and this could herald a wave of smartphones integrated with the application of your choice.

If You Hadn’t Noticed, Linux Has Taken Over The World

That is, according to Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin anyway, Microsoft may

Jim Zemlin

argue the toss but Zemlin has a point.  It’s twenty years now since Linus Torvalds wrote the basic Linux operating system, based on UNIX, that has been tweaked, upgraded and improved into the various flavours we use today.  You can read about it here.

So why does Zemlin think he’s won the battle with Microsoft?  Because Linux dominates virtually every environment except desktop computing and Zemlin says that market is becoming less important anyway with the increasing popularity of tablets and smartphones, many using Android, based on Linux.  The others, of course, are iPhones and iPads.  The Amazon Kindle uses Linux, as does much software for televisions and camcorders.  90% of the world’s top 500 supercomputers use Linux and it is dominant in server technology.

The problem, if it is a problem, is that not many outside the world of technology know any of this.  Mostly you switch on your laptop or your desktop and Windows pops up.  If its not Windows it’s most likely an Apple OS.  Still, those of us who like safer, hassle free computing can take heart from Zemlin’s words and perhaps we’ll all be using Meego soon.

(written on a laptop running Fedora 14)

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Tech News Weekly Update 31/4/11

Posted on April 3, 2011 by admin

GTA V On The Way?

I don’t often talk about games on this site – I’m not a huge fan of that particular pastime but sometimes rumours of a game are relevant to any tech site.  In this case it’s Grand Theft Auto V which may well be in production soon, or maybe right now.  A new GTA release is always inevitable, you just don’t know when.

It’s always been a fantastically successful game and the current rumours are based on Rockstar’s (the company behind GTA) advertising for voiceover actors for a variety of parts that all fit with characters likely to be involved in a new project.  Rockstar have also been snapping up a group of domain names that also feel GTA-ish – cashfordeaddreams.com and sixfiguretemps.com among them.

Amazon launches Cloud Drive & Cloud Player

This snippet of information is only really newsworthy because it’s Amazon who are providing it.  There are plenty of cloud storage systems out there and some are free but Amazon is providing 5GB of storage for no cost.

Reading Amazon’s soundbites, you may think that this is all about music and of course that’s one decent use for it but the storage is for absolutely anything.  A read through the small print will tell you that it’s probably not suitable for data back-ups but if you want to make certain files available from anywhere, signing up may not be a bad idea.

There are a couple of drawbacks, one of which is streaming the music back to your device – this all takes bandwidth and many ISPs will not furnish you with unlimited levels of it.  Another drawback may be the way Amazon decides to deal with copyright protected files, or any other sort of prohibited content for that matter.

The advice must be to assume that you are responsible if you start uploading naughty pictures and videos to this particular cloud service.

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Quantum Computing Edges Forward

Posted on March 22, 2011 by admin

“A quantum computer is a device for computation that makes direct use of quantum mechanical phenomena, superposition and entanglement, to perform operation on data. Quantum computers are different from traditional computers based on transistors. The basic principle behind quantum computation is that quantum properties can be used to represent data and perform operations on these data. A theoretical model is the quantum Turing machine, also known as the universal quantum computer.”

So says wikipedia, and that’s about the best simple explanation of quantum computing you’ll find for the layperson.

The context now is that researchers at the University of California have demonstrated a method to engineer a quantum calculator of a complexity not managed previously.  The chip demonstrated by the team from the university allowed for the interaction of nine quantum devices.

Four of these devices act as quantum bits (qubits) which do the actual calculations.  A qubit maintains superposition meaning it can represent a one, a zero, or both states simultaneously.  The researchers said they hope to be able to raise the number of qubits to ten.  This ability is at the heart of the quantum computing problem – how to scale successfully.   There’s still some way to go – the number of qubits required to compete with current conventional computing power is around 100 – but this demonstrable ability to scale is a massive step in the right direction.

To return to the technical aspects briefly, the problem behind quantum computing is to disconnect interaction between elements of the circuit.  This is known as quantum decoherence and is terminal for the circuit.  The team appear to have solved this problem, and making the design scalable is essentially a blueprint for a quantum computer.

These designs were demonstrated at a meeting of the American Physics Society in Dallas and it’s worth noting that there are other teams in the U.S. and around the world also working on the same problems.  There may yet be other solutions but every step forward is a step in the right direction.

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The BBC, the iPlayer and Global Viewing

Posted on March 14, 2011 by admin

In the United Kingdom, the British Broadcasting Corporation attracts admiration from most quarters and dislike from some.  Love it or hate it it’s an astonishing organisation and appears to be largely respected around the world for its diverse range of quality programming and unbiased news coverage.

As a British citizen who has lived in several countries around the world, I can say with absolute certainty that the quality of British TV is leagues higher than anything else.  The arguments against it are mostly related to the cost – there’s no choice, you have to pay the BBC licence fee unless you really don’t have any way to watch telly.  Radio is free around the world except, to my personal chagrin, when restricted rights sports events are being broadcast.

So the iPlayer then, the wildly popular catch-up service available for computer users and some platforms – specifically Apple platforms (iPad, iPhone etc).  The BBC would now like to make it available to non-UK residents (i.e. licence fee non-payers) around the world for a $10 per month price tag.  I’m not going to get bogged down in the details of which platforms are provided for by the BBC and which aren’t (notably Android – well a decent iPlayer app anyway).  I just want to examine the implications of this move by the BBC.

Firstly, I’d subscribe like a shot.  I live in a country where it’s not even worth turning the TV on unless you want to wait until 02.45 for a Champions League match.  To be able to watch a selection (and that’s what it would be) of BBC telly would be a godsend.  The BBC is aware that there are millions of people around the world, and not just ex-pats, who would sign up for a service like this.  It would also be a massive revenue raiser and possibly a way to reduce the BBC licence fee a bit.  This would act as an olive branch to those who detest what they call the BBC ‘tax’.  It would also demonstrate to the British government, who hold regular reviews of the BBC & licence fee) that they were serious about making some overseas profit.

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Tech News Weekly Update 7/3/11

Posted on March 6, 2011 by admin

Steve Jobs and iPad 2

If it’s March it must mean it’s time for the release of the next iteration of the iPad, cleverly called the iPad 2.  It was never any secret that Apple wanted to get this to the market this spring and here it is.  The biggest boost for Apple stock came from the reappearance of Steve Jobs on the stage, looking relatively fit and healthy after some time off for health reasons.  In fact his health has been such an issue in recent months it has prompted at least one shareholder group to ask what the contingency plans are for when Jobs is no longer there.

Jobs & the iPad 2

On the face of it the big news is that the iPad 2 will be thinner, lighter and with improved chip performance.  It will have an HDMI video output, something that’s becoming a necessity on devices of this nature, front and rear facing cameras and a Wi-Fi hotspot facility.  These modest upgrades have led to some describing the device as iPad 1.5.  Discounting rumours of production bottlenecks and the like, Jobs said that the iPad 2 will be available stateside on March 11th and and towards the end of March for most of the rest of the world.

Apple are also sticking with their relatively restrictive models regarding network tethering and any innovative solution to this issue will have to be addressed in the future.  The price will be $499 for the basic Wi-Fi model up to $829 for the 32Gb 3G superstar.

Mozilla’s App Store?

Mozilla’s name tends to rise and fall where its reputation is concerned – it was the first web browser to challenge internet explorer in a major way, it’s open source and it’s certainly very popular.  It’s also been accused, with some justification, of being a somewhat bloated browser.

This week, plans emerged by the foundation that looks suspiciously like an open source App store, similar to that already offered by Apple and Google (for its Android platform).  Early details suggest a model that would let developers design apps to be used within the browser environment.

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Tech News Weekly Update – 1/3/11

Posted on February 28, 2011 by admin

Amazon/Lovefilm/Netflix cont…

We previously reported on Amazon’s attempt to break into the movie streaming and download market in Europe before U.S. giant Netflix could get in on the action.  Amazon now has a controlling interest in Lovefilm, the European download operation and has confirmed it will offer its content to its Amazon Prime customers.  Now we have a few more numbers available to check out the situation.

Amazon’s only problem is its competition with Netflix if the U.S. company does decide to head to Europe.  Netflix has some 12,000 titles available out or 100,000 at any one time while Lovefilm’s ratio is 5000 out of 90,000.  However the Prime service is very popular, currently 2 million globally but increasing by 24% per year so Amazon will be hoping to increase this quickly before Netflix makes any European moves.

Google Also on the Download Bandwagon

In distinctly related news it also appears that Google may be looking to offer their own download service based around the Google-owned Youtube website.  Details are a bit hard to come by at the moment but it would clearly be a direct competitor to Amazon and Netflix.  The New York Post also suggest that Google has set aside around $100 million for content licensing and distribution deals.

MySpace For Sale (Again)

Everyone knows by now, the war is effectively over and there’s only one man left standing – for the moment anyway.  The winner by unanimous decision is Facebook and the loser is MySpace in the world of social networking.  It’s hard to stifle a smile when you remember that Murdoch spent $850 million on buying the site in 2005, just as it was heading downhill.

The site has now been redesigned as an ‘entertainment’ hub and job losses have been numerous, 50% has been reported.  It’s still actually a decent, new music venue but it needs to shed its image of being a social network also-ran.  It’s also unlikely Murdoch will get back anything like the amount he paid for it.

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Tech News Weekly Update 23/2/11

Posted on February 22, 2011 by admin

Amazon Prime Expands Service (in the U.S.)

The Amazon Prime service has been around for a while now – it’s the paid-for delivery service which guarantees a two day delivery for unlimited items bought from the Amazon online store.  It costs $79.00 for a year’s subscription and it’s actually pretty popular.  Now, as a type of vertical integration, Prime customers in the U.S. will be able to download or stream from a selection of 5000 films or TV programmes for no extra cost.

Amazon prime logo

Amazon is trying to compete with Netflix here, who already offer a streaming/downloading service featuring a vast array of shows and films for $96.00 a year.  Both companies will offer formats for all the most popular devices.

In the U.K. Amazon acquired the remaining shares of the Lovefilm company, which has lovefilm logoseveral million of members in Europe and a large DVD rental and subscription streaming service almost certainly as a defensive ploy against a Netflix expansion into Europe.  Prime customers in the U.K. will be hoping that their subscription soon includes access to some of Lovefilm’s collection .

iPad 2 Imminent?

Perhaps it will be here before we realise it – the iPad 2 that is.  Several sources suggest that an announcement will be made on March 2nd regarding the next iteration of the Jesus tablet.  For the frugal amongst us it also means that within weeks we could be looking at an opportunity to acquire an original iPad for a bargain price.

Even more up to date news from a Taiwanese manufacturer suggests that the planned date could be set back by two months because of bottlenecks in the system but let’s just wait and see.

Apple Continues to Annoy Developers

Apple appears to be getting greedier by the day – their latest plan to take 30% of subscription app store logofees if a customer buys through the App store rather than the developers website is testing the patience of some developers.  Apple have always taken this cut but now they are requiring the purchase be made available through iTunes as well as the devs website.

Not surprisingly the devs are annoyed as how many customers which will make the choice to switch to browser payment system when they can just pay quickly through the App store?

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Mobile World Congress 2011 News 18/2/11

Posted on February 17, 2011 by admin

We’re returning the World Mobile Congress for this update as the 2011 conference and exhibition draws to a close.  Some manufacturers leave their announcements till last, perhaps to leave conference delegates with a fresher view once the dust has settled.

RIM demonstrates PlayBook Tablet

One such announcement was Research in Motion’s (RIM) unveiling of the RIM PlayBook, a RIM logoclear and unambiguous iPad competitor.  It’s fair to say RIM and Apple have duelled before in the smartphone arena with the Blackberry and the iPhone so this time, rather than Apple treading on RIM’s toes it’s the other way around.

So what’s the PlayBook like?  Well firstly RIM has the advantage over other Apple competitors in that they have experience and contacts in the cellular networks that will give them a head start.  The full title of the device is the Blackberry 4g Playbook and it’s a 7.6 inch display which is not the biggest, but far bigger than a hand held Blackberry of course.  It’s connectivity is impressive, it includes the usual Wi-Fi and 3G coverage but also 4G and Bluetooth.  4G in particular will become increasingly important in the not too distant future.

It’s really in the technology that differentiates it from the iPad where it will stand or fall and it’s front and rear facing cameras are something the original iPad does not have.  Again, with connectivity, only the upgraded iPad has 3G, the basic model just has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.  Both devices run their own proprietary OS’s and RIM has it’s QNX platform to support the PlayBook – both are entirely competent OS’s.

The Playbook will be priced probably at $499.99 which matches it with the cheapest iPad – but with the PlayBook you get more vale for your dollar – if it does what is says on the tin.  It is also priced against Galaxy’s and Motorola’s entry level offerings.  It’s heading your way soon and looks good.  Here’s short demo trailer:

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Mobile World Congress 2011 News 15/2/11

Posted on February 15, 2011 by admin

This years Mobile World Congress is currently underway in Barcelona.  The purpose of the MWC logocongress is to exhibit new technology and as a meeting place for the CEO’s and other head honchos of the mobile phone industry.  The 3 day event tends to be dominated each year by one or other manufacturer with big announcements so what have been the main stories from this years event?

Not surprisingly there’s a lot of tablet activity, both in terms of hardware and software.  There’s new offerings from HTC with the HTC Flyer, a 7 inch Android Honeycomb driven offering, Acer had unveiled it’s 10.1 inch Iconia Tab A500, also featuring Android Honeycomb. Honeycomb seems to be something of an essential part of most of the next generation of tablets – Motorola’s 10.1 inch Xoom uses it as does the latest Samsung 10 inch Galaxy Tab.

In terms of software, Android will also be the driving force behind HTC’s Facebook branded htc facebook logophone.  Probably it won’t actually have much more functionality than you currently have on your smartphone of choice but home screen alerts and news should feature more prominently and your default instant messaging app will be Facebook’s.  Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO had also suggested that there could be more Facebook phones this year and indeed INQ’s Cloud Touch and Cloud Q already have some integration.

Intel has demonstrated it’s latest iteration of its Meego, Linux based OS.  It’s designed mainly for tablets, notebooks and smartphones.
Nokia, the world’s largest supplier of mobile phones, has just pulled out of an agreement to use Meego in it’s smartphones and swapped to Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 7.  While this is a blow to Intel, they say they are committed to the OS and stand by its scalability.  Personally, having used it briefly as the default OS on a new laptop I wasn’t particularly impressed.  Perhaps its limited peronalisation works better on a smaller device though.

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Tech News Weekly Update 11/2/11

Posted on February 10, 2011 by admin

BBC iPlayer for Android Released

The BBC iPlayer has been a significant player in the UK internet market in recent years.  It’s iplayer android logonot a revenue raiser as such but internet providers must offer fast enough speeds to stream programming smoothly and device manufacturers await versions for their platforms with impatience.  The app for the iPad and iPhone was released some time ago and is a very slick piece of software.  If you’re internet connection is good enough, streaming is perfect.

For any devices running Google’s Android software the wait has been a long one but the popularity of this OS meant that the BBC would endeavour to release a version sooner rather than later.  Android’s multi-device capability means that it’s always going to be harder producing a flawless app than for the iPhone/iPad.  This has turned out to be the case for the Android version which is certainly good but not as good as the Apple version.  Perfect streaming seems to be an issue for devices running this platform and the interface is also slightly lacking but future updates will hopefully improve the situation.  However the app is indeed very welcome.

Blizzard’s New Game Attracting Interest

Although it is as yet unnamed, Blizzard’s new game is already the subject of various rumours.  blizzard entertainment logoCEO Mike Morhaime has been talking about the project and says that the principles behind the game have been in the pipeline for several years.  Their current hugely popular role playing game World of Warcraft has helped them learn lessons about the nature of gaming and what players want.

Interestingly Morhaime also waxes lyrical about mobile gaming and we are faced with the intriguing possibility of a version of the new game which could be played on an iPhone/iPad or an Android device.  It doesn’t seem impossible, various games also have versions for other platforms such as Zynga’s poker game which integrates players on full size devices with those on handheld platforms on a clearly scaled down version.

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