TECH NEWS 13th August , 2015
Qualcomm Ups the Ante With Next-Gen Processor Innovations
The Snapdragon 820 "will strengthen competitiveness in the chipset marketspace ... and enable disruptive innovation, not only in device-embedded camera technologies," predicted Gartner analyst Werner Goertz. "More importantly, it will help accelerate AR/VR implementation across other device categories, notably head-mounted displays, automotive and the Internet of Things."
Qualcomm on Wednesday unveiled its Adreno 5xx GPU architecture next-generation visual processing technology and its 14-bit Spectra image signal processing unit at SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles.
The first two GPUs to use the new architecture, the Adreno 530 and 510, will be integrated in Qualcomm's forthcoming Snapdragon 820 and 620/618 processors.
The Snapdragon 820 also will feature the 14-bit ISP, which supports DSLR-quality photography and enhanced computer vision.
Devices based on the Snapdragon 820 are expected to become available in the first half of 2016.
Samsung is rumored to have begun testing the Snapdragon 820 for its Galaxy S7 flagship phone.
However, the first phone to be based on it may be the Xiaomi Mi 5 Plus.
"We expect [the] Adreno 5-series GPU and Spectra ISP to be industry leaders in performance and features, while enabling new classes of visual user experiences," said Qualcomm spokesperson Jon Carvill.
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Hey, Siri - Get Out Your Steno Pad
If you're allergic to long-winded voice mails, Siri soon may be able to type them for you instead. Reading transcripts of voice mail messages can be a productivity booster. "It's quicker," noted mobile device analyst Michael Morgan. "If you have 16 voice mails, instead of opening up each one and listening to them, you can scan a transcript of them and decide which are important and which are not."
Apple is working on a service that will enlist Siri to transcribe voice mail messages for iPhone users, Business Insider reported Monday.
Apple employees reportedly are testing the service in preparation for a 2016 rollout, possibly as a new feature in iOS 10.
When a call is placed to a phone that has iCloud Voicemail enabled and you don't answer it, Siri will pick it up for you. Depending on who the caller is, Siri can provide information about where you are and why you can't answer the call, according to the report. If your caller leaves a voice message, Siri will notify you and send you a transcription.
"This is a natural evolution for Siri," said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies.
"A Siri transcription service would be a welcome feature for Apple users, since many times they don't have the ability or time to retrieve voice mails," he told TechNewsWorld. "They could now get these transcribed voicemail messages in their email inbox -- very handy, and a great use for Siri within iOS."
"It provides another reason for consumers to sign up for iCloud, which provides revenue opportunities for Apple," Rubin said.
Why transcribe voice mail messages?
"A lot of people like to leave voice mail, but very few people like to listen to it," said Roger Kay, president ofEndpoint Technologies Associates.
Reading transcripts of voice mail messages can be a productivity booster.
"It's quicker," noted Michael Morgan, an independent mobile devices analyst.
"If you have 16 voice mails, instead of opening up each one and listening to them, you can scan a transcript of them and decide which are important and which are not," he told TechNewsWorld. "It definitely becomes more efficient."
Transcripts also can be more convenient in some scenarios, suggested Patrick Moorhead, founder and principal analyst with Moor Insights and Strategy.
"It's a nice option or alternative to voice mail in noisy locations, and when people leave you long voice mails," he told TechNewsWorld.
Less Than Perfect
Google Voice also supports transcription.
"It's helpful to get notification of voice mail in your email in-box, but the transcriptions haven't been of a quality where one can reliably ascertain what the voice mail is," noted Reticle's Rubin.
"Google Voice includes the voice mail as a sound attachment, so you usually have to play the sound file in order to understand what the voice mail said," he added.
AT&T also provides transcripts.
"I wouldn't call it an amazing transcription experience, but seven time out of 10, I can tell what the message is about and whether it's pertinent for me to bother with," said Morgan. "If Siri can beat that, it would be an improvement over what a major operator is offering."
Windows 10: Changing the Apple vs. Microsoft Dynamic
What I find most interesting about Windows 10 is that if Apple wanted to knock Microsoft off the desktop, then it -- not Microsoft -- should have released a product like this. When I say "like this," I mean one that could transform a smartphone into a PC.
My reasoning is that Microsoft is relatively weak in smartphones, and Apple currently is kicking Google all over the market. Given Google's power, that's pretty impressive -- of course, it is also largely Google's own fault.
Granted, Apple would have to lead with iOS, not OS X, but given Apple's massive mobile power, the result could be devastating. However, Apple won't go that route, because it effectively would eliminate its PC sales, and it wants both revenue streams. That gives Microsoft a unique lever if -- and this is a big if -- it can figure out a way to use it.
I'll focus on that this week and end with my product of the week: a new very low-cost video conferencing system from AVer.
The Windows 10 Lever
There are undoubtedly a few million more people on Windows 10 this week than there were last week, thanks to the launch of the product. There is some breakage in the upgrade, but given the massive number of folks who made this move, it has been unusually light.
The most powerful part of this product isn't the UI fix, the various features, or the product's speed and security. It is the fact it runs on both tablets and PCs and will run on smartphones.
What this means is that at some point -- and this was demonstrated -- you could build a smartphone that effectively could become a PC. All you'd have to do is add a keyboard, mouse and monitor.
Tied to a back-end service like Frame or Dell Cloud Connect (both based on Nvidia Grid) you could have a solution that neither Apple nor Google could match: a secure, fully featured desktop client -- with power that would scale from simple tasks to full-on workstation performance -- that would fit in your pocket.
Think how wonderful that would be. Your smartphone becomes your PC, and it effectively morphs based on what you attach to it. Granted, it would mean rethinking laptops as more portable keyboards/trackpads/screens than PCs, but the end result could enable a massive transformation in the market, which would take the multiple products we now carry and turn them into one product that we'd accessorize.
If Microsoft were to bring that to fruition, it would render PCs and smartphones as we know them obsolete -- and that potentially would provide a path back to dominance and relevance.
Apple Is Better Positioned
However, this strategy moves up from smartphones, not down from PCs. I'm not envisioning taking a PC and turning it into a smartphone, but rather turning a smartphone into a PC, and that means it would be best to start with a strong position in smartphones. That is what Apple has and Microsoft lacks, which means that if Apple were to do the same thing with iOS, it could displace Microsoft more easily than Microsoft could displace Apple. But it won't.
That's because Apple's model is based on customers buying a lot of products from Apple -- not just one -- and as a result, it will be unwilling to abandon OS X in favor of iOS for fear of losing all or most of its PC revenue. There clearly would be an offset for new accessories, but Apple isn't thinking about collapsing its product line.
It is working on increasing it, and the Apple Watch implementation is an example. It could have been a phone replacement product -- but instead it's an accessory, so you need to buy the watch and the phone.
So, while Apple could execute a very similar strategy and do more damage to Microsoft than Microsoft initially could do to Apple -- it won't.
Why Not Google?
Oh, and while Google could do this as well, the father of Chrome OS is running its operating system business. He'd have to replace Chrome OS with Android -- and no one gives up his own product that easily.
So, Google is out of this chase as well. The company has been considering a converged OS platform -- but Android is already in trouble. If a pivot to a new OS were executed badly, it could knock Google out of the market. Developers have been complaining that they haven't been making money on Android for some time, suggesting that many might not spend the money to migrate their products to a new OS.
So, even though Google could do this, its developer foundation may not be solid enough to make the pivot it would have to make. Also, the pivot it should make -- off Android -- is distasteful.
Android is under a bit of an ugly cloud at the moment. Most of the firms I work with appear to be losing money on the platform, and its security issuesare legion, providing an unprecedented opportunity for both Apple and Microsoft (not to mention BlackBerry).
Microsoft's Reverse Pivot
So, Microsoft, rather than using the smartphone to take over PCs, is on the more difficult path of using the PC to take over the smartphone. The best way to do this would be to partner with Intel again to make the move, given that Intel also is spending a fortune to penetrate the smartphone segment. With their combined resources, the firms could fund a massive effort.
There has been an historic feud going on between Intel and Microsoft. However, with the replacement of both CEOs, there now is a great opportunity for them to come together, much like they did when the PC was born, to once again redefine personal computing as mostly mobile. (Well, the market kind of already did that, but I mean on Intel and Microsoft technology -- not on ARM and Apple tech).
Windows 10 is the best shot Microsoft has had this decade to take tech market momentum back from Apple.
Wrapping Up
Microsoft's strategy of using its PC position to attack smartphones is a good one; it's just that both Apple and Google are in better positions to pull off the opposite. Both are stronger on the target smartphone platform today -- although Google's strength is falling like a rock at the moment.
This battle likely will be defined more by what these vendors choose not to do than what they choose to do. Microsoft will have to push smartphones harder than it ever has and get powerful help from someone like Intel to pull it off -- and it might not.
Apple would have to accept the cannibalization of Macs by iPhones, and it really won't want to do that.
Google would have to fix its developer problems or pivot off Android, not the Chrome OS, and it likely won't do that either.
In the end, the future most likely will belong to the company with the balls to take the big risk (or the one that is already dominant). Google, not Apple, is the most at risk. The next few years should be really interesting.
Video conferencing is a fascinating segment. I got my first glimpse of this technology in the mid-1960s at Disneyland. Today, even with FaceTime, folks rarely use this technology personally. Nor is it often used in meetings, even though it has become far cheaper and easier to use.
A good example of this is the new AVer VC 520, which includes a decent speakerphone and panning/zooming high-definition camera for conference room use and costs under US$1,000. You then add an HDTV, (you can get aVizio 50-inch TV for about $500), and you have a system that rivals some that sold for $20K a few years ago. It works with Skype, Microsoft Lync, Google Hangouts, Cisco WebEx, GoToMeeting and WebRTC.
AVer Plug-N-Play USB Video Conference Camera System VC520
I've been playing with one of these for a week, and setup was relatively easy for a component system. I really didn't even need to install its software with Windows 10 -- the system just connected to Skype, which is what I generally use, and I was off to the races.
Speakerphone and image quality were in line with other HD systems, including the old $100K HP Halo units we were using five years ago. It is amazing how far these things have come in a short period of time.
Skype was able to control the camera remotely just fine. WebEx has been breaking a lot of late, so I don't use it anymore. I haven't used GoToMeeting or Google Hangouts for some time. Currently I mostly live on Skype or Lync, because they just work.
It continues to impress me how much this technology has advanced over the years, and because the AVer VC 520 is a showcase of how far we have come in quality and price, it's perfect for my product of the week.
Angry Birds 2: Freemium Clips Its Wings
Angry Birds 2 -- the 13th installment of Angry Birds and the original game's first proper sequel -- on Thursday became available for iOS and Android.
The free-to-play model is a call to players beyond its base. However, those new players may slip through developer Rovio's fingers if the game's features fail to motivate them to play with real money.
Though there are 12 titles separating the first game from Angry Birds 2, Rovio revisited every element of the core game except for the iconic slingshot used to fling furious fowl at snide little swine that hole up in glass houses and jury-rigged forts.
Angrier and Birdier
While the premise remains unchanged, Angry Birds 2 has its own feel. It takes advantage of modern multicore processors without burdening low-end handsets with overly ambitious graphics.
Design technology has progressed markedly, said Rovio cofounder Niklas Hed.
"With Angry Birds 2, we wanted to bring a level of expressive depth and detail seen previously only in a console game or animated series -- and create a new game that kids and adults alike won't be able to put down," he said.
The potential is there for Angry Birds 2 to live at or near the top of app store charts.
That said, it's not likely that even an evolved Angry Birds 2 has much -- if any -- potential to change hardcore gamers' generally pessimistic perception of mobile gaming.
Gameplay and Gateways
The mobile gaming market has no consistent business model. Smaller studios tend to offer the full-fat experience, while big-budget outfits appear willing to take a hit by letting gamers play for free.
Angry Birds 2 might offer a more rewarding experience if Rovio were to charge a flat fee for all of the rides in the park. With players offered just a few lives per half hour -- along with the occasional option to watch an ad for a go at any level -- it's not hard to imagine that a surge up the charts likely will be followed by the drawn-out departure of those unwilling to pay or wait.
As for the action, each bird's talent is more important than ever. Blue's spread attack is ideal for breaking ice, Red's dragon shout makes it even more of a general-purpose wrecking ball, and Chuck would chuck as much wood as it could if it weren't for materials like ice and stone to repell its attack.
Pro tip: remember to let the destruction play out before launching the next bird.
The gameplay is augmented by spells, special attacks that soften up targets. There are ice attacks that make forts more susceptible to Blues, hot chili to turn an enemy into a time bomb, golden duck to rain hammers from the skies, and so on.
Pro Tip: Keep track of those chests, and consider holding off on using spells until you're near one. Spells should be treated as aces up sleeves. Avoid using them during the first attempt at a level.
Angry Birds 2's Presentation
With its watercolor graphics and emotive style, Angry Birds 2 is a beautiful game. It's considerably more prettied-up than the original.
There's a slight disconnect between the characters -- which feel flat compared to the deep idyllic backdrops on which they're situated. It's likeSuper Meatboy characters inserted into Ubisoft's painterly UbiArt engine.
The disconnect between objects, characters and buildings helps players determine which structures should be demolished, however.
The game has a traditional board game layout with levels plotted along pathways through stages. There are challenges interspersed thoughout the stages, which offer players the chance to take on daily challenges to earn the in-game currency Rovio calls "gems."
Inside the levels, the layout delivers a multi-stage presentation. There's a rudimentary in-game minimap that shows you which stage you're in.
Pro Tip: Stay aware of your position in the game. Even if you complete a stage, you'll still need birds left to attack the next objective in the same level. If your last bird was used demolishing section two, for example, you'll enter the next stage empty-handed and lose.
Birds 2 Bottomline
Angry Birds 2 is just innovative enough to deserve the title of a sequel instead of a cash grab. It's a rich and entertaining game that deliver hours of gameplay, with more content promised.
The game has gotten off to a blazing start, but that momentum may be too hot to hold. Rovio has shown, through more than a dozen iterations, that it can churn out hit after hit from its Angry Birds franchise. It's just that this hit may remain inside the park rather than becoming the home run Rovio has been seeking desperately.
Pro Tip: There are 12 other Angry Birds games, and Rovio probably doesn't care which one you play.
OS X Zero-Day Exploit Threatens Massive Mac Attack
Mac users, beware -- the ads you see on the Web could let hackers hijack your device.
Malwarebytes has discovered a new zero-day exploit in OS X that lets apps bypass passwords during installation to get root permission through a Unix shell.
A new adware installer downloaded by a Malwarebytes researcher modified his sudoers file -- a hidden Unix file that controls access to root permissions.
The script exploited the DYLD_Print_To_File vulnerability publicized last month by German security researcher Stefan Esser.
Together with the disclosure, Esser posted a Trusted BSD kernel extension he wrote to protect against the vulnerability.
"Apple has not fixed [the vulnerability] yet," said Thomas Reed, director of Mac offerings at Malwarebytes.
"I can't say why not, but it does appear that they have known about the issue for some time," he told TechNewsWorld. "Apparently, another researcher [with the Twitter handle '@beist'] alerted Apple prior to Esser's release, but I'm unclear on the timing of that report."
What the DYLD Exploit Does
The script exploiting the DYLD vulnerability is written to a file and then executed. It then deletes itself.
The script allows shell commands to be executed as root using sudo, without requiring a password, Malwarebytes found.
It then launches the VSInstaller app, which is in a hidden directory on the installer's disk image, and gives it full root permissions. That lets the app install anything anywhere.
VSInstaller installs VSearch adware, as well as a variant of the Genieo adware and the MacKeeper junkware application. It then directs the user to the Download Shuttle app in the Mac App Store.
There is no good way for users to protect themselves short of installing Esser's kernel extension, Malwarebytes said.
Apple Zips Its Lips
Apple came under fire from Esser, who claimed the company already had fixed the flaw in the newest version of OS X, El Capitan, which has been in public beta for several months.
Apple rolled out the third public beta last month and the fourth on Tuesday.
However, Esser's assumption that Apple had fixed the flaw in El Capitan but decided not to fix it in the current version,
OS X Yosemite, may be incorrect, Reed suggested.
"That just doesn't seem reasonable to me," he said, adding that Apple contacted him for more information "within a couple hours after my blog post was published."
Apple did not respond to our request to comment for this story.
Bumbling Into a Hack
The people behind the DYLD exploit are "just adware vendors," Reed said. They "tend to write careless, sloppy code, and haven't showed any signs of being highly skilled."
Reed criticized Esser for publicizing the flaw, reasoning that the hackers "would not have found a vulnerability like this on their own, in my opinion."
Esser has his defenders. Commenting on the Malwarebytes blog post, "m4rkw" contended Esser only released the information to motivate Apple "to bother fixing a bug that they apparently going to bother with ... leaving millions of users vulnerable to what is quite a trivial exploit." Further, Esser provided a fix.
Esser contends he did nothing wrong.
"Why should I?" he responded on his Twitter feed when someone asked why he didn't notify Apple instead of publicizing the vulnerability on his blog.
Esser did not respond to our request to comment for this story.
Ads Are Dangerous
The DYLD exploit opens the door to malvertising -- malicious ads created by hackers.
Yahoo was hit by a malvertising attack this past week -- and it, Google, AOL, and various online ad distribution platforms have been used to distribute malvertisements for some time now.
"One successful penetration of an ad system leads to huge payoff in terms of the total number of victims who can be attacked via malicious ads," said Lane Thames, security research and software development engineer of Tripwire.
"If large-scale malvertising campaigns ... continue," he told TechNewsWorld, "consumers will lose more trust in these ad services, which can ultimately lead to financial losses for the ad organizations."
