Impact of iOS 13 in ASO

Many
users were waiting for new and trendy features like customized emoji (memojis)
and new Siri in iOS 13. Others are excited about the promise of stronger
privacy and faster performance. 

For app developers and marketing managers, the crucial
question appears, ‘How will this iOS 13 affect ASO?’ 

Changes in iOS 13 for ASO:

Reduction in App Size & Download Limits

Enhanced speed and better performance are at the focus of
iOS 13. At WWDC19 it was declared that app downloads will be decreased by 50%
and their updates by 60% – making app downloads twice as fast. 

This is a huge win that might prompt an improvement in
conversion rates and develop the overall user experience. 

Apple had also initially improved the cellular download
limit to 200MB per app but recently decided to withdraw the restriction
altogether. This not only makes it more accessible to download larger apps
on-the-go – it gives users more control over downloads. 

Under the new preference in iTunes & App Store ‘App
Downloads,’ users can decide to bypass the limitations or put notifications in
place if a download is larger than 200MB. 

Push for Voice Dictation

The Apple Watch will be getting its app store and users
will be able to download apps immediately on their watch. Searches on the Apple
Watch app store will essentially be through voice dictation or via Siri. 

The new Siri will have more multi-action commands and
more combination with apps with built-in shortcuts. In the app store, the
option for voice dictation will be presented in the search tab itself. 

 App Store Changes:

The layout of Search Page

Minor tweaks like the rounded corners in screenshots can
be seen – but the actual UI updates that will affect user engagement are on the
search page. In the search tab itself, there’s more of a focus on games as the
text is ‘games, apps, stories and more’ instead of simply ‘app store.’ 

Voice dictation and emoji icons will also have their
place to the right and left of the keyboard, making it more comfortable for
users to use emojis in their searches. When updating a title and subtitle, this
will be something to keep in mind. 

There was also an update that supports design. Earlier,
when searching for an app, trending app titles were suggested under the search
tab. With iOS 13, trending app icons will be added under the search tab making
it very easy to download apps that might draw attention. The app icon could
then play an important role in getting app impressions. 

The search page will work as another platform for the
browsing channel “Today.” If your app is trending – this will surely encourage
high conversion rates. If your app is yet young, however, it forms yet another
barrier to an app’s exposure.

Some Hidden Updates

The new iOS 13 has made it more difficult for users to be
informed about updates and release notes. The update icon at the bottom of the
app store will be replaced with Apple’s new Arcade. This is in line with its
focus on games and stories. 

Their new arcade promises over 100+ new games with easy
game subscription service. Though this is excellent for game developers, app
developers will need to find productive ways to keep updates and release notes
noticeably. 


IoT in Healthcare (2019)

Although remote sensing medical devices have existed for more than two decades, and telemedicine has been around for a while the underlying technology has developed 100 times. No more 2G mobile network and doctor visits. Now we have an interconnected network of smart devices capable of making decisions, work as groups, and send information to the cloud — Internet of Things.

In this article, we will understand the Internet of Things (IoT) in Healthcare.

  1. Internet of Things in Healthcare.
  2. What is IoT and its importance in healthcare?
  3. Examples of IoT in healthcare
  4. How does it work in Healthcare?
  5. IoT Devices in Healthcare.
  6. IoT’s Benefits in Healthcare.
  7. Challenges in Healthcare.
  8. Future in Healthcare.

IoT in Healthcare

The market of IoT in healthcare is growing day by day and it is predicted to exceed $10 billion by 2024, according to research. This growth forecast is also impacted by other important technologies. IoT is slowly getting traction and evolving beside the new ultra-fast 5G mobile wireless, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Big Data. Arranging these powerful technologies with the Internet of Things will likely revolutionize the healthcare industry. IoT in healthcare using 5G wireless and AI could, for example, completely change the way patients are monitored and treated remotely.

What is IoT and its importance in healthcare?

In a nutshell, IoT is the theory created around the idea of full ubiquitous computing, which is the processing of information linked with external activity or objects. Ubiquitous computing involves connecting electronic devices with microprocessors and sensors to talk to each other.

“IoT is a ubiquitous network except that all of those electronic devices are connected to the Internet.”

IoT in the healthcare industry is a great example of this ubiquitous computing. For example, hundreds of smart electronic devices can be set up in a hospital to observe patients’ health status 24/7, talk to each other, make decisions, and upload all the information to a healthcare cloud platform.

Examples of IoT in healthcare

How does it efficiently in healthcare? Let’s explore three workable Internet of Things healthcare examples below.

  1. Sensing and uploading up-to-date patient information to the cloud in emergencies, from the ambulance or even from home.
  2. Medical devices capable of doing self-maintenance. IoT healthcare devices will sense their components, detect low thresholds, and interact with medical personnel and manufacturers.
  3. IoT and wearables can help home patients and elderly interact directly with a healthcare facility.
  4. Telemedicine can be considered a “primitive” form of an Internet of Things in healthcare example. With IoT, a patient can be observed and in some cases treated remotely through video cameras and other electronic actuators.

 

How does it work in Healthcare?

To learn how the Internet of Things in Healthcare works, let’s see how IoT works in usual. As explained above, an IoT unit can be considered as a device with a sensor that can interact with the physical world and send information to the Internet.

“In healthcare, these devices can collect different patient data and receive inputs from health practitioners.”

An Internet of Things Healthcare example is continuous glucose monitoring for insulin pens that works efficiently for patients with diabetes.

All these devices can communicate with each other and in some cases take important actions that would provide timely help or even save a life. For example, an IoT healthcare device can make intelligent decisions like calling the healthcare facility if an aged person has fallen. After collecting passive data, an IoT healthcare device would send this critical information to the cloud so that doctors can act upon it, view the general patient status, see if calling an ambulance is needed, what type of help is required, and so on.

Thus, the Internet of Things Healthcare can greatly improve not only a patient’s health and help in crucial situations but also the productivity of health employees and hospital workflows.

How IoT helps in healthcare

Let’s explore an IoT healthcare workflow example:

  1. A sensor collects data from a patient or a doctor/nurse inputs data.
  2. An IoT device examines the collected data with the help of AI-driven algorithms like machine learning (ML).
  3. The device decides whether to act or send information to the cloud.
  4. Doctors, health practitioners, or even robots are enabled to make actionable and knowledgeable decisions based on the data provided by the IoT device.

IoT Devices in Healthcare

Although not all IoT devices should have a sensor, they at least need to have a radio and a given TCP/IP address to enable communication with the Internet. As long as a device has access to the Internet, it can be considered an IoT device.

So, every smartphone is an IoT device. A smartphone with the right set of healthcare apps can help you identify diseases and improve your health. Some examples of these are skin cancer detection apps that use your camera and AI-driven algorithms to map moles on your skin. Other examples would be sleep, yoga, fitness, and pill management apps.

Still, smartphone is a smartphone. Monitoring healthcare is not its primary application. A dedicated healthcare IoT device can do significantly more.

  • Smartwatch - Wearables sold at consumer electronics stores come with a sensor and Internet connection. Some of them (like iWatch Series 4) can even monitor your heart rate, control diabetes, help in speech treatment, aid in improving posture, and detect seizures.
  • Insulin Pens and Smart CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring) - These devices can monitor blood glucose levels and send the data to a dedicated smartphone app. Patients with diabetes can use these devices to trace their glucose levels and even send this data to a healthcare facility.
  • Brain Swelling Sensors - These tiny sensors are implanted within the cranium to help brain surgeons keep track of severe brain injuries and avoid further deathly swelling. They measure pressure on the brain and can dissolve by itself in the body without further medical interference.
  • Ingestible Sensors - Prescribed medication is swallowed with a tiny digestible medical sensor that sends a small signal to a wearable receiver on the patient, which, in turn, sends data to a dedicated smartphone app. This sensor can help doctors ensure patients take their medication at all times.
  • Smart video pills - A smart pill can travel through a patient’s intestinal tract and take pictures as it travels. It can then send the received information to a wearable device, which in turn would send it to a dedicated smartphone app (or straight to the app). Smart pills can also help visualize the gastrointestinal tract and colon remotely.

 

IoT’s Benefits in Healthcare.

IoT in the healthcare industry has innumerable benefits. However, the most important is that treatment results can be significantly improved or maximized, as the data gathered by IoT healthcare devices are highly precise, enabling informed decisions.

Health facilities and practitioners will be capable of reducing errors because all patient information can be measured quickly and sent to a board of doctors or a healthcare cloud platform. AI-driven algorithms running on these IoT devices could also help make clear decisions or suggestions based on existing data.

Another great benefit of IoT in healthcare is reduced costs. With IoT in healthcare, non-critical patients will be able to stay at home while various IoT devices monitoring him and send all important information to the health facility's meaningless hospital stays and doctor visits.

With detailed information received from lots of IoT devices, health facilities will also be able to improve their disease management. They’ll have more data in real-time coming in than ever before. Still, this involves several challenges.

Challenges in Healthcare.

Although IoT in healthcare provides many great advantages, some challenges need to be solved. The Internet of Things Healthcare solutions cannot be considered for implementation without accepting these challenges.

  1. Massive inputs of generated data - Having thousands of devices in a single healthcare facility and a thousand more sending information from remote locations — all in real-time — will produce enormous amounts of data. The data produced from IoT in healthcare will likely make storage requirements grow much higher, from Terabytes to Petabytes. If used properly, AI-driven algorithms and cloud can help make sense of and organize this data, but this program needs time to mature. So, creating a large-scale IoT healthcare solution will take a lot of time and effort.
  2. IoT devices will increase the attack surface - IoT healthcare brings numerous advantages to the industry, but they also create numerous unprotected security spots. Hackers could log into medical devices connected to the Internet and steal the information — or even modify it. They can also take a step further and hack an entire hospital network, tainting the IoT devices with the infamous Ransomware virus. That means the hackers will hold patients and their heart-rate monitors, blood pressure readers, and brain scanners as hostages.
  3. Existing software infrastructure is obsolete - IT infrastructures in many hospitals are obsolete. They will not allow for the proper integration of IoT devices. Therefore, healthcare facilities will need to renew their IT processes and use new, more modern software. They will also need to take advantage of virtualization (technologies like SDN and NFV), and ultra-fast wireless and mobile networks like Advanced LTE or 5G.

The Internet Of Medical Things Is The Future Of Healthcare why?

IoT in the healthcare industry can change components, such as medical gadgets or services. It can also improve healthcare applications, such as telemedicine, patient monitoring, medication management, imaging, and overall workflows in hospitals. It can also create new ways of treating various diseases.

The Internet of Things for healthcare will not only be used by hospitals or facilities, but also by surgical centers, research organizations, and even governmental institutions.

Future in Healthcare.

IoT in the healthcare industry does not stand alone. All IoT devices and their networks need to be connected with other technologies to help healthcare facilities transform in a meaningful way. As discussed before, IoT will revolutionize the healthcare industry but it also needs data, high-speed communication, and proper security and compliance.

5G will provide the ultra-low latency speeds and movement that the IoT in the healthcare industry needs. In turn, AI-driven solutions will make sense of the data lakes gathered from a collection of devices. Big Data plans will use such AI algorithms to analyze data in real-time and make important health decisions. Virtualization will help to reduce or get rid of old infrastructure in hospitals.

IoT is already using most of these technologies to help healthcare evolve, and this evolution will only continue. Sooner than later, healthcare and the Internet of Things will become inseparable, completely changing how we approach our healthcare.

 

 


Stadia: Google's game-streaming service

Imagine a world in which you don't need expensive gaming
equipment to play the next big release title. A world in which all you ever
have to do to start gaming is open up your browser, select a game and start
playing – no lengthy download required. This could soon become a reality
if Google's cloud gaming service, Stadia, delivers on its promises – you'll be
able to go from opening a Chrome tab to playing a 4K, 60fps game, in five
seconds, no installation required.

The service, which was announced at this year's Game
Developers Conference in San Francisco, got a proper unveiling ahead of E3 2019.
In a 15-minute presentation starring Google Stadia boss Phil Harrison, we
learned just how much the service will set us back – $9.99 / £8.99 (about
AU$14) per month for unlimited games and just how good a connection we'll need
(35Mbps for full 4K HDR/60fps).

At launch, Google has promised that Stadia will support
desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones  but just the Pixel series to start  without the need for a hardware box, with
games instead powered by Google's own data centers.  

About Stadia

  • What is stadia ? Google's big move into gaming  a 'Netflix for gaming' streaming service
    that's a true console competitor, one to rival (and potentially lead) the
    next generation of gameplay.
  • When is it launching? At some point in 2019, with launch territories including the
    USA, Canada and UK. Latest rumors suggest another update, teaser and more
    details will be coming in June 2019. 
  • How much will it cost? $9.99 / £8.99 (about AU$14) per month for full 4K HDR streaming
    via Stadia Pro, or you can purchase games a la carte with Stadia Base.

How it work

The best bit about Stadia is that as long as you've got a
stable and fast internet connection, and you're using a recent version of the
Google Chrome browser, you've got everything you need to get up and
running. Playing a game on Stadia is as simple as opening a new tab in
Chrome and going to the service's Stadia.com homepage, or even jumping from a
YouTube video link about the game.

To get started, Google will prompt you to run a connection
test that checks your internet bandwidth, the latency between your computer and
the servers, and any data loss. Google requires a streaming rate of 15Mbps,
latency below 40ms, and data loss below 5%. With these requirements met, you’ll
be ready to play.

The beta of Project Stream offered Assassin’s Creed
Odyssey, which is nothing short of a demanding title. When you launched the
game in your Chrome tab, it would go full screen, and run exactly as if it had
been launched on a dedicated gaming computer (except without a deep graphics
settings menu). You can play with a keyboard and mouse or a supported game
controller, and Google's Stadia controller.

All of your inputs on the computer are sent over to
Google’s servers, processed in the game, and everything happening gets streamed
right back to you. This is why that latency is so important, because you can’t
have a good game experience if everything you do in the game shows up a second
later.

The limits of Stadia are still being detailed, but Google
has stated that Stadia will eventually be able to scale up to 8K / 120fps-plus
frame rates, with 4K/ 60fps play as the norm. That's way above the standard bar
for quality PC gaming. 

All of your inputs on the computer get sent over to
Google’s servers, processed in the game, and everything happening gets streamed
right back to you.

In the case of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey on Stadia, you're
still required to log into a Ubisoft account to play, but beta testers aren’t
required to own the game.

Stadia will also work well with Google Chromecast, which
means you'll be able to stream its games straight to any TV using Google's
streaming dongle, not to mention phones and computers. . 

In addition, it'll support cross-platform multiplayer  so long as the other major game players want
to take part, of course.

It’s unclear at this point whether Google will require
players to buy games and pay for the streaming service in separate
transactions, or whether access to select games will be bundled into the
service.

Games available

The final number hasn't been released just yet, but so far,
the numbers look promising. During Google's pre-E3 event, we got our first look
at Baldur's Gate 3 from Larian Studios, plus heard from Bungie that Destiny 2
would be available at launch on Google Stadia. Add to that Ghost Recon
Breakpoint from Ubisoft and a number of new Bethesda titles, and Stadia could
have one of the best launch libraries of any platform in recent memory.

Here are all the games Google has confirmed so far:

  • Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
  • Borderlands 3
  • Baldur's Gate 3
  • The Crew 2
  • Darksiders Genesis
  • Destiny 2
  • Doom
  • Doom Eternal
  • Dragon Ball Xenoverse 
  • The Elder Scrolls Online
  • Farming Simulator 19
  • Final Fantasy 15
  • Football Manager
  • Get Packed
  • GRID
  • Gylt
  • Just Dance
  • Metro Exodus
  • Mortal Kombat 11
  • NBA 2K
  • Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
  • Rage 2
  • Rise of the Tomb Raider
  • Samurai Showdown
  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider
  • Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint
  • Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
  • Tomb Raider Definitive Edition
  • Thumper
  • Trials Rising
  • Wolfenstein: Youngblood

PC, Laptop Configuration

Because everything runs on the cloud, it seems like nearly
any internet-connected laptop or PC with Chrome should be able to play Stadia.
That said, Google did release a set of required specs when it tested the
service last year:

  • OS: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions
    only)
  • Processor: AMD FX-8350 @ 4.0 GHz, Ryzen 5 - 1400, Intel Core
    i7-3770 @ 3.5 GHz
  • Video: AMD Radeon R9 290 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (4GB VRAM or
    more with Shader Model 5.0) or better
  • Memory: 8GB RAM
  • Video Preset: High
  • Storage: 46GB available hard drive space
  • DirectX: DirectX June 2010 Redistributable
  • Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card with latest drivers

In addition, id Software confirmed that Doom Eternal is
coming to the Stadia  with the team only
taking a few weeks to transfer the title onto Google's cloud streaming service.
id Software's Marty Stratton revealed Doom Eternal is capable of running at 4K
60fps at native HDR on Stadia.

If the service can handle Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at 1080p
60fps and Doom Eternal at 4K/60fps, Stadia is going to be capable of playing a
whole lot of games at these settings. Other major titles could easily see
support on the service.

A recent Chromium update also added support for Nintendo
Switch controllers to Google's browser, so it looks like we could be getting
more than just streams of PC releases.Google also announced the launch of
Stadia Games and Entertainment. This will be a new arm at Google, with the sole
aim of designing games exclusively for Google's game streaming platform.

As well as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Ubisoft has indicated
a few upcoming games will also make it on to Stadia when it's released,
including multiplayer motor-cross game Trials Rising, naval warfare game Skull
and Bones, as well as strategy game Anno 1800.

Google Stadia will also allow for developers to implement
split-stream local couch co-op easier, through Stream Connect. This should
allow players to not only view but interact in each other's worlds. 

But, perhaps the biggest development for content creators
and their viewers is Crowd Play which will allow viewers to play games with
their favorite streamers by simply clicking a button. 

The big focus here is on designing a system that's both
easy to play and easy to show off to your friends. To that end, Stadia will
send both a 4K signal to both your device and to YouTube simultaneously,
allowing you to record what you're doing.

If you're stuck, either in your game or your friend's,
Google Assistant integration will allow you to access guides and walkthroughs
on-demand.

What was Project Stream like to use?

At its best, Project Stream was good. At its worst, well,
Google won’t let you play below a certain threshold of quality, and you
wouldn’t want to anyway.

We tested Project Stream on varying setups. We played on an
unstable 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection, a fast and nearby 5GHz Wi-Fi connection, and
on an ethernet connection held steady and offered high bandwidth. Keep in
mind this was without the dedicated hardware Google has now introduced.

The highly dated Chromebook hardware didn’t hold it back
from playing.That said, in our experience, the visual degradation came before
the latency, so we were able to continue battling enemies smoothly even if they
started to look like ghostly swarms of pixels.

Overall, the graphics were fairly good throughout,
especially when playing on a high-bandwidth connection using ethernet cables.
Colors, shadows, and anti-aliasing look fine, and the frame-rate seems to vary
between 30 and 60fps.

The low frame-rate was one of the two issues we noticed.
The other was compression. Most of the time, it’s not super jarring, but when
there’s a lot of detail in a scene and a lot of movement, the compression turns
it all into a bit of slop. Character faces become a blur and hard edges
(noticeably the character’s hair) go soft.  While the price and service
model Google adopts will go a long way in determining whether Stadia is
worthwhile, we can say right now that its prototype works, and it looks good
doing it. But, will Microsoft’s xCloud do it better?

Will it work on Phones?

Yes! Well, yes... as long as you're a Google Pixel owner.
For whatever strange reason, Google is limiting Stadia to Google Pixel phones
to start. 

That's not so bad considering there are so many other ways
to access the service (see: desktop, laptop, tablet and TV through Chromecast
Ultra), but the fact that all Android phones won't get Stadia at the same time
does feel  a bit strange.

Rivals

According to a recently accepted United States Patent and
Trademark Office patent (spotted Digital Trends) filed by Sony back in 2014,
the company is working on a "system for combining recorded application
state with application streaming interactive video output". 

In other words, a cloud gaming service which could rival
the Google Stadia (or a cloud streaming new Xbox) and could potentially launch
with the PS5.

Players would be able to stream a game through a hosting
server. So if you have a device that connects to the internet, be that a mobile
device, console, or PC, you can connect to that server and the game you're
wanting to play will be streamed to your monitor or screen, allowing can play
using your preferred input device. Imagine Netflix for gaming. 

Rather than downloading a game, it is instead streamed
directly to your device and you would play real-time, cutting the need to
delete games to make storage room on your device and reducing the hardware
requirements - although you wouldn't technically own the title.

We expect Sony would implement this cloud gaming service
alongside the PlayStation 5, although the company hasn't specified if this is
the case.


Clicking an image could have hacked the WhatsApp

Users of WhatsApp Web (the browser-based version of the app) were recently targeted with an image-based security threat where simply clicking an image could have hacked their accounts.

A security vulnerability was present in WhatsApp Web and it was recently patched by WhatsApp. By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker could send a malicious code (virus or malware) hidden within an image to their target. And clicking this image would let the attacker take control of the victim’s WhatsApp account and access all its data – pics, videos, chats, contact lists, everything. And by having access to the contact list, the attacker could send the same infected image to the victim’s contacts – spreading it to others and making this attack into some kind of a fission reaction – one infection leads to another and so on.

The same security vulnerability was also detected in the browser-based version of another popular messaging app Telegram. Good news is, the flaw has been fixed for both of them.

Points to remember:

  • This security flaw does not affect the mobile apps of WhatsApp and Telegram. This does not mean that these apps won’t be affected in the future.
  • Avoid clicking documents, images or links received from unknown numbers.
  • If received from a known sender, ask them about what the content is about.
  • Always use an updated version of mobile apps.
  • Install a reliable mobile antivirus that can detect and block installation of fake or harmless apps.

GIFs That Designers And Creatives Will Love

Coffee Power:

Designer VS Developer:

Good / Cheap / Best:

Design Look Like:

Every Time Image Starch


Lessons from picture

Lessons from this picture:
df67d2ac-245b-4698-a751-29394c9b2032-original

  • Not all opportunities are to be taken. Some are traps.
  • A person can become so determined to destroy another person that they become blind and end up destroying themselves.
  • You fight best in your natural element and environment. Here the bird has advantage in his natural element.
  • Know your limits, we all have them.
  • Sometimes the best response to provocation is not to fight.
  • Sometimes to accomplish something you need team work, you will not always win alone.
  • Stick to what you do best and don't pursue what will kill you.

Pixel, made by Google

Google at their #madebyGoogle event announced the Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. The new smartphones come with the Pixel UI.

The Google Pixel and Pixel XL will be the first phone that comes with Google Assistant out of the box. The Google Assistant comes with their new machine learning AI which sits right on the Pixel.

DXOmark rates the Google Pixel’s camera at 89 a 3 points above the iPhone 7. The camera on the Pixel is a 12.3 MP camera with f/2.0 aperture and a 1.55 micron pixel size. You get HDR Plus, without any shutter lag and smart bursts which select the best shot.

Google Pixel comes with unlimited online storage for Photos and Videos at full quality. The Pixel phones are the latest to run Android Nougat (version 7.1), the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system. Additionally, with Pixel  you also get a customer care on call 24/7 with Google via the settings app. You can also share your screen live with the support agents for troubleshooting.

Google Launches Pixel

The Pixel will come with a 5 inch display while the Pixel XL comes with a 5.5 inch display. Both have a AMOLED screen. The Pixel and Pixel XL run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 with 4GB of RAM. The Pixel will get a 2770 mAh battery while the Pixel XL gets a large 3450 mAh battery.

pixel-colors

 


Apple Inc.'s stock closed at an all-time high

Apple Inc.’s stock closed at an all-time high, surpassing a 2012 record as investors look ahead to new products such as bigger-screen iPhones and a wristwatch-like device that may jump-start revenue growth.

Apple rose 1.4% to US$100.53, topping the split- adjusted record of US$100.30 reached on Sept. 19, 2012, just before the iPhone 5 went on sale. The shares have gained 25% this year.

After rising more than sevenfold following the 2007 debut of its smartphone, Apple stock lost a third of its value in the year after the iPhone 5’s release on concerns that the company was running out of hit product ideas without co-founder Steve Jobs. The tenor has changed, with analysts estimating record sales for the next batch of iPhones, set to be released later this year.

Apple Inc Smart Watch
Apple Inc Smart Watch

In June, people familiar with the plans said Apple planned to start mass production on two smartphones with larger screens, a response to devices from rivals such as Samsung Electronics Co. and HTC Corp.

The stock’s rise shows investors are buying into the strategy outlined by Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, who has been prodded to introduce bigger iPhones, give more money back to stockholders and introduce new devices.

Those shareholders are now getting what they want. In addition to the larger iPhones, Cook has vowed that Apple will enter a new product category this year. The company is said to be developing a smartwatch, and Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty has said Apple may sell as many as 60 million of the new wearable device in its first year on the market, adding up to US$9 billion in revenue for fiscal 2015. Apple hasn’t commented on the prospect of larger iPhones or a possible smartwatch.


"Outernet" - Free Internet to entire world from Space

A US based non-profit organization Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) has announced to build an 'Outernet - a global network of cube satellites broadcasting Internet data to all the people on the planet - for free.

The idea is to offer free Internet access to all people, regardless of location, bypassing filtering or other means of censorship, according to the New York based non-profit organisation, Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF).

MDIF proposes that hundreds of cube satellites be built and launched to create a constellation of sorts in the sky, allowing anyone with a phone or computer to access Internet data sent to the satellites by several hundred ground stations. The Outernet would be one-way - data would flow from feeders to the satellites which would broadcast to all below.

The organisation claims that 40 per cent of the people in the world today are still not able to connect to the Internet - and it's not just because of restrictive governments such as North Korea - it's also due to the high cost of bringing service to remote areas.

Founder Mr. Karim said “Outernet is the modern version of shortwave radio, It uses leading-edge technology to address a deep social problem. As the world moves towards a global knowledge-driven economy, more than 3 billion people are excluded by cost, geography or jurisdiction. Outernet will increase opportunities for everyone to access digital news and information, allowing greater access to opportunity and education than anything that currently exists.”

Outernet will also offer a humanitarian communications system, relaying public service transmissions during emergencies in places where there is no access to conventional communications networks due to natural disasters or man-made restrictions on the free-flow of information.

It embraces the burgeoning new-space startup industry, leveraging multicasting technology to take the Wi-Fi network to an extreme. Anyone with a device will be able to receive the signals, regardless of connectivity to the regular internet. Costly data plans from local telecom operators will no longer be a barrier to accessing information.

MDIF has acknowledged that building such a network would not be cheap. Getting one of those tiny CubeSats into orbit could cost upwards of $100,000, and slightly larger satellites could cost upto $300,000.


Firefox Launching $25 Smartphones

FIREFOX LAUNCHING $25 SMARTPHONES:
Firefox OS, an upstart smartphone operating system aimed at challenging the Apple and Google duopoly, will power a new category of $25 smartphones meant for use in developing countries .

firefox-os-smartphone
firefox-os-smartphone