Article

S is for SMACKDOWN: Samsung takes Galaxy Tab slab war fruit-side | The Register

Samsung sticks more colorful screens in its new Galaxy Tab S | Engadget

From the horse’s mouth

Samsung Mobile US

Press Release

Product Site

My Comments

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10″ tablet

Apple is having to face some serious competition from the Android front when it comes to high-quality mobile-platform tablet devices courtesy of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S range of tablets. These units work with enough processor power to put Apple on notice courtesy of the latest Exynos or Snapdragon quad-core chipsets.

But they implement 8.4” or 10.5” Super AMOLED displays similar to what you see on the Galaxy S series or Note Series smartphones, but have the same resolution as the latest iPad tablets i.e. 2560×1600 for both models, leading towards a similar pixel density to the “Retina-class” Apple devices. From my experience with my Galaxy Note II smartphone, the Galaxy S smartphone and the Nokia N85 feature phone which are equipped with the AMOLED display technology, these displays yield a bright sharp well-saturated image that can be viewed at wider angles. These tablets also implement automatic-display-optimisation logic to provide the best view for the environment.

They can “take” to the latest Wi-Fi networks using both bands and supporting 802.11ac technology, as well as working with Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth 4.0 Smart Ready setups. They are available with onboard 16Gb or 32Gb storage and have a microSD slot for up to 128Gb of extra storage.

As for the operating system, they come with Android 4.4 KitKat but also have apps for magazine subscriptions which make hay while the sun shines with the display technology. Even for that matter, the Google Play store is fronting up with apps and games of the same calibre as what is offered on the iTunes App Store, thus making able to compete with the iPad as a high-quality mobile-platform tablet.  They also reckon that these tablets will run for 11 hours of video play on their own batteries.

At the time of publication, the “ask” for these tablets is US$399 for a Wi-Fi-only 8.4” model or US$499 for the Wi-Fi-only 10.5” model.

I would personally recommend that if you do purchase any of these tablets, I would recommend that you buy a USB “On The Go” cable and SD card reader so you can review your digital camera’s pictures on these tablets. This is more to take advantage of the high resolution images that your camera puts up when you take pictures with it.

Article

Extend Your Network, Listen To Music With D-Link’s New Adapter  | SmallNetBuilder

From the horse’s mouth

D-Link

DCH-M225 Wi-Fi Audio Extender

Press Release

Product Page

My Comments

D-Link are another company who are emulating the success of the Apple AirPort Express multifunction device by offering a device that works as a 2.4GHz wireless range extender or a network audio player for the home network.

The DCH-M225 Wi-Fi Audio Extender can extend a 2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi segment’s range using dual-stream technology and WPS “push-to-connect” enrolment. Or it can work as a Wi-Fi-connected audio player according to either AirPlay or DLNA MediaRenderer standards, thus making it feasible to play out music from your smartphone, tablet or computer to your favourite stereo equipment that is connected to this device. It would earn its keep in the “smartphone-based DLNA’ setups as well as with music piled up on a DLNA media server as described in this feature article.

Personally, if I wanted this device to be a direct competitor to what Apple offers, it would have to have an Ethernet port so it can also work either as a wireless client bridge or an access point as well as the music player and wireless-network range extender.

At least D-Link is using the audio playback functionality as a way to differentiate itself from the horde of wireless-network extenders that is being offered.

Article (German language / Deutsch Sprache)

Automatische Updates für Fritzbox-Router | PC Welt

From the horse’s mouth

AVM

Software update page

My Comments

AVM Fritzbox 3490 to be able to update itself like your Windows or Mac computer

One of the big holes in data security that has been recently identified is the typical Internet gateway device sold to most households and small businesses as the “edge” between their home network and Internet connection.

This hole has been identified because most of the devices, especially those sold through most retail, value-added reseller and most service-provider channels, work simply on the firmware installed in them when they left the factory. As we all know, a lot of this firmware can be full of bugs and software exploits that place the home network and the computer equipment on it at risk of security breaches.

Most regular and mobile computer equipment and some set-top boxes benefit from a continual update process with the ability to have the critical updates delivered by the software vendor automatically without any user intervention. But this doesn’t hold true for the typical consumer router, which requires the customer to install updated firmware manually. In a lot of cases, the user may either have to run a firmware-installation tool on their regular computer or download a special firmware-package file from the manufacturer’s Website and subsequently upload the firmware to the device via its Web-based management interface.

A few devices may allow you to deploy updated firmware by causing the device to download and install the latest firmware from the manufacturer’s Web site by clicking on an “Update” button. These devices make the job easier but you have to regularly visit that user interface to check for new updates and start the update process.

These tasks can be considered very difficult for anyone to do unless they have had a lot of computer experience and expertise and is something commonly performed by the computer expert in the family or community.

AVM, a German company who makes premium-grade routers and networking gear for consumers and small business, have answered this need with the latest firmware for the Fritzbox 7490 Internet gateway device. This firmware offers automatic updating for firmware patches to enhance the device’s security.and reliability.

You would have to visit the AVM site to download and install the latest firmware in to the Fritzbox 7490 but this would be the last time you would need to do this because the Fritzbox could simply “look after itself” when it comes to the updates. There is a question remaining about whether AVM will roll this feature out to other Fritzbox routers and network devices so as to keep them secure.

At least AVM are setting a good example for all Internet-gateway-device manufacturers and resellers to follow by putting up the idea of self-updating equipment in to the consciousness. This could even extend to other devices like smart TV and devices that constitute the “Internet Of Everything” as we think of the smart home.

Article (French language / Langue Française)

VeraCrypt, une alternative française à TrueCrypt | Le Monde Informatique

From the horse’s mouth

Idrix

VeraCrypt product page

My Comments

TrueCrypt is a source-available encryption engine used primarily in Windows 7 and 8 as part of the BitLocker volume encryption function that the operating systems offer. Lately, further maintenance of this encryption engine had ceased with accusations of the likes of NSA putting pressure on the developers to cease maintaining it.

A few other third-party encryption engines have surfaced from Europe such as the VeraCrypt engine from France and a fork of this engine constructed in Switzerland. This is in response to Europeans having a distrust for “big government” having access to personal data due to being burnt by the Hitler, Mussolini and Franco regimes in the West and the Communist governments in Russia and the East.

Idrix has worked on the French VeraCrypt project which is pitched as being easy to use for small business, non-profit organisations and individual users. Like all encryption software, it doesn’t support the ability to “trans-crypt” i.e. convert an encrypted volume over to another encryption mechanism.

It will be initially issued for the Windows regular-computer platform but a port is being expected soon for the MacOS X (Apple Macintosh) and Linux platforms. As well, it is being made available for free and as open-source software.

But what I see of this is an attempt for European companies to “break through” the US stranglehold that can accompany the computer software scene and for European culture and norms to be respected in this field.

Article

Synology adds hardware video transcoding and more to consumer NAS | CNet

My Comments

NAS units to be able to transcode on the fly for the media network

Most consumer and small-business network-attached storage units can serve as a DLNA-compliant network media server for whatever folders you nominate on them. Typically this allows you to have access to whatever multimedia you store on them without you needing to run a desktop or laptop computer to gain access to that media from your smart TV, Blu-Ray player or stereo system.

But not all client devices can handle all the media formats and types that exist on the scene. For example, some of them may not handle QuickTime or Motion JPEG formats that some digital cameras or smartphones tender as formats for their video files. In some cases, not all TVs or video players could handle Full HD video content or some would handle this while struggling. As well, most older and cheaper network-capable audio devices wouldn’t be able to handle 24-bit 96khz audio files which are being considered de rigueur for high-quality high-resolution audio content.

It could be feasible to have a DLNA media server integrated in a NAS perform media-file transcoding to suit the client devices. But this would tax the NAS device’s processor ability when it comes to performance and responsiveness.

What Synology have done is to integrate in to the DS415Play NAS the ability to transcode media files using hardware transcoding. This means that a separate hardware system handles the job of transcoding the media content like what happens in a multimedia-capable computer where the graphics chipset performs any transcoding or rendering for video-editor software running on that computer.

This feature could become important with the availability of “download-to-own” file-based video or high-resolution audio and be seen as part of the feature set for premium-level NAS units. This could then reduce any consumer worries about home AV equipment not supporting particular advanced video formats or the inability to benefit from a “high-resolution” audio album on equipment you use for casual listening like that Internet radio.

It could also encourage the availability of “master-grade” audio and video content in file-based formats for the home network or the ability to gain access to a wider competitive shopfront for file-based image, audio and video content As well NAS units that support content aggregation could also handle transcoding for other NAS units that don’t have this feature which could come in to place in a multi-NAS household.

Article

Inaugural ‘Girls Make Games’ Summer Camps Fight Industry’s Gender Gap | Mashable

My Comments

Women and girls are increasingly dabbling in computer games, especially the strategy and casual types on mobile platforms, as I have seen lately with the likes of Candy Crush Saga and Piano Tiles being played by them on iPads and similar devices. But a lot of games, especially “core” games are being developed by men for men.

Just lately, there is activity taking place to encourage women and girls to develop these games and this is taking place in the form of a “summer-camp” or “school-camp” model where groups of them stay at particular locations to work together on this goal. This is an attempt to fight an industry gender gap and increase interest in this activity amongst under-represented groups. One of the issues that was raised was creating interest in “STEM” (science, technology, engineering, maths) subjects amongst women and girls to have them show interest in programming and related disciplines/

It is also being cultivated through the existence of “indie” game development which is brought along with the rise of mobile devices, especially tablets like iPads and the Sony VAIO Tap 20, as a gaming platform along with the increased capabilities that these devices offer.

But could the participation of women and girls change the landscape of game content? Personally, I would find that they could provide games that appeal to more users such as middle-aged and older people along with other younger women. As well, they could work towards opening up computer gaming as a leisure activity for more people across the board. One thing to be aware of is to encourage the use of the platform’s abilities when it comes to graphics, sound and interaction rather than being “basic” with the games.

Multiple connected-infotainment platforms

Newer vehicles are becoming part of the connected environment

Apple, Microsoft and Google have now provided their own connected-infotainment platforms such as the CarPlay and Microsoft’s Cortana. At the moment, they are placing efforts on vehicle builders or afttermarket-infotainment manufacturers to run with their own platform on an exclusive basis, whether for a particular vehicle or unit model, a range of (usually premium) models or across the range.

Typically, you would have the infotainment system able to work on its own native look or a user might press a button to bring up the platform’s user interface on the dashboard when a mobile phone that works to the partner operating system is connected.

Applications that we are seeing are always-updated maps for navigation, access to online multimedia services like Spotify or Internet radio, reporting of various statistics for diagnostics and related purposes, along with general communications and entertainment needs. It could even include a Shazam setup that works with the regular car radio to identify a song you just heard.

Catering to multiple platforms

It may be easy for premium marques like Land Rover or Ferrari and top-shelf car audio names like Alpine to work exclusively with the Apple CarPlay platform because their market base would be preferring an all-Apple computing environment as what “young rich cool kids” value.

But there is a reality where Google and Microsoft can front up with appealing yet cool in-vehicle computing platforms that work well with the Android and Windows Phone platforms which have yielded smartphones with the same street chic as the iPhone. As well, the same vehicle could be sold to and driven by a person who may own an iPhone, an Android phone or a Windows Phone 8.1 device.

What I see easily happening is that when a person orders a new vehicle, they may be required to specify what automotive-computing platform they want to run with. If you upgrade your phone to a different mobile platform, you may have to take your vehicle to the dealership to have the infotainment platform switched over to the one you are currently using on your phone.

In some cases, the driver may have to press a button similar to the “CarPlay” button on CarPlay-equipped infotainment setups to cause the system to detect which phone is connected and load the appropriate infotainment platform.

Aftermarket support

An issue that is worth raising is whether the names associated with the aftermarket car-infotainment scene will join in the party and a few like Alpine and Pioneer have. This is to satisfy situations where one may want to improve the infotainment offering that their older car has and is something that some markets like Australia will face as they have very old market-wide car fleets.

These solutions would appear in the form of a 2-DIN head unit with an integrated screen, or a single-DIN-size head unit that uses a fold-out touchscreen or communicates with an outboard touchscreen not dissimilar to a portable navigation device.

Advertising in the connected car

Another key issue that will face the connected car is in-car advertising. This is often raised as a distraction or, at worst, allowing for capitalism and consumerism to invade our lives everywhere we go.

But this has been accepted all along with radio advertising, display advertisements placed on maps and in street directories along with outdoor advertising like billboards. As well, most mobile-map platforms implement a “search for nearest” function so you can locate the nearest petrol station, take-out food outlet or restaurant.

The controversies that will come about will concern use of collecting aggregated vehicle-location data or implementation of gamification strategies for the advertisers’ benefits. Here, it could lead to advertisers implementing targeted campaigns or, in the case of controversial business types like fast-food outlets, the targeting of prospective business-premises locations.

Personally, I would see this manifest more as display ads on an app’s user interface or interactive business logos appearing on the on-screen maps relevant to where the businesses are located. These would also support “touch-to-book” or “touch-to-find-out-more” functionality. Similarly, companies could implement in-vehicle apps that work in a similar vein to the mobile apps – providing “loyal-customer” functionality, nearest venue location, menu display / selection functionality amongst other functions.

Conclusion

What I see as coming about is that the connected car is being a setup driven by mobile-computing platforms with their third-party apps and functions. It would require the implementation of multiple platforms for the one vehicle or aftermarket device to cater for multiple smartphone platforms and would face the controversial issue of advertising.