Showing 1 - 10 of 11
EV and straight-six options
Life, FELIX PAGE, Published on 11/11/2024
» The BMW M3 will return for a seventh generation with the choice of either a straight-six turbo petrol engine or a high-tech EV powertrain with huge power and unprecedented dynamic ability.
'Back to the future' phone
Life, Komsan Jandamit, Published on 08/09/2021
» I was born in the late 70s and during my teenage years, Nokia flip-phones were a thing. I owned a few and my friends had them too. They were cool and trendy and you could slam the phone shut to end calls, which was satisfying (especially when you had an argument with someone). However, along came the iPhone in 2007 and ended the flip-phone trend. In 2021, the flip-phone trend is in again with new foldable screen tech and the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G.
Chinese tech companies are at it again
Life, James Hein, Published on 12/05/2021
» A reminder on the importance of both scalable systems and load testing. The recent Philippines' attempt to expand its national ID programme had a number of issues when they introduced a two-factor authentication system. PhilSys, as it is known, started out just fine when registrations began in 2020, when paper forms were still used. This in itself was a little strange as the purpose of the new system was to do away with the need to present physical documents when interacting with government agencies. PhilSys the digital ID system was marketed as such and promised transformation and other buzzwords including easier opening of bank accounts. All of this would also help everyone involved during Covid times. After 28 million paper applications, the digital system was turned on and in the first hour 40,000 people tried to register. The system promptly fell over due to the load and inability to scale quickly. Most IT people will admit to a similar experience in their past, but by 2021 there are surely enough historical examples of what will happen if you don't do sufficient load testing before a major release like this.
Nokia 8.1
Life, AKIN, Published on 27/03/2019
» The adaptive 6.18-inch Full-HD+ PureDisplay keeps the colours accurate and the content visible. The 8.1 sports 12MP/13MP dual rear cameras with Zeiss Optics and OIS, and a 20MP front camera. The high-performing AI-powered Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor delivers the speed you need, while the Adaptive Battery feature on Android 9 Pie helps provide two-day battery life.
Facebook guilty, Huawei continues to claim innocence
Life, James Hein, Published on 13/03/2019
» I've been thinking about the new foldable phones. For many years, I have been hoping for a foldable e-book that has, to date, not materialised in a form I'd want to buy. There is something about the traditional book format that is familiar and comfortable. The first releases of foldable phones are aimed at those with lots of spare cash and who want to dip their fingers into the technology. These buyers form a baseline for the manufacturers to build on. I see this as testing the waters and I expect to see Apple jump into the market in the near future, as they have a bucket load of patents for similar technologies.
An English-always app workaround
Life, James Hein, Published on 30/01/2019
» On a recent overseas trip I noticed that some of my Android phone Google-related apps would change language settings and feeds based on the country I was in. Unless you can read in multiple languages this is really annoying. Even more so is that this behaviour is the default one and apparently unchangeable. If you are using Google as a browser you can at least stop this when browsing by using the URL google.com/ncr where the "ncr" stands for No Country Redirect. The result is an English always result regardless of where you may be in the world at the time.
DJI Osmo Pocket
Life, AKIN, Published on 12/12/2018
» Designed to be easy to use, Osmo Pocket offers a host of intelligent features to help capture creative videos and photographs in a portable form factor. At just over 4 inches tall, Osmo Pocket is DJI's smallest three-axis stabilised camera. A 1/2.3-inch sensor records 12MP photographs and 4K video up to 60fps at 100Mbps in stunning detail. Osmo Pocket also uses built-in dual microphones and advanced noise-cancelling algorithms.
MiVue 786 Wi-Fi
Life, AKIN, Published on 19/09/2018
» MiVue 786 dash cam's 140-degree wide-angle can record videos in 1080p Full HD at 30fps, transmit them over Wi-Fi and even broadcast them on Facebook if you want. It comes with pre-installed Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. It has a height of 2.07 inches, a width of 3.46 inches and a depth of 1.26 inches. The dash cam uses a mini USB charger that connects to the car lighter port.
New Nokia 2.1
Life, AKIN, Published on 22/08/2018
» Delivering a massive 50% performance boost on its predecessor with Qualcomm Snapdragon 425, the New Nokia 2.1 combines a larger 5.5-inch HD screen and dual front-front facing speakers with a two-day battery life. It comes with Android Oreo, 1GB RAM or less, giving a smooth Android experience, more storage out of the box and consuming less data.
Silicon Valley is not an arbiter of free expression
Life, James Hein, Published on 15/08/2018
» It is somewhat disconcerting that Silicon Valley -- which occupies about 300 square miles, and where most think the same and have the same politics -- can determine allowable content for the rest of the planet. Some of us remember that many of the major platforms were developed using government grants and public funding. With this base they should represent all views, of all types, and not just the ones they happen to like. This was the initial declaration at least, but in the modern world, that seems to have changed. I am certainly no great fan of Alex Jones, but that a cabal of providers can effectively execute social termination is very worrying for the future of open platforms and freedom of expression.