Topics

16

Software Engineering / Wireless Sensor Networks: Current Status and Future Trends

« on: April 20, 2017, 05:50:12 PM »

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) utilize fast, cheap, and effective applications to imitate the human intelligence capability of sensing on a wider distributed scale. But acquiring data from the deployment area of a WSN is not always easy and multiple issues arise, including the limited resources of sensor devices run with one-time batteries. Additional WSN concerns include the external environment, routing, data aggregation, and ensuring quality of service (QoS) and security. Solutions have been developed for various types of application scenarios, but many problems still remain as open research challenges.

Source: https://www.crcpress.com/Wireless-Sensor-Networks-Current-Status-and-Future-Trends/Khan-Pathan-Alrajeh/p/book/9781466506060

17

Software Engineering / New technology could fundamentally change future wireless communications

« on: April 20, 2017, 05:48:20 PM »

Radio systems, such as mobile phones and wireless internet connections, have become an integral part of modern life. However, today's devices use twice as much of the radio spectrum as is necessary. New technology is being developed that could fundamentally change radio design and could increase data rates and network capacity, reduce power consumption, create cheaper devices and enable global roaming.

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2015-05-technology-fundamentally-future-wireless.html#jCp

18

Software Engineering / The future of wireless communications

« on: April 20, 2017, 05:47:14 PM »

The ITU Radiocommunication Assembly, which met in Geneva during the last week of October, set the future direction for wireless communications.

The Assembly is held every three to four years to deliberate the future direction of radiocommunications.

This year’s assembly which preceded the World Radio Conference reached significant decisions that will influence the future development of radiocommunications worldwide in an increasingly wireless environment.

Resolutions were approved to focus future studies and new radiocommunication techniques and applications while also agreeing on changes to streamline the working methods of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R).

Source: https://mybroadband.co.za/news/wireless/145159-the-future-of-wireless-communications.html

19

Software Engineering / Predicting the Future of Computer Networks and the Internet

« on: April 20, 2017, 05:45:29 PM »

The future of computer networking has been especially difficult to predict for three reasons:

Computer networking is technically complex, making it challenging for observers to understand challenges and see trends
Computer networks and the Internet are well commercialized, subjecting them to the effects of the financial industry and large corporations
Networks operates on a world-wide scale, meaning disruptive influences can arise from almost anywhere

Source: https://www.lifewire.com/predicting-the-future-of-computer-networking-818269

20

Software Engineering / Oxford scientists just solved the mystery of how mosquitos fly !!

« on: April 20, 2017, 01:12:29 PM »

Scientists have solved the mystery of mosquito flight using super high-speed cameras and computer analysis to understand the unique mechanisms the insect uses to stay airborne.

Despite solving the bumble bee paradox some time ago, which stated the bumble bee should not be able to fly under normal rules of aerodynamics, until now science was been unable to explain how mosquitoes managed to flap their wings through such a short angle and still produce enough lift.

Published in Nature, the team describe the difficulty of filming Culex Mosquitos which flap their wings through an arc of around 40 degrees at a rate of nearly 800 beats per second, 4 times faster than many insects of a similar size, making filming them very difficult.

A collaboration between Oxford University's Animal Flight Group, the Royal Veterinary College and Chiba University in Japan managed to overcome the technical challenge of capturing video of such a small creature with large antennae and legs masking the view of its wings flapping at such a speed.

"We got round it by using state-of-the-art infra-red LEDs and designing a custom lighting rig and also by using eight camera views. So normally to record an insect you need at least two cameras, ideally more, so you've got enough views of an insect because with two camera views you can then take any point on an insect and calculate its 3D co-ordinates. But because of the problems with the antennae and the legs we ended up needing to use eight cameras just to ensure that at any point in time we had enough camera views of the mosquito where we can actually see its wings clearly," said Dr Simon Walker at the University of Oxford's Department of Zoology.

The technology, shooting at 10,000 frames per second, revealed techniques not seen before in insect flight.

"Mosquitos use three aerodynamic tricks in order to support their body weight. The first of these is a leading edge vortex which is actually used by pretty much all insects but mosquitos actually have a much lower reliance on it than other species. The second two are a trailing edge vortex and rotational drag and these last two are novel to mosquitos and they both rely on the really subtle, precise rotations of the wing at the end of each wing beat," Walker said.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-solved-the-mystery-how-mosquitos-fly-wings-flap-uk-oxford-2017-4

21

Software Engineering / Augmented reality could slow down the loss of jobs to robots

« on: April 20, 2017, 01:07:02 PM »

Through a combination of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), a large number of jobs may soon go away. A recent McKinsey report states that automation could make up to 45% of all jobs in the United States obsolete, potentially affecting $2 trillion in annual wages. Autonomous trucking alone has the potential to automate away 3.5 million driver jobs.

Augmented reality (AR), however, may become the tool that delays this fate by evolving the role of workers in a post-automation world, creating opportunities for continued employment across a more diverse set of occupations.

In a scenario where training or technical schools may take too long or may be economically unfeasible in order to change careers as a result of displaced work, AR can enable people to perform unfamiliar and complex tasks. At scale, this can take a displaced workforce and immediately put people back to work performing jobs guided by AR.

There are already AR applications that allow users wearing an AR headset like the Microsoft HoloLens or holding a tablet computer to see technical information and instructions overlaid on the real world. This information takes the form of a wrench or a hand instructing a user to perform a physical action, such as loosening a bolt with a wrench or removing a part. Through sophisticated computer vision software, these virtual objects would appear directly on the real object in the physical world.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/augmented-reality-could-slow-down-the-loss-of-jobs-to-robots-heres-how-2017-4

22

Software Engineering / Facebook is testing high-speed wireless internet service in California

« on: April 20, 2017, 01:05:35 PM »

After testing drones designed to beam internet service to Sub-Saharan Africa, Facebook is setting its sights closer to home.

The social network announced on Wednesday that it's testing high-speed gigabit wireless internet service with the city of San Jose, California.

The test is the first of its kind for Facebook, and while residents of San Jose won't have access to the network during this test, Facebook said it intends to make the technology available to densely-populated cities with poor internet service in the future.

Facebook is additionally planning more test flights in 2017 for Aquila, its internet-beaming drone that crashed during its first test flight last year. The company also said that it's testing a small helicopter that will be capable of offering internet access for up to several months at a time during emergencies and times of crisis.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-tests-high-speed-wireless-internet-service-in-san-jose-california-2017-4

23

Software Engineering / 10 coolest apps and gadgets you should use the next time you travel

« on: April 20, 2017, 12:58:42 PM »

1. Hopper tells you when to book your flight to maximize savings.
2. Pack Simply lets you design a custom TSA-approved travel kit for cheap and ship it straight to your door.
3. Overnight helps you find a place to crash last-minute.
4. Away's luggage charges your phone while you wait for your flight.
5. Lola is like having a travel agent in your pocket.
6. The Infatuation is your cool friend who knows all the best restaurants.
7. G. Spotting is a curated travel directory from Gwyneth Paltrow herself.
8. Skybuds wireless earbuds will eliminate tangled cords while you travel.
9. The popular game "Ballz" will alleviate airport boredom.
10. VSCO will make your vacation photos look professionally shot and Instagram-ready.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/travel-apps-gadgets-2017-4/#9-the-popular-game-ballz-will-alleviate-airport-boredom-9

24

Software Engineering / Why the iPhone 7 is still better than the Samsung Galaxy S8

« on: April 20, 2017, 12:24:53 PM »

The first reviews for Samsung's new Galaxy S8 were universally positive, and deservedly so.

It really is a great phone. Excellent hardware. Beautiful design. Great camera, battery life, and overall performance.

But even though the iPhone 7 looks and feels outdated in comparison, it has one key advantage that gives it an edge over the Galaxy S8: the iOS ecosystem.

While everyone praised Samsung's hardware and design, it's clear that Samsung misfired on the software side of things. Bixby, Samsung's homegrown digital assistant, is basically useless and fails in its attempt to mimic Google's Assistant. Plus, Samsung flubbed the Bixby debut and won't launch its voice controls until later this year. When that happens, Galaxy S8 owners will have two assistants living on their phone, competing for their attention.

On top of that, Samsung made loads of unnecessary modifications to Android. There are duplicate Samsung-branded apps for everything from email to calendar, and none of them are better than the Google apps that ship with Android.

Plus, Samsung has a horrible track record of keeping its phones up to date. Even the Galaxy S7, which is barely a year old, isn't running the latest version of Android on some carriers — and it has been about six months since Google released that version.

Meanwhile, new Samsung-specific software features rarely make it to older phone models. If you buy a new Samsung phone, it remains relevant for about a year, until the next one comes out.

Apple does a much better job at keeping iPhones up to date for several years. It pushes the same version with the same features to practically every iPhone still in use. It's that strength of the iOS ecosystem that keeps developers coming back and offering the latest and greatest apps and features on iOS first.

It's true that Apple's lead in smartphones is thinning — Samsung's innovative hardware and design in the Galaxy S8 is all the proof you need of that. But it's iOS that gives Apple the advantage.

This is why I think the Galaxy S8 — and likely the Note 8 that's expected to launch this fall — will struggle against Apple's next iPhone, which is said to adopt a lot of features from Samsung, like a larger, curved screen.

Samsung will enjoy a nice glow for a few months after the launch of the Galaxy S8, but Apple is poised to widen its lead again in the fall.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-7-better-than-samsung-galaxy-s8-2017-4

25

Software Engineering / Bose app secretly collects and shares everything its headphone users listen to

« on: April 20, 2017, 12:22:50 PM »

An Illinois man is suing headphone giant Bose for allegedly collecting and sharing its users’ listening data in secret.

Fortune first reported on the lawsuit.

A man named Kyle Zak filed the complaint in federal court in Chicago on Tuesday night. At the center of the lawsuit is Bose’s Connect app, which is marketed as an optional companion to a handful of the headphone maker’s newer headphones and speakers, including its acclaimed QuietComfort 35 noise-cancelling headphones.

Bose says the Connect app is meant to adjust noise-cancellation, more quickly manage connected audio devices, and view other settings.

Zak alleges that Bose collected the titles and general info for every song, podcast, or other audio file he listened to when paired with the app, then transmitted that data to “third parties.” The lawsuit specifically mentions Segment, a Bay Area software company that collects customer data and helps route it for analytics and marketing firms, as one alleged recipient of the information claimed to be taken by the Connect app.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/bose-lawsuit-alleged-spy-headphone-users-app-2017-4

26

Software Engineering / Augmented reality glasses could replace your smartphone

« on: April 20, 2017, 12:17:30 PM »

Michael Abrash, the chief scientist of Facebook-owned Oculus Research, which is hard at work on both virtual reality headsets and augmented reality glasses.

Abrash envisions glasses that look just like today's regular glasses — lightweight and stylish — but with the power to enhance the wearer's memory, provide instant translation of foreign languages and signs, mute distracting nearby conversations or sounds and even read a baby's temperature with a glance.

In other words, super glasses.

These aren't virtual reality glasses that enclose the wearer in a separate world. They super-impose virtual information into the real world, a concept called augmented reality. In as little as five years, AR could have its "Macintosh moment" Abrash said on Wednesday, referring to the famous Apple computers released in 1984 which turned personal computers into a mass-market phenomenon.

"Despite all the attention focused on AR today it will be five years at best before we’re really at the start of the ramp to widespread, glasses-based augmented reality, before AR has its Macintosh moment," he said.

"Even once we're on that ramp it will take may years to fully realize AR’s potential, just as it took decades for human oriented computing to mature and reach billions of people," he said.

Abrash is clearly trying to set expectations that the ultimate, sci-fi like AR glasses are not around the corner. But in declaring that the "Mac moment" could be just five years away, Facebook is setting the schedule for what many believe could be the next major computing platform shift.

The Mac was the first mainstream PC to feature the graphical user interface and mouse set-up that's now the standard way we use computers.

There are already some AR glasses today, but they're in the equivalent of the PC's pre-Mac phase. Google Glass, one of the first high-profile attempts at computer glasses, went down with a loud thud because of a clunky appearance, poor performance and a backlash over privacy concerns.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/ar-glasses-to-be-hotter-than-phones-in-5-years-facebook-exec-predicts-2017-4

27

Software Engineering / Finally we will get Ad Blocker in chrome Browser

« on: April 20, 2017, 12:13:43 PM »

Google is reportedly developing a way to block ads directly from the Google Chrome Browser, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal. The ad blocker would be part of the Google Chrome Browser, which is the most popular browser in the US according to a January report from the federal government's Digital Analytics Program.

Such a move could have major implications for the online ad industry and the digital media publications whose businesses rely on ads. And it could also expose Google to criticism, since the company is a major player in the display ad market and it could theoretically 'white list' its own ads in the Chrome browser, while excluding ads of competitors.

Nearly 25% of US internet users had an ad blocker in 2016, according to research firm eMarketer. That number is expected to climb to 30% by 2018.

Google's rumored ad blocker could be turned on by default for users, blocking ads that Google deems as not a good experience. According to the WSJ, the ads that don't make the cut would be from a list of ad types as defined by the Coalition for Better Ads, which it helped create. That could mean any ads that include video ads automatically rolling with sound on or the "prestitial ads" that pop-up with a countdown before you can access the page could be blocked by Google's new browser tool.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/report-google-developing-ad-blocker-for-google-chrome-browser-2017-4

28

Software Engineering / Security Issues of IoT

« on: March 13, 2017, 03:12:07 PM »

The Internet of Things is connecting more devices every day, and we're headed for a world that will have 24 billion IoT devices by 2020.

This growth carries several benefits, as it will change the way people carry out everyday tasks and potentially transform the world. Having a smart home is undoubtedly cool and will draw oohs and aahs from your guests, but smart lighting can actually reduce overall energy consumption and lower your electric bill.

New developments would allow connected cars to link up with smart city infrastructure to create an entirely different ecosystem for the driver, who is simply used to the traditional way of getting from Point A to Point B.

And connected healthcare devices give people a deeper and fuller look at their own health, or lack thereof, than ever before.

But with all of these benefits comes risk, as the increase in connected devices gives hackers and cyber criminals more entry points.

Late last year, a group of hackers took down a power grid in a region of western Ukraine to cause the first blackout from a cyber attack. And this is likely just the beginning, as these hackers are looking for more ways to strike critical infrastructure, such as power grids, hydroelectric dams, chemical plants, and more.

And aside from these security issues, the average consumer is concerned about his or her privacy. After all, if so much of the consumer's life is connected, then what is off limits?

Please find the whole article on

http://www.businessinsider.com/internet-of-things-security-privacy-2016-8?IR=T

29

Software Engineering / Wearable technology and IoT wearable devices

« on: March 13, 2017, 03:09:58 PM »

Wearable technology is often touted as one of the greatest applications of the Internet of Things, and with good reason.

Wearable electronics that consumers can display on their bodies have the potential to transform the way we live. Devices from Fitbit and its peer companies allow people to track their health and exercise progress in previously impossible ways. And smartwatches bring the power of smartphones directly to the wearer's wrist.

But IoT devices didn't just crop up out of nowhere. This wearable technology can trace its roots back further than you might think, and the road ahead for wearable devices looks bright.

History of the wearables market that looks at the past, present, and future of these devices will be found in the attached link:

http://www.businessinsider.com/wearable-technology-iot-devices-2016-8?IR=T

30

Software Engineering / Smartwatches are better when they’re dumber

« on: March 13, 2017, 03:07:47 PM »

A smartwatch is a watch. It has always been a watch. This sounds simple, but smartwatch buyers and makers continue to not fully accept it.

Result: the gadgets aren't selling. The only one that might be doing okay, the Apple Watch, has the benefit of the biggest tech brand in the world, and has decided to become more of a fitness tracker than a smartwatch.

Shrinking apps and processors to fit on a tiny watch face is difficult. Wearing something big enough to fit the right tech is awkward. The reality is that a watch can't really replace your phone.

Still, there are some snippets a device can take from a smartphone and do well even when it’s native to your wrist.

The Misfit Phase is part of a larger wave of devices known as “hybrid smartwatches.” These are more “watches with bonus features” than “miniature smartphones.” The big benefit is that they look like everyday watches — because they are. The Phase is no different, and it’s among the more stylish ones at that.

Fitness trackers are still more about quantifying your life than coaching you to better habits, the Phase scores you on your activities and gives you a number to shoot for. You pick whether you want that goal to push you toward light, moderate, or heavy activity. From there, the app will give you basic guidelines of how much you should walk, run or swim to reach that goal.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/misfit-phase-smartwatch-review-2017-3/#the-phases-smarts-are-still-the-selling-point-though-you-cant-do-nearly-as-much-here-as-you-could-with-a-standard-smartwatch-but-thats-not-a-total-negative-when-so-much-of-what-smartwatches-do-is-mediocre-instead-the-phase-focuses-on-the-few-things-smartwatches-can-do-well-the-first-is-simple-fitness-and-sleep-tracking-4