The Blog

Friday, 27 June 2014

Android Silver program won't bring Nexus demise, says Google director

There’s been a lot of chatter in regards to a possible termination of Google’s Nexus program lately, but a candid company exec quashed all rumors, basically confirming a new Nexus device will be coming alongside Android L in the fall.

You can’t say the recently wrapped up I/O conference was light on software announcements, as exciting stuff like Android Wear, Android One, TV, Auto and L got unveiled, detailed or reintroduced. Yet Big G’s silence on the Nexus front was eerie and potentially ominous.

Or maybe we read too much into it, since Google Engineering Director Dave Burke went on record with ReadWrite on the heels of the developer-focused event, stressing Nexus is very much alive and here to stay.

He even insisted software development can only coexist with a piece of hardware built in parallel, so technically, as long as Android gets updated, so will the Nexus line. Translated into the foreseeable future, if a KitKat follow-up is in the works (and it is), surely a “phone or tablet or whatever” is too.

But LG isn’t making the Nexus 6 smartphone, that much we know for certain, so either the HTC Nexus 9 is headed to market solo, or there’s someone else working on the N6. HTC again, perhaps Lenovo or Sony? We’ll see.

We’ll also see what’s up with Android Silver, a project Burke didn’t substantiate per se, but indirectly confirmed by… not denying its existence. Confused? Well, you should be used to reading between the lines of these formal statements, and when someone like Big G’s Engineering Head says “Android Silver is not something that we are commenting on right now”, he essentially asserts the reality of the elephant in the room.

An elephant that, at the end of the day, should join Nexus rather than replace it, and possibly replace the Google Play Edition family instead. Sounds like a plan? Let us know in the comments section below if it makes sense.

Source: ReadWrite

Sources: Asus gears up for Android Wear fall debut with sub-$150 smartwatch

It’s all about rising wearable devices nowadays in Google’s camp, as Samsung, LG and Motorola have joined the Android Wear program, with Asus allegedly ready to spearhead the second wave of releases come September.

Knowing Asus, their eccentricity and constant openness to anything that’s new, different, cutting-edge, it felt right to assume they’ll be at the forefront of innovation in the wearable field. And although the Taiwanese missed the I/O deadline Google likely imposed for rookie Android Wear efforts, they’re rumored to make up for lost time with emphasis on affordability and a compact form factor.

And since tech fanatics seem to scold the G Watch and Gear Live mostly for their extravagant price tags and uncomfortable sizes, it sounds like Asus is really on to something here.

Codenamed Robin (as in the bird or Batman’s sidekick?), according to master leaker @evleaks, Asus’ inaugural smartwatch “aims to be the thinnest device in the category” once it goes official. I.e., in September, based on the rock-solid word of industry insiders quoted by TechCrunch.

Remember, Asus execs themselves confirmed not long ago they were exploring their options in the fledgling market sector, so while this whole report looks a bit sketchy, it’s to be taken with far less salt than usual.

As far as retail costs are concerned, TC’s sources claim Asus could go as low as $99. $149, worst case scenario. In contrast, the Samsung Gear Live is $199, the LG G Watch $229 and the Motorola Moto 360 is widely expected to cost $249.

Sooo how exactly does Asus plan to achieve the dreamy sub-$150 price point? By cutting a few performance corners, we presume, and shrinking the AMOLED display. As a result, they may rely heavily on gesture controls and voice interaction, since the touch area would be significantly narrowed down. Personally, I have no problem with that. The G Watch and Gear Live are a little too fancy for me anyways.

Something simpler, sleeker, cheaper will thus be greatly appreciated, if not for anything else but to boost Android Wear diversity. Who’s with me?

Sources: TechCrunch , Evleaks

YouTube will soon support video at up to 60 frames per second

Higher frame rates and a “tip jar” for content creators.

YouTube announced Thursday on its Creator’s Blog that it was working on integrating support for video at 48 and 60 FPS, as well as providing a “tip jar” funding option for content creators.

Currently, video content on YouTube is at 24 FPS. For content creators uploading video of PC games, showcasing the game’s performance at its native frame rate — which is usually closer to 60 than 24 FPS — is impossible because of this frame rate cap.

“Motion-intense videos will look even better on YouTube when we launch support for 48 and even 60 frames per second, coming soon,” YouTube tweeted.

60 FPS: Motion-intense videos will look even better on @YouTube when we launch support for 48 and even 60 frames per second, coming soon.

— YouTube Creators (@YTCreators) June 27, 2014

As an example of how content might look at the higher framerates, YouTube uploaded clips from Battlefield: Hardline and Titanfall to show viewers what the difference looks like.

[Singapore] Bitcoin 101, Casual Introduction Meetup

Learn about the basics of Bitcoin in a casual setting Synopsis: Stop by Bartini Kitchen from 5pm to 8pm to learn about Bitcoin. Enthusiast Tomas Forgac of Coin of Sale (Bitcoin point of sale payment system) will be there to help you understand the basics and even get your first coins. You can also use Read the full article...

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Thursday, 26 June 2014

How can you succeed in game publishing? Here are some key lessons

Former gumi Asia Business Developer Samuel Chan talks to e27 about exploiting market inefficiencies and winning the mobile game-publishing business With three massive title launches, a couple of consultation stints with game developers and publishers, alongside more than a hundred app promotion campaigns under his belt, former gumi Asia Business Developer Samuel Chan pondered about Read the full article...

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[Singapore] ISS-IBM Seminar: A Measure of Social Media Analytics

Come learn about the key trends, capabilities and use cases in social media analytics for both private and public sector at our seminar. Synopsis: Measure, analyse, insights, performance, KPIs… terms every social media manager must eventually come to face. The landscape of social media analytics has progressed much, but understanding and meaningful usage remains spotty Read the full article...

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The mythology behind the names Kaveri and Beema

Kaveri is AMD’s first heterogeneous APU, but*the name itself has its roots in the Indian mythology.

To most of the Western world, the name Kaveri is eponymous with AMD’s third-generation APUs. However, the name has its roots in the Indian mythology, where Kaveri is portrayed as a goddess. Similarly, Beema, the codename for AMD’s mobile APUs, is taken from Bhima, one of the fiercest warriors in the Mahabharata.*

AMD’s tradition in naming its architectures after rivers isn’t anything new, as*Trinity, Llana and Kabini are all names of rivers.

But what is the story behind these names?

The story of Kaveri

According to Indian mythology, Kaveri was originally called Lopamudra, and was one of the apsaras (damsels) in the court of Lord Vishnu. The story goes back to the creation of time, where the gods and the demons were churning the oceans to find amrita (the elixir of life). Lord Vishnu, in a bid to not let the demons access the elixir, transforms into Mohini, an enchantress of infinite beauty to distract the demons. To aid Vishnu’s Mohini incarnation, his consort Goddess Lakshmi sends Lopamudra along.

After the battle, Lopamudra consigns herself to Brahmagiri hills, an arid land devoid of any vegetation where she takes on the form of a rock. Eons later, a sage by the name Kavera visits the hills to pray to Lord Brahma for a child. Pleased with the sage’s devotion, Brahma gives him Lopamudra for a daughter, at which time she takes on the form of a girl and the name Kaveri, after the king.*

Growing up with the sage, Kaveri is distraught to see the state of the region, and resolves to fix the issue. She heads back to Brahmagiri and starts praying to Brahma that she might become a river and flow through the land, turning the terrain green and fertile. Before she could finish her meditation, a sage by name of Agastya chances upon her and instantly falls in love.

Agastya immediately heads to Kavera to ask for Kaveri’s hand in marriage. Reluctant to deny one of the Sapta Rishis, who are considered to be the holiest of sages, he agrees. Similarly, Kaveri, not one to go against her faster’s wishes, also relents, but on a condition: That Agastya never leave her alone. If he does so, she would be allowed to turn into a river.

Agastya yields to the request and they get married. Soon after, he gets absorbed in a theological discussion, losing track of time. Kaveri, after waiting patiently for a while, decides that she is not beholden to Agastya anymore, and turns into a river, flowing down the hills of Talacauvery. To Agastya’s disciples, she goes underground, only to appear again at Bhaganda Kshetra and continuing onward into the Bay of Bengal.*

Ever since, Kaveri has been worshipped as a sacred river. To this day, millions of pilgrims flock to the banks of the river to wash away their sins.*

The mighty*warrior Bhima

Bhima is considered to be one of the mightiest warriors to have ever existed. One of the five Pandava brothers, Bhima’s strength and courage is heavily illustrated in Mahabharata, a major Indian mythology.*

As the story goes, king Pandu, ruler of Hastinapura, is unable to foster children owing to a curse placed upon him by a sage. With no solution in sight, his wife, Kunti, who has been granted the ability to invoke the gods as a child, decides to use her boons to pray for children. Bhima, as a result, is born when Kunti invokes Vayu, the god of wind. In total, she gives birth to five sons, who are called Pandavas, after king Pandu.

From a young age, the five brothers are taught science, astronomy and military tactics by Dronacharya, considered to be one of the wisest sages in existence. Bhima was the strongest and the fiercest of the Pandavas, but it wasn’t until one of the Kauravas, the Pandavas’ arch enemies, tries to kill him that he finds his abilities.*

The story goes that Duryodhana, the eldest of the Kauravas, plotted to kill Bhima by poisoning his food and drowning him in the river Ganga. However, the king of snakes, Vasuki, comes to the aid of Bhima, rescuing him from the river and bestowing upon him the strength of a thousand elephants.*

It is this strength that is portrayed throughout the Mahabharata. Following the exile of the Pandavas after they’re tricked out of the throne by the Kauravas, Bhima becomes their protector, slaying demons like Bakasura and Jatasura during their stay in the Virata kingdom.*

Bhima’s role in the battle of Kurukshetra, the final battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, is pivotal. He is credited with killing all of the 100 Kauravas brothers over the course of the 15 day battle, along with Duryodhana. After the war, Bhima is anointed the custodian of Hastinapura by his elder brother Yudhistir.*

Capturing the spirit

By naming its latest APU line Kaveri, AMD is looking to “wash away” its sins; its earlier efforts in this area with Llano and Trinity have largely failed. While Llana was praised for its*GPU performance, its CPU was a let-down. With Trinity, AMD brought forth CPU-related enhancements, but wasn’t able to gain traction.

All that has since changed with the introduction of Kaveri and the Steamroller architecture, which for the first time brings hUMA and*HSA into the fold. Whether AMD manages to succeed with Kaveri is still an unknown at this stage, but it at least shows that the manufacturer is heading in the right direction.*

As for Beema, the line of*SoCs targeted at notebooks with low power consumption, AMD has largely failed to ingratiate the warrior*spirit of Bhima. Said*to be an evolution of the Jaguar architecture, AMD has managed to fins hardware wins with Beema (more so than Mullins anyway), but the form factors and the devices it is being utilized in will make it a tough sell for mainstream consumers.*

A major factor behind the irrelevance encountered by Beema stems from the fact that it does not feature any architectural advantages over Kabini and Temash, although AMD has claimed numerous*performance gains. While Beema is a commendable effort, the lack of any significant hardware wins is its biggest failing.*

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