LG G Flex: First impressions

LG finally introduced its first curved display smartphone in India, the G Flex, at an event in New Delhi. Indian consumers will have to wait till next year to get their hands on the device, as the G Flex will be available in India only in February 2014.

We got a chance to play with the LG G Flex at the event however, and sum up our first impressions below.

When we first held the G Flex in our hands, we were definitely a bit taken aback by its ergonomic curved design, which definitely is the device's USP. The G Flex is curved on its horizontal axis which gives the device's top and bottom edges a curl shape.

The biggest perceived advantage of the G Flex's curve in our limited period usage, is while talking on the device - the design definitely better hugs your face, much like an old landline phone. In terms of gripping, the curve also helps to comfortably hold the device, but the rear is made of plastic, so it can also slip out during long usage. 

When compared to some of its close competitors like HTC One Max and the Galaxy Mega 6.3, the G Flex (160.5x81.6x8.7mm) is better to hold and move around thanks to the curve design. 

Next big thing which is very much noticeable in the G Flex is its size, the 6-inch display does puts it in the phablet category and does looks like a large device in hands. Notably, we were unable to easily use the G Flex with one hand, as we found it difficult to stretch our thumb across the device. When talking about phablets, we still believe that Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 (151.2x79.2x8.3mm) and Sony'sXperia Z Ultra (179.4x92.2x6.5mm) were better in terms of daily usage because of a more lightweight and sleeker profile.

At the event, we were told that the G Flex can actually 'flex' until it's totally flat, and one of the company representatives even claimed that the South Korean manufacturer has tested the flexibility of the G Flex up to 100 times with about 40 kilograms of weight putting on the device without damaging the G Flex's screen. Let's say in the case, when accidentally sitting on the G Flex. 

While we couldn't test it with 40 kilograms of weight, we did press the curve of the G Flex, and it did stretch to be flat. While the display didn't crack, it's not really advisable to do this on a daily basis.

Following closely on the lines of LG's current flagship smartphone, the LG G2, G Flex also features rear physical keys for power and volume controls. LG has equipped the LED light on the rear power key which comes handy for notifications and while taking a selfie. The keys are metallic and offer good tactile feedback, very much like the LG G2. The volume-up button also doubles up as a shortcut key to launch the Quickmemo app on long press and the volume-down button acts as a camera shortcut key on long press when the phone is locked.

The G Flex also includes a number of ports around the edges including the 3.5mm audio jack and the charging port that sits at the bottom panel, while the micro-SIM card slot sits at the left panel of the G Flex. The rear panel includes the primary 13-megapixel camera with an LED flash, which is accompanied by an IR Blaster.

It would be unfair to end the design part without talking about G Flex's self-healing back that has been creating a buzz worldwide. When we wanted to test the self-healing capability of the G Flex, we were sure we needed a scratchy material; unfortunately we didn't carry a knife so we tried our key chain to rub the rear panel and gave it a surface level scratch which was very much visible initially. After some time, we noticed that the scratches were reduced but not completely eliminated. While looking the G Flex from a certain angle, it looked that the scratches were gone, although it was pretty much noticeable. However, we must confess we were impressed and believe that the G Flex can easily handle day-to-day bruises.

Coming to the hardware of the G Flex, it is powered by a quad-core 2.26GHz Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) processor with an Adreno 330 GPU, and 2GB of RAM. The G Flex easily handled multitasking with ease, and the apps opened and closed instantaneously. Performance wise, the G Flex fared well in our limited testing.

The G Flex sports a 13-megapixel rear camera, and a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera. During our usage, the camera app opened instantly and did click at good speed without any shutter lag. The G Flex is powered by a 3,500mAh battery and weighs 177 grams. The LG G Flex comes with 32GB inbuilt storage, which is non-expandable.

The LG G Flex runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, which is a disappointment as we expected LG to ship Android 4.3, the most recent iteration of the OS with the phone. However, with LG finally revealing plans for rolling out the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the flagship smartphone, the G2, we expect that the G Flex will also get the KitKat treatment soon.

On the software department, the G Flex borrows many things from the G2. The company has added the same LG G2 UI layer on top of the G Flex, majorly changing the look and feel of the interface and enabling users to customise the phone according to their liking.

The LG G Flex also features the KnockON, which is LG's version of double tap to unlock and even lock the smartphone. In our limited testing, we found that at times while trying to unlock the phone it didn't register our taps. In fact, it was annoying at times. 

Other features on the G Flex include Slide Aside which is a way to multitask by moving between three apps at once via a three-finger swipe gesture; Guest mode, which allows you to create a guest mode with pre-selected apps for times when your friends or family want to use your phone; Dual Window, which divides the screen into two panels for multitasking and QuickTheatre that gives direct access to gallery, videos and YouTube icons.

You can expect more detailed observations and testing when we review the LG G Flex. 

sources:

http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/reviews/lg-g-flex-first-impressions-457723

NSA Reportedly Uses Google Cookies To Target Suspects

According to information once again leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency secretly targets suspects using the same tool that allows advertisers to target consumers — small files known as “cookies.” In fact, the Washington Post has released more classified slides, revealing that the NSA has found a way to use Google’s own cookies (“GooglePREF”) to pinpoint users.

According to The Post, Google’s cookies don’t track personal information, such as name or email address. However, they can identify a user’s browser activity, which is why some users may see an ad for a product they’ve searched for previously on the web.

In response to privacy concerns, Google allows users to opt-out of some cookie-tracking (instructions here).

“On a macro level, ‘we need to track everyone everywhere for advertising’ translates into ‘the government being able to track everyone everywhere,” UC Berkeley Law Lecturer Chris Hoofnagle told The Post. “It’s hard to avoid.”

As with many of the revelations about NSA spying, the impacts to individual users are uncertain. While the NSA does collect user information in bulk, it often requires a judge’s approval to query the database and analyze it. However, there have been several instances of privacy violations, including agents spying on ex-lovers and targeting suspects that judgeswould later find to be unreasonable.

Cookies would potentially allow the NSA to track individuals’ surfing habits and, perhaps, use of Google products, such as Maps. The slides show that the NSA shares this targeted information with a handful of internal divisions and with its British counterpart, GCHQ. By combining information from cellphone location data logs, call logs, and email habits, the agency might be able to better target suspects from the volumes of information it collects every day.

It is unclear whether pending federal legislation would impact this particular tactic. A suite of laws propose to end bulk information collection, create more oversight, and release gag orders. However, leveraging Google cookies appears more targeted than previous leaks about indiscriminate collection of user data.

In any case, Congress goes on holiday break soon, so any reforms will have to compete for attention in the busy new year. Good luck with that.

source:

http://techcrunch.com/2013/12/11/nsa-reportedly-uses-google-cookies-to-target-suspects/

RCom to offer new iPhones under contract, starting from Rs 2,599

Apple’s new iPhones, the iPhone 5s and the 5c are hitting the Indian market today. With the new devices comes a hefty price tag, as the “budget” iPhone will be starting at Rs 41,900 and the high-end 5s will start at Rs 53,500.  While the launch price may be a tad bit much for most users, prospective buyers can now opt for an alternative. 

Reliance Communications has now signed a deal with Apple wherein a user can pick up the 16GB version of the 5c and the 5s at a zero upfront cost, according to the Hindu. RCom will now be selling the device at a subsidised rate ranging from Rs 2,599 (for the 5c) to Rs 2,999 (for the 5s) per month. The company, in the deal, is offering unlimited voice calling, SMS and 3G data for the fixed monthly fee. The only catch: the user will be locked in to RCom’s network for two years under contract, a system that has been prevelant in countries like the US for some time now. 

Aspiring users wanting to pick up the 64GB version of the 5s will have to pay Rs 19,992 up front. There seems to be some discrepancies with the amount that users have to pay for the subsidised 32GB version of the new devices, so it would be advisable to wait for the official word. The company, to ensure that the new devices aren’t misused or sold in the grey market before the contract is over, will only be offering this deal to users who have an ICICI or HDFC credit card.

This is notably the first time that an Indian telecom company has agreed to subsidise an iPhone. In the past, most Indian operators have shied away from the prospect for fear that subscribers would dishonour the phone for use on another operator’s network or resell it on the grey market. The high number of pre-paid customers in the Indian mobile market has also been another reason why operators have been wary of tracking down defaulters.

While RCom has been tightlipped about the deal, the source claims that the offer will be officially announced today, although the company’s website still says that the new devices are “coming soon.” Telecom rival Airtel will also be selling the new iPhones in the market, although there is no mention of a subsidy being involved. Interestingly, the 5s listing on the company's sitealready shows that the device is "out of stock".

sources:

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/rcom-to-offer-new-iphones-for-rs-2500-under-2year-contract/article5301772.ece

http://tech2.in.com/news/smartphones/rcom-to-offer-new-iphones-under-contract-starting-from-rs-2599/919330

iPhone 5S' fingerprint security can be easily broken, hackers show

Apple says that the new iPhone 5S' fingerprint sensor is "a convenient and highly secure way to access your phone." The former is true. The latter, not so much. The fingerprint security can be easily broken. Jealous spouses and industrial spies, rejoice!

While the usual Apple sycophants bought into the company's claims without even questioning them, the hackers from the Chaos Computer Club in Germany have demonstrated that you can steal the fingerprint from any drinking glass and access anyone's iPhone 5S without any difficulty.

The biometrics hacking team of the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) has successfully bypassed the biometric security of Apple's TouchID using easy everyday means. A fingerprint of the phone user, photographed from a glass surface, was enough to create a fake finger that could unlock an iPhone 5s secured with TouchID.

[...]

First, the fingerprint of the enroled user is photographed with 2400 dpi resolution. The resulting image is then cleaned up, inverted and laser printed with 1200 dpi onto transparent sheet with a thick toner setting. Finally, pink latex milk or white woodglue is smeared into the pattern created by the toner onto the transparent sheet. After it cures, the thin latex sheet is lifted from the sheet, breathed on to make it a tiny bit moist and then placed onto the sensor to unlock the phone. This process has been used with minor refinements and variations against the vast majority of fingerprint sensors on the market.

The video above demonstrates that the hack works perfectly. So no, contrary to Apple's corpo speak and all the echoes from the Cupertino chorus line, your iPhone's fingerprint security can be broken with a camera, a laser printer, and some wood glue. Just like every other fingerprint sensor in the world.

So yes, the fingerprint sensor is convenient but don't depend on it to protect any sensitive information in your iPhone. If you think someone may be interested in accessing it for whatever reason, they will be able to do it easily.

sources:

http://www.gizmodo.in/news/iPhone-5S-fingerprint-sensor-hacked/articleshow/22907110.cms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM8b8d8kSNQ

Sony

A day after Samsung announced the launch of its Galaxy Gear smartwatch, Sony getting its act together launched the second generation Smartwatch 2 in India yesterday.

Compared to its predecessor, this device comes with a bigger 1.6-inch screen with higher resolution 220x176 pixels resolution. Priced at Rs.14,990, Sony positioned this watch as "The world's first Android-compatible SmartWatch with One-touch NFC."

Water resistant, this device, comes with a 1.6-inch Transflective LCD display and is compatible with devices running on Android 4.0 and later. Chargeable through the micro-USB port, the device battery according to Sony, can last for up to 3- 4 days of usage.

Along with functioning as a notification device for missed calls, messages and event reminders, Sony claims that it is also compatible with a good number of apps, such as such as Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Google+, RSS, Music player and a remote camera shutter available on the Play Store. 

It is hard not to pit the Sony's smartwatch against the Samsung Galaxy Gear. From, the first impressions Sony's device will win hands down. The Sony Smartwatch is sleeker and has managed to get its pricing right.

However, it wouldn't be surprising if Apple and Google also dug their pockets deeper and pulled out similar devices in future. We would love to see the competition then.

sources:

http://www.gizmodo.in/news/Sony-Smartwatch-2-launch-india-price-specifications/articleshow/22761395.cms

Microsoft updates Bing with new logo, interface and features

Microsoft has rolled out a revamped Bing logo, bringing it more in line with the company's new redesigned product branding. The redesigned logo drops the curly blue design and features an angular 'B' and switches to the Segoe font, also used in Microsoft’s logo.

Microsoft says it had conducted various studies to review the motion, font, colour, size and form. The company also experimented with mock ads and fake billboards before finalising the logo.

Microsoft retained the lowercase ‘b’ as a tribute to its Bing logo heritage and to provide a slightly less obtrusive stance. The descender on the ‘g’ has been slightly modified to curve upward in a friendlier manner and the cut on the top of the ‘b’ mirrors the angle on the cut of the ‘t’ in our Microsoft logo. The kerning pairs of the ‘i’ and the ‘n’ are exactly the same as the ‘i’ and the ‘n’ in the Windows wordmark.

The company says the symbol, a stylized ‘b’, evokes a sense of movement, direction and energy. The orange-gold colour is inspired by the orange dot in the previous Bing logo and quadrant of the corporate flag logo.

“A logo alone doesn’t make a brand and Bing has been a colorful antidote to boring search pages for years. Bing has provided a new homepage image every single day since it was launched. Our tradition of showcasing inspiring and interesting photography will continue and full-color, full-bleed imagery will remain a mainstay of our visual personality. You’ll continue to see Bing images on the web, on phones and in Xbox and you can download the daily images to your desktop,” says Bing in a blog post.

“The new Bing identity is more than a new logo and color palette - it’s a system of brand architecture that allows us to strategically and visually evolve Bing in line with our mission and our products. We didn’t set out to just provide data via blue links on the web. We set out to provide clarity, decisions and insights.

Bing is no longer just a search engine on a web page. It’s a brand that combines search technology across products you use every day to help empower you with insights. It’s time we all stepped out of the confines of the search box to stop searching and start finding.”

Bing gets new interface

Alongside the new logo, Microsoft has also improved the interface of Bing.com. The new interface is faster, cleaner and visually appealing.

“We believe that search can be beautiful as well as functional and efficient. With that as our goal, we evaluated fonts, spacing, color, visual scan patterns, the search box and even the underlying code. We’re excited about the final result and to give you a glimpse, we have created a destination at www.bing.com/newwhere you can learn more about the new face of search,” says the company in a post.

Microsoft has also integrated Snapshot and Sidebar in the new Bing update.

 

sources:

http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Microsoft-updates-Bing-with-new-logo-interface_17630.html

http://www.bing.com/blogs/site_blogs/b/search/archive/2013/09/16/next-phase.aspx

10 sites offering free Linux courses online

MOUNTAIN VIEW, USA: Free online Linux courses, whether affiliated with universities or not, are generally intended for self-study and aren't offered for academic credit. Some material is offered through the schools' OpenCourseWare (OCW) projects.

Most Linux course materials include PDF, video and screenshots. Though content is usually directed toward first time users of Linux systems, the IBM and the University of California at Davis' offerings cater to intermediate users. Students may need to have access to their own computers running Linux in order to complete some lessons.

Free online Linux course list

Back to Basics: Linux Fundamentals at Novell
This free tutorial is geared towards individuals interested in learning Linux fundamentals through self-directed study. This course focuses on functions such as restarting and shutting down the Open Enterprise Server, logging in and out and managing the Linux desktop. Students can access a cheat sheet with the most common command terms used in Linux.

Building Dynamic Websites at Harvard University
This online OCW course covers the knowledge needed to build a website. Consisting of various video lectures, this tutorial instructs individuals on how to build a website using Linux, as well as various other frameworks. Students learn how to set up domains, design databases, program with Java and build web pages using CSS (cascading style sheets) and XHTML (extensible hypertext markup language). There are sample projects in PDF format.

Computational Physics at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
The focus of this course is to teach students how to do physics calculations using a computer as a calculator. They also learn Java programming in a Linux environment. Through external website links, this online course teaches students about using algorithms and working within the Linux operating system.

The Embedded Linux Quick Start Guide through YouTube
The free tutorial, which lasts less than an hour, provides learners with an introduction to the Linux environment. Narrated by Chris Simmonds at a 2010 Embedded Linux Conference Europe, this video is the first in a 3-part series on Linux. Students learn the four basic elements of Linux: toolchain, boot loader, kernel and user space.

Introduction to Linux at the University of South Carolina
A simple introductory tutorial of slides in PDF format, this course material shares basic information about what Linux is, the different versions - or distributions - available, and how to use it. Files, folders, pages, commands and writing script are some of the topics and tools this course covers.

The Linux Effect: 20th Anniversary at The Open University
Offered as an online podcast training, the Linux Effect offers information on the Linux operating system and how it's advanced through the years. Students learn the origin of Linux, how Linux is used in our daily lives and the connection between Linux and cloud computing. Students need a PDF viewer, such as Adobe Reader, to complete this course.

LPI Exam 201 Prep: Linux Kernel at IBM
In this free tutorial series, users prepare for the Linux Professional Institute Intermediate Level Administration (LPIC-2) Exam 201. The first tutorial guides students through the components, compiling, patching and customizing of a Linux kernel. Other topics in the series include system maintenance, web services, hardware and troubleshooting.

Programming Technique II: Introduction to Linux at Universiti Teknologi MalaysiaThis free OCW course provides students with an understanding of the Linux operating system, as well as how it interacts with computer hardware and various computer programs. It also introduces basic commands used in Linux programming and how to set up files and directories.

UNIX and Linux Tutorial Center at the University of California at Davis
These materials aim to equip novice and intermediate students with a large variety of UNIX and Linux information. PDF files cover beginner to intermediate levels, including the definition and application of shells, as well as how to create, view and modify files and directories. Tutorials include text editors and C programming. The site also has useful links to other software tutorials for related programs such as Java and Perl.

UNIX / Linux Tutorial for Beginners at the University of Surrey
This school offers eight free tutorials on fundamental definitions and exercises for UNIX and Linux systems. Useful tasks students may learn include using directories, copying and moving files, killing a process, stripping needless code, getting help, file system security and redirection. Each tutorial provides a helpful summary of commands and their meanings.

sources:

 Education Portal, USA.

http://www.ciol.com/ciol/news/196230/sites-offering-free-linux-courses-online

Opera partners with seven Indian OEMs

Opera has partnered with seven more Indian OEM's to pre-install the Opera mini browser on Android devices.

Opera has partnered with nine OEM's including 7 Indian OEM's, 1 in Bangladesh and 1 in Nepal to pre-install Opera Mini as an exclusive third-party mobile browser across their upcoming Android devices.

In India Opera has partnered with Micromax, Videocon, MoMagic Technologies, Spice, Lemon Mobiles, Wynncom and iBall, and in South Asia with Symphony Mobile in Bangladesh and Colors Mobile in Nepal.

Sunil Kamath, Vice President for South Asia, Opera Software, stated, “India is home to the largest number of Opera Mini users in the world. Partnering with local OEMs in India and neighboring countries is part of our growth strategy to take Opera Mini’s user numbers in the region from strength to strength. Since the beginning of this year, more than 100 Android devices with Opera Mini preinstalled on them have been launched in India, Bangladesh and Nepal.”

Manoj Gupta, Head –VAS, India & SAARC, Micromax Mobiles, said: "We understand the pulse of our consumers and hence constantly invest in strengthening our product and services portfolio. With an increasing amount of web browsing coming from mobile devices, Opera Mini was a perfect fit to delight our customers with a superior browsing experience on our devices."

Opera had previously partnered with seven other Indian mobile OEMs, including Karbonn, Celkon, Intex, Lava, Zen, Fly and HCL in May earlier this year. The popular browser has more than 350 million users globally. Opera Mini is available for a free download from m.opera.com. Users can also get the download instructions by giving a missed call to toll-free number 022 – 39386828.

sources :

http://www.thinkdigit.com/Mobiles-PDAs/Opera-partners-with-seven-Indian-OEMs_17654.html

Facebook users have uploaded over 250 billion photos to the site: Report

Facebook has seen an astonishing quarter of a trillion user photo upload since the sites launch.

Facebook, along with Ericsson and Qualcomm, have released a white paper as part of Internet.org yesterday. The paper revealed that Facebook has seen a quarter of a trillion photo uploads since the websites launch.

The report on Internet.org revealed that the social networking site sees more than 350 million photo uploads daily and has a user base of 1.15 billion. In total Facebook users have uploaded a staggering 250 billion photos since the site came into existence. Facebook added that users share 4.75 billion “content items” per day that generate more than 4.5 billion Likes, and over 10 billion messages daily.

This number is way ahead of Facebook owned Instagram which sees 55 million uploads daily and has a total of 16 billion uploads till date. Flickr also sees only 3.5 million photos daily upload and has a total of 8 billion photos till date.

Facebook has recently added more features like auto-tagging, hash tags and sharing which has made the site more user friendly. The social networking site has launched the shared photo albums feature last month.

The new feature allows multiple users to upload images in a single album. The album creator can share access to as many as 50 "contributors," who in turn can each share up to 200 photos up to a maximum of 1000 photos in each album. The Album creators can choose to retain control over the album or share rights with other contributors via the album settings. Right now only three privacy settings are available for users: public, friends of contributors and contributors only.

sources:

http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Facebook-users-have-uploaded-over-250-billion_17643.html

http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/17/4741332/facebook-users-have-uploaded-a-quarter-trillion-photos-since-launch

Windows Phone is India's second largest smartphone platform: IDC

According to research firm IDC's latest mobile phone tracker report, Windows Phone has emerged as the second most popular smartphone operating system in India. The IDC June Q2 report reveals Windows Phone has 5.6 percent market share in India ahead of Blackberry and iOS.

According to the IDC report, Android rules the market with almost 84 percent of the market share. Windows Phone has 5.6 percent of the market share which is mainly driven by Nokia Lumia 520. The Lumia 520 is a budget Windows phone and accounts for nearly 67 percent of all WP smartphones shipped in India. Nokia offers a wide range of Windows Phone and offer exciting features like Office, Xbox Live, SkyDrive, Windows Phone Store and much more.

Manasi Yadav, Senior Market Analyst, Client Devices, IDC India stated, “Windows Phone powered Nokia Lumia devices have achieved a striking growth in their volumes within a very short time since their launch in India. With new Windows Phone devices getting launched at short intervals, we expect them to continue on this growth trajectory,”

Vineet Durani, Director – Windows Phone Business Group, Microsoft Corporation India stated, “Less than ten months back, when we launched Windows Phone 8 in India, we had set ourselves the goal of being the second most widely used smartphone platform in India, and we are excited to have achieved this milestone so quickly.”

Nokia offers seven devices in the Lumia range including the Nokia Lumia 520, 620, 625, 720, 820, 920 and 925. According to rumors, Nokia will be adding a new WP to its range of devices with the Lumia 1520. Nokia has announced a new event on 22nd October via their official Twitter account which may be for the launch of the new Nokia Lumia 1520 codenamed Bandit. The theme of the event is “innovation reinvented.” The device is rumored to have a 6-inch display screen with 1080p resolution and a 20 megapixel PureView camera. 

sources:

http://www.ciol.com/ciol/news/195767/windows-phone-india-s-largest-smartphone-platform

http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Windows-Phone-is-Indias-second-largest-smartphone_17639.html

Study reveals social media activity reflects users' self-esteem

Researchers from Media Effects Research Laboratory have come up with a study, which reveals how users profiles on social media can hint at feelings of self-esteem and self-determination.

According to the study, people with lower self-esteem are more concerned with what others post about them on Facebook and continuously monitor their Facebook wall for updates and posts. The survey also found that people with high self-esteem add more information to their personal profiles on the social networking sites.

The study covers 225 students in a South Korean university, and is based on how the students filled in their Facebook profiles. The researchers also studied how the students edited material that friends linked to or posted on their walls. The survey found that people with both low and high self-esteem spend a lot of time to build their online profiles.

Researchers have found that individuals, who have higher self-esteem, spend more time adding information about their families, education, work ex etc, while those who have lower self-esteem continuously monitor their wall and delete unwanted posts from other users.

S Shyam Sundar, distinguished professor of communications and co-director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory, Penn State stated, "The types of actions users take and the kinds of information they are adding to their Facebook walls and profiles are a refection of their identities. You are your Facebook, basically, and despite all its socialness, Facebook is a deeply personal medium."

He added that this information can be useful to developers, who want to attract customers with more customisable walls and profile pages. He stated that users with both high self-esteem and low self-esteem see the social network as an extension of their self-identity and will be willing to pay for additional features on Facebook.

sources:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/technology/SocialMedia-Updates/Facebook-holds-clues-to-users-self-esteem/SP-Article1-1122667.aspx

Are smart watches worth buying ?

Let start with a basic question what is a smart watch ?

A smartwatch or smart watch is a computerized wrist watch which is designed to function beyond normal timekeeping, it is often compared with with personal digital assistant (PDA).

what does smart watches do ?

While early models can perform basic tasks, such as calculations, translations, and game playing, modern smartwatches are effectively wearable computers. Many smartwatches run mobile apps, while a smaller number of models run a mobile operating system and function as portable media players, offering playback of FM radio, audio, and video files to the user via a Bluetooth headset. Some smartphone models, (also called watch phones) feature full mobile phone capability, and can make or answer phone calls.

Features they carry are :

-GPS functionality

-Interface with smartphones

-Heart rate monitor

-Cadence

 Linux based smart watch:

In June 2000, IBM displayed a prototype for a wristwatch that ran Linux. The original version had only 6 hours of battery life, which was later extended to 12. It featured 8MB of memory and ran Linux 2.2. The device was later upgraded with an accelerometer, vibrating mechanism, and fingerprint sensor. IBM began to collaborate with Citizen Watch Co. to create the "WatchPad". The WatchPad 1.5 features 320 × 240 QVGA display and runs Linux 2.4.It also features calendar software, Bluetooth, 8 MB of DRAM and 16 MB of flash memory.Citizen was hoping to market the watch to students and businessmen, with a retail price of around $399. However, the project was discontinued sometime around 2001–2002.

 Cellular phones which were only limited to make calls ,they are now enabled  with other vast functionality which includes, camera,sound recorder, Flash light,

compass,mobile tracking,bluetooth,nfc,calculator,speakers,and many more...

Smart watches  which have just launched few weeks back are already making huge buzz with there present features and have created a suspence what all could be fabricated to such a small space and more exciting technology.

Recently samsung launched its smart watch and the presenter was none other than the sixth sense creator pranav mistry.Can we expect some more products like galaxy gear (smart watch).

Smartwatches in  making  are:

• Sony SmartWatch
• Sony SmartWatch 2
• Qualcomm Toq
• BURG SmartWatch
• Pebble Watch
• Fossil Wrist PDA
• Ruputer by Seiko
• Timex Datalink
• Neptune Pine
• Nike+ FuelBand and other NikeFuel devices, such as Nike+ SportWatch GPS
• Garmin Forerunner
• Sonostar Smartwatch
• Martian G2G Watch
• WIMM One
• Motorola Motoactv
• Cookoo
• MetaWatch Strata
• Agent Smartwatch
• Samsung Galaxy Gear
• Kreyos
• GEAK Watch
• i'M Watch
• HOT Watch

here are some questions which i found out just go through them : 

Q: You walk into a showroom to find a Chevy Volt, a 3D printer, and a Samsung Galaxy Gear Smartwatch. Which should you buy?

A: The 3D printer. Print $40,299 and a Xanax, buy the Volt and the watch with the money, and drive off into the sunset. About 45 minutes later when the Volt’s battery dies and you realize a $299 smartwatch  can’t even make a dumb phone call for help, take the Xanax.

Okay, so I’m not going to quit my day job and become a standup comedian. But the point is, just as with plug-in electric cars and 3D printers, smartwatches aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

 Here are 10 reasons why I’m not falling for all the hype and, if you’re smart, neither will you.

What about your other watch? Here’s the thing: most of us already have at least one watch we spent some dough on and like to wear. You know, like a Rolex, a TAG Heuer, an Omega, even a Swatch or two. It’s actually a pretty big industry, in case you didn’t know. What are you going to do, wear one on each arm? You’ll look ridiculous.

If I can’t watch Duck Dynasty on it, then what’s the point? Well, maybe if it had some James Bond spy functions like a pullout wire garrote or it shoots tiny explosive darts, that might be cool. I’ll have to think about it.

They’re too complicated. Apple is the most valuable tech company because its products work. They just plain work – easily, seamlessly, right out of the box. For a smartwatch to do anything cool, it has to be paired with a smartphone or a tablet. That’s too complicated. Even then, it’s got a tiny screen with limited capability. Nine times out of 10 you’re going to get frustrated and just pull out your phone. It’s way easier.

A health tracker? Please. A top dog at CNET says the ideal smartwatch will be a health tracker. Really? I’m a runner. I own a pair of sneakers, shorts, and socks. I don’t need to know how far I run or how many calories I burn. I know I’m fit because my clothes fit. Funny how the more fitness stuff we buy the fatter we become. If everyone would quit trying to be so smart and just go out and do something, there’d be no obesity epidemic.

What’s the killer app? Every smart gadget you own has at least one killer app. That’s why you plunked down cash to buy it. That’s why if you leave home without it you have a panic attack. You have to have it. For that to be true of a smartwatch, it has to be able to do at least one killer app such as voice-to-text or navigation hands-free, all the time, and not just with limited capability.  

It might clash with your glasses. Wouldn’t it be a real bummer if Google Glass turns out to be the next big thing? All the cool people are walking around sporting these high-tech glasses and you’re stuck with a dumb-looking wristwatch that can’t do squat on its own?

I’m terrified the radiation from all these smart gadgets is frying my brain. Nah, just kidding. I may be neurotic but I’m not a whacko.

The one I want doesn’t exist yet. Look, I know a great product when I see one. I knew the iPhone and iPad were category killers when they launched. I don’t know what kind of smartwatch is worth buying; all I know is I haven’t seen it yet. Maybe Apple’s long-rumored iWatch will be the next big thing. We’re just going to have to wait and see.  

That’s just what we need. We all complain about information overload, having to be on 24x7, and having no time to do anything. We’re all hopelessly addicted to the distraction and attention we get from our smartphones, iPads, Twitter, Facebook, and all those apps. Is this really what we all need, another smart gadget? Like an alcoholic needs a bottle of whisky.  

I’m holding out for implants. The more I think about it, maybe I’ll just skip the whole wearable thing all together and go straight to implants. Hey, you never know.

So verdict is Smart watches will work – but not in the way we expect. Remember, You Will Die. But if you want a visceral feeling for time passing get a smart watch and see how quickly it becomes obsolete.

sources:

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/sep/15/smartwatches-gadgets

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartwatch

http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2013/09/09/10-reasons-not-to-buy-smartwatch/