What can be interesting about the gray everyday life of the mobile world? For example, the epidemic of 'frameless' devices, augmented reality from Google, bionic prostheses and firmware for Xiaomi Mi 4 based on Windows 10
Foreword
I've heard many times lately that the world of mobile electronics has become boring. Moreover, from a variety of people. And, to be honest, he attributed all this to current prices, which can hardly be called positive. Most people are interested in reading about what concerns them in any way. Even taking into account the fact that the flagships and at a price of 30 thousand rubles were ready to buy for themselves, to put it mildly, not everyone, people still looked closely at them. Someone was seriously considering top-end devices for purchase, someone carefully wondered if there was something in the new products that would be worth booing and spend on a mobile phone more than originally planned. Some buyers saw the flagships as a demonstration of the company's capabilities, choosing from which brand to buy a device in the middle price segment, others expected a fall in prices. Finally, someone just followed the announcements with one single purpose – to proudly declare that his iPhone \ Galaxy \ Nokia is no worse. Now, when the price of the devices has doubled, the majority is not even interested in dreaming about them and, instead of the former interest, they cause only irritation. With the same success, you can read reviews of Japanese phones or operator versions of smartphones from the United States.
In general, for a long time I believed that the financial crisis was to blame for all this mass depression. The last straw for me was Artyom's article, written by him just the other day. It is called 'Electronic Fatigue', as if by order. And here the depression has nothing to do with the change in prices, which means that the whole theory goes to hell.
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'Electronic fatigue' |
The desire to use high-quality and stable technology is absolutely clear to me. Moreover, if you involuntarily have to use something else. But tired or bored? This is exactly what is very difficult for me to understand.
In no case do I want to question the master's statements, but a phone that lives on charging for weeks and does not require software updates has been invented a long time ago. A striking representative of this tribe is the unforgettable Nokia 3310. And there is no shortage of paper books or 'Regular' watches these days either. As for pedometers and other fitness devices, these are still tools for a very specific task, and not funny toys that are interesting in themselves.
Brave new world
I don't have even a tenth of the experience that reputable journalists who have worked in this field for years have. Perhaps this is why the mobile world does not seem boring to me. And it is unlikely that it will ever seem to be – at least as long as I somehow keep up with the technical progress rushing at full steam. Of course, I also sometimes get annoyed that this or that company to the last follows the principle of “why fix something that has not broken yet” and tries to squeeze the most out of a device once developed. Or trying to replace common sense with marketing gimmicks. But this is a problem for specific companies, not for mobile technology in general. Alas, large companies work for profit, not our interest, and this should be taken into account.
On the other hand, lately, only the lazy hasn't been complaining about the deathly boredom of mobile devices. Increasingly, there are thoughts that nothing new and original can be created, that Android and iOS is the crown of creation, the design of the name of Kazimir Malevich is the only possible option for today, and the news of the mobile world not worth watching for a long time. And involuntarily you begin to think: who is really right?
Experiment
Below I will give a few standard news published on profile resources over the past week and will specifically try to keep my comments to a minimum. The week, between us, turned out to be rather mediocre, it didn't even smell of something really revolutionary. But this is even better – this is an excellent example of the most drab everyday life in the world of mobile technology.
But how interesting these very gray days are is up to you and only you. Actually, this is precisely the essence of the experiment – to try to understand whether the mobile world is really as boring as it is now possible to think. Is there something interesting in the world of mobile devices or is there really nothing new for us to see? Do you follow the announcements of some companies, or do you not expect anything interesting from them in advance? Let's try to understand together by sharing our views on this issue. Then just compare the comments and see how bad it really is.
Thanks in advance to everyone who takes the time to share their opinions and leave a comment. Maybe all together we will be able to understand what is the matter here: in mobile technology or in the spring depression.
Xiaomi Mi 4 and Windows 10
Let's start with news about a possible partnership Xiaomi and Microsoft. It would seem that the news is banal to the point of impossibility, but the companies managed to turn it into a real detective series. Well, or a soap opera – which is closer to whom.
Exactly a week ago at Microsoft they mentioned a project for testing Windows 10 on a smartphone Xiaomi Mi 4. According to company representatives, a select group of beta testers will soon have the opportunity to install a Technical Preview on this smartphone Windows 10 and tell MS about their impressions. Needless to say, it all sounds very interesting – in fact, this is another step towards smartphones with simultaneous support for several different operating systems. We saw something similar on the example of the same Ubuntu, but few expected such a 'trick with their ears' from MS. After all, this is a player of a different weight category, should he release custom firmware from his OS to 'other people's' smartphones?
Link to news
At the same time, the vice president of the company Xiaomi announced a couple of days later that there was no partnership between his company and Microsoft at the moment. And all experiments with alternative firmware for Mi4 are exclusively MS business, to which Xiaomi itself has nothing to do. They just 'keep the users going to experience something new' and nothing more. As for me – a very strange position. The company is clearly not saying something, and this is definitely no accident. They obviously have some kind of joint project with Microsoft, but what they don't have is confidence in its success. Because of this, the leaders Xiaomi do their best to distance themselves from this experiment, preferring for now to observe the results from the outside.
Link to news
Microsoft and Linux
As for Microsoft, the company clearly seriously thought that there can be one hardware, but the OS on it is completely different. And we are talking not only about smartphones, but also about laptops, on which some users can also 'demolish' Windows and put the same Linux. It would seem that such enthusiasts are a drop in the sea of happy OS users from Microsoft. But the company is clearly not going to sponsor other people's operating systems, even in such a controversial way.
Together with Windows 10, MS will present a new version of UEFI, a secure boot system that, under the auspices of the fight against viruses, can prevent the installation of alternative operating systems on a computer. As a solution, manufacturers are encouraged to install a special 'switch' that will allow users to independently enable and disable this feature. But to do it or not, each manufacturer will decide for himself. It has been rumored for several weeks that the absence of such a 'switch' could be a prerequisite for receiving the 'Designed for Windows 10' sticker.
This may seem ridiculous to some, but I am always in favor of having a choice. Even in the case when I personally am not going to choose anything else. I don't think I would install Linux on my computer anytime soon. But I prefer it to be my decision and not a directive from some corporation. And while this is more of a 'horror story' for geek-dreamers than a real threat … but who knows what their next step will be?
Link to news
NVIDIA and photorealism
Who in their right mind would mistake a picture from a 3D game for real life? NVIDIA believes that almost anyone. And from time to time he invites pessimists to test their strength, guessing which photo is real and which is just a screenshot.
Such a high-quality image was obtained using Iray 2015 technology – a new type of GPU-accelerated rendering based on the physics of the interaction of light and materials. So far, to fully work with this technology requires very strong hardware, but, nevertheless, Iray 2015 support will be added to popular programs like Maya or 3ds Max already in 2015. This means that photorealistic games or visual novels are already looming on the horizon. Even if we will see them not in a year or even in two.
Link to news
Google and augmented reality
But Google believes that there is no point in inventing a new reality when we already have one at our disposal. Which is already photorealistic a little more than completely. But to supplement and correct it to your taste is a sweet thing.
For this, the company created the Magic Leap technology, which allows you to combine virtual and real worlds on the fly. So far, we are talking at best about a demo version of this technology, but even at this stage it is already impressive. You can rate it in the video below.
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If you believe the company's representatives, then in the near future we are waiting for a 3D shooter, in which the same room in which the gamer is located will act as a game location.
To be honest, the prospects for this technology are a bit daunting. Some non-very balanced people already manage to confuse the real world with a computer game. And here the difference is erased even more. It's also good if the monsters have a frankly cartoonish look – but how will the authors of the game try to place images of virtual people with whom the player will have to fight in a real room? As if then a passer-by who came out from around the corner received a fist in the forehead – just out of old habit.
Link to news
Amid the demonstration of the capabilities of Magic Leap, the company's statements about the bright future of Google Glass no longer cause a skeptical grin. Yes, things are not going as fast as we all would like, but who said that everything will turn out quickly and easily?
It's worth noting that Google has learned from its mistakes. The second version of smart glasses is planned to be shown to the general public not earlier than the bright moment when it is fully ready. And, in my opinion, this is absolutely correct. Moreover, it is not entirely clear what the company was counting on when it sold the testers a crude prototype of the first version of the glasses, which by definition did not cause any enthusiasm.
Link to news
Transparent displays and foldable devices
Another long-term construction, which was told to the public too early, is foldable mobile devices from Samsung. The company began to actively promote this topic back in 2013, and according to the initial plans, their mass production was to begin at the end of 2015.
According to updated data, we will see the first foldable smartphone on store shelves only in 2016, but given that only the start of production was originally planned for 2015, the company did not so much sinned against the truth.
Link to news
LG had plans to create similar devices, but unlike its main competitor, this company is in no hurry to reveal its cards prematurely. The only thing that journalists managed to get out of the company's representatives was a hint that there was not so much time left before the start of the production of transparent displays, as is commonly thought. However, the project is not yet ready to the end, and the company's engineers still have to finish something.
In my opinion, this is even more interesting than bendable displays. If a window pane, a glass table surface or a transparent elevator wall can really be turned into a full-fledged display, that will be very cool. The question, as usual, is the price.
Link to news
Smartphones and smart electronics
From 28 to 29 May this year, the annual Google I / O 2015 conference will take place. The company has not yet commented on all the rumors that have been circulating on the network for the last couple of weeks. And what exactly we will be shown at this event is still unclear.
If the latest gossip is to be believed, watches on Android Wear will officially receive support for smartphones on iOS, but whether this is really so is unclear. On the one hand, it seems doubtful that owners of iPhone would prefer a smartwatch not from Apple. On the other hand, in reality, not all are tied to one specific brand. And more recently, the combination of a tablet from Apple and a phone to Android was completely commonplace.
The only trouble is that the watches on Android Wear and Apple Watch do not differ from each other as much as they once thought. And how many people want to change the awl for soap is a separate question.
Link to news
In recent years, the number of smartphone companion devices has grown exponentially. And this is not only smart watches, but also all kinds of sensors, headsets, medical devices, testers, drones, cameras, smart home items and a bunch of other devices.
There are also quite unusual specimens among them. For example – a bionic arm called Handiii. The device can read muscle signals and convert them into movements. Apparently, this is a laborious business, and a smartphone acts as an assistant to this 'hand'.
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The most interesting thing is that Handiii is quite easy to make, in theory, the capabilities of a 3D printer should be enough for this.
Link to news
Another example of a 'smart' device that may require a smartphone to control is the rii Timeless shoes Volvo. They differ from ordinary shoes in that they have a built-in E-ink display on which any patterns can be loaded. I'm sure fashionistas will appreciate this idea. Unless, of course, such shoes ever get into mass production – and judging by the progress of fundraising on Indiegogo, there is not very much chance of this.
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And yes, if the phrase “smart shoes” makes you laugh, then I advise you to look at the article on “smart” clothes – there are also other things that are not so.
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Offtopic: 'Smart' clothes |
Link to news
Peter Chow and HTC
It became known this week that Peter Chou is stepping down as head HTC. I don’t know, maybe I’m unfair to him, but I want to say only one thing: “It's high time.” Yes, it was with him that a little-known OEM manufacturer turned into a world-famous A-brand. But even with him, the company has lost much of its luster, evolving from a 'Taiwan miracle' into a regular mid-range smartphone maker.
They say that a friend is known in trouble. In the same way, a good manager is recognized precisely on dark days for the company. It's not hard to hand out thoughtful interviews and proudly show off new machines to the public while all goes well. But it is insanely difficult to admit your mistakes, step aside and give way to the young when everything has been going awry for a year. Too often it is customary for managers of this rank to attribute to themselves all the successes of the company, but at the same time blame only slow subordinates for all its failures. Loudly promise to leave in case of another failure – and then forget your own words and continue to 'save' the company.
Very excited to become CEO as HTC enters a new era! Confident that Peter will continue to excel in driving our future products strategy. CW
– Cher Wang (@CherWang) March 20, 2015
I would like to believe that now we will have a chance to see the very one HTC, the announcements of which were followed with bated breath by millions of people. A company that competed on equal terms with the giant Samsung and demonstrated the difference between quality and quantity over and over again.
Link to news
China and the 'frameless' epidemic
The main thing is that the next device HTC does not become a 'frameless' smartphone. Indeed, after the presentation of Sharp Aquos Crystal, a real epidemic of 'frameless' devices began among Asian manufacturers. For example, judging by the available leaks, soon Oppo and LeTV will please us with similar smartphones. Unfortunately, many companies see the lack of a framework as an end in itself, which is not the case. Sharp Aquos Crystal attracted primarily with its unusual design, where the absence of frames is part of the chosen image. But its 'frameless' competitors have a typical design.
The first smartphone is tentatively named OPPO R7. According to rumors, it will be built on an eight-core processor MediaTek MT6795 and will receive a built-in camera with a resolution of 20.7 megapixels. Presumably, the novelty will appear on the market in the coming months.
Link to news
As for the LenTV smartphone, the lack of frames is not its only feature. It is expected to be the first Android smartphone with a USB Type C connector. Other features include a 5-inch screen with a resolution of 1920 × 1080, an eight-core processor and 2GB of RAM.
Link to news
Instead of an afterword
Well, the issue has come to an end and it's time to draw conclusions. Is there something interesting waiting for us in the future, or is all that manufacturers are capable of is boring running in a circle? Can mobile technology be interesting, or has it long since turned into standard household devices, like kettles and vacuum cleaners? It's up to you to decide, as usual. Statistics are stubborn things and I won't risk arguing with them. But I still hope there will be more optimists.
Links to past issues:
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News digest №44. Side effect |
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News digest №42. Major events of the MWC |
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News digest №41. What could be easier than time? |
