Plus the Android piracy experiment, Cute Fight counted out, kids talk about their smartphones, and more
A burst of 10 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology team
The Nexus 7 (2013) Review >> Anandtech
To make a long story short, don't worry about the ~7% decrease in battery capacity as there are enough improvements in platform power and performance (and thus perf per watt) to more than make up for the smaller battery.
And a very high-quality screen (measured in about 15 different ways). (Thanks #HotSoup for the link.)
Android tablets just the medicine for Dubai's smart hospitals >> The National
All Dubai Health Authority hospitals and primary and speciality health centres are to get Android tablets.
Three thousand will be provided for patients and people in waiting areas, the authority said.
Rashid Hospital, Dubai Hospital, Latifa Hospital and Hatta Hospital are among the facilities receiving the devices.
(Thanks #Oisin75 for the link.)
Enterprises warned against first true Google phone, Moto X >> Computer and Security Online
"It's engineers gone wild," said Roger Entner, principal analyst for Recon Analytics. "The engineers are [saying], 'Oh, wouldn't this be a really cool idea,' but don't think through the repercussions."
The ease-of-use features in the Moto X, designed and built by Google-owned Motorola, are likely to tickle consumers while haunting IT security pros. First is the always-on microphone, which a person can use to activate the device using trigger words, such as "OK Google Now," to make phone calls or access services and features. The feature is possible through a special, low-power chip developed by Motorola that keeps the microphone on without draining the battery.
The always-ready microphone, coupled with the massive amount of data collection, makes the Moto X a valuable target for cybercriminals and cyberspies, who are already heavily focused on developing malware to take control of Android devices.
No need for plastic cups or laser microphones.
The consumer PC market will implode quicker than anybody thinks >> CITEworld
Matt Rosoff considers the PC figures from Dell, HP and Lenovo:
You can hash the numbers any way you like, but the trends are clear. The PC market is getting crushed by tablets. In fact, I think we've reached a tipping point that will mean the near-total collapse of the consumer PC market within three years. By mid-2016, consumer PC sales will be less than half of where they are today. Probably way less.
Gentlemen! Or, how our most successful game is also our least profitable >> Gamasutra
Yann Seznec:
It seems unlikely to me that people tried to buy it on Google Play, found it wouldn't run on their device, and then tracked down a torrent instead. It's far more likely that the people who pirated the game have only one method of finding and installing apps, and that is through pirate sites.
One thing that helped me reach that conclusion was the location statistics for the pirated copies. About 95% of the pirated copies are being installed in Russia and China (and of those, mostly China). We didn't even translate our Google Play store into Russian or Chinese, so it's almost certain that the pirates just found our app on localized pirate sites. On the other hand, I'm glad our menu design is intuitive enough that you can play the game without speaking English!
Yes, piracy of the Android version of the app (yada yada) but Seznec pulls out far more interesting lessons from the experience. (Thanks #ClarkeViper for the link.)
Teens and Mobile Apps Privacy >> Pew Internet & American Life Project
Half (51%) of teen apps users say that they have decided not to install a cell phone or tablet app after they found out they would have to share personal information in order to use it.
Younger teen apps users ages 12-13 are more likely than older teen apps users 14-17 to say that they have avoided apps over concerns about personal information sharing (56% vs. 49%). Boys and girls are equally likely to avoid certain apps for these reasons. There are no clear patterns of variation according to the parent's income, education level or race and ethnicity.
One in four teen apps users have uninstalled an app because they found out it was collecting personal information that they didn't want to share.
There's hope for the next generation yet. The report has some fascinating detail.
Cute-Fight hangs up its gloves >> Derek Powazek
In March, with the small amount of friends and family money gone, my savings dry, and my debt growing, I had to stop paying the team. To their credit, and with my everlasting thanks, they kept on working as long as they could. But a few months ago, we all realized we'd have to look elsewhere for income.
There are startup hero stories aplenty in San Francisco. Tales of founders going against the odds, persevering in the face of obscurity, and then finally being rewarded with fame and fortune. But what they don't tell you is that 99% of those stories end with the business shutting down and the founder moving away or getting a job or worse. Most of the time, it doesn't work. And though it pains me to say it, Cute-Fight is one of those 99%. It didn't work as a business.
Tim Green: "Only boys use Android..." >> Mobile Entertainment
What do teenage girls think about BlackBerry, in-app purchases, Android and more? I asked some…
I'm on holiday in a remote corner of Wales, cut off from mobile connectivity and therefore unable to check the important things going on in the outside world. Football transfer rumours for example.
I've also little idea what's going on in the mobile space, which makes it tricky for me to comment on the week's big news.
So instead, I quizzed three youngsters about their phone habits. They are Lois (16), Marnie (14) and Lucy (12).
Really fascinating interview. (Not very comforting for BlackBerry though.) Be interesting to see a version interviewing boys.
FC3: Who's Watching You? >> ongoing
Tim Bray (who works at Google):
Worried about being watched? Me too. So who's doing it, and why, and what can they see, and what can you do about it?
A very neat rundown, well set out.
Tridiv : a CSS 3D Editor
Tridiv is a web-based editor for creating 3D shapes in CSS.
Rather nice. Chrome and Safari only at present.
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