As developers for tablets and smartphones we like to keep abreast of the latest mobile technology developments . This is a daily digest of mobile development and related technology news gathered from the BBC, the New York Times, New Scientist and the Globe and Mail to name a few. We scour the web for articles concerning, iPhone, iPad and android development, iOS and android operating systems as well as general articles on advances in mobile technology. We hope you find this useful and that it helps to keep you up to date with the latest technology developments.
The challenge of reporting cyberwar
Journalists face an unprecedented challenge in reporting accurately
The Revolution Has Only Just Begun
Big changes are often only recognized when they’re complete — such is the nature of the beast.
We are currently in the midst of one such epoch, a time in which the internet penetrates every aspect of our daily lives. That is going to change everything: the way we work and how we live, how we treat sick people and how we treat each other.
We are experiencing the revolution now.
Make no mistake, the world didn’t experience the actual digital revolution in the 90s. It is only now that we realize the real revolution. What we’ve seen in years past was only the beginning. This exact fact is the motto of this year’s Digital Conference (DLD). This change has to be discussed.
This revolution affects everything and everyone. The internet is going to impact every aspect of our lives over the next few years: the media, work, medicine, and even academia. We’ve only just seen the very beginning of this development.
What is more, the internet is changing its shape, coming loose from desktop computers and laptops. It is omnipresent, in everything around us. The digital is ubiquitous, just like electricity.
The changes brought about by this development are dramatic, whether they’re positive or negative. I for one am absolutely convinced that the positives will outweigh the negatives.
A look at our working lives
The lines between work and our private lives are getting blurred. We are becoming more flexible while at the same time exploring entirely new kinds of cooperation. Some go to the office early, and others work while they’re on the road. We’ll be using innovative communication tools that allow for novel ways of working together.
Several professions will have to redefine their job descriptions over the next few years, such as cab drivers, who are being challenged by Uber and other services, and hotels, which are facing fierce competition from providers like Airbnb.
In general, non-cognitive jobs seem to become increasingly marginalized. Working on an assembly line is a great example. The rise of robots has been much discussed: They are able to build machines, extinguish fires, write simple texts, and even drive cars. In the olden times, computers and TV screens were all the rage at IT fairs; today, it is self-propelled cars.
Every new cultural technology brings forth new professional needs, while others disappear. Traditional patterns are replaced by new ones. Appropriate reactions are called for to avoid significant social problems. It is vital that we reinvent ourselves in the course of this change.
Should we be worried?
On the contrary. I’m absolutely convinced that this new development presents new opportunities for the most part. Opportunities for innovation, and the chance to be more of a human again.
The reason is that we gain time from technological innovations fresh out of the lab. Sophisticated tools will, for example, enable journalists to negotiate huge amounts of data, thus giving them more time for other things.
Similar trends can be expected for other professions. We’ll have more time for essential things in the future, and that will have a positive impact. Already, it is obvious that people all around the world feel the need for more social engagement, which goes way beyond a symbolical mouse click from the comfort of a sofa, but in the direction of specialized platforms that allow for a real contribution.
Change cannot be stopped
Many people are still afraid of this change, and not least because the media like to stir up fear of these new technologies, especially in Germany. The reason is that they themselves are the subject of this change.
However, we need to understand that this change cannot be stopped. We need to shape the change before it shapes us.
To do so, let’s remember what traits once made Germany an important hub for technology. Let’s be more curious, courageous and, most of all, passionate when it comes to new technologies.
The interconnected world will benefit us all
I feel that digitalization is perceived by many in Germany as a necessary evil.
Yet, the interconnected world of the future will help all of us. Transmission drones will soon be used by enterprises like Google and Facebook to transport the internet to the darkest corners of the poorest countries in the world. Sebastian Thrun or Shai Reshef and their online universities provide top-notch education to people who haven’t had a shot at getting into a top university to date.
First and foremost, I’m excited about the changes that we’ll experience in the medical field. Imagine the groundbreaking imaging techniques or the personalization of medicine by employing the new means provided by the fast progressing field of genetic technology. Health care demonstrates clearly how algorithms can be used to save lives.
In the USA, computers analyze the data of premature babies. Since they have the data for thousands of babies, they can use patterns to discern illnesses and complications, and warn doctors before the problems even arise.
These examples go to show what enormous opportunities these new technologies present, and this is what we should talk about more often.
With all due skepticism, my glass is not half empty. It is at least half full. We’ll have to learn to learn what we don’t know yet.
DLD (Digital, Life, Design) is the international conference and innovation platform of Hubert Burda Media. DLD organizes Europe’s leading digital conference DLD and the women’s conference DLDwomen as well as international networking events. DLD Media also produces publications and online and video formats about the conference topics and consults DLD partner companies, startups, investors and institutions.
Uber promises 50,000 jobs in Europe
The chief executive of the online taxi-sharing firm Uber says he wants to make 2015 a year of rapid expansion in Europe.
#FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview Reveals What Never To Say When Applying For Work
If you’ve ever bombed a job interview, you know how it feels to replay the whole humiliating experience in your head over and over again. (If you say you haven’t, we don’t believe you.)
So maybe it was a sense of communal catharsis that helped #FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview to become a trending topic on Twitter this weekend, hot on the heels of #FiveWordsToRuinADate. We sincerely hope none of the following examples were learned from experience. But there’s some good wisdom here about the exact sorts of things you never, ever want to bring up when meeting with a potential employer.
Ever.
This is a stepping stone. #FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview @HeerJeet
— David Wolpe (@RabbiWolpe) January 18, 2015
“Ha whoa, you’re on Tinder”
#FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview
— Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein) January 18, 2015
“Is your supervisor’s job open?” #FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview
— Delaney Williams (@delaneywilliams) January 18, 2015
Hey, pants are optional, right? #FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview
— Amber Hunt (@ReporterAmber) January 18, 2015
This is Catherine, my mommy. #FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview
— John Bowman (@johnbowman) January 18, 2015
Need to take this call #FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview
— susan vavrick (@edit_susan) January 18, 2015
I’m not cannibalistic per se. #FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview
— Richard Kadrey (@Richard_Kadrey) January 18, 2015
Please use my Lycan name. #FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview
— Saladin Ahmed (@saladinahmed) January 18, 2015
My dad pays your salary. #FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview
— Gamer Fuel (@timoneil5000) January 18, 2015
#FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview
oh was this your chair
— darth™ (@darth) January 17, 2015
“You mean ‘fewer,’ not ‘less.’ ” #FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview
— Melinda Henneberger (@MelindaDC) January 18, 2015
This is the craziest dream.
#FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview
— Rick G. Rosner (@dumbassgenius) January 18, 2015
And an honorable mention:
I can’t count #FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview
— Dad (@ILLCapitano94) January 18, 2015
The Weird Racial Politics Of Online Dating
We’re in the midst of a cultural sea change to one of the most central institutions in the life of the nation.
American attitudes on interracial relationships have taken an enormous step forward in the last two decades. As recently as 1995, fewer than half of all Gallup survey respondents favored interracial marriage—and only 4 percent did in 1985. Now such sentiments are relegated to shadowy Internet message boards and corners of right-wing talk radio.
Facebook Wants To Automatically Transcribe Your Voice Messages
Why type when Facebook can do it for you?
A new feature for the Facebook Messenger app will automatically transcribe voice messages sent via the service, according to a Friday announcement from David Marcus, Facebook’s vice president of messaging products.
Currently, Facebook Messenger allows people to send voice messages: You simply tap a microphone icon, speak into your phone and transmit the audio clip to your recipient, who then has to actually listen to it in order to hear what you have to say.
But the new update, which Marcus says has been made available on a “tiny scale” to select users, will instead let people tap a button to have Facebook “auto-create” a text transcription of a voice message. In theory, this would allow you to get your messages even if you’re not in a position to slap your headphones on — at a loud concert, say, or in a meeting, to use Marcus’ examples.
A new update to Facebook Messenger will automatically transcribe voice messages for users. Image via Facebook.
Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment about when most users would receive the update. Marcus wrote that those who currently have access to the new feature are basically considered a “test” audience.
“We’re looking forward to seeing what you think of it before making the experience more widely available,” he wrote.
The transcription service seems to be in the same vein as Google Voice, which automatically writes up your voice mails — albeit with varying degrees of success:
An excerpt of a recent Google Voice transcription that I received from my mother. Neither of us knows a Gary.
Critics took issue with Facebook last year when the company separated its Messenger service from the main Facebook app on smartphones. Still, it’d be hard to call the product a flop: More than 500 million people were using the standalone Messenger app as of November 2014.
Giant Asteroid Is Headed Our Way, But NASA Says No Worries
A ginormous asteroid is headed our way, but no need to worry. NASA says asteroid 2004 BL86–estimated to be about one-third of a mile in diameter–will zoom harmlessly by Earth later this month.
That’s good news, of course. And get this: The asteroid’s size and proximity–about 745,000 miles from Earth at the nearest point in its flyby, or about three times the distance from the Earth to the Moon–mean it should be visible with nothing more than a good pair of binoculars.
(Story continues below).
“Monday, January 26 will be the closest asteroid 2004 BL86 will get to Earth for at least the next 200 years,” Don Yeomans, manager of NASA’s Near Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Lab, said in a written statement. “And while it poses no threat to Earth for the foreseeable future, it’s a relatively close approach by a relatively large asteroid, so it provides us a unique opportunity to observe and learn more.”
Skywatchers in the Americas, Europe, and Africa should have the best view of the asteroid on the night of Jan. 26, according to EarthSky. Weather permitting, the asteroid should be visible moving slowly across the sky in the vicinity of the constellation Cancer.
Of course, it will only look slow. The asteroid is actually streaking at about 35,000 miles an hour.
Yeomans said he might grab his own binoculars and have a look himself. If you’d rather stay indoors, you can catch the action online at The Virtual Telescope Project 2.0. The show starts at 2:30 p.m. EST.
Editor’s note: If you snap a good photo of asteroid 2004 BL86, we want to see it! Share your photo using #huffpostasteroid and/or send to science@huffingtonpost.com, and it may be featured on HuffPost and HuffPost social media channels.
DLD Conference Kicks Off In Munich
The annual Digital-Life-Design conference kicked off in Munich, Germany on Sunday. The conference, which focuses on digital innovation, will run through Tuesday.
HuffPost’s own Arianna Huffington will be speaking at the conference on Monday. Other notable speakers include Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick, Flickr co-founder Stewart Butterfield, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and prominent venture capitalist Ben Horowitz.
You can watch the event live in the video below:
Facebook Is Growing Its Virtual Reality And Drone Programs
By Alexei Oreskovic and Bill Rigby
SAN FRANCISCO/SEATTLE (Reuters) – Virtual reality goggles, drones and data centers are all driving a hiring spree at Facebook Inc that is set to swell its ranks as much as 14 percent in the near term, according to a review of job listings on the company’s website.
The Internet social networking company aims to add nearly 1,200 new employees, the outgrowth of aggressive investments that executives have said will define the coming year.
Oculus Rift, the maker of virtual reality headsets that Facebook acquired in a $2 billion deal last year, is among the key areas slated for growth, with 54 jobs listed on its website, according to a review by Reuters of listings.
Among the roles that Facebook needs to fill for the Oculus business are managers to oversee logistics, procurement and global supply chain planning – a sign, some analysts say, that the product is nearing its commercial release.
The market for virtual reality headsets is still nascent. But if virtual reality takes off for entertainment, gaming, communications or computing, Facebook could be at the center of the new platform with Oculus.
Facebook’s ambitious effort to build its own satellites and drones capable of delivering Internet service to remote regions of the world is another important area for hiring: the program has Facebook searching for specialists in areas such as avionics, radio frequency communications and thermal engineering.
“We are an ambitious company run by an ambitious CEO,” Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg told Reuters in an interview. “Our users are growing and our business is growing and we want to support that,” she said, noting that Facebook’s business is much more expansive today than a few years ago, with offices throughout the world.
The jobs run a gamut from sales people to software engineers for Facebook’s 1.35-billion-member social network.
Facebook’s growth spurt comes as the company expands into new markets and faces stiffening competition from Web rivals Google Inc , Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and well-capitalized start-ups such as Snapchat.
“There’s a fairly direct correlation between their investment in people and servers and infrastructure, and their ability to remain competitive,” said Robert Baird & Co analyst Colin Sebastian.
Facebook had 8,348 full-time employees at the end of September, far fewer than Google’s roughly 55,000 employees or Microsoft Corp’s roughly 127,000 (Microsoft announced in the summer that it plans to cut 18,000 jobs).
At the same time, Facebook gets more out of each employee, according to calculations using company revenue figures. Facebook’s revenue works out to roughly $384,000 per employee in the third quarter of 2014, versus $300,000 for Google and $183,000 for Microsoft.
That efficiency has helped Facebook enjoy rich profit margins. And the company’s relatively small headcount provides an important talking point in the battle to attract the most talented computer programmers.
Facebook has long touted to potential recruits their ability to work directly on products used by hundreds of millions of people, a marked contrast to some larger tech companies.
“We’re growing as fast as we can, where the ‘can’ part is really a factor of how many people we can absorb while maintaining a strong culture,” Paul Carduner, an engineering manager who runs Facebook’s Seattle office, told Reuters at one of the company’s famed ‘Hackathon’ events last week.
The hackathons feature Facebook programmers hunched over their computers and working through the night on personal projects that could eventually become Facebook products.
Facebook is growing exponentially in Seattle, a tech hub with a rich, and relatively cheap, talent pool created by local tech companies Microsoft and Amazon.com Inc . Facebook currently has more than 400 employees in Seattle, and is looking for a larger site close to the center of the city that could hold as many as 2,000 people, according to a person familiar with the matter.
At Facebook’s Menlo Park, California, headquarters, construction is expected to be completed this year on a new, roughly 500,000 square foot building designed by architect Frank Gehry that can accommodate 3,000 employees.
Atlas, the online advertising technology that Facebook acquired in 2013, is another big area of hiring, with more than 20 open positions listed.
The many opportunities Facebook is chasing could lift the company’s annual revenue to $30 billion within a few years, estimates Arvind Bhatia, an analyst with Sterne, Agee & Leach.
“To get to that level, they’re going to have to get people now,” Bhatia said.
(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco and Bill Riby in Seattle; Editing by Peter Henderson and Ken Wills)
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