Digit Magazine January 2017

The Static Page

Hello 2017

P

ersonally, I’m quite amazed with the way technology blazes into our life with each passing year. Inventions, discoveries, and upgrades have continually improved our digital and interconnected lives. And now that we’re at the very beginning of a brand new year, it would be nice to indulge in some crystal gazing and see how our lives will change further as the earth takes yet another trip around the sun. In many ways the issue you are holding in your hands right now has been conceived in line with this forward looking spirit. The concepts and prototypes that we aim to showcase in the cover story may not necessarily be those that will come to fruition anytime soon; however, they still give a glimpse of the future. The issue also includes features on the state of AI and one about the future of sensors and solar power. These are of course hot topics that will rule 2017, but if you were to ask for my personal take, I believe much of the innovation starting from CES will be around three very specific technology domains – a holy tech trinity if you will. And they are: IoT, AR/ VR, and machine learning. Wait, did I just say IoT? Yes, I did. I know I know, IoT has been touted as “the next big thing” for so many years now, it’s almost become a joke like Half Life 3. The thing with IoT though, especially in the smart home space, is that so far there has been a lot of fragmentation. There are hundreds of players with their own hardware, apps, and implementation methods, but no commonly accepted open standards for interoperability. With the likes of Amazon, Google, and Apple making heavy inroads into this space, I expect 2017 to really be the year home automation becomes mainstream. Even Zuckerberg has been playing with the idea of creating a Jarvis-like implementation for his home, and while I’m taking his recent video with a pinch of salt, I’m pretty sure he’ll have something interesting to showcase by mid 2017. The next technology that will see a lot of action is AR/VR. In fact, 2016 saw one of the biggest steps foretelling this wave – the now infamous Augmented Reality game Pokemon Go, which crossed a hundred million downloads. In 2017, taking things further, mixed reality will see a lot of development in terms of apps, gadgets, and content. While the smart contact lens, which Sony recently

patented, may be a little far off, we’ll find all sorts of HUDs appearing everywhere in 2017 - from car windshields to machine repair instructions powered by devices similar to the Microsoft Hololens. AR and VR experiences should become more commonplace in the coming year. The third technology rounding off this tech triumvirate is Machine Learning. AI, as you’ll soon find out, has achieved tremendous strides already. But this year things are going to go a step further. You’ll have a ton of chatbots appearing, your everyday assistants will become smarter and there will be a predictive element in almost every service you use – be it hailing cabs via an app or online shopping. It’ll start becoming so normal that it’ll be a new benchmark in the way services ought to be user friendly. Machine learning is particularly poised to augment the other two technologies I’ve mentioned. Within IoT and home automation, using algorithmic processing of patterns your home can mould itself to your needs and even anticipate them. Even with AR and VR, machine learning can help create powerful experiences. Imagine using the power of natural language processing (NLP) to come up with more intuitive ways of interacting with these new systems. Imagine using the power of Big Data to crunch information before it gets onto your HUD - your smartness quotient (at least superficially) will go up a few notches. Lastly, in VR and gaming, the importance of AI is unmatched in providing a more “realistic” and immersive experience. Imagine a game that evolves with the user’s play style. Coupled with VR-immersion, you might not be able to tell what’s real and what’s not! I for one am looking forward to what amazing tech experiences this new year is likely to bring. Like my three-point short list, which technologies do you think will take off in the near future? Looking forward to your thoughts.

Siddharth Parwatay Managing Editor [email protected]

“I believe much of the innovation starting from CES will be around three very specific technology domains -- a holy tech trinity if you will.”

Reach me at: facebook.com/staticsid | @staticsid | [email protected]

www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 1

The RSS Feed

Prototype Trump

H

appy New Year to all of you, and thank you for sticking with Digit for another full calendar year. You better stay with us for 2017 too, because it’s going to be a wild ride in technology, and you’re going to need your favourite navigator to help you find your way through it. This month’s cover story is about concepts, prototypes and new technologies that will take off in 2017. Concepts are raw ideas that may or may not work. They often look good, but they may not be practical. Think of every concept car image you have seen. Awesome looking things aren’t they? Not practical at all, but then again since when has practical ever been fun? Then you come to prototypes. They’re often ugly looking things, and look nothing at all like the concept designs and images that inspired them, and most often they barely work, or just do enough to be a proof of concept. This is all we expect of them, because it’s only with painstaking research and development that final products get made, and yes, even final products rarely ever look like the concept devices that were pictured in the original artist’s mind. Then again, artists aren’t engineers, and nor should they be. Those of you who have read Digit for a long time will know we aren’t political, and avoid politics (and politicians) like the plague. Tech has no politics, religion and gender, and that’s why we love it so much. So why on earth is the headline of this column mentioning Trump (with a capital T)? We don’t care about his politics, and we don’t care about pretty much anything he does or says, except that which affects us as Indians, or as technology users. Whether we like it or not, the US has a tremendous hold on the technology world, and as a result, so does the supreme leader of that country. As a concept Trump is far from beautiful – no artist, no matter how skilled could ever be able to pull that off. However, as a concept he was funny, and the resident troll in us all secretly wished he’d win the election, just to see what happens. Then, when he did win, he was no longer a concept, he was now a prototype. Things suddenly got serious. And that’s the stage we’re at right now. Personally, I think his anti-China ranting is actually good for India. It’s not at all

2 | Digit | January 2017 | www.digit.in

surprising that Apple wants to start making products in India as well now. I expect a lot more business to come our way if we play our cards right, because no big company in the US wants their business to be held to ransom by diplomatic ties between the US and China. Given their new president’s whimsical nature, and the matching ego of the Chinese, trouble may very well be brewing for many tech companies. Net neutrality fans might not like the ideas he and his cabinet have though, because the word is that the new government plans to do away with the new amendment to uphold net neutrality that was introduced just recently under Obama’s watch. The republicans have long since been opposed to government interference, and believe in the free market – which means let the provider do whatever it wants to, as long as you have an option to switch providers, everything will work out. Problem is, most areas in the US don’t have too many options for ISPs where they live, and providers are probably going to come together anyway, given the prospect of making more money, not just off consumers, but also off internet companies. Though this doesn’t affect India, we know that as the home of most of the internet, whatever happens in the US has a ripple effect all over the world. Another aspect of his campaign has been his promise to bring back jobs to the US, which makes me wonder how much we might lose in outsourcing revenue, even if we make some extra by manufacturing Apple devices. In the end, only time will tell how prototype Trump will impact us as President Trump, so we have to wait and watch. Either way, there certainly are interesting times ahead for technology in 2017. What do you think will be the biggest changes (if any) for India (positive or negative) because of the new US president? Write in and tell me, I’d love to hear some varied (and perhaps better informed) views on the topic.

Robert Sovereign-Smith Executive Editor [email protected]

“Tech has no politics, no religion and no gender, and that’s why we love it so much. So why on earth is the headline of this column mentioning Trump (with a capital T)?”

Liked or hated this column? Let me know at: [email protected] | @raaabo facebook.com/raaabo

Contents JANUARY 2017

VOLUME 17 \ ISSUE 01

QUICK

NAVIGATOR 001 ENTER 014 DGT Desire

Greed Temptation

LIFE 028 DIGITAL Origins Feature

TECH 038 SCI Tomorrow’s Tech From the Labs Space Age

058 TOOLBOX Q&A

Workshop Tips and Tricks

073 WORLDVIEW 077 DEVWORX TRIED AND 098 TESTED Comparison Test Bazaar

SMART 114 STREET Agent 001 Price watch Killer Rigs Top 3 Industry connect

Concepts for 2017 48 17 In this calendar year, the implementations of

these 17 concepts blur the distinction between science-fiction and real life even more.

It’s [A]l[I]ve

Right now, AI is quite capable and it’s evolution isn’t stopping anytime soon.

122 ESC Feature Unwind

32

TRIED & TESTED


106 EPSON L655 INK TANK PRINTER

108 GIGABYTE RADEON RX 480

Superb raster prints for the average SOHO

Why go for stock when you’ve got this?

109 ASUS ZENBOOK 3 Is the latest powerful, fast and thin Zenbook a viable Macbook alternative?

ON THE DVD Learn Angular 2

This release is based on Ubuntu 16.04 (64-bit), with the Cinnamon desktop.

IntelliJ IDEA Visual Studio Code WebStorm Angular IDE Angular libraries Cross-platform development

81 SKOAR! (Now inside Digit)

From the good old days of 8-bit to the modern 4k 60fps wonders, we trace gaming’s evolution.

MAKE THIS ISSUE OF DIGIT COME ALIVE FILL SCREEN FILL SCREEN WITH IMAGE WITH IMAGE DOWNLOAD DOWNLOAD BLIPPAR BLIPPAR

BLIPP...BLIPP...

FILL SCREEN IMAGE JUMPS IMAGE JUMPS WITH IMAGE TO LIFE! TO LIFE!

BLIPP...

IMAGE JUMPS TO LIFE!

DOWNLOAD BLIPPAR

Step 1

Step 2

Download the Blippar app

Keep an eye out for Blip the image and get access the Blippar icon next to video reviews, interactive to some images games, and much more!

Step 3

42 Sensors of the future

Beyond gyroscopes and accelerometers!

62 Live streaming This workshop shows you how to setup your own gaming livestream.

PlayStation Experience 2016 Trailers

Game Streaming Software Gameshow Livestream OBS Classic OBS Studio Wirecast XSplit Gamecaster

Games Brief Karate Foolish Cloudphobia Demo Cubotrox Demo EXIT Demo Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 1 Neon Warp Demo The Eyes of Ara Demo Linux Mint 18 Cinnamon Clement Lefebvre has announced a new release of Linux Mint. The new version, Linux Mint 18, is a long term support release which will receive support through to the year 2021.

Absolver Ace Combat 7 Call of Duty World League 2017 Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Destiny: Rise of Iron Dreadnought Gran Turismo Sport Horizon Zero Dawn Knack 2 Lara Croft GO LET IT DIE Nex Machina Software Updates AdwCleaner AirDroid Image AMD Radeon ReLive Avast Google Chrome K-Lite Mega Pack Malwarebytes Image NVIDIA Graphics Drivers Spybot Search and Destroy Transmission-QT WhatsApp for Windows WPS Office

LEARN ANGULAR 2 LINUX MINT 18 CINNAMON

DVD

111 THERMALTAKE CORE P3 The most beautiful chassis we’ve ever assembled

GAME STREAMING SOFTWARE

113 ONEPLUS 3T OnePlus just showed us how to make the best they had even better.


January 2017 • Volume 17 • Issue 01 TO ADVERTISE Email: [email protected] Sales Director: Lalit Arun, Mobile: +91-9582262959

Managing Director Dr. Pramath Raj Sinha Printer and Publisher Kanak Ghosh Publishing Director Vikas Gupta Editorial Executive Editor Robert Sovereign-Smith Managing Editor Siddharth Parwatay Multimedia Co-ordinator Abhijit Dey

South: Ram Sarangi, Mobile: +91-98864 06961 West: Suvarna Shringarpure, Mobile: +91-93249 28247 North: Mayank Sharma , Mobile: +91-8800661912 East: Jayanta Bhattacharyya, Mobile: +91-93318 29284

Writers Arnab Mukherjee, Manish Rajesh, Nikhil Punjabi

PRODUCTS REVIEWED THIS MONTH Bazaar OnePlus 3T LG V20 Lenovo K6 Power Corsair Carbide Air 740 Corsair VOID RGB HyperX Cloud Stinger Epson L655 RX 460 Thermaltake P3 GIGABYTE RX 480 Jabra Halo Smart Asus Zenbook 3 WD Passport external HDD Coolpad Note 5

Intern Yangerlong Jamir

ADVERTISING INDEX Test Centre Asst. Technical Editor Mithun Mohandas

Brand ............................................. Page No.

Reviewers Hardik Singh, Souvik Das, Shrey Pacheco Assistant Vikas Patil digit.in Editor Soham Raninga

Shell .......................................... Inside front cover TPLink .......................................Inside back cover

Assistant Editor Prasid Banerjee, Sameer Mitha Features Editor Adamya Sharma

Gigabyte - 1 ...........................................Back cover

Senior Sub Editor Karthek Iyer Mgr - Online Shauvik Kumar

Gigabyte - 2 ............................................................13

Design Sr. Art Director Anil VK

Kyocera ...................................................................... 3

Associate Art Director Shokeen Saifi Visualiser Baiju NV Lead UI/UX Designer Shri Hari Tiwari

LIC .............................................................................. 7

Sr. Designers Haridas Balan, Charu Dwivedi, Peterson PJ & Manoj Kumar VP

iBall - 1 ....................................................................... 9

Photography

iBall - 2 .....................................................................59

Sr. Photographer Jiten Gandhi Contributors

ICTS.......................................................................... 11

Writers Aabir Abubaker, Abhishek Balaji, Anusha Sinha, Arjun Krishna Lal, Dhinoj Dings Production and Logistics Manager Operations Rakesh Upadhyay

C II - 1 .....................................................................15 C II - 2 .....................................................................97

Manager Logistics Vijay Menon Asst Mgr Production & Logistics M P Singh

Quantum............................................................... 128

Executive Mohd. Nadeem Ansari Brand Brand Head Mitin Kumar Asst Product Mgr Madhuri Goel Co-ordinator / Scheduling Kishan Singh Circulation Sales

Published and printed by Kanak Ghosh for and on behalf of the owners, M/s Nine Dot Nine Interactive Pvt Ltd. Published at A-262, 2nd Floor, Defence colony, New Delhi-110024 and printed at International Print-O-Pac Limited, C/4-11, Hosiery Complex, Phase II Extension, Noida-201306 (U..P.) INDIA. Editor : Kanak Ghosh.

Comparison Test ASUS Cerberus Cooler Master MasterMouse Lite S Cooler Master MasterMouse S Cooler Master MasterMouse Pro L G.Skill MX780 Gigabyte XM300 Steelseries Rival 100 Steelseries Rival 300 Razer Death Adder Elite Gamdias Zeus P1 RGB TT eSports Ventus Z Zowie EC2-A Zowie FK2 Zowie ZA11 Logitech Proteus Core G502

GAMES REVIEWED THIS MONTH Steep Dead Rising 4 Mobile Monthly Distraint Overpainted Dan the Man Seen Time Locker

MAKE THIS ISSUE OF DIGIT COME ALIVE FILL SCREEN Step 1 WITH IMAGE DOWNLOAD BLIPPAR

Head - Circulation Samir Mehta Regional Mgrs Jayanta Bhattacharyya, Norbert Joseph Manager Circulation Dharmendra Singh Reader Services Team Leader Sudhir Patel Executives Poonam, Bhishm, Nilesh & Narendra +91-22-67899678 / [email protected] Cover Design Peterson PJ


“We do not endorse or recommend any product or service advertised in the magazine. The advertisement’s in this magazine are for information purposes only. We doDOWNLOAD not, BLIPPAR expressly or impliedly, warrant or assume any liability or responsibility for the quality, accuracy, completeness, legality, reliability, usefulness or claims of any product or service advertised in the magazine. Our readers are strongly advised to carry out their own independent assessment of FILL SCREEN the product or services advertised in the magazine.” WITH IMAGE DOWNLOAD Disclaimer BLIPPAR For every Digit contest, there will be only one winner, unless specified otherwise. In the event of a dispute, the Editor’s decision shall be final.

Missing Jrump Beat Stomper Prime Peaks

FILL SCREEN WITH IMAGE

BLIPP...


Download the Blippar app BLIPP... IMAGE2 JUMPS Step TO LIFE!

Keep an eye out for the Blippar icon next to some images BLIPP...


Step 3 Blip the image and get access to video reviews, interactive games, and much more!

Contact us Tell us what you feel about Digit If you have an opinion about anything published in Digit, or about technology in general, write to [email protected] or call at +91-22-678 99 700. To interact with the authors of specific articles, please write to the email address specified under the author’s name Software on the DVDs To submit and suggest software or any other type of content, to be included in the Digit DVDs, write to [email protected] or call +91-22-678 99 707 Q&A If you’re having trouble with your PC or a gadget, our experts can help solve your problems. Just write in to [email protected]. Remember to include full system configurations in your email. Agent001 Our very own secret agent will give you the lowdown on what to buy, from where and for how much. Send in all your buying advice or questions to the coolest agent ever. Write to [email protected] Help! For copy-related issues, delivery status or any other complaints regarding out service, write to [email protected] or call +91-22-678 99 678 Subscribe Want to subscribe to India’s #1 Technology Magazine? You should, because we have exciting offers for everyone, and you save money in the bargain. SMS: to 92200 92200 or visit www.digit.in/subscribe Product testing Want your product reviewed by Digit? Contact our Test Center at [email protected] or call +91-22-678 99 708

News and new product launches To announce new product launches and press releases, email us at [email protected]

Endorsements / reprints Interested in ordering article reprints or in using our logos? Get the requisite permissions by contacting us at [email protected] Business enquiries Think we can help you grow your business, or maybe you can help us grow ours? Get in touch with us at [email protected]

Careers Want to work for Digit? Send us your resume at [email protected]

Sponsorship Want Digit to sponsor your tech event? Send your proposal to [email protected]

Interact with Team Digit digit.in/twitter

digit.in/facebook

digit.in/youtube

digit.in/forum

Forum


Digit Facebook Pages Join the group that suits your need! http://www.facebook.com/ thinkdigit Your favourite magazine on your favourite social network. Interact with thousands of Digit readers and have some geeky fun! http://www.facebook.com/ techkranti Let’s wake ourselves up and gather the tools of tech to change the future of our great nation. Join The Revolution! http://www.facebook.com/ IThinkGadgets Community of People who love mobiles, laptops, cameras & other gadgets http://www.facebook.com/ consumermate Expert buying advice and some awesome offers http://www.facebook.com/ devworx.in Community of software programmers who enjoy writing code and want to grow their career in software development

DGT

Enter

14

All the latest lifestyle technology, gadgets to drool over and gizmo porn like never before. Desire, Greed and Temptation ahead...

) I'm a great fan of Digit magazine. I

love technology and gadgets. I'm a 12th std. student and I love science, especially astronomy or cosmology. I like your dmystify books very much, and want to read all the previous books. So, can I get the digital edition of all the dmystify books, and also upcoming books in digital format? Thank you! –Mohammad Rehan

Apple VS Nokia again

The two mobile companies are back again with their patent lawsuits. Read more here: http://dgit.in/ApleNokia

Feedback for the December 2016 issue of Digit

We usually give out PDF editions with our June and December special issues, the latter is still available for order online. If you want upcoming editions in digital format, there’s an easy way out for that - you’ll have to download our app from here - http://dgit.in/ AndroidEmag

–Abhijit ) Hello Team Digit, Greetings from one of your loyal fans. I'm a student studying in Grade 9 and am an ardent follower of Digit from the last six months. I really liked the comparisons and the reviews and tests done in the Digit Zero1 awards. I absolutely loved the blast pun you guys did on the Note7 issue. Now coming to some suggestions: 1. PLEASE PROVIDE A POSTER FOR CALL OF DUTY : INFINITE WARFARE. I beg you. 2. Provide SKOAR! as a separate magazine. (Did I mention that I'm a console head? Sorry #PCMasterRace) 3. Please increase the quantity of material in SKOAR! 4. Stop hating iPhones so much. (pun intended) 5. Increase the number of memes. 6. I have noticed that you guys have decreased the length of the Digit Diary. It is very interesting to read. P.S. How many of you made your New year resolution to finish your work on time. P.P.S. Please leak the identity of Agent001. Last thing - Can we have another Encyclopaedia Technica or another round of Crack the Code? –Dhruv Dugar


Dhruv, Your suggestions for the poster have been noted. There is a certain process for picking the artwork for the poster, which is why sometimes we can’t give a certain game. But fear not, your interests are always at our heart. As for the diary, why does it seem to me that you like reading about our sufferings? And since you’ve asked about my identity, let me refashion the now famous line from V for Vendetta. We are all Agent001, We are Digit, We are Technology, We are not biased, Write to us. ;-) –Agent001 ) Hey Team Digit,

I’m a very big fan of your magazine. I know you have better stuff to do so I’ll make it short. My problem is that I have a story for a game. It is a very good story for an FPS/RPG game. The problem is I don’t know programming and I don’t know anyone around me who does. So I want to know whether I can send the story to a publisher/ developer and, if so whom. Please reply quickly. Thank you in advance. –Radhika Katiki

If you trust us, you can share the story with us and we will give you our honest feedback. If we think it sucks, we will say so, and if we think it’s good, we’ll say that. We could share some pointers too and then we can help by putting you in touch with some people at game studios if we think the storyline has what it takes. –Mithun ) Hi! I’ve been a huge fan since I was

8, I’m now 17. It has been a long time reading your issues. In the beginning from my school's library and then later by saving my pocket money and getting it from the stand. Your magazine was like a part of my life. All month long I’d wait for your next issue while guessing what would be in your upcoming issue. I miss those days a lot. 1. Guys try doing some experiment in you magazine like changing your pics. 2. Try to add a page about the month’s top phone apps and games as it is all the buzz now all thanks to JIO. 3. Give some sexy posters as guys love them and put it up on walls. 4. I should salute you as you guys give such good quality stuff for this cost and that too in print.

VW concept EV Inbox

Volkswagen teases a new fully electronic self-driving car concept with a rectangle steering wheel. http://dgit.in/VWnewEV

5. Please change your DVD look and try to add some more utility software. 6. Give Robert's ID at the end of the email section as well so it will be easier to find for first timers. 7. I have moved to the countryside and can't get your magazine so is it possible to get a summary kinda stuff in like once every 2 or 3 months? I'm in 11th right now so this New Year I’m going to buy a home theater and my parents are giving me a budget

Corrigendum

In our December 2016 issue, ASUS PA329Q was wrongly listed as PA328Q and sequential write speeds for the Samsung 960 Pro should have been 2,100 MB/s.

of `12K. As I'm a movie freak I watch loads of movies, especially horror. And listen to EDM and trap music all day so I want my room to be booming with all the bass. Thanks guys! –Sanyam Maan Hey Sanyam, We’d really like to help get a Digit issue to your town so we’ll put you in touch with our logistics team. You can find our app and mobile game recommendations in the DGT>Greed

section and SKOAR!, respectively. Are you saying our video game posters aren’t sexy enough? We are working on the DVD interface and you’ll see something new soon. Don’t worry about mails not going to Robert, he has the all-seeing eye. For the home theatre recommendation, check out a similar query in the Agent001 section of this issue. Hopefully, that should make your room go booming with bass. –Siddharth

LETTER OF THE MONTH ) The cover story in the Collector’s Edition made me a col-

lector. DGT Auto was a master piece. Digit Mini really helped clear misconceptions. I’d like to give awards to Digit for some of the best content I’ve come across over the entire year that I’ve been reading the magazine: 1. Best Article - ‘15 men and 1 woman’ by Adamya Sharma (Features Editor in 15th Anniversary Edition) 2. Best Cover Story - Our Tech Story 3. Best dymstify - The human brain 4. Best FastTrack - Secure everything 5. Best SKOAR! - Rewriting history 6. Best Poster - Uncharted: A Thief’s End Some suggestions: 7. Please give some videos and articles in Hindi as there are many who are interested in tech, but don’t understand English due to the language barrier. 8. Please make App on Digit Quiz 9. Please provide 2 DVDs every month and 3 DVDs in Special Edition 10. Please change the DVD music 11. Please do Phranchise features for AC and NFS Some criticism: 12. I have gone through your PDFs from 2006 - 2014 and saw that you have reduced the DVD content 13. You don’t conduct the DIGIT Contest any more 14. You stopped giving views of celebrities about tech. 15. Another year passes without changing DVD UI isn’t. I hope in 2017 it will be changed. 16. Right now I complete my 1 year of reading digit and have lost 3 things:1 EDWARD HENNING SIR 2 Jayesh Shinde 3 DVD and DVD content (reduced since 2006). I got very disappointed and got emotionally flooded on hearing the news of death of Sir Edward Henning & farewell of Jayesh Shinde.


May Sir Edward rest in peace and hoping for a better life ahead for Jayesh. The cover page story drawing are very very good thanks to all designer teammates. Thanks again for being my technology navigator for this year - my offline google. –Anubhav Prakash Wow Anubhav, that’s a really long letter with a lot of points that you have made. I’ll try and take them up one at a time. Thank you for the positive feedback in from 1 through 6, appreciated 7. We currently have a hindi version of our site, and you can check it out at digit.in/hi 8. Not a bad idea as a part of another app. 9. We are aware of the love for the 2 DVDs of software, but our indepth research of our reader-base suggested that many more prefer the dmystify over the second DVD. Alas, we can’t give you this point. 10. Will do so 11. The SKOAR! Gods rarely answer anyone’s prayers, so let’s see, but don’t hold your breath. 12. Answered in point 9 13. We do contests as and when we have goodies to give away. We will try and hold another soon. 14. Turns out celebs are way less geeky than our readers, and they don’t want to seem like fools in front of you. 15. I have given up on this. Perhaps the team will finally do something about it, I don’t have the energy to beg for it anymore :-( 16. We all miss Edward. He had seen and experienced more of India than all of us put together, and used to translate old documents from Sanskrit to English. He was more “Indian” than all of us, frankly. As for Jayesh, we are sure he will remain in touch and be a critical reader like yourself. You can take people out of Digit, but you can’t take the Digit out of them :-) I will pass on your message to the designers, they will be tickled pink! –Robert

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SECTION

SUBSECTION

GREED

TEMPTATION

For those who just want more than should be humanly allowed, we have enough to satisfy your hunger...

If you’re wondering what to do with yourself or how to spend some time getting cultured, this section is for you...

THIS MONTH: Pagani Huayra Hermes Edition, Casio MR-G Gold Hammer Tone,Ixoost Esavox, The Undersea Aquahoverer and more ...

THIS MONTH: Movie: Rogue One - A Star Wars Story, Arrival and upcoming movies to watch out for in January 2017 ...

TECHNOLOGY WITH STYLE DESIRE

SHOWCASE

ChainFORM C Hy Hy is a pair of hidden wireless earbuds that are quite discreet looking can augment your natural hearing. Hy is designed to be as unintrusive as possible and is built so that you can go about your daily activities without worry. It comes with active noise cancellation and leaves your natural hearing unaffected. Another nifty feature is that it also comes with biometric sensors for the health conscious. Moreover, the which allow for health monitoring. And yes, they will release the SDK!

hainFORM is an MIT project which is a neat little hardware system that has shape changing capabilities. It is a modular robot which, thanks to its form changing factor, can change into anything, yes ANYTHING, depending on how you put its modules together. This means you can turn into a walking robot, a clock, a joystick, the list goes on forever. With ChainFORM, you can adjust its shape, color, and even its length. Each module of ChainFORM has touch detection across multiple surfaces and also comes with blinking lights and motor actuation. The lights can also be programmed and customized to suit your needs, such as for interactive displays. ChainFORM is able

to tell how many modules are connected together and each module is capable of changing their individual function. The ChainFORM is based on a similar project from the past called LineFORM which some might be familiar with. The project is still a work in progress for the time being, but expect to see this handy gadget in markets within a decade or

so from now. If you have a hard time picturing it, then imagine a bunch of LEGO bricks that are touch sensitive, have their own lights, are programmable and can move around on their own. With limitless application scenarios, we can’t wait to see how this project evolves and we certainly hope these evolve into nanobots!

Bose Hearphones Helios

Hudify

Naked Case

The Hearphones allow you to control the sound around you, allowing you to tune out distractions in noisy environments, thus enhancing your conversations and focus.

Hudify turns your smartphone into a portable and transparent heads-up display for your car and gives you features like GPS and speed limit notifications and more.

Naked Case as the name implies is a case for your iPhone but one you will barely notice. The Naked Case is puncture-proof so you don’t have to worry about getting scratches.

Helios is a modular touch screen wall light which needs only a touch to turn on or off. Thanks to its modular design you can choose how much lighting you need in an area.


DESIRE

SHOWCASE

Foldscope F

oldscope is an origami microscope that can fit in your pockets. It’s made mostly out of water-proof paper and allows you to make use of a microscope without the bulk and expense of a conventional microscope. Foldscope is aiming to bring the microscope out of the labs and into the hands of the people. Don’t be fooled, Foldscope is a proper microscope and has the magnification and resolution to be able to image individual cells and other single celled organisms. Thanks to its price and design the Foldscope can be used anywhere, it’s a great tool for one with a curious mind, effectively bringing science into your daily life. Foldscope comes with its own kit which fits nicely into a pencil box like package.

The kit comes with key items that allow you to prepare and mount samples in whatever kind of setting you’re in at any given moment. This way you have all the tools you’ll need if you need to quickly zoom in on something. The standard Foldscope comes with a 140X magnifications lens.

SPECIFICATIONS

Magnification: 140x | Lens material: Borosilicate glass | Resolution: 2 microns | Dimensions: 180 mm x 80 mm x 5 mm | Weight: 400 grams (kit) / 8 grams (Foldscope) | Power: NA Price: $20

EyeQue

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yeQue is a personal vision tracking smartphone vision test. Using EyeQue you can test your vision at home without having to go through the hassle of getting an appointment and having to travel to a specialist for tests. All you need is the EyeQue miniscope and the myEyeQue app which is free and available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play. When using EyeQue your results are returned almost immediately, and the record is returned using spherical, cylindrical and axis figures which are the same as those used by eye doctors to generate prescriptions. That means that you can determine what kind of glasses you’ll be needing right at home and can simply place an order for them online or skip the appointment and head straight to the spectacle store. To add to that, you can check your vision history on the app as well, allowing you to compare and share your vision history with your doctor.


DESIRE

SHOWCASE

Switch Bot T

he Switch Bot is a tiny robot which mechanically controls all kinds of switches and buttons no matter where you are. Basically, with the Switch Bot you can control your switches wirelessly. The device functions by actuating a mechanical arm which presses down. To install the Switch Bot you simply have to affix the Switch Bot right where the actuating arm can trigger the switch. It’s has a 3M adhesive pad which is destined to last for ages. It is built in a way which allows it to work with just about any kind of switch found all over the world, so you don’t have to worry about it not fitting your switch. All you need to do is place it such that the arm can trigger your switch. For electrical switches around the house you might have to swap them out for spring-loaded rocker switches. The Switch Bot works well with smart home apps and devices as well and can be controlled by the likes of Amazon Echo, SmartThings, WeMo sensors and several others. The Switch Bot comes with a long battery life as well; it’s powered by a lithium battery which can be replaced but should suffice for around 600 days. After all, once the arm is stationary, it will no longer consume any power. All you need to do to get the Switch Bot running after you’ve attached it to whatever switch you want, simply use the free

Acton Blink T

he Acton Blink electric skateboards come with a host of neat features and are made with top-grade materials to ensure you get the best ride. The Acton Blink has 3 models for you to choose from, the Blink Qu4tro which comes with 4 wheel drive and actually allows you to climb hills thanks to

app or whatever smart home device you have in your home. The project is now on Kickstarter and you can get one Switch Bot if you pledge $19. Unfortunately, that rewards rung ran out way quickly, so if you want to get your hands on one, you’ll have to shell out $79.

its power. The Blink S2 comes with 2 wheel drive, it’s meant to be an allrounder and a cruiser with long range and allows for uphill boarding as well. The Blink S is the most economical variant and comes with 1 wheel drive. It’s also the lightest of the lot and the most portable as well, making it ideal

for campuses. All 3 models come with a hub motor, a remote control and a smart app. They can be connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth and they’re all water resistant. Each of the three models also comes with regenerative braking and integrated lights on the front, rear, and sides.


DESIRE

TAKE MY MONEY! Here is where we keep an eye on crowdfunded projects that will make you go ‘Shut up and take my money!’

FlowMotion ONE T

he FlowMotion ONE is a smartphone stabilizer which aims to provide smooth and cinematic videos with your smartphones. It’s a gimbal for your smartphone. It comes with a slew of features which allows you to make videos like the pros. It eliminates camera shake entirely, it’s compact and weighs only 300 grams. You can dismantle and fit it in your pockets with ease. You can mount the FlowMotion to pretty much any camera mount or the optional carbon extension pole that comes with the device. The FlowMotion ONE comes with its own app that allows you to make use of its auto follow technology. All you need to do is mark the person you wish to follow and the ONE will keep them in the frame no matter where they are.

iKeybo T

he iKeybo is a virtual laser projected keyboard, piano and portable charger, all in one. It’s multi-lingual a well, so anyone can use the iKeybo. It can be a pain to type on a keyboard whose layout you aren’t familiar with. To remedy that, the iKeybo comes with 4 different language layouts: English, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese. Now while we’re not particularly concerned with that, it’s still pretty cool. Another cool thing about the iKeybo is that it comes with its own in-build music app and can transform into a piano, guitar, bass or drums when you want it to. Simply hook up your smartphone onto the iKeybo and let the tunes flow. The third perk of the iKeybo is that it doubles as a portable charger for your devices as well and can hold up to 10 hours of charge. And we all know how much extra power comes in handy! And lastly, the device is compact enough for you to be able to carry it around with ease. So if you’re in the market for a really cool looking keyboard cum instrument cum charger that’s light weight and feature rich, all you need to do is look up the iKeybo on Kickstarter.

NexD1 T

he NexD1 is a 3D printer capable of high-end prototyping, multi-material and 3D electronics printing. It utilizes industrial-grade 3D printing technology called PolyJet which they’ve scaled down and are calling it DigiJet. DigiJet is capable of printing a wide range of materials from nanoparticles to special resins. The NexD1 can print fully functional circuits and can place them in any 3D configuration within your design. It uses a six cartridge system which allows it to combine and print up to six materials at once. It’s eco-friendly as well, and operates with non-toxic water soluble support materials. You can also connect to the NexD1 through your smartphone and print from anywhere, it’s comparatively easy to use than some of the other 3D printers out there, and significantly cheaper as well. If you are interested in some 3D printing, check them out on Kickstarter.


DESIRE

TAKE MY MONEY

HelloEar Arc T Silent Partner S

ilent Partner is a SmartMask one would use while sleeping that helps deal with snoring. How this works is the Silent Partner creates a silent zone around the person in question, thereby doing away with the snoring sound for those in the vicinity. It does so my using Active Noise Cancellation technology. The Silent Partner emits a counter sound to cancel out the sound of snoring, or in more technical terms, the Silent Partner senses the frequency of the snores and broadcasts a sound wave in an inverted phase. When the two waves line up they cancel each other out. Thanks to “subwavelength active noise cancellation” the Silent Partner can reduce noise effectively from as close as 8–inches away. There’s nothing to it as well, all you need to do is wear it, turn it on, and go to sleep as usual. The Silent Partner is light and compact as well, so you can carry it around with ease, and you don’t have to worry about getting it dirty since it’s washable. You can find the SmartMask on indiegogo.

he Hello Ear Arc is a pair of custom earphones designed to achieve maximum comfort during use. They’re built to ensure a comfortable and secure fit, no matter how long you end up wearing them. The Arc features a custom airbag structure which is flexible and bends depending on how you move. It’s crafted with silica gel so that your ears don’t feel too stuffy and gives them room to breathe. The design also offers a secure fit, so you can go about your workout or you jog or whatever activity you were doing without worrying about the Arc falling out of your ears. It makes use of the Z-lock earphone design, which is inspired by the Z shape sound wave reflection structure. The Arc is customisable as well, you can use it via Bluetooth or a 3.5 mm jack or even via lightning cable. Interested in the Arc? Find the HelloEar Arc on Kickstarter.

Temperfect Mug T

he very first thing one often looks forward to in the morning is their cup of coffee. And if that cup of coffee isn’t just right, it could ruin the rest of the day for them. Trust us, we know this from experience. This is where the Temperfect Mug comes in, it works to ensure that your coffee stays “just right.” You don’t need any batteries or cords or apps to get this mug to work, you just pour your coffee in there and it does its magic, ensuring that your coffee stays just right for hours. It does this by extracting the extra heat from your coffee right as you start pouring it into the mug, this stored heat then works to keep your coffee at the right temperature. Since it extracts the heat right away, you can drink your coffee right away without worrying about burning your mouth. To pull this off, Temperfect added a second layer of insulation to a vacuum-insulated travel mug. This enables it to be able to absorb the heat and release it again slowly to keep your coffee from getting cold. Look for Temperfect on indiegogo if you want to get your own perfect mug of just right coffee.

Findster Duo

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very pet lover is concerned about their pet, and it can be quite worrying when your pet is lost. It comes as no surprise that people often invest in GPS trackers for their pets to ensure that they know where they are at all times, but these GPS tracking services often require a monthly fee. This is where the Findster Duo comes in, this handy GPS tracker requires no monthly fees and has no coverage limits either. It also monitors your pet’s health for you, and even rewards you for keeping your pet in good shape. In addition to precise real-time GPS tracking, the Findster Duo app includes a built-in radar as well which shows you how far you are from your pet and guides you towards them. You can set up zones on the app, the Security Zone where you want your pet to stay, and the Danger Zone, which you want your pet to avoid. If you pet does happen to wander into the Danger Zone, the app immediately notifies you. Definitely a must have for pet lovers around the world. www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 19

DESIRE

MOBILE WATCH Stylish, glamorous and interesting smartphones are always on the horizon. We take a closer look at what’s hot in this space...

Nokia C1 T

he Nokia C1 marks the return of the iconic phone brand that at one point of time used to lead the mobile market. Nokia’s decision to adopt Windows over Android could maybe be the reason for the company’s downfall. However, it looks like Nokia have learned from their mistakes and intend to make a comeback with their Android based device. The new Nokia C1 is expected to launch in February and will come with a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS LCD display. It’ll run on the Android v6.0(Marshmallow) OS and will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 chipset. With 2 GB of RAM

HTC Desire 10 Pro T

he HTC Desire 10 Pro comes with some top-grade cameras and is backed by ample amounts of expandable memory to be able to back those pictures you’re going to take. The HTC Desire 10 Pro comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS LCD display and on the back it’s got a fingerprint sensor. It runs on an octa-core MediaTek MT6755 clocked at 2 GHz and is backed by 4 GB of RAM and a Mali-T860 MO2 graphics engine. The device has a 20 MP rear camera with laser autofocus, dual-colour LED flash and 13MP camera on the front. This phone is powered by a 3000mAh li-polymer battery with the option to fast-charge making it a great choice for multi-tasking and gaming. Expected in February.

and an Adreno 510 GPU to churn out all the graphics, this phone should be priced for the average consumer which packing a decent hardware. You have a 13 MP camera on the rear and a 5 MP front camera for your selfies and video calls. The C1 will be powered by a 2,800 mAh nonremovable li-ion battery. The one thing we’re all hoping for is that Nokia retains its legendary build quality as that’ll definitely set it apart from the rest.

Vivo V5 Plus V

Pictured above: Vivo V5


ivo is no stranger when it comes to manufacturing quality smartphones, and the Vivo V5 Plus definitely looks like it matches up to those standards. Among the other things this phone offers, what stands out is its excellent front facing camera, meaning this phone is obviously targeted at the selfie enthusiasts. So if you’re fond of documenting your day with quality selfies, you could consider the Vivo V5 Plus. The V5 Plus comes with a Full HD IPS LCD display and that’s protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 MSM8976 chipset and has 4 GB of RAM. Since, we talked about the phone being a selfie-focused device, the Vivo V5 Plus comes with a 13 MP rear camera but on the front we’ve got a dual lens camera, of 20MP and 8MP each. These are backed by LED flashes that make them the ideal for selfies and video calling.

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AUTO Your one stop destination for a monthly dose of all your automobile launches and desires.

Mini John Cooper Works Clubman T

he Mini John Cooper Works Clubman is the latest entrant into what we call the premium compact segment and it comes with a plethora of improvements which make the MINI look like a promising addition. The MINI comes with All4 allwheel drive system, LED headlamps, different driving modes, park distance control, radio MINI visual boost, multifunctional buttons on the steering wheel and cruise control with brake function among other things. The MINI comes with a 2.0-litre petrol tank and a 4-cylinder engine backed by MINI TwinPower Turbo technology. The All4 system also comes with in-built electrohydraulic

regulation functionality. The MINI JCW can go from 0 to 100 km/h in just 6.3 seconds, and comes with a shooting brake concept never seen before in the compact segment. It also has an auxiliary radiator for additional cooling. These performance numbers are really good for this segment. As for looks, the MINI goes for a sporty look with the JCW logo on the radiator grille, side scuttles and the rear. It’s got 5 seats on the inside, each with integrated headrests, and a steering wheel dressed in signature JCW leather. In terms of personalisation, the MINI offers a lot of options. There are a number of paint colors, roof colors in various contrasts, stripes, and wheel variation, as well as an available red-themed interior to replace the standard black themed interior. MINI is no stranger to the hot-hatchback segment of cars, with its focus being on building smart and fun to drive small cars. With this one, MINI has truly entered the four-door hatchback section in full throttle!

Pagani Huayra Hermes Edition M

anny Khoshbin is known for owning a rather mindblowing fleet of cars, from the McLaren P1, and the Bugatti Veyron, to the Porsche Carrera GT. So you can be sure that the latest addition to his fleet would have to be quite droolworthy. Introducing the one of a kind Pagani Huayra Hermes Edition, with its own unique aerodynamics, suspension, and exhaust. It comes with slightly larger wheels as well. The brand has partnered with Hermes for the very first time in order to create this beast exclusively for Khoshbin. Hermes of course has rolled out specially styled travel bags to match the car itself and they even threw in a Birkin bag for Khoshbin’s wife as well. The customization to the Pagani Huayra Hermes Edition are all part of the ‘Tempesta’ package offered by the brand, and while this Huayra is one of the last to use the Tempesta, we can be sure to see more of it in other departments of the brand in the near future. | January | January | Digit||Digit www.digit.in www.digit.in 2017 2017 21 | 21

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AUTO

Ferrari J50 N

ow, owning a Ferrari is a big deal, but there’s a select class of elite folk for whom a “normal” Ferrari just won’t do. Well, Ferrari has a solution for them, and it comes in form of the limited edition Ferrari J50. The name J50 comes from the brand celebrating their 50th anniversary in Japan, with 50 representing the

year and the J for Japan of course. The J50 is the result of the Ferrari’s Special Projects department working with the company’s styling center team in Maranello in order to invoke a feeling of nostalgia. The J50 is hugely inspired in design by the Ferrari’s of the 70s and the 80s. Through the polycarbonate cover you

can see the 3.9-litre turbocharged V8 which powers this beast and delivers a whopping 680 bhp. The limited edition Ferrari J50 is limited in all senses of the word, with there being only 10 units, each priced at a whopping 2.5 million Euros, not including taxes; but we’re sure all 10 units have probably already sold out.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe Night Edition

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he Night Edition is the latest to join Mercedes-Benz’ S-Class range and it looks like the best-looking Benz to launch this year. In the words of Mercedes-Benz themselves, the Night Edition combines “the classic proportions of a Gran Turismo with modern luxury and start of the art technology.” The Night Edition is also the largest two-door car by Mercedes-Benz yet. If it wasn’t implied enough by the name, the Night Edition comes in all black. The window sill inserts, the grilles, the AMG alloy wheels, it’s all been blackened. The outside mirrors are also a shadowy tone to add to the dark aesthetic. For the interiors, the buyer can choose the color of the cabin from a selection of combinations such as black/black, crystal gray/black, saddle brown/black and Bengal red/black. The steering wheel


will be dressed in Luxe Nappa leather in the chosen colours. In addition to that buyers can also pick the engine that powers this beauty, with choices ranging between different engines from 367 to 455 hp and rear or four wheel drive.

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DROOL MAAL Get your drool on and behold some of the fanciest, ostentatious and drop dead gorgeous things money can buy. Droolworthy?

Casio MR-G Gold Hammer Tone W

hen you think G-Shock you think sporty watches. Casio’s G-Shock watches are easily recognisable for not only their appearance but their ruggedness and sturdiness as well. But that doesn’t mean that a G-Shock can’t go the luxury way. The all-new G-Shock MR-G Hammer Tone model was handcrafted in Japan and was made using the tradition Tsu-i-ki method in which the each bezel and band is hammered individually to create a unique pattern. This watch marks Casio’s second collaboration with the master metal craftsman Bihou Asano. The Tsu-i-ki method was used to individually hammer each of the 300 watches

that were produced. Special tools were used to accomodate for the small size of the bracelet and the links. The MR-G Hammer Tone features a titanium case and bracelet band, a non-reflective sapphire crystal, GPS satellite sync for accuracy and comes with Multiband 6 and Tough Solar capabilities. As expected of a G-Shock it’s quite rugged, with shock resistance and water resistance upto 200M. Each of the watches will be priced at $6200 at launch. Also, the watch boasts of dozens of useful features ranging from GPS time sync to stopwatch. The watch is powered by an 18-month battery charged by solar cells. The case is 49.8mm in diameter and 16.9mm thick, while the functions include world time function, chronograph, countdown timer, alarm, perpetual calendar, battery indicator and backlight. The watch will be available starting January 2017 and, as we mentioned earlier, will be limited edition. The craftsmanship combined with the exclusivety justifies the MR in the name, which stands for Majesty+Reality.

Trump Engraved iPhone 7 B

efore you ask, this in no way has anything to do with politics or who we support. Coincidentally enough, this Gold Trump emblazoned iPhone 7 is now in existence thanks to Russian Company Caviar, who are known for their extravagant designs. This custom iPhone has been created by the brand to honor Trump’s iconic win. The iPhone features a gold plated portrait of Trump on the back and also features, in gold of course, his iconic campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” The manufacturers aim to better the relations between the two countries with this as well. They also desire to hand over one of these to Donald Trump himself. These exclusive ‘Trump’ified iPhones can be purchased for $3100 and are probably a must buy for the die-hard Trump supporters out there. So pretty soon, Donald Trump might be tweeting about Donald Trump from a Donald Trump iPhone - are you feeling Trumped yet? www.digit.in www.digit.in| |January January2017 2017| |Digit Digit| |23 23

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The Undersea Aquahoverer W

hen it comes to personal submarines, there are quite a few designs out there to choose from, but the more recent design introduced by Hammacher Schlemmer is proving to be far more versatile in comparison to its competition. The Undersea Aquahoverer is a submersible vehicle that allows for easy driving under water thanks to a hovering mechanism it uses to keep it in place. This unique vehicle has been designed in such a way that it’ll automatically hover in water when it’s not being driven. This means it doesn’t need any additional instruments or weights to balance it underwater. The Undersea Aquahoverer can accommodate two passengers at a time and comes with six 400RPM, 1.2-kilowatt ducted propellers and a rechargeable 15kWH battery. The Aquahoverer is easy to drive in any direction and you can park it anywhere – near reefs, or wrecks, or whatever it is you

Ixoost Esavox W e realise that the name does indeed sound like a spell one would read in a Harry Potter book but the Ixoost Esavox is actually a speaker system. A speaker system inspired by Lamborghini and their flagship ‘Aventador’. A lot of us would love to own a Lamborghini of our own, but not all of can dish out the

want to look at underwater, which is precisely why this is the ideal personal submarine for enthusiasts of the aquatic kind; that is, if you’re willing to dish out the $15 million needed to get one of these. However, if you do decide to get one of these, here are a few things you could do immediately - find Nemo, solve the Bermuda triangle, and locate Atlantis.

$200,000 needed to actually buy one, so instead, you can have an Ixoost Esavox parked in your garage. These speakers are crafted from a carbon monocoque chassis and houses two 8-inch carbon woofers on either side. It’s also got dual 1 inch tweeters on the exhaust pipes and a mammoth 15-inch neodymium subwoofer in

the centre which in itself outs 200 watts bringing the total output to 800 watts. You can connect to the speakers via Bluetooth and it’s got an RCA input as well. Just like its inspiration, the Ixoost Esavox is designed to turn heads, and sure, you could get a lot more for its $21,000 price tag, but it’s a Lamborghini.


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MAINGEAR Rush 1ofONE T

he Maingear Rush 1ofONE is a custom gaming PC born of a collaboration between gaming PC maker Maingear and the soda behemoth Coca-Cola. This custom gaming PC is a sight to behold and has an actual glass coke bottle used in its design. However, the liquid inside the bottle is not Coca-Cola, don’t worry. It is in fact, Maingear’s hand crafted Crystal Hardline liquid cooling. As for specs, this baby packs quite the punch and is fitted with an Intel i7-6950X 10-Core CPU, two Nvidia GTX 1080s, HyperX Fury 16GB DDR4-2666 RAM, Samsung 950 Pro 512GB M.2 NVMe and an EVGA X99 Micro 2. Maingear have stated that the Coca-Cola PC is one of many more to come in the 1ofONE series, and we’re excited to see the rest.

AB-100 Spectre W

hat makes the AB-100 Spectre special among yachts? Well for one thing, it’s powered by three 1900hp engines which give it a cruise speed of 45 knots and a top speed of a whopping 54 knots. For a 100 foot long boat, that’s very impressive. Every bit of this yacht is beautifully designed, with a top-grade galley to a living area with a massive flat screen TV. The main deck has large lateral windows flooding the place with natural lighting and then, of course, there’s a winding staircase to the top deck where you can relax and take in the sights. There also 3 fully sized bedrooms too, so you have room for guests as well. Nice. The AB-100 Spectre does something that most yachts strive to achieve, bring both speed and style together. While the price for this incredible yacht is yet to be announced, you can be sure that you’re going to need a rather sizeable budget to be able to acquire this beauty.

APP WATCH Reos Camera Smartphone camera apps are aplenty on the app stores, with a lot of me-toos and some with their own unique features. Reos Camera’s complete feature set make it feel like a Swiss Army Knife of Camera apps. The app has dynamic filters and adjustments in both the photo and video modes, which let you preview the content before clicking it. Also, there is a Prisma-like Artify mode, where, just like Prisma, you can apply artistic effects on your image. But the best part is the Search mode. Here, when you click an image of an object, the app first recognises the object and then shows you links to similar objects being sold online. It worked every single time we tried it! Play Store: http://dgit.in/ReosCamPS

Adobe Photoshop Fix Adobe has a host of apps available for smartphones, and one of the most useful ones is Photoshop Fix. Bringing some of the most useful Photoshop features to your smartphone, the app truly lets you play around with the image. And one of the most unique features on the app is the Face editing mode under the Liquify feature set. It identifies your facial features and gives useful sliders to alter them - like making you smile more. If only it was that easy in real life! Play Store: http://dgit.in/PSFixPS App Store: http://dgit.in/PSFixAS

Recipe Book One of the top apps of 2016 according to the Google Play Store, Recipe Book goes on to show that sometimes simplicity is the best possible design principle. With useful suggestions on the homepage and inspiring blogs on the Get Inspired section, even an aspiring cook will soon get something going (or burning) with this one. Interesting features? Shake’n’Make lets you choose 2 or more ingredients then shake the phone to see suggested recipes, while Snap’n’cook lets you snap the ingredients and then suggests recipes based on what’s identified. Play Store: http://dgit.in/RBookPS App Store: http://dgit.in/RBookAS


TEMPTATION

MOVIE

Rogue One

CRITIQUE

Officially, Episode 3.5

In this section, we put stuff through the grinder and closely examine what comes out; everything except gadgets, because there’s more to life than just that

MOVIE

Arrival

Another sci-fi movie that messes with your head

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f you’re asked to imagine a sci-fi movie, you might tend towards movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Total Recall, Blade Runner, Alien, etc. You tend to picture a mechanised world

with automata and the works but Arrival presents a different concept. Challenging the subject of something as fundamental as language, without which no intelligent life-form can advance. The movie emphasises on telling a story about communication and compassion, and makes us introspect about our reactions should we encounter a being of the third kind. Arrival belongs to one of those rare movies that makes you question reality, leaving a lasting impression in your mind. A recommended watch for every sci-fi fan. Rating:

John Wick 2 Retirement never comes easy for the superassassin John Wick as he’s forced to jump into the midst of battle to save his own skin from all those whom he had considered colleagues all these years.

– Abhijit Dey

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hen news of massive reshoots spread, quite a lot of us lost heart for the spin-off/prequel/ somewhere-in-the-middle movie from the Star Wars universe. Given that very less of the trailers actually made it to the final movie, we’re very thankful to the studio for bringing on Tony Gilroy to fix Rogue One. In it’s final form, the movie assuages all worries that one might have had about the Mads Mikkelsen and Ben Mendelsohn starrer. That’s right, we’re aren’t going to mention Felicity Jones or Diego Luna, because they make the most of what’s wrong about the movie. Heck, K-2SO, the droid voiced by Alan Tudyk

Resident Evil - The Final Chapter Alice and the Umbrella Corporation’s hatred for each other shall be put to the test as the final installment (we hope) in the series takes Alice back to where it all began, Racoon City!

was way better at getting emotions across among the tiresome trio. The pivotal moment in front of the entire council felt so bland that it made watching paint dry relatively exciting. The set designs, use of practical effects, and oh! The space battles were so well done, that they immediately make one forget about the lead actors. Add to that, the X-Wing Red and Gold squadrons buzzing all over the place to add a sense of battle chaos. CGI Tarkin certainly pulled off a better job as well. And there’s another CGI character that wasn’t so well done, but we aren’t going to spoil that for you now so go watch the movie dammit! The spin-offs offer a steady stream of Star Wars content aside from the animated TV series but we believe that we might get a little jaded from all of it. Overall, the movie has accomplished what it set out to do, explore the events between Episodes III and IV while not overly depending on the classic characters to act as pallbearers to what might have been a drastic failure. Rating: – Mithun Mohandas

Underworld Blood Wars Selene has to fend off attacks from the Lycans and the Vampires while she attempts to finally end the eternal battle between the two factions. Could this be the last?


Feature

Digital life

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The current state of AI reveals one big picture - AI is the tech of 2017 and the near future.

A lamp with Alexa

GE made a circular lamp simply called LED Lamp, with Amazon’s Alexa smart assistant build into it. http://dgit.in/AlexaLmp

CHAPT PROJECT GUETR 1 ENBERG PROLOGUE - THE FIRST SIGNS

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n the early 1900s, ‘phonographic books’ were marketed but didn’t work due to impractical durations. Even with further developments, it couldn’t match up to print. So what pushed it further? The demands of blinded war veterans from World War II to read and learn. Also, in the year 1949, Angela Ruiz Robles, a Spanish teacher, invented an automated book reader ‘la Enciclopedia Mecánica or “the Mechanical Encyclopedia” with the objective of reducing the weight of the books her students had to carry every day. While these facts are not exactly about e-books, they were important for the world to realise that the printed word can also be improved.

Arnab Mukherjee [email protected] 28 | Digit | January 2017 | www.digit.in

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or the next step, we jump forward to the later ha lf of the 20th century. In 19 71, University of Illinois student Michael Hart got unlimited acces s to the Xerox Sigma V computer in the Materials Research lab on campus. To return the favour, Ha rt wanted to do something that would benefit everyone. He took up a project to digitize more than 10,000 books by the end of the 20th century, now known as Proje ct Gutenberg. To start with, he typ ed in the entire Declaration of Inde pendence and declared it on ARPA net as downloadable. Six people downloaded it and the first e-boo k was born.

Planet melting warning

Climate scientists reported that recently a chunk of sea ice the size of India melted near Antarctica. http://dgit.in/iceIndiamlt

1.9 MP action camera

Casio announces a new rugged action camera specifically designed to be used in the dark. http://dgit.in/CasioNcam

Origins

CHAPTER 2 - OCR THE EBOOK SUPERCHARGER

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hile Project Gutenberg was started with the best intentions, the initial output was slow due to the process being followed - each book would be typed in manually by Michael or a volunteer. It reached it’s 10th ebook in 1989 with the King James Bible. Around this time, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) was sufficiently advanced to directly speed up the ebook creation process. Companies like ABBYY make OCR accessible to general public. And as the volumes increased, more people joined the efforts of Hart to take Project Gutenberg forward.

BACKSTORY 1 - OCR

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asic OCR technology was being used as early as 1914. Yes, even handheld versions. We are talking about the Optophone here, a device built for the sightless, that could scan the letters on a paper and produce a corresponding tone which the listener would be trained to identify. Initial speeds were around one word per minute but this went up to 19-20 words a minute by the 1920s. The time period from 1970 to 1990 can be said to have truly brought OCR to the forefront of digitizing the written word, with significant developments like the first commercial handheld OCR scanner from the Caere Corporation, omnifont recognition from Kurzweil Computer Products Inc. and similar products from ABBYY.

CHAPTER 3 - THE INTERACTABLE BOOK

IMAGING: BAIJU NV

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uch before electronic books had been perfected, some part of the interest in the field had moved towards creating and experiencing interactive books – books where the user could interact with the flow of the story. And even here there is some general misconception regarding the first. Eastgate Systems’ ‘Afternoon’, written by Michael Joyce and released in 1987 on the floppy disk, is widely named as the first hypertext fiction and often confused to be the first interactive book, where, in fact, there have been multiple examples in the same decade. A popular one was The Hobbit (1982) where the user progressed the story by typing instructions into it, although it can be argued that this was more of a game than a book.


Butt vs face recognition

Fitbit buys Pebble

Researchers found out that chimpanzees can recognise each other’s butts the way human recognises faces. http://dgit.in/buttRcgnse

Origins

Health tech company Fitbit officially announces that they are buying smartwatch maker Pebble. http://dgit.in/fitbitPble

BACKSTORY 3 - EBOOK FORMATS

CHAPTER 4 - INTERNET THE E-BOOK ARRIVES

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ith the arrival of the internet in the early 1990s, the potential of e-books was recognized. Tim BernersLee’s original vision with the internet was to facilitate the sharing of information freely and this began to take shape immediately as books being shared online. In 1993, Bibliobytes, the first online store for ebooks launched. Also John Mark Ockerbloom, who was then a Carnegie Mellon University student, launched Online Books Page as “a website that facilitates access to books that are freely readable over the Internet.”

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eanwhile, the world of ebooks was facing an issue that echoes across any new digital media and technology development lack of standardisation. As ebooks were growing with the internet, major software companies were each pushing their own specific formats. Adobe released its Portable Document Format (PDF) in 1993. Due to features like platform independence, DRM support, semantic structure, PDF did gain its fair share of popularity over just using XML, which was the practice at the time. However, one of its advantages was also its biggest problem - it displayed documents as they would be printed, irrespective of device screen size.

CHAPTER 5 EREADERS ARRIVE

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hanks to improving battery capacity, ebook readers became a possibility around the late 1990s. The Rocket eBook was released in 1998. With an LCD screen, it could store up to 10 ebooks and sold upto 20,000 units till 1999. It had its own proprietary format as the Rocket eBook format.

BACKSTORY 2 - E-INK

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he concept behind electronic paper displays existed since the 1970s. But it took more than 20 years for it to come into any kind of realisation. In the year 1995, physicist Joseph Jacobson and a few undergrads at the MIT media lab were trying to create a multi-page electronic book where content would change at the push of a button. While their initial approach was to manipulate half-black and halfwhite spheres using electric charge, an accidental creation of all-white spheres combined with failures of the original idea led them to the discovery of e-ink. They put the all-white and black spheres into a microcapsule with dark dye and that’s what went on to become the E-ink which they patented the same year. This was obviously improved upon in years to come.

In the year 2019, works like Felix Salten’s “Bambi” and Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” along with more will enter the public domain. Why is 2019 special? Check out the copyright extensions enforced by the US government over the last century.


BACKSTORY 3 - PART 2

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he PDF format didn’t work for mobile devices. As the tech world was increasingly moving towards smaller devices, including smaller portable e-readers, there was the need for a flexible format. The first move towards this was the Mobipocket ebook file format created by Mobipocket.com. This format’s extensions are .mobi and .prc. It could take more complex content as compared to existing standards. For example, readers can add their own pages, freehand drawings, etc

$20,000 for bug finders

Uber buys AI Company

Nintendo launches a new program that offers rewards upto $20,000 to find bugs on its 3DS game console. http://dgit.in/NntndoBug

Uber acquires Geometric Intelligence, a startup co-founded by AI researchers to create an AI lab. http://dgit.in/uberAIlab

Origins

Booktrack is an app that lets you read soundtracked ebooks for free. Go ahead and see if you like it. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing - Popular self publishing service from Amazon, that lets you publish your book on Amazon’s global store, has actually seen saturation in recent times and people are shying away from eBooks because of that.

CHAPTER 7 THE KINDLE

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t was in 2004 when Jeff Bezos took on the goal to make the ‘world’s best e-reader’. However, it took them three years to build it and in November 2007, Amazon launched the original Kindle priced at $399, which sold out in five and a half hours. Soon, even tablet manuacturers like Acer would be benefiting from the sudden demand.

CHAPTER 6 - E-INK, MEET E-READERS

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significant part of the reading experience with normal books comes from its make. One noteworthy detractor was this - looking at books for hours was definitely nowhere close to being as stressful to the eye as staring at an LCD screen. But that changed with the Sony Librie and the e-ink technology.

BACKSTORY 3 - PART 3

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he need for a standardised format for ebooks was recognised in the 1990s itself. In the later half of that decade, a consortium was formed to develop the Open eBook format that would allow eBooks to work on different hardware and software platforms equally well. Significantly, the format involved the creation of an XML manifest that would identify the components of the book like the cover art, spine text, table of contents, etc. It was this format that would later be developed into EPUB, the most widely supported ebook format now.

EPILOGUE

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t wouldn’t be too wrong to say that the ebook, as a technology, has only seen marginal innovations in the recent times. On the other hand, it would be foolhardy to say that print book sales are not being affected. At some point, they are bound to find an optimal middle ground. Who knows, maybe ebook technology combined with hardware advancements will someday replace bookshelves with e-reader shelves?


“The Expanse” season two Feature

Based on the novels by James S.A. Corey, the Si-Fi TV series is back for a season two. http://dgit.in/ExpnsS2

Mars mission delayed

Mars One will delay its Mars colonisation timeline to 2031 in order to raise more money. http://dgit.in/Mars1dlyd

It’s [A]l[I]ve

If 2016 was the year of VR, then 2017 is the year of AI Mithun Mohandas [email protected]

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rimarily pictured in movies as that evil entity which threatens all of mankind, the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems a long way from what we see today. Current AI are simply decision makers, very good decision makers, with millions and millions of data inputs being factored to generate elaborate binary trees which form the brains. And with hardware pushing the boundaries, we’re enabling these AI to become smarter at an unprecedented pace. The growth of AI has been so rapid, that some of the smartest minds on the planet have rung the alarm bells. So how do these simple decision making AIs pose such a threat to mankind? To understand that, we need to have a look at the state of AI so far.

A primer on Machine Learning Machine Learning has been around for ages, and in the simplest sense it is about building machines that can learn without being explicitly programmed. It boils down to creating a set of conditions for pattern recognition and then the computer is fed a lot of data using which it hones these preset conditions to increase levels of accuracy. The data sets are also monitored during the learning phase to ensure that the right kind of conditions are learnt by the system. This is the training phase


where the data that’s fed to the system is handpicked. Once the training phase is over, we provide a few data sets to see how well the system has trained itself, this being the validation test. Based on the validation set, the system might need to be tweaked again to ensure accuracy. And lastly, we have testing, wherein real world data sets are given to see if the classification performed is

up to human standard. The system is then put into production. A relatable example is that of recommender systems which can be found on ecommerce web sites and on multimedia portals like Netflix. Suppose you show interest in certain products or movies by watching them or by regularly browsing sections related to said movies. Soon enough,

Atari 2600 in Minecraft

Gamer, Seth Bling builds the ancient Atari gaming in Minecraft console using thousands of command blocks. http://dgit.in/AtriMncrft

every movie or product in recommended section piques your interest. That’s a very benign implementation of machine learning.

Milestones in 2016 They can beat you are your own game 2016 began with a flurry of news articles lauding the numerous victories of AlphaGo, a Google Deepmind computer program which can play the board game Go. It started by taking baby-steps, learning the game and its different strategies and then moved on to besting humans in October 2015 without handicaps. Five months down the line in March 2016, it had won in a best-of-five against Lee Sedol. For those who’re coming across this name for the first time, Lee Sedol is a 9-dan (top Go world rank) professional player. In just five months, using current gen technology, an AI had become the very best in the human scale.

Microsoft Build 2017

Microsoft announces that its 2017 annual build developer conference will take place 10th-12th May, 2017 http://dgit.in/MSb2017

extremely powerful system. They’ve already put the system in practice for a few languages and are scaling it slowly.

They can single you out We’ve spoken about games and languages, both key domains for ML. Another such key domain is that of visual recognition. Industrial applications, like that of security, which have hundreds of cameras tied into one computer, which analyses each video feed frame-by-frame, have already been around for a while. Human behavioural traits are now being learnt by these systems to mark individuals out from the crowd. There’s even a startup called AllGoVision which has already put into production a system that can detect loitering, tailgating, suspicious objects and more. To take things to the extreme end, scientists have developed a neural network that can identify criminals just by looking at photos. Students at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University fed 1,586 photographs of men, half of which were criminals, to a system which then learnt to identify criminals with a 89.5 per cent accuracy. No background data was provided whatsoever, so the only metric were their faces.

They can read your lips THE match: AlphaGo vs Lee Sedol

They can speak your language Another key development was that of Google Neural Machine Translation, which is now used for Google’s Translate service. With a little help from the Google Brain team, the folks behind the project were able to reduce translation errors in complex languages like Mandarin by 60 per cent compared to their previous phrase-based algorithms. This was in September 2016, and in just one month, the researchers behind the project have announced work on Zero-Shot Translation. Till now, all the 103 languages that Google Translate had to work on had separate computing machines. With Zero-Shot Translation, they aim to do away with all of them and replace that with just one

The folks at the University of Oxford seem to have grown tired of the BBC anchors’ voices, so much that they came up with the ‘Watch, Listen, Attend and Spell’ neural model. Be it just plain audio, or video or both, this machine learning model can accurately transcribe speech into characters with a higher accuracy than professional lipreaders. The system was so good, that it surpassed all previous benchmarks for lip-reading based on the same data sets.

Lip reading accuracy has improved

Feature

They can speak for you Google’s been keeping Brain quite busy – they recently published a paper introducing WaveNet, a deep neural network for generating raw audio forms. This is simply a text to speech system, except that it doesn’t sound robotic anymore. Parametric systems, i.e. the ones you’re all quite familiar with, be it at public airports, or your operating system’s friendly voice, uses snippets of audios which are stitched together to form words. These sound very monotonous but when you get a neural

Adobe’s VoCo is PhotoShop for audio

network to analyse millions of audio files, it can generate the same sentence with a much higher resolution. Imagine current gen systems as having individual audio files for each letter. Based on their position in a word or sentence, a particular audio file would be played. Now this is the equivalent of a highly pixelated image. Now imagine if more audio files were used per alphabet, you’d have tonality. Now go one level deeper with even more files per sound. You now have WaveNet, which speaks very much like a human being. One thing that politicians will be blaming each time they’re “misquoted” will be Adobe’s VoCo. Why? Well, it’s photoshop … for audio. Just like WaveNet, it can take an audio stream from a person, transcribe it, allow you to edit the sentence and play it back … in their own voice! This technology was expected but no one expected it to materialise this quick. While it does raise several concerns about ethics, and how digital media could no longer be used as evidence in the courtroom, it sure does make for a really cool techwww.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 33

Fuel from humans Feature

Researchers at PNNL developed a new method to produce biofuel from human excrements. http://dgit.in/BiofuelHE

nology. The advent of photo manipulation tools raised similar concerns but that hasn’t screwed up the legal system and we don’t expect this to either. Adobe has themselves said that they’re working to detect use of its software so if at all any fraudulent evidence is presented, they’ll know if it was made using VoCo technology.

They can learn on their own We’ve seen how far machine learning algorithms have come and how the hardware advances, especially the GPUs, have really pushed the boundaries of machine learning to new extremes. However, one thing remains quite constant, a human expert is always required to perform certain key tasks that set a machine learning system on its path. The human element is required to preprocess the data, select the key parameters, select the most apt ML algorithm for the learning to begin, tweak the system to ensure accuracy during the training phase and lastly, to precisely analyse if the system is doing what it set out to do. With AutoML, you can say goodbye to the humans. This rapid growth of ML in the last few years has led to an increased demand for ML solutions that work out of the box requiring next to no expertise to set up. AutoML does exactly that. It provides an array of tools that any novice can apply on a set of data – from simple metadata learning to traditional algorithms that use Bayesian classification. It won’t be long before complex AI can finally build and improve itself over time.

They can keep secrets Another one from the folks at Google Brain, this experiment involved setting up three neural networks which could all communicate with each other. Two of them, Bob and Alice, shared a secret key which was used to encrypt communication between the two. And the third neural network, called Eve, was the snoop who’d try to eavesdrop on the conversation between Bob and Alice. Eve’s success was measured by how accurate her interpretation of the


secret communication was. And Alice and Bob’s success was measured with reference to how less of their conversation could be decrypted by Eve. This resulted in an adversarial network between the three entities with improvements happening over time. Bob and Alice became very good at generating an inhumanly powerful encryption that Eve could not crack. That’s right, robots just created encryption methods that even other powerful robots could not crack. The techniques by which these new methods were arrived at are way advanced than how humans have done so far.

All aboard the Open Source train 2016 was a huge year for AI and quite a lot of these have gone the open source way. Google announced the open sourcing of Tensor Flow and started supported Keras, a deep learning library for Python. Microsoft then went ahead and did the same with

Verizon fiber connection

Verizon begins rolling out its new $300 million FiOS fiber connection in Boston, US. Learn more about it here: http://dgit.in/VriznFbr

have been a few setbacks for chatbots this year, namely, Microsoft’s Tay going on racist rants thanks for hundreds of thousands of Twitter users feeding it racist diatribe, the year 2017 seems to be a lot more promising. Google’s Allo, Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri are all paving the way forward with better interpretation of natural requests and responses becoming more intuitive and natural. Given the rapid pace of improvements, we hope to see a lot more human-like chatbots in 2017. Self-driving automobiles are doing well enough but there have been a few legal setbacks and they’re still to gain mainstream acceptance. 2017 should probably be the year when public transportations systems gain a level of autonomy post. The consumer segment should follow right behind but given the push back from the traditional automotive industry, this could take a few more years. Nevertheless, 2017 will see a huge leap in at least industrial applications for the self-driving vehicle.

Closer to the singularity

Google opensourced TensorFlow

CNTK (Cognitive Tool Kit), their set of learning algorithms. The Chinese web-services company, Baidu, also open sourced their libraries under the name PaddlePaddle. Amazon has opted to implement MXNet in their AWS ML platform and lastly, Facebook is backing Torch and Caffe.

2017 will be bigger While 2016 has already accomplished so much, 2017 looks to be even bigger with leaps of advancement being predicted in every single domain. But two things stand out – chatbots and self-driving automobiles. While there

One of the prime reasons why Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk are worried is that once AI achieves the ability to communicate secretly and teach itself – It will give rise to a runaway effect resulting in a super intelligence. Mr. Hawking, in an interview with the BBC said that, “It would take off on its own, and redesign itself at an ever increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.” Elon Musk on the other hand is worried about just one company which he hasn’t named yet, but he decided to do something about it. And thus, OpenAI was born. It’s a non-profit AI company with an aim to develop friendly AI that hopefully doesn’t end up like HAL 9000 from Arthur C. Clarke’s Space Odyssey. Whether we get superseded by machines as the dominant race or if we form a peaceful society where AI and humans can co-exist remains to be seen, but one thing’s for certain, this will happen in our lifetime.

Bose hearing aid

Bose, the headphone company is working on a new hearing aid headphones. Learn more here: http://dgit.in/BoseHrAd

Web version for Moments

Photo-sharing service Moments by Facebook rolls out a new lightweight web version of the app http://dgit.in/MomntsWeb

Feature

Are Smartwatches here to stay? We look at state of wearables, two years on from the Moto 360’s debut

Arjun Krishna Lal [email protected]

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h, yes, about those wearables... If you were to step aside for a moment and look at contemporary consumer tech, you’d be forgiven for thinking we were halfway to Minority Report. (Or, considering that “social credit” people rating system the Chinese are keen to implement, halfway to Black Mirror.) In any case, there’s been an absolute consumer tech explosion since Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to the world 10 years ago; the ways in which we interact with tech, and more importantly, how often, have changed fundamentally.

IoT in an interconnected world The rise of the Internet of Things, in particular, has shaped our changing interactions with tech. IoT is a concept that takes into consideration every single connected device in the world— smart appliances, mobile devices, embedded sensors, and security systems. In an IoT environment, your interface with the machine isn’t bound to your personal terminal, whether that’s a smartphone or wearable. Your device becomes a hub for inputs and outputs from every device connected to that environment. Imagine that kind of power: See and hear anything, at any time. Grant and restrict access to both real and virtual systems. Physi-

cally change your surroundings and the experiences of the people around you. All this, right at your fingertips.

Are wearables here to stay? And that’s what brings us to wearables, smartwatches and fitness bands. On the surface, they’re the kind of tech that’s straight out of an eighties sci-fi movie. They’re supposed to be the magic pill to an interconnected IoT world—the kind of thing that just screams “you’re here in the future.” But reality isn’t quite this straightforward. Are smartwatches truly a step forward for communication, or are they really just tiny, wonky little half-phones with no real independent connectivity that you stick on your wrist because, well, the future? www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 35

Nintendo theme park Feature

Nintendo and Universal are working on a Super Nintendo World theme park to open by 2020. http://dgit.in/SprNntndoWrld

Smartwatches are pretty cool to look at, and they can do a lot of interesting stuff if you set them up right. The question, though, is, in these times of rapid technological change, when we might just leapfrog from VR goggles to smart contacts in ten years, do smartwatches have a future? Are smartwatches our interface with tomorrow?

Panasonic’s shopping system

Panasonic releases a demo of their new shopping system that can automatically bag and generate your bills http://dgit.in/PansoncBl

reduces their utility right from the get go because it introduces an element of redundancy: whatever’s on your watch has been passed through from your phone where it’s almost certainly available in more detail. Because of Android Wear’s inherent limitations, you really can’t get a full-fledged app experience on your watch: Although WhatsApp,

What smartwatches can (and can’t) do If we want to answer that question, we need to first look at what smartwatches can actually do, in the here and now. As we’ll argue later, it’s not so much that there’s a shortage of use cases for smartwatches. Rather, low adoption rates, amateur software, and a fragmented ecosystem mean that the solutions are rarely more effective than what you could just get done with your phone. Sports and fitness are among some of the use cases where smartwatches really shine, and can give your phone a run for its money in terms of features and convenience. While we can’t speak for the Apple Watch, the 360 does a great job of fitness tracking. When you head out for a jog, Android Wear devices do a good job of keeping track of your timing, distance, and heart-rate (with the rather dubious heart-rate monitor on the Moto 360). And while much of this is possible with a pedometer app on your phone, the increased convenience of smartwatches really makes a difference here. Also, it’s one of the few cases where you don’t need an active phone connection to your watch. Unfortunately, personal fitness isn’t much of a priority for many, and a cheap fitness band, like the Mi Band, can get your virtually all of this functionality at a fraction of the price. While the latest generation of smartwatches feature standalone mobile internet connectivity, most of the devices out in the wild, including the first and second-gen Moto 360, are entirely reliant on a Bluetooth-paired phone to connect. While standalone connectivity is a step in the right direction, most smartwatches are inextricably tied to their paired phones. This


Moto 360 2nd Gen

for instance, displays your current messages, you don’t get to see the whole history, and can’t even type out replies without using a third-party input method. Although Android Wear 2.0 is slated to ease things in this respect— with handwriting support, and the ability for apps to run independently of your phone—between the small screen and the limited battery life making it necessary to leave said screen switched off as much as possible, you’re just not going to have a comparable experience to what you can do with a phone that’s only a pocket-whip away.

The use-case dilemma There are quite a few cases where the Android Wear solution is compelling, but it’s either a hassle to set up, or where redundancy makes pulling out your phone as easy an alternative. Take media centre remotes, for instance. In theory, a media remote that works off Android Wear is the perfect complement for a laid-back living room Netflix binge. In practice, the complex jerryrigging that’s going on here, with your watch talking to your phone, that’s

talking to your HTPC, means that connection drop-outs are the rule, rather than the exception. It’s cool to use, and the convenience is tantalizing, but at the end of the day, you’re apt to just pull out your phone, and use that to control your media centre. E-book reading is another area where, surprisingly, Wear does have its uses. The unassumingly named Wear Reader makes best possible use of limited screen space: it flashes words at you, one by one, onscreen. This works a lot better than you think it would, and if you don’t mind flipping erm…rewinding whenever you lose focus, it’s a surprisingly easy way to read, though it does run through your battery. But the question that arises here is, again, why can’t you just pull out your phone? Because of the greater amount of screen space, there’s no need for gimmicky flashing of any kind. Market evidence points to precisely what we’d expect for a device that people just can’t find a suitable niche for in their lives: A Gartner survey indicates that smartwatches have a 29 per cent abandonment rate. In other words, one in three smartwatches is currently gathering dust in a drawer because their owners haven’t been able to find compelling uses for them. Although the lack of a mature app environment is a concern, the real issue here is a bit more fundamental: As things stand now, there aren’t a lot use cases where software is tailored towards a wearable experience. There is so much more that a connected device on your wrist ought to be able to do than merely act as a second screen for your smartphone. While native messaging options are rudimentary—voice commands and a small selection of auto replies are about it—third party options like Coffee and Wear Messenger are surprisingly complete messaging solutions. There are all kinds of situations where it’s not feasible or appropriate to pull out your smartphone. Shooting off quick messages from Wear—the “Wher r u” variety—without pulling yourself out of whatever you’re doing, is a solution that only a wearable device can offer. With Android Wear 2.0 featuring

SyncThink for athletes

SyncThink is a new device that uses VR to help understand concussions in athletes with more accuracy. http://dgit.in/SyncThnkvr

much deeper messaging integration, this makes for at least one compelling reason to get your hands on a wearable next year.

Lessons Learned: Android Wear and usability Considering, though, that most smartwatches out on the market run hardware that was top-spec for a 2010-11 era smartphone, isn’t there a more straightforward way of getting past software limitations? Let’s go back to 2011 and the little-known story of the MOTOACTV. The 360 isn’t the first mainstream smartwatch to hit the market. But, strangely enough, it’s not even Motorola’s first smartwatch. That honour goes to the MOTOACTV. Back in 2011, Motorola decided, for some reason, to out what was essentially a 1-inch Android tablet with a wrist strap. The MOTOACTV ran full-fat Android, and could handle just about any Android app you threw at it. The problem was that menu items were shrunk to unusable proportions, making the watch unsuitable for just about anything apart from Watch and fitness functionality. Which is probably why it didn’t sell so well. And by extension why Android Wear is as simplified as it is. When we put smartwatches in the context of an IoT-enabled world, this is a major concern. The watch, if its role is to be taken seriously, needs to be a hub device. It needs to let the user communicate with multiple devices

Huawei Watch Classic Style

Slack takes on Skype

Slack, the workplace collaboration platform now has built-in video calling and supports emojis. http://dgit.in/SlcksVcall

at the same time. Without some form of multitasking support at the OS level, an Android Wear smartwatch would simply not be capable of acting as an effective IoT hub. A problem that’s much harder to solve, though, is consumer apathy: As of Q3 2016, smartwatch sales are down to around 2.7 million units, a substantial decline from the 5.6 million units shipped in the same period last year. This is a fraction of a fraction of smartphone sales, or even just watch sales for the same time period. Without a large user base, big-name developers tend not to release content for the platform. Without content, users don’t see the need to buy into the platform, and the platform developer doesn’t see the need in improving the platform itself. A fundamental rewrite of Android Wear—going far beyond the Wear 2.0 paradigm, allowing for true multitasking (not just semi-persistent music player control) and a feature-rich interface—could remedy these issues, but as is always the case, it’s demand that shapes products, and right now, there’s just not that kind of demand in the market.

Feature

the real killer was Glass’s lack of purpose. If a Wear device is a scaled-down second screen for your phone, Google Glass is merely a blown up, headmounted screen for the same. Moreover, the very real privacy concerns that Glass introduced can’t be understated, with casinos and theatres banning its use. While security concerns with smartwatches aren’t quite as inyour-face, many people simply remain uncomfortable with the idea of easily concealable wearables being misused. Nevertheless, with products like Microsoft’s Hololens and the myste-

A wearable future?

Google Glass never made it

Where could wearables go from here, though? Although the current crop of smartwatches is less than useful, we don’t think that wearables, as a category, are a complete write-off. Looking to sci-fi (which, by the way, is turning out to be a remarkably accurate way of predicting the near future), smart eyewear is likely what’s next on the horizon. Google Glass never did pick up, even as a concept. It faced many of the same issues faced by Android Wear devices today, only magnified: Glass was never a market-ready product, and the high price of the “Explorer Edition” put off most would-be buyers right off the bat. A dearth of Glass-enabled apps (of which there are fewer than 100) meant that there just wasn’t much you could do with your Glass unit. One of these is titled “Google Glass Airplane Mode,” which should give you an idea of the state of Glass’s app environment. But just like with Android Wear today,

rious Magic Leap adopting the eyewear form factor, and with the current flourishing of consumer VR, we’d be hardput to identify where else the wearable story could go. Although sales are, indeed, in decline, we find it hard to see smartwatches disappearing as a product category anytime soon. There’s just something evocative about consumer tech that just blends into the rest of your life. At times, using an Android Wear device like the Moto 360 can feel like a burden: too much effort, too little payoff. But the way it just is, somehow a watch and yet not, the way it takes the familiar and inverts it, evokes the way sci-fi technology once appeared, years ago. It’s the familiar masking something new, and that’s the real beauty of the IoT, a dusty, scrappy Internet of wardrobes and induction cookers and venetian blinds. And watches. www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 37

From the labs

Sci-Tech

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Gone are the days when sensors were simple technology – these are the sensors of the future.

Space age

45

A Superluminous Supernova a.k.a Hypernova is a high energy star explosion that looks stunning as well as scary.

SOLAR ENERGY IS THE TIME RIPE FOR THE DREAM NOW?

Dhinoj Dings [email protected]

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esla’s project of powering an entire American island using solar power, freeing the citizens from depending on diesel energy has revived the excitement surrounding solar power. Is it a one-off or has the time truly come for solar energy? It’s no secret that the sun is a great source of energy. After all, it is what powers all the living things on this planet! In fact, the sun showers on the earth enough energy to take care of the world’s power requirements multiple times over. On the plus side, it doesn’t produce carbon dioxide emissions. So, you wouldn’t have to worry about adverse environmental effects on that front. Another advantage is that the sun is practically inexhaustible. Also, the sun


doesn’t charge any money for making use of its energy! So, the question is how the people on earth can turn the sunlight into electricity that we can use?

How to harness energy from the sun To do this, old-school solar technology makes use of large crystals that are made of silicon. These crystals generate electrical current when struck with light. The reason why silicon does this

is because the electrons in the crystal move when they are exposed to light. (In many materials, the electrons would just jiggle around when struck by lightthe reason why heat is generated.) Inside a crystal, the bonds that exist between the silicon atoms are made of electrons which are shared among the atoms in the crystal. When the light is absorbed, sometimes an electron in a bond gets excited up to a high energy level and therefore is able to move more freely than when it was bound. This means that the electron can now freely move around in the crystal, resulting in a current in the crystal. Silicon has the advantage of turning a decent amount of the light energy into electrical energy.

The downside to using silicon A red boiling pot of energy

The downside is that it’s quite expensive since big crystals aren’t easy to grow.

6S battery problems

Apple announces a repair program for some iPhone 6S models regarding battery issues. http://dgit.in/6Sapleisue

But there is some good news: newer materials make use of smaller and cheaper crystals like copper-indiumgallium-selenide. These can even be shaped into thin flexible films. This is called the “thin-film” solar technology. But the catch is that this technology isn’t as good when it comes to turning light into electricity compared to silicon. Even in the U.S – the wealthiest nation in the world, solar energy accounts for just a small portion of their complete electricity generation – the reason being, of course, the expense involved. Generating electricity from coal is cheaper but highly polluting. To get a perspective on how expensive solar power is at the moment, it would be about five times as expensive

Efficient but costly

as what you pay for the electricity which comes out of the power outlets in your home. This cost-factor has been a major reason why the world hasn’t been able to adopt solar panels widely even though they have been considered as a way to replace fossil fuels.

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Tomorrow’s Tech

Since we use solar cells to capture sunlight and turn it into electricity, it’s worth looking at the power efficiency of a typical crystalline silicon cell. The power efficacy of such a cell is in the range of 22 to 23 percent (meaning, 22 or 23 percent of light that strikes a cell is converted into electricity). But that’s the case with the industrial variant. The ones which are affordable for an individual to put on the rooftop have a power efficacy that lies somewhere within the 15 to 18 percent range. The most efficient variants are the ones that are used in satellites – these could have power efficiencies which approach a whopping 50 percent.

mere weeks back, a glimpse of what such a union could bring to the world has already been shown – in the way of an entire island that’s powered with solar energy. The island in question is the small island of Ta’u in American Samoa. It’s over 4,000 miles from the West Coast of the United States. The island is a 17-square mile volcanic island that has just a single road that runs through it. The project made use of the prowess of SolarCity power generation and Tesla’s Powerpack-based storage. Before this, the island was relying a lot on a diesel generator grid. The reliance on diesel as a fuel to generate power isn’t all that unique. Many island communities rely on burning fossil fuel to maintain an electrical grid. However, using a fuel which has to be shipped in at great costs from long distances poses a large number of problems. Also, such a scenario causes a lot of temporary blackouts. The costs of solar generally can be recouped only in a long time once the grid power becomes convenient and easily available. However, the financial benefits get accrued way more quickly when you are shipping in fuel and burning it as the sole source of energy. For the Ta’u grid project, a SolarCity panel array was created that’s made of more than 5.300 panels with the

More power to you

An island charged by the sun

Powering an entire island with solar energy

capability of generating 1.4 megawatts of solar capacity. This was clubbed with a Tesla Powerpack commercial battery storage facility that has a capability of storing 6 megawatt hours of reserve capability in 60 Powerpacks. The resultant micro-grid could bring three full days worth of power for the island’s

Photosynthesis: a different ballgame

tage, it would also help deal with the effects of global warming because by mimicking a plant, the solar cell would also be taking in the CO2 from the air to generate the fuel.

The power efficiency of a cell

Is the action of solar cells similar to photosynthesis? One comparison that many laymen make is between the functioning of solar cells and photosynthesis. But that’s not entirely an accurate comparison. For instead of just creating electricity, plants absorb light and use the electron to alter a chemical bond within the plant-meaning they generate fuel for their consumption. Now, it would be super-cool if scientists were able to create a solar cell which, instead of creating electricity, made fuel. Aside from the fuel-advan-

Solar City Corporation is one of the more significant players in the solar energy products arena. Based in America, the company recently merged with the Elon Musk-led Tesla. Even though the merger was completed


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residents- 600 at maximum capacity. Also, the entire unit can recharge completely with only seven hours of straight sunlight exposure. Since Ta’u is pretty remote, the citizens of the island were very much used to frequent power rationing, outages and also a high dependency on diesel generators. The core services of the island include schools, the local hospital and police station. Thanks to the installation of the micro-grid, they don’t have to worry about power rationing or outages anymore. Aside from bringing energy to the islanders, the project also enables the island to save enormously on energy costs and also offset the use of over 109,500 gallons of diesel a year. Also, to the credit of the two companies involved, Tesla and SolarCity’s Ta’u microgrid project was put together from start to finish within just a year. And with the project, almost 100 percent of the island’s energy requirements are met by renewable sources.

How valid is the project as a proof of concept? There exists no doubt that the Ta’u project is a landmark project in the journey of using the sun as a source of energy. But how valid is it as a proof of concept? To find the viability of a solar energy project, five aspects are to be looked into before start: 1. The cost of setting up the plant 2. What it means to be economically viable 3. The solar power that’s expected to be generated 4. The required solar power for the citizenry 5. The environmental impact

1. The cost of setting up the plant One of the reasons why solar power plants are being erected in more number than ever before is the fall in price of silicon over the past half a decade or so. As per a conservative estimate, putting up a 100 kw plant would cost just over a crore in Indian rupees. The Solar City project has a solar generation capacity of 1.4 megawatts


(the 6 megawatts of battery storage capacity is in addition to this). This means that the cost for the project of this size would fall in the range of `14 to 15 Cr.

2. Economic viability Due to the generally higher rate of inflation in India as opposed to developed countries like the USA, 15% is considered to be an acceptable rate of return for the country (for a developed nation, that could be 8%). However, in addition to the return, one should also take into account the Operation & Maintenance cost – which usually falls in the range of 1% of the project cost. Therefore, the return (expected) + O&M cost = 16% (In India) and 9%(in developed countries. As for the Ta’u project the factors such as the exact return expected are not yet available for public consumption. However, confidence-inducing statements have come from Tesla to its stakeholders. Also, the benefit of the project is already being enjoyed by the islanders. This success would moreover be viewed as a way to attract more potential clients for Tesla. In that sense, the return expected is seriously long-term and there’s every reason to assume that they are justified in it.

3. Expected solar power generation The amount of solar energy generated is dependent on a few factors- like the ambient temperature, radiation and the technology that is used. Out of these, temperature and radiation are in turn location-dependent. It’s said that a 95% accurate generation estimate is now possible thanks to sophisticated meteorological databases that are available. For instance, a 100 kw solar power plant in the USA would give be able to generate 1,76,804 units while in India, the same plant would create 1,78, 321 units every year. The Ta’u island is located in a part of the world where the sunlight is ample. This means it’s safe enough to estimate

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that the number of units produced are comparatively higher than in most of the North American regions.

4. The required solar power of the citizenry The solar project is already fulfilling almost the complete power requirements of the island. This Tesla and Solar City has already proven. This means that the energy created by the plant is sufficient for the citizenry.

5. The environmental impact Apparently, a “huge” amount of forest land had to be cleared to set up the plant (The exact area mowed down is still not easily available with varied information coming from different sources). However, thanks to the project, more than 4 lakh liters of diesel would be offset every year– the island was previously dependent on diesel to meet their power requirement. While factors such a rising fuel cost and the cost of transporting such huge quantities to the island are taken in to consideration, the long term financial gains are significant.

Other concerns One of the major peripheral concerns would be the power generation capabilities in adverse weather conditions. The storage capacity for the project comes around 6 MW–which by even the most extreme estimates would suffice for the island in a situation when they wouldn’t have ample sunlight even for prolonged days.

Final analysis The project has the advantage of a location that gets ample sunlight and which has been reliant on fossil fuel, the offsetting of which in itself makes the project viable. The environmental cost could be justified in this instance due to the aforementioned reason. And that is one point in which the critics may find the project less than adaptable universally – the justification for clearing huge swatches of land may not exist in all kinds of places.

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That aside, in terms of power generation and backup, and also the long term viability, the project is an ample proof of concept.

Tesla and SolarCity merger-what it means for the future of solar energy The merger between Tesla and SolarCity has both critics and those who think it a great move for the future of solar energy. As for Tesla, the hope probably is that the Ta’u project would act as an example that attracts potential customers. Also, on a commercial scale, Musk actually believes that the solar battery part of the business would one day cross the market for Teslas. There are, after all a number of places in the world where the appeal for reliable, independent power runs higher than that for electrical vehicles.

The future in the making?

Also, looking at their just concludedproject, the Ta’u island’s location off the West Coast could be a great advantage for Tesla. It’s a great location to harness the energy of the sun. Also, the possibility of expansion exists. Whether more locations can be supplied with energy by expanding the grid or not is something to be seen in the future. Tesla completed the acquisition of SolarCity for $2.6 billion. And though the CEO, Elon Musk said the need for such a merger is “blindingly obvious” the acquisition is still considered a risky move by many. The critics say that after all, the billions have been spent on buying a company that’s not yet profitable. For every $1 that the firm makes, it spends $6.

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Troubling as that aspect may be, the fact remains that Tesla is one of the few companies that have actually shown a pro-active interest in investing in green-energy technology. And as for SolarCity, it’s certainly a fact that they were a comparatively small player. But on the other hand, they also possess a strong acumen on building solar technology products. What they lacked was the ability to scale up in such a way that the technology would impact a large population in the least amount of time. But thanks to the acquisition by Tesla, that issue has now been solved, or so we can hope. In the final analysis, it’s safe to say that the merger holds great promise for the future. In a fragile planet, everything depends on the pace with which such things happen.

GW of solar power inline. Let us hope that the plan succeeds. Before this, the title for the largest single-location solar plant belonged to California’s Topaz Solar Farm (with a capacity of 550 MW). India has made a decision to source 40 percent of the 100 GW power requirement using rooftop solar. If practical manifestations of the decision happen, it would mean that we are in for a sea change in the energy production arena in India. The reason

Kamuthi Solar Power Project and the shape of things to come The world’s largest single location solar power project has been launched in Kamuthi in Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu. The project, which has been launched by the Adani Green Energy (which is the energy wing of the Adani Group) has a capacity of 648 megawatts(MW). The investment for the project is a whopping `4,550 crore. The plant is spread over an area of 2,500 acres- that’s enough land to organize 476 parallel football fields. It contains 25 lakh individual solar panels which are cleaned every day by a robotic system. This robotic system itself is powered with solar energymeaning the entire system is self-sustaining. The project would bring clean energy to 1.5 lakh homes. The sheer size of the plant puts it at the center of discussions regarding the nation’s ambitions to be certainly among the world’s leading green energy generators. To bring the mammoth project to life, about 8,500 people worked. This way, about 11 MW of installation was set up each day and the entire plant was completed in just 8 months. The power plant comes as part of the Tamil Nadu state government’s plans to create 3

Fields of a solar dream

such a decision was made was because rooftop solar incurs practically no land acquisition cost and very little transmission cost – because the distance between the consumers and the solar panels is the shortest. It’s Tata Power which presently has the largest solar installed capacity in the nation (approx. 9 percent). This is followed by ACME (7 percent) and SunEdison (approx. 5.5 percent). The Adani group has amassed 5 percent. While we could expect big-sized projects in the near future too, the writing on the wall is clear: For the common man, the biggest source of renewable energy would come from rooftop solar panels. So, the real revolution, from the everyday perspective, would not be brought by bigger plants but by the average Joe. Interestingly, as a consequence, the one who benefits the most from this would also be the average Joe. Rooftop solar cell installations will eventually become self sustainable when the consumer is sufficiently educated regarding the process. On such a day, energy would be truly free. www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 41

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Sensors of the

Future

Gyroscopes and accelerometers are so last gen. Here’s an in-depth look at the new wave of sensors that are likely to be at the heart of upcoming consumer devices. EEG/EOG sensors, arrays of swarm sensors, self-powered sensors and biodegradable sensors are just the tip of the iceberg - sensor technology is set to revolutionize industry, research and consumer electronics.

Aabir Abubaker [email protected]

T

he popular yardstick (though one that has lost relevance in the last decade) for progress in technology appears to have comfortably settled to Moore’s Law. It’s somewhat strange that this continues to be the popularly perceived rate of progress in the world of electronics, robotics and their applications. In fact, the obsession with processing power often shadows the equally exciting developments in algorithms, architecture, and the focus of this article - sensors.

What’s a sensor good for? Sensor technology had its humble origins in the tactile switch - yes, the very same button that you press to turn on the lights. The concept is a general one. A sensor must follow three very simple rules: 1. It must be sensitive to a property of interest 2. It must be insensitive to all other properties 3. It should not influence the property of interest


The logical progression of thought was - what if other inputs could be used to control similar outputs? The boom in aircraft technology called for a tremendous innovation in sensors in the 60s, with the fly-by-wire, handson control systems gradually being phased out in lieu of slicker digital interfaces. And the robotics boom (did you know that robots probably sort your mail?) put the cherry on top as we entered the 2000s. Even so, ask an average (tech-savvy!) kid on the street to name some sensor types and the answers you get will be limited to accelerometers, gyroscopes, and perhaps photodiodes (or ‘light detectors’, as goes teenage jargon). What are we missing out on here? A whole lot, honestly. The 21st century has ushered in a new wave of sensorbased research that is set to completely change the way we think of technology and its capabilities. It’s easy to see the problems with conventional sensors. They’re bulky, heavy, fragile, need batteries, and are bad for the environment. Ignoring aesthetics, consider their functionality. Traditional sensors are limited to coarse measurements of

sound, light, speed and location - they lose out on chemical information like smell, on collaborative sensing, on very small inputs, and on most kinds of subtle information. Even worse, they often need to be treated with great care, and are next to useless in extreme conditions - imagine what you’d need to fly a drone over Mount Everest. The 21st century, being the amazing period of time that it is, has seen fit to begin addressing all of these issues.

Micro- and Nano-sensors Biological research has been the driving force behind a lot of modern sensor applications, and perhaps the best example is micro- and nanosensor research. These are sensors with an extreme scaling down - literally of the order of micro or nanometres in length. To put things in perspective, the average cell is a few micrometres across. Even with current applications that are mainly tactile, micro--sensors and robots at such scales will give us the ability to treat diseases at the cellular level, to monitor wound healing to microcontrol drug dosage. In the future, they could

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Source: http://news.mit.edu/2015/sensor-detectsspoiled-meat-0415

perhaps even replace cell organelles in unhealthy cells, and in the very very long term, repair the telomeres that cap our DNA (whose wear has been directly linked with aging). Nanosensors open up a whole new paradigm. Not only can they revolutionise medicine with an unprecedented ability to interact one-on-one with viruses, but they will also induce huge strides in materials science research.

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Biodegradable sensors

The concept of biodegradable sensing offers a simple conundrum - the more complex a part, the harder it is to ensure that it disintegrates harmlessly. The idea is to print circuitry on sheets of silicon so thin that they dissolve in water over a period of days to weeks. The circuitry is wrapped in silk to vary this time period - progress has already been made with the fabrication of diodes as well micro-cameras of this type. The possible applications of such sensors are endless. Post-operative care for sensitive organs like the brain and the heart often involve the inserThis device, based on modified carbon nanotubes, can tion of sensors into detect amines produced by decaying meat. these organs, which not only must be removed at a later date, but can also The thought of little robots swimcause complications, swellings and ming around in our bloodstreams infections. The advent of innocuous might induce panic in some, and pracbiodegradable sensors stands to tical questions in others. How are these completely change this. The potential devices going to be powered? What to non-intrusively collect data on the happens when they wear out or need functioning of natural ecosystems, maintenance? The answers lie respecespecially sensitive ones like coral reefs tively in self-powered and biodegradand rivers, also stands to gain. able sensing technologies.

Self-powered sensors Research in self-powered sensing is throwing up all kinds of innovative answers. Work is currently being done on sensors that can derive energy from a heat difference (such as that between a patient’s body and the surrounding air), from radiation, from chemical energy in compounds like stomach acids, and even from vibrations (such as the beating heart, or thermal currents in the oceans and skies). As always, research is never unidirectional, and the potential for selfpowered sensing is being extended to almost any application where it would be hard to keep replacing batteries. Underground vibration monitoring for earthquake and fault detection, especially in high-risk areas around fracking oilfields, is important.

Vibration and dust/particle sensors Vibration sensing research has advanced to the extent that it is now commonly used in both industry and consumer applications. The running of huge, hundreds of kiloWatt-hour motors can throw up unexpected problems of alignment that quickly spiral out of control, permanently damaging often expensive equipment. Vibration sensors, especially in their modern avatars that provide compact, comprehensive sensing of amplitude, frequency and wave modes, allow such catastrophes to be avoided in the pumping, automotive, manufacturing and power generation industries. Vibration sensing also has obvious applications in motion sensing and security. Snakes, commonly thought to have no sense of

From the labs

hearing because they lack an external ear, can actually sense vibrations very accurately via an organ in their mouths. This allows them to pinpoint with remarkable accuracy whenever anything is moving around them. Particle sensing equipment has been a focus of sensor research with fairly straightforward applications. Quality control in factories, air conditioning applications, effluent analysis for toxins and particulates, and radiation monitoring are now all processes that can be easily and efficiently automated.

Chemical Reactant Sensors While it doesn’t look like we’re going to have anything to compete with dogs for their olfactory abilities in the near future, it certainly behooves humans to try their luck. And so we see chemical reactant sensors, designed as electronic noses that react with specific compounds in the air to detect biohazards, gas leaks, rust and even alcohol on the breath!

Moisture sensors Moisture sensing technology, though rooted in the mid 1900s, has come a long way - it no longer has to be replaced as often, offers a long life, low maintenance, and excellent accuracy. For certain kinds of postSource: http://news.mit.edu/2014/wireless-chemical-sensor-for-smartphone-1208

Djay Pro app on iPhone

A wireless chemical sensor.

operative care, it’s extremely important to keep a patient well-hydrated in a humid environment (a moist wound heals faster). Moisture sensing helps out here. Also, with integration with other sensors, smart refrigerators can decide you shopping list for you and modify the controls according to what’s inside. www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 43

From the labs

Source: http://news.mit.edu/2016/nanobionicspinach-plants-detect-explosives-1031

Speaking of integration, it’s only natural to question the efficacy of the lone sensor, working in isolation. So many kinds of useful insights can be gathered from aggregations of data of different kinds, and swarm sensors and Ubiquitous Sensor Networks (USNs) target an exploration of such potential.

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area under surveillance. Like many technologies developed for defence, this has also leaked out to the entertainment industry - virtual reality is having a ball with the scope that USNs offer. VR now has the potential to react not just to your hand movement - but to your body temperature and facial expression that distinguish a frantic wave for help from a friendly one!

Self-healing Sensors

By embedding spinach leaves with carbon nanotubes, MIT engineers have transformed spinach plants into sensors that can detect explosives and wirelessly relay that information to a handheld device similar to a smartphone.

Swarm sensors Swarm sensors are now becoming the norm in large-scale surveillance. The idea behind swarms is to have a bunch of sensors working in communication and cooperation with each other so as to gather maximally useful information in the most efficient way. Simply put, instead of having robots work independently on the task at hand, which might lead to redundancies or wastage of resources, we train them to work constructively, eliminating waste. Swarms are today being used to survey agricultural land, forests, traffic routes, and even by space agencies in their strategies for extraterrestrial exploration.

Ubiquitous Sensor Networks (USNs) USNs incorporate the integration of multiple kinds of sensors into one large information processing pipeline - this could include camera data, motions sensors, vibration data, sound and so on. USNs have tremendous applications in security and surveillance - with efficient integration, they approach the efficiency of a human guard, while limiting the cost, and widening the


We come full circle with a return to the scope that biological inspiration offers sensing technology. Self-healing sensors are under rapid development. These are sensors that can actually sense and repair themselves post certain kinds of damage. The erstwhile comic book fantasy of an exoskeleton is thus under active development - this might well define the warfare of the 21st century. Self-repairing membranes for biological and chemical process plants, protective clothing for sports and adventures, as well as materials science for protective sheets, tarpaulins and roofs might eventually benefit from strides in this area.

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respectively. These have been linked to certain determinate processes that can be used to control all manner of processes. Tests have revealed that EEG data can be accurately used to learn and replicate hand gestures from human test subjects. Anywhere where human skill is required remotely consider the example of underwater welding, which would be greatly simplified if a human could be sitting in a control room, directing a robot – will be revolutionised by this technology. EOGs offer a unique advantage - they track eye movements, and can be used in virtual reality, for attention measurement and psychological research and a host of other decisions. Consider data of where a driver’s eyes flit while driving being used for the efficient design of vehicular control systems. With the advent of multidisciplinary research, the possibilities for sensor research are truly endless. Add to this the interfacing, processing and learning capabilities that are being rapidly advanced, and you have a recipe for a

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ tdeering/97706037/

VSCO RAW images

Galvanic skin response sensors Galvanic skin response sensors might appear to be straight out of science fiction. This remarkable technology senses various features of the skin, ranging from temperature to moisture, and has managed to effectively correlate these observations with emotion and mood. Besides the obvious applications to virtual reality (a mood or reaction-dependant plot twist in a movie or video game!), this creates the potential to monitor and study mental health and patient recovery in unprecedented detail. Similarly, it allows for the potential to tailor air-conditioning to individual preferences.!

EEG/EOG sensors Electroencephalograms and electrooculograms (EEGs and EOGs) are a fascinating subset of sensing technology that track the electric fields produced by fluctuations in brain and eye activity

A remote sensing protective glove that can integrate galvanic skin response, self-healing, self-powered and other kinds of sensors. Photo for representative purposes.

future that will be as unrecognizable as it is unpredictable. Indeed, with the Internet of Things, that allows all your devices to interface with each other, with self-driving cars, with virtual reality - the world around us is already starting to look somewhat surreal. If we can expect a layman from the 1980s to be startled by the technology we take for granted today, it’s only logical that humanity must be in for some big surprises in the 21st century. For a technophile - there has never been a better time to be alive.

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Space Age

SUPERLUMINOUS SUPERNOVAE THE GORGEOUS MEGA-VILLAINS OF OUTER SPACE

Souvik Das [email protected]

B

eauty, as they say, depends on how you perceive it. The vast space has eons of mysteries tucked away in distant corners, much of which we have not yet set sight upon. However, our greatest scientific and engineering efforts are reaching out to see the farthest, darkest corners of outer space with greater panache than ever before. In this instance, what we witnessed at the beginning of 2016 was something that scientists and researchers are stating was a ‘hypernova’, or a superluminous supernova. For reference, a supernova itself is a sight to behold. It is the sharp, violent death of a star when it finally runs out of its fuel, emitting immense amounts of energy and light and shining its brightest, before eventually fading and burning out. Yet another type of supernova occurs when two white stars, bigger than our dwarf star the Sun, collide with each other, leading to the instability of their cores and a subsequent thermonuclear reaction. These, as held by researchers, have a characteristic type of luminance, hence forming a metric in the scaling of supernovae. The latest type, however, is rarer, and incomprehensibly more hostile. Superluminous supernovae, as the name itself suggests, is something that is far more violent and hostile than the average death of a star. These are brighter than the brightest, compounding immense amounts of force and energy at the point of explosion. They also occur across

The most beautiful moments are also the most violent

multiple stages, and the overall phenomena has only recently come to light. That itself is not really surprising, seeing how the first superluminous supernovae are estimated to be only about a few billion light years away from us. What is it, that makes such gargantuan creations in outer space? How are they formed, and what are the forces that are at play there? The research has only about begun, but from what has been found, superluminous supernovae are as mesmerising as their very name.

What is a superluminous supernova? Quite literally, a superluminous supernova is the explosion of a star that is multi-

ple times brighter and more violent than that of a standard explosion. These are typically about 100 times brighter than a supernova, and from what researchers have revealed so far, occur mostly because of exceptional circumstances - collision of giant stars or exceptional thermonuclear explosions being the more ‘common’ of exceptional cases. Although we have observed a number of stellar deaths leading to this phenomenon, the entire range of causal factors is not yet known. Out of the four broad categories into which supernovae are classified, researchers have at least experienced the corresponding superluminous phenomenon of three types. This relatively new field of research www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 45

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has hence kept the precise postulates under research, but we do seem to have a fair idea. Superluminous supernovae typically last for over six months, as compared to the duration of 2-3 weeks for a standard supernova. The reactions, too, are different in nature, and far more titanic than the standard incident of the death of a

gantuan black hole that literally ripped a massive star apart, to create light and energy that is 570 billion times higher than the Sun’s peak light and energy radiation. While this will indeed go down as the death of a star, and technically fall under a superluminous supernova, our speculations would say that this is certainly an infrequent occurrence. If

Now you know what happens when two stars collide

A giant star was torn apart to create the brightest galactic observation yet

star. Multiple causing factors have been identified, of which we will talk about in the next section. These are also believed now to be a significant source of gamma ray bursts in the cosmos, although concrete outtakes are yet to be derived of it. As against a typical supernova, the superluminous supernovae are said to feature two sections in the stellar explosion. Before the major explosion that sustains over months and shines consistently brighter than its surrounding galaxy for a much longer span, there is a smaller, initial explosion - a starter ignition of sorts - that leads to a subsequent dip spanning over a few days. It is following this that there is a surge in the energy and light emission of the superluminous supernova. This entire procedure is what makes this phenomenon rare, extremely volatile and unusual. There are even more titanic explosions across our galaxies far, far away (not akin the Death Star, of course) that shine even brighter. For instance, an explosion observed by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASASSN) was from a source that takes light 3.8 billion years to reach, and was reportedly twice as bright as the largest known superluminous supernova. The reason of this explosion is now being attributed to the impact of a gar-

not, though, then we have forces out there that are far greater than what we have known of. This, to sum up, is a superluminous supernova. The violent death of a massive star, catalysed by anomalous elements to form fireballs of energy that is way beyond standard comprehension. How do they occur, though?


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Sun. When the gravitational collapse of such a star begins, a faint supernova is produced when the star has slow rotational rate. The slow speed ejects smaller jets to outer orbits over short distances, thereby forming the essence of a standard, or in our case, a faint supernova. Considering the chemical constituency of the dying stars in our examples are constant, a superluminous supernova will occur only when the star has very fast rotational speeds. This leads to light and energy being spewed far beyond the outer shells as the core falls through in gravitational collapse, and these jets of light and energy are relative in magnitude to the rotational speed. This is what makes a more ‘usual’ superluminous supernova, which also leads to long outbursts of gamma rays. However, there are further questions within the primary postulate of stellar explosions leading to superluminous supernovae. While the mass and rotational speeds do contribute to the formation, the chemical constituency is also a major deciding factor on the feasibility of titanic explosions. Typically, a star that ends up in a superluminous supernova has higher metallicity alongside the

This is how they are formed Before we begin, it is essential to understand that the causal factors of a superluminous supernova are highly unusual, and as such, have been pegged as possibilities. Not always can the exact reason of the formation of a superluminous supernova be understood in accordance to their type, simply because of their highly complicated structure and massive parameters of the explosions. A supernova typically forms when the core of a star collapses to give rise to a gravitational pullback of energy. When this happens, there are multiple times when the core is too heavy, and the core’s explosive propulsion is not enough to eject the outer shells of the star. This leads to a silent death of a star that ends up forming black holes. Supernovae are formed only when the core of the star weighs between 5 and 15 times the mass of our star, the

The force is literally quite strong here

standard Hydrogen-Helium composition, which further leads to very high surface temperatures and luminosity at death. It is this that makes them shine brighter and at significantly higher temperatures for sustained durations, in which it surpasses the energy given by a standard supernova. While the previous model explains superluminous supernovae with high gamma ray outbursts, the other explanation is of stellar deaths that do not

Hyundai’s robotic assistant The South Korean auto-maker is working on wearable robotics using smart exoskeleton assistants. http://dgit.in/HyndaiR

Improved eyecare

Microsoft Intellegent Network for Eyecare plans to use machine learning to improve eyecare in India. http://dgit.in/MSeyeIND

contribute to gamma outbursts. This one is fairly similar to the SN2005gl supernova observed in 2005, and the more recent, still-under-debacle ASASSN-15lh explosion. The reason for the formation of superluminous energies here is the consistent observation of how these stars are embedded within corresponding nebulae - a highly proactive galactic

searcher at the University of Southampton to Phys.org, can also be a plausible reason behind the birth of a superluminous supernova. The phenomenon would involve the birth of a rapidly spinning neutron star, preceded by extreme heat and energy followed by rapid cooling. While the rapid cooling observation would be somewhat against a superlu-

When birthplace meets death

High intensity deaths can be titanic in magnitude

zone rich in circumstellar material. These are the elements that give birth to a star, and upon its death, the energy jets react with the matter to create visible shockwaves of stellar energy. Interestingly, the formation of superluminous supernovae from circumstellar matter do not necessarily depend on the constituency of the star, but more on its spatial arrangement. There are other observed processes in the formation of massive supernovae, as well, but they get increasingly rarer. For instance, super-massive stars in the order of 260 times the mass of Sun give rise to particles and antiparticles upon explosion. The existence of opposing matter leads to extremely rapid partial collapse of the core, which further causes simultaneous fusion of matter aided by gravity, all of which leads to the complete death of a star, and an extreme magnitude of energy and light repulsion that can be as much as one hundred times more intense than the highest standard supernova. The process has not yet been confirmed in interstellar space, seeing that the sheer size of stars that can have such reactions are not present in our immediate universe. The birth of a magnetar, as explained by Matthew Smith, post-doctoral re-

minous supernova, the observations are so far being studied to collate further information, before inferring.

Probability and geometry The core collapse model also goes beyond probability factors of understanding superluminous supernovae. Cosimo Inserra and his team from Queens University, Belfast, have obtained spectropolarimetric data on recent hypernova observations to affirm that despite an asymmetric, spherical pattern of the stars in explosion, the formation pivots around a primary axis, and the polarisation of matter changes in time and wavelength. This coincides with the core-collapse model of a star’s death, further proving that while superluminous supernovae have been much recent discoveries, they have actually been an ancient phenomena, and may not even be as rare going beyond our present, engineering limits.

A new milestone for space research While not much have been attributed to the impact of superluminous supernovae in terms of terrestrial impact, they do contribute further to the study of black holes, neutron stars and the core

Space Age

reactions in massive stars. It also lends basis to the study of gamma radiation bursts, which till the turn of the millennium was a matter completely shrouded in mystery. Even with the plausible explanations, the matter of short-duration gamma bursts still remain in question, and the hypernovae only contribute to long-duration bursts. While hyper-size star theories still remain in question because of the rarity, a possible massive gamma radiation burst has already been attributed to the second-largest extinction ever on Earth, during the Hirnantian Age of the Ordovician Period, more than 440 million years ago. While this was only ever a hypothesis and no concrete evidence was found, it may have been on the impact of a massive star’s violent death due to matter-antimatter collision. Our immediate future seems to be more secure, and mankind has far greater threat of extinction from global climate change than from an imminent hypernova. With every discovery we escalate to a new height of stellar explosion force that exceeds previous gargantuan figures significantly. The ongoing research on superluminous supernovae is a major milestone for

Now this won’t ever happen… Hopefully

space research, because of these very titanic forces at play. These aptly define the endless borders of space, and how practically infinite can the titanic nature of forces be. It is occurences like these that show you the true power of nature. On the other hand, it is truly a sight to behold. And maybe someday we will find the fourth type of supernova that’s even more awesome. How big would that be? Let us know through your messages www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 47

IMAGING: PETERSON PJ

Cover story

Cover story

ost people will look to do forward looking stories on the first on January of every year. It’s a new year, there are 12 whole months of things that will happen, and in general, readers are psychologically conditioned to accept such stories. We were tempted to go down that expected route too. It’s a hell of a lot easier to give you a list of expected launches and rumoured features of the iPhone 8 and Samsung S8, etc. And that’s not to say we won’t cover those stories online ourselves, but for the magazine, we obviously wanted some depth… something more… Whilst discussing story ideas we realised that a lot of the things we were discussing were starting off in 2017, or would be first on display in 2017, and this led us to the conclusion that more than any other year before, 2017 paints a much clearer picture of what we can expect in our future. After a really long time of mediocrity, finally 2017 promises to be a year where science and technology will start to wow us again like it used to do 10 or 15 years ago. Another clarification we should make is that we don’t mean “concepts” in the way companies make concept gadgets… those are often just designers going wild with scribbles and are seldom based in reality. The auto industry is famous for concept drawings that look amazing, and then prototypes or actual cars that look nothing like the original drawings, because artists are not engineers, and don’t account for real-world scenarios. When we say concepts, we mean something more broader than a single design. We mean a conceptual shift in the way we will live our lives in the future. And we do mean “we” and not our grandkids, because all of the concepts we’re covering are something we expect to see in our lifetimes – as early as within the next five to ten years! Anyway, enough of the buildup, let’s get to the actual concepts. Remember to write in to feedback@ digit.in and tell us if we missed out on something, or if you disagree with our concepts, or just want to add something to the story – the best letters will win Digit T-Shirts.

TRANSPORT / TRANSIT 01 RAPID

Let’s face it, as each year passes, the seriousness of two things increases rapidly – population and climate change. Both are directly proportional

as well, because the former usually leads to increased amounts of the latter. With no end in sight for population growth just yet, it’s obvious that we need to do other things to control climate change as of now. One of those things is to deal with transport caused pollution. Rapid transit systems are usually inner city modes of transport – typically metros or subway systems, and they’re environmentally better than everyone using their cars to get around the city. However, it’s not just people transport that matters, but also cargo, because most large cities are fed with supplies from nearby towns or smaller cities. Early in 2017, and right throughout, we will see a lot of activity and testing by companies around Elon Musk’s Hyperloop challenge. For those who don’t know, billionaire Elon Musk, whilst stuck in traffic,

SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA

M

BY TEAM DIGIT [email protected]

Hyperloop concept art.

wished for a better transport system. While for most of us this remains a daydream, billionaires have the advantage of being able to fund their dreams. He open sourced his idea, and encouraged more companies and scientists to get on board, and get on board they did… by the thousands. There are currently many interesting candidates from across the globe vying for testing time on the few hyperloop test tracks there are, and 2017 is the year we expect to see many of those tests being conducted. Although we don’t see this as being an inner city rapid transit solution, we do see this first being implemented to transport goods between closely situated cities that have a lot of goods and cargo exchange. Sadly, you’ll probably need a visa and a flight ticket to see it. EXCITING EXAMPLES Currently, the first phase of selected finalists for hyperloop testing will be http://dgit.in/MIThyprlp conducted at SpaceX’s Hyperloop test http://dgit.in/vichyper track between January 27-29, and then http://dgit.in/bdgrloop Phase 2 in the summer of 2017. www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 49

Cover story there is a robot chef set to go on sale and crime scene investigations. For in 2017, and it might mean the end of example, the Netherlands Forensic cooking for all of us. Well… all of us with Institute are experimenting with AR Whether you like it or not, whether loads of space and a minimum of $15,000 to help an on scene officer get help you think of it as the coolest thing ever, (just over ` 10 lakh). The from a crime scene or you’re fearing Judgement Day (as in price depends on how expert who could be the Terminator movies), automation is UNREAL LINKS popular the demand anywhere else on Earth. upon us. http://dgit.in/AEthernity is, and eventual retail The officer’s body cam Every other day we hear about a http://dgit.in/ARcrime price could be as high as sends video to the new type of robot being developed http://dgit.in/IntelmVR $75,000 (` 50 lakh). People expert, they mark items in labs, and then there are products buy cars that are way more of importance, which available to actually buy. Robot vacuum expensive, and you would sends an update to the cleaners, for one, are now so commonthink that those people would also want officer’s smartphone (or VR headset if place that they’re not these rare things a chef cooked meal everyday… yes, the they so please), and you have the best that billionaires have in their homes. kitchen watches chefs wearing motion crime scene investigators on call for When travelling abroad, inevitably capture equipment when they cook, and challenging cases, without the need you come across one in someone’s replicate the dish they prepare (and they to arrange travel for them. The AR home. You can buy really cheap ones copy better than any human ever could). system will be made available to some for as little as ` 1,000, and the original You can buy a recipe from something police departments in 2017. akin to an app store, and tell the robot However, why stop at AR and VR if chef to cook your dinner while you’re on you can simulate yourself? A new conyour way home, so that you get a nice hot cept called “Augmented eternity” aims meal as soon as you arrive. This is way to use AI to make a virtual you! Being better than any sexbot in our opinion! developed jointly by MIT Media Labs and Ryerson University (Toronto), this concept aims to use the same machine WHAT’S REAL? learning that any big shopping website With the big push VR saw in uses in their recommendation engines 2016, which directly followed the 3D to analyse your purchases and suggest push from a couple of years before that, TOSY’s Topio 3.0 humanoid robot playing table tennis. items to try and get you to spend more the trend seems to be pretty straightformoney… Except, this is that engine on ward to spot. We want a lot of fake stuff some serious steroids! The goal is to Roomba series costs between `15,000 to appear to be very, very real. and `50,000 (not billionaire territory). Whether it’s gamers who want to be Robot pets aren’t even fun anyimmersed into real-looking environmore. In fact, as 2017 passes us by, it’s ments, or movie watchers who want to not the kids who will be playing with be a part of the action, or even simpler robots, but more so the adults… if you YouTube style videos where we just know what we mean. Yes, commercial want to be able to do our own thing… sexbots are going to become widely VR is certainly here to stay. Now, we’re available to a lot of people starting well aware that VR and AR aren’t new 2017, and experts believe that by 2050 technologies, in fact we’ve been using we will see people marrying robots! AR (using Blippar) on our covers for While that may be too far away to be an over two years now. Razer’s OSVR Hacker Dev Kit. accurate prediction… it’s typically the What will be new in 2017, and what completely analyse everything you do, sex industry that brings in cutting edge you will see happening (or perhaps learn from you until the day you die, technology. It’s not just human-looking not see happening), is the integration and then take over and continue to be bots that will be hot in 2017, but also of it into more than just the entertainyou (virtually and digitally, of course). apps and accessories for smartphones. ment field. The idea is that if you want to know in We expect a lot of first-world countries We’ve already mentioned the– the year 2100, “What would Obama to start using apps that help you–err… umm– private entertainment aspect have done?”, you can just ask Virtual fornicate with real people of tech in the previous Obama, and get a pretty good estimate. in a virtual setting. Both segment. That applies NANO, NANO! In fact, since the virtual you continues bots and apps like these doubly here to VR and to get new information and make deciare, in essence, the safest AR as well, but we’re not http://dgit.in/MoleyMR sions or have opinions, it won’t even form of sex there will be. going there… http://dgit.in/lsrRobot be “you”, it will be some form of you Bots won’t just Instead, there are http://dgit.in/KnightS that never died and kept living and be appealing to your concepts of AR being http://dgit.in/AIAEpdf updating itself! sexuality in 2017 though… used in detective work

03


SOURCE: FLICKR

SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA

AND ROBOTICS 02 AUTOMATION

Cover story electricity producer (such as a wind Thankfully, we’re not predicting farm or a solar farm). that smartwatches will do anything Hydrogen is another fuel that’s spectacular in 2017. However, we do showing promise, and it’s think that the wearable relatively cheap to make space is set to take off PUT THESE ON because it’s extracted in other ways. Let us http://dgit.in/SmrtPrkw from water, and when it explain that. http://dgit.in/MITwear is burnt, the only exhaust Take for instance the product is water, making it a very desirable fuel source indeed. Another way to use hydrogen power is to use hydrogen fuel cells which uses hydrogen and oxygen

CORADIA ILINT, REGIONAL TRAIN, SALZGITTER (GERMANY). COPYRIGHT: ALSTOM / MICHAEL WITTWER

In a recent blog post, Google’s senior VP, Technical Infrastructure wrote about Google being set to reach 100% renewable energy in 2017. So, every single Google search done, every email you send via GMail, every YouTube video you watch, every Google Adsense ad you ignore on sites, app you download from the Google Play Store… everything Google that you use uses up energy from a server somewhere. Heck, those of you using

This train actually runs on hydrogen!

as the anode and cathode (respectively) Google’s free DNS servers… every of a battery to produce electricity and time you click on a domain name you water as the only waste product. haven’t been to before, you ask a Google Amongst others, Toyota is one car server for an IP address… All of that manufacturer working on a hydrogen humongous data flow, all of a million or powered car. We mention them so servers (Google’s datacentre costs are because at the time of writing this their supposedly $20 billion a year), all of concept happens to be the one most the energy used by Google offices…will recently released. be powered by renewable energy! There’s also a train that has been Now that’s quite a feat, and Google developed recently that will use will be the first large company to hydrogen fuel cells to power it. It will achieve this. Google is already the run at speeds of up to 140 kmph, and world’s largest corporate buyer of carry as many as 300 passengers, with renewable energy (non-fossil fuel a range of between 600 to 800 km on a energy), and it only buys solar and full tank of fuel! wind energy currently. Understand that Google is not off the grid, running on its own solar panels and WEARABLES windmills… their servers are way The minute we use this word, too important to risk a cloudy day you will be thinking “Not more smartsuddenly resulting in YouTube going watches please!”. For good reason too, down! Instead, Google because despite all the is paying the electric hype, smartwatches seem MORE SHOCKS? suppliers the premium to have flopped royally. http://dgit.in/REnergy100 rate necessary for the Apple somehow expects http://dgit.in/ToyotaD supplier to purchase that to make new records http://dgit.in/iLint amount of power from selling their Watch, but a green and renewable we’re still skeptical.

05

MagicBands used in Disney’s theme parks. These are bands that you wear on your wrist that contain information about you, what you’ve paid for, even what you want to have for lunch (if you choose to enter that data). What does this result in? No waiting in ticket lines, no need to worry about hotel room keys (the band is the key), and if you ordered your lunch, no waiting, it is prepared and kept ready for you, just scan the band and take your lunch. You update your selections at the many kiosks available at Disney World, by using their app, or on the MagicBand website. Not only does this make the consumer’s life a lot easier, by tracking magic bands, the entertainment park is able to make sure there are enough staff to assist at locations where there is an extra crowd, for example, and also it cuts down on costs of running the place. This isn’t new, or even unique to Disney parks, but we see it taking off elsewhere.

SOURCE: FLICKR

04 NEW ENERGY

Nano-printable circuits from MIT

An interesting development in wearables comes from MIT (again), where engineers have come up with a way to print really tiny circuits onto flexible surfaces. Unlike regular inkjet printing that was being tried before, the new method uses stamps to print pre-decided circuits onto a surface. While this means that you’re not going to be using your home printer for this purpose, it does make for some really cool and tiny circuits, and that means the only limit is your imagination. www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 51

Cover story It’s getting worse. With all the trolls out there, the sick and twisted humour that is the norm today, it’s no wonder that disinformation is the order of the day. Never believe anything you read on social media these days, because almost all of the time you

What’s worse is that Russia, terminology, this is called the internal during the elections, was suspected of data bus. The prototype could transfer spreading a lot of fake news to try and 300 gigabits/s per square millimeter, discredit Hillary Clinton. Whether or this is approximately 10 to 50 times not that is true and how faster than existing elecsuccessful they were trical internal data bus 00110001 00110000 in doing so is totally speeds. Around 20 to 30 http://dgit.in/DWave2c conjecture, but common percent of a data centre’s http://dgit.in/LightChips sense would tell you that energy consumption http://dgit.in/SiliconNext it certainly had some is spent on electrical

SOURCE: PIXABAY

effect– given that quite a few people were willing to believe that Clinton was a blood drinking, child trafficking, pedophile based on just a few tweets by trolls– it’s not hard to imagine that those same people believed the disinformation spread by Russia! Fake news is now quite real thanks to social media

07 COMPUTING

communication between the CPU, memory and network interfaces. The energy saving will be momentous! Quantum computers are a relatively new and every company have their own way of implementing the technology. D-Wave is one such company with some of the fastest quantum computers on the planet. Their existing hero product is a 1000-qubit quantum computer which has been adopted by the likes of Google, Lockheed Martin, LANL and NASA. While quantum computing itself is a major step in processing power, D-Wave recently

We’ve been using optical fibre to haven’t got all the angles of the story channel data for a few decades now so to arrive at an informed conclusion of communication using light isn’t new. what actually occurred. What’s worse It’s the fastest thing in the universe, but is that it’s not just individuals doing we still haven’t managed to shrink the this, it’s now governments as well. tech to be used at the transistor level If you followed the recent US presidential election (and you would have to be living under a rock to have not followed it at least a little), you might have heard of a Twitter hashtag called #PizzaGate. It’s too complicated to explain this in detail, so we assume you will Google it, but the short version is that a few people (probably Republicans), made up a story about Hillary Clinton being a part of a pedophile ring, about children being kept against their will in a pizza parlour called Comet Ping Pong, and politicians meeting to perform satanic rituals. Not surprisingly, people on Twitter D-Wave 2X features a 2000-qubit quantum processing power. thought it was really funny and soon unveiled the successor to their flagship, the #PizzaGate theory went viral. The in microchips. That’s set to change in the D-Wave 2X. The 2X should have problem with people trolling is that 2017 thanks to the efforts of a group of given it away, it’s going to be a 2,000they make it sound like they genuinely researchers from MIT, the University of qubit quantum computer but here’s the believe in something, and they often California, Berkeley and University of thing – it’s 500 to 1,000 times faster! make fake accounts of famous people Colorado, Boulder. D-Wave has received some flak from (or parody accounts) which causes the They’ve shrunk optical fibre to such competitors who’ve claimed that these simpler-minded amongst us to really a small scale that they could squeeze aren’t exactly quantum computers, but believe what’s being 850 of them with transwe don’t care. We’d take any computer said as the truth. There mitters and receivers FAKE OR FACT? that’s 500 to 1000 times faster than it’s are parody accounts of onto a processor. The http://dgit.in/pizaGte predecessor. This pretty much seems Indian celebrities and optical connections were http://dgit.in/UScmpgn like magic! And that’s not all, two politicians as well on used to move data to and http://dgit.in/CometFake to three years down the line, they’re social media, and they fro between the prohttp://dgit.in/WikiFake promising to multiply performance by also keep fooling people cessor and the memory. a similar factor. on a daily basis. In current computing


SOURCE: D-WAVE

06 DISINFORMATION

Cover story

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA PHOTO CREDIT: STEVE ZYLIUS/UCI

We’ve already spoken about new energy, but 2017 isn’t only going to be about solar panels and windmills… it’s also going to be about batteries. We know… you’re fed up of being promised better batteries (betteries?) for a decade or more, and only ending up with cutting-edge batteries that explode – sorry Samsung, as much as you want to forget 2016, it’s going to take more than one year for that debacle to be forgotten. The reason why nanowire-batteries (which have been promised as the alternative to existing batteries for ages) have not taken off is because the nanowires that store the charge get brittle with every charge and break.

“Nanowires” can store 10 times more energy than lithium-ion batteries.

just smartphones that benefit either, 3D Xpoint storage medium in 2017. it’s electric cars, which would be able to A supposed evolution of 3D NAND increase their driving range on a single technology, 3D Xpoint is claimed to charge by 10 times, which is a massive be faster, durable and power efficient. shot in the arm for them. By how much? Supposedly 4x better Another developwrite speeds, 3x better ment being talked about read speeds, 3x write FAST BYTES (link to video below) is endurance, 10x lower http://dgit.in/HAMRv a University of Bristol latency and consuming http://dgit.in/3DxPoint video and press release just 30% power. Of http://dgit.in/HAMRfrbs that aims to solve a course they will probably small part of the world’s nuclear waste problem (specifically graphite waste from reactors), by making carbon-14 waste into a radioactive diamond, encasing that inside a regular diamond shell to seal in the radioactivity, and then using that as a battery. Sounds like sci-fi or something from a game (alien crystals used for power?), no this is actually very valid science. However, you’d need some humongous radioactive diamonds to run anything substantial. The only awesome thing for really low powered circuits (such as those on satellites or unmanned space vehicles) is that the batteries will run for thousands of years, given that the half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730 years!

be 10+3+4+3=20 times more expensive! (We’re kidding!). Historically newer storage technology have only been introduced for the enterprise segment first and consumer SKUs arrive a good year or two later when the costs reduce. So you can drool while we get to benchmark these beauties when they’re released. 2017 is also when HDDs will finally lose their commodity status. The density race is boring now, and improvements in hard drive technology are merely cosmetic. Even brands have realised this and have resorted to marketing tactics such as rebranding and segmented targeting. This is where HAMR (heat assisted magnetic recording) comes to the

09 STORAGE

This reduces the efficiency of the batThough SSDs have matured over tery, which in turn means you end up the years, they come with one inherent with a battery that loses charge faster issue, the NAND memory suffers from and faster beyond a point (usually a limited set of read/write cycles. Hard after 500 cycles, or so). The advantage drives can be re-written millions of of nanowires is that they are able to times over, and we know of big bulky store 10 times the amount of charge hard drives from the 70s that are still as lithium-Ion batteries, which means operational today! With SSDs, however, either batteries that last much longer, you have a metric called MTBF (Mean or much, much smaller and lighter batTime Before Failure) which ranges teries for the same charge. somewhere around a few million hours In a lab in the University of Caliof operating time. TBW or Total Bytes fornia, Irvine, Mya Le Thai, a PHd canWritten is a more accurate metric to didate, accidentally discovered a way to figure out when your SSD will die. prevent the nanowires from breaking. Right now, SSDs can only survive 5-6 Although she worked with gold nanowyears of moderate-high volume usage ires, she is confident that this method which is way short compared to HDDs. will work with nickel wires as well. Enter 3D Xpoint (three-dee-crossIn preliminary testing (which is still point), which is a non-volatile storage underway), she’s already charged and technology that boasts of a lot more discharged the nano-batread/write cycles than tery over 200,000 times. SSDs. With information BATTERY BOOM? How does a battery still limited about this http://dgit.in/ChemBtry that lasts charging and technology, we can’t add http://dgit.in/NuclrBtry recharging for 400 years much more than that, but or more sound? It’s not we’ll see consumer grade

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA

08 BETTERIES

3D Xpoint layer diagram

rescue. The magnetics particles on platters have a property called coercivity, which is a measure of their resistance to an external magnetic field. As you make these particles finer, it becomes more difficult to switch their alignment (from 0 to 1 or vice versa). Thus, you need to reduce their coercivity. Heating is one way to do this, and HAMR uses a fine laser beam to heat the area being written to. Hard drives are going to see a large increase in capacities thanks to HAMR, there’ll now be a phase where HDDs become as competitive as SSDs before going back to being commodities in the distant future. www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 53

Cover story Photography hasn’t seen much action for a while. It’s a numbers game with new DSLRs just having more megapixels and focus points, and slightly improved image processors. Nothing revolutionary. Then Lytro introduced the Light Field cinematography. Though their first two ventures didn’t pan out well, Lytro Cinema, their upcoming video camera, is all set to revolutionise the movie industry. The Lytro Cinema is a unique camera. It has a sensor capable of capturing 755 RAW megapixels, and the sensor itself is a foot and a half wide. Captured content can be rendered as either 4K or 2K videos running at

the sensor and then the lenses in front human players, who will then take the of it. Not anymore. Researchers at the role of your co-op partner. This is the Columbia University are working to closest you’ll get to the “real thing”. build a flexible sheet camera. This isn’t A worrying trend is the faster harda new concept, but previous iterations ware and software refresh rates. Every suffered from non-fixable year we have a new CPU aliasing, because the and GPU refresh, which DLCS lenses in front the sensor previously took at least http://dgit.in/MxdRealityV weren’t flexible. With 2-3 years to happen. http://dgit.in/GameTrends this new technology, both Software is updated way elements are flexible. So how are these going to be put to use? You could wrap sheets around objects and see them from all directions. We couldn’t think of a more apt example other than the all seeing eye from Lord of the Rings. Jokes aside, you can wrap vehicles with these sheets and improve driver assist systems.

SOURCE: LYTRO.COM

11 GAMING

too often anyway, with something like Google’s Chrome browser releasing 10 or 15 major updates a year. This is OK for software though, because it doesn’t cost the user anything more, but with hardware updating costs a bomb! For consoles, we saw the Xbox One S and PlayStation Pro being announced around E3, about three years after the PS4 launched. But Sony’s going to release the PlayStation Neo in 2017. That’s in less than one year. The fact is, because console manufacturers having adopted the x86 architecture, game developers no longer have to develop for the PC separately. This has led to quite a lot of PC specific code making its way onto the console versions.

VR has melded with the gaming ecosystem and each platform has added a multitude of VR titles. The PlayStation VR has been quite successful on the console front while Oculus Rift and HTC Vive have led the charge for PC. Needless to say, VR on the PC is a much Lytro’s 755 megapixel light field cinema camera more fluid experience thanks to the abun300 FPS. If all this still seems like dance of processing just numbers, consider that Light power on hand. HowField Cinematography allows you to ever, it still remains change focus, depth of field and shutter a niche as VR Head speed during post production. The Mounted Displays still camera records 3D depth of individual aren’t cheap. Xbox on objects, and also stores angular data. the other hand decided What does this mean? You can remove to sit this one out but objects from the scene, and don’t need Scorpio will change to reshoot them. You can do away with that as it’s packing a green screens altogether! Also, since lot more horsepower to angular data is stored, you end up give gamers a PC-like with a virtualized holographic image. experience. However, Facebook’s Oculus Rift gaming boot at Gamescom 2014 Because the camera creates models of there’s one thing that’s This means that where earlier every object it shoots, it includes posireally going to drive AR/VR adoption, developers used to have to cut code tional data in 3D space of them. This and that’s Physically Collaborative and optimise for restrictive console camera will drastically reduce post Gaming (PCG). hardware, they can afford to be a little production costs, reduce reshoots and Over the years multiplayer games lazier now, and that opens up a new save a ton of money on CG effects. have carved a bigger piece of the avenue for console manufacturers to The next development is in sensors, pie than single player games – the make even more money. You can kiss which have thus far been highest sales records are your long support periods for consoles flat. Various elements exclusively multiplayer MORE MEGAPIXELS goodbye, because manufacturers will in the lens are what titles. With PCG, gaming http://dgit.in/FlexCam focus only on the latest few iterations of help change the field of hardware will incorpohttp://dgit.in/LytroVid their hardware. In short, consoles are view and focus, which rate technologies such as http://dgit.in/SceneDetect going the mobile way, and your only means you have to have Intel’s RealSense camhope is to join the #PCMasterRace. a separate module with eras, which will digitise


SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA

10 PHOTOGRAPHY

Cover story

SOURCE: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

With more and more humans crowding for space on the planet, food production is going to be an important aspect that we need to get right, or else all hell will break loose. Not only do we have to account for all the extra stomachs, we also have to take care of the environment, which means we’re just a little stuck between a rock and a hard place. Add to that the tendency of people to either impose their ideas of what’s right to eat on others (vegans, vegetarians, paleo-diet people and anti-GM groups), or the other bunch

Agriculture is not only benefitting hardware capability of being selffrom genetic modification, but also driving, including even the Model 3. Of from improvements in weather prediccourse, the cheaper cars will have the tion and more accurate hardware but won’t have rainfall reports. self-driving capability GET IN GEAR Most importantly, we just yet. The more expenhttp://dgit.in/TeslaLoss expect to see the first lab sive cars will have all of http://dgit.in/TeslaSDriving grown meat and dairy the self-driving capabilihttp://dgit.in/SelfDCmove products to become ties, and the data gathavailable in 2017. While this may disgust even the meat eaters amongst us, lab grown meat has several advantages. It can be grown lean and healthy with less fat and it is much greener, more efficient and much more moral than raising an animal from a baby, feeding it all its life and then killing it for meat as a young adult.

DRIVING 13 SELF-

ered from those cars will be analysed, and when Tesla feel they are confident enough to, they can just send an over the air update and enable self-driving on the other vehicles. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing solution either, because features such as automatic emergency braking could be enabled first, then collision warning, and so on, depending on how much testing Tesla got done in real-world scenarios, and how confident it was of the system being perfect. Tesla claim that their self-driving cars are much safer than human drivers, despite 2016 being the year the first person died in a self-driving accident. Tesla is still confident that it is far safer than human drivers, because it’s only had one fatality in over 200 million km driven by self-driving Teslas, as opposed to US human drivers, who have a fatality every 150 million km.

When you think of self-driving cars, you automatically think Google. This is because, for a long time, Google has led the way in A genetically modified crop self-driving research. However, recently, of people who don’t care how their diet Uber announced a self-driving car test impacts the planet (beef eaters we mean to be run in California. They you…), and we have a recipe for disaster. were promptly told by the This is where technology has to step California Department of in to save the day. The most obvious Motor Vehicles that they technology is genetic modification would need to apply for (GM), where the DNA of plants and aniautonomous licenses for mals are changed to make them yield their cars, pay extra money more food, cost less to maintain, and and agree to rigorous selfsecure them from disease and pests. driving regulations. Uber Medical understanding of refused, because unlike genomes, and of DNA has been with other self-driving cars, increasing steadily, and with more Uber has a driver present genetic modification experiments or ready to take over in an projects being green-lighted across instant. Of course, Uber lost Uber’s self-driving car the globe, food production is sure to the battle, and then promptly As long as the second fatality happens get a shot in the arm. decided to shift to Arizona, where much after 400 million miles have Although many still question the Governor Doug Ducey welcomed them been self-driven by Teslas, this claim ethics, an example of aquaculture with “open arms and wide open roads”. will hold. If the next fatality happens (fish farms) using GM trials to try Looks like there will be something before 300 million km, Tesla might and prevent fish from unique for a few Aribe in big trouble. Actually, the next falling sick, or making zonan Uber riders to tell TASTY OPTIONS fatality might be big trouble no matter them resistant to fish their friends about. how many million miles later it comes! parasites such as sea In October 2016 Tesla http://dgit.in/PDayFood This particular capability is under high lice will go a long way in announced that from http://dgit.in/BistroV levels of scrutiny and if you ask us, making seafood farms then on, all Tesla cars http://dgit.in/GMOaqua even the slightest mistake is a big deal. more efficient. would be sold with full


SOURCE: FLICKR

12 FOOD

Cover story

SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA

This is the one field that is seeing so much progress, that we can’t even begin to scratch the surface if we dedicated the entire cover story to it. Pretty much all of the future concepts we’ve listed here have some element of A.I. supporting them, and it’s going to be big business too. Digital Assistants were big in 2016, but they weren’t perfect, and we think 2017 will see even more of them launched, and all of the billions of interactions they have with people

course). Humans can have a bad day, over a year-and-a-half. He even played and their judgement can be clouded, basketball without a heart inside his but software is always clear about body, which would be unthinkable just the outcome. Not to say a few years ago. that software is perfect, In 2017, the first DOCTOR’S ORDERS which is why Dalio artificial pancreas will http://dgit.in/Heartbackpck believes that up to 75% go on sale, which is http://dgit.in/HybrdLoop of management can be excellent news for people http://dgit.in/GeminiSC done by software, but the suffering from type 1 diahttp://dgit.in/GeneThrpy remaining 25% will have betes. The little gadget

to be managed by some will constantly check very smart humans. The blood sugar levels and only bit that confuses us is, if the softinject insulin accordingly, thus taking ware will manage hiring and firing… away the need for the patient to do that doesn’t that make the softthemselves. This should also reduce ware 100% in charge? the risk of death because of incorrect The rise of AI has even dosage, such as taking insulin when the office of the Presithe blood sugar is low. dent of the US involved, However, the big news is not just because they’re worried artificial organs, but the possibility about the impact to the exists that we will be able to do entire economy when A.I. takes head transplants soon. Yes, you read over the jobs of millions that right, in a few years you might be of Americans soon. This able to go to a doctor and get a totally is also very worrying for new body (but keep the same head)– countries that rely a lot on if you thought sex change surgeries outsourcing, such as China, needed therapy, imagine waking up and also India. The only with someone else’s body… literally! thing cheaper and harder Of course some diseases might not Roboy, an advance humanoid robot developed at the University of Zurich working than a Chinese need whole new donor bodies, and factory worker is a robot, this is where gene therapy comes in, at least in the long run. We from across the globe will train them think that in 2017 we will to be smarter, and thus make them see the start of the effects of even more invaluable in the long A.I. on global economies, run. However, it’s not just personal and it might not turn out assistants that will go artificial, but too well for some of us. also many jobs, and surprisingly, they’re not repetitive jobs of assembly line workers and the like, but jobs that MEDICAL you would think could never be done This is the field without humans… which possibly gets the When the world’s largest hedge most funding for research, fund (Bridgewater Associates) says it and with good reason too, wants to start building and trialling because humans want to software to take over quite a few tasks live longer (if not forever) A French made artificial heart from humans, you sit up and take and the fountain of youth is especially when it comes to genetic notice. The founder, Ray Dalio wants the ultimate goal of mankind. flaws that make us prone to maladies. the company to run according to his One of the ways to accomplish a Blindness is one such genetic problem, vision, even after he’s gone, and feels longer life, especially for people sufand a company called Spark Therapeuthat software is the only way to achieve fering organ failure, is to have artificial tics is expected to get a license from the that. What will the organs take over the job, US FDA in 2017 to start gene therapy to software handle? Hiring either permanently, or COMPUTER try and cure a genetic type of blindness and firing of people, evetemporarily till a donor GENERATED LINKS called inherited retinal dystrophies. ryday decision making is found. In 2016 we were http://dgit.in/AIAEpdf And that’s just scratching the surface and management, and wowed by 25-year old http://dgit.in/AImanagers of the mind-blowing medical marvels even strategic decision Stan Larkin, who carried http://dgit.in/MINeyecare we can expect to see starting in 2017. making (all in line with an external artificial Fingers crossed! the company’s vision of heart in a backpack for

15


SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA

14 A.I.

Cover story

SOURCE: AMAZON GO (YOUTUBE)

We all love a good bargain, and we love the highs we get from some retail therapy. Digit readers especially love the feel of a new gadget in our hands… it’s just pure bliss isn’t it? However, retail isn’t just for buying gadgets… with demonetisation a lot of us are buying everything online or from larger stores, and using plastic to pay for it all. This is good because it

Then of course there’s VR and AR The Chinese also seem to be making that can be used to tell you what size progress and are working towards of clothes you should buy, lets you try Mach 10 (10 times the speed of sound) on (virtually of course) missiles. The US is still clothes that are available far ahead, with rumours BOOM! for purchase online, so suggesting that they http://dgit.in/ArmyTech that you know how it are on their way to http://dgit.in/usaCPGS would look on you (or achieving Mach 20

at least get a pretty good already. Lockheed was idea). And all of this is awarded a $147 million just technology that’s akin to Snapcontract by the US to build a Mach 20 Chat filters! Then of course payload delivery system. VR can allow retailers to Why is this so important? Because give you a large mall-sized most countries have defense systems experience without incurcapable of shooting down traditional ring any of the associated ICBMs of the type, say, India, Pakicosts, because you will visit stan, France and England have. In virtually from the comfort order to beat defense systems, there of your home. is only the option of stealth which With so many invenis very hard in this day and age of tive ways being thought up sophisticated satellite surveillance, about how to make your and of course, good old speed. If the shopping a novel experimissile is faster than the anti-missile, ence, we’re pretty sure that you win. At Mach 20, a payload would 2017 will forever change the be impossible to stop and hard to even Amazon’s advance shopping technology where you never have to wait in line. way we shop, both online as detect in time. Theoretically, the US well as offline. could bomb and disable all nuclear will open up more people to accepting the newer way of buying things, which WAR in turn will help people innovate in the Sadly, the one space. With that in mind, 2017 seems to things we wish wouldn’t be the year things will change in retail improve is our efficiency in India… but this is also true for global at killing one another, retail, and some of the technologies but we know we will used abroad will find their way to us, or get better at it. Defense inspire local versions, because, we are, research is perhaps a after all, one of the biggest consumer total misnomer, because markets in the world. pretty much most of the Augmented Reality actually plays a R&D dollars spent by large part in online shopping, and we every country on earth think you will see more and more of goes towards offensive it starting in 2017. Most of you know weapons… things meant “Only the dead have seen the end of war” - Plato that we have partnered with Blippar to kill others, and not so sites in Russia or China before they to augment our covers, and Blippar is much ways to “defend” against attacks. even knew what had hit them, let also doing some good work with retail. The world spends a whopping $1.6 alone launch a retaliatory strike! Using Blippar you can buy products trillion a year on defense, just because There are a lot of smaller enhancethat you see models wearing on runway we can’t all get along. ments being made to weapons as well, shows, you can preview how a piece of One of the biggest developments and lasers seem to be the choice of furniture would look in your house. in nuclear warfare (something we weapons for 2017 and beyond. Star Using social media and updates hope is never used, but perfect, just Wars may finally be coming true, and from friends, and a little A.I. magic, you in case), are hypersonic ICBMs. The wars of the future might just be fought can get suggestions about US, China and Russia with lasers! what to buy friends for are said to be working SPECIAL OFFERS! Well that was our list of the 17 areas their birthdays, or for on this, and although no that will completely change due to tech special occasions. IBM’s one knows for sure, the http://dgit.in/AmazonGo1 advancements and progress in 2017. Watson is being used in US seems to be in the http://dgit.in/ARworks While it may not be exhaustive, it defia project called Watson lead, given the nervoushttp://dgit.in/VRnARleto nitely is exciting. Trend to accomplish this. ness of the Russians.

17


SOURCE: PEXELS

16 SALE

Feature

Toolbox

60

We're past the trial stage in AR, and it's about time for you to play around with some AR dev tools.

Workshop

62

Want to show off some gaming skills or hilarious fails? Here's how you can livestream your gameplay to YouTube.

Lost Android passcode, a conked memory slot, the notorious system32 error and more such suffering This month we came across our readers facing problems on their PC on both hardware and software; along with smartphone issues A foreign problem Hey Guys! First of all, I love Digit and I’m totally addicted to it. My problem is that I have a Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 which I bought from China (as it is not yet released in India.). I switched off the phone and after switching it back on, it asked me for the backup password instead of the fingerprint. When I entered my correct password, it is not accepting it and due to this I am not able to unlock my phone. I tried to search online for an answer and it suggested to switch off the phone, press the power and volume up button for ten seconds after which the recovery mode can be accessed. But when I did that instead of the recovery mode, I got a picture of the phone and the charging cable beneath it. I also tried contacting the Mi customer care in India, but they said that since the Redmi Note 4 is not yet launched in India they can't help me. In fact, everywhere I go, I get the same statement. I am really frustrated that I have got such a great phone, yet still I am not able to use it. Please help me to get out of this mess. You guys are my last hope. – Shaurya Hey Shaurya, It used to be easier on devices running Android 4.4 and below, but after Android 5.0, they removed the option in an attempt to increase security. The only way for newer devices is to factory reset your device which means that you’ll be losing all your data. To reach the factory reset screen, you have to enter the custom recovery of the phone and for that you need to press the power and volume up hardware


buttons to activate it when the phone is switched off. If the charging icon is coming up, then you haven’t reached the custom recovery. Try different variations with the hardware buttons such as power and volume down button or power and both the volume buttons. You can also try keeping the power button pressed for around 15-20 seconds to reset the device (although not all devices follow this). At the customer service, explain your exact problem and request the staff to help you out.

Socket trouble Sir, I have a problem where one of my RAM socket isn’t working. How do I fix it? My PC specifications are as follows: • CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 • RAM: 2 GB • CPU: GeForce GT 610 – Aditya Hey Aditya, looks like the socket has failed. To determine whether your socket or RAM module is faulty, you should try inserting your RAM stick on another socket or a friend’s motherboard. The testing depends on the number of RAM sticks you have and whether your motherboard has more than two slots. If you’re using just one RAM stick, which works fine, then you should simply switch to the other slot. If you have two RAM sticks and don’t

RAM socket failure calls for a new motherboard

have more than two RAM sockets, then you’ll have to use just one stick. The only solution would be to buy a new motherboard if you really need the other RAM module.

Kali-brated network card Hey Team Digit, I have a Killer Gigabit network card to reduce my ping while gaming. It's pretty good for reducing lag in gaming, so I was thinking whether it can be used in Kali Linux for better performance in monitoring mode but I don't know the concept of the Killer Gigabit card and how it works. So I kind of feel stupid about asking this question. I'm currently using an Intel Wireless 3165 adapter. I have an MSI GE62VR Apache Pro. So, if I can use the card in Kali Linux, do tell me how to change the default settings so that I can switch the network card. Thanks. – David Terros Hey David, you shouldn’t face any problem running scans and collecting wireless data on Kali Linux with your network card. Use the appropriate kernel version since we updating the kernel might affect compatibility in Kali. Here’s a quick guide on how to setup an external network card: http:// dgit.in/NtwrkCrdKaliLinux.

The forgotten settings Sir, today I was changing the settings in my BIOS but can’t recall what I changed. It shows an error mentioning “DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_ OR_EQUAL”. On restart, each time it is dumping physical memory and restarting. Please help me. – Akhil

Tips & Tricks

69

Unlock the true potential of your smartphone camera with the Open Camera app. And once you're done, explore how scrobbling can make your life easier.

Hey Akhil, this problem arises because of a driver issue of a particular hardware. Try to change that setting back then if you can remember. If you can't find the same setting again, go into the BIOS and reset defaults ("Load default BIOS settings" or "Load Default Settings", or something similar depending on your BIOS), and that should fix it. Also, you can try booting into Safe Mode and reinstalling the driver which is at fault. You will be able to check the corresponding faulty driver from device manager. You could also go ahead and try to repair your system with the Windows Installation Disk using a USB drive. If you can't even get to the BIOS, just look at your motherboard manual for the clear CMOS button or jumper. When the PC is shut down, either use that jumper or button, or take out the CMOS battery, leave it out for 15 minutes, put it back in and start your PC. That should do the trick.

The blue screen of death

Video compression Hey Digit experts, I own a Sony PMW camera which records 1080p HD videos. But a small recording of about five minutes consumes around 650 MB. But Hollywood movies around two hours have the size of 900 MB, which kept me thinking about a way to compress video files without altering the video quality or maybe altering to a small extent. Please help me find a way to compress videos. – Sharan Hey Sharan, the Hollywood movies you’re talking about go through several passes of compression with changes in

Q&A

Q&A

their bitrate, audio bitrate, resolution, etc. The video that you record has hardly any compression algorithms applied to it, hence the huge file size. If you want to compress your recorded videos, you can use a free tool called Handbrake. It’s a fairly easy software to use where you’ll be able to compress your videos to smaller sizes without losing much of the quality. There are very helpful presets also available which can get the job done in not time.

Handbrake is great for video compression

Missing system file Dear Digit Team, I have recently bought an HP laptop from HP Online Shopping whose details are as follows: HP Pavilion 15-au626TX with three years onsite warranty. When I boot up the laptop, it is not able to show the desktop screen and displays a message mentioning a system32 file is missing (File location not found). Please send some helpful advice regarding this. Thank you. – Saksham Hey Saksham, it would have been helpful if you had mentioned the name of the file. Nonetheless, this error is usually caused when a particular file in the system32 directory gets corrupted or deleted. This is usually caused by a virus. What you should do is write down the name of the missing file, boot up your laptop in the Safe Mode and execute a search on your system for that particular file, in case it was moved to another location. If you find it, move it back to the system32 directory. If you can’t find the file, then repairing your system using the Windows Installation Disk is your best bet. www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 59

Beats X earphones delayed Feature

Opera currency converter

First announced on september ‘16, Apple’s Beats X earphones are likely to be delayed again. http://dgit.in/BeatXaple

Arnab Mukherjee [email protected]

L

ast month, Pokémon GO officially launched in… oh wait! Not again! Not another article about augmented reality starting with Pokémon GO! It almost seems as if Pokémon GO and augmented reality have become synonyms thanks to the events of last year. Thankfully, there’s more happening which will change this perception, and fast. We now have AR apps freely available on Android and iOS, and they perform beyond the expectations we had just a year ago. For example, the Google Translate app can detect text by using your smartphone camera, and translate it on the fly using augmented reality. You end up with the original text being replaced by software to look as if the book magically appeared in your lan-


guage. And this isn’t even new, but it is an example of how AR can seamlessly integrate into our lives.

Vuforia One of the most complete SDKs for the augmented reality platform, Vuforia is perhaps one of the most featurerich AR development tools out there targeted at mobile devices. Like most AR tech, it uses computer vision to comprehend the scene in front of the device camera and identify surfaces. Once identified, the orientation and visualisation of virtual objects is kept in sync with the device orientation.

Vuforia is one of the most popular AR development SDKs

The Opera web browser for desktop gets a new inbuilt currency converter. Read more about it here: http://dgit.in/OpraCurncy

Some of the features it offers are: Object recognition Virtual buttons Open GL support Smart terrain – ability to reconstruct terrain in real time • Extended tracking • Cloud database for mage recognition While Vuforia has paid versions that offer certain advanced capabilities for AR development, the free version is still pretty powerful. The Vuforia platform supports Android and iOS smartphones and tablets as well as digital eyewear. Developers can build Vuforia apps in Android Studio, Xcode and the Unity cross-platform game engine. It’s no surprise that Vuforia is the top choice for a lot of developers. There’s a full list of developers and apps that use it at https://www.vuforia.com/Apps which you can check out. Apart from the free version, the SDK also comes at either a • • • •

TrademarkVision

TrademarkVision is a new software that uses machine learning and makes finding logos on the internet much easier. http://dgit.in/TrdmrkVisn

consumer-level pricing or an enterprise pricing package. The problem with Vuforia is the absence of a complete framework manual. The disconnected short tips and instructions are not sufficient for beginners to find their way around it. Also, in the free version there are certain limitations on the cloud recognition technology, along with a watermark on the AR experience once per day.

Aurasma Studio The potential of AR as an interactive tool to gain popularity is immense, but not everybody is looking for a full fledged 3-dimensional augmented reality experience. Besides, due to lack of budget, or developer skills, that may not even be an option for some. Aurasma studio is a web-based augmented reality development tool that requires no installations or programming to be implemented. In fact, you can implement an ‘Aura’, which is what they call one interactable experience, within 45 seconds. We should mention that this number was derived from a demonstration video and actual times may vary depending upon your device and connectivity. The studio itself is online and is completely hassle free to use. All you need to do is follow these steps: • Upload your trigger image – this is the image that the app will recognise. • Upload your overlay – this is the content that will show up as the AR experience • Resize the overlay to fit properly with respect to the trigger • Place any additional interaction overlays and hotspots if needed, and save it. • You’re ready to go! We tried it out and it is quite easy. While the quality of the AR experience is far from polished – think more like Pokémon GO – it’s the ease of use that is the attraction here. The app itself looks quite cluttered, and it was hard to tell how a brand would market itself on the app. What would make more sense (if you wanted

Room-service robots

A hotel in Silicon Valley, California uses small robots, outfitted with 3D cameras for room-services. http://dgit.in/RobrtRSrvce

to use Aurasma), is to use the Aurasma SDK in an app you’re developing, and then leverage the backend cloud support from Aurasma, but keeping your own app UI and experience as undamaged as possible.

ARToolkit While Vuforia limits the developer in terms of premium ceilings, Aurasma is simply not capable of full-grade VR. Somewhere in between those two is ARToolkit, which has the added advantage of being open source. This means that you get free access to the development library. Among other features, ARToolkit supports 2D recognition in augmented reality and mapping additional elements via openGL. The library also allows advanced marker tracking via the device camera, which is essentially how AR popularly works right now. This allows developers to create AR interfaces based on the location data they receive from the device camera. Despite being free, ARToolkit suffers from the curse of poor documentation. And it would be fair to say that the test apps are quite difficult to build. If you’re willing to sweat it out on an open-source platform, you will be able to develop apps for Android, iOS, Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. In the interest of transparency, we want to inform readers that we use BlippAR ourselves to augment this magazine, but we assure you of remaining completely unbiased in our analysis of it.

BlippAR While Blippar is not mainly a development platform, it does offer one of the easiest ways for a brand to use AR. We’ve found that the Blippar app itself has one the best image recognition features amongst the available apps, and that, combined with an AR experience that you can build yourself makes for a really strong contender. You gte a Blippbuilder tool that lets you develop an AR experience using a simple drag-and-drop process. The easiest outcome is redirecting users to

Feature

a URL with each ‘Blipp’, you can also implement highly engaging 3D content that can vary from simple food recipes jumping out at you from ingredient packets, to a full scale look designer inside a a fashion magazine. As a developer, since the Blippbuilder Script is a Javascript interface for Blippar’s AR engine, you will get the freedom to define your own scene,

Blippar offers a diverse spectrum of AR experiences

script custom effects and integrate with other applications. It supports native exporters and advanced lighting and materials effects. The basic plan for this API is free, but is limited to very basic watermarked blipps.

And more.. These are merely the popular tools that are already being used by a large number of developers. This doesn’t mean that this is an exhaustive list, because augmented reality is still in its infancy, as are the development tools and plans. With each new tool competing in this space, and with each new update for the existing players, comes an even higher level of quality and immersion. To us, it seems pretty obvious that a lot sooner than you think, an “augmnented reality” is pretty much going to be the new definition of “reality”. Just as you cannot imagine life without, say Google, you’re not going to even be able to imagine a life without AR, and not in 20 or 30 years, but maybe as soon as 5 or 10. If you’re just starting off on a career of development, you might want to ensure that you build some AR skills, because this is one technology that is here to stay. www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 61

New Vine camera Workshop

Vine recently announced that they're closing their service and rebranding the app to Vine Camera. http://dgit.in/VineCam

New airliner concept

This new airliner concept can help airlines easily rearrange and mix their sitting positions. http://dgit.in/CrzyAir

LIVE

STREAMING YOUR GAMEPLAY TO YOUTUBE

If you’ve always wanted to show off your AWP-ing skills in CS: GO to your friends, here’s an extensive guide on how to livestream your gameplay to YouTube.

Abhijit Dey [email protected]

O

ver the years, YouTube has witnessed a rise of channels hosting their gameplay religiously, whether live or prerecorded ones. In fact, the most subscribed YouTuber, PewDiePie, rose to fame with his Let’s Play videos. Earlier, streamers relied on recorded footage


but now, it has become effortless to livestream your gameplay, accessible to everyone and not just to professionals. You’ll find premium software bundled with gaming laptops or even games, that have far easier setup controls. But for this workshop, we will explore a free and open source alternative, and probably the most popular broadcasting service called Open Broadcast Software, or just OBS.

Before we begin, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. You’ll obviously need a good gaming PC and a high-bandwidth internet connection for a seamless and good quality stream. But you don’t need to worry if you have a poor internet connection because we were able to stream at lower bandwidths of around 1Mbps and on a system running a Second Gen Intel Sandy Bridge CPU. Although the stream might be strong but depending on your ISP, your game pings might get affected. In one of our test cases, the ISP was able to simultaneously maintain a stable ping and stream as well. The shortcoming with low bandwidth connections would be poor, pixelated streams, even though your stream could be running at 1080p and 60fps. A better setup would also require you to have another display so that you could be playing on one display while controlling and watching your stream on the other. The best solution for a high quality and seamless streaming experience would be the use of a dedicated streaming PC, where you play the game on one PC while the streaming PC captures your game and streams it online. This workshop will only be looking at how to stream using a single PC.

Downloading OBS Currently, there are two downloadable

Engineering Rice

Researchers are working on new ways to reduce the amount of phosphorous that plants waste. http://dgit.in/EnggRice

versions of OBS – OBS Classic and Studio. Classic is the original software the project was started while Studio is the revamped version. The advantages of Studio is that the entire software has been rewritten from scratch and the Settings menu has also been overhauled to make things easier. Another advantage would be pre-installed plugins, because earlier, you had to install them individually in Classic. Now, the question is whether you should download Classic or Studio and the answer is simple. New users should definitely download Studio since fiddling around with the different streaming and encoding settings is a tad bit easier than Classic. The main reason would be the discontinuation of updates from Classic whereas Studio has been witnessing a healthy update cycle. You can download OBS Studio here: http://dgit.in/OBSDwnld

New UberPool timer

Uberpool now has a specific timer so you dont have to wait long for other carpool mates. http://dgit.in/UbrpolTmr

love the customisation based on your channel’s theme. The animated intro also acts as a buffer for the times when you’re about to begin your live stream. Rather than showing your desktop, you could display the animated splash screen in loop.

Workshop

Out of the three, Game Capture is what you should be opting for but there were times where a blank screen was output and the stream lagged during switching. If it doesn’t work out for you, Display Capture should be your option, the only problem here could be your

Setting up scenes and sources When you start up OBS, you’ll be presented with a blank window and four sections below it. In the Settings menu, the General tab includes a few useful features and also an option pick between a light and dark theme, a feature missing on Classic. A scene is a collection of elements from different sources that ultimately forms the final screen that is streamed to your viewers. Multiple scenes can be added to a single stream and switched accordingly using hotkeys in between the stream. It’s smarter to assign a purpose to every scene rather than adding multiple scenes for every single source since there’s no restriction on the number of sources in one single scene. This will make it less complicated to switch scenes when you’re in the middle of a live stream. Sources are elements where your content will be pulled such as your desktop screen, webcam, mic audio, desktop audio, browser window, etc. As a means of making your live stream look good, we would recommend using animated intros, borders and overlays for your sources. These aren’t a necessity but your viewers will

The OBS Studio version offers an easy to use interface when it comes to tweaking

Create the first scene and name it something like Intro. Animated intros or any kind of video element can be added as a Media Source. If you want to save on bandwidth, and add just a standby image instead of a looping video, you can add one or more from Image or Image Slide Show. In the same way, you can also add text using the Text (GDI+) source. Along with an intro source, you can also add another image or media source as Standby for the times when you need to take a break but still continue streaming or make changes in OBS on the fly. Moving on to adding your gameplay as a scene, we’ll create a new scene and name it Game. Naming and assigning hotkeys is important at the beginning to prevent any confusion later after you’ve added multiple scenes and sources. To display your game, you have three options including Display Capture, Game Capture or Window Capture.

entire desktop screen will be visible to the viewers. But this can also be prevented by switching to your Standby screen or intro when you’re using the desktop, and switching to the Desktop Capture after opening up the game using hotkeys which register globally over any running process. If you wish, you can also add your webcam feed as a source using Video Capture Device. You can then move, crop and resize the webcam feed wherever you want on the screen. To follow the channel’s theme, you could add a border as an Image source around the webcam feed and also a logo somewhere in the scene. There are many variations that you can try out by adding multiple sources to the same scene and finding the best composition you need. Once you’re satisfied on the scenes, you can assign hotkeys to them under Settings to switch between them without opening up OBS. Avoid assigning hotkeys that www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 63

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might be already used by the game or desktop. This will create unnecessary confusion mid-stream.

Adding stream settings Your stream settings include the services to where you’ll be livestreaming. You can choose from Twitch, YouTube and even Facebook Live. For this case, we’ll select YouTube/YouTube Gaming and continue with the default Primary YouTube ingest server. Your stream key is unique to your channel and needs to be entered in order to connect the live stream feed to your YouTube account. Head over to your channel settings or Creator Studio in YouTube, then Livestreaming, and enable Live streaming privileges. It’s fairly easy to setup and once you’re through, scroll to the bottom of the dashboard and you’ll find your stream key. Click on reveal and copy-paste the key in OBS and hit Apply. You need to keep your stream key private since anyone with access to it will get access to stream content on your channel. If you wish to add Stream settings for other services, the process is similar and all you need to do is find the stream key in the service’s dashboard and add it to OBS. For Twitch, you’ll need to download a separate tool called Twitch Bandwidth Test to figure out the best server.

The desktop capture mode streams your entire desktop

Experimenting with encoding Getting the right encoding settings takes a lot of time unless someone else with the same configuration as yours has posted the optimal settings. Your encoder settings are highly dependent on the game you’re playing, whether it’s an FPS or an MMO or an RTS game. The reason is different genres have different rendering speeds and accordingly, the encoding needs to be capable of outputting it. Another factor would be how powerful your hardware is, essentially your CPU and GPU. The Stream Settings Estimator http://dgit. in/OBSConfig web tool will give you exact numbers on the settings you need to populate in OBS. Head over to the Output menu under Settings in OBS


OBS output encoding settings lets you heavily tweak your audio output in the stream

and select the Simple mode since we won’t be changing anything under the Advanced mode. You’ll have to enter your video bitrate in kbps at which your stream will be sent to YouTube or other streaming services. YouTube has completely listed down the settings you’ll need to enter for different resolu-

tions and frame rates here: http://dgit. in/OBSYtSettings. You’ll need to factor in your internet bandwidth as well since the above recommendation doesn’t consider it. Your video bitrate should be around 80-85% of your upload bandwidth that can be acquired and calculated by running

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Speedtest. Do note, Twitch has restrictions to a video bitrate of 3,500 kbps (unless you’re a partner). Facebook Live has many restrictions on encoding settings such as no support for hardware encoding, a maximum audio bitrate of 128, maximum resolution of 720p in 30 fps, and maximum video bitrate of 4,000 kbps. Choosing whether you want to use software or hardware encoding depends on your rig. If you have a strong CPU like an Intel i7, then you can pick the x264 encoder with audio bitrate at 160 and Encoder Preset on fast. You’ll need to check whether your CPU is capable of handling the different Encoder Presets where ultrafast doesn’t stress the CPU whereas slower in intensive. You should definitely opt for x264 encoding if you don’t have a discrete GPU. But if you do have a decent or powerful GPU, you could enable hardware encoding and the corresponding encoder to your GPU (AMD or NVIDIA) will appear. Here, you can again experiment with the encoder presets from High Quality to Low-latency High Performance. In our testing, we found the hardware encoder to be better at streaming with the GTX 1080 even though we had the i7-3960X.

Audio and video settings There isn’t much in the audio and video settings since everything will be set to default. You can choose between the sample rates and reassign your desktop audio and mic sources. In audio, Studio sees an update over Classic to support multiple sources for desktop audio and mics. Click on the dropdown menu for Desktop Audio Device and Mic/Auxiliary Device, and select your devices rather than letting the default setting stay for better control over your stream. The video settings essentially ask you to set the resolution and fps that you want to output on your stream. It could be 1920x1080 at 60fps or 1280x720 at 60fps, depending on your internet bandwidth and PC specs. Choose the Downscale Filter as Lanczos only if you have a powerful rig.

Gym vs Tsunami

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Previews, dry runs and going live Before you go live to your audience, it’s important to test whether scene transitions are functioning properly. You can right-click on each scene and go to Fullscreen Projector that will give you a preview on how that scene will look like in the stream. You should do this for every scene, just to be sure. The best way to check whether all your hotkeys work is to record a session. When all the scenes and sources are final, hit the Start Recording button and it will save a local copy of the entire session.

Workshop

it live from a mobile device, preferably on a different connection (cellular) or you could ask a friend to watch. You can try switching between the scenes and testing all the hotkeys, and also observe whether the stream suffers frame drops or freezes. If you notice these problems, then you’ll have to go back to tweaking the encoder settings and more tests. If you have a strong internet bandwidth that can handle both the streaming and watching simultaneously, then you can have the YouTube Live dashboard running on another monitor if you have one. This will

Different streaming services support different parameters

You can refer to the recorded video to discover flaws and then move on to a dry run online. Do note that even the first dry run on your YouTube channel will send a notification to your subscribers (if you have any) that you’ve gone live. Hence, it would be advisable to use a secondary undisclosed YouTube channel to experiment. After you’ve entered all the settings in YouTube as mentioned above, hit Start Streaming in OBS and the top bar in the YouTube Live dashboard should turn green or yellow or red. The different colours depict the quality of the stream where green is the best and red is the worst. A preview should appear in the window below where you can see the scenes from OBS. Start the game you want to stream and switch to that particular scene if you’re using Game Capture. Since the game will run in fullscreen, the best way to check whether your live stream is functional is to watch

enable you to watch and reply to your chat messages and keep an eye on the stream’s health. It is also essential to check your audio levels for each audio input source. Sometimes, your in-game audio could be overpowering your mic input and you will have to reduce the volume for your desktop or in-game audio source. You’ll also need to check for dropped frames in your stream at the bottom and there are numerous reasons to blame for it. You can check out this comprehensive post that tries to solve this problem http://dgit.in/ OBSDroppedFrames. Once your live stream is lag-free, you’re ready to go live and face the world to display your high level of skills or the lack of it. On a different note, we do stream the lack of our skills in CS: GO almost every day on SKOAR!’s official Facebook page. Make sure you head over and like the page so that you’re get a notification whenever we go live. www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 65

Note 7 fiasco continues Workshop

A new software update for Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 prevents it from charging completely. http://dgit.in/Note7fsco

NASA goes social

NASA announced two new accounts (Giphy and Pinterest) where they will share new GIFs from space. http://dgit.in/NASAgifsnw

UPI START MAKING PAYMENTS IN A FLASH! If you have felt the effects of the cash crunch, read on to find out how you can use UPI to make payments

Abhishek Balaji [email protected]

D

igital Payments in India took off more by force than by choice. If you’re one of those affected by the sudden move to a digital economy, we bring you one such service which promises to revolutionise the payment space in India. Digital Payments or most commonly known as ‘Plastic Currency’ is a creation of twentieth century bankers who wanted better ways to handle their money. Currency is an integral part of any economy. These small chunks of metal or paper represent a real value in the world. The currency in an economy is heavily reliant on the prosperity of the country. So, a country can be more prosperous by printing and circulating more currency? No, just ask Greece. The amount of currency in circulation at any point of time is dictated by the amount of reserves of wealth the state-owned bank has. For example, in India, the Reserve Bank of India is the federal bank which regulates the printing and circulation


of currency in India. RBI gauges the volume of currency to be printed by the amount of gold reserves it has. That is the biggest hurdle digital payments face. For an economy to go completely cashless and digital, it needs to be regulated. Right now, the only solution is to virtualise the currency. Services like bitcoins have a different take on digital economies. Instead of just making the same currency virtual, bitcoins and other blockchain based

cryptocurrencies introduce a new type of digital asset. Bitcoins are decentralized, which means that they are not pegged against any form of resources or reserves. There is no central authority that controls the currency and hence, it might seem like a better option. Instead, it is a system to reward users

for allowing the use of the computation power in their personal computers. The computing power is used to repeatedly access and decode the various strings of data that arise out of a mathematical formula. The formula, along with the software used for mining the bitcoins, both are open source so there is more accountability with the currency. While we’re far off from a completely digital economy, India has announced recently a payment system known as UPI or Unified Payment Interface. UPI borrows a few tricks from bitcoins by eliminating the need to exchange personal information such as bank account details, names or phone numbers when making any transaction. While normal online transactions are secure to a certain extent, the sheer volume of transactions means that your personal data is being transmitted across the internet so many times, that the risk of your data getting compromised increases dramatically.

Feathered tail of a dinosaur

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UPI works by partnering with the banks in India and every customer is directly linked to their bank accounts. Unlike wallet services such as Paytm or FreeCharge, UPI is not a wallet. There is no intermediary where the money is stored for transactions. Instead, all the transactions happen directly through the bank accounts. While not all banks have completely implemented UPI, there are a few which have released applications already. A customer of the bank would have to download the application and obtain a unique address, which is the only thing that needs to be shared in a transaction. Unlike bitcoins, the transactions are not anonymous, and there is always a record of these transactions. The organization behind UPI is the NPCI or National Payments Corporation of India. If you’ve ever used IMPS (Immediate Payment Service), UPI is an advanced version of IMPS. “Today a few banks have gone live with UPI out of 29 banks that had

concurred to provide UPI service to their customers. We are confident that several banks will join UPI this year and the number will multiply further. Our focus is in line with RBI’s vision of migrating towards ‘lesscash’ and more digital society. NPCI has always been at the forefront to innovate and introduce new products and services at par with global standards,” said A. P. Hota, MD & CEO, NPCI. By allowing the user to create a virtual address like an email address, the virtual address can be given out in the public for people to transact. To send and receive money through UPI, you’ll need a virtual address which can be obtained from supporting banks. Only the banks have an internal database, that links the virtual addresses to account

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a limited set of participating banks. For numbers and names, and you can have now, the banks which have gotten the multiple virtual addresses at multiple approval from Apple for UPI transacbanks. For example, a virtual address tions include Andhra Bank, Axis Bank, looks something like this digit@sbi. Bank of Maharashtra, Bhartiya Mahila Here, ‘digit’ is a string that you can Bank, Canara Bank, Catholic Syrian select, something like a username. Instead of a username, you can also use your phone number as 1234567890@sbi. The second part of the virtual address specifies the bank in which the customer holds the account. Each bank has a short code, which can be used here. The virtual address is the only information you’ll need to initiate the transaction. This is incredibly useful for retail applications where it is often inconvenient to accept payments through traditional We used PhonePe to try out UPI Net Banking. A shop owner can simply store the virtual address Bank, DCB Bank, Federal Bank, ICICI in any medium such as QR Codes, Bank, TJSB Sahakari Bank, Oriental NFC tags, RFID chips, Beacons etc. Bank of Commerce, Karnataka Bank, UPI also lets you initiate a payment UCO Bank, Union Bank of India, request to a virtual address, like United Bank of India, Punjab National several wallet apps. The Bank, South Indian Bank, Vijaya Bank person requesting must and YES Bank. If you have an account only type the virtual in any of these banks, you can begin address and commuusing UPI right away. If your bank isn’t nicate the URL to the participating yet, you should contact other person by any you nearest branch. media such as physical media or digitally. According to the NPCI, a merchant Do you really need UPI? PoS (Point of Sale) application could While the prospect of UPI sounds create the UPI link with the correct interesting and exciting for digital payparameters as specified and then ments, you wouldn’t be using it much transmit using sound to the customer unless there is widespread adoption. device. Customer app or a utility app Very few merchants and businesses are can listen to that sound, convert it aware of UPI and it is best to determine back to the link, and then launch the if your use case matches with the objecUPI application on customer phone to tives of UPI. UPI can be substituted make the payment. The URL format is with a lot of other services such as described as: credit/debit cards, net banking, payment wallets and blockchain currenupi://pay?parm-name=paramcies. So, if your needs can be serviced value¶m-name=pram-value&... by one of these services, you can ignore UPI. UPI also encourages deep-linking within apps, so services can invoke UPI How to get started: apps which are listening on a user’s Since UPI is built on a mobile first platphone to initiate a transaction. We now form, you can download your respecdelve into the procedure for using UPI tive bank’s UPI app from the Google on most android and iOS phones, and Play Store or the iOS App Store. You www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 67

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App for assault victims

A reporting system for sexual assault victims where they can speak up without disclosing personal information? http://dgit.in/AssltApp

provided to the respective accounts. After creating the can also choose from Once this is authenticated, your bank account, you’ll be prompted one of the many 3rd account would be linked to the VPA. to create a Virtual Payment party apps that have That’s it! You’re now registered to make Address or VPA, which is sprung up. These apps transactions over UPI. Easy, right? what you’d be sharing with support multiple banks everyone for receiving digital and often have features payments. more than the native How do you transact? Creating a Virtual Paybank applications. The To send or receive payments, you’ll ment Address is like getting apps must be certified need the other person’s VPA. You can an email ID so you know the by the NPCI, although then add them as a contact with the drill. The VPA must be in a given the initial push, VPA and start transacting. UPI does set format: the certification process away with OTPs, so there are no hassles isn’t too stringent. when initiating transactions. Payments username@bank_code You can start by can also be requested from the app. finding the bank you use Step 2 : Activating This is useful for For example, if and one that has already PhonePe UPI Account merchants who can you have an account implemented UPI and request a payment in ICICI Bank (Pockets), you can download the respective app. Although from a customer. create a VPA as john@pockets. almost all banks have an app for UPI, When a payment is You can also use your mobile you might find them clunky or unusrequested, the cusnumber as the username. The able. You can, however, use any bank’s tomer is notified and VPA is linked to the when they approve, bank account, making the money is transit possible to link ferred instantly. multiple bank accounts There will be service to the same mobile charges for most number and have a transactions unlike unique VPA for each existing wallets. bank account. After you create the VPA, Additional Step 3 : Link Bank Acc. you’ll have to link your Services bank account to this VPA. Till Apart from sending and receiving now, only your mobile number money, the UPI allow several functions. has been linked to the VPA. You’ll be able to Recharge your mobile, You’ll have the option to data card, DTH, broadband and pay link any supporting bank you electricity bill and even pay insurStep 1 : Setting up PhonePe account to the VPA by just ance premiums. verifying your mobile number. It doesn’t make sense to use UPI for The app sends a request to the bank app for registering and making transsmall amounts as the service charge trying to match the phone number actions through UPI. We found that would be a significant chunk of the only a couple of apps worked reliably, amount transacted. Most of the we used PhonePe which is a thirdUPI apps we tested also has a party app. Once you download the feature to split the bill among app, you’ll need to verify and link your friends. You can take advantage of phone number with the app. This can this in situations where a group of be done by sending an SMS automatipeople might share a restaurant cally. After your number is verified, bill and each person can pay their you’ll be able to create an account with share by using UPI. And since PhonePe, linking your phone number. it directly withdraws from your After providing the details requested bank account, you don’t have to go such as your full name and email through the hassle of topping up address, you need to create a MPIN, another digital wallet. which is what you’ll be using the log Let us know what you think into the app and authenticate some about this new system. Write to transactions as well. us on [email protected] UPI transfer options


Tips & Tricks

OPEN CAMERA Unlock your phone camera’s true potential with these 10 tips on how to use open camera If you think that your phone’s stock camera app can do a lot, you’ll be surprised to learn that Android lets you do much more with the Camera2 API. Unfortunately, you’ll have to download third party apps to fully experience the features your phone’s camera is capable of. Open camera is one such app that is completely free. It doesn’t have ads and can be used without any in app purchases. So what can you do on Open Camera which cannot be done on your stock camera? Read on to find out:

Camera Stabilization When you’re shooting video everyday, you’d be lucky if you have a device that has image stabilization built in. For now, it is a feature reserved in the top flagship devices only. Open Camera cleverly implements camera stabilization by using the accelerometer to show you the angle at which the camera is tilted. You can use this virtual spirit level to adjust your grip so that the photos and videos you shoot are perfectly level. To use it, simply open up Open Camera and look for the readings on the bottom left corner of the screen.

in. Head over to Audio control options to increase or decrease the sensitivity.

Lock photo/ video orientation

Open Camera .......................................................................01 Multimedia Tracking and Recommendations ...02

{

Tips & Tricks has its own page numbers, and does not follow the rest of the magazine’s page numbers. This is done to ensure that you can cut out and save T&T in a separate folder for later reference.

Detect faces and not objects! You can enable face detection in the settings menu and let the camera focus on the faces that are recognized in the frame rather than having to manually select the focal points. This makes it easier to shoot portraits and not having to worry about the person going out of focus.

Use volume keys to take a picture! Open Camera lets you customize the volume keys to perform various functions when using the app. You can head over to Settings>more camera controls and set the behav-

Showing interface, stabilization, memory usage www.digit.in

}

When you’re shooting video, the internet will collectively groan if you’re shooting it in portrait. If you have a problem with the orientation when you rotate your device, you can lock the orientation to landscape regardless of how the device is oriented. Or you can always record in portrait and endure the collective hate. Set the orientation under “More camera controls” in settings.

iour for the volume keys. The volume keys can be used to take a photo, toggle video recording, adjust the focus, zoom in/out, change exposure level and toggle auto stabilization. So fly through the app with the volume controls to take better images, faster.

Control your camera with your voice You can set the camera to automatically take a picture or start recording video when you say a trigger word such as “cheese” or set it respond to loud noises. You’ll find this handy when trying to take a groupie or an usie.

Adjust audio sensitivity Not all environments you record video in are the same, some might be more noisy than the others. Unless your phone’s mic adapts automatically, you’ll be left with extremely noisy or muffled audio recordings. To counter this, you can manually adjust the sensitivity of the microphone to best suit the environment you’re recording

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Various settings that can be tweaked

Save your photos where you want! If you’re one of the lucky ones who managed to snag a good phone with a memory card slot, you can take advantage of the increased storage by setting Open Camera to save the photos to the external storage. This saves valuable space in your phone for other content. You can change the “Save location” to any folder on the phone that the app has write access to. You’ll also be able to customise the names of January 2017 | Digit

Tips & Tricks handed and right handed people and toggle the various controls shown on the screen. Head over to Settings > On Screen GUI to play around with the UI.

be a pretty ordinary music streaming tool - just enter the name of your artist and get listening to a mix of their songs. So what’s this all about? Let’s find out.

Burst mode

Showing various camera resolutions

the files Open Camera would be saving on your phone by using prefixes. Add a prefix for a video or a photo file separately and you can make your life a bit easier by reducing the frequency of manual photo organizing sessions.

Mark your photos and videos based on when you took them! You can add stamps on photos and videos with the date and time and even embed the location information if permissions are granted. This will help you catalog the photos better and remember the context to your photos when you’re reminiscing your green and salad days. Add the timestamps in any format you want, add custom text and even customize the style of the text you’re adding.

Customize how the screen looks when using the app Stock camera apps can have confusing UI and can be content agnostic when it comes to interfaces. You can control the layout of the UI for left Digit | January 2017

Burst mode lets you take photos in rapid succession to capture memories that are too fast to frame and compose a picture. You can set how many photos the phone takes when you trigger burst mode. You go from 2 to 10 and even set it to click photos as long as you’re holding down the shutter button. Use the burst mode with caution tough. Taking so many photos can fill up your phone’s storage fast. Open camera comes with a lot more features than the stock camera and is useful for users who want complete control over taking photos. As with other third party camera apps, you can manually control the exposure, ISO, resolution, frame rate, timer, color effect, scene mode, HDR, flash and white balance. Note that the app may not be supported on all phones as it relies on Google’s latest Camera API. Check if your phone is running the latest version of Android available and keep your Google Services updated for optimal usage.

MULTIMEDIA TRACKING AND RECOMMENDATION

Adding services So one of the most powerful uses of Last.fm is something known as Scrobbling - when you listen to a song on some platform, details about that song are sent to another ser-

Spotify • Open Spotify preferences on Spotify by going to Edit>Preferences • Simply, check the “Scrobble to Last.fm” box and enter your Last.fm username and password. • Now anything you listen to on Spotify will be added to your Last.fm profile. Anyone can check out your profile at last.fm/ user/[username] and go through your music taste.

Last.fm has desktop apps for Windows, Mac and Linux.

vice - in this case, Last.fm - and added to your profile. This, in turn, provides Last. fm more data to understand your taste and suggest music to you more accurately. Before we proceed any further, you can head to Last.fm and create an account to try out these steps. Here are some quick steps on how to succesfully scrobble your music from several platforms onto Last.fm, to generate accurate data about your music taste.

Desktop Whether you’re on a Mac, a Windows or a Linux platform, all you need to do is download the respective Scrobbler application and install it. The plugin will be running in the background to track the music that you play on native music players like the Windows media player or iTunes. For a Mac, even the music that you listen to on your iPod, iPad or iPhone eventually gets synced to your iTunes

Last.fm for Audio

Last.fm is a powerful tool to track all the music that you consume across multiple platforms in one place. How does that benefit you? You get to understand your own music taste better along with getting great recommendations from the tool itself. At the very basic level it appears to

The Chrome extension Last.fm Scrobbler works with many popular services

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www.digit.in

Tips & Tricks library and consequently, to your Last.fm account.

Web Even when you’re generally browsing the web and listening to music on Youtube, Soundcloud or other websites, you can scrobble them to your Last.fm account if you have the Last fm Scrobbler extension installed. Once the extension is installed, Click on the notification to open the login page on Last.fm and then allow the service access to your profile. You’re all set!

• Receive recommended Spotify songs via twitter. • Transfer Last.fm’s loved tracks to Spotify playlist.

Use Last.fm extra stats to visualise your music taste Using Last.fm data to visualise your music taste is a common use of Last.fm’s API. There’s an easy to use tool known as Extra stats that lets you do that on Windows.

Android and iOS • Install the Last.fm app • Login with your account credentials • Go to Settings and enable Scrobbling for all apps in the list including ‘Other music apps’ Apart from these, Last.fm’s API can scrobble from a lot of services. Feel free to try them out on your own.

Supercharge Spotify with Last.fm Last.fm’s scrobbling service leaves nothing to complain about while Spotify’s recommendation service could use some help. Fortunately, if you’re using Spotify there’s a neat tool to help you - Spotibot. Spotibot offers a range of Last.fm related services to make Last.fm work better with your Spotify account. For example • Use the headline feature to enter the name of any artist and generate a related playlist. • Enter your Last.fm username to generate a playlist based on your listening history. • Once you have a playlist, drag an on screen icon onto Spotify to play it. www.digit.in

The taste for music!

Simply download the app from http://dgit.in/ExtrStts and get going! If you’re on Linux or Mac you can request your graphs on the same page. Another service that does this in an even more detailed way is My Music Habits.

Get Wallpaper and Screensavers by using Last.fm data There are numerous uses to which Last.fm data can be put but this has to be one of the most interesting. What if you could use your music tastes to generate wallpapers and screensaver for your Windows PC? Turns out you can. Use Gijsco’s Desktop Generator for the wallpaper and Music Quilt Screensaver for, well, the screensaver, by just entering your Last.fm username. These two services are Windows only, although there are more you can find online.

And all the cool things Last.fm is much more than a mere song tracking and recommendation engine. Head over to http://dgit.in/BldLstFm and you will category-wise implementations of different extentions of the Last.fm API. There are standalone desktop radio players, plugins for blogs and social networks, and more options for showing off your listening trends using all kinds of crazy charts. There’s the Last.fm Firefox Extension, which is similar to PandoraFM in that it submits your Pandora tracks to Last.fm; LastGraph, a wave generator for your Last. fm songs; Last.fm Reverse Neighbours, a tool that finds users that have you listed as their neighbor (which is Last. fm’s method to let you follow users on its platform); Last. fm Desktop Generator, which generates a cool desktop for you based on your Last.fm playlists, and the official Last. fm widgets, which basically allow you to embed your playlist on your site or blog.

Trakt.tv for movies and TV shows Just like Last.fm can scrobble your music, Trakt.tv can scrobble your tv shows and movies. And just like Last. fm, Trakt itself does not stream content but mainly shows you where you can find content. And a lot more. Read on to find out all that you can do with it.

Build your watched history The easiest way to do this is scrobbling from your media centre. Trakt officially supports Kodi, Plex, Netflix and more. And most of the plugins from these services analyse the watched history

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of the media centre as well, and sync everything back to your account. This comes very handy if you’ve been always using a media centre for your media consumption. When you’re not watching something online, you can still do a check-in via the trakt.tv website or the mobile app. These are referred to ask manual scrobbles. Apart from this you can also manually click the purple check marks on all trakt platforms – website and app – for any movie or TV show that you have seen.

See Stats Based on your history, Trakt shows you some useful stats on its own. On the platform, there are buttons which will dynamically update to give you stats and progress info. When viewing an episode or movie summary page, you’ll see the play count and the most recent date and time you watched the item. The view all link displays a full history of every time you watched the episode or movie. Shows and seasons provide progress info including the percentage watched, episodes watched, and episodes remaining. The view plays link displays a full history of every time you watched the show or season.

Use Trakt through apps Trakt works on a number of third party apps as well to offer you a host of features. When you go to a theater to watch a movie, fire up Movist and check in to what you’re watching. The app also syncs up plays from all your other connected devices. If you’re watching TV shows, use SeriesGuide or iShows 2 to easily track where you’re at. There are apps for all the major platforms available, January 2017 | Digit

Tips & Tricks • Open Kodi (please make sure you’re on the latest version) • Select SYSTEM>Addons>Select Search> type in trakt>press enter or click Done • Select Script — Trakt>Select Install • Wait for the Add-on enabled message in the bottom right corner of your screen. Trakt has the coolest 404 error page ever

so try a few to find what you like best. Thanks to the community support you won’t fall short of choices on the implementations.

Get trakt on Kodi This is how you can download and install the trakt plugin on Kodi.

After installing the plugin, it should popup with instructions on how to connect your Trakt.tv account. If you don’t see this, then follow these steps:

• choose Configure in the Trakt.tv add-on information screen, then choose How do I authorize. An 8 digit code will be displayed. • Go to https://trakt.tv/activate on your laptop, desktop, or mobile device. If you’re already signed into the Trakt.tv website, you’ll see the screen below asking for the code displayed in Kodi. • Click YES to allow Trakt for Kodi to access your Trakt.tv account. • Return to Kodi after you see the success message.

Configure the Kodi plugin After connecting your Trakt. tv account, Kodi will refresh and display the plugin configuration screen.

General Notice in the top User line, it displays your connected username on the right side. If you want to re-connect to another Trakt.tv account, go through the connection steps again.

Exclusions

Use the exclusions to avoid unwanted shows and movies being scrobbled Digit | January 2017

Vol 11 | 04

If you’d like to ignore items from being scrobbled to Trakt. tv, you can do that in this tab. Excluding HTTP sources means any streaming content will be ignore. Exclude specific paths if you’d like ignore local media from being scrobbled. For example, ignore any shows your kids are watching so they don’t scrobble to your Trakt.tv account. These are the most popular services that you’ll need to track. Both of them are highly community driven, so anything that we might have missed out, you’ll definitely find it online, along with documentation. In fact, you could even build your own implementation! If you do, let us know at [email protected] www.digit.in

OUR PICK OF THE BEST TECH ARTICLES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

(MUST READS)

[The Verge Corner] THE KEY TO VIRTUAL REALITY

RASPBERRY PI GAMING This DIY project will guide you on how to make the ultimate retro gaming machine. All you need is a Raspberry Pi, mouse, keyboard, an output display and a microSD card/card reader.

http://dgit.in/RspbryPiGM

MUSIC FOR PRODUCTIVITY Can listening to your favourite song amidst doing some work really increase your productivity? Studies can prove that for most type of demanding tasks, anything but silence can hurt your performance.

http://dgit.in/musc4work Researchers at the Panoptic Studio in Carnegie Mellon University are trying to understand body languages to improve the way robots relate to human beings. They also believe it holds the key to the future of virtual reality. http://dgit.in/VRfutre

THE PERFECT FIREPLACE Januarys are usually the coldest time of the year in most parts of India, and here is how you can build the perfect fireplace to beat the winter.

http://dgit.in/fireplaceBst

FIXING THE INTERNET The internet has begun to corrode. There are so many new bugs in the system and it is being rapidly exploited by hackers and trolls. What is the cost of all this? How can we fix it entirely to make it alright again?

Wired town going wireless The Blacksburg Electronic Village at the time of their launch in the 1990s were the state of the art. Today, with the passing of internet, the once vibrant network has become obsolete.

Writing a tweetstorm Ever been annoyed when you want to write more than 140 characters on Twitter? Well, here’s the best way you can send multiple tweets at once to form a single continuous message.

http://dgit.in/BEVabsolete

http://dgit.in/tweetstrm

Who owns CRISPR? CRISPR is a DNA cutting technique used in scientific studies. This new research is worth million of dollars and a patent hearing is tearing the scientific community apart. http://dgit.in/CRISPRcase

http://dgit.in/FixIntrnt www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 73

(worldview)

SHORTS

ANDROID EVERYWHERE Google’s Android is free and open source, app development is easy and it also works on almost everything. No wonder it’s the most popular OS. if anything you build has a screen on it, there are plenty of reasons why Android should be the OS you work with and you can find them here. http://dgit.in/yAndroidos

SIMPLE AQUARIUM PHYSICS

THE DEATH STAR’S FLAWS

EXPLAINED: OLED TECHNOLOGY

You can have a pretty cool looking vacuum suspended aquarium using a glass jar or vessel to create a tank above the water level. This simple DIY project explains how this is possible using simple physics and looks totally cool. http://dgit.in/AqurmPhyscs

In Star Wars, the “Death Star” may be represent as a symbol of fear and oppression, but to an architect, it’s just poor defence, limited amenities and an overall bad design. Here’s what a couple of engineers and architects had to say about the planet-killer’s vague design: http://dgit.in/DthStrFlws

Organic LightEmitting Diode (OLED) displays are bright, crisp and incredibly more beautiful. But the technology is still very new and they are still very expensive. But are they worth the extra cost? What about the content? Is it worth it? http://dgit.in/OLEDxplnd

Technology that died in 2016 2016 was a year full of farewells in the tech world, so here’s a recap of all things tech that will not see the light of day in 2017.

E

very year the tech industry bombards us with a barrage of new products and fascinating technologies to pave the way for our digital future. At the same time, with each advancement in technology, with each new phone, with each new app or software, the old goes out the window making way for more sophisticated gadgets and groundbreaking innovation. 2016 was a year full of farewells in the tech world, so here’s a recap of all things tech that will not see the light of day in 2017.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has already claimed top spots in our Most disappointing phones of 2016 and Biggest Tech stories of 2016 lists. Making an appearance for the third time around, the Galaxy Note 7 bags the most ‘note’worthy tech death of the year. How not to rush a smartphone launch is a lesson Samsung has learnt only too well. As the phone kept bursting into flames, so did Sam-

sung’s hopes of crushing Apple’s flagship iPhone 7. Although, Samsung has promised to get to the bottom of the disaster.

Apple iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus

Pebble Disappointing many fans of its retro smartwatches, Pebble is now officially dead. Well almost. The hugely successful Kickstarter startup, Pebble recently sold

You can probably still buy them from third-party sellers, but the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus have been officially discontinued. Following the launch of the iPhone 7, the 5s, 6 and 6 Plus were unlisted from Apple’s website. With the 3 iPhones, Apple also said goodbye to the 16GB base variant and instead upped it to a minimum of 32GB storage for all variants except the SE.

Microsoft Lumia Microsoft was bound to kill the Lumia brand after the devices took a major beating from competing brands. The Chinese invasion in the mobile market didn’t help either. Nevertheless, the world is a better place without Lumia smartphones and Microsoft seems to have made a sensible decision.

Nexus With the launch of the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, we finally bid farewell to the Nexus brand. The Mountain View tech giant apparently has “no plans” to continue the Nexus project which began back in 2010, using the Pixel name going forward.


– By Souvik Das

all of its software assets to wearable maker Fitbit. Fitbit is only acquiring key personnel and software assets from Pebble. The acquisition excludes Pebble’s hardware products. So yes, it’s time to say adios to the Pebble Watch.

Microsoft Band 2 The Lumia smartphone range was not the only money drainer Microsoft had under its belt. The Redmond based software giant was also not doing too well in its fitness tracker business. The Band 2 was abruptly taken off the Microsoft store this year, even though its listing page still exists. Microsoft also removed the software developer kit for the Band 2, indicating that it does not want more apps to be developed for the same.

(worldview) UNDERSTANDING QUANTUM GRAVITY

TRACKING HACKED ACCOUNTS

SPIDERMAN’S WEB WINGS

The effort to unify quantum mechanics and general relativity means reconciling totally different notions of time. Understanding this research could very well unearth the true nature of time. http://dgit.in/quantumG

LeakedSource is a service that sends email notifications about new breaches and offers a database of information stolen in hacks. This is how they keep track of over 3 billion hacked accounts in their database. http://dgit.in/LeakdSource

If you have seen the new Spider-Man’s movie trailer, you must have surely noticed his new wingsuit. Here is a simple explanation on how the new wingsuit can help Spider-Man glide across choppers and buildings: http://dgit.in/SpidrmnSuit

However, the Band 2 is still available for purchase on Amazon, but buying it right now would be a mistake considering the company itself is washing its hands off it.

Point and Shoot cameras 2016 has truly been the year when point and shoot cameras became completely obsolete. With smartphone photography now rivalling DSLRs, point and shoot cameras vanished from retail shelves. Because who needs a bulky camera when one can just flash around the latest smartphone?

Vine The death of Vine, a popular video-loop service owned by Twitter, came as a complete surprise to the tech world. Everyone knew the platform was struggling, but to pull the plug entirely was probably Twitter trying to tie up some loose ends before finalising its own acquisition. However, rumour now has it that Twitter might after all be looking to sell Vine at a cheap price tag.

Google Project Ara Google’s Project Ara died an early death even before its modular phone saw the day of light. According to a report by

UV LIGHTS FROM PHONE What is a blacklight and how do you make one? This is about understanding the important aspects of frequency and electromagnetic waves. You can make an ultraviolet light using just the LED flash light from your phone. Cool, isn’t it? http://dgit.in/blacklightDIY

Reuters, the company pulled funding from the project in September this year. Word is that the project was suspended in order to streamline Google’s hardware efforts. Interestingly, Google had earlier promised a developer edition of the product in autumn 2016, and even announced a bunch of partners. In fact, Google even showed the products to some international media outlets.

Apple AirPort WiFi Routers

Picasa

Hyundai i10

Google retired Picasa and moved on to a single photo service called Google Photos in February 2016. The new photos app was integrated seamlessly across mobile and the web. Although, you can access your Picasa Web Albums data, including your tags, captions, and comments, in the Album Archive.

The Hyundai i10 also saw its last in 2016. The popular hatchback will not be produced by Hyundai anymore. This is the end to i10’s 9 year production cycle and even though the car might still be visible on the roads for a few more years, Hyundai will not make any new i10s.

MacBook Air 11-inch

With streaming becoming a way of life, the death knell for portable music players has been sounded. 2016 marked 15 years of the Apple iPod, but with Apple Music in the fray, the company does not seem to have any intentions of making another iPod. The future of portable music seems to be permanently tied to that of smartphones.

Following the launch of the MacBook Pro with the OLED Touch Bar, Apple announced that it will be discontinuing the 11-inch MacBook Air. In fact, Apple made it very clear that it will focus on the MacBook and MacBook Pro lineups going forward. However, the MacBook Air 13 inch model, which saw a refresh in 2015, is still being sold by the company.

As per a report by Bloomberg, Apple is getting out of the router business and doing away with the router division in the company internally. This means Cupertino will no longer be making the AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme or Time Capsule. Apple has reallocated their staff to other hardware departments as of now.

Portable Music Players

Cable connections Lastly, digital set top boxes and video streaming services have finally managed to kill off local cable connections. There are a bunch of online streaming services available for audiences to keep themselves entertained. Binge watching and pay-per-view is the how we do it now as the days of struggling with a rooftop antenna or dish come to an end. www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 75

(worldview) JERRYRIGEVERYTHING “Technology reviews from the inside”. This channel mostly comprises of smartphone

teardowns, durability tests and do-it-yourself repair videos. The creator labels all the parts and accessories used in the project and one can easily follow his instructions for self repairs.

(PRODUCT LAUNCHES) MOTO M

FUJIFILM X-A10

The all new Moto M has a unibody metal design and a fingerprint scanner at the back. The phone is just 7.8mm thick and comes in two variants - A 3GB RAM version with 32GB storage and a 4GB RAM with 64GB of storage. Price: `15,999/- `17,999/-

The new X-A10 is the cheapest X-Series mirrorless camera from Fujifilm. It has a 16 megapixel sensor and an LCD display that can tilt 180 degrees. The camera also comes with a 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. Price: `34,000/- (approx).

P I C TURE PU Z Z L E

APPLE AIRPODS

Apple announced their new wireless earphones along with the new iPhones a few months ago. But after much delay they finally releases the Airpods. At its given price there are no reasons why we would recommend it to anyone. Price: `15,000 (approx)

ABSOLUTE

TIMEPASS

http://dgit.in/JerryRigE

Top 3

To get all these links in one easy to read page, make sure you blip this page from your smartphone.


Picks

Make sure your bosses don’t catch you goofing off watching one of these videos playing on your screen

History of Google’s growth

“Method 1” Robot

Penguins vs. Santa Claus

Duration: 06:00

Duration: 01:40

Duration: 08:04

How Google evolved from a small university project to the World’s largest tech brand the entire story, all here. http://dgit.in/HstryGoogle

Method-1 is a manned-robot made by South Korean company “Korea Future Technology” http://dgit.in/Method1bot

If you’re ever feeling jobless watch this bloody simulated battle between 11,000 Penguins and Santa Claus http://dgit.in/PngnSanta

> code / creativity / community > Angular is jumping to Angular 4 http://dgit.in/Angular4

2017 for developers >>Here are some of the key trends that have shown promise for the coming year –> by Mithun Mohandas

A

lot many developments have happened over 2016, quite a few trends have been over-hyped, with Big Data being one of them. And now with that having died down, the industry is making actual progress. Aside from lacking the right infrastructure and resources to base the industry on, these few years have only been good for the conglomerates that had the money to actually put big data to use. With really fast memory having arrived and compute hardware with large caching becoming more affordable, 2017 looks to be the year when we’re going to see the democratisation of big data. Anyone can easily afford consumer grade compute cards from NVIDIA or AMD and get started with the number crunching. Moreover, we now have access to Machine Learning tools that have a much more beginner-friendly learning gradient. So what do we expect from 2017? Read on… There shall be one This last year quite a lot of proprietary Machine Learning software ended up getting open sourced by the giants from Silicon Valley. Elon Musk backed non-profit called OpenAI was set up with the aim of building AI that is human friendly. Microsoft open sourced their Cognitive Toolkit (CNTK), Facebook has been putting its weight behind Caffe and Torch while Google

has open sourced it’s TensorFlow and DeepMind projects. Baidu, one of the biggest entities working on MachineLearning has also open sourced its set of libraries under the name PaddlePaddle. And lastly, Amazon has integrated MXNet into their AWS ML platform. With so many tools getting open sourced, the community is slowly going to get its hands dirty and from among all these

Google open sourced DeepMind

will arise only one. While every Machine Learning library has its pros and cons, there are other factors that will come into play when developers start playing around with ML. These libraries will proliferate the developer community and at the end of 2017 we shall see one particular library becoming the gold standard. This gold standard will then be adopted by all major XaaS providers and will be better integrated with their platforms. Data Sets for these ML platforms will also become

*Coding Matters

*OpenAI’s AI training

>> Universe is a software platform that allows any user to measure and train an AI’s general intelligence.

http://dgit.in/UOpenAI

*AWS CodeBuild

>> AWS Codebuild is Amazon’s new build service for creating and testing new software packages.

http://dgit.in/AWScode

*Firefox hardware report >>Mozilla published analysis of hardware usage to advise web developers about hardware market.

http://dgit.in/FFxHWRep


easier to get your hands on as more and more companies are releasing non-private data. Even those starting out can get their hands on voluminous data sets pertaining to, let’s say Amazon Book Reviews or Dota2 Game matchups / results, Facebook comment volume data, etc. Hardware is affordable High Performance GPUs that can really accelerate the pace of Machine Learning like NVIDIA’s Tesla and AMD’s Radeon Instinct have been announced. While both companies have had

GPGPU is getting a massive push thanks to NVIDIA and AMD

their GPUs being used for OpenCL and proprietary GPGPU applications for a while, the move to smaller process nodes for their transistors have resulted in a tremendous rise of compute power. Needless to say, the basic solutions from either company have become really affordable. While industrial applications would still require spending ridiculous amounts of money to set up Machine Learning servers, it will be way easier for startups to dive into the deep end without the fear of sinking. This widespread adoption will lead to several off-the-shelf solutions becoming a reality and thereafter, becoming even more affordable. Be it GPUs, services on the cloud or neural chipsets for the embedded market, the cost will go down. Blockchain for all Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d have heard about blockchain. It’s a distributed database that maintains a steadily growing list of ordered records. They are inherently resistant to past records getting modified and have a high fault toler-


Banks are championing the development of Blockchain

ance. Conceptualised by Satoshi Nakamoto for the now infamous Bitcoin – a form of cryptocurrency – Blockchain is being readily considered by banks for issuance of bank issued legal currency. R3, a distributed database technology company that leads a consortium of over 70 financial institutions has been investing heavily in blockchain technology. R3 is seeking $150 million from its member companies to fund the development of blockchain-based technologies for the banking sector, and they’ve already secured more than half of that amount. While a few top names have left the consortium – Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Santander and NAB – more have stepped in to take their place. Aside from traditional applications, Blockchains are also being targeted at recording Smart Contracts. Simply put, Smart Contracts are a bunch of conditional statements that form the basis of a legal agreement between parties. The moment these conditions are met, the Smart Contract gets executed. Ethereum is a well-known platform that deals in Smart Contracts. And there are a lot many other such as Maidsafe, Ardor, Synereo, etc. which are all working towards creating the decentralised internet. By the time their efforts bear fruits, we should arrive at the end of 2017 and hopefully see Blockchain evolve. IoT wreaks havoc The Internet of Things is going to be huge, with over 6 billion devices that are connected to the internet – A figure that’s expected to exponentially rise in the coming years to hit the 50 billion mark by 2020. However, there is no uniform security framework for IoT. All manufacturers implement their own proprietary solutions which has led to an extremely fragmented scenario. And in the midst of all this, we’ve had the very first massive IoT based botnet attack in October 2016. Now known as the Mirai botnet, this attack crippled the servers of companies like NetFlix, NYTimes, Paypal and Twitter. Cisco, AT&T, GE, Intel and IBM formed the Industrial Internet Consortium about two years back to focus on the IoT

Mirai Botnet was only the first

industry and to create a unified framework, but it will take a few more attacks by massive IoT botnets like the Mirai, before the industry switches to high gear and comes out with a solution. It would be a lot better if Government agencies step in to keep the corporates in check while these frameworks are designed. Mixed Reality gathers steam While VR and AR applications will continue to steadily grow, Mixed Reality will gain a foothold. Among the well known players, currently only Microsoft’s Hololens and an yet to be revealed MagicLeap project are working on Mixed Reality. Both devices are being readied for launch and should be out before the H2 2017.

*pointers >>Interesting developer videos

*Machine Learning Products

>>A video that showcases 10 amazing machine learning based products to inspire developers.

http://dgit.in/MLProds

*Blockchain demystified

>>A TEDx talk on how blockchain is shaping and moving beyond the bitcoin hype.

http://dgit.in/BCTedX Mixed Reality is going to be big

The myriad set of applications involving mixed reality showcase its true potential. And since enterprise use cases are likely to take the first step, we will see Mixed Reality being used for visualising Big Data. This in turn, will improve the decision making process where large complex data sets are to be factored. We should see plenty of such data visualisation services pop-up thanks to the Big Data industry. PaaS will dominate cloud services If one thing needs to be made clear is that with the rise in growth and accessibility of Machine Learning comes the realisation about the kind of hardware that’s needed for applications. While in-house development can easily be carried out on off-theshelf solutions, going into production is an entirely different ball game altogether. As companies begin to realise that such hardware come at a steep price and that setting up all that hardware also incurs additional expenditure. This is the reason why cloud based services are doing so well in the and machine learning is no different. All the major XaaS providers have already started setting up GPGPU clusters. Towards

the end of the year we should see more pricing tiers in the PaaS offerings for GPGPU use cases. And along with that, we’ll also see a push for cognitive computing, streaming media analytics and predictive analytics in the same time.

More GPGPU PaaS services to come in 2017

With the rise of newer technologies to analyse big data, we’ve seen a sharp fall in Hadoop usage. This fall started towards the end of 2015 but in 2016, the big data community left Hadoop behind. Rival Apache Spark has been experiencing similar ups and downs all across 2016. As programmers are slowly gaining data science skills on their own, those who’d prided themselves as big data gurus are going to be left behind as

*The basics of a botnet

>>Also known as “Zombie Armies”, Sheharbano Khattak of the University of Cambridge Computer Lab explains botnets.

http://dgit.in/BotnetBasics

Data Science is really going to heat up

*Windows Holographic

>>Microsoft’s Mixed reality platform expands the world of augmented and virtual reality along with the Windows ecosystem.

http://dgit.in/WinHolo

well. These roles, i.e. Data Scientists, Data Architects and Data Officers are all going to get better defined and thus, a year down the line we’re going to see a spike in demand for such roles as well. Some of the things mentioned earlier might feel good to you as a developer, some not so much. But what cannot be denied is that 2017 is going to a momentous year for the technology community. www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 79

>>Gautam Rege, Co-Founder, Josh Software>> >>We sit down with Mr. Rege to learn about their new initiative towards increasing open source contribution from the community.> Digit: What is CodeCuriosity and what are the reasons behind its inception? Gautam: Open-source is being used everywhere today, if you’re using an Android phone then you’re probably using some Open-source component. Even if you look at applications made on the iPhone, they’re probably using some open source library at the core. Microsoft open sourced .NET, Apple open sourced Swift 2, these are the languages and frameworks prevalently used to make applications. These large companies are moving towards open source. So open source has become a very common aspect today. Now, moving towards

the developer side, how many people consume open source and how many people contribute to open source? About 99.3 per cent consume open source and maybe less than 0.7 per cent – I’m being optimistic here – are actively contributing back. Now this is a problem that we’re trying to solve. So the roots of CodeCuriosity started off about 3-4 years ago at Josh when we wanted our team to start contributing back to open source. We were finding it difficult for them to get out of their daily grind to contribute. Majority of them did it as an optional thing. So after years of experimenting, we had something called Open Source Friday where nobody worked on their daily work and just contributed to open source projects. It worked for some months before dying down. We started brainstorming to figure out that if open source contributions are fun, motivating and rewarding, then we had a solution. We started a competition. And if participants were found to be among the top 5-6 people then they were rewarded. We tried this internally at Josh for the last one year and we got astounding results. Once we started tracking people’s activities on GitHub, we were able to reward people for their work. And once we started doing that, we saw contributions increase. So we set up a platform and called it CodeCuriosity to track open source contributions. And through this platform, we were tracking every activity that was being done every day. And we were rewarding users.

We wanted it to be motivative and not competitive. So we started working towards the Fitbit model. Everyone knows running is healthy but it was only after wearables came into the picture and started telling you how much you’ve benefitted that you started getting motivated to run more. CodeCuriosity does that for you. We set up goals, you can choose goals and then you start contributing on a monthly basis. The platform tells you how much you have contributed, how much is left for your target and when you do hit your targets, you are rewarded. Digit: So how do you score a user? Gautam: We have an automated algorithm which is open source and continues to evolve based on feedback. We try to improve and try to score every open source contributions – it could be a code commit, or raising an issue, etc. We’ve also been trying to integrate StackExchange into CodeCuriosity. So once you’re able to track all these activities, you get rewarded points. And 10 points = $1, so you can actually start making money out of your open source contributions. So not only are you making it fun, motivational and rewarding but you’re also getting people to contribute back. So open source contributions become part of your daily routine. This is our aim. To ensure that we can tilt the balance of consumers:contributors from 99.3:0.7 to 95:5. Even if we are able convert 10% of the consumers into contributors, the results will be astounding. Because the benefits are huge!

*Nodes of Interest

*Android Things : Getting started

>> Android Things is a new IoT platform based on Android OS.

http://dgit.in/AndrdIoT


*Minecraft Designer | Code

*Botnet setup for Noobs

>> You can learn basic coding and make your own Minecraft game.

>>A step by step tutorial on how to setup your own botnet, without being an expert hacker yourself.

http://dgit.in/MSmncrft

http://dgit.in/BotnetForNoobs

UBISOFT’S LATEST BRINGS AN OPEN WORLD TO ADVENTURE SPORTS. By Arnab “knidarius” Mukherjee [email protected]

nybody who has been playing or following any of the recent Ubisoft titles such as - Watch Dogs series, the Division, Ghost Recon Wildlands - will have noticed that Ubisoft is certainly obsessed about open worlds. Any of you who have played the Burnout Paradise instalment of the Burnout series will find themselves on familiar grounds with Steep. On the other hand, even if you’ve played Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater or similar extreme sport games- any of them - you’ll be at an advantage here too! Well, enough of dwelling in the past. Even we were getting a tad bit bored with the hordes of typical FPSs, RPGs and multitude of me-too games that are released by the dozens, so when the mountains from Ubisoft called, you bet we answered!

82 | SKOAR! | January 2017 | follow us on:

GAMEPLAY

7

Steep starts you off at one of the many drop off locations in the game. It’s main attraction - you can seamlessly switch between snow-boarding, skiing, paragliding and wingsuiting your way across the white expanse of the Alps if you’re at a standstill to begin with. And trust us, that choice matters! While you eventually might feel the snowboarding is the coolest of the four and that para-gliding is a slow, drab excuse for the game’s lack of any faster transport mechanism to undiscovered locations, there are challenges that can only be done in certain sports. And you WILL need that XP to level up and unlock additional drop locations, without which it is a real pain to travel across the landscape. At this point, we should let you know that we played the standard edition of the game. The

facebook.com/SKOAR

gold edition comes bundled with the Season Pass DLC, which brings in new sports, night challenges and a lot of digital content to the game. Talking about levelling up, there is no particular character development mechanism here. Sure, you can do a ton of cosmetic changes - from your wingsuit helmet down to your skiing shoes -

R EE V U

GRAPHICS MOAR! PLATFORMS: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows PRICE: PC - Standard Edition `1,799; Gold Edition `1,999; Season Pass DLC `499. Xbox - Standard Edition `4,000; Gold Edition `5,350; Season Pass DLC `1,192. PS4 - Standard Edition `3,499 REVIEWED ON: PlayStation 4 DEVELOPERS: Ubisoft Annecy, Ubisoft Montpellier, Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft Kiev PUBLISHERS: Ubisoft Pros Overall visual treat 4 Player co-op can be a lot of fun WINGSUIT!! Cons Repetitive Glitches in game physics and graphics No skill development

but none of those changes will affect your riding even a little bit - unless you’re bothered by a snowman helmet with a twig going right through it. We’ll admit that the controls are a bit hard to master. And Steep’s focus on realism doesn’t really help with that. Every wrong turn, every missed deceleration will cost you dearly as you realise that even the slightest of bumps at certain speeds can lead to some glorious bone-crunching crashes. Well, at least the game gives you trophies for that! Now, coming back to the open world mechanism - Steep has its eyes strongly set on the social gaming experience, but gets a few things painstakingly wrong. To begin with, grouping up with a new player that you see in-game requires a PlayStation Plus subscription. We found that out the hard way as one of us had chased another player on skis for almost ten minutes before getting plastered with the big prompt. Also, at no point of time did we see more than 4 players in the same gaming world. That might have been intentional to avoid crowding this beautiful landscape. But beyond this, the social features imple-

In-game screenshots

mented are pretty nice. You can actually go to the Mountain View (this one’s in the Alps, not California) and check out your previous saved runs and redo them from any point of your choosing! You can even share these runs on social media, save them for redoing later, or even create a new challenge for your friends based on multiple parameters like time, freestyle score and more. Although, some of the special Mountain story missions do get their own cinematic setting. These mountain stories are actually quite fun to play - with each mountain narrating to you its description upon discovery, in its very own personality. And we’ve done it all - from running over evil snowmen to following a trail of roses on the snow to a frozen lake - and the mountain stories didn’t disappoint. follow us on:

The game certainly kicks off by looking gorgeous, right in your face! From the moment you start the game you are thrown into amazingly beautiful visuals of the Alps, painstakingly recreated (at this point, it would start sounding like Ubisoft built the original Alps themselves) each detail about the mountain range, especially the snow. The snow - oh boy, don’t get us started on that! If this game gets a 10 on something, that would be its snow. Beyond the snow, almost nothing is even close to accurate - be it the weird ice textures that almost seem handdrawn to the trees that look ordinarily out of place, All of that would have escaped attention if a couple of bugs weren’t so disturbingly obvious. In our runs, we would often end up between certain objects, inside other players or even going through something immovable quite inexplicably. On the other hand, we often landed in spots from where it was impossible to recover without going to the last place where the game autosaved your location. Some of the collisions in the game don’t make sense either. Steep leaves you with quite a few of these questions, when it comes to graphics, before it dazzles you with the next glorious summit you just unlocked.

OVERALL Why does this review have only the above two sections? Because that’s pretty much it about Steep. The game doesn’t offer you anything more and doesn’t pretend that it is. The soundtrack is pretty average and consists of tracks that would fit into any adventure sports setting. Just like the unabashed product placements in the game (Steep has Red Bull challenges and cinematics), the game itself is quite straightforward with what it offers you - a fun exhilarating way to let go at the end of a long day. While a skill development feature would make it much more relatable and competitive, in the end, true riders only care about the thrill of the ride, don’t they?

twitter.com/skoar | January 2017 | SKOAR! | 83

Zombieland: The Video Game By Sameer “Psycho Mantis” Mitha [email protected]

f you’ve played the previous Dead Rising games, then you’re probably a fan of the franchise and know what to expect. I, however, haven’t played any of the prequels. So if like me you are one looking to dive into the world of Dead Rising, then read on. This review is for you. At its core, Dead Rising 4 is a third-person open world game where your objective is to kill all the zombies. Plain and simple. You don the role of Frank West a former photojournalist now working as a college teacher. You and your


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R EE V U

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MOAR! PLATFORMS: Xbox One, Microsoft Windows PRICE: Xbox One: 3,999 REVIEWED ON: Xbox One S DEVELOPERS: Capcom Vancouver PUBLISHERS: Capcom, Microsoft Studios student Vicky Chu, are investigating a military compound which is the site of the first zombie outbreak. As always, things don’t go according to plan and you are accused of terrorism by the government, yada-yada-yada, zombies attack and you are there to face the day. That’s the short version of the story. The story isn’t the most compelling feature of the game and it’s there just to get you from point-A to point-B. Don’t expect a BioShock Infinite level of storytelling in Dead Rising 4 and it shouldn’t be expected from a survival beat ‘em up game like this.

GAMEPLAY Moving on to gameplay, this is where Dead Rising is a lot of fun. Kicking things off, there are a lot of customisation options available for the main character and the sky is the limit for how you want the protagonist to look. There are also a lot of collectables and blueprints to find scattered throughout the level. Finding the blueprints for new weapons can be quite fun. If you have played Ratchet and Clank or Sunset Overdrive and like the weapons in those games, then you will love what Dead Rising 4 has to offer. It looks like the developers have taken a leaf from the Batman Arkham game’s detective mode. You have access to something very similar which will help you solve puzzles through this journey. There is also an exo-skeleton suit that looks like

the one from the movie Edge of Tomorrow and that isn’t a bad thing. Add a bunch of customisable vehicles to the mix and you have one zombie apocalypse game that you will be playing for hours to come. Speaking of hours to come, it will take you well over 20 hours to finish one playthrough even if you aren’t going to collect everything or do everything there is to do. Overall, the gameplay is a lot of fun and there is little to complain here. It is the ideal game to run through if you just got bullied, had a bad day at work or want to steamroll over some zombies to vent your frustration. If there is one thing I’d like to see in the game, it’s split-screen co-op. It would be a lot of fun to sit on a couch with a friend and kill hordes of Zombies.

Coming to the sound, the voice acting is quite cheesy but not overly so. There is too much sarcasm and humour in the dialogue for you to take anything seriously and that’s a good thing. The weapon sounds are punchy and the gurgling of the zombies getting squished under your car or being destroyed by your weapons is … satisfying.

GRAPHICS

VERDICT: DEAD RISING 4

Moving to the graphics, the game isn’t the best there is, visually but it isn’t bad either. There are frame rate drops and texture pop-ins but all this can be forgiven when you see the number of Zombies that are rendered at a given point in time. If you have played ‘The Last of Us’, then this is the exact opposite. The Last of Us shows what the world would be like if the Zombie apocalypse became a reality. Dead Rising is the final battle from the movie Zombieland.

Dead Rising 4 is a fun game and one that you can play when you want to blow off some steam, or just lose yourself in the video game version of Zombieland. The weapons are interesting and the story though cheesy, something we like. The only two downsides are the dip in frame rate and the fact that the gameplay can sometimes get repetitive and boring. If you are looking for a serious ‘World War Z’-style Zombie game, then you’re better off playing ‘The Last of Us’.

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Pros: Crazy weapons Overall fun gameplay Cons: Inconsistent frame rate Sometimes repetitive



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Gaming has come a long way from its origins, and it’s seen a lot of changes along the way, in it’s relatively short life it has changed a lot, and we’re going to take a look at them changes By Manish “Trigger Happy” Rajesh

PHOTO IMAGING BY: ANIL VK

[email protected]

he first ever video game was invented all the way back in 1958. That’s 58 years, 58 years of gaming and we’ve seen some BIG changes along the way. We’ve come from our humble pixelated pong beginnings to games that look so real it’s hard to distinguish them from movies. Of course graphics aren’t the only thing that’ve changed over time, they’re just the most easily noticeable thing. Below the surface there’s many things that have changed as well, and the speed at which the world of gaming changes and evolves today, you could be gaming in a completely different way in just five years from now, if you’ve been a gamer for a long time; for example from back when Sega and Nintendo were the Xbox and PS of today, then you’ll probably be able to relate to a lot of what we’re about to say, so let’s get right into it.

Games too easy? Let’s address and get the first few things out of the way immediately. These are the most obvious things, and the first one we’re talking about is how games spoonfeed players these days. Now we know that there are several factors that come into play when it comes to this particular trend in

games today. The main demographics of gamers in the past used to be teenagers and kids, they were the majority of the market. Now however, the demographic has shifted to adults who are over the age of 30. It’s probably because those same kids grew up and are still gamers but what we’re getting at is that easier games are less time consuming, and adults don’t have too much time to game. However, we did see a shift recently, with the advent of Dark Souls, challenging games were becoming the “in” thing again. And all of a sudden there was an influx of games that were challenging and existing games that were already challenging saw some limelight. Games now punished players for messing up; no instructions, no guides, no spoonfeeding. Bet that didn’t stop you from going online and looking up a walkthrough though. But at the end of the day, most major game devs will lean towards wherever the money is and the money is with the working adults. Anyway, that was the why, but we’re still going to b*tch about it now. Insert back in my day meme here. If you’ve played on the old consoles, or even old PC games, then you know the struggle. You had to memorise level codes, you couldn’t save your game when you wanted, you had to progress far enough to reach a save point or risk having to do it all over again. You couldn’t look up the answer to a puzzle or anything online, you had to tough it out yourself and figure it out. There were follow us on:


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walkthroughs and internet forums waiting for you with all the answers. That feeling of discovering or accomplishing something on your own has gone, it’s been missing from games for a long time. The internet is your backseat driver when it comes to games now.

Them graphics Ahh, the graphics. The evolution of games goes hand-in-hand with the evolution of hardware, and they’ve both come a long way. But despite the huge difference between graphics then and now, we as gamers still love being picky about graphics. It’s probably a human trait, wanting to find flaws in everything. But we used to be awestruck by graphics in the past, games that we’d probably cringe at now were considered the apex of graphics back in the day. Even mobile games have better graphics than many of the games that we used to play even just ten years ago. But we gamers are a hard bunch to please and so we’ll keep whining about the graphics being “meh.” Till when will we keep whining? We have no idea. 8k graphics? 16k? They say the human eye can’t see more than 30 fps, can it see over 4k? (Note - this is sarcasm)

Multiplayer Remember when multiplayer meant having friends over and plugging in that player-two controller, or having your keyboard crammed with hands, and good old split-screen gaming? Local, splitscreen, multiplayer gaming is all but nonexistent nowadays, thanks to faster internet speeds and better connections, among other things. Almost every game nowadays has an online component to it, be it for security reasons, or otherwise. This has its advantages, such as updates and bug fixes and whatnot. Well, there’s no real disadvantages per se, except for everyone who doesn’t have an internet connection. Sucks to be them. Of course let’s not forget all the salt and toxicity that exists in online games today. In the words of the Human Torch, “Flame On!”

Add-Ons, DLCs, and Expansions When most of us here started gam-


Some would say games are way easier now thanks to the internet providing you walthroughs and playthroughs of every new game, literally handholding you through the experience

ing, which was a long time ago(okay, not that long ago), we used to be excited for expansions and DLCs. We expected huge new campaigns and new places to visit, new characters, new abilities, you know the drill. They represented big changes for that game you had already played oh so many times. But these days DLC are used to bait people into pre-ordering games (STOP PREORDERING GAMES PEOPLE) and the worst part is the DLCs aren’t even worth it in most cases. Nowadays they just end up being aesthetic changes to your character within the game and don’t add much else to the game. The only game in recent times to do justice to facebook.com/SKOAR

an expansion is Witcher 3’s Blood and Wine expansion. The worst part however, is when publishers sell you an incomplete game and you have to pay extra for the DLC which should have been part of the main game anyway! There’s a game called DLC Quest that illustrates what we mean very well. In the game you need to buy DLC to unlock the most basic of abilities, like jumping and being able to move backwards. Let’s hope AAA companies don’t get any ideas from that game.

Console Wars Oh they did exist back then, just not on as big a scale as right now. But then

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Gaming graphics has come a long way from pixelated wonders to 4K wonderlands, but has it affected the overall thrill that we feel? Interestingly, we complain more about graphics now than we used to, back in the days. 30fps? Meh!

this cool DLC to get this cool secret item you won’t get anywhere else! Preorder for $99.99 only!” Being to able to stumble upon a hidden area, or come across a secret yourself was one of the charms of being a gamer, and then you would run to your friends and share the experience with them. The same applies to secret characters, who’re not so secret anymore and are now normally unlocked through, you guessed it, DLCs.

Hardware

Gaming consoles have changed a lot over the years too, along with the games. They’ve evolved into serious competitors for the PC although PC Master Race mostly wins. Interestingly, the war between PCs and Consoles is one thing that hasn’t changed over the years, merely moved online. These days, whether you’re on a PS4 or an Xbox you take certain things for granted - online gameplay, exclusives and, well, being better than the other guy.

again, there seem to be extremes for everything these days. Oh well, you know what they say, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. #PCMasterRace!

Secrets, Hidden Items and Easter Eggs Hidden items pfft. Nothing is hidden anymore, and if it is hidden, somebody online has bound to have found it to save you the trouble of having to find it yourself. Of course these days DLCs include secret items as well sometimes. “Buy

Hardware, everything depends on the hardware. It’s the hardware that runs the games and therefore the kind of games you can run and how well they will run all depends on your hardware. Back in the day we never really had to bother about so many things in order to be able to play our games. We were really only bothered with the RAM and the CPU, and that was it, if you had a decent CPU and a good amount of RAM, (256mb of RAM was considered a good amount back then btw) you were good to go. But now, maaaan, you need to have lots of space, you need a good processor, you need a good GPU that can handle the game you want to play, you need a good PSU to be able to handle that GPU, and you need a minimum of 4GB of RAM nowadays if you want to be able to play anything without it crashing. Back in the day if you had the best of the best you were good for a long time. Nowadays the best keeps getting updated so frequently it’s hard to keep up, and if you do it’s definitely going to leave a rather large hole in your pocket. Would be nice to go back to simpler times right? But would you be willing to give up everything else follow us on:

you’re getting thanks to these hardware advancements?

The rise of mobile gaming Games evolve as fast as hardware does. And if there’s anything else that has changed and evolved as much as games have in these past few years, it’s smartphones. Everyone who’s anyone has a smartphone these days, there’s a whole library of games to choose from, and a lot of them are free to play as well, so it’s not surprising to know a large percentage of the gaming population today is mobile gamers. To add to that, a lot of the oldies and games from other handheld consoles are being ported to smartphones as well. Remember how we said that the primary demographic was adults now? That’s another major reason mobile gaming is doing so well now, since it was something you could do in your spare time, during transit, it was portable and easy to access. Now however, the ever changing beast that gaming is, mobile gaming is actually moving more and more towards the mainstream, and we’re already seeing tournaments for games like Clash Royale.

And finally, us Gamers Yes, gamers! We’ve changed a lot too! Of course there’s the demographic change we’ve mentioned several times already but we’re a very large factor when it comes to the direction of games, since what works and what doesn’t largely depends on us.

Conclusion The world of gaming is constantly changing, evolving, adapting. It can take us by surprise sometimes and disappoint us at times. But if we’ve learnt anything from this article, it’s that we’re the ones who truly control the direction of gaming.


FINAL FANTASY. ONE OF THOSE NAMES THAT KEEPS POPPING UP IN THE WORLD OF VIDEO GAMING. IF YOU’RE A GAMER, CHANCES ARE YOU’VE DEFINITELY HEARD OF SOME FINAL FANTASY OR THE OTHER, AND THERE’S A LOT OF THEM SO THEY’D BE PRETTY HARD TO MISS. THE FRANCHISE THAT IS FINAL FANTASY IS ONE OF THE MOST, IF NOT THE MOST, POPULAR JRPG FRANCHISES OUT THERE AND HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME. By Manish “Trigger Happy” Rajesh [email protected] ow let us get something out of the way immediately, we’re PC gamers first and foremost, and Final Fantasy is an almost completely console exclusive franchise, we’ve missed out on most of the Final Fantasy’s (yes including Final Fantasy VII, please don’t hate us) but we’re totally willing to jump right into the franchise and its complicated world. So that’s exactly what this particular “phranchise” article is going to be like. If you’re long time fans of the franchise feel free to let us know if we missed anything or if there’s something we should check out for ourselves. And for the rest, let’s begin our crash course in Final Fantasy!

FIRST THINGS FIRST, WHAT IS FINAL FANTASY? From what we’ve gleaned from the Interwebs and our own experience with Final Fantasy XV, it’s messy, it’s confusing, it’s amazing; it’s basically what you’d expect from Japan(stereotyping much?). It’s a huge brand; if the game has Final Fantasy in its name, it sells like hot-cakes.


There’s a reason behind that too, because people have come to expect a certain production value from Final Fantasy games, so to an extent they know they can’t go wrong with their purchase. There have been several Final Fantasy titles released over the past few decades, some have been great, some not so much. We can assume that most of them did well, considering the franchise is still going strong after well over fifteen titles. Almost all Final Fantasy games are based in the same universe and share certain common traits or attributes.

WHAT ARE THESE COMMON TRAITS AND ATTRIBUTES YOU ASK? Most of them don’t look similar on the surface at all, which makes one wonder why they’re sequential sometimes. Most titles feature a similar story setting, and many of the core concepts are the same. Take the magical elements facebook.com/SKOAR

for example: Fire, Ice, Wind, Earth, Thunder(Lightning) and Water. Here Fire beats Ice, Ice beats Wind, Wind beats Earth and so on. This remains true for ALL Final Fantasy titles. No, they don’t work like Pokémon elements so Wind beats Earth, don’t ask how, it just does, ok? Next is the story, which in most cases usually puts you in the shoes of a hero – or sometimes even a group of heroes – with a tragic backstory(in most cases) who has to take on some kind of behemoth task to save his or her war-torn world. The worlds are huge and full of interesting places to see and explore, all while listening to an amazing soundtrack, which is a Final Fantasy trademark now. Another common trait is the ability to collect and equip items and weapons. Most will even let you customize skills and abilities and direct your character’s growth to suit your own playstyle. Then, of course, there’s side quests, lots of side quests, but that’s something we’ve come to associate with RPGs regardless.

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The last common trait for most of the titles is that everything boils down to one last epic boss fight which concludes the game. Final Fantasy games are littered with boss fights, and most of them are pretty darn cool, definitely warrants having the word ‘Fantasy’ in the title with the size of some of them. There’s a lot of iconic bosses from Final Fantasy that are well known in the world of gaming, Sephiroth for instance, he isn’t one of the gigantic ones though. These traits and attributes define most Final Fantasy games, so even if you pick up a new title, you’ll feel right at home, sort of. Now, if you’ve been paying attention thus far, you’ll notice that there’s a lot of ‘usually’, ‘mostly’ and ‘almost’ in the aforementioned paragraphs. Well if you did spot that, kudos to you and a pat on the back! The reason of course is that there are Final Fantasy games that don’t share all those traits, there’s Final Fantasy card games, racing games, fighting games and even a rhythm game. Remember how we said games with Final Fantasy in the name seem to sell like hot-cakes? Well evidently Square Enix knows that too.

OK, SO THOSE ARE THE COMMON TRAITS, WHAT ARE THE GAMES LIKE? Well in terms of gameplay, most Final Fantasy games are quite similar to Pokémon games. There’s a huge map for you to explore, and random encounters can happen anytime you’re out in

the wild. When it does happen, the game tries very hard to give you an epileptic seizure(just kidding) and you’re taken to a different screen. Now you’re in the combat phase or battle phase of the game, where you can command your characters with orders like “attack”, “magic”, or “item.” When you’re back on the world map, or field section of the game, you can go looking for treasure, speak to NPCs, pick up new quests, all that RPG stuff. Combat is turn based, and the agility stat determines how often your character’s turn comes up. Simply put, faster characters get their turn more often. You had to keep your resources, mana points and items in mind before taking any action. There wasn’t too much emphasis on timing and such till latter titles where combat started veering more towards real-time. Of course, you STILL have to keep your eye on your resources and magic points. This formula where games are split into a combat phase and a field phase is a staple among the main Final Fantasy titles, even if the strategies and mechanics differ from game to game. In fact, this is the formula that’s prominently been used in most JRPGs. Oh, and Cid, all Final Fantasy games have a character named Cid in them. Don’t ask us why, they just do. Anyway, now that we’ve gotten past what the games’ common traits are and what the gameplay is like, let’s take a look at the games themselves! follow us on:

FINAL FANTASY I - VI The first Final Fantasy was released in 1987 by a little known company called SquareSoft. It had what you’d expect from a game named Final Fantasy in the 1980s, i.e., elves, dwarves, robots, temples, ruins, all that. The creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi was a Tolkien fan, and based the game on his novels. As for why the Final was there, it’s because he wasn’t going to make any more, unless this one did well. Guess what?

Now it’s after the first Final Fantasy that things get a tad confusing. Square went ahead and made two sequels for Final Fantasy – Final Fantasy II, and III duh – but released them only in Japan. So when Final Fantasy IV came out and released in the States as well, it was called Final Fantasy II over there. This happened again with Final Fantasy V, which did not release in the States, resulting in Final Fantasy VI – which was released in the States – being called Final Fantasy III when it did release in the States. Yea, confusing, we know. This should hopefully clear up your confusion. Final Fantasy - 1987, Nintendo (U.S. and Japan) Final Fantasy II - 1988, Nintendo (Japan only)


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Final Fantasy III - 1990, Nintendo (Japan only) Final Fantasy IV - 1991, Super Nintendo (released in U.S. as Final Fantasy II) Final Fantasy V - 1992, Super Nintendo (Japan only) Final Fantasy VI - 1994, Super Nintendo (released in U.S. as Final Fantasy III) Fortunately, Square have fixed this confusion and have re-released and ported correctly numbered English versions in the States for all of the above. We don’t think we’d be able to cover the plot for all of them, so let’s just go through a few notable changes that were implemented across the first six Final Fantasy titles, in proper order. The first Final Fantasy of course, implemented many factors that are typical in RPGs today, i.e., experience points, random battles etc. But it also laid the foundation for following Final Fantasy games with its element system and story setting, among other things. Final Fantasy II introduced us to the ever-lovable chocobos, which look kind of like ostriches and were rideable. This is also where we’re first introduced to a character named Cid and a main cast of characters who were unique to the game’s’ story. With Final Fantasy III we see the job system for the first time, where different jobs or classes had access to job or class-specific abilities. Final Fantasy IV debuted the “active time battle” system, which is like a mix between real-time and turnbased combat. The ATB system has since been incorporated by many games. This is also the first Final Fantasy to incorporate save points and healing locations. Final Fantasy V further tweaks upon and works on the job system, but otherwise didn’t do anything new. Final Fantasy VI introduced Magicite Crystals into the game which allowed non-magic jobs to equip and use magic as well.

ular of the lot. But everything changed when the fire na- uhh, when Final Fantasy VII released. Everyone has probably heard about this one, this is the game that put Final Fantasy on the map, and it’s been there

since, for the past two decades. You remember that Sephiroth guy we mentioned earlier? Yea, he’s from this game. Anyway, when Final Fantasy VII hit the PlayStation in 1997 the world went crazy. The game used 3D models and the backgrounds were all pre-rendered. They didn’t spare any expense on the CG movies either. This was 1997, everyone was like “Wow! This looks real af!” But FFVII was backed by more than just fancy 3D models, the plot and narrative were gripping, and of course, the heart wrenching plot twist that is remembered to this day – also the major reason behind everyone hating on Sephiroth so much. This in no way means that Final Fantasy VII is the best one, it’s just the one that made the franchise well known. But one could say that Square hasn’t managed to top the feeling that people got from FFVII yet.

FINAL FANTASY VIII - 1999 FFVIII introduces us to a host of new main characters including Squall, an angsty and moody teenager(this is a recurring theme btw) and his time spent in military school. FFVIII also introduced something called the Junction System, which basically allowed you store Para-Magic. It changed the way magic was cast in the game so far, which was by purchasing or acquiring spells and using mana points or magic points to cast them. You could also Junction magic to a character and

FINAL FANTASY VII - 1997 Now up until this point, we could say that Final Fantasy VI was the most pop-


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enhance their stats, with each type of magic and magic combination enhancing stats differently. You could also add elemental damage and increase your resistance against certain elements. They also revamped the Summons, up until now a summon mostly involved the summon showing up and doing massive damage and leaving. The new Guardian Forces enabled the summons to fight alongside you and even gain levels through experience for further improvement.

FINAL FANTASY IX - 2000 FFIX and FFVIII were in the works alongside each other but took very different directions, with IX going backwards, in both time (to a more medieval setting) and even playstyle, returning to the more traditional Final Fantasy gameplay and mechanics. The plot revolved around Zidane Tribal, a young thief caught between warring nations

(it’s always warring nations, damn politicians!). FFIX had a feature called “Trance Mode” which was similar to the Limit Break in FFVII. In Trance Mode character skills were augmented into superior, more powerful versions. Fans of the series were happy with the series’ return to its roots and the game was critically acclaimed and well received.

FINAL FANTASY X AND X-2 - 2001 & 2003 Final Fantasy X is the first Final Fantasy to have fully 3D real-time backgrounds and character voice acting. The ATB (Active Time Battle) system was swapped out for CTB combat, or Conditional Turn-based Battle combat. This basically paused the game, or started a wait timer whenever it was the player character’s turn, doing away with the pressure of time. The traditional leveling system was done away with, and the “Sphere Grid” was introduced, which allowed for much deeper customization and allowed characters to branch out into various fields and classes.

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FINAL FANTASY XIV (2010 - 2012)

Final Fantasy X’s story revolved around Tidus – pro blitzballer apparently – and his quest to defeat a monster named Sin who destroyed his home city. And so he joins a Summoner named Yuna who is on her pilgrimage in order to defeat Sin. Final Fantasy X-2 takes place just two years after the events of Final Fantasy X, making it the first direct sequel in the history of the franchise. Both titles were commercial successes.

FINAL FANTASY XI - 2002 FFXI is the first Final Fantasy to come to Windows and the first ever MMORPG for Xbox 360. It’s also the first MMORPG to offer cross-platform play between the platforms. It offered most features we’ve come to expect from MMORPGs today and functioned on a subscription based model. It was pretty good from what we’ve heard, and still enjoys a decent player base.

FFXIV was released as the successor to Final Fantasy XI, the next MMORPG in the franchise. The game received an overwhelmingly negative response on release and the servers were closed just two years later in 2012.

FINAL FANTASY XIV: A REALM REBORN - 2013 acclaimed and received several game of the year awards.

FINAL FANTASY XIII, XIII-2, LIGHTNING RETURNS: FINAL FANTASY XIII - 2010, 2012 & 2013 Final Fantasy XIII is the first single player Final Fantasy to come to Windows and is the first one to release on the PlayStation 3. It features much faster combat but has turn-based combat elements. It used “Crystarium” to determine which abilities a character developed next and used “Paradigm” to control AI and queue commands. FFXIII has you fill the shoes of Lightning, a former soldier, who has taken up arms against the government in order to save her sister who has been branded as an unwilling servant to some Pulse based God. Confused? Not to

FFXIV: A realm Reborn takes place five years after the events of the original FFXIV. After the overwhelmingly negative response that the original received, then Square president announced that the game was going to be completely overhauled under a new team of developers. And true to their word, A Realm Reborn was like a completely new game and was very well received with praise for not only it’s mechanics and progression, but also for being able to salvage the initial train wreck of FFXIV. Phew! We’re done! And that’s without the recent Final Fantasy XV and the plethora of Final Fantasy spin-offs! Before we go into the conclusion for this mammoth franchise, we’d just like to give a shout-out to the amazing

FINAL FANTASY XII - 2006 FFXII is the only main game in the franchise to be based in an already established world. Ivalice is where the events of Final Fantasy Tactics takes place. FFXII brought with it several changes, for one, battles were now seamless, so you didn’t switch between a “field phase” and a “combat phase.” Additionally, the world map was now divided into different zones and a “Gambit” system was introduced to control the AI accompanying you. There’s also the reintroduction of Chocobos and Moogles. FFXII revolves around Vaan the Sky Pirate, who works together with the princess of Dalmasca, a nation ravaged by war(again), to stop the tyranny of the bad dudes. Final Fantasy XII was also critically

worry, this is normal in Final Fantasy games, we’re just as confused as you. FFXIII is a victim of what we call the hype-train, so if you’re looking to start playing Final Fantasy or have never played one before, we’d advise you to NOT to start with this one unless you’re a fan of the franchise, or you’ll just have a really bad first impression and we don’t want you missing out on the good stuff because of that. Now before the rabid fanboys lunge at us, the sequels do attempt to knit out a lot of the problems and do succeed to an extent. And despite mixed reviews, Square Enix declared FFXIII and its sequels a commercial success follow us on:

soundtrack that accompanies all these titles. If there’s one thing Square has done right in these games, it’s picking the right music for the right moments, and that can make all the difference in one’s experience in our opinion.

CONCLUSION If the scale of this franchise is deterring you from trying it out, don’t be afraid! Just jump right in. Feel free to start with earlier titles of the franchise as well; they all offer a very unique experience despite being in 16-bit and quite a lot of them have been remastered for modern consoles and they’re available on PC and smartphones too! So put on your adventure boots and set off on a your own Final Fantasy.


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You have to try these games out on your smartphone! By Anusha ‘Trillian’ Sinha

Dan the Man

Distraint

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he Oxford dictionary defines Distraint as the seizure of someone’s property in order to obtain payment of money owed, especially rent (we had to look it up because we were not sure what it meant). In this game, you play as Price, a distraint agent whose job is

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to tell widowed old ladies who smell of flowers and offer you pie to vacate their house because they haven’t paid up. This cruel job eats away at the soul of our pixelated protagonist but he continues nevertheless because he needs the money and prestige. However, his job becomes much harder when mangled corpses show up in the places he visits along with mysterious notes hinting at even greater horrors that await him. Taking advantage of the 2D graphics, the game is just spread across a strip in the middle of the screen, leaving empty space on both sides (the bottom one has huge control buttons). The soundtrack is eerie and together with the pixelated graphics in muted colours sets the atmosphere quite nicely. And the jump scares? Very effective.


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Overpainted

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verpainted is a platformer with one unique aspect. You can’t really see the platforms. The entire level is completely dark except for a few pointers scattered across it and you have to figure out where the level is as you move along. The game functions a bit like That Level Again, another interesting platformer, because you have to keep playing the same level but with minute changes each time. Also, it is almost a copy of the PC game INK, which features the same premise and seems to have inspired Overpainted’s design as well. Overpainted is the story of a white square who is determined to jump into a spiral galaxy like thing suspended in midair despite the fact that often there isn’t even a way there. As your blocky character moves around, it creates a trail of splotchy paint, thus revealing the level bit by bit. The focus of this game is trial-and-error, especially because you can’t see anything and you might end up going off the edge far too many times for your liking. It is advisable to be cautious and proceed slowly, taking clues about the environment.

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an the Man is a reiteration of the quintessential retro platformer and will definitely remind you of Mario. The game has been created by Halfbrick Studios, which you might recognise as the creator of Jetpack Joyride, Monster Dash and, the go-to game for entertaining small children, Fruit Ninja. Like all the others, this game too has the characteristic pixelated graphics and polish of all the games made by Halfbrick. Unsurprisingly, the game features a man called Dan who is also a ninja. You can also play as Josie the woman. Both characters sprint across rooftops and clouds in

8.6 order to defeat the evil army that has taken over most of the village. The controls are quite precise and this is a game you will be good at if you have ever played Mario or any other platformer, for that matter. The gameplay is pretty basic and there is nothing new here except the variety of weapons that you will come across. In conclusion, Dan is the Man and so are you.

PHE A CHUR

7.9

Seen

S

een is a game that will be easy to relate with for anyone who has ever used a text messaging service to get to know someone. In short messages and casual back-and-forth, entire personalities and motivations are revealed in the game. You play as Mark Blythe, a high school student who falls in love with the new student, Nicole Tyler. Through texting, you will learn about her as well as other characters in the game, some of which might be competing for your beloved’s affection. This interactive story game provides you with a number of options

Time Locker

T

ime Locker is based off the central idea in Superhot but the execution is different enough to warrantee a play from even fans of the PC game. For those who haven’t tried out Superhot, the basic premise is that time only moves when you move. While Superhot is a FPS, Time Locker is a runner, featuring bright animals. You start playing as a shiny polygonal bear waddling across a stark white level. You are interrupted by a range of polygonal animals, including a T. Rex as well as other dangerous objects such as a huge tank which is bent on killing you. You shoot a bullet with every step you

Missing

M

issing is a game for a cause and an especially good one at that. The game was created as a part of the Missing Project by Leela Kejriwal, an artist and photographer to raise awareness about the terrible issue of sex trafficking in India and across the world. You play the game as a young girl who has been drugged and kidnapped and locked up in a

9.5

missing a tutorial. Once you get the hang of it, you can also share heartbreaking stories from your life or a conversation between Darth Vader and his son. Story World is the ingame community where you can both upload your own stories as well as get others. The game looks exactly like Facebook Messenger, thus adding to the illusion that it’s all real. One of the more famous stories that you can play through in this game is one based on “Annie96 is typing”, a creepypasta that had gained fame on reddit. Seen is an interactive story game that will keep the attention of all.

that you can respond with to each text. The story builds up slowly and engages you as you root for your protagonist to get the girl. The game is not so much about skill as much as it is about how well you can read people and of course, how good you are at making people fall for you. However, this is just one of the stories in this game. There is a story maker that you can use to create your own scenarios and then share them with people. However this interface is not as easy to use as you might like, especially due to the fact that it is

take. In this way, you are literally scrubbing through the timeline. The game starts out slow, with only a few serene birds flying across the level but then quickly ramps up in subsequent waves. A definite high point is when the rampaging orange T. Rex appears. Have fun killing that one! The animals are of different colours and have different powerups or in-game currency that you can collect when you kill them. There is no soundtrack except the noise your bullets make and the scrubbing sound when you make the character retreat. The game is a delight to play because you have time to strategize and hence exercise some clairvoyance in planning your moves. In conclusion, Time Locker is worthy of your time.

9

room. The dialogues speak to you and try to evoke a sense of empathy for the character (which they are extremely successful in doing). For example, when you are locked up in the room the dialogues prompt you to try and escape. The situation is like one you would encounter in one of the countless escape games. However, this is where the game shows you exactly how different it is. You simply cannot escape. The characters are detailed, with great voice acting as well. The situations you’ll find yourself in are terrifying. Once your character grows up, she is forced to walk the streets and make offers to different men based on the amount of money that they have and how lusty they are. She has a daily follow us on:

target to achieve every day but she never stops trying to escape. Your aim is to explore the nearby surroundings and try to break out from the brothel. The game is pretty heavy in terms of the range of emotions it will make you feel. The graphics are brilliant and capture the spirit of dirty, crowded alleys perfectly. The game environment feels like something you might have walked across in your everyday life. The game, thus, includes an exploration element as well as that of resource management as you have to keep track of your finances. There are a lot of hard hitting lessons in this game and like all the best stories, the hero retains a sense of hope even in the darkest of times.


PHE A C HUR

Jrump

Prime Peaks

N

P

ow that the spectacle that was the US Elections is over and people have more or less made their peace with it, this game based on Trump is even more relevant. It features a Donald Trump who jumps up into space from a starting point which is a wall. He keeps jumping higher and the player’s aim is to create platforms for him to land on and then jump off of. He has the potential to reach tremendous heights; if you play for long enough you will even get to space! However, the major obstacle to Trump ascending great heights is the barrage of Mexicans that seem to be raining down from the sky. The other presidential candidates also try to knock Trump down while donning jet packs and whizzing around the sky. The game takes the most ridiculous elements of Trump’s campaign rhetoric and turns it into an enjoyable runner. The graphics are really pretty and even the shrivelled up orange that is Trump looks pretty gorgeous in this new avatar. There are a number of costumes that you can unlock and you can have the honour of playing with a sailor Trump or with one in a crown and a ‘Miss Universe’ sash. Apart from Trump, you can also unlock other controversial leaders and watch them launch themselves into space. In fact, taking the #Kanye2020 campaign a bit further, there is even a Kanye West character. A problem with this game are that there are too many ads that pop up after a bunch of replays and sometimes the controls lag a bit. So while the game doesn’t offer much new, it takes a simple idea and executes it pretty well and that is worth a bit of your time and even a few laughs.

7


8.3

Beat Stomper

B

eat Stomper is an endless runner about jumping to the beat. It features an energetic little square that is quite a fan of EDM and wants nothing more than to jive to its own beat. Now that we have successfully established character motivation for a geometric shape, it is time to look at how difficult the game is to play. Not very, if you have a sense of rhythm and can keep track of a beat. Your aim is to time the jumps at the right moments to make the square bounce up to the next platform. Here, the platform moves according to the pulsating music and you have to make sure to land on this piece of musically-inclined rectangle. As the square edges closer towards its destiny of rising ever upwards, the beat speeds up and the game become more difficult. Each landing is punctuated with a resounding thud which shakes up the entire screen. There are a number of levels that you can unlock depending on certain milestones, like a certain number of plays or a score. Each new level features a different sound track, making them worth the trouble undertaken in unlocking them. The game has one-touch controls which make it quite easy to play. However, one wonders what the game would have been like with two controls in order to manoeuvre the square while it was still in the air. The graphics are stellar, with neon colours and flashing lights keeping time with the music and really making the game one big party. Ads pop up after a few replays and are quite irritating especially in the beginning when you are trying to get a hang of the game. But once you’re in the flow, you’ll hardly notice them.

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rime Peaks is a really elegant reworking of ‘Hill Climb Racing’ an android staple of yore. The premise is the same, you are the driver on an outrageously twisted mountain road and must do all you can to stop the car from toppling over and crushing your driver with it. If you are a person who has ever seen a hill road, you will know that it’s not how things usually work. There is a greater danger of driving off the sides than of driving up a 75 degree slope and toppling over. Still, let us indulge the developers and overlook this extreme disconnect from reality. There are two control buttons, one to accelerate and one to brake. The roads are strewn with hazardous obstacles and coins. There is also the question of fuel management as your highly inefficient car runs out of fuel every few minutes and you must make your way to the next container of petrol that hangs conveniently in midair. To say that the graphics are mind-numbingly amazing would definitely be an exaggeration but they are indeed amazing. The cars are beautifully designed and it is a pleasure to collect the money required to unlock them and then try them out on the track. Of course, it would have been even nicer if they were already

8.7

unlocked but who doesn’t love a good challenge and some good old level progression. An issue with this game is that it becomes quite difficult to progress after you reach a plateau. The upgrades get costlier until they become too much to afford and that forces you to play the same level again and again. However, despite the minor flaws, this game has the somewhat niche achievement of being the best hill climber.

Column

Tried & Tested

104

There’s a dark side to the Internet of Things and you should be worried about it

Bazaar

105

All the latest and greatest products tested and reviewed so you make an informed buying decision

A GOOD GAMING MOUSE CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE

Abhijit Dey [email protected]

T

he bomb’s ticking away, you have your crosshair positioned at the entry point. You spot your enemy enter and pull an inhuman flick with your scoped weapon; eliminating them and winning the round for your team. Of course, you

have exceptional reaction time and skills, but winning that round wouldn’t have been possible if your gaming mouse fell short on accuracy. While buying a gaming mouse, it’s always better to prioritise the sensor and shape rather than drooling over RGB lighting. Hence, we procured several gaming mice and compared them to find out which


one could strike a balance between accuracy, comfort and features. We’ve gone through a number of variables and tests to determine the performance and other aspects. To learn how exactly these parameters were evaluated, we recommend that you jump to the ‘How we tested’ section to know more.

THE COMPETITION Our search came down to 15 of the most popular gaming mice in the market across a wide price bracket. This comparison will act as a guide that you can return back to whenever you’ve made up your mind to buy your next gaming mouse. Apart from the specifications and scores, the pros and cons of each mice

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have been added to make it easier for you to decide on your next mouse.

ASUS Cerberus The Cerberus is an entry level gaming mouse from ASUS. At this price range, you can’t expect high sensor accuracy. In fact, we observed the tracking and malfunction speed was pretty low (around 1m/s). Once the mouse crossed the tracking speed, the sensor failed to register further and only started detecting again after it dropped below the threshold. We couldn’t test acceleration due to the low malfunction speed, but we didn’t experience any acceleration in the lower speed range. At lower speeds, the mouse had great accuracy. The shortcoming of the sensor to read data at higher speeds should practically concern only those gamers who play in low CPI levels. The comparatively high lift-off distance will make aiming difficult for gamers who’re used to that technique. It has an ambidextrous design, offering comfortable grip for both claw and palm grip.

Cooler Master MasterMouse Lite S, S and Pro L The Lite S is a comfortable mouse for people with small hands. It has a nice matte finish and on first glance, it looks and feels like a premium mouse. But don’t expect much of an impressive gaming experience since the mouse does perform poorly at higher speeds. This a concern for low CPI level players. We didn’t experience performance lag while flicking as compared to the Cerberus, and we were able to aim and take down

enemies even at a low polling rate of 125 Hz. The Lite S is a great mouse at this price and in terms of accuracy, the 3509 sensor is definitely better than the Cerberus’s A5050 sensor that loses tracking at high speeds. The cable attachment location is quite low on every MasterMouse but because of the S’s textured cable, a noticeable amount of drag will hinder with your gameplay. This wasn’t the case with the other two mice, where one of them has a braided cable whereas the other one has a flexible plastic cable. For the maximum advertised DPI of 7200, we found the maximum and true CPI to be around

CM MasterMouse Pro L

6600. The Pro L is the highend mouse in their lineup, the focus being on using a close to perfect sensor, the 3360, and the ability to switch the body design between palm and claw grip with removable parts.

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G.Skill MX780

Gamdias Zeus P1 RGB

Hence, it suffered slight skips, leading to further inaccuracies. A hard plastic surface would be better rather than soft surfaces. The scroll wheel is placed noticeably higher and is highly responsive. The steady slope throughout the body makes it perfect for palm grip, although a groove at the right and left click would have been more comfortable.

While the MX780 does impress us with its alien-ish design, sturdy build quality and multiple lighting zones, it fails on sensor accuracy. In fact, in our testing, the MX780 won both on features and build quality, so kudos to G.Skill for picking the right features and materials. We found the advertised DPI levels to be inaccurate and had to calibrate them to attain true CPI levels before testing. The mouse functions the most accurate on a white plastic surface whereas the Avago 9800 laser sensor drops accuracy drastically

Gigabyte XM300 The XM300 is another ergonomic mouse with ridges on both sides which makes holding the mouse quite comfortable. The CPI levels aren’t true, so we had to recalibrate them for testing, ending up at 950, 1800 and 3600. White plastic surfaces take a toll on the mouse’s ability to track, dropping smoothness drastically. The unit we had received skipped a step in the scroll wheel. This could either be a defective unit or it wears

Gamdias Zeus P1 RGB The Zeus P1 is the brightest RGB mouse we’ve had in our test labs and it surely looks brilliant. The RGB light ring reminds us of the Razer Mamba but here, there are two levels of the lighting around the mouse. The switches have low key travel and the feedback is great, making it our favourite for button spamming. The PTFE feet are too thin resulting in the middlebottom portion of the mouse touching the mouse pad.

Gaming Mice

GIGABYTE XM300

out sooner than expected. The 3988 is quite accurate and stable at higher speeds, and considering the price being under `3k makes it worthy of buying.

G.Skill MX780

on rough mouse pads like our Razer Goliathus Control edition. The CPI levels had to be recalibrated one more time just for the Goliathus mouse pad. Hence, if you’re planning on getting this mouse, we would recommend you against using rough and soft mouse pads. The highest supported DPI level mentioned is 8200, but our CPI calculation came out to be around 7800 on a white plastic surface. The A9800 sensor suffers irregular acceleration, sometimes positive while sometimes negative. Apart from the sensor inaccuracy, the mouse comes with an exhaustive set of features in its software to customise the RGB light zones and easily assign macros, becoming the


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HOW WE TESTED

T

esting rig and setup: To maintain a standard workflow, we’ve tested all the mice on a single rig since we discovered how the testing software could suffer anomalies with certain settings. The software that we used to test the accuracy of the sensors were highly sensitive to certain programs running in the OS which had to be disabled while some had to be enabled. Hyperthreading had to be enabled (usually enabled by default), HPET mode had to be disabled, USB Selective Suspend had to be disabled, essentially, anything interfering with the state of the CPU had to be disabled to ensure they didn’t utilise the CPU while recording the sensor data. Only the mouse being tested and a keyboard was connected to the rig while keeping the remaining USB ports free to avoid any error. Although a robotic arm clamping the mouse over a spinning turntable would have been the ideal setup, instead we decided on restricting the window of collecting the sensor data. This step ensured that the data gathered from the different mice fell under the same constraints and it becomes easier to calculate a final score. We used four different type of surfaces to test including a cloth mouse pad, the Razer Goliathus Control Edition mouse pad, a white hard plastic desk and a glass slab with a black

best looking RGB mouse. The build quality is amazing with rubber coating, textured at the finger grips, held together with a metal frame inside, and giving you options of replaceable side skirts.

Logitech Proteus Core G502 The most popular mouse in this comparison and a flag bearer in overall accuracy, comfort, build quality, features and productivity, the G502 is a dream gaming mouse for many. Continuing the legacy of the G–series, the G502’s main attraction is the exclusive sensor – the legendary 3366. But it comes at a price and weight, the latter being stressed because it’s comparatively heavier at

cloth underneath. Measurements were marked on the desk itself to avoid using a ruler every time, which would have obviously introduced errors every time. Around this area, a rough enclosure was made to restrict the movement of the hand to execute accurate motions. Performance test: To introduce objectivity, we used several software. The most important among them are MouseTester v1.5.3 and Enotus Mouse Test v0.1.4. MouseTester has built-in plotting of sensor data that lets you generate graphs depicting many parameters such as accuracy, polling rate, velocity, etc. We used MouseTester for every mouse set at 800 CPI to obtain the sensor’s accuracy when the mouse was given a quick swipe on a cloth mouse pad. Overall, only three CPI levels were used for all the tests – 800, 1,600 and 3,200. To maintain consistency, we ensured the swipe speed between a velocity range of 2-2.4 m/s, keeping the total time under 300 ms. Mouse settings had to be verified in the OS (Windows 10) as well, so the Pointer Speed was kept at the default 6/11 with Enhance pointer precision disabled (since it introduces acceleration). Enotus Mouse Test was used to obtain certain parameters, maximum speed being an important one. The maximum speed at which the mouse could detect movement was

around 120 g. The infinite scroll wheel is a wonderful feature that we found ourselves using. Currently, the Spectrum version (RGB) is available as well, selling at around the same cost. You know what to do.

Razer Death Adder Elite Razer continues its tradition of improving the venerable Death Adder every year, this time in the form of Elite. It features the same iconic design with better texture on the

Razer DeathAdder Elite


recorded, a test limited by the reviewer’s ability to swipe the mouse as fast as possible. This brings in a real world parameter into the score and gives us information on how differently a mouse behaves on different surfaces. In the beginning, the CPI was calculated using the Measure tool in MouseTester and to bring in more accuracy, it was calculated in MS Paint also (moving the cursor to the left edge of the canvas on x-coordinate 0 and then moving the mouse one inch using a ruler, gives you the DPI from the value of the x-coordinate). The CPI was calculated every time prior to running any benchmark that involved an objective test, and also to verify whether different DPI levels advertised by the manufacturer were accurate. Measuring the lift-off distance was done using the age old DVD technique where the mouse was kept on one DVD and then more added until the sensor stopped detecting. DVDs have a standard thickness of 1.2 mm, so if the sensor detected over one DVD and stopped detecting with the second DVD, the recorded lift-off distance was 1.2mm. Lift-off distance customisation was switched off in the software (if available). Response time was evaluated but it was a subjective test since it was dependent on the reviewer’s reaction time. This also gives us a

side buttons, a better sensor which is highly accurate, and finally custom manufactured switches with Omron with a durability of 50 million clicks. The mouse is perfect for claw grip and the wide feet ensure the necessary amount of friction is obtained. Our only qualm is with the limited features in the software and the slight jitter at 1,000Hz. Other than that, it’s close to a perfect mouse, and only time will tell about its durability.

mentation with GameSense where your actions and state in a game affects the lights on your mouse. This feature works well and we tried it out in CS: GO. Speaking about the mice, the 100 is a great budget option for a small gaming mouse with limited control to the DPI settings in the software whereas the 300 is a better option, meant for bigger hands and has a better sensor. They are available in different colours and accents.

SteelSeries Rival 100 and 300

Tt eSports Ventus Z

RGB lighting is present in almost every mice in this comparison, and other than indicating DPI, none of them have necessary functionality. SteelSeries has the best imple-

The Ventus Z brings back the meshed design we had seen on the Level 10 M Advanced RGB. Although, the mesh didn’t offer any functionality, other than just aesthetics, in the latter because

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real world output on response time whenever the right or left click buttons were clicked. We used two different tools – KeyResponsePK and Human Benchmark. KeyResponsePK calculates the response time between two successive clicks (more accurate) whereas Human Benchmark calculates the average reaction time. Acceleration was tested inside CS: GO and in MouseTester at different CPI levels. Any form of acceleration in the system and mouse software was disabled before testing. The age-old technique of shooting at a wall, swiping fast to the right and returning back to the original position was employed. In MouseTester, X and Y coordinates are also traced that can give us an idea whether there’s acceleration. To test angle snapping, we disabled it in the mouse’s software (if available) and drew different shapes on MS Paint. Drawing also gives us an idea whether the sensor jitters at high CPI levels. The best way to determine whether prediction is implemented was to draw circles at different CPI levels, slowly and rapidly. On rapid circular motion, prediction can be easily detected where the curves of the circles form straight lines. Features evaluation: The mice covered in this comparison are diverse – some are packed

of its useless location. But in the Ventus Z, the lower palm area sports the mesh that lets your palm breathe during intense gaming sessions. The Avago 9500 is more accurate on a solid coloured surface but the acceleration can be as frustrating as seen on the MX780. But if you’re a high CPI player, you don’t need to worry. The Ventus Z also acts

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with amazing features while some are plain and comfortable. Scoring has been kept objective based on whether a particular feature is present on the mouse or not. They aren’t evaluated based on how well they perform since the implementation may vary among different manufacturers. For example, the procedure to change the RGB lighting modes on the mouse or its software won’t be the same for two different manufacturers. Software capability has also been scored, and again, only based on available features and not ease of use. Outrageous features haven’t been considered, only the ones that exist currently have been included. Things such as modularity to replace certain parts, a DPI profile switch button, extra teflon feet etc., have been added. Build quality: To keep the scores objective, rather than scoring based on how good they felt, we’ve evaluated each mice considering the type of materials they use. We’ve tried to cover every part of the mouse in our calculation including the switches, cable and scroll wheel. The coating of a mouse is an important aspect to its build quality hence, we’ve further categorised the type of coating for various parts of the mouse. The touch and feel of the buttons, as well as the supported grips (palm or claw) haven’t been considered because they are

a great productivity mouse because of the extra buttons that can be assigned macros using the software. Few of the buttons have poor tactile feedback, but it’s totally subjective on your part. The software does a great job of giving you granular control on what each key press will do, giving you a list of predefined actions.

should be on your list. Out of the three that we considered in the comparison, we loved the ergonomic design of the EC2-A and how it perfectly took the shape of our hands. The maximum DPI is advertised as 3,200 but we verified from our MouseTester and Enotus tests, and found the true CPI to be around 3000. The ZA11 didn’t have any CPI

Zowie FK2, EC2-A and ZA11

Tt eSports Ventus Z

Zowie’s lineup of mice are so exhaustive that no matter what size hands or grip preference you have, they’ll surely have a variant for you. Players who love ambidextrous mice will feel at home with the FK2. It’s built for gamers with smaller hands, but if you have bigger hands, the FK series

subjective. Although these aspects will be highlighted in this comparison to make it easier for readers to understand more about the product, they don’t affect the final scores. Verdict: Essentially, the comparison will be concluded with three awards based on the final scores. The first one is Best Performer, which goes to the one with the highest score achieved in terms of sensor accuracy only. No other parameter related to other aspects are considered. The Best Buy award goes to the mouse with the highest score/rupee ratio. In this case, the score will include sensor performance, along with the scores from features and build quality evaluation. This way, if a product happens to lack high-end features or build quality but has a lower MRP, the value for money score is automatically compensated. This is our way of maintaining fairness for the entry level mice in the comparison which don’t have flashy features. The final, Editor’s Pick award is given based on the reviewer’s favourite among all the mice. This could either be the Best Performer or Best Buy or some other mouse that was close in winning one of the two awards. The judgement is completely subjective, depending on daily usage and gaming experience of the reviewer.

Zowie ZA11

difference as reported in the other two mice, and had close values out of the box. Because of the prominent bump at the middle, the extra height makes the mouse comfortable for palm grip users. All of them use the 3310H sensor which is highly accurate and have zero to negligible acceleration. But do note, the 3310H hates white surfaces and work best on black cloth mouse pads. Speaking of the differences, the FK and ZA series are ambidextrous and lowprofile, while the EC series is ergonomic (right-handed users). If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t care about additional – and mostly useless features – but only care about comfort and accuracy in a mouse, Zowie has them all.


Gaming Mice JANUARY 2017

Brand Model

ASUS Cerberus

Cooler Master MasterMouse Lite S 1,500

Cooler Master Cooler Master MasterMouse S MasterMouse Pro L 2,500 5,000

Price (`) Specifications

1,500

Switch modules

Yusya

Durability (million) Shape

NA Ambidextrous

Omron D2FCF-7N 10 Ambidextrous



Material

Plastic/Rubber

Plastic

Plastic

Plastic

Coating

Textured plastic

Cable Length (mm) Width (mm) Height (mm) Weight (g) Cable Length (m) Senor type

Braided 124.86 68.72 40.11 155 1.8 Optical LED

Matte UV coating Plastic 117 63 38 86 1.8 Optical

Matte UV coating Plastic 117 63.5 38 89 1.8 Optical

Matte UV coating Braided 130 67.8 38 127 1.8 Optical

Omron D2FC-F-7N 20 20 Ergonomic Ergonomic Plastic/Rub- Plastic/Rubber ber Textured Textured plastic plastic Braided Plastic 127.26 130 72.45 60 40.85 43 125 101 1.8 1.8 Optical IR Optical

Sensor module

A5050

PixArt 3509

PixArt 3330

Avago 3360

PMW3336

Pixart 3988

Avago ADNS 9800

Max. DPI Level No. of DPI Levels Max. Polling Rate Number of buttons Miscellaneous Acceleration Angle Snapping Lift-off dist. (mm) Performance scores MouseTester Enotus Mouse Test Other scores Features Build quality Value for money

2,500 4 500 Hz 6

2,000 3 125 Hz 6

7,200 4 1,000 Hz 6

12,000 4 1,000 Hz 8

12,000 6 1,000 Hz 8

6,400 4 1,000 Hz 7

8,200 4 1,000 Hz 8

Y N 6

Y Y 6

N N 2.4

N N 2.4

N N 3.6

N N 6

Y N 2.4

NA 77

NA 72

19 70

33 77

53 84

45 75

24 63

34 79 90

31 73 83

51 76 65

68 77 37

52 81 30

49 74 54

90 90 38

Overall

61

56

62

62

59

59

68

VERDICT

Best performer Steelseries Rival 300 The comparison included several accurate sensors including the PMW3360, PMW3366, PMW3310 and PMW3310H. It would have been unfair to select the best just based on the accuracy of the sensor, while putting less importance on the collective performance over different surfaces. This challenge was overcome by Enotus’ mouse test. Throughout the testing, we observed in real world tests how the surface could

drastically affect the mouse’s performance with something as minor as a colour patch on the mouse pad. The Rival 300 consistently performed well in terms of precision on rapid movements and performance on different surfaces.

JANUARY 2017

Gamdias Zeus P1 RGB 5,999

We reported CPI level discrepancies on almost every mice but out of the box, the 300 had an accurate value of 800 set at the default level. Although the Zowie FK2 won in the MouseTester sensor accuracy and stability test, the Rival 300 having secured second place in the same test, and first in the Enotus mouse test, bagged the first place title in overall performance.

ASUS Cerberus


G.Skill MX780

2,990

5,429

Huano

Value for money SteelSeries Rival 300

Gigabyte XM300

It wasn’t a surprise for the Cerberus to win the value for

Omron D2FC-F-7N 20 Ambidextrous Plastic/Metal/ Rubber Textured plastic Braided 130 70 38 120 1.8 Laser

money award. We’ve already mentioned that it’s an entry level gaming mouse. Looking at the score sheet, MasterMouse Lite S falls short by a whisker because of the company’s choice to go for a rubberised coating and textured grips, making it more comfortable to use. It also sports a gaming look which would certainly look good sitting on your desk. But the inaccuracy and malfunction anomaly that we observed during our MouseTester test runs at moderately high speeds, had us sceptical about

Gaming Mice JANUARY 2017

JANUARY 2017

Logitech Proteus Core G502 5,495

Razer Steelseries Death Adder Elite Rival 100

SteelSeries Rival 300

TT eSports Ventus Z

Zowie EC2-A

Zowie FK2

Zowie ZA11

5,999

2,799

4,399

4,200

5,622

5,166

5,116

Omron D2FCF-7N 20 Ergonomic

Omron D2FC-FK-RZ 50 Ergonomic

Steelseries

Steelseries

Omron

Huano

Huano

Huano

30 Ambidextrous

30 Ergonomic

20 Ergonomic

10 Ergonomic

10 Ambidextrous

10 Ambidextrous

Plastic/Rubber

Plastic/Rubber

Plastic

Plastic

Plastic

Plastic

Plastic

Plastic

Textured plastic

Glossy plastic

Textured plastic Smooth plastic

Smooth plastic

Smooth plastic

Braided 127 73 43 96 2.1 Optical IR

Soft plastic 120.6 67.13 40 92 1.8 Optical IR

Braided 139 71.5 39.29 130 1.8 Laser

Soft plastic 120 64 40 93 2 Optical



PixArt 3366

PMW3389-T3QU

PixArt 3059

Avago 9500

PMW3310H

PMW3310H

PMW3310H

12,000 4 1,000 Hz 11

16,000 5 1,000 Hz 7

4,000 2 1,000 Hz 6

Textured plastic Soft plastic 133 7 46 105 2 Optical IR Pixart PMW3310 6,500 2 1,000 Hz 6

11,000 4 1,000 Hz 10

3,200 4 1,000 Hz 6

3,200 4 1,000 Hz 8

3,200 4 1,000 Hz 8

N N 2.4

N N 2.4

N N 3.6

N N 4.8

Y N 1.2

N N 2.4

N N 2.4

N N 2.4

66 81

22 71

22 62

75 90

47 83

36 66

90 75

72 68

63 85 37

49 84 28

50 66 53

45 80 43

69 80 46

31 63 24

34 63 30

34 63 29

67

55

56

65

67

45

53

50

Textured plastic Braided 132 75 40 121 2 Optical IR

recommending the mouse for gaming, especially for FPS games. However, you’ll only need to worry about accuracy if you’re a low CPI player. If your FPS gaming

doesn’t involve much hand movement but mostly twists in your wrist, you could be happy with the Cerberus.

Editor’s Pick

that this is a universal design. Having used only small and lightweight mice, the G502 does feel heavy, but some of us were able to adapt thanks to the adjustable weights.

Logitech Proteus Core G502

JANUARY 2017

ASUS Cerberus

At the test labs, we were rooting for the G502 to win the comparison hands down. It still remains our favourite gaming mouse because of everything it delivers. Holding the mouse is a treat. The palm bump perfectly aligns with our hands every time, and each time it’s hard to believe

JANUARY 2017

Logitech Proteus Core G502

We are all for ergonomic mice, so if it wasn’t the G502, it would have either been the Zowie EC2-A or the Death Adder Elite. With so many mice lying around, we got the opportunity to experiment with different grips and discover how it affected the gamepla. After having tested so many mice at a stretch, we’ve been reassured that the shape, comfort and accuracy of a gaming mice will trump any of the RGB voodoo being advertised to sell these gaming mice. Don’t be fooled. Until then, happy fragging.


Column

It’s a (r)IoT

T

Mithun Mohandas Asst. Technical Editor [email protected]

“I discovered something else during my little security audit – My router could be accessed from anywhere on the internet.”

Let me know your thoughts on this column at: @mithun_mohandas

he Internet of Things grew bigger than most of us expected and it’s continuing to grow at a really fast pace. Too darn fast. Rapidly advancing technology is a geek’s wet dream but something as pervasive as IoT which has digital communication as its core philosophy is missing one key ingredient – security. Every vendor has their own security framework, some are stringent while some are akin to a town crier who shouts out everything he hears. All vendors are quick to claim that their devices use encryption while communicating but not many are willing to divulge any details. Given that the more energy efficient IoT devices don’t have SoCs powerful enough to handle SHA-256 encryption, they resort to using weaker hashes like MD5. To reuse the previous analogy, this would be like the town crier who’d been gagged but allowed to write and display whatever he heard. MD5 hashes are so weak that you can look up their plaintext counterparts on Google. Towards mid-November we saw the first ever massive IoT botnet takedown an ISP and multiple popular services like Netflix and Twitter with relative ease. It gets worse. The Mirai botnet, like all massive botnets in the past decade, has started to evolve. It’s finding newer ways to infect devices which till now were assumed to be relatively safe. This is where the creepiness begins. One month after Mirai had struck, I was casually browsing and started to notice my mouse cursor slowly creep to the left. These things tend to happen every now and then, I wasn’t using a mouse pad with my G502 and it never needed one. I let go and observed it for a while, hoping that I could catch a little twitch on the cable that might have triggered the ghost movement. Nothing. I forgot about the incident but a few days later, it happened again… There’s a little thing about paranoia – the magnitude of irrationality varies from person to person. I prefer the term ‘cautious’ but the moment my mouse started moving on its own again, paranoia kicked in. It didn’t take long to hunt down the source of the ghost movements (it was my cat) but I discovered something else during my little security audit. My router could be accessed from anywhere on the internet.


The momentary relief I experienced when I’d zeroed in on the cat as the culprit completely vapourised the second I saw my router pop up on Shodan. I’m not going to mention the make or model (obviously). But it’s a well documented issue with a really popular brand. With even the most recent firmware not addressing the issue, there wasn’t much I could do to quickly remedy the situation. While it was really cool to screw around with my own router remotely, you soon realise how helpless you are. I now have DD-WRT running with an additional script that activates periodically to issue a kill command to the httpd service, so the issue’s taken care of. The ease with which someone could locate an exploitable router, find the exploit description and command line parameters via forums, and then proceed to take control, within hours can get anyone paranoid. Using Shodan anyone can locate unprotected IP cameras, webcams and proceed to view the feed. We hear Mark Zuckerberg tapes over his webcams for the same reason. Security is pivotal for anything connected to the Internet but the lax attitude with which companies treat it is heartbreaking. Security researchers have been talking about IoT for ages but not much in the form of a unified framework has come forth. Even the router issue had been flagged for over 4 months yet nothing was done to patch the same. It’s only when the issue reaches mountainous proportions that governments and companies take action. So with that, I hope doom unto you all. I hope your nudes get captured via unsecured webcams and released on the internets. I hope that industrial secrets get leaked thanks to easily exploitable backdoors in IP cameras. I hope this issue affects enough of you for the authorities to accelerate work on a unified security framework, especially for the banking sector. As we move towards going cashless, it’s a lot better if your privacy gets compromised rather than your life savings.

INSIDE

Page 107

LG V20

Bazaar

THE LATEST PRODUCTS REVIEWED FOR YOU

The Digit Test Centre receives hundreds of products every month. Each of these products is put through a series of tests and is finally given a score. The final score is arrived at after considering a number of factors and evaluating them in terms of features, performance, value for money, build quality, and, in the case of software, even ease of use.

Page 108 GIGABYTE Radeon RX 480 G1 GAMING 8G

Page 109

ASUS ZenBook 3

Page 110 Jabra Halo Smart

For better understanding of our ratings, here’s a quick guide to our overall score 10

to

30

Extremely poor product.

31

to

50

Strictly OK.

51

to

70

Decent product.

71

to

90

Very good product.

91

to 100

Keep away!

Page 111 Thermaltake Core P3 Page 113 OnePlus 3T

Not recommended

Go for it, but there may be better products out there.

&MORE...

Highly recommended.

Ground-breaking product. We’ve never seen anything like it before. A definite must buy!


AndroidThings by Google

New Nokia handsets

Google launches the first developer preview for its new IoT platform, Android Things. http://dgit.in/AndrdThngs

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HMD Global Oy, announces two new Nokia feature phones following a comeback in the mobile market. http://dgit.in/Nokia150dSim

EPSON L655 VOID Wireless Ink Tank System Dolby 7.1 RGB Great immersion and comfort; build Printer quality could have been better Superb raster prints for the average SOHO

Price99 24,9

T

he most prominent upgrades to the EPSON L655 over the L455, which is the last EPSON printer that we’d gotten our hands on, are the additions of an Automatic Document Feeder, and automatic double sided

75 Performance............................78 Build ...........................................70 Value for Money ......................80 Features ....................................70

Specifications

Nozzle configuration: 400 Black, 128 Colour; Droplet size: 3.3 pl; Ink: Black - pigment, colour - dye; Printing resolution: 4,800 x 1,200 DPI; Printing speed: 33 ppm mono, 20 ppm colour; Scanning resolution: 1,200 x 2,400 DPI; ADF capacity: 30; Interfaces: Wi-Fi, USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi Direct; Weight: 7.4 kg

Contact Epson Phone: 1800 425 0011 Email: NA

printing thanks to the ADF. The nozzle configuration has also changed for the better with a more densely packed arrangement. EPSON has replaced the SD Card slot with Ethernet. As for the printing performance, the denser nozzle arrangement sure does a much better job as it produces really accurate prints. Moire patterns are hardly seen, we had to really squint to notice some within the innermost circles of the standard Siemens-star. Even fine raster lines were accurately reproduced. Photo prints weren’t as impressive as we could easily notice grainy texture over human skin, however, when we tried printing high-poly count CMYK colour wheels, we couldn’t notice banding at all. Quite impressive! The EPSON L655 does charge quite the premium, but the total cost of ownership is way better than cartridge based inkjets in the same price segment.

Website: www.epson.co.in


Mithun Mohandas

T

he 7.1 Dolby surround sound works through software, not independent drivers, as there’s only one 50 mm driver in each earcup. The headset provides a huge soundstage for games and we were able to distinguish the sounds from the left, right, front and back. Long pressing the dial on the left earcup disables surround sound. The audio quality is immersive for FPS and open world games. It’s also great for watching movies but not for music. The quality of the mic is only good enough for in-game chat and TeamSpeak. The microphone was found to have a hollow and muffled sound signature. The headrest and

63 Features ....................................75 Build Quality ............................65 Value ..........................................50

Specifications

Frequency response: 20-20 kHz; Impedance: 32; Drivers: 50 mm; Mic frequency response: 100-10 kHz; Mic impedance: 2.2; Mic sensitivity: -37 dB (+/-3 dB)

Contact

Corsair Phone: NA Email: corsair.secure.force.com Website: www.corsair.com/en

Price99 14,9

earcups use memory foam for comfort and the foam is covered with a meshed fabric for ventilation. They might look heavy due to the size but the headset is light, and you can wear it for long gaming sessions. But we received an older unit and the swivel joints had become really loose. Even the headband clamping pressure was weak, and sudden jerks would displace the headset and the mic’s stem. RGB lighting is present in two zones on each earcup and we observed that keeping them switched off using the CUE software extends the battery charge immensely. The reasons to buy the VOID RGB are if you wish to own a wireless headset with great audio immersion, RGB lighting to match your rig and lastly, if you’re a Corsair fan, to colour coordinate your for maximum RGB madness. If not the RGB, then the stereo and regular black versions of the headset are available at lower prices. Abhijit Dey

3D printed circuit boards

Next Dynamics builds a new 3D printer that can even build circuit boards using multiple materials. http://dgit.in/3Dcrctbrd

Knowmail raises $3.5M

Knowmail is an Israeli startup that wants to use AI to help better managing of emails and other messages. http://dgit.in/KnowmailAI

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LG V20 Niche appeal

I

f you’re one of those quality is also just as good, looking for a removable which means it is no match battery, the LG V20 is for a Pixel or iPhone right the only flagship phone now. The wide angle camera that suits your needs. Despite produces fish-eye like images, an all metal build, the phone which some may like, while allows you to pop the back and many will not enjoy. remove the battery. The LG V20 can take good That said, the V20’s metallic images under most lighting build doesn’t feel as premium. scenarios, and would have The phone’s MIL-STD-810G been amongst the best some certification comes at the months ago. It’s just that the expense of a premium feel. Pixel and iPhone 7 Plus have You don’t get the anodised changed the game recently, aluminium that premium with the former being a major smartphones are often known deterrent to the V20. The Pixel for. Given that shock proofing has a much higher dynamic doesn’t really protect your disrange, and better details and play in practical scenarios, we colours than this one. would have happily dropped it The LG V20 is also behind for a more premium device. in terms of battery life. The LG has chosen an LCD phone drops 5 per cent battery Price99 54,9 panel this time, and the results are quite over 15 minutes of gaming and runs for evident. While the V20 is good in terms just over five hours on the PC Mark batof colour reproduction and viewing angles, tery test. This is satisfactory by industry the black levels are noticeably lower. Moreover, standards, but one still wishes for more. In genthere’s some light leak near the edges, which eral, the V20 will only last a work day at best. is more evident when the primary display is Where the LG V20 truly excels is audio turned off. The part just below the secondary quality, and that’s not just in terms of output. panel will look somewhat greyish in this case. The V20 is the best smartphone for those The secondary display remains more of a looking for good audio recording quality. A gimmick. You can put your most used apps song played on an iPhone SE and recorded via on this, or have the quick settings here, but it the V20, sounds better on the latter. The phone doesn’t really solve a purpose, or become a feacombines three Acoustic Overload Point microture you couldn’t do without. Your phone looks phones to record audio, while a 32-bit Hi-Fi different, but that’s about it. DAC handles audio output. In both cases, the That aside, the V20 is your regular flagship. V20 is the best you can get, rivalled only by the The Snapdragon 820 is as fast as ever, however, HTC 10, and that too in audio output only. The the QHD display does reduce frame rates on LG V20 is a tad louder than the HTC 10, too. gaming a bit. This will show up in benchmarks, To conclude, the LG V20 is a very good but is hard to spot in real life. In general, the LG smartphone, but it’s meant for a very niche user. V20 is as fast as any other flagship out there, If the removable back and battery, or good audio but you’ll have to take the phone off its power performance are not your priorities, you really saving mode to draw the full power of the SoC. won’t make the best purchase with the V20. It On the default mode, games lag quite a bit. is one of the few phones to come with Android The V20 also has a dual-camera setup on the Nougat out-of-the-box, but so is the Google back. Unlike the Huawei P9 or iPhone 7 Plus, Pixel. At a `50k+ price point, Google’s smartthough, it doesn’t combine the power of two phones can do almost everything better than the lenses. Like the G5, you get a wide angle 8MP V20, barring audio performance. camera and a 16MP rear camera. The image Prasid Banerjee

74 Features .......................72 Performance...............70 Value .............................69 Design ...........................83

Specifications

Display: 5.7–inch QHD IPS LCD, 2.1–inch 160 x 1040 pixel secondary display; RAM: 4 GB; SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820; Operating System: Android 7.0 Nougat; Storage: 32/64 GB; Battery: 3200 mAh; Camera: 16 MP primary + 8 MP wide angle, 5 MP Front Camera

Contact

LG Phone: 180901809999 Email: Via web site Website: www.lg.com/in/


Self-driving cabs Bazaar

GIGABYTE Radeon RX 480 G1 GAMING 8G

Why go for stock when you’ve got this?

Price00 23,5xes)

Y

a

(+ T ou can easily notice how GIGABYTE has put some work into the design and built quality of this card the moment you hold it. And they’ve maintained the aesthetics to be in line with the look of their G1 Gaming series. The added RGB LEDs, power indicator LEDs and protective backplate give the card a premium feel. The backplate

71 Performance...........................70 Build ..........................................78 Value for Money .....................65

Specifications

RX 480 Polaris; Stream Processors: 2304; Compute Units: 36; Boost clock: 1290 MHz; VRAM: 8 GB GDDR5; Memory clock: 8 Gbps; Memory bus width: 256-bit; TDP: 150+ W; Power Connectors: 1x 6-PIN.

Contact

Apple’s support app

Uber’s self-driving cars start picking up passengers in San Francisco. http://dgit.in/UbrSlfdrvng

GIGABYTE Technology Phone: +919810494944 Email: mayank.sharma@ gigabyte.com Website: www.gigabyte.in

is ideal if you have a liquid cooler for the CPU as accidental leaks won’t wreck your graphics card. However, this does mean that the components underneath the backplate will be starved for air. The GPU, especially, tends to get a little toasty but with two 90 mm fans, this GIGABYTE unit is able to ward off high temps for a little longer than stock cards. However, with the move to 14 nm FinFET, that’s mostly taken care of. Performance wise, the few extra MHz on the core clock do give you an inch of extra performance over the stock RX 480. Which makes this card quite good for 1440p and 1080p gaming. We were able to push the card to about 1350 MHz but with the temperatures hitting the early 90s we decided to scale back. Overall, the GIGABYTE Radeon RX 480 G1 GAMING 8G is a pretty great upgrade to the stock card, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t opt for one when upgrading to the new AMD Polaris GPU.


Mithun Mohandas

Apple recently launched their own “Apple Support app” where you can get in touch with a live support technician. http://dgit.in/ApleSuprtAp

WD My Passport 4 TB Colour coded storage

E

xternal hard drives or mechanical hard drives, in general, have reached a point where you can’t really differentiate between two models based on their performance. Price40 Although, these 17,1 hard drives tend to differentiate between each other by offering more in terms of features On the inside, it is using such as cloud storage and the same tried and tested automated backups aside 5400 RPM 2.5–inch hard from the overall design. drive which we have seen With this particular offering in its previous generations. from WD, the biggest change After taking into account file comes in the form of the new system parameters, the user square-ish design and a bevy gets about 3.63 TB of usable of colour options. While the space. This means you pay design is somewhat subjecaround `4.6 per GB, which tive to what one may like, is not very economical as we personally would have external drives with similar preferred a sleeker more storage capacities are availrounded design. But having able at almost half the cost. the option to pick from six However, during our testing different colours, sort of we observed better data makes up for that. transfer rates compared to its counterparts. We saw peak sequential read speeds of around 246 MBps and write speeds of around 107.6 MBps. Random data from real world tests painted a Performance............................50 similar picture with the Features ....................................70 data copy speeds averaging around 110 MBps. Specifications On the software front, Capacity: 4 TB; Interface: USB this WD My Passport comes 3.0; Colour: Black; RPM : 5400; with its application suite, Dimensions: 110 x 81.5 x 21.5 mm; Weight: 250 g; Warranty: 2 Years including an automatic backup software, password Contact protection and drive health Western Digital check utility. Nothing we Phone: 1-800-275-4932 haven’t seen before. Email: Support site Website: www.wdc.com/en-um/ Hardik Singh

60

Merlin Bird Photo ID

This mobile application can tell you exactly which species of bird you are looking at simply by taking a picture. http://dgit.in/MrlnBrdID

68 Performance................71 Features .......................72 Build Quality .............. 90 Value .............................37

Specifications

Motherboard support: ATX, Micro-ATX and MiniITX; PSU form factor: ATX standard; Front I/O: 2x USB 3.0, Mic in and Audio Out, LED light control; Drive options: 3x 3.5–inch HDD, 4x 2.5–inch SSD; Fans: 3x 120mm/2x 140 mm (front), 2x 1220/140 mm (top), 2x 1220/140 mm (bottom), 1x 120/140mm (rear)

Contact

Corsair Email: corsair.secure. force.com Website: corsair.com

Air, by Lucid Motors

Carlifornia-based auto maker Lucid Motors revealed their first electric car that has a 400-mile range. http://dgit.in/LcdMtrsAir

Corsair Carbide Air 740 A windy mini-castle for your PC

T

chassis is impressive. The handy he dual-chambered design hinged-window panel is a neat of the Air 740 ensures feature. The only shortcoming the separation of all in the structure is the absence the ugly cabling and of dust filters on the top and storage devices from the main bottom panel. components that require uninWe ran our stress tests terrupted airflow. The other on the rig with the default side houses all the extra cables Corsair dual-140 mm fans on so you don’t have to worry the front and a single 140 mm about cables messing with fan on the rear. The i7-4960X air flow. And the generous didn’t cross the 60 degree number of rubber grommets Celsius mark on Prime95 makes it easier to route them. while the HD 7790 managed to The chassis is huge and Price99 hold at around 61 degree Celsius on a large amount of space will remain 15,9 the FurMark stress test. vacant if you just have air cooling. This The 740 is a premium chassis given its could be filled up with radiators (on the price tag. It has an offbeat design and you top and front and even bottom) or a custom get massive expansion for future upgrades or liquid cooling system. Nonetheless, your system for a better cooling system. will maintain stable temperatures in the factory shipped setting. The build quality of the entire Abhijit Dey

ASUS ZenBook 3

66

A MacBook alternative?

T

Bazaar

o begin with, the ASUS ZenBook 3 is which is too shallow. In contrast, the touchpad powerful, fast, thin and light. on the ZenBook 3 is simple, smooth and a joy Let’s face it, the ASUS ZenBook to use. On paper, the ASUS ZenBook 3 is a 3 looks like an Apple MacBook, but beast and it almost performs like one. The Intel it’s more flashy and colourful. However, what Core i7 - 7500U processor churns out superb makes this design fascinating is the fact that performance in office related tasks. However, we ASUS has managed to include a full fledged observed some light throttling when we tried Intel Core i7 Processor, a cooling fan, and heat running some games like Dota 2 on it. pipes within that ultra-thin chassis. Also, the As for the battery life, if you are performing small chassis does not allow more than normal everyday tasks, the laptop easily one Type-C USB ports and lasts for 7-8 hours. However, you end up carrying a if you are more into dongle everywhere. streaming movies, the The 12.5–inch laptop will at max. last display on the machine for four hours. Consider is bright and beautiful. It has the ZenBook 3 if you want good viewing angles and the narrow a great MacBook alternative. bezels add to its aesthetics. However, the Dell XPS 13 and Lenovo Price90 ASUS has tried to imitate the shallow Thinkpad X1 Carbon are more cost 9 1,47, keyboard of the 12–inch MacBook and effective options. failed. The keys have 0.8 mm of travel, Hardik Singh

Features .......................77 Performance...............74 Value .............................47 Design ...........................65

Specifications

Processor: Intel Core–i7 7500U; GPU: Intel HD; RAM: 16 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3; Internal Storage: 512 GB PCIe SSD; Display: 12.5–inch, 1920 x 1080; Keyboard: Island type; OS: Win 10; I/O: 1 x USB 3.0 Type-C, 1 x Headphone/mic jack combo

Contact

ASUS Phone: 18002090365 Email: reachus@asus. com Website: www.asus.in


PS4 controllers for Steam

Gotham City Sirens

Valve recently added an update on Steam. It now supports PlayStation 4’s DualShock controllers. http://dgit.in/ps4cntStm

Bazaar

Based on DC’s 2009 series Gotham City Sirens, Margot Robbie’s new Harley Quinn movie is officially on its way. http://dgit.in/GthmCtySrns

Jabra Halo Smart Lenovo K6 Power Calling essentials

Comebacks are real

T

T

he Jabra Halo Smart is a Bluetooth headset with a lightweight neckband that is unobtrusive. It includes drivers, microphone and in-line controls, with volume and answer/ play-pause buttons to the right and the microphone button to the left. Call reception is exceptional via the bi-directional, noise cancelling microphone. Noise isolation is reasonably impressive, but it does pick up a fair bit of noise if someone is talking loudly right beside you. In-call audio clarity is good, and the loud volume helps call clarity even through intermittent network. The audio balance is focused on clear mids, which further heightens clarity. However, the soft buttons

69 Features ....................................78 Performance............................64 Value ..........................................67 Design ........................................66

Specifications

Weight: 38 g; Connectivity: Bluetooth v4.1; Speakers: 10 mm Neodymium magnet; Impedance: 16 ohm; Mic frequency range: 200 Hz to 6,300 Hz; Speaker frequency range: 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz

Contact

Jabra Phone: 1800-425-3718 Email: [email protected] Website: www.jabra.com

Price9 2,99

offer rigid feedback which makes the tapping somewhat difficult. The Halo Smart retains good connectivity with source. It experiences loss of signal at about seven feet away, but since this is a calling headset for those extensively on call, this may not be a major problem. Another con is the struggle to get the right fit. Jabra does include four ear tips, but we couldn’t get a comfortable fit with any of them. This also affects the already-limited passive noise isolation and degrades audio quality even further than where it could have been with a better fit. The neckband vibration is a great addition for callers. Music playback, though, is not impressive. Distinct lack of lows make it a mediocre experience. The app does not add much to it, although, there remains scope for improvement. With up to 16 hours of battery life, the Jabra Halo Smart is one of the more recommendable calling headset at its price point.


Souvik Das

he Lenovo K6 Power is somewhat late to the budget party, but it is better competition than the company’s earlier phones. In terms of design or even build quality, the K6 Power looks Price9 like any other 9,99 budget device. It has a metal back, the camera module and fingerprint scanner have the same central location and there are no on-screen navigation keys. There are subtle changes to the power and volume keys, and the speaker placement, but that’s about it. It is equipped dragon 430 SoC, Adreno with a 1080p panel. We 505 GPU and 3 GB of RAM found the contrast ratios performs very similar to the and colour saturation of the Xiaomi Redmi 3S Prime. 720p panel on the Redmi 3S App load times and mulPrime to be better. titasking performance are The Lenovo K6 Power better than last generation with its Qualcomm SnapK-series phones. However, this one is still slower than a 16 GB Xiaomi Redmi Note 3. The audio output of the device is nice with headphones, and music lovers will like it at this price. Feature ......................................79 Lenovo claims about 13 to Performance............................73 14 hours of battery life from Value ..........................................60 the 4,000 mAh battery, Design ........................................83 but we got about 12 hours on a single charge, which is Specifications still good. Further, the rear SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 430; RAM: 3 GB; Storage: 32 GB; camera really shines. The Camera: 13 MP rear, 8 MP front; colour reproduction is good, Display: 5–inch display with and it offers better details 1920 x 1080 resolution (441 ppi); than most sub-`10K phones. Battery: 4000 mAh; Operating In essence, the Lenovo system: Android 6.0 K6 Power ticks all the right Contact check boxes and with it, Lenovo Lenovo has made a comePhone: 1800-3000-7678 back in the budget segment. Email: [email protected] Hardik Singh Website: www.lenovo.com/in/en/

74

NoBroker raises $7M

India-based property startup NoBroker gets fresh funding of $7 million to expand its services. http://dgit.in/Nobrokr7M

55 Performance...............58 Features ....................... 51 Build Quality .............. 64 Value .............................45

Specifications

Motherboard form factor: ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX; PSU form factor: ATX standard (max. Length 200 mm); Front I/O: 2x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.0, Mic in and Audio Out; Drive options: 2x 3.5–inch HDD/2.5–inch SSD, 3x 2.5–inch SSD; Fans: 3x 120/140 mm

Contact

Thermaltake Phone: NA Email: CS@thermaltake. com Website: thermaltake.com

A “boring company”

Elon Musk says he might build a new digging company that will build underground routes to alleviate city traffics. http://dgit.in/BorinCmpny

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Thermaltake Core P3

The most beautiful chassis we’ve ever assembled

T

visible. This was built for he P3 is a smaller RGB laced components. version of the Core The biggest disadvantage P5, both following of the case would be dust an offbeat open accumulation since there’s air modular design. Given nothing at all to stop dust the level of customisability entry (except a magnetic dust you can remove unnecesfilter behind the fan mounts). sary components such as the This is where it drastically wall mounting bracket that loses points in our final score. comes inside the chassis. A But this is usually the case for useful advantage for us was unconventionally designed the option to orient its placement cabinets. The 4960X touched horizontally or vertically as per need. Price0 63 degree Celsius on full load in Although the white colour looked 9,70 our Prime95 test while the FurMark impressive, the paint around the screw 1080p preset stress test pushed the HD holes wore out after the first attempt at 7790’s temperatures to 64 degrees Celsius. assembling the various components. This On normal usage, the temps were average but shouldn’t be a concern on the Black edition. that’s on air cooling. You can really go crazy The P3 isn’t a cabinet for enthusiasts only. with different layouts for liquid cooling. The acrylic transparent window (no tempered glass option) ensures all your components are Abhijit Dey

Coolpad Note 5 Not That Cool

W

ith 4 GB of RAM, the Coolpad Note 5 is offering more memory than any of its competitors. It offers a metal body, 5.5–inch FHD display, non-backlit capacitive buttons and slightly chamfered edges around the sides. On the back, the camera, fingerprint sensor, speakers and a small ridge below the speaker grille are placed at the same spots as the Redmi Note 3. Overall, the Coolpad Note 5 does not feel as well built as it’s peers. The colours and black levels on the Note 5’s display are satisfactory, Price99 and there is a colour shift when viewing 10,9 from angles, along with a very noticeable bezel around the edge of the display. For the touch response, it seems to have trouble

registering more than two to three touches. The Coolpad Note 5 comes with CoolUI 8.0, based on Android Marshmallow. The Quick Toggles are accessed by swiping from the bottom. However, trying to bring up the toggle seems to register touches on the capacitive buttons. There are occasional lags and stutters that I came across while using the device. There are also slight frame drops while playing high-end games. The Coolpad Note 5 comes with a 13 MP rear camera and the images lack detail with higher image noise. At the front is an 8 MP camera with flash, which is a static LED in lamp mode. The device has a large 4,010 mAh battery that lasts through an average work day. Shrey Pacheco

70 Features ...................... 80 Performance.............. 60 Design ...........................69 Value .............................70

Specifications

SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 617; Storage: 32 GB; Display: 5–inch display with 1920 x 1080 resolution (441 ppi);

Contact

Coolpad India Phone: 1800-1027-159 Email: Via web site Website: www. coolpadindia.com


Dark atomic clocks

LG ProBeam projector

NASA’s scientists believe that old atomic clocks can help test forms of dark matter from the universe. http://dgit.in/AtomicClck

Bazaar

HIS RX 460 iCooler OC 4 GB Polaris Mini-Me

LG’s new small form-factor laser projector supports Miracast, Bluetooth and a 1080p video playback. http://dgit.in/ProBeamLG

Kingston HyperX Cloud Stinger Forget music, these are great for gaming

H Price5 9,6ax4es)

B

ased on the Polaris 11 GPU the Radeon RX 460 is a scaled down version of the RX 480 targeted at eSports and low power systems. With 896 stream processors housed within 14 compute units, the RX 460 aims to lay waste to the sub-`10k price bracket. It boasts of a 112 GB/s memory bandwidth which is the same as the

69 Performance............................61 Build ...........................................70 Value for Money ......................75

Specifications

RX 460 Polaris; Stream Processors: 896; Compute Units: 14; Core clock: 1090 MHz; Boost clock: 1220 MHz; VRAM: 4 GB GDDR5; Memory clock: 7 Gbps; Memory bus width: 128-bit; TDP: 150+ W; Power Connectors: 1x 6-PIN.

Contact

HIS Digital Phone: NA Email: [email protected] Website: www.hisdigital.com

(+ T

reference GTX 960 or the Pascal based 1050 and 1050 Ti. Both cards are built to stay within the 75W thermal envelope but only the 1050 acts as a direct competitor as it too is a sub-`10k GPU. The HIS RX 460 iCooler OC has decent build quality, after all, with less than half the stream processors of the RX 480, you don’t generate much heat. The cooling fan’s noise is distracting at peak workloads but those were during synthetic benchmarks. During gaming, only the occasional ramp ups were audible. In gaming, the RX 460 is neck and neck with the GTX 1050 with certain games performing better on the RX 460 while some others doing well on the GTX 1050. Needless to say, Doom, Hitman and Total War: Warhammer run quite well on the RX 460 but games like Far Cry Primal Witcher 3 do well on the GTX 1050. For eSports, it manages to keep the minimum frame rate above 50 in CS:GO and Overwatch.


Mithun Mohandas

aving used the headset for a good month, we can say that these are really comfortable for extended Price9 period of time. The 3,99 HyperX Cloud Stinger opts for a circumaural, closed-back design for the ear cups. The memory foam on the cups coupled with the The microphone of the right amount of clamping Stinger felt quite close to the pressure ensure a well audio capture source i.e. our aerated environment on the voices! Moreover, the swivel insides of the cups. We’ve to mute function is handy. had it on for approximately The active noise cancellasix hours at a stretch with tion on the microphone was next to zero discomfort quite effective at reducing being experienced. feedback while streaming clan matches where you have one too many people shouting right next to each other. In our CS:GO audiolocation tests, we were able Performance............................65 to detect spawn locations Build ...........................................70 and rapid movement quite Value for Money ......................60 accurately, weapon sounds Design ........................................75 weren’t overly bass heavy which is what you want Specifications when gaming. As for music, Driver: 50mm with neodymium it doesn’t make the cut. magnets; Cup design: Songs like Pink Floyd’s Circumaural, closed back; Frequency response: 18 Hz - 23 Comfortably Numb or the kHz; Impedance: 30 ohms; THD: live rendition of ‘Yanni’s The ~2%; Cable length: 1.3+1.7m; Rain must fall’ that feature Connector: 3.5 mm TRRS; SPL: most of the mid-range 102 ± 30 dB @ 1 kHz; Weight: spectrum seem lacklustre. 275 g. At the end of the day, these Contact are gaming headphones and Kingston Technology in that department, they do a Phone: 1860 233 4515 pretty good job. Email: [email protected] Website: www.kingston.com Mithun Mohandas

68

Magic mushroom for cancer Studies confirmed that magic mushrooms can help cancer patients experience less fear and depression. http://dgit.in/mshrmCncr

Cracking a credit card

Researchers build a tool that can crack credit card numbers, expiration dates and CVV in just 6 seconds. http://dgit.in/VCrdHck

Bazaar

OnePlus 3T Better than the best

H

ow do you make something that is the best-in-class better? Or rather, should you be upgrading a phone that is already good? Well, that is exactly what OnePlus is trying to do, with the OnePlus 3T. The 3T brings small hardware changes, keeping the aesthetics unchanged. However, OnePlus says it saw room for improvement, with the new SoC, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, 16 MP front-facing camera and the battery capacity has been increased from 3,000 mAh to 3,400 mAh.

This, though, is no different from the OnePlus 3, which begs the question as to why the OnePlus 3T is needed. The new battery doesn’t really add to the battery life, despite the extra 400 mAh boost to capacity.

Camera: Selfies galore

The front facing camera is where the main change is. It has been upgraded to a 16 MP sensor. With it, the image quality of selfies have also improved. Photos come out sharper than the OnePlus 3, while details and colour reproduction Display and Design: are also better. It is amongst the Same as last time best front facing cameras we’ve The OnePlus 3T looks and feels tested in a while. exactly like the OnePlus 3. The On the back, the OnePlus 3T only difference is the new ‘gunuses the same 16 MP Sony sensor metal grey’ colour, using the Price99 used in the OnePlus 3. It is PDAF (Phase same, robust metal build as its 29,9 detection auto-focus) enabled and is predecessor. The AMOLED display aided by OIS (optical image stabilisation). used on the phone is still one of the best However, it seems there are mild algoaround in terms of colour reproduction. rithmic changes in the camera app, with Oxygen OS version 3.5.3. Images look more vibrant in Performance: A slight increase normal lighting conditions, and sharpness and Equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 contrast are slightly better. Low-light images SoC, the OnePlus 3T is slightly faster than its look pretty much the same as on the OnePlus 3. predecessor. However, this difference is difficult to spot on day-to-day usage. You can literally open 30 apps (we had more than 50 apps Bottomline installed on our test unit) and each one of those Jargon aside, the OnePlus 3T is really not a apps will keep running in the background. big upgrade to the OnePlus 3. The processor is Gaming experience on the phone is also indeed faster, but 10% is not noticeable in real similar to that on the OnePlus 3, or any flagship world performance. If you have the OnePlus 3, other Android phones. It’s smooth, and does not you’re not missing out on much. falter even if you play multiple games back-toThe 128 GB variant may seem more expenback, or games like Asphalt 8 for long periods. sive, but paying 5k more for the extra storage The difference is noticeable only on synthetic seems to make much more sense than what benchmarks. The OnePlus 3T is undoubtedly Google and Apple ask for. The OnePlus 3T still faster, but not by a large margin. makes sense, compared to the flagship phones.

Battery: Marginal increase

Verdict

The slight bump in performance is complimented by a 3400 mAh battery, which supports Dash Charging. The 3T can easily withstand a work day’s worth of moderate usage. However heavy users may have to charge the phone twice per day.

If you have a OnePlus 3, the OnePlus 3T is not a big upgrade. If your budget is around 30-35k, the OnePlus 3T is indeed the best smartphone to buy. It is the most value for money smartphone in the market today. Hardik Singh

83 Feature .........................77 Performance...............72 Value ............................ 90 Design .......................... 94

Specifications

SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821; RAM: 6 GB; Storage: 64/128 GB; Camera: 16 MP rear, 16 MP front; Display: 5.5–inch display with 1920 x 1080p resolution (401 ppi); Battery: 3400 mAh; Operating system: Android 5.1

Contact

OnePlus Phone: 1800 102 8411 Email: NA Website: oneplus.net/in


Price watch

Street smart

117

This time it’s all about smartwatches and mobile phones under `25K which are some of the most popular segments

Killer rigs

118

We tell you about the best components to look for at various PC rigs at different budgets

The Chromebook query Sometimes, all it takes is a CS:GO match to be convinced about the pros of a Chromebook. Confused? Read on...

of hardware and software – that I was not completely sure of until that point. For starters, there are a lot of them in all shapes and sizes and specifications. While the India availability is sketchy, it would be wrong to deny that there are Chromebooks that satisfy almost every specific requirement need. Hmm, interesting! So what exactly was my friend thinking when he got a Chromebook for his brother?

Form factor

Agent 001 [email protected]

O

ne thing about the PC master race is that we consider ourselves superior - and with that comes the implied conclusion that everything else is inferior. Consoles? Macs? It is a generally accepted idea that nothing really measures up to the glory of a full fledged all-component-blazing PC, and everyone should go for it. I have a lot of friends who swear by the PC master race and I am somewhat of a loyalist myself. The thing is, sometimes it can get difficult for anyone to get a point across to some loyalists. On one Sunday afternoon, in between a few heated CS:GO deathmatches, one of my friends told the rest of the group that he had purchased a Chromebook for his freshly graduated kid brother, who is an aspiring automobile-blogger. Of course, what followed immediately was a massive session of hilarious jokes and geeky insults (we all know what I am talking about here, eh?), all targeted at the poor fellow who couldn’t really say anything in his defence. But this brief exchange had set some mental cogs into motion and even after the CS:GO session was


over, I couldn’t stop thinking about Chromebooks. I had tried one in its initial days and frankly, it wasn’t that great. The idea behind it - I liked that part. But mostly it was almost destined to fail, the way it was at that point. In fact, even my reviewer buddies at Digit thought so. Has something changed over this time? This definitely warrants more research.

Google’s computing experiment - the Chrome OS The initial idea behind Google’s ChromeOS felt quite impressive and audacious to me - an entire computing platform that ran nothing but a browser. Wow! Right? Over the years, I have noticed that the majority of us spend most of our computing time on web browser windows. So I had a lot of expectations when Chromebooks hit the stores – a paradigm shift, computing overhaul, etc. – but was disappointed soon enough. It was after I began my research afresh recently that I came across a few interesting confirmations about certain Chromebook updates – both in terms

Well, I am aware since day one of the ChromeOS that it is intended to be lightweight. I can hear you smirking, “Chrome and lightweight?”. Well, not if you’re a heavy handed multi-tasker like me. But for a major section of consumers, whose only needs are to browse, watch videos and use some apps, say, a 2 GB RAM Chromebook with a mid level Intel Processor would make sense. And due to being light on the specifications, Chromebooks can be built to be extremely portable yet inexpensive at the same time. I mean, would you believe that there is a Chromebook at the price of a mid range smartphone? Turns out there is. That somewhat ticks off one major box making it gift friendly. Someone’s getting one! What else? Hmm, the guy wants to be a blogger, so mostly he would be working on documents, browsing online, maybe upload a few pictures or watch some videos. A Chromebook and Google’s suite of cloud based applications are perfect for this use case. Heck, even I could use a Chromebook if that was all I did! But if I remember correctly, that kid brother of my friend was complaining about the spotty internet connection in his hometown the last time we spoke. When offline, Chromebooks were little other than a dead laptop the last time I had laid my hands on them. Somehow, it didn’t make sense and at this point I had to verify some-

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The very best products you can buy right now spanning across 10 popular tech categories.

thing that I faintly remembered about Chromebooks - offline apps.

Offline Chromebooks - Not completely useless After a quick dig at the Chrome Web Store and around some of my trusted sub-reddits, it was evident that Chromebooks had far better offline support when it came to apps now. There are over 200 apps on the Web Store that work offline! Trust me, if my surprise seems unwarranted to you compared to the Play Store, that’s a dead giveaway that you haven’t really used a Chromebook in its early days. In fact, let us assume a situation in which there is no internet and no electricity (Yes, I just conjured up hell in front of your eyes!). Compared to a standard Windows laptop, A Chromebook would be more reliable for its owner, thanks to the offline support as well as the great battery life that most Chromebooks come with. That is, if you can survive without internet for 7-8 hours. And the moment you come back online, everything syncs back into place, including peace of your mind. Of course, I swear by internet connectivity – Wi-Fi at my place and hotspots wherever I go. Go ahead, call me internet obsessed but I’ll be having the last laugh when the cloud takes over the world! Jokes apart, on the other hand a connected Chromebook would do a lot of things for me. For starters, I don’t need to store any media anyways –

Dolby for home Dear Sir, I would like to buy a home theatre system for my house. I want a Dolby Atmos sound system. Essentially, when a horse is running on the TV, it should sound like the sound came from the back to the front and I should be able to feel it even with my eyes closed. If there’s an activity on the left then only the left speaker should give the sound and the same can be said for the other side. Please recommend me a system and the accessories. – Sangsaptak

Industry connect

120

We talk to Pete Lau, Co-Founder of OnePlus and Eddie Udagawa, VP of Canon India

Netflix takes care of my TV shows and movies, Google Play Music can handle my music collection and last time I checked, Google offers 100 GB of free Google Drive storage for two whole years if you purchase a Chromebook. All that and a device that doesn’t even need to boot up each time you turn it on - just press the button and you’re there, ready to log in and get productive.

A Chromebook for al... most! Next time we had a round of CS:GO, I made it a point to appreciate the guy’s perfect choice about the Chromebook for his brother. I could tell that he almost audibly laughed at everyone else but stopped himself. Maybe it isn’t really a good idea to laugh at a lobby full of people you’re about to play a deathmatch with, eh? So what followed were a series of questions directed at my statement and in general about my betrayal to the PC master race. That is, until I absolutely owned them in a few successive deathmatches while telling them about a Chromebook perfect for their use case. Yes, there is a Chromebook for almost everyone. Almost. To all the TV show addicts and movie fanatics, I suggest a full HD Chromebook in the likes of the Acer Chromebook 14 to use your Netflix subscription to its full potential. And if you’re still looking for something to support all your offline content, first you need to come out of

Agent 001

the distant past, so that you can see that there are Chromebooks like the ASUS C301 which go up to 64 GB of onboard storage. There are plenty of good options in India that have 32 GB of storage as well. In fact, you could have the added advantage of a flip 2-in-1 design with the ASUS Chromebook Flip. Chromebooks are essentially designed to be lightweight and portable which makes them a perfect entrant in to the 2-in-1 form factor category. Most of them were convinced and reached the same conclusion that I had just a couple of weeks ago - Chromebooks are the perfect device for a popular group of users who, unlike me and you, don’t really care about the heavy lifting. Who would’ve thought that a group of people, including me at an earlier point of time, would see Chromebooks in a new light due to a CS:GO match? Knowledge sometimes does come from the most unexpected of sources. Of course, some of them were still unconvinced as Chromebooks had no Steam support and doesn’t look like it’s going to get it anytime soon. For them, I had no answer … yet. P.S - Some Chromebooks already have Google Play support and some will be getting it soon. If you’re planning to buy one, keep a tab on https://www.chromium. org/chromium-os/chrome-os-systemssupporting-android-apps to stay up to date with this feature.

theatre system should be enough to Hey Sangsaptak, we think you’re take care of your needs. We would confused between Dolby Surround and recommend the Samsung HT-J5100K/ Dolby Atmos. Dolby Surround sound XL 5.1 Ch Home Theatre system and if systems deliver sound in a single plane you can stretch your budget, you could using five or seven speakers strategigo for the Yamaha YHT-299 Home cally placed around the room. Dolby Theatre System. Atmos adds another dimension by giving you spatial or 360-degree sound, where the sound is delivered from the ceiling of the room. The query you mentioned is for Dolby Surround and buying a 5.1 or 7.1 home Yamaha YHT-299 www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 115

Volkswagen launches Moia Agent 001

Moia will be a new standalone mobility company under VW that will specifically focus on mobility solutions. http://dgit.in/VWmoia1

If you’re interested in Dolby Atmos for Home, you’ll have to shell out more money since the entire system and the setting up process is expensive. It would be a good idea to future proof but do note that you won’t find abundant content supporting Dolby Atmos. You will require Dolby Atmos enabled speakers which would fire the sound upwards, giving you the spatial feeling, while you can use regular speakers for the rest along with a Dolby Atmos enabled receiver. For the receiver, you could go either for the Pioneer VSX930-K or the Denon 7.2 AVRX2200W.

Gaming keyboard Yo digit, I’m a bit confused as I want to buy a good gaming keyboard for my PC. Please help me pick a keyboard. Following are the names of a few key-

Zebronics Max

boards. If you have any other keyboard in your mind, please let me know. • Logitech K400 PLUS Wireless Gaming Keyboard (Black) • MARVO KM 400 Scorpion Wired USB Gaming Keyboard (Black) • Circle Armor Professional Gaming Keyboard • Generic Waterproof 2.4G Gaming Wireless Keyboard and Mouse • Circle Ballistic Professional Gaming Keyboard • Redragon ASURA K501 USB Gaming Keyboard My budget is `3k only. Hoping you will reply soon. Thanks in advance. – Ayush Hey Ayush, under a budget of 3k, you can buy mechanical keyboards including the TVS Gold USB/PS2 and the Zebronics Max keyboard, selling at around `2k. The TVS keyboard uses


genuine Cherry MX Blue switches whereas the Max uses Outemu switches which are cheaper variants, but the advantage in the Max would be better build quality and backlit keys. Mechanical keyboards are a refreshing update from membrane keyboards and great for gaming and typing. If you’re looking forward to membrane or hybrid keyboards, then you could go for the Cooler Master Devastator II which is a keyboard and mouse combo.

The history of small pox

A new mummy discovered suggests that smallpox disease is just hundreds of years old, not millennia. http://dgit.in/SmlPoxStdy

Gaming mouse Hi Digit, My Razer Death Adder 2013’s left-click is registering double-clicks even when I click once. It’s been almost two years since I bought the mouse, and it’s been acting up for the last two weeks. Since the warranty period is already over, I was wondering whether

RAM for laptop Hello Digit, my name is Akash (huge fan of your FastTracks and dmystify). I need a little help from your side. I want to buy an 8 GB DDR3L RAM for my laptop. I already have in-built 4 GB RAM but I’m not able to identify which RAM will work on my laptop. There are dozens of 8 GB DDR3L RAM from different manufacturers. Which one should I prefer? I’m very confused. I hope you can give me proper guidance about this. I only need performance. My laptop’s model number is Asus X550JX (i7-4720HQ 2.60 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD, 4GB DDR3 NVIDIA GTX 950M Graphics). My laptop is mainly used for software such as Android Studio, Unity3d, Photoshop CC, etc., and I only play a single game – Cities: Skylines by Paradox Interactive. So, which RAM should I buy to meet all my minimum requirements. I know your team will give me the best suggestions so I’m really waiting for your reply. – Akash Hey Akash, you could go for RAM modules from any top manufacturer since they don’t have much of a difference in performance. And since you won’t be gaming much, the regular base models should be enough. Hence, you should only consider your brand preference and price. Most of them are clocked at 1600 MHz, so you can pick any one from Transcend, Corsair, Kingston or ADATA.

Razer DeathAdder Elite

the mouse can be repaired? Or will I have to buy a new mouse? If it can’t be repaired, please suggest me a good gaming mouse at around `6k. Thank you very much. P.S. It would be great if you could recommend me an RGB gaming mouse. –Mohanvance. Hey Mohan, it’s been a common complaint with the DA 2013 and it’s nice that the mouse lasted you for so long. This is a switch problem and can be solved by replacing the switch itself. But you’ll have to open up the mouse, desolder the faulty switch and solder the new ones. It would be better to avoid this if you don’t have any experience with soldering. But if you’re already considering about purchasing a new mouse, then give it a try and take the help of an experienced person. For around `6k, you could go for the trustworthy Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum. Or if you want to still continue with the Death Adder’s familiarity and RGB lighting, go for the Death Adder Elite which has more durable switches than the previous generation. Coincidentally, we have done a mouse comparison this month, so make sure you check it out. It might help you in making a decision.

Nvidia's own AI car

Write apps for Google home

Nvidia made a new AI self-driving car and it finally gets approved to test on California roads. http://dgit.in/NvidiaAI

Google is finally letting developers write applications and bring services for its Google Assistant. Price Watch http://dgit.in/GgleHmdev

SPEND SMART Mobiles under `25k happen to be one of the most popular segments, here are some of the best ones you can get and while you're at it, check out these smartwatches as well.

MOBILES UNDER `25,000 Brand

Model

Processor Clock Speed

RAM

Screen size

OS

Primary Camera Battery Rating Price (`)

Motorola

Moto Z Play

Qualcomm Snapdragon 625

3 GB

5.5–inch

Android 6.0.1

16 MP

3510 mAh

24,999

Xiaomi

Mi 5


3 GB

5.15–inch

Android 6.0

16 MP

3000 mAh

22,995

Samsung

Galaxy A5

Exynos 7580

2 GB

5.0–inch

Android 4.4.4 13 MP

2300 mAh

21,900 21,900

Blackberry

DTEK50


3 GB

5.2–inch

Android 6.0

13 MP

2610 mAh

Gionee

S6 Pro

MediaTek Helio P10

4 GB

5.5–inch

Android 6.0.1

13 MP

3130 mAh

21,268

Huawei

Honor 8 smart

HiSilicon Kirin 650

2 GB

5.2–inch

Android 6.0

13 MP

3000 mAh

19,999

Lenovo

Z2 Plus


4 GB

5.0–inch

Android 6.0.1

13 MP

3500 mAh

19,999

OnePlus

2


4 GB

5.5–inch

Android 5.1.1

13 MP

3300 mAh

19,999

Xiaomi

Mi Max Prime


4 GB

6.44–inch

Android 6.0

16 MP

4850 mAh

19,999

LeEco

Le Max 2


4 GB

5.7–inch

Android 6.0

21 MP

3100 mAh

18,000

Vivo

V5

MediaTek MT6750

ASUS

Zenfone 3 Max ZC553KL Qualcomm Snapdragon 430

4 GB

5.5–inch

Android 6.0

13 MP

3000 mAh

17,982

3 GB

5.5–inch

Android 6.0

16 MP

4100 mAh

17,499 16,990

OPPO

F1s

MediaTek MT6750

4 GB

5.5–inch

Android 5.1

13 MP

3075 mAh

ASUS

Zenfone 3 Laser


4 GB

5.5–inch

Android 6.0

13 MP

3000 mAh

15,999

Xiaomi

Mi Max


3 GB

6.44–inch

Android 6.0

16 MP

4850 mAh

14,999

Brand

Model

SoC

Size

Blurtooth ver.

Compatibility

Battery

Weight (g)

Garmin

Fenix 3 HR

NA

1.2–inch

v4.0

Android / iOS

300 mAh

86 g

52,990

Apple

Watch Series 2 (42mm)

S2 processor

1.5–inch

v4.0

iOS

273 mAh

40 g

48,700

SMARTWATCHES Price (`)

Garmin

Fenix 3 Sapphire

NA

1.2–inch

v4.0

Android / iOS

300 mAh

85 g

43,990

Garmin

Forerunner 735XT

NA

1.23–inch

Yes

Android / iOS

300 mAh

40 g

40,990

Apple

Watch Nike+

S2 dual-core processor

1.7–inch

v4.0

iOS

250 mAh

40 g

39,900

Motorola

Moto 360 (2nd Gen)


1.56–inch

v4.0

Android / iOS

300 mAh

NA

36,485

Apple

Watch Series 2 (38mm)

S2 processor

1.7–inch

v4.0

iOS

334 mAh

32 g

32,900

Michael Kors Access Dylan


1.65–inch

v4.1

Android / iOS

360 mAh

113 g

25,995

Michael Kors Access Bradshaw

NA

1.4–inch

v4.1

Android / iOS

360 mAh

51 g

25,995

LG

Watch Urbane


1.3–inch

v4.0

Android

410 mAh

NA

25,734

Samsung

Gear S2

Exynos 3250

1.2–inch

v4.1

Android

250 mAh

47 g

22,400

Huawei

Watch


1.4–inch

v4.1

Android / iOS

300 mAh

61 g

17,999

Sony

SmartWatch 2

ST-Microelectronics STM32F439 1.6–inch

v3.0

Android

NA

122 g

14,990

Samsung

Gear Fit 2

Exynos 3250

1.5–inch

v4.2

Android

200 mAh

30 g

13,990

ASUS

Zenwatch 2


1.63–inch

v4.1

Android

400 mAh

NA

8,990


KILLER RIGS

Everything you’ll ever need to build your own PC. Whatever your budget.

Basic rig = 31,506

Entry-level gaming = 54,016

Mid-range gaming = 82,965

High-end gaming rig = 1,16,916

BASIC RIG Processor Motherboard RAM HDD Graphics Card PSU Speakers Optical Drive Mouse Keyboard Sound Card Sub-total Monitor Cabinet Total

Intel Core i3 - 6100 MSI H170M PRO-VDH D4 Corsair Value CMV4GX4M1A2133C15 - 4GB Toshiba 1 TB DT01ACA100 Intel HD Graphics 530 Cooler Master Thunder 450W None None Logitech MK120 Wireless (Bundle) Logitech MK120 Wireless (Bundle) None (Excluding Monitor) BenQ G615HDPL 15.6-inch OEM Cabinet

HDD Graphics Card PSU Speakers Optical Drive Mouse Keyboard Sound Card Sub-total Monitor Cabinet Total

Intel Core i5 - 6402P ASUS H170-PRO Corsair Value F4-2133C15D-8GNT Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1 TB + Kingston SSD UV400 120 GB MSI GTX 1060 GAMING X 6GB GDDR5 Seasonic M12II 520W F&D F550X 2.1 LG GH24NSD1 SATA DVD Writer Logitech G100s (Bundle) Logitech G100s (Bundle) None (Excluding Monitor and Cabinet) LG 22MP58VQ-P Corsair Carbide SPEC 01

8,892 8,563 1,635 3,325 0 3,032 0 0 850 0 0 26,297 4,209 1,000 `31,506

Motherboard RAM HDD Monitor Graphics Card Cabinet PSU Speakers Optical Drive Mouse Keyboard Sound Card Total

Intel Core i7-6700K + Antec Kuhler H2O 650 Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 5 Corsair Vengeance (2x 8 GB) CMK8GX4M1A2400C14R WD WD30EZRX 3TB + Samsung 960 Pro 512GB SSD Acer XB270HU 27-inch 144Hz 4K G-Sync ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080 8GB NZXT S340 Elite Cooler Master V1000 1000W Sony HT-RT3 5.1 LG Blu-ray WH14NS40 RW Gigabyte XM300 Steelseries APEX 350 ASUS XONAR Essence STX


Processor Motherboard RAM HDD Graphics Card PSU Speakers Optical Drive Mouse Keyboard Sound Card Sub-total Monitor Cabinet Total

AMD FX8320 ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 G.Skill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNS WD Blue WD10EZRZ 1 TB GALAX GeForce GTX 1050 Ti OC 4GB GDDR5 Corsair VS450 Creative SBS-E2800 2.1 LG GH24NSD1 SATA DVD Writer Logitech MK200 (Bundle) Logitech MK200 (Bundle) None (Excluding Monitor and Cabinet) BenQ RL2240HE Cooler Master CMP 250

11,760 4,708 2,298 3,599 12,607 2,930 2,950 975 650 0 0 42,477 9,239 2,300 `54,016

HIGH-END GAMING RIG 12,910 10,530 4,314 6,830 25,673 5,330 3,849 975 1,585 0 0 71,996 7,919 3,050 `82,965

ULTRA HIGH-END GAMING CPU + Cooler

Digit test rig= 4,51,508

ENTRY-LEVEL GAMING

MID-RANGE GAMING Processor Motherboard RAM

Ultra high-end gaming = 2,74,434

Processor Motherboard RAM HDD Graphics Card PSU Speakers Optical Drive Mouse Keyboard Sound Card Sub-total Monitor Cabinet Total

Intel Core i5 6600 ASUS H170 PRO GAMING G.Skill Aegis F4-2133C15D-16GIS Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2 TB + Kingston UV400 SSD 240 GB ZOTAC GTX 1070 AMP! Edition Seasonic M12II-750 EVO F&D F550X 2.1 LG GH24NSD1 SATA DVD Writer Cooler Master Devastator II (Bundle) Cooler Master Devastator II (Bundle) None (Excluding Monitor) BenQ GL2460HM NZXT Guardian 921RB

16,800 12,132 7,777 10,985 37,350 8,820 3,849 975 2,618 0 0 101,306 9,710 5,900 `1,16,916

PRIMARY DIGIT TEST RIG 29,312 17,900 6,966 30,063 61,300 61,313 9,450 15,023 16,490 5,849 2,679 8,249 9,840 `2,74,434

Processor

Intel Core i7 - 6950X (Extreme Edition)

Motherboard

Gigabyte X-99 SLI

23,399

RAM

Apacer Panther 2666 MHz 32 GB (4x 8 GB)

15,840

HDD

Western Digital WD40EFRX

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Dopamine on mice Industry Connect

Scientists find a way to manipulate mice and make them lose track of time. Learn more here: http://dgit.in/dopamineM

Prasid Banerjee

T

he OnePlus 3 was launched about half-a-year ago, and OnePlus has already brought forth an upgrade, with the OnePlus 3T. Why? The company says it’s because it saw some room for improvement. We spoke to Pete Lau, Founder, OnePlus, asking for some explanations on this, his take on VR, their strategy for flagships and more on those lines.

The obvious question first. Why did you upgrade the OnePlus 3 so soon? Lau: The OnePlus 3 has been launched for almost half a year, and we thought we needed to improve on the product which is why we did it. Pete Lau, CEO, OnePlus

But OnePlus is a fan-oriented company, and you’re telling them that you launched a new phone half a year ago, they bought it and you’ve now


New Bluetooth 5 said to bring a better support for IOT, increased speeds and better range. http://dgit.in/Blutut5

upgraded it. How do you justify it to those fans? Lau: We actually listened to our fans. When we launched OnePlus 3, some fans liked Dash Charge, but they also wondered if the battery could last longer. So, taking that feedback from our consumers, we decided to use this new battery. For fans who are already using the OnePlus 3, I don’t think there is a need to upgrade. But, if a person doesn’t have a OnePlus phone, the OnePlus 3T is the best phone to buy.

[email protected]

When we met Carl Pei last time, he had said you guys worked really hard to make the OnePlus 3 perfect. So, how does the new hardware make it better? Lau: Technology is always developing fast. When we launched the OnePlus 3, there was no Snapdragon 821. Now there is, and the CPU performance actually increased by about 10% and the GPU performance by about 5%. Some people may think that this isn’t a huge improvement, but we yearn for perfection, and if we think even if we can add a little bit, then we will. The biggest change on the OnePlus 3T is in the battery. It has changed from 3,000 mAh to 3,400 mAh, and the size didn’t change. The phone is as lightweight, but the battery performance is two hours more. It took us almost half a year’s work for this battery. In the choice of the battery, we are like the most conservative. Our principle is that the current battery has been used for almost half a year, and while there’s no problem with it, this new one is now ready, so we can use it.

New Bluetooth 5

OnePlus 3T loads games 48% faster than Galaxy S7 Edge: Pete Lau The OnePlus 3T replaces the OnePlus 3 atop the company’s portfolio. What’s the big idea here?

From the OnePlus One to OnePlus 3, you’re now better known, but you still cater to your fans. Do you have any plans to ever cater to the first time buyers, which India has a huge number of? Lau: Of course, we will cater to those new customers. But, having said that, the fans are still our first focus. Our brand and reputation is spread from mouth-to-mouth, so their loyalty is very important to us. Last year you hit two different price brackets, with the OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X. Then you said you’ll stop that and follow a one flagship strategy, but this year again we have two phones. So where is it headed? Are you going to hit different price brackets soon? Lau: We won’t continue with the OnePlus X series. We had an interview with some of our fans, and they said they wouldn’t buy the OnePlus X. They said our brand positioning is in the premium market, so they’ll only buy our flagship phones. OnePlus represents the best of flagship smartphones, so even if we have those lower ranged devices, our fans don’t want to buy them anymore. Ok, coming back to the OnePlus 3T. You said it brings a 10% improvement, which is what Qualcomm also says for the Snapdragon 821. But does it also bring Daydream VR support? No, VR isn’t the reason for adding the Snapdragon 821. I don’t see VR headsets having a very promising future.

AMD’s Crimson ReLive

AMD’s big graphics software update offers more tools and easier game sharing features. http://dgit.in/CrmsnRLv

Pokemon at Coffee shops

Pokemon Go partners with Starbucks turning over 7,800 stores across US into pokestops Industry Connect and gyms. http://dgit.in/PkeGoStrbcks

India through Canon’s eyes Wondering what Canon thinks about the Indian market? Read on. Mithun Mohandas [email protected]

How is Canon’s PhotoMarathon faring in India as compared to the other countries in South East Asia? Eddie: This was the 7th edition of Photomarathon in India and we are happy to witness the popularity this event has gained over the years. The ever increasing number of youngsters taking up their cameras and unleashing their creative self is reassurance to our constant efforts towards encouraging a culture of photography in India. We feel confident and extremely proud with the photographic capabilities that Canon Photomarathon managed to attract this year which is immensely innovative and at par with the global standards. Looking at the success of the platform, we intend to scale it up and engage enthusiasts from different parts of the world. Could you shed more light on the Indian community as per Canon? Between the professionals, amateurs, DIY enthusiasts, absolute beginners, etc. How is the Indian community different as compared to the rest of Asia and as compared to the world? Eddie: We have seen a lot of change since we first started Photomarathon in India in the year 2009. Initially, it was more of professional photographers who participated in this live photo contest, gradually over the years we have seen photo enthusiasts, beginners and hobbyists who have started participating. This year we introduced student’s category where students from various schools participated.

Mr. Eddie Udagawa, VP, Consumer Imaging and Information Center, Canon India We know that sales for DSLRs, Mirrorless and Point and shoot have been falling over the last decade globally. Is India exhibiting a similar trend? How is Canon adapting to this drastic change in the consumer market? Eddie: India has seen a growing trend in the DSLR segment. With the launch of our new cameras in the market in 2016, we see huge potential from our entry level camera EOS 1300D and our mid- level camera EOS 80D. We have recently launched our flagship model EOS-1D X Mark II and EOS 5D Mark IV which are high end professional cameras and we see a huge demand for these cameras. So far, as the Compact cameras are concerned, Canon has been focusing on the current compact camera portfolio especially in the Zoom range category and high end premium compact cam-

eras. A better zoom and image quality; focus on HD video recording and low light photography are some highlights. With the demand for better picture quality sans noise, rolling shutter effect, etc., will we see cameras with high performance CCD sensors in the consumer segment? Eddie: The rolling shutter effect can be caused by a variety of reasons, use of a CMOS design being one of them. However, these days, due to improvements in hardware fabrication as well as software the effect of rolling shutter is minimal. Our advanced DIGIC processors are also able to correct this phenomena. Thanks to the many benefits CMOS sensors enjoy over CCD sensors, CMOS sensors are being used not only in DSLR cameras but in smartphones as well. www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 121

Unwind

126

Esc Esc

2016 really wasn’t the upbeat year we were hoping for, so here’s the Pessimist’s Guide to 2017. Just in case.

Netflix Offline

Netflix has enabled offline viewing on their mobile apps http://dgit.in/FlixOffline

NEW YEARIS RESOLUTIONS FOR GEEKS AND HOW TO KEEP THEM ITIS THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN, WHERE PROMISES TO ONESELF ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN. BUT NOT ANYMORE!

Arnab Mukherjee [email protected]

N

ew year resolutions have become an annual joke for most of us – we make them with total dedication on day one of a new year and sometimes fail to keep them the very next day. Rather than looking at them as a cultural phenomenon that you need to follow, seeing them as an effective way to change things in your life is a much better thing to do. And if you allow technology to help you keep them, there is actually no way that you’re going to fail. Here are some resolutions that geeks should find easy to keep with the help of technology.

I will keep track of my money One of the most popular resolutions – one that even fails as popularly – is


the one we all make, to save money. Somehow, even though we try to keep track of every single rupee, at the end of each month we have to get really lucky to have some money left with us. Well, why does this happen? Mostly because at any given point of time, we have to rely on our mental estimates to track how much money we have. In fact, relying on mental estimates not only botches up the overall number but even leads to misconceptions regarding which area of spending needs more focus.

There are too many money management apps out there for anyone to even try to complain about not having what they want. Whether you want location based tracking (Wally+), or something that supports family input (HomeBudget), or bill splitting features and more extra features (Walnut) there is literally something for everyone. So the next time you think about saying that you can’t save - have a look at your smartphone.

I will not pre-order! This cannot be stressed enough - do not pre-order games. Or devices, for that matter. Companies that make these things are repeatedly using pre-order as a mechanism to push their product even before actual launch. What does this do? It leads to a situation where a lot of people get a product without knowing if it’s

Internet for all

CRTC declares broadband internet a basic right for Canadians http://dgit.in/CanaInt

That’s huge!

PC Gaming market has grown to be worth $36 Billion in 2016. http://dgit.in/PCGames36

good or bad, or if it’s even compatible with your existing set of gadgets. Also, if a game gives you pre-order bonuses that actually help you win better, you know that the game isn’t being fair. There are players who have waited for the actual launch and they deserve an equal chance too. An easy way to avoid the urge to pre-order is to think about all the other games that you can buy with the money you don’t spend on pre-orders, especially during a Steam sale.

I will not be biased towards or against any particular brand Essentially, don’t be a fanboy and don’t be a hater. Neither does you any good. For starters – being a fanboy makes you blind to the flaws of the company and its product. Apple fanboy? Accept that the dongle-hungry Macbook was a bad design decision. Windows fanboy? Silently think about Windows 8 whenever you feel the urge to hate. On the other hand, being a hater makes you blind to products or features which are actually good from a certain company. What could you do? Why, it’s simple! Just don’t be biased – see every product as a fresh launch and give every company an equal opportunity to win your favour. Grudges and biases never did any good.

I will get into shape You must know how important this is – especially for us geeks who mostly spend our days sitting on a chair in a stagnant position in front of a computer screen we’ve been staring at for waaaayyyy too long. You will be horrified to find out that the number of spinal problems, heart diseases and other old age issues are now very common in the below-30 demography. So, this time, don’t ignore the health resolution. How can you keep it? Get apps like Nike+ Training Club on your phone. This one in particular suggests workout plans depending on your requirements. And once you get started on a plan, each workout comes

Feature

if you’ve had trouble getting up for all this to happen - get Rock Clock! Now! In this app, you set goals to begin with, and each day your alarm reminds you of that goal with a motivational message from none other than Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. And yeah, this doesn’t have a snooze button, Rock’s not a big fan of that one!

I will go cashless

with detailed demonstrations of each particular exercise and follow-up queries to dynamically adjust the plan depending on how it’s working out for you. Along with this, get a fitness tracker. Before you smirk - they work. They might not be entirely accurate, at least the lower-end ones, but having one gives you a rough idea of how much you walk, your non-moving durations, etc. And knowledge is power, my friend.

While the debate around the recent demonetization move still rages on, there is no doubt that a digital economy and digital payments are actually beneficial to the country – and you, for that matter. For starters, on every digital payment, you’re assured that the money is accounted for and the service you’re paying for will be given to you. No flying blind with cash. Also, with digital pay-

I will not procrastinate This year – get everything done. Gone are the days when you had to rely solely on your memory and willpower to actually be responsible and active. There are a number of note-taking apps out there and our favorite is Google Keep. It is the perfect combination of simplicity and versatility. To begin with, Keep allows you to colour code your notes so that you can identify which note is about which topic easily. Within notes, Keep allows to create checklists and tick them off. Keep also allows you to set reminders for certain notes, even repeated ones. So each day, at a particular time, a note could pop-up showing you your monthly goals. And

ments, your entire finance is mapped out appropriately so you pay the tax that is due, not more, not less. Along with that, of course, digital payments are way too easy these days and almost everyone is doing them. It leaves no requirement for you to carry pocket change and each time you transfer the money, by design you get a receipt - so no more trouble with those reimbursements! And on top of that, most digital wallets offer tonnes of cashbacks and discounts so you’ll be saving a hell lot of money for that next config upgrade you’ve been planning. Also, do try out UPI, it’s a pretty neat way to transfer money without revealing any of your bank or personal details. It works on top of the existing www.digit.in | January 2017 | Digit | 123

Elon Musk is the man! Feature

Real life Iron Man just beat Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs as the most admired Tech Leader http://dgit.in/ElonDaMan

IMPS infrastructure and payments are as easy as sending an email. There are tonnes of UPI applications to choose from because UPI is bank agnostic in terms of which app you use.

I will learn one new language this year One of the most interesting skills that one can pickup over a year’s time is a new language. You might think that there’s no point in learning another language like French, Japanese, Spanish, etc., but then you’d be very, very wrong. Learning a new language opens up doors to a lot of things – meeting and interacting with new people, the ability to watch movies and read books in that language, and once, someday when you travel to that country you won’t be a tourist, you’ll be a traveller. To learn a new language, there are apps like Duolingo which have gamified the process. Duolingo takes you through an entire course where you earn points for your achievements in the learning process. It’s a lot of fun.

I will definitely try one new piece of tech We often end up looking at the latest piece of tech and sighing, “I wish I could get my hands on these”. That’s the thing - you can! In today’s world, no piece of technology is truly inaccessible - be it AR, VR, drones or anything else. All you need to do is go out and get your hands dirty. There are tons of exhibitions and makerspaces that have sprung up all over the country, which let you play around with these things. On top of that, experiences like VR and AR are becoming more accessible every day – both in terms of price and usability. And if nothing else works then take the DIY route - use Digit’s workshops and FastTracks and tonnes of other online sources that can get you going. You can order your materials from an online store – there are dedicated stores for almost every niche tech enthusiast market. Who knows, you might actually end up building something that completely revolutionises the field!

I will not pirate

And when we talk about language, we also mean computer languages. If that’s your thing, definitely learn a new programming language because gone are the days when knowing just one language really well would be enough to be a good programmer. There are tonnes of resources available online, like free courses from platforms like Udacity, free web tutorials from the likes of W3Schools and more.


This one is non-negotiable. You don’t deserve to call yourself a gamer or a fan if you actually pirate someone’s work off the internet. There are literally teams of people who’ve worked hard over months, sometimes years to make the thing that is now sitting on your computer for free. The least we could do is pay them what they deserve. For games, if you cannot afford them at the moment they are launched you won’t lose out on a lot. In fact, you will get to know if it’s good or bad by the time you can buy it. And if you really want it all - save up. Our best bet

Back from the dead

KickassTorrents, the popular torrent site was revived by the original staffers http://dgit.in/KatsAlive

is the Steam summer sale every year. For movies, services like Amazon Prime have made things really accessible, and now there’s literally no excuse for you to pirate your favorite movies or TV shows for that matter. C’mon, show your support and get an actual online streaming account on the website of your choice. Everything from books to music now has dedicated online platforms that not only make things easier to get, but also cheaper. If you are a true geek you will understand how another geek would feel to see something they’ve worked on for months being shamelessly stolen right in front of their eyes.

I will educate Yes, there are noobs in this world. There are people around all of us who are not tech savvy, or even tech friendly to begin with. That doesn’t give you the right to make fun of them and ridicule their inability. Always remember that there was a time when you didn’t know half of the tech things that you do now. As a geek, it is your responsibility to teach and educate others around you about the merits, and even the demerits, of technology. Teach someone how to experience VR through their smartphone, share some learning resources with someone, show someone how to use a mobile wallet - trust us, these things will feel great when you see that person effortlessly doing the things you’ve just taught them. Not to sound cheesy, but you WILL be making the world a better place for technology.

More apps for DaydreamVR Unwind

The virtual reality platform for Android is getting more apps and games including NextVR, HBO, virtual Lego etc. http://dgit.in/GgleVRnew

Cellular PCs in future

Microsoft says its working with Intel and Qualcomm to bring mixed realities and Cellular PCs in the future. http://dgit.in/CellphnPC

Pessimist’s Guide to 2017 2016 was a really bad year, we lost Alan Rickman, David Bowie and the glorious Harambe. 2017 could really outdo 2016 if the following were to happen ...

Nuclear Kim

Hackity Hack

You get spied on

Fatty Kim the Third has been bawling like a sullen child all this while. His constant threats to nuke the crap out of the America have started getting old. But one of these days, a tired North Korean military researcher might actually get things right and build Kimmy his first viable nuclear missile. But will Jonggy use it?

With the US Presidential elections over and the losing side whining about hackers having influenced the outcome of the elections, 2017 looks to be a year when countries go at each others’ throats, at least in the digital arena. Things could go horribly wrong but one thing’s for sure – WikiLeaks will have its hands full.

Technology companies have this nasty habit of spying on their users and there have been some huge admissions by certain Silicon Valley giants. Who knows if you discover in 2017 that almost every social network, mail service and everything on the internets were spying on you from the very beginning. *sigh*

Game of Thrones cancelled

Aliens land on earth

World War III

In a twist of events, something that George R. R. Martin is quite well known for, HBO decides to one up Georgie by pulling the ultimate Game of Thrones death scene by cancelling Game of Thrones right before the April season premiere. We might probably go picket outside HBOs offices if that were to happen.

We’ve been wondering about it for ages, whether we are the only ones alive in this gigantic universe. The answer though positive might not bode well for us humans as any species capable of interstellar flight will have sufficiently powerful weapons than us and we’ll be delegated to the role of food. Yikes!

The killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand set off World War I in motion back in the days when all was fine and dandy. And now with the tense atmosphere in Europe, Russia’s ambassador got shot dead by a lunatic. While experts believe this won’t set off World War III, it surely has become a cause for concern.


Oculus Carmel WebVR

The developer preview for Oculus’ new Carmel WebVR is out. Learn more about it here: http://dgit.in/OclsWebVR

Discord hits 25m users

Discord, the chat application for gamers hits 25 million users and can now be used in unreleased Unwind games too. http://dgit.in/Dscrd25m

DIARY It is said that the anniversary issues are the toughest. But the soothsayers at Digit have been wrong so often that Nostradamus would have been ashamed for. Poor little homesick Manish ended going back to Hyderabad again, this time for Christmas. With Jayesh out of the picture and Siddharth down with a myriad number of diseases, Mithun was at his wit’s end having taken on the brunt of the work load. Nikhil was away for most of the month, he decided to pool all his holidays and take most of the month off, and finally when he did decide to come in, he got run over by a car. Not the whole of him but just his foot. So he’s practically been on leave the entire month. Abhijit had a pretty fun month getting to test plenty of computer mice. His testing methodology would often be a little irksome, especially when he’d jerk the mice across the table creating sounds that’d only be heard at a dhobi ghat. Arnab’s month was quite uneventful as most of them are except for when he went to the IIT Techfest. He took Young Yanger along with him and ended up getting Yanger more confused than he already had been. Arnab had his first viral

The Digit SKOAR! board Difficulty level

: Need new benchmark

Skills learned

: Virtual Wintersports

Quote of the month : “Squeak squeak!” – Creapicheep

video at the Techfest having garnered more views than anything else so far. Last we saw Arnab, he’d upped his hipster cred and only responds if called “The” Arnab. We have a transfer from the Delhi office, his name is Karthik or was it Karthek? The guy is yet to come out of his shell and sits by his desk hunched over his laptop typing away mercilessly, ignoring all the fun and frolicking that happens a few feet away. It will take some time but he shall join the dark side as well. *vader breathing effect*

How we unwind

PC, Laptop Tablet, Mobile

Rogue One We were divided on this one, while most of the team are ardent fans of the Star Wars franchise, the mere fact that a good portion of the movie had been reshot had naysayers spelling out the doom of the series. But we decided to give Rogue One the benefit of the doubt and boy, are we glad we did! The movie certainly lived up to the others in the franchise even though it’s just a spin off. The space battles were magnificient and having experienced the movie in a Dolby Atmos theatre surely helped. It’s a pity that half the team didn’t watch it, as the ones who did can barely hold the spoilers.

Saur(aa

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