The Clever Design behind Google’s OnHub Router

Google’s Wi-Fi Dubbed `OnHub”

Google has recently unveiled a new Wi-Fi router which has been dubbed `OnHub’ which tends to solve all Wi-Fi related issues and though mobile technology has made great headways in recent years, the routers that are utilised today have not made much improvements. Routers have not been particularly sensational technology, but now Google is making attempts to change it.

OnHub is invented to be easy to set up as well as to manage it with high performance and also to be able to tie together smart home accessories. The device seems like an Amazon Echo, a remarkable cylindrical tower though the two devices are unlike each other. OnHub tends to be purely a router and not a speaker or an option to access Google Now. It will probably be on sale from August 31st at a cost of $199.99.

OnHub has unique features with antenna design, smart software for enhanced performance, an associated app that can make adjusting router settings very simple than tinkering around with confused piece of hardware having blinking lights. OnHub’s main selling point tends to be that it is easy to set up as well as effortless to troubleshoot.

OnHub in the Open - Amazing Impact on Wi-Fi Performance

 

Speaking to Wired Trond Wuellner, Google product manager had explained that keeping OnHub out in the open and not buried on the floor has an amazing impact on the performance of Wi-Fi. It can get connected to iOS and Android phones through what seems like a clean and fashionable app that informs the owners how many devices are connected to the OnHub as well as the type of speeds they are receiving.

Google states that the router’s circular design should enable it to have better penetration through a home, with around 13 antennas inside it, the router can also automatically identify the best channel to broadcast on and comprises of support for 802.11 ac as well as 5GHz Wi-Fi. OnHub was developed in partnership with TP-LINK and according to Wired, it is said that a second router is also developing in partnership with Asus.

Google has promised to bring in new features to the OnHub over a period of time. OnHub is a kind of change from the existing router market wherein one expects most of the home routers to get firmware updates often, installing them needs a lot of effort. OnHub tends to handle it all automatically.

OnHub – Smart Home Hub

 

Presently, it does not seem like the router has any surprising software features, though the way Google conveys about OnHub, seems like there could be some interesting research coming up. Some of the interesting features which Google has are that OnHub tends to support Bluetooth LE and Weave, Google’s new smart home language which would ultimately enable OnHub in serving as a smart home hub.

It is likely that in that case, OnHub will be more in common with Echo. Echo which is a simple device has got Amazon into home which could expand and start offering more service and OnHub would be the same over a period of time. Presently its focus is not clear on what are its intentions of tying the devices together. The device seems to be already sold out on the Google Store though it would be difficult to weight the significance of the fact without the knowledge of how large the initial supply seemed to be.

Android Marshmallow: Google Reveals Name of Android 6.0

Google’s Android Marshmallow

Google has revealed its latest version of its operating system which was earlier known as Android M and will now be called Android Marshmallow. The tech giant usually names its operating systems after sweet treats like Jelly Bean, Lollipop and KitKat featuring in the past and hence there is speculation about what the latest release, earlier known as Android M would be called.

Jamal Eason, Android product manager had written on the Android Developers Blog - `whether you like them straight out of the bag, roasted to a golden brown exterior with a molten centre, or in fluff form, who doesn’t like marshmallows? We definitely like them’.

The announcement coincided with the release of the final developer preview update for Android Marshmallow that comprises of the official Android 6.0 software development kit and developers can also publish their app on the Google Play store for Android Marshmallow. The updated operating system that had been first unveiled at Google 1/O on 28 May 2015 is estimated to be launched to the public by the third quarter of 2015.

New Features - Doze

Google states that the Android Marshmallow is the most powerful release so far wherein the update brings in hundreds of improvements, though several of them are very incremental and will be almost invisible to most of the users.

For instance, new features by the name Doze tends to detect when the device’s motion sensor is inactive and cuts down on the level of background app activity which Google states can double the battery life of the device.

Android Marshmallow also supports a new type of USB connector known as USB-C which charges devices three to five times faster than the present microUSB chargers according to Google. The USB-C charger similar to the Apple’s Lightning connector, can be plugged either way round which will save the user from struggling in the dark in trying to plug in the charging cable.

A new permission system tend to be easy for users in deciding what information the apps on the phone could use by providing them with the opportunity to confirm or deny access in context.

Google Now Personal Assistant

For instance, if one tends to download WhatsApp on Android device, you would be asked for permission for WhatsApp to access the contacts, location, calendar, photos, camera, microphone and much more which could be very intrusive.

 In the case of Android Marshmallow, users will not be requested to grant permission at the time of download. It is only while sending voice memo, for instance that they would be asked to grant access to their microphone. Permission could also be withdrawn to access certain informationthrough a new option in the setting menu.

Owing to Android Marshmallow release, Google would be updating its Google Now personal assistant enabling users to access information anywhere on the device irrespective of what they intend to do. On holding and tapping the home button, user could put up a query without the need of leaving the app they are in and could also use Google Now on Tap in order to locate new apps and in-app content.

The Android Marshmallow update would be bringing in support for Android Pay, Google’s answer to Apple Pay that enables the user to pay for things in stores with the use of Android Smartphone.

Microsoft is Allowing Itself to Detect Pirated Games on Your Windows 10 PC

Windows 10 - Some Disapproval with Alleged Privacy Obstacles

Inspite of being generally well accepted, Windows 10 had met up with some disapproval with regards to a series of alleged privacy obstacles. The latest being the report from Microsoft’s End User License Agreement, or EULA with WinBeta that Microsoft has reserved the right to check the system for `playing fake games, or use unauthorised hardware peripheral devices’.

An operating system which tends to run an array of utilities could also be pirated and it is strange to think that Microsoft would be targeting games in its analyses. One may speculate why the company could not check for universally pirated productivity suites like Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office.

Microsoft’s Services EULA tends to be different from the one which is governing Windows (Microsoft software License Terms) which means that the amendment that Microsoft has recently added was with the intention of protecting against imitating Xbox Live and Windows Store content, but not monitoring in disabling illegal content on Windows 10.

It could probably be a case of Microsoft cracking on the modification of its Xbox games consoles, which was a popular tendency seen during the days of the original Xbox together with its successor, the Xbox 360.

Written precautions against Stolen Phones Etc. to Be Integrated

Gamers, in order to achieve this could download the software to their PCs and organise it to their consoles through an external media device.Microsoft would thus be taking steps in an effort of preventing identical instances with the Xbox One as a means of overpowering hacking tool possession.

This would be sensible since online community have been attempting to exploit the console since its launch of 2013 Nonetheless, the language utilised in the agreement has been reported to be vague in comprehending Microsoft’s intentions and one can be sure the firm’s top notch lawyers have chosen that confusing language with all intent and purpose.

It is also not clear if Microsoft had any intention of sharing with law enforcement the information they obtain with users downloading `fake games’ or if they simply plan to disable the stolen software. Similarly, Windows 10 now is used more freelyacross the platforms which include PC, mobile, Xbox, HoloLens as well as Surface Hub, EULAs tend to be assembled more largely.Written precautions against stolen phones, Xbox mods, enterprise security as well as required updates should now be integrated.

Time to Acknowledge The Concern

The pervasiveness of Windows 10 is getting with it not only technical encounters but legal challenges as well in producing a single comprehensible agreement. Though Microsoft’s stand against fake games is understandable considering the rampant video game piracy, the definition of what establishes as unauthorized hardware does not seem to be clear.

Moreover the wording does not reveal whether the ability to automatically disable counterfeit software would be limited to games or would it be extended to other software like Microsoft’s own Office platform and Adobe Creative cloud suit, both of which are prone to piracy Returning to basics with Windows 10, Microsoft has been pleasing its customers, old and new. However, it’s time to acknowledge the concern prevailing on what Microsoft intends to do with the data it obtains.

Robots Learn to Evolve and Improve

A team of engineers at University of Cambridge has developed new age robotic system, which possesses the capability to independently build and improve its offsprings. This robotic system has surprised everyone with its ability to evolve with times and improve its performance in much effective manner. A robotic arm essentially helps in developing the offsprings or babies, which get better with passing iteration. The ultimate of this research as published in the journal PLOS One states to develop robots which can adapt to their surroundings.

How offsrpings are created by the robot? 

In the experiments carried out by the engineers, a mother robot is entrusted with the task of designing, building and testing ten generation of offspring robots. The baby robots during the experiment consist of plastic cubes fitted with motor inside. The baby robots are assembled by a mother robot arm which craftily gules them together in different configures as per its own choice. Though this system might appear very simple but it is a rigorous exercise in itself.

It is left at the discretion of the mother robot to assess how much mobility will be given to the babies. Baby robots don’t require any human intervention in their movement and the design improves considerably with each new iteration. Mother robot has been able successfully build ten generations of children with improved movement capability. The final iteration or version of baby robot was able to move distance twice the distance of the first one.

Evolving qualities are at par with living beings 

This research was conducted with an aim of gaining new insights about how the living things evolve. Biology had long tried to find the answer to the emergence of intelligence in the living organisms with the use of theory of evolution. The researchers at Cambridge University are trying to explore the same ministry through the use of robotic system. A lead researcher had stated that most of the time people think that robots are developed to perform repetitive task with increased efficiency. In short, robots are typically designed as an aid in mass production but no effort is made at bringing mass customization. But researchers here tried to see whether robots are capable of possessing innovation and creativity or not.

The future prospects of this new age robotic system 

Researchers had not meaninglessly conducted their experiment to just see the evolving and adapting capability of the robotic system. But they also ensured that these robots fit into working on projects with the help of enhanced capabilities. An application of this system can be seen by employing the robots in car manufacturing units where they easily pick out the defects in the cars and fix them. In agricultural field, robots can be used to find out new and different ways of harvesting in order to improve the yields.

Google, Samsung to Issue Monthly Android Security Fixes

Google/Samsung to Release Monthly Security Fixes

Google Inc. as well as Samsung Electronics Co will be releasing monthly security fixes for Android phones due to the increasing target for hackers after the revelation of a bug that was designed to attack the world’s most known mobile operating system.

 This change came up after Joshua Drake, a security researcher exposed Stagefright hacking software which enables attackers to send special multimedia message to Android phone and to get hold of sensitive content even if the message is not opened. Adrian Ludwig, Android security chief had commented at the weeks’ annual Black

Hat security conference in Las Vegas, that `they had realized that there was a need to move faster’. Earlier Google had developed a patch and had distributed it to its own Nexus phones after getting to know about the security flaws but other manufacturers would wait till they wanted to update the software for various reasons before making a fix, exposing several of the over 1 billion Android users to probable hacks as well as scam till the fix. Ludwig has informed that Google has also made other security changes.

Google – Regular Weekly Security Scans of Russian Phones

He had informed Reuters, in an interview that earlier this year, the team had broken out occurrence rate of malicious software by language and the rate of Russian language Androids with possibly harmful programs seems to have spiked suddenly to around 9% in late 2014.

Google had made its weekly security scans of Russian phones more regular and was capable of reducing the problem, close to the global standard. Ludwig had also mentioned that improvements to the recent versions of Android would also limit an attacks’ efficiency in more than nine out of ten phones. However, Drake informed that the attacker could keep on trying till the ploy tends to work.

 He also said that he would be releasing a code for the attack by August 24, and put pressure on the manufacturers in order to get their patches out before then. Ludwig has said that the Nexus phones are being updated with protection and most of the major Android handset makers will be following suit.

Stolen Files – Hacking Team Indicated Key Avenue

Rick Segal, Vice President of Samsung,had agreed that his company could not compel the telecommunication carriers who purchase its devices in bulk to install the fixes and some would probably only do so for higher-end users.

Segal had mentioned in an interview that `if it is your business customers, you will push it’. Samsung is the biggest manufacturer of Android phones. Ludwig also stated that several Android security worries were overblown and added that only about one in 200 Android phones Google could peer into have any possibly harmful applications installed at any point.

Drake had also observed that those figures had excluded some products which included Fire products from Amazon that utilise Android. In the case of Apple’s iPhones, the main security risk comes with apps which have not been downloaded from the official online stores of the two companies

The files stolen from Hacking Team – an Italian Company that sold eavesdropped tools to government agencies across the globe, indicated a key avenue which was intended to convince targets to download legitimate seeming Android as well as iPhone apps from fraud sites