LG G Watch

LG G Watch R video walkthrough

The LG G Watch R is upon us, and LG's first round smart watch is gradually becoming available around the world. It's a dramatic departure from the original G Watch, with a circular stainless steel body and a bold new design, not to mention a brighter P-OLED display. We've already put the G Watch R through its paces in our full review, but if you want a quick overview of everything that's going on with LG's latest Android Wear device, be sure to check out our video walkthrough after the break!

it's not the first round smartwatch we've seen -- the Motorola Moto 360 has that honour -- but unlike the Moto 360, the G Watch R actually looks like a watch, instead of just a disc with a strap. The glass face is set into the body of the watch, with an angled metal ridge surrounding it, into which LG has etched notches and numbers to help you tell the time using analogue hands.
The home button on the side cleverly looks like a crown. It comes with a real leather black strap made from quite inflexible leather, although in time, I imagine it will soften somewhat. The watch uses a standard strap connection, so you can swap it out for any strap you choose, or opt for one of the many that LG will eventually be selling.

From a distance, I couldn't immediately tell that it's not just a regular watch, which is precisely the effect smartwatches need to have. Watches are of course primarily fashion items, yet previous smartwatches -- the first LG G Watch, for example -- had extremely dull, square designs that brought to mind those nerdy old calculator watches from the 90s. They were very much technology first, fashion second. The G Watch R is the first smartwatch I could potentially see the average style-conscious watch-wearer actually being happy to be seen with.                                    

BY: DCS chairman Derlich Herman   

                                                                              

Samsung's steep Q3 profit

Samsung's steep Q3 profit decline shows ongoing struggles in mobile

The Korean electronics giant posts a 74 percent drop in its mobile business operating profits during the September period

Samsung's third-quarter results were just as bad as the company warned, as tougher competition caused profits to tumble 74 percent year-over-year in its mobile business.

Overall, the South Korean electronics giant on Wednesday reported a 60 percent drop in company-wide operating profit -- its fourth consecutive decline and its lowest since the second quarter of 2011. The company also recorded a 20 percent decline in revenue for the September quarter.

Samsung earlier this month warned its third-quarter operating profit would tumble as much as 62 percent and its sales would fall as much as 22 percent. The company blamed higher marketing costs and competition for its problems.

Profits in Samsung's IT & mobile communications divisions dropped for the second period in a row in part due to a lower average selling price for smartphones. Customers sought out lower priced older 

by : Derlich Herman Chairman DCS

Microsoft Health

Microsoft Band







Yesterday, Microsoft unveiled their new health and fitness device dubbed Microsoft Band. You can now order it online in the US or pick it up at your local Microsoft Store starting Thursday, October 30 for $199.
How did Microsoft get to this point of entering in the brave new world of smart wearables? More importantly, what is it that they can bring to the table that other companies have not?
Luckily, Microsoft has answers for us. The company has unabashedly shared a massive 3,000-word essay about the Microsoft Band story, including its conception and development
The big take away from the Microsoft Band is the thought and care that went into its design. Reportedly, the team behind the Surface was involved with the Band's design and implementation, and it certainly sounds that way. Take this quote from Zulfi Alam, GM of Personal Devices:

"This is just the beginning…Microsoft Health will develop a physical substrate about your data and use that together with a digital substrate to provide you with contextually relevant information be it your feeling of exhilaration when parachuting out of an airplane, how you felt the first time you saw the Grand Canyon or your stress level the first time you presented to Bill Gates. I know that my heart rate topped 120 when I shared our plan for Microsoft Band with him."

Whether it was the size of the band, the sensors or the information engine that collects the information, every bit of the Band just seems…smart. Moreover, it seems realistic for 2014, whereas so-called 'smart watches' all seem like attempts reaching for the moon, but fall well short of the promise.
So grab a coffee and go read the whole thing to understand what Microsoft is trying to do with their Band. We know we will be up early to pick one up at our local Microsoft Store in the morning (you can also now order it online).


Source: Microsoft

iPhone 6 preorders

iPhone 6 preorders estimated to have hit 100K in Samsung's homeland

The iPhone numbers in South Korea top the preorders seen for Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 over a similar period, says the New York Times.

• by Lance Whitney 
   @lancewhit
• October 27, 2014 6:14 AM PDT

The iPhone 6 is racking up healthy preorders in Korea.Apple

The iPhone 6 is already proving hotter than the Galaxy Note 4 in Samsung's home base of South Korea, according to preorder data cited by the New York Times.

Apple's latest iPhones hit the preorder stage last Friday with all three of the country's mobile carriers jumping in to take orders. Two of the carriers had reported preorder numbers in the tens of thousands in just under an hour, the Times reported Monday, surpassing the numbers for Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 over a similar time frame in September.

The high preorder numbers in South Korea continue a trend seen in other countries. In the US and several other markets, initial iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus preorders reached a record 4 million in just 24 hours on September 12. In China, preorders for the new phones reportedly shot past 20 million over three days.

In mid-October, Apple announced that latestiPhone will sail to 36 more regions before month's end to reach 69 markets altogether. The company plans to expand the phone to 115 countries by year's end, which Apple said would be the fastest iPhone rollout yet.

In South Korea, the iPhone 6 officially will go on sale Friday. On the same day, sales will also launch in Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Guam, Hungary, Iceland, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macau, Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and Thailand.

Among the three South Korean carriers, KT Corp said that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models captured 10,000 preorders in just one minute, then surpassed 50,000 in 30 minutes, the Times reported. Fellow carrier LG Uplus, which is a newcomer to the iPhone, said it counted 20,000 preorders for the phone in 20 minutes.

by: Derlich-DCS

Apple TV

Apple TV Is Now Armed And Ready To Be The Hub For The Smart Home

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Credit: AP Photo/Apple

Apple AAPL +2.72% is getting close to rolling out its smart home plans in a big way. The company today pushed out a little noticed update to its set-top box, Apple TV, to make it support HomeKit, according to a person with knowledge of the program. HomeKit is Apple’s protocol for allowing connected home gadgets to connect safely and easily in iOS.

The update means that Apple TV could be the hub that unifies the fragmented smart home industry, allowing you to turn on your lights or unlock your door from an iPhone remotely using Apple TV as a bridge device. Apple TV has both Bluetooth low energy and Wi-Fi wireless technologies, both of which Apple has made clear are the primary technologies that connected devices will communicate in the iOS environment. Apple TV is a device that is always on in your home, making it ideal as a hub to communicate with smart devices.

Apple TV likely won’t be the only way to communicate with Apple-certified smart gear. But with 20 million Apple TVs out in the world, it certainly makes sense that this would serve as a centerpiece of Apple’s smart home plans. And many speculate that a more powerful Apple TV is soon on its way.

The person, who wished to remain anonymous to protect his relationship with Apple, said the updated software Apple released to Apple TV today is the same update that iOS 8 developers received last week, which included in the release notes that “HomeKit support is built into the Apple TV firmware now,” he said.

According to this person, anyone with a third generation Apple TV and with the latest 7.0 software update will now likely have a HomeKit-enabled central hub, whether they know it or not.

Why isn’t this update more apparent in Apple TV right now? “[There's] not a lot of reasons to promote HomeKit from Apple’s perspective until there’s something that works with it,” the person said.

Apple-certified smart gadgets haven’t been officially rolled out yet. But when HomeKit was first announced at this year’s developer conference in June, there were a number of big-name connected gadget companies listed as official partners, including Honeywell, Philips , August Smart Lock and others.

I have reached out to Apple for comment and will update if I hear back.

by:  Derlich-Herman 

       Durban Com Systems

HomeKit Update

Why The iPhone And Apple TV HomeKit Update Makes An Apple Television More Likely

With all the hoo-ha surrounding the launch of Apple AAPL +2.72%’s new iPhones and Watch last week, another potentially massive bit of Apple news almost slipped under the radar. As reported by Forbes, Apple also apparently rolled out last week an update to its Apple TV boxes that enabled them to support the brand’s HomeKit app. And it seems to me this has the potential to be bigger news than any mere new phone generation.

HomeKit, if you’re not familiar with it, is Apple’s attempt to take the hassle out of making your home smarter by getting your home gadgets talking together more easily. It introduces protocols that let connected domestic devices ‘meet’ through iOS, with all the safety and simplicity the iOS environment can provide.

Bridging the AV/PC gap

The HomeKit app control app was introduced to Apple phones and tablets as part the recent iOS 8 update, but a key element seemed to be missing from the ecosystem: a device for bridging the ‘gap’ between domestic gadgets and your phones and tablets. Which is where the Apple TV box, with its integrated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities, comes in. However, to me it’s also the point where Apple TV feels like just a fairly basic starting point in what could evolve into a much wider Apple home product range that could – arguably even should – include a (likely 4K) TV set.

If you think about it, the Apple TV box is a slightly strange Apple product. Sure, it satisfies a need among Apple’s dedicated consumer base and it follows the Apple dictum of trying to make potentially complicated stuff simple by taking the brainwork out of creating a stable content sharing interface. But until the HomeKit update arrived Apple TV has also felt unusually limited in its scope and features by Apple’s usual standards, and nor has it evolved as fast as rival boxes or other Apple product ranges. Plus – and this is for me a key point – it’s pretty much the only Apple device expressly designed to pipe content onto a product that isn’t branded by Apple: your TV.

The time is right at last

Despite all this, prior to the revelation about HomeKit being sneaked into the Apple TV box the many rumours about Apple working on a TV have seldom if ever sounded convincing. Partly because the TV market tends to be driven by aggressive price wars (which, as the prices of the new iPhones remind us, is definitely not a core part of Apple’s business model!); partly because the humble gogglebox has been too passive and ‘old-fashioned’ with its functionality to suit Apple’s usually progressive way of thinking; and partly because the leap Apple would be making from the computer world to the living room world just seemed too great – even in an era where Smart TV functionality has started to blur the PC and AV environments.

The 2nd generation Apple TV ‪ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The arrival of HomeKit onto the Apple TV box, though, changes everything in an instant. It proves that Apple is no longer just about making conduits that simplify your access to the computer and online worlds. Rather than keeping the home at arm’s length, Apple now seems to want to get deeply involved in almost every corner of your house and almost every part of your domestic life.

The TV is at the heart of family life

And if it’s going to do that, then it seems to me that it may want to provide a new focal point for its efforts. A focal point more substantial and fundamental to a shared domestic experience than our essentially personal mobile phones and tablets. And the device most capable of providing such a shared focal point for family life at home is the television.

For years now at technology shows around the world TV brands have been showing concept scenarios where TVs could be used as shared central hubs for monitoring and controlling appliances around your house. But these demos have all felt like well-intentioned pipe dreams – until now.

There’s Apple. Right in the middle of everything going on in your home…

As soon as I read about HomeKit hitting the Apple TV box it struck me as supremely ironic that most TV brands have a concept of how active a role a TV could play in a smart home environment but little clue of how to make that concept a reality, whereas Apple is now well down the road to delivering a mass-market smart home environment but has no central screen to show it on.

Barriers to entry

Cynics will likely be hollering at this point that Apple doesn’t NEED its own screen to show it on, as the Apple TV box can make any screen the sort of hub device I’m talking about. Or else you could argue that the enormous rise in ‘second screening’, where we use our phones and tablets at the same time we’re watching TV, shows that we’ve moved beyond using the TV as anything other than a strictly passive device.

Plus there are substantial practical hurdles to be overcome before the possibility of finding an Apple-branded TV in our living rooms becomes a reality. Where might Apple source TV panels from, especially given that current key screen production partner Sharp is reportedly already aggrieved at how much of its production capacity it has to devote to Apple? Could Apple really make an Apple-branded TV either affordable or so desirable that people will pay far more for it than they would spend on a ‘normal’ TV? How comfortable would Apple be suddenly having to work in areas – tuners, AV picture quality, TV interfaces etc – that it’s relatively unfamiliar with?

Credit: AP Photo/Apple

None of these arguments or obstacles, though, alters the fact that if ever TV has suddenly regained the potential to become much more than just a screen you stare slack-jawed at, it’s now that HomeKit has started to make the Smart Home concept look like an irresistible force. Which means in turn that there’s also never been a better time for Apple to feel comfortable about being able to bring something genuinely new and unique to a TV marketplace which, to use Apple CEO Tim Cook’s own recent words, is currently ‘stuck back in the 70s’.

by : Herman kambaji  DCS 

         copyright all reserved  Durban computer Systems .inc

New Google Nexus Player

New Google Nexus Player Kicks Off Latest Apple TV Fight

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Google has unveiled its latest attempt to take on Apple ’s all-conquering Apple TV set top box.

Called the Nexus Player (it was launched alongside new Nexus tablets and smartphones), the key selling point of Google’s new set-top box is its use of anIntel chipset to drive the new Android TV system that’s part of the upcoming Android Lollipop operating system update.

Android TV is designed to bring the flexibility and content richness of the app-based smartphone world to your TV. But crucially it seeks to do this in a way that puts right the problems that have dogged Google’s previous attempts to grab a piece of the TV marketplace (most notably the long-abandoned Google TV platform). In other words, Android TV is no longer just about simply and crudely porting the Android tablet/phone experience onto a TV screen.

A proper TV version of Android

For starters Android TV provides a new, graphically intensive interface designed to look good on a big screen and be navigated by a hand-held remote control. But it also finally seeks to get to grips with the fact that many apps designed for phones and tablets are of little or no use in a TV environment. How? First Google claims to be working closely with app development teams to deliver apps truly optimised for TV use. Second it’s introduced a new filtering system based on app header information that should mean only apps really suited to TV use will appear in the fancy-looking Android TV menus.

The Nexus Player with its remote and optional joystick.

Obviously the apps for video streaming services such as Netflix and catch up TV channels will feature large on the list of stuff that will make it past the Android TV filters.

The downside to the Android TV approach clearly is that you won’t be able to access anywhere near as many apps as you can get via the normal Android platform for tablets and phones. But experience suggests this is actually no bad thing, for quality definitely trumps quantity when it comes to smart TV systems.

Unusual Remote

The Nexus Player ships with a remote control, though this is definitely not a typical handset. It combines a mic for voice instructions with a small touchpad control area and just four buttons. There’s also an optional gamepad to support Android TV’s gaming possibilities.

It’s worth stressing that the Nexus Player will deliver a more advanced Android TV system than the one built into new ‘Powered By Android’ TVs Philipsunveiled at the recent IFA show in Berlin, since those merely integrated the Android 4.2 system into Philips’ existing smart menus.

The Android TV interface.

Made by PC brand Asus, the Nexus Player is expected to ship in the US and Canada at the start of November for $99 – which is, of course, exactly the same as the Apple TV box.

Whether the Nexus Player/Android TV combination finally enables Google to unlock the TV space it’s been chasing for so long remains to be seen. But first impressions suggest it should at least give Apple much more to think about than Google’s previous stillborn efforts.

Computers break the exaflop barrier

Computers break the exaflop barrier

An exaflop is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 (a million trillion, or a quintillion) calculations per second. The world's top supercomputers are now reaching this speed, which is a 1000-fold improvement over those of a decade earlier.* This exponential growth will continue for many years to come.

Personal computers are becoming ever more compact and sophisticated, with laptops and other mobile devices far outnumbering desktops.* Physical hard drives have become almost redundant, with most storage now done online using "virtual drives" in remote servers, aided by the growth in broadband speeds and wireless communications.

Web applications have reached startling levels of sophistication, especially where search engines are concerned. These not only find keywords in a search, but also interpret the context and semantics of the request, often with voice recognition software. Natural language processing had already begun to emerge some years earlier with Siri and other such tools. This form of AI, acting like a personal assistant, is now even more powerful and versatile.* Users can ask highly specific questions and receive detailed answers customised to their exact requirements.

2. The one with a quarter of a million cores: Jaguar

Jaguar, a Cray XT5-HE supercomputer located at the US Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has quite a few cores: TOP500 says there are nearly a quarter of a million since its most recent upgrade.

Jaguar's 224,162 cores come courtesy of a whole bunch of six-core Opteron chips, and its performance is a hefty 1.76 petaflops. Oak Ridge says it's the world's fastest supercomputer for unclassified research.

9. The ultimate DVD ripper: JUGENE

Germany's supercomputer was designed for low power consumption as well as high performance, and it's been involved in some interesting projects - including trying to work out how DVDs work. According toScientific Computing, it's improving our understanding of "the processes involved in writing and erasing a DVD", which should lead to storage media that works better, lasts longer and provides higher capacity.

Presented to you by:

DCS CEO 
 Derlich Herman


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by:  DCS

       Derlich Herman                     Copyright 2014     Durban computer Systems

Lollipop Android L

Lollipop Android L

New Android L: Release date and upgrades

If you're buying a Nexus 6 or Nexus 9, you can get Android Lollipop from November 3rd (if you're in the UK, you'll be able to pre-order in November and receive your phablet or tablet within a few weeks). But if you already have a Nexus 5, 7 or 10 you should get it in a free over-the-air update in the "coming weeks" according to Google's blog. Of course, if you want to, you can try the beta version now by following our guide: How to get Android L now.

Motorola

If you have a Moto G or Moto X (all generations), a Moto E or various other smartphones, Motorola has said Lollipop will be available later this year. See Motorola's upgrade page for details.

Sony

Sony has confirmed that it will bring Android 5.0 Lollipop to the entire Xperia Z range (smartphones and tablets) which is quite impressive as some are pretty old now. Upgrades will start with the core Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z2 series in early 2015. See Sony's blog for more details.

HTC

If you have an HTC One M8 or M7, there's good news since the company has said it will deliver the update within 90 days of getting the final version of Android L from Google. All the other 'One' smartphones will get the update, but it will be after those first two devices.

Samsung

Samsung hasn't yet said which devices will get Lollipop, nor when, but all current Galaxy smartphones should be updated, and quite possibly some older ones. The issue is that Samsung has never been quick to roll out Android updates, so don't hold your breath.

LG

LG is another firm which has remained tight-lipped about Lollipop rollouts, but G3 owners can probably rest easy knowing one is on the way. G2 owners might be pleasantly surprised, too.

See also: Android Lollipop vs iOS 8

Before the launch, Google released a teaser video for Android L with lots of possible names including Lemon Drop, Lady Finger, Lava Cake and Lemon Meringue Pie. A notable name missing was Lollipop and now we know why.

Android Lollipop: Material Design

Google has a "new design language" for Android Lollipop which is called Material. Overall, it's a cleaner style which developers can make use of in apps. The Roboto font can also be used anywhere. You'll notice that the new navigation buttons are a triangle, circle and square. See also: First Android L screenshots: how the new material design looks on the Nexus 5.

Elements can now be given depth, so shadows and light sources affect user interface elements in real time. App interfaces will now feature touches of colour automatically generated based on the content and there are new animations and touch feedback.

You can see the new look in the above and main article images including new icons and new navigation buttons. Take a look at Google's video below to get an idea of what Android Lollipop looks and feels like.

Android Lollipop: New features

Enhanced notifications

Android L makes notifications even better. For starters you can get them on the lock screen - and they will be automatically ordered in priority. You will be able to swipe them away like normal or double tap to open the relevant app.

New lockscreen

Part of the Android L redesign is a new lockscreen which will show you notifications (see above image). You'll need to swipe up to unlock (if you don't have a lock pattern or other unlock method) but you can also swipe right to launch the dialler or left to launch the camera.

New multi-tasking

Forget a 2D list of open apps, the new recent apps section of Android L brings a Google Now card style layout. The open apps flow on a sort of carousel and can be swiped off to either side to close them as before.

Some apps, for example chrome, will be able to have multiple cards in recent apps. Android Lollipop will show a separate card for each open tab.

New notifcation bar

The Android Lollipop notification bar looks quite different to before. It works in the same way as before so a swipe from the top of the screen grants access. There's a new layout and colour scheme.

Instead of tapping a button to access quick settings you simply swipe downwards a second time. There is now screen brightness control as standard and a new 'cast screen' icon for mirroring with a Chromecast.

Security - personal unlocking

Google said that security is a key element for Android and its users. A new feature will enable users to unlock their smartphone when physically near enough a device like an Android Wear smartwatch. It's a bit like cars with keyless entry.

Battery life - new saver mode

Better battery life is something we always want and Google has added a dedicated battery saver mode to Android Lollipop will give up to 90 minutes of extra use per charge (using the Nexus 5 as a test case). Project Volta allows developers to identify how their apps are using battery so they make improvements.

The battery section of the settings menu now gives more detailed information, too.

Performance

As we expected, Android Lollipop will support 64-bit processors and it will also support the ART software library which Google says will be twice as fast as Davik.

Android TV

With the Lollipop announcement came a surprise new product: Nexus Player. This means Android TV is integrated into Lollipop and provides a way to get games, videos, photos, TV shows etc. onto your big screen. Quite a few big names have signed up to Android TV, including Sony, Philips and Sharp. You don't have to buy a new TV, of course, and that's where Nexus Player comes in, operating much like an Apple TV.

by : Derlich-Herman  

       DCS  Chairman