Amanda Boxtel, a wheelchair user for 19 years, is about to stand up. A skiing accident in Aspen, Colorado, left her paralysed from the waist down four vertebrae shattered and a bruised spinal cord. She slowly pushes herself out of the chair with crutches, teeters backward for a second, then leans forward again and takes a step. Throughout my paralysed life, I have figured out how to adapt to a world of sitting, and to play hard from a recumbent position. Now, I have the power to enable me to stand, step out and walk, says Boxtel, who has been through years of physical therapy and experimental treatments in the hope of one day being able to stand up again. The robotic prosthetic legs are worn over ordinary clothing and simple velcro straps (made of nylon fabric), backpack-style clips, and shoulder straps secure you in. The legs are driven by four motors, one for each hip and knee. The ankle joint is controlled with passive springs that keep the foot angled so that it can be placed on the ground, heel to toe, as the leg steps. Sensors in the legs then relay position information to the control unit, which determines how to bend the joints and, in turn, walk. While the device can support a wearer weight, balance is left to the person, via crutches, which also serve to control the system. To take a step, the wearer pushes down with the crutch opposite to the intended stepping leg. Similar gestures, such as pushing down on both crutches simultaneously, allow the wearer to transition from sitting to standing, or to make turns. It is the first such device in the world to do so without a tether. For now, the device is only available at a few rehabilitation centres in the United States, where it is being tested under the supervision of trained physical therapists, as part of a clinical trial. But if things go well, eLEGS could be available commercially by 2013. We are anxious to field the technology starting with premiere rehab facilities in the coming months. Ultimately, we foresee the day when people will begin using eLEGS beyond the in-patient setting and start using it day-to-day in the real world, says Fogelin.
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When you start talking about Microsoft, it is often tempting to compare the IT giant with its closest rivals. In the 1990s, most comparisons were with its old foe Apple. There were countless arguments then about the benefits and drawbacks of Windows versus the Mac OS. Then, for a brief while, comparisons were between Linux and Windows, a line of argument that has not died down completely or probably never will. Now, in the cloud age, Microsoft products are compared with that of Google. Specifically, its Office products are weighed against Google Apps for Business, although the two sets of productivity software are very different in some ways. Now, there is a reason to continue these comparisons.A few days ago, Microsoft released the beta version of Office 365, its cloud-based offering for the Office Suite. Before we look at this more closely, it is worth looking at what it is not. It is quite different from the Google Apps for Business. It is not a pure Web version of Office 2010 either. Yet, it is a response to Google Apps for Business and the increasing tendency to use cloud-based versions of software. Microsoft offers these services in its own unique way, which could be exhilarating or frustrating, depending on your techno-political affiliation. If you leave these affiliations behind, Office 365 is like any other cloud-inspired software product: some good features, some not so good ones, and many others you are not sure about.Office 365 is a product aimed at small businesses and is the next version of Microsoft's business productivity online services (BPOS). It consists of Office Web Applications and online versions of SharePoint, Exchange and Lync. Like with Google Apps for Business, Office 365 also has a market place that helps users find partners and other applications. Office Web Apps is the online version of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote. SharePoint Online is a set of collaboration tools. Exchange Online is a hosted service of email, calendar and contacts. Lync Online is an instant messaging and communications service. So, Office 365 has an extremely broad set of features. It has unified communications, business intelligence, content management, collaboration tools, enterprise search and other features. It also offers the option of purchasing Office as a subscription.Microsoft, thus, has three sets of offerings related to the Office Suite. One is the outright purchase of a version of Office in the conventional way. The second option, particularly for a consumer, is to use Windows Live. It has a large set of products including limited word processing, mail and Outlook Connecter for free, but with some ads. The third is Office 365, where you get the full Office Suite and other products for a subscription. It is here that Office 365 differs from the Google Apps for Business, which has no downloadable productivity suite. If you are on Google Apps but offline, there isn't anything that you can do. But with Office 365, you can continue to use the Office products as long as you have paid the subscription fee. But Office 365 makes commercial sense only for a company with at least 25 employees.Office 365 integrates your PC with mobile platforms such as a Windows 7 phone or iPhone. It works with Mac as well. For $6 per user, you also get 25 GB of storage free. A subscription also obviates the need for frequent upgrades. The launch of Office 365 is, thus, a significant move for Microsoft. We have to wait and see how Google and others react.
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Apple's iPhones and Google's Android phones phones regularly transmit such data to Apple and Google as the two build databases that could help them tap a market for location-based services, the Journal reported, citing data and documents the Wall Street Journal had analyzed. The paper cited a research by security analyst Samy Kamkar that said the HTC Android phone sent such information several times every hour after collecting the data every few seconds.Google and Apple were not immediately available for comment to Reuters late on Thursday. The phone also sent information about wireless Internet networks in the area, the paper said.The iPhone transmits data about the user's location and Wi-Fi networks to itself every 12 hours, the paper said.(Reuters)
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Lenovo ThinkPad YogaRs 112,418 & Rs 96,765lenovo jumped right into the ultrabook and hybrid segment with its Yoga notebooks and later, tablets. But not many would have expected to see the iconic ThinkPad get the Yoga treatment. Well, it has. Its 12.5-inch screen bends backwards all the way till it meets the back of the keyboard —and yet it's every bit the ThinkPad, built very tough and even a bit heavy. All that is signature about the ThinkPad is still there including the little red track point which ThinkPad users love. It's targeted at the enterprise and not for someone looking for a light, snazzy notebook.The magnesium alloy casing looks no-nonsense and the hinges that allow the screen to move all the way back 360 degrees seem really sturdy. The screen is a 400nit IPS panel with FHD resolution. It's a touch screen and is responsive enough though I did encounter the occasional lag. The keyboard on ThinkPads has been as iconic as the device itself, and it's pretty good on this laptop too. The battery lasts about six hours, but I didn't think this notebook is so ultra portable as to be the type you'd use without power nearby. There are two configurations, both nice and pricey. A Rs 112,418 and Rs 96,765. Both are running Windows 8.Sony Xperia C3 Rs 23,990how do you put together a smartphone for today's self-obsessed generation? You do it by outfitting the device with a 5MP front camera. Or that's what Sony believes as it rides the selfie bandwagon to add the Xperia C3 to its line. I'm not sure whether one would buy a Rs 23,990 phone to shoot selfies, but one never knows. I certainly do see Facebook flooded ad nauseam with selfies from both young and old. To be selfie capable, the C3 front camera has a 25mm wide-angle lens. That means you can take that cliche group shot with everyone fitting in, complete with their poses. You also have a soft LED flash so that you can take photos indoors without the unpleasant blue-white glare of a flash. Of course, it's not always easy to escape. There's a red eye reduction mode which didn't do too much. Nonetheless, it's a good front camera and helped by the timer plus dedicated camera button on the side, both which can get you that arm's length shot.The rest of the phone, including the 8MP rear camera, is average. Th specs are now offered by devices half the cost and the phone is a large 5.5 inch gadget that may be a bit awkward to hold just for selfies. But then, it's got something else going for it: good looks, if you manage to get the mint one, and great battery life that could cross over to the next day. The C3 is light and super thin, doesn't have a bad screen, and has a steely metallic strip accounting accenting it's good looks. It's just that it's fairly expensive for what it offers. (This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 20-10-2014)
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It's pretty safe to say that the one thing people have loved best about HTC’s flagship phones have been their design. A refusal to compromise on material and build quality have been the hallmark of more than one of HTC’s top-end offerings. But, of course, that means a great deal of expense, both for the maker and the buyer. So here’s an attempt to bring the cost down a bit and yet not cheapen the look and feel of the device. Say hello to the HTC One E8, affordable brother of the all-metal One M8. From the front, the E8 is signature HTC. It’s a look that’s still classy and pleasing even though we’ve seen it on several devices now. Same chamfered edges, slim bezels and fantastic sounding speakers on the top and bottom. Also, the same silly placement for the power button —up on top in the centre. I always forget and go looking for it. But for whiners like me, the screen wakes up and sleeps off with two quick taps. It’s on the back that the E8 looks different. It has a soft polycarbonate panel that makes it lighter, cheaper, and a little fond of oily fingers, even if I say so myself. But all that is a small sacrifice for many when it translates to a saving of about Rs 10,000. The M8 is Rs 43,299 as of this writing, and the E8 Rs 33,850. The E8 is a good-to-hold smartphone, on the biggish side but narrow and comfortable. The soft back gives it some grip, instead of being dangerously slippery like the M8 which has a satiny feel. When you turn it on, you’ll find a nice crisp screen. I didn’t like its auto brightness, but otherwise it’s a comfortable display in terms of colours and viewing angles. Text is crisp and clear. HTC’s Blink Feed, the magazine app that lets you see local content and your social networks, pulls out with a swipe from the left of the screen and can be swiped back when you’re done with it. HTC’s interface, Sense 6, is simple and well optimised with Android on the device. It’s easy to get used to and has its share of smart features such as a number of gesture customisations, without seeming overly gimmicky. It’s a clean and light experience. The E8 is also quite the performer. Not only does it score high on synthetic benchmarks, it works free of lag and stutter and does a good job of graphics. Lovers of gaming should have a good time. There’s only the faintest heating up. With the sound being as good as it is, consuming media is a good experience too. The keyboard on the E8 is pretty nice and supports trace input. If there’s one thing I’m disappointed with, it’s the camera. Although I’ve never been convinced by the 4 ultra pixel format, I think they may as well have stuck with that one. Although the photos wouldn’t zoom in and enlarge much, there’s something not quite right with the E8’s main camera. Acceptable in good light, it doesn’t quite stand up to the competition. It’s in low light though that things turn sour. Pictures in darker places are outright murky and just don’t look good even when you use the night mode or make adjustments. There are panorama and HDR modes but still, there’s the dark pictures in lower light to deal with. The E8 is a dual-SIM and uses nano cards. Call quality is good and so is signal reception. The battery is adequate for most of the day. Sony DSC RX100 MARK IIIFriends who know of my fondness for the Sony RX100 camera have their eye on my unit because they’re fairly certain I will buy the third generation of this popular product. I’m afraid they have a long wait because I’m not letting go of the original RX100. That doesn’t mean the Mark III isn’t a good camera — just that it’s expensive and not readily worth the “upgrade” if that means buying the camera all over again. The nicest thing about the RX100 is that it’s small enough to fit into a purse. And yet, its capabilities are surprising for its size. Those capabilities have obviously only improved with each new version, but not dramatically. With the Mark III and the RX100 original side by side, I find they’re almost the same size except that the Mark III is a millimeter or so thicker because it has a retractable electronic viewfinder. It doesn’t articulate in all directions, but it does pull out and also flips over so you can take a selfie, complete with a timer which gets activated in that position. Interestingly, it’s very different from its immediate sibling, the Mark II which was heavier and sported a horseshoe to fit accessories including a viewfinder. The new version has an F1.8-2.8 ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T1 (24-70mm) lens and a 20.1MP (effective) Exmor R CMOS sensor for better low-light shots.Its interface is familiar to Sony camera users and the rings around the lens can still be used for customised adjustments. Zoom is 2.9x and there are no interchangeable lenses. But there’s NFC and Wi-Fi.I wouldn’t recommend buying a fresh RX100 if you already have one of the previous models, but if you’re keen on a powerful camera that can fit into your pocket, think of spending Rs 54,990. At that price, you’ll get some DSLRs, but do you want one? (This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 06-10-2014)
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It overflows right off my wrist but that doesn’t stop me from lusting after the Moto 360 smartwatch. There are other designs of smartwatches that wrap around the wrist like a band and don’t end up snipping a little chunk at the bottom so text can fit in, but the Moto 360 is still compelling to the extreme.First, it’s so familiar in its look – like a real watch. I’ve given up on them long ago, but I do believe, those of us born wearing watches still have that watch-glancing instinct. When you long-press on the watch face, you’ll find a bunch of options to change its look, so you can go as new-fangled or old-timer as you like.The screen, a big 1.5 incher, is about as big as my first phone was. It’s a bright LCD with a 320x290 pixels resolution. The screen really draws your eyes to it. To interact with it, you swipe or use your voice – Okay Google, or if you choose, set that to something else. There’s no little keyboard, so you’ll need to input things by voice. The text on each screen is nice and big and visible and that makes it usable by more people.The Moto 360 is based on Android Wear, Google’s platform for wearables, and works with any phone running Android 4.3 and above. It connects to the phone via Bluetooth and a sign-in to a Google account. Then there’s software on both devices to let the user get into the applications.And just like a real watch, the device has a real leather strap (changeable) and comes with either a metallic casing that’s either light or dark, the light looking more steely and masculine. The watch even comes in a round box. There’s a wireless charging dock so that there’s no fiddling with little micro USBs. The battery is a 320mAh and is intended to last the day, so you’ll need to get used to charging it when you charge your phone, perhaps.The Moto 360 has a whole 512MB RAM and 4GB of internal memory.What really brings the watch alive is Google Now. You get notifications and Google cards like weather, flight status etc and even your boarding pass – which of course will only be useful if the airport and airline supports it. An OK Google immediately activates search.Of course, the Moto 360 also does the usual tracking of steps and activity and heartbeat and so on. Smartly, it collects all the data to show you weekly stats and even measures “healthy minutes” which come about when there’s enough vigorous and sustained activity.Launched on Friday (5 September) in New Delhi, the Moto 360 will be available on Flipkart a few weeks down the line, along with the Moto X smartphone. No price has yet been announced but Charlie Tritschler, Senior Vice President Product Management at Motorola, hinted that the price would be acceptable to Indian buyers. Going by US pricing, it’s estimated to be about Rs 15,000. mala@businessworld.inmala.bhargava@gmail.com
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India’s largest mobile service provider Bharti Airtel has launched Wynk — a music application. That makes it the first Indian telecom operator to offer an Over the Top (OTT) mobile application in India. What this means is that for the first time, Airtel will be offering a service to users of all networks.This move ensures that it can keep up with the competition and ensure a steady rise in data revenues. The app that is available on the Android and iOS platforms, offers 1.7 million songs in eight languages — Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Kannada, Punjabi and Bhojpuri. The advertisement free app runs primarily on subscription revenues. It will compete with Saavn (South Asian Audio Video Network) and Times Internet’s Gaana. It has priced its offerings at rates lower than both these applications.Wynk is available in three versions—free, Wynk Plus and Wynk Freedom. In the free version, users can stream songs of their choice online and listen to internet radio. With Wynk Plus, they can enjoy unlimited in-app song downloads and play music offline at Rs. 99 on Android and Rs. 60 on iOS. Airtel customers using Android phones can enjoy a special introductory price of just Rs. 29 on this. Wynk Freedom at Rs. 129 is available to Airtel customers in 3G circles using Android phones. That gives them unlimited streaming and download of music without incurring additional data charges.The move is the first bid by an operator to get back revenue that they are losing to OTT operators. Already, operators are losing to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Now for the first time an operator is looking to make the most of data that is travelling on its pipes. Says Srinivasan Gopalan, Director, Consumer Business, Bharti Airtel: “With the rise of smartphones in India, mobile phones have emerged as the most preferred platform to experience music on the go and accounts for almost 85-90 per cent of total digital consumption."The target consumers for Wynk are largely the youth. While data revenues are expected to rise, much of that could be while users are on a wifi network, reducing the data earnings of operators substantially. Airtel is banking on the rising demand for smartphones in the country.
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In a cellphone market that gets tougher and more challenging by the minute, we have a new entrant, the LG G3, which has recently made its way to India. The Other Korean Company has tried to give it everything it's got looks, software, specs, specs, specs. But they¡¦re housed in a nice design.I call the removable back of this phone plastic-fantastic because it looks like smooth cool metal. The look is a little reminiscent of the HTC One whose design is the subject of great admiration. The G3 is a big phone but good to hold because of the pronounced curve on the back and sloping sides. On the front, the device looks interesting because it has minimal edges, giving all the space to the screen. On the narrow metallic looking strip on the bottom has LG¡¦s logo looking neat and elegant. In fact the device on the whole is quite elegant.The most talked-about feature of the G3 is the screen. At the moment, only the OPPO Find 7 - featured here earlier ¡X has this screen resolution. There¡¦s a reason for that. Beyond a point, higher and higher resolution is barely detectable and its usefulness is debatable since nothing has been created to leverage it. Thinking back to the screens of the LG G2 and G Flip, I feel those were more than adequate and in fact quite wonderful. Those even had better viewing angles. But the G3's Quad HD display is a big talking point.Another feature that has people excited is the camera¡¦s laser focusing ability. Other than the flash and camera on the back panel, you will also see a little laser which is meant to home in on an object so the camera can focus sharper and quicker. The camera is quick all right and does a decent job, except where absolute low light comes into the equation, whereupon it¡¦s got the same challenges as all phones except those that particularly do something to work around low-light photography issues. And in this age of selfie mania (seeing as even monkeys take them), the camera software includes a neat trick where you raise your hand, palm facing camera, to tell it you want to take a selfie. Close your hand into a fist and you will activate the timer leading up to your esteemed selfie.As for the rest of the software on this phone, Android hums along nicely as it's bound to with all that powerful hardware fueling it. And LG's own interface and customisations work smoothly as these are light and invariably lag-free. At the same time, there's all the bag of tricks that one might expect today from a top end phone. You have the Knock feature with which you tap twice to wake up the screen; a series of taps to serve as a code to unlock the device; multi tasking and split screen, an interesting instant quick memo feature and a slide-out health section. There¡¦s also the entire gamut of smart features that let you use voice and gestures for various things. A Google Now-like feature learns your preferences and reminds you of relevant stuff such as things you wanted to buy from a favourite shop when you get there. So all in all, a lot of specs and features, for a lot of money.Next up: LG is rumored to be coming out with a stylus version of the G3. Huawei Ascend G750Shenzhen-based Huawei is the world's largest telecommunications equipment maker. It's also a phone maker and it's playing for the budget segment that all companies are gunning for in India. Huawei's Ascend G750, also called Honor 3X on its pretty aquamarine box, has just become available in India at a price of Rs 24,990. For that price, it gives you a fair bit of value. But as usual, there are trade-offs.Just missing the "premium" look, the G750 is in black or white and at 5.5 inches, definitely a big phone. I saw the white version, which from the back, is distinctly plasticky. On the sides, a chrome trimming that looks pretty good. From the front, it looks, well, a bit Micromax-like. No matter. This phone has a 1.7GHz octa-core processor and it's a good performer, with 2GB of RAM to go with. It's still on Android 4.2.2 though and that's Jelly Bean, not KitKat. Huawei's interface, called the EmotionUI, is a light one, but stylises elements to suit itself and stand out differently. There's an interesting easy mode for the home screens that turn everything into Windows-like tiles with big writing indicating what's in them - Calendar, Calling, etc. I thought that very nice for people who've just switched to touch and trying to figure out what's where. I am fairly certain my mother would appreciate that ease of use.Other highlights include a 5MP selfie-friendly camera, paired with the primary 13MP shooter. The results are passable. The screen is a 720x1280 IPS display ¡V not high res but very usable and with good colours and viewing angles. The phone is a dual-sim and there's a 32GB micro-SD slot to add to the 8GB on board (approximately 4GB of which is usable). There's a 3,000 mAh battery which behaves itself just fine.(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 22-09-2014)
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