Seven reasons to buy the Nokia Lumia 920

Seven reasons to buy the Nokia Lumia 920

The Nokia Lumia 920 was shown off in New York last week and after checking out all of the coverage, I can say without a doubt that I will be purchasing one as soon as they are released. The color I choose will depend on which carrier(s) in the US get the high end Lumia, but with three carrier contracts I know at least one of my carriers will get the device. Based on just what we know so far, Microsoft was very tight lipped about Windows Phone 8, I have seven main reasons I think the Lumia 920 is the device for me.

Reason one: PureMotion HD+ display
The Nokia Lumia 900 has a ClearBlack display and some testing earlier this year revealed that the Lumia 900 has a better outdoor display than the iPhone 4S and Galaxy S. Nokia is now taking that ClearBlack display technology to the next level and showed us all their PureMotion HD+ technology that looks to be the leading display on smartphones today.

The PureMotion HD+ display automatically adjusts to sunlight glare, has those gorgeous deep blacks, provides super smooth scrolling through pixel translation speeds that are 2.5x faster than other phones, and works with fingernails, fingertips, and fingers covered with gloves. Yes, you can use your Nokia Lumia 920 in winter with gloves on without needing anything special in the gloves or any other gimmick. This new display just works and does so in nearly any environment you need. I recommend you read the white paper on the display (PDF link) to learn more about the technology.

Reason two: PureView camera technology
The Nokia 808 PureView sets the bar for all camera phones and really stands alone. Nokia's Lumia 920 doesn't have as much of that amazing technology, but it still has been shown to be an outstanding camera and when the device gets out of the prototype stage you can bet that reviewers will thoroughly test the camera. Nokia has an interesting white paper (PDF link) on the details of the camera technology used in the Lumia 920. As Nokia states this is the second phase in PureView technology and includes some of the core pieces such as high performance Carl Zeiss optics and powerful image processing algorithms. Low light performance is a major feature in this new camera, along with video image stabilization.

Reason three: Nokia Maps
Nokia Maps is the best service Nokia has ever offered and I use it on several different platforms. I love the functional offline maps and GPS navigation features in Nokia Maps Drive on my Lumia 900 and in the Lumia 920 Nokia improves that experience by rolling in several of the utilities that you can get now on the Lumia 900 and is taking Nokia Maps offline as well. You will find offline map support with free turn-by-turn navigation, daily commute and local traffic reports, Nokia Transport for public transit schedules, and Nokia City Lens for augmented reality discovery.

Reason four: Windows Phone 8
I would probably have placed this higher in my list if Microsoft would have allowed Nokia to actually show it off, but it seems Microsoft is running a bit behind on the software so manufacturers are not able to give demos yet. We have seen eight new platform improvements coming in Windows Phone 8 and there are still many details remaining to be revealed. I look forward to seeing what Nokia does with NFC since they have been using it well on their Symbian devices and accessories. The new Start screen looks fantastic for the way I use my Windows Phones and WP8 just cannot get here fast enough for me.

Reason five: Qi wireless charging
I know this is not a huge feature, but it is something unique that distinguishes the Nokia Lumia from other Windows Phone 8 devices. I really appreciated the convenience of Qi charging with my Droid Charge and have been hoping there would be another manufacturer using this standard so I could pull out my pad and use it again. Nokia showed off several accessories that take advantage of this wireless charging technology and I am excited to try some out. The partnership deals with coffee shops is excellent and I hope we see more of these moving forward too.

Reason six: Nokia Music
Nokia Music just launched late last week for US Lumia owners and I have been using it every day since then. I am working on an article comparing it to the Zune Pass and other subscription services, but the big deal here is that it is FREE for Lumia owners. If you enjoy music, then getting a free service like this can provide significant regular savings to your smartphone ownership costs.

Reason seven: Color selection
Again, this may not mean much to many people, but I personally like having color options for my devices and plan to purchase the yellow Lumia 920 as long as it is supported on one of my carriers. Even if Nokia doesn't sell a ton of the yellow models, I think bold colors like this will help get people into the stores and generate conversation around the device, which is exactly what Nokia needs to do to gain marketshare.

Nokia looks to be doing everything possible to help Windows Phone succeed and make sure they are around to compete in the smartphone space. I don't know what else people were expecting from Nokia or Windows Phone 8, but in my opinion they went above my expectations with unique features such as the amazing display and Qi wireless charging.

China's 274M microbloggers is highest in world

China's 274M microbloggers is highest in world

China, which is home to 538 million Internet users, has some 274 million microbloggers as of June this year, a massive jump from 63 million back in 2010.

Citing a report published by the Social Sciences Academic Press, Xinhua said on Monday the number is the highest in the world. It said microblogging has become an important channel for Chinese citizens to express themselves, especially on public issues.

The report's authors said the government has recognized the influence of microblog networks and have made more efforts to use them, since it is also an easy, low-cost communication channel. As of last October, there were 18,132 accounts on Sina Weibo's microblogging platform registered by government officials, it noted.

Between July and December last year, the authorities responded to about 71.9 percent of the issues widely discussed by microbloggers, and 50.4 percent were within 24 hours, according to the report.

It also said statistics from China Internet Network Information Center (CINIC) revealed that the number of Internet users in China rose 10.9 percent year on year to 538 million by June this year. That means four out of 10 Chinese access the Internet.

The number is expected to hit more than 800 million users by 2015.

Apart from microblogging, instant messaging (IM) also gained popularity with about 415 million users, overtaking online search, music and news as the most popular Web application, the report said.

However, legislation for these new Internet media has lagged, and a national strategy to manage the development of Internet is needed. There remains no specialized law for the Web, while many related articles in existing laws need revision, the report noted.

In China, where foreign social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are banned, government regulation of local Web services including microblogs, is not new.

In December last year, the government announced a real-name user registration rule. Later in April, two of the largest microblog sites, Weibo and Tencent's t.qq.com, were banned for three days after users posted comments that fanned complaints over censorship. It was unclear, though, whether the ban was ordered by government regulators or initiated by the companies.

DDoS attacks: 150Gb per second and rising

DDoS attacks: 150Gb per second and rising

On this week's Patch Monday podcast (on Tuesday, thanks to yesterday's public holiday across most of Australia) you'll hear an overview of the current trends in DDoS.

"Certainly, attacks are on the increase, and the size of attacks are also increasing," said Alex Caro, Akamai Technologies' chief technology officer and vice-president of services for Asia Pacific and Japan.

Akamai saw DDoS attacks against their customers double in number between 2010 and 2011, and the company expects this trend to continue for 2012.

"The biggest attack that we've seen is around 150 gigabits per second, and we expect much larger attacks in the future," Caro said.

But even that level of malicious traffic is easily absorbed, he said.

"Today, we're probably serving eight, maybe ten terabits per second of traffic at peak, so a 150 gigabit per second denial of service attack is actually fairly small when all is said and done."

Other attacks seen by Akamai have continued for months.

According to information security vendor Imperva's Hacker Intelligence Initiative, Monthly Trend Report #12 (PDF), DDoS attacks are cheap and easy to conduct, because there's no need to penetrate the network — and so there's no need to identify vulnerabilities to disrupt a web application. Nevertheless, attackers are getting smarter.

"Attackers realise that, instead of firing a really ridiculous amount of traffic to take down a website, they could use some more clever traffic in order to shut it down [with] much less effort," said Tal Be'ery, web security research team leader at Imperva.

"In previous years, they've focused on really flooding the network ... with UDP packets and so forth. In order to do that, you need a lot of firepower. And now, they're going up the application stack and going to the HTTP, and even to the application layer."

Caro and Be'ery also outline the broad strategies for defending against DDoS.

To leave an audio comment on the program, Skype to stilgherrian, or phone Sydney +61 2 8011 3733.

Why the iPad Mini may go HD, like the iPhone 5

Why the iPad Mini may go HD, like the iPhone 5

Assuming the photos and measurements recently posted at nowhereelse.fr (English translation) of a physical model of the iPad Mini from GizChina turn out to be real, the iPad mini won't have a 4:3 display like the full-size iPad.

DisplayMate's Dr. Raymond Soneira notes that Apple increased the iPhone's aspect ratio -- from 1.50 in the iPhone 4 to 1.78 in the iPhone 5 -- and concludes that the same thing could happen with the iPad Mini, especially if it is positioned for selling TV content, which has 16:9.

Soneira notes that 4:3 aspect ratio screens are great for reading because they have the same aspect ratio as content on 8.5 x 11-inch documents, but that smaller 7 to 8-inch screens with 4:3 aspect ratios will be noticeably letterboxed with 16:9 content, with reduced image size.

Keeping the 768 pixel height in the iPad mini will allow apps written for 1024 x 768 to be displayed with letterbox borders as they are on the iPhone 5. Based on this, Soneira thinks that there are four possible resolutions for the iPad mini, with 1152 x 768 being the most likely:

1024 x 768 is 4:3 = 1.33

1152 x 768 is 3:3 = 1.50 

1228 x 768 is 16:10 = 1.60

1366 x 768 is 16:9 = 1.78

If you think about it, a 4:3 iPad Mini really doesn't make very good sense. This might even tie in with Steve Jobs' original objections to a smaller size. But for consuming content, which is how Google and Amazon are marketing their 7 inch Tablets, and how Apple will most likely market theirs as well, something closer to 16:9 makes a lot more sense...

The oft-rumored, 7.85-inch screen "mini" iPad is rumored to go on sales in early November -- November 2 to be exact. Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt reports that invitations for the Apple event are going out on October 10 for an event on October 17.

Bharti Airtel challenges 3G roaming ruling

Bharti Airtel challenges 3G roaming ruling

Bharti Airtel has submitted a petition to the Delhi High Court challenging the Department of Telecommunications' (DoT) decision to end 3G roaming services outside operators' licensed areas, saying it adversely affects the interest of the customers.

The Times of India reported Monday that local operators had previously entered into 3G roaming agreements to offer services such as video calling, mobile TV and multimedia gaming amongst themselves so that 3G coverage can be extended beyond each operator's license area.

However, the DoT last December issued a statement saying such 3G roaming pacts were illegal and must be terminated immediately. It also said the government was losing revenue because of these agreements.

Responding to this directive, Bharti Airtel, in its petition on Monday, said the directive "adversely affects the interest of the customers and the subscribers who are benefiting from the 3G arrangements".

It added: "The impugned decision of the DoT [violates] Article 14 as it is arbitrary, has no rational basis, is illogical and contrary to the contract between the parties."

Bharti Airtel, together with Vodafone Essar and Idea Cellular, had also responded to the directive by writing in to India's prime minister to demand a refund of their spectrum auction payment if such a regulation was to proceed.

Google reportedly buying AR, facial-recognition firm Viewdle

Google reportedly buying AR, facial-recognition firm Viewdle

Google has reportedly purchased mobile facial-recognition and augmented-reality (AR) startup Viewdle.

A source familiar with the deal told ZDNet's sister site CNET that the deal has been in the works for more than a year, and is expected to close this week.

Details of the takeover have not been officially disclosed, and Google has declined to respond, stating that it does not comment on rumour or speculation. However, the source said that the price would be toward the high end in the US$30 million to US$45 million range, consistent with what a source told Forbes — that the deal is similar to Google's recent acquisitions of Neven Vision and PittPatt in terms of monetary value.

When ZDNet asked Viewdle to comment on the claims, CEO Jason Mitura said that the questions should be referred to a Motorola Mobility spokesperson. Motorola did not respond to requests for comment at the time of writing.

Google acquired Motorola Mobility earlier this year for US$12.5 billion.


What Google will use Viewdle's technology for is purely speculative at this point, but it appears as though it could go in any manner of directions. The company drew a large investment of US$10 million from Best Buy, BlackBerry Partners Fund, and Qualcomm in 2010, later developing an AR game called Third Eye for the Android platform. It also developed SocialCamera on Facebook.

Other uses of Viewdle's technology include real-time facial recognition on Android to allow people in videos to be identified, and touch-free gesture recognition, so that users can operate mobile devices from a distance, such as while driving a car.

Philippine cybercrime law under fire, 6th petition filed

Philippine cybercrime law under fire, 6th petition filed

A group of petitioners in Philippines, consisting of lawmakers, bloggers and students, have sought a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the country's implementation of its Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012--making it the sixth filed against the controversial legislation.

According to GMA News Online on Monday, the petition centered on the definition of online libel stated in the law, specifically sections 4, 5 and 6, which the petitioners say are "unconstitutional due to vagueness". The law also curtails "constitutional rights to due process, speech, expression, free press and academic freedom", it stated.

The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 , signed by President Benigno Aquino III on Sep. 12, aims to fight online pornography, hacking, identity theft and spamming following local law enforcement agencies' complaints over the lack of legal tools to combat cybercrime.

However, the law came with tougher legal penalties for Internet defamation, compared to traditional media.

It also allows authorities to collect data from personal user accounts on social media and listen in on voice and video applications such as Skype, without a warrant. Users who post defamatory comments on Facebook or Twitter, for example, could be sentenced to up 12 years in jail.

Hacktivists take aim
The other five petitions filed with the Philippine Supreme Court, too, noted the law infringes on freedom of expression, due process, equal protection and privacy of communication, a separate report by GMA News Online on Saturday stated.

Senator Teofisto Guingona, the sole opponent when the bill was voted on by the Senate and who filed one of the petitions, told the Supreme Court: "Without a clear definition of the crime of libel and the persons liable, virtually any person can now be charged with a crime--even if you just retweet or comment on an online update or blog post."

Hacktivist group Anonymous Philippines also protested against the cybercrime law last week by striking down several government Web sites in the country, according to The Philippines Star. The hackers replaced the sites with an animated logo and statement against the Cybercrime Act, calling it "the most notorious act ever witnessed in the cyber history of the Philippines".

However, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda defended the cybercrime law last week. "The Cybercrime Act sought to attach responsibilities in cyberspace...freedom of expression is always recognized but freedom of expression is not absolute," he said.

Lacierda did say the law could be redefined, and called for critics to submit their concerns to a government panel, which will issue specific definitions of the law, such as who may be prosecuted, by the year's end.