Tech on OpTe.ch

What is the Next Interaction Model Breakthrough after Touchscreens?

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 07:17:33 -0700

The only undisputed champion of interaction models/devices since the mouse is the touchscreen. No contest. The trend and industry is trying, often too hard, to push the next frontier of interacting with devices toward voice. While I think voice interaction is crucial, I don’t think it is being thought of in the right way yet.

There are inherent problems with voice. Natural language recognition isn’t perfect, and likely won’t be for a while. If the system has “keywords” you’ve failed before you shipped and the biggest concern of all is probably privacy. I’m not talking about Google or government knowing your every move type of privacy, I’m talking about old fashioned privacy. “Don’t let the guy next to me know what I’m saying to my wife” privacy. There is a reason messaging is still king (cough, WhatsApp for $19 billion). Messaging is, and will be for the foreseeable future, a major player in how we communicate. Yes people will dictate messages, but often we’re in public or a quiet place and just don’t want to share what we’re saying with everyone. Expect a piece on this soon, but let’s leave it there for now.

How Long Until Wireless Display is Open and Ubiquitous Like WiFi?

Thu, 03 Apr 2014 08:02:11 -0700

Intel has branded wireless display as WiDi, Apple has AirPlay, Google has Chromecast, and now Amazon has entered the market. The value of platform lock-in is tremendous for these companies, so the incentive to move to a more open standard isn’t very high. But how much longer can that be the case?

This isn’t comparing apples to apples, with wireless displays the control has to be tighter since only one person can have control of the screen at a time (or perhaps a small subset of people) unlike WiFi which can handle huge numbers. Yet the principle is similar. A protocol to dictate who is in control as an admin, who controls the screen, how the bit rate and quality are negotiated, and more. This protocol isn’t unlike the 802.11 protocols that dictate the security, handshaking, and data transfer for WiFi.

The Case That Twitter is for (Nearly) Everyone, From an Anti-Twitter Convert

Tue, 01 Apr 2014 07:42:55 -0700

I joined Twitter in February of 2009, and it seemed like I was late to the party – a party I wasn’t just skipping, it was something I was actively avoiding. If you are against joining Twitter, I ask that you consider what this article has to say with an open mind and we’ll go from there.

Twitter isn’t for everyone, but it probably isn’t what you think it is either. In short, Twitter is for you if you have a hobby, interest, friends who share content, or a topic you follow or share about. Sound hyperbolic? It really isn’t.

Moto360 Q&A Highlights

Wed, 19 Mar 2014 11:41:00 -0700

A few points of interest from the Moto360 event going on now on YouTube.

\[**Update**: Event is over.\]

Wireless charging - I’m inferring this, they didn’t explicitly say it, but implied it strongly.
1.8" (46mm) diameter.
Won’t comment on battery life, “but was designed with power efficiency in mind.”
Targeting mass appeal, so not intended as a men’s watch.
Works with all Android devices running Android 4.3 or later.
Water resistant, details forthcoming.
No camera embedded in the watch (thankfully).
Genuine leather.
“With this watch, you’ll always be able to tell what time it is.” (Subtle jab at Pebble?)

More updates posted as they’re revealed.

Why Tesla and CarPlay Matter to Everyone

Tue, 04 Mar 2014 08:12:56 -0700

Tesla, along with Apple’s recently announced CarPlay, are positioned to have a major influence for everyone planning to be driving a car in the foreseeable future. This is independent of whether or not you’re driving a Tesla or a car equipped with CarPlay.

Stuck in the (Technology) Dark Ages #

The auto industry has managed to remain uniquely positioned with respect to technology. Low to middle-end cars are the worst offenders, but in this class cost almost always comes first. Higher end cars are still behind, but not as far. You could argue that Ford has had their voice control service for a while now, other companies are on a similar trajectory, but the offerings are entirely underwhelming at best.

Reality Check: Disrupting the TV Industry

Mon, 24 Feb 2014 08:19:37 -0700

There is pessimism, then there is reality. This is the latter. I dream of a revitalized television experience, I’d pay top dollar for it, and I think it will happen… eventually. The major technology media outlets have taken hold of this idea and run with it far beyond reason. You’ve got business men and women theorizing and then just assuming “the engineers will figure out the details.”

Consider this: the engineering side of it has been figured out for a while - brilliant smooth UIs, voice control, motion sensors, Bluetooth remotes, unified search, all of these exist today. That isn’t the problem. There are two major issues where the tech media has praised solutions yet I strongly disagree with their viability; when I say “major” I mean fundamentally damning to the entire notion.

Inbox Zero is Worth the Investment

Wed, 05 Feb 2014 10:21:03 -0700

I know, dead horse. I’m going to beat the dead horse because somehow the vast majority of people I know are closer to Inbox Infinity than to Inbox Zero. They think it is daunting, overwhelming, or impossible to change; they couldn’t be more wrong.

To be clear, my life doesn’t revolve around email. I don’t get thousands of emails per day, but these practices scale to days where I have gotten a few hundred emails. I never miss an email. Ever. Not seeing an email is not an acceptable excuse in my opinion, though I’d argue I’m in an overwhelming minority here.

LogMeIn Reaches out to Ignition App Users

Mon, 03 Feb 2014 08:10:04 -0700

Cheers to the folks at LogMeIn for taking care of existing customers. Several people, myself included, purchased the Ignition app for $20 (before they had a free app and a $99 app, there was a single $20 iOS app), and these people will retain full control via their mobile app whether or not they ever upgrade to the Pro tier of service.

We hope as a LogMeIn Ignition customer you are enjoying your complimentary 6-month subscription of LogMeIn Pro. We’re reaching out to help clear up any confusion surrounding the recently announced change to LogMeIn Free and clarify what the changes mean for Ignition app users.

91% of Cyber Attacks Exploit Java... The Language Used to Create Android

Sat, 18 Jan 2014 18:11:55 -0700

Java is a nice introductory language, it is pretty ubiquitous, and it is platform agnostic. Those are likely the primary reasons for schools using it so frequently in computer science departments, the University of Colorado does anyway (and interviews I’ve conducted lead me to believe that is normal).

When Cisco reported that 91% of attacks exploited Java vulnerabilities, it triggered some concerns.

Just take a minute and think about how shocking this is.
Android is largely written in Java. No surprise that Android sees 97% of malware in the mobile space.
Schools are too slow to adapt to changes in the real world.

Court Denies Net Neutrality

Tue, 14 Jan 2014 08:47:54 -0700

Internet providers have no place prioritizing or discriminating against types of internet traffic. The providers have one goal: profits. This does not end well for customers.

Tech Bloggers Giving CES the Apple Treatment

Sun, 12 Jan 2014 10:48:46 -0700

In this article by Mat Honan from Wired, he highlights a major problem with technology journalism today - people are bored with just about everything. These are just TVs, this is just another tablet, that iPhone is hardly any different from the last one… blah blah blah.

This year the CES coverage seemed to be more pessimistic than previous years. The latest iPhone release seemed to be received as more disappointing than previous years. The anti-Apple folks say that Apple has peaked and can’t keep up their momentum without Steve Jobs. The rest of the tech bloggers think that CES has lost its shine. These aren’t two separate things, there is one explanation - everyone has gotten used to insanely brilliant, beautiful, and incredible technology. Many believe it is bland and boring because we’re surrounded by it.

Bitcoin: 24 Hours, $124k

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 17:48:05 -0700

Overstock.com processed $124,000 in Bitcoin transactions in their first 24 hours accepting the currency. It is a small amount of money at first glance, but attempting to compete with the dollar as a currency is no simple task. Additionally, overstock.com isn’t exactly known as a tech-nerd user base.

This is another exciting step in the Bitcoin story. Really excited and curious to see how this plays out.

Engadget: CES 2014 Picks

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 17:35:55 -0700

Some interesting picks in here, definitely seems to capture the best products there. With that being said, I’m still not seeing anything that is standing out.

Oculus Rift keeps making these kinds of lists, but it seems to be in a perpetual state of development.
Sony Z1 Compact packs a top end punch into an iPhone-size device, a rarity for Android devices.
There are a LOT of fitness trackers, I don’t see that changing any time soon.
The Mother sensor system seems interesting. Not a grand slam, but a fresh take on smart home technology.

Stratechery: The Best Analogy For Chromebooks Are iPads

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 13:45:31 -0700

An excellent follow up piece (to his original post) on where Chromebooks fit into the tech world. Also read his link to Vance McAlister’s response, both are very insightful.

From Vance:

The true value in ChromeOS is what it DOESN’T have. Critics say “a Macbook or Windows laptop will give you the same Chrome browser, plus a lot more as well!”, but that misses the point entirely. Those laptops don’t come with the killer feature of ChromeOS: the LACK of a traditional OS.

CES 2014: 4K and 3D

Thu, 09 Jan 2014 08:18:24 -0700

There has been a lot of 4K news at CES, no surprise there. Computer monitors make sense and a 4K computer monitor should excite anyone who uses desktop monitors.

TVs are a different story. When talking TVs, the important thing to remember is that you don’t sit nearly as close to them. When you sit farther back, even the most perfect human eye can only differentiate a certain level of detail. Read more here. Here’s the quick version; this diagram shows you the screen size versus viewing distance chart and shows at which range a given resolution is actually valuable.