So whatever happened to the rollable displays we were promised some time back? Turns out companies like Samsung have been working on them, presenting a few at the recent Society for Information Display (SID) annual exhibition. The key to this technology is the OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display because it doesn't need a backlight. This allows for paper thin, flexible displays. In keeping with their usual nomenclature, Samsung calls their first device the S-foldable. Their range starts at phone size and unfolds twice to a 7.2-inch screen. They also presented a slidable screen that pulls out to give a wider view. Then came the 17-inch foldable screen that starts as a tablet that can be used as a small monitor tagged as the "Carrying Small Seeing Big". For now, these are concept devices that we should see in the wild next year. Not to be outdone, LG demoed a 65-inch rollable OLED TV along with a 12.8-inch rollable device. China is also in the mix with Visionox showing their rollable OLEDs.
- The man who created the Post-it Note, Spencer Silver, died recently at the age of 80. As a chemist he worked for 3M and started playing with adhesives. He created one that would bind to surfaces but could be pulled off easily and repeatedly. He was aiming for something for airplanes so there was a period where this invention had no identified use for five years. Finally, a co-worker wanted something to stop bookmarks falling out of his hymn book and in 1974 the first Post-it Note was born. The rest is history.
- The industry is moving to a high-definition lossless audio platform. Apple has announced that their entire catalogue, at no extra cost, will be upgraded to at first CD quality and then up to 24 bits at 48kHz. This will mean larger file sizes and require better internet connections but Apple is expecting more people to jump on board. Amazon, Apple's biggest competitor in this space, also announced their own HD plan to subscribers in Europe and Canada at 24-bit and up to 192kHz resolution for an extra US$5 (about 155 baht) per month. But that will drop to zero next month. Bandcamp is another option that costs less and Spotify will also be the one to watch as they have announced Spotify HiFi but as yet without prices.
- How safe is your smartphone? You may have an anti-malware app installed -- I use Bitdefender -- but how safe are you really? If a hacker trying to access your phone is a major one like a nation-state, a large telco, a major social media player or a serious hacker team, then the answer is "not very". There are ways to get into your phone that don't obviously show you the camera is on, the microphone is recording or that your location and every activity is being tracked. As a baseline, assume you are being tracked in the same way that China does to its citizens. Unless you want to go to the lengths that someone like Edward Snowden does by unsoldering your camera and microphone, then you're currently vulnerable. There are no apps, unless a reader has some suggestions they want me to pass along, that can tell you you're being snooped on at the lowest levels. Your provider at the O/S level is almost certainly doing some data collection, just how much seems to vary depending on who you ask. For the time being, assume a lot and conduct yourself accordingly.
- After I wrote the previous paragraph, I saw that the Android 12 beta is out with the focus on personalisation and more importantly additional privacy features. Apart from some incremental improvements, Android has not changed all that much since version 5.0 Lollipop. Version 12's "Material You" extends on these earlier concepts to allow greater configuration. Mostly it appears to revolve around colour combinations based on your wallpaper selection. Under the hood there is an estimated 22% less CPU drain for core services. Adding tools to see how often an app accesses devices like your camera and microphone, is also welcome. The indicator light will now show if the camera or mic is in use as a visual warning.
- I clicked on a YouTube video recently that can be found by searching "The photo which tells all you should know about the Israel-Gaza conflict" and had to navigate through two warnings before I could watch it. "The following content has been identified by the YouTube community as inappropriate or offensive to some audiences. Viewer discretion is advised." Then I clicked "I understand and wish to proceed". Then came a second warning before being able to see it. It was a short piece on the power of a photo, but YouTube decided that they needed to discourage people from watching it because it somehow contradicted their beliefs. Pathetic.
James Hein is an IT professional of over 30 years' standing. You can contact him at jclhein@gmail.com.
