China targets own operating system to take on likes of Microsoft, Google

SHANGHAI: China could have a new homegrown operating system by October to take on imported rivals such as Microsoft Corp, Google Inc and Apple Inc, Xinhua news agency said on Sunday. 

Computer technology became an area of tension between China and the United States after a number of run-ins over cyber security. China is now looking to help its domestic industry catch up with imported systems such as Microsoft's Windows and Google's mobile operating system Android. 

The operating system would first appear on desktop devices and later extend to smartphone and other mobile devices, Xinhua said, citing Ni Guangnan who heads an official OS development alliance established in March. 

Ni's comments were originally reported by People's Post and Telecommunications News, an official trade paper run by the ministry of industry and information technology (MIIT). 

"We hope to launch a Chinese-made desktop operating system by October supporting app stores," Ni told the trade paper. Some Chinese OS already existed, but there was a large gap between China's technology and that of developed countries, he added.


A man walks past a Microsoft sign outside a Microsoft office building in Beijing, on July 31, 2014. (Getty Images file photo) 

He said he hoped domestically built software would be able to replace desktop operating systems within one to two years and mobile operating systems within three to five years. 

In May, China banned government use of Windows 8, Microsoft's latest operating system, a blow to the US technology firm's business which raised fears China was moving to protect domestic firms. Microsoft is also under investigation for anti-trust violations. 

In March last year, China said that Google had too much control over China's smartphone industry via its Android mobile operating system and has discriminated against some local firms.


A Chinese flag flies next to the Google company logo outside the Google China headquarters in Beijing, on March 22, 2010. (Getty Images file photo) 

Mutual suspicions between China and the United States over hacking have escalated over the past year following revelations by Edward Snowden that US intelligence planted "backdoor" surveillance tools on US-made hardware. 

The US justice department, meanwhile, indicted five Chinese military officers in May on counts of extensive industrial espionage. 

Ni said the ban on Windows 8 was a big opportunity for the Chinese sector to push forward its own systems, but that the industry needed further development and investment. 

"Creating an environment that allows us to contend with Google, Apple and Microsoft — that is the key to success," he added.

Apple Is Replacing Some iPhone 5 Batteries for Free

Some iPhone 5 units have faulty batteries, check yours here

Anyone who has had to repeatedly charge their phone throughout the day knows that battery life is a key measure of a smartphone’s quality. The iPhone 5 has a decent battery life—except, perhaps, if you happen to have bought yours at the wrong time.

Some iPhone 5 devices sold between September 2012 and January 2013 have a battery problem leading to a shorter battery life, Apple said Friday. Users experiencing battery issues may have bought one in a series of iPhone 5 devices that were affected by charging problems.

“Apple has determined that a very small percentage of iPhone 5 devices may suddenly experience shorter battery life or need to be charged more frequently,” Apple said in a note.

Owners of the iPhone 5 who are having issues can input their phone’s serial number on Apple’s page and see if they qualify for a free battery replacement. The replacement is available in the U.S. and China as of August 22, and in other countries as of August 29.

Microsoft Research's 'DeLorean' cloud gaming system can predict your next move

System virtually eliminates lag by streaming your next action before you even do it

Cloud gaming may sound like little more than a marketing buzzword, but the idea of running games off of powerful servers and streaming them to small boxes under your TV is incredibly promising. You wouldn't need to buy costly new consoles every five years, and you could play any game in seconds without running to the store or downloading a massive file. And everyone would be able to enjoy some of the best graphics around. There's only one problem: it takes time for game feeds to make it from the servers to your living room, and that delay can make cloud gaming frustrating at best and impossible at worst.

Researchers at Microsoft think they've come up with the solution. They've designed new software called "DeLorean" that predicts what you'll do next. Multiple different scenarios are played out at the same time on the servers, and those few options are then sent to your home before you've even made your next move. When you finally decide who you're going to shoot or in which direction you're going to walk, the image frames are already queued and ready for action on your device at home.

DELOREAN CAN SEE THE FUTURE — SORT OF

The result is a nearly lag-free experience. According to the researchers, testing with real gamers in Doom 3 and Fable 3 revealed that DeLorean made gameplay acceptable at latencies — or delays — of up to 250 milliseconds. Without such a system in place, a latency of 100ms or even 60ms can significantly impede gameplay.

Of course, the system is dependent on the accuracy of its predictions. To get the best predictions possible, the researchers designed the system to use information on how most players proceed through the game, as well as data on your individual gameplay style. In more complex situations, like a shootout, the system will make multiple guesses and pre-cache those on your device at home. And when the system completely misses its guess, the system allows for your device to perform some simple three-dimensional perspective adjustments to one of the incorrect predictions.

In testing with small groups of players, the researchers report that users saw a vast improvement when compared with traditional delays in cloud gaming systems. Some still noticed a delay, but they found it to be acceptable. A more quantitative experiment tested how much damage players took as they progressed through an area in Doom 3. While players took far more damage when playing with as little at 64ms of lag on a typical setup, the difference between players using DeLorean and those on a lag-free system were negligible.

It's all extremely promising, but there is at least one major downside: sending multiple different predicted outcomes for each action to users' homes demands quite a bit of bandwidth. In testing, the researchers recorded 1.5 to 4.5 times greater bandwidth usage with DeLorean than a standard setup. Multiplayer gameplay could also be a concern, as there are more human players who can do something unpredictable. In a paper detailing the system, however, the researchers note that current multiplayer systems use a bit of prediction already and that errors and glitches using DeLorean "are no more or less frequent than in standard multiplayer."

Naturally, there's no word on whether Microsoft will ever implement DeLorean into one of its Xbox consoles — if it did, the Xbox One would theoretically be able to play any Xbox 360 or original Xbox game. However, this is far from the first time Microsoft and others have experimented with cloud gaming. Certain Xbox One games currently utilize dedicated Xbox Live servers to reduce the processing load on the console itself. The artificial intelligence in games like Forza 5 and Titanfall use the system, and future games can offload processing of some non-essential elements like lighting effects to servers. Sony, meanwhile, has a more fully-fledged cloud gameplay system with PlayStation Now, which lets PS4 owners rent and play PS3 games that stream over the internet from the company's servers.

Microsoft prepping Windows 9 aka Threshold with Cortana for September release

The world will meet Windows 9 integrated with personal digital assistant Cortana on Sept. 30, according to reports from The Verge and Mary Jo Foley. Save the date!

Microsoft is all set to leave behind the disaster that was Windows 8 and move into the near future with its all-new Threshold, also commonly known as Windows 9.

Sources told The Verge that the Windows maker is planning to hold a Sept. 30 media event where Microsoft will officially introduce the much anticipated latest iteration of its desktop operating system.

"Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans tell The Verge that the software maker is tentatively planning its press event for September 30th to detail upcoming changes to Windows as part of a release codenamed 'Threshold," writes Tom Warren of The Verge.

This comes hot on the heels of a report by well-connected Microsoft follower Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet that Microsoft is getting ready to release a technology preview of Threshold sometime in late September or early October.

Both reports emphasize that the release will involve only a near-final version that will most likely be available in beta for intrepid souls who know how to deal with the last remaining bugs and kinks before Microsoft smoothens them out in the final version.

Numerous speculations about Windows 9 have been going through the head of technology enthusiasts who cannot sit still while waiting for the new Windows platform. The biggest change we will most likely see is not a revolutionary leap into the future, as we can see how Microsoft's bold changes with touchscreen-friendly Windows 8 flopped, but a move back to post-Metro features coupled with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's overall strategy of shifting from desktop to cloud-based platforms.

Among the notable features we can expect is a push-back to the much-loved Start Menu, which Microsoft completely pulled out from Windows 8, angering most of its loyal customers. This time, the new Start Menu, said to be called a Mini Start Menu, looks pretty much the same as the Start Menu as we know it but with the option to include newer Metro-fied tiles. Also worth noting is the supposed removal of the charms bar, the inclusion of a separate windows for Metro-style apps and, remarkably, the integration of a desktop version of Microsoft's smart personal digital assistant Cortana.

Whenever Microsoft plans to actually make Windows 9 public, it is expected that those who agree to download the preview version will have to accept the regular updates Microsoft will push to them every month, a move that some believe lays the groundwork for pushing not just Microsoft's Office 365 and Azure to the cloud, but also its operating system.

"We'll all simply pay Microsoft a $20-a-year subscription for updates, new features, and perhaps some online storage," writes ZDNet editor-in-chief Larry Dignan. "Microsoft's Windows future could resemble a SaaS model with twice-a-year feature releases that serve as an onramp to other services."

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How Google and Apple Are Going to Take Over Your Car

BY CADIE THOMPSON

Is this an Apple or an Android car? That may be the question you find yourself asking in the not-so-distant future.

Just like Apple and Google continue to battle for market share in the smartphone and tablet space, they are also going to be increasingly fighting for dominance in the auto space, experts say.

"I think the two tech behemoths, Apple and Google, are moving quickly into position. There is a major battle starting to brew over who will take control," said Bryan Reimer, a research scientist at MIT AgeLab and the associate director of the New England University Transportation Center.

"They own the tablet and smartphone space, but the car is an environment that a lot of us spend a lot of time in and they have a strong desire to own that relationship," he added.

While only about 10 percent of automobiles have built-in connectivity today, the number is expected to grow to 90 percent by 2020, according to the consulting group Machina Research. And tech firms are looking to cash in.

But these companies want to do more than just put apps in a car's dashboard, they want to reinvent the entire driving experience—starting by personalizing it.

The personalized 'computer' car

Tech companies will use a passenger's personal information to make their drive time a lot more customized, said Gary Silberg, an analyst at KPMG.

"If you think about the personalization of cars in the future, in 20 years or less, the car will be able to tell if you own it or not, it will know your traits and attributes and will do things that will help make you a better, smarter, more productive person," he said.

"The car will be this intelligent computer that provides you mobility," he added.

The software in cars will enable it to do things like make music recommendations for your ride depending on your mood and even sync with your calendar and monitor traffic so that it can alert you when to leave for your next appointment, Silberg said.

Because software will play such an important role in the future car experience, Apple and Google are already pushing to get their operating systems in vehicles.

Apple's CarPlay, which was announced in March, basically brings the interface of a person's iPhone to the car's infotainment center, allowing a driver to control things like music, messages and calls from their phone via voice or a built-in display. It can also predict where a user most likely wants to go based on addresses from your email, text messages, contacts and calendars.

Google announced a similar system in June called Android Auto. Both companies' auto platforms are expected to become available on select vehicles before the end of this year.

In fact, the technology in cars is already becoming the most important determining factor for consumers when it comes to which car to buy.

"The interface is now the reason a car is selling or not selling. It's not about things like horsepower anymore," Reimer said.

However, the user-interface will get an even bigger makeover when self-driving technology goes mainstream because it will allow for the physical space in the car to be used in new ways.

Autonomous reality

For tech companies, time spent driving is time wasted, said Thilo Kosowski, a vice president and automotive analyst at Gartner.

"Tech companies look at the car as something they need to deal with," Kosowski said. "They see manual driving as a bug, not as a value proposition."

Tech firms view autonomous vehicles as the solution to a number of problems that plague the streets, including traffic, car accidents and parking. Self-driving tech could also enable vehicles to become more productive tools for passengers.

For example, the windshield could be transformed into an augmented reality platform, or a screen for the passenger to project content from their mobile device onto, Koslowski said.

Google is leading the charge amongst its tech peers in the autonomous space and is also putting pressure on traditional automakers to catch-up.

"Google is the big elephant in the room," said Koslowski. "It was really a wake-up call for the auto industry when it unveiled its self-driving car capabilities."

The company has been developing self-driving car technology since 2009. And in May the company revealed a new model of its autonomous car that has no brake or steering wheel. It plans to manufacture 200 of these new models to test and predicts its version of the self-driving car will hit the mass market sometime between 2017 to 2020.

While the world's traditional automakers are hurrying to develop their own autonomous vehicles, their efforts may be too late.

According to a KPMG study published last year, consumers are more likely to buy a self-driving car from a tech firm like Apple or Google than they are from a carmaker like Nissan, Mercedes-Benz or General Motors.

But consumers' trust in tech companies may be somewhat misguided, experts say.

"The tech companies are pushing the traditional auto industry, which to some extent is good, but if you push too fast they are going to make mistakes," Reimer said.

Deadly risks

While people may like a high-tech car, they still have some concerns about how safe a self-driving vehicle would be.

According to KPMG's Global Executive Survey 2014, safety is the biggest concern over self-driving cars and privacy and data security are also high on consumers' agenda.

And the reality is, traditional automakers and suppliers have more experience in auto safety than the new tech companies entering the space, Silberg said.

"They may have great technology, but that doesn't mean they know how to make it work in a car," he said.

"There are parts of a vehicle that if caused to malfunction, people could die. You can't just reboot your car at 60 mph. There is a safety tolerance in the auto industry that is just not known in the tech industry."

While Google's self-driving cars have gone more than 700,000 miles without being faulted for an accident, its cars still can't endure all weather conditions.

And all it takes is just one accident for progress to be halted, Reimer said.

"There's a major push by Google and other tech companies to automate the world, but the reality is a failure could mean big changes," Reimer said.

"Fear could not only slow adoption down, but could also mean more regulations. And hasty regulation and more regulation is not necessarily the best regulation."

Poll: How far should U.S. go in Iraq?

(Photo: Ahmad Al-Rubaye, AFP/Getty Images)

Americans are increasingly inclined to say the United States has a responsibility to respond to rising violence in Iraq, a USA TODAY/Pew Research Center Poll finds, although most also express fears about getting pulled back into a extended conflict there.

In a shift of opinion in recent weeks, those surveyed by 44%-41% say the U.S. bears a responsibility to "do something" about the violence. That's a shift from last month, when by 55%-39% a majority saw no U.S. responsibility to act.

That change could reflect news coverage of the plight of thousands of Yazidi refugees who fled advancing Islamic State forces only to become trapped on Mount Sinjar, at risk of dying from exposure, hunger and thirst. On Thursday from Martha's Vineyard, President Obama announced that U.S. airstrikes and humanitarian aid had succeeded in easing that crisis.

"It's interesting that this long after we've been involved in a country like Iraq that is so controversial, we still find people changing their minds," says Christopher Gelpi, a political scientist at Ohio State University who studies public opinion toward military conflicts. The percentage of Republicans, conservatives, and people 50 and older who see a responsibility rose by double digits compared with the July survey.

Even Americans who see a responsibility to act are worried about an expanding commitment less than three years after the United States withdrew combat troops. Fifty-one percent are more concerned that the U.S. will go too far in getting involved. About a third, 32%, say their greater concern is that the U.S. will not go far enough in stopping the Islamist militants.

Views differ sharply across age groups.

Those under 30 are less likely to approve of airstrikes than older Americans are, and they are much more likely to express concern about the risks of an expanding U.S. engagement in Iraq. By more than 3-1, 18-to-29-year-olds worry more that the U.S. will get too involved. Those 65 and older are about evenly divided between concerns over whether the U.S. will go too far or not do enough to stop the militants.

The telephone survey of 1,000 adults, taken Thursday through Sunday, has a margin of error of +/-4 percentage points.

Obama returned to the White House from his vacation early Monday morning to meet with Vice President Biden and top national security advisers about Iraq. The United States has widened airstrikes to help Kurdish fighters trying to retake the Mosul Dam from the Islamic State forces. On Monday, U.S. fighters, bombers and drones conducted 15 airstrikes, the U.S. Central Command said.

President Obama meets with members of the National Security Council for an update on Iraq in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Aug. 18.(Photo: Win McNamee, Getty Images)

Since Aug. 8, the U.S. has conducted 68 airstrikes in Iraq.

Most Americans, 54%-31%, approve of the airstrikes. That is a bit lower than public support for NATO airstrikes in Kosovo in 1999 and U.S. airstrikes against Iraq and Afghanistan in 1998 and 1999.

"The public attitude seems to reflect very much the kind of attitude that you heard from Obama when he was justifying the airstrikes," Gelpi says. "The president was very much in sync in feeling we ought to try to do something but we shouldn't do too much. Whether the president is leading the public, or whether the president has his finger in the wind and understands where the public is at, is hard to say."

Fifty-two percent say they are following news stories about the airstrikes "very closely" or "fairly closely." While that's higher than the 49% paying attention to the continuing friction between Russia and Ukraine, it's lower than the 57% paying close attention to the aftermath of the police shooting in Ferguson, Mo., and the 58% tracking the Ebola virus breakout in West Africa.

Of the most interest: the death of actor Robin Williams, followed closely by 62%.

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