As I See Tech

I got a new smartphone. It's my first replacement since a long time. I'm excited to talk about it. Actually, more about the process of getting to it. For some people, the choice may be quick and easy. For the rest of us, it can take a lot of researching and shortlisting and choosing. At the end of it all is a well thought out decision. Or at least justified.

We've all seen what's possible. Different companies are doing it. Some parts perhaps better than others. But not all parts are in a single model. Obviously, these companies are not talking to each other. Likely, not sharing what they know. Thus, towards the end of 2018, leaks and all, there is still no perfect smartphone.

This is a desperate call to keep Windows 10 Mobile powered devices alive. For capable devices like Nokia Lumia ICON and higher, let them get the latest version of Windows 10 Mobile with all features activated including the wallet for wireless tap payments, for example. Let the users decide if it's worth keeping for much longer.

At their most basic, and by default, programming languages are not thread-safe. Programs written using these program languages are also not thread-safe by default. Thus, in order to create thread-safe programs, programmers must apply extra steps to ensure thread safety -- and these features must be specially provided and supported by the language. Now, what if a programming language is thread-safe by default?

We have been trapped in the smartphone's candy form factor since the iPhone launched in 2007. That's for more than a decade already! The business side of it shows easy success. However, it also stopped many companies to explore and innovate with new designs. Here are some ideas that I think companies should really seriously start pushing out in the wild...

Let me just drop this pseudocode here: https://gist.github.com/etmendz/435c8dd2a6d4982292ef37c364deef4f. Trainable, multi-tasking, and self-learning. ;-)

Google's Material design is beautiful. Microsoft's Fluent design is beautiful. Now what if we can have both of them in one beautiful Material Fluent or Fluent Material design? And what if it gets developed and maintained as the global standard UI/UX guidance.

Once in a while, a developer can be challenged by a new problem that puts him/her in the zone. This one happened recently and it's exhilarating! I have never encountered this problem before. Honest! And this is how I (eventually) solved it...

Modern robots are big, heavy and powerful. In many ways, they are designed to simulate what we already see as functional: hands, wrists, arms, elbows, feet, ankles, legs, knees, thighs, joints, hips, etc. Components that simulate these are common in the field of robotics. It is our nature to simulate the whole. But what if we stop a bit, step back a little and start small again?

Amazon's Prime Videos allows me to watch content from my Amazon Prime subscription, and to also buy/rent content not part of Prime. The convenience is beautiful. Now, I'm thinking, a brilliant competitor can be a merger of Netflix and Vudu. Right?

E-mail was created to intuitively simulate the experience of physically sending mails. This was cool and all. However, today's capabilities and demand for media rich instant messaging, audio/video calling, and collaborative communication redefine how we should be able to interact digitally, and, most important, how we can keep track of them all.

The web has used markup and markdown languages since forever. But what if we can use mark, just "mark", instead? Better yet, just like how HTML and XML are made standard, why not make Simple Object Notation (SON) and its variants standard for the web as well? Perhaps with the intent to replace markup and markdown in the near future.

Exposing our young generation to general computing and coding is still treated as special events in schools. There are hour of code events, learn to code tours, coding/programming electives and what have you. Why not make computing and coding one of the standard subjects in K-12?

We've seen roofs with or made of solar panels. We've seen solar panel glass windows. We've seen solar panel driveways. We've seen solar panel roads. How about solar panel buildings, bridges, houses, parking lots, etc.? We've seen them once or twice. We heard or read about them once or twice. But why aren't they everywhere?

Fingerprint scan, iris scan and facial recognition are popular biometric security features for devices and applications. More biometric technologies can be developed in the future. However, is there a global guiding standard that defines the amount of accuracy and detail that each of these technologies must meet in order to be considered effective and secure?

Companies recommend that we activate/install malware/virus protection software in our PCs and devices. If early detection is key, why not make them built-in to modems and routers, where malware/viruses are less likely to do harm to the user's actual PC/device? Sounds good? Read on...

For the most part, what we do with our devices include asking questions, issuing commands, finding information, launching applications, getting things done, etc. If you can voice it out, the computer can do it. If you can type it in and press enter, the computer can handle it. It's really just like sending messages and getting replies back, or receiving messages and replying back. So what if your basic OS UI is like a chat messenger?

Microsoft designs their Surface devices and Windows 10 to be compatible with digital pens. In fact, support for the pen is built-in. However, the pen is sold separately and risks getting separated from the device even with the magnetic watchamacallit on the side, which seems more like an afterthought to the overall design. Now what if, Microsoft makes the pen part of the Surface? Sounds good? Read on...

If you've seen that scene in the Iron Man movie where Tony Starks held up a transparent smartphone, you may be among the viewers in the theater who gasped and itched to search for that device on the Internet. And like everyone else who actually did, you were disappointed to find out it was all just Hollywood being Hollywood. But then again, what's the chance we can really own something like it? Let's count the ways...

In general, a cache is stored data that is supposedly faster to access than building or getting the data from a data source each time it is requested. A cache microservice can be created with the pure purpose of managing caches which include creating them, storing them, expiring them and broadcasting events about them. Sounds good? Read on...

If PWAs are good enough apps for most consumers, and if some PWAs can be approved access to specific hardware functions and APIs, a PWA-centric OS can be the next universal OS for consumers. Sounds good? Read on...

Most modern cars would have audio, navigation and other apps via built-in console. The annoying part really is that these apps are not necessarily updated the same way that smartphone apps are. Well how about this then: why not remove the car's built-in console and let the customer dock a smartphone for audio, navigation and other apps for the car? Sounds good? Read on...

Imagine a semi-dumb device: it has touch screen, microphone and speakers (plus, perhaps a couple of buttons for power and volume). By itself it doesn't do much. However, connect it to the cloud, and it's a fully powered smart device. Now imagine it's optimized for networking (like a TV) that its battery can last much, much longer -- days, weeks or even months. Sounds good? Read on...

Starting next month, As I See Tech updates will be posted on Wednesdays. If not, at least once a week. I am in the process of reviewing the content focus of As I See Tech and would like to start it this spring. Stand by for more announcements during the transition.

Usually, the way we put together an application results to sets of UI/UX that should appear to work together as one. Naturally, we create the application as a single project, which we then build and deploy as a single product. All is well and good. That is until microservices become the norm.

Stephen Hawking (Jan. 08, 1942 - Mar. 14, 2018) shall be remembered as the genius of our modern generation. His contributions to modern physics, cosmology and humor are as immense as they are great and commendable. My sincerest condolences to his family and loved ones. Although I cannot move and I have to speak through a computer, in my mind I am free.

We can imagine the worst about Earth because we know how bad we're treating her. For some of us, we look forward to escaping it all and moving out to space. Space is the final frontier. If not another habitable planet. Although it doesn't have to be. Regardless, there's a new and refreshed focus on space travel, all motivated by hope.

The problem with Microsoft's mobile PC strategy is that it is stuck in the last decade. It's long been tried to put (e)SIM cards to devices like tablets and laptops. As usual, you need to activate them with new data plans. In an age when most people already have smartphones, and likely with data plans already to go with them, forcing customers to add a new data plan just don't make sense.

Three or five years after you bought your device, their batteries would show signs of aging and death. Charging them would become more often and you'll find some common tasks actually draining the batteries faster. At a certain point, they may stop charging. You can replace the batteries or get a new device all together. Either way, in another three or five years, the cycle repeats.

Given a problem, we can think about solutions. There are levels of complexities that may require the use of tools and jotting down notes and drawing diagrams and what have you. Our brains can only handle so much. When you reach a point when things get chaotic anyway, it would greatly help to instead stop and negotiate breaking down what needs to be done, one step at a time.

MWC 2018 is happening. There would be some introduction to 5G, applied AI in mobile, and whatever they can attach "mobile" to. Things to come. Things to wait for. It's often what MWC is about: promises and what are promising.

It's always cool to have technologies assist in keeping us safe and secure. The key word is that they should "assist". They are not necessarily the end solutions. Security is not complete without "u". Unfortunately, you are also the weakest link. Acknowledging these is a good start. Let's review some more...

I search a lot. I do a lot of searches. It's good enough that you can find what you are looking for. But what if you get rewarded for it? Better, get rewarded anyway even if you don't find what you were searching. Microsoft's Bing is a search engine that could. It also rewards you just for using it.

The idea of creating APIs and templates to guide a team in developing an application can be nerve wracking to control freaks. The truth is, you can never stop a developer from bending the rules and doing something beyond the expected, and still get great results. There are developers who stick with the template provided to them, and there are those who brave themselves to explore. And this is where the fun begins.

Using Mendz.Data with Dapper and stored procedures is a great combination. It works well when the primary data source is just one database. Developers can centralize business rules in the database stored procedures. Mendz.Data-based repositories can then be used as the bridge between stored procedures and the domain's POCOs. Simple, right? Well... what happens then when you put transactions in the picture?

Gigabits per second is the new business rave for ISPs. Both wired and wireless are on a race. Whoever delivers first covering a wide scale with the most profitable investment could win the industry over. And there might be a fat chance 5G can succeed, if the price is right.

8K TVs are big at CES 2018. However, there is really no 8K content available. Heck, OTA broadcast TV doesn't even support 4K yet, granted ATSC 3.0 just got officially announced at the same CES event.

Is compact disc media dead? I have a Blu-ray player collecting dusts. I haven't used it for a long time. Netflix and Amazon Prime Videos are serving their purposes well for me. There is almost no need to buy or rent movies in CDs anymore. Should I sell my Blu-ray player? Will anyone buy it?

Apple released an ad that caused some controversy. Generally, it was hated. "What's a computer?" is almost an impossible question to hear nowadays. And it would likely be the most impossible question to hear in the future as well. The ad suggested otherwise... and that's where Apple got it all wrong.

It's surprising how you can be a tech geek and can't find anything to write about. I'm facing a blank wall right now. Nothing seems to catch my fancy. Considering CES 2018 is on-going. What's happening?!

When I tell a cable TV salesperson I don't have cable TV ever since, the next question I get is, "How are you watching TV then?" The young salesperson's face is remarkably genuinely innocent. It almost feels like I need to explain myself. It's as if, to this person, OTA TV was never invented yet.

One way to "kill" a technology is to launch it too soon. Apple's bet on 100% touchscreen smartphones back in 2007 proved that the world was ready. Although Apple was not the first in the touchscreen phone business, Apple's brave bet to venture first with touchscreen paid off. In most respects, their success was because the world was ready.

In the future, a "computer", or whatever name we'll call it, can be reduced to a ring. Yes, like the jewelry you can wear everyday. It will not have much to show on its own. But once paired with a display device or appliance, it can become everything we'll want a "personal computer" to be.

The world was shaken last week by a gloomy announcement: two security flaws were discovered that affect computers and devices down to the CPU level. Original news claimed they only affect Intel chips. Intel then said AMD and ARM-based chips are affected as well. A few admittance and denials later, one thing remained clear: the security flaws need to be dealt with ASAP.

To better manage and balance my workload, I have decided to post updates to As I See Tech twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Depending on how much free time I have, I may post more in a week. I'll continue to post updates in GitHub and NuGet, of course. Cheers!

I watched The Farthest: Voyager in Space at Netflix. All things considered, we can look back and see how much mankind has accomplished technologically. Although we're never physically out there, if you think about it, mankind has already gone beyond its reach. And it's not stopping.