Friday, 14 February 2014

Real or not, 'iPhone 6' photos are everywhere

Purported iPhone 6 shell: The real deal? Maybe not.
Purported iPhone 6 shell: The real deal? Maybe not.
(Credit: MacRumors)
Purported iPhone 6 photos have landed. But the usual caveats apply about fakes when the real iPhone 6 is likely still in the testing stage at Apple.
First the caveat. "It is entirely unclear whether the device in the images is a legitimate iPhone 6prototype or whether it is a fake," according to MacRumors, which obtained the photos via an anonymous Twitter user. And indeed it may be a fake in the form of a render.
Other blogs that follow Apple quickly posted the photos too.
Some of this was driven by Sonny Dickson, known for photos of the iPad Air before its release, who posted a number of photos on Thursday in Australia where he is based.
That aside, MacRumors did a quick analysis about the size of the purported iPhone 6 shell. The conclusion: The photos show a phone that is 4.7 inches diagonally (the iPhone 5S is 4 inches) and 2.3 inches wide (the latter measurement the same as the iPhone 5S) .
In line with rumors, the device in the photosalso appears to be thinner.
Other rumors about the iPhone 6 that have gained currency include a sapphire glass display and a bezel-free design.
The 4.7-inch display in the photos comports with rumors that claim one version of the iPhone 6 will come in that size. Another larger, phablet-like device may be as large as 5.5 or 5.7 inches, according to recent speculation.
(Credit: Sonny DIckson)
Originally posted at Apple

Apple touts better working conditions as factory audits jump

Apple factory worker
A factory worker in Apple's supply chain, from the company's Supplier Responsibility 2014 Progress Report.
(Credit: Apple)
Apple is touting its success in improving working conditions across its international supply chain in a new Supplier Responsibility report. But as always, there's still work to be done.
The company on Thursday reported that it increased the number of supply chain audits to 451 last year. That's up from 298 in 2012. The 2013 audits covered nearly 1.5 million workers making Apple products. Apple also trained those workers on their rights, boosting the total number of educated workers to 3.8 million since 2007.
All in all, Apple's suppliers appear to be doing well in some areas, but need improvement in others. The company revealed that 87 percent of the factories it audited last year were in compliance with its anti-discrimination policies, requiring companies to employ people regardless of their race, age, gender, and several other attributes. Apple said that it found four facilities to be conducting pregnancy testing in violation of its anti-discrimination policies. Two others were testing for medical issues, such as Hepatitis B, the company reported.

Despite the good news, there were some areas that need improvement. Apple reported that overall compliance with its myriad worker-protection policies stood at 81 percent in 2013. Juvenile worker protection was the area needing the most work, with 73 percent compliance across the supply chain. On that front, Apple discovered that 50 facilities failed to provide juvenile workers with free health exams, violating the company's policies ensuring proper health and safety for younger employees.Apple's supply chain performed most effectively in three areas -- fair treatment of workers (96 percent compliance), prevention of underage labor (97 percent compliance), and freedom of association (99 percent compliance).
Apple also dinged its supply chain on wages and benefits, finding 75 percent compliance. The company discovered that 106 facilities failed to pay night-shift workers proper wages for holidays. Another 71 facilities underpaid on overtime. More than 100 facilities didn't provide "sufficient social insurance."
Apple's audits have helped quell unrest from years past that human rights violations were occurring across the technology industry supply chain. Apple enlisted the Fair Labor Association to independently audit its supply chain back in 2012 and has enacted increasingly stringent policies on suppliers as a result.
"Apple is deeply committed to expanding opportunities for the people who make our products and ensuring these workers are treated with respect and dignity," the company wrote in its Supplier Responsibility Report. "We will continue to work closely with our suppliers and stakeholders to provide fair and safe workplaces and protect the environment wherever Apple products are manufactured."

Google: Under-the-hood change helps Web apps on Chrome

Previously, Google paused to optimize its compiled version of JavaScript code. Now it performs the optimization in the background.
Previously, Google paused to optimize its compiled version of JavaScript code. Now it performs the optimization in the background.
(Credit: Google)
Google has taught Chrome how to walk and chew gum at the same time.
The newest Chrome beta version, 33, includes a feature called concurrent compilation that means the browser takes a smoother, faster trip to an optimized version of the Web page code it's running.
"Concurrent code compilation is another step towards reducing latency in Chrome," said Chrome programmer Yang Guo in a blog post Thursday.

Concurrent compilation takes advantage of the fact that most computers these days have multicore processors that can handle multiple simultaneous "threads" of programming instruction sequences. Chrome, like all modern browsers, converts the JavaScript code of Web pages and Web apps into faster-running native code through a process called optimization, but it's tricky to optimize code that's actually running.JavaScript performance is crucial to browsers, which increasingly run Web-based apps written in JavaScript, not just load relatively static Web pages.
Previously, Chrome would pause the execution of the code to tweak the compiled code into an optimized version. Now, though, that optimization takes place in the background without pausing execution.
"Execution continues alongside compilation, providing for a smoother user experience. For instance, concurrent compilation improved the Mandreel score of Octane 2.0 [a Google speed test] by 27 percent on a Nexus 5 and made graphic-intensive applications such as the Epic Citadel Demo run even smoother in Chrome," Guo said.

Not worried about Comcast-Time Warner Cable? You should be

Comcast's corporate headquarters in Philadelphia.
(Credit: Getty Images)
With Washington, D.C., snowed under, Time-Warner Cable and Comcast picked the perfect day to announce a controversial mega-merger.
That's because we're talking about a snow job of epic proportions.
Comcast has presented the proposed $45.2 billion combination, which would cobble together the country's biggest and second biggest cable and Internet companies, as being pro-consumer. I would expect nothing less. In a blog post, Executive Vice President David Cohenoffers a boilerplate list of particulars, but the gist is that since Comcast and Time-Warner Cable don't compete to serve customers in any ZIP code in America -- they call that "horizontal overlap" -- "the transaction will not harm competition or reduce consumers' choice in any way."
Cohen's entitled to his point of view and once the weather clears and the hired help in the nation's capital starts returning to work, Comcast's contention will get a serious airing. As it ought to receive. I'm awestruck at the enormity of corporate ambition but are there any major cable mergers which have led to lower prices? You're sure to hear a lot about why this is something America needs and that this time will be different. That's because Time-Warner Cable and Comcast know how the game gets played and they have the checkbooks to craft a concerted message. The two companies combined spent more than $25 million to buy lobbying clout last year.
But before the regulatory authorities crack open the books, I came across a couple of data points from a report last spring (PDF) by the advocacy group Free Press that are worth pondering:
  • Consumer Expenditures on cable and satellite TV grew at an average annual growth rate of 4.9% from 1983 to 2012.
  • From 2007-2011, multichannel distributors collectively increased the price of expanded basic cable service by 22 percent.
  • Rate hikes and other fee increases helped the industry increase video-segment revenues by 27 percent -- and this was when there was no growth in the total number of multichannel video subscribers.
And this from a survey by the Federal Communications Commission: the average price of "expanded basic" cable service consumers pay climbed from $25 per month in 1995 to $54.46 by 2011.
"It's pretty unbelievable. They own everything -- the conduit and the content," said A. Michael Noll, the former dean of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California and Bell Labs researcher. "Their power is too big -- and now they're going to become bigger? Good grief!
"Many many years ago, when I was in Washington, Robert Pepper at the FCC told me that in the old days we allowed cable companies to control the content in order to get going. He implied to me that the issue would get revisited. But it never got revisited and that's the problem with this merger," Noll said. "If they were just conduits like the phone company I wouldn't care. The issue is the content issue -- with them using that conduit control along with this incredible packaging of content that they've got."
Took the words from my mouth.
No word from Netflix and Hulu, whose execs remained huddled in their command bunkers trying to figure out what all this might mean. I understand their reticence to go public just yet but they obviously understand the worst-case scenario. The deal would create a new and lopsided power relationship which could get messy for streaming companies as well as for content creators and Internet companies. (For now, the court's recent Net neutrality decision will not have much effect for Comcast, which is locked into the old FCC rules under the conditions it accepted to get the NBC Universal deal passed. Comcast said those conditions would apply to TWC if it takes that company over.)
And while we're speaking about broadband, here's another statistic (spotted by Om Malik) that's worthy of an asterisk: The Comcast-Time-Warner Cable combination would create the nation's biggest broadband provider with about 33 million broadband connections. Were he around these days, even Adam Smith would recognize that as a lot of power to award to a single company.
Expanded basic cable price index includes services offered by wired cable, satellite, and some telco TV distributors.
(Credit: Free Press Research,FCC)
So might we see more standoffs between cable companies and broadcast networks like the one last summer pitting Time-Warner Cable and CNET's parent company, CBS? A dispute over pricing led to millions of customers losing their access to CBS for a month. Time-Warner ultimately buckled. But an enlarged Comcast would have much bigger muscles to flex in any future argument.
Maybe there is someone who can explain how what's good for Time-Warner and Comcast is good for the United States. That's not going to be an easy sell.

After a 30-year stay, Afghans begin vacating Mattani refugee camp

28 families leave for Afghanistan, five others to be moved soon. PHOTO: EXPRESS
PESHAWAR: Almost all Afghan families settled for the past 30 years at Mattani Refugee Camp have evacuated the premises, according to the focal person for Peshawar district administration, Muhammad Fawad.
Of the 33 families wanting to get repatriated to Afghanistan, 28 have already left while five others will be relocated within the next few days.
Fawad told The Express Tribune that a two-phase plan was chalked out by the district administration to shift Afghan refugees from Mattani and Jabba Jail camps to Garhi Chandan. In the first phase, families residing at Mattani camp were to be shifted, while 179 families living at Jabba Jail refugee camp will be relocated in the second phase.
Fawad said a four-member committee comprising Dr Rehmatullah, Jan Muhammad, Syed Muhammad and Pir Muhammad was formed from among the inhabitants of the camp. The committee is tasked with coordinating with the district administration to relocate the refugees.
The district administration official, however, revealed that all families were shifted to nearby areas rather than Garhi Chandan upon popular demand as refugees argued that their children were already enrolled at nearby schools while they held jobs at the brick kiln at Mattani camp.
The five remaining families awaiting repatriation to Afghanistan were shifted to the Village Refugee Centre to register themselves. They will be given $200 per head by the UNHCR. The UN’s refugee organisation will be providing transport for shifting the refugees’ luggage and tents.
Agha Jan, a 65-year-old refugee at the camp, told The Express Tribune the district administration had convinced the refugees to vacate the camps. “We had been living at the camp for the last 30 years, and residents of the area had always treated us with great love,” said Jan, tearing up. He said evacuation had started after successful negotiations between the Refugees Village Administration (RVA) and Peshawar district administration.
He lashed out at Afghan consulate officials, claiming that no one representing Afghan authorities in Pakistan had come to ask about their troubles at this critical juncture.
Meanwhile, Fawad revealed that Agha Mir and Gul Jan, who were arrested four days ago for allegedly convincing the refugees to not move out of Mattani camp, were released on Tuesday.
The district administration on Friday last week gave Afghan refugees 48 hours to evacuate their camps at Mattani. Authorities were also directed to reach the site with heavy machinery to demolish all structures erected at the campsite after the departure of refugees.

Saudi crown prince to visit for business, defence cooperation talks

During the visit, Prince Salman would hold talks with the president and the prime minister on bilateral and international matters of mutual interest. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
ISLAMABAD: The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, who also serves as the deputy prime minister and minister for defence of the kingdom, is scheduled to visit Pakistan from February 15-17 on the invitation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for talks on subject.
According to a Foreign Office (FO) release, the Saudi crown prince would be leading a high powered delegation including Minister of Economy and Planning Dr Mohammed bin Sulaiman Al-Jasser, Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al Rabiah, and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Nizar Bin Obaid Madani along with important Saudi businessmen.
The visit is of special significance since it would be his first visit to Pakistan after assuming this position. He had earlier visited Pakistan in 1998 when was serving as the governor of Riyadh.
During the visit, Prince Salman is expected hold talks with the President and the prime minister on bilateral and international matters of mutual interest.
Among other senior dignitaries, the minister for defence, the minister for finance, the speaker of the national assembly, the adviser to the prime minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs and the chief of Army Staff would be calling on the crown prince.
The key topics in the agenda include ways to increase export of Pakistani manpower to Saudi Arabia and to facilitate the Pakistani community residing in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Later, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam Khan explained that there is no specific reference to stationing of Pakistani troops in Saudi Arabia, though other defence matters are expected to come under discussion.
“We have been providing training to the Saudi Armed Forces. We would also be interested in sale of arms to Saudi Arabia like JF-17 Thunder and Mushshaq aircraft and other equipment.”
Categorically denying that Saudi Arabia was interested in acquiring nuclear arsenal from Pakistan, the spokesperson said “Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are not discussing nuclear cooperation.”
She added that Pakistani nuclear installations were safe with the country dealing with nuclear technology for more than 40 years. “We have a number of nuclear power plants in the civilian domain. We have a nuclear weapons program which is a declared one. We have extensive security regimes for both. Our civilian nuclear program is under IAEA safeguards and it is meant to provide energy and it is also used in agriculture and medical fields.”
She concluded that talks on nuclear installations was propaganda. “This campaign is motivated and baseless and we reject it.”
As for a draft defence-cum-security pact between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia having been prepared for signing during the visit of the Saudi Crown Prince, the FO spokesperson said a number of proposals are under consideration, and they will “probably be finalised over the next two or three days.”
Trade with India
On the issue of trade with India and postponement of its trade minister’s visit, the spokesperson said, that only the Indian side can answer for why they cancelled the visit.
On the resumption of the trade route across the Line of Control in Kashmir, the spokesperson said that Pakistan did not want to create impediments in trade.
“We have already decided to restore trade because it is for the Kashmiris and for their interaction and benefit. We decided that Pakistan should not be the one creating any impediments. We do hope that similar gestures would be visible from the other side.”
She elaborated, “Now it is up to the local authorities to decide how they want to proceed with this.… India had proposed that we should hold the meeting of the Joint Working Group on cross-LoC CBMs.”
This meeting, the foreign spokesperson said, is likely to take place in Delhi during this month probably after Feb 22 or 23. We hope that during this meeting, we will be able to work out and agree on some arrangements to improve the systems on the line of control (LoC) and monitoring of the cargo that goes both ways so that any incident of this nature does not happen in future. “
About the minister’s allegation that there was no clarity on Pakistan side regarding granting MFN status to India, she said, “We agreed on certain timelines. There were Pakistan’s concerns that were presented when the two commerce ministers met and there were Indian concerns. They agreed on a number of measures and timelines to achieve those. Since the meeting was held in India, we expected the Indian side to provide the agreed points to us that we discussed. But when the communication arrived, it somehow skipped some parts that were of interest to Pakistan. We have sought a clarification that is where the matters are at the moment. I think, visit may have been cancelled because we still did not have the clarity on how to proceed forward.”
Karzai and Obama stalemate
To a question regarding stalemate between President Karzai and President Obama on signing the BSA, the spokesperson said, “We are very clear that we want peace and stability and we are willing to help in whatever way we can. When and how the US and Afghanistan sort out whatever differences they have, is their business.”
However, the spokesperson added that Pakistan’s reservations on use of Afghan soil also extended to the use of bases on the other side of the Durand line.
Drone strikes in Pakistan are directly related to BSA because there are four air bases in Afghanistan from where drones are operated, she explained, “When we say that Afghan territory should not be used against Pakistan, it covers drone attacks as well. About the spillover effect, yes, we are aware of that.”
She added, “There is a question of Afghan refugees as well. Return of those who are already here and apprehensions that if the security situation is not stable, more refugees may pour in. So we have these concerns and that is why we have very high stakes in peace and stability in Afghanistan. We are working with the Afghan government and other international partners.”
To a query whether Pakistan is looking to expand its relations with NATO beyond 2014, the foreign office spokesperson replied, “We have ongoing engagement; we have regular dialogue at various levels, and there are also some mechanisms that are under consideration on how to formalise our dialogue and cooperation.

Male, female or custom? Facebook's new gender options

The social network's latest initiative was given more than 4,000 likes on the page, and mostly favorable comments.. PHOTO: REUTERS
SAN FRANSISCO: Facebook on Thursday freed members from the bonds of being either male or female, letting people opt for custom genders such as transsexual or “intersex” at the social network.
Along with adding scores of “custom gender” options on profile pages, Facebook is letting members select which pronouns they wish to be used when being referred to in posts or messages.
Facebook users could opt to be referred to as “he/him” or “she/her,” or by a neutral “they/their” choice.
“While to many this change may not mean much, for those it affects it means a great deal,” Facebook said in a post at its Diversity page that included a picture of a giant rainbow flag on display on the company’s campus in the Silicon Valley city of Menlo Park.
Facebook said it worked with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activist groups to create a thorough list of gender options, which can be found in an “other” category on any Facebook profile “About” page.
Custom genders are only available to those who use Facebook in US English but the company plans to expand the range in the future.
Feedback in a forum at Facebook’s Diversity page was mostly positive, with some suggesting a need for even more description options and others insisting that biology limits the choices to male or female.
Facebook’s move will make “great strides” in supporting young people whose sexual identities don’t conform to traditional societal norms, according to US-based gay advocacy group Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
“Over the past few years, a person’s Facebook profile truly has become their online identity, and now Facebook has taken a milestone step to allow countless people to more honestly and accurately represent themselves,” said HRC president Chad Griffin.
A survey of 10,000 lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender youth published on Thursday by HRC revealed that nearly 10% of them put themselves in a “gender-expansive” group that could benefit from Facebook’s move.
Two-thirds of the surveyed people in that group wrote in genders such as queer, gender-fluid, and “non-binary,” which means they feel they are neither male nor female, or some combination of both.
The survey also indicated that “gender-expansive” youth were less likely to say they were happy, fit into their communities, or had an adult at home they could turn to.
Facebook said on its official Diversity page: “When you come to Facebook to connect with the people, causes, and organizations you care about, we want you to feel comfortable being your true, authentic self.
“An important part of this is the expression of gender, especially when it extends beyond the definitions of just ‘male’ or ‘female.’”
The social network’s latest initiative was given more than 4,000 likes on the page, and mostly favorable comments.
One user, Katarina wrote: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have made me feel like a real person and I cannot tell you how much that matters.”
There were however dozens of others, including a user called Shannon Sha, who said: “Great option, but needs to be added in every country.”