Solve Complex Math Problems by Snapping a Picture!!!!!!

An amazing app was developed and launched last October, which essentially solves complex mathematics equations by just pointing the camera of your smartphone to the equation. The app then uses character recognition software and a set of algorithms to solve the equation. I recently had the opportunity to try out this app, called PhotoMath (which is available for free on the App Store, Play Store, and Window Store). Although the app had a little trouble solving extremely complex equations, most of the equations I threw at it (from my college math course), it was able to solve within 3 seconds tops, and also, the developers are working on an updated version, which would be capable of solving a wider variety of complex mathematical equations. Furthermore, not only does the app give you the answer to the equation, but it also provides step to step guidelines on how it went about solving said equation. I think that this is a marvelous app, once used for the right reasons.  I would definitely recommend the use of PhotoMath for rechecking your answers, but certainly not for solving the equation before even attempting it. As I mentioned above, the app is free for all Android, Apple and Windows mobile devices, so feel free to check PhotoMath out when you get the chance. You have nothing to lose, and trust me, you won't be disappointed.

https://photomath.net/en/

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photomath/id919087726

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microblink.photomath

Windows: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/photomath/1f25d5bd-9e38-43f2-a507-a8bccc36f2e6

References

PhotoPay. (2014, July 11). Photomath [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlbVB50mIh4

Foldable Smartphone Coming in 2016!

According to an article by Malarie Gokey, Samsung is planning on bringing a fully foldable smartphone into the market next year. Details about exactly how foldable or flexible the device would be is yet to be released. While I respect Samsung for being the innovators that they are, I honestly fail to see the point or the motivation behind creating a foldable smartphone. Haven't we already seen foldable phones, i.e. flip phones? I would rather have the current bar-shaped design than going back to the days of the flip phone, but that's just my opinion. Even if the phone will be flexible, rather than merely foldable, I still don't see why someone would want a phone that can bend. What exactly would such a smartphone be able to do better than the flat-screen smartphones that exist today? Act as a bending toy for babies? Please leave your opinions below on the topic and if you somehow have other uses of the foldable/flexible smartphone, please enlighten me!

                                               References

Gokey, M. (2015, March 24). Samsung wants to give you a smartphone you can fold in 2016. Digital Trends. Retrieved from http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/foldable-smartphone-screens-possible-in-2016/

New Google Wristband Detects Cancer!

In a recent article by Williams Pelegrin, a new wristband is said to be under development by Google. Now this wristband, if successfully created, will be able to detect cancer cells in a person's body. Furthermore, it is said that the wristband would be able to gather all infected cells and generate energy to the blood vessels, to either modify or destroy those cancer cells. The article goes on to further explain that this band, or at least, the technique used in the band, could also be used for other diseases, such as HIV. I think that this is a marvelous idea by Google. But, due to the recent flop of Google Glass and a whole list of other Google products, I can't help but ask myself, can we really get our hopes up for such a wristband? What do you think?

References

Pelegrin, W. (2015, March 26). A wristband that can detect cancer cells? It could become a reality in five years. Digital Trends. Retrieved from http://www.digitaltrends.com/wearables/google-patent-wristband-detects-cancer/

Keep Android Phone Unlocked!

I recently read an article on The Verge called "New Android Feature Keeps your Phone Unlocked While it's in your Pocket" which stated that a new optional feature to be rolled out on android devices would keep the device unlocked, once it is in on a person, i.e, hand, pocket, bag etc.. The feature would do this using the phones built-in accelerometer (D'Orazio, 2015). I soon began to wonder who would even want to use this feature. Such a feature would more quickly run down the battery (which already struggles to keep a charge for a single day) of those android devices. Androids are not quite popular for battery life. All those power-consuming useless gimmicks, now coupled with this feature that would keep my phone screen on as long as it's in my pocket, can only lead to disaster. Instead of charging my android 3 to 4 times per day, I now may have to charge it 30 to 40 times per day, due to the fact that the screen (the part of the device that consumes most energy), would be on as long as I have my phone on me (which is like 90% of the day). Furthermore, since the screen would be active in my pocket, the rubbing of the screen may accidentally open apps, make calls and a whole list of other stuff that could only lead to embarrassment and more battery drainage. And don't even get me started on theft. Say for instance, someone grabs your phone while you're using it and shoves it in his/her pocket and runs away. Now, if you don't have the aforementioned feature, then there is a great chance that the phone might lock before the thief has a chance to use it. With the feature however, said thief will have access to the phone as long as he/her does not rest the phone down (on a desk for example). While I see this feature having few benefits, let us not get ahead of ourselves here and sacrifice security and efficiency for convenience. Technology is here for the good of mankind and I'm 100% confident that this feature would not be contributing to that mantra.

References

D'Orazio, D. (2015, March 21). New android feature keeps your phone unlocked while it's in your pocket. The Verge. Retrieved from http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/21/8270425/android-on-body-detection-security-option-leaked

    

Need to Unlock Someone's iPhone? Get this Black Box!

I recently read an article on Business Insider called "A Little Black Box Makes it Easy to Unlock Almost Any iPhone Even When it's Secured with your Fingerprint" which confirmed that a small black box, called "IP-BOX", is capable of accessing iPhones, provided that the said phone is locked with the ''four-digit code method" (Cook, 2015). The article went on to further explain how the device uses a process known as "bruteforcing" to guess the phone's passcode. Let me explain how it works. Say for instance, you bought an iPhone and decided to lock it with a four digit code. I then steal your brand new iPhone but have no use for it due to the lock that you imposed on it. Hence, i go onto Aliexpress.com and purchase the IP-BOX V5 for just US$139. When I receive the device, I connect it to the stolen iPhone and the IP-BOX automatically enters (one code at a time), every possible four digit code, ranging from 0000 all the way to 9999. A few questions were initially raised in my mind, the first one being, "what about the limit of 10 incorrect passcodes on iPhones?" After further reading of the article, it turned out that the IP-BOX has a secondary connection to the phone's battery, which would cut the power and restart the phone before the phone could recognize the possible hacking. My next question, naturally, was, "well how exactly would the box know when to power off the device?" The article then went on to state that the IP-BOX uses a light sensor to "monitor the levels of light coming out of the phone screen, and detect changes. If it notices a change, that means the screen has been unlocked, and the password was correct" (Cook, 2015, para. 6). Thus, if the sensor did not pick up a change, the box would automatically know that the passcode was incorrect. I have to give props to the creator of this brilliant invention. But, although it can indeed be used to aid people who have miraculously forgotten their four-digit passcode, we have to keep in mind, that it can also encourage theft of iPhones as shown in my example above, and even violation of privacy. What I would advice iPhone owners/users to do, is to choose the longer worded option for a password, rather than the simple four-digit code. By doing this, you would ensure that even if your iPhone was stolen, the thief would not be able to access it as easily as if it had a four-digit passcode.

References

Cook, J. (2015, March 19). A little black box makes it easy to unlock almost any iphone even when it's secured with your fingerprint. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://uk.businessinsider.com/how-to-unlock-almost-any-iphone-2015-3

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/IP-BOX-V5-FOR-IPhone-2G-3G-4-4s-5-5c-5s-IPAD-UNLOCK-Passcode-and/927318_32224287130.html