Waterproof iPhone is not a prank?

Unlike the Sony Xperia Z and Galaxy S4 Active, the iPhone originally isn’t waterproof. There was a prank circulating on the net that claims that the iPhone will be waterproof when you update the OS to IOS 7. The fake ad said that the emergency shut off feature of the IOS 7 will be triggered when the phone is submerge into water. This will prevent any damage to the iPhone’s circuitry. Though the ad is fake, the waterproof iPhone is not fake when it is coupled with waterproof case like Atlas Incipio or OtterBox, the iPhone could be submerged under water  and users can use their camera to capture underwater images. Another way to make it waterproof is by applying protective coating like what Liquipel offered.

Research: How to Navigate Without GPS?

The Global Positioning System (GPS) was initially intended for military applications, but it has been embedded in many commercial devices these days. One common use of GPS is for navigation. Though the GPS can be used almost everywhere, it doesn't work well when the signal is unreachable such as inside most buildings, in caves and other subterranean locations, tunnels and underwater. In this case,  Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) will be able to offer a new navigation perspective. SLAM is the process by which a mobile robot can build a map of an environment and at the same time use this map to compute its own location. It will be able to solve the current GPS navigation problem by imitating how human and animal navigate. Typically human use their eye sight to determine its current position by relatively positioning themselves with respect to another object's location before being  directed from one place to another. To get to a specified location X, a subject might be asked to find Landmark A on their left, Landmark B on their right and Landmark C ahead. Based on these landmark they can decide to turn left or right and proceed with the next landmark. Therefore, despite of using GPS, an on board sensor such as camera can be used as an alternative way to navigate. The SLAM process will involve image recognition technique to recognize (and associate) the landmark and estimation technique to estimate the position. When the SLAM is fully functional, you can aspect to easily find a specific outlet in a shopping mall, study the navigation behavior of a sea turtle underwater for conservation purpose and construct the world map automatically. 

BitTorrent is Legal? Back into the Google Search Suggestions

BitTorrent is a form of P2P (peer to peer) file sharing protocol that uses a swarm-like approach to file sharing. Due to how Google deals with infringement, BitTorent was once block by Google search engine's auto-complete suggestions. But now if you type "bitt", the "bittorent" pops up again. 

BitTorent works by splitting large files into hundreds of small bit of files and then sharing those bits across a "swarm" of dozens of linked users. The advantage of torrents is that the users themselves do the actual file serving. The torrents ensures that downloads contain only what they claim to contain by filtering out corrupted and dummy files. Its never been illegal for people to use torrent for example to download Linux distribution software or to download virtual machine for VMware. Music, movies or video games can also be legal since many indie bands and game developer are willing to distribute their works for free just to be heard rather than being ignored. Torrents becomes illegal when their distribution did not receive the owners permission. 

BBM for Andriod and iPhone - Android just have to wait a little longer

The leaked version of BBM for Andriod and iPhone has been reported to have more than 1.1 million active users in the first 8 hours. BBM fans with Android however have to wait  a little longer due to problems with the unreleased Android version.Customers who have already downloaded BBM for iPhone will be able to continue to use BBM.

Tomato Fight in August and Apple Fight in September

Tomato fight La Tomatina hit Spain every last Wednesday of August to celebrate Bunol festival. But this September is the fight for Apple iPhone 5s and iPhone 5C. At least two were arrested after a fight broken out at an Apple store in Pasadena, California. The fight began when a man hired to stand in line claimed not being paid enough.

Data loss: Where is my deleted files?

Have you experienced data loss whether you accidentally deleted your files or do not have any clue why the data you have saved lost?  There are two major reasons for data loss. Data loss can be caused by software (e.g. virus, mis-format, mis-clone, deletion) as well as hardware (bad sector, power cut, head damage, circuit panel problem) reasons. So when you delete your data, most of the time you don't delete them completely. The data are still in the memory just that the computer point elsewhere. Its just like marking the contents of a book as empty although the actual chapter is still there. In a hardware case, one example of a data loss can be caused by misalignment between the read/write head and the tracks on the spinning plate. Software related data loss can be recovered using data recovery software whereas hardware related data loss needs hardware fixing or replacing parts.In a new secondary storage like Solid State Drive (SSD) and Solid State Hybrid Drive (SSHD), the recovery is much harder since the new storage use NAND flash technology which utilize integrated circuit assemblies as memory. Unlike its Hard Disk Drive (HDD) predecessor, the data inside flash based memory is not easy to tap and recovered. 

Suicide? Facebook Help is Just a Click Away

September 10 each year is the World Suicide Prevention Day that aims to raise awareness that suicide is preventable, improve education about suicide, spread information about suicide awareness and decrease stigmatization regarding suicide. For this purpose, Facebook has taken an initiative to use its massive social network to decrease suicide globally. Members will be able to report, search or visit help center for more information on suicide. 

Malaysia Suicide Helpline
The Befrienders Kuala Lumpur
95 Jalan Templer
Petaling Jaya
46000 Selangor Darul Ehson
Helpline 1: (03) 7956 8144
Helpline 2: (03) 7956 8145
Website: www.befrienders.org.my Email Helpline: sam@befrienders.org.my

Lifeline Association of Malaysia
71-2nd Floor, Jln Jejaka 2
55100 Taman Maluri, Kuala Lumpur.
Helpline 1: (603) 92850039
Helpline 2: (603) 92850279
Helpline 3: (603) 92850049