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A quick burst of 7 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology team
Wildly popular BBM chat service to remain free >> CBC News
Andrew Bocking, executive vice-president of BBM for BlackBerry:
Bocking said BBM will turn a profit through a combination of marketing and advertising through some yet-to-be-launched features, such as BBM Channels.
Ads coming to BBM? That didn't take long, but I guess it has to monetise it somehow, and fast.
Google+ adds 18 new features for Video, Photos, Hangouts and more >> Pocket-lint
Before announcing the changes, Vic Gundotra, senior vice president at Google, confirmed that Google+ users upload 1.5 billion photos each week. There's also been a 20x increase in the number of videos uploaded. Speaking of users, Google said there are more than 300 million active users on Google+ right now.
300m active users? Google+ is now as big as WhatsApp - whether that's good or bad is for you to decide.
DON'T BREW THAT CUPPA! Your kettle could be a SPAMBOT >> The Register
Next question: could someone build a spambot small enough to hide in a kettle or iron? We see no reason why not: the components are small and cheap enough. One last wrinkle: could one convert Russia's 220v electricity supply to power a small electronic device without frying it, and without making an iron or kettle look rather odd? The answer is yes: all manner of tiny PCB transformers can be had to do the job.
Apparently your kettle could be spying on you. How dare they steal my curry recipe!
iPhone Touchscreen Accuracy – A lesson in understanding test requirements and goals >> Neglected Potential
Nick Arnott on testing touchscreen accuracy:
Looking at the displacement of taps as you move away from the green area, there’s a definite pattern. The more you move away from the easily-tappable area, the greater the “inaccuracy” of the tap. But the inaccuracy skews in a way that would make the target slightly closer to starting position of your thumb (which is likely the most frequently used digit for tapping). As your thumb stretches out from your hand, likely positioned near the bottom of the phone, the portion of your thumb that actually comes into contact with the screen when you tap changes. Your perception of the screen also changes slightly, as when you move higher on the screen, it’s less likely that you’re viewing the screen at exactly a 90 degree angle. These are factors that this automated test does not account for. The robot doing the test is viewing its tap target at a perpendicular angle to the screen. It is also tapping at a perpendicular angle every time. This isn’t generally how people interact with their phones.
Not all touchscreens respond linearly across their entire surface, and potentially for good reason.
Sticky GPS-tracking 'bullets' can help cops catch high-speed perps >> DVICE
Similar to a T-shirt cannon used in a sports stadium, Starchase is a compressed-air gun mounted to the front of a patrol car that contains sticky GPS "bullets." The bullets can adhere to the surface of the car in front of the cannon once launched. With the press of a button, the cannon grill flips open, and the Starchase GPS projectile hurls towards the car, all the while beaming back real-time GPS coordinates to a computer or phone long after the criminal speeds away.
Better make sure the your aim is spot on before pulling the trigger.
Sky's Now TV takes the fight to Netflix with PAYG Sky Atlantic >> TechRadar
Still, the prospect of being able to pay a much reduced fee to get access to shows like Boardwalk Empire, American Horror Story or, going forward, Game of Thrones without needed a Sky dish or any of the other channels you don't want may well be attractive.
Not quite a la carte, yet, but a good start for IPTV's expansion.
Virgin Media SmartCall now available: Make calls on your mobile using landline minutes >> Pocket-lint
Also, it won't use 3G or 4G data either at home or when roaming, so you won't go over your limit or incur further charges. And unlike BT's rival SmartTalk service, the app won't allow you to make calls outside of your landline package, so you won't incur charges that way either.
A smart app that automatically avoids extra fees from a network provider? Now there's a novel idea.
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