Tablet review: BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition

As employees have become more and more flexible in recent years thanks to the power and performance of mobile devices, the way we work has changed dramatically.

We frequently chop and change between smartphones, tablets and laptops for different tasks, which has led to the growth of the hybrid market – devices such as Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 and Apple's iPad Pro – that provide the power and functionality of a laptop with the mobility and convenience of a tablet.

The latest company to try and tempt users onto one device that covers all eventualities is BQ, a Spanish firm that earlier this year released the first ever Ubuntu-powered tablet in the form of the Aquaris M10.

The open-source Linux-based Ubuntu operating system, created by British company Canonical, may not be well known to the majority of people, but it has long been a favourite amongst developers and is unique in that it is a single software platform running across smartphones, tablets and PCs alike.

The Aquaris M10 is certainly an interesting proposition for Ubuntu fans, having the ability to switch between a tablet and a fully-fledged PC, so we took a closer look to see what it has to offer.

Design and display

Let's start with some of the key design stats. The M10 measures 246 x 171 x 8.2 mm and weighs 470g, which isn't exactly lightweight but still light enough to hold in one hand relatively comfortably for short periods of time. The back is made out of a matte black plasticy material which, despite feeling somewhat tacky, means the tablet is not likely to slip out of your hands and doesn't get covered in pesky fingerprints.

On the front, BQ has placed speakers near the bottom corners, which look quite smart and give the device a satisfyingly symmetrical look when held in the default horizontal position. The bezels around the display do look quite big, which could be a pain point for some people depending on personal preference, but all in all the M10 has a clean, and familiar appearance.

One factor that will make a lot of people very happy is the amount of ports included. With a micro USB, micro HDMI, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an SD card slot there's enough to keep everyone happy without a sacrifice on design.

The display is a 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with two different resolutions available depending on whether you opt for the HD or Full HD version. The HD display has a 1280 x 800 resolution with a pixel density of 149 ppi, whilst the Full HD tablet comes in at 1920 x 1200 and 224 ppi. Both are multi-touch, with a capacity for up to 10 fingers at any one time and have three different modes of tap response: tap, double tap and long press.

Our review sample came with the Full HD version which does a solid job without being spectacular. There's a large range of brightness available to suit any situation and colours appear clear without having the extra crispness you get with a high-end device.

Mobile workers using the Aquaris M10 for emails or documents whilst on the move will be happy enough, although watching videos or looking at high resolution pictures won't be quite so satisfying.

Cameras

The 8-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front snapper, despite not setting the world alight, actually take some fairly decent photos. The lack of flash means they both tended to suffer in low light and the contrast isn't fantastic, but both cameras have autofocus and for a budget device they should satisfy your camera needs – especially if this is primarily a work device.

When held in landscape mode, an arrow appears at the bottom for me to swipe up. From reading other reviews I understand that reveals some extra camera options, but for the life of me I couldn't get it to work on my device. I don't know whether it was me or the tablet, but that arrow just sat there taunting me, so I only had access to the most basic camera functionality.

Video is shot at 1080p and wasn't as smooth as I was expecting. Videos tended to judder along and had the tendency to crash the Camera Roll app when I tried to play them, so if you shoot a lot of videos either for work or pleasure this probably isn't the device for you.

Software

Seeing as this was my first proper experience using the Ubuntu operating system, I was excited to see what it would have to offer and looking forward to trying something new.

Unfortunately for Canonical, Android and iOS are now so advanced and familiar that it's always going to be hard to make a dent, especially in the first iteration of a tablet. And that right there is one of the main problems. There's nothing majorly wrong with the software at all, but it's hard not to compare it with the others on offer and the general user experience just doesn't quite match up.

The M10 does, however, have some nice features. The main menu is split into seven different sections: Today, Nearby, Apps, News, Music, Video and Photos. I would argue that they aren't all necessary due to quite a lot of crossover, but there are some nice touches such as local landmarks and concerts from Yelp and Songkick respectively which give some added context.

The Apps section comes pre-loaded with a wide variety of offerings, including the likes of Amazon eBay, Telegram and HERE maps, which has most of the early bases covered. The app store is limited in that it looks a bit bare – you'd have to know what you were looking for rather than having a plethora of options shown to you as in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

The News section comes with Spanish site El Pais installed – which obviously isn't any use unless you can speak Spanish – but music fans will love the Music section which shows popular tracks on SoundCloud, nearby concerts and popular YouTube tracks.

In use

Under the hood, the M10 sports a MediaTek MT8163 processor, with a 64-bit Cortex-A53 CPU, clock speeds of up to 1.3GHz and 2GB of RAM. All in all, it offers substandard performance for this day and age. Frequent stuttering, especially when more than one app is opened at once and latency during videos and games shows the processor's general lack of power.

One of the most important features of any modern tablet is flexibility, a necessity for mobile workers who need to be able to seamlessly switch between tablet and PC whilst on the move.

The M10 doesn't come with a keyboard, but for our review we received a Logitech k480 Bluetooth multi-device keyboard which I am using to write this portion of the review. This particular tablet-keyboard combination certainly isn't the most stylish, but connecting the devices was simple and responsiveness in the Notes app has so far been sound.

We also received a Tecknet mouse to complete our mobile PC. Whilst connecting the devices was, again, very straightforward, responsiveness hasn't been quite so smooth with the pointer prone to stuttering it's way across the screen. There are also a couple of slight user experience issues, such as the hidden toolbar on the left hand side of the screen which doesn't always want to pop out when you hover over it.

Having said that, the M10 is a decent size for using on your lap and is light enough to comfortably use for extended periods of time. You can do everything you would expect – browse the web, check emails etc – and a nice feature is that the touchscreen can still be used when the keyboard and mouse are connected, again giving that extra level of flexibility for users.

Charging the device wasn't entirely straightforward as the M10 only comes with a European power socket. The battery isn't especially slow to drain, but when plugged into a computer it doesn't exactly charge quickly, so you'll want to invest in a UK adaptor.

Verdict

The Aquaris M10 is very much a first attempt for BQ and you would expect future iterations to have some significant improvements. It's also hard to find compelling reasons why iOS or Android fans would want to switch over to an Ubuntu tablet, but those familiar with the operating system should be excited to finally have their needs met in the tablet market.

One positive factor is that switching between tablet and desktop mode works very well for the most part, so can definitely fulfill professional needs as much as casual ones. This could be a viable option for someone who wants that flexibility and isn't too fussed about some of the more superficial features.

Aspects such as the cameras, display and build quality could all be improved, but are about right for the price point in this unspectacular but solid device.

With the HD version costing €229.90 (£187) and the full HD tablet coming in at €279.90 (£227), the M10 offers decent value for money and provides a solid platform for BQ to build on in the future.

Pros

Decent tablet-PC convergence

Lightweight for use on the move

Cons

Processor lacking power

No camera flash

Disjointed user experience

Juddering video recording

Company ReleasePrice ITProPortalReview Company Site BQ £227 6/10 Leave a comment on this article
Source: Tablet review: BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition

Why free Wi-Fi kiosks in NYC can't stop people from watching porn in public

Private habits are becoming more public as cities like New York build free Wi-Fi kiosks on busy street corners.

LinkNYC has launched more than 300 stations in New York this year by transforming old payphone booths into digital towers. Each is equipped with USB charging ports, high-speed Wi-Fi access and an Android-powered tablet that anyone can use for free.

But over the past few weeks, there's been an uptick in reports of people using the kiosks to access porn in public -- and even pleasuring themselves while doing so.

Many of these people are homeless, according to the New York Post, with Penn Station and Port Authority Bus Terminal becoming especially problematic areas.

While watching porn in public is not a crime, pleasuring yourself in public is an act of public lewdness. Those caught in the act are arrested, according to the New York Police Department.

Related: Google wants to beam super-fast Wi-Fi into your home

LinkNYC says i t has put many measures in place to try to prevent this type of activity, but it says it's hard to solve the problem completely.

Ruth Fasoldt, Community Affairs Manager for LinkNYC, told CNNMoney the kiosk's tablets use a professional-grade content monitoring system similar to what's already in place at thousands of businesses, schools and libraries across the country. And even though the system "is constantly being updated and adjusted to block inappropriate content," it can't catch everything.

The challenges are due to new websites constantly popping up on the internet that can't get blocked in real-time. Even general audience platforms such as Tumblr or YouTube can contain materials that some might find stimulating.

Companies that provide filtering technology are also reluctant to block certain keywords or limit services to a set number of websites because people have different needs for looking things up.

For instance, one user might put in ce rtain keywords to search for a local gay bar, while another might be looking for porn. It's difficult for a simple word filtering system to predict intent.

In April, LinkNYC activated Google SafeSearch to try to curb abuse, but the move isn't fully sufficient. Someone who really wants to see a naked woman could get around the system by searching for terms that raise less flags.

"The problem is that the internet is very big," said Richard Ford, CTO of Forcepoint, a cybersecurity company which provides web filtering services.

But he notes there are ways to learn more about what a user is finding. For example, by looking at the URL of a website, which can include words such as "porn," a system can determine more about its content. And the "gold standard" is looking at the contents itself, such as other links within the page or file names. There's also the issue of getting around encrypted websites that can skirt filtering systems.

"It's more invasive and more intensive," Ford said of the possible methods.

Related: Inventor of the cell phone says this is the next big thing

LinkNYC wants to build at least 7,500 free Wi-Fi kiosks in New York City over the next eight years, so this is a problem that will likely grow if left unresolved.

Maya Worman, a spokeswoman from the New York City Department of IT, told CNNMoney that the city will work with the kiosk operators to "enhance and adjust as needed."

"While no content filtering system can ever be perfect, [LinkNYC partners are] constantly monitoring and updating LinkNYC to block inappropriate content on the tablets," Worman said. "We are focused on the greater good Link is already providing and will continue to provide as the project matures and expands."

The kiosks intend to help people stay connected to high-speed web access and communication tools wherever they are in the city. A group of companies in charge of LinkNYC, including Google (GOOGL, Tech30)'s parent company Alphabet, says its tablets are used more than 50,000 times a week, and that making free calls is one of the most popular tasks.

Advertising displayed on the sides of the towers help cover the costs of the services.

Source: Why free Wi-Fi kiosks in NYC can't stop people from watching porn in public

Beware of blue monster! Doctors claim children as young as three are suffering 'irreversible eye damage' due to excessive blue light exposure of smartphones and tablets

By Astha Saxena

Published: 18:05 EST, 30 July 2016 | Updated: 18:05 EST, 30 July 2016

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Dev Singh, 15, got addicted to playing the popular game 'Pokemon Go', spending hours on his smartphone. 

This continued till the itchiness in his eyes led to redness and pain. Little did his family know that the blue light emissions from digital devices were causing a severe damage to the teen's eyes. 

"One day, he complained of pain in his eyes that had become watery. Not only this, he had regular headache. We decided to take him to a doctor where we got to know that the incessant exposure to the mobile light had affected his eyesight," said Deep Kiran, his sister who works as a marketing professional. 

Little did 15-year-old Dev Singh's family know that the blue light emissions from smartphone were causing a severe damage to the teenager's eyes.

A class XI student, Singh has been now advised to spend less ti me on any type of gadgets.

According to experts, children who use smartphones and tablets are at a risk of irreversible eye damage. 

"The trend is extremely disturbing. We are getting kids as young as three who have eye problems because of watching videos, TV and movies. Parents complain that the kids do not eat if they are not allowed to watch TV," said Dr Geetha Srinivasan, senior consultant, pediatric ophthalmology, ICARE Hospital.

While these conditions can be treated and prevented with regular screen breaks and exercises, hazards of accrued exposure to blue light are still relatively unknown. 

Children are especially at risk when it comes to negative effects of blue light exposure from smartphones and tablets

Research puts blue light as most powerful in suppressing melatonin, the hormone that controls the s leep-wake cycle. 

Children are especially at risk when it comes to negative effects of blue light exposure. Simran Kaur, another 15- year-old, has a similar story. 

"She started to complain of headache regularly. All her work is nowadays done on the computer and in the free time, she is always playing games. No one in our family has weak eyesight but now she has been asked to wear spectacles," said mother Deepa Kaur. 

Doctors add that a lot of homework is nowadays done online, and many children have access to digital devices that they use for longer periods of time. 

Studies show the exposure to blue light a couple of hours before bedtime suppresses melatonin and delays deep sleep significantly. 

"So cutting back on tech use at night means getting better sleep, making people more productive at both work and sc hool," added Dr Srinivasan. 

The effects of blue light on vision can be wide ranging, depending on how much time a child spends staring the screen. 

If we look at the harmful effects from a long-term perspective, it may lead to juvenile macular degeneration and soon, a point may come when the eye cannot see the real colours properly. 

Short-term and immediate effects include formation of a red eye, lack of concentration and sleep, bodyache, change in psychological attitude, etc. 

"I get about four-five such cases per month. Initially the family is unaware of the cause, but when they bring their children to us, they get to know about the root cause. Overexposure to the smartphone screen has many adverse effects on the physical and psychological behaviour of the children," said Dr Sanjay K Tandon, a senior consultant- Paediatrics & Neonatol ogy. 

A child needs eight hours of peaceful sleep daily to remain fit and active. 

Excessive addiction to mobile phones distracts the mind and disturbs his or her sleep-wake cycle. 

The risk is less for adult eyes which have a natural defence. 

As we age the lens starts getting yellowish which partially blocks out the blue light. 

Since children's eyes are still developing, blue light is able to penetrates much more efficiently and directly into the retina. 

"The numbers of cases are increasing and more youngsters are coming to us with the problem. Exposure to blue lights leads to stress, cataract, unstable concentration, headache and retinal degeneration," said Dr Sanjay Verma, HOD, ophthalmology, Paras Hospital. 

Youngsters are advised to spend less time on video gaming.

"They should wear protective glasses, reduce brightness of the electronic devices and avoid small screen phones. One should keep the fonts big to avoid strain on the eyes," added Dr Verma.  

Source: Beware of blue monster! Doctors claim children as young as three are suffering 'irreversible eye damage' due to excessive blue light exposure of smartphones and tablets

$35 for a round of golf? Boynton Beach wants to get the word out

Colin Groff can't give enough compliments to The Links, Boynton Beach's public golf course.

"It's a beautiful course. It has a lot of amenities. It's a great place to go play. It's very inexpensive."

The problem?

"A lot of people don't know it's there," said Groff, an assistant city manager.

The city and the course's head golf professional, Ron Tapper, have a plan.

New programs, new greens, attention to children's activities, family fun, and maybe even an expansion are all being talked about for the future of the course on Jog Road south of Hypoluxo Road. The course is outside city limits but owned by Boynton.

For years the course, which runs on its own budget, thrived. But during the recession, golf wasn't as important to players, and the number of rounds played annually fell. To battle the loss, in 2014, prices increased for the first time since at least 2008. Last year, the city agreed to give the course about $240,000 at its request.

This budget year, the course proposed about an $880,000 budget for administration, which is about a 12.4 percent decrease from last year, and about $864,000 for maintenance, a nearly 15 percent decrease from last year. But with that came the conversion of five full-time positions to part time and replacing seven part-time employees with volunteers.

Still, Groff says, the course is in a better position financially.

The Links, which includes an 18-hole, par-71 course and a 9-hole "family" course,is up to about 61,000 rounds per year. An 18-hole daily fee in the summer is $35 at the most, and in season $51 at the most. The course has had upgrades such as new Yamaha carts and GPS tablets.

Groff has a wish-list of improvements to be made, but first the course needs to make more money. At its peak, the course had 80,000 to 85,000 rounds per year. If it gets to about 70,000 per year, the improvements, such as modernizing the clubhouse and adding pads to the carts for comfort, can happen.

One big change is already planned. Earlier this month, city commissioners agreed to loan the course about $300,000 for new greens, to be installed next summer. The current greens are from the 1960s, Groff said. New grass is tougher and more springy so the golf balls roll truer, he said.

Commissioner Joe Casello, who plays at the course, said the greens will make a difference, and it's necessary.

"I think that it's a commitment by the city first and foremost, which is good," said Casello. "It's an amenity I don't think we can afford to lose."

The course will repay the city once the money is available.

Golf programs and lessons for children and families will be a big focus.

"If you don't let them get out there and you don't teach them you're never going to find the next Tiger Woods and that's what we're always looking for," Groff said.

The Links' 9-hole family course is a designated Audubon Sanctuary. And if someone doesn't play golf, there will still be an interest to visit the course, Groff said. Food truck wars, alcohol and concerts on the green are all in the works.

Boynton's plan includes one more major part — possibly — and it involves garbage. The city owns about 15 acres adjacent to the course and years ago used it as a landfill. It's been closed for about 22 years. It takes up to 25 years for officials to deem it safe to build over.

"It'd be a great place to expand the course," Groff said.

To read more Boynton Beach stories, click here.

Source: $35 for a round of golf? Boynton Beach wants to get the word out

Tablet review: BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition

As employees have become more and more flexible in recent years thanks to the power and performance of mobile devices, the way we work has changed dramatically.

We frequently chop and change between smartphones, tablets and laptops for different tasks, which has led to the growth of the hybrid market – devices such as Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 and Apple's iPad Pro – that provide the power and functionality of a laptop with the mobility and convenience of a tablet.

The latest company to try and tempt users onto one device that covers all eventualities is BQ, a Spanish firm that earlier this year released the first ever Ubuntu-powered tablet in the form of the Aquaris M10.

The open-source Linux-based Ubuntu operating system, created by British company Canonical, may not be well known to the majority of people, but it has long been a favourite amongst developers and is unique in that it is a single software platform running across smartphones, tablets and PCs alike.

The Aquaris M10 is certainly an interesting proposition for Ubuntu fans, having the ability to switch between a tablet and a fully-fledged PC, so we took a closer look to see what it has to offer.

Design and display

Let's start with some of the key design stats. The M10 measures 246 x 171 x 8.2 mm and weighs 470g, which isn't exactly lightweight but still light enough to hold in one hand relatively comfortably for short periods of time. The back is made out of a matte black plasticy material which, despite feeling somewhat tacky, means the tablet is not likely to slip out of your hands and doesn't get covered in pesky fingerprints.

On the front, BQ has placed speakers near the bottom corners, which look quite smart and give the device a satisfyingly symmetrical look when held in the default horizontal position. The bezels around the display do look quite big, which could be a pain point for some people depending on personal preference, but all in all the M10 has a clean, and familiar appearance.

One factor that will make a lot of people very happy is the amount of ports included. With a micro USB, micro HDMI, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an SD card slot there's enough to keep everyone happy without a sacrifice on design.

The display is a 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with two different resolutions available depending on whether you opt for the HD or Full HD version. The HD display has a 1280 x 800 resolution with a pixel density of 149 ppi, whilst the Full HD tablet comes in at 1920 x 1200 and 224 ppi. Both are multi-touch, with a capacity for up to 10 fingers at any one time and have three different modes of tap response: tap, double tap and long press.

Our review sample came with the Full HD version which does a solid job without being spectacular. There's a large range of brightness available to suit any situation and colours appear clear without having the extra crispness you get with a high-end device.

Mobile workers using the Aquaris M10 for emails or documents whilst on the move will be happy enough, although watching videos or looking at high resolution pictures won't be quite so satisfying.

Cameras

The 8-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front snapper, despite not setting the world alight, actually take some fairly decent photos. The lack of flash means they both tended to suffer in low light and the contrast isn't fantastic, but both cameras have autofocus and for a budget device they should satisfy your camera needs – especially if this is primarily a work device.

When held in landscape mode, an arrow appears at the bottom for me to swipe up. From reading other reviews I understand that reveals some extra camera options, but for the life of me I couldn't get it to work on my device. I don't know whether it was me or the tablet, but that arrow just sat there taunting me, so I only had access to the most basic camera functionality.

Video is shot at 1080p and wasn't as smooth as I was expecting. Videos tended to judder along and had the tendency to crash the Camera Roll app when I tried to play them, so if you shoot a lot of videos either for work or pleasure this probably isn't the device for you.

Software

Seeing as this was my first proper experience using the Ubuntu operating system, I was excited to see what it would have to offer and looking forward to trying something new.

Unfortunately for Canonical, Android and iOS are now so advanced and familiar that it's always going to be hard to make a dent, especially in the first iteration of a tablet. And that right there is one of the main problems. There's nothing majorly wrong with the software at all, but it's hard not to compare it with the others on offer and the general user experience just doesn't quite match up.

The M10 does, however, have some nice features. The main menu is split into seven different sections: Today, Nearby, Apps, News, Music, Video and Photos. I would argue that they aren't all necessary due to quite a lot of crossover, but there are some nice touches such as local landmarks and concerts from Yelp and Songkick respectively which give some added context.

The Apps section comes pre-loaded with a wide variety of offerings, including the likes of Amazon eBay, Telegram and HERE maps, which has most of the early bases covered. The app store is limited in that it looks a bit bare – you'd have to know what you were looking for rather than having a plethora of options shown to you as in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

The News section comes with Spanish site El Pais installed – which obviously isn't any use unless you can speak Spanish – but music fans will love the Music section which shows popular tracks on SoundCloud, nearby concerts and popular YouTube tracks.

In use

Under the hood, the M10 sports a MediaTek MT8163 processor, with a 64-bit Cortex-A53 CPU, clock speeds of up to 1.3GHz and 2GB of RAM. All in all, it offers substandard performance for this day and age. Frequent stuttering, especially when more than one app is opened at once and latency during videos and games shows the processor's general lack of power.

One of the most important features of any modern tablet is flexibility, a necessity for mobile workers who need to be able to seamlessly switch between tablet and PC whilst on the move.

The M10 doesn't come with a keyboard, but for our review we received a Logitech k480 Bluetooth multi-device keyboard which I am using to write this portion of the review. This particular tablet-keyboard combination certainly isn't the most stylish, but connecting the devices was simple and responsiveness in the Notes app has so far been sound.

We also received a Tecknet mouse to complete our mobile PC. Whilst connecting the devices was, again, very straightforward, responsiveness hasn't been quite so smooth with the pointer prone to stuttering it's way across the screen. There are also a couple of slight user experience issues, such as the hidden toolbar on the left hand side of the screen which doesn't always want to pop out when you hover over it.

Having said that, the M10 is a decent size for using on your lap and is light enough to comfortably use for extended periods of time. You can do everything you would expect – browse the web, check emails etc – and a nice feature is that the touchscreen can still be used when the keyboard and mouse are connected, again giving that extra level of flexibility for users.

Charging the device wasn't entirely straightforward as the M10 only comes with a European power socket. The battery isn't especially slow to drain, but when plugged into a computer it doesn't exactly charge quickly, so you'll want to invest in a UK adaptor.

Verdict

The Aquaris M10 is very much a first attempt for BQ and you would expect future iterations to have some significant improvements. It's also hard to find compelling reasons why iOS or Android fans would want to switch over to an Ubuntu tablet, but those familiar with the operating system should be excited to finally have their needs met in the tablet market.

One positive factor is that switching between tablet and desktop mode works very well for the most part, so can definitely fulfill professional needs as much as casual ones. This could be a viable option for someone who wants that flexibility and isn't too fussed about some of the more superficial features.

Aspects such as the cameras, display and build quality could all be improved, but are about right for the price point in this unspectacular but solid device.

With the HD version costing €229.90 (£187) and the full HD tablet coming in at €279.90 (£227), the M10 offers decent value for money and provides a solid platform for BQ to build on in the future.

Pros

Decent tablet-PC convergence

Lightweight for use on the move

Cons

Processor lacking power

No camera flash

Disjointed user experience

Juddering video recording

Company ReleasePrice ITProPortalReview Company Site BQ £227 6/10 Leave a comment on this article
Source: Tablet review: BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition

Baggage handler admits to stealing tablet at Hanoi airport

Police in Hanoi are investigating a baggage theft at Noi Bai Airport in which a baggage handler admitted to stealing a tablet from a suitcase on a domestic flight.

Security staff at the airport Thursday afternoon caught Nguyen Thanh Long, a 24-year-old handler, hiding an iPad in a plastic bag.

At first he said he had brought the iPad from home but later admitted to taking it from a bag while loading luggage onto a Vietnam Airlines flight from Hanoi to Nha Trang.

Many cases of baggage theft at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City, the country's biggest airports, were reported last year, prompting the authorities to install more cameras. They have pledged to enhance security checks, but there seems to be no end to the problem in sight.

Source: Baggage handler admits to stealing tablet at Hanoi airport

Opinion – Why I Hope The Nintendo NX Rumors Are True

With new consoles – or new iterations of current consoles – on the horizon, the gaming industry is an exciting place right now. Players are anxious for any details about the upcoming technology (Sony's PlayStation 4 Neo, Microsoft's Project Scorpio, and Nintendo's NX), but the companies are keeping frustratingly quiet. People are hungry for information that isn't being delivered, which is one of the reasons the recent rumors regarding the NX are so captivating. But even better than that is the fact that these rumors, if true, indicate that Nintendo is finally back on the right track.

From the design of the system to the tech powering it, the rumors surrounding the NX have stirred a dormant excitement for Nintendo's future. I've been waiting for Nintendo to abandon its losing competition with Sony and Microsoft and consolidate its strength. Thanks to the Wii U, Nintendo's current place in the console landscape is occupied by an under-powered, under-supported, and effectively dead system – but the company may finally be able to turn that around.

According to Eurogamer's report, the NX is a hybrid system that combines the features of handhelds and traditional consoles. As a portable device, it has a touch-screen and two detachable controllers to facilitate multiplayer; at home, it outputs to your TV for a more stationary experience. This is a brilliant (though long-predicted) fusion of Nintendo's previously segmented handheld and console audiences.

A graphic from the NX's announcement

The Wii U is done for. The 3DS is over five years old already, and has been refreshed several times. It makes perfect sense for Nintendo to unify its business into a single platform that serves multiple purposes. The market for dedicated handheld gaming devices is disappearing; tablets and phones occupy that space now – or at least enough of it to discourage such a project. Not only would a single platform be smart in terms of avoiding risk, but it would also give Nintendo something to offer that its competitors can't: the ability to seamlessly transition to and from gaming on-the-go.

I love my Vita. I know this seems like a bad example, but hear me out. Vita-exclusive games aren't the major draw of that system for me; I like the way it allows me to play classic RPGs, and I like how it interacts with my PS4. The cross-buy, cross-save, and remote-play options allow you to play games on your Vita and retain that progress when you return to PS4. Sometimes these features are unreliable or convoluted, but on the whole, they provide a cool and convenient way to centralize your gaming. The problem? Enjoying this vision of the future on your PS4 requires the purchase of a separate handheld console without many other features to recommend it. If Nintendo can iron out the technical kinks and eliminate the extra investment, more people will experience and appreciate this evolution in how (and where) we interact with our games.

Another thing I like is the versatility of the alleged design. With the Wii U, people kept talking about the "potential of the GamePad," but that phrase never materialized into any actual advances that led to developers – Nintendo included – consistently making games that used the technology well. Yes, some games found fun ways to implement the GamePad, but they were exceptions in a sea of gimmicks. Part of that might be due to the strangeness of the device and the questions it left: How do you use two screens? Why is that better? Does the gyroscope improve the experiences? The answers to these questions varied too much to establish a firm foundation. According to this patent, the NX unit is a touchscreen (like an iPad). The more recent rumors point to detachable segments that function like a traditional game pad when affixed, and as different controllers when removed (with the touchscreen functioning as a shared screen for two players holding the detached controllers). Th ough the exact size is still unclear, that's all familiar enough to be immediately understandable. Additional features like dual screens and gyroscopes may be announced later, but on a basic level, people can understand how this system might work and the kinds of games it could provide.

One rumor has to do with the NX using the Tegra X1 chip, which would make it underpowered compared to the technology inside the PS4 and Xbox One (and their upcoming iterations). Being a weaker system certainly isn't great for public perception, but it might be better in the long run. In generations where Nintendo has tried standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Sony and Microsoft with ports of the same games, it usually didn't compare favorably. However, if Nintendo can establish that the NX is on a different battlefield – as it did with the Wii and 3DS – then maybe it can stop inviting comparisons to other consoles (especially if it also is able to play Nintendo's mobile games, too).

This may also help with Nintendo's recurring problem with third-party studios. If the tech is more accessible and less demanding than PS4 and Xbox One, then maybe creating games for it will be less expensive and more attractive to external partners. Of course, this is just one possible scenario. Much depends on the exact specs and how Nintendo positions the product.

The only part of the rumors I don't like is the lack of backwards compatibility. Maybe that just means that Wii U games won't work because the system uses cartridges instead of discs. As I already mentioned, having access to a vast back-catalogue is something I love about my Vita. I'm holding out hope that Nintendo will make old games (including Wii U) available for download – and find a way to avoid making people re-buy them again. After all, how many times can Nintendo re-release old games and expect people to keep purchasing them on various different platforms?

Ultimately, everything comes back to the games. The hardware can be great and the features can be innovative, but no one will care if the games aren't fun to play. That remains the most critical unknown with the NX right now; the only major title it has is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and that isn't exactly a vision of the future since it's also coming to Wii U. I can't wait to see how Nintendo paves a path to the future, and I'm hoping the company uses this opportunity to grab the best parts from two facets of its business while surprising us along the way.

Source: Opinion – Why I Hope The Nintendo NX Rumors Are True

How tablets and the cloud could transform education in South Africa

South African schools and universities are struggling with the high costs of textbooks and other educational materials, a shortage of teachers in key subjects like maths and science, and difficulties in funding IT infrastructure. However, technology continues to offer some compelling answers to these challenges. By Ernst Wittmann

A combination of falling data connectivity prices, more widespread fibre and 3G/4G/LTE networks, and affordable, reliable tablet computers means that schools and tertiary institutions can start tapping into the cloud for learning materials. Here are a few reasons education is likely to head for the cloud in the years to come.

No more IT support headaches

Ernst Wittmann is a regional manager for Southern Africa at ALCATEL (Photo Credit: ALCATEL)

One of the biggest reasons technology has stumbled in South African schools is a lack of IT skills at schools to install software, manage servers and maintain networks. But with the cloud, students will just need a device with a modern web browser and a decent Internet connection to access the latest learning materials from the cloud.

A world of resources available online

Textbooks are expensive and so are many traditional software packages aimed at schools, teachers and students. The cloud changes the economics by offering resources for a low monthly subscription fee or even for free.

This includes school management and administration systems, tools for teachers, productivity software (like Dropbox and Gmail) and learning software (like interactive maths or language software for schoolchildren).

From maths to physics, English to biology, schoolchildren have a wide range of content at their fingertips through mobile apps or online services.

Less upfront IT investment

Teachers and principals know that schoolchildren will need to be computer-literate to succeed in the information economy. But the costs of installing a computer lab with a network and server infrastructure are prohibitive; what's more, expensive IT infrastructure is a target for thieves.

With the cloud, the school simply needs to be in an area with good mobile broadband coverage or to install fibre and Wi-Fi access points.

Students can access cloud applications from a tablet computer that could cost just a couple of thousand rands, greatly reducing the upfront cost of creating a high-tech learning environment.

Schoolwork on demand

One of the biggest benefits of the cloud is that it enables the world to become the classroom. Students and learners can access content wherever they are, including textbooks, coursework, tests, videos and other materials their teachers put online. Whether they are sick at home or at school, schoolchildren are still able to access the learning resources they need.

The cloud can also encourage independent learning, allowing students to learn at their own pace. Advanced students can challenge themselves with more difficult work; meanwhile, a child that is struggling with a maths problem can revise and revisit the materials in his or her own time.

Better classroom collaboration

Of course, technology isn't just about working independently. It can also facilitate collaboration, even helping schoolchildren and students prepare for how people work together in today's business world.  For example, learners can work together on essays in Google Apps or reach out to friends on Slack for help with an algebra problem. They can even collaborate with children and teachers on the other side of the world.

Taking the cloud to the classroom

Tablets, as flexible and functional media consumption and creation devices, are arguably the most natural way to give learners access to the cloud's learning resources. They're cost-effective (especially entry-level Android-based models), offer decent battery life, and are easy to support from an IT perspective.

In addition, tablets are lighter and more portable than notebooks, yet offer larger screens than smartphones. Another benefit is that tablets offer schoolchildren a range of learning tools in one place. They can record the classroom session for later review, use calculators and other tools, and do so much more on one interface.

 Ernst Wittmann is a regional manager for Southern Africa at ALCATEL

Source: How tablets and the cloud could transform education in South Africa

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet review

Lenovo clearly has a fixation on modular, upgradeable mobile devices. Its newly-acquired Motorola smartphone division is due to release the Moto Z, its answer to both Project Ara and the LG G5, later this year. The ThinkPad X1 Tablet is available now, but we found it to be distinctly underwhelming.

Slide, lock and load

The ThinkPad X1 Tablet has the same timeless boxy black aesthetic as the storied ThinkPad laptop range, but it doesn't feel anywhere as well-made as its notebook cousins. The plastic casing flexed so easily under pressure, gaps opened up between the screen bezel and the rest of the chassis allowing us to peer inside at the components. Such poor build quality is shocking, especially for a tablet that costs this much and is aimed at professionals.

The wonky fit and finish extends to this tablet's modularity features. A small protective plate slides off the bottom of the tablet (when held horizontally), allowing you to attach optional modules (sold separately) that have extra features. Don't lose this protective plate though - without it you can't attach the included combo keyboard dock/screen cover unless you have a module that also has the necessary magnetic keyboard cover connector. A replacement protective plate cost a staggering £35.

All this hassle might still have been worth it, except the available modules aren't especially impressive or compelling and there's no word if third-party modules will be available. The productivity module costs £139 and adds a second battery, a full-size HDMI port, a Lenovo docking station connector, a pass through magnetic connector for the keyboard cover and another full-size USB3 port to complement the one already built into the tablet. It adds an extra 200g of weight though, its vaguely cylindrical shape adds more chunky bulk, its docking latches are both fiddly to operate and the module needs to be lined up precisely to the slots on the tablet.

We've yet to see the presenter module in the flesh, but on paper this £361 add-on hardly seems worth it. Its 854x480 pixel resolution and puny maximum brightness of 32 lumens won't do your presentations justice and hardly seems any better than the standalone pico pocket projectors that have been available for several years now.

As expected for a 12in Windows 10 tablet, it's not especially light but it's no heavier than usual at just under 800g. The weight increases to 1.1kg with the keyboard cover attached. This is heavy for a tablet, but light for a laptop. At least it's not short of connections - 802.11ac, WiGig, LTE and Mini Displayport alongside a USB-C port and a USB 3.0 socket are impressive given this tablet's relative slenderness.

Lenovo has it covered

Lenovo has included a keyboard cover with the ThinkPad X1 Tablet. This small mercy shouldn't be overlooked, as Microsoft still obnoxiously refuses to include one as standard with the Surface Pro 4.

As with the keyboard covers on almost every other tablet-laptop detachable hybrid we've ever seen, the one included here is very much a mixed bag. On the plus side, the large backlit keys are excellent. While the keyboard here isn't identical to the excellent keyboards found on the ThinkPad and ThinkPad X1 ranges of laptops, it's very close with excellent levels of travel and feedback. There are only a couple of quibbles - a few keys are a little narrower than the rest, while the Fn key takes the Control key's usual place.

Although large, the touchpad's sense of inertia was often off, sometimes taking a little too long to accelerate or slow down the cursor in time with our finger movements. At least you can control the tracking speed of the touchpad separately from the touchstick; otherwise the latter can feel over sensitive and far too jittery.

A bigger, even more fundamental problem is the suitability of the keyboard cover and the tablet's built-in kickstand for use on your lap. Although very rigid by the standards of hybrid keyboard covers, it's still not quite rigid enough to prevent the entire computer from bouncing or flopping around on your lap when your legs are crossed and you're typing. It fared better with legs uncrossed, but the depth required by the tablet with the kickstand down, which is somewhat lengthier than usual as it's hinged at the bottom rather than at the top, means it's still awkward and fiddly to use if you're short and thus have a small lap. Or if you're working in cramped conditions, such as an economy class airline tray table.

Like the Surface Pro 4, a stylus is included with the ThinkPad X1 Tablet. It's not as precise or as accurate as Microsoft's stylus, with a small but noticeable amount of lag present. It's still good enough for annotating documents and jotting down notes, but less so for very fine, precise artwork.

Styli are easy to lose, but Lenovo's stylus does come with plastic holder that plugs into the tablet's built-in USB 3.0 port for safe-keeping. Unfortunately, it's on the same side as the USB-C and Mini DisplayPort connectors, so the stylus can obstruct the use of these ports. It's not very elegant.

Processor and battery life

Our ThinkPad X1 Tablet review unit came equipped with a 1.2GHz dual core Intel Core m7 6Y75 processor. While fast enough for most office tasks, it's not as fast as the Core i-series processors found in other tablets, laptops and hybrids. Its lower performance enables it to run without a fan. However, given how uncomfortably hot the ThinkPad X1 Tablet became, even during mundane everyday tasks that shouldn't tax the CPU, it's clear that much more needs to be done to make it cool enough for comfortable handheld use.

Despite the power efficiency of the Core m7 processor, the small size of the battery ultimately doomed battery life. I managed just five hours and 43 minutes when playing video on a loop, with the productivity module only adding an extra three hours and 18 minutes. When browsing the web while connected to 802.11n WiFi, it only just managed five hours. The productivity module added another four and a half hours making for a more respectable total, but other tablets and hybrids can achieve similar run times without bulky, expensive add-on batteries.

Screen and fingerprint reader

Lenovo has sensibly equipped the ThinkPad X1 Tablet with a 3:2 aspect ratio screen which makes reading and using the stylus feel more natural compared to a 16:9 widescreen. Windows copes well with the 2160x1440 pixel resolution as it's not too far removed from the more common 1080p and 2560x1440 resolutions. If it had been a 4K resolution, we'd have seen far more glitches in the way Windows programs appear on screen. Although image quality wasn't exceptional, it was still very good with high levels of brightness, contrast and colour accuracy.

Sitting just below the screen, when held in portrait orientation, is a fingerprint reader. It has more in common with the fast, generally error-free fingerprint readers found on modern smartphones than it does with the finicky fingerprint scanners found on older Windows laptops. Set up was quick and it recognised the registered fingerprint quickly with just a tap, rather than the slow and deliberate swipe that older laptop readers required.

Conclusions

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet looks great on paper, but the more time we spent with it the more puzzled and unconvinced we were by its flawed conception and design. The existing modules are finicky to dock, expensive and are of limited utility and thus questionable value. All of that should compel Lenovo to revamp its modular tablet plans, but doing so would show the lack of forethought and forward compatibility planning that Lenovo has put into the design of this tablet's upgradeable modular features.

Even if you put all that aside, this tablet is expensive, runs hot, has short battery life and a flawed keyboard cover and kickstand. Plus, while Windows 10 is a better balanced hybrid operating system than its predecessors, the available choice of touchscreen apps for it remains lacklustre. This, combined with the many legacy apps that most enterprises use, could condemn you to a workday of poking at tiny onscreen menus and buttons with the stylus rather than swiping and tapping away gleefully with your fingers.

The ThinkPad X1 Tablet just isn't very good. Lenovo needs to go back to the drawing board.

Source: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet review

Fix the Problem for Tuesday July 26

Answer to Monday's MM ... 76

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Source: Fix the Problem for Tuesday July 26

LeEco Buys Vizio, and Thus the US Market

If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em. After banging its head against the impenetrable US market for a little while, the "Netflix of China" LeEco decided to buy its way in, picking up California-based TV maker Vizio for $2 billion. This will help LeEco put its TVs in our living rooms, its phones in our hands, and its cars on our roads.

The US market isn't the only reason to buy Vizio, but it's a big one. Vizio only had a 3.43 percent global market share for TV sales in 2015, according to Statista, but it has a market share over 20 percent here in the US, according to Variety.

While politicians rail about how many US products are made in China, our nation has been tough going for Chinese brands, especially in terms of mobile phones and cars. Hisense and TCL are both strong players in TVs here in the US. But LeEco (formerly LeTV) isn't just a TV company; it also makes phones, it intends to make cars, and it wants to sell both.

Several of China's most globally powerful phone brands, including Huawei, Xiaomi, Meizu, and Oppo, have either zero or near-zero sales to our 350 million-strong, smartphone-obsessed population. Much of that is politics, and more importantly political risk. About 90 percent of phones here in the US are sold through carriers. They don't see the point of taking a chance on a new Chinese vendor, and possibly getting politically pummeled, when they can play it safe and order up the latest from Samsung or Alcatel.

The Nokia Problem But it's also about the Nokia Problem. Nokia was once the world's No. 1 smartphone maker, but sold poorly in the US because it insisted on a centralized, global decision-making process while US carriers wanted specific, personal attention and customized products. (Sony has had the same problem here, for years.) Even Samsung still customizes its products for US carriers, if subtly.

Alcatel and ZTE, the two Chinese phone makers to succeed here in the US, have shown that a locally focused approach works. Both companies staffed up their US units with plenty of American talent and gave them broad local decision-making powers. The result has been a strong presence by both companies in carriers' prepaid lineups.

I don't know much about the trends in US big-box retail, but I suspect they're as relationship-oriented as the carriers. While LeEco does a great business selling TVs online in China, Americans tend to want to check out those kinds of purchases in person before buying, meaning you need a retail presence. It's a lot easier to buy into an existing relationship than to try to build one from scratch.

Phones, TVs, and Cars LeEco wants to be a player in phones. It wants to be a player in TVs. It wants to finance and make movies. It wants to be a player in all sorts of things; when I visited its booth at CES this year, I rode on a "smart bicycle" the company was showing off.

But LeEco has also been saying it would come to the US since mid-2015, and it hasn't, even though it's been staffing up a strong US social and PR team. Clearly, its carrier and retail relationship-building efforts haven't been working out so far. Vizio, on the other hand, has the relationships. It's US-based and US-founded, with a strong bond with our No. 1 retailer, Walmart.

All of this sets the stage for a long-term plan of LeEco's, to become a car company. The firm unveiled an autonomous concept car earlier this year, and it's an investor in another car company, Faraday Future. Note that I'm not talking about where the cars are made. Foreign carmakers make cars in the US; Buick makes cars in China. Rather, US consumers and dealers have rejected Chinese car brands so far, no matter where they're made.

As ZTE and Alcatel have shown, the hybrid approach can work. Americans want to be special. We want products made for us, preferably designed here. LeEco's purchase of Vizio means that it's now a player.

Source: LeEco Buys Vizio, and Thus the US Market

Ethiopia Receives 14 Million Praziquantel Tablets

Around 23% of Ethiopians suffer from the insidious worm disease schistosomiasis

Merck (MerckGroup.com), a leading science and technology company, today announced that the largest delivery of praziquantel tablets ever shipped to Ethiopia recently arrived in Addis Ababa, the capital of the East African country. Ethiopia has received around 14 million tablets for mass distribution to school children. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ethiopia is one of the most endemic countries for schistosomiasis worldwide. It is estimated that around 23% of the overall population (23 million people) requires treatment. Ethiopia has been participating in the Merck Praziquantel Donation Program since 2012 and has received around 43 million tablets to date.

We want to contribute to eliminating the insidious worm disease in order to help infected children to take part in the economic development of their home countries.

"We want to contribute to eliminating the insidious worm disease in order to help infected children to take part in the economic development of their home countries. With our donation of approximately 14 million tablets to WHO for Ethiopia approximately six million school children can be treated – covering half of the country's school-aged population in need of treatment. This shows that we are on the right track. However, we know that we alone cannot solve the problem with our tablets," said Chokri Ahmadi, General Manager of Merck for Ethiopia, Sudan and the French-speaking countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

As part of its responsibility for society and within Health, one of its corporate responsibility strategic spheres of activity, Merck is supporting WHO in the fight against the worm disease schistosomiasis in Africa. Since 2007, more than 74 million school children, have been treated. To this end, Merck has donated over 340 million praziquantel tablets to WHO. Praziquantel is well tolerated and the most effective treatment to date for schistosomiasis. Merck is also supporting educational and awareness programs in Africa, developing schistosomiasis therapies for very young children and cooperating with partners in the Global Schistosomiasis Alliance.

Source: Ethiopia Receives 14 Million Praziquantel Tablets

Ryan Ferguson to co-star in MTV series investigating convictions

A former Mid-Missouri man who was locked up for nearly 10 years before his convictions in a 2001 slaying were vacated will star in a new documentary series set to debut on MTV in mid-August.

Ryan Ferguson and co-investigator Eva Nagao earlier this year examined three cases in which they believe the defendants were wrongfully convicted. The first episode of "Unlocking the Truth," which documents their efforts to reinvestigate the cases, is scheduled to premiere Aug. 17.

Ryan Ferguson

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Ferguson's father, Bill, said the idea for the show first came to Ryan Ferguson while he still was in prison for the 2001 killing of Kent Heitholt, the Tribune's sports editor. Bill and Ryan continued to talk about the idea for the show until January, more than two years after Ryan Ferguson's November 2013 release, when they met with people at MTV, who liked the idea. Production began in the spring, with Ryan Ferguson and Nagao and the crew spending about 15 weeks investigating the cases and producing the show.

They began looking at 10 cases early in the year and later settled on three: two out of Missouri and one in North Carolina, Bill Ferguson said.

"It was a lot of work investigating because we don't want to be in a position investigating somebody who's obviously guilty," Bill Ferguson said. Ryan Ferguson, who now lives in Florida, was not available for an interview for this story.

Heitholt's murder went unsolved for more than two years before Charles Erickson, a high school friend of Ryan Ferguson's, began telling people he'd had dream-like memories that the pair killed the editor. Columbia police picked up Erickson, who confessed and implicated Ferguson. Erickson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action and still is in prison. Ferguson was convicted of murder, robbery and armed criminal action and sentenced to 40 years in prison before an appeals court vacated his convictions in November 2013 and he was released.

Erickson has said for years that he lied on the stand during Ryan Ferguson's trial because of pressure from the prosecution. Ryan Ferguson has never wavered from his claims of innocence and has accused police of misconduct in his case.

Ryan Ferguson has a federal civil rights lawsuit pending against six officers involved in the investigation.

Bill Ferguson said the goal of the show is to highlight how anyone can be wrongfully convicted of a crime in the United States.

"There are so many people that have been innocently put in prison, and most of them don't have the money, the resources or the support to resurrect them from the prison system," Bill Ferguson said. "Hopefully this will open the eyes of the public that this happens."

Gloria Browne-Marshall, a former civil rights attorney and associate professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, said wrongful convictions have long been a problem in the American criminal justice system. Most occur because of faulty eyewitness testimony, quality of the defense, racial or class bias on the part of the state or witnesses or misconduct by police or prosecutors. Reversing convictions is a massive burden, she said.

"At the end of the day, unless you have advocates to ferret through all that information ... you have people who can sit behind bars for all of their lives and on death row," Browne-Marshall said.

© 2016 Columbia Daily Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Source: Ryan Ferguson to co-star in MTV series investigating convictions

Which Apple Tablet: iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 Or iPad Mini 4?

If you don't have to keep up with the very latest technology then you might choose the iPad Air 2 or the iPad Mini 4.

When Apple skipped the iPad Air 3 during the recently concluded Worldwide Developers Conference or WWDC 2016 in June, many fans believe that the company will no longer release another model of the series.

Everyone has been so focused on the Apple iPhone 7 and Apple iPhone 7 Plus, that they haven't given a moment's thought on any possible new iPad models coming soon. The tablet as well did not feature previous year in September when the Cupertino-based tech giant was launching iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. However Apple was receiving so many complaints about the durability of previous iPad mini, for that, we have good news for Apple products lovers that durability problem has been solved by the Apple.

Sanders supporters march to protest Democratic National ConventionBy the end of the day, some of Sanders's supporters mulled putting an alternate name into nomination in opposition to Kaine. On NBC's "Meet the Press", Sanders said that Kaine is more conservative than him but is "100 times better" than Trump.

Kaine, wife attend Catholic mass in RichmondJerrold Nadler, D-Manhattan. "I think everyone is allowed that privilege or opportunity to change their mind", she said. When I see this, you know, 'Crooked Hillary, ' or I see the, 'Lock her up, ' it's just ridiculous.

Ryanair profit growth 'modest' at 4% in first quarterDuring the period it carried more than 31.2m passengers, up 11% on the same period of past year , while its unit costs fell by 9%. Traffic was 11 per higher at 31.2 million, with load factor up to 94 per cent for the quarter.

Apple released the first iPad Air on October 22, 2013, and later followed it with the iPad Air 2 on October 16, 2014. While no other information about the iPad Pro 2 can be determined from the leak, we do expect it to be powered by the Apple A10X chipset and include the Two Tone display that debuted with the 9.7-inch Apple iPad Pro. There is the iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 or the iPad Mini 4. In most cases, a decrease in sales price shows that a new iteration is in pipeline. One of the expected devices to come out in September is the iPad Mini 5, which reports claim, might come with a much thinner body compared to the iPad Mini 4. While the tablet is similar to the upcoming iPad Pro with regard to specs and features, it is agreeable that the iPad Air is much cheaper than its Pro counterpart is. Although the upcoming iPad Air 3 has already been overdue, many fans believe that Apple will finally roll it out late this year.

Watch the sneak peek below to have a glimpse of what the rumored iPad Air 3 would look like.

Source: Which Apple Tablet: iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 Or iPad Mini 4?

Lead problem (if there is one) remains a frustrating mystery in Salina, Kan.

Allen and Jessie Long are more or less hoping that state health investigators discover something dangerous in their home.

That would be better than not knowing why their 2-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, has lead in her blood.

She seems fine, full of giggles. But earlier this year, the Longs learned that Elizabeth was among 32 kids in and around this north central Kansas community who were found in routine exams to be carrying elevated levels of lead.

The source of the poisoning for now is a mystery.

"It's nerve-wracking," said Allen Long. "I really hope they can find something in the construction of our house, because then we could get it fixed."

The good news is that son Joseph, who is 8, recently was tested and found to be lead-free — zero micrograms per deciliter of blood. Why, then, did his little sister test at 6 micrograms? Same home, same play areas. What gives?

That's one of the riddles the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is trying to solve.

In the coming weeks, the agency will send teams to the homes of the 32 children, ages 6 months to 15 years, whose blood tests showed levels of at least 5 micrograms per deciliter. Health officials consider that reading too high.

Until the investigations are completed, the Saline County seat of Salina, population 48,000, will fret over the possibilities: Could the drinking water be poisonous, as residents of Flint, Mich., discovered?

Could lead somehow be spreading from the local battery plant?

Or is there no single source, as some officials suspect? Maybe each affected household has its unique hazard: Something in the cookware, in toys, in dust falling from old ceilings when doors are slammed.

Complicating matters, it's not even clear that Salina has much of a lead problem.

"The number 32 (kids with high levels) is not all that alarming for us," said pediatrician Brian Harvey of Salina Pediatric Care.

In fact, the number of area children found to have lead levels at 5 micrograms or higher hasn't changed a lot — bouncing between 21 and 38 annually — in the last four years, according to state reports. So why now the town hall meetings, free health screenings and statewide news attention of a possible lead menace going unaddressed?

"That's your Flint influence," said Harvey.

The Michigan city's battles with contaminated tap water, caused by a switch in water source and failures to properly treat it, has raised suspicions among Salina area residents, Harvey and others said.

With the Flint scandal being so fresh, "everyone's a little bit hypervigilant" and distrust is evident, Harvey said. "There's been a big uptick in parent phone calls."

Local anxieties are further stoked by the state of Kansas failing to fund lead poisoning prevention programs after federal help vanished four years ago.

For six years, three of Nicole Krob's children have been carrying blood-lead levels as high as 28 micrograms per deciliter. They rely on Medicaid.

"I'm just sitting here twiddling my thumbs waiting for them to get treated," Krob said.

Medications are available in extreme cases, but doctors have told Krob that her children's levels don't merit treatment. She said the state has only offered "a bunch of useless packets of information" and advice that her children's blood levels be monitored monthly.

Her kids are terrified of visits to the clinic for fear of having blood drawn, she said.

"We brush our teeth religiously" but the kids' mouths are full of fillings and crowns. Another sign of lead poisoning: their bones are brittle, Krob said; a daughter suffered two broken wrists and a broken leg over a six-month stretch.

"I've been doing all I'm supposed to do," said Krob, whose rented home near the railroad tracks is a showcase of chipping paint. "I double-wash everything. I wipe down the window sills, the floors, over and over.

"When is Topeka going to step up and help?"

Open mind

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment acknowledges that funding sources, communication and tracking of potential lead issues could be improved around Saline County.

"This is something we realize is a problem," said agency spokeswoman Cassie Sparks. "Investigations of this magnitude haven't been done in Saline County, which is why we're taking a look."

Officials hope to complete the investigation within a couple of months. Until then, county health director Jason Tiller will not speculate what might be the causes.

The local water utility insists the city supply is fine, but the Kansas health department is checking lines within homes. Soldering beneath sinks and poorly made faucets from China could pose risks even when a water source is found to be safe.

"What we know presently is that there doesn't seem to be a single source," Tiller said. "But we want to keep an open mind to all possibilities."

At a community meeting last month, Kansas health department environmental health officer Farah Ahmed said the state was investigating and providing information to affected families out of recognition that "we just needed to do a better job of helping families figure out what the source is."

An audience member asked about the Exide Technologies plant, which produces batteries at Salina's southern city limits.

The manufacturer has had past run-ins with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over lead emissions. In 2011, stricter federal limits required that the company install air-quality equipment that has reduced lead emissions by 75 percent, a state official said at the meeting.

The Exide plant did not respond to The Kansas City Star's request for an interview.

Parents such as the Longs see no connection to the plant site when they study a map of affected homes.

One such map, released by the county, glows on Jessie Long's mobile tablet. It's speckled with red dots indicating where kids with elevated blood levels live.

"Elizabeth is one of the red dots," Jessie Long said.

Her husband pointed out that the dots appear not just in Salina's old neighborhoods where houses need repainting, but also in newer and more affluent areas to the south and east. Most of the homes are miles from the battery plant.

"There's no rhyme or reason," Allen Long said. "No commonalities."

Their place on Front Street is about 95 years old. It passed inspection, which included checks on lead contamination, when the Longs bought the house in 2012.

The lead testers they bought at Menards show everything clean.

Allen and Jessie Long wonder about black powder firearm exhibitions both have visited since they were kids. When their daughter's lead levels were first detected, the couple thought that a black powder event they had attended days earlier might be to blame.

Later tests, however, dismissed that link.

"I got rid of all her toys" upon learning that cheap trinkets made overseas could contain lead, said Jessie Long. "I went through everything I could. I literally cleaned house."

Her husband hopes that traces of lead will be found in the children's play area beneath a front porch. If that's the source, he'll happily dig out the ground, replace the topsoil and seal up the area with plywood.

No more worries.

High exposure to lead is thought to be linked to learning disabilities, speech delays and slower-than-normal emotional development. For now little Elizabeth, who turns 3 in October, exhibits none of those issues, the Longs said.

Lead fears

The Kansas City Star recently reported that programs to prevent lead poisoning had evaporated across the Sunflower State.

In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other U.S. agencies lost federal funding that they had provided for states to screen children, remove lead hazards from homes and boost public awareness. When federal assistance for some programs returned two years ago, Kansas did not apply. (Missouri and 28 other states are benefiting from CDC prevention funds.)

In Salina and other parts of Kansas, "we started to see kids fall through the cracks," said Tama Sawyer, director of the Poison Control Center at University of Kansas Hospital. "I think the state got some bad media about lead, so now they're having a show" to address fears.

Children's Mercy Hospital of its own accord is assisting Kansas communities with management of lead poisoning cases, which includes inspecting homes for problems.

While worries about lead poisoning have been voiced in Saline County for years, the area doesn't historically stand out as a hot spot.

According to a Kansas health department report in 2010, when Kansas' prevention programs were still funded, higher concentrations of childhood lead poisoning were confirmed in several other counties. About 15 cases per thousand blood tests were reported in Leavenworth County, for example, compared to between five and six cases per thousand tests in Saline County.

The Salina Journal reported Tuesday that the state had tested a little more than 300 blood samples taken at a free public screening, and only one sample showed an elevated lead level.

Even if Flint is driving up concerns, the region should welcome the increased attention to combating lead exposure, said pediatrician Harvey. "We don't know that any level is safe."

For her part, Lisa Mahler is glad she had all three of her young kids tested.

"It's a relief to know they're OK," said Mahler, with 2-year-old Clara in her arms outside the public library.

And the discussion reinforces for Nicholas Walker, 11, the wisdom of scrubbing his hands after handling bullets when out hunting with his grandpa.

But from her porch near the railroad tracks, Krob still waits for help.

Her youngest, Edith, is just 4 months old and hasn't yet been tested.

Mom received her own score Monday: just above 3 micrograms per deciliter. No cause for alarm, though Krob is breast-feeding Edith.

"Obviously, if I have it," Krob said, "she has it."

Source: Lead problem (if there is one) remains a frustrating mystery in Salina, Kan.

Higher ed ‘industry’ is on the ropes

For some time, many experts have been predicting the demise of higher education in general and research universities in particular, at least in their current form. Has that day of reckoning arrived? It is difficult to know with precision, but it is easy to identify tough problems facing this "industry:"

Funding decreases. This problem is particularly acute at public institutions, as Medicaid and K-12 spending have slowly eroded state funding available for higher education during the past 40 years. All institutions are adversely affected by the decline in state and federal grant revenue in recent years, a trend that is likely to continue.

Bob Roper

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Demographics. Higher education institutions need students and the money they bring. Yet the supply of college-ready high school graduates apparently will be stagnant for the next several years, especially in Missouri.

The cost versus value issue. Tuition grew by 80 percent between 2003 and 2013. Middle-class incomes have been largely static during that time. The job market has been soft, and recently 4 in 10 college graduates have wound up in jobs that do not require a college degree. Instead of accumulating $33,000 in debt — the average amount in recent years — many potential students are rethinking the traditional, four-year higher education option. Alternatives include online learning; community college; apprenticeship programs at major manufacturing firms, where advanced technical skills are taught, often while the apprentice is a student at a community college with tuition paid by the company; and technical school, where one learns a valuable trade.

A costly delivery system. Higher education is costly and highly resistant to reducing costs. Look around, and you will see a small army of administrators and other non-teaching professionals whose numbers in recent years have grown faster than those of instructional personnel. You will also see a lot of expensive buildings that are costly to operate and maintain. What you will not see is that in recent decades faculty teaching loads have declined by one-third to one-half.

Further, higher education largely is in business nine months of the year. This is patently inefficient, as this huge, costly enterprise is operating at 75 percent of capacity. Does this make sense?

Part of the reason teaching loads have gone down is a concurrent increase in research. Fine, except for one small problem: A great deal of what passes as research has no value. As Page Smith, a professor of history at the University of California, put it: "The vast majority of the so-called research turned out in the modern university is essentially worthless." A lot of it is neither read nor cited by anyone. And even if it is, research is an incredibly expensive undertaking that rarely pays for itself.

Also, higher education seldom is able to close out nonperforming or low-enrollment programs. Ditto with nonperforming tenured faculty. It is easier to go with the flow and simply ask for more money each year.

Colleges and universities need to cut costs dramatically. It is unclear whether they are capable of doing it before market forces demand it.

PErosion of free speech. The gradual curtailment of free speech on college and university campuses is nothing short of scandalous. Once upon a time higher education campuses were bastions of free and open discourse, where robust debate was celebrated. Not now. Here is a typical example of what frequently happens on campus:

At California State University, Los Angeles, student members of the conservative Young America's Foundation invited conservative commentator Ben Shapiro to speak — ironically, about censorship on college campuses, among other things. A professor urged students to protest the speech, calling it "hate speech." The university president caved, canceling the event for security reasons. After the YAF refused to give in, the president reversed his decision but made sure he told the world he strongly disagreed with Shapiro's views. When the time for the event arrived, many putative attendees were unable to enter the room where Shapiro was to speak because protesters barricaded the entrances to the room. They also shoved and shouted at some attendees and would-be attendees and turned on a fire alarm while Shapiro spoke. More than a dozen campus security officers kept Shapiro and the attendees inside until the crowd dispersed and then escorted them to safety.

Sadly, the repression of free speech on campus is common. Check out recent happenings at Yale, Dartmouth, Princeton, Brandeis and UCLA.

What is going on here? A lot of liberal and far-left folks on campus are so thoroughly intolerant of those with whom they disagree that they believe they must be silenced. Craven, cowardly governing boards and administrators either agree with these sentiments or are afraid to oppose them.

According to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, as of 2014 about 60 percent of the more than 400 colleges it surveyed seriously infringed upon the free-speech rights of students.

No wonder, then, that free-speech advocate Wendy Kaminer recently wrote that "Academic freedom is declining. The belief that free speech rights don't include the right to speak offensively is now firmly entrenched on campus and enforced by repressive speech or harassment codes."

Winston Churchill always said courage is the most important virtue of a leader. With respect to the free-speech issue, the "courage deficit" of most college leadership is appalling.

Next week: Do consumers of higher education get their money's worth?

Bob Roper is a retired bank executive who is active in local politics.

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Source: Higher ed 'industry' is on the ropes