Tech-a-Byte: Tech news roundup

Google’s secretive new operating system, Samsung’s super high-end Note 7 and the raging popularity of No Man’s Sky; here is the tech roundup for the week

August 16, 2016 07:19 pm | Updated August 18, 2016 11:50 am IST - Bangalore

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

Galaxy Note 7 launched

Samsung has launched the highly anticipated Galaxy Note 7 in India. The Note 7 is a direct successor to the Note 5, with Samsung opting to skip the '6' to bring the Note series in sync with their 'S' line of devices. Priced at Rs. 59.900, the Note 7 is one of the costliest devices available in the market today. Just like previous generations, the Note 7 is loaded with top notch specs, with the Indian version getting Samsung's home-grown Exynos 8890 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of inbuilt storage. The device does have expandable storage however.

Samsung's famed S-Pen makes a return with even more features, including the ability to record a GIF of a selected part of the screen, and this time around the device is waterproof as well. The company has also given the Note 7 an edge screen and an iris scanner for rapid and secure unlocking.

Google working on new operating system

According to Google's online code and GitHub, the Mountain View-based search giant may be working on a new operating system, called Fuchsia. Details are scarce at the moment, but the big takeaway is that the new OS is not based on Linux, making it different from Android and Chrome OS, the two major offerings from the company.

Based on available information, Fuchsia seems designed to run on all kinds of devices and be scalable for any task required of it. This has led to many speculations, ranging from one that says it could power Google's push towards enhancing the Internet of Things (IoT), and power devices like their OnHub router, to another which assumes Fuchsia may one day replace both Android and Chrome OS and serve as a single unified ecosystem. The team behind it say that Fuchsia will also be completely open-source, so we are bound to hear more sooner rather than later.

MIT students create smartphone-controlling tattoo

Designs etched onto the body that can be used to control devices are now a reality. Students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab teamed up with researchers from Microsoft Research to create DuoSkin, a temporary tattoo that can work like a touchpad. It can be made in different designs and peeled off whenever the wearer wants. The tattoo can also be designed t ochange its colour based on temperature.

Trending online: No Man's Sky

The Pokemon Go fever has barely stabilised, and the Internet already has a new game to discuss and dissect. Indie developer Hello Games has been ruling the headlines this week with No Man's Sky, a game that throws players into a sprawling, procedurally-generated galaxy with one mission: get to its centre. Players start on an isolated planet (the developers claim the game universe has over a quintillion planets, meaning all the players in the game may go through the entire game without finding one another), and have to craft, survive, trade and fight their way to other worlds. Initial reviews have expressed awe at the scale and diversity of the game, though it's repetitive mechanics and unpolished interface have also come under fire. If you're looking for a new title to play, No Man's Sky definitely seems worth a look.

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