THE RSS FEED | Robert Sovereign-Smith | Executive Editor
Everything!
“We all have a little BooMan in us, don’t we? In that spirit, the Mod Everything story is perfect, because who else knows what we want better than ourselves.”
E
Seemed perfect until the next idea of an Ultimate Geek Buying Guide arose. Now we were stuck between a rock and a hard place. Obviously you would want to mod something you bought, but then you’d first want to know what to buy, right? Sort of like chicken and egg that one. So we decided, enough arguing, let’s do both! We even themed the Fast Track to the modding idea, because after all, that’s what Android is really known for – being customisable. If that wasn’t all, we decided to do CTC as well, which is a much bigger nightmare to design than to play, take our word for it. Then someone decided if we’re going to do a buying guide, it means people are going to want to buy some stuff, right? So why not help our readers buy stuff by getting them cashbacks, or discounts? The result is the `500 cashback coupon you see below this column. Now usually, all of this would make for an absolutely insane month, and there were a fair share of setbacks with people falling ill, power failures, and a crazy amount of coordination between all of the people you will see in the Team Digit pictures later… but I decided to throw another spanner in the works and demand that we also do the Next Decade topic and make it a double issue! Thankfully I’m not in India, or I think I certainly would have been physically attacked… several times… I guess what I’m trying to say is, I hope you like the package of content you hold in your hands, because Team Digit nearly killed themselves to get it to you… As for me, I’m just thrilled to be a part of a team that works this hard to make sure that every single reader has something they love about the magazine.
*conditions apply
SA
M PL
THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE is always a crazy time for all of us. Way before it even starts, usually while we’re closing April issue, and then even during the May issue, we’re usually going back and forth throwing up ideas for what we can do. Sometimes one idea just stands out so much that we just drop everything else and work towards that. Sometimes we’re not so lucky, and two or three ideas are all equally tempting. Arguments are had, shouting is common, tempers flare… all because we passionately believe one idea more than the others best serves the majority of our readers. Then there was this anniversary issue. The Mod Everything idea is the one that arose first, and it’s why it’s the cover story on this side of the magazine. As geeks, we know you share our pain of never quite being satisfied with any product out there. (Except Mangalyaan, which was a perfect 100 for all time!). Most people call us nitpicky, and we get a lot of angry phone calls from a few brands who genuinely believe in and love their own products just as much as we love Digit. And believe us, we understand their pain, because they have often worked for years, tirelessly on a product, with painstaking precision, only to have one of us rip the product apart because it did something totally stupid. However, we know that we represent you, and most of you are exactly like that. You’re not the average Joes who don’t know any better and follow the world like good little sheep, you’re the discerning few who hate a little of everything. We all have a little BooMan in us, don’t we? In that spirit, the Mod Everything story is perfect, because who else knows what we want better than ourselves.
` 500 CASHBACK*
Liked or hated this column? Let me know at: editor@digit.in | facebook.com/raaabo | @raaabo
GET `500 CASHBACK NOW! TURN THE PAGE FOR DIRECTIONS AND TERMS OF USE
PARANOID ANDROID | Mithun Mohandas | Asst. Technical Editor
GGTOW
E
you feel it should? Underclock your phone. Most online tutorials only cover the simplistic aspect of theming your phone. Being Digit readers, we believe you deserve much more and hopefully, the FastTrack lives up to your expectations. GGTOW certainly has its positive attributes wherein you have a lot more people working in their own siloes coming up with features that mainstream manufacturers may deem ‘unprofitable’. So the innovation aspect is very strong with the GGTOW movement. Unfortunately, there’s the problem of fragmentation which is made worse as more branches of the same OS start popping up. However, if you liken this phenomenon to that of natural selection that we see all around us, then we know where this is all heading. Each branch or fragment that arises is like a gene mutation, and if it propagates well enough, you end up creating a new species that has adapted to the changes in its environment. The modding scene is exactly that. Mods of any form are created because there’s a need that hasn’t been met. And if the mod becomes popular enough, it gets adopted and incorporated into the ecosystem. What we get at the end is a stronger and better product. We understand the reach and the influence that we have on the Indian geek community which is why we’ve dedicated an entire magazine along with its components towards this scene.
SA
M PL
NO, YOU DID NOT READ THAT WRONG. I didn’t accidently put a G instead of an M in the title. While MGTOW has been a relatively new phenomenon, GGTOW or Geeks Going Their Own Way has been a phenomenon ever since the first geek came across an intriguing object and felt that they could make it better or perhaps take advantage in some way. We’ve had plenty of examples in the past where folks have found ways to hack the telephonic system with phreaking or using blades to make foxhole radios during World War II. The DIY scene has always been limited to a few individuals who not only had the knowhow but also the means to take something and improve it. With time, this niche scene has grown, and we now have folks from all age groups tinkering with their daily drivers. Almost everyone who’s interested to know more about their phones understands the concept of rooting and playing around with the innards of the OS. Taking that one step ahead is the concept of creating custom ROMs. Since Android started with the aim of being completely open, there have been more custom flavours of Android than there are phone manufacturers and OEMs. Which is exactly why we went on to bringing you a FastTrack that’s all about customising Android even further. Think of Android as your Windows PC, a lot of the customisation options which the PC provides isn’t present in Android in its default state. You can bring all those customisation options into your phone with a custom Android version. Don’t like the UI elements? Change it up. Don’t like the default audio signature? Change it up. Does your phone run hotter than what
Directions
• Scan the QR code using the Paytm app on Android or iOS. • Enter the unique code mentioned on the sticker when placing your order to get the cashback. 2 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
*Rules and Regulations:
“Geeks Going Their Own Way has been a phenomenon ever since the first geek came across an intriguing object and felt that they could make it better.”
Let me know your thoughts on this column at: @mithun_mohandas | mithun@digit.in
• Promocodes are subject to maximum cash back amount of `500. • Minimum product value for availing cashback `999. • Promocode can be used only once per customer. • Promocode can only be redeemed on the list of products present in attached QR code. • Cashback acquired from promocodes to be credited within 24 hours of your product being shipped. • Cashback received will be credited to your Paytm wallet. • Promo codes are not applicable for Cash on Delivery (COD) mode of payment. • If product purchased on EMI payment mode, Cash back gets credit post return policy. • If product comes under no return policy, Cash back gets credited post 7 days of delivery date. • This cash back offer is being extended by One97 Communications Limited for using “Paytm Payments” on marketplace run and operated by Paytm E-Commerce Private Limited. It can be used to pay for anything on merchants accepting “Paytm payments” platform.
M PL
E
To follow the latest in tech, follow us on...
SA
facebook.com/digitgeek
digit.in/facebook
TO ADVERTISE EMAIL: sales@digit.in
JUNE 2018 • VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 06
SALES DIRECTOR: Lalit Arun Mobile: +91-9582262959 SOUTH & EAST: Jayanta Bhattacharyya Mobile: +91-93318 29284 WEST: Suvarna Shringarpure Mobile: +91-93249 28247 NORTH: Mayank Sharma Mobile: +91-8800661912
BAZAAR Rapoo VPRO V110 Corsair 460X MSI GT75 TITAN RGB 8RF OnePlus 6 Intel Optane SSD 800p AMD Ryzen 7 2600 Ant Audio W59 Samsung Galaxy S9 Nokia 6 Fuji XE-3 Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 64GB
E
EDITORIAL Executive Editor Robert Sovereign-Smith Features Editor Aditya Madanapalle Senior Writer Arnab Mukherjee Writer Manish Rajesh Intern Dhriti Datta
PRODUCTS REVIEWED THIS MONTH
TEST CENTRE Asst. Technical Editor Mithun Mohandas Reviews Editor Swapnil Mathur Reviewers Abhijit Dey, Shrey Pacheco, Souvik Das, Subhrojit Mallick, Vignesh Giridharan
M PL
ADVERTISING INDEX Mod Everything
DIGIT.IN Editor Soham Raninga Assistant Editor Sameer Mitha News and Features Editor Adamya Sharma Writer Shubham Sharma
Next Decade
Brand.......................................... Page No. D-Link.....................................Inside front cover Seagate............................................................3 ASUS.......................................................5,23,25 Kingston...........................................................7 Coolermaster....................................................9 TP Link...........................................................11 Corsair............................................................13 ECS.................................................................15 Sandisk..........................................................16 Panasonic.......................................................19 India Anti Virus...............................................71 Quantum.........................................................72
SA
DESIGN Sr. Art Director Anil VK Art Director Shokeen Saifi Visualiser Baiju NV Lead UI/UX Designer Shri Hari Tiwari Sr. Designer Peterson PJ
Brand.......................................... Page No. Seagate...................................Inside front cover Kaspersky.........................................................3 PayTM......................................................... 4,12 SBI...................................................................7 iBall............................................................. 9,49 Toshiba...........................................................15 Circle..............................................................17 Nike Insurance...............................................19 Transsion........................................................21 India Anti Virus...............................................71
PRODUCTION AND LOGISTICS Manager Operations Rakesh Upadhyay Manager Logistics Vijay Menon Asst Mgr Production & Logistics M P Singh Executive Mohd. Nadeem Ansari
CIRCULATION SALES Head - Circulation Samir Mehta Regional Managers Jayanta Bhattacharyya, Norbert Joseph
READER SERVICES Team Leader Sudhir Patel +91-22-67899678 / help@digit.in 6 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
COVER IMAGING AND DESIGN Peterson PJ
GAMES REVIEWED THIS MONTH Frostpunk Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
MOBILE MONTHLY Major Mayhem 2 | Paladins Strike | Sdorica -sunset- | StarLost - Space Shooter | Dungeon Hunter Champions | Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle | FishingStrike | Pocket Knights 2 | Returner 77 | Project Highrise | Oddmar | Warhammer Quest 2:” The End Times Published and printed by Kanak Ghosh for and on behalf of the owners, 9.9 Group Pvt. Ltd. (Formerly known as Nine Dot Nine Mediaworx Private Limited) 121, Patparganj, Mayur Vihar Phase-1, Near Mandir Masjid, Delhi - 110091 and printed at International Print-O-Pac Limited, C/4-11, Hosiery Complex, Phase II Extension, Noida-201306 (U.P.) INDIA. Editor: Kanak Ghosh.
“We do not endorse or recommend any product or service advertised in the magazine. The advertisement’s in this magazine are for information purposes only. We do not, expressly or impliedly, warrant or assume any liability or responsibility for the quality, accuracy, completeness, legality, reliability, usefulness or claims of any product or service advertised in the magazine. Our readers are strongly advised to carry out their own independent assessment of the product or services advertised in the magazine.”
DISCLAIMER For every Digit contest, there will be only one winner, unless specified otherwise. In the event of a dispute, the Editor’s decision shall be final.
CONTACT US TELL US WHAT YOU FEEL ABOUT DIGIT If you have an opinion about anything published in Digit, or about technology in general, write to editor@digit.in or call at +91-22-678 99 700. To interact with the authors of specific articles, please write to the email address specified under the author’s name HELP! For copy-related issues, delivery status or any other complaints regarding our service, write to help@digit.in or call +91-22-678 99 678
JOIN THE GROUP THAT SUITS YOUR NEEDS
https://www.facebook.com/digitgeek Your favourite magazine on your favourite social network. When mainstream tech is not enough, come over to the geekier side.
E
SOFTWARE ON THE DVDs To submit and suggest software or any other type of content, to be included in the Digit DVDs, write to dvd@digit.in or call +91-22-678 99 707
DIGIT FACEBOOK PAGES
Q&A If you’re having trouble with your PC or a gadget, our experts can help solve your problems. Just write in to sos@digit.in. Remember to include full system configurations in your email.
http://facebook.com/thinkdigit Join the conversation within a community of over 1.3 million tech enthusiasts. There is something for everyone.
M PL
AGENT001 Confused about what product to buy? You can get technology buying advice from our team (and maybe even directly from our very own secret agent... if you’re lucky), by addressing your query to: agent001@digit.in
SUBSCRIBE Want to get an edge over everyone else at school, college, or even work? Subscribe to India’s #1 Technology Magazine, and you will find our secret sauce is the best! Plus you will save money. Just SMS: <DIGIT SUB> to 92200 92200 or visit www.digit.in/subscribe
http://www.facebook.com/techkranti Let’s wake ourselves up and gather the tools of tech to change the future of our great nation. Join The Revolution!
PRODUCT TESTING Want your product reviewed by Digit? Contact our Test Center at testcenter@digit.in or call +91-22-678 99 708 NEWS & NEW PRODUCT LAUNCHES To announce new product launches and press releases, email us at pressrelease@digit.in
SA
ENDORSEMENTS / REPRINTS Interested in ordering article reprints or in using our logos? Get the requisite permissions by contacting us at reprint@digit.in BUSINESS ENQUIRIES Think we can help you grow your business, or maybe you can help us grow ours? Get in touch with us at business@digit.in CAREERS Want to work for Digit? Send us your resume to careers@digit.in
SPONSORSHIP Want Digit to be a media partner for your tech event? Send your proposal in to sponsor@digit.in
http://www.facebook.com/ IThinkGadgets Community of People who love mobiles, laptops, cameras & other gadgets
http://www.facebook.com/devworx.in Community of software programmers who enjoy writing code and want to grow their career in software development
INTERACT WITH TEAM DIGIT
@digitindia
digit.in/facebook
8 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
digit.in/youtube
digit.in/forum
@digit.in
http://www.facebook.com/skoar What is life without gaming? Catch up on all the latest in gaming news, reviews and shenanigans from our test labs
SAcontents M PL E Mod everything
Bored of the routine and everyday technology around you? We show you how to ditch the regular and mod everything.
FEATURE
ORIGINS
26 | A deep dive
Did you know that submarines existed before the pendulum clock did?
JUNE 2018
TEARDOWN
28 | Huawei P20 Pro
VOLUME 18 ISSUE 06
Is three really better than two? We take a look inside the P20 Pro to find the answer.
TOP 3
30 | Recommended buys CONFIG
32 | The best PC builds
Everything youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll ever need to build your own PC. Whatever your budget. 10 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
48 | Supercharge your voice assistants
Tired of your not-so-smart smart assistants? Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how to improve them.
LEVEL UP
43 | Windows 10 alternative apps
Tired of the defaults when it comes to Windows 10? Look no further - we have the best alternatives for Windows 10 apps
46 | Sketchup for Web
Sketchup, formerly Google Sketchup, lets you quickly translate 3D objects from your imagination to the screen. We show you how to master this web based tool in no time.
50 | Root and revive your Android smartphone
Breathe some new life into your aging smartphone with rootbased apps.
52 | Mod your PC
From cabinets to cables, from cooling to PSUs, all about modding your very own master race experience..
Sticking to the stock experience of the operating system on your device is not necessary at all!
58 | Mod your smartphone
Tweaker 4 Uxtheme Multi-patcher 14.2 Winaero WindowsBlinds WinStep Xtreme
installation process, automatic hardware detection, stable rollingrelease model, ability to install multiple kernels, special Bash scripts for managing graphics drivers and extensive desktop configurability.
Popular modded games Aliens TC Crusader Kings 2: A Game of Thrones Diaspora: Shattered Armistice Kung fu 3.0 Neotokyo Star Wars Mod: Galactic Warfare The Ladder
M PL
Beyond software mods, here’s how to use accessories to mod your phone.
Alpha DVD Game modding tools Blender GIMP gmax IMGTool 2 Krita MakeHuman Sculptris Sketchup Make 2017 TXD Workshop ZModeler2
E
56 | Mod your OS
ON THE DVDs
60 | Mod your peripherals Keyboards and mice - start modding peripherals like a pro.
SKOAR! PHEATURE
63 | A brief history of modding
SA
It has come a long way since inception.
67 | Faceoff: PUBG vs Fortnite
Which battle royale will be the last one standing? We rap to find out.
68 | Effect of customisation on players
There’s more to customisation than just immersion
MOBILE MADNESS
70 | The best free and paid smartphone games
From simple tappers to platformers and RPGs, with a hint of puzzlers!
AND MORE
Windows 10 modding software 7+ Taskbar Tweaker 8GadgetPack AltPlusTab AquaSnap Artpip AutoHideDesktopIcons BetterDesktopTool BGEye Clover ConsoleZ Context Menu Editor CursorFX CustomizerGod DeskPins DesktopOK Drive Icon Changer Fences Folder Marker Free Jovial Menu ObjectDock OS X Mavericks Transformation Pack 3.1 PaperPlane Smart Launch QuickLook Rainmeter Right Click Enhancer RoboTask Lite Screen savers SideSlide System Brand Changer TaskLayout The OEMer TweakNow PowerPack Ultimate Windows
Foundations of Biology Learn about the fundamental basics of biology including cells, energy and molecular genetics.
NASA footage on moons 100 Lunar Days Descent to Titan Earth and Moon How To: Digital Terrain Models of the Moon Lunar Eclipses and the Moon’s Orbit NASA’s Earth Science Mission Fleet: March 2017 The Moon’s Permanently Shadowed Regions Titan Saturn System Mission Tour of the Moon Water on the Moon Manjaro Linux Manjaro Linux is a fast, user-friendly, desktoporiented operating system based on Arch Linux. Key features include intuitive
Omega DVD Tech keynotes Google I/O 2018 Highlights Microsoft Build 2018 keynote
Build a custom Android ROM 7-zip Android Kitchen Android Studio APKTool Cygwin Notepad++ Ubuntu 18.04 Alternatives to Windows 10 default apps Clementine Discord Evernote Foxit PDF Reader FreeCommander Greenshot IrfanView Media player classic MediaMonkey Mozilla Firefox OpenOffice Paint.NET ShareX SpeedCrunch Sumatra PDF TeamViewer Thunderbird Total commander Vivaldi VLC Media player XnView MP
www.digit.in | June 2018 | Digit | 11
mod everything
Fox renews Lethal Weapon
Yanny or Laurel?
Fox has renewed Lethal Weapon for Season 3 and has cast Seann William Scott in a co-lead role. https://dgit.in/Jun18-A14-1
INBOX
The internet is furiously debating if the robot is saying ‘Yanny’ or ‘Laurel’ in this auditory illusion. https://dgit.in/Jun18-A14-2
Thanks for sending it in. Let me see what we can do. :-) –Robert
M PL
E
Hey Digit, You guys are amazing. The magazine itself is a great info provider for geeks like me. Of course the Fast Tracks and dmystifys are legendary. Is it only me or is it really that the humour in the magazine has decreased. I read the magazine occasionally so may have got it wrong but since I first read it, the magazine has became more formal. I would like the main magazine and other books to regain the informal tone that they once had. About the URLs. It is really a burden to type those url in the browsers. Understand the problem you have with QR codes. I suggest that you give only one QR code at the end of the book containing all the links, ensuring the look is not compromised. Can you provide a dmystify on black holes, Quantum mechanics and other such topics including string theory, quarks, etc. The elementary particles topic of last dmystify were not enough. A FastTrack on Raspberry pi 3 air zero will be great. Can you provide a Linux alternative to VirtualBox. That’s all. Thank you for the magazine and it’s awesomeness. –Shreshth Jaiswal
Feedback for the May 2018 issue of Digit
test last month’s DVD to check whether the problem is with the DVD or the drive. If another DVD works, then you have got a damaged DVD, and we will send you a replacement absolutely free of cost. –Abhijit This is Yash Warrier, and I am a passionate musician and a Mass Media student from Jaihind College, Mumbai. I had been working on the Super Mario Bros. Theme Music which I recreated into an Indian Classical Version which is the FIRST EVER concept of its kind. The music comprises of the three most popular theme-Overworld, Underworld and Underwater Theme followed by the catchy death sound and game over music. We would really appreciate if The Digit could feature our work. Link to the video - https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=rPLwI_IorQY -Yash Warrier
SA
Hey Digit, it’s been two months that I have been buying this magazine, although I read it at the school library for about a year. Firstly, I would like to talk about the cover story of May. Although you told us how to delete our physiographic profile, we both know its not possible for us to cut off from this “mayajaal” as we can call it. Another problem, I am having a problem with the DVD as I am not able to download anything from it. As for dmystify, I really appreciate the easy language here. And the Fast Track is the best handy guide for people who are digitally connected professionally. Overall, the magazine is very informative and you guys just stick to the point which I think is the best thing every magazine should do. I think this ongoing battle about posters may come to an end by alternating between a car and a gaming poster. Hoping for the best magazine this June and lot more coming from Team Digit. –Subhrodeep Ghosh
Send your feedback at editor@digit.in
Thank you for your feedback Subhrodeep. You should write to help@digit.in and request a replacement DVD if yours is not working. Please only make sure to
14 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
Hi Yash, I loved it. I did find myself wishing that there was a more diverse arrangement of Indian Classical instruments, but I love the dedication.
Hi Shreshth, Thanks for writing to us. You’re 100% correct, and I’ve noticed this too. Will ask the boys to loosen up a little. :-) Trying to find a solution, people hate going through 120+ links to find one they like. Trialling a new solution in June, tell us how you like it when you see it. String Theory was the second dmystify we did in July 2015. Dark Matter and Dark Energy was in September 2015. Big Bang in June 2016. The Quantum World was August 2016. Black holes and Wormholes are coming in future issues. Will take the suggestion seriously. We saw it after the magazine was sent to print. Why would you want an alternative? Just use VirtualBox itself. –Robert
mod everything
Notepad gets an upgrade
Costa Rica to ban fossil fuels
Notepad now does Unix line endings and no longer shows content smooshed together in one line. https://dgit.in/Jun18-A26-1
ORIGINS
Costa Rica transitions completely to renewable energy and bans fossil fuels. https://dgit.in/Jun18-A26-2
A deep dive erjee Arnab Mukh
it | arnab@dig
.in
M PL
ubmersible vehicles were invented before Champagne and the pendulum clock. If you consider diving bells as submarines, early mentions go back as far as Alexander the Great! Through history, a range of applications drove the evolution of submarines. In fact, we’ve reached a point wherethey’ve managed to become quite autonomous and reach depths that wouldn’t be possible with human passengers. We’re about to explore the points of evolution that have brought submarines where they are today.
E
S
oats to b w o r d ie if From mod e explore w , s e n o r d r underwate b’s journey u s e h t f o h the dept history t u o h g u o r th
A COVER JOB
Artist’s depiction of the maiden public voyage of the Drebbel 26 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
donment and failures too. The next big push in submarines came with mechanised propulsion.
MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL POWER
Conceptually, the first autonomous submarine was the French Navy’s Plongeur. The submaMILITARISATION rine used a reciprocatMilitary attention coning engine powered by verted research about compressed air from submersible vehicles into 23 tanks at 180 psi. But a serious pursuit. The the first practical and first American military air-independent subsubmarine was reportedmarine, the Ictineo II, ly deployed in 1776. ‘The was designed by Narcis Turtle’ was designed by Monturiol in 1867. It ran David Bushnell to accomon a combustion engine modate a single person, powered by peroxide and was the first to use screws for vertical and A cutaway depiction of David and steam. The airindependent peroxide horizontal propulsion. Bushnell’s Turtle, 1776. propulsion system was A similar humandesigned to solve the problem of oxypowered submarine was conceptugen availability underwater as well as alised and built by Robert Fulton for optimise other aspects. the French Navy in 1800. Dubbed Around the same time, the Whitethe Nautilus, it was the first known head self propelled torpedoes were submarine to use dual-propulsion. developed by Robert Whitehead. Although it proved its capability to Towards the end of the 19th century, destroy warships using mines during the modern submarine began to take demonstrations, the French governshape in the work of George Garrett, ment, and eventually the British as who designed and built the Resurgam well, lost interest in the project and in 1879 in Birkenhead, England. A abandoned it. Subsequent projects, combined use of wood and iron made as mentioned earlier, faced aban-
SA
The earliest known accounts of a working-submarine goes back to 1620, crediting Dutchman Cornelius van Drebbel, a ‘court inventor’ for King James I of England. He modified a rowboat to be enclosed, carrying 12 oarsmen within. The boat, Drebbel, was shaped to have an angled foredeck that would make it submerge when the oarsmen propelled it forward.
Over the next 100 years, submarines built on similar principles and various kinds of propulsion methods like ballast tanks were patented and developed. This success did not escape the attention of the military around the world.
reviews
For better understanding of our ratings, here’s a quick guide to our overall score to
30
31
to
50
51
to
70
71
to
90
91
to 100
Extremely poor product. Keep away!
Strictly OK.
Not recommended
Decent product.
E
10
Go for it, but there may be better products out there.
Very good product. Highly recommended.
Ground-breaking product.
We’ve never seen anything like it before. A definite must buy!
M PL
The Digit Test Centre receives hundreds of products every month. Each of these products is put through a series of tests and is finally given a score. The final score is arrived at after considering a number of factors and evaluating them in terms of features, performance, value for money, build quality, and, in the case of software, even ease of use.
THE LATEST PRODUCTS REVIEWED FOR YOU
INSIDE
36
37 Samsung Galaxy S9
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
38
SA 40
Corsair 460460X RGB 34 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
41 Fujifilm XE-3
Rapoo V110 PLUS
39
Intel Optane SSD 800p
35 OnePlus 6 36 Nokia 6 (2018) 38 ANT Audio W59 39 ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1 64GB 42 MSI GT75 TITAN 8RF & MORE...
Expanse revived by Amazon
After Syfy dropped sci-fi show The Expanse, Jeff Bezos confirmed that it will continue on Amazon Prime. https://dgit.in/Jun18-A35-1
OnePlus 6
mod everything
iOS 12 door unlock
iOS 12 will expand the NFC capabilities of iPhones to allow users to securely unlock doors with the tech. https://dgit.in/Jun18-A35-2
REVIEWS
the difference is hardly noticeable. The interface is still as near to stock Android we've seen yet housing a lot of optimisations and tweaks.
Still Standing "Tall"
T
he OnePlus 6 that launched in India for `34,999 is an embodiment of a simple enough philosophy. Give people what they want at a price that would put flagship phone makers to shame. The phone brings to the table turbo-powered performance powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset coupled with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It’s built for speed from the ground up. Right from the minimal touch latency of the display to the meticulous optimisations of the Oxygen OS that powers the user experience. That has always been the case. Matching the speed and performance of flagship phones has been the signature of OnePlus devices. Only this time, the OnePlus 6 tries not only to play the part of a flagship, but also look the part of one.
Battery life
M PL
E
The OnePlus 6 is powered by a 3,300 mAh battery that feels paltry in comparison to what the power banksdisguised-as-phones like the Huawei P20 Pro provide. And that shows when you’re using the phone. Because of the high-end Price 9 39,99 hardware, the battery drains quite fast, so much so, that you are left with around 5-6 percent of battery after a typical work day. It does need a top up in the evening if you decide to head out after work. That topup is provided by the Dash Charger that can fully charge the battery under an hour. The Dash Charger remains an integral part of the OnePlus experience. It’s the reason why OnePlus can get away with putting a smaller battery on its phones every time. In the PCMark Work 2.0 Battery Test, Snapdragon 845. Needless the phone lasted 5 hours 46 minutes to say, it's the fastest mobile which isn’t up to the standards at platform available for Camera all. Interestingly, the benchmark test Android devices right now. The camera(s) at the back FEATURE.......................76 revealed the discharge is consistent Although, benchmark of the phone is now one of PERFORMANCE...........94 till 20 percent after which it drops reports will peg the Galaxy the most important aspect VALUE............................72 drastically. S9 slightly higher than the of choosing a smartphone. DESIGN..........................90 OnePlus 6. The AnTuTu And that's where the 7.0 score was 244517 while OnePlus 6 falters. The Verdict the OnePlus 6 scores 2372 phone uses a 16-megapixel The OnePlus 6 is built for speed from and 8502 on Geekbench Single Core + 20-megapixel dual camera stack at the ground up. The smartphone has and Multi-core CPU test respectively. the back. That's the same resolution the history of being a flagship killer, Well, it's certainly fast and if as the OnePlus 5T but few things have but despite the top-of-the-class hardyou're thinking of upgrading from the changed inside. ware, the compromises in OnePlus OnePlus 5T, you're likely to not feel the What’s irksome is that OnePlus had phones have also remained consistdifference at all. The phone can switch a perfectly good solution for providing ent, so much so, that it is now acts as a between apps in a snap, open apps in 2X hybrid zoom in the OnePlus 5, but deterrent to buy this over an expensive an instant and while gaming, there's they walked away from it on the Oneflagship. The OnePlus 6 is still just as never a frame drop. The Game Mode Plus 5T and now the OnePlus 6. The fast, even more beautiful but has the that was a hit among users in the 5T zoom in the OnePlus 6 is completely same flaws as last time. has been improved by allowing users digital, and no matter how much –Subhrojit Malik to take calls from the speaker while in OnePlus claims they use multi-frame SPECIFICATIONS a game, apart from limiting other apps processing to get a clean zoom, there’s SOC: Snapdragon 845 | GPU: Adreno 630 | OS: Android 8.1 from accessing the network to allow a significant and noticeable loss in (Oreo) | CARD SLOT: microSD, up to 128 GB | DISPLAY TYPE: Optic AMOLED | SIZE: 6.28 inches | RESOLUTION: 1080 x 2280 pixels online games like PUBG mobile to detail with a lack of sharpness. | CAMERA PRIMARY: Dual (16 MP + 20MP)(f/1.7, 27mm, EIS | have lower latencies. CAMERA SECONDARY: 16 MP (f/2.0, 1. µm pixel size). The OxygenOS interface, OnePlus Performance CONTACT claims now opens apps 11 times faster. The OnePlus 6 is the first phone in ONEPLUS INDIA | PHONE: 1800-102-8411 | EMAIL: Web form | Considering how fast it anyway was, India to be powered by the Qualcomm WEBSITE: oneplusstore.in
SA
84
www.digit.in | June 2018 | Digit | 35
level
A COLLECTION OF PRO TIPS FOR EVERYTHING. Without being limited to a particular topic, these tips are from popular software, to coding, to browsers, search, storage rules, password rules, mobile device hacks, bios cracking, tweaks explained and everything tech under the sun.
for multiple streaming sites and also confers the ability upon the user to play music files that you have stored on Google Drive. The app also allows users to tap into the world of internet radio including Spotify and Soundcloud.
Foxit PDF Reader
(download here: https://dgit.in/Foxit)
The Foxit PDF Reader is not just a standard PDF Viewer. It allows people to interact and discuss on the PDF docu-
M PL
Ever feel like the Windows 10 default apps are lackluster and find yourself searching the dark groves of the internet for superior alternatives? Stop right here and look no more!
E
Free alternatives to default Windows 10 apps Dhriti Datta | feedback@digit.in
MediaMonkey
(download here: https://dgit.in/ mediamonkey)
Pride yourself with being a serious music collector? MediaMonkey may just be the app for you! It is a music and movie manager that catalogues music and videos and manages multiple collection lists. The music player
GROOVE MUSIC
Sumatra PDF Viewer
Groove Music is the default music player app on Windows 10. These are some of the better alternatives available:
SA
WINDOWS COMES PREINSTALLED with an array of default apps that are used extensively by users. Windows 10 introduced a host of new apps which includes the all-new Photos app that has faced much flak from the community since they preferred its predecessor, Windows Photo Viewer. The Mail, Calendar, and Maps apps were also changed as part of the new Windows 10. Although some of these changes are quite good, there are superior alternatives that offer greater functionality. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s look at some of the best free, open-source alternatives, that have more to offer than the default apps.
Clementine
(download here: https://dgit.in/ Clementine)
Clementine is a crossplatform music player that is laden with tons of features. The app includes support
ments. Viewers who have been granted ConnectedPDF Collaboration access can post comments for authors to read and edit. It also grants the authors the ability to track who is reading the document and what they are doing on it.
(download here: https://dgit.in/ Sumatra)
also looks up Tags and Album Art images to rearrange and rename the tracks in a systematic way.
If you ever feel fed up with the extra clunkiness of PDF viewers marred with unnecessary features, you might want to try out Sumatra PDF
MICROSOFT EDGE (PDF VIEWER)
Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 is the default PDF viewer along with being your default web browser. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like to use EDGE, you can Switch to one of these capable PDF Viewers.
Viewer. It is a lightweight, free program that does what it says without adding extra fluff that could potentially slow it down.
www.digit.in | June 2018 | Digit | 43
mod everything
Zombieland 2 returns
Netflix >1000 original shows
The original cast of Zombieland is likely to hit the theatresin 2019 to celebrate it’s ten year anniversary. https://dgit.in/Jun18-A52-1
WORKSHOP
Netflix will have over 1,000 original TV shows and movies on its service by the end of the year. https://dgit.in/Jun18-A52-2
Modness! It’s all
Mithun Mohandas | mithun@digit.in
T
CABLE MODDING
Perhaps, one of the simplest ways to mod your PC, cable modding refers to the act of taking the existing cabling from your PC and swapping out the cables for better quality ones, sleeving them with various colours to match
Just Google for cable mod toolkit and you’ll come across hundreds of listings for teensy punch tools. These are what you’d use to separate the cable from the plastic ATX connectors. Once you’ve done that, you’ll need to start the resleeving. Sometimes, the metal prongs at the end of the cables can get damaged or they’re simply of a lower quality. In such cases, it’s better to swap those out for thicker pins. What you need to worry about here is to not cut the cable down. Losing out on length can pose problems later on, so use a nose plier and pry the clips away. Tin the cable end with a solder-
M PL
Pushing the limits of functionality and aesthetics
E
Modness! Pre-sleeving
a theme or simply to refurbish your PSU’s cabling. A properly done cable mod can make a world of a difference to your PC’s aesthetics. We could say that cable modding would be the simplest one in this article. The overall process is quite simple and straightforward if you have the right set of tools to get the job done properly. And getting those tools is quite simple online as well.
SA
he personal computers have more or less retained its shape and form ever since they were first made. In fact, the first computer ever i.e. the ENIAC was a huge rectangular machine that took up an entire room. Then came the IBM machines a few decades later which were similar rectangular bodies of much smaller sizes. Fast forward to present time and the most common form factor that you get to see when you search for a PC is the same old rectangle, though it’s much smaller now. What we’re getting to is that it’s time for a change. Modding isn’t a new concept at all. For us Indians, the hindrance was always the accessibility. Access to the right tools, access to the right materials and access to the right hardware. This is no longer a problem and enthusiasts have started modding PCs in the same league as International modders. Some of the things these guys come up with are awe inspiring. Getting to the level of professional modders is no easy task, but there are a couple of things you can do to chart your path to modding glory. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular ways people are modding various parts from their PCs.
52 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
Post sleeving with new connectors
Cable-mod toolkit ing iron if need be or simply attach the new clips and you should be good. Now, you can move on to running a sleeve onto each individual cable. You can find these sleeves on all the ecommerce websites for cheap and you can even get them in a choice of materials. There are cloth sleeves, rubber sleeves and PET sleeves. PET is the best choice though the cloth texture is something a lot of people go for. Cut out proper lengths of sleeve ending right before the metal clips on either end. And now, in order to stop the PET sleeve from moving about,
mod everything
iBall reveals the Merit G9
NES Classic is back
iBall recently unveiled its newest addition to the iBall Compbook family: the Merit G9, priced at Rs. 13,999 only. https://dgit.in/Jun18-A58-1
WORKSHOP
Nintendo is bringing back the NES Classic after being discontinued for a bit, it will be available in stores in June. https://dgit.in/Jun18-A58-2
M PL
There are a lot of options, now, for smartphone accessories, beyond selfie sticks and bluetooth speakers. You do not need a Moto Z to use these smartphone mods. The March 2018 issue of Digit has details on how to make your own smartphone stand, as well as a projector.
E
The Coolest Smartphone Accessories
SA
Aditya Madanapalle | aditya@digit.in
FLEXIBLE MINI TRIPOD
This is a must have accessory now, considering the various low light modes available through apps. You can screw a selfie stick onto a camera. Look for flexible mini tripods, which are pretty versatile. If you make a lot of videos, it would make sense to invest in a gimbal to reduce shakes and optimise the quality of your videos.
WATERPROOF POUCH
With the monsoons right around the corner, a waterproof smartphone pouch is a sensible investment. This works better than a waterproof case, as it is much cheaper, and you do not have to worry about the model of the smartphone. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not one to care about a little added bulkiness and want to protect your phone, this is a good option.
MACRO LENS
You get a number of commercial lens kits, but none of the ones available in India are very good. The only ones that are any good are the macro lenses, but you can get this done with a bit of jugaad. Just use the lens of a DVD player or a laser pointer, attached to the phone with card and tape. If these are not available, even a drop of water on the lens will do the trick.
58 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
FAN
This is a fun little gadget that will literally keep you cool. They are really inexpensive as well, and should be available for less than 200 bucks. The only thing to watch out for is to make sure that the type of USB plug used is compatible with your smartphone.
KEYBOARD
Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face it, if you really want to be productive when typing, a smartphone keyboard will help you increase your typing speeds by leaps and bounds. If you are looking for something fancy and futuristic, then there are laser projection keyboards available as well.
RNI REGN. No. DELENG/2001/03791
THE RSS FEED | Robert Sovereign-Smith | Executive Editor
2028?
E
betting that at least a few will talk about AI. And all this chatter about AI is not because it’s the buzzword of the year… it’s the buzzword of the year because of all the work being done on it. It’s only now, where computers are powerful number crunchers, but do so at far lower power usage than ever before, storage is cheap but still fast, and networking speeds are through the roof, which allows for proper distributed / grid computing that AI is feasible. That’s not the only reason though, because going hand-in-hand with all of this number crunching capability, is the type of numbers they’re crunching. Data was always money for businesses, because large amounts of data on products and consumers is worth its weight in gold. That was when data was hard to come by… now, with all of us literally throwing our data out there, it’s just begging to be analysed and acted upon immediately… something machines are just the best at. In case you’ve noticed, I haven’t made any predictions yet, and no I’m not trying to worm out of doing so, because inside you will find a much longer article by me, which does exactly that. The purpose of this column is to set the stage for all the opinions that follow, and I hope I’ve done at least that. If you absolutely insist on a prediction… everything major that happens over the next decade, good or bad, will undoubtedly have technology and science involved in a big way. Now is the part where you will probably say “Thanks Captain Obvious!”, and flip the page in disgust! Before you do though, don’t you think it’s pretty magnificent to be a geek living in a world that’s will forever more be ruled by technology?
“Data was always money for businesses, because large amounts of data on products and consumers is worth its weight in gold”
*conditions apply
SA
M PL
PLAYING SOOTHSAYER is a terrible job, because more often than not, things never go the way they should and technology blindsides us so consistently that we’re all just a little terrified to make predictions. Why? Because we know they will come back and bite us in the backside eventually. In fact, the prediction game is such a minefield that most prefer to leap straight into the distant future and dabble more in science fiction than in real predictions that can be proven wrong in just a few years. What’s worse, when you do it for a well regarded publication like Digit, it’s something a lot of people read, and then hold you accountable for. It’s why every single columnist that follows me is really a brave soul, sticking their neck out for technology and Digit, and that’s something I respect deeply. Whether it’s members of our inhouse team, or external columnists, or even the feature stories that follow them all, everyone is basing their vision on research, or insider knowledge. And even then we will get it all a little wrong. Why does that happen? Because the very nature of technology and science makes it so. Tech is invading every aspect of life, and every field of study. Whether it’s giving people computational models to test their theories, or finding patterns that humans just cannot do, technology has been enhancing human abilities ever since the first hominid picked up a stick. At its most basic level, that’s all technology really is… an enhancement of human capabilities, which is now being taken to levels far beyond what humans were ever meant to achieve. I’m writing this column before anyone else has submitted theirs, and since this is the year of AI (as our Jan 2018 issue announced), I’m
` 500 CASHBACK*
Liked or hated this column? Let me know at: editor@digit.in | facebook.com/raaabo | @raaabo
FLIP TO PAGE 1 OF THE MOD EVERYTHING ISSUE TO GET YOUR CASHBACK www.digit.in | June 2018 | Digit | 1
SAcontents M PL E The Next Decade
From industry experts to our own team members, we take a shot at predicting the next ten years in technology. CUTTING EDGE
22 | What to Watch?
All the big headlines to watch out for over the next ten years.
FEATURE
IGNORANCE
54 | Automatic Gearboxes
26 | It’s not time yet
From qauntum computing to drone deliver services, we look at some things that will not be realised in the next decade.
JUNE 2018
VOLUME 18 ISSUE 06
AUTOTECH
Automatic transmission technologies are the next big shift for Indian consumers.
FEATURE
SPACE AGE
56 | Hyperloop in India
29 | The next decade of space exploration
AND MORE
An ISRO manned mission, a permanent base on Mars, and all the other exciting scheduled spaceflights.
How transformative can the multiple hyperloop projects really be?
SKOAR!
HEALTH
32 | Women’s health
A look at what technology can do for women’s healthcare.
64 | Frostpunk
R&D
FEATURE
48 | Hawking’s final hurrah!
70 | VR is not the future of gaming
Exploring the implications of the final paper published by the late Stephen Hawking. 2 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
REEVU
A city building survival game.
What if we told you that VR is overrated?
AND MORE
next decade
COLUMN
E
BY HUBERT LARENAUDIE President APAC & Global Head, Unity Distribution Platform
The future is bright in the world of Augmented and Virtual Reality: AR is here and VR is promising greater growth for 2018. AR is no longer the future, it’s here and will be available on more than 1 billion devices in the marketplace by the end of 2018. The global virtual reality (VR) market was valued at approximately USD 2.02 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach approximately USD 26.89 billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of around 54.01% between 2017 and 2022, according to Zion Market Research’s report. In the last 12 months to the end of Q1 2018, augmented and virtual reality startups raised over $3.6 billion from venture capitalists and corporates, setting a new record. Over three-quarters of a billion dollars was invested in the first three months of this year alone. Additionally, with the proliferation of untethered all-in-one VR devices from Google and Oculus are leading us to greater consumer awareness. Which brings us to another avenue – Artificial Intelligence. Research in artificial intelligence is unfolding new avenues in the continuously evolving relationship between human game developers and their algorithmicallyintelligent tools. Entire 2D/ 3D games can be brought to life from the beginning with the help of artificial intelligence. AI will be able to provide creative support, where intelligent design tools help people to quickly generate layouts, characters, themes, environments and so on. In Unity’s real-time 3D development platform, our creators are using Machine Learning Agents to train behaviors of non-player characters and other supporting elements. This breakthrough open source AI toolkit enables machine learning developers and researchers to train agents in realistic, complex scenarios with decreased technical barriers than they could otherwise. For game design, artificial intelligence is a key to tackle a wide range of gaming problems. In a world where most current genres and core gameplay mechanics have been around for years, refined again and again to a sharp point, AI has the potential to bring something new to the table.
M PL
The promising future of game development T
In comparison to the early days, game engines have become more userfriendly and continuously evolve with time. Development is becoming democratized, both due to the increasing ease of use and the affordability. Thanks to their ability to provide creation tools across a variety of industries, the term “game engine” is really becoming a misnomer. The Unity real-time 3D development platform can be used in just about any field, developing architectural simulations, medical training aids, automotive renderings and more. Today’s game engines are also more diverse in terms of platform support, allowing developers to target the likes of smartphones, desktops, home consoles and AR/VR devices.
SA
oday’s game engines offer much more to game developers than ever before. Taking a game from idea to final product has always been a daunting task, but with today’s development platforms, it is easier than ever. Creators no longer need to write or develop a game from the scratch. Ideas are much more easily implemented with the use of a modern games engine, designed to reduce as much friction as possible in the creation process. In engines, the basic core architecture and programming is largely provided. A developer only needs to tweak them as their own requirement, adding in layers of their own creation to bring their vision to life.
Oclulus Go is an untethered VR experience that brings mobility and accessibility to VR, something that it has desperately needed since its introduction to the mass markets 6 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
FUZZY LOGIC | Aditya Madanapalle | Features Editor
Postcards from the future
E
phere will permanently and drastically affect the future of the planet. It has become of paramount importance to start taking pollutants out of the air, and stop dumping even more into it. Around the world, there are plans to deploy air filtration systems and drone swarms to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and the seas. Over the course of the next decade, many countries are planning to shift to cleaner forms of energy production, and phase out coal-based power plants at the same time. The realisation of fusion power will be a big step, but solar panels and solar energy are also expected to get progressively cheaper. Electric vehicles are expected to increase exponentially. India plans to move away from fossil fuel vehicles completely, by using replaceable batteries for everything from trucks to cars to tractors. These batteries can be charged in places that now serve as fuel stations. Carpooling apps, ridesharing services, and subscription based vehicle ownership models mean less than half of the world’s population will own a private vehicle after the next ten years. When humanity was about to conquer the skies, the seas were a domain of equal importance. When the first aeronauts were imagined, of equal importance were the aquanauts. The sea was just another realm that man would eventually master. People had imagined underwater tours, races, and even humans riding on aquatic animals. None of this has happened. We have plans and timelines for establishing permanent settlements on Mars, but no concrete plans for a permanent underwater human settlement on Earth. I really cannot understand why this is the case, and hope to see some progress on this front over the next decade. Shimizu Corporation, an architecture firm from Japan has conceptualised an “Ocean Spiral”. At the top of the city is a 500m diameter sphere that serves as the base camp and supports the rest of the structure. Below the sphere, are three ballast balls to control the buoyancy. Originating from the Blue Garden, there is a long spiral to the sea floor, which houses the roads, utilities, offices and houses. Touching the sea floor, is an “Earth Factory”, to store and reuse carbon dioxide, and to farm resources. The Ocean Spiral is a beautiful concept. We need an Atlantis already.
SA
M PL
PREDICTING THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY has always been a ridiculous exercise. The best examples of exactly how over the top it can get, are probably the covers of pulp science fiction books, as well as European postcards from the future. We do not have many of the things yet, such as humongous genetically engineered fruits, entire cities shielded from the elements, weather control devices, machines that digitally feed books to your brains, or large trains with entire apartment complexes on them. However, what is exciting is that over the course of the next decade, we are actually going to realise many of these dreams. One of the best elements of science fiction and alternate history novel covers, often ambiently in the background, are all the airships. Believe it or not, there is actually a need for slow moving, steady aircraft. Even now, these are being used for prospecting, tourism and research. The Zeppelins are being operated for all these purposes already. The advent of automation, has blown new air into these vehicles. The Airlander 50 by Hybrid Air Vehicles, is being planned as a low cost freight craft. The airship is expected to be more economical than any air or land based alternatives, can deliver cargo to remote locations because of the lack of need of airport infrastructure, and can lift 50 tonnes of cargo. Automation will allow us to realise another cherished dream of science fiction – flying cars. Uber and Volocopter both have concepts for autonomous quadcopters ferrying passengers over short distances, to speed up travel. Dubai started the testing phase of its Autonomous Air Taxi service in 2017 itself, which is expected to last for another four years. A boston based company, Terrafugia hopes to launch the TF-X autonomous flying car within the next decade, and it can fit into a regular garage. Even a hundred years ago, people were predicting that the cities of the future will run on clean energy, without smoke or loud sounds polluting the environment. At this point of time, our cities are more polluted than ever before. Fortunately, there are two things in the near future that will definitely help clear up the environment. We are near to, or have crossed the tipping point, where any further degradation of the atmos-
14 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
“Carpooling apps, ridesharing services, and subscription based vehicle ownership models mean less than half of the world’s population will own a private vehicle after the next ten years”
Let me know your thoughts on this column at: @SparklingPwnie | aditya@digit.in
AM-PLIFY | Arnab Mukherjee | Senior Writer
Start me up!
E
wanting to take you to your office, because it’s just not a “convenient” route. Instead of being rejected by humans taxi drivers, you will now be dumped by AI as well! And the data that each startup has, when cross referenced with each other, can (and most certainly will) be used to create profiles of you not too different from the psychographic profiles that emerged at the heart of the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal. Think of it as something like a centralised user profile shared by multiple startups to pitch you services that may take advantage of your political, religious and personal biases – something that you haven’t shared with the companies, but is pretty evident from a collective database of all the data about you online. Think about it, if you compliment a cab driver in an app rating for ‘interesting conversations’, you’re likely to be paired with cabbies who are talkative, and not just that, they might use your social media profile to figure out what you want to talk about as well! Ordered only vegetarian food during a particular religious month? Prepare to get non-stop suggestions about local religious events. So that’s it? The next decade will be all about a data-hungry ecosystem of conscienceless startups? Not really. If the recent GDPR ruling and its fallout are anything to go by, startups are going to offload the burden of conscience increasingly to you and me over the next ten years. Forget the flood of GDPR spam asking for your consent to keep sending you spam, we are talking about platform-wide, or even categorywide, data privacy just because you said ‘No’. On the other hand, if you don’t really care and tap ‘Yes’, then strap yourself in. Because soon, thanks to advancements in AI, machine learning and big data, startups are all set to know enough about you to predict how you are going to use their services and do it for you. At that point, if you decide to look for the ‘No’ button, you’ll be sorely disappointed.
SA
M PL
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW A MOVIE that was not geeky? Between superhero movies, reboots and sequels, it would be fairly normal for you to start feeling some geeky-movie fatigue. Heck, we’ve even had some members of our own team officially declaring that they are done with pop-culture references and cinematic universes that pander to a mass market. This fatigue isn’t only limited to movies, it’s about culture in general, social media overloads, tech company jargon hatred, and even start-up sickness! What’s startup sickness? When you hear so much about something, that even seeing the word itself makes you throw up a little in your mouth.... One can see where such a sentiment comes from. So blatant is the trend of copycatting someone else’s idea, that even venture capitalists want to know about other startups they can draw parallels from. In fact, it’s like threading the eye of a needle in this regard, because if your idea has too many parallels, it’s just another me-too, and if it has no parallels, then well, investors don’t want to take the risk of investing at all. Given how many me-too startups have collapsed in recent times, this obviously needs to change. Remember how many cab aggregating services we had just a few years ago? How many have survived? I still think it’s wrong to assume a saturation of the startup market. You know why? Because this isn’t the first startup wave in the history of humanity. Every single industry behemoth you see today – in pharmaceuticals, FnB, manufacturing, whatever – they were all startups once, and most of their “innovations” are done by smaller startups that have been quickly acquired. So what’s the next decade hold? Thanks to recent events, we’re all aware of how crucial our data is to corporations and startups alike. Whether it’s a globe-dominating social media company or a national-level digital payments startup, everyone has something to gain from your personal data. Services are going to get ultra-personified. And I don’t just mean Uber knowing when you usually travel to office and suggesting a ride, I mean Uber harnessing data from millions of users and devices like yours to prioritise longer, or higher-paying rides and also finding a way to pay drivers less, so that you’re stuck with no one
“Remember how many cab aggregating services we had just a few years ago? How many have survived?”
Let me know your thoughts on this column at: @mukhornab | arnab@digit.in www.digit.in | June 2018 | Digit | 21
next decade
CUTTING EDGE
The Next Decade
A.I.
photographs taken by professionals, tourists, dashcams, anything, to use location data and image recognition to keep a tab of which animal is where. It’s like Facebook’s facial recognition, but for everything from African wildlife to dolphins and whales. While it’s very hard for us to tell a couple of zebras apart, AI can do so effortlessly. It’s also being used in areas that will yield phenomenal changes in the next 10 years – medicine, warfare (cyber or otherwise), data mining, predictions (stock or betting, etc), driving… just everywhere!
Robert Sovereign-Smith | editor@digit.in SPACE EXPLORATION
As we try and explore further and further away from our little blue marble, we run into light speed communication delay problems. This is why autonomous robots are the future of almost all space exploration. With companies like SpaceX helping to make launches cheaper, and scientists at ISRO outdoing even Elon Musk when it comes to space launches on a budget, we think the next decade will involve far more countries than have been traditionally involved in space exploration thus far. When it comes to rockets, and other launch technologies, it’s people like Musk who will lead the charge, and as expertise rises, costs will fall even further. Low earth orbit is poised to become what air travel was in the early days of flying – at first something only the rich could partake in, to eventually becoming basically public transport in the sky. Of course in a mere decade we won’t achieve that, but we do hope to see the wealthy being shot out into zero G orbits in under 10 years. Soon after you read this, we expect China to launch it’s Chang’e 4 mission which will attempt to land a rover on the far side of the moon. No one has ever even attempted this, and it’s considered to be technically far more difficult than even the Apollo missions, which all landed near the equator on the near side of the moon (the side that faces earth). Why do they want to do this? Because the payoff is huge for scientific exploration of the cosmos. For one
M PL
o this isn’t an entertainment story telling you what Netflix shows to watch… it’s about the headlines we expect from science and technology over the next decade… the developments that will make us sit up and take notice. Our cutting Edge section is perfect for this cover story of the Next Decade, because that is the exact brief of the section – identify technologies that are cutting edge right now, which will be mainstream, or be common in under a decade… Think of it as a teaser for what’s to come in upcoming issues. Make sure to write in to us and tell us which ones you’d like us to cover more indepth, and we will do exactly that.
E
N
What to Watch?
HIV cured!
The last remaining deadly STD will no longer be a threat to lives. A team led by the famous Dr. Gupta from AIIMS held a press conference yesterday to announce that a cure for HIV had been successfully tested on a sample of over 700 humans and had achieved a 98.8 percent cure rate. Funded by the Indian government, the cure will be made available for free to all countries in order to eradicate HIV once and for all. Dr Gupta is already set to start trialing an HIV-vaccine next month, and his latest success comes just 6 years after he found a cure for the Herpes Simplex virus in 2022.
SA
Again, like you would have done when you read my column, you’re probably going “No sh**t Sherlock!” right about now. The problem is that machine learning is being used for everything. And we mean: Every. Effing. Thing. If you’re in school looking for a sure-shot career that will bring in the big bucks for the next few decades, getting into AI is a no-brainer. We expect both startups and established companies to use AI capabilities in very interesting and new ways, and bring it into domains that aren’t as obvious as most. For example, you’d never expect AI to take over wildlife conservation, and yet it is. It’s not even “cutting edge” because sites like Wildbook.org have existed for at least three years now. It’s helping wildlife researchers use
22 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
next decade
INFOPORN
The machine that hosts Digit.in
Energy Consumption
Even though we use one of the most energy efficient servers around, keeping Digit. in up and running consumes about 6,660 kWh every year. That is more than 6 times the yearly electricity consumption of an average Indian household.
The No.1 Socially Engaged Tech Media Brand
5,000 concurrent users
The average bandwidth used is over 24 TB a month. That’s about 1 year of 24x7 Netflix streaming in full HD. You would need to take 12 million selfies to fill that space, which would take about 11.4 years of non-stop selfie taking (2 per minute). Start snapping!
Maximum Bandwidth
The maximum bandwidth supported by the hosting solution for Digit.in, is 900GB in a day. The CERN Data Centre can transfer 10GB of data every second. It would take only one and a half minutes for the CERN Data Centre to use up our capacity.
1,500 Gigaflops of Peak Performance
The Indian Institute of Science, in Bengaluru houses India’s fastest supercomputer, the SahasraT, with a performance of 1.2 petaflops. That is 800 times more powerful than the Digit servers. Both use Intel Xeon processors.
M PL
We use Amazon’s EC2 hosting, which scales as per requirements. We use between 4 and 10 load-balanced instances. Each instance has an Intel Xeon E5-2666 v3 at 2.90GHz, 1 processor, 8 cores, 16 threads. It has 30GB of RAM.
Average Bandwidth
E
Digit by the Numbers
On a daily basis, we see an average of 5,000 concurrent readers. These are the number of people on Digit.in, at the same time. We have seen 20,000 concurrent users while covering events and after major announcements.
SA
Digit sees more than Reactions, Comments, Shares and Retweets than any other tech media brand in India. In the month of January 2018 alone, we clocked more than 650,000 interactions on social media platforms.
DVDs
We have produced a total of 20 million CDs and DVDs, a stack of which would reach 23,940 meters in height. That is 28 times the height of the Burj Khalifa, and the stack will stand taller than even Mount Olympus on Mars, the highest mountain in the solar system!
Trees
Without counting Fast Track, Dmystify and other supplements, we have distributed 1,410,250,000 sheets of paper with our content on it. That is somewhere between 700,000 to 1,400,000 trees. Don’t worry all our paper is responsibly sourced from abroad and every tree cut is replaced.
Paper
0.5 percent of the paper used for publishing is actually wasted. Cutting wastage, printing errors, etc. That works out to 705,125,000 A4 sized sheets of paper. If laid out end to end, the sheets would go around the world five times. A stack of the wasted paper would weigh more than 25 adult blue whales.
We have readers across all age groups
18-24
43%
28 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
25-44
49%
45-64
6%
65+
2%
NASA unveils space helicopter
NASA has unveiled the first-ever ‘mini’ helicopter to fly around another planet, namely Mars’, atmosphere. https://dgit.in/Jun18-B29-1
World’s fastest water heater
Scientists use an X-Ray laser to heat water to 100,000 degrees Celsius in less than tenth of a picosecond. https://dgit.in/Jun18-B29-2a
next decade SPACE AGE
M PL
E
THE NEXT DECADE OF SPACE EXPLORATION
We will see a number of new launch vehicles, study the Red Planet to prepare for pioneering manned missions, and learn about the icy moons in unprecedented detail
Aditya Madanapalle | aditya@digit.in
O
SA
ne of the most exciting launches scheduled is that of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This next generation telescope is so powerful, that it can detect a bumblebee on the surface of the moon. It will be used to observe exoplanets in greater detail and image the universe in more wavelengths than the HST. It will be able to look into the earliest galaxies to form in the Universe. Expect bigger and more awe-inspiring images and science than what the HST gave us. The Webb Telescope is scheduled for launch in 2020. One of the biggest planned missions for ISRO is its first manned spaceflight. A fully autonomous orbital capsule will house a crew of two or three “brahmanauts”. They will remain in orbit for between seven to
twelve days. The rocket used for the spaceflight will be the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, also known as “fatboy” or “Baahubali”. ISRO will also be developing its Reusable Launch Vehicle, or the Indian version of the Space Shuttle. Constellations of navigation, communication and Earth Observation Satellites will be deployed. At least two companies, SpaceX and OneWeb are both planning constellations dedicated to provide worldwide broadband services. The SpaceX constellation, called Starlink will have 12,000 satellites, while the OneWeb constellation is made up of 648 satellites. Expect more countries to start up their own space programs, and we will also see the first space tourists. SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Blue Origin are all in the space tourism race. Bigelow Aerospace is expected to construct and deploy the first space hotel in the 2020s. These are likely to be formed of a chain of inflatable modules. The ISS is scheduled to be decommissioned
The Parker Solar Probe
after another ten years, but the Chinese space station is expected to be in orbit. In a mission that appears to be straight out of a space exploration video game. The Prospector 1 by Deep Space Industries is expected to be the first to evaluate a near Earth asteroid for its worth. That is, to figure out how viable private asteroid mining really is.
LAUNCH VEHICLES Launch vehicles are the bread and butter of spaceflight. It does not matter if it is a novel probe to the outer planets, a pioneering manned mission, or just another communication satellite in orbit. Rockets are required to take stuff up into space. Right now, there are just not enough satellite launch systems to serve the demand. Over the course of the next decade though, we will be seeing a number of rockets come up, both big and small. Around 2019, the first flight of the next generation of NASA launch vehicles should take off. This is the Space Launch System, which will provide www.digit.in | June 2018 | Digit | 29
next decade
Serial star-gobbling black hole
World’s deepest plastic bag
Astronomers have detected a supermassive black hole that consumes a sun-sized star every two days. https://dgit.in/Jun18-B34-1
R&D
A plastic bag was found in the deepest point in the ocean, the Mariana Trench, no place is safe from pollution. https://dgit.in/Jun18-B34-2
E
Hawking’s final hurrah! Robert Sovereign-Smith | editor@digit.in
I
tion with famous Belgian physicist Thomas Hertog, and turned out to be the final time Hawking would look back at his famous No Boundary theory. The mark of a great scientist is one who isn’t burdened by confirmation bias, or takes too much pride in their own theories. His final paper is actually a departure from his beloved No Boundary hypothesis – Hertog was recently quoted as saying, “The paper represents indeed a departure from the no-boundary theory (as we write at the end).” But first, let’s take a quick (and a very layman-level) dive into what the No Boundary theory is all about. If you’ve been following our science coverage, or reading about the Big Bang, you know that there’s a problem when you extrapolate backwards to the event itself. Physicists are very confident that the Big Bang happened, and feel they’re capable of extrapolating knowledge back to moments after the Big Bang, but the event itself is something we just cannot apply the laws of physics to. This is because after Einstein, time became an integral part of all physics, and as we know, we measure rate of change of anything in our universe as rate of change over time. How can we ever reach a point where time is zero? Since anything divided by zero is undefined (not infinity, as many mistakenly still believe), we just cannot understand what it means to have a time = zero. Imagine if time went in reverse, and you were somehow outside the bounds of the universe, looking in.
M PL
We try and understand what Prof. Stephen Hawking’s last paper was about, and how significant it might (or might not) be for the next decade in science
Prof. Stephen Hawking – his mind literally knew no boundaries!
SA
t’s very rare for a given year to be remembered by someone’s birth. Instead, it’s usually death, tragedy, or mind-blowing accomplishments that rule the zeitgeist of the year. Unless it’s a royal family’s child, or the first test tube baby – Louise Brown, born on July 25, 1978 – it’s very, very rare for people to be born famous. Thus, it’s a rather macabre pastime in the age of the internet to remember calendar years by who died, and we’re going to shamelessly partake in it. For us, no matter what happens from here on out, 2018 will always be the year the world lost one of its greatest physicists. Professor Stephen Hawking may have had a body that was broken, but he had a mind that was anything but. His dedication to science (phys-
34 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
ics) earned him accolades, his papers made him famous, and his ability to overcome his horrific disability was inspirational to the world, but it was his sense of humour and eagerness to participate in culture that made him a household name across most of the connected world. While we ourselves have written enough and more about him in the past, especially the cultural aspect, in this space we want to focus on his work, more specifically his final paper in physics.
A SMOOTH EXIT FROM ETERNAL INFLATION? Published a little over a month after Hawking passed away, his final 17 page paper was written in collabora-
next decade
Facebook gets more transparent
TECHNOSEXUALITY
583 Mil Facebook fakes
Facebook’s transparency report now includes action taken against graphic violence, adult nudity and more. https://dgit.in/Jun18-B38-1
That’s how many fake Facebook profiles were closed by Facebook in the first three months of 2018. https://dgit.in/Jun18-B38-2
M PL
Facebook recently delved into Tinder’s sphere and launched an allnew dating feature that has brought the debate of technosexuality and its implications into the limelight.
E
Rise of a technosexual dating era Dhriti Datta | feedback@digit.in
T
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH
The technosexual era has created an unattainable image of the perfect individual that users keep swiping left in search of. A study was conducted by the American Psychological Association in 2016 that indicated individuals that participate in online dating have a lower self-esteem and are more likely to be not sufficiently satiated with their own looks. Researchers at Brigham Young University found certain characteristics that indicate de-
SA
echnosexuality refers to individuals expressing their sexuality through technological means and media. Technosexuality also branches into the inexplicable love an individual feels towards technology, often preferring technologically-aided relationships or relationships with the technology itself. The Tinders, Plenty of Fish, Happns, and now, Facebooks of the world assist the unprecedented rise of a technosexual era which enables users to connect in a sexual and highly superficial way. Swiping right, liking, following, and other such gestures have transcended into becoming the new flirty smile across the bar, slipping your number to that girl you like or anxiously waiting for a call. Instant gratification is the highest valued commodity and these apps excel at this very feature. The technosexual era may be liberating in some aspects, but it brings a plethora of negative implications for society. We explore these very implications in this article.
38 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
The constant social pressure is amplified by the technosexual era’s dating apps that need individuals to maintain a perfect front.
pression amongst people who depend overtly on technology for meaningful relationships. On top of maintaining social and physical appearances IRL, the pressure of having the ‘perfect’ display picture and bio description can send individuals into a frenzy. Physical health is also being constantly threatened and compromised in the technosexual era. The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV has uncovered an increase in the occurrences of sexually transmitted diseases after the release of apps like Tinder and Grindr. A study by Kesley in 2015 reveals evidence that signifies a 33% increase in gonorrhea and 19% elevation in syphilis. The health issues are of massive concern to the age group of 15-24 which, not coincidentally, is the biggest demographic on dating sites propagating the hookup culture. This age group represents 81% of the reported chlamydia cases according to the Department of Health in 2014.
next decade
California mandates solar homes
All new Google One
California is the first US state to mandate every home and building built post Jan 1 2020 must have solar panels. https://dgit.in/Jun18-B50-1
CAREERS
Google One is Google’s new plan replacing Google Drive’s online storage plans, priced at $1.99 for 100 GB. https://dgit.in/Jun18-B50-2
Career as a
Technical
M PL
E
Evangelist The new face of the company, it’s brand ambassador. It’s a job to die for and you need to be ready to go to the ends of the world for it (literally) Tabitha Thomas | feedback@digit.in
W
“The Technical evangelist is the face of the organization in the technical community and represents the technical principles, mission and vision of the organization”, is how Aditi Relee, Technical Evangelist at Microsoft India defines a TE. So let’s break this down. A technical evangelist has a job role similar to an industrial analyst, the difference being that a TE gets paid by a company that has vested interests in said industry. To be a good TE, you need to be a darn good developer or tech expert too. The most important part of your job is to ensure that you are garnering support from fellow technicians in the same field. The only way you can garner actual support from them is to be exceptional at your job, if you are not they will see right through you. “Therefore the role mission and role of a technical evangelist is to empower and inspire the developer ecosystem to experiment and push the limits of new and upcoming niche technologies. The Technical evangelist
SA
hen you hear the word ‘evangelist’, the common religious connotation of the term comes to mind. However, it is said that in ancient Greece, the term evangelist meant the reward that was given to the messenger of good news. If anything, the title ‘technical evangelist’ has more to do with the latter than the former.
SO WHO IS A TECHNICAL EVANGELIST?
Before we get started, it is important that you understand that even in the world of technical evangelists there is a ladder that you can climb. There are tech evangelists and then there are chief evangelists. Think about it - in the initial phases of a company, one of the founders could take on the role of the chief evangelist. But once the company starts doing well, there will be opportunities created to hire technical evangelists (TEs) to help spread the proverbial good news.
50 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
is responsible for early adoption platforms and products, create referenceable solutions, create an overall positive perception for the organization and build a loyal technical community that will vouch for the organization”, adds Aditi Relee.
WHY DO COMPANIES HIRE TECHNICAL EVANGELISTS? Every company has a vision and it is usually the CEO and other partners of the company who are entrusted with the job. When they hire an evangelist it says a lot about the future of the company. It is a direct way of committing
Steve Jobs, Elon Musk also act as technology evangelists for their industry and company.
M PL
E
TECH BEHIND THE WHEELS, DECODED BY EXPERTS
SA
ANDROID The Backbone of Future Connected Cars Google is developing a full-fledged Android OS for cars, giving connected cars a tighter, more familiar platform to work on.
C
Souvik Das | souvik@digit.in
onnected cars are not a laboratory blueprint any more - automobile researchers around the world have started rolling out car-specific telematics across multiple segments of cars. The objective is to provide a connected web that collates, exchanges and governs on-road data from cars pertaining to road and weather conditions, as well as car dynamics, facilitating a
52 | Digit | June 2018 | www.digit.in
wide network of vehicles that can be safer, predict smarter routes, prevent untimely breakdowns. It came as no surprise when Goog decided to integrate Android directly into cars in the future. The Internet giant has been exploring this model for a few years, Googleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intentions were made clear about a year ago. With Android Auto (AA), Google made its initial foray into in-car technology, and AA has subsequently found
its way to a wide range of infotainment systems offered by car makers today. However, Android Auto relies too heavily on the smartphone, and Google had no intention of remaining confined within the limits of what a smartphone can achieve. The solution? Use the already-versatile and massively popular Android OS to build a standalone OS for cars. Last year, Google struck a partnership with Volvo and Audi, as initial
SUBSCRIPTION FORM DURATION
COVER PRICE
ASSURED GIFT / YOU SAVE (on cover price)
YOU PAY
Money Saver offers (With Fast Tracks & DVDs)* � 6 Months
` 1,250/-
` 999/-
Cash discount of ` 251/-
(20%)
� 1 Year
` 2,500/-
` 1,899/-
Cash discount of ` 601/-
(24%)
� 3 Years
` 7,500/-
` 5,499/-
Cash discount of ` 2,001/-
(27%)
` 1099/-
Cash discount of ` 401/-
(27%)
Magazine - Only Package (Without Fast Tracks & DVDs)** � 1 Year
` 1,500/-
*Includes regular issues of ` 200/- each and higher priced special issues per year ** Includes 12 regular issues of ` 125/- each per year
Start / Renew my subscription from
m m
y
y
Name ______________________________________________________________________________________________ (First Name)
(Middle Name)
(Last Name)
Occupation_______________________Company___________________________Designation_______________________ Delivery Address _____________________________________________________________________________________ City _______________________ Pin Code ___________________ State ________________________________________ Telephone_____________________ Mobile_______________________ E-mail ___________________________________ (Please mention an active email-id to receive your copy dispatch details)
(STD Code) (Phone Number)
Subscription Number ______________________________________ (Only for existing subscribers)
Payment Details
Mail this form alongwith your cheque/DD to: 9.9 Group Pvt. Ltd.
(Formerly known as Nine Dot Nine Mediaworx Pvt Ltd)
B-205, Arjun Centre Station Road, Govandi (E), Mumbai 400 088 Board line: 022-67899666 Fax: 022- 67899667
Subscribe online at www.digit.in/subscribe OR SMS “DIGIT SUB” to 92200 92200 For quick customer service, email us at help@digit.in OR call (022) 678 99 678
SUB JUN 18
Enclosed Cheque/DD No.________________ (Kindly add ` 50 for cheques not payable at par in Mumbai) dated ______________ favoring 9.9 Group Pvt. Ltd. from Bank_____________________
TERMS & CONDITIONS: This is a limited period offer | Rates & offer valid in India only | Allow 5-6 weeks for processing of your subscription | Free assured subscription gift will reach you within 8 - 10 weeks of commencement of your subscription | Orders once placed will not be terminated or transferred | Specific colors and features of the guaranteed free assured gifts are subject to change depending on availability of the stock with the manufacturer | Destinations not covered by courier will be serviced by post under a certificate of posting | Replacements will be made upon receipt of the damaged goods within 30 days of sale | Above schemes are valid till 30th June 2018 | Price of assured gift may vary, but specifications will be unchanged.