maximumpc.com OCT 2019 MAXIMUMPC 13
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SEE THIS LOGO? You’ll soon be seeing it
appear as a sticker on new machines.
Intel has launched its Project Athena, an
initiative to improve mobile performance.
Manufacturers submit machines for
verification, and if they pass, they gain the
right to affix the “Engineered for mobile
performance” sticker. The requirements
cover instant action, performance and
responsiveness, intelligence, battery life,
connectivity, and form factor.
The idea is to build a consistent
experience and capability with mobile
devices. Intel has been researching
how people use laptops, and what they
expect from them. It has identified “key
experience indicators” to help measure
and guide the process. Most welcome
are the requirements for battery power:
A machine needs to wake from sleep
in under one second, provide 16 hours
of battery life playing videos, or nine
hours under “real-world performance
conditions,” meaning running more
demanding applications. It also asks for
a four-hour charge in just 30 minutes. All
good stuff. Hardware requirements aren’t
too steep: a minimum Core i5, bio-metric
login, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD storage,
Wi-Fi 6, Thunderbolt 3, back-lit keyboard,
thin bezels, and 1080p touchscreen.
This is a multi-year project, and this is
just version 1.0 of the specs, which will be
updated annually as technology improves.
The result is you will quickly be able to
spot machines with consistent minimum
standards. The first Project Athena laptops
are currently working their way through
the system. The usual big players are
co-operating, and the first batch includes
the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, the HP Elitebook
1040, Lenovo Yoga S940, and Acer Swift 5.
The scheme is aimed at those who really
don’t know what’s what—the rest of us
can read the spec sheet, and peel off the
annoying stickers afterward. –CLIntel sets new standards
for mobile computingPROJECT ATHENA
UNVEILED
Windows May
Go Cloud
Microsoft is experimenting with
a cloud recovery system for
Windows, if a leaked build of the
next update is to be believed. It
will either offer a cloud download
of a complete fresh copy of
the latest version, or a “reset
locally”’ option that reinstalls the
existing version. It will require co-
operation from hardware vendors,
particularly with drivers, and it’s
no cure-all: You’ll still need to get
your system to a point where it can
get to a cloud server. Microsoft
has made no comment as yet, so it
may not appear. It does sound like
a welcome feature, though. Apple
has been offering cloud recovery
for a while—having control over
hardware has its advantages. –CLHuawei’s New
OS Ready
After losing access to bits of
Google’s Android due to sanctions,
Huawei has its own operating
system, dubbed HarmonyOS.
It is completely different from
Android, and isn’t based on the
Linux kernel. It’s also only about
a thousandth of the size. Initially
it will be used to power smart
devices such as TVs, speakers, and
other IoT gadgets, before jumping
to phones if required. It’s no
Android replacement—it doesn’t
support Android apps, although all
the required SDKs and tools have
been released under an open-
source license. Huawei faces a
tough job to get its home-grown
OS effectively running ports of
Android apps; there will be an
awful lot of APIs to reproduce. –CLRing and Police Sign Secretive Deal
AMAZON’S RING, its Internet video doorbell, is a simple and useful idea, but keeps
running into hot water. The latest chapter has a sinister air. A leaked document has
shown that Ring’s “Law Enforcement Neighborhood Portal” doesn’t come free. In
return for giving the police the ability to request footage from Ring cameras, Amazon
asks them to endorse its products and assign officers to Ring-related tasks, including
a social media co-ordinator and a press co-ordinator. The police department is also
obliged to run “outreach” programs to promote Ring. The agreement is supposed to
be confidential, but was released under a public records request.
Over 200 law enforcement agencies have joined partnership schemes, earning
them free Ring units to hand out, and the ability to earn $10 toward extra units every
time a user downloads the Neighbors video-sharing app. In return, the police have a
live map of all the active Ring units in an area, and can request footage without going
through the usual channels and obtaining a warrant. Even if the camera’s owner
declines the request, the police can go to Amazon for the files armed with a subpoena,
although the exact legal position here isn’t clear yet. The images a Ring camera
captures do not belong to its owner. According to the terms of service, Amazon
has unlimited and irrevocable rights to use any images captured by Ring on your
doorstep. Once it has gone to
the cloud, it’s Amazon’s.
Ring is touted as an aid
to security, and a good part
of that sales pitch uses old-
fashioned fear. Who doesn’t
want a safer community?
But having every visitor
to your door triggering an
alert can lead to a skewed
view, and co-opts family and
friends into your surveillance
plans. However noble the
intentions, Ring’s secretive
dealings with the police are
starting to look like a step
too far, even if it does stop
a few Amazon parcels from
going missing. –CLAre you happy for the police
to see who’s at your door?