In 2013, the physical and digital worlds will fuse

   

 In 2013, the physical and digital worlds will fuse. From the RFID tags on a runner’s bib to the real-time camera feed from traffic lights that informs driving routes, the physical world is becoming an information system. Icreon has been working on cutting-edge apps and solutions for 2013 that are using IT to instill everyday “things” and gadgets with a flow of information and an overall sense of intelligence.

Google Glass 'comes to' contact lens

Researchers have created a Google Glass-like device on a contact lens. 

According to Technology Review, the team developed a "transparent, highly conductive, and stretchy mix of graphene and silver nanowires" that it then attached to an off-the-shelf soft contact lens to give it Google Glass-like features, Fox News reported. 

The lenses were tested on rabbits because of similarities with the human eye and were found to be fully functional. 

The researchers noted that the rabbits didn't attempt to rub their eyes nor did they grow bloodshot after five hours of testing. 

"Our goal is to make a wearable contact lens display that can do all the things Google Glass can do," research leader Jang-Ung Park, a chemical engineer at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, said. 

True smart contacts with heads-up displays are still quite a few years out, however - the "display" on the tested lens was only one pixel.

Samsung launches Galaxy S4 variant with 16MP camera

Just a week after launching a waterproof version of its flagship Galaxy S4,Samsung has unveiled another iteration of the handset, this time with an upgraded camera. The new device, named Galaxy S4 zoom, features a16MP rear camera with 10X optical zoom with xenon flash on the back. This new phone's camera boasts of optical image stabilization as well as 24mm wide lens and can record 1080pvideos at 30fps. 
Key specs: 

The all-new Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom has a 4.3-inch SuperAMOLED screen with 960x540p resolution with 256ppi pixel density. The device is powered by Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) with TouchWiz UI on top, and runs on a dual-core 1.5GHz processor. It has 8GB internal storage, 1.5GB RAM and supports microSD cards with capacities up to 32GB. 

Galaxy S4 zoom will be available in two variants, one that is compatible with 4G and the other that works on 3G networks. Other features of the connectivity suites of this smartphone are 2G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, infrared port and microUSB 2.0. This handset has a 2,330mAh battery and features a 1.9MP front camera. At 208gram, it is heavier that the likes of Samsung Galaxy Note II and Nokia Lumia 920. 

Display: 4.3-inch SuperAMOLED screen with 960x540p resolution with 256ppi pixel density;

Operating system: Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) topped with TouchWiz UI;

Processor & RAM: Dual-core 1.5GHz processor with 1.5GB RAM;

Camera: 16MP rear camera with 10x optical zoom, xenon flash and 1.9MP front camera;

Connectivity: 2G, 3G, optional 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, infrared, microUSB 2.0;

Battery: 2,330mAh; and

Weight: 208gram 

Apple's biggest announcements at WWDC 2013

Apple began its product showcase by announcing a new operating system for the Mac called Mavericks, moving away from its penchant for naming its computer software after big cats. The new OS can now handle multiple display and tagging of documents, among other new features. Tim Cook kicked off Apple's 24th annual developers conference in San Francisco. 

"The MacBook has continued to define the future of the notebook. It's the number one notebook in the US, " Apple CEO Tim Cook claimed. "The annual average growth rate for Mac is 15% versus 3% for PCs," he added.

In an unusual move, the company also shared the stage with little-known startup Anki, which was given the opportunity to show off a game. 

Craig Federighi, the company's senior vice president for software engineering, announced the latest version of its OSX operating system, named Mavericks. Some of the new features of this update are improved document finding capability called Finder, tagging, support for multiple displays and improved battery life and processor performance. 

Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller unveiled the refreshed Macbook Air. The laptops, available with 11- and 13-inch screens, are powered by Intel's new Haswell processor, with 2X graphics processing unit, have up to 3TB hard disk and come with 128GB flash memory. The smaller model lasts nine hours on a single charge, whereas its bigger sibling offers battery life of up to 13 hours. The former has been priced at $999, whereas the latter costs $1,099. 

Cook, who has seen Apple's stock fall 37% after it touched a high of $705 in September as competition in the key smartphone market escalated, began by describing the growth of Apple's app store. 

The CEO told the audience of developers at the Moscone Center in San Francisco that its app store now has 9,00,000 apps, which have been downloaded a total of 50 billion times. 

The conference, tickets to which sold out in just over a minute when it opened up in April, comes as South Korean rival Samsung Electronics has solidified its lead in the smartphone market with a 33% share followed by Apple with 18% during the first quarter, according to market research firm IDC. 

Cook is under pressure to show that the company that created the smartphone and tablet markets is not slowing down as deep-pocketed competitors such as Samsung and Google encroach on its share. Investor concerns now center around whether Apple will be able to come up with more groundbreaking products as smartphone and tablet market gets more crowded.