Penang Durian Hunt

Gertak Sanggul Fishing Stage (美湖海鲜钓鱼休闲中心) is an artificial fishing pond at Gertak Sanggul, a usually-serene village in the southwestern corner of Penang Island. Today, this leisure spot is the venue of a Durian Hunt event organized by PG Food Hunter A Team (槟城美食探索A队).

Gertak Sanggul Fishing Stage boasts a pond roughly an acre in size. Palm trees and attap-thatched huts provide shade for fishing hobbyists. Visitors are billed by the hour with three hours minimum.

There are several larger gazebos with ceiling fans. These amenities provide the perfect spot for the Durian Hunt event today. In fact, the business owner has graciously allowed the group to use his premise at no charge.

This marks the second major event organized by this group. The group's logo has been modified slightly since the last event at Midland Court.

As for the durians, it is all-you-can-eat buffet style. Due to the large turnout for this event, the price is negotiated at RM30.00 per person.

While waiting for the durians to arrive from the nearby orchard, rambutans and mangosteens are also available in free-flow style. These fruits are traditionally believed to neutralize "heatiness" caused by durian consumption.

Due to the large number of avid durian lovers, the durians have to be delivered in several batches.

There are a number of different types of durian cultivars available, such as Ang Haer (红虾), Hor Loh (葫芦), Che Poi (青皮), Kun Poh Ang (坤宝红) and Cho Chun Ang (朱春红).

Today's event is officiated by YB. Teh Lai Heng, State Assemblyman for Komtar. The group, over 40,000 strong now, has been gaining momentum in government recognition recently.

The co-founder behind this group, Joeson Khor, serves as the emcee and coordinator of this event. Once the durian station is set up, Joeson gives the green light to start the gluttony!

Opening durians with bare hands is difficult. But not everyone is comfortable wielding a parang (machete) either. Fortunately, we have some mechanical tools at our disposal.

Durians are typically opened from the bottom because this is where the fruit splits easily. This durian opener essentially wedges a wooden stake at the durian's weakest spot. A hole at the base keeps the durian firmly in place.

Amused by how this handy gadget works, YB. Teh renders his service by helping to open durians for the long queue of hungry durian enthusiasts. Speaking of serving the people with his bare hands...

Due to the large crowd, each person in the line has to make do with whatever durian breed is available during his/her turn. With many online friends and newly-met friends today, it is easy to share around to try different varieties.

Certain cultivars have firmer flesh and but are usually paler in color. These durians tend to come in larger sizes.

Several other breeds are smaller in nature, but the flesh is more yellowish and has a creamy texture. Sometimes, there is also a pleasant bitter aftertaste. I personally prefer these types of durians.

Although most durians are round, there occasionally abnormal shapes such as this one which resembles buttocks.

Usually, an abnormal shape causes the durian to pack less flesh. In fact, there is only one fruit per compartment for this instance.

I am fortunate enough to sample the famed Ang Haer (红虾), a signature cultivar of Penang. The fruit is particularly fragrant and solid-yellow in color. The seeds are very small, which means the fruit is mostly rich, creamy flesh!

A bottle of nutmeg juice (豆蔻水) is provided to each person courtesy by the durian orchard owner. The drink typically sells for RM2.00 per bottle in the market.

More expensive durian cultivars such as Musang King (猫山王) and Or Chi (黑刺) are not included in the general buffet, but they are available at discounted rate of RM30.00 per kilogram.

In addition, the orchard owner also introduced an incoming durian breed: Rose (玫花). The flesh has a glaring yellow hue. I did not have the opportunity to sample this one because it is premium grade and there are not many to go around.

To spice things up, there is also a raffle event for five lucky winners. The prizes are several of these more expensive durian varieties.

RM30.00 is an affordable price to pay for the quality of durians today. The benefit of feasting in a large group is the opportunity to try different varieties at once. Overall, the event is enjoyable and very satisfying to my palate.

Name: Chong Wee Yong (张伟嵘, durian supplier)
Address: 337, Mk. 8, Gertak Sanggul, 11910 Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-649-1553

Microsoft releases new Windows 10 preview for phones with Project Spartan, new apps, and support for 35 devices

Microsoft released a new Windows 10 preview for phones today. It’s the second build for testers to try out. Among the new features are Project Spartan, an improved app switcher, and six new apps: Mail, Calendar, Phone, Messaging, People, and Maps.

Additions and improvements aside, this is a big deal because of the expanded list ofcompatible devices. The first preview (build 9941) worked on just six devices: the Lumia 630, Lumia 635, Lumia 636, Lumia 638, Lumia 730, and Lumia 830. But today’s build works on 35 devices.

Here’s the full list: Lumia 1020, Lumia 1320, Lumia 1520, Lumia 520, Lumia 525, Lumia 526, Lumia 530, Lumia 530 Dual Sim, Lumia 535, Lumia 620, Lumia 625, Lumia 630, Lumia 630 Dual Sim, Lumia 635, Lumia 636, Lumia 638, Lumia 720, Lumia 730, Lumia 730 Dual SIM, Lumia 735, Lumia 810, Lumia 820, Lumia 822, Lumia 830, Lumia 920, Lumia 925, Lumia 928, Lumia ICON, Microsoft Lumia 430, Microsoft Lumia 435, Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM, Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM DTV, Microsoft Lumia 532, Microsoft Lumia 532 Dual SIM, Microsoft Lumia 640 Dual SIM, and Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM.

To get this new release, join the Windows Insider Program if you haven’t yet (registration). Get your phone set up and read the instructions carefully — you could brick your phone. If your handset is already on the Windows 10 Technical Preview, head to the Settings app, tap Update & recovery, then Phone update, and hit “check for updates.”

The biggest addition in this release is Project Spartan, its upcoming browser and replacement for Internet Explorer. You can find it in the All Apps list and pin it to your Start Screen.

Like on the desktop, Project Spartan uses Microsoft’s new Edge rendering engine. This build also includes early versions of Reading View and Reading List.

This has one controversial change worth pointing out: The address bar is on top, and a small actions bar is at the bottom. Many users have seen leaked screenshots and demanded that Microsoft keep the address bar at the bottom, where it is easier to access. The company says it is keeping this feedback in mind during development.

In Windows 10 for phones, Project Spartan is not set as the default browser and exists side-by-side with Internet Explorer 11. That said, Microsoft says it will remove IE altogether in a later build.

Spartan aside, Windows 10 for phones has improved the following apps:

• Outlook Mail and Outlook Calendar: These are the new built-in mail and calendar universal apps for Windows 10. You can expect a new design, including a toggle to freely move between your email and calendar without returning to the Start screen. The apps connect to Office 365, Exchange, Outlook.com, Gmail, Google Calendar, Yahoo!, IMAP, POP, and other popular accounts.
• Phone and Messaging: The Messaging app has a new visual design, and it lets you easily upgrade from a messaging conversation to a voice call with one click of the phone icon in the new app bar.
• People: This is also a universal app, featuring a new visual design. It still shows you all your contacts across Exchange, Outlook.com, Gmail, Facebook, and so on.
• Maps: The app includes the maps, aerial imagery, rich local search data, and voice-guided navigation experiences from both Bing Maps and Nokia’s Here maps. This is the first time the two have been integrated together into a single app.

With all these new apps, it makes sense that the App Switcher get an update as well. To see your recently used apps (the list now goes up to 15), just press and hold the back button on your phone. Support for landscape mode has been added when the app switcher is invoked from an app being viewed in landscape. Large phones now have a new grid layout for easily switching between apps.

Microsoft has also fixed a slew of issues in build 10051:

• Keyboard layout: The keyboard now has period, comma, and emoji keys on the first page. Language switching is enabled by press-and-hold on the &123 key. You may also replace the emoji key with the language switching key.
• Cortana: The icon resolution now scales with tile size.
• Photos app: It no longer fails to launch periodically when attempting to add a photo attachment to an email, OneNote, or Facebook item. The tile will now pick up the phone’s theme color before it’s launched and start showing pictures from your collection, including OneDrive in the Live tile.
• Microsoft Band: Now syncs with your phone after upgrading to Windows 10.

This is a massive Windows 10 for phones release, both in terms of features and the number of supported devices. That’s exactly what Microsoft needed, given all the complaints around the lack of new builds despite what was promised. Now the question is: can Microsoft release more than one build before its Build conference next month?

Revenue Gap Between iOS And Android Apps Grows, Thanks To China

Due to Android’s sizable market share, Google Play apps have historically led iOS apps in terms of the number of downloads, while iOS apps have consistently beat out Google Play apps in revenue. But according to new data out this morning from app store analytics firm App Annie, that gap is still widening – in a large part due to iOS’s growth in China. As of Q1 2015, iOS App Store worldwide revenue was about 70% higher than on Google Play, up from 60% in Q3 2014, the report notes.

China’s importance to the app industry cannot be understated. China has, for the first time since App Annie has been measuring iOS downloads by country (July 2010), surpassed the U.S. in quarterly iOS downloads in the first quarter of 2015.

This change should not be all that surprising, given that recent reports of record-breaking iPhone sales in China. In urban areas, Apple accounted for 25% of smartphone sales in Q1 2015, according to Kantar’s data. And Apple had previously said that China had accounted for $16 billion in sales in the market, while its mobile operating system grew year-over-year at the expense of Android. More importantly, perhaps, the number of first-time smartphone buyers in China who are selecting iPhone is still increasing.

The iOS surge in China is, in part, likely related to the increased sales of the bigger-screened iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices in the Chinese market, as demand for larger screens is particularly high in Asia, says App Annie. For comparison’s sake, in Q4 2104, those phones with screen sizes between 5 and 7 inches were roughly 60% of total smartphone shipments in China, versus 40% worldwide and in the U.S.

In terms downloads by category, Chinese iOS users preferred Games and Photo & Video apps, including those like Tencent’s Pitu, which became one of the most popular apps in the quarter, thanks to its focus on features that appeal to its local user base, like its beauty, make-up and cosplay filters. Other apps like IN and Fotoplace also did well during this time.

However, though downloads in China are soaring, the U.S. still tops that market in terms of revenue, App Annie says.

Emerging Markets Continue To Fuel Android Downloads

Meanwhile, Google Play downloads increased by 70% during the same time frame of Q3 2014 to Q1 2015. These increases were attributed to Android’s growth in emerging markets, especially places like Mexico, Turkey and Brazil. As new, first-time smartphone owners buy Android devices, download volume soars in these markets.

Mexico, in particular, made significant gains in Q1, overtaking what App Annie refers to as an “app store superpower” and a “stronghold for OEMs,” South Korea which is now out of the top five countries by Google Play downloads. During Q1 2015, the Games and Tools categories saw a big lift in Mexico, the latter which features a range of apps from security apps to keyboard replacements and more. The country is now ranked #5, following the U.S., Brazil, India, and Russia by Google Play downloads.

The growth in downloads is not only due to overall smartphone growth, but in particular Android’s traction in that country. Android’s operating system is quite popular in Mexico, with 85% of the smartphone installed base according to IDC, and 29 million smartphone users in 2014 (or 24% of Mexico’s population), per eMarketer. By 2018, it’s expected that smartphone ownership will grow to 50 million here, which means that Mexico’s growth in terms of app downloads will grow as well.

Meanwhile, the countries leading in Google Play revenue include Japan, the U.S., South Korea, Germany and Taiwan – a very different list than those for downloads. The same lists on iOS, however, are more similar. By downloads, it’s China, then the U.S., Japan, the U.K, then Russia. And by revenue, the U.S. beats out Japan, China, the U.K. and Australia.

App Annie also spotted another change in Q1 related to what apps perform well, by way of revenue, on Google Play. This past quarter, Education apps surged to overtake the Entertainment category, and now rank #2 behind Games. Recently popular were a number of language learning apps like Babble and Rosetta Course, as well as brain-training apps like Lumosity and NeuroNation.

Microsoft patent describes use of floating holograms to guide gesture control of mobile devices

A new patent suggest that Microsoft is thinking a lot about holograms these days.

The Patent Office published a new Microsoft patent application today describing the use of floating holograms to guide a user’s gesture control of a computing device. By device, this could mean a laptop, smartphone, tablet, or game controller.

In general terms, the patent explains that a holographic light source installed somewhere on the physical device would cast a holographic image on top of the normal input mechanism (a physical keyboard or a touchscreen, most commonly).

The holographic image would give the user cues as to what hand gestures were available to control a given app or game running on the device. For instance, a laptop computer might cast a holographic image of a gaming interface, which would float over the physical keyboard of the laptop. The user could interact with the hologram in familiar ways, like moving a (virtual) joystick or rolling a control ball.

This is pretty futuristic stuff, and the technology may or may not have been tested. But Microsoft has recently shown an appetite for tackling ambitious new interface technologies. One needs only look at the company’s HoloLens augmented reality technology for proof.

In the wider view, these technologies are all about evolving our existing clunky modes of computer interaction toward more natural means. Using one’s voice or making hand gestures, for example, could feel more natural than typing on a keyboard or using a mouse.

“Gestures may be input in a variety of ways, such as detection of motion made by one or more fingers of one or more hands of a user by touchscreen or other functionality,” the patent reads.

“However, gestures may suffer from a problem in that a user may not be made aware of what gestures are supported by the device. In other words, a user may be faced with having to ‘guess what to do’ in order to engage in such interaction, which may be frustrating and limit the amount of functionality that is available to a user of the device.”

The hologram would fix that problem by guiding and prompting the user’s gestures.

Penang hawker food Mee Goreng @ Bangkok Lane

Just the mention of Mee Goreng and most locals will direct you to the Bangkok Lane Mee Goreng. The mee goreng business has been passed down over several generations and does super tasty mee goreng. It is definitely entertaining to watch the owner / his worker fry mee goreng – one hand tossing and frying the noodles, while the other hand constantly turning the wok in a circular manner!

When served, just squeeze some lime, mix it and you are ready to savour. Even for someone like me who seldom eats Mee Goreng, I can’t help but to finish the whole plate of mee goreng. The noodles was moist and so fragrant, with some decent wok hei. The prawn stock and mashed potatoes gives it a balance of sweet, sour and spicy. And the mee goreng also have cuttlefish which makes it stand out from other mee goreng stalls. One fun fact, the owner knows Hokkien ok. Don’t play play!

Address: 270 Jalan Burma, Lorong Bangkok
Opening Hours: 8am – 6.30pm. Closed on Mondays

Report: Google adding voice unlock to Android devices

You may soon be able to unlock your Android Lollipop 5.0 phone simply by saying "OK Google." That probably sounds useful, but it doesn't sound all that secure. In fact, it isn't, based on screen shots of the setup process published by Android Police.

Google hasn't officially announced the feature, which is called Trusted Voice. It appears to be an addition to the other Smart Lock options found in Android 5.0 that arrived with version 7.0 of Google Play Services. Android Police notes that a few people have reported gaining Trusted Voice and that it's likely to be rolling out in a slow, controlled fashion.

Trusted Voice will join other ways to unlock your Android phone or tablet running the Lollipop software. Trusted Places keeps your device unlocked in certain locations, such as at home, while enabling On-Body Detection does the same when your phone is in a pocket; place it on a table, however, and it will lock.

It's good that Google is creating different choices to give people faster access to their phones and tablets. And the "OK Google" feature is actually quite good at working only with a device owner's voice. After training my Moto X to recognize my voice, I have yet to see (or hear) anyone else get it working with their voice. We've tried to fool it but no dice.

Still, as Google notes on the setup screen, a recording of your voice could unlock the device. So too could a similar voice. As a result, I don't expect many people that carry an Android phone to the office to use Trusted Voice. Even home workers like me will have to think twice before using it.

Microsoft Lumia 540 Dual SIM smartphone debuts

Microsoft has rolled out a new Lumia smartphone that is aiming at shoppers on a budget who need to have a device capable of handling dual SIM cards. The smartphone is called the Lumia 540 Dual SIM and carries a price of under $150. Microsoft says that the device will make a good option for buyers looking for their first smartphone.

The 540 Dual SIM device has a 5-inch HD display and has integrated Microsoft services like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. The phone is integrated with Skype and has a front 5MP camera for high quality video conferencing and selfies.

Microsoft pre-loads the Lumia Selfie app on the device to make it easy to share selfies with friends. On the back of the smartphone is an 8MP camera that has LED flash for taking images in low light conditions. Integrated storage is 8GB, but that storage can be expanded with microSD cards up to 128GB in capacity.

Users will also get 15GB of free OneDrive storage with the smartphone for storing images and videos online when they activate the auto-upload feature of the phone. With support for dual SIM cards, the user can create profiles for each SIM card so you know who's calling no matter the number dialed. The Lumia 540 Dual SIM runs Windows Phone 8.1 and the Denim update and will support Windows 10 later this year. The device will roll out starting in May to IMEA and APAC regions and Italy. No word on if the cheap device will come to the US.

Samsung devotes a team of 200 to making Apple displays

Apple is famous for being the world's biggest and most influential buyer of electronic components for personal devices. The American company's business is as lucrative as it is prestigious, owing to Apple's vast scale and concordantly massive orders. No better evidence of this can be presented than today's Bloomberg report suggesting that Samsung has set up a dedicated team of 200 people committed to the task of making displays for Apple devices. The group is said to have been created at the beginning of this month, alongside a broader restructuring of Samsung's display business that sees its LCD and OLED divisions split into two separate units. A company spokesperson has confirmed that structural split to Bloomberg, but declined to elaborate.

Samsung's effort to cater more specifically to Apple's display requirements is apparently not unique, as LG is said to have a similar unit dedicated to serving Apple's needs. These bespoke services show just how aggressively parts manufacturers are pursuing Apple's business, even while their parent companies directly compete with, and occasionally even litigate against, Apple. Still, relations between Samsung and Apple have been steadily warming ever since their big courtroom clash of 2012, and Samsung isn't limiting itself to making just displays for Apple, either.

A December report from Korea's Electronic Times suggested that Samsung has secured orders for manufacturing the processor for Apple's next iPhone, which Bloomberg has corroborated via separate sources familiar with the matter. Bloomberg's information differs, as it claims Samsung will be producing Apple's A9 chip at its Giheung plant in South Korea rather than its Austin, Texas facility, as initially reported by Electronic Times. In any case, it seems likely that the next iPhone and iPad will rely significantly on Apple's biggest competitor for their internal components. The symbiotic relationship between the United States and Korea's biggest electronics companies continues.

IHS report: Galaxy S6 Edge more expensive to make than iPhone 6 Plus

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, check out my full review, is a very expensive smartphone, but has a look and feel that matches the high price. According to IHS, the 64GB Galaxy S6 Edge is more expensive to make than the 64GB Apple iPhone 6 Plus.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is estimated to cost $290.45 while the iPhone 6 Plus is estimated to cost $240.05. While IHS compares the full price on Verizon, showing the iPhone 6 Plus is $50 more, T-Mobile's retail pricing shows the Galaxy S6 Edge is $10 more.

The one cost where both Apple and Samsung make huge margins on consumers is the cost of additional storage. According to IHS, Samsung charges $100 extra to go from 32GB to 64GB and 64GB to 128GB while the estimated cost for the memory is just $13 and $26, respectively.

The highest cost component is the 2560x1440 pixel resolution Quad HD Super AMOLED display with the processor, RAM, and internal storage next in value.

ZDNet's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes posted the iFixit teardown of the Galaxy S6 Edge last week, revealing the full list of internal components along with the low repairability rating. I can't imagine risking a repair on today's expensive modern smartphones so don't care much about the rating, do you?

2015 MacBook earns lowest score for repairability

Apple's new MacBook is not the type of laptop you'd want to try to take apart and fix yourself.

In a new teardown treatment posted Wednesday by iFixit, Apple's latest MacBook earned a repairability grade of 1 out of 10 (1 being the lowest possible rating). Ooh, that's not good.

Of course, the average owner of the MacBook isn't likely to tear it apart just to explore what's inside. But that's the purpose of an iFixit teardown -- to take us inside the inner workings of the computer to see what makes it tick.

For the 2015 MacBook, Apple tried something a bit different than its traditional MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. As reviewed by CNET, the MacBook's 12-inch screen is "amazingly thin and light." Powered by an Intel Core M processor, the new MacBook offers good battery life and performance. On the downside, the battery life and performance can't match those of the MacBook Air or Pro. The new keyboard takes some getting used to. And the machine's single USB-C port for all accessories, including the power cord, is "almost immediately frustrating."

Okay, so what did the iFixit team find on their journey through the new MacBook?

Opening the laptop proved challenging as Apple continues to use proprietary pentalobe screws, which are designed to be tamper resistant. Further, the internal cables are routed to make exploring inside the device even more difficult.

The processor, RAM, and flash memory are all soldered to the logic board, making them stubborn to take out. The entire battery assembly is glued into the lower case, so battery replacement is a challenge.

"Ugh! Even the center cell of the battery is glued down, and we had hoped the sticky cells we found in the new 13-inch MacBook Pro wouldn't be a trend," iFixit said. "To complicate the procedure, the battery sits down in a well; the only safe place to pry is over this aluminum wall."

The USB-C port is held in place by tri-wing screws, which as expected require a special tri-wing screwdriver to remove. The port is also hidden under the brackets for the display, making it hard to reach. Apple's decision to use just a single port could also be problematic.

"Being the only port, it will experience more use and wear than a typical single-purpose port," iFixit commented..."We can't help but wonder why Apple chose to only include a single USB-C port. This means that if you want to charge your MacBook and use a USB device at the same time, you'll need a $79 adapter. We're all for change Apple, but come on."

Finally, the Retina Display is still one single fused unit with no separate glass. So replacing the display would be an expensive prospect.

Apple typically offers a one-year limited warranty on its Mac lineup, with additional protection available at a price through AppleCare. So most owners are not going to tear apart their computer in the event of a problem. But iFixit's teardown at least gives us an inside look at Apple's latest MacBook.

Apple did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.

And how did the new MacBook fare compared with prior MacBooks in iFixit's opinion? You can't do much worse than 1 out of 10, but older versions fared just as or almost as poorly on the repairability scale. For comparison, in 2012, the MacBook pro earned a score of 1 out of 10. The following year, both the 13-inch and 15-inch the MacBook Pro computers took home scores of 1 out of 10. Faring a bit better, the 2013 MacBook Air got a grade of 4 out of 10.

The 4K smartphone display is here: 5.5-inch Sharp 806ppi super-screen

Thinking of upgrading to a 2K screen soon in the Samsung Galaxy S6? Just know it's already out of date as sharp has come up with a 4K screen.

The Sharp 4K IGZO screen is a 5.5-inch display that has a resolution of 2,160 x 3,840 for a pixel density, Sharp claims, of 806ppi. Yup, that's an entire 4K TV's worth of pixels crammed into a pocket-friendly display.

Samsung showed its screen building road map a while back which had it using 4K screens by 2015, so we may yet see this resolution on sale soon with the Galaxy Note 5.

The question is do we need resolutions so high? Realistically, even at the moment 1440p displays, that are being dubbed 2K, are only marginally better than 1080p to the human eye. When screens are at 5.5-inches or less it's difficult to see the resolution bump, so will 4K screens actually look any better?

One reason for 4K screens could be 4K content. It may help to encourage more people to want 4K content which will, hopefully, make it more readily available. At the moment a pricey 4K TV or monitor seem to be the only ways to draw people into this medium, but even these prices are falling.

So 4K screens are coming, soon. Would you want one? Seeing is believing we suppose so we'll just have to wait to decide.

This working computer is smaller than a grain of rice

Computers used to consume whole rooms, but now one computer can fit on the edge of a nickel. At just one millimeter cubed, the Michigan Micro Mote (M^3) is believed to be the smallest autonomous computer in the world.

For over a decade, the faculty and students at the University of Michigan's computer science department have been working on the M^3. As the Internet of Things (IoT) gets bigger, the Michigan team is pushing to make computers ever smaller.

"The Internet of Things describes a world in which everyday common objects have intelligence -- like a toaster, a washing machine or doorknob. All of those things will someday have integrated circuits in them that can talk to each other over a network," said Dag Spicer, senior curator at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif.

Despite its tiny size, the M^3 has the ability to take pictures, read temperatures and record pressure readings. Researchers hope to implement the microcomputer into a variety of applications ranging from medical to industrial.

Due to its micro-size, the M^3 can actually be injected into the body, where it can then perform ECGs and also take pressure and temperature readings. The oil industry is also interested in inserting the Micro Mote into oil wells to help detect pockets of oil that can still be extracted before moving on to new sources.

The Michigan faculty sees the Micro Mote as a way to never lose anything again. The vision is that people would buy a couple of M^3s and stick the computers to their keys, wallet, and anything else they don't want to lose. And using a central system, people would be able to locate their belongings within the confines of their home.

As the tech industry pursues the IoT movement, size and power are everything. To make the Micro Mote as unobtrusive as possible, the scientists had to find a way to scale down the computer's battery size.

"What people don't realize is a very large part of the volume of a computer for instance in a cell phone is actually consumed by the battery," said David Blaauw, professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Michigan. "So by bringing down the power, we can bring down the battery size, and we can bring down the whole system down in size."

With no space for a keyboard, mouse or display, the faculty and students had to invent a different way to communicate with the Micro Mote. The M^3 is programmed and charged via light. By strobing light at a high frequency, the operator is able to send information to the computer. Once the Micro Mote processes the data, it is able to send the information to a central computer via conventional radio frequencies.

The M^3 is ready for production now, and the faculty and staff are already looking forward to creating even smaller computers, which they call smart dust.

"Going forward there's no reason you can't keep pushing that. Can't get to a hundred microns on a side. And then you can get chips inside cells," said Dennis Sylvester, professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Michigan. "It's an easy thing to see as, you know, making science fiction a reality."

In 2015, iPhone sales may finally overtake Windows PC sales

Over the past few years, PC sales have been on a steady decline. Considering the universal popularity of the smartphone, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but over at Asymco, Horace Dediu has put together some fascinating projections that you might not have expected to see in 2015.

According to Dediu’s forecast, Apple will ship more iOS and OS X devices in 2015 than all Windows computers combined. In fact, the iPhone alone could overtake PC sales by the end of the year.

“Data from Gartner shows Windows PCs declining at a 6% rate in Q1 with a full-year forecast of -2.4% (including OS X),” writes Dediu. “Assuming 20.7 million Macs, the Windows PC market will decline to 285.6 million units (from 295 million in 2014). My estimate is that iOS and OS X combined shipments will total about 302 million.”

Again, this isn’t exactly a shocking development, but it’s one that many casual observers probably didn’t expect to see so soon. Then again, if the launch of Windows 10 later this year can surpass all expectations, Microsoft may be able to stem the tide temporarily.

Here’s Dediu’s graph charting the history of the personal computer market from 1981 through to this year:

Lenovo smartphone shipments reach only 8-9 million units in 1Q15

Lenovo's smartphone shipments in first-quarter 2015 reached only 8-9 million units, lower than the volume that Digitimes Research had previously estimated and about the same as the level a year ago due to high inventory built up during the fourth quarter of 2014. Lenovo brand image is relatively weak in the smartphone market and the fact that it has two smartphone brands - Lenovo and Motorola Mobility - is not helping its marketing. The two brands overlap in their targeting market segments and pricing ranges.

Lenovo started pushing its 4G smartphone shipments at the end of the third quarter 2014 and achieved shipments of around 15 million units in the fourth quarter of 2014. Judging from Lenovo's component orders placed with the upstream supply chain in early 2015, Digitimes Research originally had expected Lenovo to ship at least 10 million smartphones in the first quarter.

However, the China-based vendor's smartphone sales have been heavily relying on telecom carriers, and it shipments were greatly affected by quickly rising inventory in the fourth quarter of 2014 as China's telecom carriers had significantly adjusted their subsidization plans for handsets, weakening sales of smartphones bundled with telecom services.

Meanwhile, Lenovo has been finding it difficult to build up a strong brand image in the local smartphone market. After launching the Lemon series product line for online marketing in December 2014, Lenovo has adjusted its smartphone lineup and is offering its Vibe series devices for the CNY1,500 and above price segment, the A series products for the sub-CNY1,000 price segment and the telecom channel, and the Lemon series for the sub-CNY1,000 price segment and the online market. But the China-base vendor's moves have so far been unable to improve its brand recognition.

Lenovo originally expected the dual-brand lineup after its acquisition of Motorola Mobility would benefit its operation in overseas markets; however, the strategy instead is causing the two brands to compete against each other.

The Motorola brand has seen stable demand in North America, and has also achieved significant results for its recently launched inexpensive smartphones in emerging markets such as Latin America and India. Against such a background, the China-based vendor introduced the inexpensive Motorola smartphone models to China in the first quarter, and the sales results were impressive. But Lenovo did not expect that such impressive results would come at a price: its Lenovo-branded phones were cannibalized by the Motorola devices.

Intel Capital, Silicon Valley Bank chiefs see signs of a bubble

The heads of two of the most active startup investors in Silicon Valley — and most of the crowd that came to hear them Monday night — agree: There are clear signs that at least part of the venture-backed tech sector is overvalued.

Intel Capital President Arvind Sodhani and Silicon Valley Bank CEO Greg Becker devoted a good part of a Churchill Club appearance Monday night to the topic.

"In some areas I would say the valuations are pretty stretched," said Sodhani, whose corporate venture arm has scored the most exits by M&A and has secured the second most exits through IPOs since 2005, according to a recent report from PitchBook Data. "In some industries I have to ask myself if this is a software company or a services company?"

Software companies have traditionally sported higher valuations than services companies, but Sodhani said he is seeing the reverse in many cases today.

"I often have to ask myself if I am getting this wrong, but that is an area where I think valuations are stretched," Sodhani said, referring to services companies without naming any names. But he was quick to clarify that he isn't saying all companies bearing big valuations are undeserving of those lofty estimates of future success.

Hardware startups are pretty accurately priced, he said, because as data-intensive technologies like the Internet of Things, self-driving cars and drones take hold there will be a big need for the infrastructure that will make them work.

On a bubble scale of 1 to 10, Sodhani said he believes the market now is around a 6 or a 7. "That's not to say there aren't some 9's and 10's in there, or some 3's and 5's."

Becker, whose bank estimates it serves about 65 percent of all the region's startups and many of its venture firms, said he thinks the bubble needle is closer to a 7 or an 8, although he insisted that he isn't saying we're definitely in a bubble.

Becker has reason to focus on such things. His company’s stock fell more than 50 percent when the tech bubble burst 14 years ago.

"We have an office up on Sand Hill Road, and something I saw there recently was like it was came out of 1999," he said. "There was a tour bus in front of Kleiner Perkins."

"I'm also seeing a lot of companies with very healthy valuations of around $60 million or $70 million before they have any revenue, which is something we saw a lot of in 1999," Becker said.

There are also lots of companies which appear to be doing the same thing that all have big valuations, something Becker calls "copy companies."

When asked for a show of hands from the audience, a clear majority agreed with Becker's assessment.

Countering the worries about a bubble, Sodhani said that it costs much less now to build a tech startup than it did during the dot-com bubble, and the global market they can reach is much larger.

"Once upon a time, only the very largest companies like an Intel would ever think about selling in China," he said. "Now it's a lot easier, and in many industries that is a huge positive."

Becker said that previously companies like Uber or Airbnb would have been creating software to help the transportation or hospitality industries be more profitable. Now they are instead looking to disrupt the industries and are finding great success.

"Now they are saying we can destroy the way that an industry operates and change it completely," he said. "I think we are going to see more unbelievable companies formed in the next few years than we ever have in history, by a wide margin."

But the question for Becker is whether the valuations of those companies are correctly factoring in the risks of them successfully fulfilling their promise.

"Even great companies face great risks," he said.

Venture and late-stage investors have been enticed by the spectacular successes companies like Facebook and LinkedIn saw after going public, Sodhani said.

"There's a lot of capital trying to find the next Facebook, but we all know that there are only likely to be a half dozen Facebooks in the next decade or so," he said. "But the result is that everybody is chasing that big return and think they have found the next big, big win. I think that is dangerous."

Penang Road Famous Teochew Cendol @ Lebuh Keng Kwee

Cendol is one of Malaysia’s favourite desserts. But nowhere is the competition more keen than on Lebuh Keng Kwee, off Penang Road, where two families have been operating their stalls for decades. One is called “Penang Road Famous Cendol” run by the Loh family, while the other is called “Penang Road Famous Teochew Cendol” run by the Tan family.

We chose the Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul from Mr Tan, as recommended by our tour guide. They have been in this trade close to 40 years. Armed with a five-decade old recipe, the family roll up their sleeves everyday to prepare bowls of refreshing cendol and ais kacang for their customers. Even Gurmit Singh and Lim Guan Eng patronise his stall!

In a bowl of RM2 chendol, there is aromatic gula Melaka and fragrant coconut milk, certainly a perfect remedy for the blistering heat of Penang. You can have the cendol beside the stall, at the comfort of air con. Another nice thing about the shoplot is that you can get a delicious, hot bowl of assam laksa from the stall right in front of the door.

Address: Lebuh Keng Kwee, off Penang Road
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 10.30am – 7pm; Sat & Sun 10am – 7.30pm