If you've been keeping up with quantum computer news, you will have seen the Microsoft Marketing announcement on topological q-bits and a potential quantum computer in a few years. I was planning to write about this in some detail, but it turns out the reality may not meet the marketing. Surprising, I know, but the announcement implying Microsoft has q-bit technology ready to go and scale is speculative. They don't have any physical models, just some tests and a theory that has already been challenged by the physics community. It will take a while to go through all the published data, but the Microsoft quantum computer could be decades, not years, in the future, if ever.
- So, what do you do when two screens are not enough? Get something with three, of course. I have a friend who is mad for Chinese technology -- everything from China is the best, with the greatest technology and the leading edge. In reality, that is rarely the case. The announcement may be impressive, but once you scratch the surface, the flaws are found. That doesn't mean China will never be a leader, just that the time, when it comes, is still a way off in the future.
- Take Huawei's new triple-fold Mate XT. It folds out to a 10.2in, Hi-Res Huawei X-True Display, in two steps. This means you can use it as single, double or triple screen device. The first problem is price. The initial international version available in Malaysia, will set you back a cool US$3,360 (114,000 baht), the price of a very powerful gaming PC. Compare this to the $1760 for a Samsung S25 Ultra with 1TB. The thickness of each body piece is 3.6mm but that expands to 4.8mm if you include cameras and other components on one section. Folded up that comes to a bit under 1.3cm, which isn't all that bad. At 298g it is easy to hold unfolded in one hand, something other devices like those from Samsung and Apple struggle with.
- The global device will run Android with an EMUI skin rather than the current Huawei Harmony OS. It's been reported that the unit struggles to handle Android well, so I hope that Huawei works this out before the official release. Current issues include handling of the successive screens being opened, icon sizes and keyboard sizing problems. It is all but impossible to type on the unfolded screen keyboard. Some Apps don't handle the extra real estate well with a lot of white space. The screen is 3K with a 2232 x 3184 pixel resolution which works out to around 381-ppi in density. The top-end model has 1TB with 16GB RAM. It comes with three cameras on the back with a 5.5 optical zoom and an 8MP selfie on the front. No card slot, no 3.5mm audio jack and a side-mounted fingerprint reader. The battery is 5,600mAh and they come in red and black leather. Yes leather, on a metal case. It remains to be seen if the take-up on this is large.
- Remember some time back I wrote that Intel was building a foundry in Ohio? It was originally slated to be finished in about five years, but Intel has just announced that they will delay building the $28 billion factory until at least 2030. The second one will come online a year later. It turns out the original 2025 dates were tied to US state and federal subsidies and tax incentives under the US CHIPS and Science Act. Since these were dropped last year, it has caused delays in implementation as Intel finds its foundry division has racked up billions of dollars in losses quarter after quarter, with many chips now outsourced to TSMC. How much the new administration in the US will speed up or slow down progress remains to be seen.
- I watched a few AI-generated music videos recently and am impressed with the quality. With the right tools and carefully planning a series of short clips connected together, you can craft a video for free, apart from spending your time. There are AIs that will generate melodies. If you can sing in any way, you can lay down the track and then convert it to the voice of your favourite artist. I watched one based on a recent meme that was a take of a Madonna music video. It takes time and some skill to do it, but even that may be automated by next year.
- Google is installing spyware on Android devices and you'll have no choice. If your device has Android 9 or up, sometime in the future you'll see SafetyCore installed on your device. The utility will scan your photo library and warn you before you can view what it deems might be improper. According to Google, "the classification of content runs exclusively on your device and the results aren't shared with Google". Many have seen such assurances before and later found that they were not observed.
James Hein is an IT professional with over 30 years' standing. You can contact him at jclhein@gmail.com.
