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Ultra Pixel - The Secret Google Phone? | Nullify

The release of new google pixel 2 is just weeks away. A few weeks back apple celebrated its 10th anniversary by adding iPhone 8,8plus and the iPhone X to its range of smartphones.The iPhone X set up a benchmark and a tough challenge for google. To tackle with them google needs a battle plan. Latest rumors and leaks suggest that apart from the pixel 2 and the pixel XL 2, google is cooking up a secret smartphone- The Ultra Pixel.

A few days back, photos which seems to be taken from google office, surfaces the internet. Google fans are going nuts about it. The photos suggest a secret project by google named the Ultra Pixel. The phone in the photos feature a bezel less edge-to-edge display and to the surprise, no navigation bar. There is no confirmation that the rumor or leak is true but the ultra pixel seems to be a potential competitor to the iPhone X.

The leaks first showed up on YouTube channel Mrwhosetheboss . The youtuber claims that google is working on a secret smartphone. "The Ultra Pixel" and is scheduled to release with the pixel 2 and pixel XL2. However, the concept looks promising and very "googlish" and seems to be a product that google would have made.

The Features we want to see 

1)Gesture to Navigate 


The above leaked photo suggests that there would be no navigation bar or hardware buttons.In this case, we would love to see gestures to navigate,as a feature google may pursue.  

2) Squeeze for Assistant

 

The squeeze functionality was first introduced by HTC on the HTC U. Most of the tech enthusiast flagged the feature as a gimmick. Still google and even  I personally seemed it as good feature. The pixel 2 and pixel XL is rumored to have squeeze sensors on the edges for added functionality. We would love to see the same on the ultra pixel too. The deep integration of assistant on the pixels can open many possibilities. 

3)  On Screen Fingerprint

 

This seems like future but we know its out there. Adding this feature would help google give a tight competition to their competitors. 

Some more leaked images:




 These are our thoughts about the new rumored ultra pixel. We hope that its not just a rumor and google will pull this through. Share your thoughts on the comment section below.
September 29, 2017

Bitcoin-A Cryptocurrency Taking Over The World By Storm

Ever heard your geek friend go on and on about this fancy new currency only he knows of? Well, not anymore. This piece here is intended to save you from that same embarrassment.

Bitcoin-A Cryptocurrency that is Taking over the World by Storm

 

So Bitcoin , a new currency that was created by a person or a group of persons using the alias Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009, is the only decentralized currency in the  world. Now ,what does decentralized mean? It means there are no middle men,no banks,no countries, no transaction fees to pay for(not exactly zero but way less than what banks now charge). Decentralized is not the only property unique about bitcoins ,it protects your Privacy too.All the transactions using bitcoins are anonymous.Considering the age we live in, ability to spend our money privately without any government peeking in is in itself a USP for the increased use of bitcoin. There are a lot more features to this money which we will be discussing separately in the later part. Decentralized only makes it a revolutionary currency of some sort . Many people have lauded this idea with such praise, out of them one which stands out is by Nassim Taleb, the author of the black swan. His words were 

 "Bitcoin is the beginning of something great: A currency without a government, something necessary and imperative."

 What is this Decentralized Currency?

The entire bitcoin system works on a peer-to-peer basis,meaning there is no central authority controlling it. It can be passed on in circulation like normal currency with the only difference being that it is not being tracked by some government or bank.Creation of the currency is done using Cryptography.With no one tracking it, it's safe to assume it is prone to the danger of double spending but it's way ahead and uses its own system of blockchain to keep record of every transaction and track issuance of the currency. Cryptography not only ensures the creation but ensures the transactions are as safe as physical money transaction and an anonymity cover over it. The beauty of visible to the public in a ledger,still your anonymity is maintained as only your addresses are disclosed rather than names ,which is not the case with bank transactions and other e-wallet transactions.

Why use bitcoins for business?

Apart from the privacy cover, bitcoins can make international payments hassle-free and cheap as it is not bound by any country or subjected to regulations. Upcoming and small scale businesses go for bitcoins as there are no credit card charges. Other than these reasons many people even buy bitcoins hoping that their value will go up.

How to get your hands on bitcoin?

There are a lot of "bitcoin exchanges" where people are allowed to buy and sell bitcoins using different currencies. Mt. Gox is the largest of such exchanges. You can also earn some coins by mining that is by investing in hardware and software. The better the encryption technology you are using  ,more the chances of you getting coins. Also, people can send you bitcoins too.That is the similar way digital cash is sent using mobile apps or computers.

What is bitcoin Mining?

This is the process by which new bitcoins are generated. What you have to do as part of mining is solve some complex math puzzle making the blockchain secure in the process. The difficulty of the puzzle is hard enough to make it time-consuming and tough. Currently, every 10 minutes,some earns 25 bitcoins. Also you cannot earn bitcoins forever by mining as the amount of bitcoins is regulated by the blockchain which is designed such that a maximum of only 21 million bitcoins can be produced and in circulation,estimates suggest that the last bitcoin mined will be in the year 2040. 

Where is bitcoin stored?

Same as digital cash,bitcoins are also stored in wallets. These wallets are either on the cloud or at your computer.This is one of the points where the bitcoin lags behind as it does not insure these wallets with FDIC which means an online server hack or a virus attack on your computer can easily cost you big.

How much is a bitcoin worth today?

At today's rate, a single bitcoin is worth $4381.24( 280289.83 INR). Predictions suggest it'll be 500000$ by the year 2030.This is why ,as we saw above,people are using bitcoins as an investment option too rather than just another currency.

The Anonymity Threat

As we saw earlier ,one of the boons of this system-Anonymity,actually pays off as a bane too.Because all the purchases are anonymous ,most of the shopping done is of illegal drugs and other illicit activities,which in turn makes a large part of the existing marketplace to hover away from adopting this currency.

The Future of Bitcoin

Even though we are moving day-by-day towards a digital economy still a question lies over the future of bitcoins. The bitcoin may even be regulated as governments of the world grow restless daily with taxation and the growth of such an unregulated currency.
September 08, 2017

Privacy- Why Should You Care, Even Though You Might Have 'Nothing to Hide' | Nullify

Privacy-Why Should You Care, Even Though You Might Have "Nothing to Hide".

Privacy , A word that has been in forefront of most discussions by Indians in the recent past ever since the Aadhar debate and the consequent supreme court case and ruling.

privacy

 

 What is privacy?

The dictionary defines privacy as a state in which one is not observed or disturbed by other people or the sate of being free from public attention. Now this is not an alien concept to us infact almost all of us value privacy,it is the reason we lock our doors, the reason why we set passwords. The question that needs answering is what entails privacy in the 21st century and why privacy matter?

Ever since the advent of the era of social media and the tech industry churning out new innovation every now and again privacy, as we used to understand it started taking a backseat in the public imagination. Somewhere between sharing important pictures and sharing every bit of information about us and every chore we do seem to have collectively forgotten the value of privacy and how the state could if needed, use all the technology available for mass surveilanceand what that could mean for the society as a whole. This ignorance was put on display when the whole 'Edward Snowden and the CIA' debacle came to light. Its safe to assume the USA is not the only country that is allegedly spying on all its citizens for "safety purposes".While the officials and some section of the society(commonly the supporters of the government in power currently)has tried to defend it as it being for the greater good and empowering the defensive  capability of the country. The most common reasoning that is being thrown around is why should anyone without anything to hide worry about this. While seemingly a simple and luring reasoning this over simplification notion breaks down under close introspection. Here are a few reasons why even those who seemingly support such an intrusion of privacy might want to reconsider their notions.

Remember the last time you were in a bus/train and you were chatting with someone or surfing your social media and you noticed someone behind you peeping and trying to see what you were doing. Remember how uncomfortable you felt? Well that is the government now and unlike that person behind you who doesn't have a clear view of what that is you are typing the government can if needed read through all your chats. Locking your phone or changing your posture so as to hide your screen from the one behind you isn't going to help you this time . Your best friend might not be the only one who knows about your intimate secrets anymore and its not okay. Your unpopular politicial opinion(which is an integral part of a democracy) that you shared with someone on social media or say during a conversation(yup,they can access your phone's mic) you might just end up being on a list.

Does Aadhar violates your privacy?

Lets read away from the surveilance capabilities of social networks and phones for now and look at some thing a little different. Take a case of Aadhar in India. an all composing biometric system which acts as a unique identifier and can be used to effectively roll out government services to people and serves as a digital identity of a person.At first glance this seems hardly something to be worried about and in fact should be revered but further introspection shows this is hardly the case and how its in an infringement on privacy of the citizens. Say its made mandatory to include your aadhar id for every major transaction you make. Everything you buy can be traced back to you and logged into a database which if needed can be used to make a profile of you unlike today where you are the sole person who can construct a true picture of your life from say your travelinng info,bank account ,mobile phone,employment identity etc,what adding a unique biometric card number to every public and private database does is give the government the power to create  a profile on you. You would not let a creep follow you around and take note of every transaction you make, why would the government be any different? and how are you to know that government officials won't make a false assumption about you from the data they have. its hardly out of the domain of possibilities . The consequences of those database being hacked and what someone could do with that level of information is a dangerous matter altogether to itself. (This hardly scratches on the surface of the privacy concerns regarding Aadhar and is merely used to highlight a small point , the wire has a great article solely about how aadhar infringes on privacy if you want to read up on it). 

What does a loss of privacy mean?

To answer we need only to remind ourselves of that are time we were doing something private say doing a goofy dance or singing to ourselves and then we suddenly reaize we were being watched and we somewhat involuntarily returned to being our normal self.We as human beings have a tendency to conform to the norms set by the society when we are aware of being watched as we are social beings. The mere knowledge of being watched makes us act  different . This gives the state the power to make a complaint and non threatening group of citizens forever conforming to the wills of the government, who never so much as dare to draw outside the line.What entails as good or bad to the government might not always be what entails as good to us. Mass surveillance gives the state enough power over the citizens as to make them abide by the rules that they dictate which as we already know might not always be for the public good and often for individual gains. By accepting to be surveilled we are basically giving a group of politicians often drunk on power tools that they can exploit at will.


All of us value privacy as is evident by we not wearing T-shirts with our email id and password printed on it or does not want anyone going through our phone. Privacy is a fundemental right, if taken away it cutails creativity as we are unable to let our though run havoc.It is important we fight for what littile of privacy we have left. Unlike social media where we have some form of choice on what to be made public and what not to be, the government might not offer us one . Lets not watch by Orwells fiction turns into a reality, 1984 is frightening enough as a novel, a big brother like character is the last thing we need in our life.
September 06, 2017

What is the Deep Web/Dark Web? | Nullify

The Dark side of the Internet !!

First we start with Deep Web, which is essentially all things that do not come up in a search engine.It is simply the content of databases and other web services that for one or the other reason cannot be indexed by conventional search engines.Web crawlers (the program used by a search engine to look through web pages)lack the ability to access certain areas of the web.Example, any page that requires a username or password protected.That includes your online bank account, PayPal, Facebook etc. It is actually the majority of the web.

By some estimates, it is 500 times larger than the surface Web that most people search every day. According to a study published in Nature, Google indexes no more than 16 percent of the surface Web and misses all of the Deep Web. Any given search turns up just 0.03 percent of the information that exists online (one in 3,000 pages).


So what is Dark Web? The dark web also known as darknet is the vast digital background where you can buy illegal things such as drugs or guns.You can hire a hitman or even a fake identity for yourself.Well, it is actually an underground where hackers, gangsters, pedophiles, and terrorists ply their trade.The dark web is similar to the deep web in the respect that it is hidden from the surface web.However dark web is not websites that are not linked, rather it is purposely hidden. The most famous content that resides on the dark web is found in the TOR Network .

How does Dark Web work?

It is obviously a very complex subject but basically, rather than using your own connection to access sites on the deep web you use your connection to tell another computer to get the contents of the site and give it back to you. That computer asks the same thing of a bunch of other computers and you setup what's called a "Relay".

All of the computers that are doing the relaying are doing it for free and not tracking any information, so when someone tries to snoop on your internet all they can see is you asking some random computer for info and getting back info, encrypted both ways. They can attempt to snoop on the computer that you are communicating with but they are all over the world and the ones on the end of the chain are very well guarded. The consequence of this is  generally a pretty slow system and if the computer at the end of the chain is found then it breaks down and the site goes offline.Although you still cannot be tracked due to them having to go back through the possibly thousands of nodes in the relay to get to you, and even if they did all they would have is a garbled mess of encrypted information that cannot be used against you. 

How to access Dark web/Deep web?

Deep Web/Dark Web can be accessed using any of these 2 networks

  1. Tor Browser

    Tor Browser

     

  2. I2P Anonymous Network

    I2P

 

  What all things are happening in there? 

What follows is nothing but a cursory sampling of goods and services available within the Dark web

  • Drugs

    There are quite many drug black markets.within these markets, you can practically buy any type of legal or illegal drugs in individual or dealer-level quantities.The Silk Road, one of the more notorious black market that did $1.2billion worth of business in 2 years. 
    Silk Road

  • Fake money and Money Laundering

    Pounds, euro, dirham, yen are available as fake money.They vary widely in quality and cost.Three hundred dollars gets you $1250 in Counterfeit U.S notes, promised to pass ultraviolet-light tests.Moreover, we should not use our regular credit or debit card or even Paypal for buying services provided in the Dark web.A virtual currency "Bitcoin" is the mode of payment and the currency is designed in such a way that your identity is kept anonymous.It is the currency which is outside of the control of any authority or government and therefore used for illegal activities. 
    Easy Coin
    USJUD

  • Guns, Ammunition, and Explosives

     A dedicated website "Armory" lets you buy any type of illegal firearms such as handguns and explosives.They are shipped all over the world in specially shielded packages to avoid x-ray scanners or send them inside toys, instruments or electronics. 
    Armory

  • Hitmen

    Service providers such as a website named Besamafia that focuses on body harming, killing people and torturing.The hitmen do not wear black suits as in Hollywood movies; they wear normal clothes and does the killings on street.
    Besamafia

  • Forged Passports and Citizenship

    Passports, citizenship papers, driving license, college diplomas, fake IDs are available in illicit marketplace named Onion Identity Services. They also sell documents that will let you open bank accounts, apply for loans and purchase a property if you are the citizen of that country.
    fakeid

    Disclaimer: Images used in this article are properties of their rightful owners. We pay no attention to Dark Web and do not encourage you to take part in this illegel activity or behaviour.


September 03, 2017

USB C - The Future is Here? | Nullify

"So...What is USB-C? " The question arises in 2017 as more devices are coming out with this superfast reversible port.Here, we are going to explain about USB-C.USB-C is basically USB 3.1.It is just an updated version of USB 3.0 port that you may have seen on many PCs and cables.Then the question arises, What is the difference between USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and USB-C.They differ in nothing but the ability to transmit high voltage and speed of transferring data.USB 2.0 was only able to transfer data in 480 megabits per second speed.USB 3.0 comes with a transfer speed of 5 gigabits per second.Where as USB-C is able to transfer data at a speed of 10 gigabits per second.If the Voltage bearing capability is considered USB-C is able to bear high voltage through it.These two advantages help it to become the future of connectivity.

     


Today, almost all type of devices have moved from normal USB port to Type-C port.Higher data transfer rate and voltage bearing capacity pushes manufacturers to change into Type-C port.Companies like Apple and Google announces USB-C as the future of connectivity.Apple has even released a MacBook with a single USB-C port.Charging and Data transfer can be done through this single port.USB-C can be called as the ‘Actual Universal Serial Bus’ since it can be used in almost all devices.USB-C can be used to charge laptops, power packs, cameras, mobile phone etc. where as Micro USB can only charge low power devices.When compared to USB 3.0 connector, the smaller structure makes type-C easy to install in smaller devices.In the coming future, separate cables for charging and data transfer in high power devices such as laptops can be reduced into a single cable.

Different Type of USB Connectors

Now let’s talk about, how USB-C can affect data transfer in devices.Due to its higher data transfer rate, it can be used to connect projectors, monitors, headphones( never meant to remove headphone jack ), SSD drives, mouse, keyboard, etc. Some manufacturers have already replaced Micro USB and USB A ports in these devices.The reversible connector of USB-C is also well appreciated by the users since USB A with two connecting probability need at least 3 tries to connect.

USB-C Powered Devices


Definitely, USB-C is the future of connectivity.At present, it is getting introduced into different type of devices.If you are looking for the future of technology it is here.All of us should adapt with the upcoming technology so that we will never get outdated. There are hundreds of devices in the market with ultra speed type-C connector.Give them a try.

September 02, 2017

Top 5 Tech Myths | Nullify


 We are living in a highly developed world,Technology rules everything.As the technology goes forward , myths about technology are spreading more rapidly.Here we are going to discuss some of those myths in detail...

1) Charging your phone overnight will damage your battery!!

Top 5 tech Myths


          This is one of the main tech myth that we believe.Everyone needs their phone to be charged fully, but no one is ready to charge it overnight just because we think that it may damage our phone's battery. This myth was actually true in the old ages, when phones used Nickel based batteries.Nickel based batteries have a cyclic memory property.If they haven't given a full charge in between cycles there is a tendency for the battery to forget actual capacity of the battery and remember last charged threshold as the maximum capacity.So, when they were charged excess there is a possibility of damaging the battery.
          But now, the technology used in batteries have changed(from 2000 onwards).Today every mobile phone battery is made of Lithium ions instead of Nickel.Fortunately, Lithium batteries don't have the cyclic memory issue.So, YES we can charge our phones overnight.


2) USB Drives should be removed safely!!

Top 5 tech Myths


          "YOU MUST SAFELY REMOVE USB DRIVE BEFORE UNPLUGGING".You may have heard this many times in your life.Windows and similar operating systems have introduced 'SAFELY REMOVE' feature for USB drives in their initial versions itself.Most of the people think that this was introduced just because simply unplugging a USB device may damage it.This is actually a myth.Operating systems have introduced this feature to prevent the user from unplugging USB drive while the drive is currently in use ( Like Copying, Writing, Reading,etc.).If the user removes USB devices without OS permission while the drive is in use, there is a possibility of damaging data.That is why Operating systems have introduced Safely Remove option.This will simply alert the user whether the drive is in use or not.Actually, the user can simply unplug the USB device if it is not in use.


3)Rooting or Jailbreaking is illegal!!

Top 5 tech Myths


          Most of the mobile users are familiar with the word Rooting and Jailbreaking.If you are not familiar, Rooting and Jailbreaking is the process for getting Superuser permission in Android and iOS respectively.Most of the users think that Rooting and Jailbreaking are illegal.This is a myth.There is nothing illegal in Rooting and Jailbreaking.You are fully free to do them.What makes it illegal is the things we do after rooting.Using these devices for duplicating and manipulating Copyrighted content, hacking, etc. makes it illegal.Then, Why are you waiting?Go, explore your device.


4) Linux Distributions are Virus Free!!

Top 5 tech Myths


          This is one of the major tech myths of all time.You may have many friends who have suggested you to use Linux Distros so that you can have a virus free environment.It is true that Linux is more protected than Windows.But it is not virus free.A virus is a malware program(piece of code) that may exploit your data without your permission. Linux can also be infected with the virus. You may have heard of Ransomware recently. Ransomware is a kind of virus that will lock down your data, denying your access to your data. Ransomware was capable of affecting Linux based operating systems. Also, 80% of web servers run on Linux Server operating system.Website hacking is actually a virus activity in Web Servers.So, yes Linux is not completely virus free.


5) Emptying Trash will wipe all your data!!

Top 5 tech Myths


          Many of you have thought that deleting a file and Emptying Trash will wipe all your data from the device.No, it won't.In the case of a PC, permanent data are stored in hard disks. Hard disk uses a magnetic disk to save data.This magnetic disk is split into Sectors. When you delete a file, the file will be moved to a specific location on the hard disk, the sector in which file was stored will be set as empty while the data actually resides in that sector.Since this sector is set as empty any other data can be overwritten to this sector. When you click on Empty Trash, operating system forgets the sector in which file is saved from its memory.This doesn't mean that the data is fully wiped out.There are many techniques for recovering the data from disk drives.Even if the data is overwritten, there are tools to recover them.






September 01, 2017
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