Opening thoughts. ₹3,99,900 Apple Studio Display XDR (which many believe is a very expensive display) has now received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for use in diagnostic radiology. This means that Apple can now go ahead and release a medical imaging calibrator for users, starting with the US market. At the time of the release of the Studio Display
Very few displays have this level of application clearance. LG’s 32HL512D-B medical grade monitor is approved for general diagnostics use. Sony’s radiology monitor LMD-DM50 is also approved for mammography use. But a consumer-first monitor with this level of accuracy? Studio Display XDR should be the first.
Editor’s Corner Airtel’s eSIM moves
It turns out that, if you’re switching from your current iPhone to the new iPhone, Airtel has refined the process of converting a physical SIM to an eSIM (if you really want to describe it that way).
I have my own reservations about refining it, because while simplicity and seamlessness are a good thing, integrating it within Apple’s setup/switching flow means it will surprise unsuspecting users – and that’s what happened recently. Although there are advantages to eSIM, I believe the disadvantages outweigh them.
Basically what’s happening is this: if you’re setting up a new iPhone to switch from your current iPhone, and choose the “Transfer from nearby iPhone” option, at some stage you’ll be prompted with messages like ‘Set up mobile service’ or ‘Switch mobile service to new iPhone’. It’s easy to believe that this is part of the data-switching process, but it’s not, and it can convert your physical SIM to an eSIM.
- I’ve found the key to this behavior – if your physical SIM is still in the old iPhone you’re switching from, this causes unexpected SIM switches. You’ll need to insert a physical SIM into a new iPhone before turning it on for setup, to avoid this somewhat cryptic setup quirk.
Nevertheless, this should not happen without clear and unambiguous instructions that a SIM is being replaced with an eSIM. What does “Transfer phone number” tell us? absolutely nothing. Looking at you, Airtel and Apple; Someone needs to fix this.
There are advantages of eSIM, one of them is that most smartphones now support multiple eSIMs which gives users some flexibility regarding primary and secondary numbers, data usage and international roaming. But, in my book, these are far outweighed by the inconvenience of difficulties when switching or swapping phones (this can often require a 32-digit device specific code called EDID). And don’t get me started on the fact that SMS services are limited to 24 hours after an eSIM transfer or swap. Not quite the equivalent of moving a physical SIM from one device to another.
Tech Spotlight | Oktor Mini UPS V3.0
There are two realities of living in India. First, 24X7 electricity is still a dream that fades away during summers. Second, it is inconvenient to disconnect home broadband in case of power cut. As of now, your best option would be to buy a normal 600va UPS and connect the modem/router to it. The other option was to buy one of those “router UPS” devices with a built-in battery, but the method of installation was a little more complicated than most people expected (matching the router connector pin type with the router’s port, voltage being another).
Oktor has changed this with the AirFiber V3.0, a fairly convenient mini UPS for routers, and I really like this approach.
It’s basically a powerstrip-sized device, with a battery capacity of 12,000 mAh (there are six cells at 2,000 mAh each) and a universal socket for the typical Type D plug and two-pin plug. This should include almost all routers, including those provided by Airtel and Jio for home broadband and 5G broadband.
The standard socket type also means you can use a three-way plug if you’ve deployed a modem+router combination. It’s a simple plug-and-play format, and it just works. At this time, the price tag is ₹2,899 but you can expect some discounts or cashback offers on different e-commerce platforms at different times.
The polycarbonate body with an enamel white finish should sit easily on any table or console you place your router on. It has a single switch, or power on or off. And there is a small light that shows the charging status (even if the Mini UPS V3.0 is turned off). It connects to the wall socket via a three-pin plug, like any high-capacity UPS. While I haven’t had this UPS long enough to judge how good the reliability aspects of battery capacity and endurance are in the long run, it is more than capable of handling my dual combination of an Airtel Xstream CPE (this is the modem) along with a Ubiquiti Amplify router whenever there is a power cut and before even registering the presence of backup power.
This interval can be anywhere between 10 seconds to 30 seconds, but in my experience, Oktor has designed it well enough to last for 30 minutes – this is the maximum I’ve extended, and this observation should cover the dynamics of most use cases in homes.
For once, all signs point to a typical router UPS lasting a long time and reversing the trend in which these devices have a life cycle of a few months before the batteries start to degrade significantly. Oktor has done a good job with V3.0 and this bodes well for the simplification of installation design even among the competition.
Second thought Instagram’s new content security measures
A few days ago, Meta Platform Inc. detailed some updates to Instagram teen accounts, in terms of stronger safeguards that define age-appropriate content that appears on teen users’ feeds. First of all, Meta says that the content filter is driven by 13+ movie rating criteria and original feedback by default. “This means Instagram’s goal is for teens to see content on Instagram that they would see in an age-appropriate movie. Teens under 18 will automatically be placed in an updated 13+ setting, and they won’t be able to opt out of it without parental permission,” the company says.
There are other changes also. Meta says teens will no longer be able to follow accounts that are known to regularly share age-inappropriate content, or if their name or biography suggests the account is inappropriate for teens. Social media platforms will also block a teen’s ability to see content results for a wide range of mature search terms such as ‘alcohol’ or ‘gore’, and this is an extension of the block for sensitive topics such as self-harm and eating disorders.
For parents who have been giving their kids space on Instagram since they were teens, this should come as some degree of comfort — but, of course, Meta says no system is perfect and parents should continue to provide feedback.
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