TechTalk: Exploring the Latest Technology News, Updates, Reviews, and Gossip

Like ballistic weapons and automobiles, the basic working principle in audio equipment has largely been the same for a long time. All improvements over the past few decades have been incremental at best, especially since there hasn't been any fundamental shift in the underlying technology. This means, we are used to having a clear idea of capabilities and limitations of any product within a given price range. Take the low-end IEM segment for example. Although the sub-Rs 1500 range is home to excellent offerings from JVC, SoundMAGIC and Sony, none of these alternatives are without their fair share of niggles. These are niggles that we have grown accustomed to, because what's gained in terms of value in a budget IEM invariably has to be balanced out with a compromise in audio fidelity. This was believed to be the norm—that is, until we got our mitts on Cowon's EM1 in-ear earphones.

If you’re worried that China will grow to one day rule all things and become the world’s biggest and most feared superpower, it probably doesn’t help to know that a computer security firm published a report that states hundreds of terabytes of governmental and industrial data have been stolen by a single Chinese hacker unit. Computer security firm Mandiant claims that a single hacker unit of the People’s Liberation Army, dubbed Unit 61398, is a prolific hacking force with which to be reckoned, accounting for hundreds of terabytes of stolen data tracing all the way back to 2006. Of course, China’s Defense Ministry denied the reports of a government-backed hacking unit, and said Mandiant’s accusations were unprofessional — not that a government would willingly own up to clandestine security missions that could conceivably start a war with another country of significant power. Mandiant claims it released the report in an effort to “arm and prepare” security experts in the face o...