Tag: mobile tech

The ubiquitous nature of smartphones among students is starting to cause concerns over the potential for cheating.

In India, a new concern has arisen with regards to the use of mobile technology among students, as the risks of the spread of copies of the HSC (higher secondary school certificate) exams throughout the web continue to grow.

Officials are now considering the implementation of more strict regulations with regards to the use of mobile devices.

The hope is to reduce the use of mobile technology by students and exam supervisors throughout the examination process. Currently, there is already a regulation from the state board that bans students from carrying cell phones into the exam halls. According to a divisional board standing committee member, Uday Nare, “It is dangerous for both students and supervisors to carry mobile phones to the exam hall, as it could lead to cheating. Although we have rules to prevent it, they should be stricter.”

Equally, most exam centers have permitted mobile technology devices to be carried in as long as they are turned off.

Mithibai College, Vile Parle principal, Swapna Durve, explained that student mobile devices can be very expensive, nowadays, and the exam centers are hesitant to “take any chance by asking them keep the phones in their bags outside the classrooms. So, we ask students to switch off the phone and keep it in their pockets.”

Unfortunately, there have been problems that have arisen with this honor system based policy. On March 4, a student was caught by an exam supervisor. That student had been using a cell phone to cheat during the Vile Parle exam center’s SSC examination.

These types of issues are popping up as colleges are, understandably, not frequently willing to actually frisk the students to ensure that they are not carrying any mobile devices. The principal at the Jai Hind College in Churchgate, Jyoti Thakur, explained that “We cannot frisk students, as girl students might raise objections.”

In order to help to overcome some of the mobile technology related issues, some of the centers have now hired women staff specifically to be able to check female students for devices before they enter the exam halls.

The company is expected to begin with these services on a small scale within the month of March.

The small sized Google wireless services are expected to begin before this month comes to a close, but it has also been revealed that, at least at the beginning, the only mobile devices that will be compatible with it will be the company’s own Nexus 6 smartphone.

The company has officially confirmed that it is looking into this type of offering of a wireless service.

Confirmation of the Google wireless plans came from Sundar Pichai, the senior vice president of Android, Chrome, and Google Apps. He stated that they are focused on bringing connectivity together with both hardware and software. In Barcelona, at the Mobile World Congress, Pichai’s keynote speech explained that “I think we’re at the stage where we need to think of hardware, software, and connectivity together.”

The first mention of the Google wireless business was made back in January and it should link smartphones to WiFi cellular.

The service will be based on connecting the Nexus 6 mobile devices to a WiFi cellular network. While the internet giant did say that it intends to add the service availability to a broader spectrum of different mobile devices in the future, the launch of the wireless plans will be exclusively for the smartphone that is manufactured by its Motorola Mobility.

Although it is believed that this mobile technology service will become available before the end of this month, it will be available in early April, at the latest. That said, the company is very well known for waiting until the last moment before they make any true announcements with regards to their products. As they have already made it clear that this one is on the way, it may be safe to assume that Google doesn’t expect it to be very long, at all, before it will be putting getting things started.

It has yet to be explained exactly why it has decided to choose only Nexus 6 for the launch of the Google wireless service. That said, it is only that specific model of the smartphone that will be compatible. Not even the Nexus 5, which had been created by LG, will be able to connect, at first launch.