2011| Technology News and Gadgets Updates

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Wikipedia ‘a good source for political info’

Wikipedia has become a reliable source for political information, according to a new study.

Brigham Young University political scientist, who fact-checked biographical information and voting statistics, said his study validates Wikipedia as a reliable place to get a political education.

Focusing on Wikipedia entries on past and present candidates for governor across 50 states in the US, Brown confirmed biographical information on the candidates and their election statistics and found very few inaccuracies, a BYU release said Thursday.

He focused on past and present candidates for governor across 50 states in the US and found very few inaccuracies.

“My finding is optimistic for the health of our country. It doesn’t have to be hard to learn about the political process, or your political candidates,” said Brown.

He studied 230 Wikipedia articles about 246 major-party candidates who ran for governor between 1998 and 2008 and found that all of the verifiable biographical information in those articles was completely accurate.

RIM's PlayBook tablet bombed with influential technology reviewers who called the iPad competitor a rushed job that won't even provide RIM's vaunted email service unless it's hooked up to a BlackBerry.

The poor initial response to a device the company hopes will get it onboard the tablet computing explosion overshadowed a splashy coming-out party in New York Thursday evening, where co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis drummed up the gadget's attractiveness with corporate users.

There was little mention of the stinging reviews only hours before.

" RIM has just shipped a BlackBerry product that cannot do email. It must be skating season in hell," New York Times' David Pogue wrote in a review published on Thursday.

Research In Motion built its reputation on a BlackBerry email service that it says is so secure that it can't bow to government requests to tap messages, winning high-profile customers in business, defense and politics before branching out to a wider consumer market.

But the PlayBook, which hits North American store shelves on Tuesday, offers that secure service only in tandem with a BlackBerry. RIM says secure email and other key services will come later, not at launch.

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet has received mixed reviews before its launch April 19.

The New York Times calls the PlayBook a "half baked'' product, adding that "it seems almost silly to try to assess it, let alone buy it.''

The BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) has touted the 7-inch PlayBook as a rival to Apple's 10-inch iPad 2 . Its initial only-Wi-Fi version comes in three models, featuring 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage at $499, $599 and $699 respectively.

Though reviewers have praised its all-new QNX operating system, Flash-capable web browser (which Apple doesn't offer) and smart interface, the tablet has not found much favour because of lack of apps as compared to the iPad 2.

Further, the PlayBook is only Wi-Fi and it cannot connect to mobile networks, unlike the rival tablets from Apple, Motorola and Samsung.

As a result, important apps like email, contacts and BlackBerry Messenger will be available only when the tablet is linked with your BlackBerry smart phone through BlackBerry Bridge. So if you are not a BlackBerry user, forget about using email or other important apps on the tablet.

Apple to stay ahead in tablet boom, Google to trail: Reports

Apple's iPad will continue to dominate the surging media tablet market for years, with Google playing catch-up, research firm Gartner said on Monday.

Gartner said it expects 70 million media tablets to be sold this year and 108 million in 2012, compared with just 17.6 million in 2010.

Apple's share of the market will gradually decline to 47 per cent in 2015 from 69 per cent this year, while Google's share will rise to 39 per cent from 20 per cent now.

Google's Android has stormed the smartphone market, where it will become the No 1 platform this year, and it has emerged as the only viable solution for tablet-makers who do not own their own operating system.

Research In Motion's QNX platform, used in its soon-to-be-launched PlayBook tablet, will take the No.3 position on the market this year, with a 5.6 per cent share. Gartner sees that rising to 10 per cent in 2015.

"It will take time and significant effort for RIM to attract developers and deliver a compelling ecosystem of applications and services around QNX to position it as a viable alternative to Apple or Android," Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi said.

Almost eight years ago, Nokia attempted to merge a smartphone with a gaming console with the N-Gage . More recently, Sony Ericsson attempted to merge motion-sensing gaming with telephony in the Yari.

But these never did very well, so a certain amount of cynicism was inevitable when Sony Ericsson announced the Xperia Play - a smartphone that ran Android 2.3 with a slideout gamepad featuring controls similar to those seen on Sony's legendary PlayStation consoles.

It is admittedly difficult to be impressed when you see the Xperia Play. In this era of uber-sleek , subcentimetre width devices, the Xperia Play comes across as chunky (16mm thick) with rounded, oval edges rather than sharp ones.

The front is dominated by a 4-inch touchscreen, but the real star is the slide out gamepad, complete with direction keys (the triangle-square-circle-cross control buttons that are the trademark of PlayStation controllers), a touchpad, and buttons for menu, select and start. The volume rocker of the phone is unusually in the middle of the right side of the phone, a placement necessitated by the left and right gamepad buttons. The back is plastic and you'll see a 5MP camera with a flash.

But if the looks of the Xperia Play are about ordinary, its innards are not. The phone packs in a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, graphics based on the Adreno 205 GPU, 512 MB RAM, a 8GB memory card (memory expandable to 32 GB), and every connectivity option you can think of. And all of them perform very well too. Used just as a smartphone, the Xperia Play turns in a sterling performance - the large display, although a bit on the dim side, is great for browsing the Web and the specs allow Android to flex its mail and social networking muscle.

GadgetMedia Review: Android Price Wars

Everyone wants an Android smartphone , and while there are some very worthy contenders in the 12,000 plus category, the sub 8,000 bracket has very few players. Therefore the Spice Mi-310 instantly has an advantage, because it is priced low, yet has a decent-sized capacitive touchscreen, Android 2.2 with Wi-Fi tethering and built in GPS .

The phone feels fairly sturdy in the hand and has all the features you would expect from a mid-range Android phone: Wi-Fi , A-GPS , Bluetooth 2.1, FM, expandable memory and App Market access. The casing is a mix of plastic and metallic surfaces which are resistant to fingerprints . Around the back is the 2MP camera lens (no flash) and a loudspeaker grill while on top is the power/sleep button with the now commonplace 3.5mm audio port.

The screen is fairly bright and the touch is responsive. Processor details are not listed, but it is almost certainly a 528 or 600Mhz class processor. The interface is bog-standard Android (which is a good thing) and as usual, a wealth of apps is available to do anything from customize the home screen, watch DivX video, play games or view office documents. In usual Android fashion, just enter your Gmail account credentials and everything (Gmail, Gtalk) is setup automatically. If you have your contacts and calendar entries stored in Gmail, even those will get downloaded and synced to the device. The box includes a pair of in-ear headphones , a case, charger and USB cable - fairly generous for the price. A few bundled apps or a 2GB micro SD card would have sweetened the deal.

Performance is what you would expect from a mid-range Android phone. No problems with call quality and signal strength, but the battery life is just about a day (with push mail and social clients active) and the camera is nothing great.

LG Mobiles is planning to bring its yet-to-be-globally-launched 3D tablet to India in June, a senior executive in the company said. It will compete with Samsung's Galaxy Tab and Apple's iPad and is likely to be priced between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000.

Vishal Chopra, LG Electronics business head for mobile communications, said the tablet could be priced lower than Rs 30,000 depending on currency valuation and import duties at the time of the launch. "I will be in a better position to say (about price clarity) around last week of May," he added.

First unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, the tablet is the only one in the industry having 3D display capabilities.

The Samsung general manager for South West Asia, Ruchika Batra, did not reveal sales figures but said that the Galaxy Tab's positive growth has also encouraged it to launch more models around Diwali.

World over, media tablet spending is projected to more than triple to $29.4 billion this year and increase at an average rate of 52% each year through 2015, according to research agency Gartner.

Cablevision Systems is launching an app for customers using its Optimum package to watch television on their iPads at home, the company said.

The service, available at no extra charge, will allow the cable operator's more than 3 million customers to watch some 300 channels , search programming by genre and enable customers to record programmes.

The system uses Cablevision's digital cable television network to deliver programming to the iPad, so customers do not need to have Internet access on their devices to use the app. The move comes weeks after Time Warner Cable launched its own iPad app in mid-March.

Disclaimer: All information on this news has been compiled from their respective official websites or through public domain sites and leading newspapers. Although, we have taken reasonable efforts to provide you with accurate information, but we assumes no responsibility for the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the Information and would advise you to verify it from the official product provider. We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Swiss court- Google Street View must guarantee anonymity

A Swiss court has ruled that Google Inc. must guarantee anonymity before publishing faces and license plates in its Street View service in Switzerland.

A ruling published today by the Swiss Federal Administrative Court affects any new ground-level pictures that the popular Internet search engine publishes.

A court statement said the ruling upholds principles of privacy of control of personal data "regardless of the actual sensitivity of the information in question."

Lawyers for Google had told the court that personal privacy was already guaranteed because of technology that automatically blurs faces and car plates, but conceded the service was not foolproof.

The ruling can be appealed to the Swiss Supreme Federal Court.

Google agreed in 2009 to temporarily stop uploading new pictures from Swiss cities after the country's data protection watchdog complained.

Disclaimer: All information on this blog has been compiled from their respective official websites or through public domain sites and leading newspapers. Although, we have taken reasonable efforts to provide you with accurate information, but we assumes no responsibility for the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the Information and would advise you to verify it from the official product provider. We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.

Symantec: Targeted cyber attacks to rise further

Targeted cyber attacks will pose a growing threat to companies around the world this year after the Stuxnet worm hit Iran's nuclear programme in 2010, security software maker Symantec Corp said on Tuesday.

"Last year was the year of high-profile targeted attacks. We will see so many more," said Sian John, security strategist at Symantec.

So-called targeted attacks succeed as most consumers avoid clicking on suspicious links in spam emails, but open files that seem to arrive from legitimate senders.

"They are more challenging, but the return is higher," John said.

In total, the number of measured Web-based attacks rose 93 percent in 2010 from a year ago, boosted by proliferation of shortened Internet addresses, Symantec said in its annual threat review.

Nokia says talks with Microsoft on schedule

Talks between Nokia, the world's largest cellphone maker by volume, and Microsoft on a software deal are on schedule and a large number of Nokia Windows phones should be sold in 2012.

"Negotiations have progressed very well. They will be concluded well on schedule," Kai Oistamo, head of corporate development at Nokia, said on Monday.

The companies signed a non-binding agreement on Feb. 11 for Nokia to start using Microsoft software as its main platform in smartphones .

Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop said in February it would take at least a couple of months to sign a deal.

The long negotiation process has led analysts to question whether the partnership can produce quick results. Some analysts have said talks should be concluded by end-April when Nokia plans to start talks over job cuts stemming from the agreement.

MTS rolls out first phone using Russian satnav

The first smartphone using Russian positioning technology GLONASS went on sale on Monday, operator MTS said, marking a milestone in a project creating rival to the U.S.-led Global Positioning System (GPS).

The MTS Glonass 945 smartphone is manufactured by China's ZTE Corp, uses Google Inc's Android software and also supports the rival GPS technology.

Russia hopes the project will spark a domestic technology revolution and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has personally spearheaded the project acting as a salesman for the system on international visits.

"Successfully bringing a product to market is a significant step forward for the GLONASS project," said Canalys analyst Tim Shepherd on Monday.

"Other handset vendors will be particularly eager to see how Russian consumers respond, to understand whether GLONASS support is a matter of appealing to national pride or whether it genuinely encourages greater location-oriented usage," he said.

A year after a public spat with Beijing over censorship, Google Inc. says its business with Chinese advertisers is growing even as the Internet giant's share of online searches in China plunges.

A major Chinese portal announced last week it would no longer use Google for search, compounding its rapid loss of market share since March last year when it closed its local search engine. The future of a Google map service that is a key part of its remaining appeal in China is in doubt.

Google's main presence in China has become its advertising sales offices, an unusual situation for a company that dominates the Internet elsewhere.

Google risked being completely shut out of China after it angered Beijing by announcing last January it no longer wanted to comply with Web censorship. It dodged that fate but without a flagship local online presence, analysts say Google will fall further behind Baidu Inc. as a search provider, while the controversy makes it hard to line up Chinese partners for other ventures.

"Chinese companies will think twice before they can have any kind of relationship with Google," said Edward Yu, president of Analysys International, a research firm in Beijing.

Google, based in Mountain View, California, says it sees its biggest opportunities in China in selling advertising on behalf of local websites or to companies that want to reach customers abroad through its global sites.

Camera technology is changing for the better these days. While the digital SLR or DSLR is normally the weapon of choice for the serious or professional photographer, a spate of new cameras has been challenging this notion. The Micro Four Thirds interchangeable lens cameras started it. Micro Four Thirds cameras usually have CMOS sensors, but vitally, the sensor size is smaller than even an entry-level DSLR. Even Sony's own NEX series is another example: a camera that uses a DLSR-size CMOS image sensor in a mirror-less, compact and lightweight body.

Each of these technologies has certain advantages - typically a smaller size and lesser weight as compared to a DSLR. But the Alpha SLT-A33L (and its big brother, A55L) takes things to a new level. The A33 is not much smaller or lighter than the average DSLR, but what it does do, is open up a super-fast continuous shooting mode (with continuous auto focus for each shot) in a price bracket that 'proper' DSLRs can't dream of matching.

A number of ground-breaking technologies enable this. For starters, the translucent mirror. In a conventional DSLR, the mirror stays down at a 45-degree angle to divert light upwards into the viewfinder and to the fast, phase-detection auto focus system. When the shutter button is pressed, the mirror flips up, allowing the light to pass through to the image sensor. This is why the viewfinder in a conventional DSLR goes blank while shooting. Also, the mechanical movement of the mirror is a comparatively slow movement when compared to the actual recording of light, which contributes to the slower frame rate of entry-level DSLRs. In Sony's system, the mirror just stays in place: most of the light passes through to the image sensor, while a portion of the light is diverted upwards towards the autofocus system and to generate an image for the electronic viewfinder (EVF).

Since the mirror is always down, the slow mechanical mirror flip movement is cut out of the equation and the recording of each image can be much faster. In high-speed mode, the A33 can take 7 frames per second at full resolution. Since the mirror stays down, the autofocus engine is always active. Rather unbelievably, the camera can focus each frame while shooting in high-speed mode, i.e., 7 times per second. This kind of frame rate and autofocus speed can only be matched by high-end professional DSLRs that cost thrice as much as the A33.

Crucially, the video recording features are also enhanced by the mirror. Since the AF system is always active, the A33 can continue to focus while shooting video: something which conventional DSLRs cannot do - the mirror has to stays up while shooting video to let light through to the image sensor. Stangely, the A33's video is limited to 1080i rather than 1080p full HD for some reason.

Gianfranco Lanci tried to make Acer the world's largest laptop maker by outselling Hewlett-Packard. The board says he should have set his sights on Apple and HTC Corp instead.

The rift led to Lanci quitting as chief executive officer of the Taiwanese computer maker, Chief Financial Officer Tu Che-min said in an interview on Friday. The company plans to name a new president this month and Acer is seeking to be a leading player in smartphones and tablets, he said.

As Acer reels from its worst weekly stock plunge in almost a decade, the board faces the challenge of finding a leader able to reinvent the company into a developer of products that can challenge Apple and HTC from being a volume-driven maker of commoditised computers. The shift in strategy means spending on research and development will increase, Tu said.

"For Acer, and other PC makers in general, the way to create value is to innovate and find new markets and opportunities, and that's a big challenge," said Simon Ye, an analyst at research company Gartner in Shanghai. "Acer's problem is that it is commonly perceived as a brand that competes on price, and that doesn't help profitability."

The shares fell 4.8% to close at NT$57.10 in Taipei trading, capping a 22% rout since the company on March 25 slashed its first-quarter sales forecast. Brokerages from CLSA to Goldman Sachs Group cut their ratings on the stock to sell in the past week.

Acer to take on Apple, HTC after CEO exit

Gianfranco Lanci tried to make Acer the world's largest laptop maker by outselling Hewlett-Packard. The board says he should have set his sights on Apple and HTC Corp instead.

The rift led to Lanci quitting as chief executive officer of the Taiwanese computer maker, Chief Financial Officer Tu Che-min said in an interview on Friday. The company plans to name a new president this month and Acer is seeking to be a leading player in smartphones and tablets, he said.

As Acer reels from its worst weekly stock plunge in almost a decade, the board faces the challenge of finding a leader able to reinvent the company into a developer of products that can challenge Apple and HTC from being a volume-driven maker of commoditised computers. The shift in strategy means spending on research and development will increase, Tu said.

"For Acer, and other PC makers in general, the way to create value is to innovate and find new markets and opportunities, and that's a big challenge," said Simon Ye, an analyst at research company Gartner in Shanghai. "Acer's problem is that it is commonly perceived as a brand that competes on price, and that doesn't help profitability."

The shares fell 4.8% to close at NT$57.10 in Taipei trading, capping a 22% rout since the company on March 25 slashed its first-quarter sales forecast. Brokerages from CLSA to Goldman Sachs Group cut their ratings on the stock to sell in the past week.

Tablets
As conventional laptops lose their appeal to new-generation devices such as handheld computers with touch screens, companies such as Acer may need to focus more on developing tablet computers to boost profits, analysts said. "There is a concern at Acer about profit margins," said Dean Lim, who rates Acer shares "reduce" at Mirae Asset Securities in Hong Kong. "If they can increase sales of tablets, that will help improve the profit margins."

Chairman JT Wang will temporarily take over the chief executive officer's role from Lanci, the company said. Walter Deppeler, president of the Europe, Middle East and Africa operations, and procurement head Jim Wong are frontrunners to succeed Lanci, according to Macquarie Group . Acer's Tu declined to identify any candidates.

The Taiwanese PC maker is realigning its business to focus on profitability, instead of sales volumes, spokesman Henry Wang said today. Lanci quit after a slump in Acer's stock this year, the most in the MSCI AC Asia Pacific excluding Japan Information Technology Index, as a focus on low-cost laptops eroded profit margins.

Profit Margin
Apple, maker of the iPad tablet, iPhone and iMac computer had a 21.5% profit margin in its last fiscal year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Acer had 2.3%. "There is good consensus among the board members that the tablet is the way to go," CFO Tu said by phone. Previously, the company's goal was to boost shipments of notebook computers to increase market share, he said.

The board and Lanci "placed different levels of importance on scale, growth, customer value creation, brand position enhancement, and on resource allocation and methods of implementation," Acer said in a statement. Calls to Lanci's Taipei office weren't answered and e-mails to his Acer account bounced back.

Rising Costs
Acer in January reported fourth-quarter profit that missed analysts' estimates after revenue fell 11%. The company last month started sales of its Iconia tablet, more than a year after the unveiling of the Apple iPad. "We think Acer inevitably will see rising research and development expenses," Nomura Holdings analyst Eve Jung wrote in a report. "Acer plans to focus more on product innovation to face growing competition from Apple's iPad 2."

Acer overtook Dell as the world's second-largest maker of PCs in 2009 as the company boosted overseas sales through the acquisitions of Gateway and Packard Bell. Lanci, who had been president of the company since 2005, also oversaw Acer as it capitalized on the boom in demand for sub-$500 laptops, known as netbooks, after the worst global financial crisis since World War II prompted consumers to buy cheaper computers.

Apple's iPad starts at $499 in the US. The focus on netbooks cost Acer last year as Apple' iPad gave consumers an alternative product to a low-end laptop. Acer's market share of the PC market fell to 12.7% in the fourth quarter, down from 13.3% a year earlier, according to estimates by research firm Gartner.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Cablevision launches iPad app to watch TV at home

Cablevision Systems Corp is launching an app for customers using its Optimum package to watch television on their iPads at home, the company said on Saturday.

The service, available at no extra charge, will allow the cable operator's more than 3 million customers to watch some 300 channels, search programming by genre and enable customers to record programs.

The system uses Cablevision's digital cable television network to deliver programming to the iPad, so customers do not need to have Internet access on their devices to use the app.

"This application allows the iPad to function as a television, delivering the full richness and diversity of our cable television service to a display device in the home," Tom Rutledge, Cablevision chief operating officer, said in a statement.

The move by New York-based Cablevision comes weeks after Time Warner Cable launched its own iPad app in mid-March.

The Time Warner version allows users to watch live programming from 32 networks so long as they are at home using their Wi-Fi network.

There was an eruption of "yayyyyy" and "we won" on Twitter, as India became the world one-day cricket champions.

Throughout the day, "indivssl" was trending among the top Twitter trends worldwide. And when India won the match, "Congratulations India" became among the top trend, along with the phrase "world champions" on the microblogging site.

"The World belongs to India today !!! This one is for Sachin and every Indian who beleived ! The Boys in Blue really brought it home," posted Malayalam film star, Mammootty on his twitter account.

"Glorious victory! Our boys make us so proud! Privilege to be at Wankhede today! Sri Lanka was graceful too in their post match comments," Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao posted.

Even, the Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs Ajay Maken used his twitter account to say congratulations, minutes after Indian cricket captain M.S. Dhoni blasted a six to win the World Cup. "Great stuff Dhoni and team! A well deserved victory!," he said.

For a man whose view of the world has slowly faded to black over 30 years, a device that allows him to see flashes of light has kindled his hope of one day gazing upon his grandson's face.

A career electrician who grew up in Greece and came to the United States as a young man, Elias Konstantopoulos first noticed his vision getting poorer when at age 43 he absentmindedly tried on a relative's eyeglasses and found he could see more clearly with them than without.

Soon after, he visited a doctor who tested his sight and discovered he was no longer able to see his outstretched arms from the corners of his eyes. His peripheral vision was deteriorating.

He was diagnosed with an incurable condition known as retinitis pigmentosa, which affects about 100,000 people, or one in 3,000, in the United States.

A leading form of hereditary blindness, the disease gradually eats away at the retina's rods and cones, which are photoreceptors that help people see light and identify color and detail.

Wipro Ltd , India's No. 3 software services exporter, on Friday said it would acquire SAIC's global oil and gas technology services business for $150 million.

SAIC's Global Oil and Gas Information Technology practice provides consulting, system integration and outsourcing services to global oil majors, Wipro said in a statement.

Wipro will add about 1,450 employees across North America, Europe, India and the Middle East following the deal, it added.

Top Indian software companies are looking for acquisitions in key business segments and geographies in an effort to ride a recovering global demand for IT services.

Windows phone Nokia spell a challenge for Apple

iPhones and Android phones seem to be everywhere I look in Silicon Valley. The future is obvious, isn't it? IPhone, Android and no one else. They will form an exclusive duo in smartphones, just as Windows and Mac have in personal computers.

Make way, however, for Windows Phone. Yes, Windows Phone. Despite Microsoft's multiple, abject failures with mobile phones since 2002, many software developers and industry watchers expect Microsoft to become the second-largest smartphone player worldwide.

The evidence isn't visible today, nor will it appear anytime soon. Even at year's end, Android will have a 39.5 per cent share of smartphones worldwide, according to projections from IDC, the research firm. Symbian - used by Nokia, though it is not a major presence in the United States - would be second, at 20.9 per cent, while Apple's iOS, the software that powers the iPhone, would be third, at 15.7. Windows Phone 7 and its predecessor, Windows Mobile, would be far behind, at 5.5 per cent.

These rankings are likely to change thanks to one player, Nokia, which has seen its market share shrink in the United States. It has formed an alliance with Microsoft and will switch from Symbian to Windows Phone software on its smartphones.

As a result, according to IDC predictions for 2015, Windows Phone 7 will occupy second place, at 20.9 per cent of the market, ahead of iOS, which is projected to stay near 15 per cent. BlackBerry, then as now, would be No. 4.

Transferring files from one computer to another is a major pain.

Now, you can just pick up stuff from one machine and put in the other - thanks to a programme developed by an Indian-origin scientist of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Pranav Mistry has developed a programme, called 'Sparsh', that lets you transfer files from one device to another by simply touching the screen.

"The user touches a data item they wish to copy from a device, conceptually saving it in the user's body," New Scientist quoted him as saying.

"Next, the user touches the other device to which they want to paste the saved content," he added.

The first touch copies the item to a temporary file in either a Dropbox or an FTP account. The second touch retrieves the data.

This requires both devices to be running the software and for a user to be signed into their Dropbox or FTP account.

More than one million website pages have been hit by a sophisticated hacking attack that injects code into sites that redirect users to a fraudulent software sales operation.

The so-called "mass-injection" attack, which experts say is the largest of its kind ever seen, has managed to insert malicious code into websites by gaining access to the servers running the databases behind the Internet, according to the technology security company that discovered it.

Websense, which first found evidence of the attack earlier this week, has called it 'LizaMoon,' after the site to which the malicious code first directed its researchers.

Users can see that they are being redirected when they attempt to visit an infected address, and can close the window with no ill effects, said Patrik Runald , a senior manager of security research at Websense.

The attack has largely affected small websites so far, he said, with no evidence that popular corporate or government websites have been compromised.

If users do not close the window after typing an infected address, or clicking an infected link, they are redirected to a page showing a warning from 'Windows Stability Center' -- posing as a Microsoft Corp security product -- that there are problems with their computer and they are urged to pay for software to fix it.

An internet privacy group that prodded US regulators to scrutinize Google Inc is miffed about getting cut out of a class action settlement over the search behemoth's Buzz social network.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) objected to the settlement in a court filing this week, claiming Google and others decided to fund groups already benefiting from the company's largesse.

EPIC, led by prominent privacy advocate Marc Rotenberg , filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission last year, saying Buzz threatened the privacy of Gmail users. Google settled with the FTC on Wednesday and agreed to independent privacy audits.

Google also agreed last year to resolve a separate class action lawsuit brought by a Gmail user. Part of that deal provided for more than $6 million to be distributed to groups advocating for internet privacy issues.

EPIC requested $1.75 million and while Google and plaintiff lawyers doled out money to groups like the American Civil Liberties Union , the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Brookings Institution , EPIC did not get a cent. A federal judge will have to sign off on the disbursement plan.

Soon, you will be able to know how energy efficient your mobile phone charger is.

The Power Ministry is preparing to introduce energy labelling system for mobile phone chargers, as part of its efforts to promote energy conservation.

"We are working on introducing star (energy) labelling system for mobile phone chargers. It will be voluntary (for the makers of chargers) in the beginning and later, we plan to make it mandatory," a senior Power Ministry official said.

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the Power Ministry, implements the Standards & Labelling programme. The energy efficiency labelling is aimed to reduce energy consumption of appliances.

A top BEE official said that energy efficiency labelling for mobile phone charges would be introduced "relatively soon".

Japan disaster sparks social media innovation

As Japan grapples with an unprecedented triple disaster — earthquake, tsunami, nuclear crisis - the Web has spawned creativity and innovation online amid a collective desire to ease suffering.

Once the magnitude of the March 11 disaster became clear, the online world began asking, "How can we help?"

And for that, social media offered the ideal platform for good ideas to spread quickly, supplementing efforts launched by giants like Google and Facebook.

A British teacher living in Abiko city, just east of Tokyo, is leading a volunteer team of bloggers, writers and editors producing a collection of reflections and images of the earthquake that will be sold in the coming days as a digital publication.

All proceeds from the "Quakebook" project will go to the Japanese Red Cross, said the 40-year-old, who goes by the pseudonym "Our Man in Abiko."

The entirely Twitter-sourced project started with a single tweet exactly a week after the earthquake. Within an hour, he had received two submissions, which soon grew to the 87 that now comprise the 98-page book.

Google joined in the April Fool's pranks on Friday with the release of a new product called " Gmail Motion" that supposedly lets users send and receive emails using only gestures.

Gmail product manager Paul McDonald, in a deadpan explanatory video, said Gmail Motion uses a "language of movements that replaces type entirely" and ends reliance on "outdated technologies" like the keyboard and mouse.

"Using your computer's camera and a spacial tracking algorithm, Gmail Motion interprets physical movement and turns it into actionable commands," McDonald said. "The movements are designed to be intuitive, ergonomic and easy to do."

In the video, a "Googler" demonstrates how Gmail Motion works, pointing backwards with one thumb, for example, to reply to an email message and using two thumbs to "reply all."

The video also includes an interview with a "Lorraine Klayman," presented as an "environmental movement specialist at Nevada Polytechnic College."

"Gmail Motion will free the regular user from the constraints that modern society and our interfaces with our machines have put on the human body," she says.

A link on Google's home page directs a user to the blog post explaining Gmail Motion, which promises to "turn your email into a true body of work."

Google is renowned for its April Fool's jokes, which over the years have included job applications for positions on the Moon and the revelation that its Internet search rankings are compiled by pigeons.

From geek to Google Boss: Larry Page readies for the CEO throne

Larry Page has the vision, passion and intelligence that Google Inc. needs in its next leader. Yet as he becomes CEO Monday, the Google co-founder must prove that his aloofness, rebellious streak and affinity for pursuing wacky ideas won't alienate investors and lead the company astray. He's taking over amid emerging threats from rapidly growing rivals and more vigilant regulators alike.

Investors used to Google's consistency in exceeding financial targets worry that new leadership will bring more emphasis on long-term projects that take years to pay off. And many people still aren't sure he has enough management skills to steer the Internet's most powerful company. Page already has learned that smarts alone won't make him a great leader. Although Page impressed Google's early investors with his ingenuity, they still insisted that he step down in 2001 as Google's first CEO. He turned over the job to Eric Schmidt , a veteran executive who began working in Silicon Valley in the early 1980s while Page was still in grammar school.

Page's admirers say that at 38, he is more mature and less apt to be chronically late to meetings or tune out of conversations that don't stimulate his intellect _ habits that he fell into during his first stint as CEO. ``There are parts of being CEO that don't fit Larry's personality,'' said Craig Silverstein, the first employee that Page and Google's other founder, Sergey Brin, hired when they started the company in 1998. ``You wear a lot of different hats when you're CEO. Some of them are very interesting to Larry and some of them, presumably, are less interesting.'' True to his taciturn form, Page hasn't said much publicly since Google made its stunning announcement in January that he will replace Schmidt as CEO. Google said Page wasn't available for an interview.

Page, though, has left little doubt about his top priority: to dissolve the bureaucracy and complacency that accompanied the company's rapid transformation into a 21st-century empire. Google is expected to end the year with more than 30,000 employees and $35 billion in annual revenue. In Page's mind, the 13-year-old company needs to return to thinking and acting like a feisty startup. Rising Internet stars such as Facebook , Twitter and Groupon, all less than 8 years old, are developing products that could challenge Google and make its dominance of Internet search less lucrative.

Facebook to be worth $234 billion by 2015

Facebook will have market value of $234 billion by 2015, up from its current valuation of $85 billion, according to an analysis by brokerage firm Wedbush Securities that analyzes the valuations of private companies.

Wedbush Securities analyst Lou Kerner, who made this guess in a report last week on the what he called the 'Second Internet', says by 2015 Facebook will earn $11 billion on $22 billion and have a market value of $234 billion, Business Insider said Thursday.

"That makes the company's recent second market valuation of $85 billion look like a fine deal indeed,'' the business web site said.

In his earlier predictions in February 2010, Kerner had said that Facebook might be worth $100 billion by 2015.

But he now thinks Facebook's margins are better - around 50 percent - and that it will get a bigger share of the global ad market, according to the portal.

A mobile phone doubling up as a laptop is being hailed as the gadget that could end iPad's supremacy in the market.

The Motorola Atrix phone can be turned into a proper laptop by attaching a screen and keyboard, both of which have to be bought separately.

It has so impressed gadget experts since it debuted at technology fairs earlier this year that it has been dubbed a 'laptop killer', the Daily Mail reports.

Technology magazine T3 has even snubbed the iPad 2 - Apple's latest version of its tablet device - to hand the Atrix the 'hottest gadget' accolade.

T3 editor Luke Peters said: "This wasn't about products that have been hyped, but about products that really disrupt the market. We see the iPad 2 as more of an evolution than a revolution."

"The Atrix can really reshape how we think about mobile phones. It's incredibly powerful and versatile, and for us it really showed that you can do something different with a mobile phone."

Disaster-hit Japan churns out many of the world's smartphones , video cameras and other gadgets and while sales are not expected to suffer around the globe, industry analysts expect prices to rise.

"From semiconductors to displays, to automotive and consumer electronics, the effects of the Japan earthquake continue to reverberate throughout the world," said Dale Ford, senior vice president at research firm IHS iSuppli.

"Beyond the damage to Japan's own industrial base, the earthquake has impacted the production of basic electronic raw materials," Ford said. Japan produces between 15 per cent and 20 per cent of the world's electronics and "plays a particularly key role in some areas," said Jean-Philippe Dauvin of Paris-based consulting company Decision.

Dauvin said 30 per cent of the videogames, 40 per cent of the video cameras and still cameras and 15 per cent of the television sets sold around the world are manufactured in Japan. He said 40 to 50 of Japan's 140 semiconductor factories have been shut down as a result of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and noted that DRAM and NAND memory are key components of both tablet computers and smartphones.

Within the next few weeks, there will be disruptions to the global supply chain and higher prices for computer chips, "leading inevitably to higher prices for the consumer," Dauvin said.

Country's largest software firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) today said it has received a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract to provide application support, maintenance and development services to US-based Air Liquide.

TCS will provide end-to-end application development and maintenance services to support 5,800 Air Liquide users 24x7, improving operational effectiveness and efficiency, TCS said in a statement.

The Indian firm will oversee day-to-day IT management through a managed services model, as well as offer immediate problem diagnosis and repair services for an added level of IT support, it added.

"Our partnership with Air Liquide USA LLC underscores TCS' growing leadership in the manufacturing space. With our in-depth industry business and process knowledge, TCS will help Air Liquide USA LLC drive continuous improvement and innovation," TCS North America President Surya Kant said.

Air Liquide, an international producer and distributor of cryogenic liquids and gases, is present in 80 countries with 42,300 employees.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

TOI launches apps for iPad, iPhone, Android and BlackBerry

The Times of India, India's most-read newspaper and most-visited news site, has made a big-bang entry into the world of apps with the launch of iPad, iPhone, Android and BlackBerry apps. The apps use the latest advances in technology to give users the best browsing and reading experience on their devices.

The iPad app was launched on Monday (March 28) evening, and within hours it became the top free app in the India App Store of iTunes. In the US App Store too, under the free "news apps" category, it was steadily moving up, and was way ahead of other Indian news apps. The iPhone, Android and BlackBerry apps of TOI were launched on Wednesday (March 30). The iPhone app too is already ahead of many leading international news apps in the App Store. The Times of India is the only Indian newspaper to have apps for all these platforms. Apps for more platforms are coming soon.

Announcing the launch of the apps, Mr Rishi Khiani, CEO of Times Internet Ltd, said: "The future belongs to mobile devices, especially smartphones and tablets. Our apps aim to deliver our premium offerings to our readers who belong to the highest strata of society and are quick to adopt these devices."

The apps not only offer the in-depth and analytical coverage that is the hallmark of TOI's print editions, but also bring you news as it happens 24x7. Taking full advantage of the wide variety of content available with the Times Group, the apps offer a rich multimedia experience. They have photo galleries and videos from a range of categories including news, sports and entertainment.

TOI's iPad app marries the look and feel of print to the unique tablet experience. It also brings you Speed News, a first-of-its-kind service in the world, launched by timesofindia.com a few months ago. This service brings you minute-by-minute news updates from over 500 Times of India reporters in more than 80 cities across the country.

Taiwan's Acer, the world's No. 2 PC vendor, replaced its chief executive in a surprise move on Thursday, barely a week after it gave a downbeat outlook that wiped more than $1 billion off its market value in four days.

Its Italian chief executive, Gianfranco Lanci, will leave the company immediately due to differences over the strategy needed to counter the runaway success of the tablet market, which has cannibalised Acer's profits.

Chairman J.T. Wang taking over in an acting capacity, Acer said in a statement.

Acer, one of Taiwan's best-known brands, has been a dominant force in the PC business, particularly in the low-cost notebook segment. It said it will now focus on the tablet sector as well, an area where it has been slow in gaining traction against rival products such as Apple's hot-selling iPad.

"The industry has changed too much, that's why our successful formula in the past has to be adjusted," Wang told a news conference announcing the change.

"We will not keep talking about being the world's No.1 notebook maker anymore. Rather we need to a leader in mobile devices. We'll pursue brand value and profit and then we'll talk about quantity."

Web giant Google has masterminded a mobile phone that doubles as a wallet.

Instead holding up checkout queues as customers rifle through their purses to find the right card, they will simply swipe the phone past an electronic reader to pay. And experts claim it is a safer method of payment than magnetic strip credit cards, a newspaper reported.

Google has teamed up with Citigroup and Mastercard to develop the mobile payment system specifically for the Android phone. They have also consulted VeriFone Systems, which makes credit card readers for cash registers. The phone will also store shopping habits and trends so that retailers and businesses can more efficiently target consumers with discounts and advertisements.

Google is not expected to get a cut of the transaction fees, according to Wall Street Journal. Initially, holders of Citigroup-issued debit and credit cards would be allowed to pay for purchases by activating a mobile payment application developed for one current model and many coming models of Android phones, it said.

Experts have claimed that it is safer method of payment than the traditional credit card. "Because it's contact-less there's a perception people can grab it from thin air, but it's actually a more sophisticated technology than credit cards with a magnetic stripe, making it more difficult to steal a consumer's payment information," said Nick Holland, a mobile-transactions analyst at Yankee Group.

BlackBerry signs Indian-led company for tablet apps

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) has entered into a deal with Indian-led Polar Mobile for exclusive development of apps to enhance appeal of its soon-be-launched PlayBook tablet.

A leading mobile content solutions enabler for large media companies, Toronto-based Polar Mobile is headed by Indian-origin Kunal Gupta. It has already developed over 180 apps for RIM's BlackBerry smart phones .

At about 20,000 RIM's app store compares poorly with Apple and Google's Android operating system which boast almost 290,000 and 150,000 apps respectively.

Apple's iPad alone has over 60,000 apps specifically for it. Over 290,000 iPhone apps can also run on the iPad at lower resolution.

But with RIM's decision to run Android applications on its tablet, PlayBook users could get access to 200,000 more apps.

Microsoft Corp stepped up its rivalry with Google Inc on Thursday by filing a formal complaint with the European Commission claiming Google systematically thwarts Internet search competition.

It is the first time Microsoft -- itself the target of anti-competition action in the United States and Europe -- has filed a complaint with regulators over competition issues.

In its complaint, Microsoft claims Google engages in a "pattern of actions" that impede competition unfairly, giving numerous examples of what it believes are anticompetitive acts.

Google controls more than 90 percent of the Internet search advertising market in Europe, well ahead of Microsoft's rival Bing, which is struggling to make inroads into Google's market share.

Google did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on the complaint.

Microsoft working on new software for mobile payments

Microsoft is working on a version of its Windows Phone software that will let users buy merchandise with a flick of the handset at a checkout counter, two people familiar with the plans said. Microsoft plans to include mobile-payment technology in new versions of its operating system for smartphones as part of an effort to narrow Google's lead in handset software, said the people, who asked to remain anonymous because the features aren't public. The first devices boasting these features may be released this year, the people said.

The company joins a growing list of software providers aiming to benefit from rising demand for ways to purchase products and services on the go. Mobile payments may be used in $245 billion in transactions in 2014, up from $32 billion in 2010, according to Gartner chief executive officer Steve Ballmer is under pressure to regain mobile-software market share lost to Apple, maker of the iPhone, and Google's Android.

The phones running Microsoft's new software will be based on so-called Near Field Communication, which lets devices communicate wirelessly with objects immediately nearby. NFC technology enables payments and also lets consumers use a handset for other tasks, such as redeeming coupons and loyalty points at local merchants.

Mobile-software providers are weaving NFC support into their operating systems. Google has made NFC part of Android for mobile devices and in December introduced the first Android phone with NFC capabilities. Apple is said to be working on adding the feature to its mobile operating system, people familiar with the company's plans said in January.

Kalam for use of mobile tech for dissemination of information

The internet community should concentrate on technologies that can provide people-centric information through mobile phones, using latest 3G/ 4G technologies, said former President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam , here today.

"The world community will look for, how a mobile device can provide integrated solutions of 3G or 4G applications in the mother-tongue(s). That means, a fisherman in the sea will be in a position to get an advance information about the sea-wave conditions, and locations of abundant school of fish...For a farmer, (information on) prices of agriculture produce at various markets in the nation, and also the demand...," Kalam said.

Sensors would be incorporated in mobile phones, and patient's family-members would be in a position to transmit the data and get the doctor's advice immediately, he said, delivering key-note address at 20th International World Wide Web Conference .

Kalam said even though the service may be available in a limited way, the internet and "web 2.0 and 3.0 combination" may enhance the services in native languages.

The co-sponsor of Asia's leading IT trade fair is expecting up to 100 tablet computers to be launched at the event in May, with technology firms vying for a slice of Apple's success with the iPad.

Chang Li, secretary-general of the Taipei Computer Association, which co-sponsors the 2011 Computex Taipei trade fair, said that the sector was increasingly shifting towards the tablet market.

"Our estimate is that the exhibitors may make public up to 100 new tablet models," during the five-day Taipei International Information Technology Show, which opens on May 31, Chang said.

The global tablet market hit an estimated 16 million units last year, with volume forecast to surge to 43 million units in 2011, according to Taiwan's quasi-official Institute for Information Industry .

Chang predicted that Apple , which held an overwhelming 95 percent share of the market last year, would face mounting challenges from competitors, even if its status as market leader was not in question.

"Apple was the only player last year. But its competitors, even some monitor manufacturers, won't be absent from the new market."

"Besides, the threshold of entering the tablet market is not high."

India unveils its energy standard for laptops

An Information and CommunicationTechnology industry initiative started almost one-and-a-half year back for energy efficiency has finally made government make some move which today announced energy efficiency label for laptops.

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) today announced BEE Star Label version 1 for laptops. The guidelines announced by BEE are based on United Sates Energy version 5 guidelines.

"US Star energy version 5 is the base for BEE standard announced today," said Ashwini Aggarwal, executive editor, Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology.

"This had been long awaited launch. It is going to sidelines low quality products in the market, especially cheap and energy inefficient imported products," added Aggarwal.

P Umashankar, secretary, Ministry of Power appreciated timing of issuing the BEE guidelines.

If it's the talk of the town, could social networking sites be far behind? Celebrities and commoners alike posted last minute online messages of excitement, tension and good luck on the India-Pakistan semifinal in Mohali Wednesday.An excited Sania Mirza, Indian tennis player, tweeted early Wednesday: "Okkkk...here we gooo...good luck Team India..more than a billion wishes are with you...give it ur all..(sic)".

Film personality Pritish Nandy similarly tweeted: "Pakistan's bowlers vs India's batsmen: that's the real battle today".

Actor Rahul Bose tweeted that he was on his way to Mohali to watch the match. Kunal Kapoor, another Bollywood actor, tweeted that the tension was "unbearable".

The hype over the match reached a crescendo Wednesday as a lot of cricket buffs took leave from work to watch the match. They did not forget to post their online updates, of course.

Abhinav Singh, an advertising professional, said: "This is one match I just couldn't have missed. So I applied for casual leave and thankfully my boss was understanding enough to grant me the day off! I have called over a few friends to my place so that we can watch the match together and root for India."

Scientists have developed a tiny chip that can generate power by using the body's own movement, a technology which they say could soon enable you to recharge your mobile phone by just holding closer to your heart.

Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology in the US who were behind the invention hoped that as the nanotechnology used in the chip evolves, it could lead to electronics which don't require batteries or mains power.

Hailed as a milestone, it can use tiny movements such as the pinch of a finger to generate power, the Telegraph reported.

Dr Zhong Lin Wang, who led the research, said: "This development represents a milestone toward producing portable electronics that can be powered by body movements without the use of batteries or electrical outlets.

"Our nanogenerators are poised to change lives in the future. Their potential is only limited by one's imagination."

In best HTC touchscreen phone tradition , the Incredible S looks very compact in spite of the 4-inch display, and at 135 grammes is actually on the light side. The front is dominated by the 480 x 800 super LCD display, with the now-familiar four HTC touch buttons beneath it for home, menu, back and search. And in a very neat touch, these buttons actually rotate with the screen.

There is also a front facing 1.3MP camera for video calling and self-portraits . The back houses an 8.0-megapixel camera with dual LED flash and speaker . The innards of the Incredible S are impressive too-a 1 GHz processor , 768 MB RAM, surround sound, support for micro-SD cards, and every connectivity option that springs to mind, including Wi-Fi , GPS , 3G and even the option to stream pictures and videos to a television using DLNA (provided your television supports it, of course).

And running on top of all this is Android 2.2, over which, in turn runs HTC's Sense interface, which makes most tasks a snap and is by far the best looking and most functional 'skin' over Android. As a smartphone , the Incredible S excels, handling social networks, mail & web browsing with ease, even when all are running at the same time (the RAM helps!) . The big screen comes into its own when you are viewing video or browsing the Web. And unlike some of its competitors, it actually has an onscreen keyboard that is easy to use.

In terms of pure phone functionality , call quality was excellent. Music through the headsets was very good indeed. Best of all, this has got to be one of the smoothest operators we have seen in a while in terms of pure performance. It does, however, disappoint a bit in the camera department. While the 8.0-megapixel shooter performs adequately in sunlight, the quality of snaps and video dips discernibly when one shifts indoors. And then there is Android's albatross-the battery life.

The Incredible S does better in this department than the Desire HD and the HD7, but it still is nowhere near BlackBerry or Symbian territory. In short, be ready to charge it once a day, especially if you are making the most of the Sense interface's ability to park everything from mail to social networks to news updates on your home screens-and it does make sense to do so. The back panel of the phone is also a bit too thin for comfort as you can at times feel the battery heating up through it.

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