February 2011| Technology News and Gadgets Updates

Monday, February 28, 2011

Earth's value: 3,000 trillion pounds

A scientist has thought up of a formula to calculate the worth of planet Earth and has valued it at 3,000 trillion pounds.

Astrophysicist Greg Laughlin came up with the figure by calculating the sum of the planet's age, size, temperature, mass and other vital statistics -- and Earth came out as the most expensive.

Mars was only valued at 10,000 pounds, while Venus is said to be worth less than a penny. There are about 1,235 other planets in existence, whose inhospitable climes ruled out a higher price tag.

Laughlin from the University of California in the US used his equation to evaluate the discoveries made by NASA's 600 million pounds Kepler spacecraft, a newspaper reported.

The planet-hunting spacecraft went into orbit two years ago and a year later Laughlin decided to create price tags for the terrestrial planets that Keplar was set to discover, according to a California University statement.

At the time, the exoplanet Gilese 581 c was considered the most Earth-like world known to scientists, but the equation only valued it at 100 pounds, while KOI 326.01 is said to be worth 150,000 pounds.

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. If you would like to advertise on our site please contact us

Google Revamps to Fight Cheaters

Google Inc., long considered the gold standard of Internet search, is changing the secret formula it uses to rank Web pages as it struggles to combat websites that have been able to game its system.

The Internet giant, which handles nearly two-thirds of the world's Web searches, has been under fire recently over the quality of its results. Google said it changed its mathematical formula late Thursday in order to better weed out "low-quality" sites that offer users little value. Some such sites offer just enough content to appear in search results and lure users to pages loaded with advertisements.

Google generates billions of dollars from advertising linked to its search engine, whose influence as a front door to the world's online content and commerce continues to grow by the year. Google's power over the fortunes of so many other companies has made it a target of competitor complaints. It has also faced government investigations, including scrutiny by regulators in the U.S. and Europe.

The Silicon Valley company built its business on the strength of algorithms that yield speedy results. The company constantly refines those formulas, and sometimes takes manual action to penalize companies that it believes use tricks to artificially rise in search rankings. In recent weeks, it has cracked down on retailers J.C. Penney Co. and Overstock.com Inc.

Last month, Google acknowledged it "can and should do better" to beat back sites that "copy content from other websites" or provide information that is "just not very useful" but are ranked highly anyway.

"I've never seen Google be attacked on the relevancy of their results the way they have these past couple of months," said Danny Sullivan, editor of a widely read blog about the field called Search Engine Land.
The debate about Google's results was sparked by a recent blog post by Vivek Wadhwa, a former technology executive and a visiting scholar at the University of California-Berkeley. He wrote that his students had trouble finding basic information about the founders of start-up companies on Google.

Game fans hit Japanese stores early on Saturday to be among the first to get their hands on Nintendo's new 3D-capable game player, but the gadget's sales may be squeezed in the longer term by competition from smartphones and tablets.

The 3DS, set to launch in the United States and Europe in a month, has sparked excitement as the first games device to offer glasses-free 3D gaming, and it has the advantage of launching 10 months ahead of Sony's rival Next Generation Portable.

Nintendo, based in Japan's ancient former capital of Kyoto, is sticking to a tried and trusted formula -- a dedicated portable games device with software available on cartridges that cost $30 or more.

That worked for the original DS, launched in 2004, which appealed across the board from school children to the elderly. But casual gamers now have the option of free or inexpensive games available on mobile devices from Apple (AAPL.O) iPhone or based on Google's Android operating system.

Rival Sony Corp, whose PlayStation Portable (PSP) never caught up with the DS, has gone head-to-head with these upstarts, announcing last month it would make some games available on other companies' Android-based devices and offer a new development system for casual games, a strategy with its own risks.

Verizon Wireless sold more iPhones online than in stores, its topexecutive told Reuters, disputing a concern that the sparse crowds that greetedthe store launch of the Apple Inc device signaled low sales.

ChiefExecutive Daniel Mead said in an interview at the company's New Jerseyheadquarters that demand for the phone has been at record levels since VerizonWireless began selling the phone on its website Feb. 3.

Mead toldReuters that the lack of long lines outside Verizon Wireless stores on Feb. 10,the day it hit store shelves, could be attributed to the fact that about 60 percent of the company's iPhone sales were made on its website.

Theexecutive said the device had helped substantially increase the rate at whichcustomers switched to Verizon Wireless from all its other U.S.rivals.

At peak sales times Mead said iPhone brought 100 times moreorders than usual to its website but he did not give specificnumbers.

Mead reaffirmed the company's guidance that it would sell asmany as 11 million iPhones in 2011. He said the company would give specificiPhone sales figures when it reports first-quarter earnings.

"This isthe largest retail launch we've seen," the executive said. "When I look over thelast three weeks or so it (sold) much more than we've seen in any previousdevice."

Google Inc made substantial changes to its search engine in a direct attack on companies that churn out low-quality stories and videos.

The results of the improvements to Google's algorithms used to list search rankings over the past few days affected nearly 12 per cent of searches, Google said in a blog post on Thursday.

Google launched the clean-up after users urged stronger action against so-called content farms, which rely on armies of low-paid freelancers to crank out stories and videos designed to appear higher on search engine results.

"This update is designed to reduce rankings for low-quality sites -- sites which are low-value add for users, copy content from other websites or sites that are just not very useful," Google fellow Amit Singhal and principal engineer Matt Cutts wrote in the blog post.

"At the same time, it will provide better rankings for high-quality sites with original content and information such as research, in-depth reports, thoughtful analysis and so on."

While Google did not cite companies it regards as content farms, the tag is often pinned to Demand Media, Yahoo Inc's Associated Content, and AOL's Seed, which publish stories on such topics as "how to make a paper lantern" or "five ways to sooth dry skin."

'DJ Kadhafi' takes Internet by storm

Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi may be reviled by many of his own people and the international community, but he's enjoying an unexpected surge of popularity -- as a music video star.

A remix of a rambling 75-minute speech Kadhafi delivered on Tuesday, set to dance music and featuring the strongman alongside footage of two gyrating girls, has gone viral on the Internet.

It has racked up almost half a million views on the video-sharing website YouTube since it was posted three days ago.

Called "Zenga Zenga," the music video mixes Kadhafi's quotes with club beats, using lines in which he vows to fight "inch by inch, home by home, alley by alley" as the chorus for the song.

The clip was created by Israeli musician and DJ Noy Alooshe and appears to be wildly popular in the Arab world despite its origins in the Jewish state.

"Can I get it on DVD so I can play it at the wedding for the bride and groom to dance to?" one commentator wrote in Arabic.

The clip can be seen at youtube.com/watch?v=cBY-0n4esNY.

Alooshe, 31, said he was inspired after seeing the speech, in which Kadhafi made various wild gestures and banged on his podium.

"It seemed to be very comic visually. Before I even touched it, it was funny, like a parody," Alooshe told AFP.

"The 'Zenga Zenga' bit had a great beat and I knew it had real potential to be a dance clip."

Alooshe said he was amazed by the reactions, which have been mostly positive, even after it his mostly Arab audience discovered the video clip was created by an Israeli.

He has also posted online a version of the spoof hit without the scantily clad dancing girls to take into account sensibilities in the Muslim world. That version has some catching up to do in terms of popularity, with about 50,000 hits so far.

"There were some curses, but still most said it was a great remix," Alooshe said.

"One guy even said that when Kadhafi falls we will dance to this remix in the streets of Tripoli -- that would really be something."

Tracking device can tell you where your kids are

Would you like to have the security of being able to find your children whenever you want? Then read this.

A wristwatch with a built-in tracking device can tell you exactly where your kids are - and allow you to speak to them at the flick of a button.

Edinburgh-based former acting Lance Corporal Dean Corrigan, 32, has designed a device that contains a GPS system so parents can monitor children's whereabouts within two to three metres through a computer or a mobile phone app.

It also contains a sim card so it can receive calls from a number of pre-programmed phone numbers.

The Loc8er device was developed when Corrigan was serving in the Army as a physical training instructor.

"As a soldier I always think about situations on the ground and practical solutions. The radio system wasn't that good for soldiers on the ground when I was in the Army and it got me thinking about GPS, which means you always know where everyone is," the Scotsman quoted him as saying.

"Then I realised it could work for kids, because even if kids have mobile phones there's no way of knowing where they've gone or where they were last."

However, child safety groups have expressed concern that using GPS to track a child could be an extreme measure and say parents should communicate with their children rather than rely on technology.
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. If you would like to advertise on our site please contact us

Google to launch YouTube movie service in UK

Google's YouTube plans to launch an unlimited subscription service for movies, similar to Netflix and Amazon's offering, the New York Post said.

The search giant, which has been talking with Hollywood studios for months, is looking to launch the streaming service first in Europe -- particularly the UK -- before expanding to the United States, the paper said citing executives briefed on the plan.

Google has earmarked $100 million for content deals with studios and other premium content providers in its plan to expand its offerings.

Google was not immediately available for comment.
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. If you would like to advertise on our site please contact us

Mystery helps Apple's sales but not its governance

The mystique that Apple cloaks itself in when launching snazzy gadgets has served its bottom line well. But that same opacity doesn't translate well to corporate governance.

It took Apple's board far too long this week to reveal that, with its visionary leader Steve Jobs sick, 30 percent of its shareholders wanted more information on how the company would be run in the event he does not return to his position. Given Apple's stunning success, the low profile of the pension fund proposing the measure and the board's recommendation against, that should send a powerful message.

Late Thursday, Apple dropped into a regulatory filing the fact that 172 million shares were voted in favor of a proposal put forward by the Central Laborers' Pension Fund, which has under $1 billion of assets, calling for the company to adopt and disclose an executive succession plan policy. With 400 million shares cast in opposition, or 70 percent of the vote, the company clearly prevailed.

But a more mainstream governance proposal from a far larger investor, the $200 billion-plus Calpers, did get passed against the recommendation of the board. And even with the CLPF's effort, it's rare for non-traditional proposals from relatively unfamiliar special interests to capture so many votes. That's particularly true when boards in good standing with their stockholders recommend against them. Apple shares have, after all, roughly doubled in each of the past five years, so shareholders should be happy.

Perfect score is not the only criteria for getting admission into a reputed college in US now, off late, Facebook too has become an important selection tool.

Four out of five college admissions officers use Facebook to recruit students, according to last year's survey by Kaplan Test Prep.

"We found that 82 per cent of admissions officers reported that their school is using Facebook to recruit students," Russell Schaffer, Kaplan's Senior Communication Manager, told All Facebook.

The website StudentAdvisor reports at least one case of an applicant being rejected because of something in his or her social media profile.

And one interviewer has said she is "absolutely" prejudiced by what she sees online about candidates.

"I think it's always better to be safe than sorry," Allison Otis, who conducts interviews for Harvard College, posted in a thread on the website Quora.

"When you apply to college you spend such a long time crafting an image through your applications and essays that to be careless about your online data is just silly".

Facebook Tries to Simplify Privacy Policy

In an effort to take some of the legalese out of a legal document, Facebook Inc. unveiled a new draft of its closely watched privacy policy.

The new policy doesn't change the social network's data-handling practices, said Edward Palmieri, a privacy and product counsel at Facebook. Rather, the goal was to "apply the Facebook design experience that we bring to everything we do and extend that to our privacy policy."

In place of an existing document that Facebook admitted was "longer than the U.S. constitution – without the amendments," the draft policy contains chunks of information organized around more practical headings such as "Your information and how it is used" and "how advertising works."

"We struggle with really hitting home to users that we do not sell their data to advertisers," said Mr. Palmieri, so the new policy includes screen shots that show what advertisers see about Facebook users.

Privacy policies are often written by lawyers in notoriously vague language to provide companies legal cover for required notice about user data that's required by the Federal Trade Commission and other regulatory bodies. But in a recent report, the FTC noted that it was difficult for the average person to understand privacy policies – and that many people assume that just because a company has one, their privacy is being protected.

Access to the networking site LinkedIn has been restored in China, a day after it was blocked following calls for Middle East-inspired protests in the country.

A spokesman for LinkedIn based in the United States said: "We are seeing indications that access to the LinkedIn service is being restored in China. We will continue to monitor the situation."

On Thursday, Web users in China were not able to visit the social networking website. While it was unclear whether the site was blocked due to government censorship, the disruption followed detentions in China after an overseas Chinese website, Boxun, spread a call for demonstrations to protest to the Communist party for democratic change.

LinkedIn, with its relatively small user base of adult professionals, has been accessible in China through the local Internet service, unlike Facebook and other social websites with a much larger number of users. It recently surpassed 1 million users in China.

LinkedIn has been planning for an initial public offering in the United States and is preparing to raise up to $175 million.
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. If you would like to advertise on our site please contact us

Google search formula gets more discerning

Google has changed its secret search formula in the United States to be more discerning when it comes to which websites are worth recommending and which should sink in the rankings.

The move announced late Thursday was part of an ongoing duel between the search titan and low-quality websites that feature only content copied from elsewhere on the Internet or use techniques to trick their way high in results.

"Many of the changes we make are so subtle that very few people notice them," Google principal engineer Matt Cutts and Google fellow Amit Singhal said in a blog post.

"But, in the last day or so we launched a pretty big algorithmic improvement to our ranking."

They said the search formula change affects 11.8 percent of search queries, dropping low-quality websites in results while elevating high-quality websites with original content such as research, analysis, or in-depth reports.

"We do have a responsibility to encourage a healthy web ecosystem," Cutts and Singhal wrote.

Run up to the annual state budget was less taxing for principal secretary SK Nanda. Babus from other departments did not hurry to tag respective files to be sent to the seniors and the peons were spared of the sprints across state secretariat corridors.

Instead, the regular participants in Gujarat’s budget-making exercise just clicked to enable country’s first online system that would help administration better utilise the funds.

Integrated Financial Management System, an online tool, has not only changed the way the budget is being prepared has also facilitated real time monitoring of expenditure incurred after the budget is passed by the state assembly. Importantly, the manpower of officials has been reduced by 60%, said an official in the state’s finance ministry.

While many states have adopted systems similar to IFMS, what makes Gujarat different from its peers is the real time tracking of the expenses.

"The movement of files is synchronised now. It saves a lot of time and energy and we can focus more on nuances of budget making rather than running from one department to other. Now there is no piling of files," says Nanda who takes care of the environment and forest department.

The Pan-STARRS PS1 telescope on Haleakala, Maui has created a new record, discovering 19 near-Earth asteroids on the night of January 29.

“This record number of discoveries shows that PS1 is the world’s most powerful telescope for this kind of study,” said Nick Kaiser, head of the Pan-STARRS project.

“NASA and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s support of this project illustrates how seriously they are taking the threat from near-Earth asteroids.”

Pan-STARRS software engineer Larry Denneau and his colleagues came up with 30 possible new near-Earth asteroids during the night and the next afternoon.

To confirm asteroid discoveries, scientists must carefully re-observe them several times within 12-72 hours to define their orbits, otherwise they are likely to be “lost.”

Denneau and colleagues quickly sent their discoveries to the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Mass., which collects and disseminates data about asteroids and comets, so that other astronomers can re-observe the objects.

It's the launch of the decade. And it's happening in London on March 2, 2011. At around 6:00pm local London time on that day, the world will get to see the successor to the fastest selling gadget of all times-Apple's iPad.

After selling a record 15 million units of iPad in less than a year, Apple is unveiling iPad 2. Like all things Apple, the details of the iPad 2 are a closely guarded secret. But a few tweaks are near certain: it will have a faster processor (the current iPad has 1Ghz single core processor), capability to render better graphics, a higher resolution display (probably 1280 x 800 pixels) and dual cameras; a rear camera for HD video recording and a front-facing camera for FaceTime - Apple's term for video conferencing. There could be another surprise 'killer' feature that's beyond the realms of intelligent guessing.

The iPad 2's sooner than expected launch can be attributed to one important fact-Motorola's first tablet Xoom went on sale in the US this week. According to Walt Mossberg, the Wall Street Journal's tech guru, Xoom is the first real challenger to iPad, although he admits that it makes sense to wait and see what Apple has in store with the iPad 2 before making a buying decision.

To be clear, Apple's official invite for March 2 doesn't specifically mention an iPad 2 launch. Almost every tech-pundit and 'Apple watcher' has confirmed that the iPad 2 is what we'll get to see next week. Apple could spring a double surprise on us and launch the iPhone 5 as well.

Following the raging success of iPad, every electronics and telecom major has jumped on to the tablet bandwagon with some very impressive hardware. The pressure was building on Apple to deliver a knockout punch again. Samsung has already launched the second version of its tablet Galaxy Tab, the first version of which was launched after the iPad.

What's in all this for iPad fans in India who got to legally buy the device in the country only less than a month ago? We'll probably have to wait for at least 8-9 months till the iPad 2 is launched in India. The early adopters can do what they have done with several Apple products in the past-hit the grey market or buy from overseas.
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. If you would like to advertise on our site please contact us

Friday, February 25, 2011

Tablets set to sweep corporate offices

Just second year into their existence, tablets are set to sweep corporate offices, according to a survey.

With tablets' business apps luring them, about half of chief information officers (CIOs) at major companies say they will increase use of tablets in the next two years, according to the survey by Robert Half Technology.

Headquartered in Menlo Park, California, Robert Half Technology said the survey targeted more than 1,400 CIOs at US companies with 100 or more employees.

In the survey, CIOs were asked, "To what extent, if any, do you think your company's use of tablet computers will increase or decrease in the next two years?''

While 49 percent of respondents said they will increase use of tablet, 40 percent opted to stick with PCs or laptops. Nine percent were not sure about the tablet.

"With more companies moving to Internet-based file sharing and data storage, along with an emphasis on portability and mobile productivity, it's no surprise CIOs anticipate wider use of tablet computers,'' said John Reed, executive director of Robert Half Technology, in a statement.

"The challenge for IT departments will be providing adequate support and security,'' he added.

Google's YouTube plans to launch an unlimited subscription service for movies, similar to Netflix and Amazon's offering, the New York Post said.

The search giant, which has been talking with Hollywood studios for months, is looking to launch the streaming service first in Europe -- particularly the UK -- before expanding to the United States, the paper said citing executives briefed on the plan.

Google has earmarked $100 mon for content deals with studios and other premium content providers in its plan to expand its offerings.
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. If you would like to advertise on our site please contact us

Scientists create world's smallest computer

Scientists have created what they claim is the world's smallest computer system that is just one square millimetre in size and can fit into one's eyeball.

Developed by a team at the University of Michigan, the unnamed tiny device is a pressure monitor that can be implanted in a person's eye to treat glaucoma.

It may be just one square millimetre in size but it packs a hefty punch, containing an ultra low-power microprocessor, a pressure sensor, memory and a thin film battery, the Daily Mail reported.

It also has a solar cell and a wireless radio with an antenna that can transmit data to an external reader device, the researchers said.

The device is already being touted as the future of the computing industry, although it needs several more years to be commercially available.

Its creators -- Professors Dennis Sylvester, David Blaauw and David Wentzloff -- claim that as the device's radio needs no tuning to find the right frequency it could link to a wireless network of computers.

A network of such units could one day track pollution, monitor structural integrity, perform surveillance, or make virtually any object smart and trackable, the scientists said.

Professor Sylvester said: "When you get smaller than hand-held devices, you turn to these monitoring devices.

"The next big challenge is to achieve millimetre-scale systems, which have a host of new applications for monitoring our bodies, our environment and our buildings.

Although the use of social media by Indians was first highlighted during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, social media tools is being effectively used by a cross section of society in India, says a report of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

"The Indian social media scene represents a fast-emerging and influential domain of information exchange involving nearly 60 per cent of the 83 million Internet users in the country," said the DNI report titled, "Overview of Leading Indian Social Media" .

"While Facebook and Orkut continue to dominate the social media scene, Twitter and some other Indian micro blogging websites are also becoming very popular.

The rising significance of social media in India is demonstrated by the fact that almost all the conventional media have registered their presence on the social networking websites," the report said.

According to DNI, which has based its report on open source information, in a recent instance, pressure from social media appeared to force conventional media to report on the alleged links between some noted journalists and a lobbyist.

"The lobbyist is being investigated for her role in an alleged telecommunications spectrum allocation scandal, over which IT and Communications Minister A Raja had to resign.

While the conventional media were accused of overlooking the story, Twitterati kept on building pressure for media discussion, making it virtually impossible for conventional media to ignore," it said.

US space shuttle Discovery has lifted off on its own final scheduled flight from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to deliver a storage room to the International Space Station (ISS).

According to NASA TV, the shuttle blasted off at 4.53 p.m. (2153 GMT) Thursday.

"Good to be here", Discovery Commander Steve Lindsey radioed soon after the three main engines shut off and the external fuel tank was jettisoned.

After eight-and-a-half-minutes, Discovery reached orbit and was on its way to the station, Xinhua reported.

Discovery will deliver to the station the Permanent Multipurpose Module, a spare module that will provide additional storage for the station crew.

The mission will feature two spacewalks to do maintenance work and install new components. The Robonaut 2 (or R2), the first human-like robot in space after flying on Discovery, will become a permanent resident of the station.

Discovery was supposed to lift off Nov 1, but gas leaks, electrical problems and bad weather forced NASA to postpone its launch.

This is the 39th flight for Discovery, the first of the three surviving space shuttles to be retired this year. It has logged 230 million km since its first flight in 1984.

Apple succession call nixed

Apple shareholders rejected demands that the company disclose a succession plan for ailing chief Steve Jobs , and the company kept mum on how many had backed that proposal.

The reluctance to reveal details of the vote on a proposal by the Central Laborers' Pension Fund raised speculation that a sizable contingent of shareholders may have supported it, and prompted an affiliated group to push for more disclosure.

"It appears likely that a large number of long-term, institutional shareholders voted in its favour," the Laborers' International Union of North America said in a statement following the meeting.

The fate of Apple, among the world's most powerful technology companies, is tied to how the iPhone and iPad maker handles the eventual departure of its iconic co-founder and leader. Jobs in January took a third medical leave for unknown reasons, with many not expecting him to return to lead the company he founded in 1976.

Motorola hit with trademark suit just before Xoom launch

Just as Motorola Mobility Inc. was all ready to launch its Xoom tablet in the United States this week, it has been hit with a trademark lawsuit over the tablet name.

Motorola may now have to wait or find another name for the Xoom which is being touted as an early challenger to Apple's iPad.

San Francisco-based Xoom Corporation , which is a global money transfer service, spoiled the launch party for Motorola Mobility Inc. by disputing the name of the tablet in a trademark suit filed Wednesday.

In its suit filed by the famous firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, Xoom has said that the name Xoom is its trademark and it has been using it in its website since 2003.

The suit seeks permanent injunction against Motorola Mobility Inc. for calling its tablet Xoom and treble damages pending an immediate "temporary restraining order and/or preliminary injunction,'' according to the International Business Times.

"Through this long online use accessible via computer and mobile devices, Xoom's trade name and the XOOM products have become associated exclusively with Xoom. Until [the] defendants' adoption of the Xoom brand without authorization from Xoom, Xoom to its knowledge was the only entity using the name or mark for online product offerings,'' the International Business Times quoted the San Francisco company as saying in its trademark suit.

Apple had faced a similar situation after it launched iPhone in 2007 when the Cupertino-based technology giant was dragged to court by Toronto-based Comwave Telecom over violation of its trademark 'iPhone.'

After a year-long legal battle, Apple reached a deal with Comwave to get the sole rights to use 'iPhone' in Canada.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Apple takes wraps off new MacBook Pro lineup

Apple Inc released its new lineup of MacBook Pro notebook computers, which will run twice as fast as the previous generation and feature a new high-definition video camera and improved graphics.

The new MacBook Pros will be powered by the latest dual-core and quad-core chips from Intel Corp.

Intel also supplied the MacBook Pro with a faster, compact input/output technology called Thunderbolt, which supports high-resolution displays and devices through a single port.

The price of a 13-inch MacBook Pro, with a full-size keyboard, seven-hour battery life and an aluminum casing, will start at $1,199. The 15-inch starts at $1,799 and the 17-inch is priced at $2,499.

Virus hacks 150,000 cell phones in China

A mobile phone virus has infected 150,000 people in China allowing hackers to remotely monitor calls, according to the Beijing Times on Wednesday.

Named 'X Undercover', the virus takes advantage of existing vulnerabilities in smart phones by forcing the three-way calling service to secretly open.

It allows conversations and text messages to be monitored and copied after the virus breaks into the calling sequence, said Zou Shihong , a security expert with NetQin Mobile Inc.

The virus can also secretly video the phone's owner, retrieve call and text records as well as pinpoint the user's latest GPS position, reports the China Daily .

The software is marketed towards discovering a spouse's betrayal, a cheating employee or simply to monitor your child.

In China, it's against the law to bug and monitor personal information, according to mobile security experts who advise people to be cautious when clicking attachments in multimedia messages or allowing others to use their phone.

The i(Pad)s of March: Apple plans tablet event

Apple Inc. is expected to unveil the second generation of its wildly successful iPad media tablet next week, widening its head start against competitors just starting to sell their first tablet computers.

The Cupertino, California-based company e-mailed invitations to a media event in San Francisco Wednesday that show a calendar page with the corner peeling away to reveal an iPad underneath. The large ``2'' on the calendar page denotes the event's March 2 date, but is also a hint that Apple is about to announce the follow-up to the original iPad.

The iPad, about the size of a large book, has been likened to an overgrown iPhone or iPod Touch, as it is powered by similar software and can run the same applications, or ``apps.''

But it has a bigger screen that makes reading e-mails, surfing the Web and watching movies easier on the eyes. With a starting price of $499, it's less expensive than many computers and, at 1.5 pounds (680 grams), it also weighs less. Unlike small, inexpensive laptops such as netbooks, the iPad turns on instantly, so people don't have to wait through a sluggish boot-up. And the iPad also lasts about 10 hours unplugged, making it ideal for travelers and other people on the go.

Apple sold more than 15 million iPads in its first nine months on sale, including 7.3 million to holiday shoppers during the October-December quarter about a million more for the quarter than analysts were expecting.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd launched an ultra-slim notebook on Thursday, seeking to bolster its presence in the high-end mobile computer segment dominated by Apple Inc.

Samsung, emerging as one of the strongest rivals to challenge Apple in the booming smartphone and tablet computer market, is eyeing the notebook market, in which Apple is seeking to replicate the success of the iPhone and iPad with its MacBook series.

Samsung launched the lightweight 9 Series notebook on Thursday to compete with Apple's ultra-thin MacBook Air, introduced in October. Samsung said the new laptop would cost 2.5 million won ($2,218) in Korea and would launch globally launched from next month in the Americas and Europe.

Apple displaced Hewlett-Packard Co last quarter as the world's top mobile PC maker, propelled by strong sales of its iPad tablet, according to research firm DisplaySearch. It shipped more than 10 million notebook and tablet computers last quarter for a 17 percent market share, nearly a million more than HP, which had a 15.6 percent market.

Samsung said on Thursday that it wanted to become the global No.6 player in the mobile PC market this year from last year's seventh place.

Google asks Swiss court to lift Street View curbs

Google Inc. is seeking to lift a temporary court order that has prevented it from updating its Google Street View service in Switzerland for more than a year.

Lawyers for the search giant appear in court Thursday to challenge attempts by Switzerland's data protection commissioner to impose stricter privacy rules for the service.

Street View allows Internet users to virtually tour locations on a map at ground level.

Google says the service is popular in Switzerland and comparable to similar offerings by rivals.

The data protection commissioner, Hanspeter Thuer, wants the Swiss Federal Administrative Court in Bern to require that Google guarantee all faces and car plates are blurred.

He also wants sensitive locations and private gardens obscured.

App to convert cell phone into personal concert speaker!

Open-air music festivals often have poor sound quality, but that could soon change, courtesy an audio-enhancing app for cellphones.

Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark, led by Jakob Eg Larsen, have developed an application that could convert your mobile phone into a personal concert speaker, reports New Scientist.

The result is an augmented listening experience in which every note could be heard clearly through headphones.

The researchers carried out experiments during two performances at the Nibe music festival in Denmark last June and involved 19 test participants who used the application on their mobile phones to augment their sound experience at the concerts.

A mixing device on the stage usually sends certain frequencies to an FM radio antenna that broadcasts the signal to phones at the gig.

Since simple portable radio won''t work as a receiver, the FM signal must be delayed once it reaches the phone in order to align with sound from the stage.

The phone''s GPS sensor measures how far it is from the stage, and the software calculates the necessary time delay.

Several study subjects reported that the sound was ‘clean’ and were able to hear the vocals and guitars clearly.

NASA announced Wednesday that it has postponed the launch of its earth-orbiting Glory Mission spacecraft due to technical problems, a newspaper reported.

During the final 15 minutes before Wednesday's scheduled launch at 5.09 a.m. from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base, the vehicle interface control console, a ground interface with Orbital Sciences' Taurus XL rocket, gave an unexpected reading, NASA said in a press release.

The cause and potential effect of the reading was not fully understood, the release said.

With a 48-second available launch window, there was insufficient time to analyze the issue causing the launch to be postponed, NASA said.

It said members of the Taurus team are troubleshooting the issue. The next launch attempt is no earlier than Thursday, Feb 24, at 5.09 a.m., it said.

Glory will send back data to help scientists improve their ability to predict Earth's future environment and to distinguish human-induced climate change from natural climate variability, NASA scientists said.

The $434-million mission is managed by the NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Vision quest haunts Apple CEO-in-waiting

For Tim Cook , the small-town football fanatic turned steward of the world's largest technology company it always comes back to the vision question.

The search for an answer will frame succession planning discussions in Building 4 of 1 Infinite Loop -- the heart of Apple's California headquarters -- when Cook is expected to step in for his boss to lead the annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday.

But little did Cook know that a gut decision he made in 1998 during his first meeting with Silicon Valley legend Steve Jobs would forever change his life -- and alter the course of technology history.

Today, the heir presumptive at Apple Inc has to prove his technology instincts are as sharp as when he elected to jump ship from the once-mighty Compaq, which was then the world's top PC maker, to an Apple in the 1990s that was barely afloat.

"My most significant discovery so far in my life was the result of one single decision, my decision to join Apple," a reflective Cook told Auburn University students at his alma mater last year. "Working at Apple was never in any plan that I outlined for myself, but was without a doubt the best decision that I ever made."

Indeed. Cook, the perennial No. 2 working behind the scenes throughout most of his career -- he was even second in his high school class -- is finally stepping into the limelight.

With Jobs out on his third medical leave of absence and deemed by many unlikely to return, Cook may finally get his shot to be number one at Apple.

But what most investors want to know is whether Cook possesses any of Jobs' instincts for anticipating what consumers want before they know it.

Those who have known or worked with Cook over the past two decades speak of him in reverential tones, using terms like "brilliant" and "phenomenal." Still, after years of relative anonymity as Jobs' No. 2, Cook remains untested.

He has one thing in his favour: the sheer competitiveness he shares with his boss.

"He's not in it for the fame or the ego or the money. He's in it to win," said Greg Petsch, who was Cook's boss at Compaq Computer back in the late 1990s.

Apple feels heat as shareholders unhappy about Jobs succcession plan

Tim Cook , the small-town football fanatic turned steward of the world's largest technology group, faces a challenge from Apple shareholders unhappy about the company's succcession planning .

Cook, who took over day-to-day charge of the Apple last month when CEO Steve Jobs stepped away to take medical leave for the third time, will be confronted by calls for a clear plan at the company's annual shareholders' meeting on Wednesday.

Influential investor advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services threw its weight earlier this month behind a shareholder proposal to require Apple to disclose a succession plan for Jobs.

The search for an answer will frame succession planning discussions in Building 4 of 1 Infinite Loop -- the heart of Apple's California headquarters -- when Cook is expected to step in for his boss at the AGM.

Today, the heir presumptive at Apple has to prove his technology instincts are as sharp as when he elected to jump ship from the once-mighty Compaq, then the world's top PC maker, to an Apple in the 1990s that was barely afloat.

Little did Cook know that a gut decision he made in 1998 during his first meeting with Silicon Valley legend Steve Jobs would forever change his life -- and alter the course of technology history.

"My most significant discovery so far in my life was the result of one single decision, my decision to join Apple," a reflective Cook told Auburn University students at his alma mater last year. "Working at Apple was never in any plan that I outlined for myself, but was without a doubt the best decision that I ever made."

Indeed. Cook, the perennial No. 2 working behind the scenes throughout most of his career -- he was even second in his high school class -- is finally stepping into the limelight.

With Jobs out on his third medical leave of absence and deemed by many unlikely to return, Cook may finally get his shot to be number one at Apple.

The government today said 199 government websites have been defaced by foreign hackers in the last six months.

"The website of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was defaced by a foreign hacker "Pakistan Cyber Army" on December 3, 2010. In addition to this, a total of 198 government websites were defaced by foreign hackers in the past six months," Minister of State for Communications and IT Gurudas Kamat said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

He added that several measures have been taken to detect and prevent cyber attacks .

This includes audit of all new government websites and applications and engaging National Informatics Centre (NIC) to improve safety posture etc.

Replying to another query, Kamat said a total of 420 cases were registered under the IT Act 2000 in 2009.

"A total of 217, 288 and 420 cases were registered under IT Act, 2000 during 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively, thereby showing an increasing trend.

A total of 339, 176 and 276 cases were reported under cyber-crime related sections of IPC during 2007, 2008 and 2009, respectively," he said.

A total of 2,565, 8,266 and 10,315 security incidents were reported to and handled by Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) in 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively he added.

Web becomes virtual crisis centre in NZ quake

Victims and survivors of the New Zealand earthquake are using the web as a virtual crisis centre, searching for missing people and even offering survivors a place to stay.

Information is flowing out from Christchurch to sites such as web giant Google's Crisis Response service where people can add or request information on individuals.

The site's person finder tool has records on around 8,000 people in the area. But a random search illustrates the confusion in the shattered city.

People searching for a man named John Bing have been told in one message "fatal injuries sustained as result of continuously falling debris", whereas another message says he is "safe and sound, with other Telecom employees."

Google offered similar services for victims of the recent earthquakes in Chile and Haiti , and later used its Google Earth satellite imagery service to capture the scale of the devastation.

The site has emergency telephone numbers and other resources such as a link to donate to the New Zealand Red Cross.

And the New Zealand Herald newspaper's website has scrolling updates from micro-blogging site Twitter and social media giant Facebook.

Software developers working on Google's popular Chrome browser are testing "radical" changes to its appearance.

Sources close to the company said the address bar currently takes up a significant amount of space that could be used for web browsing. One plan being considered would mean it was only visible when users made their mouse pointer hover over a specific part of the screen, the Telegraph reports.

The new "compact" navigation mode, described on the Chromium website as one of two key focuses for development, would take the web address bar out of each tab, releasing more screen space to display web pages.

Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9, which is available in a nearly final pre-release version, adopts a similar approach already. Chrome, however, is thought to be planning a significantly more stripped down version, working towards releasing almost the entire screen for web browsing.

More than 120 million users now use Google Chrome, which has been heavily advertised by Google. The company is also working on a 'Chrome OS' rival to Microsoft Windows.

Google updates Chrome every six weeks, but major upgrades tend to be far less frequent.

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