Government rejects RIM offer, demands full BlackBerry access

India rejected on Monday Research In Motion's (RIM) offer to allow it only partial access to its BlackBerry data services as neighbouring Pakistan also moved to restrict the popular smartphone's services.

It was not immediately clear what the Indian government, which says it is driven by security concerns, would now do after the Canadian smartphone maker failed to fulfill demands to monitor encrypted corporate email by a Jan. 31 deadline. RIM had previously said was confident India would not ban its services.

Earlier this month, RIM said it had given India the means to access its Messenger service ahead of the deadline but reiterated that it could not give the authorities access to monitor secure corporate emails.

Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram told a news conference the government still wanted access to emails.

"I think a decision will be taken today by the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs)," Chidambaram added. RIM's India-based spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Last year, India demanded access to all BlackBerry services as part of efforts to fight militancy and security threats over the Internet and through telephone communications, demands echoed by several other countries that have also tried, sometimes successfully, to restrict the popular smartphone.

Google's Android topples Nokia's Symbian as the most popular smartphone platform

Google's Android dethroned Nokia's Symbian as the most popular smartphone platform in the last quarter of 2010, ending a reign that began with the birth of the industry 10 years ago.

Research firm Canalys said on Monday phone makers sold a total of 32.9 million Android-equipped phones in the last quarter, compared with Symbian's total sales of 31 million. The landmark piles pressure on Nokia as it struggles to reassert itself at the top end of the mobile handsets market.

Following Apple's 2007 entrance into smartphones, Google rolled out its open-source Android operating system, which has become the standard for smaller phone makers.

Hit models from Samsung Electronics, HTC and LG Electronics helped Android in the quarter, while Symbian suffered from troubles of its owner and main user, Nokia.

"We have seen some strong products from a number of vendors," said Canalys analyst Tim Shepherd.

Android performs well in tablet segment

Google Inc's Android software won a 22 percent share of the tablet computer market in the fourth quarter, biting at the heels of Apple Inc's iPad, which still has a massive market lead.

Google topples Symbian from smartphones top spot

Google's Android dethroned Nokia's Symbian as the most popular smartphone platform in the last quarter of 2010, ending a reign that began with the birth of the industry 10 years ago.

Research firm Canalys said on Monday phone makers sold a total of 32.9 million Android-equipped phones in the last quarter, compared with Symbian's total sales of 31 million. The landmark piles pressure on Nokia as it struggles to reassert itself at the top end of the mobile handsets market.

Following Apple's 2007 entrance into smartphones, Google rolled out its open-source Android operating system, which has become the standard for smaller phone makers.

Hit models from Samsung Electronics, HTC and LG Electronics helped Android in the quarter, while Symbian suffered from troubles of its owner and main user, Nokia.

"We have seen some strong products from a number of vendors," said Canalys analyst Tim Shepherd.
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

A technique that can lift fingerprints from fabric!

In what could change the face of forensics forever, scientists in Scotland have developed a new technique which they claim could lift fingerprints from cloth and household fabrics such as curtains and couches.

In the past, forensic officers have only been able to take fingerprints from solid objects. But, the new technique means that full sets of prints can now be taken from clothing and fabrics, 'The Scotsman' reported.

The ground-breaking research was carried out by the University of Abertay and Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) laboratories.

Paul Deacon, fingerprint unit manager at the SPSA, said: "This is cutting-edge research which will increase the type of cases we can look at. There's now virtually no smooth surface we don't have some chance of finding a print on. This is just the tip of the iceberg."

A piece of fabric is put into a vacuum chamber and a fine layer of gold is spread over it. Zinc is then added which sticks to the gold but not where there are ridges or remains of a fingerprint.

The fabric then looks like a photographic negative where the fabric appears grey except for the fingerprint.

The scientists used one of two existing machines in Scotland which have been effective for decades in getting prints off smooth, solid objects. The machine, using vacuum metal deposition (VMD), was originally used to make car lamps.

This is the first time its use has been expanded to reliably get prints from fabric. The research found fabrics with thread counts of more than three per millimetre, such as silk or nylon, were best for catching a full print.

Prof David Bremner, forensic science research leader at the University of Abertay Dundee and another author on the recent report in Forensic Science International, said: "This research is very exciting, showing a huge amount of progress in the development of the technique.

"By proving that fingerprinting from fabrics is possible, this should help future criminal investigations and the apprehension of perpetrators."

However, the scientists cautioned that their work could not solve all cases. But they said the science could eventually be used in an average of one major case each week.

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

Air laser to sniff out bombs from a distance

Engineers have developed a new laser sensing technology that may allow soldiers to sniff out hidden bombs from a distance.

"We are able to send a laser pulse out and get another pulse back from the air itself," said Richard Miles, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University in the US.

"The returning beam interacts with the molecules in the air and carries their finger prints," said Miles, who led the study, the journal Science reports.

This "air laser" is a much more powerful tool than previously existed for remote measurements of trace amounts of chemicals in the air, according to a Princeton statement.

Miles collaborated with Arthur Dogariu, James Michael of Princeton and Marlan Scully, professor with joint appointments at Princeton and Texas A&M University.
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

Facebook boosts security, adds HTTPS

In order to stay safe and protect users from getting hacked, the popular social networking site Facebook is rolling out a new set of security features.

Facebook, with over 500-million members, has added the ability for users to login and surf the site using a more secure encrypted connection, known as HTTPS.

The encryption is the same used on shopping and banking websites to secure connections, and was previously used on Facebook when passwords are checked.

"Starting today we'll provide you with the ability to experience Facebook entirely over HTTPS. You should consider enabling this option if you frequently use Facebook from public Internet access points found at coffee shops, airports, libraries or schools," the company said in a blog post.

Facebook noted that the site may function more slowly using HTTPS, and some features, including many third-party applications, don't currently support HTTPS.

In addition to the added encryption , Facebook said it will now also offer "social authentification," a unique form of the traditional "captcha" coding that will ask a user to identify Facebook friends from their photos.

Android gains 22% tablet market share: Analyst

Google Inc's Android software won a 22 per cent share of the tablet computer market in the fourth quarter, biting at the heels of Apple Inc's iPad, which still has a massive market lead.

Research firm Strategy Analytics said Apple's share of the global market for tablets fell to 75 per cent in the fourth quarter from 95 per cent in the third quarter while the overall market increased 120 per cent to almost 10 million units.

The Galaxy tablet from Samsung Electronics was the main competitor to iPad in the quarter as it was on sale in dozens of countries, according to the research firm.

Samsung has said it sold 2 million Galaxy tablets in the last three months, still putting it far behind Apple, which sold more than 7 million iPads in the last quarter. It was not immediately clear whether both companies were referring to the exact same time period.

Strategy Analytics expects Android to increase its tablet market share further in the first half of this year as new devices such as the Xoom from Motorola Mobility are expected to go on sale during that time.

However, Canada's Research In Motion will add yet more competition to the burgeoning market when it launches its PlayBook tablet toward the end of this quarter.

The United States was the biggest tablet market by far in the fourth quarter, Strategy Analytics said.

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 Searches for Mobile-App Experts

Google Inc. plans to hire dozens of software developers to create applications for smartphones and other mobile devices, people familiar with the matter said, a new strategy aimed partly at helping Google counter Apple Inc. in one of high tech's hottest sectors.

The Internet company has begun recruiting software engineers, product managers, user-interface experts and others who have ideas for mobile apps, the people said. Some current Google employees have changed jobs to work on the effort, they added.

World-wide, revenue from mobile apps is expected to triple this year to $15.1 billion, including paid downloads and advertising revenue generated by free apps, according to research firm Gartner Inc. Besides the potential of making money directly from such creations, more and better apps can help devices powered by Google's Android operating system continue to gain ground on Apple's iPhones and iPads.

The Google software is still playing catch-up when it comes to apps. Android users can access an online market with more than 100,000 applications available for download, but Apple's app store has more than 350,000 apps. Apple declined to comment.

Google also has reason to try to spur quality, not just quantity, since getting hit apps first can drive demand for operating systems and devices. Some of the apps developed by Google's new effort may be available only for Android, the people familiar with the matter said. The adoption of Android also helps ensure that Google's search engine, the principal revenue source for the company, and other Google services are prominent on mobile devices.

Governments Go Online in Fight Against Terrorism

Saudi Arabia — In the Netherlands, the jailhouse recantation of a convicted terrorist renouncing violence has circulated online. Counterterrorism officials say it could make disaffected youth think twice about joining violent extremist ranks.

In Pakistan, the authorities are posting on YouTube gruesome videos of mosques bombed by Islamic extremists, to show that such attacks kill fellow Muslims.

And here in Saudi Arabia, a government-supported program has enlisted hundreds of Islamic scholars turned bloggers to fight online radicalization by challenging the interpretations of the Koran posted on extremist social networking forums.

In recent years, governments and allied grass-roots advocacy groups had largely ceded cyberspace to extremists, who use the Internet to recruit, raise money, spread their ideology and disseminate instructions on bomb-making and other terrorist techniques. Governments have carried out covert operations to undermine or take down extremist Web sites, but many pop back within days or weeks.

Now these governments, often working with international organizations like the United Nations and European Union, and more quietly with private or nonprofit groups, are opening a counterattack to try to undermine the appeal of terrorists, expose their lack of legitimacy, and attack the credibility of their ideology and online messengers.

Counterterrorism officials from more than 30 countries met here last week under the auspices of the United Nations and Naif Arab University to share tactics and strategies on how to use the Internet to counter the appeal of extremist violence.

Mobile phones say quite a lot about their owners: Study

Believe it or not, mobile phones say quite a lot about their owners, says a new study. Social analyst David Chalke said a person's mobile phone could give outsiders insight into their attitudes towards work, rest and play.

"Twenty years ago when you said 'your phone', you meant the white Telecom commander on the wall in the kitchen, but it doesn't mean that at all now it means your social accessory. "People always used to say it about cars, 'you drive what you are'... and now your phone (represents) what you are," he was quoted by the 'Courrier Mail' as saying. In fact, a research by Roy Morgan revealed most attributes differed between the owners of mobile phone brands. The typical iPhone user thinks computers give them control over their lives. "iPhone is the Alfa Romeo," Chalke said.

SonyEricsson users like a full social life and fast food. Users of an LG handset are usually women aged 14 to 24, not mechanically minded and unlikely to have pay TV . "LG is the Kia," Chalke said.

Samsung users tend to be conservative dressers over 50 who don't like taking risks. "Samsung is the Daihatsu." BlackBerry users are high-earners aged 35 to 49. Nokia users are unlikely to be aged 14 to 24 and less likely to have played arcade video games in the past three months, according to him. "Nokia is the security blanket ... it is the Toyota of phones," Chalke said.

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

Fast, clean and secure: Browsers getting smart

It takes around 100 milliseconds to bat your eyelid. And the race now among the popularly used browsers is to optimize javascript performance to be within the time you bat your eyelid twice. There is very little difference between the speeds clocked by the latest versions of the browsers of Google, Microsoft and Mozilla. What this means is that applications and graphics pop up at enviable speeds.

Google's Chrome, Microsoft's latest Internet Explorer 9 Beta version and Mozilla Firebox's 4 Beta 10 update offer just that - ultra fast speeds, a clean browser and a high level of security. Perhaps the key differentiator here is the user interface experience and extra features/extensions that each browser offers. It is in this niche services, that one browser scores over the other, says Harish Vaidyanathan, Director, Evangelism, Microsoft India . But for ordinary users, these advanced features help them save time and increase efficiency. For instance, you don't have to key in the entire URL address in any of these browsers.

All the three latest versions are smart enough to throw up the exact link you are looking for. In some cases, they even offer different options or they may even track your browsing history and display sites you visit very often. You may not need to open separate applications to view Excel sheets or your photo albums, these have now become integrated into the browser itself. Here's a look at some of the fascinating developments introduced by the major browsers.

Google Chrome Browser
Tabs are getting very adventurous across browsers. Instead of having multiple windows piled up at the bottom, it saves so much space to have tabs neatly arranged on the top. The fascinating thing here is that you can have split tabs into different windows. This means that you can write that research project you have been working on and at the same time keep a tab on the cricket scores. And this is how you do it:

1. Drag a tab to the middle of either side of your computer screen

2. When the docking icon appears, release the mouse over the icon and the tab will snap into place, filling exactly half your screen

3. Four other docking positions will help you work simultaneously in multiple tabs with ease

Review: Iomega ScreenPlay TV Link MX HD Media Player

Iomega needs something big to fight off the onslaught of competition from other HD media players, especially from Western Digital . And that something big is ironically rather small, but with a really long name - Iomega ScreenPlay TV Link MX HD Media Player . We'll just keep it simple and call it the Iomega MX for this review.

Iomega has several other options in HD media players; even ones with built in hard drives. But honestly speaking, none of them have been as desireable as the options offered by Western Digital. Until now! The Iomega MX is super-compact and lightweight, with a nice brushed aluminium surface.

In fact, after unpacking it, we wondered how something so small could pull off full HD video playback and upscaling. The skepticism was there in spades. It's just 20mm thick and weighs about 180 grams; just slightly more than an average smartphone .

However, right out of the box, the Iomega MX is impressive; it's easy to setup, starts up quickly, responds fast and is ready to play the moment you plug in a hard drive or flash drive. It supports all the major audio, video and photo formats. AVI, MKV, M2TS, WMV, RMVB, VOB , MP4, FLV, AVCHD — that's all the major video file formats right there.

The interface is pleasing, intuitive and responsive. Unlike some of the low cost HD media players we've seen, this one responds instantly to the commands from the remote. Even a native full HD file ripped from a Blu-Ray disc (an 8GB MKV file) starts playing a few seconds after it is selected. Quality of playback is excellent, with no visible artifacts on a full HD TV, and no stutter or lag.

Soota can't poach MindTree clients, staff

Ashok Soota , who announced his decision to move out of MindTree and resign from his role as executive chairman, is bound by a non-compete agreement that prevents him from taking any MindTree client and employee with him, said a person with knowledge of the matter. Soota is starting a new venture and has asked the board to release him by March 31.

The veteran IT leader is held in high esteem and there were fears that after his departure, many employees and clients would also move out of MindTree to join him. Soota, who co-founded MindTree with nine others, is the single largest shareholder in the company with over 11% stake.

Investment bankers are closely watching the developments and awaiting the outcome of the board meeting to be held early this week to determine how the company will move forward. Company officials could not be reached for comment.

Some of the immediate concerns around Soota's departure is if the company will be able to contain the damage and reassure all stakeholders that it is business as usual. Else it could lose business and talent to rivals, who are stepping up hiring to meet increased demand after the downturn, and risk a possible implosion, said bankers. "A lot depends on how quickly the board acts. The earlier the better," said an analyst tracking the developments.

Financial investors, Walden and Nalanda, which hold around 10% each, and Global Technology Ventures with a 6.6% stake are the other large investors in the firm. Among the promoters, Bagchi and Krishnakumar hold around 5% each and S Janakiraman, president and group CEO of product engineering services holds around 2.5%. Bagchi, Krishnakumar and Janakiraman also play a more central role in the company's decision making.