Now, get rid of stinky shoes using UV gadget

Are smelly shoes a constant embarrassment for you? Worry not, for inventors have come up with SteriShoe, a device that sterilises the bacteria, which cause odours, by using UV light.

The gadget, which looks like a shoe tree, is placed inside the shoe and turned on at the mains before blitzing the smell away.

Makers claim that SteriShoe kills 99.9 per cent of bacteria in just 45 minutes and works for people who suffer from athlete’s foot, toenail fungus, or just smelly feet.

Manufactured in America, the 80-pound SteriShoe comes in various sizes and is currently available online in the UK.

“The SteriShoe shoe sanitiser is clinically proven to destroy micro-organisms in shoes using ultraviolet light. It is recommended by doctors as a chemical-free method to kill bacteria in shoes, reducing shoe odour and risk of infection from athlete''s foot,” the Daily Mail quoted Rainer Kuehling, a spokesman for manufacturer Shoe Care Innovations, as saying.

“The device can be inserted into your footwear as you would a normal shoe tree and a simple press of a button starts a 45-minute treatment cycle. After 45 minutes up to 99.9 per cent of the harmful microbes that can cause offensive shoe odour are destroyed,” Kuehling added.

To prevent users coming into direct contact with the its UV light, the SteriShoe has several safety features. Two shoe bags are also provided with each device, so a user can also sanitise their open-toed shoes and sandals.

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

Apple's Jobs to attend Obama meeting on Thursday

Apple Inc Chief Executive Steve Jobs will attend a meeting in California on Thursday with U.S. President Barack Obama, a source familiar with the meeting said.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg , General Electric Co Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt, Google Inc Chief Executive Eric Schmidt will also attend the meeting, the source told Reuters.

Obama is flying to San Francisco later on Thursday. In California, he is meeting with a number of business leaders in technology and innovation at a private residence, the White House said.

The White House has been pushing lately to improve its relations with the business community. Thursday's meeting will address issues including how to strengthen the U.S. economy, support entrepreneurship and generate jobs in the United States, the White House 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

Mobile ads boom raises privacy concerns

A boom in mobile adverts that can target individual smartphone and tablet users is raising deep concerns over the protection of private data, industry leaders say.

Mobile advertising is growing fast in tandem with sales of smartphone and tablets.

The vast majority of these devices now are equipped with Internet browsers, which allow firms to offer advertisements that dovetail with users' viewing habits.

The interest in smartphones is to have the "content in context," delivering content to the right people and the right place, Yahoo! chief executive Carol Bertz said at the mobile industry's annual congress in Barcelona.

"At Yahoo, we consider ads also as great content," she added, while demonstrating how sites dedicated to sport, for example, could be accompanied by video ads for a major US basketball brand.

Swedish research institute Berg Insight estimated in a December report that mobile marketing and advertising sales would grow from $1.72 billion to $13.5 billion (1.3 billion euros to 10 billion euros) between 2009 and 2015.

Canada hit by cyber attack from China computers

The Canadian government was hit by an unprecedented cyber attack from Chinese-based computers last month that penetrated two key economic ministries, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp reported on Wednesday.

The CBC cited sources as saying the hackers were able to access computer systems at the Finance Department and Treasury Board. Once the attack was detected, Internet access in both ministries was cut off.

A spokesman for Treasury Board Minister Stockwell Day said officials had detected an unauthorized attempt to access the ministry's computer networks.

"There are no indications that any data relating to Canadians was compromised," he said in an e-mail. He did not say whether the attacks had been traced back to Chinese servers, as the CBC reported.

Canada's spy service complains regularly about what it says is industrial espionage by China and other states.

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

New smartphones give instant access to Facebook

Mobile phone giant HTC has launched two handsets - called Salsa and ChaCha - that will provide instant access to Facebook.

By punching in the 'F' logo, users will be able to instantly share photos, music and even their exact location on an inbuilt map from their mobile phone.

At the moment, owners of iPhones and similar products have to use a touchscreen process to access pages on the popular social networking site.

In a clear attempt to target the teenage market, the Taiwanese phonemaker called the two phones Salsa and ChaCha, the Daily Mail reports.

Salsa is a touchscreen-only phone with a 3.4-inch screen. ChaCha has 2.6-inch touchscreen with a separate keyboard, which looks a lot like a Blackberry.

Parents faced with children badgering them for one of the new gadgets may only have weeks to save up the cash as the phones may be on sale in Britain in April.

HTC and Facebook have spent two years developing the two phones. The devices have Facebook built into their contacts system, allowing users to see Facebook friends and message them.

When taking photos, the user simply has to press the F button and the images will appear on their Facebook profile. Similarly, when using Google maps, owners of the phone can press the F button to give friends their exact location.

Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, said: "We wanted to create the ultimate socially connected phones with mass market appeal."

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 CEO feels sorry for Nokia's Microsoft alliance

Nokia should have chosen the Android operating system for its upcoming handsets instead of going with Microsoft, Google's Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said on Wednesday.

"We would have loved if they had chosen Android. They chose the other guys, that other competitor, Microsoft. I think we are pretty straightforward," Schmidt said at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, adding that Google was open to Nokia switching to Android in the future.

"We would like them to adopt Android at some point in the future and that offer remains open. We think Android was a good choice for Nokia. We are sorry they made a different choice."

Schmidt confirmed that Google had held extensive talks with Nokia on a possible partnership before the world's largest handset maker decided to go with Microsoft's Windows operating platform.

Nokia and software major Microsoft last week announced they would form a broad strategic partnership that would use their complementary strengths and expertise to create a new global mobile ecosystem. The partnership is widely seen as a move by the two companies to fight stiff competition from rivals Apple and Google in the smartphone market.

The open-source Android software platform, introduced by Google two years ago, continues to top the smartphone platform popularity charts. Global research firm IDC has forecast a 60% market share for Android within three years.

Apple starts subscription in App Store

Apple Inc. started a subscription service for publishers of newspapers, magazines and other content applications, allowing them to sell multiple issues through a single purchase in the company's online App Store.

The subscriptions will be sold using the same App Store billing system that lets customers buy individual applications for the iPhone or iPad, the Cupertino, California-based company said today in a statement. Publishers who participate will have to offer their lowest subscription rates within Apple's store.

"All we require is that, if a publisher is making a subscription offer outside of the app, the same (or better) offer be made inside the app," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in the statement. Jobs remains involved with strategic decisions while on medical leave.

Apple said it keeps 30% of the subscription fee for any customers that it helps publishers draw. If a publisher brings an existing or new customer to the App Store by selling a subscription directly on its website, it keeps 100% of the revenue.

The App Store offers more than 350,000 applications to users of iPhones, iPods and iPads, the company said today. Customers had downloaded 10 billion apps through the store as of Jan. 22. About $1.1 billion of applications were sold through the App Store in 2010, according to estimates from Brian Marshall, an analyst.

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 starts digital content subscription service

Google Inc launched a service to make it easy for publishers to sell digital versions of newspapers and magazines, undercutting a similar plan launched by Apple Inc as both tech titans battle to dominate smartphones and tablet computers.

Google announced in a blog post on Wednesday its plan to woo newspaper and magazines, a day after Apple rolled out a subscription platform for digital media sold through its iTunes app store.

Google said its new service, dubbed One Pass, allows publishers to sell content that consumers can view on websites as well as in specialized apps designed for smartphones and tablet PCs. Publishers can charge for content in a variety of ways, including subscriptions, metered access and sales of single articles.

Google is letting publishers keep about 90 percent of subscription revenue gained through OnePass, a direct shot at Apple, which lets media companies collect 70 percent of subscription revenue from applications downloaded through iTunes.

Google's service also lets publishers provide existing print subscribers with free or discounted access to digital content, Google said.

Consumers must use the company's payment system, Google Checkout, in order to use One Pass.

On Tuesday, Apple introduced a long-awaited subscription plan for magazines, newspapers, videos, music and books that provide digital content in specialized apps for iPad and iPhone users.