MS Dhoni named captain of ICC Team of the Tournament

The ICC team has seven players from India and runners-up England. (AP Photo)

LONDON: Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Monday named captain of the ICC's Team of the Champions Trophy, which has four other Indians including stylish batsman Shikhar Dhawan.

India won the last edition of the Champions Trophy after edging past England by five runs on Sunday.

The ICC team has seven players from India and runners-up England.

The team includes Dhoni, Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar - two Englishmen, Jonathan Trott and James Anderson, as well as Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq, Kumar Sangakkara from Sri Lanka, South Africa's Ryan McLaren and New Zealand's Mitchell McClenaghan.

Joe Root of England was picked as the 12th man. Dhoni was named as the captain after he led his side to victory in the final, thus becoming the first captain in the history of the game to lift all three major ICC trophies - World Twenty20 2007, Cricket World Cup 2011 and Champions Trophy 2013.

"While Dhoni got little opportunity to show his exploits with the bat, he marshalled his troops outstandingly and he was sharp and agile behind the stumps as he accounted for nine batsmen behind the wickets (five catches and four stumpings), an ICC release said.

The Team of the Tournament was selected by a five-man selection panel that comprised Geoff Allardice (ICC General Manager - Cricket, and Chairman Event Technical Committee), Javagal Srinath (former India fast bowler and ICC Emirates Elite Panel match referee), Aleem Dar (ICC Emirates Elite Panel umpire), Scyld Berry (Wisden Editor from 2008-2011 and Sunday Telegraph correspondent) and Stephen Brenkley (correspondent of The Independent and Independent On Sunday).

"It was an extremely difficult task for the panel to pick a team of 11 players from the quality of players who featured in this tournament. As the selection criteria was the performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, some of the best players had to be left out, though they would walk very easily into any World XI," Chairman of the panel, Allardice, said.

"The side is a good mixture of specialists and all-rounders, and includes six in-form batsmen, including Dhoni as a wicketkeeper-batsman, a spinner in Jadeja, McLaren as an all-rounder and the three most impressive fast bowlers of the tournament in Kumar, Anderson and McClenaghan," he added.

Team of the Tournament: (in batting order) Shikhar Dhawan (India) -363 runs, Jonathan Trott (England)-229 runs, Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)-222 runs, Virat Kohli (India)-176 runs, Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan)-173 runs, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicket-keeper/captain) (India)- 27 runs, five catches and four stumpings, Ravindra Jadeja (India)-12 wickets & 80 runs, Ryan McLaren (South Africa)-83 runs & eight wickets, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India)- six wickets, James Anderson (England)-11 wickets, Mitchell McClenaghan (New Zealand)-11 wickets, and Joe Root (England)-173 runs.

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Apple to cut iPhone orders for rest of year, claims analyst

Based on inventory checks and other factors, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek believes Apple will slash its iPhone orders for the third and fourth quarters.

 

Apple may trim its iPhone build orders for the rest of 2013, at least according to a new report from analyst Peter Misek.
In an investors note released Sunday, Misek said Apple has already revised its build plans. iPhone orders for the calendar third quarter will be cut to 25 million to 30 million from 40 million to 45 million previously. And orders for the fourth quarter will drop to 50 million to 55 million from 60 million to 65 million.
Why the downturn? The analyst cited a few reasons, mostly notably iPhone inventory checks at the stores of three vendors in the U.K.
"We had recently noted that smartphone inventory levels at retail and carriers were elevated but were unsure which OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) were most exposed," Misek said. "Our survey of several hundred Orange, Vodafone, and EE stores in the U.K. indicates that inventories are elevated for iPhones and the Samsung Galaxy 3."
Certain Apple suppliers are also seeing a drop in sales or orders, Misek added.
Manufacturing company Jabil, which makes components for the iPhone 5, recently reported a weak quarter for its Apple-oriented operations. Suppliers of memory modules have also started to shift third-quarter orders away from Apple and toward other "emerging" companies.
"Our checks also indicate that Apple's wafer starts at Samsung's Austin fab have likely been cut," the analyst added.
Misek's analysis is based on inventory checks and other data from a limited but noteworthy number of Apple vendors and suppliers. The report didn't point to any inventory levels outside the U.K., but the analyst clearly sees this as a global problem for Apple.
Misek also cut his forecast for iPhone sales to 27 million from 30 million for the third quarter and to 45 million from 50 million for the fourth quarter.
Looking ahead, the analyst believes Apple will likely launch the iPhone 5S and a low-cost iPhone in September, followed by a Retina iPad Mini in the fourth quarter. An iPhone 6 sporting a 5-inch screen may be on the agenda for next year.
Misek also had a mixed reaction to the beta of iOS 7.
"We think the new user interface's cleaner look is a big improvement," the analyst said. "While iOS upgrades will be possible on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, our experience was quite poor (admittedly it is a beta) as the OS puts too much of a strain on the processor. We speculate that iOS 7 could also be an attempt by Apple to spur upgrades."

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Microsoft, Oracle join forces to stomp on cloud rivals

"Frenemies" Microsoft and Oracle just cemented a new partnership. Here's what is really new and worth knowing about the alliance.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft and Oracle announced a lot of piece parts with their June 24 partnership around Azure and Oracle databases and middleware.
Here's your Cliff Notes version: Oracle apps are now certified to run on Windows Server, Hyper-V, and Windows Azure. Up until today, they were only certified to run on Windows Server. Oracle Linux also gets added to the list of Linux varianst supported in Azure's VMs, too.
Microsoft already has been certifying its own applications on Windows Azure, including its SQL Server database. (Here's a list of which versions of various database, security and other enterprise products are certified as running on Azure's persistent virtual machines.) Now Oracle's own databases and its WebLogic middleware are added to that list.

Microsoft already has supported Java development on Windows Azure. Today, Oracle and Microsoft said they'd take Java support a step further, with Oracle certifying Java to run on Hyper-V and Windows Azure.
"It's about time. We're happy to work in newer and more constructive ways with Oracle," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer during a call with press and analysts about the new partnership. (Microsoft and Oracle are more than just software rivals; there's some very, very bad history between the two, for those who haven't followed along from home.)
Why did Microsoft and Oracle announce this partnership today -- beyond the fact that Oracle's CEO Larry Ellison kind of pre-announced it last week during Oracle's earnings call? After all, Oracle already had a long-standing partnership with Amazon so that its apps run on AWS. Rackspace, another Microsoft competitor, just announced today increased support of MongoDB on its cloud platform.
Is there another cloud shoe about to drop with Google? I have no idea. But I'm thinking the cloud-app certification wars are the next battleground ....

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Ravindra Jadeja delivers by keeping it simple

Unlike many in this present Indian team who thrive on talent, Jadeja seems to revel in the simplicity to his cricket.

LONDON: "O reyo Ravinder Jadeja, ja autograph leva (look, there's Ravindra Jadeja, go get an autograph)."

Gujaratis in the United Kingdom can be as enterprising, if not more, than those in Western India who make for a very prosperous community. To see a fellow Gujarati doing well is what really turns them on.

They flocked wherever team India went the last 25 days, looking for a young man from their state back home who had done exceedingly well against the Australians and wanted his signature wherever they could get it. As much as they wanted India to win the tournament, they wanted 'their boy' to do well too.

They were everywhere, just like Jadeja was in the entire Champions Trophy. When MS Dhoni wanted runs down the batting order, Jadeja gave it to him. When the skipper wanted wickets at regular intervals, he gave the ball to Jadeja. A good fielder was needed at point or cover, Jadeja was called in.

The popular joke was supposed to be on 'Sir' to mock a cricketer of limited talents. Within those limitations, he delivered to ensure the joke was on those mocking him. Jadeja turned out to be one of Champions Trophy's Most Valuable Player.

Twelve wickets in five matches at a strike rate of 20.5, an average of 12.83 and an economy rate of 3.75 was an impressive one in a tournament like this one where each team had just three matches before making it to the knockouts. But statistics will not do justice to the manner in which he threatened batsmen with the variation in pace and a constantly nagging line.

Dhoni will take a lot of pride in trusting this young man. The skipper can now claim he wasn't understating the ability of this all-rounder when he said all he wanted from him was to play within his limitations. In England, Dhoni explained, that's precisely what one needed to do. Like a man sold to idea of repaying that trust, Jadeja worked with blinkers on.

Unlike many in this present Indian team who thrive on talent, Jadeja seems to revel in the simplicity to his cricket. He's a cricketer most would think they are but he's the one who's got it right. From here, it'll be interesting to see how it goes for him. As for his fan-following, it's growing just like his community has in the UK.

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Facebook To Become A News Paper For Mobiles Soon

Bangalore: Facebook is secretly working on a project to become a newspaper for mobile devices.   The project internally called as Reader, will display content from Facebook users and publishers in a new UI tailored for mobile devices, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Facebook has been working on the project for more than a year now, and it resembles like Flipboard, an app that aggregates the stories from multiple sources and lets users to flip through the content. Though the news about ‘Reader’ is out, the social network giant did not official confirm it, and so its release date too is unclear at this juncture.

The ‘Reader’ will be Facebook’s attempt to get users to spend more time on its website and it will also show how the company, home to more than 1.1 billion users, is trying to reshape its identity.

Facebok recently launched ‘# tags’ in an attempt to increase its popularity with the users and earlier this year, Facebook unveiled a redesign of the news-feed portion of its main Web portal that features a more prominent display of content from news publishers. While unveiling the redesign, Zuckerberg told that he wanted Facebook to be "the best personalized newspaper in the world.” If we go by the recent trends the company is following, you might get a “Reader” soon on your Smartphone, and it may take on with the now popular Google Reader.

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Huawei introduces Ascend P6 as "world's slimmest smartphone"

China's Huawei unveiled its flagship smartphone, the Ascend P6, at its first standalone launch event on Tuesday, underlining its ambitions to compete with Apple and Samsung in the top tier of mobile technology.

The company says the device, at 6.18 mm thick, is the world's slimmest. It has a 5 megapixel front-facing camera, designed for taking "selfies", or pictures of the owner to be shared on social media networks.

The company picked the launch date - 6/18 (June 18) - to tie in with the smartphone's dimensions.

The launch, at an arts venue in North London, takes a cue from Apple and Samsung, both of which have made new product announcements at high profile events for a number of years.

Previously Huawei unveiled its handsets at industry trade shows like Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Huawei, which also makes telecom networking gear, is looking to drive sales of its consumer devices, a sector in which it has only had its own brand for about three years.

The company was the fourth-largest maker of smartphones in the first quarter of 2013, trailing LG Electronics and the two dominant brands Apple and Samsung, according to analyst firm Gartner. The top two sold more than 100 million units between them, while LG sold 10 million and Huawei 9 million, most of which were in its native China.

The Ascend P6 uses Huawei's customised version of Google's Android operating system.

Industry analyst Ben Wood at CCS Insight said that at the right price the Ascend P6 would attract buyers who had not considered Huawei before.

"Huawei P6 is darn thin," he tweeted. But he added that the device was not, at this stage, compatible with the high speed, next generation 4G networks, which are being rolled out across the world.

Carolina Milanesi at Gartner said she would have liked to see a more original design instead of something that tries to position the brand as an alternative to Apple by going with a similar rounded metal design.

Overall it shows that Huawei is working towards their goal of becoming a top brand by 2015, she said.

Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013


Mobiles launched in June 2013

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Six ways to share your exact location with family (and why)

Glympse is one app of many that help you find people quickly and easily.

(Credit: Glympse)

Families outfitted with a fleet of smartphones have a lot of options for checking in that don't require exercising those texting thumbs or distracting a driver with a call just to find out exactly when he or she is coming home for dinner.

I've gathered a handful of Android applications designed to help smartphone users keep an eye on each others' whereabouts. Indeed, the first thing that comes to mind in this NSA age is whether or not this stuff is private. Rest assured, dear reader, I've got your interests at heart.
These are apps are opt-in and come with very clear instructions, as well as the best of intentions.
What you will find below are a few of my favorite apps to keep an eye on where your friends and family members might be. Most of what you'll encounter are cross-platform, meaning they work on Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and even the Web.
As you read through each selection, bear in mind that this is not an exact science and that GPS signals determine how precisely locations can be calculated. What's more, none of these will work if the smartphone is turned off.

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Glympse

Share your location in limited amounts with specific users or Facebook friends with Glympse.

(Credit: Glympse)

Glympse is a very simple idea that allows users to share their exact location with others in very defined, short time frames. Headed home from work and want to let your spouse know where you are? Scheduled to meet up with friends and want to see where everyone else is? This free app gives users the ability to share real-time locations, estimated arrival times, and travel speeds through e-mail, text, or social networks. Indeed, you can install and immediately share without signing up or creating profiles. Other Glympse users can track on a map within the app, and those following along on Facebook can make sure you got home safely.
One of the best features is that sharing automatically expires after a set time, ensuring your creeper friends aren't stalking your every move. Users can not only define exactly how long their location is visible, but also who sees it.
Also available for: iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry

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Life360 Family Locator

Life360 provides parents with peace of mind through check-ins and messaging.

(Credit: Life360)

This free app lets parent track children and other family members in real time. Features such as the check-in (two user-defined places) and messaging client provide peace of mind, especially in the event of an emergency. Need to know if little Sally is home from school and where she might be? Family Locator provides automatic alerts so that you know the moment she's in the house. Additional noteworthy details include a full location history as well as a built-in panic feature. Should you or one of your family members find yourself in an emergency, this feature automatically sends a phone call, e-mail, or text message that includes your GPS coordinates to everyone in your connected Life360 family.
While the app and service are free to use, a premium client is available for $5 per month (which covers the whole family) or $50 per year. For your money, you receive unlimited check-in places, roadside assistance, the ability to look up non-smartphones, and stolen phone protection. If interested, you can test out Life360's premium features free for 30 days.
Also available for: iOS, BlackBerry, non-smartphones

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Cozi Family Locator

Cozi lets users broadcast messages to one another, regardless of mobile platform.

(Credit: Cozi)

Simple, clean, and intuitive, Cozi Family Locator is a great way for families to keep tabs on each other. The minimal design puts three key buttons (Check-in, Emergency, and Message) in front of the user at all time. This is handy if only because of the simplicity it offers in the event of a sticky situation.
The map can be used to identify nearby safety points such as hospitals and police stations, which are especially helpful for the younger family member. Additionally, the message feature provides a central place for communication and works well across a number of platforms.
Cozi provides a number of additional mobile and Web applications; each plays well with the others. For those of you who like to plan and organize your family, budgets, travel, meals, and calendar, Cozi offers something on all fronts. Cozi Family Locator is free to use; however a premium version $4.99 a month (for up to five family members) includes access to non-smartphone users and those on other platforms.
Also available for: iOS

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Find My Friends

Find My Friends provides two check-in locations, messaging, and more.

(Credit: Find My Friends)

As a branded take on the Life360 experience, Find My Friends provides users with a central place for communication and location sharing. Headed out of town for a few days of downtime? Plan and coordinate your trip with other users before getting in the car. Likewise, the app can be used to broadcast your location should you end up in a seedy part of town. Like other apps of its kind, this one uses Google Maps at its heart so it's a breeze to learn and understand. Along these lines, the map automatically lists places such as police stations, fire departments, hospitals, and other helpful places. Simply tap an icon and you'll be handed off to your preferred navigation app or phone dialer.
Much like Life360, the free Find My Friends experience might be enough for most users; however, its premium features open the door to additional options. Indeed, the $5 per month will add unlimited check-in locations, an expanded location history, roadside assistance, and support for non-smartphones. All users are invited to try the 30-day free trial.
Also available fo: iOS, BlackBerry, non-smartphones

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Google+

Google+ lets users share their location with specific friends or circles.

(Credit: Google (Screenshot by Scott Webster))

One of the lesser advertised features in Google's social networking service, Google+, is the ability to share location with other users. The design is reminiscent of Google Latitude, the other location offering that is now embedded within the Maps application. To share your location with others, you simply send a request to that user through the Google+ app. Once the two of you mutually agree, you'll be able to see each other through the app. The same goes through Google Maps under the "Latitude" tab.
It is also possible to share your locations via check-in with Google+ circles. To do so, simply open up Google Maps and navigate to the Check-in tab, then choose the appropriate business or establishment. Upon selecting the proper place you'll be prompted as to with whom you would like to share the check-in. This is handy for those Friday night scenarios where you want to let your circle of local friends know where you're enjoying a cup of coffee.
Also available for: iOS, Internet

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Carrier-branded apps
Each of the four major U.S. wireless providers also offers its own particular Android app or service for keeping an eye on loved ones. All four feature a number of free services and individual options tailored to the user; paid features come at a monthly premium. If you're a subscriber to one of these carriers, then you may find one of these apps suits your needs.
The carrier apps:

• Verizon Family Locator ($9.99/month per account for up to 10 phones): Features locations, address, a detailed map, turn-by-turn directions, arrival and departure updates, integrated text messaging.
• AT&T FamilyMap ($9.99/month to locate up to two family members, $14.99 per month to locate up to five family members): Features ability to locate from smartphone or PC, find lost or stolen phones, maps with designated safe spots, schedules, notification options. Includes 30-day free trial.
• Sprint Family Locator ($5/month to locate up to four phones): Features ability to locate lost or stolen phones, automatic check-ins, text alerts, option to check from Web site, real-time locations. Includes 15-day free trial.
• T-Mobile FamilyWhere ($9.99/month to locate up to 10 phones): Features automatic location checks, real-locations, text alerts, ability to work with non-smartphones, schedules. Includes 30-day free trial.

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5 ‘unhealthy’ foods that are in fact healthy

5 ‘unhealthy’ foods that are actually healthy

Dieticians have instructed you to give up on these foodstuffs if you want to lose weight, yet the temptation makes you want to eat it. We give you 5 such unhealthy foods you may incorporate in your diet in a healthy moderation.

Butter: We are not instructing you load up on butter, but according to experts, naturally occurring saturated fats, like those found in butter, may actually be good to include in your diet in moderation when compared with processed fats like those found in margarine.

Cheese: Just like butter, cheese is also high in saturated fat and calorie content. But, it is also rich in nutrients, calcium, vitamin A, B12, riboflavin, zinc, and phosphorus. It also contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a good fat, according to latest discoveries, found in animal protein and dairy that has been linked to cancer prevention.

Chocolate and whole milk: A glass of chocolate and whole milk has the perfect carbs to protein ratio (3:1) and is a good post workout recovery drink. It also replenishes bone-building calcium and sodium to restore electrolyte balance. Go with dark chocolate, if you are still unsure.

Coffee: It not only improves concentration and stamina, but a recent research has revealed that it helps prevent diseases like diabetes and Alzheimer's. Just don't overdo it, 3-5 cups are optimum as it may have some side effects like insomnia, jitters and anxiety.

Bananas: Although labelled as fattening, bananas sometimes play a healthy role when you are trying to shed pounds. They are rich in potassium and provide antioxidants, vitamin C and fibre. Banana eaters also experience a shift in dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for elevating your mood.

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Nokia ‘confirms’ Lumia phone with 41MP camera

On the Nokia Conversations website, the company has put up a teaser that says there will be “41 million reasons” to attend the July 11 event.

NEW DELHI: Nokia changed the benchmark for smartphone cameras last year when it launched the 808 PureView with 41MP snapper. It was rumoured to have included this camera in its flagship Lumia 920 last year, but that was not to be. However, speculation is now rife that the Finnish manufacturer will launch a Lumia phone 41MP camera at its July 11 event in New York. And the company has nearly confirmed it too.

On the Nokia Conversations website, the company has put up a teaser that says there will be "41 million reasons" to attend the July 11 event. "41 million" is a clear hint towards the 41MP camera, as it is the same number of pixels in the sensor of the upcoming Lumia phone. In the invite Nokia sent for the July 11 event, it said it will reinvent zoom, suggesting the launch of the phone currently being called Lumia EOS in tech circles.

In a blog post on Nokia Conversations, it picked five of its favourite internet memes. One of the memes carried the tagline: "Oh, so you've got a smartphone with a zoom lens... I bet that fits in your pocket perfectly." This is a jibe at Samsung's recently unveiled Galaxy S4 Zoom phone, which comes with a 16MP camera and 10X optical zoom.

The Nokia Lumia smartphone with 41MP camera has surfaced on the internet via leaked photos many times in the past few months. The images suggest a body similar to Lumia 920's made of polycarbonate and a huge camera sensor hump on the back. This camera is said to run on Windows Phone 8 operating system, have speaker grilles at the bottom, support wireless charging via a strap-on supported covers and come in red, white, yellow and black colours.

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For the Men in Blue, it seams like a dream at Cardiff

The pressure created in the first 10 overs also allowed Ishant Sharma - who, Dhoni says, is more useful in the current scheme of things with a slightly older ball - to pick three wickets.

CARDIFF: When was the last time we saw a three-member Indian pace attack, in seam and swing-friendly conditions, bowl the first 22 overs at a stretch?

It happened on a dull and breezy morning at the Sophia Gardens, with the pace trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma going full tilt at the Sri Lankan top-order. The trio's control was excellent as they troubled an in-form batting line-up.

India won the toss and elected to bowl and it seemed like Dhoni knew right from the word go what he'd dish out to the Sri Lankans in the first ten overs of mandatory powerplay.

A few more wickets perhaps, than just 26-1 at the end of 10 overs, would've done better justice to the manner in which Bhuvneshwar and Yadav bowled. With Ishant coming in from the 11th over, if the batting side expected any relief, it wasn't to be.

In maybe wanting to curtail the Sri Lankan run-flow as much as he could in the first 20 overs, in case the innings got marred by rain, Dhoni looked at Bhuvneshwar in particular to finish as many overs as possible.

The 23-year-old UP bowler certainly enjoys this kind of English weather, the wind swaying and the ball-movement not more than two or three inches but enough to work on the batsman.

First with Yadav and then with Ishant, Bhuvneshwar went on to bowl nine overs of the first 22 that remained the most impressive of the three.

Yadav is more the kind of bowler who often relies on pace given any kind of conditions. He looked just about right in complementing Bhuvneshwar's effort as his spell progressed after initially taking time to control the movement of the ball.

The pressure created in the first 10 overs also allowed Ishant - who, Dhoni says, is more useful in the current scheme of things with a slightly older ball - to pick three wickets, the first two coming between the 16th and the 18th over. The last time he took three wickets in an away One-dayer was also against Sri Lanka, four years ago, in Colombo.

Given Sri Lanka's run-rate , the DL - if it had to be employed during India's innings - would require Dhoni's boys to be anywhere close to 40 for no loss in the first 20 overs.

The job, in case either team expected rain, looked well in India's favour as early as possible. To put it in further perspective, Sri Lanka's 36-1 in 15 overs was the worst possible start by a team in this Champions Trophy.

By the time Ravindra Jadeja was brought in the 23rd over, Sri Lanka were 58-3 - in addition to Tillakaratne Dilshan retiring hurt - losing early wickets and an early initiative on a track that had begun to ease.

The first three wickets all falling to a catch in the second slip, and all picked by Suresh Raina, gave an indication of the kind of movement that was available here.

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Google's Own Retail Stores Coming To India

Bangalore: In a move to increase the penetration of android devices in India, the global leader in mobile platform, Google is set to launch its own store fronts ‘Android Nation’ in India, reports Economic Times.

Though Indians are shopping like crazy online, the latest move by Google to open up its own brick and mortor stores in India may let the other population who like to shop “go and grab it” way. It may also make the search giant to release its latest products in the country, giving the priority which was not seen here before.

Google is to partner with BK Modi's Spice Global to set up the stores in various Indian cities, starting with New Delhi later this year. And the only other country Google has set up its Android Nation stores is in Indonesia. The store was opened in Jakarta in mid 2012. The company now operates two such stores in Jakarta in partnership with Indonesian electronics retailer Erafone.

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Pirate Bay founder gets two-year sentence in hacking case

Gottfrid Svartholm Warg has been sentenced to jail time for allegedly hacking into a company from which he made illegal money transfers.

Gottfried Svartholm Warg

One of the founders of file-sharing site Pirate Bay will apparently spend a couple more years in jail.
Gottfrid Svartholm Warg was arrested last September on charges that he was part of a cyberattack against Logica, an IT outfit that manages tax documents and services for Swedish companies. Warg was accused of hacking into Logica, accessing records of thousands of people, and illegally transferring money, Reuters reported Thursday.
Prosecutors say he was able to grab 24,200 Danish crowns (almost $4,300) online and tried to transfer a total of 683,000 euros (almost $902,000) in a series of other transactions.
Warg has denied the charges.
"The hacking has been very extensive and technically advanced," the district court in Sweden said, according to Reuters. "The attacker has affected very sensitive systems."
Warg has been keeping the Swedish legal system quite busy.
In 2009, Warg and three other men were found guilty of illegally sharing 33 copyright-protected files via Pirate Bay. After failing to show up for a hearing on the charge, Warg went missing until he was found and arrested in Cambodia last September.
Deported from Cambodia to his native Sweden, Warg was arrested on the hacking charges. As a result, he was already serving a one-year stint in jail for the illegal file sharing charges when Thursday's sentence was handed down.

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Aircel to offer international roaming in Myanmar for post-paid subscribers

Telecom operator Aircel Thursday said it has partnered with Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) to offer international roaming services for its post-paid customers travelling to Myanmar."A sizeable number of customers travel to Myanmar for work and leisure and our international roaming services will allow them to be connected 24X7. The customers will now be able to enjoy roaming facilities in all key destinations in Myanmar," Aircel Chief Marketing Officer Anupam Vasudev said in a statement.
With this partnership, Aircel has become first Indian telecom operator to offer such services to its customers for Myanmar, it added.
Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) is a government owned provider of telecommunication services in Myanmar.
Aircel customers will have to pay Rs. 55 per minute for outgoing calls within Myanmar, Rs. 80 per minute for calls to India and other countries from Myanmar and Rs. 60 per minute for incoming calls.
Aircel offers pan-India mobile services. It has permit for 3G services in 13 circles and wireless broadband spectrum in 8 circles in India.

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India sets up elaborate system to tap phone calls, email

India has launched a wide ranging surveillance programme that will give its security agencies and even income tax officials the ability to tap directly into e-mails and phone calls without oversight by courts or parliament, several sources said.

The expanded surveillance in the world's most populous democracy, which the government says will help safeguard national security, has alarmed privacy advocates at a time when allegations of massive US digital snooping beyond American shores has set off a global furor.

"If India doesn't want to look like an authoritarian regime, it needs to be transparent about who will be authorized to collect data, what data will be collected, how it will be used, and how the right to privacy will be protected," said Cynthia Wong, an Internet researcher at New York-based Human Rights Watch.

The Central Monitoring System (CMS) was announced in 2011 but there has been no public debate and the government has said little about how it will work or how it will ensure that the system is not abused.

The government started to quietly roll the system out state by state in April 2013, according to government officials. Eventually it will be able to target any of India's 900 million landline and mobile phone subscribers and 120 million Internet users.

Home ministry spokesman K.S. Dhatwalia said he did not have details of CMS and therefore could not comment on the privacy concerns. A spokeswoman for the telecommunications ministry, which will oversee CMS, did not respond to queries.

Officials said making details of the project public would limit its effectiveness as a clandestine intelligence gathering tool.

"Security of the country is very important. All countries have these surveillance programmes," said a senior telecommunications ministry official, defending the need for a large-scale eavesdropping system like CMS.

"You can see terrorists getting caught, you see crimes being stopped. You need surveillance. This is to protect you and your country," said the official, who is directly involved in setting up the project. He did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject.

No independent oversight
The new system will allow the government to listen to and tape phone conversations, read e-mails and text messages, monitor posts on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn and track searches on Google of selected targets, according to interviews with two other officials involved in setting up the new surveillance programme, human rights activists and cyber experts.

In 2012, India sent in 4,750 requests to Google for user data, the highest in the world after the United States.

Security agencies will no longer need to seek a court order for surveillance or depend, as they do now, on Internet or telephone service providers to give them the data, the government officials said.

Government intercept data servers are being built on the premises of private telecommunications firms. These will allow the government to tap into communications at will without telling the service providers, according to the officials and public documents.

The top bureaucrat in the home ministry and his state-level deputies will have the power to approve requests for surveillance of specific phone numbers, e-mails or social media accounts, the government officials said.

While it is not unusual for governments to have equipment at telecommunication companies and service providers, they are usually required to submit warrants or be subject to other forms of independent oversight.

"Bypassing courts is really very dangerous and can be easily misused," said Pawan Sinha, who teaches human rights at Delhi University. In most countries in Europe and in the United States, security agencies were obliged to seek court approval or had to function with legal oversight, he said.

The senior telecommunications ministry official dismissed suggestions that India's system could be open to abuse.

"The home secretary has to have some substantial intelligence input to approve any kind of call tapping or call monitoring. He is not going to randomly decide to tape anybody's phone calls," he said.

"If at all the government reads your e-mails, or taps your phone, that will be done for a good reason. It is not invading your privacy, it is protecting you and your country," he said.

The government has arrested people in the past for critical social media posts although there have been no prosecutions.

In 2010, Outlook news magazine accused intelligence officials of tapping telephone calls of several politicians, including a government minister. The accusations were never proven, but led to a political uproar.

No privacy law
"The many abuses of phone tapping make clear that that is not a good way to organise the system of checks and balances," said Anja Kovacs, a fellow at the New Delhi-based Centre for Internet and Society.

"When similar rules are used for even more extensive monitoring and surveillance, as seems to be the case with CMS, the dangers of abuse and their implications for individuals are even bigger."

Nine government agencies will be authorised to make intercept requests, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India's elite policy agency, the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the domestic spy agency, and the income tax department.

India does not have a formal privacy law and the new surveillance system will operate under the Indian Telegraph Act a law formulated by the British in 1885 which gives the government freedom to monitor private conversations.

"We are obligated by law to give access to our networks to every legal enforcement agency," said Rajan Mathews, director general of the Cellular Operators Association of India.

Telecommunications companies Bharti Airtel , Vodafone's India unit, Idea Cellular , Tata Communications and state-run MTNL did not respond to requests for comment.

India has a long history of violence by separatist groups and other militants within its borders. More than one third of India's 670 districts are affected by such violence, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal.

The government has escalated efforts to monitor the activities of militant groups since a Pakistan-based militant squad rampaged through Mumbai in 2008, killing 166 people. Monitoring of telephones and the Internet are part of the surveillance.

India's junior minister for information technology, Milind Deora, said the new data collection system would actually improve citizens' privacy because telecommunications companies would no longer be directly involved in the surveillance - only government officials would.

"The mobile company will have no knowledge about whose phone conversation is being intercepted", Deora told a Google Hangout, an online forum, earlier in June.

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Facebook introduces video on Instagram

Facebook is adding video to its popular photo-sharing app Instagram, following in the heels of Twitter's growing video-sharing app, Vine.

Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom said Thursday that users will be record and share 15-second clips by tapping a video icon in the app. They can also apply filters to videos to add contrast, make them black and white or different hues.

"This is the same Instagram we all know and love but it moves," he said at an event held at Facebook's Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters.

Vine, which launched in January, has 13 million users and lets people create and share 6-second video clips. Instagram has 100 million users, up from 20 million when Facebook bought the company more than a year ago. If users like it, Facebook's move could propel mobile video sharing into the mainstream.

To use the video feature, Instagram users can tap on the same camera icon they use to snap photos. A new video camera icon will appear on the right side. Tap it and a screen with a red video button will let you record clips of sunsets, kids running in parks or co-workers staring at their computer screens.

The app will record as long as your finger is on the red button or for 15 seconds, whichever comes first. Not unlike Vine, taking your finger off the button will stop the recording, allowing you to shoot the scene from a different angle or record something else altogether. Once you have 15 seconds of footage, you can play it from the beginning and post it on Instagram to share with others.

Given Vine's popularity, "it is perhaps more surprising that Facebook has not introduced video for Instagram sooner. There is no doubt Twitter will move quickly to up the ante on Vine and this could undercut Facebook's efforts with video on Instagram," said Eden Zoller, principal consumer analyst at Ovum, a technology research firm.

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Apple could launch 5.7-inch iPhone in 2014: Report

Apple Inc is exploring launching iPhones with bigger screens, as well as cheaper models in a range of colours, over the next year, said four people with knowledge of the matter, as it takes a cue from rival Samsung Electronics.The moves, which are still under discussion, underscore how the California-based firm that once ruled the smartphone market is increasingly under threat from its aggressive South Korean competitor. Samsung has overtaken Apple in market share through the popularity of its bigger-screen Galaxy "phablets" and by flooding the market with a range of products at different prices.
Apple is looking at introducing at least two bigger iPhones next year - one with a 4.7-inch screen and one with a 5.7-inch screen - said the sources, including those in the supply chain in Asia. They said suppliers have been approached with plans for the larger screens, but noted it is still unclear whether Apple will actually launch its flagship product in the larger sizes.
"They constantly change product specifications almost to the final moment, so you're not really sure whether this is the final prototype," said one person with direct knowledge of the matter.
Apple declined to comment.
Under pressure
Apple's possible shift to offer what is often referred to as "phablets" - chunkier smartphones not quite big enough to qualify as tablets - comes as the long-time consumer and investor darling faces pressure to deliver more than one new handset model a year. Critics say its pace of innovation has slowed since the death of legendary co-founder Steve Jobs.
The iPhone 5 launched last September was the first to veer away from the Apple phone's 3.5-inch screen, which Jobs famously deemed "the perfect size for consumers" and had been used in every iPhone since the iconic device was unveiled in 2007.
The current iPhone 5 has one of the smaller screens among the best-selling smartphones in the mobile market, where consumers spend more time browsing the web and streaming content. Samsung's Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 2 have 5-inch and 5.5-inch screens, respectively.
For this year, Apple is expected to launch two new models, widely referred to as the iPhone 5S, with new fingerprint technology, and a cheaper version in plastic casing, supply chain sources have said. Apple plans to dress up the cheaper phone in a range of 5-6 colours to differentiate it from the more expensive model that has traditionally come only in black and white.
The U.S. firm has discussed a price of $99 for the cheaper phone, the timing of which could slip to next year, one of the people said. It's not yet clear what the final price would be.
Apple - whose revenue growth has decelerated from the heady days of 2010 when it introduced the iPad and when the iPhone was the world's top selling smartphone - has sought ways to re-energize its flagship line.
Broader product range
Analysts say the company needs a cheaper gadget to push on in growth markets in China and India, and to counter Samsung's edge in having phones priced up and down the spectrum. China, the world's biggest smartphone market, is set to grow 48 percent this year, outpacing the global increase of 31 percent, according to industry forecasts.
While Apple only offers a single phone model across all markets, it has successfully marketed the iPod music player and its iPad in different sizes and at varying prices. Asked at last month's AllThingsD industry conference why Apple hasn't launched different sized iPhones, CEO Tim Cook said: "We haven't so far. That doesn't shut off the future."
He explained that the range of iPods serve different audiences and needs. "On the phone, that's the question. Are we now at a point to serve enough people that we need to do that?"
Cook noted a larger screen comes with trade-offs on features such as battery life, resolution and brightness.
Test production for both the standard and cheaper iPhone models aims to start next month, with mass production ramping up in August to meet a September launch target, two people said.
"Trial production was originally planned to start in June, but the mixing of colours is taking longer than expected as Apple has very high and idealistic standards," said one source in Asia, adding 20 million plastic iPhones are expected to ship in the October-December quarter.
Japan's Sharp Corp and Japan Display and South Korea's LG Display will supply the panels for the aluminium iPhone 5S and the plastic iPhone, while Hon Hai Precision Industry will assemble the higher-end phone and Pegatron will put together the cheaper model.

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Huawei introduces Ascend P6 as "world's slimmest smartphone"

China's Huawei unveiled its flagship smartphone, the Ascend P6, at its first standalone launch event on Tuesday, underlining its ambitions to compete with Apple and Samsung in the top tier of mobile technology.

The company says the device, at 6.18 mm thick, is the world's slimmest. It has a 5 megapixel front-facing camera, designed for taking "selfies", or pictures of the owner to be shared on social media networks.

The company picked the launch date - 6/18 (June 18) - to tie in with the smartphone's dimensions.

The launch, at an arts venue in North London, takes a cue from Apple and Samsung, both of which have made new product announcements at high profile events for a number of years.

Previously Huawei unveiled its handsets at industry trade shows like Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Huawei, which also makes telecom networking gear, is looking to drive sales of its consumer devices, a sector in which it has only had its own brand for about three years.

The company was the fourth-largest maker of smartphones in the first quarter of 2013, trailing LG Electronics and the two dominant brands Apple and Samsung, according to analyst firm Gartner. The top two sold more than 100 million units between them, while LG sold 10 million and Huawei 9 million, most of which were in its native China.

The Ascend P6 uses Huawei's customised version of Google's Android operating system.

Industry analyst Ben Wood at CCS Insight said that at the right price the Ascend P6 would attract buyers who had not considered Huawei before.

"Huawei P6 is darn thin," he tweeted. But he added that the device was not, at this stage, compatible with the high speed, next generation 4G networks, which are being rolled out across the world.

Carolina Milanesi at Gartner said she would have liked to see a more original design instead of something that tries to position the brand as an alternative to Apple by going with a similar rounded metal design.

Overall it shows that Huawei is working towards their goal of becoming a top brand by 2015, she said.

Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013


Mobiles launched in June 2013

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Nokia Stops Making Symbian Phones

Bangalore: Nokia is planning to put an end to its Symbian OS, which has powered its initial range of Smartphones. From July, the Finnish manufacturer will only develop Smartphones based on Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform.

According to Nokia’s announcement, the PureView 808 will be Nokia’s last phone running this OS and the company will be dispatching the final shipments late this summer. Nokia is blaming the low sales of Symbian phones and also the time lag in developing a Symbian product, which is almost double as that of a Windows based one.

After Nokia’s partnership with Microsoft, the company was giving less importance to its Symbian platform. Before the PureView 808, other popular Smartphones based on Symbian platform were Nokia 9210 communicator, the Nokia E61 and E71 in the QWERTY E-Series and the Nokia N95 and N8.

The company will now be focusing on its Asha platform for the low-range phones and Windows Phone for the Smartphone range.

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Finally, Facebook Too Gets The #Hashtags

Bangalore: Hashtags, which were popular on the sites like Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, or Pinterest, have made their way to Facebook too. On Wednesday, the social networking giant, on its news room page, posted that the hashtags will now be clickable on Facebook pages; allowing you to add context to a post or indicate that it is part of a larger discussion. When you click on a hashtag, you'll see a feed of what other people and Pages are saying about that event or topic.

“Every day, hundreds of millions of people use Facebook to share their thoughts on big moments happening all around them. Whether it’s talking about a favorite television show, cheering on a hometown sports team or engaging with friends during a breaking news event—people on Facebook connect with their friends about what’s taking place all over the world,” the post said. Facebook users will now be able to group comments on the same topic by typing the hashtag alongside a keyword - such as #holiday! - at the end of a post.

Facebook is said that hashtag is one of many other new features that it will introduce to highlight discussions about events on Facebook. But presently the feature will only be rolled out to roughly 20 percent of its users, with a full global launch expected in the coming weeks.

Although Facebook's own users have been using hashtags for some time, to highlight some comments and status updates, they will now be able to click on the hashtagged words as a search term and view a feed of discussions relating to that topic.

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Google launches Cloud Print app for Android devices

The new app lets Android users print from their devices to compatible printers.

Google's new Cloud Print app for Android.

Android users now can print photos, documents, and other files directly to certain printers with Google's Cloud Print app.
Landing in Google Play on Wednesday, the app allows you to print from any compatible Android phone or tablet to any Google Cloud Print connected printer. You can also share photos and documents from the built-in Gallery and other Android apps to Cloud Print and check on the status of your print jobs.
You can see if your printer is compatible with Google's cloud printing through the Cloud Print Web site.

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HTC, Samsung Fights On Twitter; LG Plays The Referee

Bangalore: Twitter is the perfect ground to exchange potshots. The 140 character strings has so far displayed some of the fierce and funny battle with words. And when it’s between Samsung's and HTC, things get interesting; adding spice to it was LG, who came up with a good advice.

Things started with HTC winning UK’s “Hottest Phone of 2013” award. HTC’s official Twitter account celebrated the victory calling out Samsung UK. Samsung took no time in replying about the three awards they took home last night and told HTC can keep their one.

When we thought everything is over, there was HTC again, but this time with a hard, striking one, telling that the paid reviews Samsung does with students had indeed paid off.

Apparently LG, another hot contender in the Smartphone race has also joined the verbal battle, but as a referee, asking both companies to cool down, with a funny advice, “calm down dears! It’s only a phone.”  See the words exchanged below:

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Champions Trophy: Dhawan, Jadeja star as India march into semifinals

India's Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik walk off at the end after leading their side to victory in the ICC Champions Trophy match against West Indies at The Oval cricket ground in London.

LONDON: The Oval looked like a photoshopped image of a cricket ground on a grey canvas here on Tuesday. Adding life to that image was Team India and the scores of high-decibel fans who had arrived here in the morning to show their support.



MS Dhoni and his boys did not disappoint, putting in a dominating performance with both bat and ball to beat West Indies by eight wickets with 65 balls remaining.

The thumping win gave India an easy passage into the semifinal and also shut out Pakistan's hopes. West Indies's next match against South Africa is now a virtual quarterfinal, while India's next game against Pakistan is a dead rubber.

Shikhar Dhawan (102 not out off 107 balls; 10x4, 1x6) scored his third consecutive international hundred and man of the match Ravindra Jadeja (5/36 off his 10) were the two men who fashioned victory for India. There's little that Dhawan can do wrong these days. And even if he does, expect a Kemar Roach to be there to drop him. Roach did just that, dropping an easy one when the batsman was unbeaten on 41. The left-hander never gave the West Indies another chance.

A six over third-man brought him his second successive ton and he celebrated in trademark style. The target would've been way lower than the eventual 233 set by the West Indies if not for Darren Sammy's unbeaten 35-ball 56, inclusive of five fours and four sixes, that changed the course of the game. Until then, India — riding on Jadeja's thrilling five-wicket haul — had done very well to restrict the West Indies to 182-9.

The left-arm spinner, who also won a review for Marlon Samuels' dismissal, happens to be in the same zone as Dhawan, hardly going wrong with the responsibility entrusted to him. While remaining the most economical of all bowlers, Jadeja picked 5-36 from his 10 overs, inclusive of two maidens, that set the bar high for the rest of the attack.

Except for part-time bowler Virat Kohli, the other bowlers shared a wicket each. Riding on a disciplined attack and some impressive fielding, India would've enjoyed an easier chase if not for Sammy throwing his bat at anything that came his way.

India began their chase in the manner they began their innings in Cardiff, with Rohit Sharma's finesse complimenting Dhawan's aggression. Sharma reached his 15th half-century before a DRS review suggested a faint nick off the bat.
Incidentally, India twice opted for the decision review and got it right both times.

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Google buys Waze to further improve Maps

Google Inc bought Israeli mapping startup Waze on Tuesday for just over $1 billion, a source familiar with the matter said, acquiring an online real-time mapping service to safeguard its lead in one of the most crucial aspects of smartphone usage.

Google said in a Tuesday blog post it had closed the long-anticipated deal. It now planned on using Waze's service to enhance its own Maps product, but did not say how much it paid.

Maps and navigation services have become vital for technology companies as consumers adopt smartphones and other mobile devices. Waze uses satellite signals from members' smartphones to generate maps and traffic data, which it then shares with other users, offering real-time traffic info.

Waze's product development team will remain in Israel and operate separately for now, Google said. Eventually, its service will also serve to enhance the U.S. company's Maps app, while the core Waze product itself will benefit from integrating Google-search capabilities.

Google's acquisition ranks among the largest purchases of an Internet company this year as technology deals begin to heat up. Last month, Yahoo Inc closed a $1.1 billion acquisition of blogging service Tumblr.

In a separate blogpost, Waze Chief Executive Noam Bardin said his company decided to forego the typical initial public offering route for startups, because it wanted to focus on the product.

"Choosing the path of an IPO often shifts attention to bankers, lawyers and the happiness of Wall Street," said Bardin, who is based in Palo Alto, California along with a small staff. "We evaluated many options and believe Google is the best partner for Waze."

Offense or defense?
Maps are among the five most-used applications on smartphones and tablets, along with music and games. Analysts say Google might have been motivated by a desire to keep Waze and its real-time traffic information out of rivals' hands.

Facebook Inc was, at one point, an interested buyer, sources have told Reuters. Talks however with the world's largest social network broke down after disagreement over whether Waze's main team should remain in Israel or not, AllThingsD and other tech blogs reported last month.

Four-year-old Waze was the brainchild of Ehud Shabtai, a software engineer with a degree in philosophy and computer science from Tel Aviv University, who hit upon the idea when he realized commercially available GPS software could not reflect real-time conditions speedily enough, or provide certain useful data - such as speed traps.

According to Waze's website, Shabtai teamed up with entrepreneurs Uri Levine and Amir Shinar to found Waze in 2008.

It now has 47 million users, raising $67 million in funding to date from firms including: Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Blue Run Ventures and semiconductor company Qualcomm Inc.

Shares in Google, which pledged on its blog to work with Waze's existing community of update contributors, slipped 0.47 percent to $886.96 in the early afternoon. The tech-heavy Nasdaq was down .36 percent at the time.

"Imagine if you could see real-time traffic updates from friends and fellow travelers ahead of you, calling out 'fender bender...totally stuck in left lane! and showing faster routes that others are taking," Google Geo Vice President Brian McClendon wrote in a blogpost.

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Mobile developers from India, China in demand

Mobile developers from India, China in demand: Study

To bridge the significant gap in demand and availability of skilled mobile developers, several large organisations are tapping global talent hotspots like India, China, Israel and Europe, says a study.

Job postings for mobile developers has doubled in since 2011, but supply is growing only at 13 percent, the study by Talent Neuron, a web-based talent planning and management platform from Zinnov LLC, said.

To address the gaps, companies are following a three-pronged approach acquisitions, leveraging global talent hotspots by expanding their R&D footprint and vendor partnerships to take advantage of available talent, the study said.

"Several large organisations are leveraging global talent 'hotspots' such as India, China, Israel and Europe," it said. The majority of mobile application talent is located in EMEA region (Europe, the Middle East and Africa), where 42 percent of the global top 25 cities for mobile development are located, with Finland, Tel Aviv and Moscow emerging as key locations.

Interestingly, APAC (Asia Pacific) is a hotspot for talent that works on Android platform, while iOS and Blackberry developers are less prevalent in the region.

The study found tremendous demand for HTML 5 development skills, which witnessed a 149 percent increase in job postings in 2013, followed by job posts for Android app developers (146 percent rise) and iOS developers (132 percent rise).

Commenting on the findings, Talent Neuron Co-Founder and CEO Vijay Swami said, "There is an intense war for mobile development talent, fuelled by low availability and the dynamic nature of the industry which requires constantly updated skillsets."

"Rather than waiting for the perfect candidate, companies should aggressively leverage global locations to expand their catchment area, analyse skills of niche mobile first organisations before M&A and opportunistically leverage partners for talent (not cost)," Swami added.

The report further noted that regions like the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, London and Tel Aviv can take on high-end work, while cities like Sydney, Tokyo, Munich, Sao Paolo are 'challengers' where talent predominantly works on testing and development.

The ecosystem is still nascent in emerging cities like Beijing, Bangalore, Shanghai, Dublin and Madrid, it added.

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Apple announces iTunes Radio free music streaming service

Apple on Monday unveiled its hotly anticipated iTunes Radio Service, as the iconic maker of the iPhone moved to challenge streaming music operators like Pandora and Spotify.

(Also see: Apple showcases iOS 7 featuring complete UI overhaul)
The free Internet radio service features over 200 stations "and an incredible catalog of music from the iTunes Store," Apple said in a statement as it opened its annual developers conference in San Francisco.
(Also see: Apple unveils OS X Mavericks, new Mac Pro)
The ad-supported free music service is set to launch later this year and "offers music fans access to thousands of new songs every week, as well as serving up exclusive music from new and popular artists before you hear them anywhere else," an Apple statement said.
The service will be integrated with Apple's personal voice-assistant software program Siri, so users will be able to find out "Who plays that song?" or ask the program to "Play more like this."
"iTunes Radio is an incredible way to listen to personalized radio stations which have been created just for you," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services.
"It's the music you love most and the music you're going to love, and you can easily buy it from the iTunes Store with just one click".


iOS 7 and other Apple launches in pics

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Bihar to uplift 1 crore people through skill development

Bihar government has set a target to enhance the skills of one crore people in various works in the next five years so as to lift them above the poverty line, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said today.
“After development of skill of one crore people their income will increase two to four times and this will help pull masses above poverty line,” Kumar said while addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the newly constructed building of women ITI at Digha Ghat here.
A trained labourer would earn not less than Rs 500 a day and even if he works for 24 days a month he would earn Rs 12,000 in a month and would come above the poverty line, he said.
“Lifting people above poverty line is the prime target of the Bihar government,” he said.
One effective way for skill development was through industrial training institutions with the state government setting up a human resource development mission under his chairmanship, Kumar said.
12 women ITIs have been opened in nine subdivisions of Bihar. There are 59 government industrial training centres and 459 non-governmental institutions in the state, the CM also said.
In a bid to empower women, the state government has planned to form 10 lakh women self help groups. Out of this 1 lakh SHGs have already come into being.
“When 10 lakh SHGs start functioning, 1.25 crore women would be full of economic confidence, then how the state would remain backward,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said that skill development would bring down the migration rate from Bihar for livelihood.

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‘Compensation structure will be more agile and flexible in times ahead’

Shubha Kasivisweswaran, HR Director, SunGard

What actually goes into building a sustainable and effective compensation strategy during appraisals? 
Whatever the season, employees will stay if the work is good, the environment is challenging and healthy; and the rewards are consistent and fair; and they see a joint commitment to their future in the organisation. What is unique to the appraisal cycle is that we decide increases at this time – decision on these needs to be shaped by the organisation’s philosophy. Firms that want to build a pay-for-performance culture will differentiate by performance level; firms that have diverse teams across domains or industries are more decentralised and expect managers to own their resources; they will give broad guidelines and let managers decide individual payouts; so, compensation strategy cannot change seasonally and needs to support business drivers and structures. It is useful to have increase structures that allow you to differentiate increases for merit, for promotion and for market catch-up.
What do employees generally expect from appraisals? How do you see the expectations changing in times ahead? 
Appraisals refer to the review of work done, but in most organisations and with most employees, this is synonymous with the increases and promotions that usually follow an annual appraisal exercise. To claim that an appraisal process is successful we must be able to make the distinction between the two processes in the minds of employees. That will ensure a fair understanding of how appraisals will impact pay outcomes, but also how the appraisals will feed into career plans, personal development and overall satisfaction. Employees expect that the appraisal process will be transparent, predictable, and fair. Appraisals are not a sphere in which people like surprises – even a positive surprise actually sends the message that the employee’s ability to assess work and impact of his work is not congruent with how the organisation views that work and that impact.
What retention strategies do you put into place to retain dissatisfied employees, post appraisals? 
When we say post-appraisal outcomes, we cover salary increases, promotions, role changes, transfers etc. To deal with dissatisfaction in any of these outcomes, you must start along with the appraisal process itself. We introduced a channel for employees to raise any concerns and I believe the key to why it succeeded was because we launched it along with the appraisal process and at every stage of the process, reminded employees to raise concerns, doubts or alerts through that. This works in two ways: there are always some employees who are feeling aggrieved and this forces them to examine the issue they are aggrieved about and that usually gives them a perspective that we could never manage through discussions; the second is when a genuine issue is dealt with promptly as soon as it arises and in confidence, word spreads. This in turn, reduces the incidence of that issue for others – remember that it is usually the same set of issues that are raised again and again. Do not discount the power of peer conversations – have a process that acts as a catalyst to surface these issues and address them promptly. That will help you harness the power of peer conversations. 
How do you see compensation strategies changing in times ahead?
In the years ahead, as organisations become more agile and flexible, compensation and reward structures will follow suit. For example, I believe we will see structures where a number of components could be short-term and revisited a few times a year; for example, an employee working on a critical project receives an allowance that lasts as long as that project does and there is no stigma with its discontinuance at the end of the project. The sense of entitlement that employees have now will diminish. Also, more organisations will move to communicating a Total Compensation or Total rewards picture to employees to maximise the value from investment and also to ensure employees understand the full extent of the investment the organisation is making.

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