The first call from a cell phone was made 40 years ago today

In the past four decades, the world has gone from monster handsets to pocket-sized portable computers.

 

Martin Cooper changed the world when he made the first cell phone call 40 years ago.
The former Motorola vice president and division manager made the call on the company's DynaTAC phone while standing in front of the New York Hilton on Sixth Avenue. His first call: to the head of research at Bell Labs, a company that also was attempting to build the first cell phone.
Cooper's call did more than untether people from their fixed phone lines; it opened the door to true mobility and continues to affect virtually every aspect of our lives.
Long gone are the clunky phones, such as the DynaTAC, or the large cell phone famously used by Zack Morris on the television sitcom "Saved by the Bell." In their places are sleek smartphones and tablets with massive brains and access to a super-fast wireless connection. People don't just use their mobile devices to make phone calls. In fact, they do a lot less of that now. They use their phones to browse the Internet, order delivery food, play word games with each other, and keep up with the ever-increasing tsunami of e-mails and text messages.
Cooper remains a revered figure in cell phone history. He had another moment to shine at Motorola's Razr event last fall. When current Motorola executives introduced him, the throngs of jaded bloggers and reporters stopped their typing to pay their respects for his accomplishments.

Martin Cooper and his Motorola DynaTAC.

A lot has changed since Cooper worked at Motorola and the company was a world-beating giant in the telecom industry. Now, what's left of the Motorola cell phone division largely has been swallowed up by Google, which now dominates the industry with its Android mobile operating system. What hasn't been gobbled up by Google and its partners (primarily Samsung Electronics) is left to Apple, the other major player in the field.
As part of the 40th anniversary, Cisco put together an infographic (above) that highlights some of the milestones that got us from Cooper's first call to today's Google Glass and beyond. In 1992, the first commercial text message is sent ("LOL"). Two years later, Tetris makes its debut as the first cell phone game. In 2004, the first Wi-Fi-certified cell phone is introduced and is now a commonplace feature as the wireless carriers look to unload as much traffic as possible on Wi-Fi.

From brick phones to pocket computers in 40 years (pictures)

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The graphic also highlights the introduction of Apple's App Store in 2008, marking the first of a new generation of application stores and inspiring legions of developers.
Looking ahead, the advent of cellular technology has enabled wholly new connected devices, as evidenced by an image of Google Glass making its way to the infographic. The carriers, meanwhile, are looking to connect everything from cars to dog collars and medicine pill bottles. Cisco projects by 2017 there will be more than 10 billion mobile devices around the world, with video accounting for 66 percent of all traffic.
But it all goes back to that first phone call.

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Google parts ways with Apple over WebKit, launches Blink

Both Chrome and Safari will move faster when uncoupled from each other, Google argues. But it's not just about technology: Social issues also factored into the schism.

A years-long marriage of convenience that linked Google and Apple browser technologies is ending in divorce.
In a move that Google says will technologically liberate both Chrome and Safari, the company has begun its own offshoot of the WebKit browser engine project called Blink. Initially it uses the same software code base that all WebKit-based browsers share, but over time it will diverge into a totally separate project, Google announced today.
The move marks the end of years of direct WebKit programming cooperation between the two rivals. WebKit is an open-source project, meaning that anyone can use and modify the software, but previously Google and Apple were all contributing to the same code base. With Blink, each company will go its own way, working separately to add new features and to support new Web standards rather than being able to capitalize on the other's work.
Major "forks" in open-source projects can be divisive and bitter, though a certain collegiality among Web programmers seems likely to forestall that negative outcome in the case of Blink. The pains of forking WebKit into Blink are worth it, argued Linus Upson, the Google vice president of engineering for Chrome.

"We're confident this will allow us to move faster and allow the rest of the WebKit community to move faster, which ultimately will allow the Web to move faster," Upson said.
Apple declined to comment for this story. Opera Software, which scrapped its own Presto engine and adopted Google's Chromium version of WebKit, will use and contribute to Blink, according to Opera Web evangelist Bruce Lawson.
The Blink name is a reference to the despised and now extinct blink tag of early HTML that made text blink off and on. It follows the pattern of Google naming projects after what it deems relics from the past: Chrome is designed to minimize user-interface "chrome" that surrounds Web pages; the Chromebook Pixel's high-resolution screen is designed to make pixels disappear; and Blink is designed to do away with browser engine irritations.
WebKit is a browser engine, software with the job of processing Web pages' instructions and rendering the result on a computing device's screen. Google used WebKit to give its browser a running start, but now Chrome is mature enough to stand on its own.
It's not just technical matters that led to the split, though. There never has been a single WebKit agenda for Apple and Google, and social tensions persisted as the two groups tried to work together.
Technical differences: Multiprocess design
One major example of how the Apple and Google WebKit projects have diverged involves how the browsers divide up computing processes running in parallel.
"Chromium has a very different multiprocess architecture than the other WebKit-based browsers," said Alex Komoroske, product manager for Google's Open Web Platform team. And because that's such a foundational part of the software, not some high-level module tacked onto the core, it's really hard to accommodate multiple approaches, he said.
One example of something Google would like to do is assign different sections of Web pages called iframes to various computing processes. "It would be great for security and stability and performance if we could have iframes embedded in pages be a separate process," Komoroske said. "But it would require a lot of change that would really disrupt the rest of the WebKit community."

Linus Upson, vice president of engineering for Chrome, speaking at Google I/O in 2011.

As Web apps have become more sophisticated and the Internet has become a foundation for so much work, entertainment, communication, and learning, Web engines have risen commensurately in importance. They're now effectively operating systems unto themselves -- sometimes explicitly, as in the case of Google's Chrome OS and Mozilla's Firefox OS. Those heavy browser responsibilities mean core design decisions, such as multiprocess management, are critical.
Initially, Blink and WebKit will be identical as the former first splits off from the latter. But from that point forth, divergence becomes a reality.
"Over time they'll evolve in different directions, which will make it harder to share code," Komoroske said. "It'll be increasingly difficult to share a straightforward patch."
That forking also means others using the WebKit engine -- a list that includes Samsung, BlackBerry, Opera, Amazon, and others -- will have to decide which side of the fence they want to end up on.
WebKit growing pains
In principle, WebKit benefits from many contributors and from a dominant foothold among mobile browsing by virtue of iOS and Android. In practice, however, WebKit has been fragmenting as more and more parties get involved.
Google's Paul Irish described the WebKit variety well in February, shortly after Opera announced its plan to scrap Presto. Apple and Google WebKit implementations differ in how they display text and graphics, use hardware acceleration, and communicate over the network, for example. And even from its first days in public, Chrome had a different engine for running JavaScript programs.
In addition to Opera's big move, Google and Apple have also been expanding WebKit. Previously, Google's Android browser was a separate project, although based on WebKit, but the company pulled it into the main WebKit code base as it built Chrome for Android.
And Apple is doing the same thing, "upstreaming" elements of its iOS browser into the main WebKit project rather than maintaining them downstream in a separate software repository. (Open-source software development is an exercise in metaphor: Code comes in trees that can branch or fork into separate projects, and code changes can flow downstream to subprojects or upstream to higher-level master repositories.)
Apple's iOS move illustrated some frictions between Google and Apple engineers.
In one discussion, Chrome programmer Adam Barth objected to what he called a "growing trend of unilateral action by Apple in this project."
In response, Apple's Maciej Stachowiak tried to ease diffferences:

If we'd taken an equally hard line when Google wanted to merge the Chromium port to trunk, with a number of design choices in place that we didn't agree with but which were hard to change, it probably still wouldn't be in the tree to this day. I don't think that would have been a good thing for the WebKit project.

Perhaps the most succinct summary of the situation came in a long post titled "WebKit wishes" by Chrome programmer and former Safari programmer Eric Seidel. He pointed to the difficulties of supporting no fewer than eight separate systems for building software off the same code base; to the lack of an overarching decision-making process to decide upon what new features to bring to a huge fraction of Web users; and to social difficulties between the Apple and Google teams:

The WebKit community is full of brilliant engineers. Yet I frequently feel a lack of trust in my (or others') judgment, or witness hot-headed remarks on bugs, lists or IRC...Social problems are perhaps harder to solve for us technical types, but I worry that for many of us it's just become "us" and "them," and we've stopped trying.

Compatibility changes?
WebKit's power on the Web -- especially in the mobile world -- has triggered some angst and teeth-gnashing. Mozilla and Opera, for example, fretted when Web programmers built mobile sites that worked only with WebKit browsers.
When Opera threw in its lot with WebKit, more people fretted at the loss of an independent browser engine.
But Blink means that some of that independence is returning.
"It's our belief that having multiple rendering engines will spur innovation," Komoroske said. "In the long term, we're increasing our commitment to standards."
One downside of that independence means that Web programmers will have to test their sites with more browsers. To invoke existing features that aren't yet standards on Blink, programmers will be able to use the "-webkit" prefix in their code. For new features, Google wants to avoid such prefixes altogether by adopting Mozilla's practice of keeping immature features behind a flag. Users must specifically set the flag before the feature is enabled.
Another downside is that programmers won't be able to share as much work supporting new features.
"By sharing the code base, we gain certain efficiencies," Upson said. Overall, though, it's worth it, he argued. There are inefficiencies, too, in trying to get engineers to agree on a single approach or to accommodate different approaches. "We only wanted to do this if the net efficiency gain would be positive for everyone."

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“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

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8 Most Expensive Players of IPL 6

8 Most Expensive Players of IPL 6

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The stage is set for the 6th edition of the highly anticipated Indian Premier League, and emotions are running high in the field as well as the stands. Another thing that has run high is the prices at which the top players for the championship were bought.
We give you a list of the 8 most expensive IPL players this season.

1. Glenn Maxwell, Australia

Image Credit: © BCCL
This Aussie all-rounder got the biggest slice of the auction pie, with the Mumbai Indians team buying him for a whopping 1 million dollars. This makes Maxwell the first and only million-dollar player till now in the IPL series. For a young player who debuted in international cricket only over a year ago, he has come a long way in a short span of time. With such a heavy investment, Mumbai Indians are all set to get their hands on the Cup for the very first time.

2. Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lanka

Image Credit: © BCCL
The next top earner in the IPL 6 auction was Sri Lankan bowler Ajantha Mendis. Pune Warriors acquired Mendis at $725,000. A Second Lieutenant in the Sri Lankan Army, Mendis began his international cricketing career in 2008 and has stowed away quite a number of laurels in his kitty already. These include the Man of the Series Award in Asia Cup 2008 and the Emerging Player of the Year in LC ICC Awards ceremony in the same year.

3. Kane Richardson, Australia

Image Credit: cricketteams (dot) info
Another acquisition of the Pune Warriors was Kane Richardson, a right-arm fast-medium bowler from Australia. Pune Warriors, who has not won any IPL or Champions League championship as yet, bought this young Aussie for $700,000. Debuting in international cricket just this year with only 1 ODI to his name, this paceman was suffering from a back ‘hot spot’ a few weeks ago. However, he confirms that he is now “good to go” for IPL. For the sake of Pune Warriors, we certainly hope so!

4. Abhishek Nayar, India

Image Credit: © BCCL
Pune Warriors have splurged quite a bit on getting the perfect team, and their third acquisition was Indian all-rounder Abhishek Nayar. The franchise team bought Nayar at $675,000, more than 6 times his base price (which was $100,000). This makes him the most expensive Indian player in IPL 6. Nayar, who has already played for Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab earlier in his career, has a batting average of 23.47 in T20.

5. Thisara Perera, Sri Lanka

Image Credit: espncricinfo (dot) com
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera was roped in by the newly founded Sunrisers Hyderabad, who will be playing their maiden match this IPL, at $675,000 as well. Perera became an IPL player in 2010, when he was purchased by the Chennai Super Kings. He was later bought by the Kochi Tuskers and subsequently by Mumbai Indians.

6. Christopher Morris, South Africa

Image Credit: espncricinfo (dot) com
After a frantic bidding between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, South African all-rounder Chris Morris went to the latter for $625,000 (over 30 times the base price). Morris had recently sustained a quad injury in December last year, in his T20I debut against New Zealand.

7. Sachithra Senanayake, Sri Lanka

Image Credit: espncricinfo (dot) com
Another all-rounder that was purchased at the same price ($625,000) was Sri Lankan Sachithra Senanayake. Kolkata Knight Riders, who are looking to defend the IPL trophy after their victory in the last season, purchased Senanayake on the suggestion of coach Trevor Bayliss.

8. Dirk Nannes, Australia

Image Credit: © BCCL
The oldest of the lot, 36-year-old Aussie left-arm fast bowler Dirk Nannes was roped in by the Chennai Super Kings at $600,000. A T20 specialist, he previously played for Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Nannes will bring in an element of confidence in the CSK team, and there is more to him than meets the eye. Not only is he a professional skier, but has also played for Netherlands cricket team previously.
9 teams bid, 37 players sold and around 12 million dollars spent – the game just got hotter with more than just the trophy at stake. How the auctioned players perform in the field will unfold in the days to come.

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World's first solar plane to fly across US

The Solar Impulse plane, which requires zero fuel and relies solely on solar panels and battery power, would be the world's first plane powered purely by solar energy.

HOUSTON: A first of its kind ultra-lightweight plane powered completely by the sun is set to fly coast-to-coast this spring.

The Solar Impulse plane will stop in Dallas city in Texas during its historic cross-country journey that begins on May 1, its creators announced today.

The plane, which requires zero fuel and relies solely on solar panels and battery power, would be the world's first plane powered purely by solar energy.

The two Swiss pilots of the plane, Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, want to complete a flight from Moffett Field to New York City, after spending 10 years designing it.

It is expected to arrive in the Big Apple by early July and will stop in Phoenix (Arizona), Dallas-Ft. Worth, Washington DC and either Nashville (Tennessee), Atlanta (Georgia) or St. Louis along the way.

"It carries only one pilot and no passengers, but it carries a lot of message," Piccard said.

"Today we can't imagine having a solar plane with 200 passengers. But in 1903 it was exactly the same," he said, noting the sense of impossibility that surrounded the first airplane flight that took place that year.

"We don't know what's going to happen in the future, but we have to start and see where technology takes us," he said.

The US flight is the latest step towards the ultimate goal of Solar Impulse team; that of making a flight around the world by 2015.

The plane uses creative engineering and physics to harness the sun's energy for power even after the sun sets.

It has a wingspan equivalent to a 747 jetliner, the weight of a station-wagon, and the power needs of a small scooter.

The solar panels across its wings harness power from the sun during the day and lithium-polymer batteries store that energy for overnight trips.

A carbon-fibre material formed in a honeycomb structure makes up the bulk of the plane, which allows for its feather-weight.

In 2010, the Solar Impulse plane completed a 26-hour overnight flight and in 2012 flew from Switzerland to Morocco without any fuel.

To fly around the world, the team needs to fly for five days continuously, which the current plane isn't equipped for.

They would also need to find more efficient batteries and motors, as well as improve the plane's reliability, Borschberg said.

"You have no time to do maintenance and no possibility to change parts," he said of an around-the-world trip.

Piccard is also known for his flying adventures: in 1999 he travelled around the world in a hot air balloon.

In its current form, however, the Solar Impulse is far from having any major practical application. The plane travels at a leisurely cruising speed that is lower than the highway speed limit in the United States and can hold just one passenger in a cramped cockpit.

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8 Indian spices that prevent cancer

8 Indian spices that prevent cancer (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)

Not every battle is struck by a wave of violence and not every fight culminates in bloodshed.

When the opposition in question is an adamant disease like cancer, our armoury should be packed with a lifestyle of regular health check-ups and a diet including foods that double as anti-cancer agents.

When actress Lisa Ray was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a relatively rare cancer of the bone marrow, all she said was, "I'll beat cancer". Carrying this spirit of defeating a disease often labelled 'incurable', we try to find out diet methods, especially in the selection of spices that can avert the multiplying of malignant cells in the body that gradually mature into insurmountable cancer cells.

Our grandmothers would in no time prepare us a glass of warm milk with saffron sprinkled on top when we went crying to her with bruise on our knee or wound on the elbow. The herbal turmeric paste soothed minor cuts and healed all skin rashes. These age-old kitchen tricks are little more than mere quick-fix tactics. Spices like turmeric and saffron are inherent with medicinal properties that, when incorporated to our diet from an early stage strengthens our bodies against invasion of toxins, bacteria and virus.

Senior consultant surgical oncologist Dr. B. Niranjan Naik and senior clinical nutritionist, Fortis La Femme, Shipra Saklani Mishra, inform us about the goodness of Indian spices with cancer-fighting properties and the necessity of their inclusion to our eating habits.

Turmeric/Curcumin: This is the king of spices when it comes to dealing with cancer diseases, besides it adding a zesty colour to our food on the platter. Turmeric contains the powerful polyphenol Curcumin that has been clinically proven to retard the growth of cancer cells causing prostrate cancer, melanoma, breast cancer, brain tumour, pancreatic cancer and leukemia amongst a host of others. Curcumin promotes 'Apoptosis'- (programmed cell death/cell suicide) that safely eliminates cancer breeding cells without posing a threat to the development of other healthy cells. In cases of conventional radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the surrounding cells too become a target in addition to the cancer cells. Therefore, the side-effects are imminent.

Fennel: Armed with phyto-nutrients and antioxidants, cancer cells have nothing but to accept defeat when the spice is fennel. 'Anethole', a major constituent of fennel resists and restricts the adhesive and invasive activities of cancer cells. It suppresses the enzymatic regulated activities behind cancer cell multiplication. A tomato-fennel soup with garlic or fresh salads with fennel bulbs make for an ideal entree prior to an elaborate course meal. Roasted fennel with parmesan can be another star pick.

Saffron: A natural carotenoid dicarboxylic acid called 'Crocetin' is the primary cancer-fighting element that saffron contains. It not only inhibits the progression of the disease but also decreases the size of the tumour by half, guaranteeing a complete goodbye to cancer. Though it is the most expensive spice in the world for it is derived from around 250,000 flower stigmas (saffron crocus) that make just about half a kilo, a few saffron threads come loaded with benefits you won't regret paying for. Saffron threads can be used in various ways:

Cumin: Yes, it aids digestion and probably that is why we like chewing a handful of cumin seeds at the end of every meal. However, its health benefits go beyond. A portent herb with anti-oxidant characteristics, cumin seeds contain a compound called 'Thymoquinone' that checks proliferation of cells responsible for prostate cancer. So, instead of loading your usual snack options with calories and oil, add this seasoning to your bread, fried beans or sauce and make the dish rich in flavour and high on health. You can rediscover the magic of cumin in your regular bowl of tadka dal and rice too!

Cinnamon: It takes not more than a half teaspoon of cinnamon powder every day to keep cancer risk away. A natural food preservative, cinnamon is a source of iron and calcium. Useful in reducing tumour growth, it blocks the formation of new vessels in the human body. Some of the effective ways of including cinnamon in your diet are:

-Start your day with a cup of cinnamon tea (in leaf or sachet)
-Make your breakfast meal a super healthy one; just add this wonder spice to your
morning oatmeal and you are going well!
-A fruity delight comprising chopped apples, a few walnuts and your magic potion cinnamon
-Honey and cinnamon in your glass of milk before going to bed; no cancer nightmares assured!

Oregano: More than a pizza or pasta topping, oregano confirms its worth as a potential agent against prostate cancer. Consisting of anti-microbial compounds, just one teaspoon of oregano has the power of two cups of red grapes! Phyto-chemical 'Quercetin' present in oregano restricts growth of malignant cells in the body and acts like a drug against cancer-centric diseases.

Cayenne Pepper/Capsaicin (Chilli peppers): A promising spice with anti-cancer properties, an overdose of chilli peppers however should be restrained. Capsaicin induces the process of apoptosis that destroys potential cancer cells and reduces the size of leukemia tumour cells considerably. It can be concluded that apart from setting our tongues on fire, chilli peppers can scare cancer pathogens off too.

Ginger: This humble spice boasts of medicinal qualities that help lowering cholesterol, boost metabolism and kill cancer cells. Easily added to vegetable dishes, fish preparations and salads, ginger enhances the flavour in cooking. Chew on fresh parsley if the odour bothers you.

Others: Cloves, anise, basil, garlic, caraway, fenugreek, mustard, mint leaves, rosemary, Limonin (fresh lemon), virgin olive, vinegar and avocado are other cancer-fighting diet components.

Dr. K Medhi, Senior Consultant, Medical Oncology informs us on other diet habits that can keep cancer risk at bay:

1. A plant-based diet with a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and beans is the best organic way to fight cancer.
2. Add fibre: Replace white rice with brown rice in meals
3. Substitute whole-grain bread for white bread; choose a bran muffin over a pastry
4. Snack on popcorn instead of potato chips.
5. Eat fresh fruits with skin.
6. Omega-3 fatty acids fight inflammation.
7. Cook with olive oil instead of regular vegetable oil
8. Avoid packaged or fried foods that are high in trans-fats
9. Avoid processed salt. Celtic sea salt/Himalayan salt can be consumed sparingly.
10. Cancer patients: Do not load your diet with turmeric or Curcumin supplements without doctor's consult or prescribed dosage.

Cancer fighting salad recipe: Couscous salad with sun dried tomato

Ingredients:

Couscous Wheat- 120 gms

Turmeric - 1 gm

Salt/pepper To Taste

Sun dried tomato- 2 nos

Olives (black/Green) - 2 nos each

Mint leaves- 2 sprig

Lemon juice

Ginger dices

Bell pepper dices- 15 gm

Olive oil- 2 Tsp

Saffron

Pickle onion- 2 nos

Lettuce leaves

Method:

1. Take a pan and add salt, pepper, turmeric, couscous, olive oil and saffron. Steam the couscous for 5 minutes and chill immediately.

2. Now add lemon juice, bell pepper, olives, sun dried tomato, pickle onion (chopped) and dice ginger. Mix well and add mint. Mould it on top of lettuce leaves and serve chilled.

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YouTube video showing woman using 'mobile phone' in the 1930s goes viral

A video running viral on Youtube which reportedly shows a woman speaking on a wireless device in a 1938 film could be the proof of the world's first mobile phone.

The short video clip, which is believed to have attracted over 342,000 views on YouTube, features a woman named Gertrude Jones.

In the clip, she is speaking on a prewar prototype of a mobile phone which was developed by a communications factory in Leominster, Massachusetts.

The video titled 'Time Traveler in 1938 film,' was first posted on the site a year ago and was widely reported on by various blogs on the Internet, the 'Daily Express' reported.

However, a user called 'planetcheck' has come forward, claiming to have solved the mystery. "The lady you see is my great grandmother Gertrude Jones," Planetcheck said.

"She was 17 years old. I asked her about this video and she remembers it quite clearly. She says Dupont had a telephone communications section in the factory," Planetcheck said. "They were experimenting with wireless telephones. Gertrude and five other women were given these wireless phones to test out for a week.

"Gertrude is talking to one of the scientists holding another wireless phone who is off to her right as she walks by," Planetcheck said.

Although, there has been no independent verification on the claims, but if it turns out to be true then it means the video was shot more than 40 years before the first mobile phone was available in the market.

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IPL 6: Aircel introduces Rs. 164 'extra talk time with CSK' recharge

As the IPL fever grips the nation, telecom operator Aircel has decided to leverage its association with Chennai Super Kings and launch an initiative called "Extra Talk Time with CSK". Under this scheme subscribers will get a full talk time on the recharge of Rs. 164. And an extra talk time if Chennai Super Kings scores over 164 runs in a match.For instance, in a match, if Chennai Super Kings scores 180 runs, the customers will get an extra talk time of Rs. 16. This extra talk time will be valid only for 15 days. This scheme is operational from April 1, 2013 and the extra talk time will be awarded on the basis of score of the next match that Chennai Super Kings plays.
Apart from this all consumer, who recharge with Rs. 164 will also get 5 Aircel to Aircel calling minutes, which will be valid for two days. In case of Chennai Super Kings scores less than or equal to Rs. 164, in that the case too the subscriber will get full talk time and the 5 Local Aircel to Aircel minutes.
Chennai Super Kings is pitted against Mumbai Indian for their first match that will take place on April 6, 2013.
Commenting on the launch of this initiative, Anupam Vasudev, Chief Marketing Officer, Aircel, said, "Aircel is delighted to launch this unique initiative for the customers. We aim to leverage the great following that cricket and IPL have in our country. Chennai Super Kings is the most successful team in IPL and this year their success will bring a cheer to Aircel customers as well. Through this exciting initiative, we will reach out to our customers and reiterate our commitment of bringing innovative and best value for money products and services in the market. This is a first of its kind initiative and our strong association with CSK will also help us strengthen the relationship with our key target audience- youth".

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Windows Blue poised to become Windows 8.1

The Windows Blue operating system update is likely to be named "Windows 8.1" when it arrives this summer, according to sources.

Microsoft officials supposedly have decided on the final name for Windows Blue. The final decision, one of my sources told me, is that it will be Windows 8.1.

The client version of Blue, codenamed Windows Blue, is a refresh of Windows 8. It is expected to be released to manufacturing around August of this year. As I've blogged a few times, Microsoft is planning to position Blue as part of the Windows 8 wave, not as Windows 9.
On Twitter this morning Roman L. (a k a @AngelWZR) posted a screen shot of what appears to be a build of Windows Blue that postdates the one that leaked a week ago. The week-ago Blue build was 9364; the new one is 9375. It is labeled in AngelWZR's screen shot as "Windows 8.1 Pro."
"Well maybe that's not an April Fools' joke," AngelWZR tweeted.
My Blue source said that the top-level branding will be "Windows 8" when Microsoft releases the 8.1 update -- similar to the way that Microsoft's Windows Phone officials talked about the "Mango" (Windows Phone 7.5) release as part of the Windows Phone 7 family.

My tipster also says that Microsoft plans to refer to the Blue update for Windows RT as "Windows RT 8.1."
There's no word as to what, if anything, Microsoft plans to charge existing Windows 8 and Windows RT customers for Blue.
Microsoft executives like Windows Chief Financial Officer Tami Reller have said repeatedly that Microsoft envisions Windows 8 as something more than a one-season wonder. Reller has said the company considers Windows 8 a product "of multiple selling seasons." So it makes sense that Blue would be christened Windows 8.X, not Windows 9.
If it pans out that Microsoft has, indeed, opted for Blue to be named 8.1 -- rather than 8.5 or 8.7 -- I wouldn't be surprised to see the expected next couple of annual Windows client refreshes to also have an 8.X name when they roll out over the next few years.
Microsoft officials are not commenting about Blue, beyond acknowledging that the code name refers to the next wave of products from the company.
This story originally appeared at ZDNet under the headline "Microsoft's Windows Blue looks to be named Windows 8.1."

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Dropbox drops in to help out with Yahoo Mail

The companies are teaming up to let users send, receive and manage Dropbox files within Yahoo's e-mail service.

(Credit: Yahoo)

Yahoo has integrated cloud storage service Dropbox into its e-mail system, the company announced today.
The two companies have partnered to allow users to send, receive and manage Dropbox files within Yahoo Mail.
"This integration allows you to share and store files more easily, whether they are vacation photos or important documents like tax returns and research papers," according to a Yahoo blog post. "And, because files can be stored in your Dropbox account online, it's easy to find the files you want even when you are away from your desktop."

Dropbox reminded e-mail users that its service helps sidestep the 25MB file size limit on e-mailed attachments. Users can also save files directly to Dropbox from Yahoo Mail.
The integration is available in the English, French, Spanish, German and Italian versions of Yahoo Mail. Users who don't already have Dropbox can create accounts within the e-mail service.
Dropbox has a thing for e-mail these days. Just last month, it acquired the popular new app Mailbox, which said at the time that it was delivering more than 60 million e-mails a day.

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Google expands its Google+ single sign-in feature

Google+ users will find even more ways to use the same log-in credentials to access Web sites, apps, and share information.

(Credit: Google)

Google is taking a bigger page from Facebook and Twitter by expanding the way in which you can use your Google+ credentials.
The Google+ sign-in feature lets you use your Google account to access certain Web sites and Web apps without having to create a new account from scratch. The process is similar to using your Facebook or Twitter credentials to log in to different Web sites and launch different Web apps.
Now, Google has expanded the feature to allow developers to add more options, according to a blog posted today. As of now, developers can tap into the following options:

• Add trusted authentication to their apps and sites
• Allow Web users to automatically download their Android app
• Customize their app experience using Google+ profile info
• Enable users to share interactive posts with friends
• Write app activities that only appear when they're relevant

To kick off the new options, Google has already partnered with two platform providers -- Janrain and Gigya.
Courtesy of Janrain, Google+ users can sign in to the following sites: NPR, Universal Music Group (which includes sites like ladygaga.com, justinbiebermusic.com, imaginedragonsmusic.com, eminem.com, and interscope.com), and HSN. Gigya's platform offers access to American Idol and the Food Network UK.
Accessing any of the above sites will now let you log in with your Google account as well as your Facebook or Twitter account.

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Microsoft's Outlook.com calendar gets a makeover

Microsoft has revamped its Hotmail calendar, turning it into a modernized Outlook.com.

Microsoft is finally applying a metro look and feel to its Web-based calendar.
On April 2, Microsoft officials revealed that the new Outlook.com calendar is rolling out now and will be available around the world this week at https://calendar.live.com/.
More from today's blog post about the calendar refresh:
"Outlook.com uses Exchange ActiveSync to sync your mail, calendar, and address book on your smartphone, tablet, in the new Outlook 2013, and with the Mail, Calendar, and People apps on your new PC or tablet running Windows 8. You can also use the Outlook connector to integrate your calendar with previous versions of the Outlook desktop software. Connecting your calendar to your mobile device is easy."
Microsoft officials hinted last summer that the calendar refresh was coming shortly after the new Outlook.com Web mail service was announced, which was July 31, 2012. But up until today, officials have declined to say when users could expect the updated Calendar.

Because I get this question often from Hotmail users who are in the midst of moving to (or being moved by Microsoft to) Outlook.com, I'd like to point out the way to see your Calendar in Outlook.com is to click on the downward arrow next to the Outlook logo (upper left). By doing so, users will find their contacts (now known as People), Calendar and Skydrive cloud-storage options.
Update: One feature some were expecting, but that seemingly didn't make it into this update is Skype integration. Supposedly that is still coming, but it's yet another one of those things for which we don't have an official date target.

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IE11, Windows Blue could support Google's SPDY protocol

Bloggers have spotted evidence of Google's approach to speed up communications between browsers and Web servers -- even though Microsoft offered a rival proposal for the same idea.

Another tantalizing tidbit has emerged from last month's leaked IE11 build: the possibility that the next version of Internet Explorer could support Google's SPDY technology for faster browser-server communications.
It's not working yet, but SPDY "is being implemented," said Rafael Rivera of the Within Windows blog. Paul Thurrot of WinSuperSite also said SPDY is coming.
The SPDY support is at the operating system level, meaning that other software besides just IE11 could take advantage of it, Rivera said.
Microsoft declined to comment on the matter.
Google has rounded up several allies to standardize SPDY technology, which streamlines the HTTP technology governing how browsers request Web pages and how Web servers deliver them. But despite broadening support, including in Firefox and Amazon's Silk browser, Microsoft preferred its alternative approach called HTTP Speed+Mobility.

But change is in the air. Microsoft's IE team is, if not as fast-moving as those at Google and Mozilla, getting nimbler about its decisions. It's embraced a slew of newer Web standards with IE9 and now IE10, and seems likely to reverse its opposition to WebGL, a standard that eases hardware-acelerated graphics on the Web.
HTML expert Francois Remy detected non-working interfaces for WebGL, but Rivera went a step farther, getting some WebGL features to work on the IE11 build.
The IE11 build arrived as part of a leak of Windows Blue, the next version of Microsoft's operating system. Windows Blue will be called Windows 8.1 when it arrives, according to ZDNet blogger Mary Jo Foley.

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Today`s Quotes

“A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

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A look at engineering and technology graduates talent pool

The race for a seat at India’s most coveted engineering institutions is hotting up, with the JEE (Main) scheduled for April 7.

The race for a seat at India's most coveted engineering institutions is hotting up, with the JEE (Main) scheduled for April 7.

While only the very best will make it to the top few institutes, engineering as an option will remain a big draw for many. The number of engineering colleges in India has shot up by more than 10-fold over the past two decades.

Engineering and technology graduates made up 7% of India's 5,090,799-strong fresh talent pool in 2012, according to consulting and research film Knowledgefaber. This stream is expected to grow at a compounded growth rate of 6% as against 4.1% in the case of medicine.
Computer science/information technology accounts for the biggest chunk of India' fresh engineering talent pool, with more than 98% of the colleges offering this stream, adds the report. ET takes a quick look at this space in India.

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TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCL Technologies likely to report muted growth for March quarter

Aggregate revenue for TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCL Technologies is expected to grow 2.2% for the March 2013 quarter, compared with 3.6% in the previous quarter.

Wipro Ltd.

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India's top four information technology players are likely to report muted growth in sales and net profit for the March 2013 quarter due to seasonally weak demand — with clients in the process of finalizing their IT budgets — and range-bound currency movement sequentially. Given this scenario, IT vendors will find it difficult to post a better growth than what they had reported in the previous quarter.

For the four top players — TCSBSE -1.07 %, Infosys, WiproBSE -1.33 % and HCL TechnologiesBSE -0.75 % — aggregate revenue is expected to grow 2.2% for the March 2013 quarter, compared with 3.6% in the previous quarter.

Net profit growth for the quarter is expected to slow down to 1.6% from 2.8%. Among the four, HCL Technologies is expected to report relatively better performance. Its revenue and net profit are expected to sequentially grow 3.2% and 2.4%, respectively for the three months to March 31, 2013, the third quarter of its fiscal year.

TCS, the country's largest IT exporter, is expected to grow revenue sequentially by 2.4% and net profit by 1.7%. Investors will be keen to know whether InfosysBSE 1.85 % would be able to surprise the markets once again, after reporting a strong sequential revenue growth of 5.7% for the December 2012 quarter. The company is likely to report a 1.8% increase in top line and 2% increase in net profit for the March quarter.



Last week, Gartner marginally lowered its full-year forecast for IT services growth to 4.5% for 2013 from its earlier estimate of 5.2% growth. The international technology research firm reduced its forecast citing persisting hesitation among global clients to take ment against the dollar in the coming quarters will also be crucial for IT exporters. Some economists expect the rupee to top 60 against the dollar by the end of 2013. If that happens, realisations of IT players would improve even if the growth of their dollar denominated revenues tapers.

For the March quarter, the rupee remained range-bound against the dollar on a sequential basis. Thus there will not be much foreign exchange benefit for exporters.

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