Facebook India User Base Increases 50 Percent In Q1

New Delhi: An expanding user count in India and Brazil helped the  world's largest social networking site Facebook to increase its monthly active users (MAUs) to a whopping 1.11 billion in the first quarter of 2013.

The ubiquitous social networking platform's MAUs rose by 23percent in January-March quarter of 2013 compared to the year-ago period.

MAUs are a measure of the size of its global active user community.

MAU's in India doubled to 78 million in Q1 2013 compared to Q1 2012, while the users in Brazil rose by 62 percent to 73 million during the same period.

"As of March 31, 2013, we had 1.11 billion MAUs, an increase of 23 percent from March 31, 2012. Users in Brazil and India represented key sources of growth in the first quarter of 2013 relative to the prior year," Facebook said in a filing to the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC).

The US-based firm defines MAUs as a registered Facebook user who logged in and visited Facebook through the website or a mobile device or took an action to share content or activity with his/her Facebook friends or connections via a third-party website that is integrated with Facebook, in the last 30 days as of the date of measurement.

"We had 73 million MAUs in Brazil as of March 31, 2013, an increase of 62 percent compared to the same period in 2012 ; and we had 78 million MAUs in India as of March 31, 2013, an increase of 50 percent compared to the same period in 2012," the filing added.

The company said that users accessing the site on their mobiles or handheld devices are increasing internationally.

Globally, mobile MAUs rose by 54 percent to 751 million as of March 2013 from 488 million year-ago period, especially in India, Brazil and the US, it said.

"In all regions, an increasing number of our MAUs are accessing Facebook through mobile devices with users in India, Brazil, and the US representing key sources of mobile growth over the first quarter of 2013 as compared to fourth quarter of 2012," the social networking site noted in the filing.

Mobile MAUs is a user who accessed Facebook via a mobile app or via mobile-optimised versions of the website such as m.facebook.com, whether on a mobile phone or tablet such as the iPad, during the period of measurement.

About 189 million mobile MAUs accessed Facebook solely through mobile apps or the mobile website during the month ended March 31, 2013, a jump of 20 percent from 157 million during the month ended December 31, 2012.

The remaining 562 million mobile MAUs accessed Facebook from both personal computers and mobile devices during that month.

Worldwide daily active users (DAUs) rose by 26 percent to 665 million on average during March 2013 from 526 million during March, 2012.

"We experienced growth in DAUs across major markets, including Brazil, India and the US," it said.

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Vodafone, Aircel and Idea non-copliant with billing standards, says TRAI

The percentage of billing disputes against five telecom operators (Aircel, Vodafone, Idea, BSNL and MTS) ranges between 0.11 percent and 2.42 percent. Aircel's score in Maharashtra is the worst at 2.42 percent.
In Aircel's case, 0.11 percent to 0.25 percent of its post-paid bills in Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Kolkata, Karnataka, Punjab and Rajasthan were disputed.
Pre-paid customers of Aircel disputed the charges dedeucted in Jammu and Kashmir, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa. Around 0.11 to 2.42 percent of pre-paid bills of Aircel were dsiputed in these circles.
Idea Cellular was found non-compliant with billing quality of service benchmark in Gujarat, Haryana and Karnataka for post-paid services.
Aircel and Idea are the two companies which could not resolve there billing disputes within four weeks, the time set under regulation as quality benchmark, as per the report.
Complaints against Vodafone's post-paid services did not comply with benchmark set by TRAI in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh (East). Around 0.24 percent of pre-paid bills raised by the company were disputed in Bihar circle.
Pre-paid and post-paid customers of Sistema Shyam Teleservices, which runs services under brand name of MTS, disputed 0.15 percent of bills raised in Delhi circle.
TRAI report also noticed that faulty billings by telecom operators for post-paid services increased to 5.68 percent during the reported quarter from 4.37 percent in previous quarter.
The regulator has found that many customers of Aircel, BSNL, Idea Cellular, Reliance Communications, Idea Cellular, Tata Teleservices, Uninor and Vodafone in some of the telecom circles had to wait for more than a minute to get their calls answered.
No immediate comments were received by companies on the matter.

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iPad mini with Retina display coming in Q3 this year

iPad mini with Retina display coming in Q3 this year: Analyst

A Retina display iPad mini see a release in the third quarter of this year if a prediction by an analyst is to be believed.

According to a new report by CNET, NPD DisplaySearch, a global market research and consulting firm focusing on the display supply chain, has predicted that Apple is likely to refresh the iPad mini with a Retina display in the third quarter.

The same firm had earlier told the online publication that it was expecting two iPad mini refreshes, with the first one coming in the second half of 2013 and the other in first quarter of 2014. It had also added that the Q1 2014 refresh would see a Retina display. However it didn't specify as to which display technology would be used by Apple.

The current generation iPad mini features a display that has a resolution of 768x1024 pixels, and pixel density of 163ppi.

In March, DisplaySearch had made a similar prediction. It had said that a new iPad mini with an upgraded display was likely to appear later in the third quarter or fourth quarter of the year, but a Nexus 7 with a very-high-resolution display might make an appearance soon.

Paul Semenza, an analyst with the firm had said that it speculated that Retina version of the iPad mini with a resolution of 1536x2048 pixels, and pixel density of 324ppi, might go into production in the third quarter of 2013, with availability expected in the third or fourth quarter, as per a guess based on supply chain data. Semenza had also added that Apple could shortlist from companies such as LG Display, AUO, Japan Display, and Sharp to make the next iPad mini's display. He had stated that the challenge would be to fit a Retina display into the iPad mini's 7.2mm chassis.

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Tablet Tuesday: A refurbished Google Nexus 7 (32GB) for $129.99

That's the lowest price to date on Google's popular tablet, but it does involve a pretty hefty rebate.

The Google Nexus 7: Beloved by Android fans.

Among Android purists, the Google Nexus is widely regarded as the top tablet. I don't necessarily agree with that assessment, but I do know a good deal on one when I see it.
For a limited time, and while supplies last, TigerDirect has the refurbished Google Nexus 7 (32GB) for $129.99, plus around $4 for shipping. That's after applying coupon code QIS89281 at checkout and redeeming a $70 mail-in rebate (which comes in the form of a prepaid debit card).
Update: Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is already sold out. It's worth checking again later, though, as TigerDirect might make more inventory available. In the meantime, the Nook HD (see below) is still a smokin' deal at $149.
Before you vent your spleen on the subject of rebates, allow me to suggest a more hassle-free alternative: the Barnes & Noble Nook HD, which, as I bonus-dealed about yesterday, is on sale this week for $149. More on that in a bit.
CNET called the Nexus 7 "the best small tablet," though that was in reference to the HSPA+ version; this one is Wi-Fi-only. Its spotlight features include an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, 32GB of storage, Bluetooth, GPS, and Android 4.1 (upgradeable to 4.2).
And, boy, do users love this thing. It averages a 4.6-star rating (out of 5) from TigerDirect customers and 4.2 stars from the Amazon crowd (whose numbers exceed 500).
That said, the Nexus 7 lacks one of Android's best features -- a microSD expansion slot -- and doesn't have a particularly high-resolution screen. Granted, 1,280x800 is more than sufficient in a 7-inch tablet, but the aforementioned Nook HD offers 1,440x900. And it has a microSD slot. (It also has Bluetooth, even though Barnes & Noble's specs don't mention it.)
My main complaint with the Nook: its proprietary sync/charge connector. Bad Barnes & Noble. Bad!
Anyway, if you don't mind waiting on a rebate (and don't mind a 90-day refurb warranty), this is your chance to score a killer deal on one of the most popular Android tablets to date. But I'd say for a mere $20 more, the Nook HD definitely merits consideration. Your thoughts?
Bonus deal: Game time! If you are indeed cool with rebates, Newegg has Mass Effect 3 (PC) for $10, shipped, with a $10 mail-in rebate (PDF) bringing your final cost to $0. The action-RPG game earned a 9.0 rating from GameSpot and made a lot of best-of-2012 lists.
Bonus deal No. 2: Need a sweet gift for Mom? For a limited time, All4Cellular has the Aliph Jawbone Jambox portable Bluetooth speaker for $89.95 shipped when you apply coupon code MOM10 at checkout. Note that although it's new, it comes in white-box packaging. (Perfect opportunity to get out the crayons and decorate it just for Mom!) List price: $179.99.
Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers.

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How hackable is your password? McAfee offers password tips

The security vendor is out with a few rules and reminders for creating strong passwords designed to thwart the bad guys.

 

How do you create a password that's strong yet easy to remember? That's the challenge we all face, and one that's prompted a few words of wisdom from McAfee.
In honor of Intel's so-dubbed Password Day, McAfee unveiled a series of tips and tricks on Tuesday aimed at helping all of us juggle the passwords we're forced to maintain across the Web. Its parent Intel has also chimed in with a page that tells you how long it would take to break a certain password. Let's look at Intel's page first.
Browse to the chipmaker's "How Strong is Your Password?" page. Enter and then renter a password. The page says that the password is not sent over the Internet but still cautions you not to enter your real password. Instead, you can enter a password that you might like to use.
In return, the page tells you how many seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, or years it would take someone to hack your password. For example, a password like "12345" or "abcde" would take 0 seconds to hack. So, what are your options if your passwords take seconds instead of months or years to decipher?
McAfee has several suggestions up its sleeve. Some of these may be old hat but they're always worth repeating.

• Use different passwords for your bank account and your e-mail or social networking accounts. If your e-mail account gets hacked, at least your bank account's password is safe.
• A strong password often uses a combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. But you don't have to conjure up a random series of characters that's impossible to remember. Instead, create a phrase that incorporates all of those items. McAfee used "My 1st Password!" as an example, which by itself sounds pretty hackable. But Intel's page revealed that even this password would take four months to hack.
• Once you have a password with letters, numbers, and punctuation marks, you can alter that password for different sites. McAfee suggests adding the name of a site to that password, such as "My 1st Password!: Twtr" for Twitter and "My 1st Password!: Fb" for Facebook.
• A password need not be complex to be strong. Often, a lengthy password that's easy to remember can be more secure. A password like "XF1&tmb" would take 6 minutes to hack, according to Intel. But a password like "The-shining-sea" would keep a hacker busy for 48 years. A passphrase that's hard to hack yet has meaning to you offers the best of both worlds -- strong and easy to remember.

Finally, I have one suggestion of my own. Use a password manager. Such tools take over the hard work by creating, storing, and automatically filling in your passwords at any Web site. Two of the most well-known password managers are RoboForm and LastPass. I've used RoboForm for years and would have a tough timing juggling all of my passwords without its help.

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Microsoft extends revenue guarantee with Yahoo

Microsoft and Yahoo are extending the revenue-per-search guarantee piece of their search partnership by another year.

Microsoft is going to continue to pay Yahoo a guarantee for the revenue-per-search (RPS) shortfall that is continuing to persist.
Reuters noted that Yahoo disclosed the latest year-long extension of the guarantee, which had expired on March 31, on May 7. The guarantee took effect on April 1, according to Yahoo's latest 10-Q filing.
Search Engine Land recapped RPS this way:

"(W)hen Yahoo & Microsoft signed a search deal in 2009, Microsoft promised that Yahoo would earn a set amount of money for each search that happens, a 'revenue per search' or RPS. If this didn't happen, Microsoft agreed to make up the difference, what's called the RPS guarantee."

Microsoft hasn't hit the RPS targets since that time, resulting in Microsoft agreeing in late 2011 to extend the guarantee until this March.

Microsoft's AdCenter technology, the system for buying and delivering online ads, didn't end up providing the kind of revenues Yahoo anticipated when it forged its search deal with Microsoft. To make up for the shortfall, Microsoft has made quarterly payments to Yahoo.
Earlier this year, Yahoo's Marissa Mayer has said that the search partnership between the tech firm and Microsoft has not been as lucrative as expected, contributing to speculation that Yahoo might look to Google as a new search partner at some point.

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Windows Blue preview to hit in late June, Microsoft exec says

Corporate vice president for Windows says there won't be any major changes to Windows 8 with the forthcoming update.

Julie Larson-Green, Microsoft's corporate vice president of Windows, speaks Tuesday at the Wired Business Conference in New York.

NEW YORK--Users will get a preview of Windows Blue in late June, a Microsoft executive said Tuesday. Julie Larson-Green, Microsoft's corporate vice president for Windows, said a public preview of the update to the Windows 8 operating system will be available in time for Microsoft's developers' conference next month.
She declined to provide many details about Windows Blue, the codename for the update, but she said it will enable device makers to create products with smaller screen sizes. She added that despite some reports, Windows Blue won't have any major changes from Windows 8.

"We're working hard on enabling new kinds of hardware and new kinds of software and doing some innovations in the product," Larson-Green said at the Wired Business Conference in New York. Microsoft in October launched Windows 8 with a radically redesigned user interface. Since that time, many users have grumbled about certain features, including the lack of a start button. The operating system was expected to boost PC sales, but International Data Corp. last month said Windows 8 actually is hurting the market.
PC sales have been weak for quite some time, but the first quarter marked one of the worst periods of all time. Shipments fell in the double digits on a percentage basis, which marked the fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year declines, according to tech research firms Gartner and IDC. The sector is not only being hurt by the weak economy, but also by consumers opting for mobile devices instead of traditional PCs.
Late Monday, Microsoft said it had sold more than 100 million Windows 8 licenses in six months. The figure is comparable to the number of licenses sold for Windows 7.
Larson-Green also said during the Wired Conference that Microsoft is having "meaningful discussions" about bringing the start button back to Windows.
Meanwhile, Larson-Green acknowledged that Windows RT, the version of the operating system that runs on chips using ARM Holdings technology, hasn't been well received by the market largely because consumers don't understand it.
"We have some work to do in explaining it to people because it's different," she said.
Larson-Green added that she uses Surface RT as her main computing device and that Windows RT provides a "simpler experience" than Windows 8, which runs on X86 chips from Intel and Advanced Micro Devices.

Surface Pro: Microsoft tries to bridge PC and tablet (pictures)

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Downloadify lets Chrome users copy MP3s of Spotify songs

A Chrome extension lets people copy any music file from Spotify's browser-based player. It doesn't play well with Google's developer agreement, though.

Downloadify icon

A developer published a Chrome extension called Downloadify designed to let people download MP3 copies of the songs they stream over Spotify's Web-based player, but it quickly disappeared from the Chrome Web Store.
"Simple Chrome Extension to Download all Spotify Songs," reads the Downloadify description on GitHub. "Spotify made a great html5 player for their service...But they forgot their encription [sic]...Hey, I don't like encription but love spotify, just pay them for their magnificent content and I am sure they fix it soon."
The extension presents a dialog box that lets a person save a song as soon as it starts playing.

Google apparently booted the extension from the Chrome store.
That's no surprise. According to the Google Chrome Web Store developer agreement, those writing Chrome extensions agree that they "will not engage in any activity with the Web Store, including the development or publication of Products or other materials, that...infringes on the intellectual property rights of others [or] enables the unauthorized download of streaming content or media."
However, squelching the extension might not be easy. Its methods are visible, since the developer published the code on GitHub.
Spotify said it was looking into the matter. Google declined to comment on the specific case but said, "We remove apps from the Chrome Web Store that do not comply with our terms of service."
For Spotify, the timing couldn't be worse. Its licensing agreements with all three major labels are up for renewal this year, and the company is deep in negotiations with Warner Music Group and Universal, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
The company, which recently crossed the 5 million subscriber mark, is pushing for better financial terms from the labels and a deal that would let it offer a beefier service for mobile users. Spotify has become the No. 2 digital revenue source for all the labels, behind Apple.

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Yahoo reportedly looking to dump Microsoft search pact

Marissa Mayer has been looking for an escape hatch since taking over Yahoo last summer, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Marissa Mayer has previously noted her disappointment in Yahoo's Web search partnership with Microsoft and now reportedly wants to get out of the deal altogether.
The Web giant's chief executive has been trying to find a way to escape the foundering arrangement but has so far been unsuccessful, a person familiar with the situation told The Wall Street Journal. Mayer has been looking to cancel the deal since leaving Google to take over Yahoo last summer, the Journal reported.
The two companies entered into a 10-year search partnership in 2010 in which Microsoft would power Yahoo search and Yahoo would become the sales force for Microsoft's premium properties. However, the relationship hasn't yielded the revenue-per-search guaranteed by the partnership, prompting Microsoft to extend the RPS guarantee for another year, Yahoo disclosed in a regulatory filing Tuesday.
It's the second such extension since the deal went into effect. When Microsoft failed to hit RPS targets in the pact's first year, the guarantee was extended until March 2013. The continuing shortfall led Microsoft to extend the deal for another year.

Mayer has publicly expressed her dissatisfaction with the partnership, saying that the arrangement hasn't delivered the increased revenue or market share that was expected.
"One of the points of the alliance is that we collectively want to grow share rather than just trading share with each other," Mayer told attendees at the 2013 Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference in February. "I'm not confused. Our biggest business problem right now is impressions."
Yahoo declined to comment on the Journal report, saying only that "Microsoft continues to be an important partner of Yahoo."
CNET has also contacted Microsoft for comment and will update this report when we learn more.
Meanwhile, Google, which was forced by antitrust concerns to scuttle its own ad-search deal with Yahoo in 2008, might still be waiting in the wings. Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt allegedly said last September that Google was interested in replacing Bing as Yahoo's search engine.

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Skype beware, Viber flies past 200M users, lands on desktop

The popular messaging app now lets people make free calls and send texts from a PC or Mac.

 

Add Viber to the list of insanely popular messaging services that have more than 200 million users.
The 2-year-old mobile messaging and VoIP service, developed by Viber Media, announced the new stat Tuesday, saying that it has 200 million members spread across 193 countries. The company also revealed Viber Desktop for free calling and messaging on PCs and Macs.

Viber, which specializes in mobile apps for iOS, Android, and most other operating systems, lets people use their mobile numbers in place of usernames and allows for free calls and multimedia messages over cellular or Wi-Fi connections. Viber Desktop carries the once mobile-only experience over to PCs and Macs, and introduces desktop-to-desktop video calls. The service's iOS and Android apps were also refreshed Tuesday to allow for a hiccup-free experience when switching between mobile and desktop. The redesigned apps also come with video messages, additional stickers, and support for more languages. Viber now supports 27 languages in total.
Viber joins Facebook, WhatsApp, Kik, and others in disrupting the messaging market with over-the-top offerings that eat into carrier profits. WhatsApp suggested last month that it was beyond the 200 million user threshold.
Viber, now with a striking presence on the desktop, also looks like a formidable challenger to more entrenched VoIP calling providers such as Microsoft-owned Skype, which has more than 280 million users.

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What's new about Windows Blue

What's new about Windows Blue (FAQ)

The top marketing and financial executive in Microsoft's Windows group dishes, just a little, on the next Windows update. CNET offers up a guide on what to expect when Blue finally arrives.

Microsoft's Surface RT tablet.

Microsoft may be the only company on the face of the planet where the sale of 100 million licenses is seen by some as a disappointment.
Tami Reller, the chief marketing officer and chief financial officer of the Windows division, noted Monday that Microsoft has sold more than 100 million licenses of Windows 8 since its October debut. But slowing PC sales have sparked some hand-wringing, leading to speculation about the coming update for Windows 8, codenamed Blue. The significant changes in Windows haven't been universally embraced, Reller acknowledged to The New York Times.
"The learning curve is real and needs to be addressed," Reller told the Times.

Reller said Microsoft is listening to customer feedback regarding frustrations with Windows 8. With the radical overhaul of the look and feel of the operating system, users have raised plenty of concerns about Windows 8. At the top of that list is the lack of a Start Button, something Windows users have grown accustomed to over the years.
"We feel good that we've listened and looked at all of the customer feedback. We are being principled, not stubborn" about modifying Windows 8 based on that feedback, Reller told ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley.
Much is riding on Blue, and not just for Microsoft. The entire PC ecosystem relies on Windows to fuel sales.
The company has been circumspect, though, about the details it's willing to share. Below is a FAQ laying out what is known, and what is rumored, regarding the next Windows update.
What is Windows Blue?
In a post Monday night on Microsoft's Windows blog, Reller described Blue as "a codename for an update that will be available later this year." She said that more broadly, Blue is part of Microsoft's effort to move deeper into devices and services.
Reller didn't dive into the details of what will be in Blue. But Reller said Blue will "deliver the latest new innovations across an increasingly broad array of form factors of all sizes, display, battery life and performance, while creating new opportunities for our ecosystem."
What sort of opportunities does Reller mean?
Clearly, Microsoft is working to make Windows 8 work well for smaller tablets, devices in the 7-inch range, where Microsoft doesn't compete now. Buttressing that, Asus CEO Jerry Shen told The Wall Street Journal Monday that he anticipates smaller tablets, selling for less than $300, to debut later this year.
Any guesses as to when Blue will debut, other than "later this year"?
Reller told The Wall Street Journal that Microsoft would offer two Blue news updates in coming weeks. The first will focus on "pricing, packaging and an official name," according to the Journal. The second will address the technical vision and should come before late June. That would coincide with Microsoft's June 26 to June 28 developer conference in San Francisco, called Build.
The company will want developers to know what to expect from the update to help them create applications that make use of the new features. It's possible that the first bit of Blue news could come at the the Computex trade show in Taipei from June 4 to June 8, where Microsoft is likely to take the wraps off new form factors running Blue. The company could also offer up details at TechEd, a conference in New Orleans on June 3 to June 6 for IT professionals and enterprise software developers.

Microsoft's Tami Reller

What are the implications of Blue for Microsoft's Surface tablet line?
Reller seemed to pour some cold water on the rumor that Microsoft might add a smaller Surface tablet to its lineup in the near future. She told The Wall Street Journal not to expect any update to the Surface product roadmap in the coming weeks. There was some speculation that Microsoft might disclose details of a smaller Surface at one of the upcoming conferences.
So will Microsoft bring back the Start Button? Will it let users boot their PCs to the traditional Windows desktop?
It's hard to imagine that Microsoft wouldn't, given that those two requests, more than any others, have been flashpoints for Windows 8 critics. But Reller, in every interview, remained cryptic on whether those features would be in Blue. That said, last month, ZDNet's Foley reported that both those features are "looking more likely."

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‘Build marketable skills for a competitive career’

Interview of the Day: ‘Build marketable skills for a competitive career’

Suman Rudra, India HR Leader, NCR Corporation gives tips on identifying marketable skills

What are marketable skills, in corporate terms?
Marketable skills are skills for which there is market demand.  It’s basically a process of identifying the skill one possess and linking it with the organisation’s need.  The need depends on the economic environment and also dependent on the business cycle. In a booming economic environment many skills becomes marketable as business growth requires more hands and feet on the ground but in a recessionary environment the ability to protect present business and focus on costs are the skills in demand.
What are the different types of marketable skills? Which ones are most sought-after, today?
There are three different types of skills. The first is functional skills which can be utilised in a wide variety of jobs. Examples are communication, organisation, problem solving, managing, leading etc.  The second is self management, sometimes called personality traits but are skills that define success in a particular career choice. Examples are initiative, risk taking, ability to work independently, being a good team player, assertiveness, dealing with stress. The third type of skills are work content and special knowledge specific to job function like building software code in a language/platform, architect, accountancy etc.
How can one know/discover their marketable skills?
Whatever the person has done successfully in past, there can be patterns identified on what they are enjoying and being successful at and to identify the skills. This can be done in a session with a career counselor. Having identified the skills they need to map the same with the job requirement or career they want to pursue, identify gaps and create a development plan.
Are there any skills, which have always been crucial, but have become marketable, recently?
It’s important to realise that marketable skills are constantly changing. This also varies according to job function. Like in sales & marketing the skill in demand is to reach out to customers with the media in vogue like mobile or social media. This has given rise to positions like marketing specialist in social media or digital marketing, similarly in finance the focus has been new laws like Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), International Financial reporting standard (IFRS). In HR its ability to drive a performance organisation, build leadership and constantly drive change. At CEO level it’s the ability to drive the organisation through short economic cycles of recession, keep team motivated and do business ethically.
How to identify and develop marketable skills?
There are tests available to identify skills/competencies one possesses. One such tool is Strength finder by Gallup. 360 degree feedback is also one tool available to develop leadership skills and competencies. These tools provide you detailed reports which guide a person with a development plan. There are many job specific tools also available. The point is to understand that which skills are in greater demand and what the aptitude for those skills is and then create a skills shortlist to focus on developing them instead of going for all of it. It’s best to have the end goal in mind, and then fill in the gaps.

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7 Foods that help burn fat in summer

Foods that help burn fat

Forget fancy diets, the top flab busters can be found in your own kitchen.

Summer is here and if you have been feeling wistful over not being able to wear your bikini, it's not too late. A magazine quoted dietician Dr Carrie Ruxton as saying, "Metabolism is what converts food into energy. A slow rate means calories are more likely to be converted into fat." While exercise helps, and so does portion control, here are those foods that act as the the biggest metabolism boosters.

Apples: These are said to be nutrient-rich and contain enough fibre to keep the digestion healthy. A tip? Eating an apple just 20 minutes before your meal will make you eat lesser calories in your main meal.

Turkey: This is regarded as a good alternative to chicken as it is lower in calories and higher in proteins and nutrients. It's said that 5 ounces of turkey contains just 175 calories and 10 grams of fat.

Broccoli: Adding more broccoli to your diet can help you lose that weight as it is a low-calorie food that can help you fill up quickly. A single cup of steamed broccoli gives you about twice the amount of vitamins C and K you need in a day. It also is a very good source of vitamins B6 and B2, phosphorus, magnesium, protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

Almonds: Almonds can speed up metabolism like no other. They are also associated with with reducing cholesterol and lowering blood sugar.

Peppers: Bell peppers are great for weight loss. They can fill out any dish without adding the calories and have a small amount of fat burning capsaicin in them.

Pulses: Legumes or pulses like soya beans and kidney beans have key nutrients like iron, vitamins of B group and dietary fiber. Pulses help maintain regular bowel movement because the texture of the fibre helps it move through the digestive system quickly.

Green tea: Is another substance that can be added to the diet that can increase the metabolic rate. Green tea has EGCG in its composition. This substance helps to increase the body and the rate that the nervous system functions. It in turn increases the metabolism.

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Samsung launches dual-sim smartphone, Galaxy Core

Samsung has announced a new addition to its smartphone portfolio: Galaxy Core.

NEW DELHI: Samsung has announced a new addition to its smartphone portfolio: Galaxy Core. According to the company, this smartphone is meant for portability and power, and features optional dual-sim technology.

The all-new Galaxy Core features a 4.3-inch TFT screen with 800x480p resolution and 217ppi pixel density. It is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and packs a 1.2GHz processor under the hood, paired with 1GB RAM. Internal storage in the device is 8GB, and the phone supports microSD-based expansion up to 64GB.

Samsung's newest phone has connectivity features like 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and microUSB 2.0. For imaging, the phone has a 5MP shooter with LED flash on the back and a VGA camera in the front. The phone has a 1,800mAh battery, measures 8.95mm along the waistline and weighs 124gram.

In the Indian smartphone market, the new Galaxy Core will rival the likes of HTC Desire X, Sony Xperia U, Motorola Atrix 2, Nokia Lumia 620 and LG Optimus L7 II Dual.

Key specs:

Display: 4.3-inch TFT screen with 800x480p resolution and 217ppi pixel density; Operating system: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean); Processor & RAM: 1.2GHz CPU, 1GB RAM; Storage: 8GB built-in storage, up to 64GB microSD support; Connectivity: 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and microUSB 2.0; Camera: 5MP rear camera with LED flash, VGA front unit; and Battery: 1,800mAh

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Miller scores 38-ball ton to help Punjab clinch unbelievable win over RCB

Kings XI Punjab's David Miller and Rajagopal Sathish celebrate team's victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore during IPL 6 match n Mohali. (PTI Photo)

MOHALI: It was an insult to injury for Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli. What a costly miss? He dropped David Miller when the Kings XI Punjab's South African southpaw was batting on 41 in his team's 14th over. It was not just any other dropped catch -- Kohli and every spectator realised this soon. What Miller did after that was something left everyone in a daze. It was over in the next four overs.
Scorecard | Watch IPL Videos | Match in Pics

Chasing 191, Kings XI looked dead and buried when they lost David Hussey, with the required run-rate swelling to 15 runs and more per over.

A heist was pulled off after that. Kohli dropped Miller off the last ball off the 14th over by Vinay Kumar and the match turned on its head. Miller decided to go for everything - he smashed RP Singh for 26 runs in the 15th over. The 16th over produced 16 runs, the next 17 and the 18th 23 runs! It was all over.

Kings pocketed by 6 wickets with Miller remaining unbeaten on 101. It was chase no one will forget in a hurry.

Earlier, it was just a change of venue for Chris Gayle. Everything else was same: decimating the opposition bowling line-up, hitting boundaries at will and increasing the crease lines on the face of the rival captain (this time David Hussey).

Pitted against Kings bowlers, the marauder from Windies started in typical fashion - watchful, sedate and biding his time.

The course of the Royal Challengers innings changed in the fifth over. An 87-metre six was followed by another monster from the bat of Gayle, which actually opened the floodgates for the Bangalore team. Newcomer Michael Neser, replacing Ryan Harris in the Kings XI squad, bore the brunt of Gayle's ire, conceding 18 runs off his first over in the tournament.

At the other end, playing his first match after fracturing his finger against Australia in the final Test in New Delhi, Cheteshwar Pujara was feeling his way into competitive cricket. But as Gayle went berserk, Pujara too joined the party, hitting three consecutive boundaries off Manpreet Gony in the final over of the fielding restrictions.

Gayle's (61 off 33b, 6x4 3x6) whirlwind knock was ended by Gony, who had his revenge after being hit for a massive six. Later, AB de Villiers' final assault — 21 runs off the final over —took Bangalore to a competitive total. But Miller had other ideas.

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BlackBerry Q10 review: The keyboard strikes back

The BlackBerry has finally caught up to the world of touch-screen smartphones. It took time - six years, from the launch of the first iPhone - and it may be too late to save the company that makes it. But the BlackBerry deserves to be taken seriously again.Why? Because the new BlackBerry Q10 is a successful marriage of the modern touch-screen smartphone and the iconic BlackBerry keyboard.
Though it can be hard to remember, the keyboard used to be a standard feature on smartphones, before the iPhone wiped our minds with its vision of touch-screen Utopia.
Since then, keyboards have been disappearing from smartphones. Physical keyboards just didn't fit into the design mold set by the iPhone. Palm Inc. created a credible, innovative smartphone with a physical keyboard, but it was a slide-out version, which made the keyboard seem like a burden and an afterthought. There have also been Android phones with physical keyboards, but they haven't been very good, and they've mostly disappeared.
Meanwhile, BlackBerry has continued to make well-designed phones with physical keyboards. But until now, it hasn't gotten the software running them quite right. Even with physical keyboards, modern phones need touch screens to control movies, games and other tasks beyond the BlackBerry's roots in messaging. BlackBerry has experimented with touch screens, but has been partly hamstrung by the pre-touch foundations of its operating system.
After numerous delays, BlackBerry finally came out with a modern operating system this year, the BlackBerry 10 (Review). The company considers it crucial to its future, as the BlackBerry seeks to recapture relevance lost to the iPhone and Android devices.
RIM's first phone with the new software, the BlackBerry Z10 (Review | Pictures), is a touch-only device. With the Q10, we really get to see how it works with a keyboard.
On BlackBerrys, the keyboard has always been about more than filling in text fields, and the new operating system takes that further. If you want to send a tweet about what you're eating for lunch, just pick up the phone, unlock it and type "tweet Turkey sandwich again today." Hit Enter, and now the world knows about your boring fare before you've even had a bite.
Just as you can on some older BlackBerrys, you can also launch applications by typing. If you want to play "Angry Birds," instead of flicking through screens to look for the icon, you can just start typing "Ang" and the game icon pops up. Again, that's fast.
The keyboard is handy for music, too. If you're in the apps screen, just start typing the name of the song or artist you're looking for, and up it comes.
I haven't used a keyboard-equipped phone in years, but the Q10 makes it very tempting. There's no getting around it: it's a faster, more accurate way to type, even compared with innovations such as Swype, which lets you "type" by swiping your finger from letter to letter.
The keyboard eats up space that could be devoted to a bigger screen, of course. But BlackBerry has saved some space by eliminating the big buttons that resided between the screen and the keyboard on older BlackBerrys. This results in a larger, square screen. It's very sharp and colorful, too. To some extent, the screen compensates for its small size with a high resolution, which allows it to present a lot of information, as long as you're willing to hold it close and read small type.
U.S. phone companies haven't yet said when they'll sell the Q10, but expect it by the end of May for about $250 with a two-year contract. It's coming to BlackBerry's home country of Canada on May 1.
The BlackBerry 10 software made its debut a few months ago on the touch-only Z10. The new operating system is a welcome change, not just for BlackBerry users. It's very quick to get around the phone, and it seldom leaves me baffled the way many incarnations of Android do. It's laser-focused on giving you access to email, texts and other means of communication, as opposed to music, movies and games.
One of the coolest features is the "peek." From any application, you can swipe your thumb up from the bottom of the screen, then right, to slide the application slightly off the screen. That reveals the messaging "Hub," which gathers your communications. At a glance, you can see which accounts have new messages. If you want, you can slide the app farther to the right, getting you into the Hub to read and write. Swipe left, and you're back to where you were.
The interface takes time to get used to, and it doesn't have the simple immediacy of the iPhone. But once you learn it, you can positively zip between tasks.
The downside to the new operating system is its relative dearth of third-party software. There are applications for Facebook, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. A Skype app out will be out soon. But there isn't any app for Netflix, Amazon or eBay. There are no Google apps, either. The selection of games is particularly poor. There's only one incarnation of "Angry Birds," and that's "Star Wars."
I also encountered one glitch while using the Q10 for a few days: I was unable to type my response to one email. Leaving it and going back into it did not help until the next day. That's the kind of problem that's going to frustrate BlackBerry users, so I hope it's a rare one, and one the company fixes soon with a software update.
That aside, the Q10 is likely to be attractive to the BlackBerry faithful. It deserves to lure some people over from Androids and iPhones as well. The keyboard makes the Q10 a good complement to a tablet. Use the bigger screen for entertainment, surfing and gaming, and the BlackBerry for messaging.
When I reviewed the Z10 model in January, I found I couldn't point to anything about it that would make me say: "Forget those other phones: you have to buy this one." I can for the Q10. If you value a keyboard, this is the one to get.

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Reliance Communications hikes call rates for both GSM and CDMA subscribers by up to 30 percent

Reliance Communications Monday said it has hiked mobile call rates for both its GSM and CDMA pre-paid customers by up to 30 percent to improve the profits."We have now corrected all Commitment Plans across the country and have increased tariffs by between 20 per cent and 30 per cent," RCom's Chief Executive Officer for Wireless Business, Gurdeep Singh said in a statement.
New tariffs to apply to all customers with immediate effect and the move is aimed at bringing in greater RPMs (revenue per minute) and profitability, the statement said.
"With the Indian telecom industry now heading for a phase of consolidation, with smaller operators shutting down or scaling down their operations and easing off hyper-competitive pressures, this will help pricing power move back to serious, long-term and pan-India scale operators and positively impact profitability," Singh said.
RCom said that large part of its customer base uses Commitment Plans. The company has hiked rates under Commitment Plans 21 and 45 from 1 paise per second to 1.2 paisa per second.
It has also reduced benefit under special tariff vouchers, which enable mobile phone user to get services at discounted rates by up to 65 percent.
"Commitment Plan 48 now offers 160 Local On-Net Minutes (RCom to RCom), against 500 minutes earlier-a reduction of 65 percent," the statement said.
Under Commitment Plan 46, RCom will now offers 140 Local On-Net Mins, as against 200 mins earlier a reduction of 30 percent.
RCom scrip was trading at Rs. 109.85, down by 0.27 percent, in the afternoon session at the BSE.

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Facebook can make you mentally ill: Study

Facebook and other social networking sites may affect your mental health by causing psychotic episodes and delusions, researchers warn.As Internet access becomes increasingly widespread, so do related psychopathologies such as Internet addiction and delusions related to the technology and to virtual relationships, according to the study.
Computer communications such as Facebook and chat groups are an important part of this story, said Dr Uri Nitzan of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Shalvata Mental Health Care Center.
According to Nitzan, patients shared some crucial characteristics, including loneliness or vulnerability due to the loss of or separation from a loved one, relative inexperience with technology, and no prior history of psychosis or substance abuse.
In each case, a connection was found between the gradual development and exacerbation of psychotic symptoms, including delusions, anxiety, confusion, and intensified use of computer communications.
The good news is that all of the patients, who willingly sought out treatment on their own, were able to make a full recovery with proper treatment and care, Nitzan said.
While technologies such as Facebook have numerous advantages, some patients are harmed by these social networking sites, which can attract those who are lonely or vulnerable in their day-to-day lives or act as a platform for cyber-bullying and other predatory behaviour, he said.
All three of Nitzan's patients sought refuge from a lonely situation and found solace in intense virtual relationships.
Although these relationships were positive at first, they eventually led to feelings of hurt, betrayal, and invasion of privacy, said Nitzan.
"All of the patients developed psychotic symptoms related to the situation, including delusions regarding the person behind the screen and their connection through the computer," he said.
Two patients began to feel vulnerable as a result of sharing private information, and one even experienced tactile hallucinations, believing that the person beyond the screen was physically touching her.
Some of the problematic features of the Internet relate to issues of geographical and spatial distortion, the absence of non-verbal cues, and the tendency to idealise the person with whom someone is communicating, becoming intimate without ever meeting face-to-face.
All of these factors can contribute to a patient's break with reality, and the development of a psychotic state.

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Tennis player tweets about Samsung Galaxy S4's awesomeness from his iPhone

Most brands consider celebrity endorsements as a way to break away from the clutter and drive home the message about their products. However, celebrities and brand associations don't always work out, especially when you throw in social media to the mix.Samsung roped in Spanish tennis player and current world number 4 David Ferrer to harp about its latest flagship Galaxy S4. On April 30, Ferrer took to micro-blogging website Twitter to say that he was mighty impressed with the S Health feature of Samsung Galaxy S4 and that this feature was helping him train.
While that seems a perfectly appropriate message to get people talking about the Galaxy S4, there was one small problem: Ferrer used an iPhone to send this tweet.
While Ferrer later deleted this tweet, it was captured by an alert user and later shared by TUAW website.
Ferrer is not the first celebrity to be caught with the proverbial foot in his mouth. Earlier this year, Alicia Keys found herself in a similar situation. At the launch of BlackBerry Z10, Keys took centre stage with BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins as the company announced that she will be the new Creative Director for BlackBerry.
However, a few days post her announcement, Keys was spotted sending tweets through Tweetdeck app on her iPhone. Though Keys later tried to clear the air by claiming those tweets were not her own but posted by a third-party on her behalf, the damage had already been done. Critics even pointed out that Keys had been posting photos using Instagram, an app which was not available on BlackBerry 10 smartphones at that time.
Even Oprah Winfrey had to face similar embarrassment. Winfrey went gung-ho praising Microsoft's Surface tablet saying on her website that "The Surface, Microsoft's first tablet, feels like a Mercedes-Benz to me, people!" and later took the micro-blogging website Twitter to inform her followers that she had bought 12 Microsoft Surface tablets as Christmas gifts. However, this tweet of hers had been posted from an iPad.
Some of the Indian celebrities too have been spotted making similar gaffes. One such example is that of Sonam Kapoor who was seen using Ubersocial Twitter app from her BlackBerry smartphone while she was still associated with S Mobility (Spice).

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YouTube reportedly near launch of paid channel subscriptions

Video-sharing site could launch a paid content platform for some of its specialist video channels as early as this week, according to The Financial Times.

 

YouTube reportedly could launch its paid subscription service for some of its specialist video channels as early as this week.
The a la carte service, which could involve as many as 50 video channels, would allow single channel subscriptions for as little as $1.99 a month, people familiar with the plan tell The Financial Times. YouTube confirmed to CNET in February that it was developing such a service but did not indicate when it would be ready for subscribers.
A paid content platform could give the Google-owned video site another revenue stream while allowing channel operators to finance different content production, such as TV shows and movies, a source said.
YouTube declined to comment on a target launch date for the service, reiterating earlier statements on the topic that it had "nothing to announce," but that it was "looking into creating a subscription platform that could bring even more great content to YouTube for our users to enjoy and provide our creators with another vehicle to generate revenue from their content, beyond the rental and ad-supported models we offer."

YouTube has approached a handful of producers about developing content for a subscription platform that might the video-sharing site hoped to launch this year, according to an AdAge report in January. YouTube was also mulling a plan to charge for other items, such as entire libraries of videos, live events, and even self-help or financial advice shows, AdAge reported.
Not long after that report, two lines of code appeared in YouTube for Android that referred to paid channel subscriptions. The code, apparently intended to generate messages on users' screens, say: "You can only subscribe to this paid channel on your computer," and "You can only unsubscribe from this paid channel on your computer."

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Bill Gates: iPad users frustrated, need the Surface

In an appearance on CNBC, the Microsoft chairman says that iPad users are suffering and need the things that the Surface can bring.

Prescient or envious?

The legion of unhappy iPad users is vast and growing.
They picket Cupertino daily, protesting that Apple make urgent changes to a device that really is substandard. They are very mad and they just can't take it anymore.
No, no, this is not my observation. It's my imagination of Bill Gates' imagination.
For in an appearance on CNBC on Monday, Microsoft's chairman explained very patiently that the iPad is a hive of pain.

I am grateful to the Loop for espying this footage and not using the word "loopy."
Gates told CNBC that Microsoft is ahead of the game with Windows 8. This "takes the benefits of a tablet and the benefits of a PC and it's able to support both of those." (Gates' comments begin around the 7:30 mark in the video.)
This leads him to the argument that his company is ahead in merging the benefits of the two forms and ahead of Apple in its thinking.
Until now, the tablet market, he said, has been dominated by the iPad.
"But a lot of those users are frustrated because they can't type, they can't create documents, they don't have Office there," he said.
Ergo, the implication is, they should buy a Surface or a Surface Pro. Indeed, the strong suggestion is that the iPad should be like the Surface. Why didn't Apple think of that?
Some might find a small difficulty with these thoughts. These frustrated people seem to not, as yet, be entirely enamored with either Windows 8 or the Surface.
There are those who describe Windows 8 as a "flop."
Sales of the Surface seem to not have been speedy, though the introduction of the Surface Pro has added some momentum.

It is, of course, possible that Microsoft will soon enjoy an explosion of success in these areas.
But Gates' heart has never been taken by the iPad.
When it launched in 2010, he offered these words: "You know, I'm a big believer in touch and digital reading, but I still think that some mixture of voice, the pen, and a real keyboard -- in other words, a Netbook -- will be the mainstream on that."
This prognostication was supplemented by: "It's not like I sit there and feel the same way I did with iPhone, where I say, 'Oh my God, Microsoft didn't aim high enough.' It's a nice reader, but there's nothing on the iPad I look at and say, 'Oh, I wish Microsoft had done it.'"
As the months and years roll on, I wonder how many people at Apple will look at the Surface and suddenly mutter: "I wish we'd done that."

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Did Google flush $12.4 billion down the toilet with Motorola?

An EU warning to Motorola Mobility is just the latest defeat that has some wondering why Google bought the handset and TV set-top box maker.

When Google said it would acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.4 billion, it was applauded as a bold move to shore up its patent position.
A year and a half and several legal setbacks later, many are wondering when -- and if -- Google will ever see a payoff.

The latest headache comes courtesy of the European Commission, which sent Motorola Mobility a formal list of complaints on Monday regarding how it uses its market position to seek and enforce a patent-related injunction against Apple.
Companies with a technology that's deemed by the industry as essential for all products have an obligation to license that intellectual property under what's known as "fair and reasonable" terms. The European Union is concerned that Motorola didn't give Apple a fair shake with that technology, made worse by Apple's claim that it has been willing to pay a royalty.
The warning letter, which potentially hamstrings how aggressive Motorola and Google can be in the courtroom, comes two weeks after a U.S. federal court judge ruled that Microsoft owed $1.8 million to Motorola for wireless and video codec patents -- a pittance relative to the $4 billion Motorola had originally sought.

The string of defeats has many becoming increasingly vocal about whether Google whiffed badly with its Motorola acquisition. Alongside the limited legal benefits Motorola has brought, the deal also caused a great deal of stress between its various vendor partners. While none admit it publicly, many felt put off by Google's purchase of Motorola and intent to keep running the handset business as a unit within the company.
Google has long maintained that Motorola runs independently of the Android program, but Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside reports directly to Google CEO Larry Page.
And what has that handset business brought? Little beyond continued losses that drag on Google's usually sterling financial results. In the first quarter, it lost $271 million, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight for the red on Motorola's balance sheet. Of course, the results are a speck on Google's broader performance. In April, it posted a first-quarter operating profit of $3.48 billion and said it had $50 billion in cash.
Google's only real positive move was to unload Motorola's home set-top box business for $2.3 billion, ridding itself of 7,000 employees and a series of patent lawsuits.
Motorola's handset business, meanwhile, has been in the midst of a transformation, and has yielded some solid, if unremarkable, phones. The continuation of the Razr brand has kept Motorola somewhat on the radar, but it has little else going for it right now.
Perhaps the rumored "X Phone" will give it something to crow about. But for now, Motorola is looking increasingly like a high-profile blunder by Google.

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BlackBerry R10 rumors heat up

Leaks of a low-cost BlackBerry R10 handset build before BlackBerry Live.

Is this the rumored BlackBerry R10?

Over the weekend, leaked images of a new BlackBerry device came to light. Reportedly called the BlackBerry R10, this possible gadget will be a low-end version of the pricey BlackBerry Q10.
Judging from the photos that first bubbled up from Chinese Web site DGtle, then nabbed by N4BB, BBin, and Mobile Syrup, this R10 seems to sport a classic physical keyboard but a chassis that lacks the Q10's premium styling. Essentially the handset -- if the images are legit -- relies on less-costly plastic materials rather than the metal and fibered glass you'll find on the BlackBerry Q10.

The R10 also differs from the Q10 in that it has a glossy back plate and a more rectangular shape. According to reports, however, the R10 will run modern BlackBerry 10 software so perhaps the gadget won't prove too much of a step down. I don't have much faith in the QWERTY, though, since its keys appear flat and shallow compared to the Q10's marvelously chiseled typing surfaces.

 

So is the rumored BlackBerry R10, or whatever it might actually be called, all we can hope to see at BlackBerry Live next week? I personally was hoping for some sleek new tablets, but BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins torpedoed those wishes with statements he made recently.
Perhaps the company will announce some big ticket application partnerships or even display a real (read: easy) way to port Android apps to BB10. Find out as CNET reports live from BlackBerry's big event in Orlando, Florida next week.

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Facebook's iOS Messenger app gets all sticky

The sticker trend grows as the social network rolls out emoticons with its Messenger app update; it also brings back the delete-by-swiping feature for inbox messages.

Facebook rolls out stickers for its iOS Messenger app.

Ever had the need to show what you're feeling on Facebook Messenger with an image of a cute pink critter holding a heart-shaped pillow? Well, you're in luck.
The social network updated its iOS Messenger app on Monday with a grab bag of stickers. For those people unfamiliar with stickers, they're basically emoticons that users can tack onto messages for added sentiment, gusto, or laughs. Facebook will be rolling out the stickers on its iOS Messenger app over the next few weeks; Facebook Messenger for Android already has the stickers.
Currently, Facebook's stickers are free, but there is a chance it might start charging a nominal fee for certain "packs" of stickers. The social-networking app Path recently added stickers, which are free for the first two packs and then cost $1.99 for additional bags of a dozen images. Path added new packs of stickers to its app on Monday that include the Peanuts characters.

Facebook debuted stickers for its general iOS app last month and has since launched images created by illustrator Matt Jones. The pack by Jones features 16 facial expressions such as surprise, sympathy, sadness, and cheerfulness. In additional to rolling out stickers with Monday's update, Facebook also brought back the ability for users to delete conversations from their inbox with a swipe of the finger.

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Today`s Quotes

“It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.”

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By 2017, companies will expect workers to get their own device to work

When you walk in your office you are used to your employer providing a workspace, desktop, coffee and more. By 2017, you will still get your coffee, but might have to lug your own device at work as the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend becomes mainstream.

As BYOD programs become more commonplace, 38% companies expect to stop providing devices to workers by 2017, according to a global survey of CIOs by Gartner, a research firm.
“BYOD strategies are the most radical change to the economics and the culture of client computing in business in decades,” said David Willis, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner, in a release. “The benefits of BYOD include creating new mobile workforce opportunities, increasing employee satisfaction, and reducing or avoiding costs.”
Gartner defines a BYOD strategy as an alternative strategy that allows employees, business partners and other users to use a personally selected and purchased client device (like a tablet, a laptop or a smartphone) to execute enterprise applications and access data. It typically spans smartphones and tablets, but the strategy may also be used for PCs. It may or may not include a subsidy.
BYOD drives innovation for CIOs and the business by increasing the number of mobile application users in the workforce. Rolling out applications throughout the workforce presents myriad new opportunities beyond traditional mobile email and communications. Applications such as time sheets, punch lists, site check-in/check-out, and employee self-service HR applications are just a few examples. Expanding access and driving innovation will ultimately be the legacy of the BYOD phenomenon.
“However, the business case for BYOD needs to be better evaluated,” said Mr Willis. “Most leaders do not understand the benefits, and only 22% believe they have made a strong business case. Like other elements of the Nexus of Forces (cloud, mobile, social and information), mobile initiatives are often exploratory and may not have a clearly defined and quantifiable goal, making IT planners uncomfortable. If you are offering BYOD, take advantage of the opportunity to show the rest of the organization the benefits it will bring to them and to the business.”
Gartner believes that while BYOD is occurring in companies and governments of all sizes, it is most prevalent in midsize and large organizations ($500 million to $5 billion in revenue, with 2,500 to 5,000 employees). BYOD also permits smaller companies to go mobile without a huge device and service investment. Adoption varies widely across the globe. Companies in the US are twice as likely to allow BYOD as those in Europe, where BYOD has the lowest adoption of all the regions. In contrast, employees in India, China and Brazil are most likely to be using a personal device, typically a standard mobile phone, at work.

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