Apple Asks Google For Android Source Code

Bangalore: In new twist to Apple’s patent war on its arch rival Samsung, after a long lull, the Cupertino giant has asked a judge to force Google to hand over documents related to its Android operating system, reports Bloomberg.

Apple has accused Samsung over the years for lavishly infringing on its innovations and that the South Korean company has no original ideas of its own. And now, as part of its second patent-infringement lawsuit against Samsung in the same court, the iPhone maker argues that Android is used in all of Samsung’s allegedly infringing products and “provides much of the accused functionality”.  Apple told U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal in San Jose, that Google is improperly withholding information about the documents Apple has requested in pretrial information sharing.

Mark Lyon, a lawyer for Apple, told Grewal that it’s a question of transparency and that Apple thinks that Google is not doing full search.

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Is Microsoft Afraid To Launch Surface Tablet In India?

Bangalore: Microsoft is yet to consider India as a potential market for its Surface tablet though the country is one of the fastest-growing markets for mobile devices. Six months ago, the Redmond based company launched its first Surface tablet in all the major markets and now the second iteration of the tablet, Surface Pro, is all set to launch in 20 new markets and yet again, Microsoft excluded India in its launch list, reports Economic Times.

The world’s largest software company apparently fears stiff competition from local brands like Micromax, Korbonn, and Lava, while the South Korean company Samsung wears the crown in India tablet market. 

A Microsoft spokeswomen in an email response said that the company wanted to be “incredibly thoughtful” before it can decide on launching its tablet range in subcontinent country. "Our initial market availability enabled us to do this and now we are at a natural place where we can expand to other markets," she added, but yet missed on to comment anything about the devices launch in India.

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Nokia Asha 501 is colorful, cheap but not for the U.S. (hands-on)

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The Nokia Asha 501 is part of Nokia's budget range of phones, aimed at emerging markets like India and Latin America. It'll land in the UK in Q3 this year, with wider European availability from June. Nokia has said that it won't be shipping to North America any time soon -- if ever.
It has a low-resolution capacitive touch screen and uses only 2G data networks, but it has a fun, vibrant, plastic design and a supercheap price tag of $99.
Design
If you've spent time with any of Nokia's recent phones, the 501 will be quite familiar. It's got a one-piece, polycarbonate back that's very reminiscent of the Lumia 520. The back panel is made from one single sheet of material -- the only seam you'll find on the phone is around the edge of the screen.
That helps make it feel very solid and secure. I wasn't able to put it through CNET's usual brutal set of stress tests, but it certainly felt like it could take a knock or two. If it does start to show some wear and tear, you can always swap the back panel for a fresh one.
It's available in a rainbow of garish colours to suit your mood or, more likely, your outfit. Its back has a much more angular design than the Lumia phones, which gives it more of a toy-like appearance. It's still comfortable to hold though, as its 3-inch screen doesn't require you to stretch your palms.

The bright, bold, and cheap Nokia Asha 501 (pictures)

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The display has a 320x240-pixel resolution which, compared to the Full HD smart phones around, is pretty poor. You really can't expect that sort of quality for such a low-end price, though. Icons and larger text are all perfectly readable. It's not particularly bright, nor does it have great colors, but again, it does the job adequately for the money.
Software and features
The Asha 501 runs on Nokia's own Asha software rather than the swanky Windows Phone 8 software you'll find on the more premium Lumia line. It looks fairly simple and has a couple of neat tricks up its sleeve, but it won't appeal to those users who are accustomed to a more refined smartphone experience.
The lock screen can display notifications -- SMS messages, missed calls, and so on -- that you can either swipe away and ignore, or tap to deal with them immediately. Unlock the phone and you'll be taken to a grid of app icons, similar to what you'd expect to see in iOS. Swipe to either side of the apps and you'll see a scrolling activity log displaying recent apps, activities, and recently called contacts.
It's pretty easy to operate so the technophobes among you shouldn't be scared off , but it doesn't have the sort of slick multitasking features crucial to a top-end smartphone. It doesn't have a well-stocked app store either, although some essentials like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and Plants Vs. Zombies are available.

 

It's probably not going to be a huge issue that a lot of data-hungry apps aren't available, as the Asha 501 uses only 2G networks. You won't be able to make use of faster 3G data, and lightning-fast 4G speeds will only be a fevered dream for 501 owners. Sending a quick Tweet should be doable, but don't try and attach photos or videos unless you want to wait. Nokia explained that 2G networks are still the most commonly used in countries such as India where the 501 is aimed, so it's perhaps not as big a deal as it first seems.
Storage comes in the form of a 4GB SD card, which you can swap out for a bigger one if you like. It'll also be available in either a single- or dual-SIM version should you want to keep two SIM cards on board for easier data roaming. Nokia wouldn't say what processor is part of the package -- we know it's not going to be anything impressive -- but it seemed reasonably capable of providing smooth navigation through the OS.
Outlook
With its low-end specs, down-market price, and 2G connectivity, the Nokia Asha 501 really isn't aimed at those of you who crave the Samsung Galaxy S4 or HTC One. Instead, it's aimed squarely at developing markets like India and Latin America. It's cheap price and sturdy build quality might make it a reasonable option to pick up as an emergency festival phone, though.

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From the Web to Google Drive with just the click of a button

Google Drive users can now save files directly from Web sites using the "Save to Drive" button.

Google Drive shows off the new "Save to Drive" button by saving a dental statement from Delta Dental.

Google wants to help you keep track of all the important files you save from the Web. Whether it's a bill, an e-book, or your favorite cat photo, you can now save it to your Google Drive with just one click -- or really two clicks -- of a button.
Drive users can now click the "Save to Drive" button to save files directly from a Web site to their Drive account, the company announced in a blog post Thursday.

"We surf the Web for a million different reasons -- for everything from school research projects to time-killing memes," Nicolas Garnier, developer advocate for Google Drive and Google Apps, said in the blog post. "And when we find something relevant for us, whether that be our most recent pay stub or just an adorably awesome pic, we may want to save it for later reference or to share with friends in the future."
Once you click the Save to Drive button on a Web site that has added the feature, a dialog box pops up asking you to confirm the decision to save the file. Click save again, and the file shows up at the top of your My Drive. The dialog box doesn't let you change the file name or put it in a folder -- you have to wait until the file is in your Drive to make those changes.
The Save to Drive button supports the same browsers on Google Drive on the Web -- Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and IE9 and IE10.
Google's blog post highlights the fact that some companies are already using the button on their sites, including Bigstock, Delta Dental, Fotolia, O'Reilly, Outbox, and Zen Payroll.

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YouTube begins paid subscription pilot

YouTube's new subscription service lets content makers charge viewers to access their shows. The program is just a pilot for now.

YouTube on Thursday launched a new service for video content makers that lets them charge users to subscribe to their channels.
What Google calls just a "pilot program" for the time being, lets video makers charge users a monthly fee for access to their videos. The subscription plans start at 99 cents a month, but can be set higher. All paid channels offer a 14-day free trial and can be sold at a discount if users subscribe a year at a time, YouTube said in a post announcing the program.
The service is launching with 53 paid channels including content from HDNet, UFC and the PGA Digital Golf Academy. Some of those channels are beginning as high as $9.99 a month, which is $2 more than Netflix charges for its monthly streaming service in the U.S.

The program is just the latest way YouTube is trying to woo content makers to its platform beyond offering built-in advertising. Smaller competitors, including Vimeo, have been targeting content makers with paid, on-demand videos as a means to control distribution and pull in revenue.
Plans for the service were detailed earlier this week by The Financial Times, though hints that it was arriving showed up in strings of code as far back as February.
YouTube says the pilot program will expand to other "qualifying partners" in the next few weeks. In the meantime, it's set up a form for content makers to sign up to build paid channels.

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Time-lapse images let you witness 28 years of Earth's changes

Google, NASA, and others show off dramatic time-lapse images that give a visual tour of how the Earth has evolved (and devolved) over the course of almost three decades.

A healthy Columbia Glacier in Alaska in 1984 -- scroll down for a later visual view.

(Credit: NASA/USGS/Google)

Brazilian Amazon deforestation

 28-year time lapse shows Earth's drastic changes (pictures)

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Using annual Landsat satellite imagery captured since 1984, Google has created dramatic composites depicting our changing world, the death and growth of natural lands, and humans' impact on the landscape.

The animated GIFs show development and destruction pulsing like a living being, with forests receding, water evaporating, and cities growing. Las Vegas crawls across the desert and construction is booming, while the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, seen here, and glaciers disappear before your eyes.

A newly released series of dramatic time-lapse satellite images, available at Google's Timelapse Web site, shows just how quickly the world's landscapes have changed in the last 28 years.

28-year time lapse shows Earth's drastic changes (pictures)

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The pictures, captured by the series of Landsat satellites and released in conjunction with the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, and Time magazine, show several startling examples of how humans and natural processes have changed Earth from 1984 to 2012. You'll see the depressing decline of the Columbia Glacier in Alaska, the blossoming of Dubai's epic cityscape, and Las Vegas' urban explosion. There's also an alarming look at the deforestation occurring in the Brazilian Amazon forest.

Rebecca Moore, an engineering manager for Google Earth, shared some stunning statistics behind the images, which have been in the works since 2009.
"Using Google Earth Engine technology, we sifted through 2,068,467 images -- a total of 909 terabytes of data -- to find the highest-quality pixels (e.g., those without clouds), for every year since 1984 and for every spot on Earth," Moore said. "We then compiled these into enormous planetary images, 1.78 terapixels each, one for each year."

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Why Facebook would buy Waze: To fight Google for mobile search

The navigation app would give the social network a way to insert itself into the lucrative mobile search business owned by Google.

Waze in Facebook Home

Rumors that Facebook is in late-stage talks to buy Waze for as much as $1 billion have many wondering if the social network's next great ambition is to tackle the maps and navigation market. Maybe -- but only because maps would be Facebook's best way to route around Google and make money from mobile search.
Founded in 2007, Waze makes a navigation application for iPhone and Android used by roughly 45 million people. The app's mapping service is powered by the people who use it. Waze ingests all types of location data as shared, either implicitly or explicitly, by drivers. The app also connects to Facebook and incorporates social-networking functions so drivers can see their friends' whereabouts on the map, share their location, and even send private messages.
Should Facebook buy Waze, the social network will send a clear message to Google: "Watch out! We're on your tail."
Facebook would like to be a formidable force on mobile and not just capture attention, but ad dollars. If it has to get into the maps business to do so, so be it.
Waze Chief Executive Noam Bardin inadvertently said as much when he spoke at AllThingsD's D: Dive Into Mobile conference last month. The full interview is embedded below.
"What search is for the Web, maps are for mobile," he said. "The searches you do on mobile that actually are monetizable, and are different from the Web, are searches that have to do with location."
The search mechanism on mobile devices is the map, he said.

 

In Bardin's view of the mobile search land-grab, which revolves around great maps, there are just two players: Google and Waze. "Google is out there creating a new standard in terms of quality, and we feel that we're the only reasonable competition to them in this market of creating maps that are really geared for mobile, for real-time, for consumers -- for the new world that we're moving into."
Enter Facebook, a company that surely doesn't want to be left behind in the race to own mobile search.
By eMarketer's estimates, Facebook is the No. 2 mobile ad publisher in the U.S -- second only to Google. The social network accounted for 9.5 percent of mobile ad revenue in 2012 and will eat up 13.2 percent of the U.S. mobile ad market this year, thanks to its strength in the display category. Google, however, will take home more than half of all mobile ad revenue in 2013, according to the market research firm.

 

But when it comes to making money from mobile search, the real cash cow on mobile, Google is the uncontested leader. The search giant netted 93.3 percent of all U.S. mobile search ad dollars last year, and it will continue to maintain a suffocating hold over this particular mobile ad market through 2015, according to estimates from eMarketer. The firm anticipates that U.S. mobile Internet search ad revenue will total $7.85 billion in 2015; it pegs Google's share at around $7.1 billion, or 90 percent of the market.
Should Facebook buy Waze, the social network will have a way to insert itself into this lucrative business and help its 751 million mobile users better find what they're searching for on their smartphones.
Waze would also make for an attractive addition to what Bardin called Facebook's "meta operating system" for mobile, or the growing collection of Facebook mobile applications that ensure that no matter the phone or operating system, people will find themselves inside a Facebook environment.
It's a strategy the social network has actively pushed forward with its nascent Android Home software suite, as well with single app releases like Facebook Camera, Messenger, and Poke.

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Today`s Quotes

“I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.”

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Manufacturing sector set to perform well in 2013: RecruiteX Hiring Projections 2013

The year 2012 was not a very good year for the manufacturing sector. According to TimesJobs.com’s data, during the July-December 2012 period, the manufacturing sector witnessed growth in demand for talent only during the months of October ’12 (10 per cent) and December ’12 (14%).
In an exclusive interview with TimesJobs.com for the bi-annual RecruiteX- Hiring Projections 2013, Aditya Narayan Mishra, President Staffing & Director Marketing, Randstad India, said, “Faced with strong headwinds of poor global and domestic markets, high fuel prices, power shortage and lack of availability of credit, the performance of the manufacturing sector, including the automobile industry has been below expectation in 2012. Negative growth rate in IIP and moderate GDP growth reflects the same.”
However, optimism prevails, as experts believe 2013 would prove to be a better year for the sector. They believe it all goes up-hill from here.
According to Mishra, “Manufacturing is a prime economic and societal pillar for India which will continue to drive growth and employ a large workforce.” He believes that the reasons for the same are as follows:
1. The recent initiatives and reforms taken by the Indian government will further enhance the attractiveness of the manufacturing sector and increase its contribution to the country’s GDP.
2. The industry is also gradually moving up the value chain and as a testimonial to this trend we see multiple MNCs setting up captive R&D centres in India, leading to increased hiring of specialist talent.
3. In 2013, government, academia and industry will act in conjunction with each other to make India gain more competitive advantage as against its stronger competitors from around the world.
TimesJobs.com data validates this sentiment, as the manufacturing sector witnessed a 13 per cent growth in demand for talent in March 2013. According to Goodwin, the second half of 2013 would a turning point for manufacturing sector and 2014 will see good times again.
Talking about the sector’s future outlook for compensation trends Dr. Siddhartha Pandey, Chief People Officer (Group Head HR), Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd, said, “In the near future, the compensation trends will be more or less the same. But, the situation is going to change fast and the compensation trends would change as well.” He believes that human resources, financial positions like CFO will be picking up momentum in the coming months.

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‘There is only one life so why not realise your own dream rather than someone else’s’

Harjaap Singh Mann, MD, Proof of Performance Data Services Pvt. Ltd. is the founder of Proof of Performance (PoP), He also won the Economic Times Power of Ideas Initiative 2010.

How did you come up with the idea for your start-up?
We started off doing audits for the OOH industry the traditional way by clicking still photographs as a proof whether the advertising campaign was complied with. We realised the pain point of the industry, that no tamper proof , authentic data was available to OOH, and hence a much smaller share of the advertising spends was there for OOH. Unlike in print or TV media, once the advertising campaign is over, there is no proof that remains, about the implementation of the campaign, once it is over.
A lot of advertisers do not spend on this medium due to this lack of accountability and measurement. POP brings both and intends to help the industry grow, on the strength of it’s productivity measurement tools.
How essential is it to have an inspiration for an entrepreneurial venture?
When the sailing is not smooth, it is this inspiration that will keep you going, inspite of the temporary bottlenecks. It would be very easy to give up and go back to the comfort zone, but inspiration will keep you focused on the dream. The stronger this determination, the more likely you are to succeed.
Do you think aspiring entrepreneurs should undergo some kind of entrepreneurial training before taking the leap?
Some work experience definitely gears one before embarking on this challenging entrepreneurial journey. Maybe this is the reason a lot of business institutes have made entrepreneurship subject a part of their curriculum.
A number of young executives are leaving their jobs and taking up entrepreneurship. What according to you is the best time to leave an organisation to start your own entrepreneurial venture?
Entrepreneurship could be very challenging, as a lot of fire fighting is on , one has to get used to working without any perks, it is not always smooth sailing, so anyone who takes the plunge has to be well prepared to take on this adventurous journey. There can be no fixed formula to know when you are ready to embark on your entrepreneurial journey, you will just know it.
Few words of wisdom for budding entrepreneurs to help them realise their dreams.
There is only one life so why not realise your own dream rather than someone else’s. Do your homework well and then go in for it. You would certainly need to believe in yourself and not waiver, even in the face of adversity. Treat every setback as a learning experience, and for all you know, there could be a hidden opportunity in that setback too. If you truly believe that you will succeed, you will try and figure out the solution to any problem that is preventing you from reaching there.

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10 pill-free ways to keep BP in check

10 pill-free ways to keep BP in check

Here are 10 pill-free ways to keep your blood pressure in check this summer

Drink coconut water
This mild tropical drink can lower blood pressure as much as 12 points for 71 per cent of people. Coconut water is packed with 1,500 mg of potassium per 20-ounce serving. This mineral helps calm the entire central nervous system, preventing artery-damaging blood pressure surges when life gets hectic. Look for coconut water in grocery stores and whole foods stores.

Season with sesame oil
The oil's healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids and unique sesamin compound work together to relax blood vessel walls, preventing pressure spikes. Cook your meals in sesame oil or sprinkle them on rice or salad.

Cook with cardamom
When people suffering from hypertension add 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom to their daily diets, it helps normalise their blood pressure in as little as 12 weeks. Cardamom is a slightly citrusy flavoured spice, which is packed with plant compounds that keep the muscles of your heart and arteries relaxed, so pressure surges are less likely to occur.

Drink tea generously
Despite all the fuss around green tea, black tea is far more beneficial, says a recent study. They are, after all, made from the leaves of the same plant and contain the same artery-relaxing antioxidants, which are essential. For optimum results, dunk the tea bag up and down a few times instead of just letting it q u i e t l y steep. Sip 36 ounces of tea daily (three big mugs), and you'll slash your risk of hypertension by 65 per cent.

See more green
Looking at a scenic tranquil picture can lower your blood pressure as much as nine per cent. Looking at nature increases your brain's production of soothing alpha-waves that calm your central nervous system and clamp down the production of the pressureraising stress hormone cortisol. Hanging a beautiful nature photo in your room or opening the blinds — if you're lucky enough to have a soothing view — also work.

Sit straight
There are nerves in your neck that send calming messages to your brain and slouching squishes the vertebrae and discs in your neck, p i n c h i n g those delicate nerves and hindering their function. When you slouch and sit, it ups your blood pressure by as much as 16 per cent.

Stock up on potatoes
According to another research, savouring a potato every day (as long as you eat it mashed, boiled or baked — not fried) helps 81 per cent of people get their blood pressure under control (and with just half their usual prescription meds).

Tubers are packed with potassium, chlorogenic acid and tryptophan, and these compounds work handin-hand to relax and open the blood vessels that nourish your heart.

For top-notch blood pressure control, eat the skin. That is where most of the potato's nutrients are stored.

Take deep breaths
Breathing slowly and deeply, taking 10 relaxed breaths per minute, instead of the more common 16, helps women slash 14 points off their blood pressure in one month. Calm breathing stalls production of stress hormones and that's essential for keeping arteries relaxed and blood pressure in check.

Ditch 'low-fat' food
The problem with processed foods that claim are low fat or fat-free is that in order to give them a decent texture and taste, manufacturers pack them with sugar, which is a potent, high blood pressure trigger. When your blood sugar surges, it causes damaging inflammation inside your blood vessels, escalating the build-up of the arterys t i f f e n i n g plaque.

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Chennai Super Kings end Sunrisers' home run with emphatic victory

Chennai Super Kings players celebrate the dismissal of Sunrisers Hyderabad's Shikhar Dhawan during the IPL 6 match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Uppal in Hyderabad.

HYDERABAD: The Sunrisers Hyderabad's attack, which had bamboozled visiting sides on five previous occasions and had converted the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium into a fortress, came apart on Wednesday night as the batting might of the Chennai Super Kings was felt in full measure.


Mauled by the Mumbai Indians in their previous game, the Super Kings were in no mood to show any mercy to the Sunrisers bowlers, who for once, failed to rise to the challenge.

Led by the enterprising Suresh Raina and the evergreen Michael Hussey, the Super Kings posted the highest total - 223/3 - at the venue this season.

Once the bowling was dealt a death blow, it was easy for the Super Kings to snuff out the hosts' reply. The chase was never on despite wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel beginning the innings on a rousing note when he cut pacer Mohit Sharma past point for a four.

The run out of prolific Shikhar Dhawan (3) set the Sunrisers' back. As wickets fell at one end, it was left to Patel (44; 30b, 6x4, 1x6) and Karan Sharma (39 no; 33b, 3x4, 1x6) to give the over 29,000 fans something to cheer about. The hosts ended up with 146 for eight.

For once the Hyderabad bowlers were unable to execute their game plan on the field and paid a heavy price as the Super Kings took a toll of the poor stuff dished out by the hosts.

Barring Dale Steyn (4-1-17-0), none of the others were able to make much of an impression on the visiting batsmen. Ishant Sharma, in particular, was totally off-colour and conceded 65 runs in his four overs - 25 coming off his last over - and Darren Sammy gave away 33 in two overs.

Hussey and Raina strung a 133-run partnership for the second wicket off 73 balls which knocked the wind out of the Sunrisers' sails. Hussey, who has regained the Orange cap, struck five fours and four sixes off 42 balls on way to his 67 - his 5th half-century in the tournament.

Raina, who was dropped by Karan Sharma on 26, made batting look easy as he toyed with the listless attack. The southpaw missed out on a second century this season but his unbeaten 99 was worth its weight in gold.

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Windows 8 hits 100 million sales; Microsoft confirm Windows Blue update coming this year

Microsoft Corp has sold 100 million Windows 8 licenses in the six months since launch, roughly in line with the previous version, but wants to combat sputtering interest in its flagship software with a substantial update to make it easier to use, and compatible with smaller tablets.
Windows 8 is the first Microsoft operating system primarily designed for touch commands, but it has failed to capture consumers' imaginations or make a dent in a tablet market dominated by Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics.
"Is it perfect? No. Are there things we need to change? Absolutely. We are being very real about what needs to change and changing it as thoughtfully and quickly as we can", said Tami Reller, co-head of Microsoft's Windows unit at the company's Redmond, Washington headquarters last week, where she announced the latest Windows sales figure, a number made public on Monday.
Microsoft will be rolling out an update to Windows 8, provisionally code-named 'Windows Blue', by the end of this year, Reller said. Details of the update will be released in the next few weeks.
Although Microsoft has sold 100 million Windows 8 licenses since launch on October 26, matching Windows 7 sales three years previously, it looks unlikely that the new system will see progressively rising demand, as Windows 7 did, hitting 240 million sales in its first year.
Microsoft's last Windows 8 sales update was in early January, when it broke 60 million, suggesting only around 40 million license sales in the last four months, well below Windows 7's average sales rate.
Windows 7 was helped by the fact that it replaced the generally unpopular Windows Vista, whereas Windows 8 has confused many potential customers with its new-look 'tile'-based start screen and the omission of the traditional 'start' button.
"The learning curve is real, and we need to address it," said Reller. "We're not sitting back and saying, they will get used to it."
Reller did not say whether the 'Blue' update would restore the start button, but she said Microsoft would pay more attention to helping customers adapt.
"We've considered a lot of different scenarios to help traditional PC users move forward as well as making usability that much better on all devices," she said.
Touch laptops
Consumer alienation, and the lack of affordable touch-laptops that can make full use of Windows 8, has held back computer sales, according to industry tracker IDC. PC sales had their sharpest drop on record in the first three months of this year, plummeting 14 percent.
Reller hopes that new machines from firms including Lenovo, ASUS and Hewlett-Packard will change that this year.
"We know customers like touch laptops, but they are also price sensitive," she said. "Our partners (hardware makers) have to bet on volume, so that they get price breaks, and get that moving into the (retail) channel."
Microsoft is also tweaking Windows 8 to make it compatible with smaller seven and eight inch tablets, which would allow hardware makers to compete in the fastest-growing segment of the tablet market against Apple's iPad mini, Samsung's Galaxy Tab, Google Inc's Nexus 7 and Amazon.com Inc's Kindle Fire.
Reller declined to comment on whether Microsoft would make a smaller version of its own Surface tablet (Review I Pictures).
Microsoft has not made much of an impression in the tablet market so far, notching only 900,000 Surface sales in the first quarter, according to IDC, compared with 19.5 million iPad sales and 8.8 million Samsung tablet sales.
Overall, Reller hopes the 'Blue' update and a slew of attractive touch-laptops will fire up interest in Windows machines in all forms.
"I believe that touch will be mainstream in consumer laptops," said Reller. "I think we'll be pleased with the progress we've made by 'back to school' and by holiday (year end), we'll be at this tipping point where we will say, 'Now I see it'."
Microsoft shares closed at $33.75 on the Nasdaq, after hitting their highest level since January 2008 earlier in the session, as the S&P 500 reached an all-time high.

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Micromax Canvas HD Pro specifications leak online

Micromax is all set to add another device in its Canvas portfolio in the form of Canvas HD Pro.As per a news report by Gadgetronica.com, Canvas HD Pro will be unveiled on June 30, 2013. This smartphone is expected to sport a 5.5-inch full-HD display. Canvas HD pro will allegedly come with a Cortex A7 quad-core processor along with 2GB of RAM. It is expected to offer 8GB of internal storage and can be expanded by up to 64GB via a microSD card.
This smartphone will also pack in a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 3.2-megapixel front-facing camera. Micromax Canvas HD Pro will come with a 3,000mAh battery and run on Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean).
If the specifications of Micromax Canvas HD Pro are indeed true then it will become the new flagship smartphone from the company. There is no word on what Micromax Canvas HD Pro will cost.
Micromax had recently launched its first 3D phone, Micromax A115 Canvas 3D that offers a glasses-free option to view 3D content for Rs. 9,999.
Micromax A115 Canvas is the fourth member of the Canvas series and it comes with a 5.0-inch display with 480x800 resolution. The smartphone is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor alongside 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, which is expandable by another 32GB via microSD card. The smartphone runs on Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean).
Packed with a 2,000 mAh battery, the phone is rated at a talk time of up to 4.5 hours. The phone sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with auto focus and a VGA front camera for video chatting.
Connectivity options on Micromax A115 Canvas 3D include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, 3G and USB. The phone comes with 'Micromax 3D Space' pre-installed that offers access to 3D videos, and pre-loaded 3D games.

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Celkon A119Q Signature HD with 1.2GHz quad-core processor, Android 4.2 launched for Rs. 12,499

The Indian smartphone makers seem to be rushing out their quad-core offerings and Celkon is no different.The company has launched Celkon A119Q Signature HD in the Indian market for Rs. 12,499. Celkon A119Q Signature HD features a 5-inch display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels. It is powered by 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor along with PowerVR SGX 544MP2 GPU.
Internally, Celkon A119Q Signature HD comes with 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage of which 2.56GB is user accessible. The storage can be further expanded by another 32GB through a microSD card. It is dual-SIM (GSM/WCDMA + GSM) smartphone.
For camera, there is a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 3-megapixel front-facing one. There is a 2,100mAh battery. Connectivity options for Celkon A119Q Signature HD includes, 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and A-GPS.
To sweeten the deal, Celkon is also offering a free cover worth Rs. 1,500 for free along with the purchase of this smartphone.
Celkon A119Q Signature HD is likely to compete head on with recently launched Micromax Canvas HD smartphone. Priced at Rs. 14,499, Micromax A116 Canvas HD comes with a 5-inch HD IPS screen that sports 1280x720 resolution and a colour depth of 16.7 million. It is powered by MediaTek's MT6589 quad-core processor that clocks 1.2GHz. The smartphone runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) out of the box. It packs in a 2000mAh battery.
Micromax A116 Canvas has an 8-megapixel rear shooter with LED flash and 4X zoom and a VGA front camera. Other features of the smartphone include 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, which can be expanded to up to 32GB via microSD card. It is a dual-SIM (GSM + GSM) smartphone.


Celkon A119Q Signature HD key specifications

• 5-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280X720 pixels
• 1.2 GHz quad-core processor
• 1GB RAM
• 4GB internal storage, expandable by up to 32GB
• 12-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash
• 3-megapixel front-facing camera
• Dual-SIM (GSM/WCDMA + GSM)
• 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/A-GPS
• Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean)

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Intel chip gives new hope for Windows 8 tablets

Analysts are encouraged by Intel's new Atom design. So future Windows 8 and Windows Blue-based tablets powered by Intel's revamped mobile chips could provide a lift for Microsoft and its hardware partners.

Dell Latitude 10: Expect Windows Blue tablets -- packing quad-core Bay Trail processors -- that are as slim or slimmer than Windows 8 tablets.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Analysts are upbeat about Intel's new mobile chip design due later this year. That means a much-needed boost for Windows 8 tablets -- where many of those chips will land.
Imagine this: an ultraslim, light tablet with roughly twice the performance of any Atom-based Windows 8 tablet on the market now. (And that's the full version of Windows, not Windows RT.)
That could happen in the second half of this year.
So think of Windows Blue (or Windows 8.1) products similar to Samsung's 0.38-inch thick ATIV Smart PC 500T Tablet or Dell's 0.4-inch thick Latitude 10 with new Intel quad-core "Bay Trail" processors based on the overhauled Atom micro-architecture.
And smaller tablets, like Acer's rumored 8-inch tablet, should ultimately benefit too.
That can only be seen as good news for Windows 8 tablets, which haven't exactly been taking the market by storm.
Here's a sampling of analysts' comments on the new Atom Silvermont micro-architecture -- announced Monday -- that will power Bay Trail chips:

• Citi Research's Glen Yeung: Better than ARM? "We suspect that Intel's Silvermont [micro-architecture] will provide better performance metrics than even ARM's vaunted Cortex A15...Expected to appear in tablets in [the second half 2013] and smartphones in [the first half 2014], Silvermont also has the distinction of being the first mobile chips (from any vendor) to benefit from tri-gate [3D] transistors...And like ARM's Cortex A15 core, Silvermont is a fully out-of-order architecture, a feature heretofore not present in Atom solutions...We view Silvermont as the basic building block for Intel's future mobile architectures."
  
• RBC Capital Markets' Doug Freedman: More balanced and responsive systems. "Intel has stated improved performance per watt, with Silvermont operating at 3x peak performance or at same performance at 5x lower power vs. current Atom core...Intel highlighted a more efficient out-of-order execution pipeline that drives a more balanced and responsive system...Intel's architecture allows for fast switching between high [performance] and low [performance] states...however, we acknowledge that Intel is battling market skepticism in low-power vs. ARM."
  
• Anandtech's Anand Shimpi: 2x performance claims valid. "First of all, based on what I've seen and heard from third parties working on Baytrail designs -- the performance claims of being 2x the speed of Clovertrail (current Atom) are valid. Compared to the two [ARM] Cortex A15 designs I've tested (Exynos 5250, dual-core A15 @ 1.7GHz and Exynos 5410 quad-core A15 @ 1.6GHz), quad-core Silvermont also comes out way ahead. Intel's claims of a 60 percent performance advantage, at minimum, compared to the quad-core competition seems spot on based on the numbers I've seen. Power is the only area that I can't validate based on what I've seen already. (No one has given me a Baytrail tablet to measure power on.) Given what we know about Silvermont's architecture and the gains offered by Intel's 22nm process, I do expect this core to do better on power than what we've seen thus far from ARM's Cortex A15."

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Here's why the Facebook phone flopped

commentary The HTC First has a lot going against it, despite support from some heavy hitters.

The HTC First, also known as the Facebook phone.

The HTC First, also known as the Facebook phone, was unofficially declared a disaster after AT&T dropped its price from $99 to 99 cents on Wednesday.

Is anybody surprised?
Even in an industry known for liberal smartphone discounts, the price drop of the First -- which comes less than a month after its debut -- came relatively quickly. That suggests what many of us have suspected: that the First was dead on arrival.
Despite an army of naysayers, the First actually had a lot going for it. It had the backing of a well-known name in Facebook, which actually poured money into an advertising campaign for the device. AT&T, meanwhile, had an exclusive deal to sell the device and promised to push it as a flagship device this season.
Yet AT&T is holding a "temporary sale" for the First.
A spokesman for AT&T said these sales are common, while a Facebook representative said this was a good move by the carrier. AT&T declined to comment on sales figures.
Here's my break down of what went wrong with the HTC First.
Facebook Home isn't for everyone. Part of the HTC First's failure can be traced back to the reason why it was created: the Android skin that Facebook promised would put people first. Facebook Home dominates the phone's user experience, and while there are shortcuts to get you to your favorite apps, it's a jarring change and one that some people weren't ready for. It's at best an experiment, and given the poor reception and negative reviews that it has garnered on the Google Play store, one that's not yet ready for primetime.
Now try and sell a phone that is completely dedicated to Facebook Home. Sure, you could turn it off, turning it into a decent little stock Android phone, but that would be missing the point of buying the phone.
Unremarkable hardware. While Facebook Home may have been controversial, it at least was a bold step in different direction. The HTC First lacked any of that innovation.
It was clear HTC's B team worked on this device. On one hand, you have the beautifully designed all-metal HTC One, and on the other, you had the First. It's not that it was particularly bad; it was just unexciting.
Not that I'm a fan of Facebook Home, but it probably deserved better.
At $99, it was still too expensive. I get that the conventional look and design was a result of AT&T, Facebook, and HTC wanting the phone to be as affordable as possible. So why go halfway? The phone should have been given away in exchange for a two-year contract.
A Facebook phone for free? That might turn some heads -- at least among hardcore users of the social network.
We'll see if the 99-cent mark resonates with buyers, as it definitely marks some progress.
You can get Home anywhere. What was the point of a smartphone focused on Facebook Home when you can get Facebook Home on several different -- and superior -- phones?
I get that the First was a showcase phone for Facebook's new software. But consumers don't want to buy a showcase piece; they want a real product.
In addition, you couldn't get the First unless you were an AT&T customer or willing to sign up for its service. Facebook and HTC opted to go with AT&T because of the support that a carrier with an exclusivity agreement brings, but in this case, AT&T's help didn't do much to boost sales.
But as most vendors have demonstrated, exclusivity agreements are passé, with most opting to go big with distribution. Facebook could have rolled the dice and relied on the strength of its name and offered up the phone to all of the major carriers.
Too much competition. While AT&T said First was positioned as flagship phone, in reality, there were several more appealing flagship phones on their way. The HTC One came out last month, and the Samsung Galaxy S4 is making its way to stores now. Both phones, by the way, are able to use Facebook Home.
Does this spell the end for Facebook Home? No, but it's certainly a setback and has to leave the other handset vendors wondering if working with Facebook this extensively is even worth the effort.
As for Facebook and its light foray into the hardware business, hopefully the First is its last.

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IT and Telecom top employment generators in April 2013: TimesJobs RecruiteX Report

April 2013 has been the month of IT/Telecom, these industries were the top employment generators of the month. IT/Telecom professionals too, emerged as the most in-demand profile of the month. February 2013 was the only month when IT/Telecom industry and professionals witnessed a dull phase, otherwise it has been one of the top performing segments, since the beginning of 2013. Doctors/Nurses/Medical professionals witnessed significant rise in demand during April’13. Demand for Entertainment/ Media/ Journalism profiles observed encouraging trends. Engineering professionals again witnessed a slump in demand, last month it was one of the most sought after functional areas. Among top ten locations, Hyderabad witnessed highest growth in hiring activity during the month. All metros, except Chennai and Delhi/NCR reported rise in demand for talent. Gujarat (Except Ahmedabad and Vadodara) held its top position to emerge as the best performing state second time in a row. Demand for professionals across experience categories witnessed a slump. Entry level and mid-level candidates with 0-2 and 2-5 years of experience were the only categories to report growth in hiring activity.
Positive hiring sentiments prevailed across industry segments, functional areas, locations and experience categories. Overall, hiring saw a 1 point increase from previous month.

• IT/Telecom industry witnessed maximum hiring activity (12%), followed by Advertising/PR/Event Management (7%). The Healthcare/ Biotechnology/ Pharmaceutical industry also witnessed increase of (5%) during April’13

• Demand soared for Doctors/Nurses/Medical professionals (30%). IT/Telecom professionals also reported increase in hiring activity during April’13 (17%). Content/Editors/Journalists which saw stable hiring last month, reported a (4%) increase in demand during April’13

• Amongst top locations, Hyderabad reported maximum growth (10%) in demand during the month. Among states, Gujarat (Except Ahmedabad and Vadodara) continued on the growth trajectory, reporting maximum increase (31%) in the hiring activity

• The experience demand index for April’13 was upbeat for candidates with less than 2 years of experience (5%), followed by candidates with 2-5 years of experience (1%)

Supply index lost 15 points in month-over-month analysis. Industries such as Petrochemicals/ Oil and Gas/ Power and Automobiles/Auto Component/Auto Ancillary were the major contributors to the fall.

• Job-seeking activity dropped across major industries. Petrochemicals/ Oil and Gas/ Power witnessed maximum drop (40%) in supply of talent, followed by Automobiles/Auto Component/Auto Ancillary sector (12%)

• Entertainment/Media professionals witnessed maximum growth (20%) in job-seeking activity. Professionals in Advertising/PR/Event Management industry also registered noticeable growth (8%) in supply

• Supply of talent was downbeat across major locations. Among top job hubs, Ahmedabad witnessed maximum drop (8%) in job-seeking activity during the month. Among states, Gujarat (Except Ahmedabad and Vadodara) saw maximum decline (11%) in job-seeking activity

• Supply of talent was discouraging for professionals across experience categories. Candidates with 5-10 years of experience witnessed maximum drop (12%) in job-seeking activity

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‘Technology companies will start hiring domain experts for growth this year’

Interview of the Day: ‘Technology companies will start hiring domain experts for growth this year’

Sundararajan Narayanan, Vice President and Global HR Head, Virtusa

Which industry will be hiring the most in 2013? Why?
There are three levels of IT hiring that we expect in 2013:
a) Fresher level – Limited/ restricted hiring
b) Middle Level – Extensive hiring in the niche skills/ special category. High hiring on dual/multi-skilled technical professionals
c) Senior Level – Moderate level of hiring
Which will be the top ten in-demand professions in 2013? Why? 
- Niche skills areas like mobile application development, user experience architects, cloud architects will lead the pack as companies want to invest and are ready in these high growth areas
- Architects and Specialists with skills at mid to senior level will have good traction
-  Domain specialists will be in demand as companies who are technology oriented will start hiring domain experts for growth
- Sales professionals hiring – to bring in more revenue and build pipeline
- Quality and Process professionals – Industry will look at optimisation during this period and explore possibilities of cost optimisation with better processes/ frameworks
What will be the strongest recruitment trend in 2013?
2013 is going to be about cautious hiring with reduced cycle time to onboard resources which means companies need to have a pipeline of candidates who are assessed, with appropriate fitment, and competencies.
2013 will be the year of….
Consolidation and circumspective approach on IT hiring will be followed.

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Eating 6 meals a day helps lose weight?

Eating 6 meals a day helps lose weight? (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)

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Are you still stuck in the three-heavy-meals-a-day rut? Do you think that the six-meals-a-day routine is not meant for you?

If your answer to both questions is yes, then don't worry you are not alone. Technically, how many meals you eat in a day doesn't matter, but how you spread your total calorie consumption in the day does affect your food habits. Research has time and again proved that those who eat six small meals a day are more successful at eating healthy and losing unwanted weight. Let's understand why.

Why is it important to eat six mini meals in a day. More than 95% of overweight individuals are in the habit of eating three square meals a day. Because these meals are infrequent and ill-timed they tend to be heavier and low on nutrition. This affects metabolism quite adversely. Across on the six mini meals side though, your meals will be timely and nutritious as they will be part of a carefully planned daily menu. For instance, a healthy and well-portioned breakfast followed by five moderately sized meals spread through the day will keep your metabolic rate healthy. It will also keep your hormone levels stable and regulate your blood sugar level, burning more calories. Irregular eating patterns and skipped meals are the main reasons why people cannot lose weight.

Stay away from the word 'snack'. Think of snacking, and the immediate images that the word conjures up in our minds are those of fried chips, chocolates, sodas, candy bars and every other unhealthy food under the sun. It is not snacking itself, which is bad for us but the junk and convenient yet unhealthy foods associated with it. The right way to snack is to invest in healthy foods that you can eat without guilt. These snacks are what make up the in-between meals in a six mini meals a day meal plan. Make each meal an opportunity to eat a well portioned and nutritionally balanced meal, which includes lean protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats.

'More is less' is the new mantra for eating healthy. The health bonuses of eating more of mini meals in a day are many. This will help you in adding a greater variety of foods to your meal plan, thus helping you meet your daily nutritional needs.

If you hear nutritionists say that to lose more you have to eat more, don't be alarmed. What they mean is that healthy weight loss involves eating healthy meals more frequently in clever portions. No wonder then that most successful weight loss warriors eat a lot more than those who are stuck in a weight loss rut.

Never starve yourself for long durations. By eating three meals in a day, which are set apart too far you tend to, unknowingly, drop your blood sugar levels. When this happens, there is a sudden urge to reach for unhealthy snacks in order to satisfy the cravings. Instead, grab a quick healthy high-carb or lean high-protein snack, which will keep your stomach full until you find your next balanced meal. The trick here is to stay away from eating loads of unnecessary unsaturated fats and calories.

Still not convinced? Here are three more reasons why you should eat 6 meals in a day.

- It will keep you away from overeating and automatically help you maintain your portion sizes.
- Eating smaller and healthy meals will also help you fight the risk of lifestyle conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension, which are all linked to unhealthy meals.
- This dietary routine will also help in maintaining your body's muscle tone, because it will feed amino acids and nutrients to your muscles at frequent intervals, especially when combined with exercising.

Choose power-packed healthy meal combos. The buzz word here is diversity. The more diverse your meals, the more you are likely to balance your proteins, carbs, and fats. Here are some power packed combination ideas:

- Spinach is already quite healthy, but when you combine it with an avocado, it becomes even healthier. Research suggests that healthy fats in avocado enhance the fat-soluble carotenoids in spinach.

- Seasonal fruits. A handful of almonds and other dried fruit.

- Vitamin C when combined with eggs is the most powerful supporter of iron absorption. Vitamin C makes the iron up to 6 times more soluble, which means that you can use 100% of the iron you munch, keeping fatigue-causing anemia- at bay.

- A large bowl of skim milk and whole grain cereal. Add your favourite fruit to it.

- A tiny sized bran muffin along with raisins and a medium-sized glass of skim milk.

- One egg, whole wheat toast, and a glass of orange or apple juice.

- One whole wheat roti combined with steamed chicken and stir-fried vegetables.

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Intel promises faster processors for tablets, smartphones

Intel detailed its next-generation mobile processor architecture named Silvermont, claiming that it would offer best-in-class performance to smartphone and tablet users.

processor architecture named Silvermont, claiming that it would offer best-in-class performance to smartphone and tablet users.

In a webcast organized for investors and media, the company, which had lost ground to ARM Holdings as smartphones and tablets surpassed laptops and desktops in popularity, said that Silvermont would form the basis for its next-generation Atom microprocessors called Bay Trail and Merrifield.

While Bay Trail, which would power tablets, should start appearing in devices by the end of this year, Merrifield would be available inside smartphones in the first quarter of 2014.

ARM, a UK-based company, makes the core technology that is used by companies like Qualcomm, Nvidia, MediaTek, Apple and Samsung to create microprocessors for phones and tablets.

Currently, the Atom processors used inside smartphones are based on architecture that was introduced by Intel in 2008. While these processors have performance that is comparable to ARM-based chips, they seem to suffer from the lack of interest from companies that make phones and tablets.

"Silvermont is a leap forward and an entirely new technology foundation for the future that will address a broad range of products and market segments," said Dadi Perlmutter, Intel executive vice president and chief product officer. "Early sampling of our 22nm SoCs, including Bay Trail, is already garnering positive feedback from our customers. Going forward, we will accelerate future generations of this low-power microarchitecture on a yearly cadence."

Earlier, Leighton Phillips, Intel's product marketing director in Asia, had told TOI that consumers would be able to buy Bay Trail tablets by Christmas this year. "Several manufacturers, including a very big tablet maker, are already working on Bay Trail devices," he said.

In the webcast on Monday, Intel claimed that the new Atom processor would offer up to three times more performance and up to five times less power consumption compared to the existing Atom processors. The company also claimed that its chips would offer vastly superior performance and power consumption compared to ARM-based products found inside most of smartphone and tablets.

The next-generation Atom processor will have up to 8 cores. Smartphones are likely to have dual-core processors while tablets will have quad-core chips. The 8-core processors will be reserved for micro-servers.

Intel did not provide any absolute performance numbers but claimed that the dual-core Silvermont processor is on average 50% faster than the ARM quad-core processors found in current smartphones.

Intel, which rules the personal computer industry, has found the going difficult in the smartphone and tablet market. It has been slow to respond to the changing market at a time when its competitors like Qualcomm have moved fast to create new processors within months.

Intel claimed that going forward it would update the Atom architecture every year. The company also said that it would use its technology lead in manufacturing of micro-processors to make chips for smartphones and tablet. So far, the company has used its and latest and greatest manufacturing technologies to make personal computer processors.

Bay Trail and Merrifield will be manufactured using Intel's 22nm technology. The current Atom processor are manufactured using 32nm technology while most of the high-end ARM processors use 28nm technology.

For Intel, Silvermont is crucial to its future. While the company has financially performed better than expected in recent years, the effect of falling computer sales is evident on its income. In first quarter of 2013, the company's net income was down almost 25% compared to the income in Q1, 2012.

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