Indian student in Cornell University hacks into ICSE, ISC database

Kolkata-born Debarghya Das, majoring in computer science, says that all he had to do was run a simple program that entered all roll numbers after defining a range to get access to all the results.

NEW DELHI: A 20-year-old Indian student from Cornell University hacked into the database of ICSE (Class X) and ISC (Class XII) school exam results, exposed glaring anomalies in the marking system and went on to merrily write about his exploits in an online post.

Kolkata-born Debarghya Das, majoring in computer science, says that all he had to do was run a simple program that entered all roll numbers after defining a range to get access to all the results. "It is shocking they haven't implemented a more secure system," Das told TOI on phone from New York.

After the result's data was crunched, analysed and plotted in graphs, Das discovered an interesting incongruity in the marking system: there are 33 different scores unattained between the passing mark of 35 and the maximum of 100 by the nearly 1,50,000 who appeared for the ICSE (Class X) exam. According to Das' findings, not a single student got the following marks: 36, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47, 49, 51, 53, 55, 56, 57, 59, 61, 63, 65, 67, 68, 70, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 85, 87, 89, 91, 93. Similarly, in the case of ISC (Class XII exam) a set of 24 marks between 40 and 100 were found to be unattained.

When contacted, chairperson of the CI SCE (Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations) Gerry Arathoon, refused to comment on both data security and the unattained marks. "I can't say anything until I have had a look at things myself," he said.

Das says that the missing marks indicate that perhaps they were tampered with. He offers mathematical and statistical arguments to defend his position in his online post. He says that the ISC anomaly appears to be a case of awarding "grace marks" and writes -- "Everything from 35 onwards, and most things from 23 onward seem blindly promoted to a pass mark."

Pranesh Prakash, policy director at the Center for Internet and Society, says one needn't even be a techie to execute such a hack. "You don't need real technical skills to do this. You just need to figure out the ranges and feed them in. It is an interesting revelation that the website does nothing to obfuscate the javascript for security, but one can still retrieve data without that information. Once you have the data, it requires two minutes of programming to get it in a spreadsheet," says Prakash. In his post, titled "Hacking into the Indian Education System", Das wrote that he was doing this to "demonstrate how few measures our education board takes to hide such sensitive information". The student also told the TOI that it wasn't possible to change any values in marks and upload fudged data again, and that he made any significant progress in this direction only about 3-4 days after the results were announced. His online post says he also has the data for CBSE class XII. Though he hasn't yet made it public, he does admit it was harder to crack than CISCE, though not altogether difficult.

Schooled in Kolkata, Das is curren tly interning at Google, working on YouTube's captioning system. He is also working on a tongue-controlled game and has earlier been active in game and applet design. The idea to hack the results came to him fo llowing a desire to help two close friends who had recently taken the exams.

Das, nicknamed Deedy, told ToI that he worked on the ICSE and ISC results off and on for a week, but it essentially took about 4-5 hours to get all the data."It took me more time to write the blog post," says Das, referring to his 19-page post with all the graphs, data and explanations that is currently online.

For Das, there was only one other takeaway from the whole exercise. "Regardless of any tampering, it would be nice to see a transparent exam scheme. SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) publishes everything related to the exam results every year. It is inconceivable that a national level exam board doesn't do that," he says.

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Ind vs SA: Shikhar Dhawan's ton sets up India's win over South Africa

India's Shikhar Dhawan (R) celebrates his century with India's Virat Kohli (L) during the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between India and South Africa.

CARDIFF: In the middle of all the madness surrounding cricket, if there's one man having a blast, he's Shikhar Dhawan. Confined to the first-class circuit for years, tagged a wasted talent and blamed for his off-the-field eccentricities, he's emerged from those shadows to shine in the brightness of his abilities.



He began the year 2013 with a bang, cementing his place in the squad after that spectacular century in his debut Test against Australia, and is now opening the innings for India in the One-dayers.

On Thursday, at the Sophia Gardens, in the opening match of the Champions Trophy against South Africa here, he continued in that same vein of form, scoring 114 runs off just 94 balls inclusive of 12 fours and a six that pushed the opposition into a corner early in the game.

Riding on his entertaining innings, India posted a healthy 331-7 in the stipulated 50 overs, and took control of the proceedings. South Africa began the chase well but two suicidal run-outs and some avoidable strokeplay changed the course of their innings.

Eventually, India won a match — dragged right till the end of the 50th over — by 26 runs. Dhoni hadn't hinted much about the prospect of Rohit Sharma opening the innings with Dhawan. But on the morning of the match, when the two walked out, it didn't come as a surprise to see the Mumbai batsman — who seems to have a very strong backing of his captain — open the batting. Dhawan's form seemed to have rubbed off on Sharma and the duo brought the first 100 runs in just the 16th over, off 98 balls, to set the tone.

Early on in the innings, it was Sharma who first went after the bowlers. Dhawan joined the party midway through the partnership as the do put on 127 runs. The only chance Dhawan gave in his innings was a stumping opportunity messed up by South Africa's captain and wicketkeeper AB de Villiers. The rest of his innings only varied between having to make a choice between a drive and a loft and a six or a four as he made light of a wayward South African attack.

The last 10 overs of India's innings saw 82 runs scored for the loss of three wickets. That meant 149 runs coming between the 17th and the 40th over for the loss of just four wickets. It underlined Dhoni's theory of taking a cautious approach and saving wickets for the end. That India were 213-2 at the end of 35 overs and SA 212-6 sums up the story.

A great effort also came from allrounder Ravindra Jadeja who seems to be growing in confidence with each game regardless of the format. It's no surprise that Jadeja has been MS Dhoni's go-to man of late.

On Thursday, the 24-year-old's 29-ball 47 cameo consisting seven fours and a six helped India surge from 260-5 in the 42 over to the eventual total. On the field too, he was electric, picking a wicket, taking a catch, and most importantly, effecting a thriller of a run-out - of Robin Peterson - to snatch back the initiative for India.

South Africa have themselves to blame for letting India walk away with two points. Missed chances, run-outs and an unmethodical approach during the Powerplays scripted their defeat.

The wicket played true to how it had been perceived, allowing batsmen to go for their shots in both the innings. However, spinners played a larger role in the game than what had been expected, considering the new ICC rules of allowing teams to take two new balls in an innings.

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Microsoft Launches Website That Helps Students Buy Laptop

Bangalore: The graduation season is in full swing in U.S. Among the colleges that are vying to capture the attention of high school grads, the odd out, Microsoft, is trying to sell its computing machines by launching a website that lets family and friends to come together and chip in to help their grads buy a windows laptop, reports Los Angeles Times.

Last year too Microsoft came up with a way to boost its PC sells by getting a free Xbox 360 game console to the new grads with the purchase of a Windows PC.

The website too goes with the name “Chip In,” and idea behind it, as Microsoft’s Kristina Libby, the head of consumer communications for Windows, says, was to make it easier for students to get laptops for college by helping them crowd-source the necessary money from their loved ones. “It’s a really easy way for friends and family to help give students a gift that they actually want and actually need,” Libby said.

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LinkedIn To Open New Office In Bangalore

Bangalore: Social networking site LinkedIn, reportedly booked a 74,341 sq ft of office space in Prestige Technology Park in Bangalore. The company has taken up the space to consolidate its existing offices while the rest of it will be used for growth, reports Economic Times.

According to LinkedIn India Country Manager Nishant Rao, "The new office space in Bangalore will house employees across functions, including customer service, engineering, sales and marketing."

LinkedIn India is currently head quartered in Mumbai and has two branches, one in Gurgaon and other a technology centre in Bangalore. The world's largest professional networking site has 150 employees in India as on December 2012. The country provides the second largest user base for LinkedIn after U.S.
"Having grown by almost 500percent since LinkedIn India started operations in November 2009, the 20 million members account for about 9percent of LinkedIn's global members (225+ million)," said Rao.

LinkedIn has launched a series of exclusive products for its users in India. HCL Technologies, ING Vysya and WABAG are among the top companies to use LinkedIn Talent Solutions; India has added more than five million users in the past 12 months until the March 2013.

The 22-acre Prestige Tech Park houses other big companies such as JP Morgan and Adobe, the transaction between LinkedIn and Prestige was reportedly handled by a property consultant DTZ.

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Acer Iconia W3 launched, world's first 8.1-inch Windows tablet

Acer has unveiled the first 8.1-inch Windows 8 tablet today at Computex 2013. The Acer Iconia W3 priced at $379 was unveiled a day before the official start of the Taiwanese consumer trade show.

After a plethora of big slates running the Windows 8 OS, this is the first Windows 8 device that can actually fit in your hand. It is powered by an Intel Atom Z2760 processor with a 1.8GHz dual-core chip. The tablet comes with a 1280x800 pixel resolution LED-backlit display. It also has a 2-megapixel front facing camera and a 2-megapixel rear camera. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, Micro-USB and Micro-HDMI, lacking USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt ports seen on previous Windows tablets from Acer. The device weighs 540 grams and is 11.35mm thick. Acer promises around eight hours of battery life for the tablet which happens to be pretty good for its size.

The Acer Iconia W3 comes with a pre-installed copy of Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013. The Iconia W3 will be priced at 329 Euros for 32GB and 379 Euros for 64GB storage variants. Acer US has confirmed that the tablet will arrive at $379 but hasn't confirmed the storage capacity of the device yet. With storage options of 32GB and 64GB, the device also includes a microSD card slot and will allow up to 32GB of external storage.

The tablet is made of plastic with a Windows button on the right edge. The Micro-USB port on the tablet can be used for sharing data and connecting to devices like phones, MP3 players, USB drives, or a mouse.

Acer has also introduced an optional keyboard with the device that is expected is cost around $90. The keyboard that allows Bluetooth connectivity with the tablet runs on AAA batteries. The keyboard dock hence does not power the tablet, but has a hollow space that fits the device. The look and functionality of the keyboard is said to be similar to the one seen on Acer's already existing Ultrabook line up.

The Iconia W3 is a smaller addition to the already existing large screen Windows tablets that Acer had introduced at Computex last year. With the Windows 8 segment facing tough competition from smaller Android tablets like the Nexus 7 and the iPad Mini, how a smaller Windows 8 tablet fairs in the market would be interesting to see.

Acer Iconia W3 key specifications

• 8.1-inch backlit LED display with 1280X800 pixels
• 1.8 GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z2760 processor
• 32GB, 64GB internal storage, expandable by up to 32GB
• 2-megapixel rear camera
• 2-megapixel front facing camera
• Eight hours of battery
• Windows 8 OS
• Weight: 540 grams
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
• Micro-USB, Micro-HDMI, 3.5 mm headphone jack

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Google releases stock Android keyboard as standalone app in Play Store

It seems that Google has started to take the Nexus experience and provide bits and pieces of it to users on non-Nexus Android devices. To begin with, Google has released its Google Keyboard app for phones and tablets running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and above. The app on the Google Play Store is now available for English speaking countries while Google says that more locales will be added soon.

The application gives you the stock Android keyboard that comes with Nexus devices. Much like how keyboard applications like Swiftkey and Swype work, you can download the Google keyboard application from the Play Store in order to replace the existing keyboard on your Android device. It is however important to note that while these popular keyboards are paid, Google has launched the Google keyboard free of cost.

The stock keyboard was updated during the launch of Jelly Bean and comes with features such as Gesture typing and next-word prediction. With gesture typing you basically glide through letters without lifting your finger and when done you can lift your finger to finish a word. You can also tap the microphone on the keyboard to compose messages with voice typing.

The keyboard comes with support for 26 languages. One major missing point that most users claim is the absence of emoticons, something that OEMs like Samsung, LG and HTC add to their keyboards.

For Nexus enthusiasts the stock keyboard coming to the Play Store is certainly positive news. Third-party applications that claim to give a Nexus keyboard experience are available on the Play Store, but there's nothing like the real thing. With the official Google keyboard now available for download, all these have surely become obsolete.

The keyboard is presently not available in India for download. But staying in line with Google's promises, we expect a roll out soon.

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Logitech buys Kickstarter-funded TT Design Labs

The two-person startup's team will now work for Logitech. The accessories maker will also start selling the TT Design Labs products under its own brand.

The TidyTilt case for the iPhone 5 at left, and the JustMount

Logitech, a company focused on selling tech accessories, has acquired a company that got its start on Kickstarter.
TT Design Labs was founded a little under two years ago by Derek Tarnow and Zahra Tashakorinia. The company's first product was an iPhone accessory, known as TidyTilt, that doubled as both a stand for easier viewing of the iPhone, as well as a case protector. The TidyTilt could also handle the wrapping of earbud cords to keep everything, well, tidy.

To get off the ground, TT Design Labs brought the concept to Kickstarter, where it raised more than 2,000 percent over its goal. Since then, the company has built another accessory, called JustMount, that works as a magnetic mount for an iPhone and the TidyTilt.
Neither Logitech nor TT Design Labs announced the terms of the deal, but Logitech will now start selling both of TT's products under its own brand. Tarnow will stay on with Logitech as a full-time designer, while Tashakorina will work in a consulting capacity.
Both the Logitech TidyTilt and Logitech JustMount are available for preorder via their new owner. The TidyTilt will set customers back $34.95, while the JustMount will cost $24.95. Logitech plans to ship them "in the coming weeks."

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Samsung launches firmware update for Galaxy S4

The update provides users with the ability to put applications onto the SD card, freeing up the precious little space on the 16GB option.

Samsung's Galaxy S4 (left) and its predecessor, the Galaxy S3.

Samsung has launched a firmware update for the wildly popular Galaxy S4 that should quell some unrest for those who own the 16GB version.
Once the firmware is installed, users will have the ability to offload their app installs to the SD card. That's especially important for 16GB device owners who were upset to find that they had just 9.15GB of usable space on the device's storage. Moving apps to the SD card can save some of the needed space. Samsung has also found a way to squeeze another 0.08GB of space on the device's drive, according to SamMobile, which was first to report on the news.

In addition to handling the storage issue, the software update for the Galaxy S4 includes a host of fixes and improvements, including the ability to record HDR video and a fix for the purple effect users were seeing when scrolling through pages.
According to SamMobile, the update is available only in Germany now, but the site cited sources who said it will roll out elsewhere at some point.

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Technology paves way for a highly competitive HR cosmos

According to industry experts any HR team facilitated by technology can efficiently manage the multi-cultural and multi-generational workforce, across the globe.

Nearly 54% of organisations will be focusing on significant technology investments to manage the global workforce, revealed a TimesJobs.com study.
The evolving “boundaryless” work environments demands dynamism in recruitment, work process, organisation structure, internal and global workforce operations, resulting in increased need to have IT enabled HR services. Technology savvy HR professionals are the need of the hour. Industry experts believe that any HR team facilitated by technology can efficiently manage the multi-cultural and multi-generational workforce, across the globe.
The (hi)-tech benefits
HR is a very crucial function of any organisation. Technology helps the HR professionals to streamline the basic recruitment process so that they have time to focus on other vital and strategic aspects of their job.
Also, it aids in reaching out to a large, diverse talent pool, with minimal effort – saving on time, energy and money. Technology also helps in organising the vast database of HR departments and simplifying the initial sifting and short-listing process. Further, it assists in setting up standard evaluation tools. Overall, the technology employed in HR functions, aids organisations in taking quick and wise hiring decisions.
Staying updated
With the insurgence of technology in HR, organisations are offering training to their respective HR departments to keep them updated about the latest happenings and innovation in the field.
Since, the hiring space is a highly competitive market, organisations are experimenting and inventing new technologies every other day, to stay ahead of their counterparts. Thus, merely knowing the existing technologies doesn’t help. HR professionals, today, need to be aware, informed and skilled enough to utilise the HR-related technologies, efficiently and effectively. For the same, there is need of constantly updating the HR staff regarding the available options, innovations in the sphere and providing the necessary guidance and training to them.
Word of caution
Some feel that extensive use of technology in HR can present challenges in the form of reduced job opportunities for HR professionals in the near future. But, industry experts rule out this threat. According to Mahesh Ramalingam, Regional Head of Talent Acquisition & Service Delivery – South Asia, Thomson Reuters, “If you look at a larger industry level – when there is more automation, there is more need of support, maintenance staff.”
Way ahead
Ramalingam stated that HR IT is a need of the hour and organisations. “Be it big or SM enterprises, organisations are increasingly investing in this area. I would tend to agree that it has to and can innovate further,” he said in a live chat session on TimesJobs.com.
“The continued growth of technology, social media, and easy communications now makes it possible for most knowledge work and team activities to occur remotely. Allowing top talent to work ‘wherever they want to work’ improves retention and makes recruiting dramatically easier,” asserted Meenakshi Roy, Sr. Vice President Human Resources, Reliance Broadcast Network.

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Fastest way to lose belly fat

Fastest way to lose belly fat

Here's your quick guide to a flat, toned stomach

Losing weight on your midriff can seem very challenging, but if you push yourself a little further, you can easily shed those extra kilos from your abs and flaunt an envious one.

Side plank
This abs exercising is known to be the most difficult one than a traditional plank one because you are supporting your entire body on two points of contact instead of four. Thus you must work your core harder to stay stabilised.

How to do it: Lie on your left side with your elbow directly under your shoulder and legs stacked. Place your right hand on your left shoulder or on your right hip.

Next brace your abs and lift your hips off the floor until you are balancing on your forearm and feet so that your body forms a diagonal line. Hold position for 30 to 45 seconds. Switch sides and repeat.

Walkout from push up position
This exercise needs a full body movement such as using your arms and legs while incorporating resistance to strengthen your entire core too.

How to do it: Start in a push up position with your hands two inches wider than your shoulders. Now walk hands out as far as possible then walk back. Repeat this for 12-14 times.

The alligator drag
This exercise uses your entire core to keep your body stabilised and burns additional calories by adding movement. It mixes stability, cardio and strength training to get you the fast results.

How to do it: Look for a stretch of floor where you can move 10 to 20 yards forwards and grab anything that will slide over the surface with minimal friction. Now start in push up position with your feet on slides or towels behind. Walk yourself forward with your hands to the end of the runway and repeat the alligator back walk from where you started.

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Their is always burden of expectation on Team India: MS Dhoni

"If you don't have fans, people ask if you're missing them. When you have fans, people talk of the burden of expectation. So I think when it comes to the Indian team, there is always pressure or the burden of expectation," Dhoni said.

CARDIFF: There seem to be two faces to Mahendra Singh Dhoni these days — one which lights up if you're talking cricket and the other that sulks if you refer to the recent scandals in Indian cricket. More specifically, questions about Chennai Super Kings.

On Wednesday, the eve of the first match of the Champions Trophy between India and South Africa, he was asked about the tournament and cricket. Naturally, his face lit up. "If you don't have fans, people ask if you're missing them. When you have fans, people talk of the burden of expectation. So I think when it comes to the Indian team, there is always pressure or the burden of expectation," he said.

Pressure and burden are words he's avoided uttering ever since the Indian T20 league got over and the team left for England to play the Champions Trophy. "We always welcome the double-edged sword, you can say. We just have to balance it the right way," he added.

It is difficult to suggest what kind of pressure or burden Dhoni and his team might be going through at this moment. You can't ask him to explain because the BCCI has gagged him. So, he restricts himself only to the cricket. "We have to do all the right things over again and we hope it goes (the tournament) in our favour," he said.

Dinesh Karthik and Umesh Yadav's current form, the new One-day rules, the absence of Jacques Kallis from the opposition ranks and the role that fast bowlers might play in Cardiff are on top of his mind. "Karthik is technically sound. He's someone who should bat at 4 or 5, 3 also but definitely not at 6 and 7," he says, explain the slot in which the batsman might be asked to play. "I've always stressed that players need to bat in specialist positions," said Dhoni.

As for the attack, he's convinced that Yadav, along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma, can do the job for India. "Yadav is the quickest in our side so he is someone who can get on top of the batsmen, swing the ball and be really effective. He just has to maintain his composure and not look for that extra pace," he said.

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Top 10 changes that Microsoft Windows 8.1 will bring

After several rumours hinting at the new features that Microsoft's Windows 8.1 would bring, the Redmond giant has officially announced some of them through a new blog post taking a "first look."According to Microsoft, Windows 8.1 will not just respond to customer feedback, will add new features and functionality to improve the touch experience and the operating system's mobile computing potential.
"The Windows 8.1 update will deliver improvements and enhancements in key areas like personalization, search, the built-in apps, Windows Store experience, and cloud connectivity," the company said.
1. New Start tip
The biggest change that the update brings is the Windows Logo at the left hand corner in place of the Start screen "tip" that comes up when one hovers the mouse pointer in Windows 8. The Windows Logo is more recognisable according to Microsoft. It also gives the ability to users to choose between booting to the desktop directly. At the moment, only the Start screen shows up when one boots the PC.
2. Desktop wallpapers for Start screen
Microsoft will now allow users to turn their PCs or tablets into a photo frame when it's locked. Users can choose to show a slideshow of pictures stored locally in their devices or in the cloud via SkyDrive. It will also add the ability to take pictures from the lock screen via the device's camera directly from the lock screen.
In addition to this, the update will bring more colours and backgrounds including animated ones for the Windows Start screen and will even allow users to set their desktop background as their Start screen background. As reported previously, the Windows 8.1 Start screen would features new tile sizes including a new large and new small size.
3. Updated Search
According to Microsoft, Windows 8.1's Search charm will offer global search results powered by Bing in "a rich, simple-to-read, aggregated view of many content sources to provide the best "answer" for the user's query." Search will also offer "Quick actions" that include actions users would like to take, for example, play songs or videos. Results from local files, apps, and settings would be accessible in the same was as they are on Windows 8.
4. App Updates
Microsoft will be updating native apps to offer new functionality. The company mentions that the Pictures app will offer the ability to edit pictures and the Music app has been completely redesigned to offer a better experience and adds that it will also be introducing new apps shortly.
5. New multitasking experience
Following the Windows 8.1 update, users will be able to snap apps in variable sizes, as reported earlier. It will allow users to run three apps simultaneously on one screen and run different Modern UI/ Metro apps on different displays if connected, while keeping the Start screen on one display. Users will also be able to snap multiple windows of the same application.
6. Updated Store
Microsoft is also revamping the Windows Store to show more information with detailed lists of top free apps, new releases, and picks on the homepage.
7. SkyDrive improvements
Windows 8.1 will allow users to save files directly to SkyDrive and will offer an updated SkyDrive app that allows offline access to files.
8. Better PC Settings menu
Another issue that a lot of users faced with Windows 8 was that a lot of system settings were not available in the PC settings and they had to still go to the Control Panel on the desktop to access them.
Users will now be able to change their display resolution, set power options, see the make and model of their PC, change the product key, run Windows Update, and even join a domain directly from PC Settings.
9. New Internet Explorer
The Windows 8.1 update will bring a new version of the Internet Explorer browser. Internet Explorer 11 would be built for touch and would offer faster page load times in addition to several other new personalisation features.
10. Better handling of tiles
Users will be able to group and rearrange tiles more conveniently. They'll now be able to select multiple apps all at once, resize them, uninstall them, or rearrange them on the Start screen. Windows 8.1 will require users to press and hold or right click to move tiles around to prevent accidental movement of tiles. The update also brings the ability to filter apps by name, date installed, most used, or by category.

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Will Verizon ever see a 'pure' Android smartphone again?

HTC and Samsung are both releasing "pure" Android phones this month -- but not for Verizon, the biggest wireless carrier in the U.S. So how about a successor to the 18-month-old Galaxy Nexus?

Behold the "pure" version of the Samsung Galaxy S4, available June 26, but not on Verizon.

My Verizon Galaxy Nexus is getting long in the tooth, as they say. Old. Sluggish. I bought it soon after it launched with Verizon in December 2011 because I wanted a "pure" Android experience on a network I felt had the best speed and coverage. Now I'm ready to replace it, but there's no alternative in sight.
Sure, Verizon has other Android phones I could buy. But those don't have a pure or "stock" experience, where the Android operating system hasn't had modifications made to it by the handset maker.
Pure Android with Verizon means going with the 18-month-old Galaxy Nexus. Not only is it aging, but the upgrade to Android 4.2.2 has virtually crippled mine. I'm not alone with this complaint. Sure, we could root newer phones. But there really ought to be an easier way to get a pure Android phone, with the latest processors and displays, on Verizon.
That's certainly possible with Verizon's biggest competitor, second-place AT&T. You can also do it with fourth-place T-Mobile. Just buy a Nexus 4. That pure Android phone, out since last November, works with both carriers, though theoretically it'll push data up to twice the speed on T-Mobile.
The big flaw with the Nexus 4 has been no highest-speed LTE support. That's less an issue with T-Mobile, which has only a tiny LTE network. But AT&T's LTE network is substantial.
New "pure" Android phones coming, but not to Verizon
So how about some pure Android phones that can tap into LTE? They're on the way, from Samsung and HTC, both arriving on June 26, both supporting LTE on AT&T and T-Mobile.

The HTC One with the "Nexus User Experience."

Samsung is offering a Google Play edition of the Samsung Galaxy S4 for $649. HTC is offering a "Nexus User Experience" version of its HTC One for $599, which is $50 less than Samsung.
That's pretty pricey, and don't expect a carrier subsidy to soften the blow. These phones will be sold directly by Google, and they're not really aimed at the typical consumer. They're more for developers who want a stock Android phone to use and test with and, for whatever reason, may feel the Nexus 4 isn't phone enough.
Is "pure" really better or desirable?
That's a steep enough price to make me rethink whether a pure Android phone is really worth the cost -- worth paying extra without the carrier underwriting some of the phone in exchange for a contract commitment. Some of the modifications aren't bad. Handset makers sometimes provide better e-mail clients or photo modes than pure Android provides, I've found.

I can't speak for the HTC One, as I'm still waiting on a review unit to try. But I've been testing the Galaxy S4 for the past three weeks, and it's been excellent. I'll do a longer "Life with...." write-up to come, but while last year's Galaxy S3 left me cold, the S4 has quickly become my favorite phone. Importantly, compared to my "pure" Nexus 4 phone, it feels fast, peppy and doesn't leave me feeling like I'm missing much just because it's not pure.
Actually, there's one thing that I do miss, the "photo sphere" 360-shooting mode that Android 4.2 phones support. That's been omitted on the Android 4.2-based Galaxy S4, sadly. But the S4 does have a variety of useful custom shooting modes that its pure-Android cousins lack.
Perhaps having a pure Android experience isn't important to me as it once was. Certainly it never seems to have been that important to consumers in general. The Galaxy Nexus wasn't a big hit despite its pure lineage. The Nexus 4 has proven more popular, helped by its excellent price of $300 with no contract. But other phones, in particular from Samsung, still seem to outsell it, aided perhaps by even lower prices when sold on contract.
Given all this, maybe it doesn't matter whether Verizon ever gets another pure Android device again or not. That's especially so given that even if it did get one, history has shown that's no great boon. Verizon blocked things like Google Wallet on my Galaxy Nexus and took ages to release the latest versions of Android to my device. That's not what I expected from a "pure" phone that I assumed had a direct line to Google.
Nor, given all this, do I expect Verizon to get a pure Android device in the near future. Why didn't we get a Nexus 4 for Verizon? Sure, issues like LTE incompatibility and wanting to have a more "global" phone are valid, though Google never entirely ruled out that a Verizon version might come. But the answer seems clear. Google wasn't going to risk a repeat of having one of its own devices crippled by Verizon's meddling.
"Nexus Editions" to replace Nexus phones?
All of this has also gotten me thinking about the future of Nexus devices. It's a real shift, that we went from the Galaxy Nexus in December 2011 available for all major carriers in the U.S. to a Nexus 4 out the following year available for only two of the carriers to no new Nexus smartphone this year, so far, for any of the carriers. Has the Nexus brand done its duty, at least for phones?
Now, I'm sure there will be a successor to the Nexus 4. Maybe it'll be called the Nexus 5 if it gains a larger 5-inch screen size (similar to how the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 are named). Maybe it'll be called that because it's the next number after four. Maybe it'll just stay the Nexus 4 but with better specs. Whatever happens, however, it seems likely to be less important than Nexus devices before it.
Part of the reason Google started doing Nexus devices was to help work more closely with handset makers to advance what could be done with Android on smartphones. Later, the same was done for tablets. Android smartphones seem to be doing pretty well now regardless of Nexus devices existing. Maybe the new "stock" versions of the HTC One and the Galaxy S4 are better thought of the Nexus 5 in all but name. Or maybe the future of "Nexus" isn't that we'll have Nexus devices but "Nexus editions" of phones.
Verizon: the iPhone network?
Back to Verizon, I've also been feeling the Android mojo overall has been slipping there. It's not just that the carrier hasn't gotten a pure Android device in ages. It's also been behind on the two hot Android phones of this year. It was the last of the major carriers in the U.S. to get the Galaxy S4. The HTC One isn't expected to arrive until "later this summer," Verizon tweeted this week.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One, both late to arrive on Verizon

I'm not alone in feeling this. In doing some of the searching I did to put together this column, I came across JR Raphael's recent column at Computerworld, where he itemized some of the reasons why he sees Verizon as no longer the place for Android enthusiasts. I was struck by how we're both seeing the same pattern, and no doubt it's not just us. The pattern is there for many to see.
All this has gotten me thinking that I really just need to nurse my Galaxy Nexus along a bit longer. For work reasons, I have several phones on different networks: an iPhone and Windows Phone with AT&T; a Nexus 4 with T-Mobile. When the next version of the iPhone comes out, I'll probably switch to having that on Verizon. That way, I can be assured of finally knowing my Verizon phone will always get timely updates and not face Verizon itself messing with the operating system. What Verizon will do to Android, it won't do with Apple.
It's ironic. AT&T gave birth to the iPhone in the U.S., and I'd argue that Verizon largely gave birth to the popularity of Android in the U.S. through its "Droid" marketing campaign, which it pushed because it lacked the iPhone. These days, AT&T seems far more Android-friendly while Verizon almost feels indifferent to Android.

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How Windows 8.1 upgrades will get to you

Microsoft is sharing more on how existing Windows 8 and Windows RT users will be able to upgrade to Windows 8.1 "Blue" preview and final.

 

With the public preview builds of Windows 8.1 due out later this month, a number of users are wondering how Microsoft plans to handle the upgrade.
At TechEd North America, officials shared some details on that topic in a session entitled "Windows RT in the Enterprise."
Microsoft officials have said previously that the company plans to deliver the public preview of Windows 8.1, codenamed "Blue," via the Windows Store on June 26.

What's new in Windows 8.1 (pictures)

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Microsoft Senior Product Marketing Manager Michael Niehaus reiterated that message in the RT in the Enterprise session on Tuesday. When the 8.1 preview is available, Windows 8 and Windows RT users will receive a Windows Update notification. That update will trigger the new bits to show up in the Windows Store, where potential testers will be able to read the description and choose whether or not to install.
Once the final versions of Windows 8.1 are available, after their release to manufacturing, those who have downloaded the preview will get the same Windows Update plus Windows Store notification. While their data and accounts will be preserved if and when they choose to install the free, final 8.1 release, all their apps must be reinstalled, Niehaus said.

Even if testers opt instead to roll their devices back to Windows 8 after installing the preview bits, they still will have to reinstall their apps once they move to the RTM version of Windows 8.1.
Windows 8 users who do not install the preview build and opt instead to go straight from Windows 8/Windows RT to Windows 8.1 will not have to reinstall their apps. All settings, data and apps will carry over, a spokesperson said when I asked. Users will be able to decide when and if they want to move from Windows 8 and Windows RT to the 8.1 versions, officials stressed.
Niehaus characterized the Windows 8 to 8.1 upgrade as "a little better" than how Microsoft handled the Windows 8 test build to RTM upgrade. A Microsoft spokesperson said the Windows 8 to 8.1 upgrade would be "comparable" to the Windows 7 to Windows 8 upgrade, in terms of how the upgrade dealt with user settings, data and apps.
Niehaus also told session attendees that Microsoft expects to have a reduced footprint size for Windows 8.1 as compared to Windows 8. He said the team has been working on removing old components, temporary files and improving NTFS compression to free up more space on users' machines. He noted that 4 GB of free space will be needed to install the Windows 8.1 preview builds. And he said that installation of Windows 8.1 will not result in the replacement of the recovery partition in Windows 8.
"If you deleted it, [8.1] won't replace it," Niehaus said.

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The one thing Microsoft really needs to restore in Windows 8.1

Forget the Start button. There's another feature Microsoft yanked from Windows that I want back even more.

Bring it back, Microsoft. Bring it back.

For all the complaining about Windows 8's lack of a Start button (much of it coming from me), the tech media has largely ignored an even bigger feature Microsoft unceremoniously pulled from the OS.
And not only pulled, but also slapped with a price tag.
I'm talking about Windows Media Center, the thoroughly awesome software that makes a Windows PC a great companion for TV -- or just a great TV, depending on how you use it.
Windows Media Center (hereafter WMC) made its debut as a specialized version of Windows XP, but was later incorporated into most versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7. Offering a gorgeous 10-foot (i.e., TV-friendly) interface for your music, photos, videos, and, with the addition of a tuner, TV shows, WMC quickly amassed a small but rabid following.
About that TV part. Early on, you could connect one or more TV tuners to your PC to create a full-blown DVR, one that blew TiVo out of the water (and, some would argue, still does). Things got messy after the switch from analog to all-digital broadcasts, but a handful of products arrived on the scene to add CableCard compatibility -- thus allowing a properly equipped PC to record up to four digital channels at once. (The latest, Ceton's InfiniTV 6, gives you six tuners.)
I've been a very satisfied WMC user for years, even while joining my fellow "Green Button" fans in dismay over Microsoft's handling of the product. What should have been a crown jewel in the company's marketing efforts was always treated like the red-headed stepchild: ignored, mistreated, and effectively abandoned.
Indeed, WMC changed little between Vista and 7, and Windows 8 brought virtually no updates at all. Well, except for one: Microsoft unbundled it from the OS, meaning anyone who wants it now has to pay for it.
For example, my new Ultrabook came with Windows 8. To get WMC, I have to buy the Windows 8 Pro Pack, which costs $99.99. Well, guess what: I want WMC, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I spend an extra $100 to get it.
If you have Windows 8 Pro (which, make no mistake, was designed for business users -- exactly the folks who have little to no interest in WMC), you can buy the software for $9.99.
This is, for all intents and purposes, the final nail in WMC's coffin. I don't understand Microsoft's thinking. Almost no one knows WMC exists or how best to use it because Microsoft doesn't advertise it. And those who love it just aren't going to pay $100 -- not when it used to be free. Why didn't they just discontinue it altogether?
So with Windows 8.1, Microsoft has the chance to make this right. Either put WMC back into the OS, or make it $9.99 for all Windows 8 users, not just those who have a work machine running Pro. I like it well enough that I'd pay $10 for it. But charging $100 is idiotic and a slap in the face to users who have enjoyed -- and championed -- this product for a long, long time.

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Google debuts Maps Engine API for customized, cloud-based maps

Google touts that its new Maps Engine API can be used for virtually any kind of application, with business use cases ranging from health care to retail.

 

Google has introduced a new API for its Maps Engine, touted to enable developers to build "endless kinds of applications" all while hosted in the Internet giant's cloud. To recall, the Maps Engine is essentially the reincarnation of Google Earth Builder, which lets developers use Google's cloud infrastructure for storing and managing their own geospatial data and maps.
Users can also use the service to share their custom Google Maps with other employees, clients, and the public at large.
Touted to be supported by "any platform" (Web, Android, iOS, and so on), the new API will provide a link between developers' apps and the Maps Engine for editing geospatial data.
The Maps Engine API is a RESTful API, meaning that all requests to the API are HTTP requests. Thus, any programming language with an HTTP library can be used to query or modify data in this API.
However, developers should know that Google's API client libraries currently don't support the JavaScript Object Notation standard format returned by the Google Maps Engine API.
Google product manager Jen Kovnats pointed toward some particular business use cases in a blog post on Wednesday.
"For example, FedEx.com uses the API to query its more than 50,000 retail locations and IRIS creates applications for utilities to track underground pipelines," he wrote.
FedEx IT manager Pat Doyle explained further in a separate blog post how the API ties in with other Google services, such as Google Street View and driving directions:

By hosting attributes, such as street addresses, opening hours, holiday schedules and local pick-up times on Maps Engine, we can update details for nearly 50,000 retail touchpoints in real-time and share this information to FedEx.com visitors within minutes. This helped us replace a patchwork of region-bound store locators with a single, global site.

Interested developers and existing Google Maps Engine customers can contact the Google sales team now about signing up for access to the API.

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IT/ITES among top industries hiring science graduates

Srilagna Saha,
According to TimesJobs.com data, the top three industries that hire B.Sc graduates are IT/Telecom, CRM/Call Centres/BPO/ITeS, and BFSI.  The top three functions offered to science graduates are – Customer Service/Tele calling, IT/Telecom, and Sales/Business Development. In April-May 2013, 26% of job postings for B.Sc graduates were in the IT/Telecom industry, 21% in CRM/BPO and 11% for positions in the BFSI industry.
Some of the other industries that hire B.Sc graduates are – Construction/Cement, Education, Manufacturing, Travel & Hospitality, Healthcare, and Engineering. Some other functions for which science graduates are in demand include front office, HR/PM/IR, Accounting & Finance, teaching and recruitment. The role depends on the organisation; a manufacturing company will offer a different function to a B.Sc graduate as compared to a pharma/healthcare company. Industry experts add that any specialist role for fresh graduates comes with sufficient on-the-job training to ensure that the candidate is a good fit.
In regards to the various roles available in BPO/ITeS sector, Sachin Vakil, Head HR, Hutchinson Global Services, says, “We have different kind of roles – entry level, which is basically for the call centre and involves interacting directly with our customers; and in case if the candidate has a 4-5 years of experience we offer them leadership positions.” However, for an entry level role one must have minimum 6 months BPO experience.
Ashutosh Mishra, VP-HR, Dish TV, adds, “A majority of B.Sc graduates get hired in customer service, call centre operation, customer related processes, customer support, back-end support and operations. They are also hired in administrative and commercial roles.”
Not only is it the role which varies from one company to the other, hiring criteria also varies. Where on one hand some only hire candidates with relevant experience, others lay emphasis on the candidate’s working style, communication skills, and attitude. Mishra advices, “They should work on their communication skills; should have clarity of thought; should work continuously on attitude.”
Academic institutions play an important role as far as character building and knowledge sharing with these graduates is concerned. Organisations are also slowly associating with academicians to create a common knowledge sharing/building platform for all students. Vakil says, “We need to have a lot of forums where we can come together with B-schools and other colleges. There’s a need to share what we do and change the concept of a call centre –many of these B.Sc graduates see it as a stop gap solution, which is not the case.”
According to industry experts B.Sc graduates get an average salary package of Rs 2 lakh per annum. Nishant Saxena, CEO, Elements Akademia, says, “Entry level salary in BPOs/Telecom is between Rs 10,000 – 15,000 per month.” Vakil points out, “Cost is definitely a driving factor for us. In Mumbai, for an entry level candidate salary is around Rs 3.1 lakh per annum and in Pune it is approximately Rs 2.75 lakh per annum.”

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‘Finding product development professionals is a major challenge in India’

Sanjay Singh, CEO and co-founder, hCentive (provides cloud-based healthcare technology solutions)

What are the different talent management strategies you implement while handling your workforce in India and US?
There are certain HR practices that are universal and there are certain practices that are unique to specific geographies.
The practices that are universal are:
a) There is a culture that we have tried to inculcate within the company whether it is US or India. This includes the culture of openness. By default, we would openly share any and all information with our employees in India and US. To make it happen, similar practices are implemented in US and India. The culture of customer centricity and being goal oriented also runs across the company irrespective of the geographical location.
b) We have set a common bar for all the recruits joining our company. Being a product development company, we require a certain level of skill set. To attain that, we have similar screening processes for people joining our company in India as well as US. All our prospective employees have to clear a universal IQ test before being interviewed. The pattern of this test might be slighting different in both the countries.
Things that are unique are
The employee benefit schemes are highly geography specific. In an Indian context, we provide flexible work timings and work from home options. To aid this, we provide data cards to all out employees in India so that they can access the internet and work from home. We are also contemplating on providing cab facilities to our employees in our Noida office for metro connectivity. These practices are highly specific to locations and are not implemented in the US.
What are the various HR related challenges you face here in India?
a) We are a product company and we would like to have people who know their domain and can start contributing from day one. Not having people with deep domain expertise is a big challenge.
b) We also require people who are skilled in product development. This seems to be a major challenge here in India. For example; we would like to hire a number of product managers into our workforce. The skills that we look for in them are domain knowledge coupled with the ability to develop new products. Finding people with both the skills is a big challenge and we end up compromising one way or the other.
What are the specific skills sets and courses you look for/prefer while sourcing talent here in India?
1. Products managers: We source people with strong technical background (BE and BTech from IITs and NITs) and MBA from reputed business schools.
2. Senior product architects
3. Good business analysts: People who understand business and translate into technical requirements. They will always be in demand. Successful business analysts must be highly detail oriented, good analytical skills and excellent communication skills.
4. Really good UI designers: I am not talking about people who can just write HTML. There is a whole industry in US for these people who deal with human computer interaction. They are extremely skilled. We don’t find such skill sets in India and if we did, we would hire them in loads.
What are your organisation’s workforce expansion plans for India?
All our product development happens out of India. We are close to 300+ people in Noida. The workforce growth has been almost around 200% year upon year. In 2009, when we started off we were just three of us. Now we are around 300. This is a very significant growth and we don’t see it stemming anytime soon. We are planning to increase our workforce by about 500 people in the next couple of years. We would be doubling our workforce every year for now.

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Google, Infosys using internships to hire talent

Google, Infosys etc are increasingly looking at internship as a key HR strategy that enables them to recruit A-grade performers.

NEW DELHI: Organisations like Google, Infosys and Coca Cola are increasingly looking at internship as a key HR strategy that enables them to recruit A-grade performers based on how individuals fare in an actual workplace scenario, experts say.

A good internship programme helps an organisation build a solid talent pipeline, also known as 'bench strength'. They recruit people from the campuses for internship programmes and based on their performance and inclination, induct them for full-time roles in the company.

Leading executive search organisation, GlobalHunt, MD Sunil Goel said: "Any specific skills and the functional knowledge is restricted in total number and the only way to grow the skill sets and domain expertise is through internship programme."

Companies nowadays look at internship programme as a talent management and talent acquisition strategy and convert that talent pool to pipeline of growth. Internship programme plays a very active role in creating that pool for companies.

Commenting on the trend, a Google India spokesperson said: "It is undisputed that a good internship programme helps attract A-Grade talent, it also helps an employer evaluate how an individual would fare in the actual workplace scenario."

Google India has BOLD (Building Opportunities for Leadership Development) Engineering Internships for summer 2013.

These internship programmes are also designed to bridge the gap between academic study and the profession. It also doubles up as an important platform in corporate hiring and talent acquisition for us, Google India said.

"Investing in Googlers drives business outcomes that we care about: innovation, retention. And we know that happier employees are more productive, and more likely to stay at Google," the spokesperson said.

IT major Infosys has a global internship programme -- InStep for undergraduate, graduate and PhD students from leading academic institutions around the world.

Interns across 35 different nationalities are given a chance to work on high impact assignments ranging from live technology projects and cutting-edge research to business solutions from Infosys offices in India.

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Raina, Jadeja, Ojha managed by firm owned by Dhoni

According to documents filed by the firm with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Dhoni held 30,000 shares or 15% stake in Rithi Sports as on March 22.

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: A day after BCCI president N Srinivasan had to step aside because of a conflict of interest, Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni faced a similar charge for holding shares in Rhiti Sports Management Pvt Ltd, a firm that manages three Indian national players—Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Pragyan Ojha—besides Dhoni himself.

According to documents filed by the firm with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Dhoni held 30,000 shares or 15% stake in Rithi Sports as on March 22. This would indicate an obvious conflict of interest since he has a role in picking the Indian team and the firm would benefit if its clients were to be part of the team.

A sports management firm essentially gets its income from commissions on a player's commercial deals like endorsements, event appearances and so on. Clearly, a Team India player demands higher fees for all of these than somebody who is a domestic player. Rhiti Sports also managed the marketing of Chennai Super Kings of which Dhoni is captain, as well as badminton ace Saina Nehwal.

He had signed up with Rhiti Sports for three years, reportedly for Rs 210 crore in 2010, which translates to an average of Rs 70 crore a year, the costliest deal ever in Indian cricket.

Rhiti Sports sought to refute the allegation on Monday by suggesting that Dhoni is not a shareholder and had only been one for a month in March-April this year. A statement issued by Arun Pandey, the main promoter and a childhood friend of Dhoni, said: "MSD holds no shareholding in Rhiti Sports Management (P) Ltd. It is made clear that shareholding was allotted to MSD on 22.03.2013 only to secure certain old outstandings which were due for more than one year. Further, the payments were cleared in April 2013 and the shareholding was transferred back to promoter of the company on 26.04.2013."

In short, Rhiti Sports' claim is that shares were allotted to Dhoni to raise money for about a month to repay dues and the shares were subsequently bought by either Pandey or one of the other promoters. While pledging shares as collateral for loans is a common practice, their ownership doesn't change.

Former India batsman VVS Laxman said Dhoni should sell off his shares as it could drive him into a "compromising situation." He said: "When such a problem arises, the stakeholder should come out by selling off his shares. I think that can solve all the problems at one go. I am not sure if Dhoni has any share in Rhiti Sports, but if it true, he should sell off shares as it can put him in a compromising situation."

Documents available on the website of the ministry of corporate affairs show that Dhoni was allotted 30,000 shares on March 22 this year for a total price of Rs 3 lakh including share premium. Arun Pandey was also allotted 1.2 lakh shares on the same date for Rs 12 lakh. There were no documents on the website showing the transfer back of Dhoni's shares to Rithi or anybody else.

An experienced chartered accountant told TOI that what Rhiti Sports was suggesting was an extremely unusual business practice. "Companies do not normally allot shares to raise money for such a short period, particularly if they have crores in reserves, as this company appears to have," he said. He added, "If the shares were being allotted to raise money, why were they allotted to an 'outsider'—as the firm claims Dhoni was—at face value? The promoter could be allotted shares at face value, but when an outsider in buying shares in a privately held firm, the question of valuation of those shares is bound to arise." The CA pointed out that in such a situation even the income tax department would normally raise a question about undervaluation of the shares.

On paper, the company has for most of this period had only three shareholders—Pandey, his sister Pratima Tiwary and one Arun Kumar Dass. At the time when the company was set up, Pandey's sister held 1,000 shares of the 10,000 issued, Dass held just one share and the remaining nearly 90% was held by Pandey.

As of September 29, 2012, when the last AGM of the company was held, Pandey held 47,499 of the 50,000 equity shares in the company (about 95%), his sister Pratima held 1,250 shares (2.5%) and a relative Subhawati the remaining 1,251 shares (2.5%). Dass, one of the original promoters, was no longer a shareholder.

This also means that the 1.5 lakh shares allotted in March this year to Dhoni and Pandey would have quadrupled the company's equity base, as already pointed out in the seemingly strange way of tiding over what is claimed to be a temporary cash crunch.

Interestingly, two other firms floated by the Pandey family in 2006—Rhiti Studio Pvt Ltd and Rhiti Production Pvt Ltd—have languished, with no activity worth mentioning. Another firm, Inspired Entertainment, was floated by the same promoters in 2011 to manage corporate events, including fashion shows.

Atul Srivastava, the founder of Gaames Unlimited, that manages R Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane, said that Dhoni wouldn't push for an inferior talent. "It's just not possible. There's just too much scrutiny and I'm very clear in my mind that Dhoni wouldn't back a lesser talent," Srivastava said.

Interestingly, Rahane had spent 18 months in the squad before getting to play in a Test match against Australia even as the likes of Raina and Jadeja were preferred over him. Or, for instance, Manoj Tiwary who was forced to warm the benches for more than 20 One-Day Internationals after scoring a hundred against West Indies. Srivastava, however, denies that. "What you are saying sounds logical. I can't comment on Tiwary's non-inclusion. But the fact is that Rahane hasn't taken the chances that have come his way."

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Dhoni-Rhiti deal, a curse for fringe players

Chennai Super Kings' Skipper MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina during an IPL encounter.

MUMBAI: It has been an open secret for ever. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni maintained a strategic distance but his association with Arun Pandey, the face if not brain behind Rhiti Sports, was well known in top cricket circles.

In 2010, he turned it into a business partnership by signing up with Pandey to market him for a whopping Rs 210 crore-deal over three years. It now transpires that the relationship went much deeper: Dhoni owns a 15 per cent stake in the firm, even if it was only for a brief while, as they are so feebly claiming.

Not surprisingly, Indian cricket has responded angrily, with players and officials crying foul. The company, incidentally, also manages Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha and RP Singh (who denied being part of Rhiti at the moment), four players who have been almost regular fixtures in all three formats of the game for Team India.

More than that, the preferential treatment that Raina and Jadeja have enjoyed under his dispensation at Chennai Super Kings has always seemed strange. Jadeja, in fact, was acquired for an incredible annual fee of $2 million. One can imagine the killing Rhiti made when the deal was stuck.

TOI spoke to a cross-section of players and BCCI officials and almost all of them conceded that the skipper of the Indian team holding shares in an agency that manages players in his team itself was not an ideal situation. "It should not be allowed because the captain does influence the selection of as team; in fact, overseas, he and the coach have the sole authority on team selection. Now, I can only think of all the instances that looked like 'wrong' selections in recent times," former Board secretary Jayawant Lele said.

"It is better that the BCCI deals with the issue quickly before it gets any bigger," said former India off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna.
Dhoni has shown a preference for certain players in the team, and this revelation has only added fuel to the fire, with many connecting the dots. According to his critics, many talented players have been dumped during his reign without a fair opportunity. Dig deeper into first class cricket and you can cull out those names: batsmen Manoj Tiwary, Saurabh Tiwary, all-rounder Abhishek Nayar, seamer Dhawal Kulkarni, leg-spinner Amit Mishra, wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, to start with.

"With him, it's a question of like and dislike. If you are disliked by him, good luck to you! You can keep performing in domestic cricket, it doesn't matter" said a player.

Dhoni and N Srinivasan aren't alone in the 'sea of conflict of interest in Indian cricket' though. A Board member pointed out: "Anil Kumble heads the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and runs a player management agency (Tenvic). When Dilip Vengsarkar & Co selected Virat Kohli ahead of S Badrinath in the Indian team, Srinivasan was miffed, and got the then Board president, Sharad Pawar, to remove that selection committee on the pretext that those who were office-bearers in the state associations could not be selectors at the same time. Now, the same Board has allowed Roger Binny, who is the vice-president of KSCA, to be a selector. Ratnakar Shetty, till last year, was a vice-president with the Mumbai Cricket association (MCA), while being the CAO of the Board. I can cite ten instances in Indian cricket where there is a conflict of interest. All this works according to people's convenience," he says.

A few voices, though, defended Dhoni's association. "I don't see any conflict of interest here. Unless it is proved that he has been influencing the players to join the company or is pushing the said players' inclusion in the Indian team, it is not proper to make such allegations. He may have a stake in the company but that doesn't mean he is guilty of foul-play. Can't a player invest his money in a business?" questions former India left-arm spinner Venkatapathi Raju. "Dhoni can have stakes in a company and that should not be looked in a different way. Dhoni is a captain and knows what to do. We are unnecessarily making an issue out of it," says Rajasthan batsman Robin Bisht.

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The entire history of Windows in one video

Watch the entire string of upgrades from Windows 1.0 to Windows 8, as well as some gameplay from Reversi and Doom, in just over an hour.

Oh, misty Doom-colored memories...

Windows has come a long way over the decades from the now antiquated-looking boxes of Windows 1.0 to the layers upon layers of desktops, start screens, charms, tiles, and whatever that bar on the left is in Windows 8.

Now, you can spend a little over an hour watching the entire evolution of Windows unfold in the video below. For some reason, someone spent what looks to be a few hours (the video seems to have been sped up) upgrading Windows using a virtual machine all the way from Windows 1.0 to the latest Windows 8 Pro. The result is an hour and seven minutes of pretty comprehensive history for the world's most famous graphical user interface (GUI). Along the way, we get treated to a few quick games of classic Reversi and Doom, which launch easily from the early versions of Windows. However, Doom has some real problems launching from a version of Windows 1.0 running within Windows 8. How deliciously uber-meta-nerdy...
Most hilarious: how quickly the earlier versions of Windows install, and how much of the video is basically waiting for Windows 8 to load. This is to be expected of course, but for someone with distant memories of fumbling for hours with the more than 15 floppies needed to install Windows 95, it's satisfying -- and a little maddening -- to see the process fly by.

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Dear Apple, is wearing a watch really natural?

Apple's Tim Cook suggested this week that wearing something on one's wrist is natural. But why, then, has Apple spent the last few years making it unnatural?

Well, one of them is wearing a watch.

Most of us spend our lives sliding on a scale between impossible and gullible.
We're sometimes persuaded so easily, yet, at others, even the most accepted pieces of information can't penetrate our obstinacy.
No, I'm not thinking about global warming, Sharon Stone, or the New York Yankees. I'm musing on this supposed iWatch that Apple may or may not ever create, produce, market or give away as a free gift at Christmas with the purchase of two pink iPhones.
In his epically stoic performance at D11, Apple CEO Tim Cook offered that while Google Glass was "risky" (translation: You look as if the asylum wouldn't take you), wearing something on one's wrist is "natural."
Well, it might be natural for some girls who like to alert you they're on the way to your restaurant table by wearing 16 noisy bangles.
It might also be natural for men who work in money to wear a bulbous lump of Swiss gold on their wrists in order to inform those several hundred yards away that they work in money.
It might even have been natural for those who once believed that Lance Armstrong was the second coming of a Texas Jesus to wear those sweet little yellow bands that told them to Live Wrong. (I think that's what the words on them said.)
But Apple has spent the last few years freeing our wrists from burden.
Slow though we are, once we realized that we didn't need to turn our wrists to tell the time, we discovered that we didn't need watches at all. We had cell phones.
Suddenly, no sweaty wrists, no watches left behind at Mrs. Kasiwag's Late Night Emporium, no pinching sensation when the buckle gets caught in your wrist-hairs. No scratching your lover during impromptu romantic enthusiasm.
Now, when we want to know the time we look at our phones -- which is something we do 376 times a day anyway.
You may be one of those who is slowly returning to wrist-wearing with, say, a Jawbone Up, in order to track every single moment of your waking and sleeping hours.
However, try using a laptop while wearing one and you may discover an annoying banging against your keyboard.
If it is "natural" to put anything at all on your wrists, the purpose is surely beautification rather than edification.

It's certainly true that one of Apple's great strengths lies in beautification. The company can take a thing that's supposed to be useful and make it really rather attractive too. It's the gadget equivalent of the perfect life-partner.
So if this purported iWatch is to somehow appear and appeal to one's wrist, it will have to be even prettier than an iPhone.
It will have to have a novel purpose and an engaging look. What might that novel purpose be?
It won't be enough that it will be some mini phone-substitute, there to scroll the sports scores with a delicate finger, so that you don't have to reach for your phone (Which is never difficult, because you always put it on the bar or restaurant table, don't you?).
Are you going to want to turn your wrist to, say, take a picture?
Are you really going to want to talk into your watch? Won't you look even more potty than a Google Glass-wearer, who, at least, might look as if he's merely talking to himself. (Most of us do that on occasion, don't we?)
Sometimes it seems as if wearable tech is the next big thing because those who make gadgets want everyone to believe it's the next big thing. Perhaps it's the Emperor's New Big Thing.
Unless it looks (very) different and does something (quite) different, will there truly be hordes ready to prettify their wrists?
Of course, thinking different has always been Apple's natural claim. But it's one thing having something up your sleeve and another to want to show off what's beneath it.
Wearable tech has to involve a certain amount of showing off. That's the nature of fashion. We wear things -- as often as not -- so that others can be impressed.
If, as Cook suggested at D11, Apple is preparing "game-changers," will a watch be one of them? Or might this be a natural area for one of Apple's little "surprises."

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