Internet giants redouble efforts to disclose details on NSA spying requests

Some of the world's biggest Internet companies on Monday increased efforts to disclose more about their forced cooperation with U.S. spy agencies, and Google Inc asked a court to hold what would be unprecedented public oral arguments.Google Inc, Facebook Inc and others met with a panel established by the White House to review the sweeping domestic surveillance exposed by Edward Snowden, a former contractor at the National Security Agency.
Separately, Google asked the secret court that approves spying requests for a public hearing on their quest to reveal how many orders the company complies with. Facebook and Yahoo Inc made their own first filings on Monday seeking the ability to disclose more about the orders following Google and Microsoft Corp filings in June.
Google's new court filing adds to its earlier petition. It complains that its reputation and business have been damaged by what it says were misleading reports that the NSA had "direct access" to its internal servers. The companies have denied those reports, and most now publish summaries that give the number of all the government requests they receive.
Most lump together foreign intelligence demands with routine criminal inquiries, though Google says it receives fewer than 1,000 National Security Letters per year, affecting fewer than 2,000 accounts.
The companies want to say more, and Google argues that its First Amendment right to speak out, especially on a matter of great political and public importance, outweighs any harm to intelligence efforts that would come from releasing more detailed but still aggregate statistics.
"The government has identified no statute or regulation that prohibits such disclosure and it is not appropriate for this court to undertake the essentially legislative function of creating such a prohibition," Google wrote in its filing with the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
The court, whose members are appointed by the U.S. Supreme Court chief justice, has never held a public session and generally hears only from the U.S. Justice Department and intelligence agency lawyers.
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment.
Google's move follows its confirmation that it is moving more quickly to encrypt data as it moves internally at the company.
On Sunday, Brazilian television cited new Snowden documents in reporting that the NSA has tried to attack Google or at least intercept communications from its users to the company.
"As for recent reports that the U.S. government has found ways to circumvent our security systems, we have no evidence of any such thing ever occurring," a Google spokesman said Monday.
The panel established by the White House, called the Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology, was charged with recommending how to balance security and privacy concerns.
President Barack Obama met with the new group on August 27. On Monday, it met with the big technology companies and separately met with privacy and civil liberties groups.
Someone briefed on the first meeting said the companies were united in seeking more transparency and that they found the session "constructive."
The review panel is to provide an interim report within two months.



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‘We aim to create small scale, low-cost practices in teaching or school management’

Sharath Jeevan, CEO and Founder, STIR Education

How was STIR founded?  
STIR was founded in Delhi in 2012 with an ambition to provide quality education to students by empowering teachers and principals. We aim to identify, test and scale ‘micro-innovations’ – low-cost (and often no-cost), scalable, teacher-led practices that have the potential, if shared widely, to make a significant positive impact on student learning.
What are the strategies implemented by STIR to address the issue of quality education in India?
We aim to approach this problem in two ways.
First, we have created a platform for finding, testing and scaling the most promising ‘micro-innovations’ – small scale, low cost practices in teaching or school management practices, directly from teachers and principals. This year our search process will cover over 1,500 schools across the country and we work with over 50 organisational partners – ranging from Pratham to the Bharti Foundation to the Indian and Delhi governments – to scale innovations up. For example, a student motivation innovation – which rewarded students for achieving strong performance in specific skill areas – has been scaled up by the Bharti Foundation
Secondly, we aim to create India’s largest independent network of committed and innovative teachers. These networks involve regular meetings where teachers can discuss problems they are facing, adapt and implement these micro-innovations to solve problems, and see tangible results on educational outcomes for their children. By ensuring that the best micro-innovations from within local communities are uncovered, this approach ensures that local problems are met with the best locally relevant, teacher-driven solutions.
Over the next three years in India we aim to impact 12,000 teachers in STIR and partner-supported networks across the country. We also hope to touch a further 28,000 teachers through the scale-up of the micro-innovations identified. Overall, STIR therefore seeks to impact over a million children and create India’s largest network of committed and innovative teachers.”
What are the challenges faced while implementing those strategies in India?
There is often a lot of skepticism and cynicism in India about teachers. While some of this is justified (e.g. one in four teachers is typically absent on a given school day), we strongly believe that there is a critical mass of teachers across the country that are committed and want to improve outcomes for their children. We also believe that many more are inherently committed and care deeply, but have become disillusioned and jaded down with the system. By using recognition and non-financial incentives (such as certification) for teachers to voluntarily join our innovation networks, we believe we can bring energy to this group of teachers and also ‘infect’ and encourage others to join also. Most of all, we believe that if teachers can meet like-minded peers who share the same beliefs and dedication – and if we can provide practical help by suggesting innovations that can make a practical difference to schools – then there can be an enormous impact on the teaching profession, and on how teachers are viewed more broadly by society.
Are you planning to expand your workforce in India?
Yes. We are currently 11 staff in India and hope to grow this to about 60 over the next three years. However, we always want to be a lean organisation relative to the impact we hope to stimulate. We achieve most of our impact through supporting and empowering our partners and our networks,
What talent and skills do you look for in candidates willing to join your organisation?
We look for the right attitude. Do the candidates care about education and specifically about our mission? Are they resilient and can they cope with difficult and unexpected challenges? Do they enjoy meeting with and working with a very wide range of stakeholders – on a typical day they might be meeting a government official, a teacher, a partner and a funder. In terms of skills, communication skills and project management skills are probably the most important. But overall, we are looking for people who are versatile, who enjoy stretching themselves and taking themselves out of their own comfort zones, in an exciting and fast paced entrepreneurial environment.


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10 tricks to become a loving, positive person

10 tricks to become a loving, positive person (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)

It's one thing to wax eloquent on positivity, but quite another to be a positive person at heart.

Despite believing to have a positive outlook, we invariably weigh the cons first, consider several times before sparing a compliment, and broadcast only the odds when someone counts on us for advice. What's more, we prefer needless sarcasm for humour, manage a wry smile when something is genuinely funny, and believe deep down that the glass is actually half empty.

We live in denial of our inherent negativity for the most part, and often wonder why the world around is so mean and reckless. At work, we never fail telling our juniors how meeting deadlines can be a tough proposition, and not to think too 'out of the box' to impress the boss. In short, we never tire telling all concerned how tough things can be! Unlike dogs we may not be born eternal optimists, but positivity is something that can be imbibed even if a tad forcibly; such as by trying to tweak our sense of humour, the way we react to a given situation, by being more pleasant and believing others too have a mind, and by smiling each time somebody says 'thank you'.

While positivity is a state of mind, the answer lies in our perspective. Clinical psychologist and lifestyle advisor Dr S.K Sharma shares his ideas on how to be a positive person everyday.

Have the desire: First thing first, to become a positive person one must have a strong desire to be positive. And the desire will come only if you are convinced that becoming a positive person will enhance the quality of life. Positivity is like an aura, and you know you are a positive person when people start trusting you, random people become polite with you, colleagues at work start patronising you, and you start building rapport easily.

Be realistic: Do not try to become a saint. Becoming a positive person does not mean you can never have any negative emotion or encounter any negative situation. It is the overall attitude that matters. Don't get bogged down by failure, and disappointed when your expectations are not met. Mentally, you should always be calculating a way out of difficult situations come what may.

Experiment: Be a keen observer. Use everyday life incidents to see how you can manage them in a more positive manner. These will serve as perfect instances to turn your outlook more positive. For starters, contemplate how you could have better handled a situation by being less hostile and more indulgent. Come up with five ways that could have saved the day, and learn to take things at face value sometimes. Remember, your ability to trust the other person also reflects your genuineness.

Speech and body language: Try and make positive words a part of your daily lingo, and work on your body language in way that you come across as friendly and approachable. Look amused when something is amusing, laugh when something is funny, congratulate when someone's bought something new, and give others a chance to narrate their side of the story. Never think you are the only interesting, knowing one around.

Company: One way to becoming positive is to seek positive company as both positivity and negativity are infectious. If the people you spend most of your time with are grumpy or have a pessimistic standpoint, you'll find yourself mirroring the same emotions before a different set of people inadvertently. In order to inculcate positivity it is imperative that your friend circle is a positive, energetic, and a happy bunch. You'll find yourself carrying the same positivity everywhere you go.

Activities: Do not remain idle and brood. Take up positive activities with others or in isolation. Share a joke, narrate a pleasant incident, take part in sporting activities, go for a run in the evening after work, have healthy sex, and you'll find yourself bubbling with positive energy.

Take it easy: Everyday life is bound to give you shocks. Be prepared to minimise impact and shrug it off. For instance, you may get too hassled everyday while driving to work or trying to park your car. When you accept the fact that certain things cannot be changed, you'll be more at ease with yourself and those around too.

Learn yoga: Says yoga teacher and nutritionist, Abhilasha Kale, "Do pranayam everyday as it lets you focus and meditate. Not only does it secrete happy hormones but also creates a sense of awareness within you." With the help of yogic asanas you control your breathing, and by way of it, control your mind from wandering. Every time you do yoga, you feel a surge of positive energy through your body that calms your nerves, soothes your mind, elevates your mood, and not to mention enhances your level of tolerance.

Maintain a diary: Instead of recounting all events of the day, filter out only the positive ones and make a note of them. It could be anything trivial from your bus arriving on time, your mom cooking a delicious breakfast, to remembering to pay the bills on time. When we look for positivity in the little things that make our lives worthwhile, we leave no room for negativity. "Try consciously practising this for 10 days, and at the end of day ten when you read your diary back you'll only have memories of all the good things that happened to you," she asserts.

Say 'thank you': Thank god, thank your parents, friends, and thank yourself for all the hard work you did, for everything you achieved. Says Abhilasha, "Saying thank you frequently makes you humble, and a humble person is seldom cynical."

Try these methods, and you'll be surprised when others notice the change in you.

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Intel’s new chip Quark to power wearable devices

Intel is working on a new line of ultra-small and ultra-low-power microchips for wearable devices like smartwatches and bracelets.

SAN FRANCISCO: Intel is working on a new line of ultra-small and ultra-low-power microchips for wearable devices like smartwatches and bracelets, a bid by the company to make sure it will be at the crest of the next big technology wave after arriving late to the smartphone and tablet revolution.

The new line of chips, called Intel Quark, will ship next year and include an ingestible version aimed at biomedical uses, Intel's president, Renee James, told reporters late on Monday.

The Quark chips will be five times smaller and 10 times more power efficient than some of Intel's Atom chips for tablets and smartphones, she said.

"We're very committed to not missing the next big thing," James said.

Intel, the world's biggest chipmaker, dominates the PC industry, but it was slow to adapt its chips to be suitable for smartphones and tablets.

Intel Chief Executive Brian Krzanich and James spoke on Tuesday at the company's annual developer conference in San Francisco, their first major public appearance since their promotion in May, when Paul Otellini stepped aside as chief executive.

Intel's focus on wearable computing -- a trend that for many Americans evokes images of Dick Tracy, the comic strip detective who sported a two-way wrist radio -- comes as Silicon Valley eyes sophisticated computerized watches with touch-screens and other high-tech features. Technology companies see wearables as a growth opportunity amid signs that explosive expansion in smartphones shipments since Apple launched its first iPhone in 2007 is receding.

Last week, Samsung Electronics launched the Galaxy Gear watch, and Qualcomm, an Intel rival, launched the Toq smartwatch in a bid to showcase its technology to potential manufacturers.

Krzanich, a three-decade Intel veteran seen as the company's manufacturing guru, has said that under his leadership Intel will give much more priority to its Atom line of mobile chips. In the past, Intel's most cutting-edge manufacturing resources were reserved for making powerful PC chips, with Atom chips made on older production lines.

Processors based on technology from ARM and made by Qualcomm and Samsung account for most of the mobile market.

Intel has shown some recent signs of improvement in mobile, progress Krzanich is keen to build on. The company has promised major performance improvements in its new Bay Trail chip for tablets.

The Bay Trail chip is based on Intel's new Silvermont architecture, which is the most extensive overhaul of its mobile processors to date, with improved performance and lower power consumption.

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TCS bags multi-million euro Scandinavian Airlines deal

TCS has bagged a five-year multi-million euros deal from Scandinavian Airlines to help transform and optimize its IT infrastructure.

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MUMBAI: Country's largest software services firm Tata Consultancy Services said it has bagged a five-year multi-million euros deal from SAS Scandinavian Airlines to help transform and optimize its IT infrastructure.

TCS will implement its propriety cloud-based solutions to simplify and standardize SAS IT landscape and the initiative is a part of the SAS's "4 Excellence Next Generation" strategy, aimed at improving competitiveness of the SAS Group, TCS said in a statement.

Through this partnership, SAS will also tap into TCS's Aviation and Digital Innovation Labs to develop solutions addressing the needs of the new digital consumer, it added.

SAS Scandinavian Airlines is one of Northern Europe's major airline, with more than 1,100 daily departures to 136 destinations in Scandinavia, Europe, the US and Asia.

"TCS is pleased to be selected as a strategic partner in SAS' transformation journey to address the new paradigm in the aviation industry, which is characterised by intense competition and demanding customers who are increasingly going digital," TCS head of North Europe Amit Bajaj said.

TCS has recently been selected for several engagements like TDC in Denmark, Posten in Norway, Nokia in Finland and SAS in Sweden and the Nordic region at large.

"TCS has emerged as a clear partner of choice for Nordic companies looking to reinvent themselves in this new digital age," Bajaj said.

Present in the Nordic region since 1991, TCS's operations in the region comprise over 5,500 professionals working across Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland.

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Apple's new iPhones simultaneously aim high, low

For the first time since introducing the device that has reshaped technology and culture, Apple will offer two distinct versions of its latest iPhones - a cheaper model and another one that aims to be "the gold standard of smartphones".

CUPERTINO: For the first time since introducing the device that has reshaped technology and culture, Apple will offer two distinct versions of its latest iPhones - a cheaper model made of colorful plastic and another one that aims to be "the gold standard of smartphones" with a faster processor, fancier camera and fingerprint scanner for better security.
Apple hatched the next iPhone generation, set to go on sale September 20, during a Tuesday spectacle that was capped by a three-song performance by Elvis Costello at the company's Cupertino, California, headquarters.
The company also announced it will release a previously announced overhaul of its operating system for iPhones and iPads on September 18.
The iOS 7 adds an iTunes radio station, new photo management tools and more ways to access apps. It will be available for free and compatible with Apple devices dating back to the iPhone 4 released in 2010 and the iPad 2 that debuted in 2011. The operating system will already be installed on Apple's new line-up of phones.
In a mild surprise, Apple said it will also begin giving away its iPhoto, iMovie, Numbers, Pages and Keynote apps as part of iOS 7. The company has been charging 99 cents to $4.99 for each of those apps. Analysts interpreted the free distribution of the Numbers, Pages and Keynote apps - part of Apple's "iWork" suite of software -- as a challenge to Microsoft Corp's package of widely used Office programmes for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations.
The annual unveiling of Apple's new iPhones came as the world's most valuable company tries to regain some of the market share that it has lost during the past two years to Samsung Electronics and other smartphone makers who rely on Google Inc's free Android operating system. Many of those devices cost less than the iPhone and boast features, such as larger screens, missing from Apple's best-selling product. That has made Android phones an attractive alternative to budget-conscious consumers who still want to impress their friends.
Those ingredients have helped catapult Samsung to the top of the smartphone heap with a 32 percent share of the market in the most recent quarter, compared to 14 percent for Apple, according to the research firm Gartner Inc. By some estimates, more than three-fourths of all smartphones now being sold run on Android.
The intensifying competition has slowed Apple's financial growth and undermined the company's stock, which has fallen by nearly 30 percent, or more than $200 per share, since peaking at $705.07 when the last iPhone came out.
As a counterattack against Android, Apple designed a less expensive iPhone called the 5C in an effort to boost sales in China and other areas where people don't have as much money to spend on new gadgets as they do in the US and Europe.
In an effort to broaden the iPhone's reach, Apple is expected to announce at a Wednesday event scheduled in Beijing that China Mobile will sell the device. With more than 700 million subscribers, China Mobile is by far the largest wireless service in the world's most populous country.
The prices for the 5C will start at $99 for a 16-gigabyte model with a two-year wireless contract. Without a contract, the 5C prices start as $549, not as low as analysts thought Apple might go to make a bigger splash as it wades into the lower end of the market.
Jefferies analyst Peter Misek described the 5C as "lovely" in a note to investors, but said that the $99 starting price "still leaves Apple with a product gap in the low-end."
The pricing signals Apple still believes there are still plenty of sales to be made to people willing to pay for elegantly designed devices that sell for slightly more than the competition, said Ovum analyst Tony Cripps.
"Anyone expecting Apple to come truly down market with the iPhone 5C was fooling themselves," Cripps said. "The day that happens is the day the company signals that it has run out of headroom for expansion."
Investors were unimpressed with Tuesday's fanfare. Apple's stock shed $11.53, or 2 percent, to close at $494.64.
Although the 5C is Apple's least expensive new iPhone ever, the company is trying to ensure it's not viewed as a sub-standard product. The lower-end phone is pretty much the same as the iPhone 5 except it's housed in plastic casing instead of aluminum.
The company took "fanatical care" to ensure the "beautifully, unapologetically plastic" 5C feels great to hold, gushed Jonathan Ive, Apple's chief designer. Ive made his comments during a Tuesday video testimonial about the 5C.
The 5C will be available in five colors -- green, blue, yellow, pink and white. Apple is also selling rubber covers for the 5C in six different colors at $29 apiece. The 5C features a 4-inch (10.16-centimeter) Retina display screen like the iPhone 5 and is powered by Apple's A6 chip. It also has an 8 megapixel camera, live photo filters and a rear cover that lights up.
Apple is hoping loyal customers who have consistently upgrading since the first iPhone came out in 2007 will once again rush out to buy the top-of-the-line model. It's called the iPhone 5S, which Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller hailed "as the gold standard of smartphones" during his turn on stage.
As if to hammer the point home, Apple is even selling the 5S in a gold color. It will also be available in silver and "space gray."
The luxury phone contains a 64-bit chip instead of the 32-bit chip used in most smartphones. That will enable it to run applications and play games at speeds twice as fast as the iPhone 5.
In hopes of appealing the hordes of consumers who use their smartphone as their primary cameras, Apple loaded the iPhone 5S with technology designed to automatically produce sharper photos.
The 5S camera is equipped with larger pixels and a larger aperture, which helps capture more light. The phone also has a "true-tone" flash feature that is designed not to clash with the colors in the room or a person's skin color.
The camera, called iSight, has "auto image stabilization," which helps avoid blurry pictures, and a slow-motion option for video. A "burst mode" can take 10 frames per second as long as you hold your finger on the shutter, then find the best one in your camera roll.
The 5S's biggest innovation, though, may be in how it's unlocked. Instead of relying on a four-digit code to gain access to the device, 5S users will have the option of allowing the smartphone to memorize their fingerprints instead. The 5S contains a thin scanner, called "Touch ID," inside the home button on the phone that automatically recognizes a user's selected fingerprint. The fingerprint scanner also can be tied to Apple's iTunes and apps store to remove the need to type in passwords to access those services, too.
In a nod to privacy concerns, Apple said the copies of the fingerprints won't be stored in its own data centers.
Analysts believe the fingerprint scanner eventually could open up a new source of revenue for Apple if the company is able to work out deals to use the technology to automatically process payments made when people are shopping on their iPhones and iPads.

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Rupee fails to maintain initial gains vs dollar, down 11 paise

 

 

MUMBAI: The rupee failed to maintain initial gains and was quoted lower by 11 paise to 63.95 per dollar in late morning trade on Wednesday on fresh demand for the US currency from importers.

The rupee resumed lower at 63.90 per dollar as against the last closing level of Rs 63.84 at the Interbank Foreign Exchange Market (Forex).

It hovered in a range of 63.68 and 64.20 before quoting at 63.95 per dollar at 10.40am.

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Yuvraj Singh named skipper of India A against West Indies A

Yuvraj, who has not been a part of the Indian team since the ODIs against England earlier this year, was named the skipper of the India 'A'.

VISAKHAPATNAM: The national selectors, who were in full attendance at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium on Tuesday, handed a lifeline of sorts to out-of-favour stars Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan.

Yuvraj, who has not been a part of the Indian team since the ODIs against England earlier this year, was named the skipper of the India 'A' side for the unofficial three one-dayers and a Twenty20 game against the visiting West Indies 'A' to be played in Bangalore from September 15. Yuvraj had a mediocre IPL and was not part of the team for Champions Trophy and the subsequent one-day series in West Indies and Zimbabwe,

This clearly means that the southpaw continues to remain on the selectors' radar for the 2015 World Cup. The one-dayers will be played on September 15, 17 and 19, while the T20 will be played on September 21.

Yuvraj and Zaheer had employed trainer Tim Exeter and went through a gruelling six-week-long training stint in France to attain peak levels of fitness.

India 'A' squads: For 3 one-dayers and one-off Twenty20: Yuvraj Singh (capt), Unmukt Chand, Robin Uthappa, Baba Aparajith, Kedhar Jadhav, Naman Ojha (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Jaydev Unadkat, Praveen Kumar, Sumit Narwal, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mandeep Singh, Rahul Sharma.

For first four-day game : Cheteshwar Pujara (capt), Jiwanjot Singh, KL Rahul, Manprit Juneja, Parveez Rasool, Bhargav Bhatt, Ishwar Pandey, Mohammad Shami, Ashok Dinda, Dhawal Kulkarni, Paras Dogra, Rohit Motwani (wk), Rajat Paliwal, Harshad Khadiwale.

For second and third four-day game: Cheteshwar Pujara (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Sheldon Jackson, Abhishek Nayar, Paras Dogra, Uday Kaul (wk), Mohammad Kaif, Parvez Rasool, Bhargav Bhatt, Dhawal Kulkarni, Zaheer Khan, Ishwar Pandey, Mohammad Shami.

Squads for Challenger Series for NKP Salve Trophy:

India Red : Irfan Pathan (capt), Robin Uthappa, Abhinav Mukund, Saurabh Tiwary, Gurkeerat Mann, Kedar Jadhav, Smit Patel (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Abhimanyu Mithun, Umesh Yadav, Suraj Yadav.

India Blue : Yuvraj Singh (capt), Akshath Reddy, Naman Ojha (wk), Mandeep Singh, Ankit Bawne, Abhishek Nayar, Manish Pandey, Piyush Chawla, Ankit Rajpoot, R Vinay Kumar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Iresh Saxena.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 3: First impressions

Samsung is giving its latest Galaxy Note smartphone a stylish makeover.The Galaxy Note 3, unveiled Wednesday, has a soft, leather-like back. It feels like you're holding a fancy leather-bound journal. Grooves on the side of the big-screen phone make it easier to grip.
But I found the new phone to be complicated to use. There's too much going on. Between Scrapbook, My Magazine, Air Command and dozens of other functions, it might take even the most experienced smartphone user several hours to figure out.
I tested out the Note 3 for about 45 minutes Wednesday at a Samsung press event in a New York hotel. The company also unveiled its next tablet, the Galaxy Note 10.1, which is basically an extra-large version of the Galaxy phone, but without the cellular service. The phone and its pen were both tied down to a table with a security device, so I was hampered testing it out. A colleague spent several minutes with the tablet and was likewise hampered.
But I saw enough of the Note 3 to at least like its look and feel.
With its leather-like back and the stitching around it, the phone feels expensive and well made in my hands. The soft back can be snapped off the phone to reveal the battery. Samsung will sell replaceable back covers in several different colors, but the phone itself will come in just three: black, white or pink.
The Note 3 has a bigger screen than its predecessor, measuring 5.7 inches (14.5 centimeters) diagonally compared with the Note 2's 5.5 inches (14 centimeters). But it still weighs less (5.9 ounces (167 grams), compared with 6.4 ounces (182 grams)) and is slightly thinner (at 0.33 inch (8.4 millimeter) rather than 0.37 inch (9.4 millimeter)).
(Also see: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Note II comparison)
The biggest changes are with the S Pen. The pen unlocks a new feature called Air Command. With that, you can open five other features:

• With Action Memo, you can handwrite a note.
• Scrapbook lets you circle content you like, such as a YouTube video or a news article. It automatically saves and organizes the content into a format that's easy to scroll through. Scrapbook, with its boxy format, looks a lot like social media site Pinterest.
• Screen Write captures a screen and allows you to write comments on that captured image.
• S Finder is the phone's search engine, to find chat messages, documents or other content on the phone.
• Pen Window, the most promising of the five, lets you access one of eight apps by drawing a box of any size on the screen. Let's say you're on a Web page and need to calculate something. You can open Air Command, then Pen Window. Draw a box on the screen, and eight icons pop up. You then click the one for the calculator. Pen Window currently opens a limited number of applications: calculator, clock, YouTube, phone, contacts, a Web browser and two separate chat apps - Samsung's ChatON and Google's Hangouts. (Two different ones? Did I mention the phone's complicated to use?) It's possible Pen Window will support additional apps later.

I couldn't figure out how to open Air Command on my own. During a presentation beamed into the New York hotel's TV sets from Berlin, where Samsung unveiled the device, a company executive said pointing the pen to the screen was all it took to open Air Command. That wasn't the case. A Samsung representative in New York showed me how to use it. I learned that I had to click the S Pen's button while hovering over the screen to get to Air Command.
Another new feature, My Magazine, was also hard to find. My Magazine was developed in partnership with Flipboard, an app that pulls content from news sources and your social media accounts and presents it in an easy-to-read magazine format. My Magazine does the same thing. It is customizable, pulling news content from various news sources based on subjects you want to follow, such as business or food related articles. You can also sync it with your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and other social media accounts. My Magazine is well designed and is a place where you can easily catch up with all your social media accounts and news in one place.
But first I had to find it. A representative had to show me that an upward swipe at the bottom of the screen opens it up.
The redesigned S Pen is tough to use. It is small and thin, making it hard to grip. Not surprisingly, the button on the stylus was quite small, too. You end up spinning the pen around every time you need to click it. The phone and tablet is very geared toward the pen, rather than pinching and swiping with your fingers as with other phones such as Apple Inc.'s iPhone and even Samsung's flagship Galaxy S4.
I had no problem converting my handwritten phone numbers into digital contacts on the phone. But my colleague, who admits she has messy handwriting, says the tablet had trouble reading it.
The phone's screen is crisp and very clear. I watched several YouTube videos and a preview for "Iron Man 3." The bigger screen makes watching video a joy, and I can see myself watching movies on it instead of a tablet. The new phone's screen resolution is far better on the Note 3 - at 386 pixels per inch rather than 264 on the Galaxy Note 2. (By comparison, the iPhone 5 is at 326 pixels per inch.)
The phone's 13 megapixel camera took clear shots, but it was slower than I'm used to on my iPhone 4S, the model from 2011. A processing alert pops up for a second while a photo is saving.
The Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, also unveiled Wednesday, has the same features of the Note 3 phone, just with a bigger, 10-inch (26-centimeter) screen. Like the phone, it has the leather-like backing and grooves on the side.
The tablet has a few extra bells and whistles. One of the big perks is the tablet's file organization system, which is similar to that of a traditional personal computer. It lets you create folders and sub-folders for documents, providing easy access. Also like a PC, the tablet lets you create up to eight profiles, so you can let your kids, spouse or guests use the tablet without fear that they will read your email, delete your photos or access apps you don't want them to.
The tablet also comes with a host of freebies that the phone doesn't have, including free trial subscriptions to The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek and other news sources, along with extra space with online storage service Dropbox.
The tablet's display is bright and clear, good for watching TV or viewing photos. It also has stereo speakers and cameras on both its front and back sides.
Samsung said the phone and tablet will ship worldwide in most countries on Sept. 25, but it will come later in the U.S. Samsung didn't say when, other than some time before the holidays. The company also didn't say how much the devices will cost.
I'm eligible for a new phone upgrade on my Verizon Wireless contract. I was waiting to see if Apple Inc. will launch a new phone this month. But after testing out the Note 3, I'm considering both. I need more time with the Note 3, though, to figure it all out.

IFA 2013 Berlin - In pictures

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Sony Xperia Z1 with 5.0-inch full-HD display, 20.7-megapixel camera launched

Sony finally took the wraps off its latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z1.The Sony Xperia Z1 comes with 5-inch full-HD TRILUMINOS display powered by Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2. The highlight of the Xperia Z1 is the 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS sensor alongside BIONZ image processor engine and pulsed LED flash. It also includes a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
The device is powered by 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm MSM8974 processor along with 2GB of RAM. There is 16GB of internal storage which can be further expanded up to 64GB via microSD card. The Sony Xperia Z1 runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The device comes with 3000mAh battery.
It is waterproof (IPX5 and IPX8 certified) and dust-proof (IP5X certified) device. Connectivity options on the Xperia Z1 includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, Xperia Link and 3G. It will ship in three colours Black, Purple and White. The Sony Xperia Z1 will hit the markets later this month, but there's no word yet on which markets will see the device first.
The camera on Sony Xperia Z1 comes with a host of new features that include Social live which can broadcast images to social platforms, and Info-eye, a visual search function that provides related information on landmarks and on items such as books or wine simply by capturing them with the camera. Also present is Timeshift burst mode that can capture 61 images in 2 seconds with a second before and after pressing the shutter, as well as AR effect that gives a selection of customisable animations to create pictures using Sony's SmartAR augmented reality technology.
Commenting on the launch, Kunimasa Suzuki, President and CEO, Sony Mobile Communications said, "Xperia Z1 represents a significant milestone for Sony in our continued efforts to deliver unforgettable experiences to our consumers."

IFA 2013 Berlin
Sony Xperia Z1 key specifications

• 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920) TRILUMINOS display powered by Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
• 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm MSM8974 processor
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB internal storage, expandable up to 64GB via microSD card
• 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS for mobile image sensor with pulsed LED flash
• 2-megapixel front-facing camera
• 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

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Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear UK pricing revealed

Samsung has revealed the pricing of the recently launched Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy Gear smart watch for the UK market.The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 comes with a price tag of 649 UK Pounds (Rs. 66,270 approximately) which is the price for the unlocked version of the handset while the Galaxy Gear smart watch has been priced for 299 UK Pounds (Rs. 30,530 approximately). Both the devices will be rolled out on September 25 for the UK markets.
Last week, AT&T started taking pre-orders for the Galaxy Note 3 for $299.99 with a two-year contract and the telecom operator noted that the device will ship around October 1. AT&T's contract pricing of the Galaxy Note 3 translates into an off-contract pricing of approximately $700 (Rs. 46,000 approximately). However, Samsung's Galaxy Gear smart watch was listed as expected in the 'coming weeks'.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was officially unveiled alongside the Galaxy Gear smart watch at an event in Berlin at IFA 2013. However, the company did not reveal the prices of the device but announced that the latest phablet will head to around 140 countries later this month.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 comes with a 5.7-inch full-HD Super AMOLED display. It comes in two variants: the LTE-variant will be powered by 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, and the 3G (HSDPA) version will be powered by a 1.9GHz octa-core Exynos processor. Both models bear 3GB of LPDDR3 RAM, and sport a 13-megapixel rear camera alongside a 2-megapixel front camera. The Note 3 is powered by 3,200mAh battery and runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Gear smart watch features a 1.63-inch (4.14-cm) OLED display. It can make calls, display messages, record videos and snap photos with its 1.9-megapixel camera.

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Sony unveils cheaper PlayStation Vita, sub-$100 Vita TV

Sony has unveiled a new model of its PlayStation Vita portable gaming console that it says is cheaper, lighter, thinner and offers better battery life compared to the first iteration of the Vita.

According to Sony, the new PlayStation Vita is 15 percent lighter and 20 percent thinner than the original Vita. The next-gen portable console will also sport a micro-USB connector, similar to the one found in smartphones and most tablets, and will come with 1GB of onboard storage. The new Vita also sports an LCD screen, different from the original Vita's OLED one and Sony claims that it would offer a one hour increase in battery life.

The new Vita will come in Pink, Black, Blue, Grey, Lime Green and Yellow colour variants and has been priced at 18,980 yens ($190 approximately). It's worth pointing out that the original PlayStation Vita recently received a price cut and is being sold for $199. The new PlayStation Vita will start selling in Japan on October 10.

Sony will continue to sell the older OLED-screen Vita and will repackage it bundling a memory card and pre-installed games through the Play! Game Pack.

Sony has also unveiled a new inexpensive gaming console, which it's calling the PlayStation Vita TV. The console is a tiny box that sports similar dimensions as that of the PlayStation Vita but connects to televisions. Games can be played through PlayStation 3′s Dual Shock 3 controller, which is not included with the console's basic retail pack though Sony will also sell a premium bundle with the controller.

The PlayStation Vita TV console is capable of playing about 1,300 games that are available for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation One in addition to many of the PlayStation Vita games (but not all of them) through the PlayStation Network, as digital downloads.

The Vita TV can also be used for streaming video from connected services including Sony's Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited services, Twitter and Hulu. A future software update will allow users to stream PlayStation 4 games on a secondary TV via streaming. However, the PS Vita TV only supports 480p, 720p and 1080i resolution. The device comes with a port for HDMI output, a (proprietary Vita) memory card, a slot for Vita games, and USB, power and Ethernet ports.

The PlayStation Vita TV will be available at a price point of 9,954 yen (about $100) and will launch in Japan on November 14. It takes on gaming consoles like Ouya and media streaming devices like the Apple TV and Chromecast.

There's no word on the pricing and availability of the two Vita devices in other markets at this time.

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Apple considering iPhones with screens as big as 6-inches: Report

All these years, Apple has ignored the big-screen smartphone segment which is now close to becoming a standard for Android devices and is ruled by players like Samsung. However, a new report indicates that this could change in the near future.The Wall Street Journal says that Apple is considering a plan to offer big screen iPhones. The publication cites people familiar with the matter to report that the company is introspecting whether it should offer screens ranging from 4.8-inches to 6-inches on future iPhones. However, the report clarifies that the two iPhones expected to be unveiled next week, the iPhone 5S and the low-cost iPhone 5C would not sport bigger screens, and are expected to have 4-inch displays as seen on the iPhone 5.
Although, the company could just be testing some prototypes, as mobile component suppliers indicated that Apple had already started testing larger screens for iPhones in recent months, the company is more open to change now than in the past, according to the publication's sources.
The sources further indicate that Apple has been particularly interested in a 4.8-inch screen, going by recent tests.
The report also confirms that Apple will launch the low-cost iPhone 5C with the premium iPhone 5S, in multiple colours and will begin shipping the two phones together. It also reiterates that the iPhone 5 successor will sport a fingerprint scanner. Apple is expected to unveil the new iPhone(s) at an event in Cupertino on September 10.
It's not the first time that the Wall Street Journal has reported about Apple testing large screen iPhones. In July, the publication, which boasts of a pretty good record when it comes to rumours around the Cupertino giant, informed that the company was testing larger screens for iPhones and iPads. It cited officials at Apple's suppliers to report that the company had asked them to supply prototype smartphone screens larger than 4-inches and screen designs for a new tablet measuring slightly less than 13-inches diagonally.
All these rumours do indicate that Apple has acknowledged that there's demand for devices across all screen sizes. However, it's difficult to predict if any of the new devices will eventually make it to the production line.
Apple's biggest rival, the South Korean electronics giant, Samsung offers devices in a variety of screen sizes and form factors, with its flagship device, the Galaxy S4, also near about the 5-inch point.
Apple started offering a 4-inch iPhone, the iPhone 5, last year, increasing the screen size by 0.5-inch compared to the one seen on previous phones like the iPhone 4S (LINK).

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Get that flat belly

Get that flat belly (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)

If you thought only crunches can give you washboard abs, think again. Here are some fat-burning exercises that are even better.

Losing fat on the belly is the hardest, they say. And when you want to strengthen your core and lose the flab, most probably what comes to mind are crunches and sit-ups. But recent research has found that exercises that are meant for the whole body can actually workout the core muscles better than the designated exercises for your abs.

Strengthening your core muscles is important — because a fat belly can lead to many lifestyle diseases, while a flat one not only takes care of all that, but invariably, makes look you attractive too. These exercises are a different take on familiar ones. Each of these moves stimulates and tightens the core muscles while burning calories.

Dumb-bells

Take an exercise mat and sit on it. Now stretch your feet out in front of you. Keep them around three feet apart. Take a pair of dumbbells in your hands and hold them near your shoulders. Keep your back straight. Contract your stomach muscles and push your arms straight up. Return to the starting position and repeat ten to 15 times.

Cheers for the chair

Take a chair and sit on it while keeping your spine straight. Hold the edge of the seat. Now engage your core and use the stomach muscles to bring your toes (pointing to the floor) two to four inches off the floor. Hold for at least three to five seconds then lower your feet down. Repeat for a few minutes.

Try this out

Begin this one by standing with your feet apart — a little more than hip-width apart. Take a dumb-bell and hold it at chest level with both hands. Now, while you bend your knees, lower yourself. Go as far as you can — your elbows should be inside your knees. All the while, work your abdominal muscles, contract them, and use that strength to lower your butt. Keep repeating these squats at least 10-1 5 times.

Lunge!

This is a lunge with a slight variation. Begin by standing with your feet together. Lunge back with your right leg as you bend your knees at right angles. Now reach right hand to left foot. Then go back to standing position. Now, lunge the right leg back and do the exercise again. After ten repetitions, switch sides.

Push-ups

This one is a variation of push-ups. Go to the beginning position (see the picture below). Now slowly lift your right arm and touch your left shoulder with your right hand. Then go back to touching the floor. Now, do the same with your other arm — left arm and right shoulder and back on the floor. Then, touch your left hand to your right thigh, and go back to the main position. Then touch your left thigh with your right arm. Repeat all four touches at least five to eight times each.

Squat for strength

Begin your squat, arms akimbo, and get both your knees bent at 90 degrees. Generally squats are considered to be an important exercise for developing core strength while working the legs and buttocks. Now, engage your core muscles to push your body up to the starting position. The thrust you need to raise your body up will work to burn your stomach fat. Do this at least eight to 10 times for each leg.

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Indian companies ditching IBM, SAP software for open source

A falling rupee, which increases licensing costs, is likely to hasten the shift from softwares made by companies like SAP, IBM and Oracle.

MUMBAI: Indian enterprises are increasingly moving to open-source software, recognising the cost benefits and flexibility it offers over proprietary software. A falling rupee, which increases licensing costs, is likely to hasten the shift from softwares made by companies like SAP, IBM and Oracle.

The government has already embraced open-source in a big way — the Aadhaar project is a case in point. Now, companies like Hungama Digital Entertainment, Uttam Energy, Bilcare, payment processor Euronet, insurer Star Union Dai-chi and IT outsourcer iGate — have also started using open-source software. And the list is growing.

"There is a definite trend towards open source from Indian companies," CN Raghupathi, the head of Infosys' India business, told ET. "Lower cost is a factor but so is innovation."

Amit Vora, chief technology officer of Hungama Digital, said though open-source is up to 70 per cent cheaper, the large developer pool for it was equally important. "The open source ecosystem and the ability to boost inter-operability is big selling factor. Plus, you don't have to be at the mercy of the vendors to provide customised features and innovation," he said.

For the past two years, enterprises have moved their servers to open source, but now the trend includes critical software. Business intelligence software and even customer-relationship management software is shifting to open source, said Rahul De, the Hewlett-Packard chair professor in information and communication technology at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

Anand Sankaran, senior vicepresident at Wipro Infotech, said telecom firms were evaluating the benefits of shifting to open-source software. "Why can't CRM (customer relationship management) be done on open source? Why do you need a licensed platform to run it — some of the companies have started thinking about it," said Sankaran.

The Indian enterprise software market, which is expected to reach $3.92 billion (about Rs 25,600 crore) this year, is expected to touch about $6.7 billion (about Rs 43,700 crore) by 2017, according to research firm Gartner. Spending on business intelligence platforms — including open-source versions — is expected to rise more than 13 per cent to $74.1 million (about Rs 483 crore) in India this year. This is expected to expand further to $107.4 million (about Rs 701 crore) by 2016.

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Apple to Motorola, mobiles getting fashion makeovers

Apple and Google's Motorola are among those trying to score style points as game-changing technological innovation becomes harder to achieve in the maturing business.

SAN FRANCISCO: Bright colors, funky textures and personalization are coming to a smartphone near you as mobile phone makers turn to fashion to buoy sales in a crowded market.

Apple and Google's Motorola are among those trying to score style points as game-changing technological innovation becomes harder to achieve in the maturing business.

Since the first touch-screen iPhone hit the market in 2007, software features have become easier to replicate and improvements in speed, weight, display size and resolution have become routine. The explosion of me-too products is already hurting profit margins and nibbling at Apple and Samsung Electronic's market share.

Time to bring out the paintbrush.

Apple has invited reporters to an event where it is expected to introduce new iPhones in a much broader palette of colors, perhaps even gold.

One-time leader Motorola, now owned by Google, is trying to win back consumers with the Moto X, relying partly on customized colors and, soon to come, engravings and unusual casing materials such as wood.

Robert Brunner, founder of design consultancy Ammunition and a former Apple industrial design chief, said personalization is a well-worn tactic employed when a product's uniqueness fades.

"As something becomes embedded in lifestyle and as it starts to become commoditized, people look toward more superficial design things to differentiate or at least reach more people," said Brunner, whose clients have included Amazon.com, Dell and Nike.

"And colors are the classic. If you do it at the right time, it will create a significant increase in sales every time."

Much of the speculation around new iPhones this year has focused on colors and material, in marked contrast to previous years when hopes ran high for a breakthrough feature.

Personalization is key
The consumer electronics industry lives and dies by innovation, and resorting to aesthetics is at best a stop-gap measure until frequently talked about new technologies such as fingerprint identification, holographics or flexible displays become reality.

Smartphone shipments grew 52% in the second quarter, according to research firm IDC. But the market is getting crowded, with everyone from Alcatel Lucent to China's Huawei producing an abundance of look-alike phones based on Google's Android software.

Consumers face a sea of "rectangles that are black and white" that all use similar software and capabilities, said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst with research firm Gartner. "So you need that instant hook in the store to get people to pay attention, and that comes from the fashion and style."

Nokia's phone business, soon to be part of Microsoft, was one of the first to try color. Nokia's Windows-powered Lumias came in a variety of shades from blue and red to yellow, helping boost shipments by 76% in the second quarter and outpacing the overall market's growth rate.

"We have always believed technology is highly personal, highly individual," said Yves Behar, the chief creative officer at Jawbone, who has designed a successful line of customizable gadgets including the Up wristband and Jambox wireless speakers. "We get more people wanting to customize their Jambox than we get people not wanting to."

Making more stylish phones, however, can increase production costs and make inventory management and demand forecasting more challenging. Also, taste varies from region to region. So success in the fashion game requires mastering new supply chain and manufacturing skills.

"If you try to predict in advance precise numbers, it is a sure way to over stock or under stock," Behar warned.

Built to order
In 2010, Apple had to delay the launch of the white iPhone 4 twice, citing manufacturing challenges. While the company did not provide details, speculation ranged from color-matching difficulties to an issue with the device's back light.

More recently, Motorola delayed offering the personalized engravings it promised for the Moto X, and the special wood panels that consumers can choose for their phones will not be available until later this year.

To help with logistics, Motorola is using a Flextronics International contract facility near Dallas that can custom-build phones and ship within 6 days. Its long-term target is 4 days.

That kind of customization requires a completely different supply chain system, said Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor David Simchi-Levi.

Instead of optimizing for the lowest cost components, a build-to-order model needs to focus on speed, said Simchi-Levi, who has previously consulted for computer maker Dell, which popularized the model in the 1990s.

Done right, the build-to-order model can generate richer margins and provide flexibility to respond to demand: maintaining stockpiles of components means lower cost and less risk than keeping inventory of finished goods, Simchi-Levi said.

Analysts have said the impact of Motorola's new strategy on its profit margins is unclear. Mark Randall, the company's senior vice president of supply chain and operations, said it knows a build-to-order model will not be easy but is convinced that is the right approach for today's market.

"We decided on this approach ourselves, relying on some market research but also our own instincts. We thought it was time to get away from just having a white or black phone."

Tried and tested
In the 1990s, cellphone makers relied on aesthetics to stand out. Phone makers pumped slider phones, flip phones and "candy bars" in the hope of getting a hit like the sleek Motorola Razr.

Some compared the industry's evolution to watches, which rely on 50-year-old quartz or centuries-old mechanical technology and are the epitome of a business that hinges on fashion.

"Mobile phone makers are going to some of the watch suppliers to get the kinds of finishes and the quality feel that have been in the luxury watch business," said Gregor Berkowitz, a consultant who specializes in consumer electronics design.

Swatch Group, one of the world's largest watchmakers, shows how lucrative fashion can be, analysts said.

"The company benefits from being vertically integrated," Morningstar analyst Peter Wahlstrom said. "They have the designers in-house. They own the manufacturing, the distribution, they control the brands and pricing very well."

Swatch, which owns Breguet, Omega, Flick Flack as well as its namesake brand, boasts operating profit margins of 25%. While that is below Apple's 35% -range on mobile devices, it is above those of Samsung and many other phone makers.

But while fashion can provide a nice way for phone-makers to buoy sales for now, smartphone companies ultimately need unique technology to maintain a long-term advantage.

"The way we think about technology companies is in terms of sustainable competitive advantages, or economic moats," said Wahlstrom. "It's not sustainable unless you have the intellectual property or patent support behind it that really creates a barrier to entry."

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