Monday, 31 March 2014

Windows Phone 8.1 notification centre, parallax effect leaked

3/31/2014 10:14:00 am TECHNOLOGY No comments

Windows Phone 8.1 notification centre, parallax effect leaked

Upcoming features of Windows Phone 8.1 have leaked online, courtesy two videos uploaded by Chinese website Coolxap.

NEW DELHI: Microsoft is set to announce Windows Phone 8.1, the first major update for the company's mobile platform, on April 2. However, upcoming features of the operating system have leaked online, courtesy two videos uploaded by Chinese website Coolxap.

The videos shows the all-new Action Center notification menu of Windows Phone 8.1; notification centre has remained one of the key missing features of the Windows Phone platform till now. Microsoft's Action Center menu can be accessed by a downward swipe from the top, the same way it works in Android. The leaked video shows toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Camera and brightness present in Action Center.

Another key feature revealed by the videos is support for Live Tile background images. Users will be able to select an image from Facebook, OneDrive, photo albums or the default pictures provided in the phone to set as the background for Live Tiles. The particular image will appear as the background for Live Tiles, creating a parallax effect for added depth. Apple's iOS 7 operating system also features parallax effect, which is said to induce motion sickness in some users.

Windows Phone 8.1's leaked videos also show a revamped user interface for the Camera app and the updated Windows Phone Store.

One of the videos features the upcoming Lumia 630 smartphone, codenamed MoneyPenny. The device runs on Windows Phone 8.1 and has on-screen buttons for Home, Back and Search; Windows Phone 8 does not support on-screen buttons and all phones powered by the platform have haptic keys below the display.

Lumia 630 is expected to have a 4.5-inch screen with 800x480p resolution, quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 1GB RAM and 5MP camera. It is rumoured that the phone will be available for 1,000 yuan in China. This phone, as well as the rumoured Lumia 930, is likely to be unveiled at Build 2014 by Microsoft. The company is also said to be working on Lumia 1820, a high-end smartphone.

All the above mentioned Windows Phone 8.1 features except parallax effect had been leaked earlier as well. Other leaked features of the operating system update include Siri-rival Cortana, a new version of Internet Explorer browser, improved multitasking, better storage management, VPN (Virtual Private Network) support and common apps for smartphones and tablets.

Greg Sullivan, the public relations director for Windows Phone, in January said that all smartphones running on Windows Phone 8 will get the 8.1 update.

Windows Phone 8.1: Ten key features

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Apple readying Galaxy Note 3-sized iPhone: Report

3/31/2014 10:09:00 am BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Apple readying Galaxy Note 3-sized iPhone: Report

The latest rumour is that the company’s first phablet will be nearly as big as Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 in size.

NEW DELHI: Apple is widely expected to launch big-screen iPhones this year and the latest rumour is that the company's first phablet will be nearly as big as Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 in size.

French website Nowhereelse has published an image leaked by a Chinese website showing the dimensions of the upcoming iPhone. The device is 150mm long and 85mm wide, according to the image. This means that the device will be almost similar in size to Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 phablet, which is 151.2mm long and 79.2mm wide.

According to the report, this iPhone's screen size is at least 5-inch. Several reports in the past too have claimed that Apple is working on smartphones with 4.7- and 5.5-inch screens, which are likely to be unveiled in September this year.

Japan Display, a major Apple supplier, unveiled a 5.5-inch display panel with 2K resolution (2560x1440p) earlier this week. This has sparked speculation that the same panel may be used in the upcoming iPhone phablet.

The jump to 2K resolution would be a big one for Apple as iPhones only support 1136x640p resolution. This panel would also mean that the next iPhone would have pixel density of 538ppi, much higher than the 326ppi of Apple's Retina display.

The other rumoured features of iPhone 6 include 10MP camera, scratch-resistant sapphire glass display, bezel-less display, solar charging, health-centric apps and faster Wi-Fi access.

Samsung Galaxy S5 pre-orders start in India

3/31/2014 01:40:00 am TECHNOLOGY No comments

Samsung Galaxy S5 pre-orders start in India

Samsung Galaxy S5 can be booked on the company’s official e-store for a sum of Rs 1,500.

NEW DELHI: Samsung has started taking pre-orders for the Galaxy S5 smartphone in India.

The device can be booked on the company's official e-store for a sum of Rs 1,500. Samsung has not disclosed the price of Galaxy S5 yet, and has only announced that it will cost between Rs 51,000 and Rs 53,000.

According to the Galaxy S5 listing on Samsung India's e-store, those who book the phone in advance will get 15% cash-back if they pay the remaining amount using a Citibank credit card.

Samsung has not disclosed if it would refund the Rs 1,500 if a buyer is unable to pay the full amount after placing an order. The device is slated to hit the market on April 11 in India as well as in several major markets.

The all-new Galaxy S5 is the top model in Samsung's smartphone portfolio. It features a 5.1-inch Full HD screen, the latest Android version, fingerprint sensor, heart-rate monitor, health-centric apps and water- as well as dust-resistant body. Other key features of the smartphone are 16MP rear camera, eight-core Samsung Exynos processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, 64GB microSD support and 3,000mAh battery with ultra power saving mode.
The smartphone competes with Apple iPhone 5S, Google Nexus 5 and LG G2 in the market. Sony and HTC are expected to soon launch the Xperia Z2 and One (M8) smartphones in the same segment.

Samsung Galaxy S5: Here is what you need to kno...

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Samsung on Thursday announced that Galaxy S5, its new flagship smartphone, will star selling in India at a price between Rs 51,000 to Rs 53,000 from April 11. Like the top Galaxy phones launched earlier, Galaxy S5 too comes packed with some unique features and top-of-the-line hardware.

We tell you more about the device...

Silicon Valley is no country for old men

3/31/2014 01:32:00 am BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Silicon Valley is no country for old men

The home of technology has been called the most ageist place in the world.

Dr Seth Matarasso is a cosmetic surgeon in San Francisco. When he started his practice two decades ago, his patients were middle-aged and female. Today, most of his patients are from Silicon Valley, and in their twenties.

Tech is young people's business. This is an impression that has been reinforced by the images of a young Jobs and Wozniak, beaming over their prototype Apple II, or by Mark Zuckerberg telling a Stanford audience that "young people are just smarter" and companies saying that they want people who have "Their Best Work Ahead of Them, Not Behind Them."

The New Republic's Noam Scheiber looks at the extreme ageism of Silicon Valley. He quotes an engineer in his 40s who met a tech CEO who was trying to acquire the company he worked for. The CEO looked at him and said: "You must be the token graybeard." The engineer responded that he was the token grown-up .

Snappy comebacks apart, Silicon Valley is notorious for its prejudice against older people. "In 2011, Google settled a multimillion-dollar claim brought by a computer scientist named Brian Reid, who had been fired when he was 54. Reid said colleagues and supervisors had frequently referred to him as 'an old man' and 'an old fuddy-duddy' ... ".

Scheiber follows the attempts of Nick Stamos, a 40-something techie and former CTO of a billion -dollar tech company, to raise venture funding for his idea. Stamos gets steadily frustrated as VCs happily fund companies founded by pimply kids with half-baked ideas, throwing in good money after bad. The funders he talks to believe that his idea is good, and his grasp of technology is excellent, but when it comes to funding, they say nothing.
Ultimately, the idea of young innovators may just be a mirage. About 15% of the winners of the Nobel prize in scientific disciplines are in their 20s - and the percentage holds good for 50-somethings as well.

Source: New Republic.com

Apps that help you avoid people

3/31/2014 01:29:00 am TECHNOLOGY No comments

Apps that help you avoid people

Social media expects us to be, well, social. Constantly telling people what we're doing, where we are, where they could meet us for a cup of coffee — and that that can be bothersome. There are, after all, lots of people we do not want to meet, no matter how many times we might "like" what they post on Facebook.

Thankfully though, somebody has finally begun to understand. The result being apps that instead of forcing us to be social, allow us to do the exact opposite — avoid people.

The app Cloak works by pulling in data from people's Instagram and Foursquare accounts, thereby pinpointing exactly where those people are posting from. The next bit is simple, once you know where they are — you make certain you don't go there.

The app, perhaps expectedly, came about after one of its creators, Brian Moore, bumped into an exgirlfriend four times in six months. He finally developed the app with a friend, Chris Baker.

It is probable that a number of other people have had the same problem as Moore because in the two weeks since the app launched, it's collected over a 100,000 users.

Commentators obviously immediately latched onto that, wondering whether the impressive numbers were a sign that the world had been crying out for a Cloak. And whether, contrary to what is told to us every other day, a lot of people actually do like their privacy?

Whatever the answer, said the commentators, what Cloak does for us is give us an excuse to stop pretending like we actually like interacting with other people and instead allow us to retreat into the socially awkward bubbles we've never quite shed. Or, as the commentators asked: "Let's be honest, who really enjoys running into the boy who used to pull your hair in third grade?

Or your ex-boyfriend's creepy work buddy? The answer, if we're being truly honest with ourselves , is nobody. Because if you don't care enough about somebody to willingly keep in touch with them, having them thrust upon you in the middle of a crowded street won't be a particularly enjoyable experience."

Udi Dagan certainly knew what Moore had to go through for his app, Split — it does the same thing as Cloak — pulls in information from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Foursquare to help users avoid people they do not wish to see. Dagan's reasons for being anti-social ? Exactly the same — he bumped into two ex-girlfriends in a matter of hours on a night out.

Split allows you to check locations in advance to make certain they're clear of any "undesirables" , see which venues they tend to frequent . The app will even alert you should an undesirable begin to close in on you and, best of all, it will even suggest an escape route.

Like with all technology though, there is always the fear of misuse. In this case from stalkers. Dagan says that the same features that help users avoid people can also be used to track them. Or that instead of avoiding an ex, if you want to know what is happening with her, where she is, who she is with — people could use it to do that too.

But still, say the experts, only a handful of Cloak and Split users — say about 1% — will use the apps for that purpose, rather than what they were put out there for
.

Apple, Samsung to renew patent battle in US court

3/31/2014 01:25:00 am BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Apple, Samsung to renew patent battle in US court

Apple and Samsung will return to federal court in the heart of Silicon Valley for a new round in their seemingly perpetual patent war.

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple and Samsung will return to federal court in the heart of Silicon Valley for a new round in their seemingly perpetual patent war.

The case concerns smartphone and tablet patents and is just the latest in a long-running feud between the two tech giants, who are battling for supremacy in a multi-billion-dollar market.

"The parties tried hard to accuse each other's latest and greatest products, but US patent litigation is slow, which is why this 2014 trial will be about 2012 and pre-2012 products," intellectual property analyst Florian Mueller said in a post at website fosspatents.com.

The rivals will face off once again before District Court Judge Lucy Koh in the California city of San Jose.

Koh presided over a trial last year that ended with a jury declaring Samsung owed Apple more that a billion dollars in damages for infringing patents with some older model Android-powered devices.

The damages award was later trimmed to $929 million and is being appealed.

If this new trial goes in Apple's favor, it could result in an even bigger award since it involves better-selling Samsung devices built with Google-backed Android software.

This time California-based Apple is taking aim at Samsung's flagship Galaxy line crafted to challenge the iPhone in the high-performance end of the market.

"Both in the United States and globally, Apple and Samsung have established themselves as fierce competitors in the smartphone market and fierce adversaries in the courtroom," Koh said during rulings on injunctions, testimony and other matters ahead of trial.

Under pressure from Koh, the chiefs of Apple and Samsung engaged in mediation to see if the dispute could be settled out of court, but talks failed.

However, the companies expressed a willingness to keep talking, raising the slim possibility trial could be avoided.

Jury selection is to commence on Monday. Koh is allowing each side 25 hours to present evidence to make its case to jurors.

Apple filed the suit against the South Korean consumer electronics behemoth in February 2012 as "one action in a worldwide constellation of litigation between the two companies," the judge said in a ruling.

Patents at issue in the case involve unlocking touch-screens with gestures; automatically correcting words being typed; retrieving data sought by users, and performing actions on found data such as making a call after coming up with a phone number.

Apple argued in filings that a Google Quick Search Box in the Android-powered Galaxy Nexus steals from patented technology used by virtual assistant Siri to answer queries in the iPhone.

Samsung devices targeted by Apple include more than a half-dozen smartphones from the Galaxy line along with the Galaxy 2 tablet.

Samsung is countering with claims that Apple infringes on its patented technology for data transmission, imaging, audio, and video in iPhone, iPad, iPod and Macintosh computer models.

Koh early in March rejected Apple's request to ban an array of Samsung smartphones and tablets found during the blockbuster trial last year to have infringed on patents held by the US tech giant.

Koh reasoned that there was no evidence that consumer demand was driven by the infringing elements.

That point could be raised anew in the coming trial, putting pressure on Apple to show that patented features such as sliding a finger across a screen to unlock handsets were deciding factors in sales.

Apple has maintained publicly that its patent battles are about "innovation and the hard work that goes into inventing products that people love," and not about money.

At a hearing early this year, Apple demanded that Samsung pay $40 per smartphone incorporating its patented technology, according to court records.

Any triumph at trial would likely result in a demand that infringing products be banned from sale in the US.

Rulings that patents were infringed on would also provide legal ammunition to fire shots at newer smartphone models or even those yet to be released, if they contain the same technology
.

Philips unveils Android-powered 4K TV

3/31/2014 01:20:00 am BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY 2 comments

Philips unveils Android-powered 4K TV

In pic: Philips 7800 4K TV based on Android

Philips has revealed its television family for 2014, having promised new Android-imbued sets back at CES 2014. The top-end 8800 series come in Full HD and Ultra HD models and offer an Android based operating system which means access to Google Play apps.

They're coming to Europe and Russia sometime between April and June 2014, but there are hefty question marks over whether the sets will make it to the UK.

Now for the ones you can buy...

A host of smaller sets are slated to reach the UK, though. The slim and stylish 7009 series is more locked on, but comes without Google's OS. Available in 42-, 49- and 55-inch models, the near-bezelless TVs should hit the UK in June and come with Ultra HD resolution, a quad-core processor, 400Hz perfect motion rate and built-in Wi-Fi.

Also bound for the UK are the 6609 and 6309 models, in sizes ranging between 40- and 55-inches, and a choice of active and passive 3D.

Skipping down the spec scale are the 5000 series TVs, ranging from 32- to 55-inches, they don't offer 3D but are full HD sets with 500,000:1 dynamic screen contrast and dual-core processors on board.

The TVs should be hitting retailers between April and June, with pricing yet to be announced. The company is terming them all "highly affordable", though, which bodes well for your bank account.

Dhoni pleased to see Yuvraj back among runs

3/31/2014 01:17:00 am CRICKET No comments

Dhoni pleased to see Yuvraj back among runs

Yuvraj roared back to form with a 60-run knock. His strokeful 43-ball innings set up the 73-run victory over Australia. (AFP Photo)

MIRPUR: Yuvraj Singh's return to form was the biggest positive for the Indian team ahead of knockout stage of the ICC World Twenty20, according to skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Yuvraj roared back to form with a 60-run knock. His strokeful 43-ball innings set up the 73-run victory over Australia as India topped Group 2 with fourth consecutive win.

"Yuvraj getting back into form was really good. We all know what kind of a player Yuvi is. I think this format ideally suits it (getting back into form). He decided to give himself time to play himself in. In the middle overs he wasn't able to rotate but in the end overs we knew the firepower we had," said Dhoni at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Yuvraj was struggling in the first two matches of the tournament with scores of 1 and 10 against Pakistan and West Indies respectively.

Dhoni said the decision to rest Shikhar Dhawan, who hasn't been in great touch, helped the left-handed opener look back at his performances. Dhawan was replaced by Ajinkya Rahane in the playing XI.

"Rahane opens in difficult conditions. We have seen that in IPL, he is one the most consistent batsman. This (replacing Shikhar with Rahane) also gives Shikhar some free time to think about his game. So both players will benefit," he said.

Australian skipper George Bailey, on the other hand, rued lack of "match sense" shown by his batsmen in this tournament.

"I don't think we've been fans of the way we've been playing. We have shown lack of game sense on a number of occasions. There was not much turn in the wicket today. We could have batted better," said Bailey.

Meanwhile off-spinner R Ashwin, who bagged his second consecutive man-of-the-match award, said the score they were defending was little above par.

"I though 160 was just above par," Ashwin, who took four wickets and gave away just 11 runs, said.

On his bowling, he said, "You have to cut the width for the right-hander, the line I'm bowling is not too wide outside off. We were stretched quite a bit while batting but we're playing well the way we are."

Give new players more time like I got: Virender Sehwag

3/30/2014 09:40:00 am CRICKET No comments

Give new players more time like I got: Virender Sehwag

On his own form, Sehwag was startlingly honest, saying that selectors had few reasons to bring him back into the team. (TOI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Exactly 10 years ago today, Virender Sehwag joined the club of India's batting greats when he raced to the first triple hundred scored by an Indian in Test cricket.

Since that day in Multan, Indian cricket has seen a sea change. And as he battles to get back into the Indian team, a wiser Sehwag doesn't mind conceding he has done little to earn a comeback and that Indian cricket should stick with fresh faces.

"I was given a lot of chances when I was young. I used to fire in one or two instances out of 10 hits. Yet, the team management stuck with me and only then the consistency came in. The same holds for the likes of Shikhar Dhawan. He shouldn't be under pressure after a few failures. Amit Mishra is also a good bowler and now that he has got his chances, he has started performing. Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma have it in them to break my record of scoring triple hundreds. New faces should be given more time," said the 35-year-old, firm in his opinion during the launch of a junior cricket tournament initiated by the Sehwag International School.

A survivor of the 2004 side, Yuvraj Singh is struggling in the current set-up. Sehwag was quick to rise to his former teammate's defence. "If you look at the numbers, Yuvi was the man-of-the-match only three T20s ago. He deserves a few more chances and we all know when he gets going he can turn a tournament in India's favour," he said.

On his own form, Sehwag was startlingly honest, saying that selectors had few reasons to bring him back into the team. "I haven't scored runs, how can I expect to be recalled? But every match and every tournament is a platform for me now to make a comeback. Just like when I scored a century for MCC recently in Abu Dhabi, people started talking about me coming back."

At this stage of his career, experience is what the swashbuckler is banking on and not leading Kings XI Punjab doesn't fluster him.

"For the amount of top-flight cricket I have played, I don't need to worry about words like confidence and moral boosts. I had told coach Sanjay Bangar that I won't mind if I had to lead the team but if they had someone better to do the job then they should go ahead with him. And then he called up to say they had finalised George Bailey and he told me that I will still be a leader in the team. It doesn't matter to me if I am the captain or not," said Sehwag.

In his efforts to grab the eyeballs of the selectors, the veteran's batting position has been a talking point since he decided to drop to No. 4 when playing for Delhi
.

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Monday, 31 March 2014