Intel unveils laptops that include tablet features

Intel unveiled a new category of laptops that it says will include the best features of tablets as the world's top chipmaker struggles to find its footing in the exploding market for mobile gadgets.

Netbook pioneer Asustek showed its first new PC in Intel's "Ultrabook" class, the UX series, on Monday at the Computex computer show in Taipei. Intel said models made by other manufacturers would go on sale by Christmas and cost under $1,000.

Ultrabooks will be svelte and lightweight but still pack high-performance processors. They should account for 40 percent of laptop sales to consumers by the end of next year, Tom Kilroy, a senior vice president at Intel, told Reuters in an interview in San Francisco.

Wake Forest Scientists Develop Potentially Life-Changing Anti-Virus Software

A team of scientists at Wake Forest University in North Carolina have designed and begun testing a computer software antivirus program that they believe could offer a foolproof solution against computer viruses.

They based their design on the theory of an ant colony, where when one ant meets with an intruder or possible predator, the rest of the ants team up and take out the unwanted and unwelcome visitor.

The idea behind this technology has already been acknowledged for its potential, and if it proves to be successful, then it could be spread to all kinds of SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) networks as well as computer systems that control things like waste management, public transportation, manufacturing, and water management among others. In fact, the magazine Scientific American said it was one of “ten technologies that have the power to change our lives”.

India heads for 4G evolution by 2012

With 3G emerging as the next generation of mobile systems, India gets ready to embrace the 4G evolution, technology professionals said at the LTE India 2011 international conference organized by Bharat Exhibitions.

LTE (Long Term Evolution)or 4G would be the next big step towards a broadband wireless revolution by using core set up of the 2G/3G networks. This dramatically matured transition aims to deliver a unique consumer experience as the world forays into the 4G territory with about 380 million LTE subscribers and 80 plus LTE networks by 2015.

The LTE specification provides downlink peak rates of at least 100 Mbps, an uplink of at least 50 Mbps and RAN round-trip times of less than 10 ms. LTE supports scalable carrier bandwidths, from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz and supports both frequency division duplexing (FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD).

Support for Symbian to Continue at Least Till 2016

In a recent interview with Nokia’s own “Conversations” Blog, top man, Stephen Elop (President, CEO) came forward to address a few concerns that Symbian users the world over were worried about. Since Nokia and Microsoft tied the knot this year, the big question on every Symbian users mind was what about continued support for the old platform? Elop’s response has undoubtedly clarified that - software updates, support and other services for Symbian phones will continue “at least up to 2016”.



Nokia is desperately clinging to a legacy of being, at one point of time, the biggest, baddest player in the mobile segment and with their tie up MS for WP7 devices, due to make it out this year, they could see a big comeback. To enunciate this better Elop stated in his interview - “We have to go faster and harder and more aggressively now than we’ve ever gone before because of the competition,” said Stephen. He also announced that Nokia Beijing will be a new global innovation base for the company. Beijing is not only one of the four major R&D bases for Windows Phone 7, but will also be the global R&D center for the S30 and S40 platforms.

HTC Pays Microsoft $5 Per Android Phone

One might think that Android is completely free and there are no fees to pay Google. Turns out, there are fees being paid by HTC, one of the largest phone manufacturers today. Even more shocking, it’s not Google that’s on the receiving end of the money, it’s Microsoft.

Microsoft claims that Google’s Android OS uses its patent technology in areas of the user interface right to the core operating system itself. Microsoft and HTC have signed a deal that permits HTC to use these technologies on their phones. Microsoft is said to be in talks with some other phone manufacturers as well. Pretty much every Android phone including Google’s own Nexus One, which is manufactured by HTC fall under this deal. Microsoft has always claimed that Linux, the open source operating system infringes on their patents and has had deals with companies using the OS. Android is a distant relative of the same Linux operating system. The latest deal with HTC is the first one to do with the Android operating system.

iPhone 4 Finally Comes to India

Mobile phone carriers Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Aircel Ltd. on Friday brought Indian gadget freaks the Apple iPhone 4—almost a year after it was first released in the United States and at over three times the price.

The iPhone that was launched in 35 cities across the country today. Available in white and black, both Airtel and Aircel are charging 34,500 rupees ($763) for the version that comes with 16 gigabytes of memory and 40,900 rupees for the model with 32 GB inbuilt memory.

The phone did come to China last fall, where it appeared to be a massive hit, though not to India.

Apple iPhone 4 to be launched in India on May 27

Apple's iPhone 4 hits store shelves in India on Friday, nearly a year after the next-generation version of the popular smartphone was rolled out worldwide.

Aircel will charge Rs34,500 for iPhones with a 16 GB capacity and 40,900 rupees for the 32 GB model, it said.

Bharti Airtel Ltd, India's top mobile phone carrier, was also expected to launch the phone on Friday.

The iPhone 4 boasts a higher-quality screen and longer battery life than the previous model.

The Invisible iPhone

 
A new interface lets you keep your phone in your pocket and use apps or answer calls by tapping your hand.

Over time, using your smart-phone touch screen becomes second nature, to the point where you can even do some tasks without looking. Researchers in Germany are now working on a system that would let you perform such actions without even holding the phone—instead you'd tap your palm, and the movements would be interpreted by an "imaginary phone" system that would relay the request to your actual phone.

The concept relies on a depth-sensitive camera to pick up the tapping and sliding interactions on a palm,  software to analyze the video, and a wireless radio to send the instructions back to the iPhone.

Windows 8 for PCs, tablets in 2012

Microsoft will ship Windows 8 for desktop computers and tablets next year and the updated Windows Phone 7 will have 500 new features. 

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said, "As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors."

The Microsoft chief, who was addressing a developers' meet in Tokyo, also said that the upgraded Windows Phone 7 -- to be announced -- will also have 500 new features. 

Android 2.3.3 Security Flaw Explosed! “Sidejacking” Using ClientLogin API

Talented engineers at ULM University Germany exposed a security flow with Google’s Android Operating System. The flaw apparently affects 97% of the Google Android users all over the world. Chances are that if you are using Google Android phone, your data may easily land in hacker’s hand without your knowledge. This data may be about your contact list, calendar events and other private information. The engineers toyed with Google’s ClientLogin API which apparently gives remote access to third party hackers enabling them to steal your data.

From where Android started?

If you thought Android was the brainchild of Google, think again. It was devised way back in 2003 by Andy Rubin and Rich Miner only to sell it to Google for $50 million. Google put the concept in cold storage until 2007 when it announced plans to launch the Android mobile platform. Today Rubin is the director of mobile platforms and Miner the group manager, both at Google.

First ever Nokia + Microsft mobile phones

Speaking to Forbes, Chief Executive of European semiconductor maker STMicroelectronics, Carlo Bozotti revealed that at least some of Nokia's upcoming Microsoft Windows Phone (WP) based smartphones will be powered by silicon sourced from ST-Ericsson - a joint venture between STMicroelectronics (STM) and Ericsson.

He further announced that ST-Ericsson's  Nova Thor U8500 will be the first chip to power these phones. This sounds plausible because STM used to supply chips to Nokia, long before the former formed a 50-50 partnership with Ericsson. Bozotti also confirmed that ST-Ericsson will be one of the two chip suppliers for Nokia's Windows Phones. Qualcomm may most likely be the other supplier, as all WP7 devices released till date are powered by its Snapdragon processor.

Since the U8500 is a dual-core SOC (system on chip) supporting Full HD (1080p) video recording capabilities, we assume that it may possess 1080p playback capability as well. In addition to WXGA touchscreen support, the processor allows simultaneous display on two discrete XGA screens. Interestingly, the Nova Thor supports multiple operating systems. We would love to see this feature leveraged for a dual boot option involving WP and Symbian OS. The U8500 is based on ARM Dual Cortex A9 processor, with the ARM Mali 400 GPU handling the 3D graphics subsystem. It also incorporates the usual bells-and-whistles such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, HDMI output, USB 2.0, GPS, and full web-browsing experience for next-generation smartphones.

Nokia may have been criticised for selling underpowered phones in recent times, but now it finally seems to have paid heed to competition from other well-specced smartphones. Moreover, as its Symbian mobile OS has already lost ground to rivals Android and iOS, Nokia will most likely bring out the best that it has got for the final stand. The Finnish mobile giant sure doesn't seem to be ill armed this time around. 

Nokia picks Qualcomm for Windows phone

Nokia announced in February it would use Microsoft's Windows Phone software in all of its smartphones.

Microsoft Windows Phone operating system (OS) is available only on Qualcomm's chips, but the U.S. software giant has said it was expanding the supplier base.

"The first Nokias based on Windows Phone will have the Qualcomm chipset," said a Nokia spokesman.

"Our aim is to build a vibrant ecosystem around Nokia and the Windows Phone OS and with that intent we are naturally continuing discussions with a number of chipset suppliers for our future product portfolio," he said.

Plans for 3G in India

Industry sources warn that rates are not going to be as competitive as the current GPRS networks.

Vodafone, for example, is charging a whopping Rs 10 per MB or Rs 10,000 per GB in New Delhi, according to OnlyGizmos. When contacted by TechCircle to confirm the rates, the company refused to comment.

Aircel has more affordable plans —   Rs 132, Rs 252, Rs 502 and Rs 802 the consumers can download upto 75MB, 150MB, 350MB & 1024MB data respectively for a month with inbuilt voice & SMS. In addition to this, there are other data plans such as Rs 92 for 100 MB.

BSNL . Its prepaid plans start at Rs 275 for 0.5 GB and goes up to Rs 3000 for 35 GB.

Tata DoCoMo’s rates (for Bangalore) start from Rs 350 for prepaid connections for 200 MB data download limit and up to Rs 2000 for 2GB. Satchet packs start at Rs 11 per day for 10 MB of download and Rs 39 for 3 days for 150 MB. Local video calls cost 5 paise per second.

Airtel, on the other hand, has a daily pack of Rs 9 for 10 MB and its Flexishield prepaid pack for heavy data users costs Rs 675 for 1.2GB. (again Bangalore as a circle was chosen). Its volume-based 3G Value pack starts at Rs 13 for 20 days with a charge of 15 paise per 20 KB.

Earth's inner core melting

The inner core of the Earth, which is believed to be growing about one millimetre per year, may be melting, scientists have claimed. 

According to researchers at the University of Leeds in England, this melting could actually be linked to activity on the Earth's surface and the findings could help explain how the core generates the planet's magnetic field. 

The 2,400km wide inner core which is a ball of solid iron about the same size of the moon is surrounded by an outer core made up mostly of liquid iron-nickel alloy, a highly viscous mantle layer and, topping it off, a solid crust that forms the surface of the planet. 

As the Earth cools from the inside out, it is believed that the molten outer core is slowly freezing, leading the inner core to grow at a rate of about one millimetre per year. 

"The standard view has been that the inner core is freezing all over and growing, but it appears that there are regions where the core is actually melting," said Sebastian Rost, a seismologist who led the research.

How to move your data in cloud computing

5 tips to migrate applications to cloud 

Organizations seeking to move applications into the cloud have five options: rehost on infrastructure as a service (IaaS), refactor for platform as a service (PaaS), revise for IaaS or PaaS, rebuild on PaaS, or replace with software as a service ( SaaS).

Read More on:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/enterprise-it/services-apps/5-tips-to-migrate-applications-to-cloud/articleshow/8368877.cms

Samsung bulits prototype of a foldable mobile display screen

Researchers at Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology , South Korea, have built a prototype of a seamless foldable display that opens up to look like that of a regular smartphone .

The display consists of two active matrix organic light-emitting-diode (AMOLED) panels covered by a silicone window that prevents scratches and can serve as a touchscreen.

When folded down, they are separated by a gap of just one millimetre. But when the screen is opened, one panel lies almost completely on top of the other and appears seamless. 

The researchers tested the foldable display's durability by performing 100,000 folding-unfolding cycles. They said the key to success was controlling the optical properties of the materials.  

This new type of technology has not so far taken off because of the high manufacturing costs.  

Android Malware Volume Jumps 400%

The volume of attacks that target the Android mobile operating system has increased by 400% since the summer of 2010. Also in that timeframe, one in 20 enterprise mobile devices has gone missing. 

Indeed, despite the security threats facing smartphones, few users secure them. On that front, the Juniper report references a 2010 study found that only 15% of smartphone users were employing antivirus on their phones. 

Google’s Digital Music Service Falls Short of Ambition

the service that the company unveiled on Tuesday, called Music Beta by Google, fell short of those ambitions. There is no store, the streaming function comes with restrictions, and, like Amazon’s Cloud Drive service announced in March, using it requires a long upload process.

What came between Google and its ambitions was an obstacle familiar to many digital music start-ups: despite months of negotiations, the company could not obtain licenses from the major record companies. 

Google Chromebook - the computer for people who hate computers

Google has realised that so long as computers are for geeks, they're on the wrong track. Google Chrome OS relies on all your services being accessible via the cloud.

IBM launches virtual desktop in India

Technological giant IBM today launched the virtual desktop in India that offers anytime, anywhere access to personal desktops from mobile devices including tablets, net books, laptops and thin clients.

The IBM Virtual Desktop allows Windows or Linux desktops to be hosted and managed centrally, thus lowering the cost and complexity of managing Personal Computer environments through rapid deployment of new applications, automatic software updates and reducing the need for help desk requests,

Indian telco launches 4G product for American market

Indian Telecom product manufacturer Kavveri Telecom announced launch of a linearly Polarised customer premise equipment (CPE) antenna, for North American market.

The 4G or LTE (Long Term Evaluation) technology in frequency band of 698 to 960 Mhz. This antenna will serve need of companies for providing LTE and other services in the these frequency bands.

Google to launch music service

Google plans to introduce its long-awaited service to allow people to upload and store their music collections on the Web and listen to their songs on Android phones or tablets and on computers.

The announcement of the new service, a cloud-based music player, will be made on Wednesday at Google I/O, at the company’s developers conference here.

The service, to be called Music Beta by Google, is similar to one introduced by Amazon in March, although it will store considerably more music. And like Amazon, Google does not have the cooperation of music labels, which means that users cannot do certain things that would legally require licenses, like sharing songs with friends and buying songs from Google.

Even Apple Macs can catch viruses

As a loyal Windows user, I find there are few things more boring than listening to Apple evangelists harping on about the merits of their smarter, prettier Macs. In a recent ad, a smug Robert Webb, playing a Mac alongside David Mitchell's dowdy PC, made this claim: "I run Mac OS X, so you don't have to worry about the viruses and spyware [as] PCs do." The ad led to several complaints. 

Clive Longbottom, a director at the IT analysts Quocirca, says it's wrong to say Macs don't get viruses. "They could; it's just that nobody can be bothered to write them. Worldwide, only about 3 per cent of desktop computers are Macs. At that level, it's not financially viable for hackers to write viruses for Macs." 

Macs used to be more resistant, but times have changed and Mac users are complacent at their peril. As more PC users install antivirus software and Microsoft ups its game, hackers might turn their attention to Macs. It's probably time for Mac users to start thinking about antivirus software, such as McAfee.

Hackers put Linux back on the PS3.

OPEN SOURCE HACKERS have designed a homebrew firmware update that puts the Other OS feature back on the Playstation 3 (PS3).
While Sony is still trying to gets its Playstation Network (PSN) back online, hackers have come up with a homebrew workaround to get the Other OS feature back on PS3 so they can run Linux on it.

Intel's 3D tech redefines the transistor

What is 3D exactly?
Intel calls it generically 3D but technically it's a Tri-Gate transistor. The traditional flat two-dimensional "planar" gate is replaced with a thin three-dimensional silicon fin that rises up vertically from the silicon substrate.

The gate wraps around the fin. The current is controlled by using a gate on each of the three sides of the fin--two on each side and one across the top--rather than just one on top, as is the case with the 2D planar transistor.

So,  3D or vertical transistors become necessary. And Intel isn't just talking about this theoretically, it's going to manufacture chips based on these transistors

When buying touch screens, it is important to note

* It should have features which you can easily use, like the ability for changing characters should you use it as a keyboard or as a mobile phone.

* Check out its display resolution for clarity.

* It should have a capable battery life and fast charging for you to fully utilize and make the most out of your gadget.

* It should be dirt, water and heat resistant, which makes cleaning very minimal.

* It should come with a warranty for repairs or change of parts.

With this helpful facts in mind, it won’t be hard to find your ideal Electronic Gadgets with touch screen features. Good luck on your touch screen hunting!

Kinds of Touch Screen technology

* The resistive touch screen technology has functioning layers made up of electrically metallic conductive and resistive sheets which gathers voltage from back to front to permit the controller to process the user’s needs. This type of touch screen is affordable and resists dust and water, but it can be damaged by sharp objects which come to contact.

* The surface wave touch screen technology on the other hand applies ultrasonic waves on the screen panel. This successively sends the data required to process the user’s activities. This is the most advance technology available for a touch screen.

* The capacitive touch screen technology is layered and stores electrical charges. Upon the user’s touch, it is immediately transmitted for the processing of the information. It can only use fingers to direct the screen unlike the resistive and surface wave technologies which can make use of both fingers and stylus for navigation.

Electronic Gadgets For Beginners: What Is A Capacitive and Resistive Touch Screen?

A Touch Screen is a gadget in a form of a display screen that is sensitive to touch and pressure. You can normally use a gadget by a touch of a finger or hand or by using a stylus. It is equipped with an electronic visual display system which detects the presence of touch along its display range.


It also works as an input tool, where its interface can be modeled to palpable buttons. A touch screen can be used as a keyboard and its recent multi touch technology allows the touch screen to recognize handwritings and finger actions. It also recognizes graphics by simple touch on the screen.

GADGET CONSULTANCY

Gadget Consultancy is a way for those who are newer to the today's most promising technological developments. It familiarizes you from the latest updates and most important changes occurring in the Information Technology sector. As in case it could be said that it is a school guide for those people who are relatively newer towards the technology and high school lecturer for those who thinks they have got enough in this unlimited pool of knowledge.