Google ropes in leading automakers to provide Android on cars !! Unknown1:24 PM 0 comments

Android smartphones are a rage. Now, there will be Android cars in the market. Yes, the search engine giant, who owns mobile OS Android, has announced at the on-going international Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2014) in Las Vegas that it will bring the Android to the cars soon. 

For this, Google has roped in chip-maker NVIDIA and automakers like Audi, GM, Honda and Hyundai. 

This tie-up is called Open Automotive Alliance which is aiming to provide car makers an opportunity to update itself with the mobile phone industry by integrating both.

The extension of Android platform into the automobile industry will open the door for integrating mobile technology into cars in a easier way.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/google-ropes-in-automakers-to-provide-android-on-cars/1/335312.html

Read More

10 reasons why Google Glass is doomed!! Unknown1:21 PM 0 comments

Google Glass is doomed. Why do I say that? There are a number of reasons but more on that in a bit.

First, let me explain what have I learned in my eight months of wearing Glass:
-- Nearly everyone wants to try it. Google is brilliant. They got us to pay $1,500 (plus tax) to be its PR agent. It's gotten to the point where even I don't want to wear them around. At one conference a few people in a bathroom wanted to try them on. I figure I've shared my Glass with 500-1,000 people.

-- Mathew Honan, Wired magazine contributor, says people called him an asshole for wearing his. I never have had that happen. Instead, what happens is usually closer to this encounter I had in the street with three high school girls.

-- All of our angst is because of a prototype. One that still doesn't have a good API and doesn't really have much utility (I expect that Google will have a LOT to say when it introduces the final product in 2014). Things like battery life, and even design, or lack thereof, are going to change.

-- Price is gonna matter a LOT. But I'm hearing they won't be able to get under $500 in 2014, so that means it's doomed. In 2014. When they get under $300 and have another revision or two? That's when the market really will show up. 2016, I say.

-- The camera isn't that scary. Once you have them. Lots of people are afraid I'm recording them. Then I show them how it works. Then they smile and forget I have them on.

-- The really scary thing? The eye sensor. There's a reason why Larry Page didn't answer my question at last year's Google IO: that thing can probably tell whether you are drunk or sober (think about THAT tonight). It also can probably tell you when you are checking out someone you shouldn't be (wait until the wife gets an alert about THAT). Of course Google will use it to tell what brands you are checking out at the grocery store (coupon alert) or when you are shopping in a shopping mall.

-- Do I still love mine? Yeah, I do, but I am frustrated with the speed at which Google has iterated on these. I am hopeful that Google is just holding back a ton of goodness for launch but it should have had an app store, a real API that allows full sensor and phone integration, and a plan for helping developers build real businesses on these by now.

I'm also worried at a new trend: I rarely see Google employees wearing theirs anymore. Most say "I just don't like advertising that I work for Google." I understand that. Quite a few people assume I work for Google when they see me with mine. I just hope it doesn't mean that Google's average employee won't support it. That is really what killed the tablet PC efforts inside Microsoft until Apple forced them to react due to popularity of iPad.

But, really, let's get back to the headline. I think Google Glass is doomed. In 2014. Why?

1. Expectations are too high.
These are on our faces and are the most controversial product of my lifetime (and that's saying something). Everyone will compare sales of Google Glass to Apple's iWatch. That is going to bring a raft of "Google Glass isn't popular" kinds of articles. Translation: Glass is doomed.

2. These are too hard to buy and acquire.
They need to be custom fitted and, because they have a new user interface, users need a bit of training on how to use them. This is what will keep the price high, not the cost of making the things. If you need to spend an hour or two with a Google employee in a Best Buy just to get them working, that raises the cost and will keep these from being a high-sales item. At least in 2014.

3. Not enough apps. 
Enough said. That will start getting fixed after a few months of release, but early users are gonna continually ask "where's the Uber app?" Or "where's the Foursquare app?" Or "why does the Facebook app suck?" Truth is, while there are many developers excited by Glass, there are many others who look at this and see no market and a very small one that will show up in 2014. So most "pro" developers are taking a wait-and-see approach. Google hasn't helped that by not showing off a store and by making weird rules against advertising without explaining what will be allowed.

5. Battery life.
Right now I want to use Glass for journalism. It works pretty well for that, if you watch my Sarah Francis video I filmed on Glass. But when doing video the battery only lasts 45 minutes AND it gets very hot. I expect that will get fixed, right now video is being compressed in software. I bet that when they release the public version it will be done in hardware. But, what is real-world battery use like? Already Google has had to ratchet back a bunch of features it wanted to include, like automatic uploads of photos. It now only does that when plugged in and on wifi.

6. Photo workflow sucks. 
Let's say I shot a bunch of photos on my Glass. Can I see them on my iPhone? No. Not immediately. I have to plug it in and be on wifi for that to happen. Can I share from Glass? Yeah, but how do I leave a description? Use my voice, right? But the problem is that isn't very accurate and doesn't work at all in noisy places like rock concerts, which is probably where you mostly want to use Glass. Google needs to make it much easier to push images over to my phone in real time and then let me upload photos and videos from there. Why? I can edit on my phone much nicer than trying to pick out good images on Glass (and try to do something like crop or change image to black and white before uploading -- you'll soon discover there are thousands of limitations to Glass' camera that your iPhone doesn't have).

7. Facebook is our main addiction and I can't do it in Glass. 
Sorry Google, but Google+ still isn't used by my family, friends, or those I speak with. At one recent conference I asked who isn't on Facebook and only one hand went up. Google+ isn't nearly as ubiquitous or as nice, truth be told, particularly for mobile users. This lack of Facebook support is the #1 thing that pisses me off about Glass. Do you really think Zuckerberg is gonna put his best developers on Glass? Hell no.

8. No contextual filtering. 
When I'm standing on stage, why does Glass give me Tweets? Why can't it recognize that I'm at a conference at least and show me only tweets about that conference? Hashtag style. But it can't because Google's contextual OS isn't done and probably won't be done until 2015. Google Glass desperately needs those contextual signals to know when to show you appropriate stuff. Skiing? Only show me stuff about the mountain I'm on. In a meeting? Do something like Mind Meld does (show me stuff about what we're talking about). Shopping? Show me coupons and todo lists. But today Google Glass is pretty stupid, context wise, and makes the experience of using it suck in a lot of ways.

9. Developers are being held back.
There isn't any distribution system for apps or Glass experiences. That will get fixed, I'm sure, but right now if a developer wants me to test out a cool app they almost always need physical access to my Glass. That isn't a good way to get lots of people trying/debugging/hyping up apps.

10. The Gruber problem. 
I'm referring to John Gruber, tech blogger. He just doesn't like the idea of Glass, even if Apple were to bring out one. I think I figured this one out after talking to hundreds of people. Most are disappointed in themselves and their lack of ability to put their phones down. They fear that if they were to go with Glass they would just totally lose themselves to their mobile addictions. They are right to be scared of that. If Glass actually worked the way I'm dreaming of I would be even more addicted to our online world than I am today. People are scared of losing their humanness. What makes them human. I get questions all the time about whether the Internet will decide everything in life for us and what that means. Personally after having them on for eight months I'm actually less scared of that than I was when first putting them on. Why? With Glass at least I'm looking at the real world more than when I'm using my phone. But it is a real fear and something Google will have to take on.

That all said, I'm still wearing mine. See you next week in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show. I'll have mine on, even if Chris Voss takes me to a strip club. Oh, wait, maybe not. :-)

So, what would I do if I were Google? Reset expectations. Say "this is really a product for 2020 that we're gonna build with you." First release is in 2014, but let's be honest, if it's $600 and dorky looking, it'll be doomed -- as long as expectations are so high.

By 2020 I'm quite convinced this will be a big deal and there will be lots of competitors by then. So, if you make it about 2020, then it isn't doomed. If it's about beating the Apple iWatch in 2014? Yes, totally doomed.

Read More

Bye bye McAfee, hello Intel Security: Vendor name dropped!! Unknown1:16 PM 0 comments

Intel has announced a revamp of security software McAfee, moving forward with the new name Intel Security – and controversial owner John McAfee claims his elation is “beyond words” at the change.

McAfee told the BBC he was “everlastingly grateful to Intel for freeing me from this terrible association with the worst software on the planet.”

Gary Davis, vice president of global consumer marketing at McAfee, saw it slightly differently.

“This is an exciting step forward for both brands and represents a commitment to combining Intel’s resources and proven track-record of performance, trust, and innovation with McAfee’s legacy of online safety and security to revolutionise the world of digital security,” he wrote in a blog post.

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich announced the change at CES earlier today, transitioning McAfee products across to the new Intel Security brand “while retaining the familiar red shield”, in the words of the press release.

The more interesting change, for readers of Enterprise AppsTech, involves making elements of McAfee’s security portfolio free for mobile devices. This appears to be based around the BYOD trend, although details of the initiative will be thin on the ground for a few months.

McAfee’s relationship with the enterprise is an interesting one, having a successful enterprise app store model, as well as unloading its Complete Endpoint Protection range back in May, integrating its EMM solution with the ePolicy Orchestrator to move more into the MDM game.

The security firm – which was ranked second behind Symantec in software security according to Gartner – released survey results back in March which claimed that one in three smartphone users don’t password protect their devices.

Intel also announced a big move into wearables at CES, with smart earbuds for fitness, a smart wireless charging bowl and an always-on smart headset all unveiled at the Las Vegas show.

What’s your thoughts on McAfee and its name change?

Read More

Instagram launches Instagram Direct – but should Snapchat and WhatsApp worry? Unknown12:56 PM 0 comments

Photo sharing social network Instagram has today announced Instagram Direct, a service which enables users to send photos to groups of up to 15 people.

In a surprise event, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom announced the launch, which expands Instagram’s product portfolio and will be an add-on to the current app.

Users can only send photos and videos to people they follow and who follow them back, with a blog post on the official Instagram site explaining that these are for more intimate moments – “an inside joke between friends captured on the go, a special family moment or even just one more photo of your new puppy.”

Crucially, once a Direct photo has been sent, the users can then exchange text messages. This, of course, is where the comparisons to WhatsApp and Snapchat come in.

Yet it has to be mentioned that Instagram hasn’t launched a straight up messaging app today – users have to send a photo first.

The comparisons with Snapchat are certainly valid, given the ability for users to send pictures directly to other users – but Snapchat’s ability to delete photos is still the USP, so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about there.

WhatsApp therefore provides a more interesting analysis, although given the OTT app has taken the decision tomove into voice operations as well, it again could be considered not direct competition.

Eden Zoller, principal analyst at Ovum, noted the increased competition and the importance of this move for Instagram.

"The new messaging feature for Instagram is a clear move by Facebook to keep users engaged with its photo sharing service, which is seeing increased competition on all fronts," Zoller said.

"The injection of real-time communications into Instagram is a natural complement to the core photo sharing service, while the private groups feature will appeal to people that are either disenchanted with or wary of more open social broadcast platforms," she added.

Systrom also mused over future plans, including potentially allowing users to curate groups based on communities, although as reported by Business Insider, while the service isn’t available yet Instagram intuitively learns who users share with most often, and puts them at the top of searches.

Last month, a report from Simply Measured revealed that Instagram had sky-rocketed in terms of brand adoption, with overall post count up by 70% and putting the Facebook-owned social network on a similar footing as Google+ and Pinterest.

Read More

Microsoft reportedly planning Windows 9 release in April 2015! Unknown9:36 AM 0 comments

Microsoft is currently working on an "Update 1" for Windows 8.1, but the company has bigger plans for the future of Windows as part of a "Threshold" wave of updates. Windows watcher Paul Thurrott reports that the company’s Threshold plans will involve a release of Windows 9 around April 2015. Microsoft will allegedly unveil its vision for Windows 9 at the company’s Build 2014 developer conference in April, with a release planned for a year later.

It appears that Microsoft is currently planning to use the Windows 9 branding and vision as a way to move away from some of the criticisms of the Windows 8 operating system. It’s not immediately clear what type of changes will be made to Windows 9, but "Metro 2.0" inside the new OS will reportedly include a major focus on improving Microsoft’s new app world and tiles. Previous rumors have suggested Microsoft is planning to separate out its Windows 8-style ("Metro") apps to allow them to float and run in separate windows on the traditional desktop. The Verge understands Microsoft is also planning a Start menu return for Windows 9, but that the company may deliver this early in a second "Update 2" for Windows 8.1 later this year.

Microsoft will reportedly use three major milestone development points for Windows 9, but it’s not clear how many of them will be released to the public during the development period. The software maker is currently in the final planning stages for Windows 9 and work is expected to begin after the Build 2014 developer conference in April. It sounds like Microsoft will use Build 2014 as a launch point for its vision of Windows 9, detailing some of the planned changes in an attempt to generate excitement around the company’s future plans.

Windows certainly needs excitement, Windows 8-style apps, and innovation if Microsoft is to

succeed with its vision of a hybrid tablet and desktop operating system. If Microsoft manages to pull off a Windows 9 release with significant improvements over Windows 8 then that may relegate Windows 8 to a Vista-like release in the minds of consumers. The company clearly isn’t confident with any continued use of the Windows 8 brand in the same way that Apple does with its OS X point releases. While there will be further tweaks to Windows 8.1 shortly, Windows 9 looks to be the next major release.

Read More

Google optimizes web versions of Play Movies and Music for Chromecast Unknown5:16 PM 0 comments

The Chromecast is the tiny dongle that just keeps on giving. A mere couple of days after announcing support for a number of new applications, Google has let it be known that its $35 streamer is now compatible with Play Movies and Music on the desktop in a more native way. What this means is you will no longer have to rely on casting a Chrome tab to watch videos or listen to tunes ; instead, a Cast icon shows up within the Google Play web player and allows content to seamlessly be pushed to the device. Of course, there's still a requirement to have the Google Cast extension installed on your Chrome browser -- but this is a small price to pay in exchange for such useful functionality.

Read More

Samsung promises 'differentiated' smartphones based on its camera expertise Unknown5:09 PM 0 comments

Samsung has instigated a small corporate reshuffle that could potentially have big implications for its future smartphones. The company has shunted its digital imaging unit sideways so that it sits under the giant umbrella of the mobile division, in the hope of combining "technical know-how" in these two areas and ultimately "differentiating" its smartphones with better camera technology. At the same time, Samsung expects expertise to flow in the opposite direction, allowing its engineers to create cameras with better wireless connectivity. It's a move that makes plenty of sense given the recent spate of Galaxy-branded hybridized products, such as the slightly awkward Galaxy S 4 Zoom and hugely over-pricedGalaxy NX mirrorless shooter. It also suggests that Samsung has paid attention to what Nokia has achieved by rethinking mobile camera technology for its PureView phones, instead of using standard off-the-shelf parts.

Read More

Moto X Touchless Control update lets you speak your unlock code Unknown5:03 PM 0 comments

 

You no longer have to give up some of the Moto X's voice commands if you want to rely on security codes. An update to the smartphone's Touchless Control applets you speak a PIN code to unlock the device; as long you're not worried about eavesdroppers, you can check private messages without poking at the screen. You won't even have to unlock the phone as often as before, since the upgrade expands the range of Google Now voice instructions that work while the handset is sleeping. You'll need to be running Android 4.4 KitKat on your Moto X to use the improved Touchless Control, but it's otherwise ready to download through Google Play.

Read More

Microsoft set to launch first original programming for Xbox One in early 2014 Unknown5:01 PM 0 comments

Microsoft hopes its first wave of original TV programming for Xbox One will be out in early 2014, the company's president of entertainment and digital, Nancy Tellem, tells Variety. At the latest, Redmond is hoping to have its original content out by the second quarter. She went on to say that the initiative has taken longer than expected and that the company is neither Netflix or Amazon. Her division is in the process of securing exclusives and trying to figure out whether the content is "best on Xbox or only on Xbox" when it comes to interactive functionality. Whether the first round of shows includes the previously-announced Spielberg-produced Haloseries or something involving street soccer remains to be seen, but from the sounds of it, it won't be long until we find out.

Tellem says Microsoft is keeping millenials in mind when it comes to how programming is consumed, whether it's through multitasking or on-demand content that's available whenever someone has the time to watch. The goal isn't to redefine the TV viewing experience, it's to evolve it, she tells Variety. If Microsoft's original programming model with Xbox Video sounds familiar, that's because the likes of Netflix, Hulu and Amazon are all leading the charge on their own streaming services. For more from Tellem, be sure to check out Variety'spiece.

Read More

Startup Cover bets on Android's market cloud: Unknown12:29 AM 0 comments

Startup Cover bets on Android's market cloud:

A trio of veterans from Google, Facebook, and Yahoo tries to make Android phones more useful by anticipating the apps you want the moment you wake up a device. Something they couldn't do on iOS.

Many companies get their start on Apple's mobile market, but a start-up called Cover that's launching Thursday hopes to find profits from the increasingly powerful and widely used Android instead. The company's software, free and beginning closed beta testing Thursday, is designed to make it easier and faster to use the app you want when using Google's operating system.

Cover shows a six-item list of a person's most-used apps down the left edge of a phone's lock screen. Tapping one of the icons launches its app immediately, and sliding an icon toward the right lets you peek quickly at details of that app -- e-mail inboxes, city maps, calendar appointments, and so on. The app tries to anticipate what you'll need so you'll be one step closer to getting what you need on the phone.

A key part of the idea is contextual awareness. Cover figures out whether you're at home, at work, or on the road and changes its app list accordingly. It learns what apps you prefer in each location. And it also adjusts apps by circumstances such as plugging in headphones, which means you'll likely want music-related apps, or holding the phone in landscape orientation, which could mean you want to take a photo.

"We're trying to make it easier for people to get to the right apps at the right time," said company Chief Executive Todd Jackson, a Google and Facebook veteran who co-founded Cover. That chore is getting harder as people install and use more and more software hidden among endless grids of icons.

People with Android 2.3 or later can request access to the Cover beta version on the company's Web site. It's available for free, but the company hopes to make money through other means such as spotlighting new apps or promoting ones they've installed but not used. Another idea, Jackson said, is licensing the interface to smartphone makers.

The business case is compelling enough to attract $1.7 million in seed funding from: First Round Capital, Harrison Metal Capital, Max Levchin, Scott Banister, Charlie Cheever, Keith Rabois, Dave Girouard, and Alex Franz.

Jackson, along with co-founders Edward Ho and Gordon Luk, are betting not just on their idea, but on Android, too.

"Companies are still focused on iOS, but users are moving to Android," Jackson said. "I was at Facebook when the numbers crossed and there were more Android users than iOS users. It's never going back."

Cover therefore has tied its fortunes to those of Google's mobile OS. "Android is this tidal wave in terms of number of users and growth. It's not far-fetched to imagine that in a couple years there are going to be billions of Android users," he said. Attracting even a tiny fraction of those users means the company could still have 10 million users.

Read More

iPhone Teaches Mac a Thing or Two Unknown12:20 AM 0 comments

iPhone Teaches Mac a Thing or Two:

If the vast majority of Apple's active customers are using the most recent releases of its services on Macs, iPads, iPhones, and even the Apple TV, then Apple can innovate faster. It knows who its customers are, and it knows how many will be able to tap into new features and services. This enables Apple to move millions upon millions of customers forward more quickly than any.

The Mac came first, but the iPhone and iPad are what rocketed Apple to the top of the consumer technology mountain. The thing is, while the iPhone was a great phone -- and while the iPhone 5s is still a great phone -- the head-scratching success of Apple's mobile device sales is only partially due to the hardware and OS itself.

Apple's success is all about how well Apple creates, connects and distributes its entire hardware and software ecosystem. 

Taking the Leap

When Apple announced that it would offer its next generation of Mac OS X for free, it wasn't just playing the free card. Apple was incorporating the Mac into its ecosystem- building strategy in the best way possible: OS advancement.

While Microsoft ties a cinderblock around its ankles with its varied and confusing versions of its OSes -- along with pricing -- and then dips in a toe to test the buying waters, the whole mess just flounders. However, it's not floundering just because of the price. It flounders because the ecosystem is hard for many consumers to understand, and when it's time to upgrade, the reasons and the hows and costs are a pain to figure out.

Not so with Apple. The company in Cupertino creates just one hurdle for its consumers: buying the hardware the first time at a premium price. If a customer can get over the price, every interaction after the initial credit card transaction makes the purchase better and better over time.

Read More

A Hacker by Any Other Name Might Have Escaped Data Seizure Unknown12:18 AM 0 comments

A Hacker by Any Other Name Might Have Escaped Data Seizure:

An Idaho court's order to seize the computer of a self-described "hacker" did not result from mere confusion over the meaning of the word, though it's clear the judge based his ruling on stereotypes. With claims of national security being involved, "the judge likely was not going to take chances, albeit noting that this was an exceptional case," said tech attorney Ray Van Dyke.

The United States District Court for the District of Idaho has ordered the seizure of data from the computers of white hat hacking firm South Fork Security in response to a lawsuit brought by Battelle.

Battelle alleges Southfork's cofounder, Corey Thuen, copied an application called "Sophia" that he helped develop while working at Battelle, and then planned to sell it as an open source product.

The lawsuit makes eight claims against Thuen and Southfork, including copyright infringement, tortious interference with prospective economic advantage, and trade secret misappropriation.

"Three of our corporate hard drives were imaged, and the data is being held by the court," Thuen told TechNewsWorld. "No analysis of the drives is permitted at this time."

Southfork, which is a startup, "has many disadvantages in this case but we intend to fight vigorously because we have the most important advantage: Truth," Thuen vowed.

Sophia was developed at the Idaho National Laboratory, which is managed by Battelle.

The Good Side of Hacking

"Many legitimate computer security researchers test the security of systems in order to make that security better -- an activity that many would describe as hacking," Joseph Gratz, an adjunct professor of law at UC Hastings College of the Law, told TechNewsWorld.

"That kind of hacking is the best way to make all of us safer as users of computer networks," Gratz pointed out.

Still, hacking "is nearly synonymous" with activities such as stealing code," Van Dyke told TechNewsWorld, and with claims of national security being involved, "the judge likely was not going to take chances, albeit noting that this was an exceptional case."

Read More

Sony unveils new PS4 commercial, 24 exclusive games confirmed Unknown12:14 AM 0 comments

Sony unveils new PS4 commercial, 24 exclusive games confirmed:

Sony has released a new PS4 commercial claiming 24 exclusive PS4 titles including KillZone: Shadow Fall, Infamous: Second Son and The Order: 1886. 14 studios are already making PS4 games and 180 titles are currently in development for the PS4.

Sony has unveiled a new commercial for the PlayStation 4, making some rather remarkable claims about what to expect for the next-gen console's library of games.

To begin with, the ad states that 24 exclusives games for the PS4 have been confirmed so far, including the likes of KillZone: Shadow Fall, Infamous: Second Son and The Order: 1886. With a few a major setbacks this past week over launch delays and rumours suggesting that PS4 launch lineup is getting soft in the wake of these delays, this commercial seems to be a deliberate message from Sony.

The new commercial also mentions that 14 'award winning studios are developing games for the PS4'. This points to Sony's stout portfolio of first party developers, including Sucker Punch (Infamous), Media Molecule (LittleBigPlanet), Guerrila Games (KillZone), Sony Santa Monica (God of War) and more.

Read More

Google updates Offers self-service tool for businesses Unknown12:11 AM 0 comments

Google updates Offers self-service tool for businesses:

Google has introduced an update to its Google Offers self-service tool for businesses, improving the speed of ad creation and adding support for Google Maps. The update is expected to be rolled out within the next week.

According to Google, the update allows businesses create their posts “in minutes” and publish them to customers across Google products.

“Simply choose the type of offer you’d like to create and assign a budget. Unlike traditional promotions or coupons, Google Offers will show your offer to customers based on their location, what they like, and what they’re looking for. You’ll only pay when a customer saves your offer, and you keep the full value of the sales you make,” says Google in a blog post.

Google says support for Google Maps allow businesses to reach customers when they are looking for places nearby or local businesses. “Your business will be prominently displayed with a blue tag icon next to it, alerting customers to your offer,” it adds.

The updated Google Offers lets businesses only pay when a customer saves their offer.

Read More

Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks Unknown12:09 AM 0 comments

Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks review:

The good: Mac OS X Mavericks gives you new apps, streamlines familiar features, and adds battery life for laptop users with better power efficiency.

The bad: Older features like Gatekeeper and Launchpad could have used some renovations, but were left untouched in Mavericks.

The bottom line: As a free upgrade that gives you more apps, improved features across the board, and better performance, there is really no reason not to get Mavericks on your Mac.

Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks is now available (download it for free from the Mac App Store), bringing iOS features into the fold along with other additions, including iBooks, Apple Maps, Finder Tabs, and a number of other time-saving enhancements. As a free download from the Mac App Store, Mavericks gives you better security, new features for all the core apps, and tons of handy additions that make it a no-brainer to upgrade.

With Windows 8.1 hitting last week, Apple's Mavericks provides a stark contrast to the vision of Microsoft's operating system. Microsoft's stated intent was to break into the mobile space by creating a touch-centric OS that worked on both desktops and mobile devices and while I like the upgrade for overall performance, I still think changing the way people interact with their computers amounts to more trouble than it's worth (as I wrote in this post from last year). Apple, on the other hand, is keeping its mobile and desktop OS separate, while bringing over iOS apps and features without significantly changing the way you use your computer.

What results is a Mac OS that remains familiar to its users, gives apps a cleaner look, brings more iOS apps to your desktop, fixes old bugs, and improves core technologies for power efficiency and responsiveness. On top of that, it features new interface elements for Safari, a new tagging system for file management, and much more. So while there are tons of new and useful features here, the Mac OS remains familiar, friendly, and functions mostly the way it always has.

Read More

Google ‘leaks’ Nexus 5 pricing, details.! Unknown11:55 PM 0 comments

Google ‘leaks’ Nexus 5 pricing, details:

Google's upcoming Nexus 5 smartphone has been inthe news for quite some time, with reports of its pricing and specs leaking frequently. Now it seems Google has accidentally confirmed the pricing and some details of the device on its Play Store.

In line with earlier reports about the device, the images showed the new user interface (UI) of the upcoming Android 4.4 KitKat, as well a few apps on the home screen.

Google is likely to launch Nexus 5 on October 28, along with the next Android OS version called KitKat. Codenamed Hammerhead, this smartphone is said to run on Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 800 chipset, which is the most powerful in the world right now. The quad-core application processor will be clocked at 2.3GHz and will be complemented by Adreno 330 graphics processor. Its display will have 1920x1080p resolution, with on-screen resolution being 1794x1080p.

It is said that the next Nexus smartphone will be manufactured by LG, which makes the current model. Nexus 5 is said to be based on the recently unveiled LG G2 smartphone and it is expected that the device will feature a 5-inch display, 2GB RAM and 13MP rear camera.

There are also speculations that Google will also unveil Nexus 10 tablet alongside Nexus 5 and Android KitKat. This tablet is rumoured to be manufactured by Asus this year, instead of Samsung which made last year's model, and have a full HD screen.

Read More

BBM downloads touch 10 million mark on Android, iOS in first 24 hours Unknown11:51 PM 0 comments

BBM downloads touch 10 million mark on Android, iOS in first 24 hours:

Canadian handset maker BlackBerry said its popular chat application BBM for rival Android-based handsets and iPhones has witnessed over 10 million downloads in the first 24 hours of its re-launch.

The struggling smartphone maker had yesterday resumed the rollout of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM).

"It's been 24 hours since we resumed the launch of BBM for Android and iPhone. And what a day it's been! We've already had more than 10 million downloads of BBM," BlackBerry EVP (BBM) Andrew Bocking said in a post on the company's official blog.

In September, BlackBerry had paused the global rollout of its instant messaging service BBM on rival phones, blaming the delay on issues caused by an unreleased old version of BBM (BlackBerry Messenger).

"When we saw almost one million people install an unreleased version of the Android version, another million use workarounds to download BBM onto their iPhones and another six million people pre-register to know when BBM became available for iPhone and Android, we knew we were on to something huge," he noted.

The application has also seen 'overwhelmingly positive reviews' on Google Play and the App Store. BBM has earned 60,000 five-star reviews on Google Play from about 87,000 reviews, he added.

On Apple's App Store, BBM rose quickly in the free app rankings in the first 24 hours, taking the number one slot in more than 75 countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, Indonesia and most of the Middle East, Bocking said.

BlackBerry said it will add more new features to BBM to promote it as the private social network.

"While we're excited to bring BBM to iPhone and Android - we aren't stopping there. Work isn't slowing down at all. We committed to delivering a BBM experience on iPhone and Android that was equal to that on BlackBerry 10. That means bringing BBM Video, BBM Voice and BBM Channels...

"team is still committed to bringing those features to BBM on Android and iPhone in the near future. And we are not stopping there - we have some great new features planned that will build on BBM as the private social network you count on for immediate conversations you can control and trust,".

Read More

Apple targets Microsoft, takes on MS Office Unknown11:49 PM 0 comments

Apple targets Microsoft, takes on MS Office with free iWork apps:

 At an event meant to feature its latest iPad tablet computing devices, Apple on Tuesday took aim at one of rival Microsoft’s biggest and once unassailable businesses, its Office software for tasks like word processing and spreadsheets. 

Apple said iWork, a set of applications for Macs, iPads and iPhones that essentially duplicates what Microsoft’s Office offers customers, will be free to anyone who buys a new Macintosh computer or mobile device from Apple. Each Apple app used to cost $10 apiece. The latest version of the Macintosh operating system, Mavericks, will also be free. 

So far, Microsoft has had little success in that growing market. Its attempts to sell tablets have been failures, and Windows 8, which it has marketed as a software system for tablets and PCs, has gotten a chilly reception. What’s more, Microsoft still charges $120 for people who want to upgrade from the older Windows 7 system to Windows 8. 

That shift to mobile devices and low-cost software is why Microsoft is trying to shift from being a traditional software company into one that sells Internet services and devices, said Ross Rubin, an independent consumer technology analyst for Reticle Research. The company could reduce the upfront price for its software and charge people more over time for the services through subscriptions. And with the release Tuesday of Microsoft’s new Surface tablets, the company is more aggressively marketing the online services available for it, like SkyDrive, a service for storing files on the Internet. 

Microsoft’s chief executive, Steven A Ballmer, said recently that the company would bring a version of Office to the iPad and other touch devices, but the company has not said when that will be. It sells an annual subscription to Office 365 on other devices for $100 a year. 

Read More

Apple says Mavericks operating system will be free Unknown11:47 PM 0 comments

Apple says Mavericks operating system will be free:

 Apple says its latest operating system for Mac computers, OSX Mavericks, is available free of charge, a knock to rival Microsoft, which is selling its Windows 8 Pro operating system for $199. 

Apple Inc made the announcement Tuesday at an event in San Francisco, where the company is also expected to unveil its latest iPads to round out its holiday gadget lineup. 

Apple also says nearly two-thirds of its mobile devices are running iOS7, its latest operating system. Twenty million people have listened toiTunes Radio about a month after its release. 

Apple is hoping to revive its tablet line with new iPads. The company sold 14.6 million iPads in the June quarter, down 14 percent from the same time last year.

Read More

Wipro posts fastest growth in 7 quarters Unknown11:46 PM 0 comments

Wipro posts fastest growth in 7 quarters:
Wipro's revenue in the September quarter grew the fastest in seven quarters at 2.7% to $1,631 million compared to the preceding June quarter.

That is well within its forecast for the quarter of 2-4%, and in line with analysts' expectations. But the growth continued to be significantly lower than that of its peers, most of who announced their September results over the past few days. TCS was 5.4% (4.2% excluding the impact of its acquisition of Alti), Infosys was 3.8% and HCL 3.5%.

Wipro CEO T K Kurien said he expected the company to get back to industry growth rates in the next financial year.

"We have been executing to our strategy and this is the quarter where we have seen results. Our guidance for the next quarter also reflects the progress we are making. But we have plenty of work to do," he said.

The company has guided for a sequential revenue growth between 1.8% and 3.6% for the third quarter ended December. The third quarter tends to be a slower quarter for IT companies because of more holidays, company shutdowns and exhaustion of IT budgets. Given that, the guidance looks good, say industry analysts.

Wipro CFO Suresh Senapaty said the company's efforts at mining its clients better were paying off.

He said two customers had touched an annual run rate of $200 million (that is $50 million a quarter). The operating margin expanded by 2.5 percentage points to 22.5%, the highest in three years, mostly on account of the sharp depreciation in the rupee value but also because of improved operational efficiencies. These improvements also helped offset the impact of salary increments given in the first quarter.

Kurien said the company achieved broad-based growth across all industry verticals. The healthcare & life sciences vertical grew the fastest sequentially on a constant currency basis, followed by media & telecom.

Wipro chairman Azim Premji: "There are positive indicators on the global economy. Client confidence is on the uptick and we see it reflected in our results."

Read More