Apple ebook trial set to begin Monday

Starting tomorrow, Apple will be part of a trial in which federal and state authorities have suggested the latter company was part of ebook price-fixing. This trial will work with allegations that Apple has conspired with publishers to artificially raise the price of ebooks for sale in the iTunes Store for devices like the iPad and the iPhone. This trial was originally set to include five of the six largest book publishers in the US and was originally filed in April of 2012.

Since this case was filed, the five publishers in question exited the situation by agreeing to eliminate prohibitions on wholesale discounts – and to pay $164 million USD as a penalty, this cash going to benefit consumers. Instead of seeking damages against Apple, this case would have Apple blocked from “engaging in similar conduct”, according to Rueters, though future damages could be charged against Apple if they’re found liable. These charges would be filed by either state attorneys general or class action suits pushed by consumer groups.

“I believe that the government will be able to show at trial direct evidence that Apple knowingly participated in and facilitated a conspiracy to raise prices of e-books, and that the circumstantial evidence in this case, including the terms of the agreements, will confirm that.” – U.S. District Judge Denise Cote

It would appear that Apple is not going in to this battle with as much confidence from the judge hearing the trial as they’d like – Judge Denise Cote will be hearing the case without a Jury starting June 3rd. This comment was made by the judge on May 23rd at a pretrial hearing.

Each of the five publishers that’ve settled, Hachette Book Group Inc, Pearson Plc’s Penguin Group, CBS Corp’s Simon & Schuster Inc, News Corp’s HarperCollins Publishers Inc, and MacMillan, have appeared to be relatively silent on the matter since they exited the proceedings before they began.

Again according to Rueters, Apple has said that they acted independently when they entered the e-book marketplace with iBooks, and that they were unaware of any efforts by publishers to conspire beforehand. The Justice Department, on the other hand, says that Apple “provided assurances” to each publisher that their rivals would join iBooks with the deal they offered.

Apple ebook trial set to begin Monday is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear. 
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. 

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Galaxy Note III appears in Samsung code aside Tab 3, Galaxy Zoom

As the next Samsung press event approaches, device names have been appearing here and there both with and without specifications attached. In this case it’s the inevitable Samsung Galaxy Note III, complete with its code-name SM-N9000 riding in the source code of Samsung Kazakhstan, of all places, along with some other rumored devices. Here we also see the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1, 8.0, and 7.0, along with the Samsung Galaxy S 4 Zoom - a replacement for the Samsung Galaxy Camera.

The Samsung Galaxy line of smartphone-sized devices has been an apparent success for the brand, bringing on a second round last year (two years ago the original Galaxy Note was introduced), along with two sizes of Galaxy Note tablets. As the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 appeared with styling not unlike that of the GALAXY S 4, Samsung all but guaranteed the release of another new Galaxy Note “phablet”.

According to this leak, all we can really tell is that the device exists – or will exist soon. If history tells us anything, it suggests that this machine will be revealed at one of two places. The first and more sensible place would be at the June 20th event Samsung has planned for new Galaxy and ATIV devices. The second place the Galaxy Note III could be revealed is at IFA 2013 – the original Galaxy Note was born there, as was the second, so there’s always a chance that Samsung might stick to tradition.

Samsung has been turning toward a model in which they announce their hero devices at their own, separate events over the past year or so, so sticking with IFA and going it alone (in this already announced event) for the Galaxy Note III are just as likely possibilities as one another.

he Samsung Galaxy Note III has been strongly suggested by SamMobile to work with a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 5.99-inch display with 1080p resolution, and a 13-megapixel camera. Inside we’ll either find Android 4.2.2 or Android 4.3, depending on when the device is released – with Samsung’s TouchWiz over the top, of course. Then it goes without saying that the Note III will work with the newest in Samsung’s S-Pen technology.

VIA: Techtastic

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ET Review: Canon EOS 100D

18MP APS-C CMOS sensor, 9-point AF system, ISO 100 to 12,800, 3-inch touchscreen, built in flash, hotshoe, SD card slot, 1080p video, 4fps continuous shooting, 407 grams 

Unbelievably tiny for a digital SLR, optical viewfinder, touchscreen, various effects 

Small battery, does not provide a secure grip for people with large hands 

One of the major reasons that people don't want to buy DSLRs is the added bulk/weight. If you're one of them, the EOS 100D might convince you — it's the world's smallest and lightest full function (with mirror) digital SLR with an APS-C size sensor. With the included 18-55mm kit lens, the camera weighs just over 400 grams and is about the size of a small prosumer or Micro Four Thirds camera. 

Canon has managed to shrink all the components down without really omitting anything. In fact, it has an optical (through the lens) viewfinder, a 3-inch touchscreen and a full array of properly-sized buttons (so that you don't have to use the touchscreen if you don't want to). For all intents and purposes, this small DSLR can do anything that a larger one can do — you have support for external flashguns, remotes & microphones, HDMI out for connecting to TVs, built in creative filters (fish eye, toy camera, miniature etc), speaker, RAW support and custom modes. 

You can also use the touchscreen for things like tap-to-focus and tap-to-shoot. Image quality is at par with any mid-range DSLR and you get excellent results all the way up to ISO 1600. Possibly the only real compromise made here is the battery — the smaller Li-ion battery is good for about 200 to 300 photos. Another point to note is that it may be too small for people with medium to large sized hands — if you have large hands, you may find that you can only grip the camera with three fingers instead of five. You should buy this camera if you want the smallest 'proper' DSLR around. 

If you need something even smaller, you can get excellent results from Sony's NEX-6L. The NEX also has an APS-C size CMOS sensor and comes bundled with a 16-50mm lens.

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A history of wearable devices: Some hits and misses

First it was a roomful. Then it shrunk down to a desk top. And later it moved to our laps, palms and our attire. Now it's over to Apple's Cook and his team of tech evangelists to surprise us with what they have up their 'sleeve'. But the history of wearable computing is also a history of several misses and a few hits. ET traces this history and offers some glimpse of what one can expect in wearable computing 

1961 | Roulette predictor 

Operation: A data-taker would use a cigarette pack-sized analogue computer with four push buttons to indicate the speed of the roulette wheel 

Inventors: Mathematicians Edward O Thorp and Claude Shannon 

1967 | Wearable lip-reading aid 

Inventor: Hubert Upton, electronics research engineer at Bell Laboratories, USA 

Operation: The eyeglass-mounted display of the analogue wearable computer helps user read lips better 

1977 | Wearable camerato-tactile vest for the blind

Inventor: CC Collins 

Operation: The head-mounted camera converts images into a 1024-point, 10-inch square tactile grid on a vest 

1977 | Algebraic calculator watch 

Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard 

Operation: Of the 28 tiny keys on the watch face, four were raised for easy fi nger access and two were recessed but could still be operated with the fingers. The remaining keys were meant to be pressed with a stylus that snapped into the clasp of the bracelet 

1981 | Backpack-mounted computer to control photographic equipment 

Inventor: Steve Mann 

Operation: This body-hugging device was actually a 6502 computer wired into a steel-frame backpack to control fl ash-bulbs, cameras and other photographic systems 

1990 | Active Badge 

Manufacturer: Olivetti Research, UK 

Operation: It uses infrared signals from a small transmitter attached to the user's clothing to locate the person in a building 

1994 | First wrist computer 

Inventors: Edgar Matias and Mike Ruicci of the University of Toronto 

Operation: Built from a modifi ed HP 95LX palmtop computer, it has a half-QWERTY keyboard, wearable in the wrist 

1997 | The fi rst 'Smart Clothes' fashion show 

Centre: Pompidou Centre in Paris 

Organisers: Students and faculty of Creapole Ecole de Creation, Paris, and Prof Alex Pentland of MIT, Boston, USA 

2013* | Google Glass 

Supposed to be launched by the end of 2013, this wearable computer has the ability to take photos and record 720p HD video The side of Google Glass is a touchpad, allowing users to control the device by swiping through a timeline-like interface displayed on the screen An eBay auction of a fake Google Glass was pulled out after bids went past $15,000, or Rs 8 lakh! 

This yet-to-be-launched device is already facing bans in public places in some American states, owing to privacy concerns 

iWatch 

Tech bloggers swear that the much-talked-about gadget from Apple will be out late 2013 They describe it as a roll-up fl exible display wrist device that connects to your phone to relay alerts, function as a remote, and potentially much more Apple remains tight-lipped. "I don't want to be more specifi c. We have some really great stuff coming in the fall and all across 2014," said CEO Tim Cook in April this year

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Infosys rallies 8% as Narayana Murthy takes charge; hits Rs 2600

 InfosysBSE 6.87 % rallied over 8 per cent in morning trade on Monday to hit its psychological level of Rs 2600, after the country's second largest software services major Infosys on Saturday re-appointed NR Narayana Murthy as its executive chairman with immediate effect to put the company back on high growth path.

Infosys on Saturday announced that the company's board has appointed N R Narayana Murthy as Executive Chairman of the Board and Additional Director with effect from June 1, 2013.

The move is aimed to strengthen the leadership and put the company back on high growth path.

At 09:20 a.m.; Infosys was trading 7 per cent higher at Rs 2574. It hit a low of Rs 2524.80 and a high of Rs 2624.90 in trade today.

According to analysts, Murthy's appointment is positive for the company; however, the IT major has to still do a lot of work before it can regain its leadership position.

The decision of the Infosys management to get back the father figure at the helm of affairs will clearly send out positive vibes across shareholders, say analysts.

"As the company struggles to beat expectations, this unusual change is definitely a positive for the stock price," said Shardul Kulkarni, senior technical analyst at Angel Broking.

"While it is obvious that a gap up opening will be seen in Monday's trading session, the sustainability of the pullback is difficult to assess at this juncture," he added.

According to Kulkarni the stock may test Rs 2500/2592 levels in the coming week on the back of positive news. However, it must be remembered that in the short term, the market focuses on sentiment, while in the longer run it is only earnings that create shareholder wealth.

With Mr. Murthy back in business with Infosys, analysts expects things to turn around for India's second largest outsourcer as he knows the industry well and one can be hopeful that he can bring in right strategy for more client acquisition as he comes back.

"We think the return of NR Narayana Murthy to an executive role after 7 years may boost long-term investors' confidence in the company," Goldman Sach said in a report.

"However, given lower IT growth and a more intense competitive landscape, we will wait to see how Iny changes its strategy to return to a growth path," added the brokerage.

However, Kotak Institutional Equities upgraded the stock to 'ADD' from 'REDUCE' and raised its 12-month forward target price by 12 per cent to Rs 2,750 from Rs 2,450 earlier.

"The upgrade does not signal a change in our stance on competition and profitability challenges Indian IT faces, but takes into cognizance lack of quality investible names in the Indian market," said the brokerage firm.

The relatively inexpensive valuation of Infosys and currency-led earnings protection makes the IT major more attractive. The induction of Mr Narayana Murthy in an executive role boosts management strength, Kotak said in a note.

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Security software market revenue reached $19.2 bn

 Global security software market revenues rose 8 per cent to $ 19.2 billion last year, spurred by practices like bring your own device ( BYOD), among other issues, global research firm Gartner said on Thursday.

Worldwide revenues from security software market totalled $ 17.7 billion in 2011, the firm added.

 

"The evolution of new threats and working practices, such as bring your own device (BYOD), is driving spending on security," it said.

The 2012 security market saw a continuation of increasing demand for consumer and enterprise security tools as McAfee's high growth of 37 per cent boosted the market's overall growth rebound in 2012, Gartner Research Director Ruggero Contu said.

Spending on security software is also influenced by the evolution of new threats and working practices, he added.

"For example, as companies increase the mobility of their workforce, this situation raises new security concerns and requirements. Growing demand for remote access requires organisations to safeguard off-premises applications and data, as well as an array of new client devices," he said.

In addition, the rapid adoption of virtualisation in the SMB (small and medium business) market is driving interest in security solutions targeting virtual environments, he added.

"Security continues to be a top priority across all technology categories in the SMB market. The rise of midmarket demand presents a new challenge for participants in the security space, as SMB requirements are different from those of larger enterprises," Contu said.

Security buyers from SMBs are increasingly considering security as a service to serve as an alternative for deploying security technologies, particularly for areas such as email and web security, he added.

Such requirements are leading to market consolidation and more competitive pricing, as established players acquire pure-play cloud-based specialists across the security landscape, Contu said. 

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Acer Liquid S1 brings 5.7-inch self-proclaimed “phablet” to market

This week the folks at Acer have revealed several new Haswell-toting computers and a surprise entry in the mobile world: a brand new “phablet”. This Acer Liquid S1 delivers what Acer itself refers to as a phablet form-factor, bringing a 5.7-inch display with HD 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. Inside is a near-vanilla (but not quite) Android 4.2 Jelly Bean experience with a quad-core Mediatek processor and 1GB of RAM. This machine is meant to embody Acer’s aim to reach the cloud with a rather unique entry into the handheld mobile environment.

This device is being pushed with AcerCloud Docs, allowing documents and files of many different formats to be sent to, viewed, and edited from the smartphone itself. This device also works with wireless display an print features that’ll be ready to roll with 4th generation Intel Core (Haswell) features – WiDi being one of them.

One of the more unique features in this phone on top of Android is a “Float User Interface”. This feature has the user press a key that brings up a “Float Apps” shortcut – from there they’ll be seeing apps on a transparent screen floating above whatever app is open. With this function you’ll be able to work with a limited number of apps that can be open an used above your main app in a sort of “ghost” mode: maps, calculator, notes, and your main camera.

There’s also a Float Caller notification that allows a mini-window to appear. From this mini-window, the user is able to take the call, dismiss it, or reply to it with a quick message.

This device works with a front-facing camera with an 88-degree wide viewing angle, a 24mm lens, and button-less shooting – saying “cheese” will take a snap. Entertainment features include Studio Sound with DTS technology, live sharing with Acer’s 2-way Live Screen app, and HD streaming and playback for video and photo display.

This machine works with 8GB of internal storage but has a microSD card slot for 32GB storage expansion, and the whole device is right around the size of the Samsung Galaxy Note II.

This machine is currently appearing with Bluetooth, Wifi, and 3G connectivity, which means it’s not necessarily going to be hitting the USA any time soon. The functions, on the other hand – we can dream! You’ll be seeing this machine in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Ukraine, and Russia for right around 329 Euro, or $430 converted USD.

Acer Liquid S1 brings 5.7-inch self-proclaimed “phablet” to market is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear. 
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved. 

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ET Review: LG Google Nexus 4

4.7-inch IPS LCD (1280 x 720 pixels), 1.5Ghz quad core, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, 8MP/1.3MP cam, Android 4.2, NFC, 2,100mAh battery, 139 grams 

Great design & performance, high-quality screen, gets the latest Android updates first 

Glass design attracts smudges and fingerprints, storage limited to 16GB, no FM, no TV-out 

All Nexus devices are pure Android — the way Google wants it. They are devoid of any manufacturer customisations (no custom interface or bloatware) and are always the first to get the latest Android updates, directly from Google. 

In fact, the Nexus 4 was the first device with Android 4.2. Right up front, there are very few reasons 'not' to buy the Nexus 4 — it has a beautiful design, gorgeous screen, is priced very well and offers blistering performance. Some reports suggest that like the Nexus 7 tablet (made by Asus), the Nexus 4 is sold almost at cost price, essentially to promote the Nexus line of devices and make it ultra-competitive in the market. It's a win-win situation and consumers should lap up the device. 

Looking at the design, LG has come up aces. Front and back is all-glass. The screen is the centrepiece — it offers deep blacks, has no air gap, a very narrow bezel and lightly curves towards the edges. It feels great to hold and is not too large — comfortable for most users. The subtle mosaic pattern under the rear glass panel is a nice design touch. We found no problems with call quality and battery life was surprisingly good — over a day (possibly thanks to the complete absence of bloatware). The camera is one area where the Nexus 4 needs improvement. 

It's good with adequate lighting but struggles at night. At least the cool new Photo Sphere and panorama features of Android are standard. Thanks to the recent drop in price, you should also consider Samsung's Galaxy S3. It's not a Nexus but it offers similar levels of performance, a better camera, more features (FM, TV-out), removable battery, expandable memory and has the advantage of a huge accessory ecosystem.

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Acer Iconia W3 is industry’s first 8-inch Windows 8 tablet

Today at Computex Acer has revealed several products in the Windows 8 arena, coming in with a tablet that’s made for a single hand, as they say, with the Acer Iconic W3. This machine is the first 8-inch tablet to have been introduced with full Windows 8 aboard, also working with an Intel Atom Z2760 processor to assure proper processing power for the full Windows 8 experience. This machine was also introduced with the 2013 Microsoft Office Home & Student suite installed out of the box, this bringing on apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

The Acer Iconia W3 works with an 8.1-inch display to be precise, this working with LED-backlighting technology and 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, able to deliver 720p videos on the go. Though the tablet is presented as a stand-alone unit, there’s also a unique full-size Bluetooth keyboard that holds the tablet upright and “docks to the tablet” for screen-protected travel. There’s also, of course, an on-screen keyboard as comes standard with any Windows 8 device.

Acer suggests that this machine works with up to 8 hours of battery life, at the moment says they’ll offer a wi-fi-only iteration of the unit with 802.11b/g/n, and of course assures us there’s Bluetooth technology onboard as well. This device will be offered in two storage size options, either 32GB or 64GB (internal), with a microSD card slot included with both that’ll allow 32GB more with your own microSD card.

This 8-inch tablet works with a micro-HDMI port, microUSB port, and two cameras – one on the front, the other on the back, both of them coming in at 2 megapixels. This device will be available for MSRP $379 USD, but as pre-sales begin, final pricing may be different (possibly even lower).

It’ll be interesting to see this machine work with the Office family now that the whole bunch is updated for touch – especially since this will likely be the smallest display they’ve been used on thus far. Acer is also bringing on a collection of other devices like the Liquid S1 phablet, Aspire S7 and S3 Ultrabooks, and more – all of them working with touch, all of them appearing at Computex this week.

      
Acer Iconia W3 is industry’s first 8-inch Windows 8 tablet is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear. 

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Basic of PSD to HTML

Basic of PSD to HTML

Posted by: Garlak on April 4 in Articles

Without a doubt, Photoshop is one of the best image editing tools out there. Many users don’t know that Photoshop in fact can do many other besides image editing. Most of web designers use it for making website templates. PSD to HTML is these days perfect way to create website ...

Without a doubt, Photoshop is one of the best image editing tools out there. Many users don’t know that Photoshop in fact can do many other besides image editing. Most of web designers use it for making website templates. PSD to HTML is these days perfect way to create website and stay on top with beautiful and modern design. To start work on your own web template you are at least need to have some basic knowledge of HTML and CSS coding. Main problem that the new designers have is converting their PSD files in to the HTML. You don’t need to have amazing knowledge, just thing or two so you can start from the scratch. So, look online for some examples and tutorial about CSS and HTML so that you don’t have problems latter on, and that you can understand correlations between PSD and HTML.

Maybe the best thing is to visit learning websites, where you can find detail explanations of HTML and CSS. It’s very straightforward process so all of the elements are very clearly explained. Even more, you can find some live editors there, and see from the first hand where you have most difficult time. You can also buy a book about HTML and CSS, but these days rather do some online course for the same matter than spend many hours reading about things that you have no ideas about.

As we said before, designers have no problem to create astonishing websites in best tools out there such as Photoshop, but most of them are having problems to convert a PSD file to a valid HTML and CSS code, so that search engines can go through and put their sites on Google. Every designer start from basic question: “How to convert PSD file into the HTML?” There is a plenty of explanation on internet that you can use in order to get clue abut things such as PSD to HTML and CSS, and most important there’s a bunch of tutorials so you can see actual what is need to be done. Best thing is to go through few tutorials, because there’s no better way to learn than to practice. As we mention, first stop before anything, is to know just basic rules of HTML and CSS coding so that you don’t have many problems at the early beginnings. With that basic knowledge you can complete almost every PSD to HTML tutorial without any problem. Once you believe that you have enough knowledge about HTML and CSS it time to work on some advanced tutorials. Even if you have already design a page in Photoshop, you’ll need to learn a thing or two so you can easily transfer your PSD files into the website form.

For a start, you’ll need some text editor like notepad for example, and Photoshop. If you don’t have Photoshop don’t worry because you can choose much similar software as long as they have saved as PSD option. So, any image editing tool that support cropping is must have. Converting PSD files to HTML and CSS is not such a big deal once you practice it. Yes, you’ll need a little bit of time to be able to create your own templates, but with a practice there’s isn’t a thing that you can figured out, especially when it comes to PSD files and transferring them into the HTML or CSS. Our advice is to keep note beside for every new thing that you will learn, so that you can always go through if you are having some troubles, maybe a code snippets or that kind of stuff.

However, you’ll need to use some of new online tutorials, because many of them are out of date using the old software, and can create additional problems for you such as to slow down your website with loads of little sliced images which is unnecessary. You’ll need to make sure that you use PSD files only for important things and not for things such as text or that kind of stuff, so you don’t unintentionally slow down your webpage.

Latter on, when you learn basic thing about PSD, HTML and CSS, you can upscale you knowledge by adding some JavaScript so your website can be much more useful.

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