Airtel, Google launch Free Zone

MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel has entered into an agreement with Google to offer customers the first search page on the Google engine for free. This means Airtel users will be able to conduct a basic Google search or set up a Gmail account without subscribing to a data service plan on the network. Free Zone, as the service is called, aims to empower first time internet users. 

Airtel mobile customers can access the service by visiting. "In (India),feature phones predominate, our association with Google to bring Free Zone to India will encourage millions of users to discover the power of mobile internet," said N Rajaram, chief marketing officer - consumer business, Bharti Airtel.

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RCom offers 50% discount on 3G plans for iPhones

MUMBAI: Reliance Communications has tied up with Apple to bundle the iPhone handset with its service plans. The Anil Ambani-owned telecom operator will offer as much as 50% discount on data service on its 3G, or third generation, network to iPhone users on its network under these plans.

This is Apple's third operator pact in India, it also offers bundled devices with plans Aircel and Airtel. Industry experts, however, say this marks the Cupertino, California-based company's first attempt at bringing the CDMA technology version iPhone to India. Aircel and Airtel have GSM technology-based operations.

"There will be around 140 million more smartphone users in India over the next two or three years. We are gunning to get 40 million of them," said Gurdeep Singh, chief executive (wireless business), Reliance Communications. "The definition of a subscriber ARPU is dead, it is now the screen size that determines the ARPU. The larger the screen, the more the ARPU."

Apple is also one of the only LTE or 4G technology device makers and the latest iPhones and iPads come in variants that can operate on the upgraded technology. Reliance Communications is a passive infrastructure - telecom towers and optic fibre - provider for Mukesh Ambani's Relaince Jio Infocomm, which is the only company in the country with airwaves to provide high-speed internet connectivity on 4G across India.

For Gurdeep Singh, Reliance Communications' chief executive for wireless since May last year, this is the second major operational move for the company. Singh was at Aircel as chief operating officer when the company entered into the first pact with Apple in India. The tie-up is also Singh's second major move at the company, six months after he increased headline call rates.

The pricing proposed for iPhone data users on Reliance Communications at the most discounted plan offering 6GB of data surfing a month at Rs 804, compares favourably with Airtel's parallel offer that gives 1.2GB data at the same price. However, Airtel offers more free calling minutes and SMS.

Reliance Communications will offer premium numbers to new iPhone customers on its network, and free access to applications WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter for three months.

"We are a younger GSM player in the developed marketsMumbai and Delhi. This should increase our access to the postpaid customer market," Singh said. Postpaid customers account for as little as 5% of companies' subscribers, but contribute over half the revenue in most cases.

Singh said, the plans are being rolled out in seven cities, including Mumbai and Delhi to start with, and are restricted to iPhone users. However, the company will include more handsets as time passes and results are captured, Singh added.

The Anil Ambani group flagship company already has pacts with Samsung, HTC, Blackberry, Lenovo, Nokia for other deals.

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Oracle, NetSuite announce cloud computing alliance

SAN FRANCISCO: Software companies Oracle and NetSuite announced an alliance to deliver cloud-based services to mid-size business customers, the third tie-up unveiled this week by Oracle as it pushes further into services delivered over the internet. 

The agreement will focus on integrating Oracle's software for human resources with NetSuite's services for enterprise resource planning and will be aimed at mid-size companies, Oracle and NetSuite said. 

"You shouldn't think of this as a date. You should think of this as us continuing to integrate our products closer and closer together," Oracle president Mark Hurd told analysts and reporters on a conference call. "Think of this almost as rolling thunder as opposed to an event." 

NetSuite, in which Oracle chief executive Larry Ellison is a major shareholder, makes web-based software for small and mid-size companies to manage their businesses and customers. Connecting their products gives the two technology companies new sales opportunities. 

The partnership with NetSuite follows Oracle agreements announced earlier this week with cloud computing leader Salesforce.com and top software maker Microsoft. 

Oracle wants to speed up its move into cloud computing, a fast-growing area of technologythe No. 3 software maker has fallen behind smaller rivals selling all-in-one solutions that are less expensive than Oracle's offerings. 

Shares of NetSuite have more than tripled over the past five years, while Oracle's have gained about 40%. 

Microsoft will support Oracle's software on its cloud-based platforms, which have also struggled to catch up with Amazon.com's cloud offering, called Amazon Web Services, which blazed the trail in elastic online computing services. 

Ellison and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff on Thursday are due to hold a conference call to outline the details of their new nine-year partnership.

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Apple co-founder backs NSA whistleblower, slams US

WASHINGTON: Apple's co-founder Steve Wozniak has expressed his support for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden who leaked sensitive data about US surveillance programme, and has criticized the government for giving itself the permission to do what it wants. 

Wozniak who invented the Apple I and II computers said that freedom in US is 'just a joke', reports New York Daily News. 

According to the report, Wozniak said that the US government is upset because of Snowden's revelations as it embarrassed them and questioned what the government is doing in the name of fighting terrorism. 

Wozniak who along with late Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne, started Apple in 1976 said that initially technology was thought to give less restriction but with digital technology nothing is private anymore not even the emails, the report added.

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'India becomes world's third-biggest smartphone mkt'

LONDON: India has been ranked the third largest smartphone market in the world pushing down Japan, a new study has revealed. 

According to Express.co.uk, the study by market research experts Strategy Analytics has found that India has moved ahead of Japan as during the first quarter of 2013 smartphone sales in India increased by 163%. 

The study revealed that the increase in sales is due to the improved distribution networks for Samsung, Apple and Indian firm Micromax and the key brands driving the rise include foreign firmsSamsung and Apple. 

However, the study pointed out that domestic players are experiencing faster growth such as Micromax, Karbonn and Spice which have grown between 200% and 500% on a yearly basis. 

The report added that leading India in the smartphone market are China and America.

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Cognizant tops Recruiters list in India

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: The IT services sector is perhaps the worst hit by global economic turbulence over the past few years. But when one company this industry hires more MBAs 21 top B-schools than any other company acrosssectors, you know it is doing something right. 

Cognizant, number one in India's Top Recruiters list this year, also featured in the top ten in the previous two years. 

It hires one MBA for every 20-25 tech professionals and this, the company believes, is the best way to beat the industry-wide slowdown. "Our industry-leading growth is, in part, a function of our ability to proactively provide solutions to business problems and not just technological capability . This attribute is strengthened by our MBA talent," says R Chandrasekaran, group chief executive , technology and operations. 

At Cognizant, MBAs undertake a varied spectrum of roles such as IT consulting, client relationship management, business development, opportunity assessment , M&A, business integration and analytics. The company hired more than 200 MBA students the 2013 graduating batch. And it is not done hiring yet. "We now have several groups within our Emerging Business Accelerator businesses, looking for MBA talent for their ventures," says Chandrasekaran. 

ET reached out to the country's top 21 B-schools and compiled hiring data over 119 companies to put together the third edition of 'India's Top Recuiters List.' Capgemini, a new entrant in this list, made itthe way to the number two slot. 

"We doubled our B-school hire intake this year," says Rajesh Padmanabhan, head, HR. "We engage with a few campuses and keep reviewing this list based on our experience of candidate performance, retention rates and their overall progress," says Padmanabhan. BCG, which hired more than rival McKinsey, made the most of the slowdown. 

There were fewer offers others. For a consulting firmours, people are the raw material. We are hiring more," says Sachin Nandgaonkar, senior partner and director at Boston Consulting Group. BCG, which was also the top recruiter at IIM-A , B and C, is now looking beyond. "We also recognise that there are other bright people who for some reason have not made it to IIMs. We wouldto see if that talent gets attracted to BCG," says Nandgaonkar. The firm also hired five Indian-origin graduates Insead, The Wharton School, and Kellogg School of Management. "We are seeing non-Indians at these B schools wanting to do India stints as it is an addition to the resume," says Nandgaonkar. 

For Goldman Sachs, the lone investment bank among the top 10 recruiters, this year was the most aggressive in recent memory. Says Bunty Bohra, MD : "We have been growing over the past seven to eight years and are expanding the breadth of our internship experience." 

Goldman Sachs visited 65-plus campuses this year, and Bohra himelf visited more campuses than ever. The firm used social media aggressively to woo top talent. It significantly upgraded its web-based content to communicate with the generation of millennials and also launched a global career app in February 2013. 

"If we are not connectingthe future of workforce is, we are not doing it right," says Bohra. Airtel's hiring numbers have remained the same, but this year, it reviewed the campuses it visits. "We have made our list crisp," says Krish Shankar, executive director, HR at Bharti Airtel. The company also picked some young leaders for its overseas operations in Africa campuses this year.

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Updated: 70 best free iPad games 2013

Best free iPad games 1 - 35

So you've got an iPad and have come to the dawning realisation that you've gotno cash left to buy any games for it.

• Best iPad mini case: 27 top covers for your iPad mini
• 10 best gifts for iPad owners

Have no fear, because the App Store offers plenty of iPad gaming goodness for the (unintentional or otherwise) skinflint. Our pick of the 70 best free iPad games is listed below.

Note that apps marked "universal" will also work on an iPhone or iPod touch, scaling down controls and graphics accordingly.

• New iPad 4 review
• iPad mini review

You can also check out some of the entries in our TechRadar video:

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1. Dumb Ways to Die (universal)

Based on a Webby Award winning video, Dumb Ways to Die lets you try and save those adorableacters dying in rather dumb ways. having private parts eaten under water and being hit by a train to having your head explode while out in space, Aussie developer Metro Trains Melbourne has created a rather fun, sometimes strange game.

2. PewPew (universal)

"Expect retro graphics and megatons of enemies," says the developer about this twin-stick shooter, adding: "Don't expect a story". With its vector graphics and Robotronish air, PewPew brings to mind Geometry Wars and Infinity Field, but without a price tag. Despite being free, PewPew nonetheless boasts five modes of shooty goodness.

3. Flockwork

It turns out if you're a sheep that thinks the grass is greener, you should check out the other side of the fence first. In Flockwork, wooly heroes make a break for freedom, but end up immersed in a kind of ruminant hell. Your task: help the sheep escape by way of finger gymnastics and fast reactions.

4. Cliffed: Norm's World XL (universal)

This race-to-the-bottom vertical platform game lacks depth but Cliffed is fun for a quick high-score blast. Use the chunky controls to make your guy dash left or right to avoid rocks and leap down holes. If the screen catches up with him, it's game over.

5. Air Hockey Gold

Air hockey games work much better on the iPad than the iPhone, simply due to the iPad's larger screen. Air Hockey Gold isn't the only free game of this type, but it was the one that felt best during testing, and the two-player mode works nicely.

6. Jetpack Joyride (universal)

Australian-made endless game Jetpack Joyride is a witty, polished take on the iCopter format, with one-thumb controls dictating the hero's attempts to avoid death that comes increasingly rapidly the side of the screen. The real gems here are the power-ups, including the amusing Profit Bird (depicted), which isn't ata swipe at Angry Birds and Tiny Wings.

7. Real Racing 3

Here at TechRadar, we love a good racing game, and Australian-made Real Racing 3 is a real treat on an iPad. The stunning visuals on a larger iPad screen allows for a much better mobile gaming experience than you would expect - and for free! Though there are in-app purchases for upgrades and boosters, you still get a lot of tracks and cars without any purchases.

8. Escape - Norm's World XL (universal)

IUGO's puzzler Escape has you swiping to make your silhouette leap between circles, which vanish when you leave them. The idea is to jump on every circle, whereupon you move to the next level. in-app purchases are available for tougher levels and two-player modes.

9. Frotz (universal)

Although it works on an iPhone, Frotz isn't great on the smaller screen. But on the iPad, with its larger keyboard, the interactive fiction player is a revelation. It uses the Z-Machine format, and you can download a ion of freely available text adventures (including the original Zork) using the app, or upload your own files to the app via FTP.

10. QatQi (universal)

QatQi starts off a bitScrabble in the dark, until you figure out that you're really immersed in a kind of Roguelike mash-up. So although the aim is to make crosswords a ion of letters, you're also tasked with exploring dungeons to find score-boosting stars and special tiles.

11. Harbor Master HD

This game might lookFlight Control in the drink, but the gameplay mechanics are subtly different. As with Firemint's effort, Harbor Master is a line-drawing game, this time with you drawing paths so boats can dock. However, once they've unloaded, they must leave the screen or sometimes visit another dock, ensuring things rapidly become complex and frantic.

12. Tiny Tower (universal)

Tiny people in a tiny skyscraper need you to feed then tiny sushi and do other tiny tasks. Things can, inevitably, be sped up by not-so-tiny IAP cash infusions, but if you're a patient sort, and keen on micromanagement games, Tiny Tower is aming, enjoyable title that will eat many tiny moments out of your day.

13. Crimson: Steam Pirates

This turn-based strategy game comes complete with an engaging story and a healthy dollop of yo-ho-ho. You command pirate ships, setting their courses and then watching the action unfold. Crimson: Steam Pirates gives you eight free voyages and further adventures can be bought via IAP.

14. Labyrinth 2 HD Lite

Another demo for a paid-for title, Labyrinth 2 HD Lite is definitely worth downloading if you don't have the full game. It's the digital equivalent of tilt-based marble games, but with crazy designs. You get a small ion of mazes here, but they're playable and varied, and there's always a high-score to beat.

15. Frisbee Forever (universal)

With almost limitless possibilities in videogames, it's amazing how many are drab grey and brown affairs. Frisbee Forever is therefore a breath of fresh air with its almost eye-searing vibrance. The sense of fun continues through to the gameplay, which isabout steering a frisbee to collect stars strewn along winding paths. Initially, you explore a fairground, but soon you're soaring above the wild west and sandy bays.

16. Pocket Legends (universal)

Many free iPhone OS MMOs are dreary text-based affairs, so it's nice to see Spacetime Studios creating something a bit more ambitious with Pocket Legends, providing us with an iOS-specific 3D world populated by the usual motley collection of fantasyacters. As always with MMOs, the game demands you invest plenty of time to get anything out of it.

17. Solitaire Ace

After a few hands of Klondike, we actually ended up preferring this free app to several of the iPad solitaire apps with hefty price tags. Solitaire Ace might be simple (no undo, only one theme, just three solitaire variations), but it's fast and responsive, with intuitive controls and extremely clear cards.

18. Tilt to Live HD

The basic aim of Tilt to Live is simple: avoid the red dots, either by cunning dodging and weaving or by triggering explosive devices in the arena. The game stands apart similar releases due to its polish and sense of humour. You get the basic mode for free, and others can be unlocked by in-app purchase.

19. Flow Free (universal)

Flow's quite sneaky. It looks simple enough, tasking you with connecting like-coloured blobs via pathways that cannot cross. And indeed it is at first, despite you also having to fill the entire board to proceed. But once you're on larger grids, trying to figure out snaking pathways, your ears will be shooting steam.

20. 10 Pin Shuffle (Bowling) Lite (universal)

We're big fans of 10 Pin Shuffle, a universal app that combines ten-pin bowling and shuffleboard. Of that title's three game modes, the best one is included here in 10 Pin Shuffle Lite, for free. Called 10 Pin Poker, it adds a card game to the mix. Get a spare or strike and you're given one or two cards, respectively. At the end of the tenth frame, whoever has the best hand wins.

21. Pilgrim's Punch-Out (universal)

Become a 1980s NES-style Scott Pilgrim in Pilgrim's Punch-Out, a movie tie-in that isn't ata massive rip-off of (sorry, tribute to) Nintendo classic Punch-Out!! Decent controls enable you to fight your way to glory, and although the game's over pretty quickly, there's always a high-score to beat.

22. Fowlplay HD

If you ever wanted to poop on someone's head above, Fowlplay HD is the game for you. Taking on the role of a pigeon that should really cut back on fibre, you zoom around a stylised forest that appears to be populated by refugees Minigore. Aim your deposits at their heads, avoid the trees, and grab any power-ups that come your way.

23. To-Fu 2 (universal)

There's a touch of Angry Birds about To-Fu 2, at least if the birds were covered in something yucky that glued them to any walls they collided with. Said stickiness is the name of the game here, getting the squidgy hero to level's end rather than impaling him on the literally strewn spikes.

24. Choice of the Dragon (universal)

It's not the most interesting-looking game in the world, but luckily the magic of Choice of the Dragon is in its witty prose. Playing as a multiple-choice text adventure, akin to an extremely stripped-back RPG, this game is an amusing romp that perhaps lacks replay value, but you'll enjoy it while it lasts.

25. Lux Touch (universal)

There are several Lux games on the App Store, but the original is now free and works very nicely on the iPad. Essentially, this is Risk, and while the computer AI isn't terribly bright, Lux Touch should nonetheless keep fans of the original board game quiet for a short while.

26. New York 3D Rollercoaster Rush HD Free

In all, 25 of the full game's tracks are on offer in New York 3D Rollercoaster Rush HD Free. The game's a simple arcade title: tilt your iPad to control the coaster's speed, aiming to keep it on the track, and take risks to ensure the crazy riders have a great time (and, presumably, give the health-and-safety guy a heart attack).

27. iLifeGame (universal)

John Horton Conway's famous Game of Life cellular automaton exists for practically every platform, and this simple iOS version, iLifeGame, gets things right with clear graphics, the ability to draw your own starting points, and a small collection of predefined patterns.

28. Pukk HD

Given that it's another Pong clone, Pukk HD isn't the best game to play if you've no friends, because the single-player mode is extremely dull. However, with another player, it becomes an exciting battle of digital tennis - and it looks a lot nicer than Tap Blaster HD, too.

29. Grim Joggers Freestyle (universal)

When we think of extreme sports, jogging isn't the first that comes to mind, although it might be now we've experienced Grim Joggers Freestyle. The game's essentially Canabalt, but instead of one guy leaping across grey rooftops, you get a string of joggers trying desperately to survive in a surreal alien world.

30. Pilot Winds (universal)

With Tiny Wings having spent a large amount of time troubling the App Storets, we're surprised it took so long to make it to the iPad.along, Pilot Winds was the next best thing, and it's still free. Instead of a fat bird sliding down hills, you're a daredevil penguin skier, and while the game's inspiration is clear, it has plenty of tricks of its own.

31. Drop7 Free (universal)

Drop7 is one of the finest puzzle games on iOS. You drop numbered discs into a grid, and if the number matches the number of discs in its column or row, it vanishes. Grey discs are destroyed by twice removing discs next to them. Three modes are on offer, each demanding a different strategy. And now the game's owned by Zynga, it's free, with only the occasional unobtrusive advert.

32. TinkerBox

Myriad physics puzzlers exist for iOS, but most are twitch-oriented gamesyou fling objects around, and repeat with slight variation until you succeed. TinkerBox is different, because it demands you carefully consider the task at hand and then construct machines and tools using engineering concepts. It's great for educating kids and also perfect for anyone who used to love the likes of Meccano.

33. Trainyard Express (universal)

Trainyard Express is a puzzle game which tasks you with getting trains to stations by laying track. It starts simple, but the logic puzzles soon test you, with colour theory and other complications. We're sure Cityrail struggles with the same issues. In all, you get 60 puzzles, and there's no overlap with the app's commercial sibling Trainyard.

34. X-Baseball (universal)

If you haven't heard, A-League baseball will be coming to Australia soon... though we aren't sure why. But in any case, to prepare you, as the saying goes, there are few American sports that can't be improved by the impending threat of a banana, and that's X-Baseball. Hit balls! Hit bananas thrown by fans! Also, hit annoying birds flying overhead! Just don't 'not hit', otherwise your game will soon be over. It's justthe real thing!

35. Paper Toss: World Tour HD

The original Paper Toss was pretty dry and throwaway, but in dumping the wastebasket in absurd surroundings (within a volcanic pool, in the desert, by the Taj Mahal), it gets a second wind as Paper Toss: World Tour HD and is a far more satisfying flick-based arcade game. There's no clear Australian level (maybe the beach?) but it's still fun!

Best free iPad games 36 - 70

36. NinJump - HD

NinJump is a quickfire one-thumb game which has your ninja rapidly climbing, leaping between two endless towers. As he leaps, he knocks obstacles the air, dispatching killer squirrels, deadly birds and throwing stars lobbed by enemy ninjas. Simple, addictive fun.

37. Chuck's Challenge (universal)

Chuck's Challenge has a long pedigree, being heavily based on ancient Atari Lynx game Chips Challenge. The idea is to use your brain and swiping skills to solve tile-oriented puzzles, keeping your strange purple-haired avatar alive. For no money, you get 25 puzzles, but more are available to buy.

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Facebook app for Windows 8 on the anvil: Microsoft

WASHINGTON: Software giant Microsoft has reportedly confirmed that social media website Facebook will develop an official application for its latest version of Windows 8.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made the announcement at the company's annual developers conference in San Francisco but did not provide any specific release date, CBS News reports.

According to the report, a Facebook spokesperson said that the company will design the official app initially for the Windows 8 tablets likely with a fall release date.

The report said that it is unclear why Microsoft took so long to offer a Facebook app on its devices despite having stakes in Facebook.

Ballmer said that Windows 8 will hit more than 1,00,000 apps within this month which will include Fipboard, and NFL Fantasy Football, the report added.

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Apple not allowed to add Galaxy S4 to patent case

NEW DELHI: As the patent war between Apple and Samsung advances, a US court has handed the iPhone maker a setback. Apple's appeal to add Samsung's Galaxy S4 smartphone to the patent trial has been shot down by US Magistrate Judge Paul S Grewal.

Grewal said that adding yet another product to this case is a "tax on the court's resources," reports Bloomberg. "Each time these parties appear in the courtroom, they consume considerable amounts of the court's time and energy, which takes time way other parties who also require and are entitled to the court's attention," the judge said.

Apple's lawyer Josh Krevitt told Grewal that excluding the Galaxy S4 this case "would require Apple to file a new lawsuit" because the Samsung products covered by the case will be out of date by trial next year, the report says.

The Cupertino-based company had in May asked court to add Samsung's new flagship Galaxy smartphone to the list of devices targeted in a patent lawsuit involving Siri personal assistant software.

This case is part of the legal battle that the two companies are waging in at least ten countries across the globe. Samsung is the world's biggest smartphone manufacturer in terms of shipments, while Apple leads the race on profitability front, according to a recent Strategy Analytics report.

Apple's biggest victory came last year, when it was awarded $1.05 billion in damages by a US court. This amount was later reduced by $459 million by presiding judge Lucy Koh.

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Online snooping: Microsoft wants to disclose more information

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft has joined Google in a legal push for permission to disclose more information about secret government requests for data, according to a US court filing made public. 

Microsoft's legal request with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) on June 19th came a day after a similar petition by Google. 

The US technology titans argue that they want to reassure people who use their products and services in the aftermath of revelations that the National Security Agency had accessed vast amounts of data in a surveillance program under the supervision of the special court, which operates in secret. 

"The media has erroneously reported that the alleged PRISM program enables the US government to 'tap directly into the central servers' of Microsoft and other electronic communication service providers," the filing argued. 

"Microsoft has sought, and continues to seek, to correct the misimpression, furthered by such inaccurate media reporting, that it provides the US government with direct access to its servers and network infrastructures." 

Microsoft asked the court to grant it permission to disclose aggregate data about government requests that are deemed secret, noting that deputy counsel general John Frank has 'top secret' clearance with the Department of Defense. 

Google has asked the court for permission to reveal numbers of government requests for data the internet giant. 

Google said it already publishes in its "transparency report" data on requests law enforcement and so-called National Security Letters the FBI. 

"However, greater transparency is needed," a Google spokesperson said at the time of the filing. 

"We have petitioned the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to allow us to publish aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures, separately." 

FISA refers to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which authorized the secret court. 

Google said it was seeking a court ruling to allow it to publish "limited, aggregate statistics" on orders for the company to hand over data. 

Both Google and Microsoft lawyers argued that the companies have a right under the First Amendment of the US Constitution to speak up in their own defense regarding a spying program being discussed by political officials. 

Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and several other top Internet and technology companies have come under heightened scrutiny since word leaked of a vast, covert Internet surveillance program US authorities insist targets only foreign terror suspects and has helped thwart attacks. 

Google, Facebook and other technology firms have vehemently denied that they knowingly took part in a secret program called PRISM that gave the National Security Agency (NSA) and the FBI backdoors into servers. 

The program was reportedly set up in 2007 and has grown to become the most prolific contributor to President Barack Obama's Daily Brief, the US leader's top-secret daily intelligence briefing.

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600% rise in malicious apps: Study

NEW DELHI: The growth in smartphones and devices has fuelled surge in malicious applications, which grew globally by over 600% to 2.76 lakh in the one year ended March 2013, with majority of the devices being targeted running on Android, a study by Juniper Networks says. 

According to network solutions provider Juniper Network's third annual mobile threats report, out of the more than 500 third-party application stores hosting mobile malware identified, a majority are located in Russia and China. 

" March 2012 through March 2013, the total amount of malware the Mobile Threat Center (MTC) sampled acrossmobile platforms grew 614% to 2,76,259 total malicious apps, compared with a 155% increase reported in 2011," the report said. 

This trend suggests that more attackers are shifting part of their efforts to mobile, the report said, for which MTC examined more than 1.85 million mobile applications and vulnerabilities across major mobile operating system platforms. 

Malware or malicious software, is used by attackers to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information or gain access to private computer systems. 

"By March 2013, Android was the target of 92% ofdetected mobile malware threats by the MTC. This is a significant uptick 2011 when Android made up 47% ofdetected threats and 2010just 24% targeted the platform," the report said. 

Attackers made strides to shorten the supply chain and discover more methods to distribute their apps globally. MTC identified over 500 third-party application stores hosting mobile malware, it said. 

"Of these third-party stores, MTC research shows that three out of five originate two emerging markets infamous for malware in the PC space: China and Russia," the report added. 

Over the past year, the Juniper Networks MTC found rapid mobile malware growth and increased sophistication of cybercriminals, turning attacks into an increasingly profit-driven business. 

The researchers found that between March 2012 and March 2013 just three types of malware account for almostmalicious activity on mobile devices that were sampled. 

Fake install applications, malicious programmes, which mimic the behaviour of legitimate apps but require users to pay attackers via premium SMS, made up 29% of Android malicious mobile apps, it said. 

This is the most popular type of threat in a larger category known as SMS Trojans, which "surreptitiously" send SMS text messages to premium text messaging services. The other category is spyware applications, which secretly capture and transfer user data to attackers, it added. 

Attackers continue to benefit the largely fragmented Android ecosystem that keeps the vast majority of devices receiving new security measures provided by Google, leaving users exposed to threats, it said.

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PayPal begins mission space

SAN FRANCISCO: Earthbound financial transactions service PayPal launched a quest for an intergalactic currency, saying it is time to figure out what space travelers will use as cash.

"The time has now come for us to start planning for the future; a futurewe aren't just talking about global payments," said PayPal president David Marcus. "We are expanding our vision off earth into space."

PayPal Galactic Initiative will be formally unveiled Thursday at the SETI Institute campus in the Silicon Valley city of Mountain View, with attendees to include famed alien seeker Jill Tarter and former US astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

The initiative, headed by PayPal, aims to bring together parties with roles to play in the commercialization of space to explore a framework for a financial system that spans galaxies.

" 'Star Trek' to 'Battlestar Galactica,' theyhave currency and theygloss over the fact that it works," PayPal senior director of communications Anuj Nayar said, referring to hit science fiction films and television shows.

"We are at that point nowit seems a natural time for scientists, governments, and everybody else to start taking this seriously."

Astronauts living in the International Space Station still have bills to pay, even if they are just buying digital books or music for whiling away time in orbit, Marcus reasoned.

"I think that if we are in fact successful at finding ways to work and play in space, we're going to want to be there too; you and me," said Tarter, whose real-life work inspired Jodie Foster'sacter in the 1997 film 'Contact.'

"Inevitably, it's going to need some kind of monetary currency."

Operations such as Virgin Galactic and Space X have put the prospect of space tourism on the near horizon, and when tourists leave Earth they will need traveling money, according to PayPal.

A Space Hotel is proposed to be circling the planet in about three years, raising the prospect of porters to tip and room service to pay for.

"As we start planning to inhabit other planets, the practical realities of life still need to be addressed," Marcus said.

"We will still need a way to pay for life's necessities, back here and out there, though exactly how we'll do that isn't currently clear."

PayPal was founded 15 years ago this month with a vision of becoming a global currency, so it is fitting to celebrate the birthday by looking to the stars, worldwide product vice president Hill Ferguson told AFP.

"At first you laugh it off and think it crazy," Ferguson said. "But space exploration and the thought of commercializing space are much closer than a lot of people would think."

US internet retail giant eBay late last year cut jobs and contractors as part of a reorganization of its PayPal financial division to make it "more agile" with a simplified business structure.

PayPal powers online payments and money transfers, and has been moving into digital wallets.

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What is 'threatening' Sony in Japan

TOKYO: Sony has already sold almost 1 million units of Xperia Z smartphone by some estimates. But NTT DoCoMo, Japan's largest mobile carrier, will soon stop selling it. 

The Xperia Z has not even hit the United States market yet: T-Mobile says the model will make its debut on its network in the coming weeks. But it is already a has-been in Japan. DoCoMo has turned its attention to a new phone, the Sony Xperia A - a model with fewer features that has not won the stellar praise showered on the Z. 

"It's time for a new model," said Mai Kariya, a DoCoMo representative in Tokyo. "We're finished with the Xperia Z and now focusing on the Xperia A." 

As Sony banks on smartphones to turn around its struggling electronics business, it faces an increasingly bothersome obstacle at home: the demands of Japan's powerful cellphone carriers, which remain obsessed with constant model updates. 

For years, Japan's three largest mobile network companies have pressed phone makers here to update their handsets every three or four months, providing Japanese consumers a dazzling array of newfangled phones and features each season. 

Phones with digital TV broadcast receivers were oncethe rage; a phone without it was never going to sell. Then it was thumbprint scans; you'd be hard pressed to find those on many phones today. The same is true of swiveling screens, and to a lesser extent, electronic wallets. 

The fast-paced cycle is commonplace in Japanese marketing. Manufacturers deliver short runs of seasonal products to create buzz, analysts say. Pepsi Japan, for example, brings out limited-edition drinks each year: Salty Watermelon Pepsi or Pepsi Ice Cucumber. Nestle's KitKat candy bar has cycled through an eye-popping array of limited editions in Japan: green tea, pumpkin, strawberry cheesecake, wasabi and soybean to name only a few. 

Even Japan's best-selling pop group, AKB48, rotates through a cast of 67 members and on New Year's Day released 16 versions of new and repackaged records. 

"This is the worst of Japanese companies' excessive obsession with the new," said Yuichi Kogure, an associate professor in information technology policy at Aomori Public University and the author of several books on Japan's cellphone industry. "But now the mobile phone makers are exhausted." 

Sony's Xperia Z got caught in this marketing buzz saw. DoCoMo started selling the Xperia Z in Japan on February 9 as part of the carrier's spring 2013 collection, replacing the Xperia AX of the winter 2012 collection. Barely a month later, on March 15, DoCoMo announced its summer 2013 collection of 11 new phones, with the Xperia Z replaced by the Xperia A, which went on sale last month. 

The constant feature roulette has helped carriers lure customers away rival networks. But it taxes the research and development resources of Japan's phone makers, who must meet the constant demands carriers for new high-end features and frequent handset renewals. 

Phone manufacturers here have found it impossible to achieve the economies of scale that would justify the high development costs and the slim profit margins. Because separate teams of designers at each handset maker race to build handsets the ground up for each separate carrier, few phone makers have been able to develop a coherent global product strategy, analysts say. 

The unique pace of the Japanese cellphone market largely cuts it off the rest of the world, making it difficult for a single manufacturer to make and market phones for both the Japanese and global markets, said Kenji E. Kushida, an expert on Japan's information and communications technologies at Stanford. 

"The Japanese market became somewhatthe Galapagos Islands. It had great biodiversity but was so weak to outside species," Kushida said. 

He points to Vodafone, which moved into the Japanese cellphone market in the early 2000s. The British network operator tried to synchronize its Japanese product lineup to match its "global standard" handsets sold in other markets. But Japanese consumers were unimpressed by what struck them at the time as overly simple handsets that appeared to take a step backward in functionality. 

Vodafone's Japanese market share started to slide, and in 2006 it sold its operations here to SoftBank. 

Not every maker succumbs to this whirligig and, not surprisingly, those that don't are not Japanese. Apple has announced 

a new iPhone model roughly once a year. Its iPhone 5 came out in September, and the company is not expected to introduce a new model until the fall. Samsung Electronics is focusing its resources on its sleek Galaxy S4 smartphone, which went on sale in April, a full year after its predecessor the Galaxy S3. 

The scattershot efforts by Japanese handset designers could not compete with a single blockbuster productApple's iPhone, Kushida said. It turned out that Japanese consumers didn't want a new phone each season after all, he said, but one very well-designed one. 

Since its release in 2008, the iPhone has been a best-seller in Japan, becoming the most popular handset here. In 2012, the iPhone ledhandsets with an overall 15 per cent of market share, ahead of former market leaders Sharp and Fujitsu, according to data provider IDC Japan. 

Looking at smartphones only, Apple's dominance in Japan is even stronger: For the first three months of 2013, Apple's mobile platform market share came to 49.2 per cent, compared with Android's 45.8 per cent, according to Kantar WorldPanel, which tracks mobile phone sales in major markets. 

Sony's Xperia Z, which runs on the Android operating system, was shaping up to be Japan's greatest challenger to the iPhone and to another global blockbuster, Samsung's Galaxy series. The Xperia Z won rave reviews for its sleek aluminum case, sharp 5-inch display, fast-capture camera and high-definition video. 

The Xperia Z has topped salests, selling at least 630,000 units in Japan in its first 10 weeks, according to the data provider, GfK Japan. DoCoMo had said that it aimed to sell about 1 million units in Japan, and analysts agree that sales here are approaching that number. Sony's chief executive, Kazuo Hirai, has repeatedly promoted the Xperia Z's strong sales in Japan as one of the few bright spots in its money-losing electronics sector. 

Still, production of the Xperia Z has ceased for the Japanese market, and the model will no longer be available in Japan once stock runs out at retail stores across the country, both Sony and NTT DoCoMo said. 

"The Japanese market operates on a far quicker life cycle than markets overseas," said Yu Tominaga, a Sony spokesman in Tokyo. "Demand changes fast here, but we are set up to respond to that," he said. 

The big question is whether Sony can develop a coherent global smartphone strategy without being distracted by the ever-changing needs of its home market. A lot rides on Sony's gaining on its archrivals, Apple and Samsung, in the fast-growing smartphone market with the new Xperia A, which has been topping salests here since it went on sale in mid-May. 

Sony is starting to shift its focus beyond Japan's shores. On Tuesday in China it announced the Xperia Z Ultra, which Sony bills as the slimmest large-screen handset on the market. The company said it was not sure when that model might sell in Japan. 

If Sony can score more successes overseas and gain market share there, it could start shifting the lopsided power dynamics between Japan's carriers and handset makers, analysts say. A wave of consolidation has shrunk the number of Japanese cellphone manufacturers to five, 11 five years ago, bolstering the influence of the survivors. For its latest summer season, NTT DoCoMo gave top billing to smartphones Sony and Samsung, breaking its tendency to givemanufacturers equal play to keep them competing. 

And despite DoCoMo's many demands, solid support a carrier with more than 60 million subscribers in a nation of 127 million people can be a boon. DoCoMo has been offering steep discounts on the Xperia A and is advertising the model heavily in Japan's crowded subways and on television on behalf of Sony. That blitz has helped Sony more than double its share to 36 per cent in the four weeks to early June, according to BCN, beating Samsung at 13 per cent, and even Apple, whose share for that period dropped to 25 per cent. 

Still, Sony remains far behind Samsung in the global smartphone market. Sony shipped 30 million smartphones last year, compared with Samsung's 218 million, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Apple shipped about 137 million iPhones. 

"I think more people here are starting to realize that the way its mobile phone industry works is unsustainable," Kogure said. "And manufacturersSony have long realized that they can't remain beholden to the whims of the Japanese market." 

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