Next-gen Google Nexus 7 specs 'confirmed'

NEW DELHI: It has been just over a year since the launch of Google Nexus 7, which was unveiled at Google I/O in 2012, and became an immediate success. As the 2013 I/O drew near, market expected that the internet giant will unveil the second generation Nexus 7 tablet at the conference. However, Google didn't do so and the specifications and looks of the upcoming device remained unclear.

But Google's secrecy around the device has come undone, thanks to an Asus support executive. The support representative inadvertently leaked the specifications of the next-generation Google Nexus 7 tablet in an online chat. A thread on tech forum XDA-Developer gave screenshots of a chat between the executive and a prospective buyer who posed a query about Asus K009. This is the model number of the Asus tablet that has been spotted at the US Federal Communications Commission and the Bluetooth certification body.

In response to the question, the customer care representative gave details of hardware specifications, Android version and even the tentative launch timeframe.

As per the conversation, the next-gen Google Nexus 7 will have a 7-inch LED touchscreen with full HD display (1920x1080p resolution) and run on the upcoming Android 4.3 OS. It will pack the Snapdragon 600 processor with 2GB RAM under the hood and have 32GB internal storage.

On the back of the phone will be a 5MP camera, while the front unit will have 1.2MP resolution. Powered by a 4,000mAh battery, the tablet will have connectivity optionsWi-Fi, 4G, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. During the chat, the executive also said that it will be launched before the end of July.

When askedthese specifications came , the customer care representative of Asus replied, "This in internal specs, but it is not available to the public as yet. Because I know you are eager, so I just forwarded it to you."

The timing of launch for the device is in line with Chinese tech news website Digitimes, which recently reported that the device will hit the stores in July at starting price of $229. The current Google Nexus 7 is priced at $199 for the base variant and starts at Rs 15,999 in the Indian market the company's Play Store.

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Govt planning Aakash 4, calls for suggestions

NEW DELHI: Despite setbacks, Indian government is not giving up on its dream of a low-cost tablet for school and college students. The ministry of human resource development has now formally announced that it is working on Aakash 4. 

In a public note posted on the website of the department of electronics and information technology, the government said, "A sub-committee comprising of technical experts has prepared the proposed vendor neutral Technical Specifications of Aakash IV. These specifications have been developed with a view to have a device at a low cost." 

Unlike the original Aakash and Aakash 2, which were manufactured by Datawind, for Aakash 4 government has not yet finalized who would make the tablets. Instead, it wants to finalize the specifications of the tablet. There are reports that Aakash 4 could be manufactured by multiple hardware vendors instead of one company. 

According to the proposed specifications, Aakash 4 will have a 7-inch screen with a minimum resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. To make sure that the screen has decent touch sensitivity, government wants manufacturers to use panels with at least 5 touch points. "LCD brightness should be a minimum of 290 cd/m2, and its contrast ratio should be a minimum of 500," states the note. 

The government says that the processor that will power Aakash 4 should meet some minimum specifications. It says that the chip should be able to score at least 1469 points in Antutu, a popular Androiding app. It also wants the tablet to handle playback of 720P videos with ease. 

For memory, the government note specifies that Aakash 4 will have a minimum of 1GB DDR3 RAM. The tablet is likely to come with at least 4GB internal storage and support for up to a 32GB micro SD card. The government also says that it wants Aakash 4 to have support for external USB storage devices, keyboard, mouse, popular 3G/4G data dongles, USB to ethernet adapters and USB printers. 

On paper, the minimum hardware specifications for Aakash seem to be on the lower side. But currently these are proposed specifications and the final hardware might be different. As far as software is concerned, government wants the tablet to run at least Android Jelly Bean. 

Government says "all interested stakeholders may examine the proposed specifications and provide their comments especially the point of vendor neutrality, usability and functionality." The comments and suggestions can be sent to the office of Rajat Moona, who is director general of C-DAC headquartered in the Pune University campus. 

Announced with much fanfare, the Aakash project has proved to be controversial so far. Most of the original Aakash tablets, supplied to Datawind to Rajasthan IIT, were found to be defective and the institute rejected the units. Later, Datawind accused the institute of sabotaging the project. 

"IIT Rajasthan put up roadblocks in front of us. It jeopardized the whole project. I can say the dirty tricks by the institute put us around six months behind on the project... they did it because they were favouring other firms... Even now the institute is trying to sabotage the project," Datawind's CEO Suneet Singh Tuli told TOI last year. 

The original Aakash tablets were plagued by poor screen and very poor performance. Aakash 2 was slightly better but was not good enough for daily use in schools and colleges. 

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Apple applies for iWatch trademark in Japan

TOKYO: Apple has applied for a trademark for "iWatch" in Japan, a patent official said on Monday, signalling the iPhone maker may be moving ahead with plans for a watch-like device as gadget makers turn their attention to wearable computers. 

The trademark application, submitted on June 3 and released on the Japan Patent Office website on June 27, would cover computers, computer peripherals and wristwatches, the official said. He said it was unknown how long the application process would require. 

An Apple spokesman in Japan could not immediately be reached for comment. 

Speculation has mounted that Apple is preparing to launch an iWatch and CEO Tim Cook told a gathering of tech and media executives a month ago that wearable products were ripe for exploration, but added he was skeptical, including about Google's recently unveiled Glass which combines a mobile computer and eyeglasses. 

"There's nothing that's going to convince a kid who has never worn glasses or a band or a watch to wear one, or at least I haven't seen it," Cook said. 

Wearable devices are considered a potential area for hit products as smartphones such as the iPhone and Samsung Electronics's Galaxy series are losing their ability to impress consumers and investors. 

Samsung, which has leapfrogged Apple as the world's leading smartphone maker, is also developing a wearable device similar to a wristwatch, a source with knowledge of the matter has said. 

The New York Times reported in February that Apple was experimenting with the design of a device similar to a wristwatch that would operate on the same iOS platform as its iPhone and iPad and would be made with curved glass.

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11 ways to keep your emails safe hackers

WASHINGTON: Emails are the most common thing vulnerable to spying.

Adam Levin, founder of Credit.com and Identity Theft 911, has given 11 steps not to do with email and doing which will make us vulnerable to hackers, ABC News reported.

Firstly, he said that a person should never check their e-mail on an unsafe network, as a computer in an internet cafe, library or any other business may be infected with malware to steal your passwords.

Secondly, people should log off their e-mails as soon as their work is over, as by staying signed up a hacker can gain immediate access.

Thirdly, Levin said that email login name and password should not be repeated.

Fourthly, another problem is that people do not their old-emails properly, which could contain addresses, account usernames and passwords, contact information foryour pals, financial data and may other sensitive information.

Fifthly, if an email comes to you that promises a loan or credit card that is worth a guaranteed amount of money at a low interest rate, beware that it is a scam, as nobody will give you credit without checking your credit report.

Sixthly, people should not click on seemingly ambiguous emails their pals, as they could be vectors of attack. Cyber criminals often pose as pals stuck penniless in Europe or Asia and in need of an immediate wire transfer.

Seventhly, if you get a mail your bank or credit card company asking to verify your account information beware that it can be cyber criminals, as an institute that handles important thingsmoney or packages, don't use email for communication, and definitely not to confirm personal information.

Eighthly, many scams involve sending money to people that you have never met for e.g there is the "Wall Street insider" with the hot investment tip or the foreign company, which needs you to cash a check or process transactions. Beware.

Ninthly, people should not fall for the trick that makes them think that their credit card has been stolen.

Tenthly, after Hurricane Sandy and the giant tornado in Oklahoma, cyber criminals sent emails requesting donations for relief efforts.

Lastly, do not click on emails that show too good to be true travel deals.

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Airpush Launches 'AirDSP' to Provide Effortless Real-time Bidding Capability for Company's 5,000+ Mobile Advertisers

Airpush, winner of “Best Mobile Ad Network” at the 2012 MEA’s, today unveiled its “AirDSP” platform to provide mobile real-time bidding capability for the company’s 5,000+ advertisers.Using AirDSP, advertisers can run campaigns across major mobile RTB exchanges and SSPs a single interface, using the most advanced optimization and audience targeting tools in the industry. Airpush has partnered with Inneractive, MobClix, MoPub, OpenX, Smaato and other mobile RTB supply sources around the world, in order to provide AirDSP clients with nearly limitless scale for RTB campaigns.

“Real-time bidding in mobile has recently experienced explosive growth, but the barriers to entry are extremely high for advertisers who want to enter the market and be competitive,” said Asher Delug, Airpush Founder and CEO. “Only the largest advertisers and agencies are equipped to build connectivity to the exchanges, develop a bidding algorithm and media buying interface, and acquire data at a scale that is required to be competitive in today’s mobile RTB market. Our vision for AirDSP was to break down those barriers to entry and give our 5,000+ advertisers a world-class platform to enter the mobile RTB market effortlessly.”

One of AirDSP’s flagship features is Optimizer, a breakthrough, patent-pending optimization tool that can dramatically improve the performance of any RTB campaign. Optimizer “democratizes” the mobile RTB market by giving self-serve advertisers a level of bidding precision that was previously available only to programmatic buyers. The tool’s core functionality is to display campaign performance metrics and trends across a high number of targeting parameters, while enabling advertisers to manage different bids, creatives, and landing pages for each targeting parameter independently. For example, a restaurant chain promoting a coupon campaign can automatically change the ad creative during breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours as well as raise bids 30 percent during the most profitable meal time.

In another major benefit to Airpush clients, AirDSP features a comprehensive set of open APIs. This enables agencies, ad networks, and resellers to offer mobile real-time bidding functionality to their clients via their own customer portal on a private-label basis. Every feature available in the AirDSP portal has been exposed via open APIs, enabling clients to fully replicate the power of AirDSP within their own web applications.

AirDSP is currently available on www.airpush.com. Current advertisers can log into their existing self-serve accounts for immediate access, and new advertisers can easily sign up by creating a free advertiser account on the Airpush website.

About Airpush

Named “Best Mobile Ad Network” at the 2012 Mobile Excellence Awards, Airpush is on a mission to redefine mobile advertising for publishers and advertisers. More than 100,000 apps and 5,000 advertisers rely on Airpush to deliver the industry's highest performance, driven by exceptional ad formats and targeting technology. Founded in 2011 by mobile advertising veterans, the company has approximately 140 employees and offices in Los Angeles and Bangalore.

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RED Express a trusted brand of the E-Commerce companies in North India

“Most of the E-Commerce companies in North India trust RED Express for delivering their shipments to their customers” 

RED Express is expanding its horizons everywhere and adding new feathers to its cap every day. Now, most of the E-Commerce companies in north India trust RED Express for delivering their consignments to their customers. RED Express is proud to be associated with 170+ E-Commerce companies and successfully providing them the best door to door parcel services. 

These days E-commerce companies hold an important position forthe parcel and courier service providers. RED Express has especially designed a team fully dedicated to the E-Commerce companies. They try their level best to fulfillthe needs and requirements of an E-Commerce company. 

RED Express has introduced a new tab of E-Commerce especially for the E-Commerce customers,all the details related to E-commerce has been given and the testimonials of different E-Commerce customers is also there. 

RED Express has a special customer services interaction centre (CSIC) for the E-Commerce customers, who handlesthe queries related to reverse pick up, Cash on delivery (COD) etc. Most of the companies providing Parcel Delivery Solutions to E-commerce companies remit back payment within 14 - 21 days, which means your money is blocked with Service Provider (Courier/ Parcel Company) for 15 days. At RED Express, we understand your needs and the value of your capital. We are here to revolutionize the COD concept and bring to you a Shorter Remittance Cycle. RED Express remits the payment back to the E-Com companies in 4 days or less, which is a big hit amongstthe E-Commerce companies. 

RED Express is proud to be associated with some of the big brands in the E-Commerce IndustrySnapdeal, Ibibio, Avon, Group On, HushBabies etc. RED Express has been able to delightof them with its services. 

Groupon says, “RED Express service is quite good as compared to other players.” 

HushBabies says, “Your service is excellent and experience of working with you has been really good & satisfactory.” 

RED Express assuresits E-Commerce customers that we’ll keep on delighting you with our services in future as well. 

Our Network: RED Express is currently operational and serviceable the following locations: 
Mahipalpur, Kirti Nagar, Wazirpur, Rani Jhansi Road, Okhla, Laxmi Nagar, Faridabad, Noida, Gurgaon, Moradabad, Jaipur, Haridwar, Ambala, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Bahalgarh, Sonipat, Ghaziabad, Zirakpur/Mohali, Manesar, Agra, Dehradun, Lucknow, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Kanpur, Patiala ,Varanasi, Meerut, Ajmer, Kota , Jodhpur, Allahabad, Indore, Bhopal, Jammu, Karnal, Panipat and Bareilly. 


About RED Express (www.getsetred.net): 

RED Express is a Door to Door Domestic Express Parcel Service provider. RED stands for Real-Time Express Distribution. It shares business information through a highly efficient Web Based Integrated Information Technology Platform. It has Flexible and “As Promised” Pick-up and Delivery timings along with an array of a lot of other optional Value Added Services as well. 

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Facebook to remove bug that collects phone numbers

WASHINGTON: An online security company has exposed a bug in Facebook's Android app, which collects phone numbers without permission, even if the users are not members of the social networking site or sign into the app. 

According to the Huffington Post, the problem has been confirmed by Facebook and would be addressed in the new version of the app, with a spokesman for the social networking site revealing that the flaw came up in February this year. 

Symantec, announced on their blog that Facebook's Android App was 'leaking' phone numbers of Android devices on which it had been installed, which could send the numbers straight to the site's servers, with more than 'hundreds of millions of devices' affected by the bug. 

However, Facebook's spokesman has said that the social network did not 'use or process the numbers in any way,' stating that it was a bug for which they thanked Symantec's notice and it was already fixed in the next version of the app, which would be available for download today.

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Flashlight that runs on body heat

WASHINGTON: A 15-year-old girl in Canada has invented a flashlight that produces light just by using the warmth of your hand.

Ann Makosinski, British Columbia, invented the thermoelectric 'Hollow Flashlight' that works via the thermoelectric effect.

The thermoelectric effect is the direct conversion of temperature differences to electric voltage and vice-versa.

"I'm sure we'vehad that annoying experience when we desperately need a flashlight, we find one, and the batteries are out," Makosinski told NBC News.

"Imagine how much money we would save and the amount of toxins leached into the soil etc reduced if we didn't use any batteries in flashlights!" she said.

To create the flashlight, Makosinski measured how much electricity could be generated the heat of a palm - about 57 milliwatts - and how much she needed to light the LED - about half a milliwatt.

Next, she got several Peltier tiles which when warm on one side and cool on the other could generate electricity, and a few other bits necessary to make the current usable by a normal LED.

Finally, she mounted the tiles and circuitry onto a hollow aluminum tube; air inside the tube would cool the Peltier tiles, while the warmth of a hand would heat the other side.

With a little tweaking of voltages and other components, the invention worked.

The light generated is modest, but enough to find your keys or light the page of a book.

It worked for around half an hour in her tests at an ambient temperature of about 10-degree Celsius, but would last longer or shorter depending on temperature differences.

"The flashlight I have made is more of a prototype then a final product, but the components in my device are quite strong," Makosinski said.

"Of course, if it was to be used and manufactured, I would try to seal off the electronic components in some sort of casing so that it wouldn't get heavily exposed to the elements (example water), and therefore last longer," she said.

Makosinski has submitted her invention for the Google Science Fair and will be in California to visit Google headquarters in September for the final judging event.

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Google crisis response to help Uttarakhand victims

NEW DELHI: Search engine major Google has started an online resource facility to help people affected by the devastating floods in parts of Uttarakhand. 

'Google crisis response' is prominently displayed on the home page of the search engine via the link 'resources' and provides up-to-date information on rescue and relief operations including details of statewise control rooms, shelters and medical centers among others. 

One can also get details of those rescued, cleared rescue zones and people stranded. In addition, details of mobile access locations, road information and locations of donation boxes are also made available on the page. 

Google has also started a unique facilityperson finder to get or give details of a stranded person. "You can request status via SMS by sending an SMS to 9 77 33 00 000 with the message Search person-name," according to the information posted on the page. 

So far the application is tracking 19,300 records, it said. 

The Google crisis centre also features news related to Uttarakhand floods in a separate window on its home page. 

"Widespread flood damage continues to ravage Uttarakhand, India. This page contains a short summary of resources relating to relief and rescue efforts in the region," the message on the home page reads.

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Boredom drives trolls on Facebook and Twitter

LONDON: Boredom and amusement are behind many incidents of cyberbullying and trolling on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, a new first-of-its-kind study has found. 

The research by Lancaster University in UK, suggests that those who engage in trolling - Internet user behaviour that is meant to intentionally anger or frustrate someone else in order to provoke a response - do so for their own amusement and because they are bored. 

Dr Claire Hardaker, a linguistics expert the University's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, studied almost 4,000 online cases involving claims of trolling, The Independent reported. 

Trolls operate out of a feeling of power, amusement, boredom and revenge and thrive on the anonymity which the internet provides, she found. 

The research identified seven tactics used by trolls to bombard their victims with insults and threats. 

The seven tactics include digressing the topic at hand, especially onto sensitive topics, and hypocriticising - pedantic criticism of grammar, spelling or punctuation in a post which itself contains proof-reading errors. 

Antipathising, by taking up an alienating position, asking pseudo-naive questions is another tactic used by trolls besides giving dangerous advice and encouraging risky behaviour. 

Trolls also employ 'shock strategy' by being insensitive about sensitive topics, explicit about taboo topics, etc. They also provoke others by insulting or threatening them. 

They may cross-post - sending the same offensive or provocative message to multiple groups then waiting for the response. 

"Aggression, deception and manipulation are increasingly part of online interaction, yet many users are unaware not only that some of these behaviours exist, but of how destructive and insidious they can be," Hardaker said. 

She also found that while trolling is associated with the young, trolls come ages and backgrounds. 

"An incredible amount of time and strategy can be involved in trolling, as my research into the techniques they use highlights," she said. 

She warned that trolling can in some cases develop into more serious behaviour, including cyberharassment and cyberstalking. 

The study was published in the Journal of Language, Aggression and Conflict.

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Videogames may help students in education: Study

LONDON: Videogames could be key to keeping more disengaged youngsters interested in education, a new study has found. 

The research, carried out by Lancaster University's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), has shown how basing educational projects around video games can get hard-to-reach youngsters interested in learning. 

The project, run by Inspire Opportunities and carried out earlier this year, involved 15 secondary schools through the Wolverhampton area Local Education Partnership. More than 100 youngsters were involved. 

"If the level of outcomes this project could be replicated across the UK, then 5,000 more young people would be likely to become interested in the video games and video effects industries each year," said leading academic Dr Don Passey, a Senior Research Fellow and a Director of the Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning at the university. 

The project found that young people, who were disengaged learning and were likely to end up not in employment, education and training (NEET) can become re-engaged with the classes incorporating videogames. 

"The details of the research have been released as part of a knowledge exchange programme, highlighting the economic impact and promoting the benefit to business and the wider community of academic research," Professor Chris May, Associate Dean: Enterprise and Employability for FASS, added.

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Facebook should allow a break-up feature: Experts

LONDON: Social networking sitesFacebook should offer a feature which makes it easier to a couple's joint content following a break up, researchers say. 

Experts believe this could enable people to deal with the break up more effectively. 

Social networking sites should enable couples who split up to erase the evidence of their relationship more easily, researchers say. 

They suggest automatic software to gatherthe digital evidence of the relationship following a break-up. 

Dr Corina Sas Lancaster University and Professor Steve Whittaker of the University of California at Santa Cruz interviewed 24 young people about how they handled the evidence of their broken relationship in the on-line world. 

These "digital possessions" include everything texts, emails, music, video, social media and photos whether kept on mobile devices, a laptop or digital picture frame. 

"It's particularly hard to remove the traces of a past relationship left on social networking systems and it can be painful to revisit this accidentally," Sas said. 

"The greatest problems involved content on Facebookcouples could easily be reminded of their ex unless they deliberately unfriended them. Even then, there could be content about your ex on your friends' pages which you can't delete," Sas said. 

Researchers said it can be very time consuming when digital content is spread across different deviceslaptops or tablets and this would make the task much simpler. 

It could also enable people to deal with the break up more effectively, they said. 

The research "Design for forgetting; disposing of digital possessions after a breakup" found that people adopted three strategies for dealing with digital content, either deleting or saving everything, or ively deleting after a while. 

"The best approach is not to act on impulse but instead try to wait. Then you can which memories you want to keep and which you are confident you will not regret deleting," said Sas.

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Mahindra Satyam shares to stop trading July 4

HYDERABAD: Mahindra Satyam (erstwhile Satyam Computer Services Ltd), which merged into Tech Mahindra last month, will become history in the records of BSE and National Stock Exchange (NSE) as trading of the company's scrip is likely to end July 4. 

"Trading of Satyam ( stocks) will end on July 3 and there will not be trading July 4 as the swap ratio of Mahindra Satyam and Tech Mahindra will come into force," a senior official of Tech Mahindra told PTI today. 

The boards of Mahindra Satyam and Tech Mahindra last year proposed a swap ratio of 2:17. Mahindra Satyam shareholders will get two shares of Tech Mahindra of Rs 10 each for every 17 shares they hold. 

Satish Kantheti of Zen Securities said fractional shares will be consolidated in trust and sold later. The sale proceeds will be distributed to shareholders proportionate to their shares. 

IT services firm Tech Mahindra on June 25 announced the completion of Mahindra Satyam's merger with itself to create nation's fifth largest software services company with turnover of $2.7 billion. 

Tech Mahindra Limited informed BSE that "the Board of Directors at its meeting held on June 25, 2013 has fixed July 05, 2013 as the Record Date for determining the shareholders of Satyam Computer Services Ltd (`Mahindra Satyam') who would be entitled to receive shares of the Company under the approved Scheme". 

The $16.2 billion Mahindra Group had in 2009 taken over Satyam Computers after a multi-billion dollar scam by its founding chairman B Ramalinga Raju came to light. 

Boards of Tech Mahindra and Mahindra Satyam approved the merger on March 21, 2012. After an approval the Mumbai High Court, the merger had been awaiting clearances Andhra Pradesh High Court, which gave nod on June 11, 2013. 

According to records available with bourses, Satyam scrip which was listed on BSE in 1995 went as high as Rs 7,229 in March 2000 before plunging to Rs 11.50 in January 2009 when Raju's scandal broke out. The scrip was also listed on the NSE. 

Tech Mahindra Managing Director C P Gurnani said they would continue to focus on telecom and manufacturing and aim to reach $5 billion mark in terms of revenues by 2015. 

Meanwhile, Tech Mahindra in a communication to stock exchange informed that 20.4 crore shares (equivalent to 17.33 per cent) of Satyam were transferred to TML Benefit Trust. 

Shares of Tech Mahindra and Mahindra Satyam were quoting at Rs 1,032.20 and Rs 118.65, respectively on the BSE in the afternoon trade.

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Vodafone to pay Rs 4,000 crore for licence extension

NEW DELHI: Vodafone Group Plc's Indian unit, which is in a dispute with the government over the renewal of its licences in three key cities, is offering to pay Rs 40 billion ($673 million) for the extension of the permits, the company said in a letter dated June 18 to the telecoms ministry and seen by Reuters. 

The price offered by Vodafone for airwaves in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata is about a quarter of the value set by the government in an auction that had been scheduled for March 2013 but never took place because there were no bidders. 

Vodafone's offer price is for the extension of the licences for 20 years, along with its current airwave holdings in the three cities, the company wrote to the government's telecommunication secretary, adding it was willing to discuss the issue further to arrive at mutually agreed terms and conditions.

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