Samsung launches Galaxy S4 mini, S4 zoom in India

NEW DELHI: Just a day after Micromax launched its new flagship Canvas 4 phablet in India, Samsung has rolled out two smartphones in the country. Both new handsets - Galaxy S4 mini and Galaxy S4 zoom are variants of the South Korean company's top-end device Galaxy S4, launched earlier this year.

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S4 mini in May with a 4.3-inch SuperAMOLED screen having 960x540p resolution and pixel density of 256ppi. It is powered by a 1.7GHz dual-core CPU and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). This smartphone has been priced at Rs 27,990 in the Indian smartphone market.

The phone has 8GB internal storage, 1.5GB RAM and microSD support up to 64GB. On the back of the phone is an 8MP camera with LED flash, while a 1.9MP unit is on the front panel. Connectivity options in the smartphone are 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0, NFC and infrared.

Unveiled in June, Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom, priced at Rs 29,990, boasts of better camera than the original Galaxy S4. It features a 16MP rear camera with 10X optical zoom with xenon flash on the back. This new phone's camera boasts of optical image stabilization as well as 24mm wide lens and can record 1080p videos at 30fps.

The all-new Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom also has a 4.3-inch SuperAMOLED screen with 960x540p resolution with 256ppi pixel density. The device is powered by Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and runs on a dual-core 1.5GHz processor. It has 8GB internal storage, 1.5GB RAM and supports microSD cards with capacities up to 32GB.

Connectivity suite of this smartphone has features2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, infrared and microUSB 2.0. This handset has a 2,330mAh battery and features a 1.9MP front camera. At 208gram, it is heavier that the likes of Samsung Galaxy Note II and Nokia Lumia 920.

Both the phones come with a free flip cover, 2GB free data on 3G network and interest-free EMI option for six months.

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TCS replaces Tata Steel as India's most admired company

NEW DELHI: Software giant TCS has replaced its group firm Tata Steel as the country's most admired company, as per a Fortune list released today. 

TCS is followed by Hindustan Unilever, ITC, Infosys and SBI in the top-five, while last year's top-ranked firm Tata Steel has slipped to seventh position in the list of India's 50 most admired companies. 

Both ITC and Infosys are ranked at the third position. There are a total of four Tata Group companies on the list, while as many as ten PSUs have made it into the rankings, global business magazine Fortune's Indian edition said today. 

Besides, the Indian entities of many multi-national companies including Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Samsung, Nokia, Dell and Intel have also made it into the league of most admired companies. 

The rankings have taken into account various factors such as corporate governance, innovativeness, CSR and leadership. 

L&T (6th rank), Maruti Suzuki (9th) and ICICI Bank (10th) also feature in the top ten. 

Besides Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Tata Steel, other Tata Group firms in the list are Tata Motors at the 12th spot and Tata Power at 50th. 

Among state-run enterprises, SBI and ONGC are in the top ten, ranked at fifth and eighth positions, respectively. 

State-run oil major Indian Oil Corp was placed at 11th rank, SAIL (22nd), Bharat Petroleum (25th), NTPC (28th), HPCL (31st), GAIL (34th), ONGC Videsh (47th) and Coal India (48th). 

Among others, Microsoft India is at the 15th place, Colgate Palmolive (16th), IBM India (17th), Samsung India Electronics (18th), Bharti Airtel (19th), Cadbury (23rd), Dell India (32nd), Siemens (36th), Intel India (38th), Nokia India (42nd) and Sony India (44th).

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Lenovo launches business class M93z all-in-one PC

Lenovo is looking to do the corporate job with a new all-in-one (AiO) PC and two additional desktop models that pack Intel's fourth generation Haswell i7 CPU.

The China-based company's ThinkCentre M93z features a 23-inch full HD LED IPS display in an AIO design with anti-glare glass on the models equipped with 10-point multi-touch.

It arrives with security features in the form of a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) that encrypts data and key information such a passwords and digital certificates, and USB ports that can be disabled to prevent data theft and unauthorised use of storage devices.

Lenovo has plumped for Intel's vPro and Active Management Technology in the M93z, which it claims speeds up data encryption and decryption and protectsunauthorised access and remote management, which could come in handy in the event of certain breaches.

AvailableAugust, prices for the model start at £500 for the base configuration and rise should you opt for an optional 1GB AMD Radeon HD discrete graphics card and Solid State Hybrid Drive (SSHD) for improved performance.

Tiny addition

Lenovo has also introduced a smaller desktop machine in the form of its ThinkCentre M93p, which packs Intel's i7 Haswell CPU into a small, box-like form factor that measures the width of a golf ball (34.5 mm, before you get the tape measure out).

Lenovo claims that the model is "the most energy-efficient ThinkCentre desktop ever".the M93z, it's offered with a 64GB SSD drive and an optional SSHD drive. It will be availableAugust starting at £550 (excluding VAT).

Finally, the company is also launching its ThinkCentre M83 Enterprise Desktop, which also features Intel's 4th-generation Haswell CPU, a 64GB SSD drive and optional SSHD. It's another model designed to save space, but Lenovo says there's plenty of room for expansion into an optional tower form factor. It will be availableDecember starting at £500 (excluding VAT).

The PC industry is currently faced with a gloomy outlook. In May, market watcher IDC revised its forecast to predict that worldwide PC shipments will decline by 7.8% in 2013 as users consider ing PC purchases or opt for alternative tablet and mobile devices.

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Galaxy Star review: Cheapest Android Samsung

NEW DELHI: Galaxy Star is a very important smartphone. In many ways, it is more important than the likes of Galaxy S4, iPhone 5 and HTC One that are usually in limelight. 

With a market price of less than Rs 5,000, this is the cheapest Android phonea big companySamsung. Unlike many other affordable smartphones that run two or three years old versions of the OS, Galaxy Star is powered by Jelly Bean (Android 4.1). 

For consumers — and there are millions of them in India — looking to movea feature phone to an affordable smartphone, Galaxy Star seemsa tantalizing option. 

All depends on whether the device delivers on its promises or not. 

After spending a considerable time with it, we can answer this question in affirmative. Yes, Galaxy Star did what it was supposed to do. It is a good Android phone for its price. But sadly it fell short of what we expected it to do. 

So,does that leave you, the consumer? Should you buy Galaxy Star or not? The answer depends on what you wantyour smartphone. 

Case for Galaxy Star 

It looks cute: At a time when big 5-inch screen phones are commonplace, using Galaxy Star is a refreshing change. It is small and looks cute with its rounded edges. It is also rather chubby, which gives it a pebble look. The shell of Galaxy Star is madeglossy plastic but for style, Samsung has added a plastic frame with faux metal finish around the screen and a small ring around the camera. Overall, we were pleased with the build quality. It has top class finish, which is much better than what you get with phones sold by local OEMs. 

Decent screen: The screen in Galaxy Star is not perfect but it is acceptable, considering its low price. It is bright and shows decent colours. It also has a comparatively good touch response. Yes, the screen size is too small and resolution too low but in terms ofshowing colours, we found it pretty good. 

Best in class email, IM, and Facebook experience: The biggest strength of Galaxy Star is the OS it runs. Jelly Bean, which Samsung has customized with its Touchwiz user interface, allows a user to access popular servicesGmail, Google Talk, Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. We checked out these services on the device and found they work very well. This is a big plus for Galaxy Star as it brings a decent email and web communication experience at a price of Rs 5,000. 

Access to very good apps, including quality games: The presence of Android Jelly Bean also means you have access to almostAndroid apps, provided the hardware in Galaxy Star can handle them. You can download and installsorts of music players, instant messages and utility appsthe Play store. As far as games are concerned, you can't play somethingNeed For Speed Swift, which require lots of graphics horsepower, but gamesTemple Run or Jewels Star can be played. Also, there is no GPS in the phone. This means navigation apps that require precise location don't work well with the device. 

Decent battery life: Galaxy Star lasts around 14 hours when used with 2G data connection. It's not great but is above average. Acceptable camera: The 2MP camera in Galaxy Star is capable of shooting clear images in daylight. Considering the low resolution, they don't have much in terms of details, but the colours come out well. The images are good enough to be shared on social media sites, especially if you use filters. There are many photo apps in the Android store. They work well on Galaxy Star and you can use them to get the best out of the camera. As expected, in low light and for video shoots the camera fares poorly. 

Case against Galaxy Star

Small screen and low resolution: Of these two issues, low resolution is particularly bothersome. On a feature phone, consumers often don't mind low resolution because they don't expect to browse web or watch videos on it. On an Android smartphones, expectations are different. The text on Galaxy Star doesn't look sharp and within apps it is difficult to make out fine user interface details due to the low resolution screen. Small screen is also an issue. We wish that Samsung could have brought its A game to the affordable phone market and had given Galaxy Star a bigger screen. 

Slow performance: While Galaxy Star has fairly decent hardware for its price, if you push the phone hard it starts to lag. AppsFacebook, Gmail and WhatsApp work well. Even web browsing works well if you stick to mobile version of websites. But a bit more demanding tasks make the phone slow. Pinch-to-zoom while browsing full websites is slow, especially on Chrome browser. The phone can run gamesTemple Run, but there are occasions when it may miss a touch or swipeyou, frustrating your efforts to create new records while running awaythe monster. Multitasking is supported but low amount of RAM means apps running in background are often flushed out of the memory to make space for the active apps. 

No 3G: Galaxy Star can only handle Wi-Fi and 2G (EDGE) connection. This creates two issues. One, due to 2G pings and slow speed, the phone feels slower than it is because appsFacebook or web browsers take extra seconds to display or process content. The second issue is that you can't use Galaxy Star as a modem to access fast internet. Tethering, which allows use of an Android phone with a SIM as modem to provide Wi-Fi connectivity to other devices, is supported. But speed is limited to 2G, which is poor. 

Star vs Asha Given the price of Galaxy Star, it is obvious to compare it to Nokia Asha 501. We haven't reviewed the Nokia device yet but we have used it enough to tell you how Galaxy Star and Asha 501 fare. 

Both devices offer solid build quality, similar camera performance and similar connectivity options (no 3G on Asha 501). Overall, Asha 501 feels marginally faster during the use. But it is saddled with an interface and app ecosystem that is inferior to what Galaxy Star offers. If you want a phone primarily for making calls and messages, Asha 501 is a good option. 

But if you want a phone that can handle more than calls and messages, Galaxy Star is a better deal. It is a better device for browsing the web, playing games, accessing emails (especially if you use Gmail) and using Facebook. It also offers access to more and vastly better apps as well as contact and calendar management through Google services, which is a real boon. 

Final words As we said earlier, Galaxy Star delivers on the promises it makes. It is one of the better Android phones for Rs 5,000. But then it fails to meet the expectations that we havea companySamsung. The low-end Android market needs something that breaks new ground and offers decent Android experience, even if it is basic, in a device that has at least a 4-inch screen and support for 3G. 

Buy Galaxy Star if you are looking for an affordable Android device that can help you keep in touch with your friends on Facebook and Gmail as well as let you access smart functionsGoogle contacts and Google calendar. But if you intend to use it for playing games, watching videos or browsing internet, we suggest you spend a bit more and buy an Android phone that sells for around Rs 8,000 to Rs 9,000. 

Specs 2.9-inch capacitive touchscreen (240 x 320 pixels resolution)

1GHz single-core processor

Mali 300 graphics chip

512MB RAM

4GB internal storage

support for up to 32GB microSD card

2-megapixel camera, QVGA video recording

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2G, dual sim

1200mAh battery

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Price: Rs 4,999 

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'Mobile internet is the next big growth engine'

BANGALORE: India's ecommerce posterboy Flipkart.com has built its next-generation data centre running on the Juniper Networks's Junos operating system. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is deploying Juniper's ethernet switches, integrated with its security and routing devices, within the Chennai Airport's new terminals. In an interaction with TOI, Kevin Johnson, CEO of Juniper Networks, talks about how he and his team are focused on fundamentally changing the experience and economics of networking through an ecosystem of innovation built on integrated software platforms. Excerpts: 

Do you think customers are plugging into the new networking paradigm?

Today, a third of the population is connected to the internet. Projections say, two-thirds of the population will be connected to the internet in the near future. There are more people connected through mobile devices and networks are enabling innovation. Internally, we call this as connect everything and empower everyone. Network has created an opportunity to access information and be connected. It's had an impact on education, commerce, healthcare and way the governments can reach out to their citizens. The internet is providing positive implications in the world that we live in. The fact that you can have people collaborate around an idea related to innovation and create a network for them to share their ideas is made possible by the internet. Network is a key enabler of innovation not just in technology, but in the way businesses operate. 

The demand fundamentals for networking continue to remain strong. What's driving growth?

I think, there is a huge demand for smartphones and tablets and people want to consume more data on the internet. In many ways, service providers will continue to look to Juniper to innovate so that we can reduce the cost of traffic carried and make them more profitable. In addition to this, some service providers have innovated in their own business models. The big growth engines are mobile internet, videos and distribution of videos on the network. Increasing adoption of cloud computing, private cloud and public clouds and big data centres connected to network are other drivers for growth. 

How is the enterprise business playing out in India?

Our India business is growing rapidly. Last year, we grew 30% on the enterprise side, while the service providers business was flat and part of that is related to the way the spectrum was allocated on the wireless side. The wireless spectrum and auction process have created a situationthe industry remains fragmented. There has been a pause in spending and service providers are waiting for certain changes in policy matters. Most competitors in the wireless side are not making profits posing a challenge to many of the service providers. I think that's being addressed. 

How are you leveraging on cloud to deliver a better value proposition?

There are certain applicationsclients have concerns around privacy of data and hence, they want to store their data on a private cloud. At the end of the day, virtualised data centres provide better economics of computing. In addition to connecting data centres to the internet, we have a sizable security business that will grow exponentially in the next 5-10 years.

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Skype vs Facetime app: Take your pick

Skype, now owned by Microsoft, does have an app for the iPad. You can find instructions for getting started with it on the Skype site. 

One of the biggest advantages Skype has over Apple's FaceTime app is that you can make audio and video calls to other Skype users around the world on more types of hardware. This includes calling Windows and Mac computers, Android devices, Windows Phone handsets and even certain Skype-enabled televisions and Blu-ray players. Skype-to-Skype calls are free, and for a bit of money, you can call regular telephone numbers. 

Apple's FaceTime app is also free for one-to-one video calls, but it only works on certain Apple-made products. These include camera-equipped iOS devices made within the past few years and Macs running OS X 10.6 and later. Still, because it is integrated into the operating system, FaceTime can be a little easier to set up and use if you plan to chat only with people carrying Apple gear. 

Video and audio quality in both apps may vary based on network and data traffic issues, especially if you are calling over a 3G or 4G cellular connection instead of Wi-Fi . Since both apps are free for video calls, there is nothing stopping youusing both as you need them — or even adding Google+ Hangouts into the mix if you are a member there, too.

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India to have highest IP traffic growth rate: Study

DUBAI: India is set to have the highest Internet Protocol (IP) traffic growth rate with a 44 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR)2012-2017 followed by Indonesia (42 per cent CAGR) and South Africa (31 per cent CAGR) over the forecast period, a new study has revealed. 

The Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast (2012-2017) projects that global IP traffic will grow three-fold between 2012 and 2017. 

By 2017, the highest traffic-generating countries will be the United States (37 exabytes per month) and China (18 exabytes per month), says the report. 

At the regional level, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) will continue to be the fastest growing IP traffic region2012-2017 (5-fold growth, 38 per cent compound annual growth rate over the forecast period); MEA was the fastest growing region last year as well (10-fold growth, 57 per cent compound annual growth rate for 2011- 2016 forecast period) in this category, the report said. 

Asia-Pacific (APAC) will generate the most IP traffic by 2017 (43.4 exabytes/month), maintaining its leadershiplast year. 

According to the report, by 2017, there will be about 3.6 billion Internet users - more than 48 per cent of the world's projected population (7.6 billion). In 2012, there were 2.3 billion Internet users - about 32 per cent of the world's population (7.2 billion). 

By 2017, there will be more than 19 billion global network connections (fixed/mobile personal devices, M2M connections), upabout 12 billion connections in 2012. 

Global network users will generate 3 trillion Internet video minutes per month, that is 6 million years of video per month, or 1.2 million video minutes every second or more than two years worth of video every second.

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More Moto X snaps surface, Motorola denies July 11 launch

Just hours after the the leaks of the Moto X's back and front panels, more pictures of the customisable handset have revealed themselves online.

Put together with the pictures we sawthe weekend, the new images, leaked on Weibo and passed onto Nowhereelse, help paint a better picture of the handset - assuming that they're real, of course.

For one, they give us a clear look at the rear of the casing on the black handset that looks set to come in a matte finish, while we're expecting the front to have a nice glossy touch.

The white case, on the other hand, has a textured finish to its back. While we can only see the black and white variants right now, Motorola is expected to offer the phone in a large spectrum of colours.

After all, what's a customisable phone if you can't choose your hue?

Take your pick, but not on July 11

However, it turns out that the guessed July 11 unveiling is a definite no-no. Android Community has been informed directly that no such event will be taking place, and the fact that the two people in the advert are posedXI - the Roman numerals for 11 - is nothing more coincidence.

Unfortunately we won't be able to customise the handset's specs. Leaks have suggested that the phone will have a 1.7GHz dual core MSM8960 Pro chip, 2GB of RAM, a 720p display, 16GB of storage, a 10-megapixel camera on the rear, and a 2-megapixel on the front.

Guy Kawasaki, advisor to Motorola, recently suggests that you'll be able to customise the Moto X as if it were a classic Porsche, and we expect the phone will be available in a large range of possible colours.

• Hungry for more? Here's everything we know about the Moto X so far

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Microsoft to shut pioneering online TV service

The predecessor of many modern internet TV services, MSN TV was purchased by Microsoft in 1997 for 425 million dollars, and requires a significant amount of hardware including a set-top box and bespoke keyboard, reports BBC. 

According to the report, MSN TV allows users to check email, use MSN chat services and share photos online. 

Stuart Miles, founder of technology news website Pocket-lint said that there are a lot of companies which are trying to make things more efficienttheir end. 

He further said that MSN TV is a technology that served a purpose at the time and now it is redundant.

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Yahoo shuts down search engine AltaVista

NEW YORK: Once up on a time, there was a popular search engine called AltaVista. It lives no more. 

On July 8, its owner Yahoo sent AltaVista.com to the internet graveyard to rest alongside order-almost-anything venture Kozmo.com and the butlerAsk Jeeves. 

Palo Alto, California-based AltaVista was introduced in 1995, three years before Google was founded. Eclipsed by Google in the early 2000s, AltaVista's star had already faded by the time Yahoo acquired it as part of its $1.7 billion purchase of Overture Services in July 2003. Overture had bought AltaVista earlier that yearMassachusetts-based CMGI. 

Yahoo announced AltaVista's fate on its Tumblr page late last month. Search industry expert Danny Sullivan likened AltaVista to a bright child neglected by its parents. 

"You were loved. You really were," Sullivan wrote in a blog post eulogizing the site. "People did not want to leave you. But despite adding new features, some of which Google copied, you couldn't keep up with the pace and innovation of that company, which decided against becoming a portalyour corporate masters ordered for you."

Indeed, AltaVista's decline began after it expanded to become moreYahoo, offering a bevy of online services instead of sticking solely with search. By the time the site reversed course, it was too late. Its finances were sinking and Google was on the rise. 

Yahoo's June 28 announcement of AltaVista's end is brief. It's buried as the eighth item on a list of other services the company is shutting down. Along with the mention of AltaVista's July 8 expiration date, the post says only: "Please visit Yahoo Search forof your searching needs." 

According to dataonline research firm comScore, most people in the US use Google for their search needs, followed by Microsoft's Bing. Yahoo is in third place. 

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What Infosys, NIIT are doing to retain talent

MUMBAI/ KOLKATA: The tough macroeconomic environment has prompted companies to enhance their focus on people in an attempt to retain and engage top talent. CompaniesCiti India, Infosys, Maruti Suzuki, Essar Group, RPG, and NIIT, among others, have focused increasingly on innovative rewards and recognition, talent development, workplace bonding initiatives and family connect programmes to tide over the uncertainty and boost employee morale. 

Citi India has redesigned its performance management strategies, in addition to introducing new career planning interventions and employee assistance programmes. Besides assessments of regular training sessions and workshops for managers, Citi made their online training programmes more robust. 

It also introduced initiatives'career week' and a 'leader-teach-leader' series whereby senior executives coach employees through experiential learning exercises. 

"We continued to invest in our leadership curriculum and also have created a reward strategy based on long-term goal achievements," says Anuranjita Kumar, country human resources officer, Citi India. 

Last year, Infosys introduced an initiative called Pathfinder Next, an internal internship programme. Employees work on internal assignments that enable them to have access to opportunities across technology, business domains, service lines and support functions, choose opportunities that suit their career interests and have a platform to innovate and build new skills. 

"The focus was on enhancing resource efficiencies and bridging skill gaps," says Richard Lobo, AVP and head - employee relations at Infosys. The re-skilling of employees has enabled companies to reduce cost and dependency on external hiring. Companies have implemented most of these measures over the past one to two years, even though the strategising has taken place over aperiod of time to address needs emerging out of the prolonged slowdown that started in 2008. 

"The rigour in framing these policies and managing people went up manifold during the period starting 2009, because the penalty of making a mistake was much higher compared with the gain in being successful," says Nischae Suri, head, people and change practice, KPMG India. 

CompaniesEssar have consciously started using mentoring and reverse mentoring to address the needs of a multi-generation workforce of the future. "Creating a burning desire in minds of the youngthey believe they have something significant remaining to be achieved, really makes people go for their goals," says Adil Malia, group president (HR), Essar Group. 

Maruti went in for a change in strategy and decentralised its HR function, with dedicated HR teams attached to individual verticals. "This speeds up decision making, helps in evolving customised solutions and ensures faster feedback," says SY Siddiqui, chief operating officer, administration. Last year, the company enhanced focus on a programme called 'Parivaar Milan'family members of employees visit their factories in groups, mostly on a Saturday. 

Employees are invited to accompany their families during the day, wherein they show off their workplaces. Later, the heads of manufacturing, HR and other areas talk to the families about the company's plans and achievements in an informal setting. 

RPG looked at organisational structure and head count for some of their key businesses through an internal taskforce, and made changes that resulted in a better economy for the company. 

In one of its engineering businesses which was not doing well, for instance, the company set up a task force that suggested a complete overhaul of strategy. This included a look at new business areas, customer segment to target, and even the entire structure of the organisation (the HR aspect), says Arvind Agrawal, president - corporate development & HR, RPG Enterprises. Accordingly, certain divisions were merged and people were moved tothey were required and the roles they suited best in the new structure besides training people in new areas of expertise and hiring people wherever required. 

The implementation has taken place over the past four to five months, and yielded a 15% to 20% reduction in people cost. 

NIIT brought in the concept of Learning Cliniques, which includes handholding participants to help them make positive change in behaviour based on classroom learnings. Greater focus on leadership development has also been brought in, and talent mobility within the organisation became an important area of focus. It took up internal job postings on a war footing. 

"We leveraged the multi-business nature of NIIT and were able to show long-term career paths to most NIITians within the company itself," says Shampi Venkatesh, chief people officer. The company also facilitated senior leadership connect and conversations with teams. 

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Soon, drive your car with smartphone

WASHINGTON: Satellite-navigation firm Garmin is introducing its first portable head-up display, or HUD, for smartphone navigation apps. 

The head-up display projects real-time driving directions onto the windscreen of a vehicle. The device is capable of projecting crisp, bright directions onto a transparent film on the windshield, which will reduce driver distraction. 

The company said the device pairs wirelessly with a compatible Bluetooth-enabled smartphones such as iPhone, Android phone or Windows 8-powered phones. 

The benefit is seen as reducing the distance the driver's eyes need to movethe road to take in the latest route guidance, Fox News reports. The Garmin HUD is a portable device that can be movedcar to car, and will be launched this summer for 130 dollars, the report added.

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What makes Snapchat hit among teenagers

The Snapchat application, mainly used for sending selfies (a picture taken of yourself) is gaining popularity among youngsters, especially teens. With this app, users can take a photograph or record a video and send it to a friend. After a set time limit, the image or video self-destructs . The time limit can be10 seconds to as little as one. 

Snapchat has seen incredible growth in recent years; and it's catching on fast in Bangalore as well. The app allows teenagers to "be themselves without being too conscious of how they look" and they are enjoying it. "Snapchat's a quick and easy way to communicate," says 16-year-old Gayatri Menon, who uses this photo-messaging app to send pictures of things she finds interesting or funny every day. "Ithe app because of its self-destruction feature," says Abhilasha Seth.

"I can take as many absurd, embarrassing pictures of myself and not dread the consequences." 

But the popular conception of Snapchat is that it's used by teens to send nude and semi-nude pictures. "Sexting on Snapchat is fun and spices up my relationships," says a teenager who uses the app frequently. But notagree. "I really don'tthe concept of Snapchat. It seems a little pointless. Although many of my friends use it, I find texting a better alternative ," says 17-year-old Manvendra Kikkeri.

A photographer created a Tumblr blog dedicated to the nude Snapchat pictures. "He says he put out an open call for salacious shots on Twitter and was overwhelmed by the response," writes Doug Gross on CNN.com. The only way a recipient can preserve the photo is to take a picture of it with another camera. But, Snapchat immediately sends the user a notification saying that a screenshot has been taken, but often, it's too late.

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Email snooping: What intelligence agencies track

The Obama administration for over two years allowed the National Security Agency to collect enormous amounts of metadata on email usage by Americans, according to one of the latest leaks of government documents by the now-famous whistleblower Edward J Snowden. 

But what is e-mail metadata anyway? It's information about the people you're sending emails to and receiving emails from, and the times that the messages were sent — as opposed to the contents of the messages. It's the digital equivalent of a postal service worker looking at your mail envelope instead of opening it up and reading what's inside. 

That sounds harmless, but it turns out your email metadata can be used to connect the dots of your life story. I learned thisparticipating in Immersion, a project by MIT's Media Laboratory. Immersion is a tool that mines your email metadata and automatically stitches ittogether into an interactive graphic. The result is a creepy spider web showingthe people you've corresponded with, how they know each other, and who your closest friends and professional partners are. 

After entering my Google mail credentials, Immersion took five minutes to stitch together metadataemails going back eight years. A quick glimpse at my results gives an accurate description of my life. 

In an Immersiont, each person is represented by dots. The more you've emailed with the person, the bigger the dot gets. In my results, the biggest dot was my boss at my last job; the second biggest was my long-term former girlfriend. The medium-size ones were some of my closest friends. Lines that connected some dots showed friends of mine who knew each other.

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