Soon, make 3D video calls through Skype

Instant messaging and video-calling service Skype is reportedly working on the prospects of 3D video calling and the current limitations with the 3D technologies stopped the company from launching the feature. 

Microsoft's corporate vice-president for Skype, Mark Gillett said that the lab experimentation has been done to analyse the capability of 3D screens and 3D capture. 

Gillett said that there has been a lot of progress in screens and people have started to buy televisions and computer monitors capable of delivering 3D image, but there is a lack of 3D capture devices and the company has been working on just that, BBC reports. 

According to the report, the vice-president said that Skype is working with the technology where multiple cameras need to be attached to the computer, precisely calibrate them and point them at the right angle and are now aiming at using that technology to make it work in practical with supporting devices. 

Gillet agreed with Hollywood director James Cameron who said that all forms of entertainment will eventually be 3D but warned that 3D video chats will take longer to catch on than other uses. 

He further added that the penetration of 3D technology would be more on televisions and computers before eventually reaching the smartphone market, the report added.

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US-made Moto X‘s labour cost less than Galaxy S4

Motorola's new Moto X phone doesn't cost more to make simply because it's assembled in Texas, research firm IHS. 

The Moto X is the first smartphone to carry the "Made in the USA" designation. Labor costs are higher in the US compared with Asian factories, where phones are typically made. But IHS said the Moto X is about 5 percent cheaper to make than Samsung Electronic's flagship Galaxy S4phone. The firm said the Moto X's overall production cost is just 9 percent more than that of Apple's iPhone 5. 

The findings come as little surprise, as the labor cost of a phone is just a small part of its production cost. IHS estimates that labor and other assembly costs Motorola $12 per phone for the Moto X, bringing the production cost to $226. That compares with $207 for the iPhone 5 and $237 for the Galaxy S4. IHS said Motorola is able to keep the cost of parts low by using standard components that don't break much new ground. 

By assembling the phone in Fort Worth, Texas, Motorola is able to let customers order custom designs online for delivery within four days. Standard black or white models are available immediately at retail stores. 

"With the Moto X, Motorola is reaping the public-relations and customization upsides of producing a smartphone in the United States, while maintaining competitive hardware costs," said Andrew Rassweiler, senior director for cost benchmarking services at IHS. 

IHS said the estimated $12 for assembly is about $3.50 to $4 more than other leading phones. 

"Our initial estimate suggests the additional costs of onshoring the Moto X are relatively low," IHS said. 

The phone went on sale last Friday, starting with AT&T. It's coming to other carriers, including Verizon this week. The Moto X's price is about $200 with a two-year service agreement. 

The Moto X is Motorola's first phone designed from the start under its new owner, Google. The Internet search company bought Motorola Mobility for $12.4 billion last year.

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iGate appoints ex-Infosys exec Ashok Vemuri as CEO

Ashok Vemuri, the head of Infosys' North American operations and a member of its board, has defected from India's second-largest software company to join iGate as its new chief executive officer.

The departure of Vemuri, who was regarded as a potential future CEO of Infosys, is another blow to a company which has been struggling for management stability. For iGate, it brings to an end its months-long search for a leader after the US-based company fired Phaneesh Murthy as CEO in May for not disclosing a sexual relationship with a colleague.

InfosysBSE -0.52 % announced Vemuri's resignation on Wednesday. Vemuri's acceptance of the offer from iGate was confirmed to ET by two people. In June, this newspaper reported that Vemuri was among those in discussions with Russell Reynolds Associates, the headhunting firm with the mandate to help iGate find a new CEO.

NR Narayana Murthy, who made a comeback to the under-performing Infosys as its chairman in June with his son Rohan as his executive assistant, described Vemuri, 45, as an "important player" in the growth of the company. Vemuri, who has been with Infosys for a decade and a half, did not consult him before taking a decision to resign, Murthy said in an email.

"I spoke to him last night to find out if we could do anything to retain him. He said he wanted to be the CEO of a company as early as possible and that he had gotten the opportunity now even though the company is much smaller," wrote Murthy. "On the other hand, he said, the probability of his becoming the CEO at Infosys was at best 33% and at least 18 to 20 months away. Therefore, he felt that he must move on. I agreed with him and wished him the best since he has been a wonderful Infoscion."

Along with Vemuri, Europe head B G Srinivas and India business head V Balakrishnan have been regarded as the internal candidates most likely to succeed SD Shibulal as CEO of the $7-billion (Rs 45,000 crore) company in 2015.

iGate declined to comment on what it called "speculation".

Vemuri will be replaced as head the manufacturing vertical by his deputy Sanjay Jolona. In 2011, Vemuri and Srinivas swapped roles, with the former taking on responsibility for manufacturing and the latter for financial services.

Since returning to the company he cofounded, Murthy has been ringing in several changes to transform Infosys into a "desirable" company once again. He unexpectedly raised salaries for staff in June, while at the same time warning that under-performance by employees would not be tolerated. He has said he will increase focus on winning high-volume deals for software application development and management of computer networks. To offset the expected drop in margins, he is cutting costs at expensive overseas locations.

One of the areas thought to be affected by the cost-cutting efforts is the so-called Strategic Sourcing Group for large contracts which was managed by Vemuri.

After Murthy's return, Infosys has seen its sales head Basab Pradhan resign. The North America head for financial services Sudhir Chaturvedi recently resigned to join NIIT Technologies. Before that, Shaji Farooq and Balaji Yellavalli from the financial services unit jumped to cross-town rivalWipro.

"From a market perspective, it's already factored in that from now it's going to be Murthy's show," said Sonam Udhasi, head of research at IDBI Capital.

The Infosys stock opened 1.5% lower on the New York Stock Exchange. On the National Stock Exchange, the shares closed 2.1% higher at Rs 3,121.

Any consequence of the departure of Vemuri (he will serve his notice until September 12) could be felt in the financial services vertical and North America, both key revenue-earners for the company. North America accounts for over 60% of Infosys' sales. But since iGate is much smaller - its revenue was $1 billion in 2012 - the impact will be limited. iGate is aiming for revenue of $3 billion in 2017.

Ankur Rudra of Ambit Capital, however, said that the departure would have a ripple effect in both the manufacturing and financial services verticals as well as the North American operations because of the deep relationships that Vemuri has built within the company and among clients.

"After Murthy returned there have been a few senior executive departures and it is worryingly beginning to look like a trend at Infosys."

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Smartwatches: Casio’s plan to take on Samsung, Apple

Clunky? Perhaps. Geeky? Absolutely. But for three decades Casio Computer's G-Shock line of digital watches has dominated a small, yet lucrative, market. 

The geeky-watch niche is drawing interest from some of the biggest names in technology. Appletrademarked 'iWatch' in several countries this year, which has fueled speculation that it is working on a wristwatch that would link with a smartphone. 

Samsung Electronics is expected to unveil a watch in early September that can make phone calls, play video games and send emails. Last month, Sony revamped its Smartwatch , which communicates with smartphones and lets users play games or check Facebook by tapping their wrists. 

"Suddenly, everyone's discovered the wrist," Kazuo Kashio, Casio's 84-year-old chief executive, said. "We've known for a long time it's prime real estate. We're prepared." The spike in interest in wearable computing devices is shaking up the digital watch industry, catapulting a sleepy business to the cutting edge of personal technology. 

In the process, established digital watchmakers like Casio are finding that they must contend with new competitors. But that is nothing new for Casio, a company with $3.06 billion in annual revenue that also makes compact cameras, musical instruments and calculators. 

Sales of digital watches account for 85% of Casio's operating profit of approximately $206 million. But in a report earlier this year, analysts for Credit Suisse said the advantage would increasingly tilt toward companies that focus on connectivity, apps and user interfaces. 

But in real life, success in smartwatch design has been more elusive. Citizen, Casio and other Japanese manufacturers developed calculator watches in the late 1970s, but they never took off. Casio soon emerged as a leading digital watchmaker, adding dictionaries, blood pressure sensors, a touchscreen and gesture control by the late 1980s. 

But after disappointing sales of many of those models — Kashio said the company was ahead of its time — Casio instead turned its attention to making the weatherproof, shatterproof G-Shock watches. Casio continues to aggressively market new products. Last year, it introduced a watch that uses Bluetooth to let wearers see incoming calls and messages. 

And it is working on a host of models, including one that will let joggers post details of their runs online, Kashio said.

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A ‘floating‘ stand for your laptop

TwelveSouth's new Ghost Stand is a Houdini for your MacBook-the clear lucite computer stand looks like it has suspended your laptop in mid-air. 

Inspired by designer Philippe Starck's Ghost Chair, the $35 platform is available starting today. It works for MacBooks, MacBook Airs, and MacBook Pros. The stand levitates your MacBook six inches above your desk, to give you more room to work comfortably with a wireless mouse and a different keyboard, or maybe a second monitor.

Plus, it's nice and modern and unobtrusive, with two silicone rails that will keep your laptop securely attached to the seemingly floating stand. Magic.

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Android security apps that don‘t drain your device‘s battery

If you've been thinking about installing a mobile security tool for your Android phone or tablet but you're worried about the impact it may have on your battery, the folks at AV-Comparatives have some good news for you. They tested 16 different mobile antivirus apps, and none of them seriously drained the battery. 

AV-Comparatives tested 16 different products, including some of the most reputable names in mobile security like Lookout, ESET, Sophos, Kaspersky, Trend Micro, F-Secure, and Avast!, among others. They put each suite through its paces, testing to see if it caught all of the over 3,000 malware applications they tried to slip past it, and how much battery drain each app was responsible for. Maximum PC explains: 

Surprisingly, there wasn't a whole lot that separated one product from another. Starting with a look at battery usage, AV-Comparatives found that most of the products only had a minor impact on battery life. The worst offenders in this category were Qihoo and Webroot, the former because it uses "fancy animations" and the latter due to its real-time protection component. Though they came in last, the battery drain still only amounted to around 3%. 

When it came to testing malware protection, AhnLab and Kingsoft both detected 99.9% of the nearly 3,000 malware applications that were collected in the four weeks prior to the start of the test. Kaspersky came in a close second at 99.7%, followed by Baidu and ESET (both detected 99.6%), Bitdefender (99.4%), and Avast (99%). Several others scored in the 98 percentile, while Ikarus took last place with a 91% detection rate.
AV-Comparatives concludes that the days when the value of mobile security apps was questionable at best is long over, and the threats facing mobile devices (specifically Android users) are significant enough that "mobile security software protects the user against the great majority of threats, and should not, in our opinion, be regarded as merely optional." 

You can see how each of the products fared in the chart above. Keep in mind that many of the suites may not be available in your market because they were designed for other countries (and to catch malware threats more prevalent in other regions). Even so, if you've wondered whether Android antivirus would come into its own, it has-and if you were worried about your battery, don't. Hit the link below to read the full report.

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HP launches new EliteBook and Probook

Hewlett Packard (HP) launched new notebooks targeted at professional users. The company introduced EliteBook Revolve 810 and ProBook 430 G1 in India. While the Elitebook has a starting price of Rs 90,000, the Probook will cost at least Rs 39,000.

Both laptops are powered by Windows 8.

Elitebook Revolve 810 is sleeker and more portable of the two. It weighs just 1.36kgs and has an 11.6-inch touchscreen. The screen resolution is, however, rather low at 1366 x 768 pixels. It is a convertible laptop and its screen can be swiveled. It can also be laid flat on the keyboard, turning the laptop into a Windows 8 tablet. The device is powered by 3rd generation Core i processor and can be configured to have as much as 12GB RAM.

Elitebook Revolve also has a premium design and finish. It uses a Gorilla glass cover on the screen and has a body made of magnesium alloy.

ProBook 430 G1 is a mainstream laptop. HP said that the device is powered by 4th generation Core I processor. It has a 13.3-inch screen with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. Sunish Raghavan, who looks after commercial notebook division at HP India, said that this laptop will be available in several configurations. Buyers will have choice to opt from Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors. They will also be able to able to choose between a hard disk and a solid state drive and have option of getting up to 16GB RAM.

"People who want web connectivity on will have option to buy the version of ProBook 430 G1 that offers inbuilt support for 3G connection," said Raghavan.

The ProBook weighs 1.50kg. "Professionals today demand zero-compromise productivity and extreme mobility in a computer, and HP offers the best solution with Elitebook Revolve and ProBook 430," said Raghavan.

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BYOD, phablet make it to Oxford dictionary

Twerk (dancing to popular music in a provocative manner), Tweet, FOMO (fear of missing out) and flash mob (a group of people breaking into an impromptu jig) are some of the latest entries in the Oxford dictionary. FIL (father-in-law ) too is an official word and so is food baby (a big protruding stomach caused by eating street food). 
Also finding place in the latest edition of the dictionary are many abbreviations like 'BYOD' (bring your own device), 'srsly' (seriously ), srsly TL;DR (seriously too long, didn't read), LDR (long-distance relationship ) and apols (apologies) among others. 
'Phablet' (a smartphone with a screen size smaller than a tablet) also gets an official tag as technology and everyday lingo influenced the list of words added. 
Selfie — a camera phone self-portrait posted online, digital detox (time spent offline ) and digital currency (Bitcoin) have now been included in the new dictionary. 
It is estimated that annually, 1.8 billion new words are thrown in, but just around 1,000 of them actually make it to the dictionary. 
Spokeswoman of the dictionary Katherine Connor Martin said the word "twerk" has been around for 20 years but has generated enough evidence of usage to be added to its online dictionaries with American pop star Miley Cyrus hitting headlines this week for "twerking" at the MTV Video Music Awards.

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Space laser to take increased broadband beyond Earth

NASA's new mission is going to attempt to show that two-way laser communication beyond Earth is possible, which expandes the possibility of transmitting huge amounts of data.

This new ability could one day allow for 3-D High Definition video transmissions in deep space to become routine.

Don Cornwell, Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) manager, said that the goal of the (LLCD) experiment is to validate and build confidence in this technology so that future missions will consider using it.

He said that this unique ability developed by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory), hasincredible application possibilities and we are very excited to get this instrument off the ground.

LLCD is NASA's first dedicated system for two-way communication using laser instead of radio waves.

Cornwell said that LLCD is designed to send six times more data from the moon using a smaller transmitter with 25 percent less power as compared to the equivalent state-of-the-art radio (RF) system and lasers are also more secure and less susceptible to interference and jamming.

The LLCD experiment is hosted aboard NASA's LADEE: a 100-day robotic mission designed, built, integrated, tested and will be operated by Ames.

LLCD's main mission objective is to transmit hundreds of millions of bits of data per second from the moon to Earth.

NASA engineers believe this technology becomes even more advantageous for communications beyond Earth's orbit.

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TechM: Joy of a depreciating rupee is very short-term

In an interview with ET NOW, Vineet Nayyar, executive vice-chairman, Tech Mahindra, talks about business environment and strategy. Excerpts:


ET Now: The fall in rupee certainly is a blessing in disguise for you. Your stock has hit an all-time high, your profitability will only increase and markets love our stock now.

Vineet Nayyar: There are two aspects to it - one, the stock doing well; second, the issue of this fortuitous windfall in terms of the currency movement. 

For every 1% increase or decrease in dollar-rupee, there is only 0.30 or 0.25 as the final impact, which though is not insignificant, but gets priced in very quickly, because of intense competition. Most of the Indian companies are competing with each other and both have the same advantage or disadvantage. Yes, you will see an increase in profitability over one or two quarters, but then you will start seeing a dip as the markets adjust to the new reality. 

ET Now: Rupee depreciation also leads to certain problems like pricing future projects and hedging. How are you dealing with these issues? 

Vineet Nayyar: The current volatility is symptomatic of significant malaises in the economy and therefore that is far more worrisome than windfall profits or windfall losses which may arise for certain industries. Unless we don't repair the fundamentals which have gone awry, or till the fiscal deficit which is aggravating and the balance of payment deficit are rectified, the economy will continue to remain fragile. 

ET Now: Have your clients renegotiated your billing rates or they do not bother about what is happening to the currency, they are only bothered about delivery and quality of service? 

Vineet Nayyar: Delivery and quality of services is taken for granted. However, the world, be it Europe or the US, or even Asia, is facing huge economic pressures and it has already started renegotiating. Since the currency is now cheaper, the Indian industry is responding to it. Therefore, this joy of a depreciating rupee, if you can call it a joy, is very short term. 

ET Now: Do you think that demand is improving substantially when it comes to regions like the US and Europe? 

Vineet Nayyar: Yes, there is an uptick in demand because those economies, especially in Europe, are readjusting their cost base and increasingly looking towards India for a solution in bringing down the cost. Secondly, they are asking us to employ on their staff so that they do not have a negative employment issues arising. Indian Industry will also have to readjust and become truly global, not only in terms of clients, but in terms of employees. Therefore, we will still bring about cost effectiveness but we will learn to work with multinational employees globally as we go forward. 

ET Now: So one should not get excited about buying into IT stocks because rupee has depreciated and you think markets are pricing in a lot of euphoria? 

Vineet Nayyar: I do not speculate on what market does. All I am telling you is that the fundamentals of economics always remain constant. If a certain cost comes down, then it is equalised over a period of time in pricing. That has happened in every industry, and will happen here also. The laws of economics do not change. 

ET Now: You have mentioned post your earnings that you are pursuing four contracts which are about $50 million-plus. Has anything materialized? When can we expect these orders to be reflected in you order book? 

Vineet Nayyar: The negotiations are on and we are cautiously optimistic. We would not have announced it to the industry if we were not in that state of mind. Does that mean something can go wrong? Yes, it can go wrong, but there are good chances that we will come through. 

ET Now: Your margins are above 21% and because of the rupee tailwind, can I safely assume that the margin trajectory is certainly headed higher? 

Vineet Nayyar: In the short term, there will be an uptick. Yes, one can enjoy the moment, but one should never lose sight of the fundamentals. 

ET Now: On a combined entity basis after the merger, are you confident that for FY14 you will be able to grow higher than what Nasscom has projected for FY14? 
Vineet Nayyar: That would be giving guidance. 

ET Now: If Nasscom is a benchmark, will you grow higher than the industry average or will you go lower than the industry average? 

Vineet Nayyar: We do not give guidance. I would not wish to speculate, but the story will unfold itself as it always does. 

ET Now: Many experts are of the view that your dependence on telecom is going to go down dramatically and that will be the big game-changing move for you. 

Vineet Nayyar: Firstly, I am not apologetic about our dependence on telecom. We are the leaders in telecom and there is not a single large RFP which comes out globally to which we are not invited to join. We are now seen on a par with the absolute top-tier global technology companies, when it comes to telecom. I would not call it dependence, just that in this vector we will continue to grow. 

Yes, on the enterprise side, which came through Satyam, we have been able to diversify the portfolio. Therefore, the vicissitudes of a particular sector will not have such a large impact. Consequently, we have a balanced output, which cushions itself against sectoral ups and downs and to that extent it is a plus. But net-net, I expect telecom to grow as rigorously as enterprise. 

ET Now: Any update on Polaris's service division acquisition? Are you still in race? 

Vineet Nayyar: I have heard the name somewhere, but at this moment I would not like to comment.

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Nokia 515 feature phone with aluminium body launched

Nokia's feature phone portfolio has got a new addition, Nokia 515. The all-new Nokia 515 has been built from a single piece of anodized, sandblasted aluminium.

The feature phone features a 2.4-inch QVGA display with 240x320 pixels and boasts a pixel density of 166ppi while also possessing the scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 2 for protection. It measures 114x48x11mm and weighs 101.1gm for single SIM and 102.7 gm for dual-SIM variant. The phone comes with 64MB RAM and an internal memory of 256 MB which can be expanded up to 32 GB via microSD card.

Nokia 515 has a 5MP rear camera with LED flash. The phone also offers some smart features like voice-guided self-portrait for taking self-shots with the rear camera, Sequential shots and Panorama.

In terms of connectivity options, the Nokia 515 offers Bluetooth, EDGE, GPRS, Micro-USB and 3G, but no WiFi. It supports Micro-SIM instead of the regular SIM. The phone supports 3.5G HSDPA internet and also comes with some pre-loaded apps like Facebook, Twitter, Nimbuzz and Mail for Exchange that allows users people to check work email and sync their calendars and contacts.

The phone is slated to be available in two versions of single and Easy Swap dual-SIM.

The Nokia 515 would be rolling out globally in September into markets like Russia, Germany, Switzerland and Poland. It will have a suggested retail price of $149 before taxes and subsidies.

In India, the dual version of the phone is expected to hit the market as it has been listed on the company's India website. There is, however, no confirmation of the phone's price and availability.

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