Finally, Apple steps up to Android with the futuristic, ambitious iOS 7

Apple

Apple's not exactly reinventing the mobile OS with iOS 7, but it is refining it yet again. By combining the best of Apple design with good ideas from its competitors, Apple's latest and greatest is exactly what Apple needed to fend off the competition — and bring the cool factor back.

"This is probably the biggest news since the [first] iPhone came out," Gene Munster, a senior research analyst at Piper Jaffray told NBC News.

Many stuck with the iPhone back when iOS had no copy-and-paste, no MMS support, no Notifications Center. They didn't mind the flaws, because the alternatives weren't as stable, weren't as pretty. But the developers behind Android and Windows Phone (and even BlackBerry) got on the ball, creating elegant new ways to interact with a phone. After a while, it was Apple that looked lackluster.

Then, like a relationship counselor with a soothing British accent, Jony Ive saved the day. The force behind Apple's clean, minimalist hardware designs — and now the head of the company's human interface division — addressed many points of tension. With iOS 7, there's no need to feel jealous when glancing at Android's easily accessible settings: iOS 7 puts the important stuff into a Control Center which can be pulled up with a swipe. And you don't have to wish for Windows Phone's front-and-center notifications: iOS 7 slips them straight onto the lock screen.

Beyond the functionality that iOS 7 brings — not just improved controls and notifications, but new ways to share files with nearby users, stream music from the Internet, browse open tabs on the Web and more — the system helps Apple catch up with the razzle and dazzle of the competition. Skinny fonts and bold primary colors interact on layered visual planes that drift gracefully in and out of view — these are all hallmarks of the new design. And if certain elements may look a bit familiar, that's because, yes, many of these ideas — the "flat" school of design — have been visible in Android and Windows Phone for a few years.

Still, it wouldn't be the first time Apple let the competition go first, then swept in and stole the spotlight. Apple wasn't the first with a smartphone or an MP3 player or a tablet computer, but like those devices, Apple's execution with iOS 7 is without equal. The Cupertino-based company may have, for the first time since it lost its inspirational co-founder, Steve Jobs, shown off something that could be described as "magical."

Don't misunderstand though: iOS 7 still isn't the end all of mobile operating systems. By the time fall comes around, Google will probably show off a new version of Android, one that will highlight remaining iOS shortcomings. After all, even in iOS 7, there are no customizable homescreen widgets, no gesture-based Swype-style keyboards, no hands-on control over an apps' system usage — and both the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4 have camera apps with more powerful editing tools.

But for now? iOS 7 is as good as it gets. It binds hardware and software in a way rarely seen, it's easy on the eyes. And come fall, it'll be a free upgrade for about 300 million devices. What's not to look forward to?

Want more tech news or interesting links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her onTwitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.

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Now, enjoy music while you take a shower

NEW DELHI: Kohler has come up with a shower head fitted with music speaker for all those who want to enjoy music during a shower but are too skeptical of carrying their phone or mp3 players to the bathroom.

'Moxie' is the first of its kind showerhead to combine the delivery of water and music. With the proximity of Bluetooth enabled wireless speaker, bathers are simultaneously showered with music and a best-in-class spray experience.

It syncs with any Bluetooth-enabled device ie smartphones and mp3 player and directly streams music into the shower.

The speaker pod can also be removed for enjoyment on the go across the bathroom and beyond.

Commenting on this launch, Mr. Salil Sadanandan, Managing Director, Kohler India, Kitchen & Bath said that the demand for musical installations in the bathing space had considerable increased and hoped that the device would give a new bathing experience to the consumers.

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Spend too much on Facebook? It can hurt your relationship

WASHINGTON: If you have just started dating someone, it may be wise to limit your time on Facebook.

New couples who use Facebook excessively are far more likely to experience Facebook-related conflict which may lead to emotional and physical cheating, breakup and divorce, a new study has warned.

Russell Clayton, a doctoral student in the University of Missouri School of Journalism, along with Alexander Nagurney, an instructor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, and Jessica R Smith, a doctoral student at St Mary's University in San Antonio, surveyed Facebook users ages 18 to 82 years old.

Participants were asked to describe how often they used Facebook and how much, if any, conflict arose between their current or former partners as a result of Facebook use.

The researchers found that high levels of Facebook use among couples significantly predicted Facebook-related conflict, which then significantly predicted negative relationship outcomes such as cheating, breakup, and divorce.

"Previous research has shown that the more a person in a romantic relationship uses Facebook, the more likely they are to monitor their partner's Facebook activity more stringently, which can lead to feelings of jealousy," Clayton said.

"Facebook-induced jealousy may lead to arguments concerning past partners. Also, our study found that excessive Facebook users are more likely to connect or reconnect with other Facebook users, including previous partners, which may lead to emotional and physical cheating," Clayton added.

Clayton also found that this trend was particularly apparent in newer relationships.

"These findings held only for couples who had been in relationships of three years or less. This suggests that Facebook may be a threat to relationships that are not fully matured," he said.

"On the other hand, participants who have been in relationships for longer than three years may not use Facebook as often, or may have more matured relationships, and therefore Facebook use may not be a threat or concern," he said.

In order to prevent such conflict from arising, Clayton recommends couples, especially those who have not been together for very long, to limit their own personal Facebook use.

"Although Facebook is a great way to learn about someone, excessive Facebook use may be damaging to newer romantic relationships," Clayton said.

"Cutting back to moderate, healthy levels of Facebook usage could help reduce conflict, particularly for newer couples who are still learning about each other," he said.

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IRobot, Cisco team to create new robot - The Sun

IRobot, Cisco team to create new robot

The Sun

BEDFORD -- IRobot Corp. said Monday that it was teaming up with networking-equipment giant Cisco Systems Inc. to create a video-collaboration robot. The Ava 500 enables people working off-site to participate in meetings and presentations where 

BEDFORD -- IRobot Corp. said Monday that it was teaming up with networking-equipment giant Cisco Systems Inc. to create a video-collaboration robot.

The Ava 500 enables people working off-site to participate in meetings and presentations where movement and location spontaneity are important, iRobot officials said in a statement.

The new product combines IRobot's autonomous navigation and robotics technology with Cisco's videoconferencing expertise.

IRobot CEO Colin Angle said the device will be in beta testing this year and that production units would begin shipment in early 2014.

Shares of iRobot closed Monday at $35, up 33 cents.

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Falling rupee may hurt mobile handset makers

NEW DELHI: The rupee's downward spiral against the US dollar could spell good news for the domestic IT-ITeS sector, which has been facing strong headwinds due to a weak global economy, provided the Indian currency's softening continues.

However, depreciation in the Indian currency, which fell to a life-time low of 58.16 against the dollar, could lead to rise in input costs for handset makers who see their margins eroded by the fall and could be forced to pass on the burden to the consumer, in case the situation persists.

"Rupee depreciation will impact IT and off-shore service providers in a positive way if it sustains for a longer period say for this quarter. It will help in expanding their margins to a certain extent," Gartner Research Director Arup Roy said.

On being asked if the clients will pressurise the service providers (IT & ITeS) for discounts, he said: "The scenario of clients looking to re-negotiate on discounts will only happen if the depreciation in the Rupee continues for a longer time."

Angel Broking Research Analyst Ankita Somani said Rupee depreciating by 1 per cent gives about 30-35 basis points in the operating margins of the IT firms.

"Rupee depreciation in a way is good for the IT firms. Normally the operating margins of these firms is helped by the depreciation," she added.

However, for the middle and low tier mobile makers, the weakening of the Rupee against the US dollar will pinch their margins as most of them import devices or their parts and this could lead to a rise in their input costs.

"There is really a disadvantage for mid-tier and low-tier handsets makers who are importing into India because at that level the price sensitivity to the device price is very high and with the recent depreciation of the rupee that is having a direct impact on retail prices of imported handsets.

"And at low and mid tier, it's likely to have an impact on sales because of the elasticity of demand at that level," PwC India Leader Telecom Mohammad Chowdhury said.

Chowdhury said it is less likely to impact smartphones because the price sensitivity is little less, but added, "I would say is that in longer term if Rupee remains depreciated then there might be an upside benefit for Indian handset manufacturers with respect to exporting to other emerging markets."

One cannot expect these manufacturers to resist price increases because the increase can be absorbed for some time as the margins are not very high, he added.

Lava International Co-founder and Director SN Rai said the situation is affecting the margins of everybody as most of the manufacturers import the components.

"We will watch the situation for a fortnight and if the situations persists, we don't have a choice but to pass the cost to the consumer," he added.

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Google finalizing $1.3 billion Waze deal: Source

SAN FRANCISCO: Google is finalizing a deal to acquire online mapping company Waze for $1.3 billion, according to a source familiar with the matter. 

The deal is expected to be announced this week, though it was unlikely to occur on Monday, another source told Reuters. 

"Negotiations are nearly final. There are a couple of details being worked out," the second source said. The source described the remaining details as "logistics" rather than significant sticking points. 

Google and Waze declined to comment. 

The deal with Google comes after discussions between Waze and social networking company Facebook Inc fell apart last month, according to a report in the technology blog AllThingsDigital. Waze was unwilling to relocate its Israeli-based engineering team to Facebook's U.S. headquarters, according to the report. 

Maps and navigation services have become a key asset for technology companies as consumers increasingly adopt smartphones and other mobile devices. Waze uses satellite signals from members' smartphones to generate maps and traffic data, which it then shares with other users, offering real-time traffic info. 

Google's existing maps service is among the most popular, which could raise antitrust issues for the deal. 

The 4-year-old Waze, which has 47 million users, has raised $67 million in funding to date from firms including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Blue Run Ventures and semiconductor company Qualcomm. 

Waze began looking to raise additional funding toward the end of last year, according to a third source close to the company. As the fund raising process got underway, Waze received interest from several companies about an acquisition, and it switched gears to focus its efforts on an acquisition, the source said. 

There had been media reports earlier this year that Apple Inc was in talks to acquire Waze. News of the deal with Google was first reported by Israeli financial newspaper Globes on Sunday. 

Waze Chief Executive Noam Bardin and a small staff now operate out of their US headquarters in Palo Alto, California, while about 90 employees are based in home country Israel.

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Rural India selling cows, buffaloes on OLX, Quikr

Black 'Murrah' buffalo with short and tightly curled horns for Rs 80,000 and herd of 10 'Holstein Friesians' cows at Rs 6 lakh on the click of the mouse the Indian online classifieds are moving beyond usual items such as mobiles, cars and real estate with increasing internet penetration in smaller towns. 

Online classifieds players Quikr and OLX are finding good traction for their business from semi urban and rural areas in states like West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, Assam and Uttar Pradesh. 

"While the main metros continue to be top contributors to our site, the rapidly increasing internet usage in tier 2 and 3 towns has also boosted our growth tremendously. Today Tier 2 and 3 cities account for over 50% of our traffic," Quikr CEO Pranay Chulet told PTI. 

OLX, which has a majority of users mainly from metros, is also finding that small town traffic on its site is growing. 

"We do notice positive trends from Tier 2 cities as well. These include cities like Jaipur, Surat, Cochin," OLX CEO Amarjit Batra said. 

With these sites offering platform to users to buy and sell a wide range of products, it is not surprising that enterprising farmers are using them to sell their pets and animals as well. 

"People are now witnessing responses to ads even for pets and animals like cows and buffaloes, which have been listed for sale on OLX from rural or semi urban areas," Batra said, adding such trends were prevalent globally. 

Buying and selling of such dairy animals is already a practice in rural India and the availability of this platform has further catalysed the trading of dairy farming animals ensuring better reach and responses compared to other traditional platforms, he added. 

Expressing similar views, Chulet said:"People are very passionate about their pets and that reflects in the kinds of ads/replies we find for adoption of various pets on our site. 

We also have rural users putting up their animals for sale even though we have never actively promoted it." 

With a variety of users across different sections, these online classified sites are witnessing a range of products being sold and purchased. 

"Users have listed exceptional and unique products for sale that are not available anywhere. People have been posting ads for their Bombardier jets, Bhagwad Gita lockets as well as antique Rolls Royce on OLX," Batra said. 

On the rapid pace of growth of online classifieds in India, he said: "All of it is due to the increasing internet penetration and awareness of this space due to heavy marketing spends by most companies." 

Chulet is also expecting to increase the number of transactions as internet penetration rise. 

"We believe our platform will continue to see a lot of traction in the years to come as more and more Indians get comfortable with online buying and selling," he said. 

Still at a nascent stage, the sites are currently working on a hybrid model that includes paid listings and advertising on the website to generate revenue.

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