Now, mobile phone cases to keep germs away

Germaphobes rejoice! A US company claims to have developed a new line of eco-friendly cell phone cases that not only shield against radiation but also eliminate up to 99.9% of harmful bacteria on mobiles.

The Tenerarca leather phone cases have a built-in line of defence against bacteria and electromagnetic radiation, according to the company.

They carry a special coating called Upskin, a "proprietary antibacterial, sanitising, and negative-ion-generating technology," it said.

In addition to fighting germs, the Upskin coating, an environmentally friendly method of treating leather, also generates negative ions, which allegedly neutralise radiation, CNET reported.

"A Tenerarca case can eliminate up to 99.99% of harmful bacteria, not only on the electronic device but also on the user's hands," the project website said.

The cases are made from lightweight leather that is soft and also feature a flip cover, which protects the screen.

The case is held in place by magnets. There's a small T-shaped grill on the cover which fits over the ear-piece so that you can keep the screen covered while on a phone call, which is supposed to cut down on the spread of germs.

"Tenerarca's cases have been imbued, through an eco-friendly process, with negative-ion-emitting effects that soothe the body, the mind, and the soul," said Eskei Park, the President of the company PAR'SK USA.

Read More

Narendra Modi beats Sachin Tendulkar, Mars Mission on Facebook

NEW DELHI: BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is the most talked about person on Facebook in India beating likes of cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar and Apple iconic device iPhone 5s, the US-based social networking site said today.

According to the social networking giant's top Indian trends of 2013, RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan and India's Mars mission also failed to beat the Gujarat Chief Minister, who was the most mentioned person on Facebook this year.

Facebook, which at present claims to have 1.19 billion monthly active users (MAUs), has 82 million MAUs in India for the quarter ending June 31, 2013.

"Take a look at the most mentioned people and events of 2013, which point to some of the most popular topics in India," Facebook said in a statement.

This includes Narendra Modi followed by Sachin Tendulkar, iPhone 5s, Raghuram Rajan and Mangalyaan, it added.

Last month, India launched its maiden mission to Mars, which could carry India into a small club of nations, including the US, Europe, and Russia, whose probes have orbited or landed on Mars.

Batting mastero Tendulkar also retired last month after playing his 200th-test match. He is also the first sportsperson to be bestowed with India's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna.

"Today, we're taking a look back at the people, moments and places that mattered most on Facebook in India in 2013," the social networking site said.

Conversations happening all over Facebook offer a unique snapshot of India and this year was no different. Every day, people post about topics and milestones important to them from announcing an engagement, to discussing breaking news or even celebrating a favourite political party's victory or love for cricket, it added.

Sukhdev Dabha at Murthal (Haryana) was the most talked about place to visit on Facebook followed by Golden Temple in Amritsar, Bangla Sahib Gurudwar, Connaught Place and India Gate in New Delhi and Taj Mahal in Agra among others.

Read More

3 ways to speed up your old smartphone

As smartphones age, they tend to slow down and lag too much while performing the simplest of tasks. But worry not, you can make your old gadget operate faster, just follow these three tips:

Updates
Firmware updates take care of lags, bugs, and other issues that you may not be aware of. Such issues crop up with reasonable frequency, so updating regularly will ensure the best performance for your phone.

Memory issues
Low internal memory might be the reason behind any severe lag that your phone is experiencing. Move your media (pictures, MP3 files, videos, and so forth) to the external memory, usually an SD card. Some low-end and mid-range smartphones might already have low internal memories, in which case, moving your files to the SD card won't help that much.

Apps
The application store of your phone, regardless of which OS it uses, will have plenty of apps that can help boost your phone's performance. Task managers help you monitor and close unnecessary processes. This frees up some RAM memory, and so, the phone will run faster. A good antivirus application will scan your phone for any possible viruses and malwares, which can also slow down your phone.

Read More

An algorithm to help you find best dating partner

US researchers have developed an algorithm for dating sites that uses a person's contact history to recommend partners with whom they may be more amorously compatible.
The team, led by assistant professor Kang Zhao, developed a model that combines two factors to recommend contacts: a client's tastes, determined by the types of people he/she has contacted; and attractiveness/unattractiveness , determined by how many of those contacts are returned and how many are not.

Those combinations, Zhao says, do a better job of predicting successful connections , because what people put in their profile may not always be what they're really interested in.

Read More

3 tips to set up a blog

A blog can be a great outlet to express your personal opinions on any subject. But many people are not sure how to create a blog on the internet. Here are three tips to help you set up a blog from the scratch.
The blog address
The domain name is probably the most important when it comes to a blog, because it will be your calling card. If your blog is successful, it can become a status symbol as well as a brand by itself. Make sure you choose the right blog web address so that people can find it easier to search for you on the internet.

Given a choice, always go for '.com' . Avoid '.info' or '.net' as they may not help much. Also, be sure to use the keywords you've chosen when setting it up.

Customizations
Looks do matter when it comes to a blog, more so when there are a lot of other blogs to compete with if say, you have a food blog, of which there are plenty. There are several websites that offer an extensive selection of themes that are both free and chargeable.

After you've settled on an attractive look, install plugins on the page that can make visiting your blog as fun and interactive experience for people who visit it. Plugins also help you to manage your blog efficiently.

Write away
After spending time and energy to make sure your blog looks spiffy enough, it's time to populate it with interesting articles. The more unique your style is, the more it'll stand out. And if you're hit by a case of writer's block, you'll find plenty of online tutorials and how-to articles that will help you create awesome content for your blog.

While following online guides might be a good way to start, don't let it hamper or inhibit your own style. Consider getting some of your friends to contribute as well. In this case, more is always good.

Read More

LG to launch curved smartphone in India on Dec 11

LG is slated to unveil its curved screen smartphone G Flex in India on December 11. The company has sent press invites for a launch event to be held in New Delhi.

Though the G Flex made its debut in October, its sales had been restricted to South Korea only. Last week, LG announced the international launch dates for the smartphone, though it did not revealed when the device will hit the Indian market.

LG G Flex is the second smartphone in the world to have a curved screen, next only to Samsung Galaxy Round. LG G Flex has a 6-inch flexible OLED screen that is curved along the horizontal axis. The phone's 3,500mAh battery is also curved.

Though the screen is flexible by itself, the glass casing does not allow it to be bent at will. However, the phone still bends if sufficient pressure is applied on it as the glass film is thin enough to be bent slightly.

The G Flex's curved screen provides the same viewing experience from 1 feet away that a 55-inch HDTV does from 10 feet, LG claims.

Apart from the curved display, this phone has another unique feature - a self-healing back. LG has used a self-healing technology on the phone's back, which allows it to heal small scruffs and scratches on the rear panel within 5 minutes. This self-healing is due to a molecular substructure coating on top of the phone's back panel and depends a lot on the room temperature; hotter the room, faster the healing. However, deep cuts that pierce through the coating will not be healed.

Key specs of LG G Flex include a 720 display, 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. Just like LG G2, the new G Flex has the power key and volume buttons on the back, positioned below a 13MP camera with LED flash.

Earlier, LG said that the G Flex will be available for pre-orders in Singapore from December 8 and Hong Kong from December 13. It will hit other "key markets" of Asia by the end of the year. The smartphone will be available in Europe early next year and hit the US market thereafter.

It is rumoured that the successor of LG G Flex, expected to hit the market next year, will have a screen that will bend at 90-degree angle with ease. Samsung has also revealed that it will launch its first phone with a bendable screen next year.

Read More

Yahoo buys Evntlive, an online live concert service

Yahoo has reportedly acquired an online platform for live concerts, Evntlive, for an undisclosed amount.

Evntlive was founded in late 2011 and launched in beta in April 2012 after raising $2.3 million in funding from notable investors including Vint Cerf.

According to Mashable, post the deal, Evntlive will be shutting down its services and join the Yahoo team for their projects.

Evntlive said that since their beta service launch, they have live streamed hundreds of performances from amazing artists and festivals to fans all over the world adding that although, now their service will not be available, they are excited to join Yahoo.

Meanwhile, a Yahoo representative said that they were excited to welcome Evntlive and see a lot of potential for how they can expand upon their shared vision for an entertaining content consumption experience.

Since CEO Marrisa Mayer took charge of the once-popular internet giant, there have been many acquisitions with the most notable being that of Tumblr for a whopping $1.1 billion.

Read More