Saturday 31 January 2015

FBI: Email Scam Nets $214 Million in 14 Months


Email_Scam
If you will check the spam folder in your e-mail account than you will know that why these e-mails known as spam’s and why your e-mail service provider is dropping these e-mails in spam folder, but in present you can easily find few fraud e-mails (e-mails which make fake promises) in inbox folder. Recently, the nonprofit National White Collar Crime Center and the Internet Crime Complaint Center with a joint effort of FBI release a report on the basis of calculation from Oct 1, 2013 to Dec 1, 2014.

In e-mail scams fake invoices delivered to different business that deals with international suppliers, asking for the payment of millions of dollars by wire transfer. According to recent reports of research team, “The victims love to use wire transfer payments method for money transaction to foreign banks, which can be transferred many times, but they tend to disperse faster”. Most of the American and Asian banks, which are located in Hong Kong or China, are the most preferred commonly reported last destination for more than 80 per cent fraudulent transfers.

Data in reports: 

As per the reports of National White Collar Crime Center and the Internet Crime Complaint Center in an association of FBI, “All of the scams has claimed more than 1,198 US victims and 928 victims in other countries has witness the these kinds of scams and U.S. firms have lost more than $179 million in total. According to FBI, “We believe that the number of victims and the total loss in dollar will continue to increase”.

In general if you will analyze your spam folder, so over there you will find few of the e-mails are promising or taking about reward, job of senior level in premium companies, lucky draw and more. Some of us are lucky because we know that these e-mails are fraud whereas; some of us believe in those e-mails and start to follow their instructions.

In other version of scheme, some of the businesses which work on international level of with international clients and suppliers are contacted through fax, phone, email or post asking for payments. These e-mails are spoofed and they seems like genuine and authentic as they are coming from reliable or legitimate supplier and fax or phone requests also appears authentic and genuine. Whereas; in other version e-mail accounts of high level management executives compromised form criminals for requesting a wire transfer through fake promises regarding to business opportunity and they include the instructions to reply or send funds on urgent basis.

However; the third version of fraud schemes involves the hacking of an employee's e-mail account, which sends the duplicate or fake invoices to suppliers or vendors.

According to task force of FBI, “Now it’s time when vulnerable businesses should avoid using free e-mails for executives or official accounts and they should exercise caution for posting the company information on social media or on public websites. You can also include additional security steps like; or digital signatures and two-step verification process.

Microsoft Office 2016 Will Be Released Later This Year

Microsoft_Office
Microsoft on 22nd January announced that their next major version of the Microsoft office, which has been at the most named as Office 2016, will be available to the users from later this year. According to Microsoft’s Office general manager, Julia White, the company is hoping to share more on office 2016 in the forthcoming months, but still the new office will be having the essence of comprehensive Office experience that every user is familiar from long time and will best suited for a desktop with mouse and keyboard. She also reported that the company is hoping to make Office 2016 officially available during the second half of the year.

This is great news for all those who are not happy with Windows 10 because Windows 2016 is on its way and it is expected that in 2015 new version of windows will appear in the market. It is expected that in new version will be more touch and mobile optimized version, which will provide extra features in Excel, PowerPoint¸ Word, OneNote and Outlook.

As far as the features are concerned, the company has not released any information pertaining to the same, but according to market sources, the office 2016 will comprise of a Clippy like helper and a darker theme. Even though the company has been making some changes in the UI tweaks and other feature additions, but the look and the feel of the new office will be similar to that of office 2013. The main change that is expected from the new office is its touch-optimization for suiting Windows 10, which has been mainly designed to suit the apps for tablets and phones. In the next Microsoft’s operating system, finger friendly versions of Excel, Word, OneNote, PowerPoint and Outlook will be available.

When the preview can be expected? 

In the next few weeks, the company is expected to preview the office for their latest operating system. According to the sources from the company, the final version of the office will be released later this year. Even though the functionality and UI are expected to be very much similar to that of the earlier versions in iPad, but the company has been working on combining the touch modes and inking to take the complete advantage of some of unique areas of Microsoft Windows 10 operating system. A new Outlook mail app is also expected to be available on Windows 10 and various devices like tablets, desktops and even phones.

According to officials, “We will have many more features to share on Office 2016, as we have tried to make it friendlier and the new suite will remain the comprehensive Office experience for professional as well as personal use. We are expecting that by the second half of 2015, Office 2016 will be available”. So the company has pretty much a lot of upgrades for either existing office users. All the office apps will be automatically available on the phones having Windows 10.

Research Aims To Improve Lithium-Based Batteries


Lithium
In recent reports, researcher’s claims that they have find the way to improve the performance of lithium-ion based batteries, which can be main discovery for the smartphones and laptop manufactures because now they can get the freedom from major disadvantage of laptops and smartphones as they have very less battery backup.

A simple research clear the complex science, which is related to formation of dendrites and these dendrites are the main reason which can make the lithium-ion batteries to fail, but now with this discovery these batteries can be safer, longer-lasting and can be recharged in within few minutes instead of hours as it was earlier.

The dendrites are able to form different kind of electrodes that may continue to grow until they cause an internal short circuit, which are the main reason behind the failure and possible fire of batteries. All the batteries have two electrodes, which know as a cathode and an anode, separated by an insulating polymer, which is known as separator.

All the dendrites grow in needlelike small shapes, which may breach the separating barrier by destroying the operation or full battery. In present, teams of researchers are using the numerical modeling to find the ways to understand the dendrites and to find the better way to design more effective separators. According to R. Edwin García, who is an associate professor in Purdue University and working for materials engineering department, “Presently, we are experimenting to define the fundamental technique behind these complex objects as well as science, so that in collaboration with experimentalists our team can make better batteries that do not have same problem”.

This simulations is also explains that how sometimes dendrites detach from battery electrodes and they convert into floating deposits, which can be dangerous scenario as in this situation battery can catch a fire.

Team of researchers have developed a modeling tool, which helps the battery makers to design better separators, as pores still exist between polymer fibers in the form of separator and due to this the researchers have modeled that hw pore size and different morphology of the same separator can influence the dendrite development process.

As per García, “Our team has found the interesting relationship between the geometry of the separator and the performance of same separators and now we are thinking its first step to improve the separator”. If one can control the dendrites so it could lead towards the longer-lasting and safe usage. In few batteries dendrites are formed by lithium formations, which grow while recharging the batteries, or adding the layers which resemble with tree rings. Because they grow faster, so whenever they exposed in high current for fast recharging so dendrites limit recharging speed.

In the National Science Foundation, work is going on and researchers are putting the every finding of experiment together, the separator, and particles of anode material, so that they can draw conclusion and on the basis of that they can have a complete commercial system.

Friday 30 January 2015

Lasers Create Surface So Hydrophobic That Water Bounces Off Like a Ball


Hydrophobic
In the analysis, research and study of hydrophobic surfaces, team of researches and scientists are more focusing modifying the physical nature of different surfaces rather than depending on true and tried method for applying a hydrophobic coating.

In recent experiments the engineers of UCLA created a artificial superomniphobic surface, which repelled all known liquids with the help of modifying a surface and this modified surface was made-up of nano-scopic nails rather than applying any different or special kind of omniphobic coating.

Now the researchers and scientists of the University of Rochester have used the special technique in which they used a lasers to create a special surface, which is more hydrophobic, so that a single droplet of water can bounce multiple times up and down on it in the same way as ball bounce multiple times up and down on earth or any tuff surface. This incredible breakthrough can lead to everything from waterproof electronics to non-stick kitchenware and more.

Super hydrophobic surfaces and coatings have a wide range of different uses, which can vary from simple use to complicated use. It can make the surface safer to drive cars and bikes in wicking rain from a windshield and it can also prevent the rust from compromising the integrity and nature of a structure.

It’s obvious that practical applications are the rare because it can be temporary coatings or can increase the visibility while driving through a storm because water smoothly slides off the glass or rub some Rain-X on your windshield. According to Chunlei Guo, who is professor of optics and also the co-author of the study, “In this experiment it’s clear that this material is very strongly water-repellent, and its real that water is getting bounce, whereas in later stages it lands on surface again and get bounced off again, and then it will roll off from the surface”.

However; Chunlei Guo and Anatoliy Vorobyev, discovered a laser-patterning technology, which etch nanoscopic structures on different surfaces. It’s clear that the surface etched pattern is very hydrophobic, which help the water in bouncing and again it falls back down to the surface.

In the experiment, to create the effect team of researchers used the lasers to etch nanoscale structures for metal surface which repel the water because it is etched in at such a microscopic level and it cannot rub off, so it will never lose the water-resistance. When it comes to scaling up so production of these surfaces, take around sixty minutes to create one by one-inch sliver surface.

Now the team is busy to explain and make it happen that how to apply the laser-patterning technique on other surfaces. Superhydrophobic surfaces are good to keep it dry and clean, but some of the surfaces exhibit self-cleaning properties as experiment showcase that whenever water drops than water slide over the surface and due to that it keep surface clean and away from dust.

In airplane etched these nanostructures surfaces can avoid the dangers of water freezing on the surface of water as well as on the wings.




WhatSim Lets You Use WhatsApp for Free While Roaming Worldwide


Whatsim
We all are aware about the news that now WhatsApp is available for PC or Desktop, whereas; the phone chat app company in an association with Zeromobile has another surprise in store for its regular users, which is WhatSim. According to news reports from tech websites, one of the Italian company has launched a global SIM card for free WhatsApp service known as; WhatSim. This Sim card will allow the users to use service in all over the world without any roaming charges.

Till now to use WhatsApp, internet connection or active data connection on your mobile or Smartphone was essential and while traveling WhatsApp was used to ask that “If you will use service, so you need to pay the additional roaming charges”. WhatsApp is one of the most Smartphone chatting apps and currently it has more than 700 million active users.

Of course it’s not a first time when any company is providing SIM with unlimited WhatsApp use, but the earlier attempts were only for one specific country. In 2014, E-Plus, which is Germany based mobile telecommunications operator was launched the same scheme in an association with WhatsApp. According to company officials, WhatSim has neither monthly payments nor fixed costs and it will never expire.

Operation of WhatSim: 

New WhatSim card will allow you to use access WhatsApp unhindered in more than 150 countries with 400 telecom operators with free roaming. While using WhatSim card, you need to buy the credits for sharing multimedia messages and as well as voice messages, whereas; you need to take special mobile data connection if you want to use location updates, sending and receiving text messages, and contacts services with WhatsApp.

The price for WhatSim is only EUR 10 or $ 11 or Rs. 714.00 and user will get the SIM card with standard worldwide shipping as it cost EUR 5 or $ 5.60 or Rs. 350 and unlimited text messaging for a year. For example Zone 3 has been designated India and users traveling to India will need to get 600 credits for sharing video messages, 150 credits for text messages.

About WhatSim: 

WhatSim is the dream concept of Manuel Zanella, who is CEO and Founder of Italy’s Zeromobile Company. Zeromobile is Italy’s first ever global mobile operator, which provides low-cost roaming. With this additional tech accessory, all the WhatsApp users who love to travel frequently will get a relief because of free roaming charges.

As per the Manuel Zanella, “When it comes to mobile communication, so WhatsApp is the future, but the major disadvantage is that it can work only with data connection. Sometimes while traveling roaming charges are expensive and it’s difficult to find Wi-FI connection in free”.

The more he added in his statement that as I find someone who appreciate the use of WhatsApp, so I tried to figure out how to solve this problem and now WhatSim is an extraordinary opportunity for those who love to use WhatsApp.

Microsoft Gives Away More Office Software To Attract Mobile Users


Microsoft
Popular Application Give Away – Word/Excel/PowerPoint - 

The popular Word, Excel and PowePoint applications are now made available for free on Android tablets recently by Microsoft Corp, marking the latest step in its drive in order to get several mobile users as possible to use its software.

Besides this, it also released for its popular Outlook email program, an app to run on Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPad with a hope of attracting millions of users who are familiar with Outlook from their work desktops. These are the latest releases which according to Chief Executive Officer, Satya Nadella is an attempt to fight back the initiative in the battle for mobile consumers where Microsoft had fallen behind Google Inc. and Apple.

With this release, last March, Nadella broke the decades of traditions by releasing a free, touch-friendly version of Office for Apple’s iPad prior to any such software made available for Microsoft’s Windows devices. Making its industry standard Office app available on Apple’s popular iOS and Google’s Android operating systems, Microsoft has created a possibility of building a base of users who could later be persuaded to sign up for Office 365, the full internet based version of Office which would be $7 for personal user for a month.

Test Versions of Office Apps on Android 

Test versions of the Office apps on Android had been offered by Microsoft for almost three months but Thursday marked the first day it was made available as a completed product from the Google Play online app store. Key elements of Microsoft’s top selling Office suite of application, namely, Word, Excel and PowerPoint were a hit on Apple’s mobile devices according to Microsoft, with around eighty million downloads since last March.

Moreover, Microsoft has plans in releasing new; touch friendly versions of its Office apps for Windows devices as well, later this year on release of the Windows 10 operating system. The latest version of Outlook app is based on a popular app that was made by Acompli and bought by Microsoft in December, will now enable iPhone and iPad users with a much easier way of linking email to calendars as well as working with file attachments. It is said that Microsoft is also releasing a test version of the Outlook app for Android users.

Microsoft – Growth for Cloud Centric Strategy

The upcoming Windows 10 operating system will be given away by Microsoft Corp as a free upgrade to users of the latest versions of windows and Windows Phone, being the world’s biggest software company is working on holding onto consumers in the new mobile age. Terry Myerson’s announcement, running the Microsoft’s operating systems group is a change for Microsoft which had charged for new versions of Windows, one of its main profit driven targets.

Microsoft needs a steady growth for its cloud centric strategy and Window 10 seems to be the main centre of the strategy. According to Myerson, Windows 10 is probably expected on the market this autumn and would be available for a period of one year as a free upgrade for Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1

Thursday 29 January 2015

Apple Patent Reveals Expanding Home Button For Games Players


Apple_Patent
Apple’s Patent - `Multi-Function Input Device’

It has been reported that Apple has been granted a patent known as `Multi-Function Input Device’ by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office recently which was originally filed by Colin Ely and Fletcher Rothkopf on July 9, 2013 who presently are Apple’s product design executive.

This newly revealed application reports plans for a spring loaded home button which pops up to turn into a joystick whenever the need arises. The home button of the iPhone has various functions. The fingerprint sensor on the home button can unlock the iPhone with Touch ID. Siri gets activated on holding down the home button and on tapping on the home button, one is led to the home screen or it indicates which apps are open.

Apple AAPL+5.67% has been granted patent which shows that a joystick could be built for future iPhones in the home button. The mode of the joystick could be activated on pushing down on the home button where a spring mechanism beneath the surface of the home button could pop up the home button. On using the joystick, one can push the home button once again to return the home button to the normal mode.

Small Joystick For Gaming 

The multi-function input device indicates an iPhone or iPad home button which can change into a small joystick for gaming and is believed that it would maintain the present Touch ID fingerprint sensor where a single click could enable it to pop up as well as transform it into a slightly raised joystick.

A mere push of the raised home button back in a flush position with the body of the iPhone tends to bring it to its original position when gaming is done. The patent states that the multi-function input device is functional in at least a first mode and a second mode and in one example, the multi-function input device could have a button mode as well as a joystick mode.

The diagrams that have been included in the application indicate very low-profile joystick. The input device head may not project outward from the surface when not in use as in the case of a joystick, thus avoiding comprising aesthetic appearance of the electronic device, preventing damage to mechanisms used to project the input device head or/and keeping the input device head out of the way when not in use as a joystick.

Tactile Feedback

Apple has also admitted that in some games, a touchscreen would not be ideal. Touch screens which could be appropriate to applications like Internet browser application have some advantages for operating game applications on portable devices though they could also have some shortcomings.

For instance, a user’s finger would need to cover a certain part of the screen while controlling the game and this could interfere with the user’s capabilities to see what is in control and/or other areas of the game display. Moreover, a touch screen could also be unable to provide tactile feedback and to provide tactile feedback at the time of the game could enhance the player’s gaming experience. Some game lovers are of the opinion that realistic game play could not be experienced fully with the joystick and/or the tactile buttons.

Facebook to Sell Real-Time Super Bowl Ads, Taking On Twitter


Facebook
Super Bowl Facebook – All New Marketing Gaming Plan

For the first time during a football championship, Super Bowl Facebook is deploying an all-new marketing gaming plan which will help companies to purchase ads in real time. Facebook earlier had sold Super Bowl ads based on user’s prevailing likes, profiles as well as demographic information.

 This made it the first time that the site would be using new targeting features which would customize audience clusters for advertiser, as briefing with regards to the game is revealed. According to Reuters, video ads for instance, triggered by using certain keywords which members would mention in their post on Facebook, while watching the American football game, would automatically begin to play within the user’s news feeds.

Twitter’s platform has already been in real-time marketing for years but the strategy represents a first for Facebook. Tablets and smartphones have provision of a second screen for the Super Bowl’s 100 million television audience to comment, regarding the proceedings of the game, giving advertisers an appropriate option to target messages.

Twitter – Mantel of Real-Time Platform

Twitter has owned the mantel of a real-time platform though the sophistication of Facebook’s ad targeting is unparalleled, according to Noah Mallin MEC, head of social for North America, a media buying agency and a part of WPP. Twitter has been leading in this arena which other social media networks are seeking to match up with.Super Bowl marketers on Facebook, last year, couldaim ads to segment of members depending on their likes, demographic information and profiles and Facebook had introduced real-time targeting features thereafter.

The social network this year with around 155 million daily users in United State as well as Canada could customize audience clusters which advertisers could target in real-time at the time of the game. According to the head of social media at the marketing agency Eleven Inc.

Maura Tuohy, states that Facebook had to work hard to dispel the notion that people do not use the network while watching live tent pole events and that people are talking about the shows on Facebook.

Need of Strong Presence – Online/Mobile

According to the director of traditional and emerging media at Toyota, Dionne Colvin-Lovely, comments that the automaker is running two commercials at the time of the Super Bowl though has turned to digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Inc.’s YouTube as well as Hulu in order to generate a conversation around car buyers. Colvin-Lovely further adds that the TV is an important media which is not much dominant and there is a need to make sure of a strong presence, online as well as well in mobile.

For the Super Bowl, Twitter has been staffing `war rooms’ of 13 advertisers which includes PepsiCo as well as Anheuser Busch, triple the number of companies who worked directly with Twitter for the big game last year. Both Facebook and Twitter are speculating that by executing memorable real-time ads with a more concrete way in reaching consumers, would be an additional advantage in their long-time efforts to have a bigger slice of the estimated $66 billion television advertising profits. Several marketers are also turning to digital platforms which also include YouTube.

Windows 10 on Your Phone: What We Know So Far


Windows_10
Recently, saw the unwrapping of many ambitious features and products centering around windows 10 operating system by Microsoft. The company also presented and exhibited demonstrations of new apps, hardware and web services that will all be tying and be part of so called Microsoft’s huge ecosystem, having the aim of touching the lives of people in their homes, office and while on move. The company has assured that the operating system on the phone will not be treated differently but it will have the same essence with the assurance of touch-based input being prioritized for the small screen. The company is hoping that the operating system will be able to make every platform treat this just as another web service along with frequent updated. So of the important facts to know about the OS on smartphones:

1. Free for Windows 8.1 users with free updates- The Company is hoping to encourage the Window 7 users on desktop to move to this operating system by offering free Windows 10 upgrades after a year or so after the launch. They will be including 8 and 8.1 OS as they are planning to eventually fade away. Regardless of device type, it is important for the company to get everyone of the same platform. Only drawback being that early adopter of Windows 7 will be left out.

2. PC and mobile experience is expected to be the same. Action center of all the devices will operate in a similar manner and will be releasing notifications at the same time. The desktop of the new OS will be inheriting the quick settings to keep things familiar for the users.

3. Lots of new apps- Office apps will be installed on phones and other smaller devices. Common windows foundation across different device types making it a universal app. One-Drive will be used for synchronizing document between different platforms.

4. UI Tweaks- Users will be able to set any image as their wallpaper. Even though 8.1’s wallpapers gained lot of popularity but still lots of people were comfortable with the traditional wallpapers. The top drawer will give more importance to the recently launched apps.

5. New Hardware- A the windows 10 launch, at least one new flagship-level smartphone is expected to be released. A new phablet can be expected to be released by the company.

6. Skype and One-Drive- A lot of windows 10 ecosystem will be powered by the company’s in-house Skype and One-Drive properties. Messaging system is expected to be tied to Skype on desktop and mobile and in Windows 10 operating system, these SMS will be automatically routed through their network. File storage and synchronizing will be powered by One-Drive. Still users might need more than one location for storing the files.

7. New powers of Cortana- According to the demonstration given by the company, Cortana will have an advanced sense of personality and humor. What is more interesting is the fact that Cortana will now be able to learn more about the personal schedules and preferences of the users.

Wednesday 28 January 2015

Will Apple's 12-inch MacBook Air Use One Port to Rule Them All?

USB
There has been lot of rumors doing round pertaining to the new MacBook Air, which got lot of people full with enthusiasm. However, if you are thinking it is about the Retina Display then you are very wrong. Instead, some of the rumors have indicated that the Apple's redesigned MacBook Air will not only be remarkably smaller, having only a 12-inch screen but also will be having just a single port. According to the reports, these rumors came from Mark Gurman of 9to5mac.com, who stated that the new MacBook Air design is expected to drop their current MacBook Air's USB 3 ports and do away with the SDXC card slot, MagSafe 2 charging connection and Thunderbolt port.

Can a replacement is in place? Well, a single USB Type-C port is capable of connecting to multiple kinds of devices apart from displays and storage. Additionally, the C port will be capable of charging the new 12-inch MacBook Air as well. The idea itself sounds very crazy for many.

Time to get over the old: 

Is it really time people to move on to this new concept? Apple is known for making amendments to the old standards in the pursuit of making thinner hardware design until perfection. When 5.25 inch was very common, the first Mac went ahead with 3.5-inch floppy disk drive. Later on, the company completely ditched the floppy drive concept and moved on with the USB ports and CD drives in their new iMac. Later on Mac Book was completely on its own as the developers left out the CD/DVD drives. Apple has been known for innovation and the example was set by creating the Thunderbolt ports, which replaced FireWire ports in different types of MacBooks.

So what new with the Macbook: 

The new Macbook is not only expected to have smaller screen size, but also be a quarter inch less wide compared to the previous versions. To make the device the company has reduced the bezel and squished the keyboard keys more closely making the keyboard fit the entire laptop body. The function keys have been modified to fit in the power button.

The rumors seems to be confirmed by some of the inside sources of the company. The company always maintains silence in terms of innovation and devices to stun the people with their product and information is released only on need to know basis. However, the company had confirmed the release of their 12-inch Macbook last year but due to unforeseen circumstances, the release was delayed. Reports suggest that with the thinner design it is difficult for the company to add any additional ports.

What should be expected? 

With the device being so small, the customers would like to be able to the same to printers and storage, the company can actually come up with a lightweight hub as accessory. They can add ports in the power brick as an additional means. The product is expected to replace the previous version but still there are questions pertaining to the addition of Retina-class display.

Linuxy Hopes and Dreams for an Inferno-Free 2015

Linux

Linux is hoping for a wonderful year and future ahead and they have complete power in their hands to make the year 2015 a better year. Might not be a reality, but at least in theory, Devuan could flourish, the Systemd Inferno most possibly can extinguish over the past 12 months. Linux is expected to have the best of the year ahead.

Devuan expected to fade: 

According to Kevin O'Brien, Google+blogger, even though Linux is not expected to take over desktop in the year 2015 but they will surely make a dominating presence felt in the area of computing and continue their growth towards the global market. Kevin O'Brien also predicted that Devuan can be expected to fade away when more number of people will start recognizing the fact that Systemd is not having any major impact on their work in an obvious manner. Linux will get more and more importance due to the increasing dependence on cloud/big data/ etc..
On the similar lines, even Gerhard Mack, consultant and Slashdot blogger has given more suggestions. He is hoping that people will start spending more time to polish the existing features, video support, blocking of the screen when moving is playing, reducing the ways of duplicating the configuration of the desktop.

Programmers communities are expected to work hard and make the systemd perform better. Ubuntu is also expected to regain their number 1 position. The distro is expected to be the best choice for the companies who are looking for compatibility and back up. Red Hat and Debian have been a serious let down. According to Robert Pogson, blogger, GNU/Linux gains a legacy PC usage in Cuba will remain a serious question from the international perspective. According to him, an avalanche of governments will take place in Europe by using FLOSS and GNU/Linux. FLOSS and ODF have been widely accepted in the country and FLOSS and GNU/Linux are expected to get a breakthrough. He forecasted that India, China and Russia will make a major move towards adoption of GNU/Linux for common governmental purposes, which includes education. He added that Wintel is something which Russia can’t afford,India is price sensitive and China just doesn’t trust it.

While on one side Android/Linux will win over small, cheap computers, GNU/Linux will be able to triumphant on not-so-cheap and not-so-small computers. The year 2015 will set a benchmark as the customers will no longer be restricted to Wintel. Even though business might take some time, they have already started using GNU/Linux on thin client servers and they will be moving to desktops next.

What will happen in the future, still remains to be a big question? The companies can be expected to adopt the new technology with compromising network tools, login, desktop environment choices and many other independent decisions. Programmers are expecting that PCLinuxOS keeps on showing improvements and ensures constant growth. As present nothing can be confirmed but certainly hopes are quite high in the coming future.

Tuesday 27 January 2015

Call of Duty Makes First Trip to China with Launch of Public Beta


Call-of-Duty
When it comes to the world of gaming, every sales record has been shattered by Call of Duty, the first person shooter franchise. Even though the game has been enjoying all the possible success anyone can image, they have been really absent or non-existent in a country which is known to be the most populous country, but for not long. The wait is over and the free-to-play version of the first-person shooter, Call of Duty Online, has been officially launched in China on an open public beta. This announcement was made by the publisher Activision on Monday. The game, which has been specifically designed for the Chinese market has been released in partnership with the Internet conglomerate Tencent Holdings. Internet conglomerate Tencent Holdings has been based in China.

Chinese Market

The game’s launch marks the entry of wildly popular franchise for the first time and that too it will be widely available for the consumers in China. Even though the gaming population in the country has crossed more than a million marks, some of the people still play either the games, which have been developed by domestic Chinese companies, or other companies, which have been carrying out their business outside in the United States of America. Call of duty (an American game) was not available in the country until now.

In China for many years, traditional games consoles like PlayStation and Xbox were banned. Last year, 2014, the country announced that they are going to life the ban and would start allowing the console makers to launch their devices within the country’s border with one catch point- the products have to be distributed by a Chinese company. A while back companies like Microsoft and Sony announced that they are planning to launch their consoles in China. Even though Xbox One at present is available in the country, but Sony was forced to postpone the launch of PlayStation 4 last week. According to the sources from Sony, the company is still not sure about the launch date of PlayStation 4 in China.

As soon as the information pertaining to the lifting of ban was spread, the American companies have started working on the idea of releasing or launching their titles in the country. According to the survey conducted in 2014, there are nearly 300 million people, who are part of the Chinese gaming population and out of this, one third of the people are interested in the first-person shooter games. This data was more than enough for Activision. As many companies have made their games free for consumers, it is no surprise that the company has chosen the online medium.

The title of game, which is full Call of Duty game has taken many aspects from popular franchise like Black Ops and Modern Warfare. The game comes with single-player campaign, full online multiplayer, and Survival Mode for co-op playing. The company is trying to get some money by encouraging the user to either purchase the game or rent the game items.



The Weird Tech We Love and Hate at CES 2015


Parrot Pot
International Consumer Electronics Show of 2015 was held from 6th to 9th January in Las Vegas of USA. This grand event displayed the release a number of innovative devices, whose functions are really strange but it drew the attention of many people. Some of these devices are discussed here.

Parrot Pot

The Parrot Pot is an extraordinary pot for average sized plants in any house. It links to your mobile device through Bluetooth. There is a bunch of sensors, which checks the plant’s health like the temperature, amount of water in the soil, light levels and also the fertilizer of the soil with conductivity measurements. Parrot Pot is also equipped with a water reservoir, which can hold water of almost 2.2 liters. If the Parrot Pot detects that your plant needs watering, then it will spray some water on the top soil. It can even water those plants for maximum three weeks, basing on the prevailing situations.

Lyric
Honeywell Lyric Security System

Honeywell came back with its own Lyric thermostat. This home control expert is attempting to build some more impetus with the release of its second Lyric item- a professional grade- security system of home. It comprises cameras, motion in addition to smoke detectors, all regulated by a touch screen controller. This system allows voice commands that can activate events such as turning off an alarm, while at the same time switching on all lights and also turning up the temperature. Honeywell stated that the system will moreover apply your Smartphone location with products as smart lights to give you a wide variety of automated settings.

Dacor dual-range oven

Whether you love to cook or not, Dacor’s latest model of oven will really amaze you. Last year, it fixed an Android tab onto the oven so that you could manage it remotely. But, in 2015, Dacor’s has moved one step further, offering you voice controls with the help of an app. It denotes that you could place a thing into the oven before going anywhere out of the home, and then speak to your mobile on your way home to inform the oven to begin the cooking. Or, when you are in the kitchen, you may only shout instructions to that oven as- Start left oven at 200 deg.

Anova
Anova Touch

Anova Touch can allow you to manage and set your food items while you are away. Through an application, you can plan your water temperature, time of cooking, and also monitor this, while you are out for any work. Anova Touch is the foremost WiFi based Sous Vide machine.

If you are not certain what you wish to have, or how Sous Vide can work for the chops, you bought from the market, then Anova Touch app can give you recipes, instructions, and some other step-by-step information on best practices from good cooks, food writers, and so on.

Bosch Smart Fridge

It is a strange smart fridge from Bosch. It takes you a step closer to the desire of having the kitchen devices carry out the shopping. The new fridge is provided with an integrated camera, which takes a picture every time the door is opened and these pictures are uploaded to the Bosch app. When an individual goes to the supermarket, he can see whether he requires vegetables or anything. However, Bosch’s next plan would be software, which identifies missing items and also orders them for the buyer.

Monday 26 January 2015

Local Motors' 3D-printed car meets the Detroit Auto Show



strati
Recently, Local Motors have showcased their 3D-Printed Car at the Auto Show. This is world’s first 3D-printed car and known as Strati, it is two-seater car, which is made up of plastic components and can reach the speed of 25 miles/hour.

Printing Process: 

This made in Detroit, Strati is two-seater car and it takes only 44 hours to print it. Crowdsources, a Phoenix-based company designs its cars, which look like the oddball Rally Fighter. Local Motors is responsible to build the Strati and brings on the floor of the North American International Auto Show, which is going to held in Detroit with all printing and routing equipment, which is here just for the occasion. The printing of this car takes only 44 hours, which in about two full working days after which all components including rough ones routed and polished to complete the final finishing look. According to Local Motors CEO Jay Rogers, first of three vehicles of Local Motors are ready to hit the market, whereas; each Strati will have the price range of $18,000 and $30,000. This two Seater car is made up of plastic components and it can hit the road with the speed up to 25 miles per hour.

About Local Motors Strati: 

The whole manufacturing and assembling process can be done in "micro-factory," of Local Motors, which is 40,000-square-foot space, containing everything needed to print, design, build, or sell a car. The company is planning to inaugurate its two micro-factories in 2015, one in near Washington, DC in National Harbor and another in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is expected that the DC location will breaks ground in the third quarter of 2015 where first fleet of 3D-printed cars will be sold. Factories are still looking for the approval because they need a local zoning law changes as per the Washington Post. As per few reports, the Strati is not yet legal for highway, and it can take few months to one year.

According to company officials, “We have arrived with small platform, but after setting up the winding course at Detroit’s Cobo Center, we have produced the passenger seats for the two-seater electric roadster. The two-seater Strati is powered up-by a Renault Twizy–sourced EV power-train which is fitted in to the 3D-printed body of car. Soon the company will test the car on modern tracks where the speed will vary between 10 to 25 mph with the comfortable conversation with the driver, but the car driver stated that car could made-up to 50 mph per hour and the car represent perfect golf car status.

This car were first showcased in September 2014, which was mostly constructed through 3D printing, which sounds like future-minded and gutsy as the part of a young ambitious company. According to reports, no one has done such things publicly till date. To actualize the process of 3D printed car, Local Motors had made a partnership with National Laboratory in Tennessee, where it has take four months to unveil, the Strati.

Microsoft Slams Google for Revealing Windows 8.1 Bug


Microsoft
It has been just another example of a competitive business world when Google has revealed the bug involved in Windows 8.1 by Microsoft. Both giant companies Google and Windows got on the wrong sides with each other on 11th of January 2015 when Google as a part of their Project Zero revealed a Windows 8.1 bug to the entire public. (Project Zero is a 90 day grace period that Google gives any software company compelling them to rectify or improve the flaws to improve the web or computers to be more secure to use and also to users.

Now if that is not met by the software companies, Google makes the flaws pubic). In this instance Google pre notified Microsoft of the flaw or the bug as we say on the 11th of October 2014 allowing Microsoft to get the bug fixed by 11th of January 2015 after which Project Zero would be what Google would resort to however since this was not fixed Google made the flaws pubic. Despite all this Chris Betz who is the chief of Microsoft Security Response Centre was found stating in a blog that Microsoft asked Google to hold off revealing the mistake/flaw for a couple of days more as they needed to develop a fix for the issue.

Mr.Betz also said that they have specifically asked Google to work in protecting customers by holding on to details till 13th Jan which is when a fix for the issue will be released. Mr.Betz added that they are aware with the fact that revealing flaw is consistent by Google's Project Zero guidelines, but also deliberately makes Microsoft less impressive to the security of Windows 8.1 customers' devices.

Mr. Betz criticized Google in this instance further adding that the action taken by Google is more of expressing pleasure at catching someone rather than the principles eventually leaving customers to suffer. Mr.Betz came back stating that what is right for Google may not always be the same for the customers and would want Google to make customer protection as the entire collective and primary goal.

With all this said and done Microsoft took a step ahead and notified that its Advance Security Notification System as also known as ANS will not be available for public and this step has been taken as a part of evolution from Microsoft’s side. This in future will be available only for paid premier support contracts and companies who are involved in the security programmes to access ahead of a fix.

This brought about mixed opinions in the technical communities where in a few were with Microsoft understanding that fixing a patch is not instant as they need to keep in mind various other facts like not to hamper other processes just by getting the broken patch fixed for Windows 8.1 eventually causing customers to suffer with the existing process. While on the flip side there were also customers who were on the same page with Google indicating that Microsoft is a giant but they are very slow or too dainty who could not fix the bug in time.

Whatsapp and iMessage Could Be Banned Under New Surveillance Plans


Primeminister-UK

According to recent reports, Snapchat, WhatsApp and iMessage could be banned in the U.K. after the murder of Charlie Hebdo. It was the shocking event in Paris where leaders of the world prove that, how little they understand the latest technology. David Cameron, in an event in Nottingham, England, stated about how Britain has been able to access any form of communication with advanced technology and tools.

Phone calls, internet traffic, letters all can be intercepted due security and intelligence reasons, but as per the Cameron few services such as; WhatsApp, Facebook, iMessage, Snapchat and countless other smaller versions can be problem for national security. At the end of whole speech, David Cameron stated, “The first duty of government is to keep the country safe for our people, so that they can enjoy the life.”

As per another member and Mayor from Cameron’s party, Boris Johnson, “I am pretty interested in civil liberties stuff and if they are threat, so I want to listen their calls and check their emails to”. It can be alarming quote for those who have tipped to be a future British PM. No doubt, David Cameron was referring to listen only terrorists, but we all know that for this they need to keep an eye on all residents.

In the world of democracy, if you have elects those who are best according to you and later you are managing the money after paying taxes to live in better country. According to normal peoples we haven’t elect them to spy on our private life, to stop us from having basic rights and freedom, we didn’t have put them in charge, it means they couldn’t have a understanding about latest technology then our teenagers.

The argument presented by government and its officials, mobile services such as; WhatsApp, Facebook, iMessage, Snapchat are not freely accessible from their intelligence agencies. It is expected that government has approached those companies and asked to keep an eye on their messages, but their request denied. Now government has only option either to break in their security or to get a court order for further records.

But it’s nothing other than stupidity to stop normal people doing normal things through their instant messaging services; the latest technology is the easy medium for terrorists to communicate securely. If two or more machines are running for communications through Tor, while using 256bit encryption with the help of an IRC server so it can give same headache to government. Government can have little trouble to see those chats as the source and destination with the chat content of messages would be fairly secure throughout the process.

Ultimately, this is all what British government wants, and French government seems to follow the same route in a system as China is doing as they are routing all the traffic through government firewalls and normal people can access only approved sites and services. But the other fact is it is more difficult to stop the people from using the communication apps.





Sunday 25 January 2015

3D-printed 'Star Wars' Buddhas: Zen and the art of the Force


3D-Buddha
We all know about an epic space opera, Star Wars and its hero Zen master. If you are the fan of Star Wars, so you can easily find Star Wars movies, books, television series, and videos games, but now you can also get Star Wars Buddhas with the help of 3d printing technology. Yoda was always known to have some kind of Zen master inside him. Chris Milnes, proprietor of the muckychris storefront and Etsy seller has really put in lot of effort and brought g the Zen side of this little green person with the help of his 3D-printed Zen Yoda figurines. These 3D statues have the combination of Buddha's pleasingly plump body apart from the Yoda’s head.

So what all is in for offering? 

As far as Milnes in concerned, Zen Yoda is just one of his many creations in offering. He has also design many greek related items which includes Boba Fett (Buddha Fett?), Iron Man, Darth Vader, "Battlestar Galactica”, Stormtrooper Buddha and Judge Dredd figurines. These statues are built using the Hotei body (laugh Buddha), figure, which was originally created by Sammy Davis, Thingiverse user. After this Milnes takes the most popular 3D models of superhero and sci-fi heads and melds these two onto a base. Thus, create flawless little nerd-gods. These designs have been possible due to the modeling work of Milnes apart from Creative Commons licensing from the original 3D modelers.

According to Milnes, his art comprises of mash up of existing item and creating new items with meaning. In case of the Zen Zode, it is aiming to create and balance Creative Commons licensing from the original 3D modeler with the force and the 'Star Wars' lore. Milnes is a digital sculptor and carries out all his modeling and 3D print work himself. Apart from being busy with his Etsy Store, he has been quiyte busy with the invention of the SquareHelper, which is a 3D-printed widget capable of keeping Square card readers from spinning around in case of being attached to an iPad or iPhone. He is a Makerbot user with Replicator 2x and Replicator 2 machines in use. According to what he offers, it takes nearly an hour to print a 2-inch figure, about three to four to print a 4-inch figure and around six hours to print a a 6-inch figure. This at present is the largest size offered by Milnes. The prices of these statues ranges from $7.99 (about £5, AU$10) for the small ones and about $27.99 (about £19, AU$34) for the big statues. What catches the eye most is the chrome and shiny gold offerings.

According to Milnes, his Etsy store has a few popular geek brands in offerings but even he agrees that Darth Vader, Stormtrooper and Yoda statues are the most popular ones. Considering the fact that Jediism has a very minor religious following around the world, it is quite obvious for the Yoda-Buddha to become immensely popular and such a hot commodity.

Saturday 24 January 2015

US Military Social-Media Accounts Hacked


CENTCOM
According to the reports, a hacker group who is claiming to be with the terrorist group ISIS and call themselves as the “Recently, Cyber Caliphate, took the complete control over the operation of Centcom YouTube channel and Twitter account that represents the United States central military command. There was a Pastebin tweeted by the hackers titles as “Pentagon account hacked with a message that, American soldiers, we are coming, now its time when you should watch your back. #CyberCaliphate”. This message included links to what is suppose to be with some confidential US Army files.

However, according to sources, it has come to light that these files might have been made available to public previously, in other words, these files cannot be deemed highly confidential. These files might not be confidential but at the end of the day, it was the files of Centcom’s social accounts that were compromised. This clearly indicates the pathetic state of the cyber security in the United States government. And if the hackers are able to get their hands on some of the most confidential files then it clearly indicates that ISIS is a more dreadful cyber-opponent than anyone can expect.

According to the tweets of Politico reporter Hadas Gold at 9:46AM PST, Twitter is aware of the cyber attack on Centcom and taking necessary steps to work on the issue. According to the update at 10:05AM PST, Twitter was able to remove the cover image and the profile image from Centcom. This was followed by the suspension of the Centcom account at 10:10AM PST. At 10:15AM PST, there was an update posted indicating one of the defense officials has confirmed these attacks to Fusion reported Brett LoGiurato. Brett LoGiurato tweeted that, defense official have confirmed that the United States Central Command Twitter account has been compromised. At 10:35AM PST another update followed indicating that even YouTube has suspended the hacked account of Centcom from YouTube. Around 11:55AM PST, The Next Web’s Matt Navarra tweeted that there has been a request received from Pentagon pertaining to an account security issue and they are working on the issue to resolve it.

Before the accounts could be shut, the following tweets were released from the account: 

1. Pentagon network hacked: Korean scenarios.
2. American soldiers, we are coming to you, now it’s time when you should watch your back.
3. We will not stop; we know everything about you, your wife, and your children.
4. ISIS is already here, we are in your computers, in each of your military base

While the US and its satellites kill our brothers and soldiers in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, then we broke into your networks and personal devices and know every information about you. The Cyber-Caliphate has also claimed to have taken control over the US media affiliates of CBS News and Fox in Tennessee. According to one of the Anonymous post left out in Pastebin, “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the Cyber-Caliphate under the auspices of ISIS will continues with its Cyber-Jihad.

Gogoro, the Electric Scooter Could Make Battery-Swapping Work


Gogoro
We all know that technology is growing day by day and now one more chapter in the world of advanced technology as after smartphones, smartscooters are ready to hit the market globally. Recently, Gogoro launched as smartscooter by occupying the stage at CES. Gogoro is electric scooter and work on the zero-emissions policy. This smartscooter is designed to get power from batteries and in present it is available in all over the world through the subscription from a wide range of network vending machines.

Technology on wheels: 

Gogoro is smartscooter, which is equipped with cloud connectivity, an integrated mobile app and in an addition 30 onboard sensors. It allows all the users to take an advantage of premium features like; customized regenerative braking, adaptive throttle control, to find the battery-vending GoStation and detailed scooter diagnostics. Apart from these extra features, riders can also track the driving details such as; top speed, time and they can also analyze the driving patterns in order to energy consumption to optimize power.
According to the Megan Zaroda, spokesperson of company, it is expected that Gogoro will ship its first product this year as they are targeting the megacities on worldwide level.


The more he added that other devices will integrate into this smartscooter and it is kind of portable power. Before four years, Gogoro raised US $150 million, when they was looking for funding to start its operations, but the price plan for Gogoro smartscooter is still surprise. In present, Gogoro's Smartscooter is targeting the teenagers and young people, who are in the age of 18 to 28 years. While coming to its component, it is consist of ultracompact G1 electric motor, which drive performance. This smartscooter is made up of Aeroframe monocoque chassis, which is light in weight with inbuilt programmable LEDs. You can drive it with maximum speed of 95 km/hour as it can reach to 50 km/hour in just 4.1 seconds.

This smartscooter is designed for customizability and it allows riders to choose any specific throttle acceleration, lock-and-unlock audio, lighting themes and the dashboard-screen color spectrum. According to officials of Gogoro, If user will take the monthly subscription plan, so he will be free to use unlimited battery swaps and this process will take only six seconds, apart from that use will get the free roadside maintenance for the time period of two years. Each full battery will provide a chance to run the scooter up-to to 100 km. Battery is consist of automotive-grade lithium-ion, which is cylindrical with a 18650-size of energy cells from Panasonic. It also provides near field communication connectivity, which is of 256-bit security encryption.

When it comes to looks, so no doubt it looks great with sleek lines as it is so common in most of the scooters and motorcycle in these days. As per the company officials, If user will handle the batteries carefully with regular diagnostics, so it can work till several years, as regular diagnostics is one of the key element.


Friday 23 January 2015

Galaxy Tab Price – The Tab Offer Full Value for its Price

Galaxy Tab
Samsung is no new name in the entire arena of mobile phones’ industry. With a complete set of phones in each series, Samsung seems to push itself ahead of others. Like its other series, Samsung Galaxy with its tablets saw a huge number of buyers rushing to get their hands on thei first tablet.

Prices of Samsung Galaxy Tab

Samsung Galaxy Tab is considered as one of the best series of tablets available in the market. The tablets falling under this category include:

  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Neo SM-T111 (WiFi+3G+8GB) priced at Rs. 9,599
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 T231 (WiFi+3G+8GB) priced at Rs. 14,849,
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 211 T2110 (WiFi+3G+8GB) priced at Rs. 12,999,
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 SM-T331 (WiFi+3G+16GB) priced at Rs. 21,160,
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 311 T3110 (WiFi+3G+16GB) priced at Rs. 19,990,
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 (WiFi+3G+16GB) priced at Rs. 31,670,
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 (WiFi+3G+16GB) priced at Rs. 38,900 and
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 SM-T531 (WiFi+3G+16GB) priced at Rs. 25,999,

Each of these above tablets actually has more or less the same specifications. But some of the high end models have better camera quality, storage capacity and a high quality processor and better RAM capacity. It is because of these variations in specifications that Galaxy Tab price India varies from model to model.


For example the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Neo SM-T111, priced at only Rs. 9599 has basic features like 3G, Wi-Fi, Dual Core 1.2 GHz Processor, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB inbuilt memory, 7 inches, 600 x 1024 px display and many more. But for the operating system the device uses an outdated Android version that of Jelly Bean 4.2. Along with it, the device also lacks the front camera, which is a necessity for all tablet users, these days. This is due to the rising demand of video calls and video conferencing. It also doesn’t have flash and FM radio, which makes this tablet a bit old fashioned in the market, with respect to the configurations.

On the other hand Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4, which comes around at a price of Rs. 31,670 is loaded with tons of unstoppable features like Quad Core 2.3 GHz Processor, 3 GB RAM, 16 GB inbuilt memory, 8.4 inches, 1600 x 2560 px display,8 MP Camera with flash, an operating system of Android Kit Kat version 4.4.2, 2.1 MP front camera, 1080p HD Video Recording, auto-focus and a lot more. These features make it stand like a “diva” in the market.

Likewise the reason behind the varying prices is the difference of configurations. Of course, since each tablet comes from the reputed house of Samsung, the quality of each would be different but really good. Each tablet can actually give you one new and a perfect experience of its own kind. Samsung doesn’t compromise with the satisfaction of its customers and never will.

Wednesday 21 January 2015

Mercedes-Benz Shows Off Self-Driving Car of the Future

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz_Interior
Mercedes had taken an innovative and influential step in developing a highly advanced car which might even look too much futuristic. Mercedes has revealed a concept car which boasts of self-driving capabilities at the Consumer Electronics Car in Las Vegas. This innovative and futuristic car has been dubbed as the F015 Luxury in Motion. It features a sleek four-door automobile which brings in a futuristic design and construction dynamics that would feel like a slice of future.

Mercedes Believes in Better and Advanced Future 

Mercedes is upbeat about its product which is turning heads at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Dieter Zetshe is the head of the Mercedes Benz cars and he stated that if you solely focus on the technology then you won’t be able to grasp the advantages of the autonomous driving which could change our society dramatically. He further affirms that this innovative car is beyond its role a mere transport product and it will become more like a mobile living space.

Features Of the Mercedes New Car

The low contour design of the new car is more oriented toward providing comfortable riding than just driving. This car is over 17ft long which is just similar to the length of a Cadillac Escalade SUV. This car provides lounge style char which can swivel 30 degree when the suicide-style door open and it allows the four people to sit facing one another. The two front chairs could easily swivel around to face the windshield if the manual driving is necessary in some case.

Its steering wheel can easily fold up into the dashboard when you are not using it. It also features six display screens in the instrument panel and side & rear panels which can relay information from the outside world or play movies and other entertainment content from online sources.

How Autonomous System Works In New Mercedes Car? 

This car’s autonomous systems are designed to be guided by the stereo camera, radar and ultrasonic sensors. You can differentiate whether the car is being run autonomously or not by looking the headlights colour beams. If the car is being driven autonomously the headlights and grille would light up in blue colour and white if driven manually.

F 015 is built from the industry based lightweight carbon fibre, high-strength steel and aluminium. This car possesses a rechargeable hydrogen fuel cell technically. This car uses an innovative method to charge up the battery by just parking the car on a charge pad.

This Car Is Just In Conceptual Stage

This car is no where likely to come on the streets before 2030. This car had however allowed the Mercedes to flex its technical and creative abilities and let it test to the utmost limit. Apart from the Mercedes many new cars are offering the self-driving basics which include the radar-based cruise control, autonomous braking system as well as lane keeping assist. It is being expected that by 2017 the brands like Cadillac, Audi, Tesla and Mercedes would allow the high end-models to travel autonomously.

FAA Touts Growing Drone Market at CES 2015


Drone
With the latest craze of drones right now, the year 2015 has brought up a shining market for drones this providing satisfaction to the customers who have been waiting for the mainstream return of the drones. This automatic aerial vehicle that has come up is no doubt one of the greatest innovations so far and through certain experiments it has been revealed to be most efficiently working too.

These flying robots now have gained their own section in the Consumer Electronics Show that has been held every year. This section has no doubt gained immense popularity and more and more interested customers are seeping in. More people are attracted towards these machines as these auto- robots can take photos and videos from a dimension that you cannot ever imagine.

Some oil companies have taken up these robots to work for its own business as with the help of these they can be thoroughly updated no matter what. Also the random use of this machine is really helping a lot in the upsurge in profit for these companies. This device helps in the monitoring of the low cost security and disaster management simultaneously at a go.

The device is still getting evolved and soon we will get to see the consumers paying $103 million on drones by the time 2015 is ending and the industry is definitely going to spike up if the work goes on in this pace. The only thing that has been pulling back this market is that this has not produced what we know as the must buy products. The main reason for this being the price which is very costly but there is a bit of hope that as time goes by, these high profile gadgets will be cheaper and more efficient so that it becomes mandatory to use them.

The four drone companies that were brought up this year is ZANO, Parrot, Qualcomm and Nixie, and they had brought about a camera that could be attached to your wrist. Another thing that will stun you is that it adds a definite style to clicking selfies as because you can toss it high up in the air and it will click your selfie before gating back to your hand. Also the device is hardy enough and that is the reason why you will not have to think twice before tossing it up.

Things that these devices need to change 

There are some impractical design problems that needs to be fixed first so that the devices become lighter and easy to handle. Also the prices need to be lowered a bit so that everyone can afford it and it can turn into a necessity for every field. Now each and every company are bent upon making their deign perfect so that more and more consumers are allured to it.

FAA has suggested that with the gradual passage of time the machines will definitely gain the perfection that the consumers have been craving for since the last two to three years.





How to Manage Your Print Services More Effectively


konica
If you own or operate a small business that has been experiencing some steady growth recently, you may have noticed an increase in the amount of documents you need to have printed. While the task of printing may have seemed simple enough when your business was first starting out, increased sales combined with more customers and employees means you have more documents that need to be printed. The longer you continue to do this task yourself, the more time-consuming it will become. However, there is an easier solution. There are companies that specialize in performing the printing tasks of businesses of all sizes. Here are some of the ways a business can benefit from hiring a company that performs managed print services.

Costs will be reduced

This is the number one reason why companies start to outsource their various printing tasks. When a business is just starting to build up a customer base and make a name for itself, money is usually very tight. It is at this critical stage in a company's history that every decision that is made will have a huge impact on whether the company succeeds or fails. Therefore, the choice of dramatically cutting costs by outsourcing the company's printing assignments seems like an obvious one. The amount of money that a business can save will depend on which company it chooses to perform their printing. Many companies offer bulk discounts, so the more items you have printed, the more money your company can save.

Less chance of a data breach

Nowadays, corporate security is a greater concern for businesses of all sizes than it has ever been before. Every day, there seems to be a new story about a company's sensitive information being compromised. If you print statements by yourself, the sensitive information of your employees or clients may fall into the wrong hands if you do not have the proper security protocols in place. However, companies that specialize in print outsourcing will have facilities that are guarded around the clock, with all employees being thoroughly searched before they leave the premises. This helps to prevent your data from being stolen and ending up being used by international hackers, competing companies or anyone else. This is peace of mind that you can not put a price on.

No need to buy expensive equipment

Printing equipment, especially machines that are on the high end, tend to be very expensive. This is not even considering the enormous amount of money it costs to maintain and repair this equipment when it inevitably breaks down. By outsourcing your printing, you can not only avoid the high price of printing equipment, you do not need to have your office space taken up by bulky printing machines.

Tuesday 20 January 2015

The Five Most Disruptive Innovations At CES 2015

Sony
This year is just at its beginning and already newer innovations have started coming up. Interested enough? Well this year CES has introduced a lot of disruptive innovations that are bound to stun you and today we are going to discuss about all these innovations. As you proceed in reading this article, you will get to see how fast the technology is taking you to greater heights.

The innovations that will surprise you:

  • Transportation- On the basis of transportation the technology has served a great deal. This we can know because of Toyota’s new discovery, Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that is sure to lessen the pollution of the environment as it promises to emit nothing except for water. This specific vehicle is going to be launched in this year in California. Another interesting fact is that this vehicle is stylish looking unlike the former Google cars and so you can take it anywhere you want to. Also this vehicle has evolved to be self driving or autonomous which is the reason why driving this has become even easier.
  • Health and fitness- Getting back to this field, technology has made it better in multifaceted dimensions. A lot of new applications have come up for the better treatment of the patients. Yes it is true that these innovations are costly enough but that is nothing compared to the heightened level of treatment that the patients will be receiving. The ReSound LiNX is the sort of a hearing aid which is very easy to carry as because it is almost invisible. What’s more! It can be controlled with the Apple and android devices by Bluetooth connection.
  • Manufacturing- 3D printing has recently come up to be in craze and almost every object of interest has 3D printing on it. Now a portable 3D printer has come up that is very easy to use and comes just in $300 per piece. This is much better than the heavy machines that were formerly used. Now if you want to make a fashionable item with 3D printing on it, the work is much easier! Graphene Frontiers is the new innovator who has received the funding from the National Science Foundation for its work.
  • The Internet- The New Year has come up with the resolution of better connectivity and it has definitely fulfilled that condition in the best possible manner. This year’s innovation includes companies like Intel, Samsung and Bosch using fundamental technology in a variety of new ways. It is like the world has become a smaller place with the help of this better connectivity. With the help of internet now every other gadget can be connected and then the control process becomes a lot easier due to this.
  • Display and audio- In this field, technology has gained immense progress- progress that is undeniable. With better display and audio quality the virtual world is bound to seem almost real like with enriched multilayered quality. Oculus Rift, a 3D gaming company that claims to have the gaming quality much better.


Samsung- SmartThings a Roadmap towards Smart Home


Smar_Things
Samsung is taking a huge gamble in terms of Smart-Things, which is all about connecting all the devices in the internet of things. Samsung acquired this start-up nearly a year back and taking the assistance of this system to win this bet. During the 2015 CES (Consumer Electronics Show) conducted last week in Las Vegas, co-CEO Boo-Keun Yoon led the company took the promise that the company’s products would be built on this new platform and they will not only be open but also compatible with other products as well.

According to Yoon, 90% of their products (ranging from refrigerators to smartphones) will easily be able to connect to the web or the internet by 2017. According to him, in the next five years, each and every product listed in the company's entire catalogue can be expected to be connected to internet.

The company is getting prepared for the concept of IoT (Internet of Things), this means that anything can be connected into the internet means of sensors and other technologies. According to the prediction made by Analyst firm Gartner, the total number of devices connected to the network will increase to 26 billion units by 2020. The same number was around 900 million in 2009. This technology was all about changing dumb devices into Smart ones, which can communicate with each other. IoT market is expected to hit as high as $3.04 trillion by 2020.

Samsung and Smart-Things

Smart home start-up Smart-Things was acquired by Samsung in the month of August to increase their sales. Smart-Things technology is all about helping the customers to control their appliance with the help of their smart-watches, smartphones and other smart devices. This technology is being considered as the key to Samsung’s IoT and smart home efforts. They have already released their next generation smart home automation hub.

Cost of the service: 

The price is expected to be inexpensive and the idea of this technology is about security. Smart-Things Premium will be able to create an ID of any kind of incident that has occurred in the house.

Samsung TVs preloaded with Smart-Things? 

It might take some time for the company to release the TVs preloaded with the feature as the 2015 market is already filled with the existing TVs in the retail channel. There is no set time frame for the existing TVs to replace the existence of separate hubs but depending on the pace of the change in technology, anything can happen anytime.

Even though the company has been having issues with openness but with making their devices open, the company has open the doors for a future, wherein any devices from any company can interconnected. Even though Apple has their own Home-Kit, Samsung is the only company having access to this platform (Windows Phone app) as if now. The company truly believes that there version of hub will be compatible with Apple’s Home-Kit but this is not the same situations from their side. Samsung has been enjoying a huge company base of iOS and they want their customers to have the best of experience.

Researchers Turn Computer Into Poker Shark


Cepheus
According to the researchers at the University of Alberta, a computer program dubbed as “Cepheus” has been able to solve the game of Poker. Cepheus, has been created by computer poker research group, asserts that it can not only play heads-up limit Texas hold'em poker, but also beat human opponents.

When it comes to artificial intelligence, games like poker and chess have always been used as the test beds by researchers who are looking towards developing new concepts. There have been many success scenarios in the past like IBM's Deep Blue, which had defeated world champion Garry Kasparov in chess, and IBM's Watson, which defeated top-ranking Jeopardy! Champions. When it comes to a game of poker, it gives special challenges to artificial intelligence researchers because the computers or the players do not have the complete knowledge of past events and also they cannot see the cards held by their opponents.

Test of Cepheus: 

According to CPRG, any game can be solved if it is played over a period of time and if it is played with 95% confidence. The computer was trained to test Cepheus with poker over a period of two months. During this time it utilized more than 4,000 CPUs, and each of this CPU can handle 6 billion hands of poker. This was more poker which had been played by my entire human race.

Each of this hand, Cepheus constantly kept on managing its play and the choices kept on refining their choices and to find the best possible solution to each move. The main effort of University of Alberta's effort is to use a computer to play and win an imperfect information game when compared to perfect information games like checkers, chess and tic-tac-toe. The players will have access to all the information pertaining to the game.

While developing Cepheus, the CPRG's goal was to make sure the technology is able to make the computer think in some of the imperfect situations. This technology can be applied to any situations where there is a possibility of imperfect situations. According to Neil Burch, a Ph.D. student at the University of Alberta and a coauthor of the study, it will be interesting to see this research being used in different problems. As far as Cepheus is concerned, it has proved its power with the cards but no one can say about its ability as it will be dependent on the limitation of the computational capabilities.

Computers will learn more as the time passes by as CPU/GPU, storage and RAM will continue to evolve which will allow more complex supercomputing, software programming and problem solving. When it comes to computer, if it goes wrong it will learn to go right and take the correct step in the situation again.

It is important for the computer to learn every possible step based on the database and determine the best possible move. Even though the artificial intelligence has lot awaiting in the future, Cepheus has a lot of contribution towards it.