Microsoft India launches Guardian app for women's safety

Microsoft has launched a new application aimed at women's safety in the country. Called the Guardian, the new safety app is available for Windows Phone users.

The Guardian app has a 'track me' feature that allows select users in contact to track the user in real time, using Microsoft Windows Azure cloud services and Bing Map APIs. Users can also send an 'SOS' alert, connect to security agencies, police and hospitals in case of any emergency through this app.

To use the app, users need to add names of select contacts to the settings who can be reached out to in an emergency situation. Users can alert them through the SOS button. Clicking the SOS button will send a distress message to selected contacts, alerting them along with users' location. The SOS button also sends emails to select email ids and posts to private Facebook groups.

A group of Microsoft employees developed the Guardian app in a span of over six months. Microsoft's new distress app comes in the awake of recent cases of violence against women in the country, especially the last year's Nirbhaya case.

So far, quite a few distress apps have been launched. Notion Ink recently launched “I'm Shakti” application for the Android platform.

India’s first managed security company, SMART 24X7, recently launched ‘Panic’ Button, an Android operating system for smartphones. Some of the popular safety apps available for smartphones are Channel V's VithU, Me Against Rape, Fight Back by Whypoll, Street Safe and The Eye watch.

"Our employees wanted to do something to enable people to feel safer in our cities. So they used their spare time to develop Guardian. It is a robust personal security app with more safety features and capabilities than any other comparable app available to Indian smartphone users today, Microsoft IT India Managing Director Raj Biyani is quoted as saying.

You can download Guardian app from Windows Phone store for free.

Deltaprintr: A new affordable 3D printer developed by a US college student

Shai Schechter, from Purchase College, State University of New York, has developed an affordable 3D printer called the Deltaprintr. At $475, the new printer costs less than one third of the traditional 3D printers.

Schechter approached his college professor about building a new cost effect 3D printer that uses plastic instead. He with his three friends launched a kickstarter campaign to bring the low cost 3D printer for the masses.

"We have a laser- and powder-based 3D printer at school, but it costs about $500 for a bucket of powder and that only lasts for about one or two prints," Schechter said. "It's never used because it is so expensive and classes weren’t offered that much in the curriculum."

"MakerBot uses belts to move the print head, but ours uses a fishing line," Schechter said. "With the fishing line, you can expand it to make it taller if you want by changing the aluminum rods. It allows it to go faster than the MakerBot and is more accurate," Schechter added.

A MakerBot 3D printer costs approx $2,000, while a Deltraprintr costs: $475 unassembled or $685 assembled for the large size (2 feet high) only. The Deltaprintr is available in extra large (2.5 feet) that has double the printing capacity, six more inches in height and two more inches in diameter, for $705. The Deltaprintr design doesn't require many parts so the savings are passed on to the customers.

Schechter added, "We want it to have a place in education, but it's still for the everyday user. We have a lot of ideas that we plan to execute in the next year to make the Deltaprintr even better and lower the cost even more".

SMS to be soon accepted as official docs in govt dealings in India

People may soon be able to use SMSs as documentary proof with government departments. The government is launching a 'Mobile Seva' service with over 241 applications relating to health, Aadhaar, Education, RTI, and much more.

Launching the 'Mobile Seva' service, Department of Electronics and IT secretary J Satyanarayana said: "Like Railways, we have to bring in a system wherein by showing (transaction) SMS or, whatever be the case (like e-mail), the proof on mobile is accepted as valid document. To increase our reach we need to bring this kind of practice in mobile and e-governance."

India has over 90 crore mobile subscribers and with the launch of this app it will be easy for them to make transactions with various government departments. At present the digitally signed certificates are accepted as valid document and soon an SMS or a communication available on mobile phone will be accepted as valid proof.

Joint Secretary at DEITY Rajendra Kumar stated that the department is ready with digital signature for mobile phones that the government can use in messages that are to be sent to the citizens applying for a service. "We will start allocating digital signature (Public Key Infrastructure) to all government department on board in first quarter of 2014. Government departments can send communication on mobile of citizen seeking service,"
Kumar said.

DEITY Additional Secretary Rajiv Gauba stated that about 830 departments from the Centre, state and local authorities have come on board, and the department is working on the third phase to further scale up the mobile governance platform and bring more services under its ambit.

"We have to go through inter-ministerial consultations to scale this m-governance store for launch of third phase. The third phase will have many more departments and capacity to add more services application on this store. Final shape of third phase can be known only after consultation process is complete," he said.

The app is available for Android and Java enabled phones for now. Kumar added that the department is aiming to bring all the applications to HTML5 standard which will make them compatible with all mobile platforms in the next six months.

Interview: Understanding Vserv's AppWrapper.org SDK integration tool

Vserv.mobi recently announced the launch of AppWrapper.org, a platform for Android developers that aims to automate the integration of multiple software development kits (SDKs). The tool is designed to integrate services such as ad monetization, analytics, bug tracking and in-app purchases, allowing app developers to shorten their development time. We caught up with Binay Tiwari, Director, Global Marketing and Product, Vserv.mobi to understand the model and their plans for the platform.


Tell us a bit about AppWrapper, and specifically how independent mobile app developers can take advantage of it?
Vserv is a mobile advertising exchange and which means that we have worked with developers and publishers to partner with them on their apps and sites. As users come and use these apps and sites there’s an opportunity to show them ads and the developer has a chance to earn from those ads. That’s exactly what Vserv has enabled – monetization of apps and sites using advertising – and on the other side we have partnered with advertisers who want to reach these consumers. 
 
That’s what Vserv.mobi is about right?
Yes, that’s what Vserv.mobi is about. Now placing these ads on apps requires an SDK’s, right? Developers need to take the SDK from that ad network and integrate that into their app and that’s how ads start showing up. The developer has the opportunity to show ads to the user in real-time, which are targeted and shown based on the device, country and where users are coming from. And, when Vserv had started off we had said that this whole SDK integration process is quite tricky and it could be challenging to some developers especially independent developers who don’t generally have all the time in the world, because they focus more on creating their own app and the functionality of that app versus dealing with integration of SDK.
 
So AppWrapper started off as a way for Vserv’s advertising SDK to get enabled or the app in one click without any coding by the developer himself. So a developer would be able to choose an app, run our tool from AppWrapper and get another version of the app that now had ads enabled on it at the launch and exit of the application. So when somebody’s starting the app you see an ad and at the exit you see an ad. So think of it as a magazine cover ad and back page – that kind of an ad format.
 
So we created that quality, that underlying technology of being able to take our SDK and enable it onto an app in one click without any coding and that was the core technology that we’ve build.
 
And now you integrated other SDK’s as well which is bug tracking etc.
Correct! Somewhere in the middle we started more than just a SDK but also integrated business logic. So if somebody wants to do a try and buy version of the app. So instead of the developer struggling to add all of that business logic, we did it for them. For instance after ‘x’ number of sessions I should stop the user and ask him to pay so much amount or I should, how do I track those sessions, also I could do the subscription billing on an app, what is the billing logic etc. how do I implemented that? That had become a second evolution of AppWrapper where we had taken the SDK plus the business logic that would get into the app. And, both of these were effective for services that were earning money through us, or we were earning money through try-and-buy transactions implemented through Telcos.
 
Soon we said that this an amazing technology; why not extend it to entire ecosystem and to all our partners across the ecosystem. And that’s why we now enable multiple SDK’s across various categories using the AppWrapper and we said that you want to create this and send it as a separate independent platform that allows the developer to automatically integrate SDKs of various services and what those services. Bug-tracking was one of the first services that we put out. Monetization such as our ads, or Google Play in-app purchases is another one, being able to request the user to rate their app in the third service through another partner as well, which we called ‘user engagement’. And now we continue to look what are the other services that developers need and have to integrate and we will try get them on to the AppWrapper platform and get them enabled by the app wrapper. Within these categories too, we’re going to continue to find other providers of services and bring those on board as well. So the developer has more and more choice. Already they had the biggest names in the space – in Analytics we have Google Analytics, Flurry and Apsalar, for bug-tracking we have Bugsense and Crittercism etc. 
 
So how simple is it really? Can a developer who is just starting off use if effectively?
Absolutely! The whole objective is to sort of make it a zero coding approach, so the developer doesn’t have to go back to his code at all – that was the premise with which we started. Obviously when you do that there are some things that you’ll be able to do and some things you will not be able to do. So given that, we don’t want to change any functionality of the app, we don’t want to break the compatibility of the app with various versions of the operating system, and also want to sort of limit the amount of size that increases of the app itself. Those are all the considerations that we have taken into the picture and as we enable these newer forms of SDKs, we’re constantly looking at making sure that what the developer is required to do on this interface is no more than just putting his user ID or choosing some settings such as checkboxes or radio buttons. The entire process is zero coding, if you look at the steps it is as simple as choosing an APK file, choosing the services that you want which is just an on-off button and if any of those services require you to look into additional settings, those will pop up for. For example, if we choose Google Analytics, then it will require you to put in your analytics ID. After this you just hit the “wrap” button. It’s almost as simple as using winzip. 
 
When choosing which SDKs to include is Vserv advertising SDK is mandatory or can that be skipped? For example if a developer just wants analytics can that be done?
Absolutely! It is not mandatory at all that somebody uses Vserv’s advertising SDKs or any of Vserv’s SDK and all. He can go and choose any of the services that are available. There are of course some rules for example if you end up choosing one analytics SDK that conflicts with another, then you’ll have to take that out and have to choose one or the other, but there is nothing from a business policy standpoint that says Vserv needs to be included. There are no limitations on that front whatsoever. And also just coming to the simplicities that might use this. Think of it as simple as using Winzip. 
 

A corollary to the previous question to the previous questions – if the advertising SDK is not mandatory, then what’s in it for Vserv?
Great question! Essentially our whole approach with AppWrapper in this new, shape and form is to put this out as an independent global platform, where a developer can come use it freely. That’s also why we choose the .org domain. The vision that we have for this tool is to eventually become a marketplace of sorts, where on one side you have the developers who are going to come and try using this platform because it simplified the whole integration process for them as well as helped them find some new services that they might not have already known about; on the other side you have the service providers who are creating these developer services, tools and so on and giving out the SDK’s to developers. When we integrate those into the AppWrapper they get two things again, one is discoverability because lot of them are new and niche so as they come this platform developers will be able to discover them, and the second is super simplified their onboarding process, right? So instead of telling the developer, ok, you’ve used my SDK and my SDK documentation and this is how you should test it and this becomes a one click approach for them to onboard a developer without even necessarily coming to the website. That’s something you know again we are pushing forward. Right now some places the developer has to also go to the provider site to register and so on. Over a period of time, we want to simplify even that process where instead of going to that website all of that would happen with the AppWrapper itself, based on the partnership sites we develop.
 
So what are your licensing norms? Take for example flurry, is there any revenue sharing right now or that’s something that you plan for future and not right now?
The core revenue that we’re looking to get out of this is when somebody uses our SDK for advertising. Essentially we’re are just one of the services on this platform and that’s how we are looking at this. We believe that there will be more developers who will use this platform when there are so many different functionalities that you can do versus just our functionality, just our ads right? 
 
Our standpoint of investing in this is like a premium model so to speak, where if devs use our SDK we earn some money at the same time we’re happy to push forward the mobile ecosystem. One of the reasons to start of Vserv itself was to look at the ways in which we can solve challenges for a developer, solve challenges for advertisers, and therefore help push this mobile ecosystem forward. We’ve already taken a ‘developers first’ approach, so we believe that a lot of developers today are new to this space and lot of them are independent and don’t have large teams. The mobile ecosystem offers them to become app entrepreneur, as we call it, and while becoming app entrepreneurs we are here to help them grow.
 
So it’s almost like seeding?
Correct!
 
But when you say “marketplace” – the marketplace tag that you are giving it – that would involve some kind of a monetary arrangement with the SDK providers right?
As of now we’re not looking at it from that perspective. It might involve co-marketing or them telling their developers that you can go and use this platform as well. So think of it as a website company is asking your for payment and you might have a form that is saying fill in your credit card name, address etc. and just next to it you might have a button that says “pay with paypal” right? So essentially we’re saying that this might become like “integrate with AppWrapper” and on the site you have the full SDK integration document. So those are the types of approaches or partnerships that we’re looking at. From the monetary standpoint right now we are focused on earning revenue from just on our own services and not necessarily from partners.
 
How does Vserv collaborate with app developers?
In our traditional ad network or ad exchange business, we partner with the app developer, help them understand the opportunity to earn through this monetization model and advertising as a monetization model helps them to get into it significantly. So we work with developers to show the potential and then deliver that advertising revenue to them, and also help them continue to grow by talking about their success, highlighting the success stories of our developer partners from around the world. We also partner with things that help build the ecosystem, so one of the thing that we did was partner with IMEI for the apps fest - a hackathon where we give away cash prizes for developers.
 
The IMEI initiative was one such initiative. We have done it with the Nokia Student Developers program as well. We have been partnered with them by which we go to educational institutes and talk about how developers you can earn money from a global audience. 
 
Another offer that we are running successfully is what we call our developers dollars program. We attend a lot of industry events. I think last year we attended 75 globally – that’s more than one and half a week. At these conferences and meetups we connect with developers in whom we see potential. Somebody who is looking at making a great app, or has made a great app and is struggling at monetization, we actually give out what we call “developer dollars” to them. Where on a regular dollar you have the serial number our developer dollars have a code. When somebody uses that code he gets the extra hundred dollars on his account when he starts earning with us. It’s just a small sweetener or a push for them to start or get started on this journey of not just making apps for the fun sake but also making this into a potential business and therefore becoming an app entrepreneur going forward. One of the other initiatives is ‘Developer of the week’ which we’ve been running for over a year now. So there are I think 60-70 of them on it now. Basically every week we talk about a developer on this blog – how he started his journey of developing apps, what was that passion that drove him to do that and how they were able to monetize this into a business. The very first developer story was this guy Venkat from a small town called ‘Trichi’. He talked about how he had just started making apps as part of the Nokia Developers program, and the very first app he made was during the ‘Anna Hazare‘ movement. He felt that people on the streets didn’t have a way to communicate each other and find each other and talk to each other, so he created an app called ‘Lokpal Messenger’. This enabled people who were as a part of this movement to communicate with each other. We started working together with him and he created couple of other apps, start monetizing with us. I think he was working with us about three months before he was finishing his engineering college and, as he was exiting his engineering he got an offer from one of the top three IT services firms in India, but the offer letter that he had, versus the revenue that he was making with us, the multiple was fifteen times. So in essence he was earning fifteen times more than the best job offer that he got through his engineering college. 
 
What advice would you have for budding app developers in the country?
My advice is very, very simple – people who can code today (the new literacy as they call it)  have a really tremendous opportunity to become app entrepreneurs, to become folks who create products that millions of people across the world will use. If you look at other entrepreneurship versus app entrepreneurship, then there are three things that really differentiate it. First is very simple that the amount of capital that you require to start off on your app entrepreneurship journey apart from knowing how to code is essentially a laptop, right? That’s pretty much the modern capital that you require, which is already there. The second thing is that the time it takes to create an app versus another software on the PC, web or some other kind of technology, has sort of become simpler and faster. So lower capital and faster time to market. And then once you have the product ready, the opportunity to do a distribution of that globally and not just in the locality that in you are based in or city or India, but globally. The last is obviously partners who let you earn such as ours which is made for advertising. Nothing’s more exciting than having millions of people use your product, right? So, that’s an amazing opportunity that a developer has in India as well as globally. My is don’t go miss this amazing opportunity.
 
What kind of apps should budding app developers think about building? 
You know going by that approach will only lead you so far. I think what a developer needs to do is what is he passionate about. Build an app that either solves the problem that he is kind of seeing in the world and wants to solve, or do something that gives him joy or make it seem fun for him. Build your app journey with something that you are passionate about, whether it is about solving a problem or something that gives you joy and entertainment, but stay true to what you are bringing uniquely into the system.
 

Spuul: a free app to stream Indian movies on your phone

Not many apps can do what Spuul can do, but then again, this is not surprising considering the fact that video streaming apps are becoming rather popular. People want to watch a movie on their iPad when on the move or when tucked inside the blanket on a cold and lazy winter day, but cannot be bothered to transfer one from their PC most of the time! This is where an app like Spuul can come in quite handy, as long as you are a fan of Bollywood movies.

Interface: Updated, and much better
While we were reviewing the app, there was a major update that completely changed the UI. We had to start from scratch, not that it was too much of an issue. The new UI now opens in landscape mode by default, but the elements have remained largely similar to the previous version - the carousel switches between the select latest and top movies, and is the biggest visual pull on the main screen. Below that are various sub-categories, with horizontal scrolling.

For each movie listed on the home screen, there is the accompanying thumbnail image. Without overloading you with elements, the different sub-categories and the listings under each do give you a fairly good idea of the massive library of movies.

Tap on any movie thumbnail, and you go to the details page. You'll see a big image at the top of the page, followed by the storyline and the details of the movie, the option to watch the movie or watch the trailer and the ability to share this on Facebook and Twitter.

Overall, the interface is extremely neat, and the redone UI is a lot more polished and intuitive than the predecessor.

 

Library & Streaming: Good start, regional content needs to grow
Quite a few of the streaming apps we've run across have flattered to deceive, mostly because of the poor quality of video that ultimately makes it to your tablet or smartphone. There is no doubt that we have had some excellent performers in Starsports.com and Tata Sky’s Everywhere TV app, but, on the other hand, Dish Online and Ditto TV have disappointed. That was the root cause of the wariness with which we approached this app. However, I feel happy to report that Spuul can be added to the list with Star Sports and Everywhere TV, as an app that offers quality streaming. We tested it on a 2Mbps broadband connection, an 8Mbps connection and also on 3G - which offers extremely varied speeds and connectivity strength as you move along. All through, the streaming experience was smooth. Tap on Play Movie, and the playback starts in about 3 seconds. However, since this is streamed content, you cannot jump too far ahead in the timeline at any given point of time, with only the 8 Mbps plan offering a bigger headroom. On the iPad’s Retina Display, every movie looked crisp and vivid, irrespective of the brightness level. But, the best part is the consistency of the content quality, across all movies and TV shows.

The library itself is quite large, with a lot of the recent Bollywood flicks already available - the likes of 'D-Day' and 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara' available. There is an imposing list of movies, including some older ones as well.

We keep mentioning Bollywood flicks, but Spuul also has a fairly good range of regional language movies, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Punjabi. Since I am not well versed with those languages, I can only talk about the numbers that I see.

TV shows is something that still needs a lot of work since that library is not big enough, and at first glance, looks haphazardly put together. Yes, clearly the focus is on movies, but if you gotta have TV Shows in the package, it shouldn’t look this neglected!

Subscription: For what it offers, worth it
There are quite a few free to watch movies available on Spuul, to get you started. However, the real fun is with the premium subscription packages. One option asks you to pay Rs 270 per month, which allows access to all free and premium movies. The second package is the annual option for the same, costing Rs. 2700 per year. However, these subscriptions do not include what Spuul calls “Specials”, and you may have to pay additionally for those later.

Download or Not?
If you are a huge fan of Bollywood movies, this is one app that you must have on your iPhone or iPad or any Android device. The free service lets you browse and watch a selection of movies, while the premium subscriptions remove in-app advertising and let you access more movies. The app offers a massive movie library, but TV shows still need some improvement. Streaming quality on Wi-Fi and 3G is smooth, as long as you are getting good coverage. The redesigned UI is a lot smoother to use than before. We'd say download this app, if you are even slightly interested in Indian movies.

Download on iTunes, Download on Android

SteamOS - A detailed look

Steam is pretty big in itself. It’s the most popular game distribution platform and has close to 6.3 million concurrent users at peak hours but the overall accounts on steam far outnumber all other platforms combined. The client works on Windows, Mac and Linux. However, the games supported in Mac and Linux aren’t that many but with the standardisation that steam brings to the picture we’ll be seeing the change happening soon and hopefully AAA titles will start making Linux ports as well.

What is SteamOS
So with all the hullabaloo around the introduction of the eighth generation consoles by Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo there was a little announcement by Valve in september this year. The first was about SteamOS then came the one about Steam Machines and finally about the Steam Controller. The three are obviously linked together and here’s how.

The Steam Machine is Valve’s answer to consoles except for the fact that anyone can make a Steam Machine. You don’t have to go out of your way and buy a console all you need to worry is about getting the configuration high enough for playing whatever game you want to.

SteamOS is simply the operating system which is designed to run on Steam Machines. It is a Linux fork so pretty much every device under the sun will be supported without the need for fussing over driver issues. However, the only place where there is a slight drawback is that the drivers for Graphics cards have been a persistent issue as far as Linux is concerned. But Valve has been working with NVIDIA to get that sorted at currently only NVIDIA cards are said to run the games but since it is Linux we’re talking about we don’t need to worry since third party drivers exist.

The Steam Controller is one that has been built for Steam Machines. Normal controllers will still continue to work but these are what Valve hopes will be used by game developers and offers a little extra compared to other consoles.

Make your own Steam Machine
The simplicity of making a Steam Machine is the pivotal argument. Since these are basically assembled computers you don’t need to worry about sending the Steam Machine to Valve for warranty claims. Not to mention most products that come together to form a personal computer carry anything from three to ten years whereas all generation eight consoles only come with one year warranty with paid extended warranty programmes. So every major city and every little town with a computer shop sells the components needed for your Steam Machine.
Valve has shared what it believes should be the ideal configuration for the Steam Machine, however, the base requirement for installing SteamOS is much lower. Some 300 prototypes of the Steam Machine have been shipped out with the following configuration:

• GPU: NVidia Titan / GTX780 / GTX760 / GTX660
• CPU:    Intel i7-4770 / i5-4570 / i3-3xxx
• RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600
• Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD
• Power Supply: 450W 80Plus Gold

This is where some of you have had their eyeballs pop out of their sockets. This configuration can cost over Rs.1,25,000/- (GPU:75000 + CPU:23000 + RAM:8000 + SSHD:6000 + MOBO:8250 + SMPS:5000). One needs to realise that this configuration is more powerful than every console out there and should be more than sufficient for roughly five years. And if graphics are scaled down to what consoles usually depict then bump the time period(that the device can play games at 1080p) to over a decade.

SteamOS - A repackaged deal
The OS is basically the Steam client installed on a Linux distribution. More specifically, the distro is Wheezy based on Debian. It’s lightweight and Debian is one of the most stable Linux distros out there. The account on which you’ll be primarily login to has been configured to open into “Big Picture Mode” by default. Only logging into the “Desktop” account will allow you to fiddle around with the Linux distro underneath it all.

The requirements needed to run the operating system is fairly lean and is as follows:

• Processor: Intel or AMD 64-bit capable processor
• Memory: 4GB or more RAM
• Hard Drive: 500GB or larger disk
• Video Card: NVIDIA graphics card (AMD and Intel graphics support coming soon!)Additional:UEFI boot support, USB port for installation

Take a look at the SteamOS slideshow in which we look at the installation process here.

Windows Phone users get an extra 20GB on SkyDrive for one year

Good news for all Windows Phone users -- Microsoft is giving away a free present by offering an extra 20GB of space on SkyDrive. According to reports, Microsoft has started sending out emails to registered WP users informing them about the free upgrade.

By default, customers get 7GB of cloud storage and with this offer they get 20GB on top of whatever they already have for one year. Microsoft is offering a similar 200GB data offer for Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 owners for two years.

The offer can be claimed by 31st January 2014, however one needs a confirmation email from Microsoft and in case you haven’t, you will have to wait. The notice should reach all registered Windows Phone pretty soon so keep checking your emails.

It seems to be a very smart move by Microsoft as the offer will not only attract more customers but it will ensure the engagement of some Windows Phone users for at least another year.

Building Android NDK applications with Intel Integrated Performance Primitives (Intel IPP)

Intel® Integrated Performance Primitives (Intel IPP) provides highly optimized building block functions for image processing, signal processing, vector math and small matrix computation. Several Intel IPP domains contain the hand-tuned functions for Intel Atom™ processor by taking advantage of Intel® Streaming SIMD Extensions (Intel SSE) instructions. The Intel IPP static non-threaded Linux* libraries now support the Android* OS, and can be used with Android applications.

This article gives an introduction on how to add Intel IPP functions into Android NDK applications. Intel IPP provides processor-specific optimization, and only can be linked with native Android C/C++ code. To use Intel IPP with your application, you need to include Intel IPP functions in your source code, and you also need to add Intel IPP libraries into the building command line.

Using Intel IPP

1. Adding Intel IPP functions in source

• Include the Intel IPP header files (ipp.h) in the source files.
• Call ippInit() before using any other Intel IPP functions. Intel IPP detects the processor features and selects the optimizing code path for the target processors. Before calling any other Intel IPP functions, call ippInit() to initialize the CPU dispatching for Intel IPP.
• Call Intel IPP functions in your C/C++ source.

2. Including Intel IPP libraries into the Android NDK build files

• Copy Intel IPP libraries and headers to your project folder.
• Find Intel libraries required for the application: Intel IPP libraries are categorized into different domains. Each domain has its own library, and some domain libraries depend on other ones. It needs to include all domain libraries and their dependencies into the linkage line. Check the article “Intel IPP Library Dependencies” to learn about the required Intel IPP libraries.
• Add the Intel IPP libraries to android building script file “jni/Android.mk”:
  Declare each Intel IPP library as the prebuilt library module. For example, if the application uses two Intel IPP libraries "libipps.a" and "libippcore.a", add the following into the file:

               include $(CLEAR_VARS)
               LOCAL_MODULE := ipps
               LOCAL_SRC_FILES := ../ipp/lib/ia32/libipps.a
               include $(PREBUILT_STATIC_LIBRARY)

               include $(CLEAR_VARS)
               LOCAL_MODULE := ippcore
               LOCAL_SRC_FILES := ../ipp/lib/ia32/libippcore.a
               include $(PREBUILT_STATIC_LIBRARY) 

Add the header path and Intel IPP libraries into the modules calling Intel IPP functions:

               include $(CLEAR_VARS)
               LOCAL_MODULE := IppAdd
               LOCAL_SRC_FILES := IppAdd.c
               LOCAL_STATIC_LIBRARIES := ipps ippcore
               LOCAL_C_INCLUDES := ./ipp/include
               include $(BUILT_SHARED_LIBRARY)

Building one sample code

A simple example is included below that shows Intel IPP usage in the native Android code. The code uses the Intel IPP ippsAdd_32f() function to add data for two arrays.

To review Intel IPP usage in the code:

1. Download the sample code and unpack it to your project folder (<projectdir>).
2. Learn Intel IPP usage in the source files: The "jni/IppAdd.c" file provides the implementation of one native function NativeIppAdd(). The function calls the Intel IPP ippsAdd_32f() function. The "src/com/example/testippadd/ArrayAddActivity.java" file calls the native "NativeIppAdd()" function through JNI.
3. Check the "jni/Android.mk" file. This file adds the required Intel IPP libraries into the build script. The sample uses the ippsAdd_32f() function, which belongs to the Intel IPP signal processing domain. The function depends on "libipps.a" and "libippcore.a" libraries. The "Android.mk" file creates two prebuilt libraries for them.

You can build the sample code either using the SDK and NDK command tools or using Eclipse* IDE

Build the sample from a command line

1. Copy the Intel IPP headers and libraries into your project folder (e.g. <projectdir>/ipp).
2. Run the "ndk-build" script from your project's directory to build the native code

         >cd <projectdir> 
         ><ndkdir>/ndk-build 

3. Build the Android package and install the application

         >cd <projectdir>
         >android update project -p . -s
         >ant debug
         >adb install bin/ArrayAddActivity-debug.apk 

Build the sample by Eclipse* IDE

1. Copy the Intel IPP headers and libraries into your project folder (e.g. <projectdir>/ipp).
2. In Eclipse, click File >> New >> Project... >> Android >> Android Project from Existing Code. In the "Root Directory", select the sample code folder, then click Finish.
3. Run the 'ndk-build' script from your project's directory to build the native code:

         >cd <projectdir>
         ><ndkdir>/ndk-build 

4. Build the application in the Eclipse IDE and deploy the .apk file.

Intel roadmap for 2014: 2-in-1s, Baytrail-powered devices, wearables and more

Intel sees a huge potential in the 2-in-1 devices in the near future. Even as the company will have processors for tablets and smartphones, the main focus will be on two-in-one devices. Intel also has huge plans for its Baytrail processor as it reveals its OEM partners will be launching devices based on the new architecture.

Focus on 2-in-1 devices

Intel believes possible price cuts in the next year is expected to boost the adoption of the 2-in-1 devices. With more OEMs expanding their 2-in-1 line up, prices may ome down to sub-Rs 30,000  "This year, we expect prices to come down a little, which would drive the adoption further," Aurora said.

"In 2013, we saw a lot of OEMs ( original equipment manufacturers) coming out with 2-in-1 devices, which could be used both as a PC and tablet. They called it swivel, hybrids and some other names too," Sandeep Aurora, director, marketing and market development, Intel South Asia, is quoted as saying. 

Intel has also shared its predictions and roadmap for various segments in 2014:

Education

Intel predicts that within the next three to five years, India will see a huge increase in device ownership with one device for every student increasingly being the norm. The key challenge will be providing the students, particularly in regional areas with the right education, devices and services to engage them.

New range of devices

In 2014, consumers can choose from a range of devices including traditional laptops, 2-in-1s, tablets and portable all-in-ones (AIOs) with Intel Inside, across varying price points to fit every budget.

“We will continue to move full steam ahead into the tablet and 2-in-1 space. “Touch it, type on it, or talk to it – these devices are multitasking powerhouses that will offer us new interaction possibilities” says Sandeep Aurora, talking about what consumers can expect in 2014.

Intel Quark technology

Intel believes its Quark technology will help extend the company's reach wearable computing in the future. With Intel Quark technologies, Intel is extending the flexibility and scalability of the x 86 ecosystems. This trend is being driven by increasingly connected devices, seamless connectivity from sensors to the datacentre, cloud economics for compute and data and the acceleration of big data analytics to extract value from data.

Data

Intel says having 15 billion connected devices in the next few years is achievable. The biggest question is around where the data will go when these devices connect and the best way to make use of that information. This will prompt a whole industry to grow around predictive analysis and raw data. Big Data will help make companies smarter, more progressive and give them a business advantage. Governments will soon follow.

Educational portal Meritnation launches its iOS and Android apps

Meritnation.com, the online K-12 education portal for students, has launched its mobile applications to make it easier for students to access to educational content on the go.

The app features Study, Test & Revise categories. Students can access study material for all subjects within the app as well as have access to videos. Students can use the app to attempt tests and revise the notes. The app also includes NCERT Solutions, and caters to CBSE, ICSE, Kernataka, Kerala & Tamil Nadu boards for classes VI to XII.

Future updates of the application would include features such as Board exam oriented Textbook Solutions (R. D. Sharma & T. S. Grewal), Ask & Answer and much more!

"Today 1 out of every 4 children in the metros, in the age group 12-18 years is using a smart phone to connect online. We are very excited at the launch of our first mobile app and are looking to provide engaging applications to students in a platform that they are most comfortable with,” says Pavan Chauhan - CEO- Meritnation.com in a release.

The app is already available on the Google Play store and Apple's app store.

Railyatri launches Android app

With over 25 million daily railway passengers will now have useful information at their disposal, thanks to Railyatri.in for launching a National Railyatri Alert System (NRAS).

Railyatri has launched a push notifications based Android app with localized and personalized information of 5000 trains and 8000 locations in India. Users can simply visit Google Play Store from their Android mobile device and search for “RailYatri”.

Passengers need to simply log on to m.railyatri.in via their Android smartphone to get alerts. The app is currently available on Android and can be downloaded here. Check out the screen shots below.

Nokia's Android device plans shelved, to focus on wearables: Rumours

Nokia's Android smartphone may not see the light of day as a new rumour says the company has now decided to focus on wearables.

Nokia has been long rumoured to be working on an Android smartphone. The recent rumours of a mid-range Nokia Android smartphone, dubbed Normandy, met with great excitement. But, now a new rumour says Nokia has dumped its Android smartphone/tablet project altogether. Instead, the company is now working on wearable devices.

Nokia's future wearables will reportedly feature flexible displays, augmented reality, wireless power transmission, graphene censors and electromagnetic energy generation. Report say the wearables will belong to Nokia's Lumia universe – a move that is evidently aimed at taking on future devices rather the current ones.

According to Chinese site Ctechnology, Nokia had been working on several entry-level Android prototype devices, including a 7-inch tablet running Qualcomm Snapdragon 400. But, Nokia has now dumped its Android smartphone and tablet plans.

According to Ctech, Microsoft wasn't directly involved in the decision to shelve work on Android devices. It's notable Nokia CTO office, which isn't part of Microsoft deal, was working on the Android prototypes. However, there's a clause in the Nokia-Microsoft deal that says Nokia will not sell phones for two years – the restriction is believed to be major reason behind the change in focus.

A Pocket-Lint report says despite restriction, Nokia's CTO office can still work on R&D activities such as wearables. VR headset manufacturer Vuzix recently unveiled the Vuzix M2000AR HMD smartglass, which was developed using Waveguide optics and Nokia’s holograph AR system.

smartCARD checks cholesterol levels by clicking selfies on your iOS device

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a Smartphone Cholesterol Application for Rapid Diagnostics, or "smartCARD," with sophisticated camera technology. According to researchers the app could save lives by reading out cholesterol levels in just a minute.

The smartphone accessory checks the cholesterol levels by detecting bio markers in the users sweat, blood or a drop of blood and comes with a compatible smartphone app. The application then checks the results based on colour analysis, according to the researchers.

The user needs to put a drop of blood on the cholesterol test strip and then the app processes the blood through chemical reactions and separation steps. The strip is then ready for colorimetric examination. The SmartCARD accessory clams over your mobiles phones camera and illuminates the test strip with the built in flash. The application in the phone then checks the color values on the cholesterol test strip and the results are displayed on your smartphone's screen.

Researchers claim that the device is an alternative to home testing methods and is ready to be brought into the market immediately. The team is working on adding even more capabilities to the app. Currently the app checks the users total cholesterol but researchers are working on breaking the numbers in LDL, HDL and triglyceride measurements as well as determine vitamin D levels.

"Smartphones have the potential to address health issues by eliminating the need for specialised equipment," said David Erickson, associate professor of mechanical engineering and senior author of the study.

"By 2016, there will be an estimated 260 million smartphones in use in the United States. Smartphones are ubiquitous," Erickson said. "Mobil health is increasing at an incredible rate ... It's the next big thing."

Source: Cornell University

myLIFTER: a new smart lifting device that can be controlled with your iOS device

Now leave all the heavy lifting to your smartphone with the new myLIFTER. The smart lifting device can be controlled via an app on your smartphone and can lift weights up to 50 pounds/ 23 Kgs.

myLIFTER be controlled via Bluetooth on your iOS device, and even comes with a remote control if you don't have a smartphone. The remote lets you control dozens of myLifters simultaneously. The device comes with standard up and down control buttons as well as a halt button. Each myLifter unit weighs just 2 pounds making it easy to use and install. Despite its small size the device can lift upto 50 pounds of weight.

myLIFTER comes with inbuilt safety features that will stop it from lifting if you exceed the 50-pound weight limit. The device also comes with an internal brake system that automatically locks the spool when it’s not moving.

The aim of the device is to eliminate wasted space by enabling you to lift and store things in places that are normally hard to reach. Secondly, users can lift heavy items with just the push of a button. MyLifter is ideal for lifting and storing objects like bicycles, cargo boxes and kayaks.

Each myLIFTER package comes with the lifter, mounting hardware, mounting bracket, lifting hardware, a power supply mount, as well as a 15-foot electrical extension cable. The app works with iPhone 5S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, iPhone 4S, iPod touch 5th generation, all iPad minis and iPads starting from the third generation. Supporters can pledge $75 to its Kickstarter campaign and purchase a single Mylifter for the same amount.

Source: Kickstarter

Samsung launches Smartphone Gamepad and Mobile Console Application

Samsung makes its foray in the rapidly expanding global mobile gaming market today by introducing the Smartphone Gamepad and Mobile Console app.

Samsung joined the rapidly expanding global mobile gaming market today by introducing the Smartphone Gamepad and Mobile Console app to enhance the gaming experience on Samsung’s devices. Gamepad easily connects with smartphones and tablets through Bluetooth pairing. The most convenient features optimized for Samsung Galaxy devices running Android 4.3 such as Galaxy Note 3, S4, Note II, and S III enable easy connectivity with Gamepad via NFC tag and quicker access to games via the “PLAY” button.

The Smartphone Gamepad instantly transforms the user’s Galaxy smartphone or tablet into a portable gaming console or even a home console. Through its premium, easy-to-carry design and durable steel frame, Gamepad is attachable to mobile devices ranging from 4-inches to 6.3-inches, allowing users to play games wherever they are. Users can also connect Galaxy devices to their TV through an HDMI cable or All Share Screen Mirroring for video game console experience from their living room.

Samsung’s also introduced a new integrated game launching app called the Mobile Console , it can be easily accessed With just a tap of the “PLAY” button. It allows users to conveniently browse and purchase game pad supported games. The Mobile Console app is available for download through Samsung Apps or by tapping the Gamepad’s ”PLAY” button, and offers 35 dedicated games at launch with much more to come in 2014.

The Gamepad is currently available in select European markets and will be available in additional regions in the coming weeks, Samsung has not revealed the price yet.

Source: Samsung