Nokia X a.k.a Normandy shows up on Browsermark 2 benchmark's database

Even though Nokia is yet to officially announce their first Android phone, the rumored Nokia X aka Normandy has already been spotted on Browsermark's database. A few weeks ago it was also spotted on Antutu benchmark's database.

These leaks are slowly confirming that the Finnish mobile phone maker might actually release the device soon. The Browsermark database shows a picture of the device running Android Kitkat 4.4 even though the specifications have not been listed. So far, the rumored specs include a 4 inch display with WVGA (480x5854), a 5MP camera, 4 GB storage capacity and an optional 32 GB expandable memory slot.

According to the Browsermark database, Nokia X's model number is RM-980 and its Chrome browser score stands at 1885.88 in the test. According to some other rumors, Nokia X won't be a Google certified phone which means the apps will be provided to users from Nokia's own app store but users may be able to sideload apps to install apps from other services.

Nokia X may be launched at Nokia's official MWC (Mobile World Congress) event in Barcelona next month.

Menthal: App that keeps track of time spent on smartphone

Scientists at University of Bonn, Germany, have developed a new app called 'Menthal' that tracks your daily smartphone usage. The app runs on Android 4.0 - or higher - version and tracks how much time the user is spending on the phone; which apps or games they frequent. The Menthal app is available as a free download from Google's Playstore.

The scientists conducted a study on 50 students over a period of 6 months. The report showed that a quarter of the students used their phones for over 2 hours each day. On average participants used their phones every 12 minutes on average and more than 80 times a day.

Menthal showed that Whatsapp was the most used app and the participants spent more than 15 percent of their time of the messaging service. Users spent 9 percent of their time on Facebook and gaming accounted for 13 percent.

"If you would like to go on a digital diet, we will provide you with the scales," said Alexander Markowetz, junior professor for computer science at the University of Bonn.

"Menthal will provide reliable data for the first time. This app can show us in detail what someone's average cell phone consumption per day looks like," Markowetz said.

Researchers stated that the app will be useful in recognizing 'how much cell phone usage is normal' and 'how excessive usage may be termed as an addiction.'

"We would like to know how much cell phone use is normal, and where 'too much' starts," Montag added. "Outright withdrawal symptoms can actually occur when cell phones cannot be used," he warned.

The scientists also believe that they can measure the severity and the progress of depression using cell phone data.

"We suspect that during a depressive phase, cell phone use will change in a measurable way," said researchers.

Researchers believe, people going through depression will make fewer phone calls and will venture outside less. The built in GPS in the smartphones can record the change in behavior. A psychiatrist can use the data from the patients' cell phones as a diagnostic tool and intervene accordingly.

Google launches tool that brings Chrome apps to smartphones

Google has released a developer preview of a tool based on Apache Cordova, an open-source mobile development framework for building native mobile apps. Developers can use this tool to wrap their Chrome apps into a native application shell that enables them to distribute it via Google Play and Apple App Store.

Developers can build their apps on standard web tools such as HTML, JavaScript and CSS. Google is already making wide variety of API's (Application Programming Interface) available for developers. The tool will also support payments and rich notifications on Android. Developers will also have additional API's available through Cordova itself.

First, developers will need to install Node.js version 0.10.0 or higher and a number of required development tools to get started. After the app is built, they can run the app on a device or an emulator using the command line or an IDE. In case developers want to run the app on an Android device without the need to install the SDK or IDE, they use the Chrome Apps Developer. 

BBM coming to Android Gingerbread soon

BlackBerry has announced that it will be launching BBM for Android 2.3.3+ Gingerbread devices very soon. BlackBerry is looking to tap into the Android Gingerbread market which constitutes nearly 21% of the total Android platform.

The news was announced by BlackBerry's Head of product and brand marketing for BBM, Jeff Gadway in a blog post. He says, “We’ve got some exciting BBM news for Android Gingerbread users – you’ve been asking and we’ve heard you loud and clear. We’re now pleased to announce that BBM will soon also be available on Android Devices running Gingerbread(v2.3.3+).”

“The team at BBM has been busy in the kitchen over the last few months cooking up this special release of BBM for Android smartphones running Gingerbread and are now moving into an external beta ahead of the launch in February. We couldn’t be more excited, too! Supporting Gingerbread will allow millions more Android users to download the popular BBM instant messaging app,” added Jeff Gadway.

Gadway also says that BlackBerry will launch an open 'beta' BBM application for Gingerbread devices in February.

BlackBerry, whose market share has declined considerably in the last year, is adding new services and features to make BBM more attractive to consumers. BBM which has over 100 million users had also announced a new update that will allow voice calls and audio messages. With this new feature BBM Voice will compete with popular messaging apps including Viber and Line, that have already gained a significant user base. Blackberry will be launching the feature for Android, iPhone and Blackberry OS 5(and up) versions soon.

Source: BlackBerry

FakeOff: An app that detects bogus Facebook accounts

Israel-based start-up has developed an application, FakeOff, that helps in identifying fake accounts on Facebook. The app aims protect users from scams on the social networking site.

Fake-off creator Eliran Shachar stated that the app checks timeline activity of the suspected criminals and tries to locate abnormal activity in a users profile. It allows the user to scan the photos of the suspect to find out if it was stolen from someplace online.

He added, FakeOff crosses information from all investigations and calculates results of a user based on other investigations on the same suspect. The app which was made live two months back and has over 15,000 users so far.

"Recent statistics show that at least 10 per cent of about 1.35 billion Facebook users are not authentic. Besides, there are millions of users who create fake identities and appear as regular users," FakeOff creator Eliran Shachar told PTI.

"FakeOff app uses sophisticated algorithm to investigate the behavior of suspect 'friends' and rank them according to a 1-10 credibility score. It scans up to 365 days of timeline activity for every suspect Facebook friend and checks for abnormal activity," Shachar said.

"Twenty-four per cent of investigations conducted in the app return as fake. A fake profile can be very complex and some of the fakes that we help the users find is only for their eyes so we can't know the final result from the photo scan results, but the user easily can," he said.

Cyber impersonation on social networking sites is on the rise, recently Facebook users were asked to ignore malicious link of a girl in a pink bikini. The purpose of such links to direct users to dubious websites riddled with malware. Some times the spam link ask users to fill an online questionnaire before viewing a particular video. According to AOL, the scammers get paid for every questionnaire filled out.

More than 1 billion smartphones shipped in 2013: IDC

According to a new report by IDC, one billion smartphones were shipped in 2013. Its for the first time that a billion smartphones have been shipped. The research firm adds that Samsung emerged as the clear leader with nearly 31.1 percent of market share.

Global smartphone shipments reached 1.004 billion in 2013 and for the first time smartphones sales overtook feature phones in a year. Smartphone shipments accounted for 41.7 percent of all shipments in 2012 compared to 55.1 percent in 2013.

IDC also states that Samsung's share increased from 30.3 percent in 2012 to 31.3 percent in 2013. Apple sold 153.4 million units putting it in second place with 15.3 percent of the market share. Apple's share declined by 3.4 percent in 2013. Huawei had 4.9 percent of the market share, LG 4.8 percent and Lenovo with 4.5 percent form the top five even though none of them claim more than 5 percent of the market share.

"The sheer volume and strong growth attest to the smartphone's continued popularity in 2013," says Ramon Llamas, an IDC analyst.

"Total smartphone shipments reached 494.4 million units worldwide in 2011, and doubling that volume in just two years demonstrates strong end-user demand and vendor strategies to highlight smartphones." he added.

IDC's quarterly mobile phone tracker report stated that Android OS accounted for nearly eighty percent of all smartphones shipped. iOS was in the second place with 12.9 percent of the market share. Windows Phone OS saw an astonishing growth of 156 percent and had 3.7 percent of market share in 2013. Nokia constituted for 93.2 percent market share of all Windows smartphones. Blackberry market share declined to a paltry 1.7 percent last year.

Source: TNW

Facebook launches new tool to help marketers reach website, mobile app visitors

Facebook has announced a set of new tools that is supposed to help advertisers reach out to users across devices and even encourage them to take action. Called Custom Audiences, Facebook allow businesses to provide customised messages to users who have visited their sites or mobile app, and some News Feed ads to feature all-to-action buttons.

The social networking company had already introduced the new features last year, though it was then made available to limited number of test partners. Facebook had then promised to launch the feature globally “in the coming months”.

Facebook explains its new features with some examples – a travel site with the remarketing pixel could use Custom Audiences to reach a group of people — say, people that searched for flights but never made a reservation — with a targeted message in News Feed: Come back for 10% off your next flight reservation.

“Businesses will soon have a better way to drive people to their landing pages on both desktop and mobile. When a marketer creates a Page post ad driving traffic to their desktop or mobile website, they will have an option to add a call-to-action button, which will show up in the lower right-hand corner of the ad. Marketers will be able to choose from five action buttons: Shop Now, Learn More, Sign Up, Book Now or Download,” says Facebook in a blog post.

Google expands its robotic portfolio, acquires AI start-up DeepMind

Google has reportedly acquired a London based AI (Artificial Intelligence) start-up DeepMind for more than $ US 500 million. The start-up which specializes in machine learning was founded by researcher Demis Hassabis with Shane Legg and Mustafa Suleyman.

DeepMind describes itself as a developer of "cutting-edge artificial intelligence" that can learn for itself. "We combine the best techniques from machine learning and systems neuroscience to build powerful general-purpose learning algorithms," the company's website said.

According to sources, the acquisition was led by Google CEO Larry Page himself and is a part of an artificial intelligence talent acquisition. Hassabis who is a former child prodigy in chess has been called “probably the best games player in history” by Mind Sports Olympiad.

All major technology firms like Google, Facebook, IBM and Yahoo have increasingly been focused on developing artificial intelligence as a new source of business. Google which is stepping up its efforts on the robotics front has also hired inventor and entrepreneur Ray Kurzweil in 2012 to lead an engineering team focused on machine learning and language processing. Kurzweil states that he wants to build a search engine so advanced that it could act like a “cybernetic friend.”

Google recently acquired Nest Labs, a company that makes smart home appliances that can be controlled with apps from your smartphone for $3.2 billion in cash. The company's smart appliances include Nest Learning Thermostat and a Protect (Smoke + CO Alarm).

Google also acquired 8 start-ups focused on robotics last year, including military robot maker Boston Dynamics known for its products like Cheetah-an animal-like robot developed to run at high speeds, BigDog- a motorized robot that can handle ice and snow, and a humanoid designed to work outdoors called Petman.

Microsoft rebrands SkyDrive as OneDrive

Microsoft has announced that it is renaming its cloud-based storage service SkyDrive to 'OneDrive' after losing the battle over the name against UK satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting Group six months ago.

A U.K. Court ruled that the name SkyDrive is an infringement upon BSkyB's trademark on the word "Sky". Initially Microsoft had decided to appeal against the UK courts ruling but later dropped it for a "reasonable period of time to allow for an orderly transition to a new brand" for SkyDrive.

"Changing the name of a product as loved as SkyDrive wasn't easy," Microsoft acknowledged in a post to a new blog. "We believe the new OneDrive name conveys the value we can deliver for you and best represents our vision for the future."

Ryan Gavin, General Manager, Consumer Apps & Services at Microsoft, gives reasons for the new name in a blog post.: "One place for all of your photos and videos. One place for all of your documents. One place that is seamlessly connected across all the devices you use. You want OneDrive for everything in your life.”

Coincidentally it ties very well with Microsoft's 'Xbox One' branding. Microsoft will rename the SkyDrive and SkyDrive Pro to 'OneDrive' and 'OneDrive for Business' respectively.

Microsoft is rumored to be working on Windows 9 OS codenamed 'Threshold'. According to reports the newWindows 9 OS will be announced at Microsoft's developers' conference, BUILD, in April 2014. The new OS will bring the Start menu back to Windows and will run metro-style apps on the desktop as well as traditional desktop applications.

Special Offer for Hackers from google

Internet giant Google has announced to give $ 2.7 million for finding security bugs in both its Chrome browser and Chrome OS at its Pwnium 4 competition.

Google will host the Pwnium 4 at CanSecWest security conference in Vancouver in March this year and offers $110,000 for each "browser or system-level compromise in guest mode or as a logged-in user, delivered via a web page." It will also offer $150,000 to anyone who can "compromise with device persistence: guest to guest with interim reboot, delivered via a web page."

Google adds that there will be bonuses for demonstrating “a particularly impressive or surprising exploit”. The company gave three examples: exploiting memory corruption in the 64-bit browser process, defeating kASLR, or exploiting the kernel directly from a renderer process.

Security researchers can choose between an the Acer C720 Chromebook (the WiFi-only 2GB version) or ARM-based Chromebook (the WiFi-only HP Chromebook 11) to demonstrate the hacks. Last year, only Intel-based Chrome OS devices were allowed in the event.

Google, who loves to play with geeky numbers has aptly named the conference Pwnium. "Pwn" is popular geek term which means 'breaking into a computer and owning it' and Pwnium is a play on the full name of Google Chrome: Chromium. The prize money $2.71828 million is "the mathematical constant e" which is an important concept to understand when writing algorithms.

Recently a new bug was discovered in Chrome that allows hackers to listen in to offline conversations. The bug allows malicious sites to activate your microphone and listen and record conversations around your laptop even if the tabs are closed. The bug was reported by developer Tal Ater and was nominated for Chromium’s Reward Panel. However, even after 4 months the solution to the bug has still not reached the desktop users.

Source: Chromium

Is Gmail down? Yet again?

Oops Gmail is down yet again and the world comes to a standstill. No donut for you Gmail.

The Gmail servers went down temporarily in India back in May 2013but the kind of outage we’re experiencing right now seems to be on a much bigger scale. Twitter is inundated with reports of other Google services remaining inaccessible too such as Hangouts. Some of the most common quick fix measures to get around such outages such as starting Gmail in safe mode (http://mail.google.com/mail/?labs=0)don’t seem to be working either.  Gmail on mobile isn’t working and neither is Google Apps mail for business.
 

The error report seems to show “Temporary Error (500)” while the Show Detailed Technical Info option on the error page shows Numeric code: 93.

 

We’ll update this report with any workarounds we can find. For now, since Gmail is down, you can actually find some time to get down to real work. Or are you trying to remember your Yahoo! Passwords?

 

Update 1: Looks like Gmail is back up after about a 30 minutes outage

Update 2: And it went down again after 15 minutes.

(Yes, we're issue closing, and need our email to work, and that's the only reason for us updating this article continuously). Note to self, make sure to POP work email to some other service provider as well.

Update 3: *ping*pong* It's up again!

Users annoyed by Facebook for incorporating Twitter like 'trending topics' feature

Facebook users are unhappy about the new Trending feature and are requesting the site to remove it. Users are criticizing the social network stating that the feature is not relevant and focuses more on celebrity gossip.

Users have suggested that the Trending Topics are not important to them and they would prefer going to a credible news site if they want to read news.

"I do not care that the 'Full House' cast is reuniting for a Super Bowl ad," one person said in a Facebook discussion board thread, which has generated activity from hundreds of users over the past week.

Some users have suggested downloading "F.B. Purity," a third-party browser extension that lets people filter out content, including ads, from their Facebook accounts if the site does not stop the Trending Topics feature.

Facebook had launched the Twitter like Trending feature recently to highlight popular phrases on the site. Each post also comes with a short description explaining 'why that particular post is popular.' The feature was rolled out for users in US, UK, India, Canada and Australia. Trending topics include popular new stories on entertainment, sports, news and are displayed towards the right of the main news feed.

Facebook has responded to users by saying that the feature cant be turned off, though the site is open to feedback.

Facebook has been focusing on displaying more quality content to its users. A recent survey stated that Facebook users preferred high quality content about their favorite sports teams, current events and celebrities. The site will show important news prominently in its News Feed instead of meme photos.

WikiVIP: Wikipedia adds voice recording to Wiki pages

Wikipedia has announced a new project – Wikipedia Voice Intro Project (WikiVIP), under which it will add voice recordings on the biography pages of celebrities and other famous people on the online encyclopedia.

Wikipedia editors Andy Mabbett and Andrew Gray, brains behind the new project, believe the online encyclopedia could a lot of things with sound files. Moreover, Wikipedia has already started contacting celebrities for their short audio clip of their voices.

“The project asks people who are the subject of Wikipedia articles – whether they are celebrities like Stephen Fry, or those notable for other activities like scientists or artists – to make short recordings of their voice, lasting around ten seconds or so. The recordings are then uploaded to the article so that Wikipedia’s readers know what they sound like and how to correctly pronounce their names,” says Wikipedia in a blog post.

Users can check out all of the voice recording made so far for the project on Wikmedia Commons or on the relevant Wikipedia articles.

Wikipedia editors are also working BBC on a project to extract similar clips from certain BBC programmes. “Significantly, this is the first time that the BBC have openly licensed content from their broadcast programmes,” adds Wikipedia on the blog post.

Apple to launch two large screen iPhones this year: Reports

While most flagship models of other mobile phone companies have been showing off their 5 inch screens, the iPhone is still behind with 4 inch displays on its latest iPhones. But all this is likely to change as Apple is reportedly making plans to come out with two larger display iPhones.

One is reported to sport a 4.5-inch display and the other one withdisplay larger than 5-inches. Reports from an analyst firm called Cowen and Company have hinted at iPhone 6 having a 4.8-inch display.

Both the phones are expected to be released in the second half so details and specifications may vary at the time of release. While the smaller version has been reported to be ready for mass production already, the larger phone is still in preliminary development.

The design is also likely to be the Apple trademark design with a metal body and apparently Apple is looking to stop manufacturing plastic case iPhone 5C. Though, iPhone 5C is still readily available and there are no reports of it being discontinued. According to Wall Street Journal, Apple won't release a plastic iPhone this year and has also cut down iPhone 5C orders by 35% due to its weaker sales as compared to the 5S.

Apple has likely been pushed to make such a move due to its users demanding larger screen iPhones and big sales of other larger display phones such as 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 3, 5 inch Samsung Galaxy S5, Xperia Z1 and LG G2.

Apple seems to be eying the market in China as the iPhone is gaining quite a popularity there, and now wants to increase their sales there by making larger displays. Large screen display phones have had great sales in China recently and the move taken by Apple is likely because of that reason. It had also teamed up with China Mobile Ltd recently and started offering iPhones in China on contracts.

Nokia's Normandy smartphone to officially launch as 'Nokia X': Reports

Nokia's much-talked about Android-running smartphone, codenamed Normandy, may be launched as the Nokia X. Fresh set of information comes from the leakster @evleaks, who have tweeted - “Project Normandy = Nokia X”. Nokia is expected to showcase the smartphone at the forthcoming MWC event in Barcelona.

The Nokia Normandy has been in news for quite some time. The smartphone has already been leaked a number of times. Last round of rumours/leaks had revealed the user interface of the Normandy.

The smartphone is expected to have an interface similar to Windows Phone 8 and may feature WP's iconic live tiles. The new leaked screenshot also reveals that the rumoured Nokia Normandy is going to be available in a dual-SIM version.

So far, there's no official word on the rumours of Nokia-branded Android smartphone.

Facebook may lose 80 percent of users by 2017: Study

A recent study by researchers at Princeton University has revealed that Facebook is likely to lose 80 percent of its users between 2015 to 2017. Researchers found that from a study of charts produced by the Google Trends service which shows Facebook searches peaked in December 2012, but have been declining since then.

The study conducted by John Cannarella and Joshua Spechler was modeled after the mathematical adoption rates of communicable diseases, which typically peak before declining.

The researchers then compared the growth curve of other online social networking sites with Facebook. According to the report Facebook which turns 10 in February has survived far longer than its rivals, like MySpace and Bebo. The report added that users begin to loose interest in any service after a few years.

The report added, that there has been a decrease in the social networking sites daily users, driven by teenagers deserting the site. According to a recent report teenagers are leaving the social networking site in Favour of messaging services like Twitter, Snapchat etc.

Social media expert Michael McQueen called it the Levi's Effect. Mcqueen added that the site has been overtaken by people 30 years and above, as teenagers log off. Facebook's CFO David Ebersman also confirmed that the company “did see a decrease in daily users, specifically among younger teens.” It is reported that the social networking site lost nearly $ 18 Billion of its market value due to teenagers leaving the site.

Fastest broadband speed of 1.4 Tbps recorded in London test

Networking company Alcatel-Lucent and BT have performed a data transfer test in which speeds of 1.4 terabits per second were reached which can be translated into 44 uncompressed HD films in just one second. The test was done over a distance of 255 miles (410 kms approx.) between London’s BT tower and Ipswich between the months of October and November in 2013. The data was transferred over existing fibre-optic cables that are already installed in major parts of the UK.

A 'flexigrid' infrastructure was implemented for the test to create an 'alien super channel' which consists of seven channels, all of which transmit 200 gigabits per seconds, that combined for a total capacity of 1.4 terabits of data per second. This is a huge achievement as it is marked a 42.5 per cent increase in data transmission efficiency when compared to the current broadband networks available in UK. This also proves that high speeds can be achieved on the current hardware of fibre-optics installed without the need to upgrade them.

Just to put the above number in context, according to last year’s reports, India’s average broadband speed is 1.3 Mbps. Chew on that. 

South Korea ahead in 5G race

On Wednesday, South Korea's Science ministry announced a $1.5 billion plan to upgrade its network by 2020. Even Huawei and European Union had set the same deadline to upgrade to 5G but their budgets ($600 million and $950 million respectively) sound meager as compared to the one announced by South Korea. The country's ministry in a statement said,“Now it is time to take preemptive action to develop 5G.”

Various countries around the world have been eying the next generation wireless mobile technology. Recent reports pointed that even India was looking forward to working with Israel over the future implementation of “100 times faster than 4G” technology.

Although there is still more than half a decade left till we can see the results, the ministry has already received support of the country's telecom companies and even the mobile manufacturing companies of the country such as LG and Samsung.

Despite the reported initiative taken by the Indian government towards 5G, we can't expect the implementation here to be on par with that of countries like South Korea. The major reason being the difference in geographies of the two and the already existing standard in wireless and broadband technology. South Korea has been one of the most connected countries since 1990s and it has always been ahead in implementing new internet based technologies.

“Download a movie in a second” may seem more like a marketing gimmick but surely it won't be easy to upgrade for any country to upgrade to 5G. The major concern is the amount needed to upgrade wireless infrastructure. But still South Korea's upgrade plan sounds quite measured considering it's trial 5G network which is due to release in 2017 followed by full roll-out in 2020.

Growing number of mobile users in India will likely mean great future for telecom companies and mobile phone manufacturers as there is a huge market available in India.

Global IT spending to reach $3.77 trillion by 2014: Gartner

According to a recent report by research firm Gartner, global IT spending will increase by 3.1 percent in 2014 to touch $ 3.77 Trillion. Gartner forecasts the increase will be led by higher enterprise software and device sales.

The research firm added that in 2013 the total IT spending grew at a negligible 0.4 percent over 2012 and the total IT spending was estimated at $3.66 Trillion.

Gartner stated that Enterprise software spending growth will touch $320 billion by 2014-end from $300 billion last year, a growth of nearly 6.8 per cent. The firm added that spending on smart devices including PCs, mobile phones, tablets and smartphones which had declined to 1.2 percent last year will increase to 4.3 percent to USD 697 billion in 2014.

The report added that the total spending on IT services is expected to grow 4.5 per cent to $963 billion and on data centre systems, the spending is expected to touch USD 143 billion, up nearly 2.6 per cent.

Spending on telecom services will increase to 1.2 per cent to USD 1.63 trillion in 2014. The research firm has contracted the increase in total spending by half a percent to 1.2 percent than its previous forecast of 1.9 percent in the sector.

"The rate that consumers are shifting to wireless-only households, households with neither fixed line phone nor fixed line broadband, was higher in 2013 than we predicted and has a faster rate of substitution going forward,” said Gartner analyst John Barber in an email.

Gartner had earlier forecasted an increase of 3.6 percent in global IT spending. The report had highlighted that by 2017 nearly half of first time computer purchases will be a tablet. The report stated that smartphones and tablets are slowly taking up PC sales and will constitute nearly 80 percent of all device spending by 2017.

Glitter nail polish: The new way to secure your data

Security experts have discovered nail polish, metallic paints and stickers can be used to provide additional security to your laptop against physical tempering.

Researchers Eric Michaud and Ryan Lackey made a presentation at the Chaos Communication Congress in which they stated that glitter nail polish can work as a tool for checking whether your laptop has been tempered with.

The Security researchers noted that physical tampering with machines is a growing problem especially business men travelling to China as they face problems with data theft and hardware tampering. So apart from travelling with your laptop 24/7 there is little you can do to make sure your laptop is not compromised.

Eric Michaud and Ryan Lackey have suggested using the technique called Blink comparison. Users can create a security seal that is impossible to copy using glitter nail polish. However, experts recommend taking a picture of the seal to confirm that the paint blob is not reapplied. They recommend using a software program to compare the two images which may not be visible to the human eye. Astronomers use this technique to detect small changes in the night sky.

They added that by taking the picture with a cellphone that users can keep with them at all time will alert the user if their original picture has been tampered with or replaced. The experts recommend using a two-stage remote verification system that will allow the two pictures match precisely, before permitting the user to log in to a potentially vulnerable system such as a VPN. The security researchers stated that they will soon be releasing an inexpensive tool that will support this two step verification process.

This makes it non-skippable by users,” said Michaud, CEO of Rift Recon. “If the user doesn’t do the check, it doesn’t work.”

Google Nexus TV might arrive in early 2014

After launching the HDMI enabled Chromecast device for streaming purposes, it seems that Google will be bringing in full-fledged Nexus Television box sets to the market. Reports are indicating that the search giant will be announcing a set-top box with a touchpad remote by early 2014.

The TV was apparently first called Google TV but later replaced with the Nexus branding. Sources also indicate that the interface will be Android based and might run on the recently announced KitKit OS. The TV will come preloaded with apps like Netflix, Hulu and other streaming options and consumers will also be able to play games on the television.

Consumers already having an Android mobile device will be able to use it to perform all the functions of the remote via an app. There will also be a touch enabled remote control which will be included in the Google Nexus TV package. There are also rumours lurking around that the Nexus branded TV might feature the Chromecast built-into it.

While there is no confirmation about the launch date, we just might see a glimpse of Google’s new television at the Consumer Electronics Show which will be taking place in January next year. It will be interesting to see such a product from Google as it will be facing some tough competition from Apple TVand Roku. 

Samsung's home brewed Tizen OS for smartphones gets delayed again

Samsung has been constantly working on its very own smartphone platform called Tizen for a couple of years and now sources are claiming that the OS will be delayed once again. An official from the Samsung Electronics' Media Solution Center in South Korea gave a statement saying that Tizen will take some more time and the launch date has been delayed.

Sadly there was no info regarding when we would officially get to see the OS. Samsung had earlier planned to release a smartphone running on the Linux based platform in early 2014 in a number of countries including Russia and Korea. There is some confirmation regarding a couple of features which say that the OS will support 64-bit processing and LTE-A advanced connectivity.

Several screenshots were leaked in the past showing off the UI but unfortunately no device running the platform has been announced as of yet. Samsung did try out their luck with Bada OS on their Wave series of smartphones a few years back but hardly gained any popularity in the market.

Hopefully in the coming months Tizen will see the light of day.

Apple reportedly decides on a 4.8-inch display for the next iPhone

The next iPhone will reportedly feature a 4.8-inch display when it is officially announced. The report comes from a note to investors by Wall Street analyst Timothy Arcuri of Cowen and Company.

After citing checks within the company's supply chain, Arcuri believes that the handset will feature a larger display in lieu of matching the ongoing trend of larger smartphones elsewhere in the market.

In addition to the larger display, the next iteration of the iPhone will have support for Wi-Fi 802. 11ac standard along with the major software upgrades in the next iOS release. Arcuri also added that the release of the iPhone 5S was a mere 'set-up', for this year's new products in the pipeline. Earlier rumours also claimed that Apple will launch a 5.7-inch iPhone with a higher resolution display, however there was no mention of a 5.7 inch phablet by analysts.

The production of the new iPhone is expected to start in the month of May. Arcuri expects Apple to follow its typical yearly release schedule and launch the next version of iPhone in September. Though some sources also indicate that a June launch for the next iteration of iPhone is "not out of the question."

A larger display would mean higher production values but at the same time, create the need of high capacity batteries. We are keen to see what the next generation of one of the world's best smartphones will have in store for us. Not to forget the pricing, a larger screen size would mean a much more expensive device. So far the rumours suggest that Apple is targeting the price for iPhone 6 between the range of $450 to $600.

Airtel DTH to release feature film on the same day of theatre release

Airtel Digital TV, the DTH service arm of the telecom operator Bharti Airtel, has announced releasing a feature film on its digital TV on the same day of the film's release in theatres.

Telugu movie titled 'Minukumanna Minugurulu' (The Fire Flies) to be the first movie to release on DTH along with its theatrical release using the PPV platform as an all new avenue for movie releases.

Releasing on January 24, 2014 on Airtel Digital TV at 00.30 hours, the movie will be available to customers for 5 days until January 28, 2014 on channel number 157. Customers can book the movie by sending the SMS <BOOK 157> to 54325 from their registered mobile number for Rs. 100/- per day and can watch any or all of the 8 shows of the movie airing on the particular day.

With growing competition in the DTH segment, service providers are now exploring new opportunities to increase their user base. Evidently, there's a lot of focus on tapping the tier-2 and tier-3 cities with customised content.

Airtel Digital TV, however, already has 3 PPV channels including a Freemium PPV channel which showcases popular movies for free. The other 2 PPV channels showcase latest movies. More details about this service is available here.

Facebook asks users to ignore bikini picture spam link

Facebook has warned its users of a viral bikini picture launched by scammers and asked them to ignore it. If users click on the link it directs them to what looks like an embedded video and then immediately gets shared on their profile to trick others. 

The video titled: "Look what this girl is wearing at the beach in front of thousands of people!" has already been shared by thousands of users.

The picture shows a woman in a bright pink bikini and its description says: "During the summer holidays, this girl took the opportunity to do something unheard of! I bet no one can do the same."

When users click on the link, they are directed to a new window and the fake link is then shared on their own profile so that others fall for the scam as well. The purpose of the link is to direct users to dubious websites riddled with malware.

Another popular link shows a man apparently being eaten whole by a snake. Users are asked to fill an online questionnaire before viewing the video. The purpose of the form is to drive traffic to certain websites. According to AOL, the scammers are paid for every questionnaire filled out. Facebook has urged users to ignore both these links. 

Security expert Graham Clueley told the site, "Clearly if they [the scammers] manage to trick *many* Facebook users into sharing the link, and use a sensational video as bait, they're going to get a lot more people clicking on the link."

He further added, "Don’t let the fraudsters and online criminals win. If you really want to watch a video, go to a site like YouTube which will never force you to share a link on Facebook or complete an online survey before you get to watch the content.”

Recently a new bug was reported in the Google Chrome browser. The bug lets malicious sites to activate your microphone and record your offline conversations around your laptop even after you’ve closed the tabs. The bug was reported by developer Tal Ater in September but even after 4 months the solution has not reached the desktop users.

India-born professor wins 2014 Marconi Prize for contribution to Wi-Fi tech

India-born scientist and Professor (Emeritus) Arogyaswami Joseph Paulraj, Stanford University, has been awarded the prestigious 2014 Marconi Society Prize. He received the prize for developing the theory and applications of MIMO antennas. His idea suggested using multiple antennas at both transmitting and receiving stations. Current high speed WI-FI and 4G mobile systems work on the same principle.

Celebrating its 50th year in 2014, The Marconi Society, founded by radio inventor Guglielmo Marconis daughter Gioia Marconi Braga, recognizes one or more scientists every year who pursue advances in communications and information technology for the social, economic and cultural development of all humanity.

"Paul has made profound contributions to wireless technology, and the resulting benefit to mankind is indisputable. Every wifi router and 4G phone today uses MIMO technology pioneered by him," Chairman of the Marconi Society Professor Sir David Payne said. He further added, "MIMO will soon be pervasive in all wireless devices.Moreover, Paulraj's work has provided fertile ground for thousands of researchers to explore and advance MIMO's potential to enhance wireless spectrum efficiency,"

The Marconi Society winners receive a $1,00,000 prize and include scientists whose mathematical theories and inventions have shaped the Internet and broadband access, public key encryption, Web search, wired and wireless transmission, multimedia publishing, optical fiber and satellite communications.

With characteristic modesty, Paul says, “MIMO technology is today embedded in 4G mobile and WiFi. It has taken the effort of thousands of engineers and researchers around the world, many of them truly eminent, to make this happen. My contribution, in comparison, is indeed small.”

Paul (as he is commonly known) has also won the Padma Bhushan in 2010 and the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal in 2011, making him the only India born scientist who has won all the three awards including the Marconi Society Award.

Yahoo search gets more secure with automatic encryption

Yahoo search gets automatic encryption, which means now all your searches done via the internet giant’s home page will be automatically routed through a secure server.

Yahoo's CEO Marissa Mayer had promised to make the internet giants server secure by the end of Q1 2014 by having all of its internal server traffic encrypted. The company has kept its promise, it had started default HTTPS encryption for Yahoo mail users to protect against government surveillance activities on the Internet a few weeks back and now has added automatic encryption for Yahoo search. Yahoo's secure search will also stop providing referral information to Web sites with nonsecure servers.

Users will be able to see a "https" in the browser instead of the standard "http" in the browser which shows that the automatic encryption is on. The change helps to prevent an outside party from snooping on a user's searches. However the rerouting of searches through a secure server automatically is for the US site only for now and other versions of Yahoo still perform a search query via the traditional method.

After all the recent cyber attacks and hacks from internet this is a step in the right direction. Post-Edward Snowden disclosures, security has been a top priority for the internet giants. Apart from Yahoo, Google as well as Microsoft are working towards making its servers more secure. Earlier this month, it was discovered that Yahoo users in Europe were served with malware via the Yahoo ad network. According to reports 2 million users were exposed to drive-by malware attacks that targeted Java bugs to install six types of malicious code.

IIT to stay away from the Aakash 4 project: Reports

The Indian government is unlikely to include IITs in its ambitious Aakash 4 project, for which the Directorate General of Supplies & Disposals recently issued a tender. The new Aakash will be tested and certified by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) instead of IITs.

The row between IIT Jodhpur and Canadian manufacturer DataWindis considered to be main reason behind exclusion of IITs from the ultra low-cost tablet project. The previous project had ran into controversies following conflict between IIT Jodhpur and DataWind over testing parameters and procedures. The conflict had also caused a lot of delay to the Aakash project.

According to reports, Kapil Sibal headed Telecom Ministry is taking care of the project and has taken up DGS&D route to scale up production of Aakash IV. C-DAC also falls under the Department of Electronics & Information Technology, which is also under Mr. Kapil Sibal.

While the initial Aakash had failed to live up to the expectations, the government is gearing for the next gen Aakash tablet. As many as 17 companies including Dell, Acer, HP, HCL, Microsoft, Simmtronics, Mircomax and Datawind, are in race for manufacturers.

The Aakash has always been a great concept on the paper as it aims to empower the education segment as well as bridge the digital divide in the country. However, poor execution of the project has raised serious concerns. We expect the government learns lessons from the previous mistakes, and finally delivers.