New Apple MacBook to feature 12-inch Retina display?

If reports are to be believed, Apple's 2014 MacBook series is set for a major redesign. The new MacBook will reportedly sport a 12-inch Retina Display, abandoning the traditional 11 and 13-inch screen sizes. Another important change expected is the elimination of the fan assembly.

Information about the new MacBook comes through a forum post out of China, which is believed to be a reliable leaker of future Apple hardware.

According to the forum post, the new MacBook will have a redesigned trackpad without a mechanical button, and instead sport a tactile feedback to simulate a click. It's not clear whether Apple will change the size of the trackpad or not.

As said above, one of the important changes in the new MacBook will be absence of the fan – triggering speculation that the form factor will be on the lines of current iPad devices. The new MacBook, however, will run OSX.

The forum post also points out about Apple's wearable in the development. The device, dubbed as the iWatch, is reportedly still in the prototype stages, indicating the formal release won't happen any time sooner.

Back in October last year, KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in an AppleInsider report had claimed Apple was working on a MacBook with a 12-inch Retina Display. The report had then said MacBook will sport an "ultra-slim clamshell form factor” and release in 2014. He added that the new format device would "redefine laptop computing once again following the milestone created by the MacBook Air."

It's almost March-end, we are yet to hear any major announcement from Apple. The company is likely to soon showcase its next iPhone, dubbed as the iPhone 6, which will have improved display, better optical image stabilization (OIS) and many new features. Read: Apple to keep 8MP camera on iPhone 6

Source: MacRumors 

Cyber criminals using malicious malware that act as sleeper cells: Cisco

Networking solutions giant Cisco says that enterprises are facing more security challenges with cyber criminals using malicious malware that is dormant while entering a secure network and later becomes active.

Cisco says that the threat to enterprises is on the rise because of companies adopting concepts such as BYOD and cloud services. Besides,' Internet of Everything’ (IoE) that connects all devices and grids also opens them to heightened security threats.

"In a world that is rapidly moving towards connecting everything, the security risks are also increasing. Now there are dormant cells, which could suddenly get active and how would you then seek protection," says Jawahar Sivasankaran, Director, Cisco Worldwide.

Cisco is reportedly working on ‘Before, During and After’ Internet solutions to check dormant cells. Cisco continues to invest in innovative technologies in the 'before' area. "There is a critical need to protect the customers in the 'during and after' phase as well. In our 'Before, During and After' strategy we have focus on visibility driven, threat focus and platform based intrusions," adds Sivasankaran.

He further says that mobile security has become mainstream and users expect more from their IT and security programmes. Cisco's annual security report stated that 99 percent of the total mobile malware targets Android devices.

"The top challenge with android is the fake app, which opens customers up to advanced malware. In our focus of putting innovation in the 'before' phase, we are also briefing up our activity in the 'during and after' phase," he said.

Sivasankaran said that data security is the focus point for Cisco and that the company will continue to make investments in the area.

"USD 2.7 billion investment in Sourcefire says that security is a top investment area. We have a little over 600 employees in the business unit that focuses on securities R&D. But, beyond R&D, there is a huge portfolio of people in services and solutions in India. We also bought a company called Cognitive that gave us our intelligence," he added.

Source: ET

LG unveils Smart LED Bulb, that works with iOS and Android

LG has revealed its Smart LED Bulb that you can control from your smartphone or tablet using a Wi-Fi connection. LG claims that these low wattage bulbs are energy efficient and run for more than a decade with 5 hours of usage every day.

The LG Smart Bulbs comes with a security-oriented feature that turns the light on when you’re not home. The smart bulbs will also flash when your phone rings. It also comes with a “party mode”, which makes the bulb flash in different colours in correspondence with the music that’s playing. This feature is enabled only for Android devices for now.

The LG Smart Bulb will cost you around 35,000 won or approx $32 (Rs. 1,950). The Smart Bulb will be launched in South Korea, but there has been no word whether it will make it to other countries.

LG have officially announced that it will be launching its Google's Android Wear based smartwatch in the second quarter of this year. The LG G Watch will comes with features like 'Ok Google' and will be compatible with a wide range of Android smartphones. The LG G Watch will have a fitness tracker and will alert users to follow their exercise goals.

Apart from that the G watch will let users call for a taxi, make restaurant reservations, send text messages, and much more. Apart from LG, Google has also partnered with Motorola, Asus, HTC, Samsung and Fossil Group for developing Android Wear-based smartwatches.

Source: Engadget

Google Keyboard 3.0 released, adds personalized suggestions

Google has updated its Android keyboard to add SwiftKey like abilities. The keyboard app will now keep track of your typing habits and offer personalized suggestions accordingly. The feature has been set on by default, but users can change it in settings.

The info is kept on the device itself though. So if you keep switching between a tablet and smartphone, or other Android devices, the learning curve will be much longer. The app monitors your usage across apps, so you are not limited to messaging apps but across Google apps and services, such as Search, Gmail, and YouTube.

Google notifies the user when he/she uses the keyboard for the first time and also lets them know then how to switch it up. Users can also unselect 'Personalized suggestions' from the keyboard tracking app through “Google Keyboard Settings”.

Google has also announced a new update to its Google Search app for Android that enables users to launch either the camera with just a voice command. Users can tap the microphone on their Android device and simply say "Ok Google" followed by either "take a photo" or "take a video" to launch the camera app in the specified mode.

This new update also includes an "ABC" key that lets users jump back to the keyboard from the emjoi list as well as a new Settings icon that will pop up after long-pressing the microphone. The new update for Google search app as well as Google Keyboard app can be downloaded from the Google Play store.

Indian banks are prepared for Windows XP support discontinuation: IBA

The Indian Banks Association has downplayed concerns arising from discontinuation of Microsoft's Windows XP OS for banks and ATM's. The association claims that neither branches nor cash vending machines will be shut down once the support for Windows XP stops on April 8.

According to IBA, there are over 1.40 lakh ATM's across India and the shut down will only affect old ATMs as all the newer machines run on newer platforms. However, the data of such machines which are still running on Windows XP is not available.

"Banks are definitely well prepared and the industry is seized of the matter. I am very sure that you will not see a problem where ATMs or bank counters are shut because of this," the industry lobby's chief executive MV Tanksale told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Mumbai.

Reserve bank has also issued a warning stating that the bank operations may be hit once the Windows XP support ends. "The probability of attacks on such a system may increase and it may be difficult to defend such attacks in the absence of Microsoft support," RBI had said in a circular to banks.

Microsoft is shutting down its Windows XP OS, on April 8, over 12 years after it was launched. According to reports government systems running Windows XP will become vulnerable to attacks and about 95 percent of ATM's will be affected globally. Microsoft Windows XP supports over four million government computers in the US alone which may be left exposed to malware after April 8. Microsoft has also announced showing pop-up alerts from March 8 to XP users.

Source: ET

Oppo Find 7 50MP camera samples leak online

Oppo has generated a lot of buzz with its new Find 7 smartphone, capable of taking 50MP shots. The smartphone, however, does not have a 50MP megapixel sensor on board as many would have though, but features a Super Zoom mode, which actually takes 10 quick photos and then chooses the four best and stitches them together to get the 50MP shot. Even as reviewers debate over the 50MP claims, camera samples of the Oppo Find 7 have leaked online.

The Oppo Find 7 features a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.5 GHz processor coupled with 3GB RAM. It has 32GB of internal storage expandable via microSD card support. The Find 7 smartphone features a 13 MP rear camera with dual-LED flash. It is capable of recording 4K video and 720p slow-motion clips at 120fps. It also has a 5MP front-facing camera for video calling.

The Find 7 runs a custom firmware called Color OS based on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean). It has a unique "breathing" notification strip below the display that shows incoming calls, unread messages and email alerts. It has special MaxxAudio speakers and an app dubbed MaxxEq, to fine tune the audio. The Oppo Find 7 packs a 3000 mAh battery.

Check out out the camera samples below. How do you rate the Oppo Find 7 camera? Let us know in the comments section below:

click the images to see the full size

Source: GSMArena

Microsoft working on 'no-touch' displays: Reports

Microsoft is working on new display technologies, including a 'no-touch' concept that enables phones, tablets and televisions to be operated from afar. The technology enables users to control displays with fingers without needing to approach the device.

Microsoft's Rico Malvar reveals the company is working on interactive displays that can be operated without needing to physically touch a device. Microsoft is also working on a wearable device – electronic bracelet – that is capable of detecting movements of fingers, enabling them mimic actions such as flicking screen and poking.

The bracelet enables users to operate a TV with back turned or operate mobile phone without needing take out hands from pockets.

Another concept in the works is 'floating display', which gives the illusion of a globe spinning or a dragon flying, just inches above a flat monitor. Users can interact with these floating items through cameras and motion sensors.

Reports suggest the final versions of these displays will be ready in two to five years.

  

Source: Times of India 

Turkey PM bans Twitter, users can still tweet via SMS

Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan has banned social media platform Twitter throughout the country. He had earlier threatened to shut it down as he is currently caught up in a corruption scandal.

He criticized the site by calling it "Twitter mwitter!," which roughly translates to a phrase "Twitter, schmitter!". "We will wipe out all of these," he added threatening all social media networks as he blamed them for serving as platforms for a smear campaign by his political enemies.

Turkish users who were trying to open Twitter.com website were redirected to a statement from Turkey's telecommunications regulator (TIB), according to Reuters.

According to Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News, Twitter was blocked 12 hours after the Erdogan made the statement. “We now have a court order. We’ll eradicate Twitter. I don’t care what the international community says. Everyone will witness the power of the Turkish Republic,” Erdogan said at a campaign rally in Bursa on March 20.

Turkey has now joined the like of Iran and Egypt who have also blocked access to Twitter and site remains banned even now.

Turkish journalist Erdem Arda Gunes told the Daily Dot that "“The ban started after midnight and got into effect gradually depending which internet providers they used, but it’s a court order (actually four different courts) which means every provider, including GSM companies, are obliged to implement this ban.”

Despite the ban in place, users in Turkey can still tweet via SMS. The San Francisco-based company Twitter offered them an alternate method to use the platform even though the company has not made any official statements regarding the issue. Turkish users can send tweets using tweets on Avea and Vodafone by texting START to 2444 on SMS. On another service provider Turkcell, users need to text START to 2555.

Users on various social media platforms throughout the world have now started comparing Turkey to Iran and North Korea; countries that are known for controlling free speech on the internet.

Two weeks ago, Erdogan had also warned that his government might ban Facebook and YouTube as well.

Source: Reuters

Apple reintroduces MP3 export option in GarageBand

Mac users who use GarageBand to record and export audio can now export their recordings in MP3 format as Apple has introduced the option again. Earlier, Apple had removed the MP3 export feature in GarageBand 10 which left many users puzzled and angry.

The update was released on Thursday and additionally offers new drum sounds and enhanced accessibility. Apple also says that the new version has an improved stability as compared to older version.

Here are Apple's full release notes:

• Improves stability and addresses a number of minor issues
• Adds the option to export songs as an MP3
• Contains multiple enhancements to Accessibility
• Includes 3 new Drummers and drum kits from the rock, songwriter, and R&B genres*

Even though the new update is free to download, the new three drum sets will only be available to users who have purchased the complete set of GarageBand sounds,loops and drummers. GarageBand comes free with the purchase of a new Mac and the in-app purchase for loops and drummers costs $4.99.

Source: iTunes, Via: Engadget

Google adds enhanced encryption technology to Gmail

Google has announced that Gmail is more secure and safe for its users as the company has started using an encrypted HTTPS connection for all its users w.e.f Thursday. The change is said to affect more than 425 million users of Gmail.

Google says, "Gmail has supported HTTPS since the day it launched, and in 2010 we made HTTPS the default. Today's change means that no one can listen in on your messages as they go back and forth between you and Gmail’s servers—no matter if you're using public WiFi or logging in from your computer, phone or tablet."

The move is said to ensure that the messages of its users are safe not only when they move between the users and Gmail servers, but also when they move between Google's data centers. Such a move is said to be intended at defeating a popular strategy of the NSA, which involves the intelligence agency intercepting emails as they move between data centers and servers. The internet giant says, "Every single email message you send or receive—100% of them—is encrypted while moving internally."

"As you go about your day reading, writing, and checking messages, there are tons of security measures running behind the scenes to keep your email safe, secure, and there whenever you need it." says Nicolas Lidzborski, head of Gmail's security engineering.

Recently, documents leaked by ex-contractor of the NSA Edward Snowden stated that the NSA was planning to infect "millions" of computers with a malware called TURBINE. The agency later denied carrying out any such operation.

Source: Google

Google Search app for Android gets Glass-like voice commands

Google has released a new update for its search app for Android that lets you use voice commands to activate camera and click pictures. Google has stated in a blog post that the camera will be activated in the user's preferred mode also.

Android users will just need to tap on the microphone icon on the Search app, or say 'Ok Google' to launch the default camera app with voice commands like 'take a picture' for launching the camera app in camera mode, and 'record a video' for opening the app in video mode. You don't have to use the recommended phrases, for example, even "open camera" will also work.

Google announced on its Google+ page yesterday, "Now with the Google Search App on Android, you can just tap the microphone or say "OK Google", then "take a photo" or "take a video."

Another feature announced is 'listen to TV' that works like Shazam. "If you happen to miss the name of one of the songs while watching, just tap the mic in your #GoogleSearch app (or say "OK Google") and say "listen to TV". You'll find out the title, artist and other cover versions," Google notes. The update has been launched in US only for now.

Google 3.0 update also gives SwiftKey-like abilities to the stock Android Keyboard. The keyboard app will keep track of your typing habits, lingo, preferred words, etc. and offer personalized suggestions accordingly. Google has set the feature on by default, but users can change it in the Google Keyboard settings menu.

Samsung SM-G310, Andriod 4.4 KitKat-based low-end smartphone spotted online

Details about Samsung's first entry-level Android v4.4 KitKat-running smartphone, dubbed as Samsung SM-G310, have emerged on the web. According to reports, the smartphone is currently being tested in India with its shipping info listed on site called Zauba. The smartphone has also been certified by the US' FCC.

The Samsung SM-G310 will reportedly feature 4-inch WVGA screen with 480 x 800 pixels resolution. It runs Android 4.4.2 on a Broadcom chipset with two Cortex-A9 cores @ 1.2GHz and a VideoCore IV GPU.

For connectivity, the smartphone supports dual-SIM (optional), Wi-Fi b/g/n (2.4GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 + LE and NFC. There's a 1,500 mAh battery. The SM-G310 measures 121 x 62.7mm.

There's no word on the pricing or availability of the smartphone, however reports suggest the official release will happen very soon.

It's worth pointing out here Google's new OS has been optimised for fairly low-end devices, with as little as 512MB of RAM. However, the OS will be compatible with new low-end handsets.

Back in December, it was reported Samsung was seriously considering KitKat update for its mid-range, low-end smartphones.

Source: GSMArena 

Twitter may remove @replies from its service

Micro blogging site Twitter is experimenting with a new version of its Android app that removes @ replies entirely. Vivian Schille, Twitter’s Head Of News hinted such a possibility at a recent event.

According to reports, Schiller recently stated that hashtags and @ replies are “arcane,” while speaking at the Newspaper Association of America’s mediaXchange conference in Denver.  She hinted that they may be removed soon from the service to provide a more ‘streamlined’ approach to help new users understand the concept of Twitter.

Schiller has since down played her comments, but a recent screenshot from the alpha version of Twitter for Android suggests that @ replies may be removed in favor of Facebook-like mentions, although it is only an experiment at this point and there is no suggestion that regular @ mentions are affected.The thinking behind the change is that new users may find Twitter easier to understand with the removal of the @ replies and hash tags, but loyal users are quite likely to protest against such changes.

Twitter currently has 241 million monthly active users, an increase of just 3.8% over the previous quarter. In its financial results of the fourth quarter, the micro blogging site has registered a decline in its user base which earlier grew at 10% in the beginning of 2013.Twitter's advertising revenue was $220 million an increase of 121% y-o-y.

Source: BuzzFeed