New Android malware (Which makes calls, steals photos when phone is off)

A new bug that is capable of making calls, sending messages and taking pictures while the phone appears to be off, is hitting Android phones at a fast rate, according to a report by AVG.

The malware, known as PowerOffHijack, was first discovered in China, and prompts a fake dialogue box when the user presses the power button. Once the user taps 'OK' in this dialogue box, the phone appears to be switching off with the regular procedure, and the screen goes dark.

But in reality, the phone remains turned on and the malware comes into effect. During this time, apart from exploiting the basic functions of the phone, the malware can also access sensitive information off the device.

PowerOffHijack is mainly targeting phones with Android Lollipop, and has already infected more than 10,000 phones worldwide.

But PowerOffHijack only affects phones that have been rooted, thus limiting the potential pool of infected Android 5.0 smartphones. Google Play also weeds out malicious content, so it is highly unlikely that the malware can enter someone's phone through it. AVG has also said that its app can detect the malware.

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Why thieves no longer love smartphones

Smartphones, particularly iPhones, are no longer the favourites of discerning lifters, recent data shows. The reason: the “kill switch” is proving the killjoy for the thieves.

The number of thefts and robberies of smartphones, particularly iPhones, is on the fall in New York, London and San Francisco, according to fresh data.

Law enforcement officials, who have been at the forefront of demands to include a “kill switch” in all smartphones, hailed the news as proof that the technology is working as a deterrent, PCWorld reported.

“The huge drops in smartphone theft that have occurred since the kill switch has been on the market are evidence that our strategy is making people safer in our cities, and across the world,” New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement.

The kill switch is a software lock that can be remotely activated when a phone is lost or stolen. It can wipe personal data from a phone and “brick it” so it can’t be reused or reprogrammed.

Law enforcement officials campaigned to make the technology standard in reaction to a growing numbers of thefts of robberies of smartphones on city streets across the U.S. and beyond. The assumption was that phones would be much less desirable targets if they could quickly be made useless.

Apple added a kill switch, called Activation Lock, to its iPhone in September 2013. Samsung followed in April 2014 with its Galaxy S5 and Google made it a standard feature of Android with the release of Lollipop.

In San Francisco, overall robberies and thefts dropped 22 per cent from 2013 to 2014, but those involving smartphones were down 27 per cent. Thefts and robberies of iPhones fell 40 per cent.

In New York, smartphone theft dropped 16 per cent overall with iPhone figures down 25 per cent. And London saw smartphone thefts from persons drop 40 per cent in a year.

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Apple and Samsung courtroom mud slinging continues as new patent trial opens

Lawyers for Apple and Samsung exchanged barbs as a major new patent trial opened Tuesday, debating the role of a company not even part of the case — Google.


Apple’s legal team vowed to prove that Samsung flagrantly copied iPhone features and should pay more than $2 billion in damages, as the two smartphone giants squared off anew in a California courtroom.


Apple attorney Harold McElhinny opened his presentation with a video showing legendary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs introducing the first iPhone in 2007. By putting computing power in smartphones powered by fun software and easy to use touch-screens, Apple transformed the market, sending Samsung onto its heels, according to McElhinny.


The attorney told jurors in his opening statement that they would see internal Samsung documents and messages showing that the company felt it was suffering “a crisis of design” with the difference between its devices and the smartphone “a difference between Heaven and Earth.”


According to Cnet, Apple’s Phil Schiller sais, “I believe it has caused damage for Apple in the marketplace. It has caused people to question some of the innovations we’ve created and Apple’s role as the innovator. That challenge is made harder in the copying.”


Apple said evidence will show that the South Korean electronics giant sold more than 37 million infringing smartphones and tablets in the United States. California-based Apple would have demanded royalties of about $40 per device to license the patented technology to Samsung, according to McElhinny.


The overall amount being sought by Apple in damages from Samsung will top $2 billion, the lawyer explained. ”This case is not about Google,” McElhinny told jurors. ”It is Samsung, not Google, that choses to put these features into its phones.”


But Samsung’s lawyer told the jurors in the San Jose, California, court, that the case was indeed about Google, and Apple’s struggle against the maker of the Android operating system which is now winning in the global marketplace.


- An ‘attack on Android’ -


“It’s an attack on Android, that is what this case is,” attorney John Quinn said.


“Apple is trying to limit consumer choice and gain an unfair advantage over Google’s Android.”


Quinn contended that four of the five patents at issue in the trial are not used in Apple mobile devices, but because of features built into Android software by Google engineers litigation was pursued.


He promised jurors that Google engineers would be called to testify to how they independently designed Android software and did not copy Apple.


Samsung is the world’s leading maker of smartphones and tablets built using Google’s free Android mobile operating system.


Android smartphones dominate the global market, particularly in devices offered for lower prices than iPhones.


“Apple is an amazingly innovative company, but in some respects, Google’s Android has passed them,” Quinn said.


“Apple is trying to gain from you in this courtroom what it has lost in the marketplace.”


In August 2012, a separate jury in Koh’s court decided that Samsung should pay Apple $1.049 billion in damages for illegally copying iPhone and iPad features, in one of the biggest patent cases in decades.


The damage award was later trimmed to $929 million and is being appealed.


If this new trial goes in Apple’s favor, it could result in an even bigger award since it involves better-selling Samsung devices built with Google-backed Android software, such as the Galaxy S3 smartphone.


Quinn attacked expert witnesses Apple planned to call to back for its case to bolster its sky-high damages claim. The attorney contended the lawsuit extended from a war that Jobs declared on Google because of Android in 2010.


“A holy war on Android, that was Apple’s strategy,” Quinn said. “This lawsuit is part of a strategy to catch up with Google.”


Apple lawyers accused Samsung of going far beyond competitive intelligence to the “dark side” of intentional copying.


Jurors will also consider Samsung’s claims that Apple infringed on patents related to transmitting digital video and storing digital images.


The case concerns smartphone and tablet patents and is just the latest in a long-running feud between the two tech giants, who are battling for supremacy in a multibillion-dollar market.

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Microsoft BUILD 2014 to start tonight: Get ready for Windows Phone 8.1

Microsoft is following through on a promise to update its Windows 8 operating system on a regular basis to respond to consumers’ complaints and other feedback.


Just months after the release of Windows 8.1, Microsoft is preparing changes to make it easier for people to use Windows with traditional keyboard and mouse controls. Among other things, Microsoft will add search, power and settings buttons to the Start page, so people don’t have to figure out how to pull those functions from the right side of their screens. The update also promises easier ways to close apps.


Microsoft Corp. outlined some of the new features at a February conference in Barcelona, Spain, and will likely provide more details Wednesday as the company opens its annual Build software developers conference in San Francisco.


The new, yet-unnamed update is expected soon. It follows the October debut of Windows 8.1, which came just a year after the release of Windows 8. The pattern contrasts with Microsoft’s past habit of waiting years to release major updates.


Microsoft is also updating its Windows Phone system to work better in corporate environments. The company will add VPN support, for instance, to allow phones to connect with corporate networks securely. There will also be features that consumers in fast-growing emerging markets desire, including the ability for phones to have two SIM cards so people can switch carrier plans easily for the best deals.



The company hasn’t announced pricing or specific availability for either update, but both are likely to be free downloads, based on past practice. They could be available as early as this month and will be among the first major software releases since Satya Nadella became Microsoft’s CEO in February. It follows Nadella’s unveiling last week of Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps for Apple’s iPad.


Microsoft may also use the Build conference to update software developers on the company’s plans to integrate the Windows Phone 8 system for smartphones, the Windows 8.1 system for tablets, laptops and desktops and the Xbox system for its game console. The company has said it is working to have its various systems share more of the underlying code, while retaining separate interfaces adapted to the specific devices. The integration will make it easier for developers to adapt apps for the various devices.


Microsoft, which is based in Redmond, Wash., saw lackluster demand when Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 came out in October 2012.


Windows 8 was supposed to be Microsoft’s answer to the growing popularity of touch-screen devices such as smartphones and tablets. Instead, research firm IDC blamed Windows 8 for accelerating a decline in global PC shipments, which fell 14 percent in the first three months of 2013, the first full quarter with Windows 8.


Designed as a single system to unify tablets, laptops and desktop PCs, Windows 8 emphasizes touch-screen controls and sports a full-page home screen that is more common on mobile gadgets than traditional computers. Many consumers, however, hate that approach on laptops and desktops.


Last October, Microsoft issued a free update to address some of the gripes. Now, people can run more than two apps side by side. The built-in browser lets people open more than 10 tabs without automatically closing older ones. Windows 8.1 also introduced new features, including a universal search function to help users find files stored on their computers along with Web content on the Internet.


At the time of the release, Microsoft promised to issue new features regularly.


The latest update will do just that. Microsoft has said the company is standing by its decision to embrace touch controls, while acknowledging that many of the remaining Windows gripes have come from people who use non-touch devices.


Meanwhile, Windows Phone 8 came out with a thud some 17 months ago. One of its biggest drawbacks has been a lack of apps available for the system, compared with Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Microsoft is starting to catch up on that front. It has also updated Windows Phone 8 three times since its release to add features. The upcoming update is poised to be the biggest of them all and might get a new name, Windows Phone 8.1.


The release comes as Microsoft prepares to buy Nokia’s phone business and patent rights in a 5.4 billion euro ($7.4 billion) deal. The transaction should be completed in the next few weeks, pending regulatory approval in Asia. The deal already has approval in the US and Europe.

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Ex Microsoft employee Kibkalo faces jail after pleading guilty to sellling trade secrets

The expelled Microsoft employee, Alex Kibkalo has pleaded guilty to the charges of stealing and leaking the insider information to an unknown French blogger.  Kibkalo is accused of sharing sensitive information in the form of pre-release copies of Windows RT and Activation Server SDK.


According to ComputerWorld, in lieu of this pleading, Kibkalo will now face a three month prison sentence. In addition to it, as a part of a deal with Microsoft, he will also have to pay $22,000 to the company as compensation. The sentencing for Kibkalo is scheduled for July 1 and he will remain in federal custody till then.


Earlier, Microsoft had initiated its own investigation after former Head of Windows development Steven Sinofsky received information from a source that a blogger has shared activation server SDK code and wanted to get it verified. After going through the Hotmail account of the blogger, Microsoft discovered mails from Kibkalo which eventually confirmed the suspicion of information being leaked outside.


Microsoft has come under fire for scanning the email of a user to protect its own interests, while at the same time running ads that take shots at Google for doing the same. The controversy over email snooping reached such heights that Microsoft has now changed the user policy so that any suspected illegal activity within an email account will now be passed on to law enforcement before any Microsoft intervention.

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Apple vs Samsung once again

As Samsung and Apple, head to court for a second round of their patent war in San Jose, California, Judge Lucy Koh of the US District Court of Northern California has overruled Samsung’s objection to an instructional video on the patent system that will been shown to the jury.


Recode, which first reported the story, says that Samsung saw the video as a plug for Apple and instead wanted the jury to see an older video which doesn’t include Apple products.


The report quotes Samsung’s motion as saying, “Because Apple’s alleged innovation is a central disputed issue in this trial, it would be highly prejudicial to Samsung to show the jury — before any evidence is introduced — an official instructional video that depicts Apple products in such a context.Doing so would raise serious concerns about Samsung’s ability to obtain a ‘fair trial’ by ‘impartial’ jurors,” which is one of the most ‘fundamental’ interests that exists under the Constitution.”


The latest list of offending items on the patent war includes have been expanded to include some newer devices.


Apple claims the following Samsung products now infringe on their patents: Admire, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy SII, Galaxy SII Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy SII Skyrocket, Galaxy SIII, Galaxy Tab II 10.1, and Stratosphere.


Samsung claims the following Apple products infringe on Samsung patents: iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad mini, iPod touch (5th generation), iPod touch (4th generation), and MacBook Pro.


Put in simple terms, Apple says Samsung stole five patents on newer devices, including Galaxy smartphones and tablets. In a counterclaim, Samsung says Apple stole two of its ideas to use on iPhones and iPads.

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Intel announces Rs 5.7 lakh PhD fellowship programmes to boost quality research in India

Intel, the world’s largest chipmaker, on Saturday announced a fellowship of Rs 5.7 lakh to enhance PhD programmes and boost quality research in India.

The Intel PhD sponsorship programme will provide research opportunities for students in cutting edge technology and a platform for sharing industry knowledge and mentoring from senior technology leaders at the chipmaker, the company said in a release.

Selected candidates will be awarded a fellowship of up to Rs 5.7 lakh for a period of up to four years and includes student stipend, contingency research and a travel grant to attend conferences and research forums.

The programme will provide the best in industry fellowships, research travel grants and contingency grants to selected students, it added.

It is part of Intel’s higher education programme and will be available for eligible students from the academic year starting July 2014.

The higher education programme builds collaboration with engineering and research institutions, universities and the government, reaching more than 235,000 students and 4,500 faculties across 550 institutions to date. It is aimed at bridging the gap between academia and industry standards and promoting innovation and entrepreneurship.

Globally, the fellowship programme was started in the early 1990s by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore to recognise and honour top students pioneering research in all areas that would benefit humankind.

Intel India will share details of research areas, application process and fellowship benefits with selected technology institutions in order for them to nominate deserving PhD candidates for the fellowship.

A research committee at Intel will evaluate candidates on the basis of research areas, engineering and research goals of the PhD thesis and novelty in addressing a problem.

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Microsoft Office for iPad app

Microsoft Office fans who’ve spent the last nine months using the software’s suite of apps on their tiny smartphone screens are probably thrilled that they can finally create and update documents on the iPad’s significantly bigger display surface.

The new version of Office for Apple’s tablet is not likely to be a big deal for anyone else. While the apps are beautiful, intuitive and include many familiar functions from the popular desktop version of Office, typing and maneuvering the cursor within documents remains awkward and inefficient.

Microsoft released Office for the iPad on Thursday; nearly four years after Apple launched the groundbreaking tablet. It includes the Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps that will be familiar to both business and everyday people.

Up until now, Office users had to make due with a very basic version designed for smartphones that first launched in June 2013. Competitors like Apple and Google also created similar software for the iPad, but those apps have very basic features and don’t always mesh perfectly with Microsoft documents.

Microsoft’s new apps are free, but you need an annual subscription to Microsoft’s Office 365, which costs between $70 and $100 depending on the version, to do more than just read documents.

By Friday afternoon, the trio of apps occupied the top three spots on the App Store’s real time list of most downloaded free apps. Honestly, the free versions may meet the needs of a lot of people, because displaying documents is one of the most useful functions of the apps.

Pulling up documents is quick and easy, especially if they’re stored on a user’s OneDrive account, which comes with 20 gigabytes of cloud storage space as part of the Office 365 subscription.

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Google fined for not cooperating with India's antitrust agency

Google has been fined about US$166,000 by India's antitrust agency for not providing information and documents required in an investigation.

The inquiry into Google dates back to 2012 and is focused on allegations of Google's abuse of market power in online search and search advertising.

The Competition Commission of India said Thursday it had also directed Google to cooperate in the investigations by furnishing other information or documents its director general may call for.


It said it had passed the order in the context of, among other things, "non-cooperation by Google in the pending investigations."


Consumer watchdog group Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) International approached the CCI, which has quasi-legal authority, to investigate the potential misuse by Google of its dominant position in online search and search-related advertising markets.


CUTS had submitted its "preliminary information report" to the CCI following the investigations into the practices of the Internet giant by the European Commission and antitrust agencies in other jurisdictions.


An online matrimonial services portal in India also filed a complaint in 2012 against Google before the CCI, alleging discriminatory practices related to its AdWords program.

The matter was also raised in India's Parliament the same year, with a minister saying that Google was being investigated under Section 4 of the country's Competition Act which relates to the prohibition of abuse of a dominant position.

"We're disappointed by this development. While we are confident that our products are compliant with competition law in India, we continue to cooperate fully with the Competition Commission of India's extensive and ongoing investigation," Google said in a statement Thursday. "We've not yet received this procedural order, but will review it fully once we have."

Google and its Indian operation are the top two sites in India, according to Web information company Alexa. The one-month rank is calculated using a combination of average daily visitors and page views over the past month. Facebook and Google unit YouTube are in the third and fourth positions, respectively.

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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella signals new course with MS Office for iPad

Microsoft Corp's new Chief Executive Officer, Satya Nadella, finally unveiled Office for Apple Inc's iPad in a polished debut that set him apart from his energetic predecessor while signaling his plans to make mobile apps the top priority at the world's largest software company.

At a news conference Thursday, executives demonstrated a new "touch-first" version of Office crafted for the iPad, available for download as a free app, though a subscription is needed to let users create or edit documents rather than just read them.

Significantly, they did not demonstrate any software on Windows machines, telegraphing a departure from former Chief Executive Steve Ballmer's focus on the personal computer operating software and its own devices.

"Their absence speaks volumes," said Daniel Ives, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets. "Nadella's a cloud-centric guy; he's going to focus on what's been successful, and where the future's going. Windows 8 thus far has been extremely underwhelming."

Nadella kicked off the presentation with a fluid, low-key introduction to Microsoft's approach to the new mobile, cloud-centric world of computing, in his first public appearance since taking the helm 52 days ago.

Dressed in a black polo shirt and dark jeans, the 46-year-old computer scientist threw in some geek humor and lines of poetry from T.S. Eliot, marking a change in style from his energetic predecessor Steve Ballmer. His lack of references to Windows indicated a deeper strategic shift.

Nadella gave no indication of when Microsoft would release "touch-first" versions of Office apps for Windows 8, the latest version of the operating software, which he acknowledged had fallen behind in the mobile era.

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Facebook to use drones to beam internet from the sky: Mark Zuckerberg

It is no secret that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants to see the whole humanity connected to the web. Unfortunately internet connections are just not available in many places. But Zuckerberg believes he has a solution for this pesky problem. On Thursday, he announced that Internet.org, an organisation that Facebook started in partnership with a few other technology companies, is experimenting with drones that are capable of beaming internet in an area from the sky.

"In our effort to connect the whole world with Internet.org, we've been working on ways to beam internet to people from the sky," Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook.


"Our team has many of the world's leading experts in aerospace and communications technology, including from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and Ames Research Center. Today we are also bringing on key members of the team from Ascenta, a small UK-based company whose founders created early versions of Zephyr, which became the world's longest flying solar-powered unmanned aircraft. They will join our team working on connectivity aircraft."


Internet.org was launched last year with an aim to bring down the cost of internet connectivity across the world so that more people can connect to the web and utilise web services. Last month at Mobile World Congress, Zuckerberg revealed that Internet.org was working with several telecom operators across the world to reduce the cost of internet connectivity.

Facebook on Thursday revealed that the team exploring various methods to beam internet from sky is part of Connectivity Lab, a new department within Internet.org. It is exploring various options. A solar-powered drone is one option.

"For suburban areas in limited geographical regions, we've been working on solar-powered high altitude, long endurance aircraft that can stay aloft for months, be quickly deployed and deliver reliable internet connections," Internet.org noted in a statement posted on its website. "For lower density areas, low-Earth orbit and geosynchronous satellites can beam internet access to the ground."

In both cases, the internet connection will be beamed through free-space optical communication, which makes use of "light to transmit data through space using invisible, infrared laser beams".


"Free-space optical communication is a promising technology that potentially allows us to dramatically boost the speed of internet connections provided by satellites and drones," noted Internet.org.

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Forged Isro and Mars Orbiter Mission social media pages continue to be a hit

In the run up to one of its most ambitious projects, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) in November 2014 had entered the social media space by launching its official Facebook page and Twitter account.

Its Facebook page and Twitter account soon became a hit. Cashing in on the immense popularity of Isro's Facebook page and Twitter account a number of pages in the social media were floated in the name of ISRO, Department of Space and Mangalyaan.Isro after getting to know that impersonation of the organisation was taking place had cautioned users to about those accounts and stated that they have no authenticity and that it is not responsible for any content hosted by these pages.

Further it had also said on December 16 last year that stern legal actions against these pages and its administrators will be initiated which led the closure of most accounts. However many social media users still prefer them and continue to tweet and tag those twitter account handles while congratulating the organisation when it achieves a land mark or when it makes an announcement.


One of the twitter accounts @Mangalyaan1 continues to be mentioned in many tweets whenever there is an update on the MOM.When the MOM completed 100 days many congratulated @ Mangalyaan1 thinking it is the official twitter handle of space agency among them was the US Consulate Chennai.Similarly when Isro successfully launched the indigenous GSLV D-5 former Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda congratulated @ISRO_India another forged account.

Another @ISROBhuvan though no longer in use continues to be mentioned on twitter and questions are also posed to it regularly. While one of the two Facebook pages which Isro said were forged is blocked another one gives regular updates. With about 394,468 likes this Facebook page states it unofficial. 

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New gadgets hope to hush Mumbai's incessant honking

A handful of fed-up residents in one of the world's noisiest cities have taken on a daunting challenge: persuading Indian drivers to stop honking their car horns.

Non-stop beeping has become the dominant soundtrack to Mumbai as clattering rickshaws, public buses, clapped-out taxis, weaving motorbikes and private cars fight for space on the traffic-clogged roads.


Now two separate teams in the city have come up with devices aimed at instilling some peace: one by forcing overzealous horn-users to open their wallets, and another by simply attacking drivers' consciences.

"People blow their horns just for no sake," said Jayraj Salgaonkar, who with a group of engineers has developed the 'Oren horn usage meter' (the name 'Oren' derives from local pronunciation of the word 'horn').

The meter does not prevent the horn from working but instead allows for a limited amount of honking, after which it causes the vehicle's tail-lights to flash and alert the traffic police, who could then issue a fine.

The driver gets green, amber and red-light warnings over his honk allowance and can top up his meter "like a pre-paid phone card", said Salgaonkar. He is in talks with local authorities to get the device mandated city-wide.


"I have invested money and time and emotion," he told AFP, relating his years of exasperation with the city's cacophony.

"People take pride in honking their horn. There's an ego trip over having a car. Until you make people pay for their usage of the horn, it's not going to work," said the publisher turned honk activist, who is hoping that the potential revenues brought by the system will help persuade authorities to adopt it.

The second invention, also vying for official sanction, less publicly castigates the honkers.

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India's 3G data use skyrockets

Rising smartphones and mobile data price war by telecom companies have pushed 3G data consumption to record levels in the country.

Growth in 3G data traffic in the country surpassed the world average for 2013 with the country showing 87 per cent rise in the overall data traffic from both 2G and 3G services during 2013, of which 3G alone accounted for 43 per cent.


While 3G data traffic leapt by 146 per cent in 2013, 2G data traffic growth was stable at 59 per cent during the period, revealed MBit Index study, an annual report on mobile broadband performance in India by Nokia Solutions and Networks.

In some key urban centers, the average data consumption per user was as high as one gigabyte (GB) per month, indicating the rising popularity and the surge of 3G use across India.

In addition, premium tariff reductions in 3G services in early 2013 led to an increased migration of high end 2G customers to 3G, the report said.


Clearly pointing out the trend of higher average data consumption of 3G users than their 2G counterparts, the index showed that in December 2013 alone, a 3G user consumed 532 megabyte of data compared to 146 megabyte of data consumption by 2G users.


Among the highest contributor of 3G in India are cities under category A telecom circle which showed a remarkable increase in 3G mobile data consumption of 185 per cent in 2013.


“India is recording mobile broadband data growth figures higher than most other markets,” said Sandeep Girotra, head of India region at NSN.

This trend is in line with NSN’s Technology Vision 2020 that called for readying profitable mo-bile networks to deliver one gigabyte of personalized data per user per day by 2020, he added.

“With the recent spectrum auctions paving the way for acceleration of mobile broadband penetration in the country, there is a great opportunity for India to create a world-class infrastructure and improve the lives of millions of Indians,” he explained,  calling for a wider 3G rollout, introduction of LTE technologies and modernization of the existing GSM networks.

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Facebook in $2 billion deal for virtual reality company 'Oculus VR'

Facebook sees the future - a 3-D virtual world where you feel as if you are hanging out with your friends rather than staring at their pictures.

To fulfill that vision, the company announced Tuesday that it had reached a $2 billion agreement to buy Oculus VR, the maker of a virtual reality headset. It's a bet that a technology commonly associated with science fiction can help eventually turn social networking into an immersive, 3-D experience.

Virtual reality technologies give people the illusion that they are physically present in a digital world.


Mark Zuckerberg, a co-founder and the chief executive of Facebook, said the deal reflected his belief that virtual reality could be the next big computing platform after mobile, a technology the company has spent most of the last several years adapting to, for the most part successfully. Facebook's deal came as a surprise, because Oculus, a small startup that has not yet shipped a product to the broader public, is working on what some view as a niche technology aimed at hard-core video game players.

Zuckerberg, though, said Facebook had much bigger plans for its acquisition. "Imagine enjoying a courtside seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face to face - just by putting on goggles in your home," Zuckerberg wrote in a post on Facebook.


With the deal, Facebook is the latest Silicon Valley company to invest in wearable hardware that reimagines how people will one day interact with information and other forms of content. Google has taken a different approach with Glass, its high-tech eyewear that overlays maps, messages and other data on a transparent lens in front of people's eyes, through which they can still view their surroundings.

The acquisition is one of several bets that Facebook, with about 1.2 billion users worldwide, is making in its effort to anticipate the future and secure its dominance of social communication.

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Intel buys fitness-tracking band maker Basis

Intel on Tuesday announced it has bought fitness-tracking band maker Basis Science as part of a move into the hot wearable computing market.

The California-based chip maker did not disclose how much it paid for Basis, which makes a strap-on wrist band that captures data such as heart rate, activity, and sleep to help people live healthier.


Information is synched wirelessly with applications on smartphones.


Wearable computing has been a hot trend thanks to inexpensive sensors that can be built into formerly dump items and to increasingly powerful smartphones that can be used to analyze data collected.

Health and fitness have been early markets for lifestyle-tracking devices such as Up and Fitbit.


"The acquisition of Basis Science provides immediate entry into the market with a leader in health tracking for wearable devices," said Intel vice president Mike Bell, general manager of the company's New Devices Group.


"As we accelerate our position in wearables, we will build upon this foundation to deliver products that bring people greater utility and value."


Buying Basis speeds up Intel's move into wearable computing, according to the chip maker. Basis bands will continue to be sold at stores.

"The acquisition brings access to Intel resources, expertise and global scale as we work together to explore new possibilities of wearable technology," said former Basis chief executive Jef Holove, now a New Devices Group general manager.

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Wickedleak launches 5.7-inch Wammy Titan 3 Octa for Rs 14,500

Wickedleak has pulled the wraps off its newest phablet named the Wammy Titan 3 Octa. Priced at Rs 14,500, the 5.7-inch device comes powered by an octa-core processor, just like the Wammy Passion X which was launched last month. Wickedleak offers customers the option to safeguard the Titan 3 Octa against accidental damage from water and opt for its water-resistant AquaProtect technology by paying an additional price of Rs 1,500.

The Titan 3 sports a large 5.7-inch IPS display featuring WXGA 800×1280 pixels of resolution, along with OGS lamination and Dragon Tail Glass coating. Under the hood, it is powered by an octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor that clock at 1.7GHz, coupled with 2GB of RAM. In this day and age of KitKat however, the device runs the older Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) mobile operating system.

The dual-SIM phablet is fitted with a 13 megapixel full HD rear camera and a 5MP front-facing shooter. It supports motion capture and voice capture.

The 16GB onboard storage can be expanded up to 64GB via micro SD card. The company has said that the device will sport a 3200mah battery.

The Wammy Titan 3 Octa will be available starting 5 April 2014.

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This bicycle glows under car headlights

The joy of cycling, which is a new fad among neo-rich and health-conscious people alike, can not glow better than this!

As the cyclists struggle hard to make the SUV or bike drivers notice them by strapping reflective strips on their gear, here comes a bike that gets illuminated in toto when on the road at night.


Called the 'Lumen', the latest bike from San Francisco-based Mission Bicycle Company has its frame, fork and rims sprayed with a retro-reflective coating.


Hundreds of thousands of tiny transparent spheres are embedded in a top-layer of powder coat.

When illuminated by a car’s headlights, each microscopic sphere reflects light back at the source.

The closer the car gets, the greater the intensity of the reflection.


The 'Lumen' comes in different configurations - both single-speed and internally geared, said a report in wired.com.

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Ray-Ban maker to work with Google on Google Glass eyewear

Ray-Ban sunglasses maker Luxottica said on Monday it had sealed a strategic partnership with Google over its Glass eyewear that could pave the way for a new market in smart glasses.

In a statement, Italy's Luxottica said it would design, develop and distribute a new kind of eyewear for Google Glass.


Google Glass is a small stamp-sized screen attached to a pair of eyeglass frames. It can record video, access email, and retrieve information from the web by connecting wirelessly to a user's mobile phone.

Luxottica said the two groups would work together to create innovative wearable devices for the Glass brand.No financial terms were disclosed.


Luxottica said its two major brands, Ray-Ban and Oakley, would be part of the deal with Google, but gave no further details.


"We believe that a strategic partnership with a leading player like Google is the ideal platform for developing a new way forward in our industry and answering the evolving needs of consumers on a global scale," Luxottica chief executive officer Andrea Guerra said.

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Tata Group plans ad blitz to showcase global avatar

Over the last decade, the group went shopping around the world, acquiring many companies such as luxury car maker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), steel maker Corus and North American soda ash maker General Chemical Industrial Products.

The new campaign will essentially focus on communicating the group’s increasing strength in the international market and highlighting its brands through advertising and brand association with  sporting and other key events.

A Tata group spokesperson refused to disclose specific details of the campaign.


“With regards to the global brand campaign, there isn’t much to share at this point. Allow us to revisit this with you at a later stage,” the spokesperson said.

In an interview to the Tata group’s internal magazine earlier, Mukund Rajan, Tata Group’s brand custodian and chief ethics officer, had said: “With new entities absorbed into the group, we need to be able to communicate across continents about who we are and why we do things in a certain way.”

Tata Group had revenue of `5.27 lakh crore in 2012-13, of which 60% came from its international businesses.

Some of the acquired businesses have been renamed: Corus is now Tata Steel Europe, General Chemical is Tata Chemicals North America. But many others such as Good Earth Tea and Eight O’Clock Coffee, , and most famously, Jaguar and Land Rover, have remained free of the Tata tag.

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