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‘DOT’ Hits Hard On Piracy And Porn In India

The government has decided to put a blanket ban on several websites that allow users to share pornographic content. Department of Telecommunication (DOT) has directed Internet Service Providers to block 39 websites that allow users to share pornographic content.

Most of these websites are web forums, where internet users share images and URLs to download pornographic files. But some of these websites are also image hosts and file hosts, mostly used to store and share files that are non-pornographic.

The DOT order doesn’t give any reason or law under which the websites have been blocked. It says, “It has been decided to immediately block access to the URLs… you are accordingly directed to immediately block access to those URLs.”

As per TOI: A senior DoT official, who pleaded anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said the department was just following the orders issued by cyber security coordination committee and hence could not talk about the specific reasons behind the block.

“In the case of file hosts and image hosts, which people use for various purposes including for storing personal files, the DOT order is a clear overreach,” said Sunil Abraham, director of Centre for Internet and Society (CIS). “Even in the case of pornography, there is nothing in the IT Act that can be used to block websites hosted outside in India.” He added,

There is a possibility that government is interpreting some sections of the IT Act to suit its purpose, but I feel that is wrong and should be challenged in court by ISPs if they care about the rights of their users.”

Rajesh Chharia, president of Internet Service Providers Association of India, said that it was not possible for ISPs to pushback orders from DoT. “We are the licensee and we have to operate under the laws… we can’t pushback,” he said.

But I feel ideally the government should ask the people who have produced objectionable content to remove it from the web if these people are in India… If they are outside, the websites should be blocked at the international cable landing stations. Involving 150-odd ISPs to implement an order is not the right way to do it,” added Chharia.

I have travelled to China and Middle East and have seen that people access pornographic websites using various web tools. In fact, by banning websites the governments have made it more alluring for users to watch and access pornography,” says Abraham. None of the western democracies have explicit ban on pornography.

Is India becoming the next china ? Is it the end of porn and piracy in India ? What do you think ?

August 19, 2013
AMD Temash Powered ASUS VivoBook X102BA Leaks

Asus is one of the few major PC companies that still makes inexpensive laptops with 10 inch screens. Earlier this year the company released the Asus 1015E Windows 8 laptop with a 10 inch display and Intel Celeron dual-core processor. Now it looks like the company may be preparing a new model with an AMD Temash processor.

SweClockers published a leaked press shot of the notebook on Friday and reported that the VivoBook X102BA would feature a 1.0GHz, dual-core AMD A4-1200 CPU with Radeon HD 8180 for graphics. The mid-range PC will also sport a 10-inch screen, 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. One of the more interesting bits is that Asus will reportedly ship the new VivoBook with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013.

The processor is the “entry level” model of AMD’s Temash family, the A4-1200, an APU which combines two general purpose computing cores running at 1GHz with a Radeon HD 8180 which has 128 stream processors running at 225MHz. This chip has a TDP of 3.9 watts.

As far as connectivity goes, the VivoBook X102BA has the standard 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. Ports, meanwhile, include one Ethernet, dual USB 2.0 slots and a single USB 3.0 slot, as well as VGA and HDMI for video output, an SD card reader, and a standard 3.5mm audio jack. The battery comes in two configurations based on which model is purchased – 22wH and 33wH, reportedly giving 5 hours of use.

The VivoBook X102BA is rumoured to be priced around the $450 price point.

[Via]

August 17, 2013
GFX Benchmark Leak Hints At A Snapdragon Powered Kindle Fire HD With A 2560 x 1600 Display

With the new Nexus 7 already in stock, and rumours that the next iPad Mini will come with a Retina Display, it may be time for Amazon to up its tablet game as well. A new set of benchmark results published on GFX Bench details an upcoming Kindle Fire HD with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, putting it on par with Google’s redesigned slate.

According to the website, the tablet is code-named Apollo, and it will have a 2560 x 1600 pixel display and a processor which runs at speeds between 300 MHz and 2150 MHz.

Image Courtesy : Android Authority

That would seem to confirm earlier reports that the next-generation Amazon Kindle Fire HD tablets would have Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processors, and that the 8.9 inch model would have a 2560 x 1600 pixel screen.

If the rumours hold up, we may be able to expect a new 7 inch model with the same processor and a 1920 x 1200 pixel display. Both are expected to have 2 GB of RAM and operating systems based on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Amazon will also likely offer a new entry-level Kindle Fire tablet with a 1280 x 800 pixel screen and a slower processor.

We must point out that it’s very easy to fake these things, so we’d advise you to take these specifications with a pinch of salt for now. And even if they are real, it’s possible Amazon has simply been testing prototype devices, so these details may not reflect the final model.

August 17, 2013
Twitter Sets New Tweets Per Second Record

Recently, something remarkable happened on Twitter: On Saturday, August 3 in Japan, people watched a telecast of the movie ‘Castle in the Sky’, and then tweeted so much that twitter hit a one-second peak of 143,199 Tweets per second.

Twitter takes in more than 500 million Tweets a day which means about an average of 5,700 tweets in a second. This particular peak was around 25 times greater than a normal peak for Twitter.

The Twitter Blog Says

During this spike, our users didn’t experience a blip on Twitter. That’s one of our goals: to make sure Twitter is always available no matter what is happening around the world. New Tweets per second (TPS) record: 143,199 TPS. Typical day: more than 500 million Tweets sent; average 5,700 TPS.

Three years ago, the World Cup brought Twitter crashing the service with nearly every play. Krikorian(VP Engineering Twitter) says the experience gave the company pause, prompting them to reevaluate its approach to managing traffic.

“We learned a lot. We changed our engineering organization.” Krikorian goes on to detail the transformation, explaining how the firm tweaked its programming models, architecture, services, applications and storage databases to eliminate bottlenecks and increase stability. “We’re now able to withstand events like Castle in the Skyviewings, the Super Bowl, and the global New Year’s Eve celebration.” said Raffi Krikorian, VP Engineering Twitter.

[via]

August 17, 2013
Images Of Rumoured Gold iPhone 5S Leak, May Come With 128GB Storage

Rumours have been swirling over the past few days that Apple plans to introduce a third color option with the launch of the iPhone 5S. Now, images of what are claimed to be the casing from Apple’s next-generation smartphone in gold have been published by French blog MacBoutic. While the authenticity of the device pictured is unknown, the casing and internal markings do jibe with earlier leaks that were believed to be authentic.

It appears that the new iPhone 5S will launch along with a 128GB variant similar to the iPad that was released back in February. The report comes from a well-known analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Security, who has been quite accurate when it comes to rumors regarding unreleased Apple products.

Kuo has made a number of predictions about the upcoming iPhone 5S, with one them being that it’ll share the same design as its predecessor. The alleged iPhone 5S is expected to feature Apple’s latest A7 SoC with 1Gb LPDDR3 RAM and an improved camera, along with various other enhancements and features. A number of rumours also suggest the upcoming iPhone 5S with sport a 12-13MP camera with dual-LED flash.

According to Kuo, the new A7 processor will not only be faster than the earlier version, but it will offer 20% greater efficiency.

Apple is rumoured to reveal the new iPhone 5S on September 10. The new iPhone is rumoured to feature a sapphire-covered home button with a fingerprint sensor and will of course run the new iOS 7.

Would you like to see a gold iPhone 5S from Apple?

[Via]

August 17, 2013
ICANN Ruling Denies Google Dotless Search Domains

Google’s dream of owning a top level dotless search domain has turned into a nightmare. The gigantic search engine wanted ownership of an “http://search” dotless domain. But this has come up against the stringent restrictions of ICANN.

A dotless top level domain name would resolve without a dot. For example, while something.example will resolve in most browsers, http://example will not.

Google had hoped to use “search” as a dotless domain name. But recent security reports reconfirmed some of the security and stability risks of dotless domains.

There was already a prohibition on dotless domain names in the applicant guidebook for new TLDs. The guidebook requires new TLD operators to get ICANN’s blessing to operate a dotless domain.

Google needn’t give up entirely on all its plans. There’s still the possibility that it may end up owning the .search generic top-level domain (gTLD), even if it’s not allowed to operate it as a dotless domain.

As The Verge reports, the dotless domain rejection isn’t much of a surprise given ICANN’s hesitance to change the status quo. While the organization has said nearly 2,000 new domain names could be on the way, it has introduced new domains relatively slowly. The biggest changes ICANN has introduced this year came in July, when the group activated four generic top-level domains: .???? (Arabic for “web”), .?? (Chinese for “game”), .?????? (Russian for “online”), and .???? (Russian for “web site”).

[Via]

August 17, 2013
Manual Leaks For Sony QX10 and QX100 lens cameras

A few days ago some images leaked out for the rumored upcoming Sony QX10 and QX100 lens cameras, and now manual of these lens cameras seems to have leaked out.

As per sonyalpharumors the image above is the manual and can be linked with the points below:

1) Power Button
2) Microphone
3) Display Panel
: Indicates that the card is not inserted
: Indicates the remaining battery charge
4) Hook for belt
5) Tripod
6) Ring Control (DSC-QX100)
7) The power / charge / movie
Green: Power on
Orange: Running Charging
Red: running video
8) Zoom lever
9) Shutter Button
10) Multifunctional Jack
11) RESET Button

Dimensions (standard CIPA):
DSC-QX100: 62,5 mm × 62,5 mm × 55,5 mm (W / H / D)
DSC-QX10: 62,4 mm × 61,8 mm × 33,3 mm (W / H / D)
Weight (standard CIPA) (including battery pack NP-BN, “Memory Stick Micro”):
DSC-QX100: approx. 179 g
DSC-QX10: approx. 105 g
Power Supply: Rechargeable Battery Pack NP-BN
Power consumption (during shooting): 1.1 W

IFA is just few days away, and Sony is all set for a event. These are some leaked specifications for sony QX10 and QX100. If any of this information is correct, Sony may have what it needs to create a new market segment.

[via]

August 17, 2013
All New Pajero Sport Anniversary Edition Launched

Hindustan Motors and Mitsubishi together have launched the Anniversary Edition of the Pajero Sport, in the occasion of completing one year of the SUV’s launch in India. The Pajero Sport Anniversary Edition model comes with a few additional features like Touchscreen audio system with GPS navigation, Reverse parking camera, Body colored bumper with a rear spoiler and the anniversary edition decal.

Everything apart from those additional tweaks remains the same, like the 2.5 liter turbo diesel engine that gives 178 of excessive power and 400 Nm of peak torque. Pajero runs with 5 speed manual transmission and an option for 4WD.

Pajero Sport Anniversary Edition decal

Currently, Pajero Sport Anniversary edition is priced at Rs 23.60 lakh, and this offer is valid till August 31.

We expect 20 per cent growth this financial year,” he says and added that the vehicle only caters to the niche class. He added, On an average we are selling about 2,000 to 2,400 vehicles and the SUV has immense following,” said Ashish Kaul, head sales and channel expansion, Mitsubishi Motors.

August 17, 2013
Specs And Images Of Rumoured Nokia Windows RT Tablet Leak, Will Launch In September

Windows RT may not have been the belle of the ball Microsoft wished for, and many OEMs are shying away from releasing a tablet with the ARM-compatible OS, but that doesn’t mean it’s dead.

Microsoft itself is rumoured to be launching a second-generation Surface RT in the coming months, having recently discounted the initial version to $349, and Nokia, Microsoft’s only true OEM partner these days, is also planning to release a Windows RT-powered tablet.

Nokia’s rumoured Windows RT tablet was leaked by Chinese site Digwo, and shows off a matte red backing, complete with Verizon 4G LTE logo. Nokia is expected to debut the tablet at a special event on September 26th, and has apparently been drumming up developer support in the process.

The back also says “Windows RT” on it, which is either a good sign that the tablet’s running Microsoft’s operating system for ARM devices or that someone really wants us to think this is a Nokia tablet running Windows RT.

While the photo doesn’t offer any detailed specs, it certainly looks about the right size for a tablet with a 10 inch display.

If earlier leaks are anything to go by, it’s likely that the tablet will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor and feature a 1920 x 1080 pixel display.

It is interesting to note that Nokia believes the Windows RT platform has a future, after Microsoft itself failed to make a dent in the market with its Surface RT tablet, taking a $900 million charge for “inventory adjustments” for the tablet in its last quarterly earnings.

[Via]

August 16, 2013
Ubuntu Edge Raises Record Breaking $10 Million In Crowdfunding

The Ubuntu Edge smartphone has just received pledges that total over $10.3 million on Indiegogo, TheNextWeb.com reports. That places its crowdfunded income above that of the Pebble smartwatch, which was previously the most highly paid crowdfunded device–albeit on Kickstarter rather than Indiegogo.

“It’s our biggest story ever,” Indiegogo evangelist Adam Chapnick told me this morning at Grow Conference in Vancouver. “Whether it’s a success or not, I’m not sure yet.”

The goal is to create a novel device that dual-boots mobile Android and desktop Ubuntu, creating a smartphone that, with the help of a monitor and a keyboard, is also your heavy-duty, hardcore desktop computer. To make it happen, the Ubuntu Edge team believes they need a staggering $32 million dollars, the most that would ever have been raised via crowdfunding.

The Ubuntu Edge itself promises to be one of the most powerful smartphones ever made, despite its 720p display (which, by the way, is protected by scratchproof sapphire glass). With 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and full-fat desktop and mobile versions of Ubuntu and Android, it has the potential to be the first true PC that you can slip in your pocket.

Canonical’s main goal is to get $32m in funds to produce a limited quantity of 40,000 Ubuntu Edge units. Those interested can still pledge $695 or more to reserve a unit.

So if you’re still interested in the handset, there’s never been a better time to get behind the campaign.

[Via]

August 16, 2013
Mahindra e2o launches in Nepal

Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles has launched the e2o, its all electric zero emission car in Nepal. Agni Energy, who is the official distributor of Mahindra Vehicles in Nepal will retail the electric car from their showroom in Kathmandu. Mahindra e2o is priced at NPR 2.25 million (around INR 13.72 lakh). Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Chairman Pawan Goenka at the launch said that electric vehicles have been emerging as an alternative to petrol or diesel driven vehicles.

With the Mahindra e2o, we have taken the lead not only in creating a comprehensive ecosystem to nurture sustainable mobility solutions, but have also firmly placed a choice in the hands of our customers,” he said.

According to the Mahindra, the vehicle has been launched in Nepal as an urban mobility solution, which is a fully automatic car that comes with a “Boost Mode” system for quick acceleration. Goenka further said that the electric vehicles is likely to be a perfect solution for a sustainable “zero-emission society”. Such vehicles also cut down the problems like environmental degradation, pollution related health concerns, climate change and rising fuel prices.

The company claims that one can fully charge the e2o at home with 15 Ampere socket, and the battery will require only 5 hours to fully charge, with every hour of charging adding 20km of run. Mahindra e2o sports various advanced features such as regenerative braking system, 6.2-inch touchscreen with GPS navigation, smartphone controlled locking and air-conditioning, Hill Hold function, Sun2Car solar energy power and many more.

August 16, 2013
Report : Samsung’s Galaxy Gear Smartwatch To Launch On September 4th

Samsung had admitted that it is working on a smart watch, and we’ve seen evidence that it is going to take on the name Galaxy Gear. Now Bloomberg reports that Samsung’s long-rumored Galaxy Gear smartwatch is a “wristwatch-like smartphone” that will launch on September 4th. The news source specifically points to the Android-powered device being able to “make phone calls, surf the web, and handle emails.”

Whether the Galaxy Gear will be mainly a companion accessory to Samsung smartphones, or work with all Android devices, remains to be seen, but we’re betting the former. Since Samsung has such a huge lead in the Android market anyway, it wouldn’t do much harm to limit it to the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note family, and the Korean OEM could invoke private APIs for increased functionality.

Earlier this year, Sony debuted its SmartWatch 2, an improved version of the problematic timepiece from a couple of years ago. Though the SmartWatch 2 looks to be a huge improvement over the first generation model, it still tries to fit typical Android functionality onto a small screen. Samsung’s Galaxy Gear needs to make Android invisible in order to be effective, while retaining the information- and customization-dense nature of the operating system. Similarly, Samsung would do well to ensure optimal battery life, either by using a low-power OLED display (perhaps of the flexible variety) or, like Pebble, an e-paper variant.

The device will be unveiled Sept. 4, two days before the IFA consumer electronics show begins in Berlin, one of the people said, asking not to be identified because the plans are private.

[Via]

August 16, 2013
iOS 7 Beta 6 Release Seeding Early With Minor Fixes

Rumours are that Apple will be holding a media event on September 10th – this is where they’ll possibly unveil the ‘iPhone 5S’ and the low-cost ‘iPhone 5C.’ Late last night, Apple inched closer to a final ‘golden master’ version of the upcoming iO7 7 and seeded iOS 7 beta 6 to developers.

The update comes a week after the previous update and just hours after a report pegged the Beta 6 update for next week. The focus of the small update appears to be on an emergency issue with iTunes in the Cloud which requires a workaround.

This update addresses an issue with iTunes in the Cloud, where some purchases may download or play unexpected items. If you have any devices running previous versions of iOS 7 beta, you must:
1. Install iOS 7 beta 6
2. Install the ResetMusicAndVideosLibraries configuration profile
3. From Settings > Music, tap the Reset Media Library button
4. Restart the device

It’s only a 13.5MB OTA download (build 11A4449d) and according to the change log in the iOS Developer Center shows it brings a quick fix.

iOS 7 is scheduled for release in the fall of this year, with updates to Apple’s iPhone and iPad lineups expected around the same time. If past history is any indication, iOS 7 should be made available to the public just a few days before the launch of the next-generation iPhone.

August 16, 2013
A Sneak Peek into the Future of Tech

Technology is ever-growing, one would say each day something new is developed. In this ever growing age of technology, it is not easy to keep yourself updated with all the new developments in the world of technology. We live in a world where present technology seems to fulfill, in some cases present technology is also ahead of what SOME people may think. It is always good to know what does the future technology got for us.

Google Glass:

Google glass is a great step in technology. What is the Google Glass ?

Google Glass is a wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display (OHMD) that has been developed by Google in the Project Glass research and development project, with a mission; Production of a mass-market ubiquitous computer. Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format, that can interact with the Internet via natural language voice commands

As per Google, Glass is fairly simple to use, for taking an image one just has to say take a picture and its all done, you can record everything hands free, even share what you see – Live! get directions right in front of you, just speak to send a message, ask anything that’s on your mind, translate your voice, get few answers without even asking. The structure for the Google Glass is strong and light with an Evolutionary design. The colors it will be available in Charcoal, Tangerine, Shale, Cotton, Sky.

All this features would be of better understanding after you watch this:

[youtube id=”v1uyQZNg2vE” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

We will have to see if Glass would live up to our expectation as Rumored Google is getting these available from next year just for $299. But, will Glass be able to maintain its position in the market because if we look at the technology it is growing, so the day is not far when we might have the same technology on our goggles or in the lenses we wear.

Oculus Rift

The Oculus Rift is an upcoming virtual reality head-mounted display developed by Oculus VR, who have raised $16 million, of which $2.4 million was raised with crowfunding via Kickstarter. The company, founded by Palmer Luckey and the co-founders of Scale form and id Software, John Carmack was later hired as its Chief Technology Officer.

The Oculus Rift is a next-generation virtual reality headset designed for immersive gaming. The test kits are in the process of being shipped out, are you getting your own Oculus Rift development kit?

For more information and to see how this works watch the video below.

[youtube id=”1QnXHe_MIx4#at=21″ width=”100%” height=”300px”]

The Future Cars

If we talk about the technology in the future cars, the BMW i8 concept car is the best example we can quote as if now.

The BMW i8, first introduced as the BMW Concept Vision Efficient Dynamics, is a plug-in hybrid under development by BMW. The initial turbodiesel concept car unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, and the BMW i8 gasoline-powered concept car destined for production unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. The i8 concept has a 7.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack which delivers an all-electric range of 35 km.

The Vision Efficient Dynamics concept car is a plug-in hybrid with a three cylinder turbo diesel engine. Additionally, there are two electric motors with 139 horsepower. It allows acceleration to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.

According to BMW, the average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle (KV01) is 3.76 liters/100 kilometers and has a carbon dioxide emission rating of 99 grams per kilometer (1,3 l/100 km and 33g CO2/km ; EU-PHEV ECE-R101). The estimated all-electric range is 50 km, and the 24-liter diesel tank extends the total vehicle range to up to 700 km. The lightweight chassis made mainly from aluminium, windshield, top, doors and fenders are made from polycarbonate glass and the body has a drag coefficient of 0.22.

BMW i8 specs

[youtube id=”YmF_nTAksrQ” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

These are just some that technologies that are upcoming, but as mentioned above the world of technology is ever-growing with ideas and resources. We can hope for a better and luxurious future.

August 16, 2013
Google Search, Now You Can Talk to Ask for Help

Google Search is making it easier for users to find the information they are seeking within their own Gmail, Google Calendar or Google+ accounts just by making a request using their own voice.

The upcoming new features are bringing the technology that Google Now users have been using for about a year. Google Search is now being engaged to provide a better experience for users as part of a new service that is rolling out to all U.S. English-speaking users over the next several days,”Soon you’ll be able to find this info instantly in Google Search if it’s in your Gmail, Google Calendar or Google Plus. For example, just ask or type, ‘What’s my flight status?’ or ‘When will my package arrive?” Said Roy Livne, Product Manager.

We’ve been offering this kind of info—flights, reservations, appointments and more—for more than a year in Google Now,”. “We’ve gotten great feedback on how convenient it is, especially when you’re on the go. Now that it’s in Google Search, you can get it anytime you need it.” Said Roy Livne, product manager for Google Search, on The Official Google Blog.

Google Now, which was introduced for Android devices by Google in June 2012, it presents its information to users through a series of flip-through “cards” that are visible on the screen of a device, providing a different piece of information on each card. The “cards” appear at the moment they are needed by users, such as the train schedule card appearing when they are heading to the local train station.

As per the blog, the information is secure, via encrypted connection, and visible only to you when you’re signed in to Google. Likewise, you can also control whether you want the service on or off. Whenever you don’t want to see it, simply click the globe icon at the top of the search results page to turn it off for that search session. To turn it off permanently, visit the “Private results” section in search settings.

So if you haven’t tried it, you should! Its definitely worth an attempt!

August 16, 2013