Category: Top Around the Web

All the best of Online in one place.

Government of India Unblocks Most of the 32 Banned Websites

The biggest news of 2014 was, of course, about the brutal group ISIS or ISIL or simply Islamic State. This group has been raising terror in Iraq and Syria. ISIS has proactively used internet and social media tools to spread their pernicious propaganda. It was also recently found that a young executive based in Bangalore was responsible for operating a pro-ISIS Twitter handle. The Indian Government has gone ahead and issued directives to internet providers to ban 32 websites citing national security concerns. Now it seems like most of the websites have been unblocked and are functional.

There were some prominent names in the list including Vimeo, Dailymotion, Sourceforge and Github. A circular supposedly issued by the Department of Telecom (DoT) also threatened actions against non-compliance of the order by the service providers. The circular came to prominence when it was shared on Twitter.

This circular supposedly from DOT was shared widely on Social media

The head of ruling BJP’s IT cell, Arvind Gupta tweeted that the websites blocked were based on an advisory by Anti-Terrorism Squad, and were carrying Anti-India content from ISIS. To ban the websites the government used section 69A of the Information Technology Act (2000) and Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules (“Blocking Rules”).

The websites that have been blocked were based on an advisory by Anti Terrorism Squad, and were carrying Anti India content from ISIS. 1/2

— Arvind Gupta (@buzzindelhi) December 31, 2014

The sites that have removed objectionable content and/or cooperated with the on going investigations, are being unblocked. 2/2

— Arvind Gupta (@buzzindelhi) December 31, 2014

This did cause a lot of furor especially amongst the developer community, which depends on websites like it Github for their projects. Hacktivist group Anonymous also said that they would start attacking Indian government websites if the websites weren’t unblocked. — AnonOpsIndia (@opindia_revenge) December 31, 2014

They gifted us Censorship on the New Years Eve… Let us all celebrate by bringing down their websites. #OpIndia @YourAnonNews @timesofindia — AnonOpsIndia (@opindia_revenge) December 31, 2014

As of now, it seems that most of the blocks have been lifted as we were able to access almost all of the websites listed in the circular. The block was said to have affected around 290 million Indian citizens.

January 2, 2015
Get Ready For A Whole New Browser For Windows 10

If there is one internet browser that has gathered immense online infamy, it’s the Internet Explorer (IE). As one of the oldest browsers, it helped Microsoft win the browser game as it was provided for free with its Windows OS. It’s competitors, like Netscape Navigator couldn’t compete, because of the massive reach of Windows. But lately with the emergence of browsers like Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, the Internet Explorer has taken a back seat. However, Microsoft hasn’t lost out of hope with one of its oldest product yet. It is planning to create a whole new browser for the upcoming Windows 10 operating system.

According to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, The project is apparently code-named “Spartan”. Microsoft’s top competition Apple introduced multiple features in this year’s version of its browser Safari. With the Spartan, Microsoft hopes to create a light-weight browsing experience similar to that on Firefox and Chrome. This browser will be available for both the desktop and the mobile versions.

It is also being reported that Microsoft will ship Windows 10 with Internet Explorer 11 for the sake of backward compatibility. Microsoft wishes to reignite the browser wars that it started back in the 90’s. The winner in this battle would be the consumer who will get improved functionalities thanks to the fierce competition.

Microsoft is going to hold a press event on January 21st where we will get to know more about the consumer aspects of the Windows 10. Maybe we’ll get to know more about Spartan too. The previews of Windows 10 have been appreciated and so we have some hopes with this new browser. Windows 10 is expected to come to the market by next September; only then we’ll finally know whether Microsoft’s Spartan forms a formidable opponent to the three ruling forces of the browser game.

December 30, 2014
Skype Translator Preview Kicks-Off Today

Users will finally be getting first-hand experience with the highly anticipated Skype translator starting today. As the preview program now kicks off and will be available to Skype customers who sign-up via the Skype translator preview page. The program offers instant translation of both spoken and written languages for people participating in a Skype conversation, making it possible for people to communicate in entirely different languages.

At launch, the program is only limited to users of Windows and Windows Phone OS, so Microsoft has a slight leverage here. The Skype translator for now is available in two languages, Spanish and English, along with more than 40 instant messaging languages. The Redmond giant says they dedicated intense resources for this project, in this case a decade of research in the understanding and advancement of speech recognition, automatic translation and machine learning technologies.

Apparently Skype Translator relies on machine learning, hence the more technology is used, the more it improves, somewhat like a very advanced form of AI. Thus, it is expected continually to increase the standards of English and Spanish translation over the course of time, as more and more people start using the Skype translator preview.

Skype translator does look quite promising, but it’ll be very interesting to see how it performs in real-world and evolves over time. Certainly one of the more innovative technologies we’ve come across, lets hope it can live up to the hype. Do check out the demo video below to get a better idea of what the program is all about.

December 15, 2014
Verizon Phases Out 3G; Is it Already Time We Add it Amongst Obsolete Technology?

Just a couple of years back, 3G was all the rage in India. With massive investment in advertising, we were made to believe 3G would deliver lightning fast speed and make our life a lot easier. But even after a considerably long time, 3G is still catching up in this country. The connectivity is still pathetic and rarely do we get the speeds which are advertised. But while 3G is still in the process of finding itself, 4G LTE has come to the country and is fast setting up shop at various places in India. Meanwhile in the US, communication giant Verizon seems ready to phase out its 3G network as the 4G LTE services are fast picking up speeds.

Wireless tracker Milan Milanovic is reports that Verizon is now providing LTE services off its 1900 MHz band which is usually reserved for 3G data. The company says that it is just a test, and they are not making any active transition. Testing is the right way forward as better technology slowly supersedes the previous generation by offering better services. And just like Cassettes, CD’s, 1G and 2G before it, 3G will also be shown the door someday. But not for now. Even with the high costs and low connectivity, 3G services are still showing growth.

In the grand scheme of the mobile world, there have been four generations of service that provided connectivity between the portable devices. First there was the analog cellphones which came under 1G(the G stands for generation) followed by digital phones that came under 2G. Then came 3G, which was dubbed the mobile broadband. If provided right, 3G services are capable of speeds up to 400Kbps to almost ten times that speed. Finally, we come to 4G which is also known as LTE(Long Term Evolution). Though LTE is one of the components of 4G technology along with HSPA+ 21/42, WiMAX but LTE is the most prominent of all, and it is considered true 4G because of its high mobile speeds.

There has been a barrage of LTE capable devices around the world including India. All major network providers are fast setting up the network. LTE capable devices are also arriving at sub Rs. 10,000 price range, which not only makes them future ready but also future proof. In many nations, 4G networks are fast becoming the norm. By about 2016, the first LTE only phones will start arriving into the market. So 3G still has a considerably long time before its bags are packed and shelved.

4G, like its predecessor, is fast arriving to replace the previous generation technology. As we move towards a purely data based communication system, where apps are fast replacing voice calling and SMS, we can expect a demise of 3G by the end of the decade. Instead, it might get replaced by 4G and public Wi-Fi’s with high speeds and all round coverage. By shifting to voice-over-LTE, networks can offer all mobile features in one service. Seems like there are only happy times ahead for the mobile world.

December 5, 2014
Disney Unveils its First Learning Project for Kids Called Imagicademy

Disney gave a preview of its digital learning project called ‘Imagicademy’, which will launch on 11th December. At a press event in New York, the company outlined its mobile learning app for kids, along with an app where parents can keep a follow-up log, and also see recommended physical activities that go along with the in-app lessons. In addition, Disney is also planning to launch printed materials along with smart-toys.

“As you can see, it’s so much more than a set of digital apps — it’s about a brand. It’s a comprehensive suite of connected experiences, all of which have been created with quality, attention to detail, and, yes, magic”, said Andrew Sugarman, executive vice president of Disney Publishing Worldwide.

The company also has plans for a suite of 30 similarly branded apps covering creative arts, maths, science, language arts and social skills. The first app to launch will be Mickey’s Magical Math World on iPad, along with complementing app for parents.

These apps have been built in consultation with a number of education experts. Professor at University of Denver, Doug Clements was on stage and shared his insights on the importance of early math learning, and how much kids grasp if they’re offered a playful approach.

For now, the target age group for these initial apps is three to five. In time, there will be apps for 6-8 year age group, and might feature other Disney characters and brands like Star Wars and Marvel.

Have a look at the demo video of Mickey’s Magical Math World in the video below:

December 5, 2014
Haptic Hologram Tech Makes Star Trek’s Holodeck a Reality

Well, it’s time we touch the concept of haptic hologram technology which Star Trek introduced to us 20 years ago in the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, ‘Encounter at Farpoint’. An English company called Ultrahaptics has developed a method of delivering haptic feedback for holographic imagery using ultrasonic technology.

The new technology, basically lets you feel without touching. Using ultrasound to project sensations into the air, this new technology is more sophisticated than what is shown in the Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s Minority Report where Tom Cruise needed gloves to feel the sensation.

Originally developed in University of Bristol, the developers of the sophisticated system claim that it can deliver different haptic feedback and virtually tactile shapes through ultrasonic waves by changing the feedback of the ultrasonic waves or their modulation frequency.

Concept image showing a possible application of haptic hologram.

The potential of the technology is huge. It could be used in markets such as consumer electronics, games, household appliances and the car industry. A coffee machine that switches on with the wave of a hand from your bed, perhaps. Adding a sense of touch as well as sight and sound will make it easier to completely immerse in virtual reality.

And the ability to feel the shape of virtual objects could open a whole lot of new possibilities in various fields of research such as doctors could use their hands to examine a lump detected by a CT scan or museum visitors could handle virtual replicas of priceless exhibits while the real thing remains safely behind glass.

Ultrahaptics is based at Bristol and has been awarded £600,000 to hire more developers and fine tune its remarkable technology. Although the current version of the technology works in a lab setting, developers said that they would have to wait a bit longer to see some of the commercial applications of the technology.

December 4, 2014
Stephen Hawking Warns Against Developing Artificial Intelligence

A few months back we saw Elon Musk disturbed when he was asked about artificial intelligence (AI.) Elon said that he believed that getting AI online would be akin the guy in the movies who summons the demon, sure he thinks he can control it but that rarely is the case. He also added that HAL 9000 would be a puppy dog next to what humans can create. Now world’s foremost physicist, Stephen Hawking is also pointing us towards the same direction.

Artificial Intelligence development is in full swing. Many major research centers are working towards creating a sentient computer which can observe the world as an intelligent creature. We have also seen the inclusion of AI technologies on many mobile apps. But several scientists are warning that this might not be such a good idea.

Professor Hawking told BBC, “The primitive forms of artificial intelligence we already have, have proved very useful. But I think the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.”

The concern against AI is valid as we cannot comprehend the potential of a self-aware machine. The knowledge that took us humans thousands of years to attain will be processed by such intelligent computer within moments of reaching a sentient stage. It can see humanity as an obstacle and might use its own resources and weapons to eliminate the human species from earth. There have been many blockbuster movies which delve in this subject.

The Professors new Intel provided system uses AI aided predictive texts to help him communicate.

One of the major ironies of this statement by the Professor is that he himself got a technological upgrade that makes it easier for him to communicate. He suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and previously he used his hands to communicate at 15 words per minute. But in 2008, after losing the ability to use his hands, he switched to cheek switch. By tensing his cheek muscles, the low infrared system that is installed on his glasses helps him communicate. Now Intel has provided the world renowned professor with the new ACAT (Assistive Context Aware Toolkit) system which uses an advanced form of artificial intelligence. Ironic? We think so.

ACAT is based on predictive texts that analyses English language and the professors speech pattern to help him communicate. Hawking was also provided an option for a more natural sounding tone of voice, but he decided to stick with his robotic voice. Guess we can be thankful for that as it has become the voice of Stephen Hawking in our brains for decades now. ACAT will be opened for developers in 2015 and is expected to be extremely beneficial for the disabled, especially the quadriplegics.

As we move closer to the era of Artificial Intelligence, you can expect more prominent voices raising their opposition against it. As Elon said, we need more oversight and a cultural dialogue over whether we should push the boundaries with the AI because this is a question for the entire of the human civilization.

December 3, 2014
Everything You Need to Know About Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

On 4th February 2014 Satya Nadella was announced the Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Corporation. He joined Microsoft in 1992 and served leadership roles in both enterprise and consumer businesses across Microsoft for over 22 years. He served as Executive Vice President of Cloud & Enterprise Group and President of Server & Tools at Microsoft Corporation until 4th February, 2014. He led the transformation to the cloud infrastructure and services business. Satya Nadella joined the growing list of India-born executives heading major global corporations. The list already includes PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi and Deutsche Bank co-CEO Anshu Jain.

We are listing 8 facts about Satya Nadella you ought to know:

1. Love for Cricket

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Satya Nadella”]

I think playing cricket taught me more about working in teams and leadership that has stayed with me throughout my career.

[/quote]

He has grown up as a passionate cricketer and has played for his school and college teams.

2. He was Initially Against the Nokia-Microsoft Collaboration

Some reports say that during the on going talks about the deal had hinted that Microsoft founder Bill Gates and new CEO Satya Nadella were against the Nokia buyout, as was Skype founder Tony Bates and many other unnamed board members. Later, Nadella changed his stance and supported the deal.

3. Love for Poetry

Nadella says he loves to sit back and read poetry, which, according to him, is like a code.

[quote text_size=”small”]

You’re trying to take something that can be described in many, many sentences and pages of prose, but you can convert it into a couple lines of poetry and you still get the essence, so it’s that compression. The best code is poetry.

[/quote]

4. Microsoft’s 3rd CEO

In the 38 years of Microsoft’s history, only three people have held the position of CEO and Nadella is one of them. Former CEOs were Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer.

5. An Engineer by Education

Unlike Steve Ballmer, who comes from a managing background and had served as an Assistant Product Manager at Procter & Gamble before joining Microsoft in 1980, Nadella started out as an engineer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics & Communications Engineering from Manipal University and a master’s in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin.

6. Roots and Wings

Nadella’s hometown Hyderabad is a technology hub and houses one of the biggest Microsoft Research and Development Centres outside of the United States. His father, B.N. Yugandhar, still lives in Hyderabad. Nadella’s father has been a member of the elite Indian Administrative Service and a member of the Planning Commission during 2004-2009 under the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

7. His major role in Microsoft’s transition to cloud

Before becoming the CEO of Microsoft, he was Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise Group and was responsible for building and running the company’s Computing Platforms, Developer Tools and Cloud Computing Services. Under Nadella’s leadership, Microsoft is on its way to become as good at web-based services as it ever was at PC software.

8. One of the most promoted employees in Microsoft

Among his other high-level positions before he served as the Executive Vice President for the Cloud and Enterprise Group last year are President of the Server and Tools Business, Senior VP of R&D for the Online Services Division, VP of the Business Division, Corporate VP of Business Solutions and Search & Advertising Platform Group, Executive VP of Development of Cloud and Enterprise Group.

December 3, 2014
European Parliament Working on Clipping Google’s Wings

Google is the big brother to the world. Using its position of the biggest search engine in the world, the company has a massive information repository about anyone using its services. The massive data has helped the company to bring some amazing tools and functionalities and has changed the way we use the internet. But even with all the great offerings from the company, the question of privacy of data is still a concern for the users. After multiple cases of privacy theft and since the Snowden revelations, European politicians have grown wary of American internet products.

The European Parliament is currently in the process of preparing a non-binding resolution to curb the influence of major search engines. It is planning to split search from the other businesses of these companies. The European Parliament doesn’t have the right to propose legislation, but it can put pressure on EU to strengthen its anti-trust investigation against Google. The tech giant hasn’t commented on the issue yet.

This draft motion doesn’t name Google explicitly, but it sure appears that the search giant is one of the primary targets. Google holds 90% of the market share in the search market of Europe so it’s obvious that they want to reign the big bird. Google is also facing antitrust investigation in the European Union (EU) and this move will lead to further pressure to strengthen the investigation.

The European Parliament doesn’t have the right to propose legislation but it can put pressure on EU to strengthen its hold on Google

Google has been at odd standing with Europe for a while now. Recently, the EU passed a ruling called ‘Right to Be Forgotten’, using which users can demand the removal of links from Google’s Search listings. These links have to be inadequate, irrelevant, or no longer relevant and people can send in requests to search engines like Google to remove the listings. Google has said that this is akin to censorship and it would need heavy investment in workforce to adhere to such requests.

The judgement if adopted will create precedence in the way we legislate internet companies. It is important to know that there will be no immediate real world implications for Google, but it will encourage further regulations on the companies and prevent them from overreaching. The intentions with moves like this is to bring some accountability and transparency on the internet companies and to safeguard privacy rights. Spying is also a major concern for Europe who found that the NSA was spying on some major world leaders. The American security agency had engaged in hacking of companies and created backdoors in various products to spy on foreign individuals. This also led to distrust amongst the European politicians towards American information products.

As the internet is still an evolving ecosystem which is mutating fast, laws have taken long to catch up to the changes. Google has used the lack of regulation for long to percolate down to all device we own and use the free data to further its business. People are finally realising that Julian Assange was right when he said “when the product appears free, then you are the product.” Google makes billions using the massive collected data and selling it to third parties and it’s about time that it became more responsible with the data it gathers. Europe’s steps are democratic and it is asking the right kind of questions to the company. This is one must-watch case.

November 24, 2014
Facebook is Gearing Up to Test Wi-Fi Drones for Internet.org Initiative

Facebook has taken steps ahead of Google in the race to provide internet to everyone in the world. Facebook plans to start testing its internet beaming solar-powered drones in 2015, with the ultimate aim of getting two-thirds of the global population online. Mark Zuckerberg has announced it to be part of the efforts of Internet.org.

Speaking at the Social Good Summit in New York last week, engineering director at Facebook Connectivity Lab, Yael Maguire, detailed the company’s vision of internet-carrying drones, with plans to begin testing in 2015 in a US location which is yet to be determined. “In order for us to fly these planes; unmanned planes that have to fly for months, or perhaps years at a time, we actually have to fly above the weather, above all airspace. That’s between 60,000 and 90,000 feet. Routinely, planes don’t fly there, and certainly not drones” Maguire said.

Wi-Fi will be beamed using solar-powered drones that are the size of a Boeing 747, announced Facebook. Facebook said that the drones would be powered by the Sun and that it would fly in the air for months or years at a time. Apart from the flying Wi-Fi drones, there will be satellites and infrared lasers too which will be built to provide Internet to all.

Facebook has also gone on to join hands with Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm and Samsung for its effort. A spokesperson from Facebook confirmed that though these companies were helping Facebook with bringing internet connectivity to the developing nations, they weren’t going to be a part of the drone project.

Google has been working on a similar project with one of the differences being that they have plans of making use of balloons in addition to the drones. Google’s project has been named project Loon. It has only performed a few tests of the ambitious proposal so far.

September 29, 2014
Soon You Can Watch Your Favorite YouTube Videos Offline, Officially!

YouTube is huge. It’s practically impossible for a single human being to watch all that there is on this massive website. Most importantly, the state of the internet in India is well known. The poor connectivity and the pricey access to internet lead many to stay away from watching multimedia-heavy content like videos. Watching videos on mobile data connection is a big no-no as they can incur massive costs.

The folks, who do have regular access to a decent internet connection, still prefer to save the videos through some semi-illegal means to avoid buffering. Now Google is going to officially allow Indian YouTube users to watch their favorite videos offline for as many times they want.

Ceasar Sengupta, Google Vice President Product Management said “YouTube is popular here. You watch some videos again and again. How awesome would it be if you could keep watching them again and again without having to pay for data, and take the videos with you wherever you go?”

India still is a massive video subscriber as a whole. According to comscore, the total online video audience in India saw growth of over 70 per cent in 2013 with the average viewer watching 18 per cent more videos and spending 28 per cent more time viewing them. YouTube alone gets over 60 million unique users a month and about one-third of the traffic coming from mobile phones. The country as a whole watches about 3.7 billion videos per month.

This will be the second gift to India from Google after the launch of the Android One devices. India has no shortage of amazing YouTube talent. Sure iGyaan is awesome, but there are folks who are doing some amazing stuff too. This move by Google will help take these talents even further as people can just save the videos offline and take them to areas with no internet and propagate the video. Though that won’t increase the view count on YouTube, it will still bring the awesomeness of Indian YouTubers to a new, wider audience.

It appears that Google is seeing India as a major market. India is the first country where Google has introduced the Android One line-up of phones. It can also be the case that the huge Indian diaspora at Google is helping to develop their homeland. Whatever the case may be, the Indian population can only benefit from the inflow of innovative resources from this gigantic corporation. Let’s hope to see this partnership grow and hopefully someday soon, India will become testing grounds for the Google Fibre. That day will be celebrated as a second Diwali.

September 16, 2014
Hold On, The Internet Slowdown Day Is Here

We told you sometime back that America’s communication regulator; the FCC is planning to allow broadband providers to create a fast lane for content providing companies that pay more for more access. This new regulation will deeply harm the independence of the internet and hamper the free exchange of ideas that it provides. It has the potential to pull back internet’s penchant for innovation. The broadband companies are pushing hard for the legislation by the internet companies are pushing back.

To counter the money might of big broadband companies, top internet domains are going for a peculiar protest that will show the future of the internet if the internet provider get their way. Websites like Reddit, Bittorrent, Vimeo, Foursquare, WordPress and Netflix are joining in protest for what is being called the Internet Slowdown Day.

Some of the prominent internet companies will be joining in protest.

The companies will be posing a constant loading symbol to show how by giving fast lane access to highest payers; the internet providers might slow the internet for the rest of us.

Netflix had this to say on Reddit “Consumers, not broadband gatekeepers, should pick the winners and losers on the Internet. While we won’t actually slow down your streams during Internet Slowdown day, look for the symbolic buffering symbol on the Netflix site on Wednesday and join the day of action.”

Net Neutrality has been one of the basic principles of the internet ever since its inception. It states that companies cannot discriminate with information; all information bits on the internet should get the same speed of access. The FCC proposal might change that and allow fast lanes for content providers who can pay more. It will also slow the speed of websites who cannot afford to pay the content delivery fees.

FCC had previously taken into consideration the massive outburst against its proposed move and invited comments from people. This led to a massive inflow of comments that once even crashed the servers especially after John Oliver took on the case.

This is an important issue for internet users everywhere. It’s a cause worth a fight as the level playing field of internet has led to success of giants like Google and Facebook and even helped iGyaan reach you guys without paying unruly fees. So if you like the internet the way it is, learn about Net Neutrality and spread the word and if you see a legislation that aims to scrap it, protest it proactively. It’s the only way of having access to unlimited cat videos without a slowdown.

September 10, 2014
Massive Celebrity iCloud Hack: Who’s to Blame?

The internet world went abuzz yesterday when one hacker picked up images from the iCloud accounts of celebrities such Jennifer Lawrence, Ariana Grande, Kate Upton and posted them online. This massive breach of privacy was taken very seriously as it hit some of the most prominent public faces and consequently raised concerns about the security of user data.

The fault of this massive leak lies on Apple. The failure of iCloud’s security features caused this breach. One of the main culprits of the heist is said to be the ‘Find My iPhone’ API, which let hackers try different passwords repeatedly without getting locked out. This fault was addressed by Apple after it came to light.

Hackers accessed personal accounts through a loophole in Apple’s “Find My iPhone” service

The hacker said that he held hundreds of other nude and semi-nude pictures. He demanded $40,000 in Bitcoins for releasing more photos. Thankfully the world felt a lot better and saner when all that the guy got was 0.2 Bitcoins which amount to just $95. It is said that hacker got a whiff of Jennifer Lawrence using iCloud when she said at an award function that she doesn’t understand how to back-up on iCloud.

The important part to remember is that if you go looking for these pictures, you are becoming a party to the side that is harassing the actresses. The lesson was well-learnt by professional pain-in-the-butt of celebrities, Perez Hilton, who said that they were removing the images from their website. You can see how severe the privacy breach was; the guy who makes a living out of the misfortunes of others had the decency to bring down the violating images. So be good and stay away from 4chan for good.

September 2, 2014
Government of India Launch Dot Bharat Domain For Regional Languages

Standing on their promise of bringing technical, infrastructural development to the forefront, the Government of India has launched Dot Bharat domain in Devanagari script. The domain will initially begin support for Hindi, Bodo, Dogri, Konkani, Maithili, Marathi, Nepali and Sindhi languages. It will be later extended to more languages in the future.

This move will make it easy for a lot of people who are not versed in Roman characters. A huge section of Indian population cannot comprehend English, and that makes it hard to introduce them to the internet. This domain will work towards introducing them to the working of the internet that they can use to avail government services. The government is also looking at making government documents available online to create more transparency. They want to create a one window system that will let villagers get the documents they need without traveling to government offices.

The domain was launched by the Minister of Telecom Ravi Shanker Prasad. It is expected to bring a good amount of convenience in the rural areas. The government is planning to make a major shift towards e-governance. It will also help bring business opportunity till now limited to urban centers to the hands of the rural population. This would certainly result in job growth in regions that need them. Dot Bharat was developed by the National Internet Exchange of India in cooperation with Centre for Development of Advanced Computing.

Dot Bharat would also help boost the creation of webpages based on local languages. It will not just help in bringing a lot of people to the internet but create a huge job growth for the technical spectrum from engineers to designers who are comfortable with local languages. Indian Prime Minister too has pressed on more use of local languages in government communication.

It will be interesting to see if the local language sites are better that the mainstream internet or will it too devolve into comment section filled with name calling and undue criticisms.

August 28, 2014
Ready to Note: Samsung Releases Note 4 Teaser

Samsung has brought out teasers for the upcoming Note 4. The phone has been prone to several leaks recently. First the specs were leaked through benchmarks app, AnTuTu and soon after that the camera specs were released online. Now Samsung has brought out teasers for the upcoming Phablet. The teasers are tagged “Ready to Note” along with the release date of Note 4 which is 3rd September 2014.

Note 4 is stated to have a 5.7 inch QHD display and is expected to be powered by a Snapdragon 805 or an Exynos 5 Octa SoC. The device is expected to sport a 16 MP camera on the back and a 3.7 MP front selfie shooter.

The First ad focuses on the handwriting capabilities of the Note 4 while the second ad focuses on the S-Pen and its capabilities. The teaser shows the air menu so it seems the air menu will continue on the Note 4.

The date is just a week away and we can’t wait for September to show up with all the amazing gadgetry like the Moto 360, the LG G Watch 2 and of course the iPhone 6.

August 25, 2014