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Britain and USA Team Up to Stage Cyber Wargames

In an attempt to bolster their cyber defence from online attackers, intelligence agencies from the U.S and Britain will conduct planned cyber attacks on each other’s financial and other critical sectors. These intended cyber attacks will be conducted to test and measure their online defences. Countries all around the globe are attempting to take on the increased concerns over vulnerabilities of critical online infrastructure.

U.S President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed upon this initiative on Friday. The joint effort has come amid concerns over the growing threat of online cyber attacks following the massive Sony hack last year.

Both countries will begin work on a series of large scale joint exercises to assess each other’s online infrastructure. The first attack is expected to take place later this year on the financial sector. Other online ‘war games’ exercises will include premeditated attacks on energy and transport sectors.

[quote text_size=”medium” author=”David Cameron”]

This is an evolving threat which poses a real risk to our businesses and that’s why we’re taking our cooperation with the U.S. to an unprecedented level, This is about pooling our effort so we stay one step ahead of those who seek to attack us

[/quote]

Meanwhile, Britain’s MI5 along with their communication intelligence agency, known as GCHQ will work with their US counterparts in the NSA (National Security Agency) and FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) to further bolster the exchange of information.

In addition, the two governments will also invest in training next-gen cyber agents; to lay down norms and standards to ensure big multinationals are getting constant advice on how to protect their systems.

January 19, 2015
Apple’s 12-inch iPad Pro Might Include a Stylus as an Optional Accessory

Steve Jobs had a firm belief in simplicity of design, which was one of the reasons why he never liked the idea of a stylus. It was pretty evident, in his 2007 Macworld conference speech, when Jobs kept repeating “Who wants a stylus?”. He dismissed it stating that humans are born with one of the best pointing devices available, referring to our fingers, so why not use it?

However, under Tim Cook’s guidance, Apple has made some drastic changes in the design philosophy of its products. Now, according to KGI Securities, Apple might bring out a stylus accessory for its iPad products, expected to be first introduced with the rumoured 12-inch iPad Pro.

According to KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the stylus will be an optional accessory, as the expensive stylus would drive the base cost of the iPad higher.

Apple’s proposed haptic stylus from a 2010 patent application

Looking at technical details of the stylus, Kuo predicts it will charge via a Lightning connector, believing a more convenient wireless charging solution would also add to the expense. Kuo also believes the initial stylus model will not include a gyroscope accelerometer, but future models could include the component to support ‘3D handwriting’ to allow the user to write on other surfaces or even in air.

There is a big difference between supporting hardware stylus and requiring them to use the product (like Samsung’s Note series.) As an optional accessory, it is pretty clear that Apple’s offering will be more of a niche purchase.

Anyhow, the inclusion of stylus in Apple’s much talked about 12-inch iPad makes sense. Many third-party companies offer rudimentary stylus accessories today, although none seem to have had widespread uptake. An Apple-branded stylus would definitely help adoption, of course.

Watch the full 2007 Macworld Keynote below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7EfxMOElBE

January 19, 2015
Facebook in Hiring Mode to Boost its Virtual Reality Business

When Facebook acquired Oculus Rift for a price of $2 Billion, we had a feeling it has something big planned for it. Virtual Reality(VR) is a budding market that is growing at a slow and steady pace. Facebook sees huge potential for these devices and is now on a hiring spree to get Oculus Rift up and running in the consumer space.

Oculus can be credit for bringing Virtual Reality back from the dead. Using the increased processing might of this generation chipset has helped these device give an authentic VR experience. The graphics quality has gotten better and there are now multiple headset options in the market that promise an immersive experience. While devices like Gear VR from Samsung are already in the market, Oculus Rift’s consumer version is still in the development stage.

Facebook acquired Oculus last year for a sum of $2 Billion

Facebook has listed 54 jobs on its website that seem to directly focus on it VR division. The jobs listed include managers to oversee logistics, procurement and global supply chain planning. Analysts believe this hints that the company is ready to bring the consumer version in the market.

If you want to test out the Oculus Rift, the company offers a Developers Kit that supports over 188 game titles. Other players in the VR market include Sony with its Project Morpheus, Google with the low-cost headset called the Cardboard project and Avegant Glyph. There are also some start-up projects working on their VR headsets too, like ANTVR.

We hope the wait for the consumer version of the Oculus Rift is coming to an end. It may be only a while before VR would be the way to game because of its immersive advantage.

January 19, 2015
Top 5 HD Games That Will Push Your Flagship to its Limit

While some of you are content playing 8-bit Flappy bird and Candy Crush on your smartphones, others like to take full advantage of their high resolution displays of their devices. These days most smartphones come with the top notch specs that are capable of handling console quality gaming. So, why not use it?

Everybody wants to play high definition games that are visually impressive, but not everybody can because HD games have some restrictions on the hardware. If you want to play them you, must have a really high-end device that is powered by a powerful processor, to be able to enjoy the games.

We are listing 5 of the best games whose graphics are so realistic they’ll knock your socks off.

5.Real Racing 3

Okay, most of you will cringe your nose reading the name of the game as it has been criticised for the large amount of in-app purchases required to be successful in the game. However, one can’t deny the fact that Real Racing 3 is one of the most graphically impressive games Android has ever had the pleasure of knowing. Unfortunately, this means that you have to empty large memory on your handset, 1.6 GB to be precise.

Download – Google Play (Free)

4. Asphalt 8 : AIRBORNE

This games needs no introduction, we all have practically grown up playing this game on our old-gen Motorola and Nokia handsets. The 8th edition of the Asphalt is more beautiful than ever with a impeccible graphic quality, shaders new generation geometric real-time reflections, and other awesome effects. The game can now enjoy an arcade racing as frantic as spectacular with the attractive possibility to drive the best cars on the planet; the cars perform jumps and amazing stunts. The game is full of events and races to participate and there are more than 180 events in career mode to play, divided into eight seasons.

Download – Google Play (Free)

3. Dead Trigger 2

The second version of the popular zombie slaying game requires a high-performing hardware and when you play it on display with a high resolution, it offers a graphical experience like no other. Even if you aren’t a fan of point and shoot games or guns in general, it’s worth trying it out in order to admire the graphics. When installing, take heed of the 414 megabytes and the fact that you can only play when connected to the internet.

Download – Google Play (Free)

2. Wild Blood

If you dream of fantasy worlds regularly this one is for you. A paid app, Wild Blood mixes elements from the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table with an action game. Not to mention the breath-taking graphics. The game lacks a plot, but the fantastic and dazzling imagery makes up for it.

Download – Google Play (Rs. 420)

1. Assassin’s Creed Pirates

This game not just gives you the best imagery among the other but also an amazing gameplay. This is the sole reason, Assassin’s Creed Pirates makes it to the top of our list. The starting point of the game is a map that will take you to many different missions, like looking for an old friend or bringing home some pillaged loot. Of course, the way there is treacherous, full of obstacles with guns, swords and all sorts of pirate business.

Download – Google Play (Free)

January 18, 2015
Xiaomi Teases Mysterious New Device, Expected to Arrive on 20th January

Just when we thought Xiaomi had opened all its cards, it went ahead and released a new teaser. The teaser, launched on its official Weibo page, hints at a possible new announcement by the company on 20th January 2015. The interesting thing is that the teaser image comes not from its smartphone weibo account but from its official gaming account.

As always, the teaser image doesn’t reveal what the device could be. It includes three rectangles, with the title ‘Bigger is Better’. The fact that it comes from its official gaming page hints that this upcoming device might be gaming hardware.

The company had surprised us just a few days back. While everyone expected the Chinese manufacturer to launch the second generation Redmi Note or the Mi5, the company decided to take a step ahead and launched the Xiaomi Mi Note. The new device flaunts a 5.7-inch 1080p display and seems to be Xiaomi’s contender against the OnePlus One (with a price to match.)

Looks like we’ll have to wait and see what Xiaomi has in store next.

January 18, 2015

List of Top LTE-Capable Budget Smartphones (Under 10K)

4G LTE is considered to be roughly 10-20 times faster than 3G standards. With the popular carriers embracing 4G LTE and offering attractive tariff plans, smartphone makers have come out with handful of budget devices with LTE support.

Want a future-proof smartphone but don’t have the budget to shell out for a high-end device? We are listing the top 4 LTE capable Smartphones under 10K:

1. Yu Yureka – Rs. 8,999

In terms of hardware the Yureka is pretty great, in fact the closest devices in terms of hardware cost double. Cameras are a high 13 MP and 5 MP combination. At the front it has a 1280 x 720p 5.5-inch display. On the inside is the intriguing Snapdragon 615 CPU + Adreno 405 GPU combination, which is decent considering the price. For our full review of the device, click here.

2. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G – Rs. 9,999

Xiaomi’s blockbuster Redmi series has been flying out of Flipkart’s shelves rapidly since its launch. Redmi Note is available in two variants, one is 3G, while the other one is the 4G LTE compatible variant. The 4G variant, made for India, has dual-band support for both TDD-LTE 2300 MHz (Band 40) and FDD-LTE 1800 MHz (Band 3).

3. Lenovo A6000 – Rs. 6,999

Lenovo A6000 is India’s cheapest 4G enabled handset. The smartphone was first showcased earlier this month at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), and India is the first market in which it has been released. Up front, the Lenovo A6000 features a 5-inch HD (720×1280-pixel) IPS screen, which is smaller than the 5.5-inch screen on both Micromax’s Yu Yureka and Xiaomi’s Redmi Note.

4. Nokia Lumia 638 – Rs 8,299

Microsoft also jumped into the 4G game back in December with Lumia 638. Specs on the smartphone include a 4.5 inch FWVGA (480×854 pixels) ClearBlack LCD display with Gorilla Glass 3, a 1.2 Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 400 SOC chipset along with 1 GB of RAM. Optics will just include a 5 MP rear auto focus camera. On the memory front, there’s an 8GB of internal storage with microSD card compatibility (up to 128GB). Powering the smartphone would be a 1830 mAh battery while the OS on board would be Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim update.

<br />

SPECS	LENOVO A6000	XIAOMI REDMI NOTE 4G	YU YUREKA	Lumia 638
Display	5 inch HD IPS	5.5 inch IPS LCD	5.5 inch HD	4.5 inch IPS LCD
Processor	1.2 GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 410	1.6 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400	1.5 GHz octa-core Snapdragon 615	Quad-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 400
RAM	1 GB	2 GB RAM	2 GB	1 GB
Storage	8 GB	8 GB	16 GB	8 GB
Expandable Upto	32 GB	64 GB	32 GB	128 GB
Main Camera	8 MP	13 MP	13 MP	5 MP
Front Camera	2 MP	5 MP	5 MP	–
Battery	2300 mAh	3100 mAh	2500mAh	1830 mAh
Operating System	Android 4.4	Android 4.2	Cyanogen OS 11	Windows Phone 8.1
Price	Rs 6,999	Rs.9,999	Rs.8,999	Rs 8,299

January 18, 2015

SmartBand Talk and Sony SmartWatch 3 Get a Price Tag for the Indian Market

After showcasing SmartWatch 3 and SmartBand Talk at the IFA Berlin in September 2014, the Japanese manufacturing company has finally brought both the two devices for Indian consumers. The devices are listed on the official website of Sony India. The SmartWatch 3 is tagged at Rs. 19,990, while the SmartBand comes at a price of Rs. 12,990.

The price listed for the SmartWatch 3 is for the black variant. There is no word on the availability and price for the stylish steel edition. At the given price tag, this Sony smartwatch is one of the most expensive wearables in the country running on Android.

Sony SmartBand Talk

Taking a look at its specifications, the Sony SmartWatch 3 sports a 1.6-inch 320×320 square display. The device runs on a 1.2GHz quad-core processor paired with 512 MB of RAM and has 4 GB of internal storage capacity. The 420mAh battery of the device is enough to last a couple of days. The connectivity options include NFC and Bluetooth 4.0. Along with that, the watch is secure from water and dust.

The company said that the straps of the smartwatch are interchangeable, and users can attach straps of different colours with the main watch unit.

On the other hand, the SmartBand Talk boasts a 1.4-inch 296x128p e-ink curved display. The band allows handsfree calling. Like the smartwatch, it comes with exchangeable wrist straps that give it a trendy look. The device is waterproof and can last for 3 hours on a single charge. The connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0 LE and NFC.

January 17, 2015
India and US to Collaborate for the Digital India Initiative

Just days before President Obama’s visit to New Delhi, India and US have agreed to collaborate together for implementing the Digital India Initiative to boost e-Governance and e-Commerce.

The Government of India initiated the Digital India Program to help integrate the people of India and the Government for effective governance. It aims to reduce paperwork for the citizens by providing Government services electronically. This also includes providing high speed internet connectivity to rural areas. Digital India includes three core components, digital infrastructure, digitally delivered services and digital literacy. It is stated to be completed by 2019.

During the two day meeting of the US-India Information and Communications Technology (ICT), concerns were raised by the Indian Delegation, led by RS Sharma, about the refusal of a large number of visas of Indian skilful workers. The meet also stressed to expand the economic opportunity, create jobs and empower the citizens.

January 17, 2015
Motorola Acknowledges Nexus 6 Defect, Offers Replacements

Recently, there have been numerous reports of defective Nexus 6 units being shipped to customers. Multiple buyers around the web have been reporting that the Nexus 6’s back cover is coming unglued.

According to various Reddit posts, this is due to defective batteries that are expanding, causing the back cover to raise from its housing. Picture by a Reddit User.

According to various Reddit posts, this is due to defective batteries that are expanding, causing the back cover to raise from its housing. Disgruntled users have reported the issue on social networks such as Twitter and Google+ and on Reddit forums.

@ChrisCannon396 We’re seeing a few — bad luck to get two! Do you need help getting this one replaced?

— Motorola Support (@MotorolaSupport) January 11, 2015

Motorola, which manufactured the Nexus 6 for Google, has acknowledged the issue and has said that it has come across a number of users who’ve reported the issue. The company is even ready to offer replacements to affected users.

Several users have been asked to get in touch with the customer care team to get their units replaced. Some noticed the issue when they took their device out of the box, while others took time, saying the battery expanded over time.

January 17, 2015
This New 3D Display Doesn’t Require 3D Glasses

Until now, the 3D technology was entirely dependent on the supporting glass. Now an effort has been put by Australian researchers that eliminates the need for 3D glasses. A team of researchers have created a new kind of display that produces 3D effect without the need for the special glasses.

According to the scientists, the technology uses a sophisticated laser system that throws laser beams in different directions. These scattered laser beams form an angular resolution in a way that the left eye sees a whole different picture from the right one. The technology leads to a 3D effect and allows viewing from various angles.

Researchers have successfully tested the first prototype of this 3D technology together with the start-up firm TriLite Technologies. It has the modest resolution of five by three pixels. Now, the team is heading towards the second prototype to get a clearer picture of the same. A professor of the research team Jorg Reitterer stated about their innovation, “We are creating a second prototype, which will display colour pictures with a higher resolution. But the crucial point is that the individual laser pixels work. Scaling it up to a display with many pixels is not a problem.”

The present 3D movies use the same trick of exhibiting two different pictures for both eyes. However, with the newly-developed display, users can experience the same effect with multiple images. The research team says that to encounter 3D effect, there should be a certain gap between the screen and the viewer. If the display is positioned to close or too far, viewers will only get a standard 2D image.

Research team says that the new video format required for the particular display is ready, and they are waiting for the second prototype to finish successfully. The gadget is scheduled to launch in 2016.

This newly-developed display is a sign of advancements in 3D technology. With the screen coming to consumers, entertainment will become more wholesome.

January 17, 2015
Google Might be Planning its Own Mobile Payment Solution

Apple’s Apple Pay mobile payment system was unveiled last year on the same day we saw the Apple Watch, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus for the first time. With Apple Pay all you need to do for paying at stores is bring your phone near the payment sensor, and that’s it, your payment is done. Apple Pay is available on both, the iPhone 6 as well as the iPhone 6 Plus.

Now it seems like Google is also looking to add the popular feature in its portfolio. NFC-based payment system is said to eliminate plastic money (credit cards) for hassle free payments. The Android maker is reportedly in talks to acquire Softcard, the a mobile payment company, and subsequently launch its own NFC-based payment system.

Softcard, formerly known as ISIS, is a joint venture of Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T

Softcard is a joint venture of Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T which has been going through a rough patch lately. Softcard earlier this month laid off about 60 employees and has been in a consolidation phase. According to TechCrunch, hundreds of millions of dollars apparently were sunk into the company by all three carriers.

Apple, right now, enjoys the monopoly of owning its own NFC-based payment system. Looks like we’ll have to wait a while to see Google’s retaliation.

January 17, 2015
Elon Musk Plans to Connect Everyone with Space-Based Internet

If you ever hear an audacious, game-changing technology initiative, there is a high possibility it’s the brainchild of Elon Musk. After taking on spaceships and electric cars, Elon plans to create a vast network of satellites which will provide high-speed internet, that will benefit the rural folks untouched by the internet.

Elon spoke of his plans at a SpaceX conference in Seattle where the company is starting a new office. He said that he wants to establish his space internet system as a rival to fibre optics. Light waves travel 40% faster in the vacuum of space than through optical fibre cables. Musk will be opening a new office in Seattle and he plans to go on a hiring spree for space and aeronautics professionals to boost his efforts.

Elon’s Space X is the most successful private space enterprise.

These internet beaming satellites will be placed in an orbit 750 miles (1207 km) above the Earth’s surface. The traditional communication satellites are placed in a geosynchronous orbit at an altitude of up to 22000 miles (35400 km). Elon says that by placing the satellites closer to the earth’s surface, the electromagnetic waves would have to travel a smaller distance and hence provide faster internet. He adds that with his technique, instead of sending data packets over long terrestrial networks like undersea cables, they can be bounced off various satellites. The data packets would be sent directly to satellites where they will bounce off multiple satellites before reaching the one closest to the destination.

There are many efforts, currently being undertaken to connect the last three billion who are still oblivious to the internet. Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg’s Internet.org and Google’s Project Loon are some of those initiatives. The Internet is making us globally connected and will help boost global cooperation.

The plan is to create a vast network of satellites which beam internet directly to the consumers

As of now, this project sounds too audacious, even for Elon Musk. He says that this initiative will cost about $10 Billion, but once established, his company will use it as a revenue source to build a city on Mars. He also doesn’t have the rights to the spectrum to build the service as of yet. So it remains to be seen how he takes this plan forward.

Elon’s bold connectivity plans doesn’t end at connecting everyone on Earth. He wants to set up a communications infrastructure on Mars too. His company is actively working on prospects of establishing a Martian colony in the coming future. You have to give credit to Elon Musk; he wants to make sure that even though people would be living in a settlement on Mars, they would not be devoid of their favorite websites.

January 17, 2015
Facebook is Testing a Voice Transcription Feature for its Messenger App

Facebook’s standalone Messenger app is an important part of the company’s offering with 500 million Messenger users sending billions of messages everyday. The company has been focusing a lot on stickers lately, even releasing an app solely dedicated to applying stickers to your photos.

However, now it seems like Facebook is shaking things up. The company is planning to add a new voice transcription feature for its Facebook Messenger. As announced by David Marcus, Head of Facebook’s Messenger team, this feature allows users of the Facebook Messenger app to read transcripts of voice messages instead of listening to them.

So, now when you send or receive a voice clip, you’ll see a text preview of the message. Both sender and receiver can see the text, unless you decide to turn it off.

Unfortunately, most of us won’t see the feature any time soon. Marcus wrote on the Facebook Post :

Today we are starting to roll out a small test that helps people read the voice clips they receive instead of having to play them out loud. Our plan is to test this feature at a tiny scale for now and we’re looking forward to seeing what you think of it before making the experience more widely available.

The transcription is automatic, and will hopefully become a more widely available feature in the future, though that isn’t guaranteed at this point.

January 17, 2015
Moto 360 Gets Premium Leather Bands Courtesy DODOcase

The Moto 360, one of the best looking smartwatches available right now, is getting sexier with new premium leather bands by DODOcase. The San Francisco-based startup which is famous for its iPhone and iPad cases, collaborated with Motorola to make these bands.

A few months back, Motorola added brown leather to the black and stone coloured Horween leather options, but it seems that didn’t work out. DODO’s leather bands are made from premium Pergamena leather. They are available to order directly from Motorola’s online store in four different colors – red, blue, tan, and green.

The DODOcase leather come in eco-friendly colors died using materials safe for the environment. You’d have to shell out $59.99 for the leather bands. That’s a significant premium over the $29.99 price of Motorola’s own Horween leather straps, and quite close to the $79.99 that Moto charges for the available metal bands for the Moto 360.

If you are curious about how this premium Pergamena leather are made, then watch the video below:

January 17, 2015
Microsoft to Unveil its Next Generation Gaming Plans on 21st January

Microsoft’s Xbox One had a good holiday season last year where it outsold its arch nemesis, the Sony Playstation. The trick Microsoft used was selling the Kinect motion sensor as a separate device and slashing down the cost of the gaming console by $50. But the company has bigger plans for its gaming ecosystem, and it will be unveiling them real soon.

Microsoft will be holding a consumer preview of its next operating system, Windows 10 on the 21st of January. It has already held a developer’s preview where it showcased several new features along with the return of the trusty old Start Menu that it unceremoniously pulled out in Windows 8. The new OS also comes with features like multiple desktops and a Task View for multitasking.

Microsoft will be presenting a consumer preview of Windows 10 on January 21

During the event, Xbox’s Head, Phil Spencer will unveil the company’s plans for increasing the gaming ability of the desktop systems. In a post on the Xbox Weblog page, the company has said, “Our goal is to help PC gaming flourish, and we’re excited to be helping shape the future of Windows. Phil Spencer will be sharing on the Windows consumer experience at a Windows event on January 21, including the role that gaming will play.”

We are eagerly waiting for the new Windows operating system. Also, prospects of additional gaming support would really make hardcore PC gamer’s brains’ tingle.

January 17, 2015