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Youtube Homepage gets a makeover, part of the overall design change

Youtube has today launched a new redesigned version of their homepage. At first the page may not look as interesting as it is, but a closer look will reveal that a large amount of brain power has gone into redesigning one of the most viewed pages on the internet. The revamp splits the homepage into three sections which, in many ways, feels familiar and mirrors the way Facebook operates. On the left, a navigation bar features links to videos shared by your Google+ and Facebook friends, while it also lists each of the channels you subscribe to along with trending and popular uploads.

Youtube has also unleashed new Channels, which make it easier for creators ( like iGyaan) to interact with the viewers. Our new redesigned channel should be up shortly. YouTube says it has also added “a coat of paint” to the whole site, along with the ability to easily customise your own channel.

[ official YouTube blog]

December 3, 2011
Apple new ‘digital handshake’ will be powered by invisible ink, according to patent

Apple has filed a new patent that will enable the use of next-generation cameras and invisible ink to negotiate digital handshakes.

Snap a picture of a cash register with a barcode and your iDevice will generate a unique ID to pair up. but in order to keep the technology secure, the codes would have to be painted on with “invisible” fluorescent coatings. Similarly to share information between 2 iPhones or iDevices, the screen of one will display the information while the camera from the other will simply click to transfer the info.

While the whole world is looking forward to NFC, you can leave it up to Apple to think of a different standard. Remember the whole world was using regular size sim cards before apple managed to make the Micro-sim a standard.

USPTO (1), USPTO (2)

December 3, 2011
Apple’s request for block of Samsung sales in the US denied

US District Court Judge has rejected Apple’s request to block the sales of Galaxy devices. The two companies are engaged in a bruising legal battle that includes more than 20 cases in 10 countries as they jostle for the top spot in the smartphone and tablet markets. Apple sued Samsung in the United States in April, saying the South Korean company’s Galaxy line of mobile phones and tablets “slavishly” copies the iPhone and iPad.

It is not clear that an injunction on Samsung’s accused devices would prevent Apple from being irreparably harmed”.

The case in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California is Apple Inc v. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd et al, 11-1846.

December 3, 2011
Google Maps on Android now with indoor locations

If you have updated to the latest version of Google Maps on Android, you will now notice that Maps is now updating indoor locations on its maps app. Google Maps 6.0, which is a free update for phones loaded with Android 2.1 and up, will bring you intimate details of many shopping centres and airports in the US and Japan. The app is also sensitive to which floor you’re on, so if you go up an escalator in the shopping centre, the list of stores will update.

Now this is seriously useful utilization of your portable handheld device.

[Google Blog]

November 30, 2011
Microsoft brings WP emulator to Android and iPhone

[dropcap]M[/dropcap]icrosoft is using a browser based demo of WP7 on Android and iOS to lure users into shifting into their new OS. The HTML5 demonstration showcases Windows Phone’s Metro user-interface and allows you to follow through and experience the operating system’s basic functionality.

The demo goes thorough basic functionality and demos some of the key features like Phone, People, Messaging, Outlook, Calendar, Family, Local Scout and Picture tiles. Just visit the link http://aka.ms/wpdemo on your Android or iOS device and enjoy the demo exploits. Its like owning the phone without owning it, Microsoft is playing those naughty games again. Trying to itch you into buying a WP7 device.

[Microsoft]

November 30, 2011
BFRA: Microsoft is preparing a new “Office” for Lion and iPad

This one is a Blunt Force Rumor Attack.

According to The Daily, Microsoft may be preparing a series of apps, or a single suite of Office apps to target the iPad market. These apps would directly take on Keynote, Pages and Numbers from the Apple software arsenal. The company is also reportedly prepping an Office Suite update that will add official support for Lion and may be available from the Mac App Store. Apps for the iPad and Mac App store could cost upto US $ 9.99 (the same Apple Charges for its apps) these apps will support sync with Office 360 and will be available before the end of the year 2011

We already deliver Office on multiple platforms and devices and are committed to expanding in the future, but have nothing further to share today,

Microsoft in a statement to CNET

[The Daily] [CNET]

November 30, 2011
Internet Explorer 10 Preview 4 out : Windows 7 not supported

Microsoft has just released the 4th preview of the Internet Explorer 10, with feature improvements targeted at creating Rich and creative Web Apps for the Browser. There should be little energy movement for this new preview because most devs will not be able to use the browser, because it can only run on Windows 8 preview release that came during BUILD conference.

The new features include Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS), JavaScript typed arrays and binary file manipulation, and HTML5 video subtitling. Typed arrays and support for binary files enable much better performance for JavaScript applications that handle binary data, such as images and audio. CORS provides a safe way for JavaScript applications to use services offered by different providers. CORS allows one application to expose its data to another application even when the same-origin policy would otherwise deny such access.

Focusing more on Metro Style UI and Apps, looks like Microsoft missed the point of the preview. Since the entire developer community develops on Windows 7, excluding them from the preview will exclude the time and the insights they could have given.

November 30, 2011
HTC Launches the Sensation XL with Beats Audio in India (PR)

HTC has launched the mammoth Sensation XL in India, kind of like HTC’s answer to the Note. The device has a 4.7 inch SLCD display with Android 2.3 and newly acquired Beats by Dre Audio. The device is only 9.9mm thick and is powered by a 1.5 GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8255 chipset.

In the world of smartphone budgets where the prices are becoming lower, HTC has managed to price this phone at Rs. 39,990/- while the MOP( Best Buy) will be Rs. 38,799/-only.

We say Hah!

[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]

HTC UNLEASHES THE HTC SENSATION™ XL

WITH BEATS AUDIO™IN INDIA

Beats integration, combined with amazing 4.7-inch display, introduces

powerful entertainment experience

New Delhi–November 29, 2011 – HTC Corporation, a global designer of mobile devices, today unveiled the HTC Sensation™ XL with Beats Audio™ integration in India. This latest innovation is the result of the new partnership between HTC and Beats takeing mobile entertainment to a new level with an amazing 4.7-inch screen and a specifically optimized audio experience. The HTC Sensation XL joins the HTC Sensation XE to provide customers with a strong line-up of HTC smartphones integrated with Beats Audio.

“With Beats Audio, the HTC Sensation XL continues HTC’s commitment of delivering the best audio possible on your phone whether you’re listening to music, watching a movie or playing a game,” said Faisal Siddiqui, Country Head, HTC India.“This is an amazing example of why our partnership with Beats makes so much sense for customers today and into the future.”

Design, Performance and Stunning Audio

With a bigger 4.7” screen, slim 9.9mm design and Beats Audio integration, the HTC Sensation XL has been specifically created to deliver the best entertainment experience with stunning audio and visuals for music, movies and games.The HTC Sensation XL features unique audio tuning by Beats that ensures customers will hear their music as the artist intended.

Unique to HTC phones, the HTC Sensation XL includes new light weight Beats™ headphones, created exclusively to integrate with the Beats’ audio profile on the device. The built-in microphone makes hands-free calling easy and the on-cable ControlTalk™ remote control allows customers to pause, advance or rewind and to answer a call mid-track.

Customers can also send music recommendations and track information to friends over SMS, email or through their Facebook profile. To allocate the perfect audio alert to an incoming call or message from friends and family, use the ringtone trimmer to edit a music track and add it to a friend’s contact profile.

HTC Watch

HTC Sensation XL integrates HTC Watch, an application and service that puts an entire library of the latest premium movies and TV shows right at your fingertips, letting people discover the latest video content in an easy and visually engaging way. HTC Watch uses progressive download technology that makes it possible to watch videos without waiting for a huge file to finish downloading. HTC Watch offers the choice of renting or buying videos, and, if purchased, lets customers watch them on up to five different HTC devices.

Capture the moment

The HTC Sensation XL boasts an 8MP camera, featuring a f/2.2, 28mm wide-angle lens with BSI sensor to fit more of the scene into every shot and for better low-light performance. In video mode, the HTC Sensation XL enables customers to record a perfect moment with stunning clarity and incredible stereo sound – perfect for sharing on YouTube, Facebook or a TV.

The HTC Sensation XE will be available at an MRP of Rs. 39,990/- while the MOP( Best Buy) will be Rs. 38,799/-only.

About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative devices that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

About Beats Electronics LLC

Established in 2006, Beats Electronics is the brainchild of legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre and Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records Jimmy Iovine, who set out to develop a new type of headphone with the capability to reproduce the full spectrum of sound that musical artists and producers hear in professional recording studios. For more information, please visithttp://beatsbydre.com.

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November 29, 2011
ARM launches Android dev kit, focus on Power management (PR)

ARM is playing its fever and has launched the Android Development Kit for ARM SOC and other chipsets. With the release of Development Studio 5 Community Edition, the company has expanded its dev kit’s repertoire to include not just Linux, but Google’s Linux-based mobile OS we all know and love. DS-5 even integrates with the standard Android SDK as well as Eclipse IDE.

[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]ARM Launches Free Toolkit For Android Application Developer Community
28 November 2011

ARM® Development Studio 5 Community Edition helps Android™ application developers create native software that can run up to 4 times faster than Java code.

Cambridge, UK – 28th November 2011 – ARM today announced the release of the ARM® Development Studio 5 (DS-5™) Community Edition (CE) – a free-to-use edition of its reference software development toolkit. The new edition is dedicated to the Android application developer community and helps them create native software for compute intensive tasks that can run up to 4 times faster than Java code. DS-5 CE complements the standard SDK and NDK Android development kits by offering developers a unique set of tools to help them achieve the performance and energy-efficiency advantages made possible when ARM native code is used in Android applications.

DS-5 Community Edition includes limited, but essential functionality from the premium DS-5 toolkit to help solve common Android application developer pain points. It achieves this by providing an integrated graphical debugger for NDK-generated code and visibility of advanced processor information, including ARM NEON™ Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) registers. The new toolkit permits development of Java and C/C++ code in the same Eclipse integrated development environment (IDE) to maximise productivity and ease of use.

DS-5 Community Edition features a tailored version of the ARM Streamline™ Performance Analyzer for use with compatible Android development platforms. Streamline captures detailed, system-wide performance statistics from a variety of sources which helps developers to locate hotspots in their code and isolate potential causes. Platform builders can add support for Streamline by integrating an open source driver available from the Linaro website.

“With over half a million apps on the Android market today, developers need to deliver an outstanding user experience to succeed commercially,” said John Cornish, executive vice president and general manager, system design division, ARM. “ARM DS-5 Community Edition offers developers an easy to use environment for debugging and optimizing C/C++ code. This allows them to take full advantage of ARM processor technology using native code to deliver the performance and functionality that consumers demand.”

Partner Quotes:

“We have been using DS-5 extensively for system level debugging and performance tuning”, said Duan ZhiQiang, CTO, Thundersoft. “With the release of the Community Edition, it will enable our ISV and IHV partners to access similar capabilities, improving our platform as an application development target and expanding its ecosystem.”

“The community edition of DS-5 (DS-5 CE) will further reduce the barriers to open source development on ARM. We have worked closely with ARM to ensure that DS-5 support is available as an easy to install add-on for Linaro Ubuntu images in the past and are working together to deliver a similar convenient developer experience for DS-5 CE as part of our Android images”, said Alexander Sack, Platform Technical Director, Linaro. “This initiative will help users of the community edition take full advantage of Linaro optimized images.”

“The release of ARM DS-5 Community Edition is welcomed by Orange and solves some of the pain points of Android native apps developers”, said Yves Christol, Head of Advanced Software Centre, Devices, Orange.

Availability

The DS-5 CE is available free-of-charge for use by individuals and organizations with annual revenue of $100,000 or less, and up to 10 employees. DS-5 CE is available from ARM and can be downloaded now. For more information go to:

DS-5 CE: http://www.arm.com/ds5community
DS-5: http://www.arm.com/ds5
Linaro platform evaluation builds http://www.linaro.org/downloads/

About ARM

ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM’s comprehensive product offering includes 32-bit RISC microprocessors, graphics processors, video engines, enabling software, cell libraries, embedded memories, high-speed connectivity products, peripherals and development tools. Combined with comprehensive design services, training, support and maintenance, and the company’s broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. Find out more about ARM by following these links:

ARM website: http://www.arm.com/
ARM Connected Community: http://www.arm.com/community/
ARM Blogs: http://blogs.arm.com/
ARMFlix on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ARMflix
ARM on Twitter:
o http://twitter.com/ARMMobile
o http://twitter.com/ARMCommunity
o http://twitter.com/ARMEmbedded
o http://twitter.com/ARMLowPwr
o http://twitter.com/ARMTools
o http://twitter.com/ARMMultimedia

ARM is a registered trademark of ARM Limited. Cortex, Connected Community and MPCore are trademarks of ARM Limited. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders. “ARM” is used to represent ARM Holdings plc; its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional subsidiaries ARM Inc.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Limited.; ARM Taiwan Limited; ARM France SAS; ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; ARM Germany GmbH; ARM Embedded Technologies Pvt. Ltd.; ARM Norway, AS and ARM Sweden AB[/toggle]

[ARM]

November 29, 2011
Nokia N900 gets Ice Cream Sandwich, we say wooo!

A hacker with his estranged N900 has managed to get some desert love on his not so shiny N900. The hack is an extremely early build and is even referenced as being “pre-pre-alpha,”. But still to have Google’s latest OS running on a N900 will give some Nokia fanboys a thrill they could have had, but may now never get. Nokia+Android.

November 29, 2011
Bring Siri dictation to your favorite iDevice – Jailbreak and Siri0us required

A new package for jailbreak friendly iDevices has been released that enables Siri dictation on the iPhone 4 / 3GS and all those that run a Jailbroken iOS 5. The package is available to be downloaded from a repo that uses Siri Api (without permission) to connect to the servers that the speech recognition company hosts for apps instead. This method will allow only dictation on the iPhone and not Siri itself. We have a feeling that the package might be removed soon so get it before it goes.

Check out the demo video below.

November 29, 2011
Apple Seeds iOS 5.1 Beta to devs, New Product ID reveals next iPad

Apple has started seeding the next beta of iOS 5 to developers, the iOS 5.1 is meant to bring some major fixes to the OS. Many are also hoping for a fix to the major battery drain faced in the current version of the OS.

But thats not the only news surrounding this release, a new product iD has been found in the release dubbed “iPad 2,4”, which is hinting at the next generation of the iPad said to be coming in the next couple months. Rumors have been pointing at Retina/ high res display along with better cameras. The chipset may or may not be bumped up to the next revision. The product iD only increases chances for something like this showing up in the near future.

November 29, 2011
Seagate Launches Momentous Hard Drive part 2, 750GB – 8GB SSD (PR)

Seagate was the first with its Momentous Hard drives last year, a hybrid drive which uses a mix of SSD along with traditional HDD to speed up operations. Now the company has bumped up its lineup with the next-gen Momentous hard drives. This time around the storage has been increased to a total of 750GB Minus a Nand flash partition which has been upped from 4GB to 8GB.

Price is expected to be in Rs. 10,000/- mark at launch, and the drive promises incredible boot up and application startup times.

[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]SEAGATE SOUPS UP LAPTOP PC PERFORMANCE WITH FAST SOLID STATE HYBRID DRIVE

Cupertino, Calif. – November 29, 2011 – Tip for revving up the speed of your laptop PC: Slip in a new Seagate (NASDAQ:STX) Momentus XT drive for faster computing, snappier gaming and lickety-split boot-up!

Seagate is now shipping the second generation of Momentus XT, its groundbreaking solid state hybrid drive for consumer and commercial laptop personal computers. With a simple drive installation, users can boost boot-up speed and overall performance to transform the use of an ordinary laptop or desktop computer into a high-performance computing experience. Momentus XT is available at online retailers Amazon, Canada Computers, CDW, Memory Systems, NCIX, Newegg, and TigerDirect, and seven original equipment manufacturers are gearing up to ship laptops powered by Seagate’s fastest laptop drive ever.

“Personal computer users are creating and using more documents, photos, video and other digital content than ever before, driving strong demand for systems that deliver the highest performance they can get their hands on,” said Scott Horn, vice president of worldwide marketing at Seagate.”Seagate’s second-generation Momentus XT is serving up solid state drive (SSD) speed, more storage capacity and simple, easy installation at an affordable price for even better, faster computing.”

“High-speed storage devices make a difference when it comes to improving overall PC performance,” said John Rydning, research vice president at IDC. “Seagate’s newest Momentus XT gives notebook PC users an economical option for boosting PC performance while at the same time providing spacious storage capacity all in one device.”
The Momentus XT drive is three times faster than a traditional hard disk drive, delivering speeds rivaling much pricier SSDs. The all-in-one design of Momentus XT makes installation for system upgrades simple, easy and affordable: the drive works in any laptop or desktop computer and with any operating system.

Momentus XT – Satisfying the need for speed
The Momentus XT hard drive delivers a massive 750GB of storage capacity and owes it speed to a Serial ATA 6Gb/second interface, 8 gigabytes of high-speed Single Level Cell NAND flash, 32 megabytes of drive-level caching and Seagate’s Adaptive Memory and FAST Factor technologies. Adaptive Memory works by identifying data usage patterns, and then moving the most frequently retrieved information to the embedded solid state memory for faster access – effectively tailoring hard drive performance to each user and their applications. FAST Factor blends the strengths of SSDs and hard disk drives into a powerful device for faster access to applications, quicker bootup and higher overall system speed.

Now shipping in volume worldwide, the Momentus XT hard drive is backed by Seagate’s 5-year limited warranty. Manufacturer’s Suggesting Retail Pricing (MSRP) for Momentus XT 750GB is $189.[/toggle]

November 29, 2011
New Medical spray can make cancer cells glow

A new type of spray developed by Japanese researchers that makes small tumors, typically missed by CT scans, visibly glow within minutes of being applied. A green dye called gGlu-HMRG is behind the new phenomenon, that could make removal of cancer cells a lot more effective. The dye take takes a few minutes to set-in and react with the enzymes in the membrane of some cancer cells.

The overall process takes a few minutes and is much faster and accurate compared to traditional methods of detection. The spray was developed by Professor Yasuteru Urano of the University of Tokyo, and Hisataka Kobayashi, the chief scientist at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The spray is not 100% effective and/or accurate in finding cancerous cells. But researchers believe further development of the spray is possible making it a very useful resource inside the operating theatre.

November 28, 2011
Google Chrome to accept gamepad input for usage / gaming

Google’s chrome browser will soon get plug and play support for gamepads running on any PC/Mac. A simple plug in of the gamepad/ joystick will allow control of the highly popular browser. Alongside gamepads, webcams and microphones will have similar plug-and-play support, allowing users to interact with HTML5 games and apps.

Google’s Paul Kinlan said that the update will arrive next year and will be available on all platforms simultaneously.

[Gizmodo]

November 28, 2011