Toys “R” Us Nabi tablet

This 7-inch Android tablet runs a customised interface suitable for kids aged six and above. It only allows access to specific funtions and is priced at US$ 200. It comes with preloaded apps, e-Books and a dedicated App Store that only shows apps suitable for children. It’s powered by a 533Mhz dual core processor and also has a ‘Mommy Mode’ that enables it to function as a standard tablet.

Sony CyberShot HX7V

16MP CMOS sensor, 10X optical zoom with stabilisation, 1080p video recording, Bionz processor
3-inch display, SD card slot, 3D, HDR, GPS, manual controls, ISO 3200, 208grams

Samsung MV800 Review

Specifications
16MP CCD sensor, 5X optical zoom with dual stabilisation, 720p video recording, ISO 3200 3-inch touchscreen flip LCD, micro HDMI out, microSD card slot, 3D, USB charging, 121g Attractive, well-built, feature-packed, responsive touchscreen, intuitive interface No manual exposure, weak battery life.

How many features can you cram into a compact camera that weighs about as much as an average cellphone? Samsung is pushing the boundary with the MV800. The top edge just has a power button, shutter button and zoom lever. The back is dominated by the 3-inch OLED touchscreen and there are only two buttons — home and image playback.

It has all the right ingredients — a stabilised 5x optical zoom Schneider-Kreuznach lens, solid construction, liberal use of metal and a lightweight, attractive design.

The screen flips out and upward, but not downwards. Self portraits and videos are easy, thanks to the second shutter button hidden under the flip-out screen. You would think that you can't take a photo from a high angle since the screen does not flip down — but you can just take a photo with the camera upside down, and it'll automatically rotate the image.

The touchscreen is responsive and has large colourful icons — the interface might remind you of a smartphone rather than a camera (which is a good thing). This is not a camera for the serious hobbyist or for someone who wants to learn photography. It is a camera for someone who just wants to take fun photographs. So there's no manual exposure mode, but the sheer number of effects, filters, frames and scene modes available is mind-boggling.

You can take photographs with various scenes (landscape, beach, sunset etc), within various frames, with vignetting, miniature effect, soft focus, sketch, painting, cartoon, with funny face morphing effects, picture in picture, beauty shot (automatic blemish correction) or with auto background defocus. There's also a built in photo editor that lets you apply effects, fix red eye, crop, rotate, adjust saturation, change contrast & brightness and change colour balance. Then there's the 3D mode and an excellent Live Panorama mode — just pan the camera and it automatically stores a panoramic image (in 2D or 3D)

Some other features you could label as downright cheesy. For instance, the Theme Album lets you choose from one of three themes (travel, wedding or party) — the camera then temporarily places photos in a slideshow with music and page-turn animation effects. The Pose Guide shows you 20 different images of a woman in different poses — you can select any one and the camera will put a wireframe overlay on the screen, to allow you to position your subject in exactly the same way. It's handholding, but taken to a new extreme.

Image quality is a mixed bag — noise is the biggest problem. Even after manually setting ISO to 80, noise is visible indoors. And battery life could be a sore point for some — it can only manage a limited 100 to 120 shots on a charge. Buy it if you need something out-of-the-ordinary. Otherwise, look at Sony’s HX7V which offers better performance at the same price.

Videocon 3G V7400 with Wireless Tethering

Wireless Tethering: Share Your Mobile Internet with 5 devices Likes

-Mobile
-Camera
-Game Console
-Laptop
-Tablet

• 2.8" touch screen
• 3.2 MP camera
• Sterio FM
• 3G
• WI-Fi
• GPS
• Memory Expandable upto 16GB
• Facebook, Gtalk, Youtube, Gmail, Google Maps, Twitter

 Accessories: Handset, Charger, Data cable, Handfree, Battery, Service Center Directory

Ultrabook to Get Tap & Pay Function by Next Year

By next year, you'll be able to place an order for a book on Amazon by tapping your smartphone to your ultrabook. At least, that's what Intel and MasterCard are envisioning. The companies said today they were working jointly to allow customers to pay for online purchases by tapping special MasterCard-powered PayPass cards or phones by their computer. The introduction of the tap-and-pay feature on the ultrabook underscores the proliferation of devices capable of making and receiving mobile payments, a burgeoning field that has attracted power players like Google. A smartphone with Google Wallet, for instance, will be able to work with an ultrabook.

The feature also comes as more people take to their computers for online transactions instead of heading out to brick-and-mortar stores. The benefits are two-fold: customers can more easily make a purchase with the wave of their hand, and the transaction is more secure because of the extra security Intel has built into the hardware. “It is simpler while it increases the security,” said Ed McLaughlin, head of emerging payments for MasterCard.

Both firms are embracing a technology called near-field communication, or NFC, which allows two devices to transfer payment and transaction information through a quick, wireless exchange. MasterCard, among the other credit card companies, have been issuing credit cards with embedded NFC chips. An increasing number of smartphones, including the Samsung Nexus S and new BlackBerrys, come packed with an NFC chip as well.

While much of the attention has been on getting merchants to put NFC into their checkout terminal to enable transactions, the Intel-MasterCard partnership allows the ultrabook to take on that role. Rather than typing in a set of credit card numbers, an individual would just have to wave their phone or card in front of their ultrabook to complete a purchase. “You can use it to streamline the payment and checkout experience,” McLaughlin said. Their efforts constitute a multi-year agreement, and George Thangadurai, general manager of PC client services division at Intel, said the capabilities will move to other Intel-powered computers down the line. But because ultrabooks are a major priority for them, they will get the feature first.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

While other tablets are still dualcore, the Prime will be the first tablet with a quad-core processor. It’s also a ‘Transformer’, i.e., it can dock with a full-size keyboard. You have a choice of 32GB/64GB storage (expandable via microSD). Other specs include an 8MP camera, Android 3.2, 10.1-inch super IPS+ LCD (1280 x 800 pixels), 14 hour battery life and a starting price of US$ 500. Epson Moverio BT-100: Unlike other head-mounted displays, the Moverio stands out because it has removable, transparent shades and the glasses connect to the supplied control unit via Wi-Fi. The control unit itself runs Android 2.2, has 1GB internal storage (and a microSD card for expansion) with six hours of battery life. It is expected to launch internationally towards the end of this year for US$ 770.

Electronic wristband like your personal trainer

Jawbone’s new gadget is not a Bluetooth headphone or speaker — it’s an electronic wristband that acts like your personal trainer

    Jawbone, the maker of sleek Bluetooth earpieces and colourful wireless portable speakers, now offers a product that monitors your activity and sleep, and, by confronting you with a visual record of your habits, inspires you to work harder.

This isn't a new idea. The active ingredient is the same one found in gadgets like the Nike+iPod. If you conscientiously wear these devices, they work. The simple act of monitoring your own behavior inevitably encourages you — to climb more stairs, park farther away and bike instead of drive.

WHY IT’S DIFFERENT

The Up bracelet tries to improve on earlier devices in two important ways. First, its textured rubber exterior, available in a variety of colours and wrist sizes, is waterproof up to three feet. You can wear the band 24/7, even when you swim or take a shower.

Second, the Up band uses an iPhone app as its brains and screen. Brilliant! You're already carrying around a computer with a colourful touch screen; why shouldn't it work with your glorified pedometer?

THE INNER WORKINGS

The band contains a metal spine; it's flexible but always returns to its closed oval shape when you let go. On one end, there's a clickable metal button and a couple of tiny indicator lights. On the other, a tiny removable cap conceals the Up's connector to your iPhone: a headphone jack. Yes, that's right: the Up band connects to your iPhone through its headphone jack. That's both its most ingenious idea and its most idiotic.

GENIUS IDEA OR POTENTIAL FLAW?

Relying on the headphone jack means that the Up band can, in theory, communicate with any phone brand. But it's not a wireless connection. Jawbone's earpiece and portable speakers are models for clever use of Bluetooth; why on earth can't your bracelet send its data to your phone wirelessly?

The answer, according to the company, is that Bluetooth would shorten the band's 10-day battery life.

Still, that design is a crushing disappointment. Now, several times a day, you're supposed to take the band off, insert the plug into your phone's headphone jack and sync data with the app. Then, after the sync, put everything back together and back on your arm. The plugging-in business just feels ancient and wrong. It means you have to take off your bracelet. It means you'll lose the tiny cap. And get this: the band doesn't even charge in that manner. To charge the band, you're supposed to connect it to a tiny proprietary USB cable that's plugged into a computer. You'll lose that cable, too.

HOW THE APP SHOWS YOU DATA

If you do manage to sync the band to your phone, you see a graph of your health activity, represented by colourful bars.

One shows physical activity, as measured in steps, distance and calories tallied by the band. (I was disappointed not to get any credit for a 90-minute bike ride. It was certainly exercise, but of course my wrist didn't move much. The company says that the current version is tailored for running and walking, but that you can record other kinds of activity — swimming, yoga, rowing machines, and biking — manually. The app can also record your runs, hikes or bike rides using the GPS function.)

If you need further inspiration, the app also lists Challenges offered by fitness companies: to get an extra hour of sleep, to walk 1,00,000 steps this week and so on.

Maybe the best motivator is the sedentarytime alarm. You can set the band to vibrate, cellphone-style, every time you haven't budged for, let's say, an hour. It's an appalling, visceral reminder of how much time you spend sitting there, motionless.

SOME THOUGHTFUL EXTRAS

Like some other products, the Up band also tries to make a graph of your sleep patterns by tracking your unconscious movements: deep sleep, light sleep and lying awake. You have to press the metal button on the end to let it know that you're going to bed, though, which is a little odd. Shouldn't it be able to sense when you've gone to sleep?

The band can also wake you with a vibration. In fact, it's Smart Alarm feature tries to wake you when you're in the lightest phase of your sleep cycle, to avoid the grogginess of waking from a deep sleep. You set an alarm time; if the band senses that you're nearly awake anyway within 30 minutes beforehand, it rouses you early.

It's difficult to believe that you'll actually feel more refreshed with less sleep, but that's the theory; online, a fair number of people say that it works. In any case, there's great value in an alarm that wakes you with a silent vibration. At least whoever's sleeping next to you will certainly find great value in it.

HOW IT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED

The Up band is also supposed to help you eat better, but its approach is minimalist: you use the phone to take a picture of every meal. That's it. The wristband has no involvement. There's no calorie tracking, no portion control, no guidance whatsoever.

The company suggests that public humiliation is the key. The Up app lets you connect to other Up band owners you may know: your family and friends, for example. Each day, you can compare your own activity, sleep and food records with theirs, side-by-side on a graph on the phone. The idea is that if you're being watched by people whose opinion matters, you'll take better care of yourself.

It's hard to argue with that premise. But how many people do you know who own Up bands, who might become part of your network?

All of this would be much more compelling if the phone software weren't so completely baffling. The graph might say "24%" for food. Percent of what? There are no fewer than three different app screens that show your friends' progress, scrolling like Facebook updates; what's the difference? Why won't the app work in airplane mode? Few people will be able to figure out what the heck is going on with this app.

The Up band is something, but it could be so much more. Fewer bugs. Simpler software. A wireless link. The ability to track other kinds of activity besides walking. A less crude diet manager. Compatibility with other phones.

The company says that improvements will be coming soon. For now, the heart and hardware are in the right place —but the software has nowhere to go but up.

ALTHOUGH JAWBONE does not officially sell the Up wristband in India, it can be purchased online and shipped through various websites. The free iPhone app is required for the functions to work.

ANATOMY OF THE UP WRISTBAND
1. Rechargeable battery
The battery charges using a proprietary USB cable and provides up to 10 days of battery life
2. Vibration motor
This powers the silent alarm that can wake you without disturbing others
3. Precision motion sensor
The sensor determines your movement pattern, tracks steps and also figures out when you go to sleep
4. 3.5mm plug
The 3.5mm plug is what syncs the wristband with the phone app. A wireless version may follow later
5. Flexible spine
The spine secures itself on your wrist and always returns to the oval shape

Olympus Tough 8010

Olympus Tough 8010
14MP CCD sensor, 5X optical zoom with stabilisation, 720p video, HDMI out
2.7-inch display, waterproof, shockproof, TruePic III processing engine, 2GB internal storage,178g

Nikon AW100 Review

Nikon AW100

Specifications
16MP CMOS sensor, 5X optical zoom with stabilisation, 1920 x 1080 HD video recording, GPS
3-inch display, waterproof, shockproof, ISO 3200, Expeed C2 processor, mini HDMI out, 178g

Great image and video quality, water proof, shockproof
No manual exposure control, limited battery life, slow autofocus system

At first glance it is evident that the Nikon AW100 means business. The matte finish, excellent construction and weather seals set it apart from most compact cameras. Because it was designed to be rugged, the lens does not protrude from the body (though optical zoom is present, with an internal mechanism).

At the back is a 3-inch LCD with various function buttons placed neatly on the right. The battery, SD card slot, mini HDMI and the proprietary USB port are placed under a single cover with a twist-to-lock system — this seals off everything from water, dust and dirt. This is smart because there are fewer places that water can enter from. We dunked it into water, dropped it from 4 feet high and even subjected it to -15 degrees Celcius (in the freezer) for several hours. Needless to say, the AW100 lived up to its rugged claim.

Thanks to the 16MP backlit CMOS sensor, images and videos had crisp details and rich colors (even in low light). There is no manual or shutter/aperture priority mode to play around with exposure, but the camera offers numerous scene modes (including a dedicated underwater mode that removes excessive blue/green tints).

You can zoom in/out while recording video and even record high-speed videos up to 240fps (320 x 240 resolution). There is a basic in-camera photo editor for retouching if required. To capture fast-moving subjects, it offers high speed continuous shooting, a ‘best shot’ selector and multi-shot 16 mode.

The in-built GPS can keep a track of where the photograph was taken (geotagging). The GPS locked on in just a few seconds and worked great. The camera also has a preloaded world map, which can be accessed using the dedicated button on the left side.

Battery life with a mixed use of flash came to about 220 shots. The autofocus system sometimes struggled to get a fix, and the problem was compounded in low light. Once the camera beeps to indicate a fix on the subject, it freezes for a second — most likely an issue that can be fixed with a software update.

For someone looking for a ‘go-anywhere, doanything’ type of compact camera, the Nikon AW 100 proves to be an excellent offering — both in terms of performance and build quality. However, at the price, you can get a prosumer camera like the Canon SX220 HS ( 15,995) that shoots at 12MP with 14X optical zoom and also offers full manual controls. If you are specifically looking for a rugged camera (but do not want to spend much), take a look at the Olympus Tough 8010 ( 14,999) which is waterproof, shockproof and freeze proof like the Nikon. It has a 14MP CCD sensor, offers 5X optical zoom and has 2GB internal memory but records videos in 720p HD and has a smaller 2.7-inch display screen.

Automated parking lot opens in Sarojini market

FIRST EVER Facility to make parking hassle-free, ease congestion in bylanes
With the city's first automated multi-level parking facility -with a capacity for 824 cars -being inaugurated in Sarojini Nagar on Thursday, parking in the area will now be a hassle-free affair.

All shoppers will be required to do is leave their vehicles on the ground floor of the facility.
Using pallet technology, the vehicle will be lifted and parked at a vacant spot.

Named `South Square', the facility is expected to ease congestion on the roads and bylanes of the busy market.

The parking facility has been built on a public-private-partnership basis between the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and construction giant DLF at a cost of R80 crore.

Seven levels of the facility -from 2nd floor to 8th floor -have been dedicated for parking, while the ground and first floor will have commercial outlets such as shops and restaurants.

The retail space will also provide house kiosks that can be converted into seasonal market spaces or festive fairs.

Officials said the automated car park facility required less building volume and ground space, as compared to conventional parking lots.

South Square has a state-ofthe-art security system and car scanning technology, which will also ensure safety of the cars.

The facility was inaugurated by union urban development minister Kamal Nath and chief minister Sheila Dikshit in the presence of NDMC chairperson Archana Arora.

Dikshit expressed hope that with facilities similar to this one being constructed in the city parking woes in the Capital would end by 2012.

GPS-enabled autos to hit Delhi roads

Three-wheeler operators will find it difficult to overcharge after the Delhi government replaces the electronic meters with global positioning systems, which will print fare receipts, by next month.

Arvinder Singh, transport minister, said the receipts would have the distance travelled, the route taken and the registration number of the vehicle. A transport department official said, “To begin with, both the electronic meters and GPS devices will be functional. After the system is reviewed, we will p out electronic meters.“

TRANSPARENCY New device to make travelling safer, to tackle problems such as over-charging and refusing passengers
elhiites will no longer rged by auto drivers. In a move to introduce greater transparency, Delhi government will soon replace the present electronic meter with a new Global Positioning System (GPS) device, which will also print the fare receipt charged by the auto driver.

“A presentation was made by the transport department about the GPS device and the software. We are hoping that the software will be ready by the end of the month. The GPS device will be able to issue fare slips too,“ said Arvinder Singh, transport minister of Delhi.

The receipt will have information about the distance travelled, the route taken and the registration number of the auto rickshaw, which will ensure safety of the passenger.
The government plans to start the installation work by December. A trial run on a sample size will be done before the devices are fitted in every auto.

According to transport department officials, the current electronic meters work according to the rotation of the tyres, whereas the new GPS system would work after grasping information from the connected satellites.

“To begin with, both electronic meters and GPS devices will be functional. After that, a review of the system will be done and we will then phase out the electronic meters,“ said a senior official. Officials said that in case an autowallah refuses to go to a particular destination, people will be able to call on the complaint number and with the help of the GPS system, one will be able to track the location of the auto rickshaw and action will be taken against the errant auto rickshaw drivers.

“This will put an end to the haggling by the autowallahs, which is rampant right now,“ said a senior transport department official.

However, the auto rickshaw drivers are not happy with the government's decision.

“We are not opposed to the scheme but we will not be able to pay as much the government demands. The CNG prices have gone up. We are planning to hold a rally on November 23 as all our demands haven't been met yet,“ said Rajendra Soni, president of Bharat Auto rickshaw Chaalak Singh.

There are 55,000 autos plying in the city.

NO GMAIL FOR BLACKBERRY USERS FROM NOV 22

Blackberry users will not be able to access Google's Gmail application from November 22. The search giant has decided to stop supporting the application for rival Research in Motion's smartphones in a bid to expand its own market. However, there won't be any problem for users who have already downloaded the application.

LG's full HD 3D Cinema projector

H ere's a good news for cinema lovers. LG's full HD 3D Cinema projector -the LG CF3D is the product to watch out for. The single lens projector offers excellent 3D picture quality with a single box set, sans cross talk and cardboard effect. The 3D system uses two projectors combined with only one lens. Priced at R8 lakh, it is available at all leading AV SI partners in India.

Should a hybrid smartphone-tablet be your next gadget?

 Tablets are de rigueur in the tech world these days - everyone wants one, but not everyone likes to carry one around. Sure, they're convenient because the larger screen makes everything seem better, but what's the use if you only manage to spend limited time with the device?

That's the argument behind the smaller crop of 7-inch tablets too - enhanced portability. Many 7-inchers also conveniently double up as GSM smartphones , urging you to carry just one device. But even a 7-inch device only fits in a jacket pocket. Enter the 5-inch form-factor.

These devices are called hybrids because they blur the line between a conventional smartphone and tablet. Smartphone screens usually max out at 4 inches, while tablets usually start at 7 inches and can go up to 10 inches. For some, a device with roughly a 5-inch screen hits the sweet spot.

More screen space to better browse the web, see images and watch videos while still being portable enough to fit into a regular pocket. This is how the devices stack up against each other, along with a little advice on what you should go for.

Buy a smartphone if you only want to carry a small, do-it-all device

The road warrior who wants to travel fast and light is best served with a smartphone. Nothing can match the functionality-per-gram that a high-end smartphone offers.

Plus, if you need it, there are many phones that allow you to connect to a bigger screen or projector (using HDMI) or stream multimedia wirelessly using DLNA technology.

In terms of functionality, you could get most of your work done on a smartphone, provided you have the right mix of apps & accessories (bluetooth keyboard & battery pack for instance). Get one if you are not bothered by the limited battery life (as compared to tablets).

Buy a tablet if screen size is of utmost importance

Tablets are conventionally better if you're going to read a lot of magazines and books or watch a lot of movies. Other than that, most of the basic functionality (email, web, music playback) can be replicated on the smartphone that never leaves your side.

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.5 Vs. iPhone, Android

Did you hear the news? A new model of a certain black, rectangular, touchscreen smartphone has just arrived. Its new software contains what the company says are hundreds of new features.

The most eye-popping enhancement is speech recognition: you can tell this new phone to call someone, text someone or give you driving directions. I refer, of course, to Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.5. Gotcha! Yes, Microsoft is belatedly trying to take on the iPhone and Android phones with its own phone software.

Phones from Samsung and HTC are already here, whereas other manufacturers are expected to follow suit in the coming months. The Windows Phone 7.5 software, code-named Mango, is also available as a free upgrade for older Windows Phone 7 phones such as Dell Venue Pro.

Windows Phone 7.5 is gorgeous, classy, satisfying, fast and coherent. The design is intelligent, clean and uncluttered. Never in a million years would you guess that it came from the same company that cooked up the bloated spaghetti that is Windows and Office.

What is Windows Phone?

Most impressively, Windows Phone is not a feeble-minded copycat. Microsoft came up with completely fresh metaphors that generally steer clear of the iPhone/Android design (grid-spaced icons that scroll across home pages).

The home screen presents two columns of colorful tiles. Each represents something you've put there for easy access: an app, a speed-dial entry, a Web page, a music playlist or an e-mail folder. More than ever, the text on them conveys instant information, saving you the effort of opening them up.

A number on a tile tells you how many voice-mail messages, e-mail messages or app updates are waiting. The music tile shows album art, the calendar tile identifies your next appointment. A tile for your sister might display her latest Twitter and Facebook updates.

Windows Phone first appeared, incomplete, a year ago. There was no copy and paste. No way to add new ringtones. No multitasking. No tethering option (which lets you use the phone as an Internet antenna for your laptop). No unified e-mail in-box for multiple accounts. No message threading. No Twitter integration. It's all complete now!

The Mango update

In Mango, Microsoft has addressed all of these shortcomings. Most of them bear that new Microsoft finesse and excellence, but there are some footnotes.

For example: You enter the multitasking switcher by holding down the phone's Back button. But this 'multitasking' is the iPhone variety: when you switch out of an app, it doesn't keep running in the background, instead, the app you're leaving goes into suspended animation.

Google Stop Gmail support for BlackBerry users

NEW YORK: Google, maker of Android software for mobile phones, will stop supporting the application for Gmail for rival Research in Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry smartphones.

"Beginning November 22, 2011, we will end support for the Gmail App for BlackBerry (installed native app). Over this past year, we've focused efforts on building a great Gmail experience in the mobile browser and will continue investing in this area," Google said.

This means that from November 22, Google will stop supporting Gmail application for BlackBerry devices and the Gmail applications currently running on the BlackBerry will no longer be maintained and enhanced by Google.

However, users who have already downloaded the app may continue to use it, the company added.

Times Internet Leads Indian E-Space Again

Times Internet Ltd has once again been ranked as the country’s top internet network by Comscore, an agency that tracks online traffic. About 17.5 million unique visitors accessed Times Internet Ltd (TIL) websites in September, compared with 15.7 million for Network 18 and 15.4 million for Rediff.com, according to data compiled by Comscore.
TIL’s audience base grew over 50% in the last one year, on a par with Facebook’s growth and more than double of Google and Yahoo’s.

TIL’s network of websites includes the news portals of Times of India and The Economic Times, music streaming website Gaana.com, online shopping portal Indiatimes.com, zigwheels.com for automobile enthusiasts and deals.com.
The Times of India and The Economic Times websites continued to be the leading news and financial newspaper portals, respectively. The Times of India website had 7.8 million unique visitors, more than double the traffic of its nearest competitor in India.

Within three months of its launch, Gaana.com became the leading music streaming website with 3.17 million unique visitors in September. Around 2.5 million of these visitors were from India, a figure that has tripled in the last three months.

Gaana.com provides free and licensed music through a unique interface. It is also the first major music site deployed in HTML5, and fully compatible on the iPad, thereby making it accessible across platforms.
Zigwheels.com, which offers automobile news, reviews, videos and research, is the leading website in the auto category with 1.6 million unique visitors. And in the hyper-competitive deals space, timesdeal-.com had the second most traffic of all deals sites in India last month.

“Reaching a leadership position in five of our verticals is indeed motivating. This is a result of our continuous effort on innovation and enhancing the user experience, and we intend to keep pushing the envelope with all our verticals,” Times Internet CEO Rishi Khiani said. “The Times network also offers our advertisers a platform to reach out to a wide spectrum of audience.” Through the Indiatimes.com portal, TIL touches the lives of a large audience. Whether it is news, shopping, music, information on automobiles and more, TIL provides a onestop convenient gateway to satisfy diverse needs.

IBM to Groom Women Professionals in Technology and Sales Departments

Indian arm of US-based technology major aims to increase leadership pool of women

    IBM India on Thursday will launch custom-made training programmes for its potential women leaders in technology and sales to create an accelerated leadership pipeline in these two segments traditionally dominated by men.

The Indian arm of the 100-year-old US-based technology major aims to increase the leadership pool of women in technology by 20% and in sales by 15% in the next 18 months through these programmes christened TechAcme and SalesElan.

Anupama Ambe, chairperson of India Women Leadership Council (IWLC), IBM India, says the move has been prompted by the attitude of young women who are becoming more adventurous in moving to new roles. “The 20-somethings are more inclined to innovate. We are tapping this ability through these programmes,” she says. Another reason is that more and more decision makers among IBM’s clients are women, says Ambe. IWLC is responsible for putting together IBM India’s women-centric programmes. TechAcme and Sales-Elan will complement the firm’s succession programme for women in general management that started in 2009. More than 6,000 women have participated in the firm’s leadership programmes since 2006.

“Leadership development is not just about training, but we will also give business opportunities to these women, mentor them and provide executive sponsorship,” says Ambe.
IBM last month elected Virginia M Rometty as the firm’s first woman chief executive officer. She will succeed Samuel J Palmisano as president and chief executive officer from January 1. Palmisano will remain chairman of the board.

Chandrasekhar Sripada, IBM vicepresident and HR head in India and South Asia, says having a healthy diversity ratio in leadership will lead to greater innovation and creativity at the workplace and a better understanding of the marketplace.

Women account for more than 30% of entry-level workforce of the technology industry in the country, according to industry body Nasscom, but less than 4% women reach the CXO levels. IBM has identified women having 6-8 years experience to become part of its leadership pipeline.

Technology leadership programme TechAcme will focus on women in technical functions such as architecture and database administration, while SalesElan will be a multi-tier programme across all levels and business units.

SalesElan—which will add to the existing Sales Eminence programme for building basic selling skills—has been designed by Rometty, currently IBM senior vice president and group executive for sales, marketing and strategy.

Intel Now Risks Missing Ultrabook Goal With Prices

Intel’s mission to get the computer industry to embrace its new ultrabook standard by the end of next year is hitting a roadblock: price. The world’s largest chipmaker aims to convert 40% of consumer laptops to the format, which features slim designs, instant startup and all-day battery life. The idea is to make Windows notebooks more like tablets and smartphones — or at least closer to the skinny MacBook Air, Apple’s best-selling laptop.

Intel’s chips aren’t used in the most popular phones and tablets, so the ultrabook project is a bid to leverage its PC dominance in an era when mobile devices are increasingly the conduit to the Internet. The challenge is that most ultrabooks cost at least $1,000, and Intel has said that the format won’t reach the 40% target until prices come down.

“If the cheapest ultrabook is $1,000, the switchover isn’t going to happen,” said Suji De Silva, an analyst at ThinkEquity in San Francisco. “They put a very ambitious goal out there.” Intel doesn’t make ultrabook laptops itself. It created the specifications and leaves the manufacturing to its partners, such as Acer and Lenovo Group. The early entrants to the market are all under an inch thick and weigh less than 3 pounds, like the MacBook Air.

While reviews have been positive, the cheapest among the three starts at $900. With highend components, the price tag climbs to about $1,500, more than twice the average PC selling price, according to IDC. Consumers have grown accustomed to seeing regular laptops for less than $500. HP, the world’s largest PC maker, offers models that start at $349.

Not Sleek...

• Intel aims to convert 40% of consumer laptops to the ultrabook format, which features slim designs, instant startup and all-day battery life

• The idea is to make Windows notebooks more like tablets and smartphones

• The ultrabook project is a bid to leverage its PC dominance in an era when mobile devices are increasingly the conduit to the Internet

What Are Pesky SMSes?

Unsolicited telemarketing text messages that mobile phone users listed with telecom regulator Trai’s National Do Not Call (NDNC) registry continue to receive. Of the 860 million mobile phone connections in India, about 160 million are listed with the registry.

WHY DID THIS REGISTRY FAIL?

Telemarketers hire multiple individuals, use internet sites like way2sms.com or indyarocks.com, or contract foreign carriers to send SMSes. They use websites with
servers in the US or other foreign countries, where Trai has no authority. Calls from foreign numbers are equally difficult to stop. Marketers also use message gateways like LM, TD and others which can send nearly 2,000 SMSes per second, making it next to impossible for Trai to monitor millions of text messages between 9 am and 9 pm.

SO WHAT ELSE HAS TRAI DONE TO CURB THIS MENACE?

Last month, it hiked penalties up to 2.5 lakh and introduced a provision for blacklisting telemarketers for two years. It allowed customers to block such messages, completely or selectively, choosing segments such as financial products, real estate, consumer goods and automobiles etc. It also assigned a distinct series beginning with 140 to telemarketers to allow customers to identify such calls. Besides, it imposed a termination charge of 5 paise per message to increase the cost of sending commercial SMSes. The regulator imposed a cap of 100 SMSes per day for every mobile connection, but doubled it later. It has issued notices to 1122 individuals, terminated mobile connections of 111 subscribers and imposed penalties in 17 cases for violation of guidelines.

WHAT SHOULD INDIVIDUALS DO TO STOP PESKY SMSES?

Dial 1909 or send SMS to 1909 to register for NDCN and block commercial text messages completely or partially. If pesky SMSes do not stop coming in, inform the service provider, with particulars of telemarketer, the telephone number from which the unsolicited commercial communication has originated, the date, time and brief description of such unsolicited commercial communication. The service provider will revert with the action taken on the complaint within a week.

ISN’T IT POSSIBLE TO BLOCK SUCH MESSAGES ON SMARTPHONES?

Most BlackBerry phones have a built in Firewall to block unwanted SMS and calls. To activate, head to settings > security > firewall. Most users don’t use it, though, because it often blocks even essential messages. For Apple’s iPhone, iBlacklist from the Cydia app store will do the trick.

But for Android phone users, there is a free app available. SMS Blocker from Optinno Mobitech is the best spam blocker out there. Besides, Android phone users can opt for SMS Filter and Private SMS & Call. This app is available for BlackBerry phones too, but at a cost of 140

Websites Show Teens Social Networking’s Unfriendly Side

While Facebook and Twitter are popular sites for making friends, teens have also seen social media’s unfriendly side -- 88% of them report having witnessed mean or cruel behaviour, according to a new study.

About 12% of the teenagers said they saw this type of behaviour online “frequently,” while 29% said they observed it “sometimes,” said the report by the Pew Research Center, which surveyed 799 teens between the ages of 12 and 17. At the same time, 69% of the teens said their peers are mostly kind on social-networking sites, the research said. About 95% of all American teens between the ages of 12 and 17 use the Internet, with 80% of them using socialmedia sites, the report said.

“Most of the time, these are pleasant places to be,” Amanda Lenhart, a senior researcher and lead author of the report, said in an interview.

“But there are some dark moments popping up once a while. For a subset of teens, the world of social media presents a climate of drama and mean be.

India to be Face of Facebook

Social networking giant Facebook expects its largest user base to come from India, surpassing Indonesia and the US in the near future, a senior executive said.
“India is our third largest market in terms of number of users and what we’re excited about and why we’re here is because some time in the future, we think that India will pass first Indonesia, which should happen soon, and then US,” Facebook’s vice president for mobile partnerships and corporate development Vaughan Smith said.

Indonesia has more than 45 million Facebook users while India follows at around 30 million users, Smith added.

Facebook’s user count in India jumped 85% to 34 million as of June this year over the 18 million last year, as per Comscore. Smith expects more number of users to come from India than the US.

“We expect that majority of people in India who have phones would use Facebook as the most important thing on their phone, because that’s what we see in other markets,” Smith added. On Tuesday, Facebook and mobile phone chipset maker MediaTek announced a partnership to bring the social networking major to low-cost feature phones or entry-level mobile phones, which may encourage more people to access the website on the go.
The Taiwanese chipset maker will embed Facebook on its mobile platform solution, MRE, which will be offered to handset makers. More than 40% of handsets sold in India used MediaTek’s chipsets as of last year.

Google+ Opens up to Businesses, Brands

Google+ Opens up to Businesses, Brands SAN FRANCISCO Google has opened its social network Google+ to businesses and brands as it seeks to expand the audience for its rival to Facebook. Google on Monday also introduced a feature called “Direct Connect” to allow users to quickly find a particular Google+ page. Angry Birds is one of a number of brands with a Google+ Page. Others include FC Barcelona, Burberry, the Dallas Cowboys, Pepsi, Save the Children and Toyota

HTC to launch new tablet model next year

HTC Corp, the world's No.5 smartphone maker, said on Monday it will launch a new tablet model next year, its first since a debut model in February. “It's a market we would like to try and test, to see whether we can make ourselves stand out and prevent a me-too product,“ HTC CEO Peter Chou told a media briefing.

SONY LAUNCHES WORLD'S SLIMMEST CAMERA AT R19,990

Sony India on Tuesday launched DSCTX55, which is a just 12.2 mm thick (measurement excludes lens cover), making it even slimmer than a standard AA-size battery.
Sony claims this latest cyber-shot model to be the World's thinnest camera in its class and offers incredible combination of features and performance with 16.2 megapixel, Full HD video, 5x Zoom and 3D capability. The camera is priced at R19,990.

Google chairman says will not favour Motorola

The executive chairman of Google Inc on Tuesday played down concerns the search giant would give preferential treatment to Motorola Mobility Holdings after its planned purchase of the handset maker is completed.

Asia is home to Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest vendor making mobile devices using Google's free Android software. Google's $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola, announced in August, raised concerns Google may become a key rival of Android licensees.

“We will run (Motorola) sufficiently and independently in a way that will not violate Android's openness...we're not going to change in any material way the way we operate,“ Eric Schmidt said in South Korea.

HP weighing sale of webOS unit

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO: Hewlett-Packard Co is looking to sell Palm's webOS mobile software platform, a deal that could fetch hundreds of millions of dollars but less than the $1.2 billion that HP paid last year, sources close to the matter said. REUTERS

Google Android 4 aka Ice Cream Sandwich

Google Android 4, aka Ice Cream Sandwich

Android has grown at a frantic pace – and with over 40% market share, according to an IDC report, it is the leading smartphone OS today. But Matias Duarte, Android’s head of user experience, recently said that the OS seemed to lack soul: “We found that while people like and need Android, they don’t love it.” With Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), Google is hoping to make people fall in love with the OS.

A Honeyed inteface: Currently there are different versions of Android – Gingerbread for phones, and Honeycomb for tablets. Going forward there will be only one OS for both. In terms of user interface, just like Honeycomb, ICS doesn’t require any physical buttons. Instead, it relies on gestures. For example, a horizontal swipe closes an app during multitasking.

When it comes to eye-candy, the UI uses lots of translucent layers. Combine this with a new font ‘Roboto’, and ICS makes for a very good looking OS.

Camera features: Google is taking photography very seriously with ICS. The result: There are a number of tweaks to the camera app. ICS supports “zero-shutter lag” camera (if the hardware is up to the task). This means there is virtually no lag between clicking two pictures.
Also, a panorama feature has been added and users will just need to pan the camera over a scene to capture wide-angle pictures.

People app: In ICS, Google has completely changed the way contacts are organized. Now called the People app, it has a more intuitive design, complete with large pictures and swipe (sideways) navigation. All the profiles in the app are linked to social networks and they not only list the contact information, but also show updates, including photographs, pulled from Google+, Twitter, Facebook, etc. This means users can check what their contacts are saying on the microblog without even going into the Twitter app.

Revamped lockscreen: Some Android vendors like HTC and Samsung have already done it, but with ICS, Google is allowing users to do more with their phone without having to unlock its screen. Now, the camera app can be accessed directly from the screen even when it’s in its locked state. Similarly, the music app can be also be controlled from screen when in playback mode. Notifications can also be accessed without unlocking the screen.

Android Beam: It is a very futuristic feature and not all phones will be able to make use of it because it requires an NFC (Near Field Communication) chip. Using the technology, users can bump two compatible devices to exchange data such as files and photographs, and even initiate a multiplayer game.

Other features: ICS brings a lot to the table. There is the option for face unlock, better tab management and save-foroffline reading in the browser. Then there are better email features along with 30-day offline mail search, ability to monitor and control data usage by various apps, spell checker and better voice recognition.

Our take: With ICS, Google’s primary aim, it seems, is to give Android a unified and spiffier look. Yes, there are lots of new features, but then, many of the new features are already available in custom versions of Android that Samsung or HTC put on their phones. Bolstering the user experience is Google’s way to prepare for the fight against the competition.

Devices: Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S. Other high-end Android phones like Galaxy S2 and HTC Sensation are likely to get ICS but the time frame will depend on the OEMs

Apple iOS 5

Apple iOS 5
In 2007, Apple Inc changed the way people perceived smartphones. And iOS that powers the iPhone played a huge role in it. Since then, the Cupertino giant has continued to make incremental changes to its mobile operating system. Meanwhile, Android has proved to be worthy competition – and now, even Microsoft has gotten into the fray with its highly improved WP7. No wonder then, Apple is now out with its new iOS 5.

New notification system: The older notification system in iOS was introduced in 2007 and since then, for four years, remained virtually unchanged. Compared to what is offered by the competition, it was rather obtrusive. The blue notifications used to pop up, hindering whatever work a user was doing. The new system in iOS 5 features a centralized console that can be pulled down with a swipe from the top.

Users can decide from which apps they want to receive alerts, whether its reminders, from the Calendar, Mail, Messages, stock ticker, and even updates of the current weather. New notifications appear briefly at the top of the screen without interrupting what you’re doing.

iCloud: This is not strictly an iOS feature but worth the mention because only iOS 5 devices can make use of it. It comprises a suite of services that makes use of web-based storage (a free 5GB) to store music, photos, documents, etc and wirelessly push them to the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac, or PC. Besides, it keeps email, contacts, and calendars up to date across Apple devices. No syncing required. For example, utilizing iCloud, iOS 5 users can snap a picture with their iPhone and then access it on their iPad almost instantly.

Freedom from the PC: For long, users complained that to activate a newly bought Apple device, or to sync content – transfer music and videos between the iPhone, iPad and computer – they have to connect the device to a desktop or laptop with a USB cable. With iOS 5, you no longer need a computer to own an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. Users can now activate and set up their Apple devices wirelessly, right out of the box – and even download iOS software updates directly onto the product. Utilizing iCloud, it can be activated over-the-air.


iMessage: iMessage is Apple’s mobile messenger that runs over Wi-fi or 3G. In many ways the encrypted service is similar to BlackBerry Messenger. Using the service, which is built into the Messages app, iOS users can share pictures, video clips and contact information with each other. In fact, they can even start a conversation on one iOS 5 device, and continue it on another.

Twitter integration: Sharing via Twitter is deeply integrated in iOS 5 and various apps can tap into the feature to connect you to the microblog. For example, in iOS 5, it is possible to share pictures on Twitter directly from within Gallery, the app where all photographs are stored.

Other stuff: In iOS 5, Apple has improved the photography experience by allowing users to use ‘volume up’ button for shutter release. Also, users can set location-aware reminders like ‘buy the milk’ that will trigger as soon as the user reaches a market. Multitasking gestures – like four-finger swipe for switching between open apps – and tabbed browsing in Safari are other noteworthy changes.

Our take: Usability has always been great with iOS: There are few crashes or slowdowns (if any at all) – and with the added features, it has again become the OS to beat. For most part, the changes in iOS 5 are deeply integrated within the operating system, and users will be surprised as they discover these through regular use. Indeed, there is no reason why users should not upgrade.

Devices: iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS (some features not available), iPad, iPad 2, iPod Touch

RIM BlackBerry OS 7

BlackBerry started out as phones meant for the suits. And executives swore by the gadgets that were, at one point of time, more or less defined by their QWERTY keyboards. But things began changing. Almost every mobile device took on the ‘smart’ tag. BlackBerry’s USP was fading, and RIM found the need to reinvent itself. The QWERTY (in certain models) gave way to touchscreens and the wide candybar form-factor mutated into a slider and even a flip. Still, the changes were mostly cosmetic. The underlying operating system fell short when it came to mainstream uses that included touch navigation, multimedia and digital photography. But, to give credit where it’s due, with BlackBerry OS 7, RIM has made some of its boldest changes.

User interface: BlackBerry has now begun using what it calls Liquid Graphics technology. The icons are more vibrant and colourful, and the graphics and fonts look crisp. Touch navigation using the device’s screen has also become fluid and results in instant response time. Gone are the teething problems that BB faced when it first flirted with a touch interface in the Storm handset launched in 2008.

The new OS also comes with up to five sliding ‘home’ screens – All, Favorites, Media, Downloads and Frequent – to create ‘easy-to-access’ groupings of apps. Besides, on each screen you can slide ‘up’ to view all the applications, or slide it ‘down’ to hide them. All in all, navigation in the new OS, whether through touchscreen or touchpad, is a definitely better than anything that has been seen on BB devices before.

Browser: There is a marked improvement in browser speeds with BlackBerry 7. According to RIM, with the new browser, pages load 40% faster than Blackberry 6 and 100% faster than OS 5. Other features include pinch-to-zoom, multi-touch support, text autowrap, and even support for HTML5. On HTML5-Test.com, the BB OS 7 notched-up 263 points out of 450, quite decent when you consider that the Google Chrome tops the browser scores with 340, while Internet Explorer 9 scores just 141 points.

Going social: Besides, individual apps for Twitter and Facebook, the new OS is also equipped with a centralised hub called Social Feeds. This app allows you to stay abreast of your social networks and even lets you receive news and information from your favourite blogs and web sites through RSS feeds – all in a single window.

Then there is the new improved BB Messenger 6, which when coupled with BB 7 is tightly integrated with several other apps,including the location-based Foursquare social network and Wikitude – an Augmented Reality application that combines the real and virtual via the device’s camera and GPS to provide relevant data – including BBM friends in the vicinity, and even details drawn from the Internet about your surroundings.

Voice-activated universal search: RIM has added voice-activated universal search that converts speech to text – and not only

Devices: Bold 9900/9930, Torch 9850/ 9860/9810 and Curve
9350/9360/9370

does it scour your entire device for emails, contacts, music, bookmarks, browser history, podcasts, tasks, memopad, etc, but also extends the search to the Internet to include YouTube, BlackBerry Maps, Twitter, and even Wikitude.

Forward-looking technologies: One of the biggest changes incorporated in the BlackBerry 7 is the inclusion of forwardlooking technologies such as (the aforementioned) Augmented Reality and Near Field Communication (NFC) that could let users transfer files, contacts, music and photos between two such enabled devices by merely touching one with the other. NFC could even be used to initiate multiplayer mobile games, stream music to NFCenabled speakers, and even make make monetary payments by merely touching one’s phone to an NFC-enabled payment gateway. And while at present, there aren’t any applications for NFC on BB yet, the future for this technology seems to be extremely promising.

Other features: When it comes to entertainment, some of the features in BB OS 7 include OpenGL graphics for 3D gaming, as well as support for high-definition (720p) video recording. Work horses will appreciate that the devices come pre-installed with ‘Documents to Go’ so you can work on text, spreadsheets and presentation files. Of course, as far as data protection is concerned there’s BlackBerry Protect that allows users to backup their data, including contacts, calendar entries, tasks, memos, text messages and even the password database. And in case the device gets lost or stolen, users can also track it and wipe it using the BlackBerry Protect web site.

Our take: For most part – with the Black-Berry OS 7 – RIM is playing catch up with the rest of the competition. On the other hand, it still retains its position as one of the best devices meant for the executives on the go. With this new OS, the company has add a ‘fun’ element to its devices and has been fairly successful in the venture. Without doubt, this is indeed one of the best upgrades that BB has put out in a long time.

Windows Phone 7.5 aka Mango

Windows Phone 7 was unveiled last year. But it was never officially launched in India. Now, finally, an updated version (7.5) called Mango has been brought to the country. So, how has this OS changed from its original much-written-about avatar? According to the Redmond-based software giant, there are over 500 new features in Mango…

Multitasking: The original Windows 7 had rudimentary multitasking, and only a few apps built by Microsoft and preloaded onto the phone could make use of it: You could play music in the background while you browsed the web – and more or less, that was the extent of it all. With Mango, Microsoft has drastically improved on this feature to allow universal multitasking. A long press on ‘back’ button brings up a screen that displays all the apps that are open at that point of time – and users can now swipe through them to tap and switch between tasks.

Twitter & social networking:
Hubs are an important part of the Mango experience: WP7 groups together data on the basis of relevance. For example, social media updates from your friends not only appear in the Facebook app, but also in the People Hub along with their contact information. Similarly, the Me Hub displays a snapshot of all your social media updates, thus saving you the effort of having to open different apps to checkout content from different networks. When WP7 arrived last year, it boasted of very good integration for Facebook. With Mango, Microsoft has added Twitter and Linkedin to the mix.

Better browser: The browser in WP7 was no slouch. It was pretty fast in rendering web sites. Still, Microsoft has given it a facelift with the Mango update. The new browser in WP7 has better support for technologies like HTML 5 and utilizes hardware acceleration for scrolling and pinch-to-zoom on web pages. Flash, however, is still not supported.

Some level of tethering: Tethering is a big deal with consumers because it allows users to share their phone’s data connection with other devices. With Mango, the phone can now be turned into Wi-Fi hotspot where you can connect up to five devices at the same time. Still, the tethering feature in WP7 cannot be used to connect a computer or laptop to the internet through a USB cable.

Voice commands: Voice commands are the new big thing with smartphones because they allow users to interact with their devices in a more natural way. Microsoft has significantly overhauled the speech-to-text and text-to-speech capabilities in Mango. Holding the Windows logo (home button) on the phone brings up the voice engine. Devices running on Mango are capable of reading out messages, taking dictation of SMS, dialing phone numbers, and even opening apps after receiving voice commands.

Other stuff: With the Mango update, copy-paste is now available in Windows Phone devices. There is integrated messaging that combines all your messages from SMS service, Facebook chat, Windows Messenger etc in one place. Live tiles, the square shaped app icons which are the backbone of WP7 user interface, can display more information. For example, the email tile can show the number of unread mails or the gallery tile can show the photos.

Our take: Windows Phone 7 is an elegant and incredibly smooth OS. Also, it’s different from the icon based approach that iOS and Android take. Instead it utilizes tiles that looks modern and is minimalistic. At its introduction, it lacked functionality when compared to Android or iOS. With Mango, Microsoft has bridged much of the gap. And while it still has to work on the availability of useful apps, Mango makes WP7 a viable alternate to the other OSes in this story.

Devices: Almost all existing Windows Phones such as LG Optimus 7 and HTC Mozart. New phones like Samsung Omnia W and HTC Radar

Google New Search bots are smarter, are they avoid their misuse?

Google seems to have recently updated its Google Search services. Among many new features added the one that is very important from the point of view of malicious user is its capability to read through user comments. Googlebots are now capable of reading dynamic comments on sites posted by the users. Most of the framework or engine that help users to post comments are based on JavaScript and mostly is not visible to search bots.

Google seems to have over come this challenge as its search bots are now able to execute the JavaScript or AJAX components and read through the dynamic comments which are then indexed in the search results. This will now result in new Search Engine Optimization (SEO) technique by online marketing machineries and at the same time could be of some interest for cyber criminals too.

As everybody is aware that cyber criminals are using SEO techniques to improve the position of their infected links in the search results of Google Search this new capability of Google Search bots can be easily misused by cyber criminals to influence the listing of their links in search results. This can be achieved by doing automated posting of most hot topics in user comments (that are not monitored) with the links to the compromised websites. One needs to wait and watch when this will start happening on the Internet.

Inventing the Future of Computing

In a windowless room deep inside IBM’s Almaden Research Center in San Jose, scientists are teaching a computer chip to learn from what it sees, much like a human. The effort is paying off, if performance at Pong is any measure.
When the chip, part of a project called SyNAPSE, first learned to play the classic videogame in March, it did poorly. Weeks later, the company reports, it was nearly unbeatable.

The SyNAPSE chip was designed to learn through experience, find correlations, create hypotheses, and remember outcomes. As chips such as the one from SyNAPSE become smarter and smaller, it will be possible to embed them in everyday objects. That portends a future in which the interaction between computer and user is far more natural and ubiquitous. “Computers were originally designed to solve math problems and that’s what they’re really good at—symbolic computation,” says Steve Esser, one of three scientists teaching the SyNAPSE chip. “Anything that involves visual processing, auditory processing, or speech processing—they can do it, but they’re just not very good at it.”

IBM is the third-biggest spender on research and development among US tech companies, having invested $6.28 billion in the past 12 months, according to Bloomberg data. Along with Microsoft, the top spender at $9.18 billion, and Intel, at $7.71 billion, these technology bellwethers are investing in what they see as computing’s next wave.

MORE INNOVATION THAN EVER

“Computing is undergoing the most remarkable transformation since the invention of the PC,” said Intel Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini during his company’s developer conference in September. “The innovation of the next decade is going to outstrip the innovation of the past three combined.”

At Microsoft, researchers are looking at the ways in which users will interact with computers in 3D spaces. In September the company announced a project reminiscent of Star Trek‘s Holodeck, a simulated reality room where people could interact naturally with virtual objects and other individuals.

Microsoft’s effort, called Holodesk, is a like a mini-Holodeck for the office desk, which lets workers interact and manipulate virtual 3D images.

It uses an Xbox Kinect camera and an optical transparent display to give people the illusion that they’re interacting with 3D graphics. For example, a user can juggle virtual balls or hold a virtual prototype of a smartphone. The Holodesk is part of Microsoft’s pioneering work in what it calls natural user interfaces.

It looks at how people will interact with computers when computing power is everywhere and not limited to a PC. “There is this real sense that this is a dramatic new trend for the industry and for Microsoft,” said Steve Clayton, who writes about internal research for the company blog, “Next at Microsoft.” “We’ve been investing a lot over this vision.”

At Intel, the world’s biggest chipmaker, Brian David Johnson spends quite a bit of time thinking about the future—the year 2020, to be precise. In fact, the futurist recently participated in a conference call about building Intel’s 2020 CPU.
As chips become embedded in many different devices, the company has realised that it needs to change.

ALGORITHMS THAT GRASP HUMANITY

“Fast and less-expensive and smaller isn’t enough anymore; we really need to have an understanding of what we’re going to do with it,” says Johnson, who travels the world talking to people about how they envision the future.

“To be a human in 2020, it will begin to feel like data is taking on a life of its own,” he says. The proliferation of computing into everyday objects will generate massive quantities of sensor and other data, with algorithms talking to algorithms and machines talking to machines, he adds. “That algorithm—that thing that processes that massive amount of data—will need to have an understanding of what it means to be human.”

Harvard Grad Starts Math Museum Helped by Google

As a devout numbers geek, Glen Whitney was bothered that the cultural landscape offered no museum celebrating the field of mathematics. So he left his job as an algorithms specialist and manager at Renaissance Technologies, a quantitative hedge fund started by Jim Simons, and created the nonprofit Museum of Mathematics.

This year, he found a 19,000-square-foot space on East 26th Street in Manhattan and plans to open the doors in 2012. “I started this museum because I wanted people to have a chance to see the beauty, excitement and wonder of mathematics,” said Whitney, 42, speaking in the empty space under construction.

When it opens, MoMath won’t display slide rules or other relics initially. It will offer math experiences for visitors of all ages: logic puzzles and games like Rubik’s Cube and a hyper hyperboloid, a sculpture made of lines of red thread that create the illusion of being in a curved cage of strings. One planned exhibit features a square-wheeled tricycle that can ride on a special path as smoothly as one with round wheels. Whitney, the museum’s executive director, is especially targeting children in grades 4 through 8, yet he hopes their parents and his peers from the hedge-fund industry will stop in and even make a donation.

“We need an institution like a Museum of Mathematics so people are aware of it and better serve their roles in society, whether it’s understanding a budget or even just the lottery,” Whitney said. “Right now, I think the lotteries are a tax on the mathematically illiterate, and people need to understand the risks they’re taking.” Whitney has raised about $22 million from some 300 donors such as Google, the Alfred P Sloan Foundation and a charity founded by Simons. Whitney hopes to eventually create a museum national in scope with a broad donor base. Born in Rahway, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Linden, Whitney got hooked on numbers when his parents sent him to a math camp at Ohio State University in his early teens. “While going through school, math wasn’t something that excited me,” he said. “Kids are told, ‘Here’s something you’ve got to learn for this test, and you’ll never need it again.’”

Samsung Latest Smartphone Galaxy Note

Samsung is out with its latest smartphone, the Galaxy Note, in India and boy is it big! The idea is to use it as both a smartphone and a mini-tablet. Note has a 5.3 inch HD SAMOLED display, an ultra-fast 1GHz dual-core processor and runs Android 2.3 and comes with a stylus for quick and easy note-taking. Price: R34,990.

An App to Discover What’s Happening Nearby

Instead of checking the local newspaper or social networks, a new app takes the guesswork out of finding local events and what is happening nearby. Called Roamz, the app aggregates data from social networks around a particular location to provide information about what is happening at venues in the area.

Roamz founder and CEO Jonathan Barouch said the explosion of social content on social networks such as Twitter does not completely address the issue. “Say I'm walking down the road in Sydney and there's a noodle market going on in Hyde Park. How do I find out about that? Unless I'm following someone on Twitter or Foursquare I'm going to miss it,” said Barouch.

The app gathers public data from Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Instagram about a particular location into a feed tailored to a user's interests, chosen from ten categories ranging from child or pet friendly activities, to restaurants, attractions and shopping.

“Our vision was to sift through those millions of posts and pieces of content and work out the signals that are actually relevant to the user at the time they're relevant,” Barouch explained. Using artificial intelligence the app gets smarter as it learns how a user rates particular venues and the types of content uploaded or frequently viewed. It uses this information to refine the data being presented.

Launched at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco last week, the app has already received 8000 downloads. But there are still kinks to be worked out. “We launched as any good startup should probably -- a bit earlier than we could have,” said Barouch. “We could have spent another six or eight months building it.” The company plans to increase the amount of content available, which is currently sparse in some areas.