a2z Information: 2012-12-30

Saturday, January 5, 2013

90 percent increase in Windows malware in India, Quick Heal report

India is under the grip of cyberattacks and there is an obvious peak in the growth of malware and their modifications on mobile devices, especially on the Androidplatform, according to a report.

Though PC is still the prevalent target for malware authors, there is an obvious peak in the growth of malware and their modifications on mobile devices, especially on the Android platform, The Quick Heal Annual Windows and Mobile Malware Report, 2012, released by Quick Heal Technologies, a leading player in India's antivirus segment said here.

As per the findings, there has been a persistent increase in the number of malware attacks on the Google Android platform and mobile applications have become the easiest way to compromise devices, the report said.

IT company NIIT said it has partnered with industry body Nasscom to train over one lakh students in three years.

The training programmes will be offered through two initiatives - Foundation Skills in IT (FSIT) for engineering graduates and Global BusinessFoundation Skills (GBFS) for graduates for all streams.

Wikipedia losing many editors, crippling ability to keep pace, Study

Wikipedia, one of the world's biggest websites, is losing many of its English-language editors, crippling its ability to keep pace with its mission as a source of knowledge online, a study says.

The study led by Aaron Halfaker of the University of Minnesota found that the number of "collaborators" or volunteer editors has been on the decline from around 56,000 in 2007 to some 35,000 at the end of 2012.

The researchers said there are a number of reasons, including the rise of automated programs or "bots," but also noted that some potential contributors are being discouraged by Wikipedia's structure.

When we started, the Indian software industry was primarily focused on exports and 40 years later, it still continues to be so. The domestic market accounts for only 15% of the software industry's $100 billion annual turnover. The country has too few computers. This is because there are no computers in Indian languages. China has computers in Mandarin, but India, for historical reasons, has stuck with English. The computer is but a tool and Indians should be able to use this tool in their own language. You express your ideas best that way. Innovative thinking comes in your own language. After all these years of speaking in English, I still dream in my own language.

Nokia is reportedly readying a successor to its flagship smartphone Lumia 920. According to media reports, the successor codenamed Catwalk, will be lighter and thinner than Lumia 920. The company is also likely to replace the polycarbonate body that it uses in it flagship phones with aluminium.

The report says "the company is planning to switch to an aluminum construction for at least one high-end Lumia Windows Phone planned for release this year." And, considering that the best is meant for top-of-the-line models, Lumia 920 successor is best suited to get the upgrade from polycarbonate to aluminium.

Seems, Samsung is again readying a big launch for the month of May. The company which unveiled its flagship smartphone Galaxy S3 in May last year, is reportedly launching its successor Samsung Galaxy S IV in May 2013.

The speculations have been fuelled by a post from Samsung Lebanon on Facebook saying that the upcoming Galaxy S IV will not launch before May 2014. Facebook user Anthony Ghattas posted a question on Samsung Lebanon's page on the social networking website, asking, "Hey, is there any news for the Samsung Galaxy S4 release?" The reply he received from the company was "The Galaxy SIV won't be released before May 2013."

Tech giant Infosys said a newspaper report it was planning to fire up to 5,000 poorly performing workers was "wrong", although it encourages "chronic under-performers" to leave as part of its staff management.

Infosys, which is also listed in the United States, added the number of potential under-performers that could leave the company was "significantly lower" than the 5,000 quoted in the media report.

Videocon Mobile Phones, part of the diversified Videocon Group, has launched a 10.1-inch tablet, VT10.

Videocon VT10 runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system and is powered by a 1.5GHz dual core processor. There's IPS capacitive touch screen display with 1280x800 screen resolution. Battery is 6800 mAh.

Other features include 8GB ROM, 1GB RAM, 2MP front camera and a 2MP rear camera. The memory is expandable up to 32 GB. The tablet supports full HD playback, has a 3.5mm audio Jack, Wi-Fi, an HDMI output with a free HDMI and OTG cable.

IBM said it has appointed Vanitha Narayanan as the Managing Director of its India operations with immediate effect.

She takes over from Shanker Annaswamy who will continue to remain in IBM as the Senior Adviser to the corporation on India Enterprise, the company said in a statement.

Narayanan will be responsible for all of IBM's sales, marketing, services and global delivery operations in the India/South Asia (ISA) region, including operations in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, it added.

Google maps New Year s resolutions around the world

Google is letting people peg their New Year's resolutions to an online map and see what promises others around the world have set out to keep in 2013.

By yesterday, a resolutions section at the CaliforniaInternet giant's 2012 Zeitgeist website had logged half a million entries, more than a third of which involved desires to love or be loved.

Vows to improve personal health were rife in the United States, while Russia was at the head of the class when it came to education-focused resolutions, according to Google.

BPO companies report decline in women workforce, Assocham

ITeS-BPO companies have registered a significant decline in work productivity during the last fortnight as one in three female workers have either reduced working hours after sunset or quit jobs after the Delhi bus rape incident, says a quick random survey undertaken by Assocham Social Development Foundation (ASDF).

In Delhi-NCR alone, BPO-ITeS have been affected to the extent of 40 per cent. There are about 2,200 ITeS and BPO units in this region, where over 2.5 lakh women work.

The anti-virus industry has a dirty little secret: Its products are often not very good at stopping viruses. Consumers and businesses spend billions of dollars every year on anti-virus software. But these programmes rarely, if ever, block freshly-minted computer viruses, experts say, because the virus creators move too quickly. That is prompting start-ups and other companies to get creative about new approaches to computer security.

"The bad guys are always trying to be a step ahead," said Matthew D Howard, a venture capitalist at Norwest Venture Partners who previously set up the security strategy at Cisco Systems. "And it doesn't take a lot to be a step ahead."

Microsoft bought start-upid8 Group R2 Studios as it looks to expand further in technology focused on the home and entertainment, a person familiar with the situation said.

id8 Group R2 Studios was started in 2011 by Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor Blake Krikorian. It recently launched a Google Androidapplication to allow users to control home heating and lighting systems from smartphones.

The Andhra Pradesh government is taking steps to promote Information Technology in the state, Minister for Information Technology and Communications Ponnala Lakshmaiah said today.

Addressing a gathering after laying foundation stone for IT Incubation Tower at Rushikonda IT Park, the minister said the state government had planned to project Tier-II cities as next-generation IT hubs.

The competition in the budget tablet market seems to be getting hotter. Acer is reportedly all set to launch its upcoming Iconia Tab B1 for Rs 7,999 in India. The tablet is speculated to be rolled out in early 2013.

Previously, Wall Street Journal quoted a source as saying that Acer was working on a $99 tablet that will have a 7-inch screen with 1024x600presolution and run on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). A US Federal Communications Commission(FCC) application for the tablet revealed others specifications of the Google Nexus 7 rival, including 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 512MB RAM, 8GB onboard storage, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi as well as microSD support.

Supply chain is about managing a network of several interconnected businesses that are involved in the process of delivering the product to the end customer. Throughout this process, flow of information from one stage to another plays a crucial role as it ensures effective decision-making at the planning and execution stages.

When it comes to the flow of information, no other tool or resource can do it as quickly and accurately as technology. This is true when it comes to supply chain as well.

Faced with continuing uncertainty in their largest markets, US and Europe, mid-sized technology outsourcing companies will give out tepid pay hikes and cut down on their campus hiring in 2013.

Coming out of a slow year when the IT industrysaw slowing revenue growth thanks to clients being more cautious about technology spending, software services exporters such as Infinite Technologies, Mastek, Mahindra Satyam andInfotech Enterprises said the pay hikes could be as low as 5% this year.

Apple Interested in Purchasing Social Turn by Turn Navigation Company Waze

Citing 'rumours flying around', TechCrunch reports that Apple appears to be investigating the possibility of acquiring Waze, the popular social turn-by-turn navigation company. Waze, which takes advantage of real-time info from users to help others keep up-to-date on the latest road and traffic conditions, is already a partner in Apple's new Maps app, and an acquisition could help Apple beef up its struggling mapping services. The report suggests that an acquisition of Waze could be even more beneficial for Apple than a deal with Foursquare, which holds only a limited audience internationally.Because Waze maps are built on the location of moving cars, it’s far more accurate than check-in apps. Outside of Google’s project to map cities with Streetview cars – something which has taken years to complete – and the real-world mapping undertaken by volunteers on the Open Streetmaps open source project, there has been little to match Waze’s approach.

How Nokia, BlackBerry beat Samsung in Indian market

What's a survey without a few surprises? Among the curveballs thrown in the first edition of Most Exciting Brands are a few marketers who have given global (and sometimes even local) market leaders a trouncing.

Adidas is the second most exciting brand, with Reebok (also owned by Adidas) at 8, beating the world's most popular sporting goods brand Nike at 33. In the mobile handset space, Nokia at 6 and BlackBerry at 10 are considered more exciting than Samsung Mobile that hangs shy of the Top 10 at 12 or the iPhone which is at a distant 35.

Here's some good news for Samsung fans in the country. Samsung Galaxy S III, the current flagship model of the company, has received a price cut and is now available for Rs 30,490 on the internet. The official prices of the 16 and 32GB versions of the device are Rs 32,540 and Rs 35,600, respectively.

This is the third price cut for Galaxy S III, whose prices were reduced in September, when iPhone 5 was launched. The smartphone was launched at Rs 43,000 in the market in May 2012 and now costs nearly 25% less than its launch price.

We’ve already heard a handful of rumors about HTC‘s upcoming flagship device, the M7, and today we’re hearing more buzz that the device will make an appearance at CES 2013 next week. Previously, we heard that the upcoming phone was going to be unveiled at Mobile World Congress in February, so we’re definitely not complaining about the opportunity to meet the new device sooner.

Here's news for Apple fanboys, the company's testing iPhone 6. According to The Next Web, a device with iPhone 6,1 identifier has surfaced on app logs derived from an IP address from Apple's Cupertino campus.
iPhone 5 is known by identifiers like iPhone 5,1 and iPhone 5,2, varying in accordance with the LTE model and 4G band of the device.

The article also said this device is running on iOS 7, seemingly the next version of Apple's mobile operating system.

Internet quietly celebrates its 30th birthday

The Internet, a revolutionary and cheap communications system that has transformed the lives of billions of people across the world, turned 30 today.

The computer network officially began its technological revolution when it fully substituted previous networking systems on January 1 1983.

Known as "flag day", it was the first time the US Department of Defence (DoD)-commissioned Arpanet network fully switched to use of the Internet protocol suite (IPS) communications system.

Using data "packet-switching", the new method of linking computers paved the way for the arrival of the World Wide Web.

India's top IT services exporters are expected to witness a slight dip in sales and revenue growth in the December 2012 quarter on a sequential basis due to seasonal weakness in business volumes and the possibility of sustained sluggishness in the performance of select players.

A relatively stronger rupee will also have a marginal impact on the numbers when companies report their results this quarter, starting with Infosys on January 11.

New Asia servers to make Google services 30 percent faster

Indian internet users can expectYouTube videos to load faster and Google to throw upsearch results quicker, thanks to the US-based company's data centre in Asia going operational this year.

Work on these centres - Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong - began in 2011. While the Singapore facility is expected to be completed in early 2013, the Taiwan one is scheduled to be up and running by the second half. Google, which is spending about $300 million (about Rs 1,600 crore now) on the centres, has not yet given a clear timeframe for completing the Hong Kong facility.

Suggest a TV in Rs 15,000 range

I want to buy a second TV for our house. I don't need a big screen; a good, cheap option for around Rs 15,000 would be perfect. I want to play regular cable TV and movies off a pen drive. What would you suggest?

- Aniket Seth, Himesh Rajan, Mitali Bhagat

Keep in mind that LCD or LED doesn't matter in this range. The LED TVs you get will be edge-lit LED and not full-array LED; in non-jargon terms, these don't give significantly better pictures than a normal LCD TV. So with that, here are some options...

Those who have been following the development of BlackBerry 10 might like to know that a new device has arrived at the FCC. Its model number is RFH121LW, but other than that, we don’t know much about this phone. The documents that accompany the filing are merely an exposure report and its appendices, along with some letters and a test report. This means we don’t get any images and hardly any idea of the phone’s specifications.

iOS 6 users who use Apple's scheduled 'Do Not Disturb' feature may find that their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch hasn't automatically disabled the feature on New Year's morning. The issue was reported on Whirlpool forums as well as our own MacRumors forums. The 'Do Not Disturb' feature silences calls, alerts and notifications when it is enabled. Users may optionally schedule 'Do Not Disturb' to activate between specific hours. This allows you to

According to TechCrunch, Intel is planning to launch its own virtual cable TV service and set top box in the near future. The news comes at a time when rumors of Apple's own television service have been becoming more frequent. To combat licensing issues, Intel has decided to roll out the service on a city-by-city basis rather than launching nationwide, allowing Intel to negotiate for control of smaller markets with content providers, who have been reluctant to hand over valuable licensing rights. A source in the video

At the start of 2012 the folks at Google were seeing their beloved Android mobile operating system being used on more iPhone clones than we’d care to discuss – near the turn-over to 2013, big manufacturers like Samsung and HTC have made their own hero lines the likes of which Android has never known. What we saw in 2012 was recognition of the model that has worked for Apple extremely well since all the way back in 2007 – a focus on the ecosystem rather than on the individual specifications of any one device. This will continue in a very big way through 2013 with manufacturers holding up a single torch – like the Motorola RAZR brand – to keep themselves lit up brightly.

Google’s Glass wearable computer has been spotted in the wild in New York City, complete with what appears to be integrated prescription lenses. The bright red augmented reality headset – set to ship to developers in $1,500 Explorer Edition form early in the new year – was spotted by a Road to Virtual Reality tipster on what’s presumably a lucky Googler testing Glass while out and about.

I always thought it was a combination of people wanting or needing new computer and an economy that meant they couldn’t afford normal notebooks that led those who would normally purchase notebooks to the netbook world for a few years. There were a few people out there who purchased the little machines simply because they were tiny and they wanted portability. The netbook also made a nice first computer for younger users.

Nearly a week after Facebook launched its New Year's messaging feature, the social networking site was on Monday forced to drop the app following a flaw that allowed anyone to see and even deletepersonal messages intended for others.

The popular website had last week launched its Midnight Message Delivery feature to allow users to send New Year's messages to friends that automatically arrive on the stroke of midnight tonight.

Samsung has outed a pair of new monitors, unable to keep quiet about the stylish duo until their official reveal at CES 2013 next week. The Samsung Series 7 SC770 Touch Monitor, and the non-touch Series 7 SC750, come in at 24- and 27-inches respectively, both running at 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution and with HDMI inputs for easy hooking up to your Windows 8 box, laptop, or something else.

iOS 6 Jailbreak: 2012 Ends with Hope, but no iPhone 5 Jailbreak is a post by Josh Smith from Gotta Be Mobile.

After more than 3 months the iOS 6 jailbreak is still missing, leaving iPhone 4S owners stuck on iOS 5.1 and no iPhone 5 jailbreak for the millions of new iPhone owners. We’ve seen progress on the iOS 6 jailbreak over the past few months, with small successes in the hands of the experienced jailbreak

Apple to Samsung, Keep Galaxy S III Mini Out of the U.S. and We Won t Sue

An interesting bit of maneuvering in the Apple-Samsung patent battle today. Apple has agreed to withdraw patent infringement allegations against the new Galaxy S III Mini following its South Korean rival’s pledge that it will not market the device in the U.S.

“Apple will agree to withdraw without prejudice its request to include the Galaxy S III Mini in this case given Samsung’s representation that it is not making, using, selling, offering to sell, or importing that product into the United States,” Apple said in a filing in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif., adding that it would do so only if that withdrawal doesn’t prejudice its “ability later to accuse the Galaxy S III Mini if the factual circumstances change.”

New York Mayor Says iPhone, iPad The Cause For Rising Theft Numbers is a post by Shawn Ingram from Gotta Be Mobile.

The rate of major crimes in New York City was up for 2012, and Mayor Bloomberg blames Apple device theft according to a New York Times report. In 2012 New York City saw an increase of 3,484 major crime incidents throughout all five boroughs. The increase in the number of stolen Apple devices increased by 3,890 incidents throughout the year. Without the increase in Apple device thefts major crime numbers would actually be down from 2011. Mayor Bloomberg specifically

Start-ups in India need to become household names and they should create internet successes on the lines of 'Facebook and Google', Infosys Executive Co-Chairman Kris Gopalakrishnan said.

"We need our own Facebook and Google," he said at a function at the Startup Village here, the country's first telecom incubator, at KINFRA Park at nearby Kalamassery.

Accenture has recently set up an innovation Center for ERP at Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management and Engineering (MPSTME), NMIMS. Accenture’s set up which will benefit scores of students at MPSTME is also a first for any institute in the western region of the country.

The Center already has trained a batch of 32 top ranking students of MPSTME from Computer and IT engineering departments in Oracle ERP Business Suite. The 5-day training was conducted over a period of 50 hours and included several advanced topics giving an exposure to the Business Suite. The activity will soon be conducted at the Shirpur Campus of NMIMS.

In the lead up to BlackBerry 10‘s January release, there have been plenty of leaks for us to get excited about. Anticipation has been running high, and we’ve seen more than a few quick shots of what’s rumored to be the BlackBerry Z10 handset. While the Z10 is an all touch BlackBerry 10 phone, its sibling the X10 is more like the BlackBerry devices we’re used to seeing, physical QWERTY keyboard and all. The X10 hasn’t popped up quite as often, but today it’s making headlines with a new set of leaked pictures.

To ensure cyber security in the city, Noida police today directed 70 cyber cafe owners to install a new software that will secure their computers from being misused.

Noida police in association with Ideacts Innovations today launched a new software 'iCafe Manager' to be installed in computers to check cyber crimes.

"Cyber cafes in Noida can avail this software free of cost and improve the user experience along with assisting in national security by securing their cafes," Deputy Superintendent of Police (Crime) Triveni Singhsaid.

BEIJING (AP) — China‘s government tightened Internet controls Friday with approval of a law that requires users to register their names after a flood of online complaints about official abuses rattled Communist Party leaders. Authorities say the law will strengthen protections for personal information. But it also is likely to curtail the Internet’s status as a forum to complain about the government or publicize corruption. “Their intention is very clear: It is to take back that bit of space for public opinion, that freedom

I have been an Android user for more than a year now and have seen the ecosystem progress from Eclair to Ice Cream Sandwich. The platform has indeed gotten better with age and now looks like an offering which will give Apple and iOS a lot of headaches in the near future. Like the iPhone, the heart of Android are the apps. Android, however in contrast to iOS is much more customizable thus making it a clear choice for ‘Open ecosystem’ enthusiasts like me.

So let us quickly get into my top 5 Android apps list.

1. Pocket:

Wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Melinda, has said her children are banned from owning Apple products.

Melind Gates, a philanthropist and world health campaigner, said that their two daughters and son had asked for an iPod, but 'they get Windows technology'.

According to the Telegraph, she said that the wealth from our family came from Microsoft so there is no point in buying a competitor's products.

Facebook, apps losing to online video services on SmartTVs

Consumers are ignoring the smart features of their TVs and simply want access to online video services, researchers say.

Although manufacturers have given their latest sets the ability to tweet, view websites and even download apps, research firm NPD says all consumers really watch to do on their TV is watch TV.

One of Samsung's flagship smartTVs offers apps and access to Twitter and Facebook, but research now claims most consumers simply use it to watch TV, the Daily Mail reported.

Instagram has revealed the top 10 most popular places that users have uploaded pictures of on their website.

An airport in Thailand, Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport grabbed the number one spot, the New York Daily News reported.

According to a company blog post, almost 100,000 photos were shot, filtered and shared there last year.

Five Most Affordable Music Streaming Apps

Five Most Affordable Music Streaming Apps is a post by Troy Frommer from Gotta Be Mobile.

The way users listen to music has changed. And with advancements in mobile technology, streaming music has become particularly more commonplace. Streaming music can be cheaper for listeners than buying music from iTunes, and also offer more variety. With an audio stream the user can change what they are listening to, as opposed sticking to only what’s on their device, where their options are limited.

With an increasing number of tasks to be performed and with little time to do them in, the office-goer is usually at a loss. But there is a quickfix. ET picks a list of ten apps to lighten your load:

1) Paper by FiftyThree

Free for iPAD

Paper acts like a personal journal where you can sketch, draw or note down your ideas in a easy-to-use interface. You get the basic drawing tools for free with the app.

Technology firm iberry has launched two new models of tablets equipped with third generation (3G) subscriber identification module (SIM) slots for making phone calls and internet browsing.

One model is equipped with a dual-core processor, while the other one is having quad-core processor.

"When the current Indian tablet PC market is flooded with price-driven tablet PCs, we take immense pleasure and pride to announce the launch of India's 1st dual-core CPU and quad-core CPU based tablet PCs, both with inbuilt 3G SIM slot for calls and Internet," iberry said in a statement.

At the workplace, our productivity hinges on how well we can use a computer and how well it functions for us. ET offers some easy ways to solve common issues that plague a workplace PC and a few accessories that can help improve efficiency.

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

APP LAUNCHERS

Theodore F. Schroeder of New Jersey has filed a lawsuit against Pinterest, claiming that the website was originally his idea. The lawsuit is also against one of Pinterest’s early investors, Brian Cohen, who Schroeder worked with on a project. Says Schroeder, after having a falling out, Cohen gave Schroeder’s ideas away, and they were later implemented in Pinterest.

Software maker Synchronoss Technologies said it bought NewBay, the cloud services unit ofResearch In Motion, for $55.5 million in cash.

NewBay's software allows users to store, share and access digital content across any device connected to the internet. Synchronoss helps companies manage the activation, synchronization and management of connected devices.

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Saturday, January 5, 2013

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Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Monday, December 31, 2012

Sunday, December 30, 2012