Facebook testing dollar 100 charge to message strangers

Facebook is at it again, folks. The social network giant is testing out yet another new feature, and this time it’s almost too ridiculous to believe. Facebook is testing a new service that charges you $100 to send a message to a stranger. So, instead of having the message land in their “Other” inbox, it will go straight to their main inbox.

Some Facebook users have been reporting an interesting popup when they attempt to send messages to people outside of their friend network. The popup notes that the message will be filtered to the “Other” inbox of the recipient, but offers to deliver it to the top of the recipient’s inbox for a staggering $100.

Apple Blocks Java 7 on OS X to Address Widespread Security Threat

As noted by ZDNet, a major security vulnerability in Java 7 has been discovered, with the vulnerability currently being exploited in the wild by malicious parties. In response to threat, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has recommended that users disable Java 7 entirely until a patch is made available by Oracle.

Nokia, We are in a hurry to catch up

Finnish handset major Nokia is banking on a slew of product launches across a wide price band in a bid to regain its lost market share in the smartphone category. Nokia executives say the company is in a "hurry to catch up" with giants such as Apple and Samsung who currently consume a majority of the market. 

In an interview with TOI at the launch of the new Nokia Lumia 920, director & head of smart devices at Nokia, Vipul Mehrotra, talks about the company's strategy to win back its market share through the new launches. Excerpts: 

Infosys market cap jumps by dollar4 billion, more than Fijis GDP

Shares in Infosys closed up 16.8 per cent on Friday after stellar third-quarter results and an unexpected rise in its fiscal year revenue estimate, adding $4.07 billion to its market capitalization, more than the GDP of Fiji. 

Infosys' 16.8 percent jump almost single-handedly kept the Sensex in the black, with 26 of its 30 components closing lower, including index heavyweights Reliance Industries and tobacco major ITC. 

Fiji's gross domestic product stood at $3.81 billion in 2011, according to the most recent data available from the World Bank. 

Infosys to induct junior employees into consulting

India's second-ranked software exporter Infosys said it will begin inducting junior level employees into its consulting division by re-training them. Until now, only senior- and middle-level employees were hired for the vertical. 

A junior employee at Infosys has about two-five years experience. Infosys has also decided to rope in those hired from business schools into this division, a high margin business - the recent acquisition of Europe-based consultancy Lodestone pushed revenues up 6.3% sequentially.

Skype founder browsing the world for next hot tech idea

Niklas Zennstrom, co-founder of internet phone service Skype, believes the next hot tech business will just as likely spring from Istanbul or Sao Paolo as from Silicon Valley or the coolest districts of London. 

And he is prepared to fly around the world to find it. 

"Talent can pop up anywhere in the world, it's not just one city block," the Swedish entrepreneur and venture capitalist said at the headquarters of his Atomico fund, based on upmarket New Bond Street in central London. 

Apple co founder Steve Jobs tops list of world s best CEOs

Late visionary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has topped a list of the world's best chief executives, according to a report. 

The global list, compiled by French business school Insead for Harvard Business Review, ranked the former Apple head first. 

Jobs was followed by Amazon's Jeff Bezos in second and Samsung's retired boss Yun Jong-Yong in third, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. 

Developing a private cloud

Cloud computing continues to transform the enterprises it touches. Moving business processes, data storage, and embracing more virtualisation are all key components of today's cloud environments.

The outsourced foundation of the cloud is driving this sector, but businesses are increasingly looking at how they can take more control of the platforms they already own. Enter the private cloud.

A whitepaper from Cisco defines the private cloud as follows: "With a private cloud, enterprises can run processes internally and externally, having established the private cloud as the control point for workloads.

Wireless charging, Pick Google Samsung or Nokia

Smartphone battery running low?

You are not alone. With millions of mobile devices handling more tasks, batteries are draining faster, forcing the industry to look for solutions including wireless charging, which can give consumers a power boost on the go.

Many solutions to this problem were on display at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, but consumers may be confused by the number of competing platforms and standards.

Microsoft Windows 8 a giant sadness

Gabe Newell, chief executive of gaming company Valve has said that software giant Microsoft's Windows 8 was like a 'giant sadness'. 

Newell said that Windows 8, the new Microsoft operating system, was "unusable". 

He told The Verge that the new operating system was like this giant sadness that had hurt everybody in the PC business. 

Announcing Anisha Singh Of Mydala.com As A Panelist At WATSummit 2013

Anisha Singh is the Founder and CEO of mydala.com. Anisha Singh started the company in 2009 and has led Mydala to become one of the leading online portals in the county, generating immense value for customers as well as merchant partners alike.

Anisha began her career on Capitol Hill working with the Clinton administration helping women entrepreneurs raise funding for innovative women-led businesses. She then worked at Centra Software in Boston before returning to India and setting up, Kinis (Software) Solutions, a provider of customized e-learning solutions for Fortune 500 companies.

Anisha has a Masters degree in political communication, as well as an MBA in Information Systems from American University in Washington DC.

Verizon sets its own record, activates 9.8 million smartphones in Q4

Verizon revealed earlier today in an SEC filing that it activated 9.8 million smartphones during its fourth-quarter. Says the carrier, these activations were comprised of a “higher mix” of iPhones, likely due to the iPhone 5. These numbers are from the company’s Q4 estimates; it is slated to reveal its financial report on January 22.

The SEC filing details little else, so we’ll have to wait until the 22nd for more information. This coincides with AT&T’s recent Q4 estimates, which show a record number of smartphone sales totaling over 10 million. This is a fairly substantial jump from its record in Q4 2011, when it sold 9.4 million smartphones, demonstrating the carrier’s steady upwards progress.

BlackBerry 10, Six Device Launches for 2013

BlackBerry 10: Six Device Launches for 2013 is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

With RIM’s big BlackBerry 10 launch upcoming on January 30th, details are already trickling out as the company has confirmed, ahead of the launch date, that it expects to offer six devices over the course of 2013, that it currently has no carrier exclusives in any market and that it plans on offering devices in a range of price points including high-end devices and lower-end models. 

Beam Money Launches An Mobile Wallet For iOS

Beam Money, an Indian mobile wallet service has announced the launch of its iPhone app called Beam Wallet. This app will be bring all of Beam Money’s features to Indian iPhone users. The application is free to download. The company says that the app will allows iPhone users to make payments for DTH and recharge their mobile phones. The company has tied up with leading companies in both the spaces. The company says that the  app also allows users to transfer money, book tickets and pay bills.

Anand Shrivastav, CMD of Beam had this to say about the app.

“With an increasing section of Indians becoming tech-savvy and acquiring smartphones, it is vital for us to make our services available at different points of use equipment with underlying thought of bringing convenience and delight to our customers. In view of our constant endeavour to innovate services; we have launched Beam Wallet for iPhone users. We intend to offer convenience and ease of transacting anytime, anywhere with anyone irrespective of their device.” 

Smart TVs also mean trouble, here s why

In the new world of technology, television is not just for watching. It is also watching you. 

So-called smart TVs being unveiled this week at the International Consumer Electronics Show offer technologies that watch the viewer, in an effort to offer more relevant programming. 

The idea may sound eerie to those familiar with George Orwell's novel "1984" but people in the industry say this is the next step in the evolution of TV viewing. 

Cisco appoints Jeff White as president, India and SAARC

 Cisco has appointed Jeff White as president, sales and operations of India & SAARC countries. White will also take on the role of leader of a new India Board, which comprises senior executives from Cisco's headquarters as well as India and will chart Cisco's continued engagement with one of the largest emerging economies in the world. 

White will report to Jaime Valles, president of Cisco in Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China (APJC), and will work in partnership with Faiyaz Shahpurwala, senior vice president, Industry Solutions and India Site Leader. 

Microsoft Shutting Down Windows Live Messenger In March, Will Transition Users To Skype

Microsoft will be shutting down its Windows Live Messenger service on March 15. This is keeping with the planned transition from Windows Live to Skype, which it acquired in 2011. Messenger thus has roughly 2 months to go before it is taken down for good.

This change will be global with the only exception being China. Windows Live Messenger will continue to be accessible in the country along with Skype. The merger isn’t possible there because both Messenger and Skype are run as a joint ventures between Microsoft and local Chinese companies Shanghai MSN Network Communications (Messenger) and TOM Online (Skype). A merger of services would complicate existing corporate structures in the country. You can read more about it here.

Sony VAIO T15 Touch and T14 Touch hands on

It’s all-fingers-on-screen for Sony‘s latest VAIO ultrabooks, the T15 Touch and T14 Touch, which each slap a 10-digit multitouch layer on top of the regular display for some swiping Windows 8 action. Fresh at CES this week, the new Intel-powered duo is more of the same from Sony’s ultrabook line-up, with brushed aluminum chassis and backlit keyboards.

The touchscreen works well, though we’ve still got mixed feelings about the usability of reaching over the keyboard and stabbing at the display. We’re also left thinking that Sony’s decision to carry over the ultrabook branding to the T15 Touch might be a bit ambitious; it’s not exactly a light machine, though in return you get plenty of connections (USB 3.0, both HDMI and VGA, and an ethernet socket) and an integrated optical drive.

TimesJobs Brings Out HTML5 Based Web App Called Career Play

TimesJobs has just released a web-based app to aide professionals. The app is called ‘Career Play’, it is simply a web-address which can be accessed from any mobile’s browser.

TimesJobs already has a mobile app that lets you search, view & even apply for a job. However, despite the convenience of an application & a full-fledged website, the one thing that professionals routinely neglect is to keep their resumes updated with achievements. Often, only when the need arises, do they sit down to include achievements & milestones. But, it becomes rather difficult to keep accurate track of the details & this in turn can tend to some of the important activities being missed out.

Intel, Internet use critical for women in India

More needs to be done to boost women's and girl's lagging online access, tech giant Intel said in a report to be released later that calls for doubling the number of female internet users in developing nations over the next three years. 

The report, funded by the global chipmaker with input from the United Nations and US State Department, among others, points to stubborn gaps in women's access to the internet in Africa, the Middle East and other developing parts of the world. 

LinkedIn user base touches 200 million

LinkedIn announced that more than 200 million people have joined the career-focused online social network since its launch nearly a decade ago.

"This milestone is more than just a metric, it's a reminder of the global footprint and the scale of impact our network has each day," LinkedIn senior vice president Deep Nishar said in a blog post.

"It's been amazing to see how our members have been able to transform their professional lives through LinkedIn."

Westinghouse 110 inch 4K TV eyes on, massively giant

There’s nothing quite like a war between television manufacturers to bring our the WOW factor at CES, and this year’s Westinghouse presentation includes quite the looker – a 110-inch 4K TV that’ll just swallow your room up whole. This machine is not yet ready for the market, but certainly will be soon – coming in at a cool $300,000 USD when you want to pick yours up with your life savings. Of course this machine isn’t exactly built for the everyday consumer, but getting up close and personal with it will br bringing on the heat to anyone’s eyeballs and brain.

Google s Eric Schmidt urges for internet freedom in North Korea

Google chairman Eric Schmidt told North Korea it will not develop unless it embraces internet freedom, he said as he returned from a controversial visit to the communist state with US politician Bill Richardson.

Richardson, the former US ambassador to the United Nations who led the trip, said he called on Pyongyang to adopt a moratorium on ballistic missiles and nuclear tests following the its widely criticised rocket launch last month.

Facebook to hold press conference on January 15

 Shares of Facebook are pushing above $30 for the first time since July after it sent out invitations to "come and see what we're building" at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California 

The company will say nothing more about the event. Speculation ranged from a Facebook phone, something the company has consistently denied exists, to new search capabilities that would put it into direct competition with Google.

ZTE unveils world s thinnest full HD phone Grand S

ZTE has unveiled what it claims is the world's thinnest full-HD smartphone, ZTE Grand S, at the ongoing Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The 5-inch smartphone is only 6.9mm thick and is 69mm wide and 142mm tall.

ZTE Grand S runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 1.7GHz quadcore CPU. The full-HD smartphone with 1,920 x 1,080p display offers 2GB of RAM and comes with 16GB of internal storage. It is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). 

Vodafone raises 2G data tariff by 30 percent

Consumers will now have to pay up to 30 per cent extra for data services as leading telecom players Bharti Airtel and Vodafone are hiking tariffs and others may soon follow suit.

Bharti Airtel recently increased 2G data rates and rivals are expected to take similar steps to cover costs and improve margins, said industry officials.

Airtel recently revised its 1GB 2G data plan from Rs 100 to Rs 125.

Top 10 security predictions for 2013, Govind Rammurthy, MD and CEO, eScan

Another year comes to an end but not without leaving a trail of security issues and concerns. This year also saw a shift in the trend and distribution of malware. The rise in smartphones has essentially turned them into a fundamental objective for cybercriminals, who have started to target these devices at a much larger scale.

Here is my take on what to expect in 2013:

How to send large files over email and web

Ever wanted to send a large file but were held back by the email providers' attachment limits? Hitesh Raj Bhagat & Karan Bajaj show you how to quickly share larger files using various services.

Sending Large Files: Most email providers allow you to attach up to 25MB of data to one email. This method works fine if you're sending multiple smaller files — you can just split them into batches. But what if you need to send a 1GB video recorded using your camera, without uploading it to YouTube? What if you have a slow internet connection? These are some of the best practices to keep in mind when sending large files.

Cisco s country manager Naresh Wadhwa to quit

Naresh Wadhwa, who has been Cisco's country manager for India since 2007 and who will quit the networking major later this month, plans to start a venture that will seek to make infrastructure more intelligent. 

Wadhwa will partner with a large infrastructure company for this venture, but he said he would be able to name the partner only next month, after he completes his term at Cisco. 

"Technology is still not used much in residential and commercial complexes, new townships, hotels, hospitals, seaports and airports. But with more and more devices becoming internet-enabled and intelligent, our plan is to bring these together to create solutions for the infrastructure sector," he said. 

5 Big Data predictions for 2013

What will 2013 bring for big data vendors and users? Hey, your guess is as good as ours. But 'tis the season for pugnacious prognosticators to don their soothsayer caps, and it seems some companies have a predilection for prophecy, or something like that.

Anyway, we've compiled a prediction-palooza of five 2013 big data projections that have come our way in the past week or so. What do you think? Are these shrewd speculations, obvious observations, or foolish forecasts?

Videogames move further into Internet cloud

 Videogames are moving further into the Internet cloud with new devices and services unveiled at the big Consumer Electronics Show this week.

One major step came from computer graphics giant and chipmaker Nvidia, which announced agreements with six cloud gaming companies to deliver games to global broadband companies.

 

 This will allow gamers to play on any screen -- including smart TVs, PCs, tablets and smartphones.

TVs, How the future will look

TV makers showing off their new wares at a huge trade fair will seek to dazzle consumers with bigger, bolder displays, and smarter technologies for consumers who want television to be a "multiscreen" experience.

Companies like Samsung, Sony, LG, Sharp and Panasonic showing at the International CES in Las Vegas this week are making a new push for so-called "ultra HD" high definition of 4K, which can provide stunning, lifelike images at a steep price.

Acer unveils low cost mini tablet Iconia B1

 Taiwan's top computer maker Acer has unveiled a 7-inch tablet that an official says could sell for $99 in some emerging markets. 

Acer said Wednesday the tablet will be powered by a dual core processor made by Taiwan-based MediaTek, whose processors are widely used by Chinese makers of low-cost smartphones. 

The Iconia B1 mini tablet will run on Google's Android Jelly Bean operating system. 

Times Internet Limited to manage Gawker Media s two technology websites

Times Internet Ltd (TIL) has formed a strategic alliance with American online firm Gawker Media to manage the latter's two technology websites in India. The partnership gives TIL exclusive right to brand, monetise, syndicate and sub-license Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com within India. 

"They (the websites) have fantastic, relevant content for a younger generation that's increasingly interested in technology," says Times Internet chief executive officer Satyan Gajwani. 

What is behind Google chairman s North Korea visit

What is one of the world's most prominent advocates of Internet freedom doing in a country where unregulated access to information is generally either impossible or criminal? 

Google chairman Eric Schmidt's "private" visit to North Korea raises many questions, not least because he embodies what regimes in Pyongyang have spent decades resisting with all the considerable power at their disposal. 

LG announces US availability for OLED TV

A few days back we mentioned that LG had started taking pre-orders in Korea for its new 55-inch WRGB OLED TV set. That TV pre-order would cost you the equivalent of $10,000 in Korea. LG has announced this week that it will be making its incredibly thin OLED TV available in the United States starting in March.

Deliveries of the TV to Korean customers are set to begin in February. If you thought the Korean price, which worked out to $10,000 here in the US was expensive; you won’t like the official US pricing at all. LG has confirmed that the MSRP for the TV in the United States will be $11,999.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini Shown in Three New Colors

Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini Shown in Three New Colors is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini already comes in a variety of different colors but it appears as though Samsung will be adding to its tally as three new Galaxy S3 Mini colors have appeared on camera. Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Caught in Wild with New Color. Right now, the Galaxy S3 Mini comes in six different colors including Pebble Blue, Marble White, Amber Brown, Garnet Red, Sapphire Black and 

Apple Launching Larger, Low Cost iPhone for Emerging Markets Late This Year

Digitimes reports that Apple is planning to launch a new low-cost iPhone during the second half of this year, targeting emerging markets such as China with a new design and larger display.Apple will roll out a low-cost version of the iPhone for China and other emerging markets in the second half of 2013, according to supply-chain sources.

Some sources claimed that they have seen the sample of the low-cost iPhone, which will come with a larger display, meeting the prevailing trend for the 

Smartphone shipments to top 1bn in 2013, Delloite

Smartphone shipments are likely to reach one billion mark worldwide for the first time this year, a new report has said. 

According to Deloitte  analysts, this would double the number of smartphones in use to two billion by the end of the year. 

In a new report, the company said that although it expects to see shipments of one billion smartphones this year, around a fifth of smartphone owners are unlikely to use their phones to connect to the internet. 

Nirbhaya app for cellphones launched

 A city-based software company has launched a cellphone application, which can send a distress message to a specified contact group in an emergency situation confronting a woman. 

The application 'Nirbhaya', which can be downloaded for free, will send an alarm by way of an SMS text message denoting woman's location to the configured group through the Global Positioning System ( GPS), said Gajanan Sakhare, the CEO of 'Smart Cloud Infotech', which has developed the application. 

Panasonic launches new Lumix SZ3 digital camera

Panasonic has rolled out a new line of digital cameras at CES 2013 that includes the compact and thin camera called the Lumix SZ3. Panasonic says that the little camera is packed with features that will cater to any photographer looking to take pictures of family and friends, vacation scenery, or subjects in low light. The camera features a 10 times optical zoom Leica DC lens.

The camera also has 20 times digital zoom and the lens is a wide-angle 25 mm unit. The little camera is capable of shooting bursts at 10 frames per second. The camera also has 12 creative effects built-in and is compact enough to fit in a pocket.

Huawei Unveils Two Galaxy Note 2 Size Competitors

Huawei Unveils Two Galaxy Note 2 Size Competitors is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

At CES 2013 in Las Vegas today, Chinese manufacturer Huawei announced two new devices in the 6.1-inch Ascend Mate and 5-inch Ascend D2, screen sizes that put them squarely in competition with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Huawei, which in the past was known for making affordable devices, has taken the wraps off of two new high-powered devices with massive displays, falling in line with a trend that 

Samsung OLED TVs to play two shows simultaneously

South Korean electronics giant Samsung on Monday unveiled a new television that lets two people watch two different shows at the same time.
The F9500 television is the first in the world to offer this feature, dubbed "multi-view," the company said in Las Vegas, attributing the advance to the use of the latest generation of screen technology called "organic light-emitting diode" or OLED. 

The feature allows two people "to watch completely different full-HD content simultaneously on the same screen with corresponding audio and controls," the company said on the eve of the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, the world's biggest for the electronics trade. 

Joe Stinziano, a senior Samsung official in the US, emphasized at a press conference that "it's only possible in OLED due to the very fast speed" at which images can move across the screen with the technology. 

Microsoft to help SC ST students get jobs

Microsoft and Bournville College of London have been roped in to train Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students for job interviews.

The three-month course on 'Personal Development', comprising developing the overall personality of students, improving written and spoken English and providing the basic computer knowledge, is slated to start from December.

Ten blocks, including six, in Nadia and four in Bongaon, have been selected where the course will be offered in the beginning. Each batch will have 20 students. The department is yet to decide the number of batches for these two districts.

Panasonic unveils new A100 wearable HD camcorder

Panasonic has unveiled a slew of new digital cameras and camcorders at CES 2013. One of the more interesting new products in the manufacturer’s camcorder line is the A100 point of view lifestyle wearable full HD camcorder. The camera itself has an ear hook allowing users to put the camera on the ear for point of view shooting when not wearing a helmet.

The camera can also be mounted to a helmet or to a backpack. The camera is designed to be waterproof with an IPX8 waterproof design allowing the camera to shoot in water up to 5 feet deep for 30 minutes. The camera is also dustproof to protect sensitive electronics from sand. The camera has integrated Wi-Fi connectivity making it easy to live broadcast streaming video using Ustream in full HD resolution.

Kingston Announces World s Largest Capacity 1TB USB 3.0 Flash Drive

Kingston Announces “World’s Largest-Capacity” 1TB USB 3.0 Flash Drive is a post by Shawn Ingram from Gotta Be Mobile.

Today at CES Kingston unveiled what it claims is the “world’s largest-capacity” USB 3.0 flash drive that comes with up to 1TB of storage space. The new flash drive, called the Kingston DataTraveler HyperX Predator 3.0, comes in capacities of either 512GB or 1TB. The 512GB model is currently available, and Kingston expects to ship the 1TB model in the first quarter of 2013. The release will make the drive one of the first terabyte flash drives available on the market.

LinkedIn appoints Nishant Rao as country manager for India

Professional networking website LinkedIn appointed  Nishant K Rao as the new Country Manager for its India operations. 

Rao's appointment follows the promotion of former Country Manager Hari V Krishnan into a larger role as the Managing Director of Asia-Pacific and Japan, LinkedIn said in a statement. 

LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network with 187 million members globally. It has over 18 million members in India. 

Lenovo ThinkVision mobile monitor hands on, touching Windows 8 across the room

Lenovo has brought forth several unique visions in the Windows 8 universe this week with touchscreen prowess and unique hardware abilities such as the wireless touch of the ThinkVision LT1423p, also known as Lenovo’s mobile monitor. What you’re about to see is a brand new way to add touch to the device you’ve already got with a lovely 13.3-inch display with full touch – but don’t be fooled, this is no tablet!

AcerCloud expands support to iOS with new features

It was at last year’s CES that Acer was seen touting the features of AcerCloud, but this year, the company has more to talk about. Acer has announced that AcerCloud will soon be expanding to iOS, meaning consumers will be able to share files between Apple’s mobile OS, Android, and Windows. This platform expansion wasn’t the only thing Acer announced today, though, as AcerCloud will also be getting a few interesting new features.