Get the latest technology news from world wide. Mostly this blog give you on updates from technology giants like google, Apple , Microsoft and Social networking giants like facebook, twitter, linkedin..
The big night is almost here, so why not help your little ones have fun and keep track of Santa’s progress while waiting to go to sleep? Passing those last hours before bedtime can be filled with fun, games, holiday music, and more thanks to the two awesome Santa tracker websites set up by NORAD (with Microsoft) and Google!
Here is a look at Santa’s village via the NORAD tracking website. Kids can have fun exploring and choose from a variety of fun activities to pass the time. You can use the menu on the left side of the screen to access various parts of the website.
Onward to the Santa tracker village that Google has set up! You can scroll left or right to access all the buildings in the village. There is also a helpful drop-down menu available via the red button in the upper right corner.
A look at one of the fun games available to play in Google’s Santa tracker village.
Have fun as you explore these fun-filled villages and track Santa’s progress together with your kids!
Wearable gadgets, curved smartphones and new game consoles defined technology in 2013. That's why it's no surprise they make up the bulk of our top 10 devices of the year.
Some of these devices are essentially much better versions of earlier gadgets, while others are new innovations that are exploring possibilities we haven't seen before.
10. Motorola Moto X
Motorola began advertising the Moto X before it was officially unveiled, partly to generate excitement over its possibilities. The Moto X is assembled in the United States, and buyers can customize the phones to their liking.
Unfortunately, the Moto X wasn't as customizable as most users expected. Buyers can choose the aesthetics of the device, but they can pick between having only 16 or 32 gigabytes of storage. Despite these small disappointments, the Moto X is a trailblazer for customizable devices.
After the release of the Moto X, Motorola lent its support for a Phonebloks-led movement to develop customizable phones. Phonebloks is a concept crafted by a Dutch designer that calls for creating smartphones with modular parts, similar to Lego building blocks.
Motorola is working on Project Ara, which promises to one day let customers pick and choose every part of their smartphone.
The Moto X makes the list (just barely) for its innovative spirit and Motorola's pioneering efforts.
9. LG G Flex
The LG G Flex isn't on sale in the U.S., but it launched in South Korea this year and features promising new technologies that we may see on more smartphones in 2014.
For starters, the G Flex is one of two devices that went on sale this year with a curved screen. Although in my experience the curve itself doesn't offer much improvement when it comes to visual quality or ergonomics, the technology behind it is great news for users in terms of smartphone durability.
The G Flex uses a plastic OLED screen. That type of screen is thinner than what we see in phones today, and it is far more durable than what modern-day devices currently use. You can take the LG G Flex, whose curve runs from top to bottom, and flatten it out on a table. The device still works, and the screen doesn't crack.
Additionally, LG covered the back of the phone with a "self-healing coating." That doesn't mean the device is impervious to scratches, but users don't have to worry much about their keys messing up the phone when in the same pocket.
The G Flex may come to the U.S. next year, but it's still more of a concept phone. Either way, the technologies LG showcased with its curved phone are promising.
8. Samsung Galaxy Gear
Pebble, a small Kickstarter project that went viral in 2012, brought smartwatches to the attention of the tech world. But Samsung introduced the technology to the masses.
In October, the South Korean tech giant rolled out the Galaxy Gear, a watch with a small, square touchscreen capable of running apps, handling voice calls, sending text messages, taking pictures and shooting videos.
The Galaxy Gear seems like everything a spy could want, but it's a first-generation device. That usually means there are flaws, and the Galaxy Gear was no exception. The device works only with select Samsung devices, it lacks any must-have apps, it's very expensive at $299, and it's kind of big for a watch.
Regardless of the drawbacks, Samsung said it had sold 800,000 units one month after the Galaxy Gear's U.S. release.
7. Leap Motion Controller
Leap Motion wowed the world in 2012 with YouTube videos showing an extremely accurate motion sensor device for consumer laptops, and in 2013 the San Francisco start-up delivered on its promise by releasing the Leap Motion Controller.
Slightly bigger than a USB jump drive, the Leap Motion Controller enables users to control their computer with hand motions. The device can be used to navigate around a desktop or play games.
The Leap Motion Controller is on this list more for its technical innovation than its practical use in the home and office. If Leap Motion can roll out more useful apps, the little device could be higher on this list in 2014.
6. Nokia Lumia 1020
The Lumia 1020 is one of the most impressive gadgets we've seen this year, yet it had one of the worst launches.
The Nokia smartphone has top-of-the-line specifications, including a 720p HD 4.5-inch screen and the highest-resolution smartphone camera, with a whopping 41 megapixels. Typical smartphones have 8 megapixel cameras. The Lumia camera lets users take pictures they can then zoom in on without decreasing the quality of the image.
But the Lumia 1020 runs on the Windows Phone operating system, and when it came out this summer the platform was still missing many popular apps. At $299 with a two-year contract when it launched, it was also a bit pricey.
Since then, the Windows Phone system has been beefed up with more apps, and the price of the Lumia 1020 has been cut. Nokia lowered the phone's price to $199 with a two-year contract, and Windows Phone added Instagram, Vine and Waze - three apps that had been noticeably missing.
Now, at a competitive price and with more apps available to flex the device's camera muscles, the Lumia 1020 is one of the best smartphones you can buy if photos are a priority.
4 (Tie). Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One
This year marked the first time Sony and Microsoft released new video game consoles in more than seven years. Sony came out with the PlayStation 4, and Microsoft launched the Xbox One.
The two systems are fairly similar, offering 500-gigabyte hard drives in similarly styled black shells. But the companies are taking different approaches in marketing their products.
Sony is going after hard-core gamers, offering them the ability to easily share video of themselves playing games over the Internet by tapping a "share" button on their game controllers.
Meanwhile, Microsoft wants the Xbox One to be the center of users' home theaters. By saying "Xbox on" followed by a command, users can control their entertainment systems with their voices. The Xbox One can also load up specific users' profiles and preferences by detecting them with the Kinect motion-sensor device.
For now, neither system has separated itself as the clear-cut top choice, and picking between them comes down to users' personal preferences. The PS4 retails for $399.99 while the Xbox One goes for $499.99, but good luck finding either one. At many stores they're back-ordered.
3. Google Chromecast
Chromecast is a digital TV receiver that functions much like Roku and the Apple TV, but at a far lower price and in a much smaller package. The $35 Chromecast plugs into the TV's HDMI outlet and streams content from users' smartphones, tablets, laptops and computers with a Wi-Fi connection.
When it launched, Chromecast worked only with Netflix, YouTube and other Google services. Since then it has been updated to also work with HBO Go, Pandora, Hulu Plus and other online subscription services.
If you're looking for a reliable, low-cost digital TV receiver, look no further than Chromecast.
2. Apple iPad Air
Apple has been noticeably absent on this list until now, and that's because it didn't really innovate in 2013. Instead it focused on evolutionary improvements, most of which were marginal - but not when it came to the fifth-generation iPad.
The Cupertino, Calif., tech giant released the iPad Air - a thinner, lighter, sleeker version of its popular tablet - in November. The $499 iPad Air is 0.29-inch thick and weighs exactly a pound. It's also outfitted with Apple's speedy new A7 64-bit chip, making it perfect for gaming.
The iPad Air is an impressive redesign to an already innovative product.
1. Google Glass
Glass has yet to be released to the public, but no other device has had as much public attention as Google's high-tech eyewear.
The pioneering smartglasses are the most expensive item on our list - at $1,500 a pair - and Google sold them to a few thousand selected users, most of whom seem to have fallen under the device's spell.
Like smartwatches, Glass connects to users' smartphones to perform tasks like playing music, sending messages and making phone calls. Glass can also shoot pictures and record video.
But 2013 was just the warmup. Glass is expected to be released to the public in 2014, and if Google can find the right price and a better design, it may have a huge consumer hit on its hands.
Unveiled last month, Samsung has now launched the successor to the Galaxy Grand smartphone in the Indian market. The device will be available for purchase in the first week of January 2014, and while the company has not disclosed an exact pricing for the device (which is weird), it has added that the price will be between Rs 22,990 to Rs 24, 990.
Christened Galaxy Grand 2, the device brings a number of upgrades to its predecessor including an HD display, quad-core processor, and improved battery, among others. In addition, the company has also introduced ‘Club Samsung’, a content store that will enable customers purchasing the new smartphone to get music, videos, live TV and movies directly on the device. The store will be free for the first three months, post that customers will need to purchase the content.
Prior to Grand 2, Samsung had launched a number of variations of the original Galaxy Grand smartphone that included Grand Duos and Grand Quattro. Here is a quick look at the specifications of the smartphone.
Galaxy Grand 2 has a 5.25 inch HD TFT multi-touch capacitive touchscreen display (1280×720 pixel resolution) and runs on the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system. The large screen offers ‘Multi Window’, which offers better multitasking by enabling users to run one application in two windows at the same time. The handset has a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and comes with 1.5 GB of RAM. The internal memory of the device is 8 GB, which can be further expanded up to 64GB with a microSD card.
On the camera front, the smartphone has an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED Flash, and a 1.9MP front-facing camera for video calling. As for connectivity, the device has Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and 3G, and comes with a microSD card slot and a USB 2.0 port. It is powered by a 2,600 mAh battery that the company claims will provide up to 10 hours of video playback and 17 hours of calling. The specifications of the phablet are 146.8mm x 75.3mm x 8.9 mm, and its weight is 163gm. This one is also has dual-SIM functionality (GSM + GSM with dual standby option), and comes with GPS.
In addition, the device comes with a number of additional features like Story Album- enables users to organise pictures by timeline, and create and print albums from your device; S Translator- a translation service that provides instantaneous translations; S Travel- provides guides and travel information; Sound & Shot- records up to nine seconds of audio with your photos; Samsung Hub- a content service that provides access to music, videos, games and more; Group Play- for listening music, sharing documents or playing games together; and Samsung Link- connects your devices so you can access photos, music, videos and documents from multiple locations.
In terms of competition, the device will face off against the likes of Sony Xperia S (Rs 25,000), BlackBerry Z10 (Rs 24,999), Google Nexus 4 (Rs 24,575), HTC Desire 601 (Rs 23,990), Huawei Ascend P6 (Rs 25,499), and Lenovo Vibe X (Rs 25,999), among others.
Various government departments will soon start accepting mobile SMS as a valid official document while using e-governance services, according to a PTIreport. This move comes months after IRCTC, the tourism and catering arm of the Indian Railways, started accepting ticket booking SMSes as official travel document allowing passengers for train journey.
Various services, including Right to Information (RTI), health, Aadhaar and education, will come under the initiative, called Mobile Seva. The government has already completed pilots with around 100 departments.
Launching the service, Department of Electronics and IT (DEITY) secretary J Satyanarayana said: “Like Railways, we have to bring in a system wherein by showing (transaction) SMS or, whatever be the case (like e-mail), the proof on mobile is accepted as a valid document. To increase our reach, we need to bring this kind of practice in mobile and e-governance.”
According to Rajendra Kumar, joint secretary at DEITY, the department is ready with digital signature for mobile phones. This can be used in messages that need to be sent to those applying for various services.
Chennai and US-based ReelBox Media Entertainment Pvt Ltd, a wired and broadband based over-the-top (OTT) video-on-demand provider, has secured funding from a group of investors, including Naru Narayanan, co-founder of Chennai-based Xcode Life Sciences and a member of Chennai Angels.
ReelBox, which is mainly targeting the Kannadiga community in the US, will use the capital to expand further into Canada and Europe.
ReelBox was founded in November last year by Karthik Vaithianathan (CEO), who holds a BE degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Anna University (Tamil Nadu), and an MS degree in Electrical and Computer Science from Arizona State University (US). He has 15 years of experience in software/hardware stack. Prior to setting up ReelBox, Vaithianathan was a key media architect at Intel.
ReelBox delivers high-definition video content, including movies via a media streaming dongle. Currently, ReelBox serves the Kannadiga community with a catalogue of around 3,000 Kannada movies. The company has a revenue sharing agreement with content providers. In future, the startup plans to expand the services to other regional languages, including Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, targeting various expat communities overseas.
The platform was launched in November this year and it has already bagged more than 1,000 subscribers, of which close to 100 consumers are actively watching its content on TV, according to the founder. The company has an office in Bangalore as well.
“We have a very dynamic pricing which changes every day. We offer a no-subscription pay-per-view model. It is basically a pre-charge and use model. We enable subscribers to purchase content when the prices are low and keep them for later viewing,” Vaithianathan said.
The firm is also eyeing to launch the services across the entire North America, besides expanding into Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Middle East going forward.
The Reserve Bank of India has cautioned the users, holders and traders of virtual currencies (including Bitcoins), about the potential financial, operational, legal, customer protection and security related risks.
In this regard, RBI has been looking at the developments relating to certain electronic records claimed to be ‘decentralised digital currency’ or ‘virtual currency’ like Bitcoins, litecoins, bbqcoins, dogecoins etc., their usage or trading in the country.
It said that it is examining the issues associated with the usage, holding and trading of such virtual currencies under the existing legal and regulatory framework of the country, including foreign exchange and payment systems laws and regulations.
The price of Bitcoin has been fairly volatile this year rising over five times in less than two months to cross $1,000 last month only to see its value shrink by a third since then.
RBI noted that the creation, trading or usage of virtual currencies including Bitcoins, as a medium for payment are not authorised by any central bank or monetary authority. “No regulatory approval, registration or authorisation is stated to have been obtained by the entities concerned for carrying on such activities. As such, they may pose several risks to their users,” according to RBI.
For those who don’t already know, Bitcoin is an internet-based virtual currency that came into existence in 2009. It is an open-source protocol, its design is public, and nobody owns or controls it. Bitcoin also boasts of certain unique properties that are not found in other payment systems. Note that as far as Bitcoin is concerned, there is no central authority. It is like email or internet, in the sense that no one owns email protocol or internet protocol.
Also, it is the demand and supply that decides it’s pricing, so, depending on the supply/demand and adoption of Bitcoin, people buy or sell at various prices. Most of the time, the exchange that has a maximum volume is used as reference point to determine its prices. It is like how gold prices are being determined. The fluctuations are based on speculation only. If there are positive news about Bitcoin and its adoption, more people invest in it and drive prices up, whereas if there is any bad news, people who have already invested sell it to lower their risk. Read here for more.
RBI also specified several risks that the use of virtual currencies poses, including the following:
Prone to losses: Since virtual currencies are stored in digital/electronic media that are called electronic wallets, they are prone to losses arising out of hacking, loss of password, compromise of access credentials, malware attack, etc. Also, since they are not created by or traded through any authorised central registry or agency, the loss of the e-wallet could result in the permanent loss of the virtual currencies held in them.
No regulation of payments: Payments by virtual currencies, take place on a peer-to-peer basis without an authorised central agency that regulates such payments. As such, there is no established framework for recourse to customer problems/ disputes/charge backs, etc.
Volatility in value: There is no underlying or backing of any asset for virtual currencies. As such, their value seems to be a matter of speculation. Huge volatility in the value of virtual currencies has been noticed in the recent past, exposing its users to potential losses on account of such volatility.
Trading of virtual currencies: Virtual currencies are being traded on exchange platforms set up in various jurisdictions whose legal status is also unclear. Hence, the traders of virtual currencies on such platforms are exposed to legal as well as financial risks.
“There have been several media reports of the usage of virtual currencies, including Bitcoins, for illicit and illegal activities in several jurisdictions. The absence of information of counterparties in such peer-to-peer anonymous/pseudonymous systems could subject the users to unintentional breaches of anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) laws,” according to RBI.
Globally, there are some companies, including BTCChina in China, MtGox in Japan and Bitstamp in Europe that buy/sell Bitcoins. In India, too, there is a startup called Seven Digital Cash LLP based out of Gandhinagar (Gujarat) that buys and sells this digital currency through its platform Buysellbitco.in.
Just last week, we had reported that Gaurav Burman, managing partner of Elephant Capital, had invested in his personal capacity an undisclosed amount in itBit Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based Bitcoin exchange. Prior to this, itBit had raised $3.25 million co-led by Canaan Partners and RRE Venture, with participation from Liberty City Ventures and a few individual investors.
Burman, who picked a minority stake in itBit, is now planning to bring the platform to India. As per the latest estimates, there are over 11 million Bitcoin users worldwide, of which around 50,000 are in India
We’ve been hearing about the Windows 8.1-based Moneypenny for some time now. Now, prolific tipster @evleaks has tweeted a screenshot belonging to a device that is supposedly Moneypenny. Interestingly, the leaked image clearly shows that the device will come with dual SIM slot, which means it will be the first dual-SIM Windows Phone device.
The screenshot of the alleged Nokia Moneypenny Windows Phone device also shows 3G connectivity on both SIMs. One will also notice that the leaked screenshot shows Live Tiles on the Start screen for Nokia MixRadio, HERE Maps, Internet Explorer, Photos, SkyDrive, Microsoft Office, Instagram, Asphalt 8 and Vine app for Windows Phone.
First dual-SIM WP device
The screenshot also shows on-screen navigation control buttons for back, Start and Bing search. Earlier this month, we learnt that Microsoft plans to include on-screen buttons in the Windows Phone 8.1 version, just as we see in Android devices. If the screenshot is to be believed, future Microsoft devices may come with on-screen navigation controls instead of capacitive buttons. Some reports suggest that Moneypenny Windows Phone device may be launched as the Lumia 630 or Lumia 635.
Rumours are rife that Nokia is working on two Windows Phone 8.1 devices–Goldfinger and Moneypenny. It should be noted that both codenames are reference to characters from the James Bond canon. While Goldfinger is said to be the company’s flagship device, nothing much is known about Moneypenny.
